Subtractive phage display selection from canine visceral leishmaniasis identifies novel epitopes that mimic leishmania infantum antigens with potential serodiagnosis applications

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a zoonotic disease that is endemic to Brazil, where dogs are the main domestic parasite reservoirs, and the percentages of infected dogs living in regions where canine VL (CVL) is endemic have ranged from 10% to 62%. Despite technological advances, some problems have been reported with CVL serodiagnosis. The present study describes a sequential subtractive selection through phage display technology from polyclonal antibodies of negative and positive sera that resulted in the identification of potential bacteriophage-fused peptides that were highly sensitive and specific to antibodies of CVL. A negative selection was performed in which phage clones were adhered to purified IgGs from healthy and Trypanosoma cruzi-infected dogs to eliminate cross-reactive phages. The remaining supernatant nonadhered phages were submitted to positive selection against IgG from the blood serum of dogs that were infected with Leishmania infantum. Phage clones that adhered to purified IgGs from the CVL-infected serum samples were selected. Eighteen clones were identified and their reactivities tested by a phage enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (phage-ELISA) against the serum samples from infected dogs (n 31) compared to those from vaccinated dogs (n 21), experimentally infected dogs with cross-reactive parasites (n 23), and healthy controls (n 17). Eight clones presented sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of 100%, and they showed no crossreactivity with T. cruzi- or Ehrlichia canis-infected dogs or with dogs vaccinated with two different commercial CVL vaccines in Brazil. Our study identified eight mimotopes of L. infantum antigens with 100% accuracy for CVL serodiagnosis. The use of these mimotopes by phage-ELISA proved to be an excellent assay that was reproducible, simple, fast, and inexpensive, and it can be applied in CVL-monitoring programsThis work was supported by grants from the Pró-Reitoria de Pesquisa of UFMG (supported 03/2013), the Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Nano-Biofarmacêutica (INCT Nano-Biofar), Rede Nanobiotec/Brasil-UFU (CAPES), PRONEX-FAPEMIG (APQ-01019- 09), FAPEMIG (APQ-00496-11 and APQ-00819-12), and CNPq (APQ- 472090/2011-9 and APQ-482976/2012-8). E.A.F.C. and L.R.G. are recipients of grants from CNPq. M.A.C.-F. is the recipient of a grant from FAPEMIG/CAPE

DIAGNÓSTICO PSICODERMATOLÓGICO: ENTENDENDO A COMPLEXIDADE DA RELAÇÃO ENTRE EMOÇÕES E DOENÇAS CUTÂNEAS

Psychodermatological diagnosis involves a detailed assessment that combines the patient's clinical history, physical examination of the skin and an analysis of the emotional factors that may be influencing the skin condition. The signs and symptoms of skin conditions vary widely depending on the type and severity of the condition. Some of the most common signs include redness, itching, skin lesions such as spots, blisters or pustules, peeling, pain or tenderness, changes in skin color and the presence of scabs or sores. The objective of this article was to understand the complexity that emotional aspects can directly influence skin diseases. Furthermore, the research seeks to clearly elucidate how to reach an appropriate diagnosis and treatment. Finally, the research showed the importance of working together with dermatologists and psychiatric doctors, so that it is possible to arrive at efficient therapeutic treatment methods.O diagnóstico psicodermatológico envolve uma avaliação detalhada que combina a história clínica do paciente, exame físico da pele e uma análise dos fatores emocionais que podem estar influenciando a condição cutânea. Os sinais e sintomas das doenças de pele variam amplamente, dependendo do tipo e da gravidade da condição. Alguns dos sinais mais comuns incluem vermelhidão, coceira, lesões cutâneas como manchas, bolhas ou pústulas, descamação, dor ou sensibilidade, alterações na cor da pele e a presença de crostas ou feridas. O objetivo deste artigo foi compreender a complexidade que os aspectos emocionais podem influenciar diretamente nas doenças de pele. Além disso, a pesquisa procura elucidar de forma clara como chegar a um diagnóstico e tratamento adequado. Por fim, a pesquisa mostrou a importância do trabalho em conjunto de médicos dermatologistas e psiquiátricas, para que assim seja possível chegar a métodos terapêuticos de tratamento eficientes

Checklist of the dipterofauna (Insecta) from Roraima, Brazil, with special reference to the Brazilian Ecological Station of Maracá

Roraima is a Brazilian state located in the northern portion of the Amazon basin, with few studies regarding its biodiversity. The Ecological Station of Maracá (Brazil, state of Roraima) harbors the third largest Brazilian pluvial island and is composed of a transitional landscape of savanna and Amazon rainforest components. Despite its ecological importance and strategic localization, few studies covered the dipterofauna of this locality. An updated checklist addressing 41 families of true flies (Diptera) occurring in Roraima is presented based on the literature and the specimens collected during a field expedition that occurred in 2015. This checklist brings several improvements such as new records of 165 taxa to the state of Roraima, 29 taxa to Brazil, and 259 morphotypes, mostly likely representing undescribed species

