Background
Animal models are widely used in scientific research in order to obtain information from a whole organism under a specific set of experimental conditions. Various lineages of mice have ...been used to investigate diseases and new therapeutic strategies, and, consequently, hematological and biochemical tests in these laboratory animals are essential to validate scientific studies. Our study seeks to establish reference values for hematological and biochemical parameters of four lineages of mice.
Methods
We evaluated the hematological and biochemical profiles of 20 males and 20 females from the lineages Swiss (heterogeneous), BALB/c and C57BL/6 (isogenic), and B6D2F1 (hybrid), totaling 160 mice. Analysis were standardized using the systems pocH‐100iV Diff™ for 19 hematological parameters and VITROS® 350 for 12 biochemical parameters.
Results
Results are shown as means and standard deviation, grouped by lineage and genre. Comparing the values obtained in this study with the values from previous studies, some variations were detected, which could be explained by differences in methodologies or individual variability.
Conclusion
Thus our study shows that knowledge and disclosure of the values of physiological parameters of laboratory animals is necessary, and emphasises the importance of considering variations influenced by gender, lineage and genotype in the choice of the best experimental model.
Epidemiological studies found that hepatitis E virus genotype 3 (HEV-3) infection was associated with chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis in immunocompromised patients. Our study aimed to investigate the ...relationship between the host immunosuppressive status and the occurrence of HEV-related chronic hepatitis. Here we describe a successful experimental study, using cynomolgus monkeys previously treated with tacrolimus, a potent calcineurin inhibitor immunosuppressant, and infected with a Brazilian HEV-3 strain isolated from naturally infected pigs. HEV infected monkeys were followed up during 160 days post infection (dpi) by clinical signs; virological, biochemical and haematological parameters; and liver histopathology. The tacrolimus blood levels were monitored throughout the experiment. Immunosuppression was confirmed by clinical and laboratorial findings, such as: moderate weight loss, alopecia, and herpes virus opportunistic infection. In this study, chronic HEV infection was characterized by the mild increase of liver enzymes serum levels; persistent RNA viremia and viral faecal shedding; and liver histopathology. Three out of four immunosuppressed monkeys showed recurrent HEV RNA detection in liver samples, evident hepatocellular ballooning degeneration, mild to severe macro and microvesicular steatosis (zone 1), scattered hepatocellular apoptosis, and lobular focal inflammation. At 69 dpi, liver biopsies of all infected monkeys revealed evident ballooning degeneration (zone 3), discrete hepatocellular apoptosis, and at most mild portal and intra-acinar focal inflammation. At 160 dpi, the three chronically HEV infected monkeys showed microscopic features (piecemeal necrosis) corresponding to chronic hepatitis in absence of fibrosis and cirrhosis in liver parenchyma. Within 4-months follow up, the tacrolimus-immunosuppressed cynomolgus monkeys infected with a Brazilian swine HEV-3 strain exhibited more severe hepatic lesions progressing to chronic hepatitis without liver fibrosis, similarly as shown in tacrolimus-immunosuppressed solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients. The cause-effect relationship between HEV infection and tacrolimus treatment was confirmed in this experiment.
Objetivo: identificar e analisar a perspectiva dos residentes de enfermagem sobre prevenção de quedas no ambiente hospitalar à luz da teoria ambientalista de Florence Nigthingale. Métodos: estudo ...descritivo-exploratório, com abordagem qualitativa. Esse trabalho é oriundo da dissertação intitulada: Medidas educativas implementadas por enfermeiros residentes aos pacientes vulneráveis a quedas no contexto hospitalar. Resultados: os participantes entendem que o ambiente hospitalar pode influenciar o risco de quedas. Entre os fatores ambientais mais citados são grades não elevados; Distância dos leitos do posto de enfermagem; banheiros insalubres. Considerações Finais: os residentes demonstraram compreender quais são os fatores ambientais que impactam na queda e quais as ações pré estabelecidas para prevenir a ocorrências de quedas. No entanto uma amostra maior, com método quantitativo, pode ser benéfico em estudos futuros.
This study aimed to translate, and perform a cross-cultural adaptation, and validation of the Vancouver Symptom Score (VSS) for bladder and bowel dysfunction (BBD) for Brazilian children and ...adolescents Materials and Methods: Six steps were performed for the translation and cross-cultural adaptation: (1) translation, (2) synthesis of translations, (3) back-translation, (4) pre-final version of the translated instrument, (5) pilot test and degree of comprehensibility and (6) elaboration of the Brazilian version of the VSS. For validation, the Brazilian Dysfunctional Voiding Score (DVSS) questionnaire was used.
