Recent trends in molecular diagnostics of yeast infections : from PCR to NGS

The incidence of opportunistic yeast infections in humans has been increasing over recent years. These infections are difficult to treat and diagnose, in part due to the large number and broad diversity of species that can underlie the infection. In addition, resistance to one or several antifungal drugs in infecting strains is increasingly being reported, severely limiting therapeutic options and showcasing the need for rapid detection of the infecting agent and its drug susceptibility profile. Current methods for species and resistance identification lack satisfactory sensitivity and specificity, and often require prior culturing of the infecting agent, which delays diagnosis. Recently developed high-throughput technologies such as next generation sequencing or proteomics are opening completely new avenues for more sensitive, accurate and fast diagnosis of yeast pathogens. These approaches are the focus of intensive research, but translation into the clinics requires overcoming important challenges. In this review, we provide an overview of existing and recently emerged approaches that can be used in the identification of yeast pathogens and their drug resistance profiles. Throughout the text we highlight the advantages and disadvantages of each methodology and discuss the most promising developments in their path from bench to bedside

Continuous increase of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and non-HIV related cancers as causes of death in HIV-infected individuals in Brazil: An analysis of nationwide data

Introduction: After antiretroviral therapy (ART) became available, there was a decline in the number of deaths in persons infected with HIV. Thereafter, there was a decrease in the proportion of deaths attributed to opportunistic infections and an increase in the proportion of deaths attributed to chronic comorbidities. Herein we extend previous observations from a nationwide survey on temporal trends in causes of death in HIV-infected patients in Brazil. Methods: We describe temporal trends in causes of death among adults who had HIV/AIDS listed in the death certificate to those who did not. All death certificates issued in Brazil from 1999 to 2011 and listed in the national mortality database were included. Generalized linear mixed-effects logistic models were used to study temporal trends in proportions. Results: In the HIV-infected population, there was an annual adjusted average increase of 6.0%, 12.0%, 4.0% and 4.1% for cancer, external causes, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and diabetes mellitus (DM), respectively, compared to 3.0%, 4.0%, 1.0% and 3.9%, in the non-HIV group. For tuberculosis (TB), there was an adjusted average increase of 0.3%/year and a decrease of 3.0%/year in the HIV and the non-HIV groups, respectively. Compared to 1999, the odds ratio (OR) for cancer, external causes, CVD, DM, or TB in the HIV group were, respectively, 2.31, 4.17, 1.76, 2.27 and 1.02, while for the non-HIV group, the corresponding OR were 1.31, 1.63, 1.14, 1.62 and 0.67. Interactions between year as a continuous or categorical variable and HIV were significant (p <0.001) for all conditions, except for DM when year was considered as a continuous variable (p = 0.76). Conclusions: Non HIV-related co-morbidities continue to increase more rapidly as causes of death among HIV-infected individuals than in those without HIV infection, highlighting the need for targeting prevention measures and surveillance for chronic diseases among those patients. © 2014 Paula et al

Amelioration of Ischemic brain damage by peritoneal dialysis

Ischemic stroke is a devastating condition, for which there is still no effective therapy. Acute ischemic stroke is associated with high concentrations of glutamate in the blood and interstitial brain fluid. The inability of the tissue to retain glutamate within the cells of the brain ultimately provokes neuronal death. Increased concentrations of interstitial glutamate exert further excitotoxic effects on healthy tissue surrounding the infarct zone. We developed a strategy based on peritoneal dialysis to reduce blood glutamate levels, thereby accelerating brain-to-blood glutamate clearance. In a rat model of stroke, this simple procedure reduced the transient increase in glutamate, consequently decreasing the size of the infarct area. Functional magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated that the rescued brain tissue remained functional. Moreover, in patients with kidney failure, peritoneal dialysis significantly decreased glutamate concentrations. Our results suggest that peritoneal dialysis may represent a simple and effective intervention for human stroke patientsThis work was supported by grants from the Spanish MINECO to J. Sánchez-Prieto (BFU2010/16947), I. Lizasoain (SAF2011- 23354), and M.A. Moro (SAF2009-08145, SAF2012-33216, and CSD2010-00045); from Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) “Instituto de Salud Carlos III” (RD06/0026, RD12/0014) to I. Lizasoain, M. Torres, J. Vivancos, and J. Sánchez-Prieto; from the “Comunidad de Madrid” (CAM-I2M2 2011-BMD-2349) to I. Lizasoain, M. Torres, J. Vivancos, and J. Sánchez-Prieto; and from NEUROSTEMCM to M.A. Moro (S2010/BMD-2336). Research in the laboratory of S. Canals and J. Lerma is supported by grants from the Spanish MINECO (BFU2009-09938, BFU2011-24084, and CSD2007-00023

Cytotoxic effect of sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) in apical cells of onion roots (Allium cepa L.)

