120 research outputs found
Of Mice and ‘Convicts’: Origin of the Australian House Mouse, Mus musculus
The house mouse, Mus musculus, is one of the most ubiquitous invasive species worldwide and in Australia is particularly common and widespread, but where it originally came from is still unknown. Here we investigated this origin through a phylogeographic analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences (D-loop) comparing mouse populations from Australia with those from the likely regional source area in Western Europe. Our results agree with human historical associations, showing a strong link between Australia and the British Isles. This outcome is of intrinsic and applied interest and helps to validate the colonization history of mice as a proxy for human settlement history
Updating known distribution models for forecasting climate change impact on endangered species
To plan endangered species conservation and to design adequate management programmes, it is necessary to predict their
distributional response to climate change, especially under the current situation of rapid change. However, these
predictions are customarily done by relating de novo the distribution of the species with climatic conditions with no regard
of previously available knowledge about the factors affecting the species distribution. We propose to take advantage of
known species distribution models, but proceeding to update them with the variables yielded by climatic models before
projecting them to the future. To exemplify our proposal, the availability of suitable habitat across Spain for the endangered
Bonelli’s Eagle (Aquila fasciata) was modelled by updating a pre-existing model based on current climate and topography to
a combination of different general circulation models and Special Report on Emissions Scenarios. Our results suggested that
the main threat for this endangered species would not be climate change, since all forecasting models show that its
distribution will be maintained and increased in mainland Spain for all the XXI century. We remark on the importance of
linking conservation biology with distribution modelling by updating existing models, frequently available for endangered
species, considering all the known factors conditioning the species’ distribution, instead of building new models that are
based on climate change variables only.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación and FEDER (project CGL2009-11316/BOS
Physicochemical and biological characterization of 1E10 Anti-Idiotype vaccine
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>1E10 monoclonal antibody is a murine anti-idiotypic antibody that mimics N-glycolyl-GM3 gangliosides. This antibody has been tested as an anti-idiotypic cancer vaccine, adjuvated in Al(OH)<sub>3</sub>, in several clinical trials for melanoma, breast, and lung cancer. During early clinical development this mAb was obtained <it>in vivo </it>from mice ascites fluid. Currently, the production process of 1E10 is being transferred from the <it>in vivo </it>to a bioreactor-based method.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here, we present a comprehensive molecular and immunological characterization of 1E10 produced by the two different production processes in order to determine the impact of the manufacturing process in vaccine performance. We observed differences in glycosylation pattern, charge heterogeneity and structural stability between <it>in vivo</it>-produced 1E10 and bioreactor-obtained 1E10. Interestingly, these modifications had no significant impact on the immune responses elicited in two different animal models.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Changes in 1E10 primary structure like glycosylation; asparagine deamidation and oxidation affected 1E10 structural stability but did not affect the immune response elicited in mice and chickens when compared to 1E10 produced in mice.</p
Seroprevalence and factors associated with herpes simplex virus type 2 among HIV-negative high-risk men who have sex with men from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: a cross-sectional study
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Previous issue date: 2009Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto de Pesquisa ClÃnica Evandro Chagas. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto de Pesquisa ClÃnica Evandro Chagas. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto de Comunicação e Informação CientÃfica e Tecnológica em Saúde. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto de Pesquisa ClÃnica Evandro Chagas. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto de Pesquisa ClÃnica Evandro Chagas. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto de Pesquisa ClÃnica Evandro Chagas. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto de Pesquisa ClÃnica Evandro Chagas. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto de Pesquisa ClÃnica Evandro Chagas. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto de Pesquisa ClÃnica Evandro Chagas. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Background: Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) is the leading cause of genital ulcer disease in
developing countries, including Brazil, and is especially prevalent among men who have sex with
men (MSM). HSV-2 infection represents a risk factor for the acquisition and transmission of other
sexually transmitted diseases. The goal of the present cross-sectional study was to estimate HSV-
2 seroprevalence and to determine the factors associated with HSV-2 seropositivity in HIVnegative
high-risk MSM from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Methods: Stored sera were tested to estimate HSV-2 seroprevalence, while socio-demographic
and sexual behavior data were used to measure associations between risk factors and HSV-2
seropositivity. Using the Poisson regression model with robust variance, prevalence ratios (PR)
were used to estimate de degree of association between risk factors and HSV-2 seropositivity in
bivariate and multivariate analyses.
