Immunohistochemical detection of Lp25 and LipL32 proteins in skeletal and cardiac muscles of fatal human leptospirosis

Leptospirosis is an acute infection caused by pathogenic species of the genus Leptospira, which affects humans and animals in all world. In severe forms of the disease, kidneys, liver and lungs are the main affected organs, resulting in acute kidney injury, jaundice and pulmonary hemorrhage. Previous post-mortem studies have shown that lesions are not limited to these organs. Cardiac and striated muscle injuries have already been reported, but the pathophysiology of cardiac and skeletal lesions in leptospirosis is not fully understood. It has been suggested that the tissue damage observed in leptospirosis could be directly mediated by leptospires or by their toxic cellular components. LipL32 and Lp25 are leptospira membrane proteins with unknown functions, that are present only in pathogenic strains of Leptospira spp. Both proteins induce skeletal muscle lesions similar to those observed when normal guinea pigs are inoculated with leptospires. Through immunohistochemistry, this study showed the presence of LipL32 and Lp25 proteins on muscle cell membranes and in the underlying cytoplasm of skeletal muscles, as well as focal lesions in cardiac tissues of fatal cases of leptospirosis. Altogether, these results reinforce that both proteins can be important factors in the pathogenesis of leptospirosis

Identification by PCR and evaluation of probiotic potential in yeast strains found in kefir samples in the city of Santa Maria, RS, Brazil

Kefir is a product elaborated from the symbiotic fermentation of different microorganisms. The Kluyveromyces and Saccharomyces genera are the major representatives of the yeasts found in kefir microbiota. The only pobiotic yeast commercialized as an oral medication, is the Saccharomyces boulardii. The present work involved the microbiological quality examination of six kefir samples in the city of Santa Maria/RS, the yeasts isolation present in the samples and the identification of them by PCR (Polymerase chain reaction). Then, their probiotic potential was evaluated by in vitro technique. After that, microbiological analysis confirmed that kefir samples were suitable for consumption once the microbiological quality was established. Nineteen yeast strains were isolated from six different kefir samples; it was identified, by PCR analysis, but only three species were identified from these microorganisms in the present article: Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Hanseniospora uvarum and Kazachstania unispora. Nevertheless, by simulating the passage of isolated strains through the gastrointestinal environment, it was observed that they could not be considered probiotics. The results indicate that, in an isolated way, the yeast presents in kefir samples, in the city of Santa Maria, RS, can´t be considered probiotics according to the tests performed

Razine atrazina u vodotoku Jaboticabal (São Paulo, Brazil) i njihovi toksikološki učinci na ribu Piaractus mesopotamicus

The aim of this study was to determine the environmental concentration of atrazine (ATZ) in five streams located in the north of São Paulo state (Brazil) and evaluate its toxicological impact on young specimens of the pacu fish Piaractus mesopotamicus. Samples of water were collected on three occasions between 2010 and 2011, corresponding to periods signifying the beginning, middle, and end of rain season. ATZ levels were estimated by a high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) triple quadrupole. Later, the quotient of environmental risk (QR) was determined based on the medium lethal concentration (LC50 48 h), non-observable effect concentration (NOEC), and the estimated environmental concentration (EEC) of ATZ detected in the environment. Histological changes in gills and liver were also studied, along with the brain activity of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE). The highest concentration of ATZ measured was 10.4 μg L-1. The ATZ LC50 (48 h) for young P. mesopotamicus was 24.46 mg L-1 and the QR was classified as “safe”. Although the QR indicated that ATZ could be safe for the tested species, it caused many histological alterations in the liver and gills of the exposed specimens, and an increase in the AChE levels.Predmet ovoga istraživanja bio je odrediti okolišne koncentracije atrazina u pet vodotoka na sjeveru brazilske savezne države São Paulo te ocijeniti njihove toksikološke učinke na ribu Piaractus mesopotamicus. Uzorci vode prikupljeni su u tri navrata između 2010. i 2011. godine, i to na početku, usred i pri kraju kišne sezone. Razine atrazina mjerene su trostrukim kvadrupolom s vezanim sustavom tekućinska kromatografija visoke djelotvornosti-spektrometrija mase (HPLC-MS/MS). Potom je izračunat kvocijent okolišnog rizika (QR) na temelju srednje smrtonosne koncentracije (LC50 48 h), maksimalne koncentracije bez učinka (NOEC) te procijenjene okolišne koncentracije (EEC) atrazina pronađenog u okolišu. Nadalje, istražene su histološke promjene u škrgama i jetri te izmjerena aktivnost enzima acetilkolinesteraze (AChE) u mozgu. Najviša izmjerena razina atrazina bila je 10.4 μg L-1. LC50 (48 h) atrazina za mlade jedinke P. mesopotamicus bio je 24.46 mg L-1, a QR je klasificiran kao „siguran“. Premda QR upućuje na to da bi se atrazin mogao okarakterizirati sigurnim za ispitanu vrstu, uzrokovao je ne samo brojne histološke promjene u jetri i škrgama izloženih jedinki, nego i porast razina AChE u mozgu

