Hepatitis A: How We Are after the Introduction of Vaccines

Hepatitis A is a disease known for a long time. It has a universal distribution, although it has a higher prevalence in places with poor sanitary conditions due to its main form of transmission: fecal-oral. The local health conditions also influence the age of acquisition of the disease and, therefore, its clinical presentation, because the disease in young children is usually asymptomatic. It is a viral disease whose prevention is possible through improvements in the population’s basic sanitation conditions and vaccination. Since the introduction of vaccines, it has been possible to see a reduction in its incidence, especially in places where universal vaccination of children has been instituted. In recent years immunoglobulin therapy is being replaced by vaccination in pre- and postexposure prophylaxis (PEP), except in specific situations. Its incidence, even in developing countries, has decreased after introduction of hepatitis A vaccine. The vaccine is recommended in two doses for children, starting at the age of 1. Argentina and, more recently, Brazil have adopted the universal vaccination of all children upon completion of 12 months of age in a single-dose regimen. Despite this breakthrough isolated outbreaks in homeless and drug users are still described in developed countries

Chromobacterium violaceum as a potential biosurfactant‐producing microorganism

Chromobacterium violaceum is a Gram‐negative bacterium found in the soil and water in tropical and sub‐tropical environments. Its complete genome sequence revealed wide varying alternative pathways for energy generation, complex and extensive systems for stress adaptation, motility and widespread utilization of quorum sensing for control of its inducible systems. Biosurfactants are amphiphilic compounds produced by microorganisms, both intra and extracellularly, that reduce surface and interfacial tensions. In this work, C. violaceum UCP 1552 isolated from the contaminated area of Pernambuco, was used. Biosurfactant production was carried out in 500mL Erlenmeyer flasks containing 250mL of LB medium [tryptone – 10g/L, yeast extract – 5g/L, sodium chloride – 5g/L] plus 5g/L glucose and 1.6g/L soy oil, at 150 rpm and 30°C. Samples were collected at different fermentation times (from 0 to 188h) to evaluate cellular growth, glucose consumption and biosurfactant production (by reduction of surface tension and emulsification index determination). Biomass growth was observed during the first 96h and afterwards the cells entered the stationary phase. Moreover, glucose was consumed in the first 30h. Surface tension of the fermentation broth free of C. violaceum cells recovered after 188h was found to be 32 mN/m. The highest emulsification index was observed for 12h experiment, being 56 and 59% for sunflower oil and nhexadecane, respectively. Results gathered in this study reveal the C. violaceum potential as a biosurfactant‐producer opening novel perspectives for its application in the environmental area.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES

Nanoemulsions and thermosensitive nanoemulgels of phenytoin and fosphenytoin for intranasal administration: Formulation development and in vitro characterization

Phenytoin is a low solubility anticonvulsant drug. It has, nonetheless, other possible therapeutic indications, such as neuropathic pain, including trigeminal neuralgia, or wound healing. Its use has decreased due to side effects, but nasal/intranasal administration could significantly increase drug safety and efficacy. The aim of this work was to develop and study nanoemulsions and thermosensitive nanoemulgels of phenytoin and fosphenytoin, in combination, for intranasal administration, with immediate and sustained release profiles. Nanoemulsions were prepared by adding the aqueous phase, containing gelling polymers in the case of nanoemulgels, to emulsion preconcentrates, followed, in the optimized procedure, by premix membrane emulsification. Formulation design and optimization was guided by drug strength, rheological behavior, osmolality, mean droplet size and polydispersity. Fosphenytoin interfered significantly with Carbopol but not with Pluronic's gelation, and allowed to achieve drug strengths equivalent to 22 or 27 mg/g of phenytoin in lead nanoemulsions, and 16.7 mg/g of phenytoin in the lead nanoemulgel. The final selected low viscosity nanoemulsions had an immediate or prolonged fosphenytoin release profile, depending of anhydrous phase proportion (10% or 40%, respectively). The thermosensitive nanoemulgel, with 10% anhydrous phase, showed prolonged drug release. Future studies will establish whether they are more suited for topical effects or therapeutic brain delivery.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Photon-number-resolving segmented avalanche-photodiode detectors

