Using surface molecule expression on lymphocytes to classify septic shock patients

1 page.-- Letter.The present study was supported by grants S-BIO-0189/2006 MITIC/TIMEDIC from Comunidad de Madrid and 98/1431 Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias, CIBERehd, and by a research prize awarded by the Fundación Lilly.Peer reviewe

Early alterations of B cells in patients with septic shock

Abstract Introduction It has recently been proposed that B lymphocytes are involved in sepsis pathogenesis. The goal of this study is to investigate potential abnormalities in a subset distribution and activation of circulating B lymphocytes in patients with septic shock. Methods This observational prospective study was conducted in a medical-surgical ICU. All patients with septic shock were eligible for inclusion. B-cell phenotypes (CD19+CD69+, CD19+CD23+, CD19+CD5+, CD19+CD80, CD19+CD86+, CD19+CD40 and CD19+CD95+) were assessed by quantitative flow cytometry upon admission to the ICU and 3, 7, 14 and 28 d later. Results Fifty-two patients were included. Thirty-six healthy volunteers matched for age and sex were used as controls. The patients had lymphopenia that was maintained during 28 d of follow-up. In patients with septic shock who died, the percentage of CD19+CD23+ was lower during the 7 d of follow-up than it was in survival patients. Moreover, the percentage of CD80+ and CD95+ expression on B cells was higher in patients who died than in survivors. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that a CD19+CD23+ value of 64.6% at ICU admission enabled discrimination between survivors and nonsurvivors with a sensitivity of 90.9% and a specificity of 80.0% (P = 0.0001). Conclusions Patients with septic shock who survive and those who don't have different patterns of abnormalities in circulating B lymphocytes. At ICU admission, a low percentage of CD23+ and a high of CD80+ and CD95+ on B cells were associated with increased mortality of patients with septic shock. Moreover, a drop in circulating B cells persisted during 28 d of ICU follow-up.This work was partially funded by grants from Fondo de Investigación de la Seguridad Social, Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MEC) (Spain), Consejeria de Educación, Comunidad de Madrid, MITIC-CM (S-2010/BMD-2502) and Instituto de Salud Carlos III, MEC (PI051871, CIBERehd).Peer Reviewe

O uso do lúdico no ensino de química para deficientes visuais ou baixa visão: utilização da tabela FD14

Anais do II Seminário Seminário Estadual PIBID do Paraná: tecendo saberes / organizado por Dulcyene Maria Ribeiro e Catarina Costa Fernandes — Foz do Iguaçu: Unioeste; Unila, 2014A tabela Periódica organizada e elaborada com características puramente visuais como formato, distribuição, cor, símbolos, informações numéricas e propriedades com seguimentos distintos, acaba por excluir de uma vez o deficiente visual. A tabela FD14 ® apresenta uma proposta onde o aluno, poderá coletar todas as informações contidas em uma tabela periódica em formato de jogo, sendo a mesma, o principal instrumento na aprendizagem da química. O modelo de ferramenta proposto foi utilizado por um aluno do 1o ano do Ensino Médio de 15 anos, deficiente visual desde seu nascimento e inserido no Ensino Médio regular no Col. Est. Eurídes Brandão. Para êxito da proposta, “João” conseguiu identificar sem qualquer tipo de auxílio todas as informações que um aluno visual teria acesso, num processo realmente inclusiv

Clinical relevance of the severe abnormalities of the T cell compartment in septic shock patients

8 pages, 2 figures.-- PMID: 19243622 [PubMed].[Introduction] Given the pivotal role of T lymphocytes in the immune system, patients with septic shock may show T cell abnormalities. We have characterised the T cell compartment in septic shock and assess its clinical implications.[Methods] T lymphocytes from the peripheral blood of 52 patients with septic shock and 36 healthy control subjects were analysed on admission to the intensive care unit, baseline, and 3, 7, 14 and 28 days later. T cell phenotypes (CD3+CD4+/CD3+CD8+, CD45RA+/CD45RO+, CD62L+/CD28+) were assessed by quantitative flow cytometry.[Results] CD3+, CD3+CD4+ and CD3+CD8+ lymphocyte counts were significantly lower in patients with septic shock than control subjects. In surviving patients, CD3+CD4+ lymphocytes had normalised after 14 days, yet CD3+CD8+ numbers were still low. Non effector CD45RA+CD45RO- subsets of CD3+CD4+ and CD3+CD8+ were persistently low during patient follow up. CD3+CD8+CD28+ and CD3+CD8+CD62L+ were reduced in patients versus controls and survivors versus nonsurvivors in the first three days. A prediction receptor operative curve revealed that for the CD3+CD8+CD28+ subset, a cutoff of 136 cells/ml showed 70% sensitivity and 100% specificity for predicting death and the area under the curve was 0.84 at admission. Corresponding values for CD3+CD8+CD62L+ were 141 cells/ml, 60% sensitivity, 100% specificity and an area under the curve of 0.75.[Conclusions] A severe redistribution of T lymphocyte subsets is found in septic shock patients. A different kinetic pattern of T cell subset involvement is observed in surviving and nonsurviving patients, with lower numbers of circulating CD3+CD8+CD28+ and CD3+CD8+CD62L+ associated with a better disease outcome.This study was supported by grants S-BIO-0189/2006 MITIC/TIMEDIC from Comunidad de Madrid, Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias, CIBERehd and by a research prize awarded by the Fundación Lilly.Peer reviewe

Route Towards a Label-free Optical Waveguide Sensing Platform Based on Lossy Mode Resonances

