Role of protein kinase R in the killing of Leishmania major by macrophages in response to neutrophil elastase and TLR4 via TNF and IFN

In cutaneous leishmaniasis, Leishmania amazonensis activates macrophage double-stranded, RNA-activated protein kinase R (PKR) to promote parasite growth. In our study, Leishmania major grew normally in RAW cells, RAW-expressing dominant-negative PKR (PKR-DN) cells, and macrophages of PKR-knockout mice, revealing that PKR is dispensable for L. major growth in macrophages. PKR activation in infected macrophages with poly I:C resulted in parasite death. Fifty percent of L. major-knockout lines for the ecotin-like serine peptidase inhibitor (ISP2; Δisp2/isp3), an inhibitor of neutrophil elastase (NE), died in RAW cells or macrophages from 129Sv mice, as a result of PKR activation. Inhibition of PKR or NE or neutralization of Toll-like receptor 4 or 2(TLR4 or TLR2) prevented the death of Δisp2/isp3. Δisp2/isp3 grew normally in RAW-PKR-DN cells or macrophages from 129Sv pkr−/−, tlr2−/−, trif−/−, and myd88−/− mice, associating NE activity, PKR, and TLR responses with parasite death. Δisp2/isp3 increased the expression of mRNA for TNF-α by 2-fold and of interferon β (IFNβ) in a PKR-dependent manner. Antibodies to TNF-α reversed the 95% killing by Δisp2/isp3, whereas they grew normally in macrophages from IFN receptor–knockout mice. We propose that ISP2 prevents the activation of PKR via an NE-TLR4-TLR2 axis to control innate responses that contribute to the killing of L. major.—Faria, M. S., Calegari-Silva, T. C., de Carvalho Vivarini, A., Mottram, J. C., Lopes, U. G., Lima, A. P. C. A. Role of protein kinase R in the killing of Leishmania major by macrophages in response to neutrophil elastase and TLR4 via TNFα and IFNβ

Políticas de salud y de salud mental en Brasil: la exclusión/inclusión social como intención y gesto

This study emphasizes the specific characteristics of the mental health as a health policy in the social political field, in Brazil. The objective of this study is to analyze on the Society/State/Health articulations between the structural policies and the specific politic program by means of the historical rescue of these policies, identifying the characteristics and problems at each moment. Presently, an impact between the two strategies of the psychiatric assistance is observed: the hegemonic, hospital centered model which abducts lives, mutilate bodies and minds and trade the Health and, that one, against to the predominant model, searching the rupture by criticizing the Brazilian society.Trata-se de um ensaio que focaliza as políticas de saúde mental como política de saúde no âmbito das políticas sociais no Brasil. Busca refletir as articulações entre sociedade/Estado/saúde no plano político estrutural e político específico, por meio do resgate histórico das referidas políticas, identificando as características e os problemas de cada momento.Conclui que há na atualidade, um embate entre duas estratégias de assistência psiquiátrica: a do modelo hegemônico, hospitalocéntrico, que seqüestra vidas, mutila corpos e mentes e mercantiliza a saúde, e a do modelo contra-hegemônico, que busca a ruptura pela crítica àquela lógica, para produzir a tolerância para com a diferença, na sociedade brasileira.Este es un ensayo que enfoca las políticas de salud mental como política de salud en el âmbito de las políticas sociales en Brasil. Busca reflexionar las articulaciones entre Sociedad/Estado/Salud, en el piano político estructural y político específico, por medio del rescate histórico de las referidas políticas, identificando las características y los problemas de cada momento. Concluyese que existe hoy dia, un embate entre dos estratégias de asistencia psiquiátrica: la del modelo hegemónico, hospitalocéntrico que secuestra vidas, mutila cuerpos y mentes y mercantiliza la salud; la del modelo contra-hegemónico que busca la ruptura por la crítica a aquella lógica para produzir la tolerancia para con la diferencia, en la sociedad brasileña

Ferromagnetic Levan Composite: An Affinity Matrix to Purify Lectin

A simple and inexpensive procedure used magnetite and levan to synthesize a composite recovered by a magnetic field. Lectins from Canavalia ensiformis (Con A) and Cratylia mollis (Cramoll 1 and Cramoll 1, 4) did bind specifically to composite. The magnetic property of derivative favored washing out contaminating proteins and recovery of pure lectins with glucose elution. Cramoll 1 was purified by this affinity binding procedure in two steps instead of a previous three-step protocol with ammonium sulfate fractionation, affinity chromatography on Sephadex G-75, and ion exchange chromatography through a CM-cellulose column

Canine \u3b2-defensin-1 (CBD1) gene as a possible marker for Leishmania infantum infection in dogs