Validation was performed on a sample of 107 children and adolescents with a mean age of 9.2 ± 2.84 years, presenting BBD and 107 without BBD (control group-CG). There was a positive correlation (r = 0.91, 95% CI 0.88 to 0.93, p < 0.0001) between total VSS score and total DVSS score. VSS was higher in patients with BBD (p < 0.0001). The internal consistency estimated by Cronbach's alpha was 0.87 for patients with BBD. The VSS showed excellent diagnostic accuracy in detecting cases, with an area under the ROC curve of 98% (95% CI 0.96 to 0.99, p < 0.001). A cut-off value of >11 points produced a sensitivity of 100% (95% CI 96.4% to 100%) and a specificity of 91.8% (95% CI 85.1% to 95.6%).
The translated, cross-culturally adapted, and validated VSS for the Brazilian population is a reliable and valid tool to identify symptoms of BBD in children and adolescents aged five to 16 years, whose first language is Brazilian Portuguese.
Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is the only currently available curative treatment for sickle cell disease (SCD). However, the effects of HSCT on SCD pathophysiology ...are poorly elucidated. Here, we assessed red blood cell (RBC) adhesiveness, intensity of hemolysis, vascular tone markers and systemic inflammation, in SCD patients treated with allogeneic HSCT. Thirty-two SCD patients were evaluated before and on long-term follow-up after HSCT. Overall survival was 94% with no severe (grade III-IV) graft-
-host disease and a 22% rejection rate (graft failure). Hematological parameters, reticulocyte counts, and levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), endothelin-1 and VCAM-1 normalized in SCD patients post-HSCT. Expression of adhesion molecules on reticulocytes and RBC was lower in patients with sustained engraftment. Levels of IL-18, IL-15 and LDH were higher in patients that developed graft failure. Increased levels of plasma pro-inflammatory cytokines, mainly TNF-α, were found in SCD patients long-term after transplantation. SCD patients with sustained engraftment after allo-HSCT showed decreased reticulocyte counts and adhesiveness, diminished hemolysis, and lower levels of vascular tonus markers. Nevertheless, systemic inflammation persists for at least five years after transplantation, indicating that allo-HSCT does not equally affect all aspects of SCD pathophysiology.
Candida krusei is a candidiasis etiological agent of relevance in the clinical setting because of its intrinsic resistance to fluconazole. Also, it has opened up new paths in the area of alternative ...therapeutic techniques. This project demonstrated the effects of diphenyl diselenide (PhSe)
2
and p-cloro diphenyl diselenide (pCl-PhSe)
2
, two organochalcogen compounds, on relevant virulence factors for the early stage of the C. krusei host interaction and infection process. Both compounds inhibited adherence of C. krusei to both polystyrene surfaces and cervical epithelial cells and biofilm formation; the structure of the biofilm was also changed in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, both compounds inhibited C. krusei growth, but (PhSe)
2
significantly increased the time duration of the lag phase and delayed the start of the exponential phase in growth kinetics. (PhSe)
2
has more potential antifungal activity than (pCl-PhSe)
2
in inhibiting the adherence to epithelial cells, biofilm formation, and growth of C. krusei.
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a leading cause of acute hepatitis worldwide. The virus is acquired by fecal‐oral route; however, it can also be transmitted by blood transfusion. The objective of the ...study was to examine anti‐HEV immunoglobulin G and HEV RNA prevalence in multiple transfused patients with thalassemia and sickle cell disease (SCD), and in blood donors. The HEV seroprevalence in the patients was 13% (20% in thalassemics; 7.7% in SCD), and 11% in blood donors. No positive result for HEV RNA was obtained. This is a pioneer study examining HEV circulation in Brazilian patients with hemoglobinopathies.
Highlight
The prevalence of HEV in Brazil among multiple‐transfused patients is unknown.
We detected HEV seroprevalence of 20% in the patients with thalassemia and 7.7% in the patients with Sickle‐Cell Disease.
No patient was positive for HEV RNA.
Different routes for HEV transmission might be suspected in Brazil.