We investigate the feasibility and performance of photon-number-resolved photodetection employing avalanche photodiodes (APDs) with low dark counts. The main idea is to split n photons over m modes such that every mode has no more than one photon, which is detected alongside propagation by an APD. We characterize performance by evaluating the purities of positive-operator-valued measurements (POVMs), in terms of APD number and photon loss.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figures, submitted for publicatio

O papel do ensino de biologia na formação crítica a respeito da relação entre animais humanos e não humanos

The Teaching of Biology must use several methodologies and contextualize the contents. In this process, Environmental Education and the debate about the relations of human and non-human animals are the opportunity to generate critical thinking and awareness raising. However, Biology Teaching often occurs through anthropocentric, utilitarian and speciesist contextualizations not advancing to a more complex and expanded debate that considers ethical aspects of animal life. This research sought to define which approaches in this teaching can favor a possible process of awareness of the students and what impacts can be generated from a didactic intervention that privileges a contextualized and relational debate of the contents. An intervention was carried out at a State College in Ponta Grossa-PR, with a second (2nd) year high school class, through the application of a questionnaire before and after didactic intervention as a significant activity that problematized the relationships between human and not human. The data collected in the questionnaires and analyzed by means of graphs evidenced the anthropocentrism, utilitarianism and speciesism implicit in the previous responses to the didactic intervention and after the realization of this it was noticed that significant changes occurred in several aspects, such as constructive discussions through the applied concepts and relations with the daily life of students. This allowed us to verify the previous knowledge of the students involved, to select relevant strategies for teaching the subject, and to evaluate the impact of this methodology for a possible process of awareness.O Ensinar de Biologia deve utilizar diversas metodologias e contextualizar os conteúdos. Nesse processo, a Educação Ambiental e o debate acerca das relações dos animais humanos e não humanos são a oportunidade de gerar um pensamento crítico e a sensibilização para conscientização No entanto, frequentemente o Ensino de Biologia se dá por meio de contextualizações antropocêntricas, utilitaristas e especistas não avançando para um debate mais complexo e ampliado que considere aspectos éticos da vida dos animais. Esta pesquisa buscou definir quais abordagens neste ensino podem favorecer um possível processo de tomada de consciência dos alunos e que impactos podem ser gerados a partir de uma intervenção didática que privilegie um debate contextualizado e relacional dos conteúdos. Foi realizada uma intervenção em um Colégio Estadual em Ponta Grossa-PR, com uma turma de segundo (2º) ano do Ensino Médio, por meio da aplicação de questionário antes e após a intervenção didática como atividade significativa que problematizou as relações dos animais humanos e não humanos. Os dados coletados nos questionários e analisados por meio de gráficos evidenciaram o antropocentrismo, utilitarismo e especismo implícitos nas respostas anteriores a intervenção didática e após a realização desta percebeu-se que mudanças expressivas ocorreram em diversos aspectos, como discussões construtivas por meio dos conceitos aplicados e relações com o cotidiano dos alunos e alunas. Com isto pôde-se verificar quais os conhecimentos prévios dos alunos envolvidos, selecionar estratégias relevantes ao ensino do tema, e avaliar o impacto desta metodologia para um possível processo de tomada de consciência

Expanding our knowledge on African trypanosomes of the subgenus <i>Pycnomonas</i>:A novel Trypanosoma suis-like in tsetse flies, livestock and wild ruminants sympatric with Trypanosoma suis in Mozambique

