Étude de la survie cellulaire lors du processus de myélopoïèse induit par le facteur de transcription PU.1 et la cytokine GM-CSF

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Interaction entre le GM-CSF et PU.1 dans la survie des précurseurs myéloïdes

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Green factory as a factor of sustainability: the case of GM engine plant in Joinvile - SC

The new engine plant by General Motors (GM) in Joinville-SC, inaugurated on February 27th 2013, incorporates the most advanced automotive technology processes and broad compliance with environmental standards and energy efficiency. The initiatives implemented in this industrial plant include processes with 100% of recycled industrial waste (landfill free) and pioneer systems in energy efficiency and environmental protection, qualifying the plant to obtain the global certification of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). This industrial project reveals the strategic importance of the region and of Brazil in the growth of GM in the world, becoming a reference for studies and project evaluations of "green" factories in the automotive sector. The present study performs an exploratory research based on scientific publications, assessing the direct and indirect impacts on the business outcome, resulting from implementation of industrial serviceoriented sustainability of its operations, referred to in this article as "Green Factory”. We concluded that the adopted technologies focused on sustainability, study and development, represent a new step for the design of new plants and future expansions of the company in the region, combining low operating cost, low environmental impact and conservation of natural resources.

Genetic Diversity of Oilseed Rape Fields and Feral Populations in the Context of Coexistence with GM Crops

Despite growing concern about transgenes escaping from fields, few studies have analysed the genetic diversity of crops in an agroecosystem over several years. Accurate information about the dynamics and relationship of the genetic diversity of crops in an agroecosystem is essential for risk assessment and policies concerning the containment of genetically modified crops and their coexistence with crops grown by conventional practices. Here, we analysed the genetic diversity of oilseed rape plants from fields and feral populations over 4 years in an agricultural landscape of 41 km2. We used exact compatibility and maximum likelihood assignment methods to assign these plants to cultivars. Even pure lines and hybrid cultivar seed lots contained several genotypes. The cultivar diversity in fields reflected the conventional view of agroecosystems quite well: that is, there was a succession of cultivars, some grown for longer than others because of their good performance, some used for one year and then abandoned, and others gradually adopted. Three types of field emerged: fields sown with a single cultivar, fields sown with two cultivars, and unassigned fields (too many cultivars or unassigned plants to reliably assign the field). Field plant diversity was higher than expected, indicating the persistence of cultivars that were grown for only one year. The cultivar composition of feral populations was similar to that of field plants, with an increasing number of cultivars each year. By using genetic tools, we found a link between the cultivars of field plants in a particular year and the cultivars of feral population plants in the following year. Feral populations on road verges were more diverse than those on path verges. All of these findings are discussed in terms of their consequences in the context of coexistence with genetically modified crops.

The legitimation of development and GM crops: The case of Bt Cotton and Indebtedness in Telangana, India

This study explores the relation between Bt cotton adoption and farmer suicides in India. This is undertaken through comparing the debt levels of Bt cotton cultivators with those adopting alternative organic and Non-Pesticide Management (NPM) methods. The study involves a total of 26 participants in three villages in Telangana, India. It argues that measures of indebtedness need to be adopted as part of assessments of both Bt cotton and development policy.

Anomalias congênitas ou de manifestação tardia - Portaria GM/MS nº 199/2014 Eixo I Grupo 1

Neste segundo módulo do curso de Formação de Teleconsultores sobre a Política Nacional de Atenção Integral às Pessoas com Doenças Raras no SUS são abordados os seguintes aspectos: Anomalia congênita diagnosticada: roteiros para anamnese completa, história familiar, exame físico, incluindo os aspectos morfológicos. Futura descendência: roteiro para anamnese, história familiar e presença de consanguinidade. Coleta de informações sobre os casos que motivaram a consulta. Consanguinidade: roteiro para historia familiar e exame físico cuidadoso, considerando a suspeita diagnóstica e o fato de indivíduos de isolados geográficos poderem ter uma maior incidência de doenças raras, necessitando de uma vigília constante da Atenção Básica. Gestações de risco: roteiro para anamneses e história familiar, laudos de ultrassons e outros exames complementares. Aconselhamento genético: definição, competências, quando indicar. Fluxograma de atendimento recomendado para anomalias congênitas.

Deficiência Intelectual - Portaria GM/MS nº 199/2014 Eixo I Grupo 2

Terceiro módulo do curso de Formação de Teleconsultores sobre a Política Nacional de Atenção Integral às Pessoas com Doenças Raras no SUS. Apresenta informações sobre a Deficiência Intelectual resultante de causas genéticas, da exposição a fatores deletérios do ambiente, ou ainda da interação entre ambos. Cerca de 1 a 2% são graves, causadas por doenças raras e podem ser atendidas pelos Serviços de Atenção Especializada e Serviços de Referência em Doenças Raras. No módulo, são abordados os seguintes tópicos: como detectar ou aventar a suspeita de Deficiência Intelectual decorrente de doença rara e quais os encaminhamentos necessários para avaliação diagnóstica; anamnese na atenção básica: antecedentes gestacionais e de parto, evolução do desenvolvimento neuropsicomotor, desempenho escolar, histórico familiar positivo, consanguinidade parental; exame físico: antropometria e sinais dismórficos; quando encaminhar para o Serviço de Atenção Especializada ou de Referência; fluxograma do atendimento recomendado para deficiência intelectual decorrente de doença rara.

