TLR2 Is a Negative Regulator of Th17 Cells and Tissue Pathology in a Pulmonary Model of Fungal Infection

To study the role of TLR2 in a experimental model of chronic pulmonary infection, TLR2-deficient and wild-type mice were intratracheally infected with Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, a primary fungal pathogen. Compared with control, TLR2(-/-) mice developed a less severe pulmonary infection and decreased NO synthesis. Equivalent results were detected with in vitro-infected macrophages. Unexpectedly, despite the differences in fungal loads both mouse strains showed equivalent survival times and severe pulmonary inflammatory reactions. Studies on lung-infiltrating leukocytes of TLR2(-/-) mice demonstrated an increased presence of polymorphonuclear neutrophils that control fungal loads but were associated with diminished numbers of activated CD4(+) and CD8(+) T lymphocytes. TLR2 deficiency leads to minor differences in the levels of pulmonary type 1 and type 2 cytokines, but results in increased production of KC, a CXC chemokine involved in neutrophils chemotaxis, as well as TGF-beta, IL-6, IL-23, and IL-17 skewing T cell immunity to a Th17 pattern. In addition, the preferential Th17 immunity of TLR2(-/-) mice was associated with impaired expansion of regulatory CD4(+)CD25(+)FoxP3(+) T cells. This is the first study to show that TLR2 activation controls innate and adaptive immunity to P. brasiliensis infection. TLR2 deficiency results in increased Th17 immunity associated with diminished expansion of regulatory T cells and increased lung pathology due to unrestrained inflammatory reactions. The Journal of Immunology, 2009, 183: 1279-1290.

A Metal-Repressed Promoter From Gram-Positive Bacillus subtilis Is Highly Active and Metal-Induced in Gram-Negative Cupriavidus metallidurans

A synthetic version of the metal-regulated gene A (mrgA) promoter from Bacillus subtilis, which in this Gram-positive bacterium is negatively regulated by manganese, iron, cobalt, or copper turned out to promote high level of basal gene expression that is further enhanced by Co(II), Cd(II), Mn(II), Zn(II), Cu(II), or Ni(II), when cloned in the Gram-negative bacterium Cupriavidus metallidurans. Promoter activity was monitored by expression of the reporter gene coding for the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), and cellular intensity fluorescence was quantified by flow cytometry. Expression levels in C. metallidurans driven by the heterologous promoter, here called pan, ranged from 20- to 53-fold the expression level driven by the Escherichia coli lac promoter (which is constitutively expressed in C. metallidurans), whether in the absence or presence of metal ions, respectively. The pan promoter did also function in E. coli in a constitutive pattern, regardless of the presence of Mn(II) or Fe(II). In conclusion, the pan promoter proved to be a powerful tool to express heterologous proteins in Gram-negative bacteria, especially in C. metallidurans grown upon high levels of toxic metals, with potential applications in bioremediation. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010; 107: 469-477. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The effect of the negative coupling parameter on the spectrum of a trapped Bose gas

The interest in attractive Bose-Einstein Condensates arises due to the chemical instabilities generate when the number of trapped atoms is above a critical number. In this case, recombination process promotes the collapse of the cloud. This behavior is normally geometry dependent. Within the context of the mean field approximation, the system is described by the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. We have considered the attractive Bose-Einstein condensate, confined in a nonspherical trap, investigating numerically and analytically the solutions, using controlled perturbation and self-similar approximation methods. This approximation is valid in all interval of the negative coupling parameter allowing interpolation between weak-coupling and strong-coupling limits. When using the self-similar approximation methods, accurate analytical formulas were derived. These obtained expressions are discussed for several different traps and may contribute to the understanding of experimental observations.

Second-order negative-curvature methods for box-constrained and general constrained optimization

A Nonlinear Programming algorithm that converges to second-order stationary points is introduced in this paper. The main tool is a second-order negative-curvature method for box-constrained minimization of a certain class of functions that do not possess continuous second derivatives. This method is used to define an Augmented Lagrangian algorithm of PHR (Powell-Hestenes-Rockafellar) type. Convergence proofs under weak constraint qualifications are given. Numerical examples showing that the new method converges to second-order stationary points in situations in which first-order methods fail are exhibited.

A New Class of Non Negative Distributions Generated by Symmetric Distributions

In this article, we study a new class of non negative distributions generated by the symmetric distributions around zero. For the special case of the distribution generated using the normal distribution, properties like moments generating function, stochastic representation, reliability connections, and inference aspects using methods of moments and maximum likelihood are studied. Moreover, a real data set is analyzed, illustrating the fact that good fits can result.

Football supporters an the negative word of mouth of their rival team's brand

This article has the objective of identifying whether the loyalty for the team has a negative effect on the word of mouth of the rival team’s brand. It has been developed a model based on the works of Fagundes (2013) and Santana and Akel Sobrinho (2010), through the use of Structural Equation Modeling - SEM, which presents three constructions: the identification with the team, the loyalty to the team and the negative word of mouth of the rival’s brand. 528 students from two college were interviewed and it has been identified that the emotional involvement of the supporter with his team reflects on the identification of a supporter by his team (KWON e ARMSTRONG, 2004; KAYNAK, 2008; JORDAN et al., 2014), it is thus formed a loyalty for the team (FUNK and JAMES, 2006). It influences other people in their personal relationships through the negative word of mouth communication.

