Sickness Behaviors Across Vertebrate Taxa: Proximate and Ultimate Mechanisms

There is nothing like a pandemic to get the world thinking about how infectious diseases affect individual behavior. In this respect, sick animals can behave in ways that are dramatically different from healthy animals: altered social interactions and changes to patterns of eating and drinking are all hallmarks of sickness. As a result, behavioral changes associated with inflammatory responses (i.e. sickness behaviors) have important implications for disease spread by affecting contacts with others and with common resources, including water and/or sleeping sites. In this Review, we summarize the behavioral modifications, including changes to thermoregulatory behaviors, known to occur in vertebrates during infection, with an emphasis on non-mammalian taxa, which have historically received less attention. We then outline and discuss our current understanding of the changes in physiology associated with the production of these behaviors and highlight areas where more research is needed, including an exploration of individual and sex differences in the acute phase response and a greater understanding of the ecophysiological implications of sickness behaviors for disease at the population level

A thermophysical and structural characterization of ionic liquids with alkyl and perfluoroalkyl side chains

The authors thank FCT/MEC (Portugal) for financial support through grants SFRH/BD/100563/2014 (N. S. M. V.) and SFRH/BPD/94291/2013 (K. S.), FCT Investigator contracts (A. B. P., J. M. M. A., I. M. M. and J. M. S. S. E) and through projects PTDC/CTM-NAN/121274/2010, FCT-ANR/CTM-NAN/0135/2012, PTDC/EQU-FTT/118800/2010, UID/QUI/00100/2013 and UID/Multi/04551/2013. The NMR spectrometers are part of The National NMR Facility, supported by FCT/MEC (RECI/BBB-BQB/0230/2012).This work represents an essential step towards the understanding of the dynamics and thermodynamic characteristics of a novel family of ionic liquids, namely fluorinated ionic liquids based on the combination of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium cations with perfluoroalkylsulfonates or perfluoroalkylcarboxylates anions. The so far scarce information about these fluids constitutes a limiting factor for their potential applications. In this work, we provide detailed evidence on the influence of hydrogenated and fluorinated alkyl chain lengths in the final characteristics of the fluorinated ionic liquids. Different properties, namely, melting point, decomposition temperature, density, dynamic viscosity, ionic conductivity and refractive index, were determined and the experimental results were discussed taking into account the influence of the length of the hydrogenated and fluorinated alkyl chains. Molecular dynamic simulations were also performed to study the nanoscale structure of these novel compounds.authorsversionpublishe

Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry study of body composition in patients with lipodystrophy

Inst Estadual Diabet & Endocrinol, Metab Unit, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Endocrinol & Metab, São Paulo, BrazilDENSSO, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Endocrinol & Metab, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Structural signatures of water-soluble organic aerosols in contrasting environments in South America and Western Europe

This study describes and compares the key structural units present in water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) fraction of atmospheric aerosols collected in different South American (Colombia – Medellín and Bogotá, Peru – Lima, Argentina – Buenos Aires, and Brazil – Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Porto Velho, during moderate (MBB) and intense (IBB) biomass burning) and Western European (Portugal – Aveiro and Lisbon) locations. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy was employed to assess the relative distribution of non-exchangeable proton functional groups in aerosol WSOC of diverse origin, for the first time to the authors’ knowledge in South America. The relative contribution of the proton functional groups was in the order H-C > H–C–C= > H-C-O > Ar-H, except in Porto Velho during MBB, Medellín, Bogotá, and Buenos Aires, for which the relative contribution of H-C-O was higher than that of H-C-C=. The 1H NMR source attribution confirmed differences in aging processes or regional sources between the two geographic regions, allowing the differentiation between urban combustion-related aerosol and biological particles. The aerosol WSOC in Aveiro, Lisbon, and Rio de Janeiro during summer are more oxidized than those from the remaining locations, indicating the predominance of secondary organic aerosols. Fresh emissions, namely of smoke particles, becomes important during winter in Aveiro and São Paulo, and in Porto Velho during IBB. The biosphere is an important source altering the chemical composition of aerosol WSOC in South America locations. The source attribution in Medellín, Bogotá, Buenos Aires, and Lima confirmed the mixed contributions of biological material, secondary formation, as well as urban and biomass burning emissions. Overall, the information and knowledge acquired in this study provide important diagnostic tools for future studies aiming at understanding the water-soluble organic aerosol problem, their sources and impact at a wider geographic scale.Fil: Duarte, Regina M.B.O.. Universidade de Aveiro; PortugalFil: Matos, João T.V.. Universidade de Aveiro; PortugalFil: Paula, Andreia S.. Universidade de Aveiro; PortugalFil: Lopes, Sónia P.. Universidade de Aveiro; PortugalFil: Pereira, Guilherme. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Vasconcellos, Pérola. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Gioda, Adriana. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Carreira, Renato. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Silva, Artur M.S.. Universidade de Aveiro; PortugalFil: Duarte, Armando C.. Universidade de Aveiro; PortugalFil: Smichowski, Patricia Nora. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Rojas, Nestor. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; ColombiaFil: Sanchez Ccoyllo, Odon. No especifíca

