Gastrointestinal cytomegalovirus disease in renal transplant recipients: A case series

The purpose of this article was to report a series of 23 renal transplant recipients with histologically proven and immunohistochemically confirmed cytomegalovirus (CMV) lesions in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and to assess the risk factors associated with severe disease/mortality. CMV patients (n=23) were allocated into two groups: those who died (n=6) and those considered cured (n=17). Overall mortality rate was 26% (6/23). Initial symptoms suggestive of lower GIT involvement were observed in all death cases and in 35.3% of those cured (p=0.01). Enterorrhagia was seen in 83.3% of the patients who died. Death risk increased twofold (RR 2 [1.13-3.52], p=0.01) when symptoms of lower GIT involvement were initially observed and sixfold when enterrohagia was present (RR 6 [1.1-35.9], p=0.001). Among death cases, mean time at diagnosis was significantly more distant (2002±2.9×2008±1.6, p=0.04). The difference in mortality rates seen as service practices changed along the years demonstrates the importance of early diagnosis. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Exequibility of differential gene expression analysis by DDRT-PCR in murine bone marrow cells

Model of study: Experimental study. Introduction: Recently, stem cell research has generated great interest due to its applicability in regenerative medicine. Bone marrow is considered the most important source of adult stem cells and the establishment of new methods towards gene expression analysis regarding stem cells has become necessary. Thus Differential Display Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (DDRT-PCR) may be an accessible tool to investigate small differences in the gene expression of different stem cells in distinct situations. Aim: In the present study, we investigated the exequibility of DDRT-PCR to identify differences in global gene expression of mice bone marrow cells under two conditions. Methods: First, bone marrow cells were isolated fresh and a part was cultivated during one week without medium replacement. Afterwards, both bone marrow cells (fresh and cultivated) were submitted to gene expression analyses by DDRT-PCR. Results: Initially, it was possible to observe in one week-cultured bone marrow cells, changes in morphology (oval cells to fibroblastic-like cells) and protein profile, which was seen through differences in band distribution in SDS-Page gels. Finally through gene expression analysis, we detected three bands (1300, 1000 and 225 bp) exclusively expressed in the fresh bone marrow group and two bands (400 and 300 bp) expressed specifically in the cultivated bone marrow cell group. Conclusions: In summary, the DDRT-PCR method was proved efficient towards the identification of small differences in gene expression of bone marrow cells in two defined conditions. Thus, we expect that DDRT-PCR can be fast and efficiently designed to analyze differential gene expression in several stem cell types under distinct conditions.

Self-optimization of dense wireless sensor networks based on simulated annealing

Wireless sensor network (WSN) Is a technology that can be used to monitor and actuate on environments in a non-intrusive way. The main difference from WSN and traditional sensor networks is the low dependability of WSN nodes. In this way, WSN solutions are based on a huge number of cheap tiny nodes that can present faults in hardware, software and wireless communication. The deployment of hundreds of nodes can overcome the low dependability of individual nodes, however this strategy introduces a lot of challenges regarding network management, real-time requirements and self-optimization. In this paper we present a simulated annealing approach that self-optimize large scale WSN. Simulation results indicate that our approach can achieve self-optimization characteristics in a dynamic WSN. © 2012 IEEE.

Curcumin-mediated photodynamic inactivation of Candida albicans in a murine model of oral candidiasis

In vitro investigations of curcumin-mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) are encouraging, but there is a lack of reliable in vivo evidence of its efficacy. This study describes the photoinactivation of Candida albicans in a murine model of oral candidiasis, using curcumin as a photosensitizer. Forty immunosuppressed mice were orally inoculated with C. albicans and after five days, they received topical curcumin (20, 40 and 80 μM) and illumination with LED light. The use of curcumin or light alone were also investigated. Positive control animals did not receive any treatment and negative control animals were not inoculated with C. albicans. The number of surviving yeast cells was determined and analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey's post-hoc test (α = 0.05). Histological evaluation of the presence of yeast and inflammatory reaction was also conducted. All exposures to curcumin with LED light caused a significant reduction in C. albicans viability after PDT, but the use of 80 μM curcumin associated with light was able to induce the highest log10 reduction in colony counts (4 logs). It was concluded that curcumin-mediated PDT proved to be effective for in vivo inactivation of C. albicans without harming the host tissue of mice. © 2013 ISHAM.

Lack of evidence for human infection with Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus in the Brazilian Amazon basin

Introduction: This study confirmed the absence of natural infection with Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) or XMRV-related disease in human populations of the Brazilian Amazon basin. We demonstrated that 803 individuals of both sexes, who were residents of Belem in the Brazilian State of Pará, were not infected with XMRV. Methods: Individuals were divided into 4 subgroups: healthy individuals, individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus, type 1 (HIV-1), individuals infected with human T-lymphotrophic virus, types 1 or 2 (HTLV-1/2), and individuals with prostate cancer. XMRV infection was investigated by nested PCR to detect the viral gag gene and by quantitative PCR to detect pol. Results: There was no amplification of either gag or pol segments from XRMV in any of the samples examined. Conclusions: This study supports the conclusions of the studies that eventually led to the retraction of the original study reporting the association between XMRV and human diseases.

