Archaeological survey in the Juli-Desaguadero region of Lake Titicaca Basin, Southern Peru / Charles Stanish, et al.

n.s. no.29(1997)

Estudo sôbre hemoparasitos de Bufo marinus L. da Venezuela: 1. Hemogregarinas - - 2. Uma nova espécie de Toxoplasma

Faz-se uma revisão das espécies de Haemogregarina, encontradas, até a presente data, em Bufo marinus L. da região Norte, Leste e Sul da Venezuela,descrevendo-se o ciclo agâmico da Haemogregarina darlingi Leger, 1918, o ciclo esquizogônico da Haemogregarina aquai Phisalix, 1930, propondo-se seja denominada Karyolysus aquai (Phisalix) por realizar o ciclo agâmico nas células endoteliais. Descreve-se a Haemogregarina legeri nov. sp. Estuda-se um Toxoplasma no sangue e vísceras de Bufo marinus L., descrevendo-se a anatomia patológica dos órgãos afetados, discutindo-se o estado atual da sistemática das espécies de Toxoplasma, parasitos de vertebrados poikilotermos, propondo-se o nome de Toxoplasma serpai nov. sp. para êste protozoário.

Bactérias Gram-negativas com fator infeccioso de resistência a drogas, isoladas de crianças em dois hospitais do Rio de Janeiro

Enterobactérias com fator infeccioso de resistência a drogas, foram isoladas em fezes de 113 crianças internadas no Instituto de Puericultura da U.F.R.J e no Hospital Jesus nos períodos 1960-1964 e 1970-1973, verificando-se que 71,6% das crianças excretaram bactérias resistentes, das quais 41,3% a uma única droga e 58,7% a várias drogas.

Influència de la música italiana en la composició en llengua romanç a la catedral de Tortosa (Tarragona), en la primera m. del segle XVIII

Estudi realitzat a partir d’una estada a la Società Italiana di Musicologia entre abril i maig del 2006. S’ha estudiat la influència de la música italiana durant les primeres dècades del segle XVIII, en les composicions en llengua romanç d’aquesta època conservades a l’arxiu musical de la catedral de Tortosa -Tarragona -. Sha a consultat de bibliografia específica així com la consulta directa de fonts italianes de l’època i l’estudi de les seves característiques (tipus d’escriptura, compasos més freqüents, estructura formal, veus/instruments utilitzats, ...). La consulta s’ha fet a diferents arxius i biblioteques romanes (arxiu històric i biblioteca de la Accademia Nazionale di S. Cecilia, biblioteca del Pontificio Istituto di Musica Sacra, arxiu de la Chiesa del Gesú, arxiu de la Chiesa Nazionale Spagnola, biblioteca del Conservatorio di musica Santa Cecilia i Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale Vittorio Emanuele II), així com de la Biblioteca Apostolica i el Archivio Segreto del Vaticano. La recerca ha confirmat que, durant les primeres dècades del segle XVIII, hi ha una influència considerable de la música italiana “de moda” en les composicions de la catedral de Tortosa escrites en llengua vernacla i, després d’un estudi comparatiu i de l’anàlisi d’una mostra de les obres italianes i de la Seu, s’ha arribat a la conclusió de que, si bé hi ha elements italians en les composicions tortosines, no es perd en elles el llenguatge hispànic de la tradició, si no que més bé hi ha una convivència de tots dos, fins i tot en una mateixa obra.

La representación de la lectura femenina en el siglo XVI español

Se presenta una bibliografia seleccionada sobre la representación de al lectura femenina en el siglo XVI español a través de cuatro ámbitos: la iconografía de la mujer lectora; el discurso preceptivo de los tratados morales y libros devotos sobre las lecturas femeninas; la aparición de mujeres como destinatarias del libro en los prólogos y de lectora o narradora como personaje literario y los documentos históricos como testamentos y cartas misivas en los que se puede verificar la huella de estos idearios que se establecen entre la mujer y la lectura.

La representación de la lectura femenina en el siglo XVI

En esta investigación me propuse contribuir al análisis de la lectura femenina durante el siglo XVI. En concreto, la difusión de las lecturas de entretenimiento y las lecturas devotas entre las mujeres de esta centuria. Para ello he revisado la representación de la mujer en una gran variedad de textos como los tratados de medicina, de filosofía, teología y finalmente, las obras literarias para recoger los principales estereotipos de los que dependió el discurso didáctico-moral femenino que definió las “buenas” y las “malas” lecturas. También me he servido del examen de epístolas, crónicas, anotaciones y, excepcionalmente, documentos notariales, que abordaban la cuestión de la lectura femenina, casi siempre desde una óptica masculina. Mi aproximación a la lectura femenina como una representación pretende no solamente examinar las circunstancias que determinaban la recepción de ciertas obras en mujeres, cuestión que ya ha sido examinadísima por la crítica, sino la experiencia misma de la lectura femenina en el siglo XVI. La hipótesis que propongo es que estas poéticas de la lectura en el Renacimiento se adhieren a unas corrientes ideológicas articuladas por los humanistas y moralistas, respecto al “deber ser” de la lectura y a su función “social”. La lectura como fuente de virtud tiene la capacidad de influir en la subjetividad del lector, sentencia que se lleva hasta las últimas consecuencias para el caso de la mujer, sin importar la naturaleza del libro que ejerza este dominio. Por ello, la lectura se convierte en un asunto de orden social, pues tienen la capacidad de alterar las instituciones políticas y religiosas, y por ello, requiere de una regulación precisa, especialmente para la mujer.

