Alguns dados sobre a Fauna entomológica da ilha das Flores - Açores

IV Expedição Científica do Departamento de Biologia - Flores 1989Com este trabalho, realizado em Julho de 1989 nas Flores - a ilha mais ocidental do Arquipélago dos Açores -, acrescentaram-se onze espécies de Lepidópteros à lista referenciada para aquela ilha, pertencendo uma à família Lycaenidae (Lampides boeticus L.), oito a familia Noctuidae (Agrotis ipsilon HFN., Brotolomia meticulosa L., Chrysodeixis chalcites ESPER., Heliothis armigera HBN., Noctua atlantica WARREN, Noctua pronuba L., Peridroma saucia HBN., Sesamia nonagrioides LEF.), uma à família Nymphalidae (Vanessa atalanta L.) e uma a família Pyralidae (Glyphodes unionalis HBN.). Entre os demais insectos, foram identificadas cerca de duas dezenas e meia de espécies, distribuídas pelas Ordens Dermaptera, Orthoptera, Dictyoptera, Heteroptera, Homoptera, Coleoptera, Neuroptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera e Collembola. Salienta-se ainda a importância, do ponto de vista agronómico, das pragas Mythimna unipuncta (HAWORTH) e Xestia c-nigrun L. naquela ilha.RÉSUMÉ: Avec ce travail, réalisé en Juillet 1989 a Flores - l'île plus occidental de l'archipel des Açores, onze espèces de Lépidoptères ont été ajoutées à la liste des espèces connus pour cette île, dont une appartient a la famille Lycaenidae (Lampides boelicus L.), huit à la famille Noctuidae (Agrotis ipsilon HFN., Brotolomia meticulosa L. Chrysodeicis chalcites ESPER., Heliothis armigera HBN., Noctua atlantica WARREN, Noctua pronuba L., Peridroma saucia HBN., Sesamia nonagrioides LEF.), une à la famille Nymphalidae (Vanessa atalanta L.) et une à la famille Pyralidae (Glyphodes unionalis HBN.). Parmi les autres insects ont été identifiés environ deux dizaines et demie d'espèces, lesquelles sont réparties par les Ordres Dermaptera, Orthoptera, Dictyoptera, Heteroptera, Homoptera, Coleoptera, Neuroptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera et Collembola. On remarque I'importance, du point de vue agronomique, des ravageurs Mythimna unipuncra (HAWORTH) et Xestia c-nigrum L. dans cette île

Hyperferritinaemia in Dengue Virus Infected Patients Is Associated with Immune Activation and Coagulation Disturbances

During a dengue outbreak on the Caribbean island Aruba, highly elevated levels of ferritin were detected in dengue virus infected patients. Ferritin is an acute-phase reactant and hyperferritinaemia is a hallmark of diseases caused by extensive immune activation, such as haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. The aim of this study was to investigate whether hyperferritinaemia in dengue patients was associated with clinical markers of extensive immune activation and coagulation disturbances.Levels of ferritin, standard laboratory markers, sIL-2R, IL-18 and coagulation and fibrinolytic markers were determined in samples from patients with uncomplicated dengue in Aruba. Levels of ferritin were significantly increased in dengue patients compared to patients with other febrile illnesses. Moreover, levels of ferritin associated significantly with the occurrence of viraemia. Hyperferritinaemia was also significantly associated with thrombocytopenia, elevated liver enzymes and coagulation disturbances. The results were validated in a cohort of dengue virus infected patients in Brazil. In this cohort levels of ferritin and cytokine profiles were determined. Increased levels of ferritin in dengue virus infected patients in Brazil were associated with disease severity and a pro-inflammatory cytokine profile.Altogether, we provide evidence that ferritin can be used as a clinical marker to discriminate between dengue and other febrile illnesses. The occurrence of hyperferritinaemia in dengue virus infected patients is indicative for highly active disease resulting in immune activation and coagulation disturbances. Therefore, we recommend that patients with hyperferritinaemia are monitored carefully

Hyperferritinaemia in dengue virus infected patients is associated with immune activation and coagulation disturbances

