IFNG +874T/A polymorphism is not associated with American tegumentary leishmaniasis susceptibility but can influence Leishmania induced IFN-γ production

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Interferon-gamma is a key cytokine in the protective responses against intracellular pathogens. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located in the first intron of the human IFN-γ gene can putatively influence the secretion of cytokine with an impact on infection outcome as demonstrated for tuberculosis and other complex diseases. Our aim was to investigate the putative association of IFNG+874T/A SNP with American tegumentary leishmaniasis (ATL) and also the influence of this SNP in the secretion of IFN-γ <it>in vitro</it>.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Brazilian ATL patients (78 cutaneous, CL, and 58 mucosal leishmaniasis, ML) and 609 healthy volunteers were evaluated. The genotype of +874 region in the IFN-γ gene was carried out by Amplification Refractory Mutational System (ARMS-PCR). <it>Leishmania</it>-induced IFN-γ production on peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) culture supernatants was assessed by ELISA.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There are no differences between +874T/A SNP frequency in cases and controls or in ML versus CL patients. Cutaneous leishmaniasis cases exhibiting AA genotype produced lower levels of IFN-γ than TA/TT genotypes. In mucosal cases, high and low IFN-γ producers were clearly demonstrated but no differences in the cytokine production was observed among the IFNG +874T or A carriers.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results suggest that +874T/A polymorphism was not associated with either susceptibility or severity to leishmaniasis. Despite this, IFNG +874T/A SNP could be involved in the pathogenesis of leishmaniasis by influencing the amount of cytokine released by CL patients, although it could not prevent disease development. On the other hand, it is possible that in ML cases, other potential polymorphic regulatory genes such as TNF-α and IL-10 are also involved thus interfering with IFN-γ secretion.</p

Risk of mortality for small newborns in Brazil, 2011-2018: A national birth cohort study of 17.6 million records from routine register-based linked data.

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth (25 times higher for LBW (HR=25.8; (95% CI:25.5-26.1) compared to normal birth weight (NBW). 18% of all live births were included in one of the small vulnerable newborn phenotypes. Of those 8.2% were term-SGA (4.7%NBW, 3.5%LBW), 0.6% were term-AGA-LBW, 8.3% preterm-AGA (3.8%NBW, 4.5%LBW) and 1.0% preterm-SGA-LBW. Compared to term-AGA-NBW, the highest mortality risk was for preterm-LBW phenotypes (HR=36.2(95%CI 35.6-36.8) preterm-AGA-LBW, HR=62.0(95%CI 60.8-63.2) preterm-SGA-LBW). The increased mortality risk associated with vulnerable newborn phenotypes was highest in the first month of life, with attenuated but continued high risk in the post-neonatal period and 1-4 years of age. INTERPRETATION: Our findings support the value of using more detailed phenotypes to identify those at highest risk. More granular data can inform care at the individual level, advance research, especially for prevention, and accelerate progress towards global targets such as the Sustainable Development Goals. FUNDING: Wellcome Trust

Cohort profile: the 100 million Brazilian cohort

The creation of The 100 Million Brazilian Cohort was motivated by the availability of high quality but dispersed social and health databases in Brazil and the need to integrate data and evaluate the impact of policies aiming to improve the social determinants of health (e.g. social protection policies) on health outcomes, overall and in subgroups of interest in a dynamic cohort. • The baseline of The 100 Million Brazilian Cohort comprises 131 697 800 low-income individuals in 35 358 415 families from 2011 to 2018. The Cohort population is mostly composed of children and young adults, with a higher proportion of females than the general Brazilian population, who identify themselves as Brown and live in the urban area of the country. • Exposure to social protection and the follow-up of individuals are obtained through: (i) deterministic linkage using the Social Identification Number (NIS) to link the Cohort baseline to social protection programmes and to periodically renewed socioeconomic information in Cadatro U ́ nico datasets; and/or (ii) non-deterministic linkage using the CIDACS-RL non-deterministic linkage tool, to link the Cohort baseline to administrative health care datasets such as mortality (Mortality Information System, SIM), disease notification (Information System for Notifiable Diseases, SINAN), birth information (Live Birth Information System, SINASC) and nutrition status (Food and Nutrition Surveillance System, SISVAN). • So far, studies have used The 100 Million Brazilian Cohort to investigate the socioeconomic and demographic determinants of leprosy, leprosy treatment outcomes and low birthweight and to evaluate the impact of the Bolsa Familia Programme (BFP) on leprosy and child mortality. Other studies are now being conducted that are of utmost relevance to the health inequalities of Brazil and many low- and middle-income countries, and many research opportunities are being opened up with the linkage of a range of health outcomes