Serum factors inhibitory for in vitro development of Plasmodium falciparum blood-stage parasites

Sera from 29 individuals residing in a malaria-endemic region of Colombia were evaluated by an inhibition assay for their capacity to retard the growth of Plasmodium falciparum in vitro. The inhibitory activity was found to be independent of antibody activity. Furthermore, the degree of inhibition of parasite development was variable, depending on the parasite isolate used for the assay and the season of malaria transmission. We selected sera with high inhibitory activity and carried out partial analytical characterization by anion exchange fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) to identify the chemical nature of the inhibitory factor(s). The results suggested that the in vitro inhibitory activity might result from the additive effect of different molecules. It appears that these molecules could be non-specifically induced by stimulation of the immune system, they seem to play a role in the immunity to malaria.

Immunogenicity of multiple antigen peptides containing Plasmodium vivax CS epitopes in BALB/c mice

Multiple antigen peptide systems (MAPs) allow the incorporation of various epitopes in to a single synthetic peptide immunogen. We have characterized the immune response of BALB/c mice to a series of MAPs assembled with different B and T cell epitopes derived from the Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite (CS) protein. A B-cell epitope from the central repeat domain and two T-cell epitopes from the amino and carboxyl flanking regions were used to assembled eight different MAPs. An additional universal T cell epitope (ptt-30) from tetanus toxin protein was included. Immunogenicity in terms of antibody responses and in vitro T lymphocyte proliferation was evaluated. MAPs containing B and T cell epitopes induced high titers of anti-peptides antibodies, which recognized the native protein on sporozoites as determined by IFAT. The antibody specificity was also determined by a competitive inhibition assay with different MAPs. A MAP containing the B cell epitope (p11) and the universal epitope ptt-30 together with another composed of p11 and the promiscuous T cell epitope (p25) proved to be the most immunogenic. The strong antibody response and specificity for the cognate protein indicates that further studies designed to assess the potential of these proteins as human malaria vaccine candidates are warranted.

The Polytene Chromosomes of Cnesia dissimilis (Edwards) and Three Species of Gigantodax Enderlein (Diptera: Simuliidae) from Lanin National Park (Argentina)

Cytological studies were made on larvae of Gigantodax marginalis, G. chilensis, G. fulvescens and Cnesia dissimilis from four creeks in Lanin National Park, Neuquen province, Argentina. Chromosome maps and idiograms of these species are presented. The following inversions were observed: G. marginalis: IL-1 (X-linked inversion), IL-2 (Y-linked inversion), IIS-1.2, IIL-1, IIIL-4,5; G. chilensis: IL-4 (X-linked inversion), IIS-1.2, IIIL-4,5; G. fulvescens:IL-1 (X-linked inversion), IL-3 (Y-linked inversion), IIS-1.2, IIL-1, IIIL-4,5; C. dissimilis: IL-1, IL-5, IIIL-1. Karyological information was used to construct a cladogram and Cnesia sp. Was found to show close resemblance to the three Gigantodax spp.

Molecular characterisation of intermediate snail hosts and the search for resistance genes

The relationship between schistosomes and their intermediate hosts is an extremely intricate one with strains and species of the parasite depending on particular species of snail, which in turn may vary in their susceptibility to the parasites. In order to gain a better understanding of the epidemiology of the disease we have been investigating the use of molecular markers for snail identification and for studying host-parasite relationships. In this paper we will draw on examples concerning schistosomiasis in West and East Africa to illustrate how a molecular analysis can be used as part of a "total evidence" approach to characterisation of Bulinus species and provide insights into parasite transmission. Particular emphasis is given to ribosomal RNA genes (rRNA), random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPDs) and the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase I (COI). Snails resistant to infection occur naturally and there is a genetic basis for this resistance. In Biomphalaria glabrata resistance to Schistosoma mansoni is known to be a polygenic trait and we have initiated a preliminary search for snail genomic regions linked to, or involved in, resistance by using a RAPD based approach in conjunction with progeny pooling methods. We are currently characterising a variety of STSs (sequence tagged sites) associated with resistance. These can be used for local linkage and interval mapping to define genomic regions associated with the resistance trait. The development of such markers into simple dot-blot or specific PCR-based assays may have a direct and practical application for the identification of resistant snails in natural populations.

Frequency of CCR5 Delta-32 Mutation in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-seropositive and HIV-exposed Seronegative Individuals and in General Population of Medellin, Colombia

Repeated exposure to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) does not always result in seroconversion. Modifications in coreceptors for HIV entrance to target cells are one of the factors that block the infection. We studied the frequency of Delta-32 mutation in ccr5 gene in Medellin, Colombia. Two hundred and eighteen individuals distributed in three different groups were analyzed for Delta-32 mutation in ccr5 gene by polymerase chain reaction (PCR): 29 HIV seropositive (SP), 39 exposed seronegative (ESN) and 150 individuals as a general population sample (GPS). The frequency of the Delta-32 mutant allele was 3.8% for ESN, 2.7% for GPS and 1.7% for SP. Only one homozygous mutant genotype (Delta-32/Delta-32) was found among the ESN (2.6%). The heterozygous genotype (ccr5/Delta-32) was found in eight GPS (5.3%), in one SP (3.4%) and in one ESN (2.6%). The differences in the allelic and genotypic frequencies among the three groups were not statistically significant. A comparison between the expected and the observed genotypic frequencies showed that these frequencies were significantly different for the ESN group, which indirectly suggests a protective effect of the mutant genotype (Delta-32/Delta-32). Since this mutant genotype explained the resistance of infection in only one of our ESN persons, different mechanisms of protection must be playing a more important role in this population.