Abstract
Background
Characterized by abnormal lung growth or maturation, congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) affects 1:3000 live births. Cellular studies report proximal (SOX2
+
) and distal (SOX9
...+
) progenitor cells as key modulators of branching morphogenesis and epithelial differentiation, whereas transcriptome studies demonstrate ROBO/SLIT as potential therapeutic targets for diaphragm defect repair in CDH. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that (a) experimental-CDH could changes the expression profile of ROBO1, ROBO2, SOX2 and SOX9; and (b) ROBO1 or ROBO2 receptors are regulators of branching morphogenesis and SOX2/SOX9 balance.
Methods
The expression profile for receptors and epithelial progenitor markers were assessed by Western blot and immunohistochemistry in a nitrofen-induced CDH rat model. Immunohistochemistry signals by pulmonary structure were also quantified from embryonic-to-saccular stages in normal and hypoplastic lungs. Ex vivo lung explant cultures were harvested at E13.5, cultures during 4 days and treated with increasing doses of recombinant rat ROBO1 or human ROBO2 Fc Chimera proteins for ROBO1 and ROBO2 inhibition, respectively. The lung explants were analyzed morphometrically and ROBO1, ROBO2, SOX2, SOX9, BMP4, and β-Catenin were quantified by Western blot.
Results
Experimental-CDH induces distinct expression profiles by pulmonary structure and developmental stage for both receptors (ROBO1 and ROBO2) and epithelial progenitor markers (SOX2 and SOX9) that provide evidence of the impairment of proximodistal patterning in experimental-CDH. Ex vivo functional studies showed unchanged branching morphogenesis after ROBO1 inhibition; increased fetal lung growth after ROBO2 inhibition in a mechanism-dependent on SOX2 depletion and overexpression of SOX9, non-phospho β-Catenin, and BMP4.
Conclusions
These studies provided evidence of receptors and epithelial progenitor cells which are severely affected by CDH-induction from embryonic-to-saccular stages and established the ROBO2 inhibition as promoter of branching morphogenesis through SOX2/SOX9 balance.
The chikungunya virus (CHIKV) was first isolated in a Tanzanian epidemic area between 1952 and 1953. The best description of the CHIKV transmission during pregnancy can be found in a well-documented ...epidemic in 2005, in the "La Reunion" island, a French territory located in the Indian Ocean, in which about one-third of the population was infected. Reports of arbovirus infections in pregnancy are increasing over time, but the spectrum of clinical findings remains an incognita among researchers, including CHIKV.
In this report, it was possible to verify 2 cases exposed to CHIKV during foetal period and the possible implications of the infection on gestational structures and exposed children after the birth.
In both cases, the mothers were positive by laboratory tests in serologic analysis for CHIKV, as ezyme-linked immunossorbent assay (ELISA), plaque reduction neutralisation testing (PRNT) and immunofluorescence (IF); but there were no positive tests in quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for mothers or children.
The exposed children were followed up in a paediatrics clinic in order not only to provide the medical assistance, but also to verify child development and the possible implications and neurocognitive changes caused by gestational infection.
There were neurological and developmental changes in one of the children followed up on an outpatient basis. There was an improvement in the neurological situation and symptoms only 3 years and 1 month after birth.
Based on the cases presented, we can conclude that clinical symptoms of CHIKV maternal infection may occur late in new-borns and can affect their development.
The immunological and the anti-Leishmania amazonensis activity of babassu-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) PLGA microparticles was evaluated. The anti-Leishmania activity was evaluated against ...promastigotes or amastigotes forms, in Balb/c macrophages. The size of the microparticles ranged from 3 to 6.4 μm, with a zeta potential of −25 mV and encapsulation efficiency of 48%. The anti-Leishmania activity of the PLGA microparticles loaded with the aqueous extract of babassu mesocarp (MMP) (IC50) was 10-fold higher than that free extract (Meso). MMP exhibited overall bioavailability and was very effective in eliminating intracellular parasites. MMP also reduced ex vivo parasite infectivity probably by the increased production of nitric oxide, hydrogen peroxide, and TNF-α indicating the activation of M1 macrophages. The overexpression of TNF-α did not impair cell viability, suggesting antiapoptotic effects of MMP. In conclusion, babassu-loaded microparticles could be useful for drug targeting in the treatment of leishmaniasis, due to the immunomodulatory effect on macrophage polarization and the increased efficacy as an anti-Leishmania product after the microencapsulation. These findings are of great relevance since the development of new drugs for the treatment of neglected diseases is desirable, mainly if we consider the high morbidity and mortality rates of leishmaniasis worldwide.
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