Carboxymethylchitosan with medium-molecular-weight affects kinectics and acrosome of stallion sperm after freezing/thawing.

Semen cryopreservation ensures the storage of stallion genetics for an unlimited time. The improvement of extenders with new antioxidant substances can optimize the properties of post-thawed semen. The study aimed to investigate the addition effect of medium-molecular-weight carboxymethylchitosan (CQm) derivates to freezing diluent of stallion sperm after freezinf/thawing. Twice a week, five ejaculates of four stallions were obtained, totalizing 20 ejaculates. Semen was diluted in commercial freezing extender (Botucrio) supplemented with CQm: control (0), 0.75, 1.5, and 3 mg/mL. Samples were filled in straws (0.5 mL) and submitted to freezing and storage at -196°C. Thawing was performed at 37°C/30 s, and the samples of each group were analyzed for kinetics, plasma membrane integrity, acrosome membrane integrity, and mitochondrial membrane potential . The addition of 1.5 and 3 mg/mL CQm showed lower values (P < .05) of total motility (TM), progressive motility (PM), curvilinear velocity (VCL), straight line velocity (VSL), average path velocity (VAP) and wobble (WOB), comparing to control group. Besides, it was observed lower (P < .05) percentages of sperm with intact acrosomes in the group treated with 3 mg/mL of CQm than control group. In conclusion, high concentration of medium-molecular-weight carboxymethylchitosan to freezing diluent damages kinematic and acrosome of stallion sperm after freezing/thawing.

Effect of antifreeze protein type III on frozen/thawed of spermatozoa recover from goat epididymis.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of antifreeze protein type III (AFP III) on the freezing of epididymal spermatozoa of goats. A total of 16 pairs of testicles were collected in a slaughterhouse and transported at approximately 5 °C in a thermal box. Epididymal spermatozoa were recovered by retrograde lavage and evaluated using a phase contrast microscope. Then, they were cryopreserved in extender based on Tris-egg yolk, supplemented with AFP III (0, 1, 10, 100 µg/mL), using an automated system. After thawing (37 °C/30 s), the spermatozoa kinetics were evaluated using the CASA automated system; and plasma and acrosome membrane integrity, mitochondrial membrane potential, and intracellular ROS production, by flow cytometry. There was no difference (P ≥ 0.05) between the experimental groups for the parameters of spermatozoa kinetics, mitochondrial membrane potential, and ROS production. However, the integrity of plasma and acrosome membranes of frozen spermatozoa with 100 µg/mL of AFP III was lower (P < 0.05) than the control group. It was concluded that the addition of AFP III to the Tris-egg yolk extender, used in the freezing of sperm obtained from the epididymis of goats, did not improve the preservation of these cells.

Effects of Thermal Gradients in High-Temperature Ultrasonic Non-Destructive Tests.

Ultrasonic inspection techniques and non-destructive tests are widely applied in evaluating products and equipment in the oil, petrochemical, steel, naval, and energy industries. These methods are well established and efficient for inspection procedures at room temperature. However, errors can be observed in the positioning and sizing of the flaws when such techniques are used during inspection procedures under high working temperatures. In such situations, the temperature gradients generate acoustic anisotropy and consequently distortion of the ultrasonic beams. Failure to consider such distortions in ultrasonic signals can result, in extreme situations, in mistaken decision making by inspectors and professionals responsible for guaranteeing product quality or the integrity of the evaluated equipment. In this scenario, this work presents a mathematical tool capable of mitigating positioning errors through the correction of focal laws. For the development of the tool, ray tracing concepts are used, as well as a model of heat propagation in solids and an experimentally defined linear approximation of dependence between sound speed and temperature. Using the focal law correction tool, the relative firing delays of the active elements are calculated considering the temperature gradients along the sonic path, and the results demonstrate a reduction of more than 68% in the error of flaw positioning.