A search-theoretic explanation for the negative correlation between labor income and impatience

Lawrance (1991) has shown, through the estimation of consumption Euler equations, that subjective rates of impatience (time preference) in the U.S. are three to Öve percentage points higher for households with lower average labor incomes than for those with higher labor income. From a theoretical perspective, the sign of this correlation in a job-search model seems at Örst to be undetermined, since more impatient workers tend to accept wage o§ers that less impatient workers would not, thereby remaining less time unemployed. The main result of this paper is showing that, regardless of the existence of e§ects of opposite sign, and independently of the particular speciÖcations of the givens of the model, less impatient workers always end up, in the long run, with a higher average income. The result is based on the (unique) invariant Markov distribution of wages associated with the dynamic optimization problem solved by the consumers. An example is provided to illustrate the method.

The impact of negative social environmental events on the market value of supply chain partners

The present work analyzes the impact of negative social / environmental events on the market value of supply chain partners. The study offers a contextualized discussion around important concepts which are largely employed on the Operations Management and Management literature in general. Among them, the developments of the literature around supply chains, supply chain management, corporate social responsibility, sustainable development and sustainable supply chain management are particularly addressed, beyond the links they share with competitive advantage. As for the theoretical bases, the study rests on the Stakeholder Theory, on the discussion of the efficient-market hypothesis and on the discussion of the adjustment of stock prices to new information. In face of such literature review negative social / environmental events are then hypothesized as causing negative impact in the market value of supply chain partners. Through the documental analysis of publicly available information around 15 different cases (i.e. 15 events), 82 supply chain partners were identified. Event studies for seven different event windows were conducted on the variation of the stock price of each supply chain partner, valuing the market reaction to the stock price of a firm due to triggering events occurred in another. The results show that, in general, the market value of supply chain partners was not penalized in response to such announcements. In that sense, the hypothesis derived from the literature review is not confirmed. Beyond that, the study also provides a critical description of the 15 cases, identifying the companies that have originated such events and their supply chain partners involved.

Modeling upper eyelid kinematics during spontaneous and reflex blinks

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Efeitos imediatos da eletroestimulação nervosa transcutânea e crioterapia na espasticidade e na atividade eletromiográfica de sujeitos hemiparéticos

Cerebrovascular accident (CVA) is a term used to characterize an ischemic or hemorrhagic vascular injury, which has got as main clinic manifestations, the motor and reflex function disturbance. In the first stage there is flaccidity and loss of voluntary movements that afterwards is substituted by mass patterns and spasticity. The spasticity brings with itself functional deficits and can generate negative impacts in various motor patterns. The aim of this research was to investigate the hyperreflexia and identify the immediate effects of transcutaneous nervous stimulation (TENS) and cryotherapy in the spasticity and electromyographic activity of hemiparetic subjects. The study is characterized as an almost experimental type, in which were selected, to compose the sample, 16 patients of both sex with CVA sequel. These individuals were evaluated by collecting the amplitude peak to peak and H reflex latency, Motor response (M response) in solear muscle and the electromyography (EMG) of the injured and healthy legs anterior tibial muscles. In the injured limb the evaluations occurred in different days for cryotherapy, TENS and control, in two moments, before and after the interventions. The healthy limb was evaluated one single time to serve as baseline, for comparison with the injured limb. It was used an statistic analysis, the t paired student test to identify the H reflex differences, latency and EMG of the injured and healthy limbs and to compare the results before and after the recourses application. The ANOVA for related samples was used to identify the differences among the recourses used. It was attributed for the statistic tests a significance level of 5%. The amplitude peak to peak of normalized maximum H reflex through the maximum motor response (Hmax/Mmax), showed itself significantly increased in the injured limb (p=0.0245). The H reflex latency was presented reduced in the injured limb (p=0, 0375). The electromyographic activity was showed decreased in the injured limb (p< 0.0001). After the TENS there was a Hmáx/Mmáx ratio decrease (0.60±0.16 versus 0.49.±0.18; P = 0.0006). Nonetheless, Just after the cryotherapy application there was an increase of Hmáx/Mmáx ratio (0.58 ± 0,15 to 0.77 ± 0.13, P=0,0007) and increase of signal latency (30.41 ± 1.87 versus 33.24 ± 2.19; P=0.0001). The electromyographic activity wasn t altered significantly by any resource. It was met statistic significant differences when the Hmáx/Mmáx P<0.0001) ratio and H reflex latency (P<0.0001) were compared between the post TENS, cryotherapy and control. One can conclude that the TENS can be used to spasticity immediate reduction, and that the cryotherapy can increase the hyperreflexia state in spastic patients. Nonetheless, the spasticity decrease or increase didn t provoke lectromyographic activity change in the muscle that is opponent to the spastic one

Treatment with Azadirachta indica in diabetic pregnant rats: Negative effects on maternal outcome

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

Blink reflex in end-stage-renal disease patients undergoing hemodialysis

This study analyses the blink reflex in 20 adult male patients with terminal chronic renal failure undergoing hemodialysis. Abnormalities were found in ten patients (50%), eight of them with conduction studies showing axonal peripheral neuropathy. Dialysis time was longer for patients with blink reflex alterations (median 55.1 months) than for patients with normal blink reflex (median 36.3 months). Different types of early R1 and late R2 component abnormalities were recorded. The late response abnormalities may indicate subclinical functional or anatomical impairment of the low brainstem reticular formation in patients with chronic renal failure. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.