Quantitative Proteomic Analysis Reveals Changes in the Benchmark Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis Biovar Equi Exoproteome after Passage in a Murine Host

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis biovar equi is the etiologic agent of ulcerative lymphangitis. To investigate proteins that could be related to the virulence of this pathogen, we combined an experimental passage process using a murine model and high-throughput proteomics with a mass spectrometry, data-independent acquisition (LC-MSE) approach to identify and quantify the proteins released into the supernatants of strain 258_equi. To our knowledge, this approach allowed characterization of the exoproteome of a C. pseudotuberculosis equi strain for the first time. Interestingly, the recovery of this strain from infected mouse spleens induced a change in its virulence potential, and it became more virulent in a second infection challenge. Proteomic screening performed from culture supernatant of the control and recovered conditions revealed 104 proteins that were differentially expressed between the two conditions. In this context, proteomic analysis of the recovered condition detected the induction of proteins involved in bacterial pathogenesis, mainly related to iron uptake. In addition, KEGG enrichment analysis showed that ABC transporters, bacterial secretion systems and protein export pathways were significantly altered in the recovered condition. These findings show that secretion and secreted proteins are key elements in the virulence and adaptation of C. pseudotuberculosis. Collectively, bacterial pathogenesis-related proteins were identified that contribute to the processes of adherence, intracellular growth and evasion of the immune system. Moreover, this study enhances our understanding of the factors that may influence the pathogenesis of C. pseudotuberculosis.Fil: Marques Da Silva, Wanderson. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas; Brasil. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique; Francia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Carvalho, Rodrigo D. De Oliveira. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas; BrasilFil: Dorella, Fernanda A.. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Folador, Edson L.. Universidade Federal da Paraíba. Centro de Biotecnologia; BrasilFil: Souza, Gustavo H. M. F.. Waters Corporation; BrasilFil: Pimenta, Adriano M. C.. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas; BrasilFil: Figueiredo, Henrique C. P.. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Le Loir, Yves. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique; FranciaFil: Silva, Artur. Universidade Federal do Pará; BrasilFil: Azevedo, Vasco. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas; Brasi

Glycosylation with O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) induces vascular dysfunction via production of superoxide anion/reactive oxygen species

Overproduction of superoxide anion (•O2-) and O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc)-modification in the vascular system are contributors to endothelial dysfunction. This study tested the hypothesis that increased levels of O-GlcNAc-modified proteins contribute to •O2- production via activation of NADPH oxidase, resulting in impaired vasodilation. Rat aortic segments and vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMCs) were incubated with vehicle (methanol) or PUGNAc (100 µM). PUGNAc produced a time-dependent increase in O-GlcNAc levels in VSMC and decreased endothelium-dependent relaxation, which was prevented by apocynin and Tiron, suggesting that •O2- contributes to endothelial dysfunction under augmented O-GlcNAc levels. Aortic segments incubated with PUGNAc also exhibited increased levels of ROS, assessed by dihydroethidium fluorescence, and augmented •O2- production, determined by lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence. Additionally, PUGNAc treatment increased Nox1 and Nox4 protein expression in aorta and VSMCs. Translocation of p47phox subunit from the cytosol to the membrane was greater in aortas incubated with PUGNAc. VSMCs displayed increased p22phox protein expression after PUGNAc incubation, suggesting that NADPH oxidase is activated in conditions where O-GlcNAc protein levels are increased. In conclusion, O-GlcNAc levels reduce endothelium-dependent relaxation by overproduction of •O2- via activation of NADPH oxidase. This may represent an additional mechanism by which augmented O-GlcNAc levels impair vascular function

Humibacter albus gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from sewage sludge compost