Effect of soybean yoghurt supplemented with isoflavones on the haemolytic activity of serum complement in mice with experimental lung metastasis of murine mammary and pulmonary adenocarcinoma

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Auditory steady state response in hearing assessment in infants with cytomegalovirus

OBJETIVO:Relatar o caso de um lactente com citomegalovírus congênito e disacusia neurossensorial progressiva, analisado por três métodos de avaliação auditiva.DESCRIÇÃO DO CASO:Na primeira avaliação auditiva, aos quatro meses de idade, o lactente apresentou ausência de Emissões Otoacústicas (EOA) e Potencial Evocado Auditivo de Tronco Encefálico (PEATE) dentro dos padrões de normalidade para a faixa etária, com limiar eletrofisiológico em 30dBnHL, bilateralmente. Com seis meses, apresentou ausência de PEATE bilateral em 100dBnHL. A avaliação comportamental da audição mostrou-se prejudicada devido ao atraso no desenvolvimento neuropsicomotor. Aos oito meses, foi submetido ao exame de Resposta Auditiva de Estado Estável (RAEE) e os limiares encontrados foram 50, 70, ausente em 110 e em 100dB, respectivamente para 500, 1.000, 2.000 e 4.000Hz, à direita, e 70, 90, 90 e ausente em 100dB, respectivamente para 500, 1.000, 2.000 e 4.000Hz, à esquerda.COMENTÁRIOS:Na primeira avaliação, o lactente apresentou alteração auditiva no exame de EOA e PEATE normal, que passou a ser alterado aos seis meses de idade. A intensidade da perda auditiva só pôde ser identificada pelo exame de RAEE, permitindo estabelecer a melhor conduta na adaptação de aparelho de amplificação sonora individual. Ressalta-se a importância do acompanhamento audiológico para crianças com CMV congênito.

Differential Evolutionary Constraints in the Evolution of Chemoreceptors: A Murine and Human Case Study

Chemoreception is among the most important sensory modalities in animals. Organisms use the ability to perceive chemical compounds in all major ecological activities. Recent studies have allowed the characterization of chemoreceptor gene families. These genes present strikingly high variability in copy numbers and pseudogenization degrees among different species, but the mechanisms underlying their evolution are not fully understood. We have analyzed the functional networks of these genes, their orthologs distribution, and performed phylogenetic analyses in order to investigate their evolutionary dynamics. We have modeled the chemosensory networks and compared the evolutionary constraints of their genes in Mus musculus, Homo sapiens, and Rattus norvegicus. We have observed significant differences regarding the constraints on the orthologous groups and network topologies of chemoreceptors and signal transduction machinery. Our findings suggest that chemosensory receptor genes are less constrained than their signal transducing machinery, resulting in greater receptor diversity and conservation of information processing pathways. More importantly, we have observed significant differences among the receptors themselves, suggesting that olfactory and bitter taste receptors are more conserved than vomeronasal receptors.

Hypusine Modification of the Ribosome-binding Protein eIF5A, a Target for New Anti-Inflammatory Drugs: Understanding the Action of the Inhibitor GC7 on a Murine Macrophage Cell Line

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

Citral and eugenol modulate DNA damage and pro-inflammatory mediator genes in murine peritoneal macrophages

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

SnO2 dense ceramic microwave sintered with low resistivity

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Effect of cell cycle synchronization on the accuracy of murine and bovine embryo sex determination

Different cell cycle synchronization methods were used to increase the mitotic index and accuracy of sex determination in murine and bovine embryos. For sexing purposes, colchicine treatment for 2, 4, 6 and 8 h and the FdU-thymidine-colchicine combination were tested in murine embryos. The best results were obtained with colchicine treatment for 8 h (96.88% accuracy) and with FdU-thymidine-colchicine (97.22% accuracy). Mitotic indexes differed significantly between the 2 treatments (21.71% for colchicine and 32.95% for FdU-thymidine-colchicine). For sex identification of murine and bovine demi-embryos, both treatments were demonstrated to be equally effective (nearly 90%). The mitotic index for the FdU-treated murine demi-embryos (19.04%) was higher than the one obtained for the 8-h colchicine treatment (15.62%).

Nutritional status and immune response in murine experimental Jorge Lobo's disease

There are no studies investigating the role of nutritional status and immunity associated with Jorge Lobo's disease. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of protein-calorie malnutrition on the immune response of BALB/c mice inoculated with Lacazia loboi. In this study,the animals were divided into four groups: G1: inoculated with restricted diet, G2: not inoculated with restricted diet, G3: inoculated with regular diet, G4: not inoculated with regular diet. The animals of groups G1 and G2 were submitted to malnutrition for 20 days and once installed the animals were inoculated intradermally into the footpad. After 4 months, they were euthanised for the isolation of peritoneal lavage cells and removal of the footpad. The production of IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, IL-12, IFN-γ, TNF-α, H2 O2 and nitric oxide (NO) was evaluated in the peritoneal lavage cells. The footpad was evaluated regarding the size of macroscopic lesions, number of fungi and viability index. The results showed that the infection did not exert great influence on the body weight of the mice and previous malnutrition was an unfavourable factor for viability index, number of fungi, macroscopic lesion size in the footpad and production of H2 O2 , NO, IL-12, IL-10 and IFN-γ, suggesting that malnutrition significantly altered fungal activity and peritoneal cells. The results suggest considerable interaction between nutrition and immunity in Jorge Lobo's disease.