In vitro and in situ activation of the complement system by the fungus Lacazia loboi

Since there are no studies evaluating the participation of the complement system (CS) in Jorge Lobo's disease and its activity on the fungus Lacazia loboi, we carried out the present investigation. Fungal cells with a viability index of 48% were obtained from the footpads of BALB/c mice and incubated with a pool of inactivated serum from patients with the mycosis or with sterile saline for 30 min at 37 ºC. Next, the tubes were incubated for 2 h with a pool of noninactivated AB+ serum, inactivated serum, serum diluted in EGTA-MgCl2, and serum diluted in EDTA. The viability of L. loboi was evaluated and the fungal suspension was cytocentrifuged. The slides were submitted to immunofluorescence staining using human anti-C3 antibody. The results revealed that 98% of the fungi activated the CS by the alternative pathway and no significant difference in L. loboi viability was observed after CS activation. In parallel, frozen histological sections from 11 patients were analyzed regarding the presence of C3 and IgG by immunofluorescence staining. C3 and IgG deposits were observed in the fungal wall of 100% and 91% of the lesions evaluated, respectively. The results suggest that the CS and immunoglobulins may contribute to the defense mechanisms of the host against L. loboi

The creation and change of social networks: a logical study based on group size

This paper is part of an on-going programme in which we provide a logical study of social network formations. In the proposed setting, agent a will consider agent b as part of her network if the number of features (properties) on which they differ is small enough, given the constraints on the size of agent a’s ‘social space’. We import this idea about a limit on one’s social space from the cognitive science literature. In this context we study the creation of new networks and use the tools of Dynamic Epistemic Logic to model the updates of the networks. By providing a set of reduction axioms we are able to provide sound and complete axiomatizations for the logics studied in this paper

AVALIAÇÃO DA CONSULTA DE ENFERMAGEM PRESTADA À CRIANÇA DE 0 A 2 ANOS DE IDADE EM UM CENTRO DE SAÚDE

The study is an exploratory-descriptive research that has as a main goal to evaluate the nursing consultation to 0 to 2 years old children in a health center. To do that the authors analysed the data colected in the children records from 1.985 to 1988 and from interviews with mothers whose children had the nursing consultation in that time.Trata-se de uma pesquisa do tipo descritivo-exploratório com uma leitura qualitativa, que teve como objetivo avaliar a consulta de enfermagem prestada à criança de 0 a 2 anos de idade, em um centro de saúde. Para tanto nos respaldamos na análise dos prontuários das crianças atendidas no período de 1985 a 1988 e nos depoimentos das mães que vivenciaram a consulta de enfermagem nesse período

Inoculation of BALB/c mice with Lacazia loboi Inoculação de Lacazia loboi em camundongos BALB/c

In a previous study, the authors inoculated Swiss mice with Lacazia loboi (L. loboi) and succeeded in maintaining a granulomatous infiltrate and viable fungal cells up to one year and six months after inoculation. Considering the experimental work on paracoccidioidomycosis, 0.03 ml of a fungal suspension obtained from a biopsy of a Jorge Lobo's Disease patient were inoculated into both hind foot pads of 32 six week-old BALB/c mice of both sexes. The animals were sacrificed 1, 4, 7 and 10 months post inoculation. The suspension contained 1.3 x 10(6) fungi/ml and presented 38% viability. Seven months after inoculation, most of the animals presented profuse infiltrates consisting of isolated histiocytes, foreign body and Langhans' giant cells and a large number of fungi, most of them viable. Emergence of macroscopic lesions was observed during the 8th month. Based on fungal count, viability index before and after inoculation, presence of macroscopic lesions and histopathological findings similar to the findings in humans, the authors believe that BALB/c mice may be a good experimental model to study Jorge Lobo's Disease, mainly regarding therapeutic evaluation.<br>Em trabalho anterior, os autores inocularam camundongos Suíços com o Lacazia loboi (L. loboi) conseguindo a manutenção de um infiltrado granulomatoso e células fúngicas viáveis por até um ano e 6 meses após a inoculação. Considerando-se trabalhos experimentais realizados na paracoccidioidomicose, eles inocularam 0,03 ml de suspensão fúngica, obtida de biópsia de lesão de um paciente portador da doença de Jorge Lobo, em ambos coxins plantares traseiros de 32 camundongos BALB/c, de ambos os sexos e com 6 semanas de idade. Os animais foram sacrificados com 1, 4, 7 e 10 meses pós-inoculação. A suspensão possuía 1.3x10(6) de fungos/ml e 38% de índice de viabilidade. Após 7 meses de inoculação a maioria dos animais já apresentava um infiltrado exuberante constituído por histiócitos isolados, células gigantes tipo corpo estranho e tipo Langhans, grande quantidade de fungos, na sua maior parte viáveis; no 8º mês observou-se o aparecimento de lesões macroscópicas. Tendo como base a contagem do número de fungos, índice de viabilidade antes e após inoculação, presença de lesões macroscópicas e achados histopatológicos semelhantes ao humano, os autores acreditam que os camundongos BALB/c possam se constituir em um bom modelo experimental para o estudo da doença de Jorge Lobo, principalmente com relação às pesquisas terapêuticas

Directional growth of a clonal bromeliad species in response to spatial habitat heterogeneity

Item does not contain fulltextHabitat selection by directional growth of plants has previously been investigated but field evidence for this phenomenon is extremely scarce. In this study we demonstrate directional clonal growth in Aechmea nudicaulis, a monocarpic, perennial bromeliad native to spatially heterogeneous sandy coastal plains (restinga) in Brazil. This habitat is characterized by a matrix of bare sand with interspersed vegetation islands. Due to very high soil surface temperatures and other stress factors such as drought, A. nudicauliscan only germinate inside vegetation islands. Nevertheless, this species is very common on bare sand. In this study we tested the hypothesis that clonal fragments occurring at the border and inside vegetation islands show habitat selection by growing preferentially towards the bare sand habitat (i.e. away from the center of vegetation islands). We randomly chose 116 clonal fragments in two distinct micro-environments (inside vegetation islands, and in the border area between bare sand and vegetation islands) in the natural habitat of A.nudicaulisand measured their growth direction in relation to the island center. We measured the growth directions of entire clonal fragments (defined as the line that connects the oldest and the youngest ramets of a clonal fragment) as well as the growth direction of the youngest internode on each fragment (the growth direction of the youngest ramet in relation to its parent ramet). We used Monte Carlo simulations to test for deviations from randomness in the growth direction of clonal fragments and individual internodes. The clonal fragments of A.nudicaulis showed a significant tendency to grow away from the center of vegetation islands. In other words, the main growth direction of clonal fragments growing inside vegetation islands or at the border between bare sand and vegetation islands was preferentially directed towards bare sand environments. Individual internodes at the border of vegetation islands also exhibited this tendency to grow towards the outside of vegetation islands, but internodes growing inside vegetation islands did not show directional growth. These results provide the first field evidence for habitat selection through directional growth of a clonal plant species