A bacterial strain isolated from sewage sludge compost, strain SC-083T, was characterized. The isolate was a motile, Gram-positive, short rod, forming coryneform V-shaped cells during the early stages of growth. The organism was strictly aerobic and able to grow between 22 and 36 °C and between pH 5.5 and 8.0. The predominant fatty acids were cyclohexyl-C17 : 0, anteiso-C17 : 0 and iso-C16 : 0, the major respiratory quinones were menaquinone 11 (MK-11) and 12 (MK-12), and the genomic DNA G+C content was 68 mol%. The peptidoglycan contained the diagnostic diamino acids ornithine and 2,4-diaminobutyric acid and was of acetyl type. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that this isolate belongs to the family Microbacteriaceae with the type strains of the species Leifsonia xyli (96 % gene sequence similarity), Leifsonia shinshuensis (96 %), Leifsonia naganoensis (95 %), Leifsonia aquatica (95 %), Agromyces ramosus (95 %) and Curtobacterium citreum (95 %) among the closest phylogenetic neighbours. The phylogenetic analysis and phenetic characteristics support the proposal of a new genus and a novel species, with the name Humibacter albus gen. nov., sp. nov. The type strain of Humibacter albus is SC-083T (=DSM 18994T =CCUG 54538T =LMG 23996T

O Estado Novo no controle da informação cotidiana: o caso da cidade de Natal (1941-1943) a partir do jornal “A República”

Daily information disseminated for `informational subjects´ by the Brazilian State went through varied moments of control, repression and silencing. These subjects live, create meanings and memories in this realm. Thus, in the decade of 1940 the city of Natal, capital of the state of Rio Grande do Norte in Brazil has a great deal of presence Second World War conflicts. According to this, the problematic of this research is: Considering memorial evidence present in the Brazilian newspaper A República how was daily information produced and disseminated in the city of Natal from 1941 to 1943?. The research aims to analyze the types of daily information that circulated in that newspaper in Natal considering control apparatus of the “Estado Novo”. Specifically, it is aimed to characterize daily information process in the years of 19371943 under the structure of “Estado Novo”; Identify and categorize informational contents that circulated from 1941 to 1943 in the newspaper as well as to verify in the types of informational contents, the presence of meanings and intentionality, relating them to their producers. Theoretical foundation was based on quotidian of Lefebvre (1991); Heller (1992); Martins (2014), daily information with Xifras-Heras (1975); Gonçalves; Freire (2015) and Memory according to Le Goff (1990), Certeau (2013), Halbwachs (1990), Gondar (2016), Assman (2011) and Pollak (1989). The research is of descriptive nature with a qualitative approach and a hermeneutic-dialectical analysis according to (MYNAYO, 1996) considering also the varied information fonts and corpus delimitation according to the Artificial week (BAUER, 2002) and content analysis (BARDIN, 2009) and categorization technique. The research aims to contribute with studies regarding Natal´s involvement and information control in “Estado Novo” in the decade of 1940. Through this research the understanding of the informational culture is perceived broadening prior research on daily information in the field of Information Science, considered the essential contribution of memory. According to the analysis of A República the production, dissemination and use of daily information, underwent processes of change and were under the control of the Brazilian Department of Press and Propaganda as well as the State Department of Press and Propaganda. It was also seen that in all of its forms, information had collaboration of elite groups as well as local politics.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPESO Estado brasileiro passa por variados momentos de controle, repressão e silenciamento da informação cotidiana, nos quais os sujeitos informacionais vivem, criam significados e conjuntos de lembranças. Diante disso, a década 1940, coloca a cidade de Natal, capital do estado do Rio Grande do Norte, em maior evidencia, frente aos conflitos da Segunda Guerra Mundial. Perante isso, a pesquisa tem como problemática, a partir dos indícios memorialísticos no Jornal A República, analisar como eram produzidas e disseminadas, as informações cotidianas na Cidade de Natal 1941-1943? Com objetivo geral de analisar os tipos de informações cotidianas que circulavam a partir desse jornal e nessa cidade, levando em consideração, os aparatos de controle do Estado Novo. Os objetivos específicos: Especificar como se davam os processos de informação cotidiana dos anos de 1937-1943 na estrutura do Estado Novo; Identificar, categorizar e mapear a partir do Jornal A República quais conteúdos informacionais, circulavam em Natal (1941-1943); Verificar nos conteúdos informacionais, a presença de sentidos e intencionalidades, relacionando-as a seus produtores. Com uma fundamentação teórica no cotidiano de Lefebvre (1991); Heller (1992); Martins (2014), informação cotidiana com Xifras-Heras (1975); Gonçalves; Freire (2015) e em memória, com Le Goff (1990), Certeau (2013), Halbwachs (1990), Gondar (2016), Assman (2011), Pollak (1989). Metodologicamente é uma pesquisa descritiva, com abordagem qualitativa, de análise hermenêutica-dialética (MYNAYO, 1996), de diversas fontes documentais e com recorte de corpus para os jornais com Semana Artificial (BAUER, 2002) e análise de conteúdo (BARDIN, 2009) a partir da técnica de categorização. Nesse sentido, a pesquisa procura, contribuir nos estudos sobre o controle da informação no Estado Novo e Natal na década de 1940 com seu envolvimento na Segunda Guerra. Por meio dessa busca, também o entendimento da cultura informacional, além de alargar as pesquisas sobre informação cotidiana no campo da Ciência da Informação, sendo aqui, o aporte da memória essencial, considerando por fim, que a produção, disseminação e uso da informação cotidiana de acordo com a análise do A República, passara por processos de mudança que atendiam ao controle do Departamento de Imprensa e Propaganda (DIP) e do Departamento Estadual de Imprensa e Propaganda (DEIP), porém, toda forma tinha corroboração dos grupos da maior parte dos grupos da elite e da política local

