A Deep Insight into the Sialotranscriptome of the Gulf Coast Tick, Amblyomma maculatum

Background: Saliva of blood sucking arthropods contains compounds that antagonize their hosts ’ hemostasis, which include platelet aggregation, vasoconstriction and blood clotting; saliva of these organisms also has anti-inflammatory and immunomodullatory properties. Perhaps because hosts mount an active immune response against these compounds, the diversity of these compounds is large even among related blood sucking species. Because of these properties, saliva helps blood feeding as well as help the establishment of pathogens that can be transmitted during blood feeding. Methodology/Principal Findings: We have obtained 1,626,969 reads by pyrosequencing a salivary gland cDNA library from adult females Amblyomma maculatum ticks at different times of feeding. Assembly of this data produced 72,441 sequences larger than 149 nucleotides from which 15,914 coding sequences were extracted. Of these, 5,353 had.75 % coverage to their best match in the non-redundant database from the National Center for Biotechnology information, allowing for the deposition of 4,850 sequences to GenBank. The annotated data sets are available as hyperlinked spreadsheets. Putative secreted proteins were classified in 133 families, most of which have no known function. Conclusions/Significance: This data set of proteins constitutes a mining platform for novel pharmacologically activ

The microbial changes in subgingival plaques of orthodontic patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials

Background: Orthodontic treatment was found to have an impact on the quantity and constitution of subgingival microbiota. However, contradictory findings regarding the effects of fixed appliances on microbial changes were reported. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the microbial changes in subgingival plaques of orthodontic patients. Methods: The PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE databases were searched up to November 20, 2016. Longitudinal studies observing microbial changes in subgingival plaques at different time points of orthodontic treatment are included. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed by Methodological index for non-randomized studies (MINORS). The studies that reported the frequency of subgingival periodontopathogens were used for quantitative analysis. Other studies were analysed qualitatively to describe the microbial changes during orthodontic treatment. Results: Thirteen studies were selected, including two controlled clinical trials, three cohort studies and eight selfcontrolled studies. Four periodontopathogens, including Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa), Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), Prevotella intermedia (Pi) and Tannerella forsythia (Tf), were analysed. Following orthodontic appliance placement, the frequencies of Pg and Aa showed no significant change (P = 0.97 and P = 0.77), whereas the frequency of Tf significantly increased (P < 0.01) during short-term observation (0-3 months). The frequency of Pi showed a toothspecific difference, as it presented no significant difference (P = 0.25) at the site of the first molar but was significantly increased (P = 0.01) at the incisor. During long-term observation (> = 6 months), two studies reported that the levels of subgingival periodontopathogens exhibited a transient increase but decreased to the pretreatment levels afterwards. After removal of the orthodontic appliance, the four periodontopathogens showed no significant difference compared with before removal. Conclusion: The levels of subgingival pathogens presented temporary increases after orthodontic appliance placement, and appeared to return to pretreatment levels several months later. This indicates that orthodontic treatment might not permanently induce periodontal disease by affecting the level of subgingival periodontal pathogen levels. Further studies of high methodological quality are required to provide more reliable evidence regarding this issue.SCI(E)REVIEW1

Genome Stability of Lyme Disease Spirochetes: Comparative Genomics of Borrelia burgdorferi Plasmids

Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne human illness in North America. In order to understand the molecular pathogenesis, natural diversity, population structure and epizootic spread of the North American Lyme agent, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, a much better understanding of the natural diversity of its genome will be required. Towards this end we present a comparative analysis of the nucleotide sequences of the numerous plasmids of B. burgdorferi isolates B31, N40, JD1 and 297. These strains were chosen because they include the three most commonly studied laboratory strains, and because they represent different major genetic lineages and so are informative regarding the genetic diversity and evolution of this organism. A unique feature of Borrelia genomes is that they carry a large number of linear and circular plasmids, and this work shows that strains N40, JD1, 297 and B31 carry related but non-identical sets of 16, 20, 19 and 21 plasmids, respectively, that comprise 33–40% of their genomes. We deduce that there are at least 28 plasmid compatibility types among the four strains. The B. burgdorferi ∼900 Kbp linear chromosomes are evolutionarily exceptionally stable, except for a short ≤20 Kbp plasmid-like section at the right end. A few of the plasmids, including the linear lp54 and circular cp26, are also very stable. We show here that the other plasmids, especially the linear ones, are considerably more variable. Nearly all of the linear plasmids have undergone one or more substantial inter-plasmid rearrangements since their last common ancestor. In spite of these rearrangements and differences in plasmid contents, the overall gene complement of the different isolates has remained relatively constant

Mouthwashes for the control of supragingival biofilm and gingivitis in orthodontic patients: evidence-based recommendations for clinicians

