A Educação Ambiental e a Pedagogia Waldorf no Ensino Fundamental

This article aims to understand how Environmental Education (EE) impacts the curriculum and the performance of Waldorf Pedagogy Schools (PW) in Elementary School. The tools, strategies and methodologies oriented to EE initiatives, which aim to change attitudes and behaviors focused on the human being/nature relationship, were brought to the context of Waldorf Schools to verify possible correspondences between these and PW in their approaches and curricular guidelines. The present study arose from a master's research and was based on the investigation of a theoretical framework and semi-structured interviews with teachers and teacher trainers of PW and analyzed using the resources of content analysis adapted from Bardin (1997). It was concluded that EE receives more attention from researchers, continuously and not occasionally, having its different nuances as possibilities for work. At PW there is no tradition of continuous studies; there is still a lot to be built, and the bases of PW are aware of the search for human and planetary health. The EE tools are used and there are some common practices and many possibilities to be developed in the PW. There is a need for systematization, study, and guidance of educators to update the curriculum and new practices; for this purpose, EE can be very useful, in addition to what already exists. It is essential that there is investment in teacher training, allowing them to take advantage of the possibilities offered by the curriculum guidelines. The search for self-education in terms of its individual relationship with the rest of nature can diversify the pedagogical practice.Este artículo tiene como objetivo comprender cómo ocurre la Educación Ambiental (EA) en el currículo y en el desempeño de las Escuelas de Pedagogía Waldorf (PW) en la Educación Primaria y Secundaria Obligatoria . Las herramientas, estrategias y metodologías orientadas a las iniciativas de EA, que tienen como objetivo el cambio de actitudes y comportamientos dirigidos a la relación del ser humano com la naturaleza, fueron traídas al contexto de las Escuelas Waldorf para verificar posibles correspondencias entre estas y PW en sus enfoques y orientaciones curriculares. El presente estudio se deriva de una investigación de maestría y sucedió com base en la investigación de referencia teórica y entrevistas semiestructuradas con profesores y formadores de profesores de PW y analizadas utilizando los recursos de análisis de contenido adaptados de Bardin (1997). Se concluye que la EA recibe mayor atención por parte de los investigadores, de forma continua y no ocasional, teniendo sus diferentes matices como posibilidades de trabajo. En PW no existe una tradición de estudios continuos, todavía hay mucho que construir, y las bases de PW están conscientes de la búsqueda de la salud humana y planetaria. Se utilizan las herramientas de EA y existen algunas prácticas comunes y muchas posibilidades a desarrollar en la PW, hay necesidad de sistematización, estudio, orientación de los educadores para actualizar el currículo y nuevas prácticas, y la EA puede ser muy útil, más allá de lo que ya se produce. Es esencial que se invierta en la formación de los profesores, permitiéndoles apropiarse de las posibilidades que ofrecen las directrices curriculares. La búsqueda de la autoeducación, en cuanto a su relación individual con el resto de la naturaleza puede diversificar la práctica pedagógica.Este artigo objetiva compreender como a Educação Ambiental (EA) acontece no currículo e na atuação das Escolas de Pedagogia Waldorf, (PW) no Ensino Fundamental. As ferramentas, estratégias e metodologias orientadas às iniciativas de EA, que visam mudanças de atitudes e comportamentos voltados à relação ser humano/natureza, foram trazidas ao contexto das Escolas Waldorf para verificar possíveis correspondências destas com a PW em suas abordagens e orientações curriculares. O presente estudo é derivado de pesquisa de mestrado e aconteceu com base na investigação de referencial teórico e entrevistas semiestruturadas com professores e formadores de professores de PW e analisadas com recursos da análise de conteúdos adaptada de Bardin (1997). Conclui-se que a EA recebe maior atenção de pesquisadores, de forma contínua e não ocasional, tendo seus diversos matizes como possibilidades de trabalho. Na PW não há tradição de estudos contínuos, há ainda muito por construir, sendo as bases da PW conscientes da busca pela saúde humana e planetária. O ferramental da EA é utilizado e existem algumas práticas comuns e muitas possibilidades para serem desenvolvidas na PW, há necessidade de sistematização, estudo, orientação de educadores para atualização curricular e novas práticas, podendo a EA ser bastante útil, para além do que já ocorre. É fundamental que haja investimento na formação de professores, permitindo que se apropriem das possibilidades que as orientações curriculares disponibilizam. A busca da autoeducação, quanto a sua relação individual com o restante da natureza pode diversificar a prática pedagógica