Genome of Herbaspirillum seropedicae Strain SmR1, a Specialized Diazotrophic Endophyte of Tropical Grasses

The molecular mechanisms of plant recognition, colonization, and nutrient exchange between diazotrophic endophytes and plants are scarcely known. Herbaspirillum seropedicae is an endophytic bacterium capable of colonizing intercellular spaces of grasses such as rice and sugar cane. The genome of H. seropedicae strain SmR1 was sequenced and annotated by The Paraná State Genome Programme—GENOPAR. The genome is composed of a circular chromosome of 5,513,887 bp and contains a total of 4,804 genes. The genome sequence revealed that H. seropedicae is a highly versatile microorganism with capacity to metabolize a wide range of carbon and nitrogen sources and with possession of four distinct terminal oxidases. The genome contains a multitude of protein secretion systems, including type I, type II, type III, type V, and type VI secretion systems, and type IV pili, suggesting a high potential to interact with host plants. H. seropedicae is able to synthesize indole acetic acid as reflected by the four IAA biosynthetic pathways present. A gene coding for ACC deaminase, which may be involved in modulating the associated plant ethylene-signaling pathway, is also present. Genes for hemagglutinins/hemolysins/adhesins were found and may play a role in plant cell surface adhesion. These features may endow H. seropedicae with the ability to establish an endophytic life-style in a large number of plant species

A contribuição da disciplina de introdução à engenharia química no diagnóstico da evasão La contribución del curso "introducción a la ingeniería química" en el diagnostico de la evasión The contribution of introduction to chemical engineering in evasion diagnostic

