Assessment of the scientific-technological production in molecular biology in Brazil (1996-2007): the contribution of genomics programs

Several genome sequencing programs were launched in Brazil by the end of the nineties and the early 2000s.The most important initiatives were supported by the ONSA program (http://watson.fapesp.br/onsa/Genoma3.htm) and aimed at gaining domain in genomic technology and bringing molecular biology to the state of art. Two mainsets of data were collected in the 1996-2007 period to evaluate the results of these genome programs: the scientific production (Scopus and Web of Science databases) and the register of patents (US Patent and Trademark Office), both related to the progress of molecular biology along this period. In regard to the former, Brazil took a great leap in comparison to 17 other developed and developing countries, being only surpassed by China. As to the register of patents in the area of molecular biology, Brazil's performance lags far behind most of the countries focused in the presentstudy, confirming the Brazilian long-standing tendency of poor achievements in technological innovations when compared with scientific production. Possible solutions to surpass this inequality are discussed.

Vários programas de sequenciamento de genoma foram lançados no Brasil no final da década de noventa e início dadécada de 2000. As mais importantes iniciativas foram sustentadas pelo programa ONSA (http://watson.fapesp.br/onsa/Genoma3.htm) e visavam o domínio da tecnologia genômica e o progresso da biologia molecular para o estado da arte desta disciplina. Dois principais conjuntos de dados foram coletados no período de 1996-2007 para avaliar os resultados destes programas de genômica: a produção científica (bases de dados SCOPUS e o registro de patentes (US Patent and Trademark Office), ambos relacionados com o progresso de biologiamolecular ao longo deste período. Em relação ao primeiro o Brasil de um grande passo em comparação a 17 outros países desenvolvidos e em desenvolvimento, sendo apenas superado pela China. Com relação ao registro de patentes na área de biologia molecular, o desempenho do Brasil fica bem atrás entre os países focados no presente estudo, confirmando a perdurável tendência de pobres conquistas em inovação tecnológica, quando comparado com produção científica. São discutidas as possíveis soluções para superar este desequilíbrio.

Caracterização molecular e fenotípica de amostras bacterianas pertencentes ao complexo Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-Acinetobacter baumannii / Molecular and phenotypic characterization of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-Acinetobacter baumannii isolates

Nos últimos 30 anos, Acinetobacter tornou-se um dos patógenos de maior preocupação clínica pela falta de terapias eficazes em virtude do fenótipo de multirresistência frequentemente apresentado. Dentre as espécies do gênero Acinetobacter, A. baumannii, A. genoespécie 3 e A. genoespécie 13TU são as mais comumente encontradas a partir de amostras biológicas. Estas espécies ao lado de A. calcoaceticus constituem o complexo A. calcoaceticus-A. baumannii (ACB). Este estudo propõe um esquema composto de duas PCRs para a identificação das espécies de interesse médico que fazem parte do complexo ACB. O método é simples, rápido e, além de identificar as espécies, permite pesquisar a presença de genes de resistência. Foram identificadas 515 amostras do complexo ACB, isoladas de pacientes no período de janeiro de 2005 a dezembro de 2010. A identificação das espécies do complexo ACB foi realizada por esquema composto de duas reações de PCR. Foram avaliados os perfis de sensibilidade por disco difusão e a pesquisa da presença dos genes blaOXA-23-like, blaOXA-24-like, blaOXA-51-like, blaOXA-58-like, blaIMP, blaVIM, blaSIM, blaSPM e blaGIM foi realizada por PCR utilizando-se iniciadores específicos. No grupo de amostras estudas, 82,5% são A. baumannii (425), 11,5% A. genoespécie 13TU (59) e 6,0% A. genoespécie 3 (30), sendo A. baumannii mais isolado em pacientes internados em UTIs (p=0,0407) e A. genoespécie 13TU mais isolado em pacientes de outros ambientes hospitalares (p=0,0204). A. baumannii apresentou menor sensibilidade a todos os antimicrobianos quando comparado com A. genoespécie 13TU e A. genoespécie. 3 (p<0,05). Foi possível observar ao longo do período estudado o aumento significativo da resistência aos carbapenêmicos e da sensibilidade a gentamicina por A. baumannii entre os isolados de pacientes de UTIs (p<0.05). Nenhum dos genes codificadores para metalo-lactamases foi detectado nas amostras estudadas Dentre os cepas resistentes aos carbapenêmico...