Canine leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania infantum is a parasitic disease of great veterinary significance. Some dogs infected by L. infantum may mount a strong cellular immune response and clear the infection, while others may respond with exaggerated antibody production against the parasite and develop an overt disease, which may be fatal, if left untreated. The initial factors triggering the polarization of the immune response towards a predominantly T-helper 1 or T-helper 2 cytokines, as well as the markers of resistance and susceptibility to L. infantum infection and disease development in dogs, are not fully understood. Herein, we assessed the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the canine \u3b2-defensin-1 (CBD1) gene and the infection by L. infantum in two dog populations from Brazil (Sobral in Cear\ue1 State and S\ue3o Raimundo Nonato in Piau\ued State) and one dog population from Italy

MANEJO DO MAL-DO-PANAMÁ DA BANANEIRA UTILIZANDO Trichoderma sp. E ÓLEOS ESSENCIAIS DE Lippia sidoides

A bananeira (Musa L. spp.) pertence à família Musaceae e ao gênero Musa, tem origem na Ásia, África e ilhas do Pacífico. Além de saborosa a banana tem vários atrativos nutricionais, é rica em vitaminas A e C, fibras, potássio, carboidratos e um pouco sódio. No Brasil onde a cultura é favorecida pelas condições edafoclimáticas a produção, que corresponde a 60% da cultivar “prata”, é destaque mundial. Dentre as doenças de importância econômica para a bananeira, o mal-do-panamá é uma das mais destrutivas dessa cultura em todo o mundo. A doença é causada pelo fungo habitante do solo Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense que até o momento possuem quatro raças fisiológicas conhecidas, sendo as raças 1, 2 e 4 as mais importantes na cultura da bananeira. Os métodos de controle eficazes contra o mal-do-panamá são restritos, limitando-se em estratégias que focam na exclusão do patógeno e no desenvolvimento de cultivares resistentes. A dificuldade de manejo por técnicas tradicionais intensificam as pesquisas com o controle alternativo e o biológico. Sendo o uso agentes biocontroladores como Thichoderma spp. uma alternativa promissora no manejo da doença

Endosymbiosis in trypanosomatids: the genomic cooperation between bacterium and host in the synthesis of essential amino acids is heavily influenced by multiple horizontal gene transfers

Background Trypanosomatids of the genera Angomonas and Strigomonas live in a mutualistic association characterized by extensive metabolic cooperation with obligate endosymbiotic Betaproteobacteria. However, the role played by the symbiont has been more guessed by indirect means than evidenced. Symbiont-harboring trypanosomatids, in contrast to their counterparts lacking symbionts, exhibit lower nutritional requirements and are autotrophic for essential amino acids. To evidence the symbiont’s contributions to this autotrophy, entire genomes of symbionts and trypanosomatids with and without symbionts were sequenced here. Results Analyses of the essential amino acid pathways revealed that most biosynthetic routes are in the symbiont genome. By contrast, the host trypanosomatid genome contains fewer genes, about half of which originated from different bacterial groups, perhaps only one of which (ornithine cyclodeaminase, EC:4.3.1.12) derived from the symbiont. Nutritional, enzymatic, and genomic data were jointly analyzed to construct an integrated view of essential amino acid metabolism in symbiont-harboring trypanosomatids. This comprehensive analysis showed perfect concordance among all these data, and revealed that the symbiont contains genes for enzymes that complete essential biosynthetic routes for the host amino acid production, thus explaining the low requirement for these elements in symbiont-harboring trypanosomatids. Phylogenetic analyses show that the cooperation between symbionts and their hosts is complemented by multiple horizontal gene transfers, from bacterial lineages to trypanosomatids, that occurred several times in the course of their evolution. Transfers occur preferentially in parts of the pathways that are missing from other eukaryotes. Conclusion We have herein uncovered the genetic and evolutionary bases of essential amino acid biosynthesis in several trypanosomatids with and without endosymbionts, explaining and complementing decades of experimental results. We uncovered the remarkable plasticity in essential amino acid biosynthesis pathway evolution in these protozoans, demonstrating heavy influence of horizontal gene transfer events, from Bacteria to trypanosomatid nuclei, in the evolution of these pathways

Evaluation of a NIR handheld device and PLS-DA for discrimination of six similar amazonian wood species

Supervising wood exploitation can be very challenging due to the existence of many similar species and the reduced number of wood identification experts to meet the demand. There is evidence that valuable endangered wood species are being smuggled disguised as other species. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and chemometrics has been successfully used to discriminate between Amazonian wood species using high resolution instruments. In this study, a handheld spectrometer was evaluated for the discrimination of six visually similar tropical wood species using PLS-DA. Woods of mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) and cedar (Cedrela odorata), both high value tropical timber species included in Appendixes II and III of the CITES, respectively; crabwood (Carapa guianensis); cedrinho (Erisma uncinatum); curupixá (Micropholis melinoniana); and jatobá (Hymenea coubaril). The data for model development and validation take into account both laboratory and field measurements. Outlier exclusion was performed based on Hotelling T2, residuals Q and errors in the estimated class values. The efficiency rates were higher than 90% for all species, showing that the handheld NIR combined with PLS-DA succeeded in discriminate between these species. These results stimulate the application of handheld NIR spectrometers in the supervision of wood exploitation, which can contribute to the species preservation