Genética da conservação aplicada ao tráfico ilegal de aves

Birds represent the greater part of the animals associated to illegal trade/commerce in Brazil, specially due to some characteristics as song and feathers colors. Nowadays, genetic analyses comprehend one of the most effi cient approaches to generate data in order to solve and minimize the results of environmental crimes and illegal trade of wild animals. In birds, one of the genetic survey that can be used to subside conservation plans associated to illegal trade refers to molecular sexing, since it is not possible to identify the gender in some avian species based on morphological characters. The molecular sexing can be performed using DNA from different samples, as feathers and blood, and further amplifi cation of the CHD-Z e CHD-W (chromo helicaseDNA binding) gene regions. The sex-specifi c genetic profi les can support conservation programs of captive maintenance and/or reproduction and subsequent release or reintroduction of the animals on wild environment.Entre os animais silvestres envolvidos em tráfico/comércio ilegal no Brasil, as aves compreendem um dos grupos mais atingidos, especialmente devido a características como canto e colorido das penas. Atualmente, análises genéticas compreendem uma das formas mais eficazes de gerar dados para solucionar e minimizar os resultados de crimes ambientais e comércio ilegal de animais silvestres. Uma das análises genéticas que podem ser utilizadas com o intuito de subsidiar programas conservacionistas associados ao tráfico ilegal de aves refere-se à sexagem molecular, dado que neste grupo de vertebrados nem sempre é possível identificar o gênero por meio de caracteres morfológicos. A sexagem molecular pode ser feita com base em amostras de DNA obtidas de diferentes fontes, como penas e sangue, e posterior amplificação de regiões dos genes CHD-Z e CHD-W (chromo helicase-DNA binding). Os dados de perfis genéticos sexoespecíficos servem de subsídio a programas conservacionistas de manutenção e/ou reprodução em cativeiro e posterior soltura ou reintrodução dos animais em ambiente natural

20 million pregnant women with group B streptococcus carriage: consequences, challenges, and opportunities for prevention.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) is currently the only recommended preventive approach against clinical consequences of maternal Group B Streptococcus (GBS) colonization. In this review, we discuss new findings of total perinatal GBS burden and relative effectiveness of differing targeting of IAP, notably microbiology-based and risk factor-based screening, including potential limitations. Finally, we provide updates on maternal GBS vaccines and their potential cost-effectiveness in disease reduction. RECENT FINDINGS: Updated estimates of the burden of GBS related to pregnancy outcomes show (1) early-onset GBS disease incidence and deaths are high in some low- and middle-income countries where IAP has not been implemented and (2) late-onset GBS disease, preterm birth, and stillbirth, which are not preventable by IAP, remain a public health problem in both high and low-middle income settings. Observational evidence indicates that microbiology-based screening may be more effective than risk factor-based screening, but even in high-income countries, compliance is imperfect. To address the need for alternative prevention strategies, several maternal vaccine candidates are in clinical development, and modelling suggests these could be cost-effective in most scenarios. SUMMARY: Recent progress in GBS vaccine research holds promise of reducing the large and preventable burden of mortality and disability caused by GBS disease, especially in higher-burden settings where clinical and laboratory services may be limited. Importantly vaccines also hold potential to prevent GBS stillbirths and GBS-associated preterm births

Examining the human infectious reservoir for Plasmodium falciparum malaria in areas of differing transmission intensity.

A detailed understanding of the human infectious reservoir is essential for improving malaria transmission-reducing interventions. Here we report a multi-regional assessment of population-wide malaria transmission potential based on 1209 mosquito feeding assays in endemic areas of Burkina Faso and Kenya. Across both sites, we identified 39 infectious individuals. In high endemicity settings, infectious individuals were identifiable by research-grade microscopy (92.6%; 25/27), whilst one of three infectious individuals in the lowest endemicity setting was detected by molecular techniques alone. The percentages of infected mosquitoes in the different surveys ranged from 0.05 (4/7716) to 1.6% (121/7749), and correlate positively with transmission intensity. We also estimated exposure to malaria vectors through genetic matching of blood from 1094 wild-caught bloodfed mosquitoes with that of humans resident in the same houses. Although adults transmitted fewer parasites to mosquitoes than children, they received more mosquito bites, thus balancing their contribution to the infectious reservoir

Risk factors for hepatitis C virus infection among blood donors in southern Brazil: a case-control study

BACKGROUND: In Brazil, it is estimated that between 2.5 and 4.9% of the general population present anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies, which corresponds to as many as 3.9 to 7.6 million chronic carriers. Chronic liver disease is associated with HCV infection in 20% to 58% of the Brazilian patients. The objective of this case-control study was to investigate the risk factors for presence of anti-HCV antibody in blood donors in southern Brazil. METHODS: One hundred and seventy eight blood donors with two positive ELISA results for anti-HCV were cases, and 356 controls tested negative. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect data concerning demographic and socioeconomic aspects, history of previous hepatitis infection, social and sexual behaviors, and number of donations. Variables were grouped into sets of hierarchical categories. Cases and controls were compared using logistic regression, odds ratios, and 95% confidence intervals. The statistical significance of the associations was assessed through likelihood ratio tests based on a P value < 0.05. RESULTS: The prevalence of anti-HCV among blood donors was 1.1%. Most of the donors were white and males. In the multivariate analysis, independent predictors of anti-HCV positivity were: intravenous drug use, blood transfusion >10 years earlier, having had two to four sexually transmitted diseases, incarceration, tattooing, sex with a hepatitis B or C virus carrier or with intravenous drug users. CONCLUSION: Intravenous drug use, blood transfusion, and tattooing were the main risk factors for anti-HCV positivity among blood donors from southern Brazil, but sexual HCV transmission should also be considered

Bioinspired materials and tissue engineering approaches applied to the regeneration of musculoskeletal tissues

The musculoskeletal tissues have a prime role in the biomechanical support and metabolic activities of the human body. As musculoskeletal tissues are highly prone to injuries, conditions afflicting these tissues have a great impact on the quality of life of patients worldwide. Tissue engineering approaches hold the promise to develop bioengineered substitutes aiming at the regeneration of failing and injured tissue and organs. To effectively address the tissue-specific structural and biochemical features of musculoskeletal tissues, different biomaterials and techniques have been employed envisioning biomimetic solutions. Herein, the unique composition, structure, and function of the musculoskeletal tissues, namely bone, cartilage, and tendon, as well as state-of-the-art technologies to develop bioinspired strategies for tissue regeneration will be overviewed. Finally, this chapter will also discuss the unmet challenges and future perspectives in the field.FCT Project MagTT PTDC/CTM-CTM/29930/2017 (POCI-01- 0145-FEDER-29930) for A.I.G postdoc grant, the FCT Project PTDC/NAN-MAT/30595/2017 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-30595) for P.S.B. postdoc grant, and for the assistant researcher contract (RL1) of M.T.R from the project “Accelerating tissue engineering and personalized medicine discoveries by the integration of key enabling nanotechnologies, marine-derived biomaterials and stem cells” supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Authors acknowledge the financial support from the European Union Framework Programme for Research and Innovation HORIZON 2020, under the TEAMING Grant agreement No. 739572—The Discoveries CTR and the European Research Council 2017-CoG MagTendon (No. 772817