Till death do us part: Stable sponge-bacteria associations under thermal and food shortage stresses

Sporadic mass mortality events of Mediterranean sponges following periods of anomalously high temperatures or longer than usual stratification of the seawater column (i.e. low food availability) suggest that these animals are sensitive to environmental stresses. The Mediterranean sponges Ircinia fasciculata and I. oros harbor distinct, species-specific bacterial communities that are highly stable over time and space but little is known about how anomalous environmental conditions affect the structure of the resident bacterial communities. Here, we monitored the bacterial communities in I. fasciculata (largely affected by mass mortalities) and I. oros (overall unaffected) maintained in aquaria during 3 weeks under 4 treatments that mimicked realistic stress pressures: control conditions (13°C, unfiltered seawater), low food availability (13°C, 0.1 µm-filtered seawater), elevated temperatures (25°C, unfiltered seawater), and a combination of the 2 stressors (25°C, 0.1 µm-filtered seawater). Bacterial community structure was assessed using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). As I. fasciculata harbors cyanobacteria, we also measured chlorophyll a (chl a) levels in this species. Multivariate analysis revealed no significant differences in bacterial T-RFLP profiles among treatments for either host sponge species, indicating no effect of high temperatures and food shortage on symbiont community structure. In I. fasciculata, chl a content did not significantly differ among treatments although TEM micrographs revealed some cyanobacteria cells undergoing degradation when exposed to both elevated temperature and food shortage conditions. Arguably, longer-term treatments (months) could have eventually affected bacterial community structure. However, we evidenced no appreciable decay of the symbiotic community in response to medium-term (3 weeks) environmental anomalies purported to cause the recurrent sponge mortality episodes. Thus, changes in symbiont structure are not likely the proximate cause for these reported mortality events

Clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis differ in their ability to induce respiratory burst and apoptosis in neutrophils as a possible mechanism of immune escape

Tuberculosis pathogenesis was earlier thought to be mainly related to the host but now it appears to be clear that bacterial factors are also involved. Genetic variability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) could be slight but it may lead to sharp phenotypic differences. We have previously reported that nonopsonized Mtb H37Rv induce apoptosis of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) by a mechanism that involves the p38 pathway. Here we evaluated the capability to induce PMN apoptosis of two prevalent Mtb lineages in Argentina, the Latin America and Mediterranean (LAM), and Haarlem, using the H37Rv as a reference strain. Results showed that LAM strains strongly induced apoptosis of PMN which correlated with the induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and p38 activation. Interestingly, the highly prosperous multidrug-resistant M strain, belonging to the Haarlem lineage, lacked the ability to activate and to induce PMN apoptosis as a consequence of (1) a weak ROS production and (2) the contribution of antiapoptotic mechanisms mediated at least by ERK. Although with less skill, M is able to enter the PMN so that phenotypic differences could lead PMN to be a reservoir allowing some pathogens to prevail and persist over other strains in the community

First insight into Mycobacterium tuberculosis genetic diversity in Paraguay

Background: We present a picture of the biodiversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Paraguay, an inland South American country harboring 5 million inhabitants with a tuberculosis notification rate of 38/100,000. Results: A total of 220 strains collected throughout the country in 2003 were classified by spoligotyping into 79 different patterns. Spoligopatterns of 173 strains matched 51 shared international types (SITs) already present in an updated version of SpoIDB4, the global spoligotype database at Pasteur Institute, Guadeloupe. Our study contributed to the database 13 new SITs and 15 orphan spoligopatterns. Frequencies of major M. tuberculosis spoligotype lineages in our sample were as follows: Latin-American & Mediterranean (LAM) 52.3%, Haarlem 18.2%, S clade 9.5%, T superfamily 8.6%, X clade 0.9% and Beijing clade 0.5%. Concordant clustering by IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and spoligotyping identified transmission in specific settings such as the Tacumbu jail in Asuncion and aboriginal communities in the Chaco. LAM genotypes were ubiquitous and predominated among both RFLP clusters and new patterns, suggesting ongoing transmission and adaptative evolution in Paraguay. We describe a new and successfully evolving clone of the Haarlem 3 sub-lineage, SIT2643, which is thus far restricted to Paraguay. We confirmed its clonality by RFLP and mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit (MIRU) typing; we named it "Tacumbu" after the jail where it was found to be spreading. One-fifth of the spoligopatterns in our study are rarely or never seen outside Paraguay and one-tenth do not fit within any of the major phylogenetic clades in SpoIDB4. Conclusion: Lineages currently thriving in Paraguay may reflect local host-pathogen adaptation of strains introduced during past migrations from Europe.Fil: Candia, Norma. Universidad Nacional de Asunción. Departamento de Biología Molecular; Paraguay.Fil: López, Beatriz. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Departamento de Biología Molecular; Argentina.Fil: Zozio, Thierry. Institut Pasteur de Guadeloupe. Unité de la Tuberculose et des Mycobacteries; Francia.Fil: Carrivale, Marcela.ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Departamento de Biología Molecular; Argentina.Fil: Diaz, Chyntia. Universidad Nacional de Asunción. Departamento de Biología Molecular; Paraguay.Fil: Russomando, Graciela. Universidad Nacional de Asunción. Departamento de Biología Molecular; Paraguay.Fil: de Romero, Nilda J. Laboratorio Central de Salud Pública; Paraguay.Fil: Jara, Juan C. Programa Nacional de Control de la Tuberculosis; Paraguay.Fil: Barrera, Lucía. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Departamento de Biología Molecular; Argentina.Fil: Rastogi, Nalin. Institut Pasteur de Guadeloupe. Unité de la Tuberculose et des Mycobacteries; Francia.Fil: Ritacco, Viviana. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Departamento de Biología Molecular; Argentina

