JC virus-DNA detection is associated with CD8 fffector accumulation in peripheral blood of patients with multiple sclerosis under natalizumab treatment, independently from JC virus serostatus

Although natalizumab (anti-α4 integrin) represents an effective therapy for relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), it is associated with an increased risk of developing progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), caused by the polyomavirus JC (JCV). The aim of this study was to explore natalizumab-induced phenotypic changes in peripheral blood T-lymphocytes and their relationship with JCV reactivation. Forty-four patients affected by RRMS were enrolled. Blood and urine samples were classified according to natalizumab infusion number: 0 (N0), 1-12 (N12), 13-24 (N24), 25-36 (N36), and over 36 (N > 36) infusions. JCV-DNA was detected in plasma and urine. T-lymphocyte phenotype was evaluated with flow cytometry. JCV serostatus was assessed. Ten healthy donors (HD), whose ages and sexes matched with the RRMS patients of the N0 group, were enrolled. CD8 effector (CD8 E) percentages were increased in natalizumab treated patients with detectable JCV-DNA in plasma or urine compared to JCV-DNA negative patients (JCV-) (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001, resp.). Patients with CD8 E percentages above 10.4% tended to show detectable JCV-DNA in plasma and/or urine (ROC curve p = 0.001). The CD8 E was increased when JCV-DNA was detectable in plasma or urine, independently from JCV serology, for N12 and N24 groups (p < 0.01). As long as PML can affect RRMS patients under natalizumab treatment with a negative JCV serology, the assessment of CD8 E could help in the evaluation of JCV reactivation

Growth and solar energy conversion in soybeans grown under four solar radiation levels

O crescimento e a conversão da energia solar em soja (Glicyne max (L.) Merr. cv. 'UFV'-2), sob quatro níveis de radiação solar incidente (30%, 50%, 70% e 100%), foram estudados em condições de campo. As colheitas de material foram realizadas em intervalos regulares de 14 dias. As taxas de crescimento da cultura decresceram com a redução da radiação solar, sendo as diferenças devidas a menores taxas assimilatórias líquidas e a menores índices de área foliar nas plantas sombreadas. A taxa assimilatória líquida e a taxa de crescimento relativo declinaram tanto com a ontogenia como com a redução da radiação solar. A razão de área foliar aumentou com sombreamento, devido principalmente às variações na área foliar específica, uma vez que a razão de peso foliar não apresentou alteração sensível. A eficiência de conversão da energia solar aumentou com o sombreamento e decresceu com a ontogenia das plantas. As eficiências máximas de conversão da energia solar foram 1,70 1,65%, 1,91% e 2,26% para 100%, 70%, 50% e 30% da luz solar incidente. Os valores da eficiência média de conversão da energia solar foram 0,33%, 0,48%, 0,45% e 0,59% em ordem decrescente de densidade do fluxo de luz.Growth and efficiency of solar energy conversion were studied in soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) cv. UFV-2 grown under four levels (30%, 50%, 70% and 100%) of solar radiation incidence under field conditions. Plant samples were collected every 14 days regularly. Crop growth rates decreased with reduction of solar radiation, and these differences were due to reduced net assimilation rates and to smaller leaf areas presented by shaded plants. Net assimilation rate and relative growth rate declined with ontogeny as well as with reduction of solar radiation. The leaf area ration increased with shading, mainly due to variations in specific leaf area, because leaf weight ratio did not change significantly. The efficiency of solar energy conversion increased with shading and decreased with plant ontogeny. Maximum efflciencies of solar energy conversion were 1.70%, 1.65%, 1.91% and 2.26% for the 100%, 70%, 50% and 30% light treatments. The average efficiency of solar energy conversion throughout the entire crop cycle was of 0.33%, 0.48%, 0.45% and 0.59% for the decreasing light levels

The effect of artificial shading on microclimate conditions in a soybean crop

Foi estudado o efeito do sombreamento artificial sobre a resistência estomática e as condições microclimáticas na cultura da soja (Glycine max (L.) Merrill). As telas plásticas usadas para regular o nível de radiação solar (30%, 50%, 70% e 100%) alteraram a qualidade da luz incidente sobre as plantas. No entanto, a temperatura e a umidade relativa do ar não foram modificadas, embora a temperatura da copa das plantas tenha decrescido com o sombreamento. As plantas sombreadas apresentaram maiores valores de resistência estomática que as plantas expostas a plena radiação solar.The effect of artificial shading was studied on stomatal resistance and microclimate conditions in a soybean crop (Glycine max (L.) Merrill.). The plastic screen used to regulate the solar radiation level (30%, 50%, 70% and 100% of sunlight) altered the quality of the incident light on soybean plants. White the air temperature and relative humidity were not modifield, the canopy temperature was reduced by shading. Shaded plants showed greater values of stomatal resistance than the plants under full sunlight

