The Tetrahymena chaperonin subunit CCT eta gene is coexpressed with CCT gamma gene during cilia biogenesis and cell sexual reproduction

We report here the cloning and the characterization of the T. pyriformis CCT eta gene (TpCCT eta) and also a partial sequence of the corresponding T. thermophila gene (TtCCT eta). The TpCCt eta gene encodes a protein sharing a 60.3% identity with the mouse CCT eta. We have studied the expression of these genes in Tetrahymena exponentially growing cells, cells regenerating their cilia for different periods and during different stages of the cell sexual reproduction. These genes have similar patterns of expression to those of the previously identified TpCCt gamma gene. Indeed, the Tetrahymena CCT eta and CCT gamma genes are up-regulated at 60-120 min of cilia recovery, and in conjugation when vegetative growth was resumed and cell division took place. Our results seem to indicate that both CCT subunits play an important role in the biogenesis of the newly synthesized cilia of Tetrahymena and during its cell division.

Efetividade da suplementação diária ou semanal com ferro na prevenção da anemia em lactentes

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a efetividade da suplementação universal profilática com sulfato ferroso, em administração diária ou semanal, na prevenção da anemia em lactentes. MÉTODOS: Ensaio de campo randomizado com crianças de seis a 12 meses de idade, atendidas em unidades básicas de saúde do município do Rio de Janeiro, em 2004-2005. Foram formadas três coortes concorrentes com suplementação universal com sulfato ferroso com grupos: diário (n=150; 12,5mgFe/dia), semanal (n=147; 25mgFe/semana) e controle (n=94). A intervenção durou 24 semanas e foi acompanhada por ações educativas promotoras de adesão. A concentração de hemoglobina sérica foi analisada segundo sua distribuição, média e prevalência de anemia (Hb<110,0g/L) aos 12 meses de idade. A avaliação da efetividade foi realizada segundo intenção de tratar e adesão ao protocolo, utilizando-se análises de regressão múltipla (linear e de Poisson). RESULTADOS: Os grupos mostraram-se homogêneos quanto às variáveis de caracterização. A intervenção foi operacionalizada com sucesso, com elevada adesão ao protocolo em ambos os grupos expostos a ela, sem diferença estatística entre eles. Após ajuste, somente o esquema diário apresentou efeito protetor. Na análise por adesão, o esquema diário apresentou evidente efeito dose-resposta para média de hemoglobina sérica e prevalência de anemia, não sendo observado nenhum efeito protetor do esquema semanal. CONCLUSÕES: Apenas o esquema diário de suplementação universal com sulfato ferroso dos seis aos 12 meses de idade foi efetivo em aumentar a concentração de hemoglobina sérica e em reduzir o risco de anemia.

Ecosapentanoic acid (EPA) does not affect cell kinetics in peripheral lymphocites from patients with Crohn's disease (CD) according to IL6 174G/C polymorphism

Rationale: Omega 3 fatty acids have been shown to be of potential benefit in patients with CD. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether EPA can modulate the inflammatory response according to different genotypes of IL6G174G/C polymorphism. Methods: Peripheral blood cells were collected from CD patients with different genotypes for IL6 174G/C (GG, n = 16, GC, n = 8, CC, n = 7), and lymphocytes were established in culture media. Replicates with the addition of EPA (25 mM) were analysed in a period of 24h, 48h and 72h. Expression of IL6 e a PGE2 was assessed by ELISA. Apoptosis and cellular proliferation was determined by flow cytometry.

