ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SERUM URIC ACID AND BLOOD GLUCOSE IN YOUNG ADULTS: CROSS-SECTIONAL FINDINGS FROM A BIRTH COHORT

Introduction: Serum uric acid (SUA) has been positively associated with diabetes. Most of the studies carried out take into account older adults and there are still few studies in young individuals. Thus, it’s necessary to study the association between SUA and glucose in young people to better understand this relationship’s trajector

Evaluación de la prueba de la nitrato reductasa directa en microplaca para la detección rápida de tuberculosis multirresistente y extensamente resistente a fármacos

Introduction: Reports of Mycobacterium tuberculosis resistant to multiple drugs are increasing globally and laboratories are becoming increasingly aware of the need for drug susceptibility testing. In recent years, due to the long time required by conventional drug susceptibility testing, new approaches have been proposed for faster detection of drug resistance, such as the nitrate reductase assay, considered fast and inexpensive, making it a good diagnostic tool for low resource countries.Objective: The present study proposed a fast direct colorimetric drug susceptibility testing method in a microplate format using solid medium.Materials and methods: The diagnostic accuracy was evaluated by comparing the proportion method with the direct nitrate reductase assay in plates. Frozen sputum samples, known to be positive, were decontaminated and processed by Petroff method. The decontaminated suspension was used to perform direct nitrate reductase assay in 7H11 medium using 1 μg/ml rifampicin (RIF), 0.2 μg/ml isoniazid (INH), 2 μg/ml ofloxacin (OFX), 6 μg/ml kanamycin (KAN), 2 μg/ml amikacin (AMK) and 10 μg/ml capreomycin (CAP). Eighty-four samples were tested and the results for 69% of them were available within 21 days.Results: The sensitivity and specificity compared to the proportion method, was 98.5% and 100% for INH, 98.3% and 96.2% for RIF, 91.7% and 100% for KAN, 78.8% and 97.3% for OFX, 100% and 100% for AMK and CAP, respectively.Conclusion: The results lead to the conclusion that direct nitrate reductase assay, in this new format, is an accurate, quick and inexpensive method to determine the susceptibility profile of M. tuberculosis and may become an alternative for countries with limited resources.Introducción. Los informes sobre Mycobacterium tuberculosis resistente a múltiples fármacos están aumentando a nivel mundial y los laboratorios toman cada vez más conciencia sobre la necesidad de realizar pruebas de sensibilidad a fármacos. Debido al tiempo prolongado que se requiere para hacerlas, se han propuesto nuevos enfoques para la detección rápida de resistencia a los medicamentos, tales como la prueba de la nitrato reductasa.Objetivo. En este estudio se propuso una prueba de sensibilidad a fármacos colorimétrica, rápida y directa, en un formato de microplacas utilizando medio sólido.Materiales y métodos. La precisión del diagnóstico se evaluó mediante la comparación del método de las proporciones con la prueba de la nitrato reductasa directa en placas. Se descontaminaron muestras positivas congeladas de esputo y se procesaron mediante el método de Petroff. La suspensión ya descontaminada se utilizó para hacer la prueba de la nitrato reductasa directa en medio 7H11, utilizando 1 μg/ml de rifampicina, 0,2 μg/ml de isoniacida, 2 μg/ml de ofloxacina, 6 μg/ml de de kanamicina, 2 μg/ ml de amicacina y 10 μg/ml de capreomicina. Se analizaron 84 muestras y los resultados del 69 % de ellas estuvieron disponibles en 21 días.Resultados. La sensibilidad y la especificidad de la prueba comparada con el método de las proporciones fueron de 98,5 y 100 % para la isoniacida, de 98,3 y 96,2 % para la rifampicina, de 91,7 y 100 para la kanamicina, de 78,8 y 97,3 % para la ofloxacina y de 100 y 100 % para la amikacina y la capremicina, respectivamente.Conclusión. Este nuevo formato de la prueba de la nitrato reductasa directa es un método preciso, rápido y económico para determinar el perfil de sensibilidad de M. tuberculosis y puede convertirse en una alternativa para los países con recursos limitados

The role of MIR9-2 in shared susceptibility of psychiatric disorders during childhood : a population-based birth cohort study

Background: It has been suggested that microRNAs (miRNAs; short non-protein-coding RNA molecules that mediate post-transcriptional regulation), including mir-9 and mir-34 families, are important for brain development. Current data suggest that mir-9 and mir-34 may have shared effects across psychiatric disorders. This study aims to explore the role of genetic polymorphisms in the MIR9-2 (rs4916723) and MIR34B/C (rs4938723) genes on the susceptibility of psychiatric disorders in children from the 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohort. Methods: Psychiatric disorders were assessed in 3585 individuals using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV), criteria through the application of standard semi-structured interviews (using the Development and Well-Being Assessment, DAWBA) at the six-years-of-age follow-up. The outcome was defined as the presence of any mental disorder. We also considered two broad groups of internalizing and externalizing disorders to further investigate the role of these variants in mental health. Results: We observed an association between rs4916723 (MIR9-2) and the presence of any psychiatric disorder (odds ratios (OR) = 0.820; 95% CI = 0.7130–0.944; p = 0.006) and a suggestive effect on internalizing disorders (OR = 0.830; 95% CI = 0.698–0.987; p = 0.035). rs4938723 (MIR34B/C) was not associated with any evaluated outcome. Conclusion: The study suggests that MIR9-2 may have an important role on a broad susceptibility for psychiatric disorders and may be important mainly for internalization problems

Clonal expansion across the seas as seen through CPLP-TB database: A joint effort in cataloguing Mycobacterium tuberculosis genetic diversity in Portuguese-speaking countries