First insight into Mycobacterium tuberculosis genetic diversity in Paraguay

Background: We present a picture of the biodiversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Paraguay, an inland South American country harboring 5 million inhabitants with a tuberculosis notification rate of 38/100,000. Results: A total of 220 strains collected throughout the country in 2003 were classified by spoligotyping into 79 different patterns. Spoligopatterns of 173 strains matched 51 shared international types (SITs) already present in an updated version of SpoIDB4, the global spoligotype database at Pasteur Institute, Guadeloupe. Our study contributed to the database 13 new SITs and 15 orphan spoligopatterns. Frequencies of major M. tuberculosis spoligotype lineages in our sample were as follows: Latin-American & Mediterranean (LAM) 52.3%, Haarlem 18.2%, S clade 9.5%, T superfamily 8.6%, X clade 0.9% and Beijing clade 0.5%. Concordant clustering by IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and spoligotyping identified transmission in specific settings such as the Tacumbu jail in Asuncion and aboriginal communities in the Chaco. LAM genotypes were ubiquitous and predominated among both RFLP clusters and new patterns, suggesting ongoing transmission and adaptative evolution in Paraguay. We describe a new and successfully evolving clone of the Haarlem 3 sub-lineage, SIT2643, which is thus far restricted to Paraguay. We confirmed its clonality by RFLP and mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit (MIRU) typing; we named it "Tacumbu" after the jail where it was found to be spreading. One-fifth of the spoligopatterns in our study are rarely or never seen outside Paraguay and one-tenth do not fit within any of the major phylogenetic clades in SpoIDB4. Conclusion: Lineages currently thriving in Paraguay may reflect local host-pathogen adaptation of strains introduced during past migrations from Europe.Fil: Candia, Norma. Universidad Nacional de Asunción. Departamento de Biología Molecular; Paraguay.Fil: López, Beatriz. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Departamento de Biología Molecular; Argentina.Fil: Zozio, Thierry. Institut Pasteur de Guadeloupe. Unité de la Tuberculose et des Mycobacteries; Francia.Fil: Carrivale, Marcela.ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Departamento de Biología Molecular; Argentina.Fil: Diaz, Chyntia. Universidad Nacional de Asunción. Departamento de Biología Molecular; Paraguay.Fil: Russomando, Graciela. Universidad Nacional de Asunción. Departamento de Biología Molecular; Paraguay.Fil: de Romero, Nilda J. Laboratorio Central de Salud Pública; Paraguay.Fil: Jara, Juan C. Programa Nacional de Control de la Tuberculosis; Paraguay.Fil: Barrera, Lucía. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Departamento de Biología Molecular; Argentina.Fil: Rastogi, Nalin. Institut Pasteur de Guadeloupe. Unité de la Tuberculose et des Mycobacteries; Francia.Fil: Ritacco, Viviana. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Departamento de Biología Molecular; Argentina

Longitudinal relationship of liver injury with inflammation biomarkers in COVID-19 hospitalized patients using a joint modeling approach