Diluent Containing Dimethylformamide Added With Sucrose Improves In Vitro Quality After Freezing/Thawing Stallion Sperm.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of sucrose on post-thawed equine semen quality. Semen samples (n = 24) were collected from six stallions. They were diluted (200 × 106 sperm/mL) in a freezing medium based on skimmed milk, egg yolk, dimethylformamide, and supplemented with sucrose at concentrations of 0 (Control), 25, 50, and 100 mM and in a commercial extender (BotuCrio). Subsequently, they were filled in straws (0.5 mL) and subjected to freezing and storage (-196°C). Immediately after thawing (37°C, 30 seconds), semen samples were evaluated for kinetics (CASA), plasma and acrosomal membrane integrity, and mitochondrial membrane potential (flow cytometry). The addition of 50 and 100mM sucrose to the freezing extender increased (P < .05) the parameters of TM, PM, VCL, VSL, and VAP, compared to the control group. The WOB parameter of the group supplemented with 100 mM sucrose was higher (P < .05) than the control group. Higher values ​​(P < .05) of ALH and BCF were observed in groups treated with sucrose (25, 50, and 100 mM), compared to BotuCrio. The semen frozen in the presence of 100 mM sucrose presented higher percentages (P < .05) of sperm with intact plasma and acrosomal membranes, and high mitochondrial membrane potential in relation to the other groups. It is concluded that the addition of sucrose to equine semen freezing extender increase motility (50 and 100 mM), plasma and acrosomal membrane integrity preserve, and high sperm mitochondrial membrane potential (100 mM) after thawing.

The interference of ozone gas in kinects and mitochondrial potential of equine sperm submitted on cryopreservation.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the addition of different concentrations of ozone to quarter horse semen submitted to cryopreservation. Six ejaculates from four stallions were collected and were divided in four experimental groups: a control group (BotuCRIO® extender) and three other groups with BotuCRIO® ozonized at concentrations of 6, 8 and 12 µg of O3/mL. The semen samples were diluted (200 x 106 spermatozoa/mL), filled in straws and frozen. After thawing (37 ºC, 30s), the samples were evaluated at 0, 30 and 60 minutes of incubation regarding sperm kinetics by a computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA), and plasma membrane integrity (PMI), acrosome integrity (ACi) and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) by fluorescent probes. There was a reduction in the kinetic parameters total motility (TM), progressive motility (PM), curvilinear velocity (VCL), straight line velocity (VSL) and average path velocity (VAP) in all groups during the thermoresistance test (TT), a pattern also found in PMI and MMP analyses (p<0.05). There was no difference (p>0.05) between the control and treatment (6, 8, and 12 µg of O3/mL) groups, in any of the evaluated times for the kinetic parameters TM, linearity (LIN), straightness (STR), wobble index (WOB), amplitude of lateral head displacement (ALH) and beat cross frequency (BCF). Regarding the VCL, VSL and VAP parameters, the group treated with 6 µg did not differ from the control or from 8 µg, but was higher than 12 µg at 30 and 60 minutes. ACi and PMI did not differ between groups (p>0.05), but PMI was lower in groups 8 µg and 12 µg compared to the control and 6 µg (p<0.05). It was concluded that the addition of ozone does not present beneficial effects for cryopreservation of equine semen at the concentrations used and decreases important parameters of fertility.

Model Predictive Torque Control for Velocity Tracking of a Four-Wheeled Climbing Robot.

Climbing robots are characterized by a secure surface coupling that is designed to prevent falling. The robot coupling ability is assured by an adhesion method leading to nonlinear dynamic models with time-varying parameters that affect the robot's mobility. Additionally, the wheel friction and the force of gravity force are also relevant issues that can compromise the climbing ability if they are not well modeled. This work presents a model-based torque controller for velocity tracking in a four-wheeled climbing robot specially designed to inspect storage tanks. The model-based controller (MPC) compensates for the effects of nonlinearities due to the forces of gravity, friction, and adhesion through the dynamic and kinematic modeling of the climbing robot. Dynamic modeling is based on the Lagrange-Euler approach, which allows a better understanding of how forces and torques affect the robot's movement. Besides, an analysis of the interaction force between the robot and the contact surface is proposed, since this force affects the motion of the climbing robot according to spatial orientation. Finally, simulations are carried out to examine the robot's dynamics during the climbing movement, and the MPC is validated through the redrobot simulator V-REP and practical experiments. The presented results highlight the compensation of the nonlinear effects due to the robot's climbing motion by the proposed MPC controller.

Virtual screening and assessment of anticancer potential of selenium-based compounds against HL-60 and MCF7 cells.

