37 research outputs found

    High Human Herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) Prevalence, Clinical Correlates and High Incidence among Recently HIV-1-Infected Subjects in Sao Paulo, Brazil

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    Background: Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) is the etiological agent for Kaposi Sarcoma, which occurs especially in HIV-infected subjects. HHV-8 infection and its clinical correlates have not been well characterized in recently HIV-1-infected subjects, especially men who have sex with men (MSM).Methodology/Principal Findings: We assessed the HHV-8 seroprevalence, clinical correlates, and incidence after one year of follow-up in a cohort of 228 recently HIV-1-infected individuals, of whom 83.6% were MSM, using indirect immunofluorescence assay. the prevalence of HHV-8 infection at the time of cohort enrollment was 25.9% (59/228). in the univariate model, there were significant associations with male gender, black ethnicity, MSM practice, and previous hepatitis B virus and syphilis infections. in the multivariate model we could still demonstrate association with MSM, hepatitis B, and black ethnicity. No differences in mean CD4+ cell counts or HIV viral load according to HHV-8 status were found. in terms of incidence, there were 23/127 (18.1%) seroconversions in the cohort after 1 year.Conclusions: HHV-8 is highly prevalent among recently HIV-1-infected subjects. Correlations with other sexually transmitted infections suggest common transmission routes.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Infect Dis, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Infect Dis, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

    The Neutron Electric Dipole Moment and CP-violating Couplings in the Supersymmetric Standard Model without R-parity

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    We analyze the neutron electric dipole moment (EDM) in the Minimal Supersymmetric Model with explicit R-parity violating terms. The leading contribution to the EDM occurs at the 2-loop level and is dominated by the chromoelectric dipole moments of quarks, assuming there is no tree-level mixings between sleptons and Higgs bosons or between leptons and gauginos. Based on the experimental constraint on the neutron EDM, we set limits on the imaginary parts of complex couplings λijk{\lambda'}_{ijk} and λijk{\lambda}_{ijk} due to the virtual b-loop or tau-loop.Comment: final manuscript to appear in Phys. Rev. D, 15 pages, latex, 4 figures include

    HIV-1/HSV-2 Co-Infected Adults in Early HIV-1 Infection Have Elevated CD4+ T Cell Counts

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    Introduction. HIV-1 is often acquired in the presence of pre-existing co-infections, such as Herpes Simplex Virus 2 (HSV-2). We examined the impact of HSV-2 status at the time of HIV-1 acquisition for its impact on subsequent clinical course, and total CD4+ T cell phenotypes. Methods. We assessed the relationship of HSV-1/HSV-2 co-infection status on CD4+ T cell counts and HIV-1 RNA levels over time prior in a cohort of 186 treatment naive adults identified during early HIV-1 infection. We assessed the activation and differentiation state of total CD4+ T cells at study entry by HSV-2 status. Results. of 186 recently HIV-1 infected persons, 101 (54%) were sero-positive for HSV-2. There was no difference in initial CD8+ T cell count, or differences between the groups for age, gender, or race based on HSV-2 status. Persons with HIV-1/HSV-2 co-infection sustained higher CD4+ T cell counts over time (+69 cells/ul greater (SD = 33.7, p = 0.04) than those with HIV-1 infection alone (Figure 1), after adjustment for HIV-1 RNA levels (-57 cells per 1 log(10) higher HIV-1 RNA, p<0.0001). We did not observe a relationship between HSV-2 infection status with plasma HIV-1 RNA levels over time. HSV-2 acquistion after HIV-1 acquisition had no impact on CD4+ count or viral load. We did not detect differences in CD4+ T cell activation or differentiation state by HSV-2+ status. Discussion. We observed no effect of HSV-2 status on viral load. However, we did observe that treatment naive, recently HIV-1 infected adults co-infected with HSV-2+ at the time of HIV-1 acquisition had higher CD4+ T cell counts over time. If verified in other cohorts, this result poses a striking paradox, and its public health implications are not immediately clear.Brazilian Program for STD and AIDS, Ministry of HealthSão Paulo City Health DepartmentFundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)NIAID/NIHJohn E. Fogarty International CenterAIDS Research Institute of the AIDS Biology Program at UCSFCoordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Brazilian Ministry of EducationUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Infect Dis, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Calif San Francisco, San Francisco Gen Hosp, Div HIV AIDS, San Francisco, CA USAUniv Calif San Francisco, Dept Expt Med, San Francisco, CA USASao Paula City Hlth Syst, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Infect Dis, São Paulo, BrazilBrazilian Program for STD and AIDS, Ministry of Health: 914/BRA/3014 UNESCO/KallasSão Paulo City Health Department: 2004-0.168.922-7/KallasFAPESP: 04/15856-9/KallasNIAID/NIH: AI066917/BarbourNIAID/NIH: AI064520/NixonJohn E. Fogarty International Center: D43 TW00003Web of Scienc

