POPULATION DYNAMICS OF THE MICROBIOTA IN THE LITTER OF TWO TREE SPECIES OF THE ATLANTIC FOREST

This study analyzes microbiota population dynamics as a function of nutrient release rate during litter decomposition. For that, we observed two tree species native to the Atlantic Forest: brazilwood (Paubrasilia echinata) and inga (Inga laurina). To assess nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) release rates from the litter, we performed six collections over 365 days. In these collections, we placed polyvinyl bags called ‘litter bags’ below the treetops of the chosen species to collect dry leaves. To identify the groups of litter microorganisms (fungi, bacteria, and actinomycetes), we used the plate culture method to count the number of colony-forming units (CFU), and the fatty acid profile method, through biomarkers, associating nutrient release rate and abiotic factors (temperature and rainfall). Nutrient release rate correlates with litter decomposition at 140 days, and most microorganisms correlate with litter decomposition at 30 days. Nitrogen and phosphorus release rates correlate with rainfall. Fungi correlate with P release rate in inga litter decomposition. The bacteria biomarker 17:1 was the only one that correlated with N and P release rates. In conclusion, rainfall affects nutrient solubilization in the studied species, and microbiota differs between the species. When comparing the two methods to identify these microorganisms, information from one method complements information from the other, since both provide different but interdependent data. This study analyzes microbiota population dynamics as a function of nutrient release rate during litter decomposition. For that, we observed two tree species native to the Atlantic Forest: brazilwood (Paubrasilia echinata) and inga (Inga laurina). To assess nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) release rates from the litter, we performed six collections over 365 days. In these collections, we placed polyvinyl bags called ‘litter bags’ below the treetops of the chosen species to collect dry leaves. To identify the groups of litter microorganisms (fungi, bacteria, and actinomycetes), we used the plate culture method to count the number of colony-forming units (CFU), and the fatty acid profile method, through biomarkers, associating nutrient release rate and abiotic factors (temperature and rainfall). Nutrient release rate correlates with litter decomposition at 140 days, and most microorganisms correlate with litter decomposition at 30 days. Nitrogen and phosphorus release rates correlate with rainfall. Fungi correlate with P release rate in inga litter decomposition. The bacteria biomarker 17:1 was the only one that correlated with N and P release rates. In conclusion, rainfall affects nutrient solubilization in the studied species, and microbiota differs between the species. When comparing the two methods to identify these microorganisms, information from one method complements information from the other, since both provide different but interdependent data

Desempenho motor de crianças HIV positivas

Evidence indicates that HIV-positive children have a lower motor performance compared to uninfected children. The analysis of the factors that determine these changes is very important for the implementation of rehabilitation strategies. Objective: To analyze the motor development of seropositive children and compare it to the performance of healthy children with normal neuropsycomotor development. Materials and Methods: Eight children were evaluated, aged between four and six years, divided into two groups: Group I (n = 4) composed of HIV-positive children without any secondary disease and Group II (n = 4) composed of healthy children, matched to Group I by sex and age. The Peabody Developmental Motor Scales (PDMS-2) for gross motor function and fine motor function were used to evaluate motor performance. Results: In both groups, most of the children presented an average or above average motor performance, according to normal data of PDMS-2. The analysis indicated no inter-group differences in the gross scores (p > 0,05, Mann-Whitney test) or motor quotients (p> 0.05, Mann-Whitney test). However, intra-group analysis indicated a marginally significant difference between motor quotients (p = 0,07, Wilcoxon test), with higher fine motor quotient in both groups. Conclusion: The data suggest no significant difference between the motor performance of HIV-positive children and healthy children. These results contribute to the analysis of motor development of HIV-positive children, raising questions about factors that may influence the motor development of these children2916170Evidências indicam que crianças soropositivas apresentam um desempenho motor inferior ao de crianças não infectadas. A análise dos fatores que determinam essas alterações é de extrema importância para a implementação de estratégias de reabilitação. Objetivo: Analisar o desempenho motor de crianças soropositivas e compará-lo ao desempenho de crianças saudáveis, com desenvolvimento neuropsicomotor normal. Materiais e Métodos: Foram avaliadas 08 crianças, com idade entre 4 e 6 anos, divididas em dois grupos: Grupo I (n = 04) composto por indivíduos HIV positivo sem presença de qualquer tipo de doença secundária e o Grupo II ( n = 04) composto por crianças saudáveis, pareadas ao Grupo I quanto ao sexo e idade. As escalas de função motora grossa e função motora fina da Peabody Developmental Motor Scales (PDMS-2) foram utilizadas para avaliação do desempenho motor. Resultados: Em ambos os grupos, a maioria das crianças, apresentou desempenho motor na média ou acima da média, segundo os dados normativos da PDMS-2. A análise inter-grupos não indicou diferenças quanto aos escores brutos (p > 0,05; teste de Mann-Whitney) ou quocientes motores(p > 0,05; teste de Mann-Whitney). Entretanto, a análise intra-grupos indicou uma diferença marginalmente significativa entre os quocientes motores (p = 0,07; teste Wilcoxon), com valores mais elevados do quociente motor fino em ambos os grupos. Conclusão: Os dados sugerem que pode não haver diferença significativa entre o desempenho motor de crianças HIV positivo e crianças saudáveis. Estes resultados contribuem para a análise do desenvolvimento motor de crianças soropositivas, levantando questões sobre fatores que podem influenciar o desenvolvimento motor destas criança