Aim: Selenium-based compounds have antitumor potential. We used a ligand-based virtual screening analysis to identify selenoglycolicamides with potential antitumor activity. Results & Conclusion: Compounds 3, 6, 7 and 8 were selected for in vitro cytotoxicity tests against various cell lines, according to spectrophotometry results. Compound 3 presented the best cytotoxicity results against a promyelocytic leukemia line (HL-60) and was able to induce cell death at a frequency similar to that observed for doxorubicin. The docking study showed that compound 3 has good interaction energies with the targets caspase-3, 7 and 8, which are components of the apoptotic pathway. These results suggested that selenium has significant pharmacological potential for the selective targeting of tumor cells, inducing molecular and cellular events that culminate in tumor cell death.

Effects of L-Carnitine on Equine Semen Quality During Liquid Storage.

l-Carnitine (LC) plays a key role in sperm metabolism, easily providing energy through ß-oxidation, which positively affects motility. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between blood plasma and seminal plasma LC levels, as well as the effect of LC as an additive in a skimmed milk-based extender during sperm storage at 5°C. In the first experiment, semen and blood samples from 14 Quarter Horse stallions were used. The LC content in blood plasma and seminal plasma was determined by spectrophotometry and their relationships with seminal parameters were evaluated. In the second experiment, ejaculates (n = 16) from four Quarter Horses were used. Each ejaculate was split into four treatment groups with different LC concentrations: 0 (control), 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mM. Sperm motility, integrity of plasma and acrosomal membranes, intracellular reactive oxygen species content, and plasma membrane stability were evaluated immediately after samples reached 5°C (0 hour) and after 24, 48, and 72 hours. There was a positive correlation (p < 0.05) between LC levels in seminal plasma with both sperm concentration and plasma and acrosomal membrane integrity. Furthermore, the addition of LC (1 and 2 mM) preserved the motility of equine sperm stored at 5°C. It was concluded that the concentrations of LC with seminal plasma present correlate to semen parameters and the addition of LC to skimmed milk-based extender preserves the motility of equine sperm stored at 5°C for up to 48 hours.

Effect of green tea extract (Camellia sinensis) on the spermatic parameters of Wistar rats submitted or not to testicular heat shock.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of green tea extract (GTE) on the spermatic parameters of Wistar rats, submitted or not to testicular heat shock (HS). For this, 48 animals were treated according to the experimental groups (G1: not exposed to HS and untreated; G2: exposed to HS and untreated; G3: not exposed to HS and treated with GTE; G4: exposed to HS and treated with GTE). Subgroups of rats were euthanized on days 15, 30, and 60 to recover the spermatozoa. The total motility (TM), vigor, spermatic morphology and concentration, mitochondrial membrane potential, plasma membrane integrity, and acrosome integrity (ACi) were analyzed. The TM was higher in G1 and G3 than in G2 and G4 on day 30, and higher in G4 on day 60. The overall means of TM and vigor were higher in G1 and G3 than in G2 and G4, as well as TM on day 60. For the morphology, G2 and G4 were lower than G1 and G3 on day 15, and G4 was lower than G1 and G3 on day 30. Moreover, in G1 and G3 morphology was higher on days 15 and 30, and in G4 it was lower on day 30, with the overall means being higher in G1 and G3 than in G2 and G4, as well as on days 15 and 60 compared to day 30. The overall mean of ACi, on day 30, was lower than on days 15 and 60 for all the groups. Therefore, HS is shown to be widely deleterious to the gametes, and the daily administration of 100 mg/kg green tea extract does not improve the spermatic parameters of Wistar rats, submitted or not to testicular HS, although it leads to better recovery of spermatic motility and morphology at 60 days.

Sliding Window Mapping for Omnidirectional RGB-D Sensors.

This paper presents an omnidirectional RGB-D (RGB + Distance fusion) sensor prototype using an actuated LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and an RGB camera. Besides the sensor, a novel mapping strategy is developed considering sensor scanning characteristics. The sensor can gather RGB and 3D data from any direction by toppling in 90 degrees a laser scan sensor and rotating it about its central axis. The mapping strategy is based on two environment maps, a local map for instantaneous perception, and a global map for perception memory. The 2D local map represents the surface in front of the robot and may contain RGB data, allowing environment reconstruction and human detection, similar to a sliding window that moves with a robot and stores surface data.