During a dengue outbreak on the Caribbean island Aruba, highly elevated levels of ferritin were detected in dengue virus infected patients. Ferritin is an acute-phase reactant and hyperferritinaemia is a hallmark of diseases caused by extensive immune activation, such as haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. The aim of this study was to investigate whether hyperferritinaemia in dengue patients was associated with clinical markers of extensive immune activation and coagulation disturbances. Levels of ferritin, standard laboratory markers, sIL-2R, IL-18 and coagulation and fibrinolytic markers were determined in samples from patients with uncomplicated dengue in Aruba. Levels of ferritin were significantly increased in dengue patients compared to patients with other febrile illnesses. Moreover, levels of ferritin associated significantly with the occurrence of viraemia. Hyperferritinaemia was also significantly associated with thrombocytopenia, elevated liver enzymes and coagulation disturbances. The results were validated in a cohort of dengue virus infected patients in Brazil. In this cohort levels of ferritin and cytokine profiles were determined. Increased levels of ferritin in dengue virus infected patients in Brazil were associated with disease severity and a pro-inflammatory cytokine profile. Altogether, we provide evidence that ferritin can be used as a clinical marker to discriminate between dengue and other febrile illnesses. The occurrence of hyperferritinaemia in dengue virus infected patients is indicative for highly active disease resulting in immune activation and coagulation disturbances. Therefore, we recommend that patients with hyperferritinaemia are monitored carefull

Time since Onset of Disease and Individual Clinical Markers Associate with Transcriptional Changes in Uncomplicated Dengue

<div><p>Background</p><p>Dengue virus (DENV) infection causes viral haemorrhagic fever that is characterized by extensive activation of the immune system. The aim of this study is to investigate the kinetics of the transcriptome signature changes during the course of disease and the association of genes in these signatures with clinical parameters.</p><p>Methodology/Principle Findings</p><p>Sequential whole blood samples from DENV infected patients in Jakarta were profiled using affymetrix microarrays, which were analysed using principal component analysis, limma, gene set analysis, and weighted gene co-expression network analysis. We show that time since onset of disease, but not diagnosis, has a large impact on the blood transcriptome of patients with non-severe dengue. Clinical diagnosis (according to the WHO classification) does not associate with differential gene expression. Network analysis however, indicated that the clinical markers platelet count, fibrinogen, albumin, IV fluid distributed per day and liver enzymes SGOT and SGPT strongly correlate with gene modules that are enriched for genes involved in the immune response. Overall, we see a shift in the transcriptome from immunity and inflammation to repair and recovery during the course of a DENV infection.</p><p>Conclusions/Significance</p><p>Time since onset of disease associates with the shift in transcriptome signatures from immunity and inflammation to cell cycle and repair mechanisms in patients with non-severe dengue. The strong association of time with blood transcriptome changes hampers both the discovery as well as the potential application of biomarkers in dengue. However, we identified gene expression modules that associate with key clinical parameters of dengue that reflect the systemic activity of disease during the course of infection. The expression level of these gene modules may support earlier detection of disease progression as well as clinical management of dengue.</p></div

Principle component analysis of all transcriptome snapshots in this study.

<p>Icons and colours indicate type and sampling stage of the samples. Timing of samples range from day 0 to day 6 of admission. The day 0 samples have the lightest colour and the day 6 samples the darkest. All probesets were included for this analysis.</p

Dengue co-expression network analysis.

<p>Significant correlations between gene modules (y-axis) and clinical parameters (x-axis) are depicted in a red-to-green colour scale. Upper number is pearson correlation coefficient, lower number the level of significance (p-value). All gene modules are annotated with gene enrichment categories; clinical parameters are grouped by symptom type.</p

General characteristics cohort Aruba.

<p>In one patient ferritin levels were not determined. Abbreviations: WS− = non-severe dengue without warning signs. WS+ = non-severe dengue with warning signs, OFI = other febrile illness, F = Fisher's exact test, Chi = Chi-squared test, DENV = dengue virus.</p><p>* = Values are in median (interquartile range).</p><p>General characteristics cohort Aruba.</p