Ikaros expression is associated with an increased risk of chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Immune reconstitution after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a complex and extremely variable process. The Ikaros transcription factor plays an important role in hematopoiesis in several cell lines, especially in the lymphoid lineage. We hypothesized that Ikaros might influence immune reconstitution, and consequently, the risk of opportunistic infections, relapse, and graft versus host disease (GVHD). Samples were collected from the graft and from the peripheral blood (PB) of the recipients 3 weeks after neutrophil recovery. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to analyze the absolute and relative Ikaros expression. Patients were divided into two groups, according to Ikaros expression in the graft and in the recipients' PB based on the ROC curves for moderate/severe cGVHD. A cutoff of 1.48 was used for Ikaros expression in the graft, and a cutoff of 0.79 was used for Ikaros expression in the recipients' PB. Sixty-six patients were included in this study. Median age of patients was 52 years (range 16-80 years), 55% of them were male, and 58% of them had acute leukemia. Median follow-up period was 18 months (range 10-43 months). There was no association between Ikaros expression and the risk of acute GVHD, relapse, or mortality. However, a significant association was observed with the risk of chronic GVHD. Higher Ikaros expression in the graft was associated with a significantly higher cumulative incidence (CI) of moderate/severe chronic GVHD according to the National Institute of Health (NIH) classification at two years (54% vs. 15% for patients with lower expression, P = 0.03). A higher Ikaros expression in the recipients' PB 3 weeks after engraftment was also associated with a significantly higher risk of moderate/severe chronic GVHD (65% vs. 11%, respectively, P = 0.005). In conclusion, Ikaros expression in the graft and in the recipients' PB after transplantation was associated with a higher risk of moderate/severe chronic GVHD. Ikaros expression should be evaluated in larger prospective trials as a potential biomarker for chronic GVHD.

Integrating ecosystem services into sustainable landscape management: A collaborative approach.

The Paiva River is considered one of the least polluted rivers in Europe and its watershed has a high conservation value. However, the Paiva River basin suffers pressures related with recurrent disturbances in land use, such as forest fires, agricultural activities, urbanization and pressures that affect the natural hydromorphological conditions and the continuity of watercourses. Blue and Green Infrastructures (BGINs) emerge to improve biodiversity, sustainability and the supply of ecosystem services while improving socioeconomic aspects. Thus, this article aims to identify priority areas in the basin, for intervention with these infrastructures. For that, a spatial multicriteria decision analysis (MDCA) was carried out according to several data related to the Paiva River Basin. As local politicians and responsible entities for the natural resources management are the main experts on the problems and their possible solutions at the local level, they were involved in this decision-making model. Therefore, these specialized stakeholders did the weighting assignment according to the most or least importance of the same for the work. The map of priority locations to implement BGINs was obtained in the sequel. To the top 5 priority areas, stakeholders attributed the best solutions based on nature. The most recommended BGINs were recovery/maintenance of riparian vegetation and conservation and reforestation of the native forest, both presented in four of the five areas, and introduction of fuel management strips presented in three of the five areas. Thus, we concluded that it is extremely important to include the communities and the competent entities of nature and environment management in scientific projects related to conservation, forming a synergy that makes it possible to combine scientific knowledge with local experience acquired in the field. This project uses a very flexible methodology of local data and can be a great example to be implemented in other hydrographic basins anywhere in the world.

Episodic angioedema with eosinophilia (Gleich's syndrome) associated with urticarial vasculitis: a coincidence or a novel clinical entity?

Episodic angioedema with eosinophilia (EAE) is a rare condition characterized by recurrent attacks of angioedema and urticaria accompanied by a marked elevation of peripheral eosinophil count. We report the case of a young female patient diagnosed with EAE associated with urticarial vasculitis. A 40-year-old female patient was admitted to our institution due to recurrent episodes of cheek and eyelid angioedema in the previous year. Episodes of facial angioedema lasted for two months with spontaneous remission afterwards. In addition, she presented pruritic and painful skin eruptions of erythematous circles, which persisted for longer than 24 h, that were palpable, somewhat purplish, and more pronounced on the face, arms, and trunk. Laboratory investigation showed a sustained elevation of white cell counts with marked eosinophilia. Serum IgM, IgE, and IgA were normal; IgG was slightly elevated. C1-esterase inhibitor and tryptase test were normal. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was performed for detection of FIP1L1-PDGFRA and BCR-ABL rearrangements. None of these alterations were found. Skin biopsies were suggestive of urticarial vasculitis. The patient was submitted to esophagogastroduodenoscopy, which showed mild chronic gastritis, with no eosinophilic infiltration. Cardiac dimensions and function were normal. Abdominal ultrasound and total body CT-scan failed to show lymphadenopathy, organomegaly, and tumors. We report the first case of association between episodic angioedema with eosinophilia and urticarial vasculitis. It is possible that both conditions share a physiopathological mechanism, suggesting that it is not just a chance association.

Episodic angioedema with eosinophilia (Gleich's syndrome) associated with urticarial vasculitis: a coincidence or a novel clinical entity?

