Expression of CD4 on human peripheral blood neutrophils

AbstractCD4, the primary receptor for entry of HIV, is known to be expressed on T cells and monocytes/macrophages; healthy natural killer (NK) lymphocytes; in vitro human herpesvirus 6 (HHV6)–infected CD8+, NK, and γδ T lymphocytes; CD34+ progenitor cells; and a subset of eosinophils and basophils. We here report the unconventional expression of CD4 at the surface of peripheral blood neutrophils derived from 4 of 51 (7.8%) HIV-1–infected and 3 of 25 (12%) uninfected donors, with similar frequency within the 2 groups. The percentage of CD4+ neutrophils ranged from 39% to 97% of the total neutrophil population. Both surface and cytoplasmic forms of CD4 were present in neutrophils. Quantitative RNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) revealed that neutrophils contain levels of CD4 mRNA comparable to those of peripheral blood mononuclear cells derived from the same donor. The conformation of CD4 expressed at the surface of neutrophils was similar to that of CD4 expressed on T lymphocytes as determined by the binding of monoclonal antibodies specific for conformational epitopes and the binding of recombinant HIV-1 gp120. Thus, our data provide evidence that neutrophils express endogenous CD4 and bind HIV. Owing to their abundance in peripheral blood, CD4+ neutrophils may influence significantly the biodistribution of HIV delivering it to sites of inflammation or to additional tissue reservoirs

(In)disciplina: uma contribuição ao estudo

A questão da (in)disciplina envolve pais, mestres e sociedade como um todo, pois expõe o termômetro social. Indisciplina denota insatisfação, revolta e suas ações prejudicam o bom desenvolvimento de um projeto educacional. É preciso discutir e analisar a questão disciplinar na escola que tem sido apresentada como um dos cernes do fracasso escolar, geradora de muitas discussões entre os educadores e a sociedade. Questiona-se o porquê dessa indisciplina tão crescente nos últimos tempos. Buscando uma forma apropriada de melhor abordar o comportamento disciplinar, este trabalho visa contribuir para o aprofundamento da temática no âmbito escolar, colaborando para melhor atender e/ou administrar os problemas nesta área. Trata-se de uma pesquisa bibliográfica, qualitativa e o instrumento para coleta de dados foi o roteiro de análise documental. As categorias selecionadas para organização, análise e discussão foram: relação professor-aluno; papel do professor e metodologias; papel do estado, da sociedade e da família; papel da escola; e formação do professor. Os principais resultados dessa pesquisa foram: é necessário estabelecer uma relação dialógica e a negociação de regras entre educadores e educandos sendo a melhor forma de promover a disciplina; adoção, pelo professor, de metodologias adequadas, atitudes e valores, criatividade e liderança, não confundindo autoridade com autoritarismo; o papel do estado, da sociedade e da família necessita de mais instrumentalização, transformação nas práticas organizacionais e pedagógicas e parâmetros que valorizam o ser humano como um todo; a escola tem por finalidade preparar os indivíduos para o exercício da cidadania e, com isso, são necessários conhecimentos sólidos, respeito, relações dialógicas e harmônicas, conjunto de normas e valores morais; os professores estão aptos a exercer suas funções com mais segurança e satisfação quando se encontram preservados física e mentalmente, e atentam-se para as inovações pedagógicas. O trabalho proporcionou novos conhecimentos sobre a (in)disciplina. Abordou vários aspectos de um tema que é comum, e ao mesmo tempo, de difícil resolução. O estudo tratou de diversos agentes e recursos que influenciam a educação e que interferem ou não na indisciplina. A pesquisa mostrou que na tentativa de amenizar a problemática, se faz necessário explorar o potencial do professor, dos alunos e da família por meio do trabalho coletivo, rompendo os limites do âmbito escolar, revolucionando o modo ensino-aprendizagem e distribuindo responsabilidades

Garlic consumption in relation to colorectal cancer risk and to alterations of blood bacterial DNA