Among the subgenera of African tsetse-transmitted trypanosomes pathogenic to livestock, the least known is the subgenus Pycnomonas, which contains a single species, Trypanosoma suis (TSU), a pathogen of domestic pigs first reported in 1905 and recently rediscovered in Tanzania and Mozambique. Analysis by Fluorescent Fragment Length Barcoding (FFLB) revealed an infection rate of 20.3% (108 out of 530 tsetse flies) in a recent study in the Gorongosa and Niassa wildlife reserves in Mozambique, and demonstrated two groups of Pycnomonas trypanosomes: one (14.1%, 75 flies) showing an FFLB profile identical to the reference TSU from Tanzania, and the other (6.2%, 33 flies) differing slightly from reference TSU and designated Trypanosoma suis-like (TSU-L). Phylogenetic analyses tightly clustered TSU and TSU-L from Mozambique with TSU from Tanzania forming the clade Pycnomonas positioned between the subgenera Trypanozoon and Nannomonas. Our preliminarily exploration of host ranges of Pycnomonas trypanosomes revealed TSU exclusively in warthogs while TSU-L was identified, for the first time for a member of the subgenus Pycnomonas, in ruminants (antelopes, Cape buffalo, and in domestic cattle and goats). The preferential blood meal sources of tsetse flies harbouring TSU and TSU-L were wild suids, and most of these flies concomitantly harboured the porcine trypanosomes T. simiae, T. simiae Tsavo, and T. godfreyi. Therefore, our findings support the link of TSU with suids while TSU-L remains to be comprehensively investigated in these hosts. Our results greatly expand our knowledge of the diversity, hosts, vectors, and epidemiology of Pycnomonas trypanosomes. Due to shortcomings of available molecular diagnostic methods, a relevant cohort of trypanosomes transmitted by tsetse flies to ungulates, especially suids, has been neglected or most likely misidentified. The method employed in the present study enables an accurate discrimination of trypanosome species and genotypes and, hence, a re-evaluation of the “lost” subgenus Pycnomonas and of porcine trypanosomes in general, the most neglected group of African trypanosomes pathogenic to ungulates.Brazilian grants from the PROAFRICA program (CNPq) and FAPESP (Process no 2016/07487-0). CMFR and HAG are postdoctoral fellows of CNPq (INCT-EpiAmo) and FAPESP (Process no 2016./03028-1)http://www.elsevier.com/locate/meegidhj2020Veterinary Tropical Disease

Educação Ambiental e ensino de Biologia: relações possíveis com a Ética Biocêntrica

O presente texto discute a articulação entre o ensino de Biologia a Educação ambiental e a ética biocêntrica. A partir da problemática que questiona se a abordagem relacional dos conteúdos de ecologia embasados na ética biocêntrica podem contribuir para a formação ambiental de alunos e alunas, estabelecemos como objetivos identificar e registrar a visão dos alunos e alunas sobre situações de maus tratos aos animais na comunidade de entorno; analisar as percepções de alunos e alunos acerca da experiência vivenciada na produção de materiais sobre seu ambiente próximo no que diz respeito às relações com os animais. Os dados foram obtidos a partir do desenvolvimento de uma intervenção didática junto a um grupo de sessenta e sete alunos de terceiro ano do Ensino Médio, que visava sensibilizar e discutir com os mesmos as formas de relação dos seres humanos com os animais a partir de uma abordagem relacional dos conteúdos de Biologia com uma educação ambiental pautada na ética biocêntrica, para instrumentaliza-los a olhar para seu ambiente próximo e verificar como se dão essas relações. A maioria dos alunos e alunas ampliou sua visão quanto a essas formas de relação, olhando criticamente para seu entorno e registrando de diferentes formas as suas percepções. Consideramos que a abordagem relacional proposta na intervenção didática favorece a formação de uma visão mais complexa pelos alunos e alunas

The Effect of a Resistance Training, Detraining and Retraining Cycle on Postural Stability and Estimated Fall Risk in Institutionalized Older Persons: A 40-Week Intervention

