Evidence of suppression of onchocerciasis transmission in the Venezuelan Amazonian focus.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization (WHO) has set goals for onchocerciasis elimination in Latin America by 2015. Most of the six previously endemic countries are attaining this goal by implementing twice a year (and in some foci, quarterly) mass ivermectin (Mectizan®) distribution. Elimination of transmission has been verified in Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico. Challenges remain in the Amazonian focus straddling Venezuela and Brazil, where the disease affects the hard-to-reach Yanomami indigenous population. We provide evidence of suppression of Onchocerca volvulus transmission by Simulium guianense s.l. in 16 previously hyperendemic Yanomami communities in southern Venezuela after 15 years of 6-monthly and 5 years of 3-monthly mass ivermectin treatment. METHODS: Baseline and monitoring and evaluation parasitological, ophthalmological, entomological and serological surveys were conducted in selected sentinel and extra-sentinel communities of the focus throughout the implementation of the programme. RESULTS: From 2010 to 2012–2015, clinico-parasitological surveys indicate a substantial decrease in skin microfilarial prevalence and intensity of infection; accompanied by no evidence (or very low prevalence and intensity) of ocular microfilariae in the examined population. Of a total of 51,341 S. guianense flies tested by PCR none had L3 infection (heads only). Prevalence of infective flies and seasonal transmission potentials in 2012–2013 were, respectively, under 1 % and 20 L3/person/transmission season. Serology in children aged 1–10 years demonstrated that although 26 out of 396 (7 %) individuals still had Ov-16 antibodies, only 4/218 (2 %) seropositives were aged 1–5 years. CONCLUSIONS: We report evidence of recent transmission and morbidity suppression in some communities of the focus representing 75 % of the Yanomami population and 70 % of all known communities. We conclude that onchocerciasis transmission could be feasibly interrupted in the Venezuelan Amazonian focus. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1313-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Cyclodextrin/cellulose hydrogel with gallic acid to prevent wound infection

Cyclodextrin-based hydrogels have been described as suitable for the controlled-release of bioactive molecules to be used as wound dressing. These materials have major advantages, since they gather the hydrogel properties (high degree of swelling and easy manipulation) and the encapsulation ability of cyclodextrins. β-cyclodextrin (β) or hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβ) was cross-linked (1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether) with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose under mild conditions. The hydrogels were chemically characterized by swelling degree, FTIR, DSC and contact angle. The gallic acid loading and release was also analysed, as well the antibacterial activity and cytotoxicity of the polymeric networks. The hydrogels obtained were firm and transparent, with good swelling ability. The gel-HPβ had a surface more hydrophilic when compared with the gel-β. Nevertheless, both hydrogels were capable to incorporate gallic acid and sustain the release for 48 h. The antibacterial activity of gallic acid was maintained after its adsorption within the polymeric matrix, as well as, gallic acid effect on fibroblast proliferation. Therefore, gel-β and gel-HPβ conjugated with gallic acid were shown to be a viable option for antibacterial wound dressing.The authors thank the FCT Strategic Projects PEst-OE/EQB/LA0023/2013, PEst-C/CTM/UI0264/2011, the Project "BioHealth-Biotechnology and Bioengineering approaches to improve health quality'', Ref. NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000027, co-funded by the Programa Operacional Regional doNorte (ON.2-ONovoNorte), QREN, FEDER, and E. Pinho grant (SFRH/BD/62665/2009)