Episodic angioedema with eosinophilia (EAE) is a rare condition characterized by recurrent attacks of angioedema and urticaria accompanied by a marked elevation of peripheral eosinophil count. We report the case of a young female patient diagnosed with EAE associated with urticarial vasculitis. A 40-year-old female patient was admitted to our institution due to recurrent episodes of cheek and eyelid angioedema in the previous year. Episodes of facial angioedema lasted for two months with spontaneous remission afterwards. In addition, she presented pruritic and painful skin eruptions of erythematous circles, which persisted for longer than 24 h, that were palpable, somewhat purplish, and more pronounced on the face, arms, and trunk. Laboratory investigation showed a sustained elevation of white cell counts with marked eosinophilia. Serum IgM, IgE, and IgA were normal; IgG was slightly elevated. C1-esterase inhibitor and tryptase test were normal. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was performed for detection of FIP1L1-PDGFRA and BCR-ABL rearrangements. None of these alterations were found. Skin biopsies were suggestive of urticarial vasculitis. The patient was submitted to esophagogastroduodenoscopy, which showed mild chronic gastritis, with no eosinophilic infiltration. Cardiac dimensions and function were normal. Abdominal ultrasound and total body CT-scan failed to show lymphadenopathy, organomegaly, and tumors. We report the first case of association between episodic angioedema with eosinophilia and urticarial vasculitis. It is possible that both conditions share a physiopathological mechanism, suggesting that it is not just a chance association.

Predicting hydrologic flows under climate change: The Tâmega Basin as an analog for the Mediterranean region.

The potential effects of climate change on the hydrology of the Tâmega River basin, northern Portugal, are assessed by comparing simulated hydrologic scenarios derived from both observational climate databases for a recent past period (1950-2015) and EURO-CORDEX model simulations for the future (2021-2100). Future climate change scenarios are based on an ensemble of five climate model chain experiments and on two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). Basin-mean annual temperatures are ca. 10% or 20% warmer than in recent past climate (12.4 °C) for RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, respectively. Furthermore, basin-mean annual precipitation decreases by approximately 8% or 13%, when compared to recent past (1255 mm). The Hydrological Simulation Program FORTRAN (HSPF) is applied to the historical data and to each of the five model simulations separately so as to simulate potential changes in flowrates. The model is calibrated and validated using 5 hydrometric stations, achieving satisfactory results regarding flowrate simulation. A reconstruction of flowrates within the entire river basin and over the historical period is accomplished, which is particularly useful when observed data is missing. The projected climate change impacts on annual flowrates reveal a decrease from 18% to 28% relative to observations (70.9 m3 s-1). These findings provide valuable information for the future management and planning of water resources (water security) and can be largely generalized not only to other basins in Portugal, but also over most of Southern Europe and throughout the Mediterranean Basin, where significant warming and drying trends are widespread footprints of climate change.

The impact of freshwater metal concentrations on the severity of histopathological changes in fish gills: A statistical perspective.

The purpose of this study was to relate the severity of histopathological changes in fish gills with changes in metal concentrations of freshwater samples, and to use the relationships as premature warnings of impairment in aquatic fauna populations. The investigated species were the native barbel (Luciobarbus bocagei) and boga (Pseudochondrostoma sp.), and the introduced trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), collected from 6 northern Portuguese rivers in a total of 249 individuals. The sampling sites have been linked to different ecological status by the official authorities. The sampling has been repeated 4 times to cover different hydrologic and environmental conditions. The analyzed metals were aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, manganese, nickel, lead and zinc. For each fish, 30 filaments of a gill arch were observed in a light microscope, and the histopathological changes evaluated according to a 6-degree gradation scale that combines the extent and severity of each lesion. The relationships between the histopathological and the chemical results were investigated by the non-parametric Goodman Kruskal gamma correlation and Partial Least Squares regression (PLS). The statistical results highlighted the importance of filament epithelium proliferation (FEP) as key biomarker to the toxicity of sub lethal concentrations of metals, because FEP was significantly correlated with all analyzed metals and explained through PLS regression by concentration changes of Cu, Zn, Mn, Cr and As. A refined regression analysis, where histopathological data on the 3 species were processed in separate, revealed that FEP severity is especially sensitive to changes in metal concentrations in boga. Thus, monitoring studies on the ecological status of northern Portuguese rivers would benefit in time and cost if FEP is used as biomarker and boga as species. Naturally, the option for this species depends on the availability of boga individuals along the stream reaches selected for the monitoring programs.

From catchment to fish: Impact of anthropogenic pressures on gill histopathology.

Gill histopathology was investigated in barbel (Luciobarbus bocagei) and nase (Pseudochondrostoma sp.) in sub-catchments of Paiva River (Portugal) located upstream and downstream of a Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP). Multivariate statistical analyses were performed to set up correlations between the species sample (n=24) and injury types (8). The results discriminate well edema and vasodilatation between reference (upstream) and disturbed (downstream) samples. Using a watershed model, time series of physico-chemical parameters and heavy metal concentrations were calibrated and validated for the entire Paiva River basin as to investigate the relationship between water quality and the gill histopathology results. Increased concentrations of heavy metal downstream, specifically of zinc and lead, coincided with a higher severity of histopathological alterations in the fish gills. Significant but less evident relationship between water quality parameters and severity of gill injuries in the analyzed fish species were also observed for fecal coliforms, water temperature and manganese. Notwithstanding the location of the samples upstream and downstream of the WWTP, contamination of Paiva River and its effect on gill injuries cannot be disconnected from other punctual and diffuse pollution sources acting in different sectors within the watershed, namely agriculture and forest management. The severity of histopathological alterations in the fish gills reflected differences in the type and concentration of contaminants in Paiva River, and consequently can be viewed as valuable indicator of water quality.

