Plasma Cytokine Profile in Tropical Endomyocardial Fibrosis: Predominance of TNF-a, IL-4 and IL-10

Background: the participation of immune/inflammatory mechanisms in the pathogenesis of tropical endomyocardial fibrosis (EMF) has been suggested by the finding of early blood and myocardial eosinophilia. However, the inflammatory activation status of late-stage EMF patients is still unknown.Methodology/Principal findings: We evaluated pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine levels in plasma samples from late stage EMF patients. Cytokine levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-alpha, Interferon (IFN)-gamma, Interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-10 were assayed in plasma samples from 27 EMF patients and compared with those of healthy control subjects. All EMF patients displayed detectable plasma levels of at least one of the cytokines tested. We found that TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-4, and IL-10 were each detected in at least 74% of tested sera, and plasma levels of IL-10, IL-4, and TNF-alpha were significantly higher than those of controls. Plasma levels of such cytokines positively correlated with each other.Conclusions/Significance: the mixed pro-and anti-inflammatory/Th2circulating cytokine profile in EMF is consistent with the presence of a persistent inflammatory stimulus. On the other hand, the detection of increased levels of TNF-alpha may be secondary to the cardiovascular involvement observed in these patients, whereas IL-4 and IL-10 may have been upregulated as a homeostatic mechanism to buffer both production and deleterious cardiovascular effects of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Further studies might establish whether these findings play a role in disease pathogenesis.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Univ São Paulo, Sch Med, Inst Heart InCor, Immunol Lab, São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Sch Med, Div Clin Immunol & Allergy, São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Sch Med, Inst Heart InCor, Cardiomyopathy Unit, São Paulo, BrazilProSangue Fdn, São Paulo, BrazilInst Investigat Immunol, INCT, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Microbiol Immunol & Parasitol, Div Immunol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Microbiol Immunol & Parasitol, Div Immunol, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Communicative processes of individuals with injuries of the right cerebral hemisphere

Objective: This study aimed to profile the language skills of patients with damage to the right cerebral hemisphere attended at the Ibirapuera Unit (Central) of the Association for the Welfare of Handicapped Children - AACD (Associação de Assistência à Criança Deficiente - AACD/Unidade Ibirapuera - Central), and to discover the perceptions of caregivers and patients regarding the presence or absence of language disorders after a stroke. Method: The descriptive study was conducted from July to September of 2009 with 11 adults through the application of the Montreal Communication Evaluation Battery (known in Brazil as Bateria MAC) tests, the Questionnaire on Awareness of Difficulties, and the Communicative Disorders Screening on individuals with neurological conditions, direct relatives, and/or caregivers. Results: It was found that 90.9% of patients with injuries of the right cerebral hemisphere had a deficit in at least one of the tests comprising the Bateria MAC assessment of language. Conclusion: Findings showing the patient’s absence of awareness of their linguistic and cognitive deficits are also very important, not only about their daily life activities, but about their agnosia.Objetivo: O presente estudo teve como objetivo traçar o perfil de linguagem de pacientes com lesão de hemisfério direito atendidos na Associação de Assistência a Criança Deficiente (AACD/Unidade Ibirapuera - Central), bem como verificar a percepção dos cuidadores e dos pacientes em relação à presença ou não de alterações de linguagem pós-acidente vascular cerebral. Método: O estudo descritivo foi desenvolvido de julho a setembro de 2009 com 11 indivíduos adultos por meio da aplicação da Bateria Montreal de Avaliação da Comunicação/Bateria MAC, prova Questionário sobre a Consciência das Dificuldades e o questionário Triagem de Distúrbios Comunicativos em Indivíduos com quadro neurológico, direcionado aos familiares e/ou cuidadores. Resultados: Verificou-se que 90,9% dos pacientes com Lesão de Hemisfério Direito apresentaram déficit em pelo menos uma das provas que compunham a Bateria MAC de avaliação da linguagem. Conclusão: Mostra-se também de extrema importância o achado relacionado à ausência de percepção dos pacientes em relação as suas próprias alterações linguístico-cognitivas, não pela inexistência de impactos em sua vida diária, mas devido à agnosia

Ingestive behavior of Angus yearling steers in natural grassland subjected to fertilization and over sown of temperate species

