Hypoxia enhances ILC3 responses through HIF-1α-dependent mechanism.

Group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3) have a prominent role in the maintenance of intestine mucosa homeostasis. The hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) is an important modulator of immune cell activation and a key mechanism for cellular adaptation to oxygen deprivation. However, its role on ILC3 is not well known. In this study, we investigated how a hypoxic environment modulates ILC3 response and the subsequent participation of HIF-1 signaling in this process. We found increased proliferation and activation of intestinal ILC3 at low oxygen levels, a response that was phenocopied when HIF-1α was chemically stabilized and was reversed when HIF-1 was blocked. The increased activation of ILC3 relied on a HIF-1α-dependent transcriptional program, but not on mTOR-signaling or a switch to glycolysis. HIF-1α deficiency in RORyt compartment resulted in impaired IL-17 and IL-22 production by ILC3 in vivo, which reflected in a lower expression of their target genes in the intestinal epithelium and an increased susceptibility to Clostridiodes difficile infection. Taken together, our results show that HIF-1α activation in intestinal ILC3 is relevant for their functions in steady state and infectious conditions.

Terrestrial and marine Antarctic fungi extracts active against Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri.

This study aims to obtain secondary metabolites extracts from filamentous fungi isolated from soil and marine sediments from Antarctica and assess its potential antibacterial activity on Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri, the agent of citrus canker. Metabolites production was conducted in Malt 2% broth at 15°C for 20 days after which intracellular and extracellular extracts were obtained. The extracts were evaluated by cell viability assays through Resazurin Microtitre Assay. From 158 fungal extracts, 33 hampered bacterial growth in vitro. The average inhibition of the extracts obtained from terrestrial (soil) and marine (sediments) fungi was 94 and 97% respectively. These inhibition values were close to the average of 90% cell death for the positive control. MIC90 and MBC for the bioactive extracts were established. Isolates that produced active metabolites against the phytopathogen were identified using molecular taxonomy (ITS-rRNA sequencing) as: Pseudogymnoascus, Penicillium, Cadophora, Paraconiothyrium and Toxicocladosporium. Antarctic fungal strains isolated from terrestrial and marine sediments were able to produce secondary metabolites with antimicrobial activity against X. citri subsp. citri, highlighting the importance of these microbial genetic resources. These metabolites have potential to be used as alternatives for the control of this plant pathogen. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This manuscript makes an impact on the study of micro-organisms from extreme habitats and their possible contribution in discovering new active molecules against pathogens of agricultural interest. Studies on the Antarctic continent and its communities have attracted the scientific community due to the long period of isolation and low levels of disturbance that surrounds the region. Knowing the potential of fungi in this region to produce active secondary metabolites, we aim to contribute to the discovery of compounds with antibacterial action in Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri, a plant pathogen present in several regions around the globe.

Frequency of Aedes sp. Linnaeus (Diptera: Culicidae) and Associated Entomofauna in Bromeliads from a Forest Patch within a densely Urbanized Area.

Little is known about the relationship between the presence of Aedes, abiotic factors and the entomofauna existing in phytotelmatas. The aim of this study was to identify biotic and abiotic factors associated with the presence of Aedes in bromeliads sites located in a forest fragment in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In the study area, eight bromeliads from the Aechmea genus were chosen and kept in landscape form. Physical and chemical variables were measured. Collected aquatic insects were identified according to the literature. A total of 3102 immature insects were collected. The presence of Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) (2.29%) was rare. Few specimens were found concentrated in urban-adjacent areas during summer. On the other hand, Aedes albopictus (Skuse) (17.57%) was found throughout the year in 0%-80% of the sites, averaging 1.0 mosq/bromelia. Aedes albopictus was found predominantly in central sites of the forest fragment. The Canonical Correspondence Analysis indicates that most taxa had a moderate association with temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH. The abiotic variables, such as temperature and dissolved oxygen, affect the distribution of the genus Aedes vectors, while most of the other variables did not.

First record of Teratopactus nodicollis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris).

Observations on the bioecology and damage of Teratopactus nodicollis Boheman on Phaseolus vulgaris were carried out on field samples by assessing the number of larvae and root damage in 40 ha of a dry bean field from the Federal District, Brazil (16°4'28.41"W; 47°30'21.13"S). Larvae caused the greatest damage at the stage of germination, emergence, and primary leaves, producing 50 % stand reduction. Most larvae pupated in August and September, and adult emergence occurred in middle October. Some larvae were infected with the fungus Metarhizium spp., a biological agent that would be naturally controlling this insect.