UTILITARISMO: A ÉTICA BASEADA NA CONSEQUÊNCIA DO ATO

This article aims to discuss utilitarianism, one of the most important theories of philosophical thinking about ethics. With more than a century and a half of existence, utilitarian thinking has evolved historically, becoming, today, one of the most sophisticated and respected philosophical schools. The utilitarian theory analyzes human actions from the perspective of utility and its consequences, calculating the contribution of such actions to general happiness. The consequences of actions, regardless of the agent's real character and intent, are the main point of the utilitarian theory, because only they can generate pleasure and pain. The fundamentals of moral conduct will be emphasized, mainly, the evaluation of human behavior through a single criterion of morality, the consequence of the act. In this context, an approach will be based on the foundation of this theory of generating the apex of pleasure and decrease pain, reaching the largest possible number of people. Achieving happiness is the goal of all the human conducts and the only requirement in the judgment of actions. Lastly, utilitarianism has been strongly influenced by the historical context, but has maintained over time the collective desire to solve the problem of humanity in achieving supreme happiness and simultaneously to discourage individualistic actions, tracing human behavior along the path of morality and ethics.O presente artigo tem como objetivo apresentar uma das mais importantes teorias do pensamento filosófico sobre ética, o utilitarismo. Com mais de um século e meio de existência, o pensamento utilitarista evoluiu historicamente tornando-se, na atualidade, uma das escolas filosóficas mais sofisticadas e respeitadas. A teoria utilitarista analisa as ações humanas pela perspectiva da utilidade e de suas conseqüências, calculando a contribuição das referidas ações para a felicidade geral. As consequências das ações, independentemente do caráter e da real intenção do agente, são o ponto principal da teoria utilitarista, pois somente elas podem gerar prazer e dor. Serão enfatizados os fundamentos da conduta moral, sobretudo, a avaliação do comportamento humano através de um único critério de moralidade, a consequência do ato. Neste contexto, se fará uma abordagem baseada no fundamento desta teoria de gerar o ápice de prazer e diminuir a dor, atingindo o maior número de pessoas possí­veis. Alcançar felicidade é o objetivo de toda conduta humana e o único requisito no julgamento das ações. Por fim, o utilitarismo sofreu forte influência do contexto histórico, mas manteve, ao longo do tempo, o desejo comum de solucionar o problema da humanidade em alcançar a suprema felicidade e, simultaneamente desmotivar as ações individualistas, traçando o comportamento humano pela vereda da moral e da ética

Comparative proteomic analysis of spermatozoa isolated by swim-up or density gradient centrifugation

Abstract BACKGROUND: Reports about the morphologic and functional characteristics of spermatozoa prepared by density gradient centrifugation (DC) or swim-up (SU) have produced discordant results. We have performed a proteomic comparison of cells prepared by DC and SU providing a molecular insight into the differences between these two methods of sperm cell isolation. METHODS: Protein maps were obtained by 2-dimensional (2-D) separations consisting of isoelectrofocusing (IEF) from pI 3 to 11 followed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. 2-D gels were stained with Sypro Ruby. Map images of DC and SU spermatozoa were compared using dedicated software. Intensities of a given spot were considered different between DC and SU when their group mean differed by >1.5-fold (p<0.05, Anova). RESULTS: No differences were observed for 853 spots, indicating a 98.7% similarity between DC and SU. Five spots were DC>SU and 1 was SU>DC. Proteins present in 3 of the differential spots could be identified. One DC>SU spot contained lactate dehydrogenase C and gamma-glutamylhydrolase, a second DC>SU spot contained fumarate hydratase and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase-2, and a SU>DC spot contained pyruvate kinase M1/M2. CONCLUSIONS: The differences in protein levels found on comparison of DC with SU spermatozoa indicate possible dissimilarities in their glycolytic metabolism and DNA methylation and suggest that DC cells may have a better capacitation potential

Defining motility in the Staphylococci

The ability of bacteria to move is critical for their survival in diverse environments and multiple ways have evolved to achieve this. Two forms of motility have recently been described for Staphylococcus aureus, an organism previously considered to be non-motile. One form is called spreading, which is a type of sliding motility and the second form involves comet formation, which has many observable characteristics associated with gliding motility. Darting motility has also been observed in Staphylococcus epidermidis. This review describes how motility is defined and how we distinguish between passive and active motility. We discuss the characteristics of the various forms of Staphylococci motility, the molecular mechanisms involved and the potential future research directions

Yeast biodiversity in vineyard environments is increased by human intervention

One hundred and five grape samples were collected during two consecutive years from 33 locations on seven oceanic islands of the Azores Archipelago. Grape samples were obtained from vineyards that were either abandoned or under regular cultivation involving common viticultural interventions, to evaluate the impact of regular human intervention on grape yeast biota diversity in vineyards. A total of 3150 yeast isolates were obtained and 23 yeast species were identified. The predominant species were Hanseniaspora uvarum, Pichia terricola, Starmerella bacillaris and Issatchenkia hanoiensis. The species Barnettozyma californica, Candida azymoides and Pichia cecembensis were reported in grapes or wine-associated environments for the first time. A higher biodiversity was found in active vineyards where regular human intervention takes place (Shannon index: 1.89 and 1.53 in the first and second years, respectively) when compared to the abandoned ones (Shannon index: 0.76 and 0.31). This finding goes against the assumptions that human intervention can destroy biodiversity and lead to homogeneity in the environment. Biodiversity indices were considerably lower in the year with the heaviest rainfall. This study is the first to report on the grape yeast communities from several abandoned vineyards that have undergone no human intervention.Joao Drumonde Neves is the recipient of a fellowship of the Azorean Government (M321/006/F/2008) and PROEMPREGO. This work was supported by the strategic programme UID/BIA/04050/2013 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007569) funded by national funds through the FCT I.P. and by the ERDF through the COMPETE2020 - Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalizacao (POCI), and by national funds through FCT by the projects FCOMP-01-0124-008775, PTDC/AGR-ALI/103392/2008 and PTDC/AGR-ALI/121062/2010.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Biology of human hair: Know your hair to control it