Corpo social e as relações de cuidado / Social body and care relationships

Diversas são as concepções de corpo, para entendê-lo, aspectos muito além da mera biologia devem ser abordados sendo a importância desse entendimento fundamental para relações humanas, principalmente quando se fala em profissionais da saúde e pacientes. Objetivou-se refletir sobre as concepções de corpos na antropologia e a sua relação no cuidado e assistência à saúde. O trabalho foi realizado a partir de uma revisão de literatura sobre o corpo social e as relações de cuidado e a partir daí realizou-se a construção de um texto coletivo. Considera-se que o corpo nunca é encontrado em seu estado natural, já que até mesmo o modo de pensar do indivíduo é influenciado, e ao longo do tempo essa influência faz com que o corpo se torne um fenômeno cultural, único. A partir disso, o grande desafio dos profissionais da saúde, é o reconhecimento desta concepção e a partir dela adequarem-se a cada tipo de paciente, pois só através de um relacionamento contratualista, o profissional conseguirá a adesão de seus pacientes ao tratamento, e para tanto, faz-se necessário o entendimento do corpo, não meramente biológico, mas aquele construído na sociedade

Study of potential vaccine candidates from Leptospira interrogans serovar Copenhageni.

A utilização de vacinas destaca-se como medida preventiva contra a leptospirose. Sete potenciais antígenos vacinais de L. interrogans sorovar Copenhageni foram estudados: LipL32, LipL23 e LipL22 (lipoproteínas), SphH e Sph4 (hemolisinas), AnkB (domínio anquirina) e OmpA76 (domínio OmpA). Os genes foram amplificados, clonados e as proteínas expressas em E.coli e Salmonella enterica para ensaios de imunização e desafio. As sete proteínas foram purificadas. No primeiro desafio, hamsters foram imunizados com a salmonela recombinante para expressar a OmpA76 e desafiados com sorovar Pomona. Sobreviveu 30% do grupo salmonela recombinante, 100% da vacina comercial e 10% dos controles. No segundo desafio, hamsters foram imunizados com pool das sete proteínas e desafiados com sorovar Copenhageni. Sobreviveram 30% do grupo pool de proteínas, 90% da vacina comercial, 100% da bacterina e 0% do grupo PBS. A LipL32, OmpA76, LipL23 e LipL22 reagiram com soros de hamsters infectados. Extratos de leptospiras foram reconhecidos pelos soros específicos contra LipL32, OmpA76 e LipL23.Preventive measures as vaccines are the best strategies to combat leptospirosis. Seven potential vaccine candidates from L. iInterrogans serovar Copenhageni were studied: LipL32, LipL23 and LipL22 (lipoproteins), SphH e Sph4 (hemolysins), AnkB (ankyrin domain) and OmpA76 (OmpA domain). The genes were amplified, cloned and the proteins expressed in E. Coli e Salmonella enteric for challenge assays. In the first assay, hamsters were immunized with the recombinant salmonella to express OmpA76 in vivo, and challenged with serovar Pomona. The survival was 30% of the recombinant salmonella group, 100% of the commercial vaccine and 10% of the control groups. In the second assay, hamsters were immunized with a pool of the purified proteins and challenged with serovar Copenhageni. The survival was 30% of the group pool of proteins, 90% of the commercial vaccine, 100% of the bacterin and 0% of the PBS group. LipL32, OmpA76, LipL23 and LipL22 reacted with hamsters infected sera. Leptospiral extracts were recognized by specific sera against LipL32, OmpA76 and LipL23