AVALIAÇÃO DE UM JOGO SÉRIO DIGITAL DESTINADO AO PÚBLICO IDOSO UTILIZANDO O MÉTODO GAMEFLOW

Este artigo descreve a avaliação do jogo sério baseado em hipermídia adaptativa intitulado CLICKOLD, o qual objetiva o aprimoramento da coordenação motora fina de pessoas idosas a fim de promover a inclusão digital. Para tanto, foi utilizado o instrumento GameFlow a fim de aferir os níveis de imersão e diversão encontrados no jogo. A avaliação foi realizada com o auxílio de estudantes de graduação em Ciência da Computação que possuem familiaridade com jogos digitais. Foram considerados os seguintes critérios: Habilidades do Jogador, Concentração, Desafio, Controle, Objetivos e Feedback. A partir dos resultados obtidos foi possível inferir que grande parte dos atributos avaliados obtiveram uma classificação razoável, tendo sido encontrada uma limitação apenas no critério que se refere às habilidades do jogador. Acredita-se que esse resultado seja atribuído ao fato de o jogo não apresentar um tutorial para usuários iniciantes, além da carência de recompensas pela transposição de cada desafio

Humanistic and economic impact of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in Brazil

Introduction Psoriasis is an immune-mediated, chronic, inflammatory disease, which has a substantial humanistic and economic burden. This study aimed to assess the impact of this disease on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), work productivity, and direct and indirect costs from a societal perspective among Brazilian patients. Methods This is a cross-sectional, observational, multicenter study, enrolling patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis according to physician evaluation. Data collection was performed from December 2015 to November 2016 through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire and five standardized patient-reported outcomes instruments. Direct costs were estimated by multiplying the amount of resources used (12-month recall period) by the corresponding unit cost. Indirect costs were grouped in two time horizons: annual costs (income reduction and absenteeism) and lifetime costs (demission and early retirement). Results A total of 188 patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis were included, with mean age of 48.0 (SD 13.1). “Anxiety and depression” and “pain and discomfort” were the most impaired dimensions, according to the EuroQol Five-Dimension-Three-Level (EQ-5D-3L). The highest effect was found for “symptoms and feelings” [mean (SD) 2.4 (1.7)] Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) subscale. Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) presence and biologic-naïve status were associated with worse HRQoL. Presenteeism was more frequent than absenteeism, according to the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire-General Health (WPAI-GH) [17.4% vs. 6.3%], while physical demands and time management were the most affected Work Limitations Questionnaire (WLQ) subscales [means (SD) 23.5 (28.5) and 17.7 (24.9), respectively]. The estimated annual cost per patient was USD 4034. Direct medical costs accounted for 87.7% of this estimate, direct non-medical costs for 2.4%, and indirect costs for 9.9%. Conclusions Results evidenced that moderate to severe plaque psoriasis imposes substantial costs to society. Our data showed that this disease negatively affects both work productivity and HRQoL of Brazilian patients. Subgroups with PsA and biologic-naïve patients presented lower HRQoL, showing the impact of this comorbidity and the relevance of biologics in psoriasis treatment

DEVELOPMENT OF NANOEMULSION CONTAINING PELARGONIUM GRAVEOLENS OIL: CHARACTERIZATION AND STABILITY STUDY

Objective: To develop, characterize and evaluate the stability of nanoemulsions containing geranium oil (NEG) at different temperatures (4 °C, 25 °C and 45 °C) for 90 d.Methods: The quantification of oil in the nanostructure was performed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The NEG was prepared in Ultra-Turrex and characterized by determining the particle size, polydispersity indices and pH. The thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to evaluate the thermal stability of the compounds, the thermal events and morphological analyses of NEG, respectively.Results: The results allow us to suggest that the use the ultra-turrax method is a strategy good to NEG preparation. The stability of the NEG was strongly influenced by storage temperature, with droplet size increasing rapidly at higher temperatures (45 °C), which was attributed to coalescence near the phase inversion temperature. The NEG submitted the low temperatures (4±2 °C) remained with the same particle size value (164 nm). However, the citronellol and geraniol showed a significant reduction throughout the test even in these conditions of temperature. Thermogram of NEG shows the crystallization peak at the cooling cycle in-20.1 °C and a melting was observed at 1.5 °C. TEM images indicated that NEG was spherical and nanometric.Conclusion: The proposed Ultra-Turrax method is simple which prevents volatilization of GO for the production of NEG. The formulations presented good physicochemical characteristics and stability for 90 d was only achieved in 4 °C