According to recent market studies of the North American company Allied Market Research, the field of photonic sensors is an emerging strategic field for the following years and it is expected to garner $18 billion by 2021. The integration of micro and nanofabrication technologies in the field of sensors has allowed the development of new technological concepts such as lab-on-a-chip, which have achieved extraordinary advances in terms of detection and applicability, for example in the field of biosensors. This continuous development has allowed that equipment consisting of many complex devices that occupied a whole room a few years ago, at present it is possible to handle them in the palm of the hand; that formerly long duration processes are carried out in a matter of milliseconds and that a technology previously dedicated solely to military or scientific uses is available to the vast majority of consumers. The adequate combination of micro and nanostructured coatings with optical fiber sensors has permitted us to develop novel sensing technologies, such as the first experimental demonstration of lossy mode resonances (LMRs) for sensing applications, with more than one hundred citations and related publications in high rank journals and top conferences. In fact, fiber optic LMR-based devices have been proven as devices with one of the highest sensitivity for refractometric applications. Refractive index sensitivity is an indirect and simple indicator of how sensitive the device is to chemical and biological species, topic where this proposal is focused. Consequently, the utilization of these devices for chemical and biosensing applications is a clear opportunity that could open novel and interesting research lines and applications as well as simplify current analytical methodologies. As a result, on the basis of our previous experience with LMR based sensors to attain very high sensitivities, the objective of this paper is presenting the route for the development of label-free optical waveguide sensing platform based on LMRs that enable to explore the limits of this technology for bio-chemosensing applications

The crystal structure of sterol carrier protein 2 from Yarrowia lipolytica and the evolutionary conservation of a large, non-specific lipid-binding cavity

Sterol carrier protein 2 (SCP2), a small intracellular domain present in all forms of life, binds with high affinity a broad spectrum of lipids. Due to its involvement in the metabolism of long-chain fatty acids and cholesterol uptake, it has been the focus of intense research in mammals and insects; much less characterized are SCP2 from other eukaryotic cells and microorganisms. We report here the X-ray structure of Yarrowia lipolytica SCP2 (YLSCP2) at 2.2 Å resolution in complex with palmitic acid. This is the first fungal SCP2 structure solved, and it consists of the canonical five-stranded β-sheet covered on the internal face by a layer of five α-helices. The overall fold is conserved among the SCP2 family, however, YLSCP2 is most similar to the SCP2 domain of human MFE-2, a bifunctional enzyme acting on peroxisomal β-oxidation. We have identified the common structural elements defining the shape and volume of the large binding cavity in all species characterized. Moreover, we found that the cavity of the SCP2 domains is distinctly formed by carbon atoms, containing neither organized water nor rigid polar interactions with the ligand. These features are in contrast with those of fatty acid binding proteins, whose internal cavities are more polar and contain bound water. The results will help to design experiments to unveil the SCP2 function in very different cellular contexts and metabolic conditions.Fil: Pérez de Berti, Federico Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular (i); Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes; ArgentinaFil: Capaldi, Stefano. Universita Di Verona; ItaliaFil: Ferreyra, Raul Gabriel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular (i); Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes; ArgentinaFil: Burgardt, Noelia Ines. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Química y Físico-Química Biológicas "Prof. Alejandro C. Paladini". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Química y Físico-Química Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Acierno, Juan Pablo. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes; ArgentinaFil: Klinke, Sebastian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Monaco, Hugo L.. Universita Di Verona; ItaliaFil: Ermacora, Mario Roberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular (i); Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes; Argentin

A Comparison between Frame-based and Event-based Cameras for Flapping-Wing Robot Perception

Perception systems for ornithopters face severe challenges. The harsh vibrations and abrupt movements caused during flapping are prone to produce motion blur and strong lighting condition changes. Their strict restrictions in weight, size, and energy consumption also limit the type and number of sensors to mount onboard. Lightweight traditional cameras have become a standard off-the-shelf solution in many flapping-wing designs. However, bioinspired event cameras are a promising solution for ornithopter perception due to their microsecond temporal resolution, high dynamic range, and low power consumption. This paper presents an experimental comparison between frame-based and an event-based camera. Both technologies are analyzed considering the particular flapping-wing robot specifications and also experimentally analyzing the performance of well-known vision algorithms with data recorded onboard a flapping-wing robot. Our results suggest event cameras as the most suitable sensors for ornithopters. Nevertheless, they also evidence the open challenges for event-based vision on board flapping-wing robots

Incentivo a criação de uma consciência universitária em alunos do ensino médio de escolas públicas brasileiras

Anais do II Seminário Seminário Estadual PIBID do Paraná: tecendo saberes / organizado por Dulcyene Maria Ribeiro e Catarina Costa Fernandes — Foz do Iguaçu: Unioeste; Unila, 2014Observando o atual cenário da educação brasileira, nota-se facilmente que existem problemas muito latentes em relação à estrutura e qualidade de ensino. Porém, um fator que é citado com menor frequência é a questão cultural que envolve todo o processo de ensino-aprendizagem. Logo que é de conhecimento de todos que a cultura brasileira não é voltada, tanto quanto deveria, para o estudo. Este projeto vem com o objetivo de contextualizar o “Por que de estudar”. Com propostas práticas em relação à vida profissional do discente. Mostrando-o que, ao estudar, ao se interessar pelo ensino superior, várias outras oportunidades mais avantajadas financeiramente podem surgir. Explanando em aulas expositivas quais são seus direitos e que a Universidade não está tão distante quanto parec