The objective was to evaluate the ingestive behavior of Angus yearling steers grazing natural grasslands of Southern Brazil, submitted or not to the application of fertilizers: NG= natural grassland; FNG= fertilized natural grassland, and FONG= fertilized natural grassland improved with the over sown of temperate forage species. Three Angus yearling steers and a variable number of put-and-take animals were used per experimental unit, to maintain a forage allowance of 13 kg of dry matter/100 kg of body weight. Ingestive behavior of tester animals was visually assessed in four seasons of the year through instantaneous records of activity every ten minutes during the daytime period. There was no effect of pasture treatments on ingestive behavior. An interaction between seasons and periods of the day was observed for daily grazing and rumination time (P <0.05). The grazing activities were clustered at the beginning and the end of the day in summer, autumn and winter, while in spring it was similar in the 1 st three quarters of the day, with higher activity in the period close to sunset. The animals spent more time grazing in the spring despite the better quality of forage in this season. Regardless of the season, longer residence and grazing time were found in water foci areas. We conclude that grazing time on natural pastures is influenced by forage mass and forage allowance, and bite rate is influenced by the chemical composition of the sward

Vertical transmission of HIV to neonates in a reference hospital in Northeastern Brazil from 2013 to 2017

The aim of this study was to estimate the rate of Mother-to-child Transmission (MTCT) of HIV to neonates in a reference university hospital in Sao Luis city, the capital of Maranhao State (MA), evaluating MTCT-associated factors. A retrospective cohort study based on data from the Notifiable Diseases Data System (SINAN) was carried out and included all HIV-exposed neonates notified from 2013 to 2017 by the university hospital. The study population comprised 725 HIV-exposed neonates, of whom 672 neonates were exposed and uninfected, and 53 were exposed and infected. The estimated rate of MTCT in the period of 2013 to 2017 was 7.3%. Most pregnant women were ≥ 20 years old (86.9%), reported ≥ 8 years of schooling (53.2%), reported full-time or independent paid work (46.9%) and were residents in other cities of the state (61.7%). Regarding healthcare, 86.3% received prenatal care, 74.6% received Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) as prophylaxis during pregnancy, 81.8% received ART prophylaxis during childbirth and 78.1% underwent cesarean section. Among the neonates, 92.8% received ART prophylaxis and 94.3% were not breastfed. Despite these variables, the 7.3% MTCT rate found in this study makes it clear that the interventions recommended by the Ministry of Health were not fully adopted

Cross-Sectional Study of Leptospira spp. and Brucela abortus in Goat Herds from Paraná State, Brazil

Background: Leptospirosis and brucellosis are zoonosis worldwide distributed that have great economic importance, especially in goats. This study aimed to carry out a cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence of anti-Leptospira spp. and anti-Brucella abortus antibodies and to determine epidemiological variables associated to infection by these ethiological agents in goats.Materials, Methods &amp; Results: Serum samples were collected from 1055 goats of 95 properties distributed in 18 regional centers of Paraná State from April to August of 2010. Collected samples were submitted to microscopic agglutination test (MAT) for the detection of anti-Leptospira spp. antibodies with 22 reference serovars: Australis, Bratislava, Autumnalis, Butembo, Castellonis, Bataviae, Canicola, Fortbragg, Whitcombi, Cynopteri, Grippotyphosa, Hebdomadis, Copenhageni, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Panama, Pomona, Pyrogenes, Hardjo, Wolffi, Shermani, Tarassovi and Londrina 1 (L1). The samples were also submitted to buffered acidified plate antigen test (BAPA) and 2-mercaptoethanol test (2-ME) to detect anti-Brucella abortus antibodies. The results obtained from epidemiological and serological study were analysed by Epi Info 3.5.3. We observed 9.9% (104/1055) of goats reagents in at least one serovar of Leptospira spp. and no reagent animal to Brucella abortus. The variables that were statistically significant with leptospirosis were: production type meat, sewer destination in dry sump, frequent abortion, shared use of pastures, slaughter of animals on the property, the presence of pigs and wild animals such as deer and capybaras on the property.Discussion: This was the first study about antibodies prevalence against Leptospira spp. and Brucella abortus in goat herds from Paraná State. The presence of both animal species were statiscally associated to risk of leptospirosis. It is necessary avoid the acess of these animals in herds, decreasing the dissemination of the agent. The production type meat is a form of creation in which the animals have no care of zookeepers and continuous veterinary care. The final destination of sewage was statistically associated to risk of leptospirosis in goats and this is a big problem in rural properties, requiring greater attention of authorities for proper disposal of this wastewater, reducing water and food contamination. Among the variables related to management, the herds that used rented pasture or shared pastures also were statistically associated to risk of leptospirosis in goats; with the sharing of pastures a greater flow of animals transiting in the pickets occurs, allowing not only flocks of goats, but other species also, to use the same pastures and become more exposed to certain diseases. The slaughter of pigs, sheep, cattle and goats on the property is a problem for animal and human health due to lack of sanitary inspection. Abortion is one of the main clinical signs of leptospirosis in farm animals, particularly goats. The knowledge of these results will be useful to develop control programs for the disease in Paraná State herds.  The absence of circulating anti-Brucella abortus antibodies in goat herds has also been reported in other Brazilian States