Short communication: In vitro assessment of erosive potential of energy drinks.

AIM: This in vitro study was to evaluate the endogenous pH, titratable acidity, total soluble solids content (TSSC) and nonreducing sugars of energy drinks. METHODS: Nine energy drinks (Bad Boy Power Drink, Red Bull, Red Bull Sugar Free, Flying Horse, Burn, Night Power, Flash Power, Flying Horse Light and 220V) were evaluated by a randomised experiment with 3 repetitions on each sample. pH analysis performed by potentiometry and buffering capacity was assessed by dilution of each drink. Increments of 0.1 N KOH were titrated until neutrality reached. TSSC readings were performed by Brix refractometry using an Abbé refractometer. RESULTS: pH values ranged from 1.52 (Flash Power) to 3.20 (Red Bull) and all drinks showed pH 5.5. Titratable acidity values ranged from 0.56 (220V) to 1.04 (Bad Boy Power Drink). Flying Horse Light presented the lowest TSSC content (1.66%) and Flying Horse presented the highest (12.58%). Non-reducing sugars values ranged from 0.00% (Red Bull Sugar Free and Flying Horse Light) to 54.33% (Flying Horse). CONCLUSION: The energy drinks evaluated have a high erosive potential, as they present low pH and a high non-reducing sugar content.

Radionuclide calibrator comparisons and quality improvement in nuclear medicine.

The traceability of activity measurements performed during the development phase of the radiopharmaceutical and in its clinical application is essential for establishing the comparability of clinical results reported in the nuclear medicine field. This paper presents and discusses the evaluation over time of the quality of activity measurement results obtained in Cuban nuclear medicine, on the basis of statistical samples taken during the radionuclide calibrator comparison program. An attempt is also made to evaluate the role played by such comparisons in quality measurement improvement in nuclear medicine, on the basis of results obtained in a number of countries and published by several authors over a period of time. Specifically, improvements of the measurement performance over time assessed by such exercises were found dissimilar in magnitudes for different countries. Two phases could be distinguished in the improvement process over time. Firstly, a fast improvement can be obtained resulting from the improvement in measurement accuracy of devices. After that, the achievement of new and sustained improvements goes slowly and requires an application of quality assurance programs where the qualification upgrading of personnel become an essential point.

Low-frequency noise effects on the parotid gland of the Wistar rat.

BACKGROUND: Long-term low-frequency noise (LFN) (

Nutritonal evaluation of pemphigus foliaceus patients on long term glucocorticoid therapy.

Our objective was to compare food intake and nutritional status of Pemphigus Foliaceus patients (PG) on long term glucocorticoid therapy to a Control Group (CG). Fourteen PG female inpatients receiving prednisone (0.33 +/- 0.22mg/kg) for at least 12 months and twelve CG subjects were submitted to nutritional evaluation, including anthropometry, urinary creatinine determination and serum biochemical measurements, besides 48-h-based food intake records. Groups were compared by Chi-square, Mann-Whitney and "t" tests. PG patients and CG were paired, respectively, in relation to age (24.7 +/- 14.1 vs. 22.0 +/- 12.0 years), body mass index (25.8 +/- 6.4 vs. 24.0 +/- 5.6kg/m2), daily protein intake (132.9 +/- 49.8 vs. 95.2 +/- 58.9g), and serum albumin (median; range) (3.8; 3.5-4.1 vs. 3.8; 3.6-5.0g/dl). However, PG patients had lower height-creatinine index (64.8 +/- 17.6 vs. 90.1 +/- 33.4%), and higher daily energy (3080 +/- 1099 vs. 2187 +/- 702kcal) and carbohydrate (376.8 +/- 135.8 vs. 242.0 +/- 80.7g) intakes. Despite high food, protein and energy consumption, PG patients on long term glucocorticoid therapy had lower body muscle mass than controls, while showing high body fat stores. These findings are possibly related to combined metabolic effects of long term corticotherapy and inflammatory disease plus corticosteroid-induced increased appetite.

Headache in chagasic women.