The genus Acinetobacter has emerged as one of the most troublesome pathogens for health care institutions globally. Its clinical significance, especially over the last 15 years, has been driven by its remarkable ability to up regulate or acquire resistance determinants, making it one of the organisms threatening the current antibiotic era. A. baumannii, A. 3 and A. 13TU are the most commonly species found from biological samples. These species beside A. calcoaceticus are very closely related and difficult to distinguish from each other by phenotypic properties. Therefore, it has been proposed to refer to these species as the A.calcoaceticus-A. baumannii complex(ACB). In the period from 2005 to 2009, the most frequent bacterial isolates among the nosocomial infection at the HU-USP was ACB (18%). Due to the frequency with which species are involved in ACB outbreaks of infection in the HU-USP and the emergency clinic because of expression of the phenotype of resistance to several classes of antibiotics, this study aimed to identify and characterize the species of complex ACB by molecular methods, to study their mechanisms of resistance and to characterize the different clones from patients admitted to different hospital areas. Furthermore, the ability to characterize biofilm formation, adhesion to different cell lines as well as the mechanisms of cell-cell communication were analyzed. From the ACB complex, 515 samples were identified, isolated from patients from January 2005 to December 2010. The identification of clinical species of the ACB was performed by molecular methods that were developed and validated for identification of Acinetobacter sp. include two reactions of PCR. The profiles of sensibility were evaluated by disc diffusion and the detection of the presence of genes blaOXA-23-like, blaOXA-24-like, blaOXA-51-like, blaOXA-58-like, blaIMP, blaVIM, blaSIM, blaGIM, and blaSPM were performed using specific primers. Molecular typing was performed using...

El uso de técnicas de biología molecular en los artículos publicados en la Revista Médica de Chile / The use of molecular biology techniques in articles published in Revista Médica de Chile

Background: Molecular biology is a new branch of biological sciences, with novel laboratory techniques that are being progressively applied into biomedical and clinical research and, furthermore, into medical practice. Aims: To evaluate the use of molecular biology techniques in Chilean biomedical and clinical research and its evolution in the recent decade. Methods: All papers published as research articles, clinical experiences or case reports, in Revista MÄdica de Chile, during two time periods: 1987-1989 and 1997-1999, were reviewed to find out whether molecular biology techniques had been used or not. This journal publishes roughly 40 percent of papers generated in Chile, in biomedical or clinical topics, while another 15 percent appears in foreign journals. Results: Among 341 papers published in 1987-1989, 57 (16.7 percent) had used one or more molecular biology techniques; in contrast, among 318 papers published in 1997-1999, 91 (28.8 percent) had used them (p<0.001). Most papers using molecular biology techniques were research articles. Immunology, genetics, endocrinology, hematology, hepatology and rheumatology were the specialties providing a greater number and proportion of papers using molecular biology techniques. Chilean universities were the main institutions sponsoring these articles and FONDECYT (the Chilean Government Research Granting Office) was the main source of funding. The University of Chile (State-owned) provided most centers where these publications had been generated, followed by the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. Conclusions: Molecular biology techniques have been rapidly and progressively incorporated as research tools in biomedicine and clinical medicine, in Chile. At the present time, these techniques are predominantly used in research conducted in University settings and funded by Governmental research grants

Apoptosis y proliferación celular en infecciones por el virus Herpes humano 6 (HHV-6). Mecanismos de regulación a través de interacciones de p53, bcl-2, ras y p21WAF / Apoptosis and celular proliferation in human herpes virus 6 (HHV-6) infection. Mechanism as of regulation by interactions of p53, bcl2, ras and p21WAF

