Long-term prognosis of geriatric major depression in relation to cognition and white matter integrity: follow up of two cases

INTRODUCTION: The geriatric depression (GD) represents one of the most frequent psychiatric disorders in outpatient services specialized in old-age treatment. OBJECTIVE: The course of two illustrative cases of GD is discussed, highlighting its clinical picture after antidepressant treatment and underlining variables related to disease prognosis, treatment effectiveness and conversion to major cognitive disorders such as vascular dementia (VD). METHODS: The cognitive performance, depressive symptoms, autonomy and brain structural measurements as white matter hyperintensities (WMH) and hippocampal size, and microstructural integrity of WM with diffusion tensor imaging were followed during four years. RESULTS: Case 1, with a severe degree of WMH, was associated with worsening cognition and increasing functional disability. Case 2, with mild WMH, an improvement of cognitive functioning could be seen. CONCLUSIONS: The existence of different subtypes of GD, as presented in this report, points a pathophysiological heterogeneity of GD, and suggests a possible continuum vascular depression (VaDp) and vascular cognitive impairment (VCI).

Opportunities and constraints in schistosomiasis vaccine development: infection characteristics and industry realities

The notes provided in this article relate to two components of the development of vaccines against schistosomiasis: (1) The characteristics of schistosome infections (eg. features of the schistosome life cycle), and the parasite itself, that have implications for vaccination strategies; (2) The characteristics of the biopharmaceutical industry that have implications for product development. As will be seen, these two topic areas are not vastly disparate.

Compositional Constraints in the Extremely GC-poor Genome of Plasmodium falciparum

We have analyzed the compositional properties of coding (protein encoding) and non-coding sequences of Plasmodium falciparum, a unicellular parasite characterized by an extremely AT-rich genome. GC% levels, base and dinucleotide frequencies were studied. We found that among the various factors that contribute to the properties of the sequences analyzed, the most relevant are the compositional constraints which operate on the whole genome

The theory of constraints in manufacturing

In this paper, a systematic and quantitative view is presented for the application of the theory of constraints in manufacturing. This is done employing the operational research technique of mathematical programming. The potential of the theory of constraints in automated manufacturing is demonstrated.

MHC-restricted antigen presentation and recognition: constraints on gene, recombinant and peptide vaccines in humans

The target of any immunization is to activate and expand lymphocyte clones with the desired recognition specificity and the necessary effector functions. In gene, recombinant and peptide vaccines, the immunogen is a single protein or a small assembly of epitopes from antigenic proteins. Since most immune responses against protein and peptide antigens are T-cell dependent, the molecular target of such vaccines is to generate at least 50-100 complexes between MHC molecule and the antigenic peptide per antigen-presenting cell, sensitizing a T cell population of appropriate clonal size and effector characteristics. Thus, the immunobiology of antigen recognition by T cells must be taken into account when designing new generation peptide- or gene-based vaccines. Since T cell recognition is MHC-restricted, and given the wide polymorphism of the different MHC molecules, distinct epitopes may be recognized by different individuals in the population. Therefore, the issue of whether immunization will be effective in inducing a protective immune response, covering the entire target population, becomes an important question. Many pathogens have evolved molecular mechanisms to escape recognition by the immune system by variation of antigenic protein sequences. In this short review, we will discuss the several concepts related to selection of amino acid sequences to be included in DNA and peptide vaccines.

Desiccation tolerance and DNA integrity in Eugenia pleurantha O. Berg. (myrtaceae) seeds

The aim of this study was to assess the desiccation tolerance and DNA integrity in Eugenia pleurantha seeds dehydrated to different moisture contents (MCs). Seeds extracted from mature fruits were submmited to drying in silica gel and evaluated at every five percentual points of decrease from the initial MC (35.5%, fresh weight basis). The effects of dehydration on seeds were verified through germination tests and DNA integrity assessment. Undried seeds achieved 87% germination, value reduced to 36% after being dried to 9.8% MC. When dried slightly more, to 7.4% MC, seeds were no longer able to germinate, suggesting an intermediate behavior in relation to desiccation tolerance. It was observed DNA degradation in seeds with 7.4% MC, which might have contributed to the loss of seed germination.

Desiccation tolerance and dna integrity in Eugenia pleurantha o. berg. (Myrtaceae) seeds

The aim of this study was to assess the desiccation tolerance and DNA integrity in Eugenia pleurantha seeds dehydrated to different moisture contents (MCs). Seeds extracted from mature fruits were dried in silica gel and evaluated at every five percentual points of decrease from the initial MC (35.5%, fresh weight basis). The effects of dehydration on seeds were verified through germination tests and DNA integrity assessment. Undried seeds achieved 87% germination, value reduced to 36% after being dried to 9.8% MC. When dried slightly more, to 7.4% MC, seeds were no longer able to germinate, suggesting an intermediate behavior in relation to desiccation tolerance. DNA degradation was observed in seeds with 7.4% MC, which might have contributed to the loss of seed germination.