Páginas 97-104.El hipoclorito de sodio (NaClO), es un compuesto químico altamente tóxico y ampliamente utilizado por sus propiedades desinfectantes. Una de las especies vegetales más usadas para la detección de diferentes tipos de cambios genéticos causados por sustancias químicas es Allium cepa L. mediante la cual se hacen pruebas para la vigilancia del medio ambiente. El objetivo de esta investigación fue evaluar el efecto citotóxico del hipoclorito de sodio (NaClO) en células apicales de raíces de cebolla (Allium cepa L.). Se prepararon cinco soluciones de hipoclorito de sodio a diferentes concentraciones más una solución control con tres réplicas para cada tratamiento; se midió el crecimiento de las raíces durante 3 días, se cortaron los ápices sumergiéndose en ácido clorhídrico, posteriormente fueron teñidos con Aceto-Orceina y se observaron al microscopio; se calculó el índice mitótico (IM) y se observaron las anomalías celulares (cromosómicas). Se realizó un análisis de varianza (ANOVA) y prueba de rangos múltiples mediante el método de diferencia mínima significativa (LSD). Los resultados mostraron que no existe una diferencia estadísticamente significativa entre los tratamientos (P>0,05). La concentración donde se presentó un mayor IM fue de 1 ppm. Se evidenciaron las anomalías celulares: en anafase, evidenciando puentes entre cromosomas, hipercromasia, lesiones nucleares y rompimiento de cromosomas en anafase y metafase. Los resultados evidenciaron que Allium cepa es una especie que ofrece un modelo experimental para evaluar el efecto citotóxico, en este caso del hipoclorito de sodio, el cual generó anomalías celulares (cromosómicas) en todas las concentraciones.ABSTRACT: (NaClO) sodium hypochlorite is a highly toxic chemical compound widely used because of its disinfectant properties. One of the most commonly used plants to detect different types of genetic changes caused by chemical substances is Allium cepa L., in tests for environmental monitoring. The objective of this research was to evaluate the cytotoxic effect of sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) in apical cells of onion roots (Allium strain L.). Five sodium hypochlorite solutions were prepared at different concentrations, in addition to a control solution, with three replications for each treatment; for 3 days, the growth of the roots was measured; the apices were cut submerging them into hydrochloric acid, subsequently dyed with Aceto-Orcein and were observed under a microscope; the mitotic index (MI) was calculated and the cell anomalies were observed (chromosomal). An analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple range tests using the Least Significant Difference method (LSD) were performed. The results showed that there was not a statistically significant difference between the treatments (P0.05). The concentration with the highest MI was 1 ppm. The following cellular abnormalities were evidenced: bridge between chromosomes in anaphase, chromatin, nuclear injuries, chromosome breakage in anaphase and metaphase. The results showed that Allium cepa L. is a species that offers an experimental model to evaluate the cytotoxic effect, in this case sodium hypochlorite, which generated cellular abnormalities (chromosomal) in all concentrations.Bibliografía: página 104.Artículo revisado por pares

Multi-omics of the gut microbial ecosystem in inflammatory bowel diseases.

Inflammatory bowel diseases, which include Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, affect several million individuals worldwide. Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are complex diseases that are heterogeneous at the clinical, immunological, molecular, genetic, and microbial levels. Individual contributing factors have been the focus of extensive research. As part of the Integrative Human Microbiome Project (HMP2 or iHMP), we followed 132 subjects for one year each to generate integrated longitudinal molecular profiles of host and microbial activity during disease (up to 24 time points each; in total 2,965 stool, biopsy, and blood specimens). Here we present the results, which provide a comprehensive view of functional dysbiosis in the gut microbiome during inflammatory bowel disease activity. We demonstrate a characteristic increase in facultative anaerobes at the expense of obligate anaerobes, as well as molecular disruptions in microbial transcription (for example, among clostridia), metabolite pools (acylcarnitines, bile acids, and short-chain fatty acids), and levels of antibodies in host serum. Periods of disease activity were also marked by increases in temporal variability, with characteristic taxonomic, functional, and biochemical shifts. Finally, integrative analysis identified microbial, biochemical, and host factors central to this dysregulation. The study's infrastructure resources, results, and data, which are available through the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Multi'omics Database ( http://ibdmdb.org ), provide the most comprehensive description to date of host and microbial activities in inflammatory bowel diseases

From primary care to hospitalization: clinical warning signs of severe dengue fever in children and adolescents during an outbreak in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

We analyzed factors associated with severe cases of dengue in children and adolescents hospitalized during the 2007/2008 epidemic in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This is a retrospective case-control study that covers 88 cases of severe dengue in patients admitted to four tertiary care children's hospitals. Controls consisted of 22 children with non-severe dengue living in the same neighborhood as the patients with severe dengue. Differences in prevalence of the clinical signs - abdominal pain, breathing difficulty, drowsiness or irritability - emerged on the third day after the onset of symptoms, in the febrile stage. Cases and controls received first medical care at the same clinical stage of disease. However, hospital admission of severe cases occurred later, on average between the third and fourth day after the onset of the disease. Early discharge of patients with fever whose condition could have progressed to severe dengue may have been a consequence of the type of medical assistance provided by primary care units, suggesting deficiencies both in the use of the risk classification protocol and patient triage

HIGH DOSE CARBOPLATIN, ETOPOSIDE, MELPHALAN and AUTOLOGOUS HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL RESCUE WITH for the TREATMENT of RELAPSED PEDIATRIC GERM CELL TUMORS

Inst Oncol Pediat, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Respiratory Syncytial Virus Seasonality:A Global Overview

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) in children. By the age of 1 year, 60-70% of children have been infected by RSV. In addition, early-life RSV infection is associated with the development of recurrent wheezing and asthma in infancy and childhood. The need for precise epidemiologic data regarding RSV as a worldwide pathogen has been growing steadily as novel RSV therapeutics are reaching the final stages of development. To optimize the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of RSV infection in a timely manner, knowledge about the differences in the timing of the RSV epidemics worldwide is needed. Previous analyses, based on literature reviews of individual reports obtained from medical databases, have fail to provide global country seasonality patterns. Until recently, only certain countries have been recording RSV incidence through their own surveillance systems. This analysis was based on national RSV surveillance reports and medical databases from 27 countries worldwide. This is the first study using original source high-quality surveillance data to establish a global, robust and homogeneous report on global country-specific RSV seasonality