Epigenetic and transcriptional signatures of stable versus plastic differentiation of proinflammatory gd T cell subsets

Two distinct subsets of γδ T cells that produce interleukin 17 (IL-17) (CD27(-) γδ T cells) or interferon-γ (IFN-γ) (CD27(+) γδ T cells) develop in the mouse thymus, but the molecular determinants of their functional potential in the periphery remain unknown. Here we conducted a genome-wide characterization of the methylation patterns of histone H3, along with analysis of mRNA encoding transcription factors, to identify the regulatory networks of peripheral IFN-γ-producing or IL-17-producing γδ T cell subsets in vivo. We found that CD27(+) γδ T cells were committed to the expression of Ifng but not Il17, whereas CD27(-) γδ T cells displayed permissive chromatin configurations at loci encoding both cytokines and their regulatory transcription factors and differentiated into cells that produced both IL-17 and IFN-γ in a tumor microenvironment.

Diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia in children of Northeast Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To diagnose iron deficiency anemia in children. METHODS: The study was conducted with a sample of 301 children aged six to 30 months attending public daycare centers in the city of Recife, Northeast Brazil, in 2004. The diagnoses of anemia were based on a combination of different hematological and biochemical parameters: hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, ferritin, C-reactive protein, transferrin saturation and transferrin receptor. The chi-square test and ANOVA were used in the statistical analysis. RESULTS: Of all children studied, 92.4% had anemia (Hb <110 g/L) and 28.9% had moderate/severe anemia (Hb <90 g/L). Lower levels of hemoglobin were found in children aged 6-17 months. Iron deficiency was found in 51.5% of children using ferritin (<12 μg/L) as parameter. Taking into consideration the combination of hemoglobin level, ferritin and transferrin receptor, 58.1% had anemia with iron deficiency, 34.2% had anemia without iron deficiency and 2.3% had iron deficiency without anemia. Mean ferritin concentration was significantly higher in children with high C-reactive protein when compared with those with normal levels (22.1 vs. 14.8 µg/L). CONCLUSIONS: The use of several biochemical and hematological parameters allowed to diagnosing iron deficiency anemia in two thirds of children, suggesting a need to identify other determinants of anemia without iron deficiency.

Prevalência da anemia e fatores associados em crianças de seis a 59 meses de Pernambuco

OBJETIVO: Estimar a prevalência de anemia e identificar seus fatores associados em crianças de seis a 59 meses. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal com dados da III Pesquisa Estadual de Saúde e Nutrição/Pernambuco em amostra representativa de 1.403 crianças para as áreas urbana e rural. A anemia foi diagnosticada pela dosagem da hemoglobina. A análise multivariada foi realizada a partir de um modelo hierárquico, utilizando a regressão de Poisson, com variância robusta para estimar a razão de prevalência em função de variáveis: biológicas, de morbidade e estado nutricional da criança, socioeconômicas, de habitação, de saneamento e fatores maternos. RESULTADOS: A prevalência ponderada de anemia foi de 32,8%: 31,5% na área urbana e 36,6% na rural. Na área urbana, as variáveis que se associaram significantemente à anemia foram: escolaridade materna, bens de consumo, número de crianças menores de cinco anos no domicílio, tratamento da água de beber, idade e anemia materna e idade da criança. Na área rural, apenas a idade materna e a idade da criança associaram-se de modo significante à anemia. CONCLUSÕES: A prevalência de anemia nas crianças pernambucanas é semelhante nas áreas urbana e rural. Os fatores associados à anemia apresentados devem ser considerados no planejamento de medidas efetivas para o seu controle.

Structural modification of TiO2 nanorod films with an influence on the photovoltaic efficiency of a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC).