Identification of leptospiral proteases involved in immune evasion mechanisms from the human complement system.

A leptospirose é uma zoonose causada por leptospiras patogênicas. Para estabelecer a infecção, estas bactérias desenvolveram estratégias de escape ao sistema complemento. Neste trabalho demonstramos que o sobrenadante de cultura de leptospiras patogênicas é capaz de inibir as três vias do complemento. Observamos que esse sobrenadante possui atividade proteolítica sobre C3, C3b e iC3b, além do FB (via alternativa), C2 e C4b (via clássica e das lectinas). As proteínas C3, C4, C2 e FB também foram clivadas quando soro humano normal (SHN) foi utilizado como fonte de complemento. Demonstramos que as proteases atuam em conjunto com os reguladores do hospedeiro Fator I e Fator H na clivagem de C3b. As clivagens foram inibidas pela 1,10-fenantrolina, sugerindo a participação de metaloproteases. Metaloproteases de leptospira da família das termolisinas foram produzidas como proteínas recombinantes e clivaram C3 no SHN. Concluímos que proteases de leptospiras patogênicas podem desativar moléculas do complemento e são potencias alvos para novas terapias em leptospirose.Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic Leptospira. To establish the infection, these bacteria have developed strategies to escape the complement system. In this work, we demonstrate that culture supernatant from pathogenic Leptospira is capable of inhibiting the three complement pathways. We observe that this supernatant possess proteolytic activity under C3, C3b and iC3b, FB (alternative pathway), C2 and C4b (classical and lectin pathways). The proteins C3, C4, C2 and FB were also cleaved when normal human serum (NHS) was used as a source of complement. We demonstrate that these proteases act together with the host regulators Factor I and Factor H in C3b cleavage. The cleavages were inhibited by 1,10-phenanthroline, suggesting the involvement of metalloproteinases. Leptospira metalloproteinases from the thermolysin family were produced as recombinant proteins and cleaved C3 in NHS. We concluded that proteases from pathogenic Leptospira can inactivate complement molecules and are potential targets for new therapies in leptospirosis

Motor performance of HIV-positive children

Introduction: Evidence indicates that HIV-positive children have a lower motor performance compared to uninfected children. The analysis of the factors that determine these changes is very important for the implementation of rehabilitation strategies. Objective: To analyze the motor development of seropositive children and compare it to the performance of healthy children with normal neuropsycomotor development. Materials and Methods: Eight children were evaluated, aged between four and six years, divided into two groups: Group I (n = 4) composed of HIV-positive children without any secondary disease and Group II (n = 4) composed of healthy children, matched to Group I by sex and age. The Peabody Developmental Motor Scales (PDMS-2) for gross motor function and fine motor function were used to evaluate motor performance. Results: In both groups, most of the children presented an average or above average motor performance, according to normal data of PDMS-2. The analysis indicated no inter-group differences in the gross scores (p > 0,05, Mann-Whitney test) or motor quotients (p> 0.05, Mann-Whitney test). However, intra-group analysis indicated a marginally significant difference between motor quotients (p = 0,07, Wilcoxon test), with higher fine motor quotient in both groups. Conclusion: The data suggest no significant difference between the motor performance of HIV-positive children and healthy children. These results contribute to the analysis of motor development of HIV-positive children, raising questions about factors that may influence the motor development of these children

