Genome of the Avirulent Human-Infective Trypanosome—Trypanosoma rangeli

Background: Trypanosoma rangeli is a hemoflagellate protozoan parasite infecting humans and other wild and domestic mammals across Central and South America. It does not cause human disease, but it can be mistaken for the etiologic agent of Chagas disease, Trypanosoma cruzi. We have sequenced the T. rangeli genome to provide new tools for elucidating the distinct and intriguing biology of this species and the key pathways related to interaction with its arthropod and mammalian hosts.  Methodology/Principal Findings: The T. rangeli haploid genome is ,24 Mb in length, and is the smallest and least repetitive trypanosomatid genome sequenced thus far. This parasite genome has shorter subtelomeric sequences compared to those of T. cruzi and T. brucei; displays intraspecific karyotype variability and lacks minichromosomes. Of the predicted 7,613 protein coding sequences, functional annotations could be determined for 2,415, while 5,043 are hypothetical proteins, some with evidence of protein expression. 7,101 genes (93%) are shared with other trypanosomatids that infect humans. An ortholog of the dcl2 gene involved in the T. brucei RNAi pathway was found in T. rangeli, but the RNAi machinery is non-functional since the other genes in this pathway are pseudogenized. T. rangeli is highly susceptible to oxidative stress, a phenotype that may be explained by a smaller number of anti-oxidant defense enzymes and heatshock proteins.  Conclusions/Significance: Phylogenetic comparison of nuclear and mitochondrial genes indicates that T. rangeli and T. cruzi are equidistant from T. brucei. In addition to revealing new aspects of trypanosome co-evolution within the vertebrate and invertebrate hosts, comparative genomic analysis with pathogenic trypanosomatids provides valuable new information that can be further explored with the aim of developing better diagnostic tools and/or therapeutic targets

Nosocomial infection in a newborn intensive care unit (NICU), South Korea

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the occurrence of nosocomial infections (NIs), including infection rates, main infection sites, and common microorganisms. Patients included in the study were taken from a newborn intensive care unit (NICU), in a hospital in South Korea. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed by reviewing chart. The subjects were 489 neonates who were admitted to the NICU, survived longer than 72 hours, and not transferred to another unit, between Jan. 1. 1995 to Sep. 30, 1999. NIs were identified according to the NNIS definition. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Cumulative incidence rate for NIs was 30.3 neonates out of 100 admissions, with a total of 44.6 infections. The incidence density was average 10.2 neonates and 15.1 infections per 1000 patient days. The most common infections were pneumonia (28%), bloodstream infection (26%), and conjunctivitis (22%). Major pathogens were Gram-positives such as Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci. The factors associated with NI was less than 1500 g of birth weight, less than 32 weeks of gestational age, and less than 8 of apgar score. There's no statistical difference in discharge status between two groups, but hospital stay was longer in subjects with nosocomial infection than those without infection. CONCLUSION: Although the distribution of pathogens was similar to previous reports, a high rate of nosocomial infection and in particular conjunctivitis was observed in this study that merits further evaluation

SNOMED-CT como modelo de sistema de linguagem padronizada à enfermagem: revisão integrativa

RESUMOObjetivo: Descrever a utilização do Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine – Clinical Terms (SNOMED-CT) como modelo de interoperabilidade das terminologias da enfermagem no contexto nacional e internacional.Metodologia: Trata-se de revisão integrativa da literatura segundo Cooper, que buscou artigos em português, inglês e espanhol, publicados entre setembro de 2011 a novembro de 2018 nas bases de dados BVS, PubMed, SCOPUS, CINAHL, EMBASE e Web of Science, finalizando em uma amostra de 15 artigos.Resultados: O SNOMED-CT é uma nomenclatura multiprofissional utilizada pela enfermagem em diferentes contextos de cuidado, sendo associada com outras linguagens padronizadas da disciplina, como CIPE®, NANDA-I e Omaha System.Conclusão: Esta revisão mostrou que o uso do SNOMED-CT é incipiente no contexto nacional, justificando a necessidade de desenvolvimento de estudos visando o mapeamento dos sistemas de linguagem padronizadas existentes, especialmente a NANDA-I, CIPE® e Omaha System, para fins de adequar a implementação do SNOMED-CT.Palavras-chave: Informática em enfermagem. Terminologia padronizada em enfermagem. Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine. Classificação. Interoperabilidade da informação em saúde

Remote Data Retrieval for Bioinformatics Applications: An Agent Migration Approach

Some of the approaches have been developed to retrieve data automatically from one or multiple remote biological data sources. However, most of them require researchers to remain online and wait for returned results. The latter not only requires highly available network connection, but also may cause the network overload. Moreover, so far none of the existing approaches has been designed to address the following problems when retrieving the remote data in a mobile network environment: (1) the resources of mobile devices are limited; (2) network connection is relatively of low quality; and (3) mobile users are not always online. To address the aforementioned problems, we integrate an agent migration approach with a multi-agent system to overcome the high latency or limited bandwidth problem by moving their computations to the required resources or services. More importantly, the approach is fit for the mobile computing environments. Presented in this paper are also the system architecture, the migration strategy, as well as the security authentication of agent migration. As a demonstration, the remote data retrieval from GenBank was used to illustrate the feasibility of the proposed approach

Multiplex Real-Time PCR Assay Using TaqMan Probes for the Identification of Trypanosoma cruzi DTUs in Biological and Clinical Samples

