508 research outputs found
Impact of livestock on a mosquito community (Diptera: Culicidae) in a Brazilian tropical dry forest
Compartmentalized cytotoxic immune response leads to distinct pathogenic roles of natural killer and senescent CD8⁺ T cells in human cutaneous leishmaniasis
Cytotoxic activity mediated by CD8+ T cells is the main signature of the immunopathogenesis of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). Here, we performed a broad evaluation of natural killer (NK) cell phenotypic and functional features during cutaneous leishmaniasis. We demonstrate for the first time that CL patients present the accumulation of circulating NK cells with multiple features of replicative senescence including low proliferative capacity and shorter telomeres, elevated expression of CD57, KLRG1 but diminished CD27 stimulatory receptor expression. Moreover, they exhibited higher cytotoxic and inflammatory potential than age‐matched controls. The accumulation of circulating senescent NK cells (CD56dim CD57bright) correlated positively with skin lesion size in the same patients, suggesting that they, like circulating senescent CD8+ T cells, may contribute to the immunopathology of CL. However, this senescent population had lower cutaneous lymphocyte antigen expression and so had diminished skin‐homing potential compared with total or senescent CD8+ T cells. This was confirmed in CL skin lesions where we found a predominance of CD8+ T cells (both senescent and non‐senescent) that correlated with the severity of the disease. Although there was also a correlation between the proportions of senescent NK cells (CD56+ CD57+) in the skin and lesion size, this was less evident. Collectively our results demonstrate first‐hand that senescent cytotoxic cells may mediate skin pathology during human cutaneous leishmaniasis. However, as senescent cytotoxic CD8+ T cells predominate in the skin lesions, they may have a greater role than NK cells in mediating the non‐specific skin damage in CL
Digital disease detection and participatory surveillance: overview and perspectives for Brazil
Occurence of larval Culicidae (Diptera) in water retained in Aquascypha hydrophora (Fungus: Stereaceae) in Central Amazônia, Brazil
Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera, Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) and urbanization of visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil
Ecology of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in areas of Serra do Mar State Park, State of São Paulo, Brazil. III - daily biting rhythms and lunar cycle influence
CMB Telescopes and Optical Systems
The cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) is now firmly established as
a fundamental and essential probe of the geometry, constituents, and birth of
the Universe. The CMB is a potent observable because it can be measured with
precision and accuracy. Just as importantly, theoretical models of the Universe
can predict the characteristics of the CMB to high accuracy, and those
predictions can be directly compared to observations. There are multiple
aspects associated with making a precise measurement. In this review, we focus
on optical components for the instrumentation used to measure the CMB
polarization and temperature anisotropy. We begin with an overview of general
considerations for CMB observations and discuss common concepts used in the
community. We next consider a variety of alternatives available for a designer
of a CMB telescope. Our discussion is guided by the ground and balloon-based
instruments that have been implemented over the years. In the same vein, we
compare the arc-minute resolution Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) and the
South Pole Telescope (SPT). CMB interferometers are presented briefly. We
conclude with a comparison of the four CMB satellites, Relikt, COBE, WMAP, and
Planck, to demonstrate a remarkable evolution in design, sensitivity,
resolution, and complexity over the past thirty years.Comment: To appear in: Planets, Stars and Stellar Systems (PSSS), Volume 1:
Telescopes and Instrumentatio
A salting out and resin procedure for extracting Schistosoma mansoni DNA from human urine samples
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Previous issue date: 2010Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Esquistossomose. Belo Horizonte, MG, BrasilFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Imunologia Celular e Molecular. Belo Horizonte, MG, BrasilFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Imunologia Celular e Molecular. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil/ Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto. Escola de Farmácia. Laboratório de Pesquisas Clínicas. Ouro Preto, MG, BraziBackground: In this paper a simple and cheap salting out and resin (InstaGene matrix® resin - BioRad) DNA extraction method from urine for PCR assays is introduced. The DNA of the fluke Schistosoma mansoni was chosen as the target since schistosomiasis lacks a suitable diagnostic tool which is sensitive enough to detect low worm burden. It is well known that the PCR technique provides high sensitivity and specificity in detecting parasite DNA. Therefore it is of paramount importance to take advantage of its excellent performance by providing a simple to handle and reliable DNA extraction procedure, which permits the diagnosis of the disease in easily obtainable urine samples.
Findings: The description of the extraction procedure is given. This extraction procedure was tested for reproducibility and efficiency in artificially contaminated human urine samples. The reproducibility reached 100%, showing positive results in 5 assay repetitions of 5 tested samples each containing 20 ng DNA/5 ml. The efficiency of the extraction procedure was also evaluated in a serial dilution of the original 20 ng DNA/5 ml sample. Detectable DNA was extracted when it was at a concentration of 1.28 pg DNA/mL, revealing the high efficiency of this procedure.
Conclusions: This methodology represents a promising tool for schistosomiasis diagnosis utilizing a bio-molecular technique in urine samples which is now ready to be tested under field conditions and may be applicable to the diagnosis of other parasitic disease
Risk indicators of oral health status among young adults aged 18 years analyzed by negative binomial regression
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