Doença meningocócica: epidemiologia e controle dos casos secundários

Epidemiological features of meningococcal disease described as from the second half of the 80's inclusive, have motivated a revision of current guidelines for sporadic disease and outbreak control. The increase of disease among teenagers and linked cases involving schools are the two most significant aspects that have prompted the revision of control measures. Vaccination routines and advice for the disease management of clusters are also relevant features recently revised. This present paper describes the management and some epidemiological features of secondary cases.Aspectos epidemiológicos da doença meningocócica registrados a partir da segunda metade da década de 80 impulsionaram as autoridades de saúde pública a discutirem as medidas de controle disponíveis. A ocorrência da doença entre adolescentes e o registro de surtos envolvendo escolas são os dois pontos que mais pressionaram uma revisão das medidas de controle disponíveis. O uso das vacinas antimeningocócicas polissacarídeas e as recomendações para o controle de surtos localizados (clusters) são outros aspectos que mereceram atenção recentemente. Objetivou, assim, apresentar um panorama atual de alguns aspectos da epidemiologia e do controle dos casos secundários da doença meningocócica

T. cruzi OligoC-TesT: A Simplified and Standardized Polymerase Chain Reaction Format for Diagnosis of Chagas Disease

Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis) is caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi and represents a major public health problem in Latin America. Furthermore, growing human population movements extend the disease distribution to regions outside the South American continent. Accurate diagnosis is crucial in patient care and in preventing transmission through blood transfusion, organ transplantation, or vertical transmission from mother to child. Routine diagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi infection generally is based on detection of the host's antibodies against the parasite. However, antibody detection tests are liable to specificity problems and are of limited use in assessing treatment outcome and congenital infections. The introduction of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify specific DNA sequences opened promising diagnostic perspectives. Despite its reported high sensitivity and specificity, broad use of the PCR technique in diagnosis of Chagas disease is hampered by its complexity and the lack of any standardization. We here present the development and evaluation of the T. cruzi OligoC-TesT, a simple and standardized dipstick format for detection of PCR amplified T. cruzi DNA. The new tool is an important step towards simplified and standardized molecular diagnosis of Chagas disease

Different Mi-2 Complexes for Various Developmental Functions in Caenorhabditis elegans

Biochemical purifications from mammalian cells and Xenopus oocytes revealed that vertebrate Mi-2 proteins reside in multisubunit NuRD (Nucleosome Remodeling and Deacetylase) complexes. Since all NuRD subunits are highly conserved in the genomes of C. elegans and Drosophila, it was suggested that NuRD complexes also exist in invertebrates. Recently, a novel dMec complex, composed of dMi-2 and dMEP-1 was identified in Drosophila. The genome of C. elegans encodes two highly homologous Mi-2 orthologues, LET-418 and CHD-3. Here we demonstrate that these proteins define at least three different protein complexes, two distinct NuRD complexes and one MEC complex. The two canonical NuRD complexes share the same core subunits HDA-1/HDAC, LIN-53/RbAp and LIN-40/MTA, but differ in their Mi-2 orthologues LET-418 or CHD-3. LET-418 but not CHD-3, interacts with the Krüppel-like protein MEP-1 in a distinct complex, the MEC complex. Based on microarrays analyses, we propose that MEC constitutes an important LET-418 containing regulatory complex during C. elegans embryonic and early larval development. It is required for the repression of germline potential in somatic cells and acts when blastomeres are still dividing and differentiating. The two NuRD complexes may not be important for the early development, but may act later during postembryonic development. Altogether, our data suggest a considerable complexity in the composition, the developmental function and the tissue-specificity of the different C. elegans Mi-2 complexes

Doença meningocócica: epidemiologia e controle dos casos secundários

Aspectos epidemiológicos da doença meningocócica registrados a partir da segunda metade da década de 80 impulsionaram as autoridades de saúde pública a discutirem as medidas de controle disponíveis. A ocorrência da doença entre adolescentes e o registro de surtos envolvendo escolas são os dois pontos que mais pressionaram uma revisão das medidas de controle disponíveis. O uso das vacinas antimeningocócicas polissacarídeas e as recomendações para o controle de surtos localizados (clusters) são outros aspectos que mereceram atenção recentemente. Objetivou, assim, apresentar um panorama atual de alguns aspectos da epidemiologia e do controle dos casos secundários da doença meningocócica

Evidence for a gonadal nonsteroidal factor that specifically inhibits release of luteinizing hormone in ewes

International audienc

Evidence that the corpus luteum of pregnancy contributes to the control of tonic secretion of LH in the ewe

International audienc

Evidence for a gonadal nonsteroidal factor that specifically inhibits release of luteinizing hormone in ewes

International audienc

Evidence that the corpus luteum of pregnancy contributes to the control of tonic secretion of LH in the ewe

International audienc