    Spatiotemporal control of mitosis by the conserved spindle matrix protein Megator

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    A putative spindle matrix has been hypothesized to mediate chromosome motion, but its existence and functionality remain controversial. In this report, we show that Megator (Mtor), the Drosophila melanogaster counterpart of the human nuclear pore complex protein translocated promoter region (Tpr), and the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) protein Mad2 form a conserved complex that localizes to a nuclear derived spindle matrix in living cells. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching experiments supports that Mtor is retained around spindle microtubules, where it shows distinct dynamic properties. Mtor/Tpr promotes the recruitment of Mad2 and Mps1 but not Mad1 to unattached kinetochores (KTs), mediating normal mitotic duration and SAC response. At anaphase, Mtor plays a role in spindle elongation, thereby affecting normal chromosome movement. We propose that Mtor/Tpr functions as a spatial regulator of the SAC, which ensures the efficient recruitment of Mad2 to unattached KTs at the onset of mitosis and proper spindle maturation, whereas enrichment of Mad2 in a spindle matrix helps confine the action of a diffusible “wait anaphase” signal to the vicinity of the spindle

    Faster HIV-1 Disease Progression among Brazilian Individuals Recently Infected with CXCR4-Utilizing Strains

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    Introduction: Primary HIV infection is usually caused by R5 viruses, and there is an association between the emergence of CCXR4-utilizing strains and faster disease progression. We characterized HIV-1 from a cohort of recently infected individuals in Brazil, predicted the virus's co-receptor use based on the env genotype and attempted to correlate virus profiles with disease progression. Methods: A total of 72 recently infected HIV patients were recruited based on the Serologic Testing Algorithm for Recent HIV Seroconversion and were followed every three to four months for up to 78 weeks. The HIV-1 V3 region was characterized by sequencing nine to twelve weeks after enrollment. Disease progression was characterized by CD4+ T-cell count decline to levels consistently below 350 cells/mu L. Results: Twelve out of 72 individuals (17%) were predicted to harbor CXCR4-utilizing strains; a baseline CD4,350 was more frequent among these individuals (p = 0.03). Fifty-seven individuals that were predicted to have CCR5-utilizing viruses and 10 individuals having CXCR4-utilizing strains presented with baseline CD4.350; after 78 weeks, 33 individuals with CCR5 strains and one individual with CXCR4 strains had CD4.350 (p = 0.001). There was no association between CD4 decline and demographic characteristics or HIV-1 subtype. Conclusions: Our findings confirm the presence of strains with higher in vitro pathogenicity during early HIV infection, suggesting that even among recently infected individuals, rapid progression may be a consequence of the early emergence of CXCR4-utilizing strains. Characterizing the HIV-1 V3 region by sequencing may be useful in predicting disease progression and guiding treatment initiation decisions.Brazilian Program for STD and AIDSBrazilian Program for STD and AIDSMinistry of Health [914/BRA/3014-UNESCO/Kallas]Ministry of HealthSao Paulo City Health DepartmentSao Paulo City Health Department [2004-0.168.922-7/Kallas]Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao PauloFundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo [04/15856-9/Diaz]Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES)Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES)Brazilian Ministry of EducationBrazilian Ministry of Educatio

    Unexpected Diversity of Cellular Immune Responses against Nef and Vif in HIV-1-Infected Patients Who Spontaneously Control Viral Replication

