Clinical and epidemiological features and impact of life habits in canine atopic dermatitis in Fortaleza, Brazil

ABSTRACT: Canine atopic dermatitis (cAD) is a worldwide allergic skin disease. The affected dog population can show different clinical patterns according to geographic region, and a lack of studies in Brazil is observed. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess the clinical and epidemiological data of cAD in dogs treated in a private clinical practice in Fortaleza, a city located in the Northeast Region of Brazil. cAD was diagnosed in 35% of dogs, being Shih-tzu and Poodle the most affected breeds. Paws and ears were frequently injured sites. Almost 50% of atopic dogs were diagnosed with superficial pyoderma and 36% with cutaneous malasseziosis. Atopic dogs with outdoor habits were less likely to develop cutaneous malassezial infection, and with routine ear, cleaning habits were less likely to develop bacterial otitis externa. In conclusion, canine atopic dermatitis is a prevalent disease in private clinical practice in Fortaleza, and lifestyle habits can be considered a risk factor for cutaneous malasseziosis infection and bacterial otitis externa in atopic dogs

SARS-CoV-2 introductions and early dynamics of the epidemic in Portugal

Genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in Portugal was rapidly implemented by the National Institute of Health in the early stages of the COVID-19 epidemic, in collaboration with more than 50 laboratories distributed nationwide. Methods By applying recent phylodynamic models that allow integration of individual-based travel history, we reconstructed and characterized the spatio-temporal dynamics of SARSCoV-2 introductions and early dissemination in Portugal. Results We detected at least 277 independent SARS-CoV-2 introductions, mostly from European countries (namely the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Italy, and Switzerland), which were consistent with the countries with the highest connectivity with Portugal. Although most introductions were estimated to have occurred during early March 2020, it is likely that SARS-CoV-2 was silently circulating in Portugal throughout February, before the first cases were confirmed. Conclusions Here we conclude that the earlier implementation of measures could have minimized the number of introductions and subsequent virus expansion in Portugal. This study lays the foundation for genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in Portugal, and highlights the need for systematic and geographically-representative genomic surveillance.We gratefully acknowledge to Sara Hill and Nuno Faria (University of Oxford) and Joshua Quick and Nick Loman (University of Birmingham) for kindly providing us with the initial sets of Artic Network primers for NGS; Rafael Mamede (MRamirez team, IMM, Lisbon) for developing and sharing a bioinformatics script for sequence curation (https://github.com/rfm-targa/BioinfUtils); Philippe Lemey (KU Leuven) for providing guidance on the implementation of the phylodynamic models; Joshua L. Cherry (National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health) for providing guidance with the subsampling strategies; and all authors, originating and submitting laboratories who have contributed genome data on GISAID (https://www.gisaid.org/) on which part of this research is based. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the view of the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the United States government. This study is co-funded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia and Agência de Investigação Clínica e Inovação Biomédica (234_596874175) on behalf of the Research 4 COVID-19 call. Some infrastructural resources used in this study come from the GenomePT project (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-022184), supported by COMPETE 2020 - Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (POCI), Lisboa Portugal Regional Operational Programme (Lisboa2020), Algarve Portugal Regional Operational Programme (CRESC Algarve2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Immunogenicity and modulatory effect of the lectins from Artocarpus heterophyllus (Jackfruit) Seeds, artocarpin and jacalin

Se estudió la respuesta inmune de ratones inmunizados subcutáneamiente con dos lectinas de semillas de Artocarpus Heterophyllus, artocarpina y jacalina, y sus posibles efectos moduladores en la síntesis de anticuerpos de ratones inmunizados con un antígeiio no relacionado estructuralmente. Las dos lectinas inducen la síntesis específica de anticuerpos, independientemente de sus dosis inmunizantes. Con respecto al efecto modulador sobre la síntesis de inmunoglobulinas totales antiovoalbúmina, la artocarpina estimuló la síntesis de anticuerpos antiovoalbúmina independientemente de su dosis y la jacalina tuvo tendencia a estimular la síntesis del anticuerpo según su dosis. La discriminación de las síntesis de IgGl y IgE anti-ovoalbumina demostró que la artocarpina modula la IgG1, en tanto que la jacalina modula la IgE.The immune response of mice subcutaneously immunized with two lectins from Artocarpus heterophyllus seeds, artocarpin and jacalin, and their possible modulatory effect on antibody synthesis of mice immunized with an unrelated antigen, were studied. Both lectins induced specific synthesis of antibodies, irrespective of their immunizing dose. Concerning the modulatory effect on the synthesis of antiovalbumin total immunoglobulins, artocarpin stimulated the synthesis of anti-ovalbumin antibodies irrespective of its dose and jacalin had a tendency to stimulate such antibody synthesis according to its dose. Discrimination of anti-ovalbumin synthesis of IgGl and IgE showed that the artocarpin modulated IgGl whilst jacalin modulated IgE.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Immunogenicity and modulatory effect of the lectins from Artocarpus heterophyllus (Jackfruit) Seeds, artocarpin and jacalin

