The importance of serological assays in diagnosing acute pulmonary histoplasmosis

Histoplasmosis is a systemic mycosis caused by inhalation of Histoplasma capsulatum microconidia. The disease does not normally affect immunocompetent individuals after a single, transient inhalation exposure. However, longer exposure may cause chronic or disseminated acute pulmonary infection. Herein, we report the case of a 24-year-old immunocompetent patient, who presented fever, cough and dyspnea for one month. The chest radiography revealed interstitial infiltrate and diffuse micronodules. The patient reported having had close and prolonged contact with bats. Diagnosis was confirmed by positive double immunodifusion and immunoblotting assays. She was treated with ketoconazole (400 mg) and there was complete resolution of the disease

Femtosecond control of electric currents at the interfaces of metallic ferromagnetic heterostructures

The idea to utilize not only the charge but also the spin of electrons in the operation of electronic devices has led to the development of spintronics, causing a revolution in how information is stored and processed. A novel advancement would be to develop ultrafast spintronics using femtosecond laser pulses. Employing terahertz (10$^{12}$ Hz) emission spectroscopy, we demonstrate optical generation of spin-polarized electric currents at the interfaces of metallic ferromagnetic heterostructures at the femtosecond timescale. The direction of the photocurrent is controlled by the helicity of the circularly polarized light. These results open up new opportunities for realizing spintronics in the unprecedented terahertz regime and provide new insights in all-optical control of magnetism.Comment: 3 figures and 2 tables in the main tex

Joint angle variability and co-variation in a reaching with a rod task

The problem at the heart of motor control is how the myriad units of the neuromotor system are coordinated to perform goal-directed movements. Although for long these numerous degrees of freedom (DOFs) were considered redundant, recent views emphasize more that the DOFs should be considered abundant, allowing flexible performance. We studied how variability in arm joints was employed to stabilize the displaced end-effector in tool use to examine how the neuromotor system flexibly exploits DOFs in the upper extremity. Participants made pointing movements with the index finger and with the index finger extended by rods of 10, 20, and 30 cm. Using the uncontrolled manifold (UCM) method, the total joint angle variance was decomposed into two parts, the joint angle variance that did not affect the position of the end-effector (VUCM) and the variance that results in a deviation of the position of the end-effector from its mean (VORT). Analyses showed that some angles depended on length of the rod in use. For all rod lengths, VUCM was larger than VORT, and this did not differ over rod lengths, demonstrating that the arm was organized into a synergy. Finally, the variation in the joint angles in the arm as well as the degree of co-variation between these angles did not differ for the rod’s tip and the hand. We concluded that synergies are formed in the arm during reaching with an extended end-effector and those synergies stabilize different parts of the arm+rod system equally

The Trypanosoma cruzi Virulence Factor Oligopeptidase B (OPBTc) Assembles into an Active and Stable Dimer

Oligopeptidase B, a processing enzyme of the prolyl oligopeptidase family, is considered as an important virulence factor in trypanosomiasis. Trypanosoma cruzi oligopeptidase B (OPBTc) is involved in host cell invasion by generating a Ca2+-agonist necessary for recruitment and fusion of host lysosomes at the site of parasite attachment. The underlying mechanism remains unknown and further structural and functional characterization of OPBTc may help clarify its physiological function and lead to the development of new therapeutic molecules to treat Chagas disease. In the present work, size exclusion chromatography and analytical ultracentrifugation experiments demonstrate that OPBTc is a dimer in solution, an association salt and pH-resistant and independent of intermolecular disulfide bonds. The enzyme retains its dimeric structure and is fully active up to 42°C. OPBTc is inactivated and its tertiary, but not secondary, structure is disrupted at higher temperatures, as monitored by circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy. It has a highly stable secondary structure over a broad range of pH, undergoes subtle tertiary structure changes at low pH and is less stable under moderate ionic strength conditions. These results bring new insights into the structural properties of OPBTc, contributing to future studies on the rational design of OPBTc inhibitors as a promising strategy for Chagas disease chemotherapy

The burden of physical activity on type 2 diabetes public healthcare expenditures among adults: a retrospective study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Determinants of public healthcare expenditures in type 2 diabetics are not well investigated in developing nations and, therefore, it is not clear if higher physical activity decreases healthcare costs. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between physical activity and the expenditures in public healthcare on type 2 diabetes mellitus treatment.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Cross-sectional study carried out in Brazil. A total of 121 type 2 diabetics attended to in two Basic Healthcare Units were evaluated. Public healthcare expenditures in the last year were estimated using a specific standard table. Also evaluated were: socio-demographic variables; chronological age; exogenous insulin use; smoking habits; fasting glucose test; diabetic neuropathy and anthropometric measures. Habitual physical activity was assessed by questionnaire.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Age (r = 0.20; p = 0.023), body mass index (r = 0.33; p = 0.001) and waist-to-hip ratio (r = 0.20; p = 0.025) were positively related to expenditures on medication for the treatment of diseases other than diabetes. Insulin use was associated with increased expenditures. Higher physical activity was associated with lower expenditure, provided medication for treatment of diseases other than diabetes (OR = 0.19; p = 0.007) and medical consultations (OR = 0.26; p = 0.029).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Type 2 diabetics with higher enrollment in physical activity presented consistently lower healthcare expenditures for the public healthcare system.</p

Transcriptional Regulation of Glucose Sensors in Pancreatic β-Cells and Liver: An Update

Pancreatic β-cells and the liver play a key role in glucose homeostasis. After a meal or in a state of hyperglycemia, glucose is transported into the β-cells or hepatocytes where it is metabolized. In the β-cells, glucose is metabolized to increase the ATP:ADP ratio, resulting in the secretion of insulin stored in the vesicle. In the hepatocytes, glucose is metabolized to CO2, fatty acids or stored as glycogen. In these cells, solute carrier family 2 (SLC2A2) and glucokinase play a key role in sensing and uptaking glucose. Dysfunction of these proteins results in the hyperglycemia which is one of the characteristics of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Thus, studies on the molecular mechanisms of their transcriptional regulations are important in understanding pathogenesis and combating T2DM. In this paper, we will review a recent update on the progress of gene regulation of glucose sensors in the liver and β-cells