Imigração e triagem médica para tuberculose

Vulnerable populations, such as migrants and refugees, have an increased risk of tuberculosis disease, especially in the first years after arrival in the host country. The presence of migrants and refugees in Brazil exponentially grew over the period between 2011 and 2020, and approximately 1.3 million migrants from the Global South were estimated to be residing in Brazil, most of whom from Venezuela and Haiti. Tuberculosis control programs for migrants can be divided into pre- and post-migration screening strategies. Pre-migration screening aims to identify cases of tuberculosis infection (TBI) and can be carried out in the country of origin (pre-entry) or in the destination country (at entry). Pre-migration screening can also detect migrants at an increased risk of developing tuberculosis in the future. High-risk migrants are then followed up in post-migration screening. In Brazil, migrants are considered a priority group for the active search for tuberculosis cases. However, there is no recommendation or plan regarding screening for TBI in migrants and refugees. Ensuring prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for TBI and tuberculosis disease in migrant populations is an important aspect of tuberculosis control and elimination. In this review article, we address epidemiological aspects and access to health care for migrants in Brazil. In addition, the migration medical screening for tuberculosis was reviewed.Populações vulneráveis, como imigrantes e refugiados, apresentam maior risco de tuberculose doença, especialmente nos primeiros anos após a chegada ao país de acolhimento. A presença de imigrantes e refugiados no Brasil cresceu exponencialmente no período entre 2011 e 2020, sendo estimado que aproximadamente 1,3 milhão de imigrantes do Sul Global residiam no Brasil, a maioria proveniente da Venezuela e do Haiti. Os programas de controle da tuberculose para imigrantes podem ser divididos em estratégias de triagem pré- e pós-migração. A triagem pré-migração visa identificar casos de tuberculose infecção (TBI) e pode ser realizada no país de origem (pré-entrada) ou no país de destino (no momento da entrada). A triagem pré-migração também pode detectar imigrantes com maior risco de desenvolver tuberculose no futuro. Os imigrantes de alto risco são então acompanhados na triagem pós-migração. No Brasil, os imigrantes são considerados um grupo prioritário para a busca ativa de casos de tuberculose. No entanto, não há recomendação ou plano sobre triagem para TBI em imigrantes e refugiados. Garantir a prevenção, o diagnóstico e o tratamento da TBI e da tuberculose doença em populações imigrantes é um aspecto importante do controle e eliminação da tuberculose. Neste artigo de revisão, abordamos aspectos epidemiológicos e acesso à saúde para imigrantes no Brasil. Além disso, revisou-se a triagem médica de imigrantes para tuberculose

