Effect of partially purified fumonisins on cellular immune response in experimental murine paracoccidioidomycosis

Fumonisins are mycotoxins produced mainly by Fusarium verticillioides, which can modulate the immune response. Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM), caused by the fungus Paracoccodioides brasiliensis (Pb), is one of the most important systemic mycoses in Latin America. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the partially purified fumonisins on cellular immune response in mice infected with Pb. Four groups of male BALB/c mice were used. Groups PB and PB/FB were inoculated i.v. with 1 × 105 Pb yeast cells and, after 28 days, groups FB and PB/FB were inoculated (s.c.) with partially purified fumonisin B1 from F. verticillioides (5 × 2.25 mg FB1/kg body weight). After 7 days, cellular immune response was evaluated by delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) and lymphoproliferative assays (LA) using spleen cells. Nitric oxide (NO) production by spleen cells was also evaluated. The specific LA response to Pb antigen was higher in group PB than in FB and CTR groups (p< 0.05) but not significant with PB/FB. The DTH response was higher in infected than non infected groups (p<0.05) but also no significantly with PB and PB/FB groups. The lyphoproliferative response to ConA was decreased in FB or PB/FB in relation to CTR (p<0.05) but not with PB/FB and also a reduction of NO levels was observed in fumonisin treated in relation to control group FB1/kg (p<0.05). In conclusion, fumonisin B1 or other components of F. verticillioides extracts significantly suppress the unspecific cellular immune response and the NO production by splenocytes from P. brasiliensis infected or not infected BALB/c mice.Keywords: Fumonisin, Paracoccodioides brasiliensis, lymphoproliferative assay, nitric oxideAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(42), pp. 6126-613

Data on prevalence and risk factors associated with Toxocara spp infection, atopy and asthma development in Northeast Brazilian school children.

In the present article, we provide shortly, data on risk factors for acquiring Toxocara spp. infection and investigate possible associations between this infection with atopy and asthma in school children of a small town and its semi-rural areas of Northeast Brazil. The data set are composed by demographic, social and home environment variables. The detection of anti-Toxocara spp. IgG and specific IgE to aeroallergens was determined by ELISA and ImmunocAP/Phadiatrope systems, respectively. The data presented in this article are related to the article entitled "Risk factors for Toxocara spp. seroprevalence and its association with atopy and asthma phenotypes in school-age children in a small town and semi-rural areas of Northeast Brazil" (M.B. Silva, A.L. Amor, L.N. Santos, A.A. Galvão, A.V. Oviedo Vera, E.S. Silva et al., 2016) [1]

Angular dependence of the bulk nucleation field Hc2 of aligned MgB2 crystallites

The angular dependence of the bulk nucleation field of a sample made of aligned MgB2 crystallites was obtained using dc magnetization and ac susceptibility measurements. A good fitting of the data by the three-dimensional anisotropic Ginzburg-Landau theory attests to the bulk nature of the critical field H-c2. We found a mass anisotropy ratio epsilon2 approximate to0.39 that implies an anisotropy of the Fermi velocity, with a ratio of 1.6 between the in-plane and perpendicular directions, if an isotropic gap energy is assumed. For an s-wave anisotropic gap this ratio could increase to 2.5. Besides the fundamental implications of this result, it also implies the use of texturization techniques to optimize the critical current in wires and other polycrystalline forms of MgB2.641

RNAi-mediated suppression of vimentin or glial fibrillary acidic protein prevents the establishment of Müller glial cell hypertrophy in progressive retinal degeneration.

Gliosis is a complex process comprising upregulation of intermediate filament (IF) proteins, particularly glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and vimentin, changes in glial cell morphology (hypertrophy) and increased deposition of inhibitory extracellular matrix molecules. Gliosis is common to numerous pathologies and can have deleterious effects on tissue function and regeneration. The role of IFs in gliosis is controversial, but a key hypothesized function is the stabilization of glial cell hypertrophy. Here, we developed RNAi approaches to examine the role of GFAP and vimentin in vivo in a murine model of inherited retinal degeneration, the Rhodopsin knockout (Rho-/- ) mouse. Specifically, we sought to examine the role of these IFs in the establishment of Müller glial hypertrophy during progressive degeneration, as opposed to (more commonly assessed) acute injury. Prevention of Gfap upregulation had a significant effect on the morphology of reactive Müller glia cells in vivo and, more strikingly, the reduction of Vimentin expression almost completely prevented these cells from undergoing degeneration-associated hypertrophy. Moreover, and in contrast to studies in knockout mice, simultaneous suppression of both GFAP and vimentin expression led to severe changes in the cytoarchitecture of the retina, in both diseased and wild-type eyes. These data demonstrate a crucial role for Vimentin, as well as GFAP, in the establishment of glial hypertrophy and support the further exploration of RNAi-mediated knockdown of vimentin as a potential therapeutic approach for modulating scar formation in the degenerating retina