Growth, dry matter production and productivity of soybean grown under four solar radiation levels

Foram estudados, em condições de campo, o crescimento, a produção de matéria seca e a produtividade da soja (Glycine max (L.) Merrill), sob quatro níveis de radiação solar incidente (30%. 50%, 70% e 100%). O crescimento apresentou três fases distintas: A inicial - da germinação à floração-, na qual o crescimento foi relativamente lento; a intermediária - entre a floração e o inicio do enchimento das sementes -, quando o crescimento foi acelerado; e a final - fase do desenvolvimento das sementes -, em que o crescimento voltou a ser muito lento, com tendência a atingir um patamar. O sombreamento reduziu o acúmulo de matéria seca na planta e nos seus órgãos. Os valores máximos da produção de matéria seca dos órgãos foram atingidos em torno do 92º dia para as folhas, 104º para as raízes, independentemente do nível de luz; no caule ao 103º dia a meia e plena radiação, e ao 108º dia após a emergência, nos níveis de 30% e 70% da luz incidente. Houve uma defasagem de dez a quinze dias entre os crescimentos máximos do caule e folha. A matéria seca acumulada nos pericarpos e sementes aumentou vigorosamente até a colheita final nos maiores níveis de luz, e de forma lenta nos menores níveis de radiação incidente. Houve uma correlação linear (R2 = 0,97) entre o rendimento de sementes e a biomassa. O sombreamento prolongou o período de acúmulo de matéria seca dos diversos órgãos, principalmente o período de maturação. A redução da radiação solar aumentou a razão parte aérea/sistema radicular, o acamamento de plantas e o aborto de flores e vagens. Já o índice de colheita não foi alterado pelos diferentes níveis de luz.Growth, dry matter production and productivity of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merril), grown under field conditions al four light levels (30%, 50%, 70% and 100% of sunlight) were studied. Soybean growth presented three distinct phases: initial phase, from germination to flowering, in which growth was relatively slow, intermediate phase, between flowering and beginning of seed filling, when growth was accelerated; and, phase of seed development, when growth was very slow, with tendency of reaching a plateau. Shading reduced dry matter accumulation in the whole plant and its organs. Maximum dry weight productions of the organs were reached at the 92nd day for the leaves, at the 104th day for the roots, independently of light levels, at the 103rd day under half to full sunlight, and at the 108th day after emergence at 30% and 70% of sunlight for stens. There was a ten to fifteen-day difference between maximum stem and leaf growth. The dry matter accumulated in pericarps and seeds increased strongly until to final harvest in the highest light levels and slowly in the lowest light levels. There was a straight linear correlation (R² = 0.97) between yield and biomass. Shading extended the period of dry matter accumulation to all organs, meanly the maturation time. Solar radiation reduction increased shoot/root ratio, plant lodging and flower and pod drops. The harvest index was not modified by light levels

Development and assimilate partitioning in Glycine max grown under four light flux densities

O desenvolvimento e a partição de assimilados foram estudados em soja Glycine max (L.) Merr. cv. 'UFV-2', submetida a quatro níveis de luz (30, 50, 70 e 100% da radiação solar incidente), em condições de campo. O número máximo de folhas e a altura máxima das plantas coincidiram com o início do enchimento de grãos em todos os níveis de luz. A redução da densidade do fluxo radiante produziu aumento na altura das plantas e redução no número de folhas e de vagens. O sombreamento alterou a partição de assimilados entre os diversos órgãos, mas não modificou a ordem sequencial dos drenos metabólicos preferenciais. As taxas de acúmulo de matéria seca em cada órgão foram tanto mais elevadas quanto maior o nível de luz incidente. As taxas de acúmulo de matéria seca das raízes foram mais afetadas pelo sombreamento do que as dos outros órgãos.Development and assimilate partitioning were studied in Glycine max (L.) Merr. cv. UFV-2 under tour light levels (30, 50, 70 and 100% of sunlight) in field conditions. Irrespective of light flux densities, the maximum number of leaves and maximum height of the plants were attained at the onset of grain filling. Stem elongation increased and the number of leaves and pods were reduced by decreasing light levels. Shading altered the assimilate partitioning among parts but did not change the sequential order of the preferential sinks. The dry matter rates of each organ increased as the light flux densities increased. The rates of root dry matter were more affected by shading than the rates of dry matter production of the other organs