Se analizaron inmunohistológicamente líneas de cultivo celular infectadas con el HHV-6: HSB2-células T inmaduras y HDLM2-células de Hodgkin, así como ganglios linfáticos de pacientes con enfermedad de Hodgkin y linfadenitis de Kikuchi-Fujimoto (LKF) en relación a la expresión de los productos oncógenos/antioncógenos p53, bcl-2, ras y p21WAF. Se comprobó la proliferación celular inmunohistológicamente mediante anticuerpos contra PCNa (antígeno nuclear de proliferación celular) y la apoptosis se investigó en cortes finos de tejido ganglionar, analizando el ADN fragmentado con marcación final in situ. La LKF mostró alta incidencia de focos de células muertas (linfadenitis histiocítica necrozante), mientras que en la enfermedad de Hodgkin se observó proliferación celular. Con las técnicas utilizadas no se logró mostrar diferencias significativas en la expresión de ADN viral no de antígenos en las líneas celulares, ni en las biopsias de enfermedad de Hodgkin y de LKF. Las células HDLM2 con mejor viabilidad posterior a la infección con HHV-6 y un grado de apoptosis inferior, mostraron una expresión de p53 y de PCNA mucho menor que las células HSB2. Las biopsias de LKF no expresaron p53; ras se observó en menores células que en la enfermedad de Hodgkin y la positividad de PCNA fue tres veces mayor en enfermedad de Hodgkin en comparación con LKf. Sin embargo el bcl-2 se observó con mayor frecuencia en LKF que en enfermedad de Hodgkin. Los resultados no son de fácil interpretación; los datos sugieren la implicación de otros factores exógenos (por ejemplo, citoquinas y factores de crecimiento) en el mecanismo regulatorio de la proliferación celular y de la apoptosis, ambas inducidas probablemente por virus

Diagnóstico clínico de portadoras del síndrome de Aarskog-Scott. A propósito de tres familias mexicanas / Aarskog-Scott syndrome. Clinical diagnosis of carrier females in three mexican families

Introducción. El síndrome de Aarskog-Scott es un padecimiento con herencia recesiva ligada al cromosoma X, caracterizado por talla baja desproporcionada, alteraciones faciales y digitales. Casos clínicos. Se describen 3 familias con 7 varones afectados y 9 portadoras de esta enfermedad. Los signos clínicos más frecuentes en los pacientes fueron: talla baja, escroto en rebozo, hipertelorismo ocular, ptosis palpebral, hipoplasia malar, narinas antevertidas, filtrum largo y sindactilia cutánea. En las familiares se determinó el estado de portadoras clínicamente por la presencia de hipertelorismo ocular, filtrum largo, ptosis palpebral y narinas antevertidas. Conclusión. Se discute la importancia de contar con herramientas clínicas para detectar a las portadoras de genes deletéreos con fines de asesoramiento genético, así como los avances logrados en biología molecular con respecto al gen responsable de este padecimiento

Molecular biological approaches to the study of vectors in relation to malaria control

To a large extent, control of malaria vectors relies on the elimination of breeding sites and the application of chemical agents. There are increasing problems associated with the use of synthetic insecticides for vector control, including the evolution of resistance, the high cost of developing and registering new insecticides and an awareness of pollution from insecticide residues. These factors have stimulated interest in the application of molecular biology to the study of mosquito vectors of malaria; focussing primarily on two aspects. First, the improvement of existing control measures through the development of simplified DNA probe systems suitable for identification of vectors of malaria. The development of synthetic, non-radioactive DNA probes suitable for identification of species in the Anopheles gambiae complex is described with the aim of defining a simplified methodology wich is suitable for entomologist in the field. The second aspect to be considered is the development of completely novel strategies through the development of completely novel strategies through the genetic manipulation of insect vectors of malaria in order to alter their ability to transmit the disease. The major requirements for producing transgenic mosquitoes are outlined together with the progress wich has been made to date and discussed in relation to the prospects which this type of approach has for the future control of malaria