Motor performance of HIV-positive children

Abstract Introduction: Evidence indicates that HIV-positive children have a lower motor performance compared to uninfected children. The analysis of the factors that determine these changes is very important for the implementation of rehabilitation strategies. Objective: To analyze the motor development of seropositive children and compare it to the performance of healthy children with normal neuropsycomotor development. Materials and Methods: Eight children were evaluated, aged between four and six years, divided into two groups: Group I (n = 4) composed of HIV-positive children without any secondary disease and Group II (n = 4) composed of healthy children, matched to Group I by sex and age. The Peabody Developmental Motor Scales (PDMS-2) for gross motor function and fine motor function were used to evaluate motor performance. Results: In both groups, most of the children presented an average or above average motor performance, according to normal data of PDMS-2. The analysis indicated no inter-group differences in the gross scores (p > 0,05, Mann-Whitney test) or motor quotients (p> 0.05, Mann-Whitney test). However, intra-group analysis indicated a marginally significant difference between motor quotients (p = 0,07, Wilcoxon test), with higher fine motor quotient in both groups. Conclusion: The data suggest no significant difference between the motor performance of HIV-positive children and healthy children. These results contribute to the analysis of motor development of HIV-positive children, raising questions about factors that may influence the motor development of these children

Refolding of the recombinant protein OmpA70 from Leptospira interrogans from inclusion bodies using high hydrostatic pressure and partial characterization of its immunological properties

Leptospira is the etiological agent of leptospirosis, a life-threatening disease that affects human populations worldwide. Available vaccines have demonstrated limited effectiveness, and therapeutic interventions are complicated by the difficulty of establishing an early diagnosis. The genome of Leptospira strains was sequenced, and bioinformatic analyses revealed potential vaccine and serodiagnosis candidates. The present work studied OmpA70, a putative outer membrane protein from Leptospira interrogans serovar Copenhageni that combines structural features of Loa22, the first genetically defined virulence factor in Leptospira, and Lp49, a protein that reacts with sera from early and convalescent patients. Recombinant OmpA was produced in Escherichia coli in an insoluble form. Considering the importance of the structural integrity of a protein to confer immune protection, high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) was used to refold OmpA70 aggregated as inclusion bodies. HHP was applied in association with redox-shuffling reagents (oxidized and reduced glutathione) and guanidine hydrochloride or l-arginine. About 40% of the protein was refolded by applying 200 MPa for 16 h in concentrations of l-arginine above 0.4 M. Circular dichroism revealed the presence of secondary structure. OmpA70 has immunogenic and antigenic properties as high antibody titers were seen after immunization with this protein, and sera from infected hamsters reacted with soluble OmpA70FAPESPCNPqFundação Butanta

Pasteurella pneumotropica evades the human complement system by acquisition of the complement regulators factor H and C4BP.

Pasteurella pneumotropica is an opportunist Gram negative bacterium responsible for rodent pasteurellosis that affects upper respiratory, reproductive and digestive tracts of mammals. In animal care facilities the presence of P. pneumotropica causes severe to lethal infection in immunodeficient mice, being also a potential source for human contamination. Indeed, occupational exposure is one of the main causes of human infection by P. pneumotropica. The clinical presentation of the disease includes subcutaneous abscesses, respiratory tract colonization and systemic infections. Given the ability of P. pneumotropica to fully disseminate in the organism, it is quite relevant to study the role of the complement system to control the infection as well as the possible evasion mechanisms involved in bacterial survival. Here, we show for the first time that P. pneumotropica is able to survive the bactericidal activity of the human complement system. We observed that host regulatory complement C4BP and Factor H bind to the surface of P. pneumotropica, controlling the activation pathways regulating the formation and maintenance of C3-convertases. These results show that P. pneumotropica has evolved mechanisms to evade the human complement system that may increase the efficiency by which this pathogen is able to gain access to and colonize inner tissues where it may cause severe infections