Osteotomía valgizante de tibia: estudio de dos técnicas quirúrgicas

Se evalúan clínica y radiológicamente 51 rodillas artrósicas tratadas median - te osteotomía tibial valguizante según dos técnica s diferentes con fines comparativos. En 37 rodillas se empleó la osteotomía en cúpula con fijador externo y en las restante s se practicó la técnica en cuña de sustracción. El período de seguimiento medio fue de 42.2 meses. La suma de resultados buenos y excelente s ha sido 77.9%. La osteotomía en cúpula tiene , en esta serie, un mayor índice de pérdidas de corrección, correcciones insuficientes y complicaciones, obteniendo menor porcentaje de buenos resultados. Estos se deterioran en pacientes de mayor edad y gonartrosis evolucionada. Los autores consideran la osteotomía valguizante de tibia, un tratamiento válido par a pacientes de edad no avanzada y con gonartrosis grados I y II con genu varo.Two tecniques o f high tibia l osteotom y i n fifty-one ostheoarthiti c knee s evaluate d b y roentgenographi c an d clinica l examination . I n thirty-seve n patien s a dom e shape d osteotom y wit h externa l fixatio n wa s done . I n th e rest o f case s w e performe d a wedg e osteotomy . T h e numbe r o f goo d an d excelen t results wa s 77.9%. Th e dom e osteotom y ha s i n o u r experience , a hig h rat e o f recurren t varu s angulation , malalignemen t an d othe r complications. T h e olde r grou p o f patients ha d wors e results. Th e author s recomen d th e wedg e hig h tibia l osteotom y fo r osteoarthritis an d varu s kne e i n younge r patients

Chemotherapy of Chagas' disease: state of the art and perspectives for the development of new drugs

Neglected diseases are a major global cause of illness, long-term disability and death. Chagas' disease is a parasitic infection widely distributed throughout Latin America, with devastating consequences in terms of human morbidity and mortality. The existing drug therapy suffers from a combination of drawbacks including poor efficacy, resistance and serious side effects. In 2009, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Chagas' disease, facing the challenges of developing new, safe and effective drugs for the treatment of this disease. This brief review attempts to highlight the state of the art, limitations and perspectives of Chagas' disease drug development.WHO World Health Organization - Organização Mundial de SaúdeFundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

The Large Magellanic Cloud globular cluster NGC 1866: new data, new models, new analysis

We present a new deep (down to V ~ 24) photometry of a wide region (6'x 6') around the LMC globular cluster NGC1866: our sample is complete, down to 3 mag below the brightest MS star. Detailed comparisons with various theoretical scenarios using models computed with the evolutionary code FRANEC have been done reaching the following conclusions: both standard models (i.e. computed by adopting the Schwarzschild criterion to fix the border of the convective core) and models with an enlarged convective core (overshooting) lead to a fair fit of the MS but are not able to reproduce the luminosity and/or the number of He burning giants. Models including a fraction of 30% of binaries leads to a good fit both to the MS luminosity function and to the He clump, if standards models are considered, for a visual distance modulus (m-M)v = 18.8, age t ~ 100 Myr and mass function slope alpha ~ 2.4, thus largely removing the "classical" discrepancy between observed and predicted number of stars in the He burning clump. The fit obtained with models computed with an enlarged convective core gets worse when a binary component is taken into account, because the presence of binary systems increases the existing discrepancy between the observed and predicted clump luminosity. As a consequence of this analysis, we conclude that the next step towards a proper understanding of NGC 1866, and similar clusters, must include the accurate determination of the frequency of binary systems that will be hopefully performed with the incoming Cycle 8 HST observations of NGC~1866.Comment: AASTEX 5.0, 33 pages, 35 figures. Two tables of photometry and full resolution figures available on request from the first author ([email protected]). Accepted on A