Prospective multicenter evaluation of real time PCR Kit prototype for early diagnosis of congenital Chagas disease

Background: Current algorithm for Congenital Chagas Disease (cCD) diagnosis is unsatisfactory due to low sensitivity of the parasitological methods. Moreover, loss to follow-up precludes final serodiagnosis after nine months of life in many cases. A duplex TaqMan qPCR kit for Trypanosoma cruzi DNA amplification was prospectively evaluated in umbilical cord (UCB) and peripheral venous blood (PVB) of infants born to CD mothers at endemic and non-endemic sites of Argentina. Methods: We enrolled and followed-up 370 infants; qPCR was compared to gold-standard cCD diagnosis following studies of diagnostic accuracy guidelines. Findings: Fourteen infants (3·78%) had cCD. The qPCR sensitivity and specificity were higher in PVB (72·73%, 99·15% respectively) than in UCB (66·67%, 96·3%). Positive and negative predictive values were 80 and 98·73% and 50 and 98·11% for PVB and UCB, respectively. The Areas under the Curve (AUC) of ROC analysis for qPCR and micromethod (MM) were 0·81 and 0·67 in UCB and 0·86 and 0·68 in PVB, respectively. Parasitic loads ranged from 37·5 to 23,709 parasite equivalents/mL. Discrete typing Unit Tc V was identified in five cCD patients and in six other cCD cases no distinction among Tc II, Tc V or Tc VI was achieved. Interpretation: This first prospective field study demonstrated that qPCR was more sensitive than MM for early cCD detection and more accurate in PVB than in UCB. Its use, as an auxiliary diagnostic tool to MM will provide more accurate records on cCD incidence. Funding: FITS SALUD 001-CHAGAS (FONARSEC, MINCyT, Argentina) to the Public-Private Consortium (INGEBI-CONICET, INP-ANLIS MALBRAN and Wiener Laboratories); ERANET-LAC-HD 328 to AGS and PICT 2015-0074 (FONCYT, MinCyT) to AGS and FA.Fil: Benatar, Alejandro Francisco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular "Dr. Héctor N. Torres"; ArgentinaFil: Danesi, Emmaría. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación.Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán"; ArgentinaFil: Besuschio, Susana Alicia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular "Dr. Héctor N. Torres"; ArgentinaFil: Bortolotti, Santiago. Wiener Laboratorios SAIC; ArgentinaFil: Cafferata, María Luisa. Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria; ArgentinaFil: Ramirez Gomez, Juan Carlos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular "Dr. Héctor N. Torres"; ArgentinaFil: Lopez Albizu, Maria Constanza. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud “Dr. C. G. Malbrán”. Instituto Nacional de Parasitología "Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben”; ArgentinaFil: Scollo, Karenina. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud “Dr. C. G. Malbrán”. Instituto Nacional de Parasitología "Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben”; ArgentinaFil: Baleani, María. Wiener Laboratorios SAIC; ArgentinaFil: Lara, Laura. Instituto de Maternidad y Ginecología ''Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes''; ArgentinaFil: Agolti, Gustavo. Gobierno de la Provincia de Chaco. Hospital Julio César Perrando; ArgentinaFil: Seu, Sandra. Gobierno de la Provincia de Santiago del Estero. Hospital Regional Dr. Ramón Carrillo; ArgentinaFil: Adamo, Elsa. Provincia de Santiago del Estero. Centro Integral de Salud La Banda; ArgentinaFil: Lucero, Raul Horacio. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Instituto de Medicina Regional; ArgentinaFil: Irazu, Lucía. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación.Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán"; ArgentinaFil: Rodriguez, Marcelo. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación.Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán"; ArgentinaFil: Poeylaut Palena, Andrés Alberto. Wiener Laboratorios SAIC; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Longhi, Silvia Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular "Dr. Héctor N. Torres"; ArgentinaFil: Esteva, Mónica Inés. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud “Dr. C. G. Malbrán”. Instituto Nacional de Parasitología "Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben”; ArgentinaFil: Althabe, Fernando. Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Rojkin, Federico. Wiener Laboratorios SAIC; ArgentinaFil: Bua, Jacqueline Elena. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud “Dr. C. G. Malbrán”. Instituto Nacional de Parasitología "Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben”; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Sosa-Estani, Sergio Alejandro. Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria; Argentina. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud “Dr. C. G. Malbrán”. Instituto Nacional de Parasitología "Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben”; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Schijman, Alejandro Gabriel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular "Dr. Héctor N. Torres"; ArgentinaFil: Congenital Chagas Disease Study Group. No especifíca

In the blink of an eye: relating positive-feedback sensitivity to striatal dopamine D2-like receptors through blink rate.

For >30 years, positron emission tomography (PET) has proven to be a powerful approach for measuring aspects of dopaminergic transmission in the living human brain; this technique has revealed important relationships between dopamine D2-like receptors and dimensions of normal behavior, such as human impulsivity, and psychopathology, particularly behavioral addictions. Nevertheless, PET is an indirect estimate that lacks cellular and functional resolution and, in some cases, is not entirely pharmacologically specific. To identify the relationships between PET estimates of D2-like receptor availability and direct in vitro measures of receptor number, affinity, and function, we conducted neuroimaging and behavioral and molecular pharmacological assessments in a group of adult male vervet monkeys. Data gathered from these studies indicate that variation in D2-like receptor PET measurements is related to reversal-learning performance and sensitivity to positive feedback and is associated with in vitro estimates of the density of functional dopamine D2-like receptors. Furthermore, we report that a simple behavioral measure, eyeblink rate, reveals novel and crucial links between neuroimaging assessments and in vitro measures of dopamine D2 receptors

Feminist psychology and violence against women in intimate relations: the (re)construction of therapeutical spaces

O presente documento constitui uma reflexão crítica sobre os pressupostos gerais das metodologias feministas aplicados ao exercício da Psicologia especificamente em contextos terapêuticos. É feita uma breve alusão ao enquadramento histórico que esteve subjacente à emergência da Psicologia feminista, bem como aos princípios que estiveram na base do desenvolvimento de novas e inovadoras práticas terapêuticas dirigidas, sobretudo a mulheres, numa lógica de intervenção feminista. Ao advogar o princípio da emancipação feminina, totalmente adverso ao regime patriarcal, os/as psicólogos/as feministas assumem a sua opção pela não neutralidade da ciência psicológica e das suas práticas e politizam os espaços terapêuticos onde se movimentam. Esta tomada de posição é particularmente significativa nas situações de violência, uma vez que possibilita que as vítimas vejam validadas as suas experiências pessoais.The present document constitutes a critical reflection on general presupposals of feminist methodologies applied in psychological practices, more specifically in therapeutical contexts. A brief reference is made to the historical frame under which Feminist Psychology emerged as well as to the principles that based the development of new and innovative therapeutic practices for women in a feminist intervention approach. By advocating the principle of women's emancipation, totally contrary to the patriarchal regime, feminist psychologists take upon their option for the non-neutrality of psychological science and their practices, thus politicizing therapeutical spaces where they act. This decision making is particularly significant in violent situations, since it makes it possible the victims be acknowledged in their persona experiences