Nematode-Mycobiota interactions in Pine Wilt Disease

Pine wilt disease is one of the most important diseases for conifer forests worldwide. This complex disease involves the interaction between three primary biological elements - the plant parasitic nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus; the insect-vector Monochamus sp., and the host tree Pinus spp. – and other secondary elements such as endophytic bacteria and fungi. The development of B. xylophilus is strongly associated with fungi that colonize the declining trees, with special impact in their reproduction and number of individuals carried by the vector. In light of previous knowledge, we are focused in obtaining a detailed characterization of the structure and dynamics of the nematode-fungi interactions through culturable and non-culturable approaches with particular emphasis in metagenomics analysis. Our aim is to understand if nematode-associated mycobiota plays a key-role in the development of the disease, in interaction with nematode and insect-vector, and into which extend it can be used to disrupt the disease cycle

Parenteral Nutrition-Associated Cholestasis and Triglyceridemia in Surgical Term and Near-Term Neonates: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Two Mixed Intravenous Lipid Emulsions

BACKGROUND: Cholestasis is a common complication in infants receiving prolonged parenteral nutrition (PN). We studied the effects of two intravenous lipid emulsions composed with either 30% soybean oil, 30% medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), 25% olive oil, and 15% fish oil (SMOF) or with 50% MCT and 50% soybean oil n-6 (MCT/SOY) on the incidence of cholestasis in surgical term and near-term neonates. METHODS: A single-center, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial compared the incidence of cholestasis using either SMOF or MCT/SOY in neonates born at gestational age ≥34 weeks undergoing major surgery. The primary outcome was the incidence of conjugated serum bilirubin >1 mg/dL. Other liver enzymes were assessed as secondary outcomes. A post-hoc analysis assessed serum triglycerides levels. Odds ratios were estimated by mixed-effects regression models. RESULTS: Enrollment was prematurely interrupted because the MCT/SOY became unavailable, thus 49 infants (SMOF 22, MCT/SOY 27) completed the study. The exposure (time on PN, cumulative dose of lipids) was similar in both groups. Similar cumulative incidence rates were found for elevated conjugated bilirubinemia and other liver enzymes. Hypertriglyceridemia >250 mg/dL (12/49) was more frequent in MCT/SOY (37.0%, 95% CI 21.53-55.77) than in SMOF (9.1%, 95% CI 2.53-27.81, p = 0.024). Triglyceridemia at the first assessment (median 8 postnatal days) was significantly higher with MCT/SOY than with SMOF (181 vs. 134 mg/dL, p = 0.006). Over the whole study period, mean triglyceride concentration was 36.5 mg/dL higher with MCT/SOY compared with SMOF (p = 0.013). CONCLUSION: Both emulsions had similar effects on the incidence of cholestasis and markers of liver integrity, but MCT/SOY induced higher serum triglyceride concentrations.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

LOCUS (LOng Covid–Understanding Symptoms, events and use of services in Portugal): A three-component study protocol

Approximately 10% of patients experience symptoms of Post COVID-19 Condition (PCC) after a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Akin acute COVID-19, PCC may impact a multitude of organs and systems, such as the cardiovascular, respiratory, musculoskeletal, and neurological systems. The frequency and associated risk factors of PCC are still unclear among both community and hospital settings in individuals with a history of COVID-19. The LOCUS study was designed to clarify the PCC's burden and associated risk factors. LOCUS is a multi-component study that encompasses three complementary building blocks. The "Cardiovascular and respiratory events following COVID-19" component is set to estimate the incidence of cardiovascular and respiratory events after COVID-19 in eight Portuguese hospitals via electronic health records consultation. The "Physical and mental symptoms following COVID-19" component aims to address the community prevalence of self-reported PCC symptoms through a questionnaire-based approach. Finally, the "Treating and living with Post COVID-19 Condition" component will employ semi-structured interviews and focus groups to characterise reported experiences of using or working in healthcare and community services for the treatment of PCC symptoms. This multi-component study represents an innovative approach to exploring the health consequences of PCC. Its results are expected to provide a key contribution to the optimisation of healthcare services design.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Characterization of the hospitalization of children and adolescents with cancer

This study characterizes hospitalizations of children and adolescents with cancer, from 1998 to 2008, to describe the clientele in follow-up in the Regional Health Area of Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil. Morbidity was surveyed in Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil, using hospitalization data from the Unified Health System. The studied variables included: origin, residence, year when care was provided, deaths, age and gender of patients diagnosed with child and adolescent cancer according to the International Classification of Disease 10th edition, Chapter II. The results indicated 7,234 hospitalizations of individuals younger than 18 years old diagnosed with neoplasm, 95% of which were from Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil, and the remainder from cities located in all five of the Brazilian regions. Identifying the characteristics of patients contributes to the identification of information to broaden the sensitization of health professionals concerning the need for secondary preventive actions, such as early diagnosis.Este estudio tuvo por objetivo caracterizar las internaciones hospitalarias de niños y adolescentes con neoplasias, de 1998 a 2008, para conocer la clientela en seguimiento en la Regional de Salud de Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo, Brasil. Se realizó un levantamiento de la morbilidad en Ribeirao Preto, utilizando, como fuente de información, las internaciones hospitalarias por el Sistema Único de Salud. Las variables estudiadas fueron: procedencia, residencia, año de la atención, muertes, edad y sexo de los pacientes con diagnóstico de neoplasia infanto-juvenil, según el Capítulo II de la Clasificación Internacional de Enfermedades 10ª edición. Se constataron 7.234 internaciones de menores de 18 años con diagnóstico de neoplasias, de estas, 95% ocurrieron en Ribeirao Preto y las otras en municipios de procedencia pertenecientes a las cinco regiones del país. Conocer las características de la clientela atendida contribuye para identificar informaciones que pueden ampliar el proceso de sensibilización de los profesionales de salud para la necesidad de realizar acciones de prevención secundaria, como el diagnóstico precoz.Este estudo objetivou caracterizar as internações hospitalares de crianças e adolescentes com neoplasias, ocorridas de 1998 a 2008, para conhecer a clientela em seguimento na Regional de Saúde de Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil. Realizou-se levantamento da morbidade nesse município, utilizando-se, como fonte de informação, as internações hospitalares pelo Sistema Único de Saúde. As variáveis estudadas foram: procedência, residência, ano do atendimento, óbitos, idade e sexo dos pacientes com diagnóstico de neoplasia infantojuvenil, segundo o Capítulo II da Classificação Internacional de Doenças, 10ª edição. Evidenciaram-se 7.234 internações de menores de 18 anos com diagnóstico de neoplasias; dessas, 95% eram de Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil, e o restante procedentes de municípios das cinco regiões do país. Conhecer as características da clientela atendida contribui para a identificação de informações que podem ampliar o processo de sensibilização dos profissionais de saúde, para a necessidade de ações de prevenção secundária, como o diagnóstico precoce