The mechanisms underlying liver disease in patients with COVID-19 are not entirely known. The aim is to investigate, by means of novel statistical techniques, the changes over time in the relationship between inflammation markers and liver damage markers in relation to survival in COVID-19. The study included 221 consecutive patients admitted to the hospital during the first COVID-19 wave in Spain. Generalized additive mixed models were used to investigate the influence of time and inflammation markers on liver damage markers in relation to survival. Joint modeling regression was used to evaluate the temporal correlations between inflammation markers (serum C-reactive protein [CRP], interleukin-6, plasma D-dimer, and blood lymphocyte count) and liver damage markers, after adjusting for age, sex, and therapy. The patients who died showed a significant elevation in serum aspartate transaminase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase levels over time. Conversely, a decrease in serum AST levels was observed in the survivors, who showed a negative correlation between inflammation markers and liver damage markers (CRP with serum AST, alanine transaminase [ALT], and gamma-glutamyl transferase [GGT]; and D-dimer with AST and ALT) after a week of hospitalization. Conversely, most correlations were positive in the patients who died, except lymphocyte count, which was negatively correlated with AST, GGT, and alkaline phosphatase. These correlations were attenuated with age. The patients who died during COVID-19 infection displayed a significant elevation of liver damage markers, which is correlated with inflammation markers over time. These results are consistent with the role of systemic inflammation in liver damage during COVID-19S

Patients with Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis display impaired Th1 responses and enhanced regulatory T-Cell levels in response to an outbreak of Multidrug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis M and Ra Strains

Fil: Geffner, Laura. Academia Nacional de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas Mariano R. Castex; Argentina.Fil: Yokobori, Noemi. Academia Nacional de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas Mariano R. Castex; Argentina.Fil: Basile, Juan. Academia Nacional de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas Mariano R. Castex; Argentina.Fil: Schierloh, Pablo. Academia Nacional de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas Mariano R. Castex; Argentina.Fil: Balboa, Luciana. Academia Nacional de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas Mariano R. Castex; Argentina.Fil: Mercedes Romero, María. Academia Nacional de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas Mariano R. Castex; Argentina.Fil: Ritacco, Viviana. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas; Argentina.Fil: Vescovo, Marisa. Hospital Muñiz. Instituto de Tisioneumonología; Argentina.Fil: Gonzalez Montaner, Pablo. Hospital Muñiz. Instituto de Tisioneumonología; Argentina.Fil: López, Beatriz. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas; Argentina.Fil: Barrera, Lucía. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas; Argentina.Fil: Alemán, Mercedes. Academia Nacional de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas Mariano R. Castex; Argentina.Fil: Sasiain, María C. Academia Nacional de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas Mariano R. Castex; Argentina.Fil: de la Barrera, Silvia. Academia Nacional de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas Mariano R. Castex; Argentina.Fil: Abbate, Eduardo. Hospital Muñiz. Instituto de Tisioneumonología; Argentina.In Argentina, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) outbreaks emerged among hospitalized patients with AIDS in the early 1990s and thereafter disseminated to the immunocompetent community. Epidemiological, bacteriological, and genotyping data allowed the identification of certain MDR Mycobacterium tuberculosis outbreak strains, such as the so-called strain M of the Haarlem lineage and strain Ra of the Latin America and Mediterranean lineage. In the current study, we evaluated the immune responses induced by strains M and Ra in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with active MDR-TB or fully drug-susceptible tuberculosis (S-TB) and in purified protein derivative-positive healthy controls (group N). Our results demonstrated that strain M was a weaker gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) inducer than H37Rv for group N. Strain M induced the highest interleukin-4 expression in CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells from MDR-and S-TB patients, along with the lowest cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) activity in patients and controls. Hence, impairment of CTL activity is a hallmark of strain M and could be an evasion mechanism employed by this strain to avoid the killing of macrophages by M-specific CTL effectors. In addition, MDR-TB patients had an increased proportion of circulating regulatory T cells (Treg cells), and these cells were further expanded upon in vitro M. tuberculosis stimulation. Experimental Treg cell depletion increased IFN-gamma expression and CTL activity in TB patients, with M-and Ra-induced CTL responses remaining low in MDR-TB patients. Altogether, these results suggest that immunity to MDR strains might depend upon a balance between the individual host response and the ability of different M. tuberculosis genotypes to drive Th1 or Th2 profiles

Reflexiones de la psicología contemporánea.

En este libro encuentran reflexiones sobre diferentes temas que emergen de la psicología actual, la invitación es a evaluar con realismo cada situación de la vida, y con la mayor objetividad posible, dimensionar los aprendizajes, cuya visualización es necesaria para la enseñanza. Es así que el texto empodera al lector para un pensamiento crítico, necesario para la construcción de conocimientos, puesto que hay muchos libros con estos temas, pero como este ninguno. También aborda problemas de investigación desde la psicología en diferentes contextos, teniendo en cuenta los ejes como el conflicto, violencia, TIC en el aprendizaje, psicoterapia, comunidad y abuso sexual, los cuales generan aportes al estudio de la salud mental, así mismo, explica la complejidad del ser humano y de su comportamiento

Reflexiones de la psicología contemporánea.