HISTERECTOMIA NA CIRURGIA GERAL: IMPORTÂNCIA, DESAFIOS E ESTRATÉGIAS DE PREVENÇÃO DE COMPLICAÇÕES

Hysterectomy is a common surgical intervention in general surgery practice, but its performance presents challenges and potential complications. Hysterectomy can offer several advantages, such as relieving symptoms of conditions such as endometriosis, uterine fibroids, abnormal uterine bleeding or uterine cancer, improving women's quality of life. Furthermore, in cases of serious diseases of the uterus, hysterectomy can prevent future complications. This study aimed to critically review the available literature on the importance, challenges and strategies for preventing complications associated with hysterectomy. Using the descriptors "hysterectomy", "general surgery" and "surgical complications" from the DeCS database, 30 studies published between 2014 and 2023 were selected. The results highlight the importance of hysterectomy in various gynecological conditions, the challenges related to the surgical technique and strategies to prevent intra- and postoperative complications. It is concluded that an integrative approach is crucial to improve the results and safety of the hysterectomy procedure in clinical practice.A histerectomia é uma intervenção cirúrgica comum na prática da cirurgia geral, mas sua realização apresenta desafios e potenciais complicações. A histerectomia pode oferecer diversas vantagens, como alívio dos sintomas de condições como endometriose, miomas uterinos, sangramento uterino anormal ou câncer uterino, melhorando a qualidade de vida das mulheres. Além disso, em casos de doenças graves do útero, a histerectomia pode prevenir complicações futuras. Este estudo teve como objetivo revisar criticamente a literatura disponível sobre a importância, desafios e estratégias de prevenção de complicações associadas à histerectomia. Utilizando os descritores "histerectomia", "cirurgia geral" e "complicações cirúrgicas" da base de dados DeCS, foram selecionados 30 estudos publicados entre 2014 e 2023. Os resultados destacam a importância da histerectomia em várias condições ginecológicas, os desafios relacionados à técnica cirúrgica e as estratégias para prevenir complicações intra e pós-operatórias. Conclui-se que uma abordagem integrativa é crucial para melhorar os resultados e a segurança do procedimento de histerectomia na prática clínica

Measurement of the cosmic ray spectrum above 4×10184{\times}10^{18} eV using inclined events detected with the Pierre Auger Observatory

A measurement of the cosmic-ray spectrum for energies exceeding $4{\times}10^{18}$ eV is presented, which is based on the analysis of showers with zenith angles greater than $60^{\circ}$ detected with the Pierre Auger Observatory between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2013. The measured spectrum confirms a flux suppression at the highest energies. Above $5.3{\times}10^{18}$ eV, the "ankle", the flux can be described by a power law $E^{-\gamma}$ with index $\gamma=2.70 \pm 0.02 \,\text{(stat)} \pm 0.1\,\text{(sys)}$ followed by a smooth suppression region. For the energy ($E_\text{s}$) at which the spectral flux has fallen to one-half of its extrapolated value in the absence of suppression, we find $E_\text{s}=(5.12\pm0.25\,\text{(stat)}^{+1.0}_{-1.2}\,\text{(sys)}){\times}10^{19}$ eV.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

Energy Estimation of Cosmic Rays with the Engineering Radio Array of the Pierre Auger Observatory

The Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) is part of the Pierre Auger Observatory and is used to detect the radio emission of cosmic-ray air showers. These observations are compared to the data of the surface detector stations of the Observatory, which provide well-calibrated information on the cosmic-ray energies and arrival directions. The response of the radio stations in the 30 to 80 MHz regime has been thoroughly calibrated to enable the reconstruction of the incoming electric field. For the latter, the energy deposit per area is determined from the radio pulses at each observer position and is interpolated using a two-dimensional function that takes into account signal asymmetries due to interference between the geomagnetic and charge-excess emission components. The spatial integral over the signal distribution gives a direct measurement of the energy transferred from the primary cosmic ray into radio emission in the AERA frequency range. We measure 15.8 MeV of radiation energy for a 1 EeV air shower arriving perpendicularly to the geomagnetic field. This radiation energy -- corrected for geometrical effects -- is used as a cosmic-ray energy estimator. Performing an absolute energy calibration against the surface-detector information, we observe that this radio-energy estimator scales quadratically with the cosmic-ray energy as expected for coherent emission. We find an energy resolution of the radio reconstruction of 22% for the data set and 17% for a high-quality subset containing only events with at least five radio stations with signal.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

Measurement of the Radiation Energy in the Radio Signal of Extensive Air Showers as a Universal Estimator of Cosmic-Ray Energy

We measure the energy emitted by extensive air showers in the form of radio emission in the frequency range from 30 to 80 MHz. Exploiting the accurate energy scale of the Pierre Auger Observatory, we obtain a radiation energy of 15.8 \pm 0.7 (stat) \pm 6.7 (sys) MeV for cosmic rays with an energy of 1 EeV arriving perpendicularly to a geomagnetic field of 0.24 G, scaling quadratically with the cosmic-ray energy. A comparison with predictions from state-of-the-art first-principle calculations shows agreement with our measurement. The radiation energy provides direct access to the calorimetric energy in the electromagnetic cascade of extensive air showers. Comparison with our result thus allows the direct calibration of any cosmic-ray radio detector against the well-established energy scale of the Pierre Auger Observatory.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DOI. Supplemental material in the ancillary file