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    Background: HIV-1-infected individuals who spontaneously control viral replication represent an example of successful containment of the AIDS virus. Understanding the anti-viral immune responses in these individuals may help in vaccine design. However, immune responses against HIV-1 are normally analyzed using HIV-1 consensus B 15-mers that overlap by 11 amino acids. Unfortunately, this method may underestimate the real breadth of the cellular immune responses against the autologous sequence of the infecting virus. Methodology and Principal Findings: Here we compared cellular immune responses against nef and vif-encoded consensus B 15-mer peptides to responses against HLA class I-predicted minimal optimal epitopes from consensus B and autologous sequences in six patients who have controlled HIV-1 replication. Interestingly, our analysis revealed that three of our patients had broader cellular immune responses against HLA class I-predicted minimal optimal epitopes from either autologous viruses or from the HIV-1 consensus B sequence, when compared to responses against the 15-mer HIV-1 type B consensus peptides. Conclusion and Significance: This suggests that the cellular immune responses against HIV-1 in controller patients may be broader than we had previously anticipated.National Institutes of Health (NIH)[R24 RR015371]Ministry of Health[914/BRA/3014-UNESCO]Sao Paulo City Health Department[2004-0.168.922-7]Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP)[04/15856-9]Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Ni-vel Superior (CAPES), Brazilian Ministry of Educatio

    La gestión académica en pandemia : adecuaciones, innovaciones y desafíos de la Universidad Nacional de Cuyo

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    Este libro remite a un contexto especial e inédito que surge a partir de la pandemia de covid-19. Se trata de un contexto de alcance global signado por efectos intensos y perdurables sobre diferentes aspectos de la realidad social, económica y ambiental. En general, estos efectos provocaron, por un lado, situaciones problemáticas nuevas y, por otro lado, agravaron situaciones problemáticas preexistentes que adquirieron mayor visibilidad. En el caso argentino, las restricciones derivadas de la pandemia agudizaron la brecha socioeducativa existente y, al mismo tiempo, exigieron una gestión ágil, dinámica, resolutiva, propositiva y resiliente, especialmente a las instituciones educativas con el objeto de asegurar el derecho a la educación y su calidad. Lógicamente, la provincia de Mendoza y, por tanto, la Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (UNCUYO) no quedaron exentas de los efectos mencionados. Aunque aún no resulta posible identificar con rigor el impacto concreto que ha tenido la pandemia sobre el funcionamiento del sistema educativo provincial, se pueden entrever algunos indicadores que vale la pena atender. Por ejemplo, el egreso en la oferta de educación superior de la uncuyo registró, en 2020, una caída interanual cercana al -18 % 1. Esta oscilación se torna más relevante si se considera que este indicador se mostraba estable a lo largo de los últimos años.Fil: Castañeda, Linda. Universidad de Murcia.Fil: Viñoles Cosentino, Virginia. Universidad de Murcia.Fil: Falcón, Paulo.Fil: Martínez, Ana María.Fil: Meljin Lombard, Mariela Beatriz. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Artes y Diseño.Fil: Van Den Bosch, Silvia. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias.Fil: Castro, María Eugenia. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Aplicadas a la Industria.Fil: Puebla, Patricia. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas.Fil: Sánchez, Esther Lucía. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas.Fil: González Gaviola, Miguel. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas.Fil: Tarabelli, María Florencia. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales.Fil: Rüttler, María Elena. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas.Fil: Nalda, Gonzalo. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas.Fil: Castiglia, Mariana. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Sociales.Fil: Mussuto, Matías M.. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Derecho.Fil: Griffouliere, María Gabriela. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Educación.Fil: Verstraete, María Ana. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras.Fil: Echagaray, Patricia. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Odontología.Fil: Mirasso, Aníbal. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ingeniería.Fil: Molina, Fabiana. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Tecnológico Universitario.Fil: Corral, Patricia. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Universitario de Seguridad Pública.Fil: Chrabalowski, Marina. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo.Fil: Barrozo, María Ana. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo.Fil: Zabala, Cecilia. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Escuela de Comercio Martín Zapata.Fil: Sauer, Marcelo. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo.Fil: Romero Day, Marcela. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Liceo Agrícola y Enológico Domingo F. Sarmiento.Fil: Marlia, Nora. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Departamento de Aplicación Docente.Fil: Zamorano, Cristina. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Colegio Universitario Central.Fil: Yapura, Susana. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Escuela del Magisterio.Fil: Navarro, María Fernanda. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo.Fil: Bosio, Iris Viviana. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. EDIUNC.Fil: Degiorgi, Horacio. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Sistema Integrado de Documentación.Fil: Bocco, María Susana. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo.Fil: Guayco, Mariana. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo.Fil: Pizzi, Daniel. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo.Fil: Lettelier, Dolores. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Secretaría Académica