Concentration of soybean lecithin affects short-term storage success of goat semen related with seminal plasma removal.

The objective of this study was to investigate the need of seminal plasma removal for short-term cooling of buck semen in soybean lecithin (SL) based extender. Each pool was divided equally, and one half was subjected to centrifugation to remove seminal plasma (SP-), while the other half remained with seminal plasma (SP+). Then, both SP+ and SP- samples were diluted in two SL extenders (extender A = 1% SL; extender B = 2% SL), cooled to 5ºC and stored for 48 hours. The sperm kinetics, evaluated by CASA, and plasma membrane integrity (PMI), acrosomal integrity (ACI) and high mitochondrial membrane potential (HMMP), evaluated by epifluorescence microscopy, were determined within five minutes after reaching 5°C (T0), as well as after 24 (T24) and 48 (T48) hours of storage. Interactions (seminal plasma vs. extender vs. time;) were observed for all variables assessed. Total and progressive motility and other variables of sperm kinetics decreased after 24 hours of cooling in the SP+ group, and after 48 hours of storage, these same variables were lower in SP+/B compared to SP-/B groups. Furthermore, SP+ reduced PMI (extender B, T48), HMMP (A and B extenders, T48) and ACI (extender A, T0) compared to SP- samples. The interactions between seminal plasma and soybean lecithin phospholipids seemed to occur in a time-dependent manner. It was concluded that the removal of seminal plasma improves the quality of goat semen that was cooled in a soybean lecithin-based extender, especially when using 2% soybean lecithin.

A Mulher dos ratos / The Ratwomar

Uma mulher tenta suicídio após várias tentativas de modelar seu corpo deformado por uma obesidade mórbida. Sua vida é uma monotonia e uma repetição de ações que geram angústia, além de seguir uma religião rígida, incentivada pelo marido, que não dá espaço para a espontaneidade de suas ideias e criações. Ela se sente um rato e, como tal, usou essa transferência num acting-out radical: o veneno para ratos(AU)

A woman attempts suicide after several attempts to model her body, which is deformed by a morbidly obesity. Her life is a monotony and a repetition of actions that generate anxiety, in addition to dedication to a strict religion, encouraged by her husband, who does not give room for spontaneity of their ideas and creations. She feels a mouse and, as such, used this transfer in an acting out radical: the rat poison(AU)

The Effect of Canthaxanthin on the Quality of Frozen Ram Spermatozoa.

The addition of antioxidants to semen cryopreservation extenders has been employed for combating oxidative damage. This work aimed to evaluate the addition of carotenoid canthaxanthin to a cryopreservation extender of ram semen. Three breeder rams were used and, after semen collection, with 48-hour intervals between collection, the samples were included in the pool formation (n = 6). The experimental groups comprised 0 (control), 0.1, 1, 10, and 25 µM of canthaxanthin. After thawing (37°C/30 s) and incubation at 37°C for 2 hours, semen aliquots from each group were evaluated for sperm kinetics (CASA), the integrity of the plasma and acrosomal membranes (iPAM), intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and lipid peroxidation (LPO) by flow cytometry associated with the image. The control group and canthaxanthin 1 µM after incubation at 37°C for 2 hours showed increases of curvilinear velocity and amplitude of lateral head displacement with decreases of linearity, straightness, and wobble (p < 0.05), which were not observed for the canthaxanthin 10 and 25 µM. The supplementation of a Tris-egg yolk extender with canthaxanthin had no effect on the iPAM, intracellular ROS production in viable spermatozoa, or LPO. In conclusion, supplementation with 10 and 25 µM of canthaxanthin in a Tris-egg yolk extender used for ram semen cryopreservation is able to protect ovine sperm from kinetic changes after incubation at 37°C for 2 hours post-thawing.

Evaluation of an Extended Autocorrelation Phase Estimator for Ultrasonic Velocity Profiles Using Nondestructive Testing Systems.

