First Record of Culex (Culex) brethesi (Dyar) (Diptera: Culicidae) in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil

This is the first record of Culex (Culex) brethesi (Dyar) in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. The species was identified from specimens collected in a sand bar vegetation with the aid of a Nasci's trap, during an expedition for surveillance of the West Nile Virus in July of 2006, in the city of Mostardas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Técnico e Científico (CNPq

Video-assisted mediastinoscopic transhiatal esophagectomy combined with laparoscopy for esophageal cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Minimally invasive transhiatal esophagectomy for esophageal cancer includes mediastinoscopic and laparoscopic transhiatal esophagectomy. It is inadequate in both two techniques. It is impossible to dissect the lower esophagus with single mediastinoscopy or the upper and middle esophagus with single laparoscopy. We use mediastinoscopy combined with laparoscopy to dissect the whole esophagus and stomach including lymph node dissection. In addition, laparoscopic gastric mobilization leads to less trauma than an open gastroplasty.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>40 cases of video-assisted mediastinoscopic transhiatal esophagectomy were performed and divided into two groups.32 patients were received surgical therapy of single mediastinoscopic esophagectomy with open gastroplasty in group A, while 8 patients were received surgical therapy of mediastinoscopic esophagectomy combined with laparoscopic lower esophageal and gastric dissection in group B. The perioperative complications were recorded.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Video-assisted mediastinoscopic transhiatal esophagectomy was performed successfully both in group A and B. It suggested that mediastinoscopy combined with laparoscopy be better than single mediastinoscopy because of less blood loss, less pain, shorter ICU stay and complete lower mediastinal lymph nodes resection.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Video-assisted mediastinoscopic transhiatal esophagectomy combined with laparoscopy is a safe and minimally invasive technique with whole esophagus and mediastinal lymph node dissection in the clear visualization of the mediastinum, reducing the abdominal trauma.</p

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells are increased in cerebrospinal fluid of untreated patients during multiple sclerosis relapse

The plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) express a high level of Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR-9), which recognizes viral DNA. Activated via TLR-9, pDCs also secrete large amounts of type I interferon which are involved either in stimulation or down regulation of immune response in multiple sclerosis (MS). In the present study, we determinate pDCs levels by flow cytometry in Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) and Peripheral Blood from MS patients in relapsing and in remitting phases of the disease, comparing with other non-inflammatory diseases (OND). We provide evidence that MS patients in relapse without any treatment have a significantly (p < 0.01) higher percentage of pDCs in CSF than do patients in remission or those with OND. No change in the percentage of pDCs was observed in the peripheral blood of any of these patients. The increase of pDCs in central nervous system during relapse may be explained either by a virus infection or a down regulatory process

Pediatricians and nutritionists knowledge about treatment of cow milk allergy in infants

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the knowledge of pediatricians and nutritionists regarding the exclusion diet of cow milk and derivates, with emphasis on questions related to the nutrition of children submitted to such diet. METHODS: Cross-sectional study that enrolled pediatricians (n=53) and nutritionists (n=29) from public hospitals in São Paulo, Brazil, during 2005. Data was collected through self-administered questionnaires. RESULTS: The age of the professionals varied from 21 to 50 years old. Regarding professional experience, 41.2% were graduated for less than five years and 91.6% had a specialization course, masters and/or PhD degree. The vast majority of professionals (97.5%) confirmed that they regularly evaluated the diet of children that needed exclusion of cow milk. However, only 48% of the professionals conducted a more detailed evaluation of the diet, including calculations of food ingestion. Only 38.7% of the professionals compared child s food ingestion with some recommended pattern. Recommendations for daily ingestion of calcium by children up to the age of 36 months were properly mentioned by 22% of the pediatricians and 60.7% of the nutritionists (p=0.001). Inadequate cow milk substitute products were recommended by 66% of the pediatricians and by 48.3% of the nutritionists. Regarding labels of industrialized products, 81.6% of the pediatricians and 96.4% of the nutritionists advised the parents to look for all terms that could indicate the presence of cow milk protein. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatricians and nutritionists made conceptual errors in their main recommendations regarding the treatment of cow milk protein allergy.OBJETIVO: Avaliar o conhecimento de pediatras e nutricionistas sobre a dieta de exclusão do leite de vaca e seus derivados, com ênfase em questões relacionadas à nutrição da criança. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal descritivo, do qual participaram pediatras (n=53) e nutricionistas (n=29), vinculados a hospitais públicos do Município de São Paulo, no ano de 2005. Os dados foram coletados por questionário auto-administrado. RESULTADOS: A idade dos profissionais variou de 21 a 50 anos. Quanto ao tempo de graduação, 41,2% eram formados a menos de cinco anos e 91,6% possuíam especialização, mestrado e/ou doutorado. A maioria (97,5%) afirmou avaliar a dieta de crianças submetidas à exclusão do leite de vaca, entretanto, somente 48% o faziam de forma mais detalhadas, incluindo o cálculo da ingestão alimentar. Apenas 38,7% comparam a ingestão alimentar da criança com algum padrão de recomendação. A recomendação diária da ingestão de cálcio para crianças com até 36 meses foi corretamente assinalada por 22% dos pediatras e 60,7% dos nutricionistas (p=0,001). Produtos não adequados como substitutos do leite de vaca seriam recomendados por 66% dos pediatras e 48,3% dos nutricionistas. Com relação à leitura de rótulos de produtos industrializados, 81,6% dos pediatras e 96,4% dos nutricionistas orientam os pais a ler todos os termos que indicam a presença das proteínas do leite de vaca. CONCLUSÕES: Os pediatras e nutricionista demonstraram erro conceitual no que se refere às principais recomendações terapêuticas na alergia às proteínas do leite de vaca.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)UNIFESPUNIFESPSciEL