TiO2 nanorod films have been deposited on ITO substrates by dc reactive magnetron sputtering technique. The structures of these nanorod films were modified by the variation of the oxygen pressure during the sputtering process. Although all these TiO2 nanorod films deposited at different oxygen pressures show an anatase structure, the orientation of the nanorod films varies with the oxygen pressure. Only a very weak (101) diffraction peak can be observed for the TiO2 nanorod film prepared at low oxygen pressure. However, as the oxygen pressure is increased, the (220) diffraction peak appears and the intensity of this diffraction peak is increased with the oxygen pressure. The results of the SEM show that these TiO2 nanorods are perpendicular to the ITO substrate. At low oxygen pressure, these sputtered TiO2 nanorods stick together and have a dense structure. As the oxygen pressure is increased, these sputtered TiO2 nanorods get separated gradually and have a porous structure. The optical transmittance of these TiO2 nanorod films has been measured and then fitted by OJL model. The porosities of the TiO2 nanorod films have been calculated. The TiO2 nanorod film prepared at high oxygen pressure shows a high porosity. The dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have been assembled using these TiO2 nanorod films prepared at different oxygen pressures as photoelectrode. The optimum performance was achieved for the DSSC using the TiO2 nanorod film with the highest (220) diffraction peak and the highest porosity.

Anemia em gestantes brasileiras antes e após a fortificação das farinhas com ferro

OBJETIVO: Comparar prevalência de anemia e valores de hemoglobina (Hb) em gestantes brasileiras, antes e após a fortificação das farinhas com ferro. MÉTODOS: Estudo de avaliação de painéis repetidos, desenvolvido em serviços públicos de saúde de municípios das cinco regiões brasileiras. Dados retrospectivos foram obtidos de 12.119 prontuários de gestantes distribuídas em dois grupos: antes da fortificação, com parto anterior a junho de 2004, e após a fortificação, com última menstruação após junho de 2005. Anemia foi definida como Hb < 11,0 g/dL. Valores de Hb/idade gestacional foram avaliados segundo dois referenciais da literatura. Foram utilizados teste qui-quadrado, t de Student e regressão logística, com nível de 5% de significância. RESULTADOS: Na amostra total, anemia caiu de 25% para 20% após fortificação (p < 0,001), com médias de Hb significativamente maiores no grupo "após" (p < 0,001). Observaram-se, entretanto, diferenças regionais importantes: reduções significativas nas regiões Nordeste (37% para 29%) e Norte (32% para 25%), onde as prevalências de anemia eram elevadas antes da fortificação, e reduções menores nas regiões Sudeste (18% para 15%) e Sul (7% para 6%), onde as prevalências eram baixas. Os níveis de Hb/idade gestacional de ambos os grupos se mostraram discretamente mais elevados nos primeiros meses, porém bem mais baixos após o terceiro ou quarto mês, dependendo da referência utilizada para comparação. Análise de regressão logística mostrou que grupo, região geográfica, situação conjugal, trimestre gestacional, estado nutricional inicial e gestação anterior associaram-se com anemia (p < 0,05). CONCLUSÕES: A prevalência de anemia diminuiu após a fortificação, porém continua elevada nas regiões Nordeste e Norte. Embora a fortificação possa ter tido papel nesse resultado favorável, há que se considerar a contribuição de outras políticas públicas implementadas no período estudado.

Assessment of the potential of tin sulphide thin films prepared by sulphurization of metallic precursors as cell absorbers

In this work, SnxSy thin films have been grown on soda-lime glass substrates by sulphurization of metallic precursors in a nitrogen plus sulphur vapour atmosphere. Different sulphurization temperatures were tested, ranging from 300 °C to 520 °C. The resulting phases were structurally investigated by X-Ray Diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Composition was studied using Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy being then correlated with the sulphurization temperature. Optical measurements were performed to obtain transmittance and reflectance spectra, from which the energy band gaps, were estimated. The values obtained were 1.17 eV for the indirect transition and for the direct transition the values varied from 1.26 eV to 1.57 eV. Electrical characterization using Hot Point Probe showed that all samples were p-type semiconductors. Solar cells were built using the structure: SLG/Mo/SnxSy/CdS/ZnO:Ga and the best result for solar cell efficiency was 0.17%.