Efeitos do método Pilates sobre a função pulmonar, a mobilidade toracoabdominal e a força muscular respiratória: ensaio clínico não randomizado, placebo-controlado

The Pilates method can be an effective tool for the physical therapist during rehabilitation, because it has varied benefits and few contraindications. Although widely practiced by the population, the literature is scarce about the benefits related to the respiratory system. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of the Pilates method on lung function, thoracoabdominal mobility, respiratory muscle strength and anthropometric characteristics in healthy women. This is a non-randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial with 21 volunteers, who were allocated for convenience in two groups: Pilates with 11 female volunteers, aged 33.18±8.08 years, subjected to the Pilates method twice a week for three months; and Control with 10 female volunteers, aged 31.70±7.39 years that remained three months without regular physical exercises. All of them were submitted to the anthropometric evaluation, physical activity Baecke questionnaire, spirometry lung function, thoracoabdominal mobility by cirtometry and respiratory muscle strength by measures of the maximum respiratory pressure obtained by means of a manovacuometer. All volunteers were evaluated prior to insertion in the groups and revaluated after three months. In the Pilates group, there was significant increase in recreational physical activity, total of the physical activity questionnaire, mobility in the three levels (axillary, xiphoid and abdominal) of the respiratory, inspiratory and expiratory muscle strength, and significant reduction in waist circumference (WC) (p;0.05). As to the lung function, significant differences were not detected (p>;0.05) in the groups and between them. It is concluded that, after the practice of the Pilates method, there was improvement in leisure physical activity, thoracoabdominal mobility, respiratory muscle strength and waist circumference reduction, however, in comparison with the control group, the Pilates method did not show relevant changes in pulmonary function, thoracoabdominal mobility, respiratory muscle strength and anthropometric characteristics in healthy women that did not perform physical activities.El método Pilates puede ser una herramienta eficaz para el fisioterapeuta en la rehabilitación, pues presenta algunos beneficios y pocas contraindicaciones. Aunque ampliamente practicado por la población, la literatura es escasa acerca de los beneficios relacionados al sistema respiratorio. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la influencia del método Pilates sobre la función pulmonar, movilidad toracoabdominal, fuerza muscular respiratoria y características antropométricas en mujeres saludables. Se trata de un ensayo clínico no randomizado, placebo-controlado con 21 voluntarias, que fueron divididas por conveniencia en dos grupos: Pilates con 11 voluntarias, con edades de 33,18±8,08 años, sometidas al método Pilates dos veces a la semana durante tres meses y Control con 10 voluntarias, con edades de 31,70±7,39 que permanecieron tres meses sin ejercicios físicos regulares. Todas fueron sometidas a la evaluación antropométrica, cuestionario de actividad física de Baecke, función pulmonar por espirometría, movilidad toracoabdominal por cirtometría y fuerza muscular respiratoria por las medidas de las presiones respiratorias máximas obtenidas por medio de un manovacuómetro. Todas las voluntarias fueron evaluadas antes de la inserción en los grupos y revaluadas después de tres meses. En el grupo Pilates hubo aumento significativo de la actividad física recreativa y en el cuestionario total de actividad física hubo aumento de la movilidad en los tres niveles (axilar, del xifoides y abdominal) de la fuerza muscular respiratoria, tanto inspiratoria como espiratoria, así como la reducción significativa de la circunferencia de la cintura (CC) (pO método Pilates pode ser uma ferramenta eficaz para o fisioterapeuta na reabilitação, pois apresenta benefícios variados e poucas contraindicações. Embora largamente praticado pela população, a literatura é escassa quanto aos seus benefícios relacionados ao sistema respiratório. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a influência do método Pilates sobre a função pulmonar, mobilidade toracoabdominal, força muscular respiratória e características antropométricas em mulheres saudáveis. Trata-se de um ensaio clínico não randomizado, placebo-controlado com 21 voluntárias, que foram alocadas por conveniência em dois grupos: Pilates com 11 voluntárias, com idade de 33,18±8,08 anos, submetidas ao método Pilates duas vezes por semana durante três meses e Controle com 10 voluntárias, com idade de 31,70±7,39 anos que permaneceram três meses sem a realização de exercícios físicos regulares. Todas foram submetidas à avaliação antropométrica, questionário de atividade física de Baecke, função pulmonar por espirometria, mobilidade toracoabdominal por cirtometria e força muscular respiratória pelas medidas das pressões respiratórias máximas obtidas por meio de um manovacuômetro. Todas as voluntárias foram avaliadas antes da inserção nos grupos e reavaliadas após três meses. No Grupo Pilates houve aumento significativo da atividade física de lazer e no total do questionário de atividade física, aumento da mobilidade nos três níveis (axilar, xifoidiano e abdominal), da força muscular respiratória, tanto inspiratória como expiratória, bem como redução significativa da circunferência da cintura (CC) (p;0,05). Para a função pulmonar, não foram constatadas diferenças significativas (p>;0,05) entre os grupos e tampouco entre seus integrantes. Conclui-se que, após a prática do método Pilates, houve melhora na atividade física de lazer, mobilidade toracoabdominal, força muscular respiratória e redução da circunferência da cintura. No entanto, em comparação ao Grupo Controle, o método Pilates não promoveu alterações relevantes na função pulmonar, mobilidade toracoabdominal, força muscular respiratória e características antropométricas de mulheres saudáveis que não realizaram programa de exercício físico

