INTERPRETANDO O LÍQUOR – COMO DADOS EPIDEMIOLÓGICOS PODEM AJUDAR NO RACIOCÍNIO CLÍNICO

Introdução: A meningite bacteriana sofreu grandes mudanças epidemiológicas após a introdução dos antibióticos e vacinas, passando de uma condição letal para tratável e prevenível. Compreender essas mudanças no perfil epidemiológico em nível local permitem planejar estratégias de terapia empírica. As alterações de líquor possuem papel fundamental nessa avaliação. Metodologia: Foi realizado um estudo transversal dos casos notificados de meningite entre janeiro de 2010 e junho de 2015 no Complexo Hospital de Clínicas – Universidade Federal do Paraná. Foram analisados a celularidade e citologia do líquor e os agentes etiológicos. Para as etiologias bacterianas, foi avaliado dados epidemiológicos. Resultados: Foram notificados 504 casos de meningite no período avaliado. A meningite asséptica foi a classificação epidemiológica mais comum. As meningites bacterianas com confirmação etiológica causadas por Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae ou Haemophilus influenzae ocorreram em 8,7% dos casos notificados, sendo que 30% delas ocorreram em menores de 1 ano. A N. meningitidis correspondeu a 61% desses casos, enquanto que S. pneumoniae a 34%. As meningites neutrofílicas com mais de 75% de neutrófilos são causadas por tais bactérias em mais da metade (53%). A meningite asséptica é a segunda principal etiologia (20%) seguida de perto pela meningite tuberculosa (17%). Os casos de meningite meningocócica se concentram em crianças até 1 ano (56% dos casos), a meningite pneumocócica se concentra nos adultos entre 18 e 50 anos (46%) e idosos (27%). Conclusões: O conhecimento da epidemiologia local através da interpretação do líquor, somada à avaliação da faixa etária são importantes aliados da avaliação clínica para determinação do agente etiológico mais provável e podem ajudar na decisão terapêutica

Anopheles darlingi polytene chromosomes: revised maps including newly described inversions and evidence for population structure in Manaus

Salivary gland polytene chromosomes of 4th instar Anopheles darlingi Root were examined from multiple locations in the Brazilian Amazon. Minor modifications were made to existing polytene photomaps. These included changes to the breakpoint positions of several previously described paracentric inversions and descriptions of four new paracentric inversions, two on the right arm of chromosome 3 and two on the left arm of chromosome 3 that were found in multiple locations. A total of 18 inversions on the X (n = 1) chromosome, chromosome 2 (n = 7) and 3 (n = 11) were scored for 83 individuals from Manaus, Macapá and Porto Velho municipalities. The frequency of 2Ra inversion karyotypes in Manaus shows significant deficiency of heterozygotes (p < 0.0009). No significant linkage disequilibrium was found between inversions on chromosome 2 and 3. We hypothesize that at least two sympatric subpopulations exist within the An. darlingi population at Manaus based on inversion frequencies

Chronic Helminth Infections Protect Against Allergic Diseases by Active Regulatory Processes

Developed countries are suffering from an epidemic rise in immunologic disorders, such as allergy-related diseases and certain autoimmunities. Several studies have demonstrated a negative association between helminth infections and inflammatory diseases (eg, allergy), providing a strong case for the involvement of helminth infections in this respect. However, some studies point in the opposite direction. The discrepancy may be explained by differences in frequency, dose, time, and type of helminth. In this review, new studies are discussed that may support the concept that chronic helminth infections in particular—but not acute infections—are associated with the expression of regulatory networks necessary for downmodulating allergic immune responses to harmless antigens. Furthermore, different components of regulatory networks are highlighted, such as the role of regulatory T and B cells, modulation of dendritic cells, early innate signals from structural cells (eg, epithelial cells), and their individual contributions to protection against allergic diseases. It is of great interest to define and characterize specific helminth molecules that have profound immunomodulatory capacities as targets for therapeutic application in the treatment or prophylaxis of allergic manifestations

Species-speciWc defense strategies of vegetative versus reproductive blades of the PaciWc kelps Lessonia nigrescens and Macrocystis integrifolia

Chemical defense is assumed to be costly and therefore algae should allocate defense investments in a way to reduce costs and optimize their overall fitness. Thus, lifetime expectation of particular tissues and their contribution to the fitness of the alga may affect defense allocation. Two brown algae common to the SE Pacific coasts, Lessonia nigrescens Bory and Macrocystis integrifolia Bory, feature important ontogenetic differences in the development of reproductive structures; in L. nigrescens blade tissues pass from a vegetative stage to a reproductive stage, while in M. integrifolia reproductive and vegetative functions are spatially separated on different blades. We hypothesized that vegetative blades of L. nigrescens with important future functions are more (or equally) defended than reproductive blades, whereas in M. integrifolia defense should be mainly allocated to reproductive blades (sporophylls), which are considered to make a higher contribution to fitness. Herein, within-plant variation in susceptibility of reproductive and vegetative tissues to herbivory and in allocation of phlorotannins (phenolics) and N-compounds was compared. The results show that phlorotannin and N-concentrations were higher in reproductive blade tissues for both investigated algae. However, preferences by amphipod grazers (Parhyalella penai) for either tissue type differed between the two algal species. Fresh reproductive tissue of L. nigrescens was more consumed than vegetative tissue, while the reverse was found in M. integrifolia, thus confirming the original hypothesis. This suggests that future fitness function might indeed be a useful predictor of anti-herbivore defense in large, perennial kelps. Results from feeding assays with artificial pellets that were made with air-dried material and extract-treated Ulva powder indicated that defenses in live algae are probably not based on chemicals that can be extracted or remain intact after air-drying and grinding up algal tissues. Instead, anti-herbivore defense against amphipod mesograzers seems to depend on structural traits of living algae

Vaccination with Recombinant Microneme Proteins Confers Protection against Experimental Toxoplasmosis in Mice

Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii, is an important public health problem and veterinary concern. Although there is no vaccine for human toxoplasmosis, many attempts have been made to develop one. Promising vaccine candidates utilize proteins, or their genes, from microneme organelle of T. gondii that are involved in the initial stages of host cell invasion by the parasite. In the present study, we used different recombinant microneme proteins (TgMIC1, TgMIC4, or TgMIC6) or combinations of these proteins (TgMIC1-4 and TgMIC1-4-6) to evaluate the immune response and protection against experimental toxoplasmosis in C57BL/6 mice. Vaccination with recombinant TgMIC1, TgMIC4, or TgMIC6 alone conferred partial protection, as demonstrated by reduced brain cyst burden and mortality rates after challenge. Immunization with TgMIC1-4 or TgMIC1-4-6 vaccines provided the most effective protection, since 70% and 80% of mice, respectively, survived to the acute phase of infection. In addition, these vaccinated mice, in comparison to non-vaccinated ones, showed reduced parasite burden by 59% and 68%, respectively. The protective effect was related to the cellular and humoral immune responses induced by vaccination and included the release of Th1 cytokines IFN-γ and IL-12, antigen-stimulated spleen cell proliferation, and production of antigen-specific serum antibodies. Our results demonstrate that microneme proteins are potential vaccines against T. gondii, since their inoculation prevents or decreases the deleterious effects of the infection