Hair can be engineered at different levels—its structure and surface—through modification of its constituent molecules, in particular proteins, but also the hair follicle (HF) can be genetically altered, in particular with the advent of siRNA-based applications. General aspects of hair biology are reviewed, as well as the most recent contributions to understanding hair pigmentation and the regulation of hair development. Focus will also be placed on the techniques developed specifically for delivering compounds of varying chemical nature to the HF, indicating methods for genetic/biochemical modulation of HF components for the treatment of hair diseases. Finally, hair fiber structure and chemical characteristics will be discussed as targets for keratin surface functionalization

The improbable transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi to human: the missing link in the dynamics and control of Chagas disease

Chagas disease has a major impact on human health in Latin America and is becoming of global concern due to international migrations. Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of the disease, is one of the rare human parasites transmitted by the feces of its vector, as it is unable to reach the salivary gland of the insect. This stercorarian transmission is notoriously poorly understood, despite its crucial role in the ecology and evolution of the pathogen and the disease. The objective of this study was to quantify the probability of T. cruzi vectorial transmission to humans, and to use such an estimate to predict human prevalence from entomological data. We developed several models of T. cruzi transmission to estimate the probability of transmission from vector to host. Using datasets from the literature, we estimated the probability of transmission per contact with an infected triatomine to be 5.8x10(-4) (95%CI: [2.6; 11.0] x 10(-4)). This estimate was consistent across triatomine species, robust to variations in other parameters, and corresponded to 900-4,000 contacts per case. Our models subsequently allowed predicting human prevalence from vector abundance and infection rate in 7/10 independent datasets covering various triatomine species and epidemiological situations. This low probability of T. cruzi transmission reflected well the complex and unlikely mechanism of transmission via insect feces, and allowed predicting human prevalence from basic entomological data. Although a proof of principle study would now be valuable to validate our models' predictive ability in an even broader range of entomological and ecological settings, our quantitative estimate could allow switching the evaluation of disease risk and vector control program from purely entomological indexes to parasitological measures, as commonly done for other major vector borne diseases. This might lead to different quantitative perspectives as these indexes are well known not to be proportional one to another