Fitness Impaired Drug Resistant HIV-1 Is Not Compromised in Cell-to-Cell Transmission or Establishment of and Reactivation from Latency

Both the presence of latently infected cells and cell-to-cell viral transmission are means whereby HIV can partially evade the inhibitory activities of antiretroviral drugs. The clinical use of a novel integrase inhibitor, dolutegravir (DTG), has established hope that this compound may limit HIV persistence, since no treatment-naïve patient treated with DTG has yet developed resistance against this drug, even though a R263K substitution in integrase confers low-level resistance to this drug in tissue culture. Here, we have studied the impact of R263K on HIV replication capacity and the ability of HIV to establish or be reactivated from latency and/or spread through cell-to-cell transmission. We affirm that DTG-resistant viruses have diminished capacity to replicate and establish infection. However, DTG-resistant viruses were efficiently transmitted via cell-to-cell contacts, and were as likely to establish and be reactivated from latent infection as wildtype viruses. Both cell-to-cell transmission of HIV and the establishment of and reemergence from latency are important for the establishment and maintenance of viral reservoirs. Since the DTG and other drug-resistant viruses studied here do not seem to have been impaired in regard to these activities, studies should be undertaken to characterize HIV reservoirs in patients who have been treated with DTG

The Genome-wide Methylation Profile of CD4+ T Cells From Individuals With Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Identifies Distinct Patterns Associated With Disease Progression

Background: Human genetic variation-mostly in the HLA and CCR5 regions-explains 25% of the variability in progression of HIV infection. However, it is also known that viral infections can modify cellular DNA methylation patterns. Therefore, changes in the methylation of CpG islands might modulate progression of HIV infection. Methods: 85 samples were analyzed: 21 elite controllers (EC), 21 HIV-infected subjects before combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) (viremic, 93,325 HIV-1 RNA copies/ml) and under suppressive cART (cART, median of 17 months, <50 HIV-1 RNA copies/ml), and 22 HIV-negative donors (HIVneg). We analyzed the methylation pattern of 485,577 CpG in DNA from peripheral CD4+ T lymphocytes. We selected the most differentially methylated gene (TNF) and analyzed its specific methylation, mRNA expression, and plasma protein levels in 5 individuals before and after initiation of cART. Results: We observed 129 methylated CpG sites (associated with 43 gene promoters) for which statistically significant differences were recorded in viremic vs HIVneg, 162 CpG sites (55 gene promoters) in viremic vs cART, 441 CpG sites (163 gene promoters) in viremic vs EC, but none in EC vs HIVneg. The TNF promoter region was hypermethylated in viremic vs HIVneg, cART, and EC. Moreover, we observed greater plasma levels of TNF in viremic individuals than in EC, cART, and HIVneg. Conclusions: Our study shows that genome methylation patterns vary depending on HIV infection status and progression profile and that these variations might have an impact on controlling HIV infection in the absence of cART

Identifying key drivers of the impact of an HIV cure intervention in sub-Saharan Africa

BACKGROUND:  The properties required of an intervention that results in eradication or control of HIV in absence of antiretroviral therapy (ART-free viral suppression) to make it cost-effective in low income settings are unknown. METHODS:  We used a model of HIV and ART to investigate the effect of introducing an ART-free viral suppression intervention in 2022 in an example country of Zimbabwe. We assumed that the intervention (cost: $500) would be accessible for 90$300 million (8.7% saving). An intervention of this efficacy costing anything up to $1400 is likely to be cost-effective in this setting. CONCLUSION:  Interventions aimed at curing HIV have the potential to improve overall disease burden and to reduce costs. Given the effectiveness and cost of ART, such interventions would have to be inexpensive and highly effective