PURPOSE: Garlic consumption has been inversely associated to intestinal adenoma (IA) and colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, although evidence is not consistent. Gut microbiota has been implied in CRC pathogenesis and is also influenced by garlic consumption. We analyzed whether dietary garlic influence CRC risk and bacterial DNA in blood. METHODS: We conducted a case-control study in Italy involving 100 incident CRC cases, 100 IA and 100 healthy controls matched by center, sex and age. We used a validated food frequency questionnaire to assess dietary habits and garlic consumption. Blood bacterial DNA profile was estimated using qPCR and16S rRNA gene profiling. We derived odds ratios (ORs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of IA and CRC according to garlic consumption from multiple conditional logistic regression. We used Mann-Whitney and chi-square tests to evaluate taxa differences in abundance and prevalence. RESULTS: The OR of CRC for medium/high versus low/null garlic consumption was 0.27 (95% CI = 0.11-0.66). Differences in garlic consumption were found for selected blood bacterial taxa. Medium/high garlic consumption was associated to an increase of Corynebacteriales order, Nocardiaceae family and Rhodococcus genus, and to a decrease of Family XI and Finegoldia genus. CONCLUSIONS: The study adds data on the protective effect of dietary garlic on CRC risk. Moreover, it supports evidence of a translocation of bacterial material to bloodstream and corroborates the hypothesis of a diet-microbiota axis as a mechanism behind the role of garlic in CRC prevention

Camelina (Camelina sativa L. Crantz) a new oilseed crop for Mediterranean and Balkan European climates

Nowadays in Europe the new multipurpose oilseed crop, camelina (Camelina sativa L. Crantz), is not yet widely cultivated but in the last decade it has gained interest among farmers and other stakeholders in the value chain, in relation to its satisfactory yield, low input requirement, and suitability to different pedo-climates. If until now camelina has been grown as a spring crop in northern Europe, more recently southern environments in the Mediterranean basin and in the Balkan region have been targeted as suitable growing areas, either in autumn, winter or spring sowing. Nevertheless, the limited number of winter genotypes available, together with the typical winter season in those areas which is not very harsh, make the possibility to grow spring camelina genotypes with autumn cycle a feasible option. Aiming at defining the most suitable genotype and the optimal sowing date in the Mediterranean and Balkan regions a common trial has been established in autumn 2020 comparing four camelina genotypes (3 spring + 1 winter) and two sowing dates (early vs. late) across three locations in Italy (Bologna, 44° 30’ N, 11° 23’ E), Serbia (Novi Sad, 45° 15’ N, 19° 51’ E), and Spain (Lleida, 52° 10’ N, 4° 29’ E)

Pediatric tuberculosis in Italian children: Epidemiological and clinical data from the Italian register of pediatric tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Over the last decades, TB has also emerged in the pediatric population. Epidemiologic data of childhood TB are still limited and there is an urgent need of more data on very large cohorts. A multicenter study was conducted in 27 pediatric hospitals, pediatric wards, and public health centers in Italy using a standardized form, covering the period of time between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2012. Children with active TB, latent TB, and those recently exposed to TB or recently adopted/immigrated from a high TB incidence country were enrolled. Overall, 4234 children were included; 554 (13.1%) children had active TB, 594 (14.0%) latent TB and 3086 (72.9%) were uninfected. Among children with active TB, 481 (86.8%) patients had pulmonary TB. The treatment of active TB cases was known for 96.4% (n = 534) of the cases. Overall, 210 (39.3%) out of these 534 children were treated with three and 216 (40.4%) with four first-line drugs. Second-line drugs where used in 87 (16.3%) children with active TB. Drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis were reported in 39 (7%) children. Improving the surveillance of childhood TB is important for public health care workers and pediatricians. A non-negligible proportion of children had drug-resistant TB and was treated with second-line drugs, most of which are off-label in the pediatric age. Future efforts should concentrate on improving active surveillance, diagnostic tools, and the availability of antitubercular pediatric formulations, also in low-endemic countries

