Doença Falciforme, Ancestralidade e Aconselhamento Genético: relações de gênero e direitos reprodutivos no Estado do Pará, Amazônia

A Doença Falciforme (DF) é a síndrome genética mais prevalente do mundo. No Brasil, 3.500 crianças nascem por ano com Anemia Falciforme (AF), a forma sintomática da doença, e 200 mil com o Traço Falciforme (TF), assintomáticos. No Pará, 1% da população possui AF e 4,4%, TF. Avaliamos sintomas clínicos, ancestralidade e autodeclaração de raça/cor. No Hemocentro regional do Pará, investigamos 60 pessoas com AF, com formulário semiestruturado, para compreender manifestações clínicas, relações sociorraciais, gênero, renda, direitos reprodutivos, aconselhamento genético e identidade. É incipiente o aconselhamento genético no Pará e inexiste um setor específico no Hemocentro. As pessoas relatam “evitar filhos porque podem nascer doentes”. 90% deles/as se autodeclaram negros/as, mas 41% tem DNA Europeu. As mulheres têm sintomas mais severos e convivem com renda 50% menor que os homens

Nutritional Efficiency of Forest Species in Natural Regeneration of Tropical Forest in Brazil

The knowledge of the nutritional aspects of native species, mainly in natural regeneration, may be important for understanding their establishment, particularly in areas with low nutrient availability soils, such as tropical soils. This study aimed to determine the biological utilization efficiency (BUE) of the nutrients N, P, K, Ca, and Mg of forest species of natural regeneration in a Lowlands Dense Ombrophilous forest fragment in Pernambuco, Brazil. A phytosociological study of the fragment was carried out and were defined the ten species with the highest absolute density (AD). Three individuals per species were selected. The N, P, K, Ca, and Mg contents were determined in the sample leaves of the species, and the foliar biomass was determined “in loco”. Nine individuals of each species were collected according to the following diameter intervals at the base (DBs): DBsMg>K>Ca>N. The highest BUE of nutrients was of the species Protium heptaphyllum. In tropical soils of low natural fertility, the use of these species can be recommended in environmental reforestation projects. The difference in the nutritional demand of the forest species can indicate the planting of those with greater capacity of absorption and BUE of nutrients, being more efficient in areas of soils with low natural fertility like in the tropical forests

Molecular signatures of neutrophil extracellular traps in human visceral leishmaniasis

Abstract Background Infections with parasites of the Leishmania donovani complex result in clinical outcomes that range from asymptomatic infection to severe and fatal visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Neutrophils are major players of the immune response against Leishmania, but their contribution to distinct states of infection is unknown. Gene expression data suggest the activation of the NETosis pathway during human visceral leishmaniasis. Thus, we conducted an exploratory study to evaluate NET-related molecules in retrospective sera from VL patients, asymptomatic individuals and uninfected endemic controls. Results We demonstrate that VL patients and asymptomatic individuals exhibit differential regulation of molecules associated with neutrophil extracellular traps (NET). These differences were observed at the transcriptional level of genes encoding NET-associated proteins; in quantifications of cell free DNA and metalloproteinase 9; and in enzymatic activity of DNAse and elastase. Moreover, multivariate analysis resulted in class-specific signatures, and ROC curves demonstrate the ability of these molecules in discriminating asymptomatic infection from uninfected controls. Conclusion Molecules that are associated with NETs are differentially regulated between distinct states of infection with L. infantum, suggesting that NETs might have distinct roles depending on the clinical status of infection. Although unlikely to be exclusive for VL, these signatures can be useful to better characterize asymptomatic infections in endemic regions of this disease