Analyses of HIV-1 integrase sequences prior to South African national HIV-treatment program and available of integrase inhibitors in Cape Town, South Africa

HIV-Integrase (IN) has proven to be a viable target for highly specific HIV-1 therapy. We aimed to characterize the HIV-1 IN gene in a South African context and identify resistance-associated mutations (RAMs) against available first and second generation Integrase strand-transfer inhibitors (InSTIs). We performed genetic analyses on 91 treatment-naïve HIV-1 infected patients, as well as 314 treatmentnaive South African HIV-1 IN-sequences, downloaded from Los Alamos HIV Sequence Database. Genotypic analyses revealed the absence of major RAMs in the cohort collected before the broad availability of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) and INSTI in South Africa, however, occurred at a rate of 2.85% (9/314) in database derived sequences. RAMs were present at IN-positions 66, 92, 143, 147 and 148, all of which may confer resistance to Raltegravir (RAL) and Elvitegravir (EVG), but are unlikely to affect second-generation Dolutegravir (DTG), except mutations in the Q148 pathway. Furthermore, protein modeling showed, naturally occurring polymorphisms impact the stability of the intasome-complex and therefore may contribute to an overall potency against InSTIs. Our data suggest the prevalence of InSTI RAMs, against InSTIs, is low in South Africa, but natural polymorphisms and subtype-specific differences may influence the effect of individual treatment regimens

BF Integrase Genes of HIV-1 Circulating in São Paulo, Brazil, with a Recurrent Recombination Region

Although some studies have shown diversity in HIV integrase (IN) genes, none has focused particularly on the gene evolving in epidemics in the context of recombination. The IN gene in 157 HIV-1 integrase inhibitor-naïve patients from the São Paulo State, Brazil, were sequenced tallying 128 of subtype B (23 of which were found in non-B genomes), 17 of subtype F (8 of which were found in recombinant genomes), 11 integrases were BF recombinants, and 1 from subtype C. Crucially, we found that 4 BF recombinant viruses shared a recurrent recombination breakpoint region between positions 4900 and 4924 (relative to the HXB2) that includes 2 gRNA loops, where the RT may stutter. Since these recombinants had independent phylogenetic origin, we argue that these results suggest a possible recombination hotspot not observed so far in BF CRF in particular, or in any other HIV-1 CRF in general. Additionally, 40% of the drug-naïve and 45% of the drug-treated patients had at least 1 raltegravir (RAL) or elvitegravir (EVG) resistance-associated amino acid change, but no major resistance mutations were found, in line with other studies. Importantly, V151I was the most common minor resistance mutation among B, F, and BF IN genes. Most codon sites of the IN genes had higher rates of synonymous substitutions (dS) indicative of a strong negative selection. Nevertheless, several codon sites mainly in the subtype B were found under positive selection. Consequently, we observed a higher genetic diversity in the B portions of the mosaics, possibly due to the more recent introduction of subtype F on top of an ongoing subtype B epidemics and a fast spread of subtype F alleles among the B population

Perceptions of HIV cure research among people living with HIV in Australia

Participation in HIV cure-related clinical trials that involve antiretroviral treatment (ART) interruption may pose substantial individual risks for people living with HIV (PLHIV) without any therapeutic benefit. As such, it is important that the views of PLHIV are considered in the design of HIV cure research trials. Examining the lived experience of PLHIV provides unique and valuable perspectives on the risks and benefits of HIV cure research. In this study, we interviewed 20 PLHIV in Australia about their knowledge and attitudes toward clinical HIV cure research and explored their views regarding participation in HIV cure clinical trials, including those that involve ART interruption. Data were analysed thematically, using both inductive and deductive coding techniques, to identity themes related to perceptions of HIV cure research and PLHIV’s assessment of the possible risks and benefits of trial participation. Study findings revealed interviewees were willing to consider participation in HIV cure research for social reasons, most notably the opportunity to help others. Concerns raised about ART interruption related to the social and emotional impact of viral rebound, including fear of onward HIV transmission and anxiety about losing control. These findings reveal the ways in which PLHIV perspectives deepen our understanding of HIV cure research, moving beyond a purely clinical assessment of risks and benefits in order to consider the social context