Se estudió la respuesta inmune de ratones inmunizados subcutáneamiente con dos lectinas de semillas de Artocarpus Heterophyllus, artocarpina y jacalina, y sus posibles efectos moduladores en la síntesis de anticuerpos de ratones inmunizados con un antígeiio no relacionado estructuralmente. Las dos lectinas inducen la síntesis específica de anticuerpos, independientemente de sus dosis inmunizantes. Con respecto al efecto modulador sobre la síntesis de inmunoglobulinas totales antiovoalbúmina, la artocarpina estimuló la síntesis de anticuerpos antiovoalbúmina independientemente de su dosis y la jacalina tuvo tendencia a estimular la síntesis del anticuerpo según su dosis. La discriminación de las síntesis de IgGl y IgE anti-ovoalbumina demostró que la artocarpina modula la IgG1, en tanto que la jacalina modula la IgE.The immune response of mice subcutaneously immunized with two lectins from Artocarpus heterophyllus seeds, artocarpin and jacalin, and their possible modulatory effect on antibody synthesis of mice immunized with an unrelated antigen, were studied. Both lectins induced specific synthesis of antibodies, irrespective of their immunizing dose. Concerning the modulatory effect on the synthesis of antiovalbumin total immunoglobulins, artocarpin stimulated the synthesis of anti-ovalbumin antibodies irrespective of its dose and jacalin had a tendency to stimulate such antibody synthesis according to its dose. Discrimination of anti-ovalbumin synthesis of IgGl and IgE showed that the artocarpin modulated IgGl whilst jacalin modulated IgE.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Implementation of a Brazilian Cardioprotective Nutritional (BALANCE) Program for improvement on quality of diet and secondary prevention of cardiovascular events: A randomized, multicenter trial

Background: Appropriate dietary recommendations represent a key part of secondary prevention in cardiovascular disease (CVD). We evaluated the effectiveness of the implementation of a nutritional program on quality of diet, cardiovascular events, and death in patients with established CVD. Methods: In this open-label, multicenter trial conducted in 35 sites in Brazil, we randomly assigned (1:1) patients aged 45 years or older to receive either the BALANCE Program (experimental group) or conventional nutrition advice (control group). The BALANCE Program included a unique nutritional education strategy to implement recommendations from guidelines, adapted to the use of affordable and regional foods. Adherence to diet was evaluated by the modified Alternative Healthy Eating Index. The primary end point was a composite of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular death, cardiac arrest, myocardial infarction, stroke, myocardial revascularization, amputation, or hospitalization for unstable angina. Secondary end points included biochemical and anthropometric data, and blood pressure levels. Results: From March 5, 2013, to Abril 7, 2015, a total of 2534 eligible patients were randomly assigned to either the BALANCE Program group (n = 1,266) or the control group (n = 1,268) and were followed up for a median of 3.5 years. In total, 235 (9.3%) participants had been lost to follow-up. After 3 years of follow-up, mean modified Alternative Healthy Eating Index (scale 0-70) was only slightly higher in the BALANCE group versus the control group (26.2 ± 8.4 vs 24.7 ± 8.6, P <.01), mainly due to a 0.5-serving/d greater intake of fruits and of vegetables in the BALANCE group. Primary end point events occurred in 236 participants (18.8%) in the BALANCE group and in 207 participants (16.4%) in the control group (hazard ratio, 1.15; 95% CI 0.95-1.38; P =.15). Secondary end points did not differ between groups after follow-up. Conclusions: The BALANCE Program only slightly improved adherence to a healthy diet in patients with established CVD and had no significant effect on the incidence of cardiovascular events or death. © 2019 The Author

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved