A Multicenter Study of Bacterial Vaginosis in Women With or at Risk for Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection

Background: Bacterial vaginosis is a common gynecologic infection that has been associated with a variety of gynecologic and obstetric complications, including pelvic inflammatory disease, postabortal infection and premature delivery. Recent studies suggest that bacterial vaginosis may increase a woman’s risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). We undertook this study to assess whether the prevalence and characteristics of bacterial vaginosis differed according to HIV status in high-risk US women. Methods: Prevalence of bacterial vaginosis was assessed by Gram’s stain and clinical criteria for 854 HIV-infected and 434 HIV-uninfected women enrolled in the HIV Epidemiology Research (HER) Study.Multiple logistic regression techniques were used to determine whether HIV infection independently predicted bacterial vaginosis. Results: Almost half (46%) the women had bacterial vaginosis by Gram’s stain. The prevalence of bacterial vaginosis was 47% in the HIV-positive women compared with 44% in the HIV-negativewomen; this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.36). After adjustment for other covariates, HIV-positive women were more likely than HIV-negative women to have bacterial vaginosis (odds ratio (OR) 1.31; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.70) by Gram's stain but not by clinical criteria (OR 1.16; CI 0.87-1.55). Among HIV-positive women, use of antiretroviral drugs was associated with a lower prevalence of bacterial vaginosis (adjusted OR 0.54; Cl 0.38 -0.77). Conclusions: In this cross-sectional analysis of high-risk US women, HIV infection was positively correlated with bacterial vaginosis diagnosed by Gram’s stain

Responding to Hospital Staff’s Paranormal Experiences Related to a Medical Assistance in Dying Room

Staff reported paranormal experiences in connection with the outpatient Medical Assistance in Dying room at the hospital. This case study reports on staff experiences and illustrates how the Ethics team’s role expanded to deal with this novel situation by facilitating an interdisciplinary response

Phospholipase Cγ1 is essential for T cell development, activation, and tolerance

Phospholipase Cγ1 (PLCγ1) is an important signaling effector of T cell receptor (TCR). To investigate the role of PLCγ1 in T cell biology, we generated and examined mice with T cell–specific deletion of PLCγ1. We demonstrate that PLCγ1 deficiency affects positive and negative selection, significantly reduces single-positive thymocytes and peripheral T cells, and impairs TCR-induced proliferation and cytokine production, and the activation of ERK, JNK, AP-1, NFAT, and NF-κB. Importantly, PLCγ1 deficiency impairs the development and function of FoxP3+ regulatory T cells, causing inflammatory/autoimmune symptoms. Therefore, PLCγ1 is essential for T cell development, activation, and tolerance

Mídia e Judiciário: “transparência” e segredo de justiça no caso Sean Goldman

Esta dissertação traz como temática de investigação o atual padrão de relacionamento das duas instituições centrais do Estado democrático – a Mídia e o Poder Judiciário. Dentro deste contexto, pretende-se identificar e analisar as atuais tensões entre Mídia e o Poder Judiciário e compreender como se dá a influência da Imprensa sobre esse Poder do Estado. Para atingir tal objetivo, no plano metodológico, combinam-se as técnicas de pesquisa bibliográfica e de estudo de caso. Quanto à estrutura, o trabalho está dividido em dois capítulos, onde se reúnem o referencial teórico de base e a abordagem da Convenção sobre os Aspectos Civis do Sequestro Internacional de Crianças, seguindo-se o estudo das particularidades do caso do menor Sean Goldman, com as correlatas atividades judiciais, políticas e as estratégias utilizadas pela Mídia, com o fito de interferir nas decisões judiciárias. Houve uma disputa judicial entre o pai norte-americano e a família brasileira, com um componente que tornou este caso especialmente interessante para a mídia: um advogado famoso, membro da tradicional família de juristas Lins e Silva, com expertise justamente em direito de família internacional. Assim, a família brasileira quis manter o caso sob sigilo, mas este se tornou impossível na prática porque já era amplamente divulgado nos Estados Unidos, tanto no noticiário quanto em programas de variedades de grande audiência. Diante da inevitabilidade da midiatização do caso no Brasil, a família brasileira passou a tentar utilizar a mídia a seu favor, investindo na exacerbação da respectiva espetacularização, que elevou uma disputa judicial entre particulares a um incômodo item nas pautas política e diplomática dos dois países, como se fosse um assunto de soberania de Estado. Como conclusão, aponta-se a necessidade de estabelecimento de alguns parâmetros para estruturar e regulamentar a relação entre Imprensa e Poder Judiciário e guiar as estratégias de interferência daquela sobre os processos judiciários no contexto atual, através de regulamentação específica a ser criada pelo órgão brasileiro de controle administrativo do Poder Judiciário, o Conselho Nacional de Justiça (CNJ), visando ao objetivo primário de melhorar as práticas judiciárias dos sistemas de justiça administrativa e, como objetivo secundário, aprimorar a qualidade de algumas práticas jornalísticas em prol da otimização da atividade de comunicação socialThis essay brings as the current standard thematic research of relationship of the two central institutions of democratic State – the media and the Judiciary. Within this context, it is intended to identify and analyze the current tensions between media and the Judiciary and to understand the influence of the press over this power of the State. To achieve this goal, in methodological plan, bibliographic search techniques and case study are combined. On the structure, the work is divided into two chapters, where the basic theoretical referential and the approach of the Convention on the civil aspects of International Abduction of children are gathered, followed by the study of the particularities of the case of the child Sean Goldman, with the related judicial activities, policies and strategies used by the media, with the aim of interfering in judicial decisions. There was a legal dispute between the american father and the brazilian family, with a component that made this event especially interesting for the media: a famous lawyer, member of the traditional family of jurists Lins e Silva, with large expertise in international family law. Thus, the brazilian family wanted to keep the case under secret, but this became impossible in practice because the case was widely publicized in the United States, both in the news and variety programs of large audience. Faced with the inevitability of media`s treatment of the case in Brazil, the brazilian family tried to use the media to your advantage by investing in the exacerbation of the case, which has raised a legal dispute between private parties to a troublesome item in the political and diplomatic agendas of the two countries, as if it were a matter of State sovereignty As a conclusion, points out the need to establish some parameters for structure and regulate the relationship between the press and the judiciary and guiding strategies of that interference on the judicial processes in the current context, using an especific regulamentation to be criated by the Brazilian body of administrative control of the judiciary, the National Judiciary Council (CNJ), are presenting, as a primary goal, to improve judicial practices of administrative justice systems and, as a secondary goal, to improve the quality of some journalistic practices for optimizing media activit

Influence of CR3 (CD11b/CD18) Expression on Phagocytosis of Bordetella pertussis by Human Neutrophils

CR3 (CD11b/CD18) is expressed on neutrophils, and the engagement of CR3 can promote phagocytosis. CR3 serves as the receptor for the Bordetella pertussis adhesin filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) and for the adenylate cyclase toxin (ACT), which blocks neutrophil function. The influence of CR3, FHA, and ACT on the phagocytosis of B. pertussis by human neutrophils was examined. The surface expression and function of CR3 are regulated. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) increased CR3 surface expression, but only TNF-α increased the ability of neutrophils to phagocytose B. pertussis, suggesting that elevated CR3 expression alone is not sufficient to promote phagocytosis. Purified FHA and pertussis toxin also increased the surface expression of CR3 on neutrophils, while ACT and the B subunit of pertussis toxin did not affect CR3 expression. FHA-mediated attachment to CR3 can lead to phagocytosis, especially in the absence of ACT. FHA mutants failed to attach and were not phagocytosed by neutrophils. Similarly, an antibody to CR3 blocked both attachment and phagocytosis. The addition of exogenous FHA enhanced the attachment and phagocytosis of wild-type B. pertussis and FHA mutants. Mutants lacking the SphB1 protease, which cleaves FHA and allows the release of FHA from the bacterial surface, were phagocytosed more efficiently than wild-type bacteria. ACT mutants were efficiently phagocytosed, but wild-type B. pertussis or ACT mutants plus exogenous ACT resisted phagocytosis. These studies suggest that the activation and surface expression of CR3, FHA expression, and the efficiency of ACT internalization all influence whether B. pertussis will be phagocytosed and ultimately killed by neutrophils

Responding to Hospital Staff’s Paranormal Experiences Related to a Medical Assistance in Dying Room

Staff reported paranormal experiences in connection with the outpatient Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) room at the hospital. This case study reports on staff experiences and illustrates how the Ethics team’s role expanded to deal with this novel situation by facilitating an interdisciplinary response

Responding to Hospital Staff’s Paranormal Experiences Related to a Medical Assistance in Dying Room

Staff reported paranormal experiences in connection with the outpatient Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) room at the hospital. This case study reports on staff experiences and illustrates how the Ethics team’s role expanded to deal with this novel situation by facilitating an interdisciplinary response.Le personnel a rendu compte d’expériences paranormales dans le cadre de l’aide médicale à mourir (AMM) à l’hôpital. Cette étude de cas rend compte de l’expérience du personnel et illustre comment le rôle de l’équipe Éthique s’est élargi pour faire face à cette nouvelle situation en facilitant une réponse interdisciplinaire