Results: Seroprevalence of HSV-2 was of 45.7% (184 out of 403). Factors independently associated
with HSV-2 seroprevalence in the multivariate model were: older age (≥ 26 years, PR: 1.41 95%
Confidence Interval: 1.11–1.78), non-white race (PR: 1.32 95%CI: 1.06–1.64), positive serology for
syphilis (PR: 1.65 95%CI: 1.33–2.05), positive serology for hepatitis B (PR: 1.25 95%CI: 0.99–1.57),
stable male partner in the past 6 months (PR: 1.42 95%CI: 1.12–1.79), and unprotected anal sex
with a stable female partner (PR: 1.46 95%CI: 1.05–2.04) in the 6 months preceding the crosssectional
assessment.
Conclusion: The present study made evident a high prevalence of HSV-2 infection in a sample of
HIV-negative high-risk MSM from Rio de Janeiro. This finding indicates the need and urgency for
implementing integrated programs for the prevention of HSV-2 and other sexually transmitted
diseases, and, in particular, programs targeting high-risk MSM
The Synergistic Effect of Concomitant Schistosomiasis, Hookworm, and Trichuris Infections on Children's Anemia Burden
Polyparasitic infections have been recognized as the norm in many tropical developing countries, but the significance of this phenomenon for helminth-associated morbidities is largely unexplored. Earlier studies have suggested that multi-species, low-intensity parasitic infections were associated with higher odds of anemia among school-age children relative to their uninfected counterparts or those with one low-intensity infection. However, specific studies of the nature of interactions between helminth species in the mediation of helminth-associated morbidities are lacking. This study quantifies the extent to which polyparasitic infections have more than the sum of adverse effects associated with individual infections in the context of childhood anemia. This study found that the risk of anemia is amplified beyond the sum of risks for individual infections in children simultaneously exposed to 1) hookworm and schistosomiasis, and 2) hookworm and trichuris, and suggests that combined treatment for some geohelminth species and schistosomiasis could yield greater than additive benefits for the reduction of childhood anemia in helminth-endemic areas. However, more studies to understand the full range of interactions between parasitic species in their joint effects on helminth-associated morbidities will be necessary to better predict the impact of any future public health intervention
Transatlantic combined and comparative data analysis of 1095 patients with urea cycle disorders?A successful strategy for clinical research of rare diseases
BACKGROUND: To improve our understanding of urea cycle disorders (UCDs) prospectively followed by two North American (NA) and European (EU) patient cohorts. AIMS: Description of the NA and EU patient samples and investigation of the prospects of combined and comparative analyses for individuals with UCDs. METHODS: Retrieval and comparison of the data from 1095 individuals (NA: 620, EU: 475) from two electronic databases. RESULTS: The proportion of females with ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (fOTC-D), particularly those being asymptomatic (asfOTC-D), was higher in the NA than in the EU sample. Exclusion of asfOTC-D resulted in similar distributions in both samples. The mean age at first symptoms was higher in NA than in EU patients with late onset (LO), but similar for those with early (</= 28 days) onset (EO) of symptoms. Also, the mean age at diagnosis and diagnostic delay for EO and LO patients were similar in the NA and EU cohorts. In most patients (including fOTC-D), diagnosis was made after the onset of symptoms (59.9%) or by high-risk family screening (24.7%), and less often by newborn screening (8.9%) and prenatal testing (3.7%). Analysis of clinical phenotypes revealed that EO patients presented with more symptoms than LO individuals, but that numbers of symptoms correlated with plasma ammonium concentrations in EO patients only. Liver transplantation was reported for 90 NA and 25 EU patients. CONCLUSIONS: Combined analysis of databases drawn from distinct populations opens the possibility to increase sample sizes for natural history questions, while comparative analysis utilizing differences in approach to treatment can evaluate therapeutic options and enhance long-term outcome studies
Determinação da dissimilaridade genética entre acessos de Capsicum chinense com base em caracterÃsticas de flores
Transcultural adaptation and validation of the Stanford Presenteeism Scale for the evaluation of presenteeism for Brazilian Portuguese
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