Um grave problema, ainda não solucionado, que atinge os cursos de graduação em engenharia no país, são as altas taxas de evasão. Estas se devem a diversos fatores, mas em recente pesquisa realizada no curso de engenharia química da Universidade Federal Fluminense - UFF, verificou-se uma grande retenção dos alunos no ciclo básico, causada por altos índices de reprovação, que culminam em abandono. Essa grande retenção provoca também um aumento no tempo médio de permanência na universidade que na média chega a 13 semestres, quando o normal deveria ser de 10 semestres. Menos do que 20% dos alunos conseguem se formar no tempo normal. Estes dados indicam claramente um grande obstáculo a ser vencido, que prejudica a eficiência do sistema de ensino superior. Na busca por soluções, a disciplina de Introdução à Engenharia Química foi incluída no 1º período do curso de Engenharia Química, inicialmente como optativa, com o objetivo de diagnosticar e correlacionar os problemas existentes. As aulas nesta disciplina têm por base melhorar a adaptação do aluno no curso e identificar pontos de conflito. Diversas informações são passadas, sobre a universidade, o curso, a profissão, o mercado, dentre outras, buscando-se sempre motivá-los. Como resultado, verificou-se que o relacionamento professor-aluno é determinante nesta etapa do curso, resultando numa melhora global do rendimento acadêmico dos alunos.<br>La evasión en el programa de ingeniería es un tema bastante estudiado que aun no tiene solución. Estadísticas realizadas recientemente en el Departamento de Ingeniería Química de la Universidade Federal Fluminense - UFF, se observa que la mayoría de los estudiantes registrados en el curso de ingeniería se encuentran en el ciclo básico, el cual es conocido como un obstáculo difícil de pasar para muchos estudiantes, el alto índice de desaprobación es el factor mas importante para que muchos alumnos tomen la decisión de abandonar el curso. Esta grande retención en los ciclos básicos provoca un aumento en el tiempo medio de permanencia en la universidad, de 10 (tiempo normal) para 13 semestres, además de esto, menos del 20% de estudiantes logran graduarse en el tiempo normal. Todo esto indica un enorme obstáculo que daña la eficiencia del sistema de la educación superior. Observando este problema la facultad de ingeniería química da UFF implemento en el primer periodo el curso "Introducción a la Ingeniería Química", el cual tiene por objetivo diagnosticar y correlacionar estos problemas para encontrar la forma de resolverlos. Las clases de esta disciplina tienen el propósito de mejorar la adaptación del estudiante en el programa, dándoles informaciones acerca de la universidad, de los cursos de los trabajos y del mercado laboral, buscando sobre todo motivarlos. Se ha verificado que la relación entre profesores y estudiantes es muy importante en esta experiencia, que resulto en un mejor desempeño académico.<br>It has told a lot about the evasion at the engineering course, but the solution hasn't been found yet. In recent statistics accomplished at the Chemical Engineering from Universidade Federal Fluminense - UFF, it was checked out that the most of the students enrolled are the basic cycle, which becomes, at this way, a difficult obstacle to a lot of students. Several factors influences and the high index of reproval is one of those that causes a big lack of motivation among the students, specially to thoses who are on the first period, where there is the worst situation. This big retention provokes an increasing of average time of permanence in the university to 13 semesters, when the normal time is 10 semesters. Less than 20% of students are able to form in normal time. These indicates a enormous obstacle, which damaged the superior education system efficiency. The subject called Introduction to Chemical Engineering was included in the first period of the curriculum, intending to research about problem and study a way to solve it. The lessons of this subject used to have for purpose getting better the student's adaptation at the course, cooperating for his maturation. Severals informations are passed about the university, the course, the jobs, the marked, having always as an objective motivating the students. It has been verified that the relation teachers-students were very important in this experience, which resulted higher global academic performance

Medidas morfométricas de fêmeas e machos de Oncideres dejeani Thompson, 1868 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) Morphometric measurements of males and females of Oncideres dejeani Thompson, 1868 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

O objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar aspectos morfológicos de Oncideres dejeani que possibilitem a diferenciação sexual destes insetos. Dados da morfometria de 25 casais de insetos obtidos com auxílio de um microscópio estereoscópico e de um paquímetro mostram que o comprimento e a largura dos fêmures dos exemplares machos são menores do que os dos exemplares fêmeas, porém apresentam antenas maiores, havendo uma diferenciação no tamanho das antenas após o quarto antenômero, pelo teste de Mann-Whitney, em 5% de probabilidade de erro. Fêmeas e machos também apresentaram diferenças significativas quanto às medidas de comprimento do élitro, à largura entre os tubérculos, à largura apical do élitro e à largura posterior do protórax. Pela praticidade de obtenção, as medidas do tamanho do corpo e do comprimento de antenas podem ser consideradas suficientes como dados morfométricos de diferenciação sexual desta espécie.<br>The objective of this work was to identify morfologycal aspects of Oncideres dejeani that helps the sexual differentiation of this species. Morphometrics data of 25 couples were analysed with a stereo microscope and pachimeter indicated that femur length and width of male individuals were smaller than on the females however the antennas were larger and there is a differentiation on the antennas length after the forth antennomeres as indicated by the Mann-Whitney test at 5% error probability. Female and male presented significant differences regarding elytra length, width between tubercle, apical width of elytra of hind prothoracic. For their facility in being taken, the measurements of body size and antennae length can be considered enough as morfologycal data hat can be used for sexual differentiation of this species