Law systems and the normative precedent

O presente artigo pretende analisar a crescente discussão sobre o precedente normativo, ora utilizado no sistema norte-americano e suas implicações no modelo brasileiro. Nesse sentido será estudado o seu surgimento, a sua adaptação ao sistema americano e, por fim, como esse instituto jurí­dico se aplicaria no direito brasileiro. Assim, busca-se responder í  seguinte indagação: quais seriam as possí­veis consequências para o direito brasileiro da importação do modelo de precedentes norte-americano? Biografia do Autor Me. Ana Carolina Borges de Oliveira -&nbsp;&nbsp;Bacharel em Direito. Advogada. Mestre em Direito e Polí­ticas Públicas pelo UniCEUB. Professora da Faculdade Processus no Curso de Direito. Pós-graduada em Contratos e Responsabilidade Civil pelo IDP, Brasí­lia. Laci Marcos Dias -&nbsp;Bacharel em Direito. Advogado. Pós-graduando em Direito Processual Civil e Direito do Trabalho (IPEMIG). Graduado em Direito (Faculdade Processus). Referências&nbsp; BARROSO, Luí­s Roberto. Neoconstitucionalismo e Constitucionalização do Direito. Brasí­lia: Escola Nacional dos Magistrados, 2006.BERMUDES, Sérgio. A reforma judiciária pela Emenda Constitucional no. 45: observações aos artigos da Constituição alterados pela Emenda Constitucional no. 45, de 08 de dezembro de 2004. Rio de Janeiro: Forense, 2005, p. 115.CASTRO JUNIOR, Osvaldo Agripino de. Introdução í  História do Direito: Estados Unidos x Brasil. Florianópolis. IBRADD/CESUSC, 2001.DAVID, René. Os grandes sistemas do direito contemporâneo. 2.ed. Lisboa: Meridiano, 1978.DE ALMEIDA. Gregório Assagra. O Sistema jurí­dico nos Estados Unidos – Commow Law e carreiras jurí­dicas: o que poderia ser util para a reforma do sistema processual brasileiro. Revista de Processo. Fls. 2. Repro Vol. 251(janeiro de 2016). Disponivel em: http://www.mpsp.mp.br/portal/page/portal/documentacao_e_divulgacao/doc_biblioteca/bibli_servic os_produtos/bibli_boletim/bibli_bol_2006/RPro_n.251.19.PDF acesso em: 10 de Abr 2019.GOUVEIA, Ana Carolina Miguel. Commow Law no sistema jurí­dico Americano: Evolução, Criticas e o Crescimento do direito Legislado. Publicações da Escola da AGU. 2.012. Fls.36.LOPES, José Reinaldo de Lima. O direito na história: lições introdutórias. 4.ed. São Paulo: Atlas, 2012.NOGUEIRA, Gustavo Santana. Stare decisis et non quieta movere: a vinculação aos precedentes no direito comparado e brasileiro. Rio de Janeiro: Lumen Juris, 2011.NUNES, Jorge Amaury Maia. Segurança jurí­dica e súmula vinculante. São Paulo: Saraiva, 2010.ODAHARA, Bruno Periolo. Um rápido olhar sobre o stare decisis. Processos coletivos, Porto Alegre, vol. 2, n. 03, 01 jul 2011.POSNER, Richard A. Para além do direito. Tradução de Evandro Ferreira e Silva. São Paulo: Editora WMF Martins Fontes, 2009. Tí­tulo original: Overcoming law. p. 289-290.RAMOS, Viní­cius Estefaneli. Teoria dos Precedentes judiciais e sua eficácia no sistema brasileiro atual. Jus Navigandi, Teresina, ano 18, n. 3621, 31 maio 2013. Disponí­vel em: http://www.ambitoJuridico.com.br/site/?n_link=revista_artigos_leitura&amp;artigo_id=15488 . Acesso em: 10 Abr. 2019.RAMIRES, Maurí­cio. Crí­tica í  aplicação de precedentes no direito brasileiro. Porto Alegre: Livraria do Advogado, 2010.&nbsp;SABINO, Marco Antonio da Costa. O precedente jurisdicional vinculante e sua força no Brasil, in Revista Dialética de Direito Processual Civil n. 85, abril 2010, fls. 51/72.STRECK, Lenio Luiz. Súmulas no Direito Brasileiro: eficácia, poder e função: a ilegitimidade constitucional do efeito vinculante. 2.ed. Porto Alegre: Livraria do Advogado, 1998.TUCCI, José Rogério Cruz e. Precedente judicial como fonte de direito. São Paulo: RT, 2004.Direito processual civil europeu contemporâneo. José Rogério Cruz e Tucci Coordenador. São Paulo: Lex Editora, 2010.Abstract: This article intends to analyze the growing discussion about the normative precedent, used in the United States"™s system and its implications in the Brazilian model. In this sense will be studied its emergence, its adaptation to the American system and, finally, how this legal institute would apply in Brazilian law. Thus, we seek to answer the following question: What would be the possible consequences for the Brazilian law of importing the American precedent model

Managing caries:the need to close the gap between the evidence base and current practice

Underpinned by a changing knowledge of the aetiology of caries and its sequelae, and assisted by established and advancing dental materials, there is growing evidence supporting less invasive management of dental caries based on the principles of minimal intervention dentistry. This narrative review assesses both the evidence and the adoption of less invasive caries management strategies and describes ways in which the gap between evidence and practice might be overcome. While there is increasing data supporting less invasive management of carious lesions, these are not standard in most dental practices worldwide. Usually, clinical studies focused on efficacy as outcome, and did not take into consideration the views and priorities of other stakeholders, such as primary care dentists, educators, patients and those financing services. Involving these stakeholders into study design and demonstrating the broader advantages of new management strategies might improve translation of research into practice. In theory, clinical dentists can rely on a growing evidence in cariology regarding less invasive management options. In practice, further factors seem to impede adoption of these strategies. Future research should address these factors by involving major stakeholders and investigating their prioritised outcomes to narrow or close the evidence gap.</p