Ethylene and hydrogen peroxide in the aerenchyma formation in maize tolerant to intermittent flooding

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o papel do etileno e do peróxido de hidrogênio (H2O2) na formação do aerênquima em ciclos de seleção genética da cultivar de milho BRS 4154, sob alagamento. Plantas dos ciclos C1 e C18 foram submetidas a alagamento por 7 dias, com coleta das raízes aos 0 (controle, sem alagamento), 1 e 7 dias. Foram analisados: a expressão gênica das enzimas ACC sintase (ACS), ACC oxidase (ACO), dismutase do superóxido (SOD) e peroxidase do ascorbato (APX); a produção de etileno e o conteúdo de H2O2; a atividade da enzima ACO; e a proporção de aerênquima no córtex. Não houve expressão de ACS e ACO. Houve variação na atividade de ACO e na produção de etileno. A expressão da SOD foi maior em plantas C1 e a da APX, em C18, com redução aos 7 dias. O conteúdo de H2O2 não diferiu entre os tratamentos. A proporção de aerênquima aumentou com o tempo, tendo sido maior em plantas C18 e relacionada à taxa de formação do aerênquima. O tempo de alagamento e o nível de tolerância do ciclo de seleção influenciam a produção do etileno. A expressão da APX indica maior produção de H2O2 no início do alagamento.The objective of this work was to evaluate the role of ethylene and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in the aerenchyma formation in genetic selection cycles of the maize cultivar BRS 4154, under flooding. Plants from cycles C1 and C18 were flooded for 7 days, with roots collected at 0 (control, no flooding), 1, and 7 days. The following were evaluated: gene expression of the enzymes ACC synthase (ACS), ACC oxidase (ACO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX); ethylene production and H2O2 content; enzymatic activity of ACO; and aerenchyma proportion in the cortex. There was no expression of ACS and ACO. ACO activity and ethylene production varied. SOD expression was higher in C1 plants and that of APX in C18 plants, with reduction at 7 days. H2O2 content did not differ between treatments. The proportion of aerenchyma increased with time, being higher in C18 plants and related to the aerenchyma formation rate. The flooding time and the tolerance level of the selection cycle influence ethylene production. The expression of APX indicates greater H2O2 production at the beginning of flooding

Constituintes químicos do caule de Spathelia excelsa (rutaceae) e atividade frente a Aedes aegypti

Phytochemical investigation from the stems of Spathelia excelsa (Rutaceae) collected in Amazonas yielded deacetylspathelin (1), 7,8-dimethoxyflindersine (2), new glabretal-type triterpenoid 3&#946;-angeloyl-21,24-epoxy-7&#945;, 21&#945;, 23&#945;, 25-tetrahydroxy-4&#945;, 4&#946;, 8&#946;, 10&#946;-tetramethyl-25-dimethyl-14, 18-cyclo-5&#945;, 13&#945;, 14&#945;, 17&#945;-cholestane (3), in addition to the known steroids &#946;-sitosterol and stigmasterol. Their structures were established on the basis of spectral data. The compounds 1 and 3 were assayed on Aedes aegypti (larvicidal and adulticidal activities and compound 3 exhibited larvicidal properties with LC50 of 4,8 µg/mL