Erros Inatos de Metabolismo - Portaria GM/MS nº 199/2014 Eixo I Grupo 3

No Brasil, estima-se que sejam registrados cerca de 3.000 novos casos de Erros Inatos de Metabolismo (EIM) a cada ano. Os EIM são geralmente multissistêmicos. Muitos evoluem com comprometimento neurológico e óbito precoce. O diagnóstico dos EIM é complexo e compreende várias etapas de investigação. Há possibilidade de intervenção terapêutica em boa parte dos casos. O tratamento específico envolve dietoterapia, uso de fármacos, reposição enzimática e até transplante de órgãos e tecidos. Pacientes com EIM necessitam de acompanhamento especializado cuidadoso. Neste quarto módulo do curso de Formação de Teleconsultores sobre a Política Nacional de Atenção Integral às Pessoas com Doenças Raras no SUS são abordados os seguintes tópicos: classificação dos EIM; roteiro de anamnese; sinais e sintomas que indiquem a presença de EIM; fluxograma atendimento recomendado para EIM.

Dendritic cell-specific antigen delivery by coronavirus vaccine vectors induces long-lasting protective antiviral and antitumor immunity.

Efficient vaccination against infectious agents and tumors depends on specific antigen targeting to dendritic cells (DCs). We report here that biosafe coronavirus-based vaccine vectors facilitate delivery of multiple antigens and immunostimulatory cytokines to professional antigen-presenting cells in vitro and in vivo. Vaccine vectors based on heavily attenuated murine coronavirus genomes were generated to express epitopes from the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus glycoprotein, or human Melan-A, in combination with the immunostimulatory cytokine granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). These vectors selectively targeted DCs in vitro and in vivo resulting in vector-mediated antigen expression and efficient maturation of DCs. Single application of only low vector doses elicited strong and long-lasting cytotoxic T-cell responses, providing protective antiviral and antitumor immunity. Furthermore, human DCs transduced with Melan-A-recombinant human coronavirus 229E efficiently activated tumor-specific CD8(+) T cells. Taken together, this novel vaccine platform is well suited to deliver antigens and immunostimulatory cytokines to DCs and to initiate and maintain protective immunity.

Proteínas de fase aguda no soro sanguíneo e no líquido peritoneal de equinos submetidos à obstrução intestinal experimental

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Proteinograma sérico e do líquido peritoneal de equinos hígidos e daqueles submetidos à obstrução intestinal experimental

Avaliou-se a resposta de fase aguda através da concentração das proteínas de fase aguda (PFA) no soro sanguíneo e no líquido peritoneal de vinte e um equinos, hígidos e submetidos à obstrução intestinal experimental, distribuídos em quatro grupos: obstrução de duodeno - GD (n=6), íleo - GI (n=6), cólon dorsal esquerdo - GM (n=6) e controle instrumentado - GC (n=3). Foram colhidas amostras de sangue e líquido peritoneal e, após centrifugação e fracionamento, as proteínas de fase aguda foram separadas por eletroforese em SDS-PAGE. Identificaram-se as proteínas IgA, ceruloplasmina, transferrina, albumina, IgG, haptoglobina, α1-glicoproteína ácida e P24, no soro e no líquido peritoneal. Houve aumento nas concentrações sérica e peritoneal de todas as PFA, sendo mais evidente no líquido peritoneal e nos animais obstruídos. O fracionamento eletroforético das PFA no líquido peritoneal é mais eficaz no diagnóstico de processos inflamatórios abdominais, quando comparado ao sérico.

Establishment of peritoneal liquid electrophoretogram from healthy horses and horses submitted to experimentally induced intestinal obstruction