Histamine induces ATP release from human subcutaneous fibroblasts via pannexin-1 hemichannels leading to Ca2+ mobilization and cell proliferation

Changes in the regulation of connective tissue ATP-mediated mechano-transduction and remodeling may be an important link to the pathogenesis of chronic pain. It has been demonstrated that mast cell-derived histamine plays an important role in painful fibrotic diseases. Here we analyzed the involvement of ATP in the response of human subcutaneous fibroblasts to histamine. Acute histamine application caused a rise in intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) and ATP release from human subcutaneous fibroblasts via H1 receptor activation. Histamine-induced [Ca2+]i rise was partially attenuated by apyrase, an enzyme that inactivates extracellular ATP, and by blocking P2 purinoceptors with pyridoxal phosphate-6-azo(benzene-2,4-disulfonic acid) tetrasodium salt and reactive blue 2. [Ca2+]i accumulation caused by histamine was also reduced upon blocking pannexin-1 hemichannels with 10Panx, probenecid, or carbenoxolone but not when connexin hemichannels were inhibited with mefloquine or 2-octanol. Brefeldin A, an inhibitor of vesicular exocytosis, also did not block histamine-induced [Ca2+]i mobilization. Prolonged exposure of human subcutaneous fibroblast cultures to histamine favored cell growth and type I collagen synthesis via the activation of H1 receptor. This effect was mimicked by ATP and its metabolite, ADP, whereas the selective P2Y1 receptor antagonist, MRS2179, partially attenuated histamine-induced cell growth and type I collagen production. Expression of pannexin-1 and ADPsensitive P2Y1 receptor on human subcutaneous fibroblasts was confirmed by immunofluorescence confocal microscopy and Western blot analysis. In conclusion, histamine induces ATP release from human subcutaneous fibroblasts, via pannexin-1 hemichannels, leading to [Ca2+]i mobilization and cell growth through the cooperation of H1 and P2 (probably P2Y1) receptors.

Magnitude, tendência temporal e fatores associados à anemia em crianças do Estado da Paraíba

OBJETIVO: Estimar a prevalência da anemia em crianças, sua tendência temporal e identificar fatores associados. MÉTODOS: Estudo de corte transversal, de base populacional, envolvendo 1.108 crianças, com idade entre seis e 59 meses, de ambos os sexos, do Estado da Paraíba, em 2007. A hemoglobina foi analisada em sangue venoso com contador automático. Foram considerados para anemia valores < 11,0 g/dL, forma leve 9-11g/dL, moderada 7-9 g/dL e grave < 7,0 g/dL. As condições socioeconômicas e demográficas das crianças foram obtidas por meio de questionário aos pais ou responsáveis. As proporções foram comparadas pelo teste do qui-quadrado de Pearson, e a associação entre as concentrações de hemoglobina e potenciais fatores de riscos foi testada pelo modelo de regressão de Poisson. A tendência temporal da anemia foi avaliada pelo incremento/redução na prevalência de anemia nos anos de 1982, 1992 e 2007. RESULTADOS: A prevalência de anemia foi de 36,5% (IC95% 33,7;39,3). Observa-se que 1,3% (IC95% 0,7;1,8) foi na forma grave, 11,1% (IC95% 9,4;13,5) na forma moderada e 87,6% (IC95% 79,1;91,2) na forma leve. Houve um incremento de 88,5% nos casos de anemia no período entre 1982 e1992 e uma estabilização na prevalência entre 1992 e 2007. A análise ajustada no modelo de Poisson mostrou maior suscetibilidade à anemia nas crianças de seis a 24 meses de idade, naquelas amamentadas por seis meses ou mais, que co-habitavam com mais de quatro pessoas no mesmo domicílio e moravam em casas com menos de cinco cômodos. CONCLUSÕES: A alta prevalência de anemia mostra que continua sendo um importante problema de saúde pública no Estado da Paraíba. Apesar da estabilização na prevalência entre 1992 e 2007, a anemia apresenta-se em elevado patamar, o que impõe medidas mais efetivas de prevenção e controle.

