Immunological imbalance between IFN-³ and IL-10 levels in the sera of patients with the cardiac form of Chagas disease

The immune response is crucial for protection against disease; however, immunological imbalances can lead to heart and digestive tract lesions in chagasic patients. Several studies have evaluated the cellular and humoral immune responses in chagasic patients in an attempt to correlate immunological findings with clinical forms of Chagas disease. Moreover, immunoglobulins and cytokines are important for parasitic control and are involved in lesion genesis. Here, cytokine and IgG isotype production were studied, using total epimastigote antigen on sera of chagasic patients with indeterminate (IND, n = 27) and cardiac (CARD, n = 16) forms of the disease. Samples from normal, uninfected individuals (NI, n = 30) were use as controls. The results showed that sera from both IND and CARD patients contained higher levels of Trypanosoma cruzi-specific IgG1 (IgG1) antibodies than sera from NI. No difference in IgG2 production levels was observed between NI, IND and CARD patients, nor was a difference in IL-10 and IFN-³ production detected in the sera of IND, CARD and NI patients. However, IND patients displayed a positive correlation between IL-10 and IFN-³ levels in serum, while CARD patients showed no such correlation, indicating an uncontrolled inflammatory response in CARD patients. These findings support the hypothesis that a lack of efficient regulation between IFN-³ and IL-10 productions in CARD patients may lead to cardiac immunopathology.CNP

Correlates of mobile screen media use among children aged 0-8: Protocol for a systematic review

Background: Childhood is a crucial period for shaping healthy behaviours; however, it currently appears to be dominated by screen time. A large proportion of young children do not adhere to the screen time recommendations, with the use of mobile screen devices becoming more common than fixed screens. Existing systematic reviews on correlates of screen time have focused largely on the traditional fixed screen devices such as television. Reviews specially focused on mobile screen media are almost non-existent. This paper describes the protocol for conducting a systematic review of papers published between 2009 and 2015 to identify the correlates of mobile screen media use among children aged 0–8 years. Methods: A systematic literature search of electronic databases will be carried out using different combinations of keywords for papers published in English between January 2009 and December 2015. Additionally, a manual search of reference lists and citations will also be conducted. Papers that have examined correlates of screen time among children aged 0–8 will be included in the review. Studies must include at least one type of mobile screen media (mobile phones, electronic tablets or handheld computers) to be eligible for inclusion. This study will identify correlates of mobile screen-viewing among children in five categories: (i) child biological and demographic correlates, (ii) behavioural correlates, (iii) family biological and demographic correlates, (iv) family structure-related correlates and (v) socio-cultural and environmental correlates. PRISMA statement will be used for ensuring transparency and scientific reporting of the results.Discussion: This study will identify the correlates associated with increased mobile screen media use among young children through the systematic review of published peer-reviewed papers. This will contribute to addressing the knowledge gap in this area. The results will provide an evidence base to better understand correlates of mobile screen media use and potentially inform the development of recommendations to reduce screen time among those aged 0–8 years

The distribution of inverted repeat sequences in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome

Although a variety of possible functions have been proposed for inverted repeat sequences (IRs), it is not known which of them might occur in vivo. We investigate this question by assessing the distributions and properties of IRs in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC) genome. Using the IRFinder algorithm we detect 100,514 IRs having copy length greater than 6 bp and spacer length less than 77 bp. To assess statistical significance we also determine the IR distributions in two types of randomization of the S. cerevisiae genome. We find that the S. cerevisiae genome is significantly enriched in IRs relative to random. The S. cerevisiae IRs are significantly longer and contain fewer imperfections than those from the randomized genomes, suggesting that processes to lengthen and/or correct errors in IRs may be operative in vivo. The S. cerevisiae IRs are highly clustered in intergenic regions, while their occurrence in coding sequences is consistent with random. Clustering is stronger in the 3′ flanks of genes than in their 5′ flanks. However, the S. cerevisiae genome is not enriched in those IRs that would extrude cruciforms, suggesting that this is not a common event. Various explanations for these results are considered

Cannabinoid Agonists Inhibit Neuropathic Pain Induced by Brachial Plexus Avulsion in Mice by Affecting Glial Cells and MAP Kinases

Many studies have shown the antinociceptive effects of cannabinoid (CB) agonists in different models of pain. Herein, we have investigated their relevance in neuropathic pain induced by brachial plexus avulsion (BPA) in mice.Mice underwent BPA or sham surgery. The mRNA levels and protein expression of CB(1) and CB(2) receptors were assessed by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively. The activation of glial cells, MAP kinases and transcription factors were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. The antinociceptive properties induced by cannabinoid agonists were assessed on the 5(th) and 30(th) days after surgery. We observed a marked increase in CB(1) and CB(2) receptor mRNA and protein expression in the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion, either at the 5(th) or 30(th) day after surgery. BPA also induced a marked activation of p38 and JNK MAP kinases (on the 30(th) day), glial cells, such as microglia and astrocytes, and the transcription factors CREB and NF-κB (at the 5(th) and 30(th) days) in the spinal cord. Systemic treatment with cannabinoid agonists reduced mechanical allodynia on both the 5(th) and 30(th) days after surgery, but the greatest results were observed by using central routes of administration, especially at the 30(th) day. Treatment with WIN 55,212-2 prevented the activation of both glial cells and MAP kinases, associated with an enhancement of CREB and NF-κB activation.Our results indicate a relevant role for cannabinoid agonists in BPA, reinforcing their potential therapeutic relevance for the management of chronic pain states