MECANISMOS DE INSERÇÃO E DESENVOLVIMENTO REGIONAL DE CORDILHEIRA ALTA – O BANCO DE DADOS COMO FERRAMENTA DE GESTÃO

Como os demais municípios de pequeno porte do Brasil, Cordilheira Alta, SC, não se torna exceção na falta de planejamento que leve sua inserção e desenvolvimento, em âmbito regional, a nível econômico e social, correlato às cidades vizinhas já amplamente urbanizadas. Assim, a formação de mecanismos e ferramentas que possibilitem a autossuficiência do Município na gestão do seu território, diagnosticando suas potencialidades e deficiências, adentrando um planejamento estratégico que fomente o individual/compartilhado torna-se de extrema relevância, não somente ao administrador público, mas aos munícipes como um todo. Individual/compartilhado trata de como o desenvolvimento regional entre os centros mais urbanizados e os pequenos municípios ditos em ascensão que compõem uma região metropolitana, porém, interligados em ações e estratégias, com enfoque em destacar a autonomia. Não é possível conceber a sucumbência do pequeno município em arcar com o ônus de regras restritas em detrimento ao grande centro urbano, como o deslocamento dos parques industriais, preservação e restrição dos mananciais, cidades dormitórios e/ou destino de grandes aterros sanitários, todos tratados como incentivos consorciados. A ferramenta de gestão perpassa pela criação de bancos de dados digitais, interligados por meio de mapeamento georreferenciado, ou seja, o levantamento primário necessita de sistemas inteligentes e práticos para organizar a forma de gerir e administrar a informação, pautando as decisões estratégicas no âmbito da real necessidade, porém, permeia esse fim a formação qualitativa e quantitativa dos gestores. Destaca-se que os aspectos abordados no bojo urbanístico socioeconômico desse município estão pautados na conurbação e não no crescimento individual/compartilhado, instrumentalizado de mecanismos de planejamento, bem como estratégias que norteiam seu crescimento. Isso remete a compreender que o Município justifica suas ações sobre as ferramentas utilizadas pelos seus pares e não cria suas próprias normatizações. O resgate da elaboração de bancos de dados como ponto de partida fornece suporte e orientação, pois a sua criação remete a um período de tempo para correlação de variáveis, bem como o desdobro destes, a novas análises e conclusões. Como o Município não possui um sistema de gestão interligado, bem como setores técnicos de planejamento urbano municipal, há um déficit de subsídios que abrangem a coleta e a armazenagem de dados de monitoramento do espaço urbano. A implantação de mecanismos de resgate, coleta, armazenagem e aplicabilidade à gestão pública perfaz a necessidade do Município de Cordilheira Alta, com ferramentas que sejam interligadas com os setores administrativos a tal modo que abranjam da geração de subsídios à criação de normatizações e leis que efetivem na prática a aplicabilidade do planejamento e da gestão urbana sustentável.Palavras-chave: Planejamento. Desenvolvimento. Urbano. Mecanismos. Gestão

Efeitos da inclusão de blend de prebióticos na microbiologia cecal e peso de órgãos de leitões recém-desmamados

O objetivo do experimento foi avaliar os efeitos da inclusão de mananoligossacarídeo (MOS), β-glucano, frutoligossacarídeo (FOS) e galactoligossacarídeo (GOS) em dietas de leitões em fase de creche, com idade média de 21 dias, sobre o peso relativo dos órgãos (estômago, fígado, intestinos e baço) e microbiologia do conteúdo do ceco dos animais. O experimento teve duração de 14 dias e foram utilizados 40 leitões recém-desmamados, distribuídos em um delineamento em blocos ao acaso com 5 tratamentos (T): T1 = dieta basal com inclusão de antibiótico promotor de crescimento (120 ppm de halquinol); T2 = dieta basal com adição de MOS e β-glucano (3,0 kg/t); T3 = dieta basal com adição de MOS e β-glucano (2,0kg/t) + GOS e FOS (1,0kg/t) (1:9); T4 = dieta basal com adição de MOS e β-glucano (2,0kg/t) + GOS e FOS (1,0kg/t) (3:7); T5 = dieta basal com adição de MOS e β-glucano (2,0kg/t) + GOS e FOS (1,0kg/t) (5:5), com oito repetições, sendo cada animal uma unidade experimentalFil: Viana, Yasmim Silva. Universidad Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (Brasil)Fil: Alvarenga, Patrícia Versuti Arantes. Universidad Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (Brasil)Fil: Tse, Marcos Lívio Panhoza. Universidad Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (Brasil)Fil: Paula, Vinícius Ricardo Cambito de. Universidad Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (Brasil)Fil: Ferreira, Silvia Letícia. Universidad Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (Brasil)Fil: Berto, Dirlei Antonio. Universidad Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (Brasil

Predictors of Enhancing Human Physical Attractiveness: Data from 93 Countries

People across the world and throughout history have gone to great lengths to enhance their physical appearance. Evolutionary psychologists and ethologists have largely attempted to explain this phenomenon via mating preferences and strategies. Here, we test one of the most popular evolutionary hypotheses for beauty-enhancing behaviors, drawn from mating market and parasite stress perspectives, in a large cross-cultural sample. We also test hypotheses drawn from other influential and non-mutually exclusive theoretical frameworks, from biosocial role theory to a cultural media perspective. Survey data from 93,158 human participants across 93 countries provide evidence that behaviors such as applying makeup or using other cosmetics, hair grooming, clothing style, caring for body hygiene, and exercising or following a specific diet for the specific purpose of improving ones physical attractiveness, are universal. Indeed, 99% of participants reported spending \u3e10 min a day performing beauty-enhancing behaviors. The results largely support evolutionary hypotheses: more time was spent enhancing beauty by women (almost 4 h a day, on average) than by men (3.6 h a day), by the youngest participants (and contrary to predictions, also the oldest), by those with a relatively more severe history of infectious diseases, and by participants currently dating compared to those in established relationships. The strongest predictor of attractiveness-enhancing behaviors was social media usage. Other predictors, in order of effect size, included adhering to traditional gender roles, residing in countries with less gender equality, considering oneself as highly attractive or, conversely, highly unattractive, TV watching time, higher socioeconomic status, right-wing political beliefs, a lower level of education, and personal individualistic attitudes. This study provides novel insight into universal beauty-enhancing behaviors by unifying evolutionary theory with several other complementary perspectives

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection