Autoimmune Neurological Disease

This book provides a comprehensive and critical overview of the immunological aspects of autoimmune neurological disease. These diseases include common conditions such as multiple sclerosis, the Guillain–Barré syndrome and myasthenia gravis. The introductory chapters on antigen recognition and self–non-self discrimination, and on neuroimmunology, are followed by chapters on specific diseases. These are presented in a standardized format with sections on clinical features, genetics, neuropathology, pathophysiology, immunology and therapy. Each chapter has a concluding section which summarizes key points and suggests directions for future research. Animal models of autoimmune neurological disease are also covered in detail because of their importance in understanding the human diseases. The book is suitable for clinicians and neurologists managing patients with these diseases, and for immunologists, neuroscientists and neurologists investigating the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of these disorders.

Hepatitis E virus: a zoonosis adapting to humans.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is gaining global attention, not only because of the increasing burden of the disease in low endemicity countries, in terms of morbidity and mortality rates, but also due to recent advances in the molecular virology and epidemiology of this emerging pathogen. HEV infection spread can be described as the evolution of a zoonosis towards an established human infection. As known from other viruses, such as the human immunodeficiency virus or the influenza viruses, crossing the species barriers from animals to humans is a recurrent phenomenon. Albeit slow at the beginning, once the virus has adapted to humans, the person-to-person spread can proceed very quickly. Although an optimal cell culture system for HEV is not yet available, outstanding progress has been made with the in vitro expression of HEV-like particles. These new tools have fostered new research to understand the molecular, structural and immunological aspects of human HEV infection. Although some promising data from Phase II vaccine trials are available, recent discoveries will certainly open new avenues for HEV-specific prophylaxis and therapy.

Serum cytokine profile in the subclinical form of visceral leishmaniasis

The factors determining the development or not of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) have not been completely identified, but a Leishmania-specific cellular immune response seems to play a fundamental role in the final control of infection. Few studies are available regarding the production of cytokines in the subclinical form of VL, with only the production of IFN-g and TNF-a known. The aim of the present study was to identify immunological markers for the oligosymptomatic or subclinical form of VL. A prospective cohort study was conducted on 784 children aged 0 to 5 years from an endemic area in the State of Maranhão, Brazil, between January 1998 and December 2001. During 30 consecutive months of follow-up, 33 children developed the oligosymptomatic form of the disease and 12 the acute form. During the clinical manifestations, serum cytokine levels were determined in 27 oligosymptomatic children and in nine patients with the acute form using a quantitative sandwich enzyme immunoassay. In the subclinical form of VL, variable levels of IL-2 were detected in 52.3% of the children, IL-12 in 85.2%, IFN-g in 48.1%, IL-10 in 88.9%, and TNF-a in 100.0%, with the last two cytokines showing significantly lower levels than in the acute form. IL-4 was not detected in oligosymptomatic individuals. Multiple discriminant analysis used to determine the profile or combination of cytokines predominating in the subclinical form revealed both a Leishmania resistance (Th1) and susceptibility (Th2) profile. The detection of both Th1 and Th2 cytokine profiles explains the self-limited evolution accompanied by the discrete alterations observed for the subclinical form of VL.

Production of reactive oxygen (H2O2) and nitrogen (NO) intermediates and TNF-α in mice genetically selected for high (H) and low (L) antibody response and experimentally infected with Leptospira serovar pomona

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Effects of physical training on the immune system in diabetic rats

Aims: This study aims to investigate the influence of physical training on the immune system of diabetic rats. Materials and Methods: Adult male Wistar rats were distributed into Sedentary Control (SC), Trained Control (TC), Sedentary Diabetic (SD) and Trained Diabetic (TD) groups were used. Diabetes was induced by alloxan (32 mg/bw-i.v.). Training protocol consisted of swimming, at 32 18C, one hour/day, five days/week, supporting an overload equivalent to 5 of the body weight, during four weeks. At the end of the experiment the rats were sacrificed by decapitation and blood samples were collected for glucose, insulin, albumin, hematocrit determinations, total and differential leukocyte counting. Additionally, liver samples for glycogen analyses were obtained. Results: The results were analyzed by one way at a significance level of 5. Diabetes reduced blood insulin, liver glycogen stores and increased blood glucose and neutrophil count. Physical training restored glycemia, liver glycogen levels, neutrophils and lymphocytes count in diabetic rats. Conclusions: In summary, physical training was able to improve metabolic and immunological aspects in the experimental diabetic rats.

Doença de Jorge Lobo e sua relação com os antígenos do sistema HLA

Pós-graduação em Doenças Tropicais - FMB

Análise quantitativa da expressão de citocinas inflamatórias em membranas corioamnióticas de gestantes com rotura prematura de membranas pré-termo

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Atividade imunomoduladora de parasporina de Bacillus thuringiensis sobre linfócitos e monócitos humanos

Bacillus thuringiensis is an environmental bacteria that produces a group of crystallizable proteins (Cry) that are toxic for several insects and worms species. Recently, it was described a novel class of Cry proteins called parasporins (PS) that showed cytotoxic effects on animal and human tumor cells. Six types of PS have been described so far, PS1 to PS6, and their cytotoxic activity has been studied. However, the direct effect on tumor cells has been the current research focus, while the immunomodulatory role of the PS has not been studied yet. Therefore, this study aimed to verify whether PS of TC 2.3.1R6 B. thuringiensis strain has immunostimulatory activity on human lymphocytes and monocytes. We have evaluated the protein toxicity against human cells, the lymphoproliferative activity and the effects on peripheral blood monocytes. The PS-PK showed no toxic or stimulating activity on lymphocyte proliferation. However, it inhibited the spontaneous production of IL-10 as well as ConA-induced and the production of IFN-γ. PS-PK decreased the release of hydrogen peroxide and increased the production of TNF- α by monocytes. PS-PK performed inhibitory production of hydrogen peroxide and TNF-α by monocytes, whereas PS-Tp showed stimulation of the production of hydrogen and TNF-α