Spermatogonial Stem Cell Niche and Spermatogonial Stem Cell Transplantation in Zebrafish

Background Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are the foundation of spermatogenesis, and reside within a specific microenvironment in the testes called “niche” which regulates stem cell properties, such as, self-renewal, pluripotency, quiescence and their ability to differentiate. Methodology/Principal Findings Here, we introduce zebrafish as a new model for the study of SSCs in vertebrates. Using 5′-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU), we identified long term BrdU-retaining germ cells, type A undifferentiated spermatogonia as putative stem cells in zebrafish testes. Similar to rodents, these cells were preferentially located near the interstitium, suggesting that the SSC niche is related to interstitial elements and might be conserved across vertebrates. This localization was also confirmed by analyzing the topographical distribution of type A undifferentiated spermatogonia in normal, vasa::egfp and fli::egfp zebrafish testes. In the latter one, the topographical arrangement suggested that the vasculature is important for the SSC niche, perhaps as a supplier of nutrients, oxygen and/or signaling molecules. We also developed an SSC transplantation technique for both male and female recipients as an assay to evaluate the presence, biological activity, and plasticity of the SSC candidates in zebrafish. Conclusions/Significance We demonstrated donor-derived spermato- and oogenesis in male and female recipients, respectively, indicating the stemness of type A undifferentiated spermatogonia and their plasticity when placed into an environment different from their original niche. Similar to other vertebrates, the transplantation efficiency was low. This might be attributed to the testicular microenvironment created after busulfan depletion in the recipients, which may have caused an imbalance between factors regulating self-renewal or differentiation of the transplanted SSCs

Stress granules, RNA-binding proteins and polyglutamine diseases: too much aggregation?

Stress granules (SGs) are membraneless cell compartments formed in response to different stress stimuli, wherein translation factors, mRNAs, RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and other proteins coalesce together. SGs assembly is crucial for cell survival, since SGs are implicated in the regulation of translation, mRNA storage and stabilization and cell signalling, during stress. One defining feature of SGs is their dynamism, as they are quickly assembled upon stress and then rapidly dispersed after the stress source is no longer present. Recently, SGs dynamics, their components and their functions have begun to be studied in the context of human diseases. Interestingly, the regulated protein self-assembly that mediates SG formation contrasts with the pathological protein aggregation that is a feature of several neurodegenerative diseases. In particular, aberrant protein coalescence is a key feature of polyglutamine (PolyQ) diseases, a group of nine disorders that are caused by an abnormal expansion of PolyQ tract-bearing proteins, which increases the propensity of those proteins to aggregate. Available data concerning the abnormal properties of the mutant PolyQ disease-causing proteins and their involvement in stress response dysregulation strongly suggests an important role for SGs in the pathogenesis of PolyQ disorders. This review aims at discussing the evidence supporting the existence of a link between SGs functionality and PolyQ disorders, by focusing on the biology of SGs and on the way it can be altered in a PolyQ disease context.ALG-01-0145-FEDER-29480, SFRH/BD/133192/2017, SFRH/BD/133192/2017, SFRH/BD/148533/2019info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

PREVALENCE OF Entamoeba histolytica/Entamoeba dispar IN THE CITY OF CAMPINA GRANDE, IN NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL

There is a clear need to perform epidemiological studies to find the true prevalence of Entamoeba histolytica around the world. The evaluation of this prevalence has been hindered by the existence of two different species which are morphologically identical, but genetically different, namely E. histolytica, which causes amebiasis, and E. dispar, which is non-pathogenic. In Brazil, the E. dispar has been detected in communities in the Southeastern (SE) and Northeastern (NE) regions with poor sanitation. However, individuals infected with E. histolytica have been identified in other regions. There is an absence of reports on the prevalence of these parasites in the state of Paraíba, which also has areas with poor sanitary conditions where a high prevalence of the E. histolytica/E. dispar complex has been detected in children from urban slums. The present study evaluated the prevalence of E. histolytica and E. dispar in 1,195 asymptomatic children between two and 10 years of age, living in a sprawling urban slum in Campina Grande, in the state of Paraíba, in Northeastern Brazil. These children were examined and their feces samples were analyzed microscopically. A total of 553 children tested positive for the E. histolytica/E. dispar complex, and 456 of the positive samples were tested with the E. histolytica II® ELISA kit. All 456 samples were negative for the presence of the adhesin E. histolytica specific antigen. The evidence suggests that in this community E. histolytica is absent and E. dispar is the dominant species