Bio-physical characteristics of gastrointestinal mucosa of celiac patients: comparison with control subjects and effect of gluten free diet-

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Intestinal mucosa is leaky in celiac disease (CD), and this alteration may involve changes in hydrophobicity of the mucus surface barrier in addition to alteration of the epithelial barrier. The aims of our study were i) to compare duodenal hydrophobicity as an index of mucus barrier integrity in CD patients studied before (n = 38) and during gluten- free diet (GFD, n = 68), and in control subjects (n = 90), and ii) to check for regional differences of hydrophobicity in the gastro-intestinal tract.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Hydrophobicity was assessed by measurement of contact angle (CA) (Rame Hart 100/10 goniometer) generated by a drop of water placed on intestinal mucosal biopsies.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>CA (mean ± SD) of distal duodenum was significantly lower in CD patients (56° ± 10°)) than in control subjects (69° ± 9°, p < 0.0001), and persisted abnormal in patients studied during gluten free diet (56° ± 9°; p < 0.005). CA was significantly higher (62° ± 9°) in histologically normal duodenal biopsies than in biopsies with Marsh 1-2 (58° ± 10°; p < 0.02) and Marsh 3 lesions (57° ± 10°; p < 0.02) in pooled results of all patients and controls studied. The order of hydrofobicity along the gastrointestinal tract in control subjects follows the pattern: gastric antrum > corpus > rectum > duodenum > oesophagus > ileum.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We conclude that the hydrophobicity of duodenal mucous layer is reduced in CD patients, and that the resulting decreased capacity to repel luminal contents may contribute to the increased intestinal permeability of CD. This alteration mirrors the severity of the mucosal lesions and is not completely reverted by gluten-free diet. Intestinal hydrophobicity exhibits regional differences in the human intestinal tract.</p

EBB 332-4 - TEMBIKAR & KACA NOV 05.

5,10,15,20-Tetraferrocenyl porphyrin, H(2)TFcP, a simple example of a donor-acceptor system, was tested as ligand for the development of a novel multi-transduction chemical sensors aimed at the determination of transition metal ions. The fluorescence energy transfer between ferrocene donor and porphyrin acceptor sub-units was considered. The simultaneously measured optical and potentiometric responses of solvent polymeric membranes based on H(2)TFcP permitted the detection of lead ions in sample solutions, in the concentration range from 2.7 x 10(-7) to 3.0 x 10(-3) M. The detection limit of lead determination was 0.27 mu M, low enough to perform the direct analysis of Pb2+ in natural waters

The BRCA2 c.68-7T > A variant is not pathogenic: A model for clinical calibration of spliceogenicity.

Although the spliceogenic nature of the BRCA2 c.68-7T>A variant has been demonstrated, its association with cancer risk remains ontroversial. In this study, we accurately quantified by real-time PCR and digital PCR the BRCA2 isoforms retaining or missing exon 3. In addition, the combined odds ratio for causality of the variant was estimated using genetic and clinical data, and its associated cancer risk was estimated by case-control analysis in 83,636 individuals. Co-occurrence in trans with pathogenic BRCA2 variants was assessed in 5,382 families. Exon 3 exclusion rate was 4.5-fold higher in variant carriers (13%) than controls (3%), indicating an exclusion rate for the c.68-7T>A allele of approximately 20%. The posterior probability of pathogenicity was 7.44 x 10-115. There was neither evidence for increased risk of breast cancer (OR 1.03; 95% CI 0.86-1.24), nor for a deleterious effect of the variant when co-occurring with pathogenic variants. Our data provide for the first time robust evidence of the non-pathogenicity of the BRCA2 c.68-7T>A. Genetic and quantitative transcript analyses together inform the threshold for the ratio between functional and altered BRCA2 isoforms compatible with normal cell function. These findings might be exploited to assess the relevance for cancer risk of other BRCA2 spliceogenic variants