Sanidade Uterina Pós Parto: Aspectos Imunológicos e Terapêuticos

Function of the uterus is often compromised in cattle by bacterial contamination of the uterine lumen after parturition. Pathogenic bacteria often persist, causing uterine disease, a major cause of infertility in cattle. Knowledge of the immunological aspects of the uterus involved in maintaining reproductive healthiness is fundamental to the study of uterine infections that affect the uterus postpartum. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes have an important role because they are the first line of defense against colonization of bacteria in utero (Hammon and Goff, 2006). The establishment of uterine infection depends in parts of endocrine environment, particularly progesterone, which suppresses the immune system (Lewis, 2003). In the puerperium may occur uterine disorders, such as retained placenta, puerperal metritis, clinical and subclinical endometritis and pyometra, this review was proposed a study of the immunology involved in uterine health and a better understanding of uterine disorders, using the model of Sheldon et al. al, (2006) for classification of diseases, and a study of best treatment options and discussion about its functionality, because a lot of controversy among authors about choosing a treatment and another and between treated and untreated

Polimorfismos de genes associados à resposta imune humoral em indivíduos naturalmente infectados pelo Plasmodium vivax no Estado do Pará

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Efeitos preventivos do exercício físico na expressão da miostatina em ratos tratados com Dexametasona

Muscle atrophy is always associated with Dexamethasone (Dexa) treatment, however the mechanisms are not completely understood. This study investigated the effects of Dexa on myostatin and p70S6K protein expression and if previous exercise training (T) can attenuate these effects. Eighty rats were distributed into 4 groups: sedentary control (SC), sedentary treated with Dexa (SD; 0,5 mg/kg per day, i.p., 10 days), trained control (TC) and trained treated with Dexa (TD) and underwent a training period where they were either submitted to a running protocol (60% of physical capacity, 5 days/week for 8 weeks) or kept sedentary. After T period, animals underwent Dexa treatment concomitant with training. Western Blot was performed to identify myostatin and p70S6k protein expression in the tibialis anterior (TA) and soleus (SOL) muscle. Ten days of Dexa treatment increased fasting glucose (SD=+62%), however previous T attenuated this increase (TD=+20%, p<0.05). Dexa determined significant decrease in body weight in TD (-22%) and SD (-25%), followed by TA weight reduction in SD (-23%) and TD (-20%). Previous training could not avoid these decreases. Myostatin protein expression was not altered by dexa treatment or training in TA muscle but in SOL muscle it was significantly modified after T, regardless of treatment (TC=+%23 and TD=+25) compared with their respective controls. The protein p70S6K was not modified neither by dexa nor training in any of the analyzed muscle or condition. The results of this study allowed us to conclude that previous training attenuates the hyperglycemia induced by Dexa, however it did not prevent the body or muscle weight reductions. Even in the presence of muscle atrophy, the expression of myostatin and p70S6K do not justify the mechanisms of muscle loss induced by Dexa, which suggests that other catabolic or anabolic proteins could be involved in the process of muscle atrophy after 10 days of treatment with Dexa

In utero haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Experiences in mice, sheep and humans

Early prenatal diagnosis and in utero therapy of certain fetal diseases have the potential to reduce fetal morbidity and mortality. The intrauterine transplantation of stem cells provides in some instances a therapeutic option before definitive organ failure occurs. Clinical experiences show that certain diseases, such as immune deficiencies or inborn errors of metabolism, can be successfully treated using stem cells derived from bone marrow. However, a remaining problem is the low level of engraftment that can be achieved. Efforts are made in animal models to optimise the graft and study the recipient's microenvironment to increase long-term engraftment levels. Our experiments in mice show similar early homing of allogeneic and xenogeneic stem cells and reasonable early engraftment of allogeneic murine fetal liver cells (17.1% donor cells in peripheral blood 4 weeks after transplantation), whereas xenogeneic HSC are rapidly diminished due to missing self-renewal and low differentiation capacities in the host's microenvironment. Allogeneic murine fetal liver cells have very good long-term engraftment (49.9% donor cells in peripheral blood 16 weeks after transplantation). Compared to the rodents, the sheep model has the advantage of body size and gestation comparable to the human fetus. Here, ultrasound-guided injection techniques significantly decreased fetal loss rates. In contrast to the murine in utero model, the repopulation capacities of allogeneic ovine fetal liver cells are lower (0.112% donor cells in peripheral blood 3 weeks after transplantation). The effect of MHC on engraftment levels seems to be marginal, since no differences could be observed between autologous and allogeneic transplantation (0.117% donor cells vs 0.112% donor cells in peripheral blood 1 to 2 weeks after transplantation). Further research is needed to study optimal timing and graft composition as well as immunological aspects of in utero transplantation.

Mapping the determinants in owl monkey CD4 and CCR5 that allow entry of early-stage HIV-1 Env variants

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-06