Effects of degree and timing of social housing on reversal learning and response to novel objects in dairy calves

Rodents and primates deprived of early social contact exhibit deficits in learning and behavioural flexibility. They often also exhibit apparent signs of elevated anxiety, although the relationship between these effects has not been studied. To investigate whether dairy calves are similarly affected, we first compared calves housed in standard individual pens (n = 7) to those housed in a dynamic group with access to their mothers (n = 8). All calves learned to approach the correct stimulus in a visual discrimination task. Only one individually housed calf was able to re-learn the task when the stimuli were reversed, compared to all but one calf from the group. A second experiment investigated whether this effect might be explained by anxiety in individually housed animals interfering with their learning, and tested varying degrees of social contact in addition to the complex group: pair housing beginning early (approximately 6 days old) and late (6 weeks old). Again, fewer individually reared calves learned the reversal task (2 of 10 or 20%) compared to early paired and grouped calves (16 of 21 or 76% of calves). Late paired calves had intermediate success. Individually housed calves were slower to touch novel objects, but the magnitude of the fear response did not correlate with reversal performance. We conclude that individually housed calves have learning deficits, but these deficits were not likely associated with increased anxiety

Genome of the Avirulent Human-Infective Trypanosome—Trypanosoma rangeli

Background: Trypanosoma rangeli is a hemoflagellate protozoan parasite infecting humans and other wild and domestic mammals across Central and South America. It does not cause human disease, but it can be mistaken for the etiologic agent of Chagas disease, Trypanosoma cruzi. We have sequenced the T. rangeli genome to provide new tools for elucidating the distinct and intriguing biology of this species and the key pathways related to interaction with its arthropod and mammalian hosts.  Methodology/Principal Findings: The T. rangeli haploid genome is ,24 Mb in length, and is the smallest and least repetitive trypanosomatid genome sequenced thus far. This parasite genome has shorter subtelomeric sequences compared to those of T. cruzi and T. brucei; displays intraspecific karyotype variability and lacks minichromosomes. Of the predicted 7,613 protein coding sequences, functional annotations could be determined for 2,415, while 5,043 are hypothetical proteins, some with evidence of protein expression. 7,101 genes (93%) are shared with other trypanosomatids that infect humans. An ortholog of the dcl2 gene involved in the T. brucei RNAi pathway was found in T. rangeli, but the RNAi machinery is non-functional since the other genes in this pathway are pseudogenized. T. rangeli is highly susceptible to oxidative stress, a phenotype that may be explained by a smaller number of anti-oxidant defense enzymes and heatshock proteins.  Conclusions/Significance: Phylogenetic comparison of nuclear and mitochondrial genes indicates that T. rangeli and T. cruzi are equidistant from T. brucei. In addition to revealing new aspects of trypanosome co-evolution within the vertebrate and invertebrate hosts, comparative genomic analysis with pathogenic trypanosomatids provides valuable new information that can be further explored with the aim of developing better diagnostic tools and/or therapeutic targets