The aim of this study was to compare the frequency of headache between Chagasic and Non-chagasic women. The cross-sectional study comprised 647 female > or = 40 years old, Chagasic (n = 362) and Controls (n = 285) at a Brazilian University Hospital. Chagasic were classified as Cardiac (n = 179), Megas (n = 58) or Indeterminate (n = 125) clinical forms. Headache was ascertained according to Headache International Society diagnostic criteria. The age (57.0 +/- 11.3 versus 57.3 +/- 10.4 years), and the percentage of white women (75.8% versus 77.1%) were similar between Chagasic and Controls, respectively. Headache was more prevalent among Chagasic (32.9%) than Controls (16.1%), mainly in Cardiac form (odds ratio, 2.41; 95% confidence interval, 1.38-4.23), phenomenon possibly related to parasympathetic denervation and cerebral vessels changes.

Serodiagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi infection using the new particle gel immunoassay--ID-PaGIA Chagas.

The ID-Chagas test is a particle gel immunoassay (PaGIA). Red coloured particles are sensitised with three different synthetic peptides representing antigen sequences of Trypanosoma cruzi: Ag2, TcD and TcE. When these particles are mixed with serum containing specific antibodies, they agglutinate. The reaction mixture is centrifuged through a gel filtration matrix allowing free agglutinated particles to remain trapped on the top or distributed within the gel. The result can be read visually. In order to investigate the ability of the ID-PaGIA to discriminate negative and positive sera, 111 negative and 119 positive, collected in four different Brazilian institutions, were tested by each of the participants. All sera were previously classified as positive or negative according to results obtained with three conventional tests (indirect immunofluorescence, indirect hemaglutination, and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay). Sensitivity rates of ID-PaGIA varied from 95.7% to 97.4% with mean sensitivity of 96.8% and specificity rates varied from 93.8 to 98.8% with mean specificity of 94.6%. The overall Kappa test was 0.94. The assay presents as advantages the simplicity of operation and the reaction time of 20 min. In this study, ID-PaGIA showed to be highly sensitive and specific.

[Frequency of diabetes mellitus and hyperglycemia in chagasic and non-chagasic women]. / Freqüência de diabetes mellitus e hiperglicemia em mulheres chagásicas e não-chagásicas.

Medical records of > or = 40 years old female seen at University Hospital from June/93 to July/95 were submitted to a cross-sectional study. According to Chagas' disease tests, patients were divided into chagasic (n = 362) and controls (n = 285). Diabetes mellitus was defined on the basis of two fasting blood glucose levels > or = 140 mg/dl and hyperglycemia as fasting blood glucose > 110 mg/dl. Chagasic patients were divided into groups with the cardiac form of the disease (n = 179), with megas (n = 58), and asymptomatic (n = 125). Groups were compared by the chi 2 test, analysis of variance, Student's "t" test, and Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. A significant difference was assumed when p < 0.05. Chagasic and control groups were matched for age, white color and body mass index. Diabetes mellitus was more prevalent in patients with the cardiac form of Chagas' disease than in controls, or patients with the megas or the asymptomatic form (15.1%, 7.4%, 7.4%, and 5.6%, respectively); the same was observed for hyperglycemia (37.4%, 26.7%, 25.9%, 27.2%), in agreement with the hypothesis that the reduced parasympathetic activity caused by Trypanosoma cruzi leads to relative sympathetic hyperactivity.

[Pancreatic anatomopathologic changes in chronic chagasic women. Preliminary data]. / Alterações anatomo-patológicasdo pâncreas em chagásicas crônicas. Dados preliminares.

The aim of this study was to compare the frequency of pancreas morphologic and morphometric changes in chagasic women (n = 6) aged > or = 40 years, with non-chagasic controls (n = 4), paired concerning to age (59.8 +/- 11.5 versus 59.0 +/- 6.3 years), white color (33.3% versus 50.0%) and body mass index (22.3 +/- 7.0 versus 18.8 +/- 2.1 kg/m2). There were no pancreatic morphometric differences between necropsied chagasic and control groups. However, there was a smaller intrapancreatic neuronal population and a higher frequency of leukocyte perineural infiltrate in the pancreas of chagasic women. This possible intrapancreatic denervation could be associated with changes in carbohydrate metabolism, including hyperglycemia and diabetes mellitus, in some chronic chagasic women.

[Miliary tuberculosis - report of a case]. / Tuberculose miliar--relato de caso.