Diversidade e controle de insetos-praga no arquivo judicial da Câmara Municipal de Pitangui, MG / Diversity and control of pest insects in the judicial archive of the city council of Pitangui, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil

A destruição de livros e documentos por organismos-praga é um problema antigo, enfrentado principalmente por bibliotecários e arquivistas. O trabalho teve como objetivo descrever suscintamente as principais ações e resultados do Manejo Integrado de Pragas (MIP) implementadas no Arquivo Judicial da Câmara Municipal de Pitangui, MG, durante os meses de janeiro de 2004 a agosto de 2005. Dentre estas ações, realizou-se um levantamento dos organismos-praga presentes tanto na área física do acervo, quanto no material bibliográfico. Todo o material bibliográfico foi tratado através do método do congelamento controlado, que consiste em acondicionar o material bibliográfico em um congelador (freezer) a temperaturas negativas, por um tempo pré-determinado. No caso desse método, foi avaliada a efetividade do controle, através da verificação da presença de indivíduos mortos e vivos, logo após o tratamento, três e seis meses depois. O levantamento dos organismos-praga na área física do acervo evidenciou a presença do cupim de madeira seca Cryptotermes brevis (Walker) e das formigas Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius) e Camponotus sp. No material bibliográfico, além do cupim C. brevis, foram identificados besouros da espécie Tricorynus herbarius (Gorjam), traças Lepisma saccharina Linnaeus e piolhos-do-livro do gênero Liposcelis sp. As medidas de controle evidenciaram a efetividade dos métodos adotados, não ocorrendo reincidência das pragas durante o período de estudo.

Destruction of books and documents by pest organisms is an age-old problem, faced mainly by both librarians and archivists. The present study provides a brief report on the main actions and the results of the Integrated Management of Pests (IMP) implemented in the Judicial Archive of the City Council of Pitangui, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, during the months of January 2004 to August 2005. These actions included a survey of the pest organisms present both in the physical area of the archive and in the bibliographical material. All the material was treated through the controlled freezing method, which consistsin putting the bibliographical material into a freezer at negative temperatures for a predetermined time period. In the case of this method, the effectiveness of the control was evaluated through the verification of the presence of dead and living individuals, soon after the treatment and at three and six months later. The survey of the pest organisms in the physical area of the archive revealed the presence of the termite Cryptotermes brevis (Walker) and the ants Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius) and Camponotus sp. In the bibliographical material, in addition to the termite C. brevis there were identified beetles of the species Tricorynus herbarius (Gorham), silverfish Lepisma saccharina Linnaeus, and book lice of the genus Liposcelis sp. The control measures evidenced the effectiveness of the methods used, with no reoccurrence of the pest during the study period.

Efeitos das infecçöes natural e experimental por Strongyloides papillosus em bezerros / Natural and experimental infection of Strongyloides papillosus in calves

Examinaram-se amostras fecais de 370 bezerros, de um a 120 dias de idade, provenientes de 12 propriedades rurais produtoras de leite tipo "C", nos Municípios de Itaguaí, Nova Iguaçú e Paracambí, Estado do Rio de Janeiro. As fezes foram colhidas diretamente da ampola retal. Trinta por cento desses animais encontravam-se parasitados por Strongyloides papillosus (Wed, 1856) Ranson, 1911. Foram encontrados animais parasitados em todas faixas etárias e o mais novo tinha seis dias de idade. Verificaram-se dois picos de produçäo de ovos, ocorridos em animais de 11 a 20 dias e de 51 a 70 dias de idade. A péssima higiene proporcionada pela cama de capim seco ou de palha de cereais, a qual era parcialmente trocada, foi identificada como responsável pela sobrevivência e manutençäo da fase de vida livre do S. papillosus. Doze bezerros mestiços, de um a três dias de idade, receberam a dose de 300.000 larvas infectantes de S. papillosus por via subcutânea. O período patente teve início entre o 9§ e o 14§ dias pós-inoculaçäo. Quatro animais tiveram morte súbita antes da eliminaçäo de ovos nas fezes; outros três morreram no 15§, 22§ e 31§ dias, e os cinco restantes foram necropsiados 42 dias pós-inoculaçäo. Näo houve correlaçäo entre a temperatura, o pulso e os movimentos respiratórios com a infecçäo por S. papillosus. Os sinais clínicos observados durante a fase experimental foram: diarréia intermitente, anorexia, abdomen retraído, pêlos sem brilho e arrepiados, mucosas pálidas, desidrataçäo discreta e prostraçäo