In this paper the extended autocorrelation velocity estimator is evaluated and compared using a nondestructive ultrasonic device. For this purpose, three velocity estimators are evaluated and compared. The autocorrelation method (ACM) is the most used and well established in current ultrasonic velocity profiler technology, however, the technique suffers with phase aliasing (also known as the Nyquist limit) at higher velocities. The cross-correlation method (CCM) is also well known and does not suffer with phase aliasing as it relies on time shift measurements between emissions. The problem of this method is the large computational burden due to several required mathematical operations. Recently, an extended autocorrelation method (EAM) which combines both ACM and CCM was developed. The technique is not well known within the fluid engineering community, but it can measure velocities beyond the Nyquist limit without the ACM phase aliasing issues and with a lower computational cost than CCM. In this work, all three velocity estimation methods are used to measure a uniform flow of the liquid inside a controlled rotating cylinder. The root-mean-square deviation variation coefficient (CVRMSD) of the velocity estimate and the reference cylinder velocity was used to evaluate the three different methods. Results show that EAM correctly measures velocities below the Nyquist limit with less than 2% CVRMSD. Velocities beyond the Nyquist limit are only measured well by EAM and CCM, with the advantage of the former of being computationally 15 times faster. Furthermore, the maximum value of measurable velocity is also investigated considering the number of times the velocity surpasses the Nyquist limit. The combination of number of pulses and number of samples, which highly affects the results, are also studied in this work. Velocities up to six times the Nyquist limit could be measurable with CCM and EAM using a set of parameters as suggested in this work. The results validate the use of the NDT tool to measure velocities even beyond Nyquist limit by using EAM.

Assessment of clinical effects and safety of an oral supplement based on marine protein, vitamin C, grape seed extract, zinc, and tomato extract in the improvement of visible signs of skin aging in men.

BACKGROUND: Skin aging is a natural process that may be aggravated by environmental factors. Topical products are the conventional means to combat aging; however, the use of oral supplements is on the rise to assist in the management of aged skin. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the effects and safety of an oral supplement containing (per tablet) marine protein (105 mg), vitamin C (27 mg), grape seed extract (13.75 mg), zinc (2 mg), and tomato extract (14.38 mg) in the improvement of skin aging in men. METHODS: This single-center, open-label, quasi-experimental clinical study enrolled 47 male subjects, aged 30-45 years, with phototypes I-IV on the Fitzpatrick scale. Subjects received two tablets of the oral supplement for 180 consecutive days. Each subject served as their own control. Clinical assessments were made by medical personnel and by the subjects, respectively. Objective assessments were carried out through pH measurements, sebumetry, corneometry, ultrasound scanning, skin biopsies, and photographic images. RESULTS: Forty-one subjects (87%) completed the study. Clinical improvements on both investigator- and subject-rated outcomes were found for the following parameters: erythema, hydration, radiance, and overall appearance (P<0.05). The objective measurements in the facial skin showed significant improvements from baseline in skin hydration (P<0.05), dermal ultrasound density (P<0.001), and reduction of skin pH (P<0.05). No statistical improvement in relation to sebum was found. The photographic assessment showed an improvement in the overall appearance. The results of the objective measurements were found to be correlated with the subjects' satisfaction by an increase of collagen and elastic fibers. CONCLUSION: The use of an oral supplement based on a unique biomarine complex, vitamin C, grape seed extract, zinc, and tomato extract produced improvements in the signs of skin aging in men.

Tratamento de micose fungoide com fototerapia UVB de banda estreita (UVB-NB) / Treatment of mycosis fungoides with narrow-band UVB phototherapy (NB-UVB)

O linfoma cutâneo de células T (LCCT) compreende um grupo heterogêneo de neoplasias de linfócitos T que se apresentam de diversas formas clínicas, histológicas, imunofenotípicas e evolutivas. Micose fungoide (MF) é a forma mais comum de LCCT e corresponde a 50% de todos os linfomas cutâneos primários. A variante hipocrômica da micose fungoide apresenta características epidemiológicas próprias, sendo rara em pacientes caucasianos, atingindo faixas etárias precoces, apresentando evolução na maioria das vezes benigna. O tratamento de eleição para MF é terapia direcionada à pele nos estágios iniciais, enquanto a terapia sistêmica fica reservada para os casos mais avançados. Dentre as terapias descritas, a fototerapia é um dos métodos mais utilizados atualmente para fases iniciais de MF pelos bons resultados apresentados e menor efeito colateral em relação aos demais. Recentemente muitos relatos têm mostrado que UVB-NB é efetiva para o tratamento de estádios precoces de MF. Descrevemos um caso de MF em uma adolescente no estágio IA da doença, apresentando resposta satisfatória com o tratamento com UVB-NB, duas vezes por semana.