This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/BY/4.0/).Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major health problem within the Community of Portuguese Language Speaking Countries (CPLP). Despite the marked variation in TB incidence across its member-states and continued human migratory flux between countries, a considerable gap in the knowledge on the Mycobacterium tuberculosis population structure and strain circulation between the countries still exists. To address this, we have assembled and analysed the largest CPLP M. tuberculosis molecular and drug susceptibility dataset, comprised by a total of 1447 clinical isolates, including 423 multidrug-resistant isolates, from five CPLP countries. The data herein presented reinforces Latin American and Mediterranean (LAM) strains as the hallmark of M. tuberculosis populational structure in the CPLP coupled with country-specific differential prevalence of minor clades. Moreover, using high-resolution typing by 24-loci MIRU-VNTR, six cross-border genetic clusters were detected, thus supporting recent clonal expansion across the Lusophone space. To make this data available to the scientific community and public health authorities we developed CPLP-TB (available at http://cplp-tb.ff.ulisboa.pt), an online database coupled with web-based tools for exploratory data analysis. As a public health tool, it is expected to contribute to improved knowledge on the M. tuberculosis population structure and strain circulation within the CPLP, thus supporting the risk assessment of strain-specific trends.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pivotal Role of Toll-Like Receptors 2 and 4, Its Adaptor Molecule MyD88, and Inflammasome Complex in Experimental Tubule-Interstitial Nephritis

Tubule-interstitial nephritis (TIN) results in decreased renal function and interstitial inflammation, which ultimately leads to fibrosis. Excessive adenine intake can cause TIN because xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH) can convert this purine into an insoluble compound, which precipitates in the tubuli. Innate immune sensors, such as Toll-like receptors (TLR) and inflammasome complex, play a crucial role in the initiation of inflammation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the roles of TLR-2 and -4, Myd88 and inflammasome complex in an experimental model of TIN. Here, we show that wild-type (WT) mice fed adenine-enriched food exhibited significant renal dysfunction and enhanced cellular infiltration accompanied by collagen deposition. They also presented higher gene and protein expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In contrast, TLR-2, -4, MyD88, ASC and Caspase-1 KO mice showed renoprotection associated with expression of inflammatory molecules at levels comparable to controls. Furthermore, treatment of WT animals with allopurinol, an XDH inhibitor, led to reduced levels of uric acid, oxidative stress, collagen deposition and a downregulation of the NF-kB signaling pathway. We concluded that MyD88 signaling and inflammasome participate in the development of TIN. Furthermore, inhibition of XDH seems to be a promising way to therapeutically target the developing inflammatory process

Tuberculosis across the seas: CPLP-TB - a joint effort in cataloguing mycobacterium tuberculosis genetic diversity in the lusophone space

The Community of Portuguese Language Speaking Countries (CPLP) comprises nine countries across four continents, accounting for 7.2% of the world’s land area, and where tuberculosis (TB) is still a cause of public health concern. A marked variation in TB incidence (23 to 551 cases per 100 000 habitants) can be observed across the different member-states and, despite of this, a considerable gap in the knowledge on the Mycobacterium tuberculosis population structure and country-level geospatial distribution still exists. To address this we have gathered a comprehensive set of molecular and phenotypic drug susceptibility data on approximately 1150 different clinical isolates, from different partners, across 5 distinct portuguesespeaking countries. This initial dataset comprises molecular genotypic data obtained by either 12, 15 or 24-loci Mycobacterial Interspersed Repetitive Unit – Variable Number of Tandem repeat (MIRU-VNTR) and/or Spoligotyping. The complete dataset therefore includes M. tuberculosis clinical isolates from Portugal (n≈370), Angola (n≈80), Guinea-Bissau (n≈13), Mozambique (n≈14) and Brazil (n≈680). To make this data available to the scientific community and public health authorities we have developed CPLP-TB, an online database coupled with webbased tools that enable exploratory data analysis. This new tool specifically directed at CPLP countries include advanced data analysis capability together with graphical visualization tools (e.g. dendrogram and choropleth mapping). As a public health tool, it is expected to contribute for a deeper knowledge on the combined population structure and strain circulation between countries, thus enabling the assessment of strain specific trends in a broader macroepidemiological context. Furthermore, this new tool provides a new framework for interlaboratory cooperation on TB molecular epidemiology.N/

Clonal expansion across the seas as seen through CPLP-TB database: A joint effort in cataloguing Mycobacterium tuberculosis genetic diversity in Portuguese-speaking countries.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major health problem within the Community of Portuguese Language Speaking Countries (CPLP). Despite the marked variation in TB incidence across its member-states and continued human migratory flux between countries, a considerable gap in the knowledge on the Mycobacterium tuberculosis population structure and strain circulation between the countries still exists. To address this, we have assembled and analysed the largest CPLP M. tuberculosis molecular and drug susceptibility dataset, comprised by a total of 1447 clinical isolates, including 423 multidrug-resistant isolates, from five CPLP countries. The data herein presented reinforces Latin American and Mediterranean (LAM) strains as the hallmark of M. tuberculosis populational structure in the CPLP coupled with country-specific differential prevalence of minor clades. Moreover, using high-resolution typing by 24-loci MIRU-VNTR, six cross-border genetic clusters were detected, thus supporting recent clonal expansion across the Lusophone space. To make this data available to the scientific community and public health authorities we developed CPLP-TB (available at http://cplp-tb.ff.ulisboa.pt), an online database coupled with web-based tools for exploratory data analysis. As a public health tool, it is expected to contribute to improved knowledge on the M. tuberculosis population structure and strain circulation within the CPLP, thus supporting the risk assessment of strain-specific trends