This is a case report of generalized miliary tuberculous infection in a 80-year old white male without the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, whose death was caused by progressive hematogenous seeding similar to those cases of preantibiotic era. The importance of autopsy studies to uncover silent or protean infections specially in cases of cryptic or chronic hematogenous miliary tuberculosis, is emphasized.

[Frequency of precordialgia in chagasic and non-chagasic women]. / Freqüência de precordialgia em mulheres chagásicas e não-chagásicas.

The aim of this study was to compare the frequency of precordialgia between chagasic and non-chagasic women. A cross-sectional study comprised 647 female aged > or = 40, chagasic (n = 362) and controls (n = 285) was done at a Brazilian university hospital. Chagasic were classified as cardiac (n = 179), megas (n = 58) or indeterminate (n = 125) clinical forms. Chest pain was ascertained by typical or atypical retrosternal pain. Age (57.0 +/- 11.3 vs 57.3 +/- 10.4 years), and percentage of white women (75.8% vs 77.1%) were similar between chagasic and controls, respectively. Chest pain was more prevalent (p < 0.01) among chagasic (14.6%) than controls (5.6%), mainly in the cardiac form (relative risk = 2.41; range: 1.38-4.23), a phenomenon possibly related to cardiac parasympathetic denervation and myocardial microvascular changes.

[Cryptococcus infection limited to the prostate in an AIDS patient with disseminated mycobacteriosis. A necropsy report]. / Infecção por Cryptococcus limitada à próstata em paciente aidético com micobacteriose disseminada. Relato de necropsia.

This is a case report of asymptomatic and restrained cryptococcal prostatic infection in a 32-year-old black male with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, whose death was caused by systemic mycobacteriosis probably pertaining to MAI complex. The importance of autopsy studies to evaluate the real prevalence of fungus infections in AIDS patients, specially in cases of persistent silent focuses, is emphasized.

Effects of Bayluscide WP 70 on the survival and water-leaving behaviour of Biomphalaria straminea, snail host of schistosomiasis in northeast Brazil.

The toxic and behavioural effects of niclosamide (Bayluscide WP 70) on Biomphalaria straminea from a highly endemic area of schistosomiasis in northeastern Brazil were investigated through laboratory bioassays. The LD50 and LD90 were 0.114 mg/l and 0.212 mg/l, respectively. Water-leaving behaviour occurred among 14% to 30% of the snails in the presence of sublethal doses of niclosamide and among 16% of the controls. It was concluded that both the relatively low susceptibility to niclosamide and water-leaving behaviour of local B. straminea may be responsible for the recolonization of transmission foci after mollusciciding. It was suggested that recently improved measures of snail control, such as controlled-release formulations of niclosamide and plant molluscicides should be considered in areas where snail control is recommended.

[Paracoccidioidomycosis in a patient with human immunodeficiency virus infection. A necropsy case]. / Paracoccidioidomicose em paciente com a infecção pelo vírus da imunodeficiência humana. Relato de necrópsia.

This is a case report of the association of Paracoccidioidomycosis and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) occurring in a 43-year old male. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first detailed pathological account of that association. Also discussed are the low rates of that association, its natural history and treatment results. It is emphasised the importance of the associations of AIDS and tropical infectious diseases in this country.

Effect of Niclosamide (Bayluscide WP 70), Anacardium occidentale hexane extract and Euphorbia splendens latex on behavior of Biomphalaria glabrata (Say, 1818), under laboratory conditions.

The repellent effect of the molluscicides Niclosamide (Bayluscide WP 70), Anacardium occidentale and the latex of Euphorbia splendens on Biomphalaria glabrata was observed through the investigation of the occurrence of escape behavior among molluscs that were exposed to dosages lower than the LD 50. The total number of individuals out of water among the surviving snails in the control group provided a "Natural Escape Index". The comparison between this total and the total number of surviving snails in each group exposed to the different dosages of the molluscicides after 24 hr provided the "Molluscicide Escape Index" and the detection of a "Repellency Range" to these snails. The escape indexes for Niclosamide, A. occidentale and E. splendens were 10%, 6.22% and 6.44% respectively. Repellency occurred at the following concentration ranges: 0.01, 0.02 and 0.03 ppm Bayluscide, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 ppm A. occidentale and 0.05, 0.10, 0.15 and 0.20 ppm E. splendens. The Natural Escape Index obtained in the control group was zero.