Green tea as a promising extract of active food packaging

Introduction: Tea is one of the most popular and frequently consumed beverages in the world and its consumption dates back to more than 2000 years in China and then spread to other areas including Japan and later on to Europe (Zhao et al., 2014). Green tea is produced from Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze leaf infusion and is well known for its pleasant flavour and is associated with positive health effects. The biological activity of green tea is related with the considerable amount of catechins and other phenolic compounds, in particular flavonols and phenolic acids, present in its composition (Zhao et al., 2014). These phenolic compounds prevent the oxidative damage through their antioxidant activity and also reduce the risk of cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases (Lorenzo et al., 2014). The process of oxidation is one of the most common mechanisms of degradation of foodstuffs and it can alter food texture and colour, decrease nutritional quality, develop off-odours and also produce possible toxic compounds. As a consequence, the shelf-life and commercial acceptability of the food products decrease. Currently, one of the major concerns of the consumers is the impact of food on health. In line with this, food industry is trying to substitute synthetic additives by natural compounds. These can be directly added to food or incorporated in food packaging with the aim of being controlled released throughout the product shelf life. This concept is so-called Active packaging and allows the packaging to positively interact with foods to increase food shelf-life. This interaction can be due to the intended release of compounds from packaging to the foods or to their headspace, or due to the scavenging of compounds by the packaging from the packaged foods. Due to the antioxidant capacity of green tea, its extract can be proposed as an alternative to synthetic antioxidants (Giménez et al., 2013). In fact, it has already been applied in active food packaging. Material and Methods: The present review focuses on the application of green tea extract in active packaging. In this regard, an extensive bibliographic research was carried out in order to evaluate the polymers already used to incorporate green tea extract, as well as the mechanical and barrier properties and efficiency of these packaging systems in contact with foods. Results and Discussion: The chemical composition of tea leaves on active compounds with antioxidant activity is well documented. Bioactive constituents of the tea leaves include catechin gallates such as epigallocatechin gallate and gallocatechin gallate (López de Dicastillo et al., 2011). However the levels of these compounds depend on many factors, such as the edaphoclimatic conditions and drying conditions of the Camellia sinensis leaves. Moreover the extraction and analysis methods can also have a great influence in their content. Green tea extract has already been incorporated into different polymers. In fact, most of them are edible such as proteic films from distilled dry beans (Yang et al., 2016), agar (Lacey et al., 2014), chitosan (Siripatrawan et al., 2012; Siripatrawan et al., 2010) and gelatine (Hong et al (2009). Green tea extract (GTE) can offers protection against oxidation, significantly reducing rancidity and thereby extending the shelf-life of packaged foods. Moreover the sensory analysis also demonstrated that packaged food was unaffected by GTE (Carrizo et al., 2016). According to Yang et al. (2016), the incorporation of the GTE did not alter the physical properties of the films. According to Siripatrawan et al. (2010), the incorporation of GTE improved the mechanical and water vapour barrier properties. In general, GTE provides a very positive impact in the reduction of oxidation of all types of food, from aqueous to fatty (López de Dicastillo et al., 2011), although most of the studies selected meat (e.g. pork, pork sausages, pork loins), or fish products (e.g. fillets of hake, salted sardines) to test the efficiency of the active films. Conclusion: Green tea has great potential of application in active food packaging due to its antioxidant capacity. Therefore, in the near future, is it possible that new food packaging based on GTE will arise in the market. However, more studies are require to elucidate about the concentrations of GTE that do not affect or affect positively the mechanical or barrier properties of the packaging and that are effective as oxidation inhibitors of packaged foodsThis work was supported by the research project “Development of methodologies for the evaluation of polymeric food packaging components and determination of their structural and mechanical properties” (2016DAN 1289) funded by the National Institute of Health Dr Ricardo Jorge, I.P., Lisbon, Portugal.N/