Draft Genome Sequence of a Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Strain from Chile

Date of Acceptance: 20/05/2015 Copyright © 2015 Opazo et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This work was supported through funds granted by the Chilean National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research (CONICYT) and by the National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development (FONDECYT) of Chile (project 3150286).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Correlations of mutations in katG, oxyR-ahpC and inhA genes and in vitro susceptibility in Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical strains segregated by spoligotype families from tuberculosis prevalent countries in South America

Background Mutations associated with resistance to rifampin or streptomycin have been reported for W/Beijing and Latin American Mediterranean (LAM) strain families of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. A few studies with limited sample sizes have separately evaluated mutations in katG, ahpC and inhA genes that are associated with isoniazid (INH) resistance. Increasing prevalence of INH resistance, especially in high tuberculosis (TB) prevalent countries is worsening the burden of TB control programs, since similar transmission rates are noted for INH susceptible and resistant M. tuberculosis strains. Results We, therefore, conducted a comprehensive evaluation of INH resistant M. tuberculosis strains (n = 224) from three South American countries with high burden of drug resistant TB to characterize mutations in katG, ahpC and inhA gene loci and correlate with minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) levels and spoligotype strain family. Mutations in katG were observed in 181 (80.8%) of the isolates of which 178 (98.3%) was contributed by the katG S315T mutation. Additional mutations seen included oxyR-ahpC; inhA regulatory region and inhA structural gene. The S315T katG mutation was significantly more likely to be associated with MIC for INH ≥2 μg/mL. The S315T katG mutation was also more frequent in Haarlem family strains than LAM (n = 81) and T strain families. Conclusion Our data suggests that genetic screening for the S315T katG mutation may provide rapid information for anti-TB regimen selection, epidemiological monitoring of INH resistance and, possibly, to track transmission of INH resistant strains.Fil: Dalla Costa, Elis R. State Foundation for Production and Research in Health (FEPPS); Brasil.Fil: Ribeiro, Marta O. State Foundation for Production and Research in Health (FEPPS); Brasil.Fil: Silva, Márcia S. N. State Foundation for Production and Research in Health (FEPPS); Brasil.Fil: Arnold, Liane S. State Foundation for Production and Research in Health (FEPPS); Brasil.Fil: Rostirolla, Diana C. State Foundation for Production and Research in Health (FEPPS); Brasil.Fil: Cafrune, Patricia I. State Foundation for Production and Research in Health (FEPPS); Brasil.Fil: Espinoza, Roger C. Blufstein Clinic Laboratory; Perú.Fil: Palaci, Moises. Federal University of Espírito Santo; Brasil.Fil: Telles, Maria A. Adolfo Lutz Institute; Brasil.Fil: Ritacco, Viviana. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Servicio de Micobacterias; Argentina.Fil: Suffys, Philip N. Oswaldo Cruz Institute; Brasil.Fil: Lopes, Maria L. Evandro Chagas Institute; Brasil.Fil: Campelo, Creuza L. LACEN Ceará; BrasilFil: Miranda, Silvana S. Federal University of Minas Gerais; Brasil.Fil: Kremer, Kristin. National Institute for Public Healthand the Environment (RIVM). Mycobacteria Reference Unit (CIb-LIS); Países Bajos.Fil: Almeida da Silva, Pedro E. Federal Foundation of Rio Grande; Brasil.Fil: de Souza Fonseca, Leila. Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Tuberculosis Academic Program; Brasil.Fil: Ho, John L. Cornell University; Estados Unidos.Fil: Kritski, Afrânio L. Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Tuberculosis Academic Program; Brasil.Fil: Rossetti, María L. R. State Foundation for Production and Research in Health (FEPPS); Brasil

UVA and UVB formulation phototoxicity in a three-dimensional human skin model: photodegradation effect

In vitro three-dimensional human skin models are an innovative alternative to evaluate cytotoxicity and phototoxicity in the cosmetic industry. The aim of this study was to use a skin model to evaluate the potential toxicity of sunscreen formulations with or without exposure to UV radiation. In addition, the toxicity of these formulations was evaluated after exposure to photodegradation. The results showed toxicity with all formulations/conditions tested, including the control formulation, compared to PBS. Cell viability of photodegraded formulations - prior to the phototoxicity radiation process - was higher, indicating that some formulation components were degraded into products with reduced toxicity. The results also indicated that avobenzone was more unstable/toxic than octyl p-methoxycinnamate under the same test conditions. The sunscreens and their formulations were shown to be toxic to skin model cells to some extent, even when not exposed to UV irradiation; however the biological role of this toxicity is unclear. This result shows the importance of testing sunscreen formulations in real in-use conditions. Finally, since we used an in vitro assay based on a human cell model, this non-invasive technique represents a suitable alternative to animal models for phototoxicity tests in general and could have application in screening new sunscreen products