A sparse reconstruction algorithm for ultrasonic images in nondestructive testing.

Ultrasound imaging systems (UIS) are essential tools in nondestructive testing (NDT). In general, the quality of images depends on two factors: system hardware features and image reconstruction algorithms. This paper presents a new image reconstruction algorithm for ultrasonic NDT. The algorithm reconstructs images from A-scan signals acquired by an ultrasonic imaging system with a monostatic transducer in pulse-echo configuration. It is based on regularized least squares using a l1 regularization norm. The method is tested to reconstruct an image of a point-like reflector, using both simulated and real data. The resolution of reconstructed image is compared with four traditional ultrasonic imaging reconstruction algorithms: B-scan, SAFT, ω-k SAFT and regularized least squares (RLS). The method demonstrates significant resolution improvement when compared with B-scan-about 91% using real data. The proposed scheme also outperforms traditional algorithms in terms of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

Malassezia intra-specific diversity and potentially new species in the skin microbiota from Brazilian healthy subjects and seborrheic dermatitis patients.

Malassezia yeasts are part of the resident cutaneous microbiota, and are also associated with skin diseases such as seborrheic dermatitis (SD). The role these fungi play in skin diseases and why they are pathogenic for only some individuals remain unclear. This study aimed to characterize Malassezia microbiota from different body sites in healthy and SD subjects from Brazil. Scalp and forehead samples from healthy, mild SD and severe SD subjects were collected. Non-scalp lesions from severe SD patients were also sampled. 5.8S rDNA/ITS2 amplicons from Malassezia sp. were analyzed by RFLP and sequencing. Results indicate that Malassezia microbiota did not group according to health condition or body area. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that three groups of sequences did not cluster together with any formally described species, suggesting that they might belong to potential new species. One of them was found in high proportions in scalp samples. A large variety of Malassezia subtypes were detected, indicating intra-specific diversity. Higher M. globosa proportions were found in non-scalp lesions from severe SD subjects compared with other areas, suggesting closer association of this species with SD lesions from areas other than scalp. Our results show the first panorama of Malassezia microbiota in Brazilian subjects using molecular techniques and provide new perspectives for further studies to elucidate the association between Malassezia microbiota and skin diseases.

A new method for ultrasound detection of interfacial position in gas-liquid two-phase flow.

Ultrasonic measurement techniques for velocity estimation are currently widely used in fluid flow studies and applications. An accurate determination of interfacial position in gas-liquid two-phase flows is still an open problem. The quality of this information directly reflects on the accuracy of void fraction measurement, and it provides a means of discriminating velocity information of both phases. The algorithm known as Velocity Matched Spectrum (VM Spectrum) is a velocity estimator that stands out from other methods by returning a spectrum of velocities for each interrogated volume sample. Interface detection of free-rising bubbles in quiescent liquid presents some difficulties for interface detection due to abrupt changes in interface inclination. In this work a method based on velocity spectrum curve shape is used to generate a spatial-temporal mapping, which, after spatial filtering, yields an accurate contour of the air-water interface. It is shown that the proposed technique yields a RMS error between 1.71 and 3.39 and a probability of detection failure and false detection between 0.89% and 11.9% in determining the spatial-temporal gas-liquid interface position in the flow of free rising bubbles in stagnant liquid. This result is valid for both free path and with transducer emitting through a metallic plate or a Plexiglas pipe.

Sarcoid-like lesions in paracoccidioidomycosis: immunological factors.

The clinical presentation of paracoccidioidomycosis is spectral. Spontaneous cure, state of latency or active disease with different levels of severity can occur after the hematogenous dissemination. The morphology and number of skin lesions will depend on the interaction of host immunity, which is specific and individual, and fungus virulence. Some individuals have natural good immunity, which added to the low virulence of the fungus maintain the presence of well-marked granulomas with no microorganism and negative serology for a long time, making the diagnosis a challenge. Factors inherent to the fungus, however, may modulate the immune response and modify the clinical picture over the time. We present a sarcoidosis-like clinical presentation and discuss the immunological factors involved.