Do the Brazilian sardine commercial landings respond to local ocean circulation?

It has been reported that sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies, flow intensity and mesoscale ocean processes, all affect sardine production, both in eastern and western boundary current systems. Here we tested the hypothesis whether extreme high and low commercial landings of the Brazilian sardine fisheries in the South Brazil Bight (SBB) are sensitive to different oceanic conditions. An ocean model (ROMS) and an individual based model (Ichthyop) were used to assess the relationship between oceanic conditions during the spawning season and commercial landings of the Brazilian sardine one year later. Model output was compared with remote sensing and analysis data showing good consistency. Simulations indicate that mortality of eggs and larvae by low temperature prior to maximum and minimum landings are significantly higher than mortality caused by offshore advection. However, when periods of maximum and minimum sardine landings are compared with respect to these causes of mortality no significant differences were detected. Results indicate that mortality caused by prevailing oceanic conditions at early life stages alone can not be invoked to explain the observed extreme commercial landings of the Brazilian sardine. Likely influencing factors include starvation and predation interacting with the strategy of spawning "at the right place and at the right time".

Serological monitoring of a Toxoplasma infection after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation / Monitoramento sorológico de uma infecção toxoplásmica após transplante de células progenitoras hematopoiéticas

We report a primary response to Toxoplasma gondii following a hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in a patient with multiple myeloma. The primary response to T. gondii was supported by IgM, IgG and IgA seroconversion. The patient was promptly treated and there were no complications related to toxoplasmosis in the subsequent months.

Esse relato de caso descreve uma resposta primária ao Toxoplasma gondii após transplante de células progenitoras hematopoiéticas em paciente com mieloma múltiplo. A resposta primária para o T. gondii foi evidenciada pela soroconversão observada na resposta de anticorpos IgM, IgG e IgA. O paciente foi prontamente tratado e complicações relacionadas à toxoplasmose não foram observadas nos meses subseqüentes.

O transplante de células-tronco hematopoéticas no tratamento dos linfomas não Hodgkin / Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for non-Hodgkin lymphomas

No final da década de 70, ocorreu o primeiro relato de sucesso com a utilização de quimioterapia de alta dose, seguida de transplante de células-tronco hematopoéticas autólogo (TCTH auto), em pacientes com linfoma não Hodgkin (LNH). Desde então, o TCTH autólogo vem se constituindo em um importante instrumento na estratégia de tratamento dos LNH. Inúmeros estudos, em vários subtipos de linfomas, têm consolidado o papel do TCTH autólogo, principalmente como resgate em recidivas de doença. O melhor momento para a incorporação desta estratégia depende do subtipo do linfoma, do status de doença previamente ao transplante (sensível ou resistente) e de fatores clínico-biológicos associados à doença. Em recidiva sensível de linfoma difuso de grandes células, o TCTH autólogo é a terapia de escolha. Nestes pacientes, o transplante promove taxas de resposta completa em até 50 por cento dos casos, comparado a aproximadamente 15 por cento, quando esse resgate é realizado com protocolos quimioterápicos convencionais. O seu papel como parte da terapia de indução de remissão não está totalmente estabelecido. Em linfomas indolentes, principalmente folicular, é a terapia de escolha nas recidivas sensíveis à quimioterapia de resgate. Em linfomas de células do manto, o TCTH autólogo tem se incorporado à terapia de primeira linha, como consolidação de remissão. As indicações de TCTH alogênico em LNH têm se limitado aos casos de refratariedade ao tratamento convencional e recidiva pós-transplante autólogo, em pacientes jovens e sem comorbidades, em decorrência da alta toxicidade associada à utilização de regimes de condicionamento mieloablativos. A utilização de regimes de condicionamento de intensidade reduzida tem reduzido a toxicidade e ampliado o seu uso nos LNH recidivados ou refratários.

High-dose chemotherapy (HDT) followed by autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) has proved to provide significant advantage regarding event-free and overall survival in patients with chemosensitive relapses of aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) after conventional therapy. These results encouraged many investigators to use HDT as part of first-line therapy but the results are contradictory. There is no consensus regarding management of relapsed or refractory DLBCL. In follicular lymphomas, autologous stem cell transplantation (SCT) is considered the treatment of choice for young patients with relapsed disease. Autologous SCT has also been evaluated in prospective trials as first-line treatment for high risk patients at diagnosis, but the results are not yet conclusive. In mantle cell lymphoma, autologous stem cell transplantation has been employed as part of first-line therapy. Allo-SCT for patients with lymphoma was first performed in the mid-1980s. The high transplant-related mortality, seen after myeloablative conditioning, discouraged broader interest in this approach and made further research difficult. The generally lower relapse rates after allo-SCT, the association of GvHD with reduced relapse rates, the increase of relapse rates after ex vivo or in vivo T-cell depletion, and the frequent responses to DLIs all support the existence of a graft-vs.-lymphoma effect. However, further data analysis supports the view that not all lymphomas are equal. While slowly proliferating diseases such as follicular lymphoma seem particularly sensitive targets for allogeneic T-cells, results of allo-SCT with aggressive B-cell lymphomas have been less convincing. Patients with these latter diseases obviously need vigorous debulking of their tumor prior to conditioning. Reduced-intensity conditioning fueled a renaissance of allo-SCT as treatment of lymphoma because the lower expected TRM was highly attractive for a patient population where...

Serological monitoring of a Toxoplasma infection after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

We report a primary response to Toxoplasma gondii following a hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in a patient with multiple myeloma. The primary response to T. gondii was supported by IgM, IgG and IgA seroconversion. The patient was promptly treated and there were no complications related to toxoplasmosis in the subsequent months.