    Exercícios de Ciências Físico-Químicas - 9º Ano

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    “A dúvida é o princípio da sabedoria!” - Aristóteles Actualmente, a ciência é um dos pilares fundamentais da Humanidade e uma boa preparação na área científica é deveras importante, sobretudo para aqueles que, no 10º ano de escolaridade, seguem a área científico-tecnológica. Este livro visa ser um auxiliar de estudo para os alunos do 9º ano, ajudando-os na preparação do seu estudo das ciências físicas e químicas, sendo este um ano importante na vida dos estudantes pois é também o ano que “fecha” o 3º ciclo do ensino básico. As três áreas sobre as quais este livro incide são “Em trânsito”, “Sistemas Eléctricos e Electrónicos” e ainda “Classificação dos materiais”, abrangendo três áreas da ciência actualmente em discussão, quer devido ao problema dos recursos e do seu custo, quer no que toca ao desenvolvimento da tecnologia, comunicação e electrónica. Estas três áreas inserem-se no tema “Viver melhor na Terra” e espera-se que, com este auxiliar de estudo, os alunos conheçam ainda melhor o mundo que os rodeia e o campo das ciências em particular. Conclui-se assim que só uma boa preparação científica e uma compreensão rigorosa dos fenómenos do quotidiano permitirá à Ciência avançar e servir o Homem

    GB virus type C infection modulates T-cell activation independently of HIV-1 viral load

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    Background: Many clinical studies have suggested a beneficial effect of GB virus type C (GBV-C) on the course of HIV-1 infection, but the mechanisms involved in such amelioration are not clear. As recent evidence has implicated cellular activation in HIV-1 pathogenesis, we investigated the effect of GBV-C viremia on T-cell activation in early HIV-1 infection. Methods: Forty-eight recently infected HIV-1 patients (23 GBV-C viremic) were evaluated for T-cell counts, expanded immunophenotyping GBV-C RNA detection, and HIV-1 viral load. Nonparametric univariate and multivariate analyses were carried out to identify variables associated with cellular activation, including GBV-C status, HIV-1 viral load, T lymphocyte counts, and CD38 and chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 5 (CCR5) surface expression. Finding: We not only confirmed the positive correlation between HIV-1 viral load and the percentage of T cells positive for CD38(+)CD8(+) but also observed that GBV-C viremic patients had a lower percentage of T cells positive for CD38(+)CD4(+), CD38(+)CD8(+), CCR5(+)CD4(+), and CCR5(+)CD8(+) compared with HIV-1-infected patients who were not GBV-C viremic. In regression models, GBV-C RNA(+) status was associated with a reduction in the CD38 on CD4(+) or CD8(+) T cells and CCR5(+) on CD8(+) T cells, independent of the HIV-1 viral load or CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cell counts. These results were also supported by the lower expression of CD69 and CD25 in GBV-C viremic patients. Interpretation: The association between GBV-C replication and lower T-cell activation may be a key mechanism involved in the protection conferred by this virus against HIV-1 disease progression to immunodeficiency in HIV-1-infected patients. (C) 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & WilkinsBrazilian Program for STD and AIDS, Ministry of Health[914/BRA/3014-UNESCO/Kallas]Sao Paulo City Health Department[2004-0.168.922-7/Kallas]FAPESP Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo[04/15856-9/Diaz]FAPESP Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo[05/01072-9/Levi)]Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES), Brazilian Ministry of Educatio
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