Phenotypic impact of deregulated expression of class I histone deacetylases in urothelial cell carcinoma of the bladder

Deregulated expression of histone deacetylases (HDACs) has been implicated in tumorigenesis. Herein, we investigated class I HDACs expression in bladder urothelial cell carcinoma (BUCC), its prognostic value and biological significance. Significantly increased transcript levels of all HDACs were found in BUCC compared to 20 normal mucosas, and these were higher in lower grade and stage tumors. Increased HDAC3 levels were associated with improved patient survival. SiRNA experiments showed decrease cell viability and motility, and increased apoptosis. We concluded that class I HDACs play an important role in bladder carcinogenesis through deregulation of proliferation, migration and apoptosis, constituting putative therapeutic targets

Timing analysis of an inter-cell mobility procedure for a wired/wireless PROFIBUS network

Recently, there have been a few research efforts towards extending the capabilities of fieldbus networks to encompass wireless support. In previous works we have proposed a hybrid wired/wireless PROFIBUS network solution where the interconnection between the heterogeneous communication media was accomplished through bridge-like interconnecting devices. The resulting networking architecture embraced a Multiple Logical Ring (MLR) approach, thus with multiple independent tokens, where the communication between different domains was supported by the Inter-Domain Protocol (IDP). The proposed architecture also supports mobility of stations between different wireless cells. To that hybrid wired/wireless networking architecture we have proposed a worst-case response timing analysis of the IDP, without considering inter-cell mobility (or handoff) of stations. In this paper, we advance that previous work by proposing a worst-case timing analysis of the mobility procedure.

Profibus protocol extensions for enabling inter-cell mobility in bridge-based hybrid wired/wireless networks

Future industrial control/multimedia applications will increasingly impose or benefit from wireless and mobile communications. Therefore, there is an enormous eagerness for extending currently available industrial communications networks with wireless and mobility capabilities. The RFieldbus European project is just one example, where a PROFIBUS-based hybrid (wired/wireless) architecture was specified and implemented. In the RFieldbus architecture, interoperability between wired and wireless components is achieved by the use specific intermediate networking systems operating at the physical layer level, i.e. operating as repeaters. Instead, in this paper we will focus on a bridge-based approach, which presents several advantages. This concept was introduced in (Ferreira, et al., 2002), where a bridge-based approach was briefly outlined. Then, a specific Inter-Domain Protocol (IDP) was proposed to handle the Inter-Domain transactions in such a bridge-based approach (Ferreira, et al., 2003a). The major contribution of this paper is in extending these previous works by describing the protocol extensions to support inter-cell mobility in such a bridge-based hybrid wired/wireless PROFIBUS networks.

Besnoitia besnoiti and Toxoplasma gondii: two apicomplexan strategies to manipulate the host cell centrosome and Golgi apparatus

Besnoitia besnoiti and Toxoplasma gondii are two closely related parasites that interact with the host cell microtubule cytoskeleton during host cell invasion. Here we studied the relationship between the ability of these parasites to invade and to recruit the host cell centrosome and the Golgi apparatus. We observed that T. gondii recruits the host cell centrosome towards the parasitophorous vacuole (PV), whereas B. besnoiti does not. Notably, both parasites recruit the host Golgi apparatus to the PV but its organization is affected in different ways. We also investigated the impact of depleting and over-expressing the host centrosomal protein TBCCD1, involved in centrosome positioning and Golgi apparatus integrity, on the ability of these parasites to invade and replicate. Toxoplasma gondii replication rate decreases in cells over-expressing TBCCD1 but not in TBCCD1-depleted cells; while for B. besnoiti no differences were found. However, B. besnoiti promotes a reorganization of the Golgi ribbon previously fragmented by TBCCD1 depletion. These results suggest that successful establishment of PVs in the host cell requires modulation of the Golgi apparatus which probably involves modifications in microtubule cytoskeleton organization and dynamics. These differences in how T. gondii and B. besnoiti interact with their host cells may indicate different evolutionary paths.