En este libro encuentran reflexiones sobre diferentes temas que emergen de la psicología actual, la invitación es a evaluar con realismo cada situación de la vida, y con la mayor objetividad posible, dimensionar los aprendizajes, cuya visualización es necesaria para la enseñanza. Es así que el texto empodera al lector para un pensamiento crítico, necesario para la construcción de conocimientos, puesto que hay muchos libros con estos temas, pero como este ninguno. También aborda problemas de investigación desde la psicología en diferentes contextos, teniendo en cuenta los ejes como el conflicto, violencia, TIC en el aprendizaje, psicoterapia, comunidad y abuso sexual, los cuales generan aportes al estudio de la salud mental, así mismo, explica la complejidad del ser humano y de su comportamiento

Outbreaks of mycobacterium tuberculosis MDR strains induce high IL-17 T-cell response in patients with MDR tuberculosis that is closely associated with high antigen load

Fil: Basile, Juan I. Academia Nacional de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas Mariano R. Castex; Argentina.Fil: Geffner, Laura J. Academia Nacional de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas Mariano R. Castex; Argentina.Fil: Romero, María M. Academia Nacional de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas Mariano R. Castex; Argentina.Fil: Balboa, Luciana. Academia Nacional de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas Mariano R. Castex; Argentina.Fil: Sabio y García, Carmen. Academia Nacional de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas Mariano R. Castex; Argentina.Fil: Ritacco, Viviana. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas; Argentina.Fil: García, Ana. Hospital Muñíz. Instituto de Tisioneumonologías; Argentina.Fil: Cuffré, Mónica. Hospital Muñíz. Instituto de Tisioneumonologías; Argentina.Fil: Abbate, Eduardo. Hospital Muñíz. Instituto de Tisioneumonologías; Argentina.Fil: López, Beatriz. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas; Argentina.Fil: Barrera, Lucía. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas; Argentina.Fil: Ambroggi, Marta. Hospital Muñíz. Instituto de Tisioneumonologías; Argentina.Fil: Alemán, Mercedes. Academia Nacional de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas Mariano R. Castex; Argentina.Fil: Sasiain, María C. Academia Nacional de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas Mariano R. Castex; Argentina.Fil: de la Barrera, Silvia S. Academia Nacional de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas Mariano R. Castex; Argentina.Background. The proinflammatory cytokine interleukin 17 (IL-17) plays an important role in immune responses but it is also associated with tissue-damaging inflammation. So, we evaluated the ability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates to induce IL-17 in tuberculosis (TB) patients and in healthy human tuberculin reactors (PPD1HD). Methods. IL-17, interferon c (IFN-c), and interleukin 23 (IL-23) receptor expression were evaluated ex vivo and cultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells from TB and PPD1HD stimulated with irradiated clinical isolates from multidrug resistant (MDR) outbreaks M (Haarlem family) and Ra (Latin American–Mediterranean family), as well as drug-susceptible isolates belonging to the same families and laboratory strain H37Rv for 48 hours in T-cell subsets by flow cytometry. Results. We observed that: (1) MDR strains M and Ra are stronger IL-17 inducers than drug-susceptible Mtb strains of the Haarlem and Latin American–Mediterranean families, (2) MDR-TB patients show the highest IL-17 expression that is independent on the strain, (3) IL-17 expression is dependent on CD41 and CD81 T cells associates with persistently high antigen load. Conclusions. IL-17–producing T cells could play an immunopathological role in MDR-TB promoting severe tissue damage, which may be associated with the low effectiveness of the second-line drugs employed in the treatment

Endodontic regenerative treatment for internal radicular resorption using bio-ceramic material, case report

The internal resorption of the internal radicular conduct is a process than can be both physiological or pathological, being the osteoclasts, odontoclasts and dentinoclast responsible for said process. 49-year-old female patient, refers orthodontic treatment at age 20, attends a dental check-up due to pain when chewing. Dental organ (DO) #11 was diagnosed with internal root resorption and symptomatic, suppurative apical periodontitis. Treatment started performing an endodontic access and taking a conductometry reading with an apical foramen locator, using a precision hybrid instrumentation technique and applying hypochlorite irrigation, the intra-canal was medicated with chemically pure calcium hydroxide for 7 days. The canal obturation was repaired infiltrating a bio-ceramic material (BIO-C Sealer) followed by the placement of the single cone using a vertical condensation technique