Background: Trypanosoma cruzi has been classified into six Discrete Typing Units (DTUs), designated as TcI–TcVI. In order to effectively use this standardized nomenclature, a reproducible genotyping strategy is imperative. Several typing schemes have been developed with variable levels of complexity, selectivity and analytical sensitivity. Most of them can be only applied to cultured stocks. In this context, we aimed to develop a multiplex Real-Time PCR method to identify the six T. cruzi DTUs using TaqMan probes (MTq-PCR).Methods/Principal Findings: The MTq-PCR has been evaluated in 39 cultured stocks and 307 biological samples from vectors, reservoirs and patients from different geographical regions and transmission cycles in comparison with a multi-locus conventional PCR algorithm. The MTq-PCR was inclusive for laboratory stocks and natural isolates and sensitive for direct typing of different biological samples from vectors, reservoirs and patients with acute, congenital infection or Chagas reactivation. The first round SL-IR MTq-PCR detected 1 fg DNA/reaction tube of TcI, TcII and TcIII and 1 pg DNA/reaction tube of TcIV, TcV and TcVI reference strains. The MTq-PCR was able to characterize DTUs in 83% of triatomine and 96% of reservoir samples that had been typed by conventional PCR methods. Regarding clinical samples, 100% of those derived from acute infected patients, 62.5% from congenitally infected children and 50% from patients with clinical reactivation could be genotyped. Sensitivity for direct typing of blood samples from chronic Chagas disease patients (32.8% from asymptomatic and 22.2% from symptomatic patients) and mixed infections was lower than that of the conventional PCR algorithm.Conclusions/Significance: Typing is resolved after a single or a second round of Real-Time PCR, depending on the DTU. This format reduces carryover contamination and is amenable to quantification, automation and kit production.This work received financial support from the Ministry of Science and Technology of Argentina [PICT 2011-0207 to AGS] and the National Scientific and Technical Research Council in Argentina (CONICET) [PIP 112 2011-010-0974 to AGS]. Work related to evaluation of biological samples was partially sponsored by the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) [Small Grants Program PAHO-TDR]; the Drugs and Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi, Geneva, Switzerland), Wellcome Trust (London, United Kingdom), SANOFI-AVENTIS (Buenos Aires, Argentina) and the National Council for Science and Technology in Mexico (CONACYT) [FONSEC 161405 to JMR]

Over-the-Counter Monocyclic Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs in Environment—Sources, Risks, Biodegradation

Recently, the increased use of monocyclic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs has resulted in their presence in the environment. This may have potential negative effects on living organisms. The biotransformation mechanisms of monocyclic nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the human body and in other mammals occur by hydroxylation and conjugation with glycine or glucuronic acid. Biotransformation/biodegradation of monocyclic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the environment may be caused by fungal or bacterial microorganisms. Salicylic acid derivatives are degraded by catechol or gentisate as intermediates which are cleaved by dioxygenases. The key intermediate of the paracetamol degradation pathways is hydroquinone. Sometimes, after hydrolysis of this drug, 4- aminophenol is formed, which is a dead-end metabolite. Ibuprofen is metabolized by hydroxylation or activation with CoA, resulting in the formation of isobutylocatechol. The aim of this work is to attempt to summarize the knowledge about environmental risk connected with the presence of over-the-counter antiinflammatory drugs, their sources and the biotransformation and/or biodegradation pathways of these drugs

Efeito do biofeedback no coping da equipe de enfermagem: ensaio clínico randomizado

Resumo Objetivo Avaliar o efeito do Biofeedback cardiovascular sobre os níveis de coping dos profissionais da enfermagem de um hospital universitário, quando comparado com uma atividade informatizada sem automonitoramento. Métodos Ensaio clínico randomizado, com dois grupos, Biofeedback e placebo, realizado com 115 profissionais de enfermagem de um hospital universitário. Os grupos participaram de nove encontros por três semanas. O desfecho foi avaliado pelo Inventário de Respostas de Coping no Trabalho, versão brasileira, aplicado prévio a primeira sessão e imediatamente após a sessão final. A análise do desfecho foi feita pela ANCOVA , considerando α = 5%. Resultados A variação das Respostas de Enfrentamento apresentou efeito estatisticamente significativo, o grupo controle apresentou aumento de 0,17 pontos nesta variação quando comparado ao grupo intervenção ( h 2 = 0,07; p=0,004). A variação das Respostas de Evitação e do Nível Geral de Coping não evidenciou efeito estatisticamente significativo na interação grupo/tempo (respectivamente, p=0,471 e p=0,786). Conclusão A intervenção com Biofeedback cardiovascular demonstrou não ter efeito superior ao placebo na melhora dos níveis de coping

SNOMED-CT como modelo de sistema de linguagem padronizada à enfermagem: revisão integrativa

RESUMOObjetivo: Descrever a utilização do Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine – Clinical Terms (SNOMED-CT) como modelo de interoperabilidade das terminologias da enfermagem no contexto nacional e internacional.Metodologia: Trata-se de revisão integrativa da literatura segundo Cooper, que buscou artigos em português, inglês e espanhol, publicados entre setembro de 2011 a novembro de 2018 nas bases de dados BVS, PubMed, SCOPUS, CINAHL, EMBASE e Web of Science, finalizando em uma amostra de 15 artigos.Resultados: O SNOMED-CT é uma nomenclatura multiprofissional utilizada pela enfermagem em diferentes contextos de cuidado, sendo associada com outras linguagens padronizadas da disciplina, como CIPE®, NANDA-I e Omaha System.Conclusão: Esta revisão mostrou que o uso do SNOMED-CT é incipiente no contexto nacional, justificando a necessidade de desenvolvimento de estudos visando o mapeamento dos sistemas de linguagem padronizadas existentes, especialmente a NANDA-I, CIPE® e Omaha System, para fins de adequar a implementação do SNOMED-CT.Palavras-chave: Informática em enfermagem. Terminologia padronizada em enfermagem. Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine. Classificação. Interoperabilidade da informação em saúde