Properly performed daily mechanical biofilm control is the most important prevention strategy for periodontal diseases. However, proper mechanical biofilm control is not performed effectively by the majority of the population, mainly due to lack of motivation and of manual dexterity. Local biofilm retention factors may aggravate home oral hygiene quality. For this reason, patients wearing fixed orthodontic appliances comprise a group that may benefit from the daily use of mouthwashes. The purpose of this review was to perform a systematic search in the literature on antiseptics used to control supragingival biofilm and gingivitis in orthodontic patients. Six studies investigating the effect of chlorhexidine and 5 studies evaluating the effect of the daily use of antiseptics were found. Chlorhexidine showed better results in reducing plaque and gingivitis. However, because of its adverse effects after continuous use, it should not be indicated for long-term periods. Among the agents considered for daily use, the fixed combination of essential oils was the only one evaluated in a clinical trial, in which a comparative group presented a statistically significant clinical impact. There is no direct evidence supporting the indication of antiseptic agents for orthodontic patients other than chlorhexidine and essential oils. It can be concluded that, for patients undergoing orthodontic treatment, chlorhexidine should be considered for treating acute gingival inflammation, whereas essential oils should be indicated for long-term daily use in controlling supragingival biofilm

FUSARIOSE INVASIVA APÓS TRANSPLANTE AUTÓLOGO DE MEDULA ÓSSEA: UM RELATO DE CASO

Introdução: As infecções fúngicas representam um importante desafio quando relacionadas a pacientes imunocomprometidos. Os fungos do gênero Fusarium sp. estão presentes no solo, água e plantas, sendo que ocasionalmente podem infectar humanos. A fusariose é a segunda causa mais comum de infecções fúngicas nos pacientes imunossuprimidos. Os receptores de transplante autólogo de medula óssea não costumam apresentar alto risco de desenvolver esse agravo, principalmente devido à imunossupressão menos intensa quando em comparação ao transplante alogênico, no entanto, casos já foram descritos. Objetivo: Relatar caso clínico referente à fusariose invasiva após transplante autólogo de medula óssea. Métodos: Os dados foram obtidos após revisão do prontuário. Caso clínico: C.L.F, 36 anos, sem comorbidades prévias, diagnóstico em 2021 de Linfoma Difuso de Grandes Células B, subtipo ABC, EC IV. Realizada primeira linha com R-CHOP seguida por radioterapia mediastinal por persistência de doença em pericárdio. Evoluiu com progressão de doença dois meses após radioterapia. Realizadas linhas de tratamento subsequentes: 2ª linha com R-DHAOx, progressão após segundo ciclo e 3ª linha com pembrolizumabe associado à ICE. Após o sexto ciclo foi realizado PET/CT que evidenciou aumento do hipermetabolismo glicolítico em partes moles, realizadas biópsias que descartaram acometimento pela doença onco-hematológica, sendo então considerado como evento imunológico secundário ao uso do inibidor de checkpoint e iniciada corticoterapia. Foram realizados três ciclos adicionais com pembrolizumabe em monoterapia e encaminhada para transplante autólogo de medula óssea em resposta completa. Realizado condicionamento com Benda-EAM e infusão de células progenitoras periféricas em 19/07/2023, apresentou enxertia neutrofílica no D+14. Após ATMO evoluiu com complicações infecciosas, iniciando em 08/08/2023 quadro de lesões cutâneas necróticas disseminadas e sinusite com lesão de septo nasal, as quais sugeriam componente fúngico. Biópsias da pele e do septo nasal resultaram em dermatose linfo-histiocitária com focos supurativos, compatível com a hipótese clínica de fusariose invasiva. Apesar do tratamento com anfotericina B lipossomal e voriconazol, a paciente apresentou piora clínica relacionada ao acometimento pulmonar pela infecção fúngica, evoluindo à óbito em 20/09/2023. Discussão: Pacientes que apresentam neutropenia prolongada são de alto risco para fusariose invasiva. Foram descritas em estudos prévios incidências globais de 6/1000 casos relacionados a transplantes alogênicos e 1.5-2/1000 casos relacionados a transplantes autólogos. Ademais, é necessário levar em consideração o risco de infecções fúngicas associado ao uso de inibidores de checkpoint, tanto pela necessidade de associação de corticoterapia para controle de eventos imunológicos quanto pela linfopenia e neutropenia que podem causar. O prognóstico da infecção no contexto de transplante de medula óssea é muito pobre, principalmente por não haver tratamentos com altas taxas de sucesso. Apesar do desafio para o tratamento, foram alcançados bons resultados com uso de anfotericina B lipossomal e antifúngicos triazólicos. Apesar disso, discute-se que as medidas preventivas são mais importantes que a terapia antifúngica. Conclusão: É incomum a apresentação de fusariose invasiva em pacientes pós transplante autólogo de medula óssea, no entanto, quando ocorre, apresenta importante desafio clínico