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

THE ROLE OF PLATELETS IN OVARIAN CARCINOMA

Platelets represent one of the largest storage pools of angiogenic and oncogenic growth factors in the human body. The observation that thrombocytosis (platelet count >450,000/uL) occurs in patients with solid malignancies was made over 100 years ago. However, the clinical and biological implications as well as the underlying mechanism of paraneoplastic thrombocytosis associated with ovarian carcinoma remains unknown and were the focus of the current study. Following IRB approval, patient data were collected on 619 patients from 4 U.S. centers and used to test associations between platelet count at initial diagnosis, clinicopathologic factors, and outcome. In vitro effects of plasma-purified platelets on ovarian cancer cell proliferation, docetaxel-induced apoptosis, and migration were evaluated using BrdU-PI flow cytometric and two-chamber chemotaxis assays. In vivo effects of platelet depletion on tumor growth, proliferation, apoptosis, and angiogenesis were examined using an anti-platelet antibody (anti-mouse glycoprotein 1ba, Emfret) to reduce platelets by 50%. Complete blood counts and number of mature megakaryocytes in the spleen and bone marrow were compared between control mice and ovarian cancer-bearing mice. Plasma levels of key megakaryo- and thrombopoietic factors including thrombopoietin (TPO), IL-1a, IL-3, IL-4, IL-6, IL-11, G-CSF, GM-CSF, stem cell factor, and FLT-3 ligand were assayed in a subset of 150 patients at the time of initial diagnosis with advanced stage, high grade epithelial ovarian cancer using immunobead-based cytokine profiling coupled with the Luminex® xMAP platform. Plasma cytokines significantly associated with thrombocytosis in ovarian cancer patients were subsequently evaluated in mouse models of ovarian cancer using ELISA immunoassays. The results of human and mouse plasma cytokine profiling were used to inform subsequent in vivo studies evaluating the effect of siRNA-induced silencing of select megakaryo- and thrombopoietic cytokines on paraneoplastic thrombocytosis. Thirty-one percent of patients had thrombocytosis at initial diagnosis. Compared to patients with normal platelet counts, women with thrombocytosis were significantly more likely to have advanced stage disease (p<0.001) and poor median progression-free (0.94 vs 1.35 years, p<0.001) and overall survival (2.62 vs 4.65 years, p<0.001). On multivariate analysis, thrombocytosis remained an independent predictor of decreased overall survival. Our analysis revealed that thrombocytosis significantly increases the risk of VTE in ovarian cancer patients and that thrombocytosis is an independent predictor of increased mortality in women who do develop a blood clot. Platelets increased ovarian cancer cell proliferation and migration by 4.1- and 2.8-fold (p<0.01), respectively. Platelets reduced docetaxel-induced apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells by 2-fold (p<0.001). In vivo, platelet depletion reduced tumor growth by 50%. Staining of in vivo specimens revealed decreased tumor cell proliferation (p<0.001) and increased tumor and endothelial cell apoptosis (p<0.01). Platelet depletion also significantly decreased microvessel density and pericyte coverage (p<0.001). Platelet counts increase by 31-130% in mice with invasive ovarian cancer compared to controls (p<0.01) and strongly correlate with mean megakaryocyte counts in the spleen and bone marrow (r=0.95, p<0.05). Plasma levels of TPO, IL-6, and G-CSF were significantly increased in ovarian cancer patients with thrombocytosis. Plasma levels of the same cytokines were found to be significantly elevated in orthotopic mouse models of ovarian cancer, which consistently develop paraneoplastic thromocytosis. Silencing TPO, IL-6, and G-CSF significantly abrogated paraneoplastic thrombocytosis in vivo. This study provides new understanding of the clinical and biological significance of paraneoplastic thrombocytosis in ovarian cancer and uncovers key humoral factors driving this process. Blocking the development of paraneoplastic thrombocytosis and interfering with platelet-cancer cell interactions could represent novel therapeutic strategies.

Fusion of interleukin-2 to subunit antigens increase their antigenicity in vitro due to an interleukin-2 receptor beta-mediated antigen uptake mechanism

Subunit vaccines, based on one or more epitopes, offer advantages over whole vaccines in terms of safety but are less antigenic. We investigated whether fusion of the cytokine interleukin-2 (IL-2) to influenza-derived subunit antigens could increase their antigenicity. The fusion of IL-2 to the subunit antigens increased their antigenicity in vitro. Encapsulation of the subunit antigen in liposomes also increased its antigenicity in vitro, yet encapsulation of the subunit IL-2 fusion did not. The use of anti-IL-2 receptor beta (IL-2Rbeta) antibody to block the receptor subunit on macrophages suggested that the adjuvancy exerted by IL-2 in our in vitro system is due to, at least in part, a previously unreported IL-2Rbeta-mediated antigen uptake mechanism.

Albumin Is Synthesized In Epididymis And Aggregates In A High Molecular Mass Glycoprotein Complex Involved In Sperm-egg Fertilization.

The epididymis has an important role in the maturation of sperm for fertilization, but little is known about the epididymal molecules involved in sperm modifications during this process. We have previously described the expression pattern for an antigen in epididymal epithelial cells that reacts with the monoclonal antibody (mAb) TRA 54. Immunohistochemical and immunoblotting analyses suggest that the epitope of the epididymal antigen probably involves a sugar moiety that is released into the epididymal lumen in an androgen-dependent manner and subsequently binds to luminal sperm. Using column chromatography, SDS-PAGE with in situ digestion and mass spectrometry, we have identified the protein recognized by mAb TRA 54 in mouse epididymal epithelial cells. The ∼65 kDa protein is part of a high molecular mass complex (∼260 kDa) that is also present in the sperm acrosomal vesicle and is completely released after the acrosomal reaction. The amino acid sequence of the protein corresponded to that of albumin. Immunoprecipitates with anti-albumin antibody contained the antigen recognized by mAb TRA 54, indicating that the epididymal molecule recognized by mAb TRA 54 is albumin. RT-PCR detected albumin mRNA in the epididymis and fertilization assays in vitro showed that the glycoprotein complex containing albumin was involved in the ability of sperm to recognize and penetrate the egg zona pellucida. Together, these results indicate that epididymal-derived albumin participates in the formation of a high molecular mass glycoprotein complex that has an important role in egg fertilization.