Abstract: Physical inactivity and low levels of muscle strength can lead to the early development of sarcopenia and dynapenia, which may increase the number and risk of falls in the elderly population. Meanwhile, exercise programs can stop or even revert the loss of muscle mass, strength, power, and functional capacity and consequently decrease the risk of falls in older adults. However, there is a lack of studies investigating the effect of strengthening programs in octogenarians. The present study investigates the effects of 40 weeks of a training-detraining-retraining cycle of muscle strength exercise program on postural stability and estimated fall risk in octogenarians. Twenty-seven institutionalized participants were allocated into two groups: the muscular strength exercise group (MSEG, n = 14) and control group (CG, n = 13). After the first training period, the MSEG improved postural stability and decreased the estimated fall risk by 7.9% compared to baseline. In comparison, CG worsened their stability and increased their risk of falling by more than 17%. No significant changes were found between groups in the detraining and the retraining period. This study demonstrated that strength exercise effectively improved postural control and reduced fall risk scores. In addition, the interventions were able to reduce the forward speed of postural control deterioration in octogenarians, with great increments in the first months of exercise.Financed by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (CIDAF- UID/DTP/ 04213/2020)

CLINICAL, LABORATORIAL AND EVOLUTIONARY ASPECTS OF PEDIATRIC PATIENTS WITH LIVER DISEASE DUE TO ALPHA 1-ANTITRYPSIN DEFICIENCY

ABSTRACT Background: Alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is a hereditary codominant autosomal disease. This liver disease ranges from asymptomatic cases to terminal illness, which makes early recognition and diagnosis challenging. It is the main cause of pediatric liver transplantation after biliary atresia. Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics, as well as those of histologic and laboratory tests, phenotypic and/or genetic evaluation and evolution of a cohort of pediatric patients with AATD. Methods: This is a retrospective observational study of 39 patients with confirmed or probable AATD (without phenotyping or genotyping, but with suggestive clinical features, low serum alpha 1-antitrypsin (AAT) level and liver biopsy with PAS granules, resistant diastasis). Clinical, laboratory and histological variables, presence of portal hypertension (PH) and survival with native liver have been analyzed. Results: A total of 66.7% of 39 patients were male (26/39). The initial manifestation was cholestatic jaundice in 79.5% (31/39). Liver transplantation was performed in 28.2% (11/39) of patients. Diagnosis occurred at an average of 3.1 years old and liver transplantation at 4.1 years of age. 89.2% (25/28) of the patients with confirmed AATD were PI*ZZ or ZZ. The average AAT value on admission for PI*ZZ or ZZ patients was 41.6 mg/dL. All transplanted patients with phenotyping or genotyping were PI*ZZ (or ZZ). Those who were jaundiced on admission were earlier referred to the specialized service and had higher levels of GGT and platelets on admission. There was no significant difference in the survival curve when comparing cholestatic jaundiced to non-cholestatic jaundiced patients on admission. Comparing patients who did or did not progress to PH, higher levels of AST and APRI score at diagnosis (P=0.011 and P=0.026, respectively) were observed and in the survival curves patients with PH showed impairment, with 20.2% survival with native liver in 15 years. Conclusion: Jaundice is an important clinical sign that motivates referral to a specialist, but it does not seem to compromise survival with native liver. Patients progressing to PH had higher AST, APRi score on admission and significantly impaired survival with native liver. It is important to pay attention to these signs in the follow-up of patients with AATD

Atividades de investigação produzidas por licenciandos em Ciências Biológicas: desafios e possibilidades

Este estudo teve por objetivo analisar atividades de investigação produzidas por licenciandos de um curso de Ciências da Natureza quanto à presença de elementos investigativos. A pesquisa é do tipo qualitativa e descritiva. Participaram do estudo oito licenciandos de um curso de Ciências da Natureza de uma universidade federal do estado do Paraná, Brasil. Os licenciandos frequentaram o curso de capacitação relativo ao Ensino por Investigação ministrado por pesquisadores de três universidades públicas e, ao final, produziram atividades investigativas que foram objeto de estudos desta pesquisa. Os critérios estabelecidos para análise das atividades foram a organização de sua estrutura e relação entre os elementos investigativos presentes. Os resultados demonstram que houve maior clareza na organização da estrutura das atividades e elaboração do problema. Os desafios foram quanto a coordenar os elementos investigativos denominados formulação e confronto de hipóteses, obtenção de dados e elaboração de conclusão.