LES-based Study of the Roughness Effects on the Wake of a Circular Cylinder from Subcritical to Transcritical Reynolds Numbers

This paper investigates the effects of surface roughness on the flow past a circular cylinder at subcritical to transcritical Reynolds numbers. Large eddy simulations of the flow for sand grain roughness of size k/D = 0.02 are performed (D is the cylinder diameter). Results show that surface roughness triggers the transition to turbulence in the boundary layer at all Reynolds numbers, thus leading to an early separation caused by the increased momentum deficit, especially at transcritical Reynolds numbers. Even at subcritical Reynolds numbers, boundary layer instabilities are triggered in the roughness sublayer and eventually lead to the transition to turbulence. The early separation at transcritical Reynolds numbers leads to a wake topology similar to that of the subcritical regime, resulting in an increased drag coefficient and lower Strouhal number. Turbulent statistics in the wake are also affected by roughness; the Reynolds stresses are larger due to the increased turbulent kinetic energy production in the boundary layer and separated shear layers close to the cylinder shoulders.We acknowledge “Red Española de Surpercomputación” (RES) for awarding us access to the MareNostrum III machine based in Barcelona, Spain (Ref. FI-2015-2-0026 and FI-2015-3-0011). We also acknowledge PRACE for awarding us access to Fermi and Marconi Supercomputers at Cineca, Italy (Ref. 2015133120). Oriol Lehmkuhl acknowledges a PDJ 2014 Grant by AGAUR (Generalitat de Catalunya). Ugo Piomelli acknowledges the support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada under the Discovery Grant Programme (Grant No. RGPIN-2016-04391). Ricard Borrell acknowledges a Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral grant (IJCI-2014-21034). Ivette Rodriguez, Oriol Lehmkuhl, Ricard Borrell and Assensi Oliva acknowledge Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Secretaría de Estado de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación, Spain (ref. ENE2014-60577-R).Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Binary orbits as the driver of γ-ray emission and mass ejection in classical novae

Classical novae are the most common astrophysical thermonuclear explosions, occurring on the surfaces of white dwarf stars accreting gas from companions in binary star systems. Novae typically expel �10,000 solar masses of material at velocities exceeding 1,000 km/s. However, the mechanism of mass ejection in novae is poorly understood, and could be dominated by the impulsive flash of the thermonuclear runaway, prolonged optically thick winds, or binary interaction with the nova envelope. Classical novae are now routinely detected in GeV gamma-rays, suggesting that relativistic particles are accelerated by strong shocks in nova ejecta. Here we present high-resolution imaging of the gamma-ray-emitting nova V959 Mon at radio wavelengths, showing that its ejecta were shaped by binary motion: some gas was expelled rapidly along the poles as a wind from the white dwarf, while denser material drifted out along the equatorial plane, propelled by orbital motion. At the interface between the equatorial and polar regions, we observe synchrotron emission indicative of shocks and relativistic particle acceleration, thereby pinpointing the location of gamma-ray production. Binary shaping of the nova ejecta and associated internal shocks are expected to be widespread among novae, explaining why many novae are gamma-ray emitters

Association Of Growth And Nutritional Parameters With Pulmonary Function In Cystic Fibrosis: A Literature Review

Objective To review the literature addressing the relationship of growth and nutritional parameters with pulmonary function in pediatric patients with cystic fibrosis. Data source A collection of articles published in the last 15 years in English, Portuguese and Spanish was made by research in electronic databases – PubMed, Cochrane, Medline, Lilacs and Scielo – using the keywords cystic fibrosis, growth, nutrition, pulmonary function in varied combinations. Articles that addressed the long term association of growth and nutritional parameters, with an emphasis on growth, with pulmonary disease in cystic fibrosis, were included, and we excluded those that addressing only the relationship between nutritional parameters and cystic fibrosis and those in which the aim was to describe the disease. Data synthesis Seven studies were included, with a total of 12,455 patients. Six studies reported relationship between growth parameters and lung function, including one study addressing the association of growth parameters, solely, with lung function, and all the seven studies reported relationship between nutritional parameters and lung function. Conclusions The review suggests that the severity of the lung disease, determined by spirometry, is associated with body growth and nutritional status in cystic fibrosis. Thus, the intervention in these parameters can lead to the better prognosis and life expectancy for cystic fibrosis patients. © 2016 Sociedade de Pediatria de São Paulo34450350