Abstract Introduction: Children and adolescents living in shelters may present with impaired motor development, cognitive function, as well as speech and understanding; psychological alterations; and ...hyperactivity. All of these factors may be detrimental to motor learning. Objective: To investigate motor learning in children and adolescents living in shelters, and to compare it with that of individuals living in a family context. Methods: We assessed 36 individuals who were divided into groups: an experimental group, composed of institutionalized children and adolescents (EG, n=18), and a control group (CG, n = 18) that was matched by age and sex. Motor learning was assessed using a maze test in three stages: acquisition, retention and transfer. The data were analyzed using the Shapiro Wilk, Wilcoxon, Mann Whitney, Kruskal Wallis tests and Dunn’s post-test (p < 5%). Results: The EG had a longer task performance time than the CG. There was a significant reduction in task performance time between the first (EG = 11.05 8.50-14.85s; CG:7.65 5.95-10.23s) and the last task performance block (EG:8.02 6.86-10.23s; GC: 5.50 4.50-6.82s) in both groups. When comparing the variables of the last acquisition (GE:8.026.86-10.23s; GC: 5.504.50-6.82s), retention (GE:8.207.09-9.89s;GC:5.354.50-6.22s) and transfer blocks (GE:8.306.28-11.43s; GC:5.304.90-6.82s) in each group, we found no changes in task performance time between test batteries. Conclusion: Individuals living in shelters showed a motor learning deficit, as evidenced by longer task performance time when compared to their controls. Nevertheless, both groups performed the task in a similar manner.
Resumo Introdução: Crianças e adolescentes institucionalizados podem apresentar comprometimentos do desenvolvimento motor; das funções cognitiva, da fala, da compreensão; alterações psicológicas e hiperatividade, que podem ser prejudiciais para a aprendizagem motora. Objetivo: Analisar a aprendizagem motora de crianças e adolescentes institucionalizados em abrigo e comparar com indivíduos em contexto familiar. Métodos: Foram avaliados 36 indivíduos divididos em 2 grupos: grupo experimental, composto por crianças e adolescentes institucionalizados (GE, n=18) e grupo controle (GC, n =18), pareados por sexo e idade. Para avaliação da aprendizagem motora foi utilizada a tarefa de labirinto realizada em três fases: aquisição, retenção e transferência. Para análise dos dados foram utilizados os testes de Shapiro Wilk, Wilcoxon, Mann Whitney, Kruskal Wallis e pós-teste de Dunn (p < 5%). Resultados: O GE obteve maior tempo para execução da tarefa comparado com o GC. Houve diminuição significativa do tempo de execução da tarefa, do primeiro bloco (GE= 11,05 8,50-14,85s; GC:7,65 5,95-10,23s) para o último bloco da aquisição (GE:8,02 6,86-10,23s; GC: 5,50 4,50-6,82s) em ambos os grupos. Ao comparar as variáveis entre o último bloco da aquisição (GE:8,026,86-10,23s; GC: 5,504,50-6,82s), retenção (GE:8,207,09-9,89s; GC:5,354,50-6,22s) e transferência (GE:8,306,28-11,43s; GC:5,304,90-6,82s) em cada grupo, foi encontrada a manutenção do tempo para execução da tarefa durante as fases. Conclusão: Os indivíduos institucionalizados em abrigo apresentaram um déficit na aprendizagem motora, verificada pelo maior tempo de execução da tarefa comparado aos indivíduos não institucionalizados, porém ambos evoluem de maneira semelhante durante a realização da tarefa.
Lactobacillus probiotics have been investigated in periodontitis. However, the effects of the genus Bifidobacterium on periodontitis are hardly known. This study evaluated the effects of the ...probiotic (PROB) Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis (B. lactis) HN019 as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP) in rats with experimental periodontitis (EP). At baseline, 32 rats were assigned to 4 groups: C (control), PROB, EP-SRP and EP-SRP-PROB. In groups EP-SRP and EP-SRP-PROB, the mandibular first molars of the animals received a ligature. At day 14, the ligatures were removed and SRP was performed. Animals of groups PROB and EP-SRP-PROB were orally administered with 10 mL/day of 109 colony forming units of B. lactis HN019 for 15 days, starting at day 14. Animals were euthanized at day 29. Histomorphometric, microtomographic and immunohistochemical analyses were performed. Microbiological effects of B. lactis on biofilm were also evaluated. Data were statistically analyzed (ANOVA, Tukey; Kruskal-Wallis, Dunn's; Two-tailed t-test; p<0.05). Group EP-SRP-PROB presented reduced alveolar bone resorption and attachment loss when compared with Group EP-SRP (p<0.05). Group EP-SRP-PROB showed significantly fewer osteoclasts, increased expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines and reduced expression of proinflammatory cytokines compared with Group EP-SRP (p<0.05). B. lactis promoted a higher ratio between aerobic and anaerobic bacteria in biofilm samples (p<0.05). B. lactis HN019 may have a role in the treatment of EP in rats, as an adjunct to SRP.
The specific roles of parasite characteristics and immunological factors of the host in Chagas disease progression and prognosis are still under debate. Trypanosoma cruzi genotype may be an important ...determinant of the clinical chronic Chagas disease form and prognosis. This study aimed to identify the potential association between T. cruzi genotypes and the clinical presentations of chronic Chagas disease.
This is a retrospective study using T. cruzi isolated from blood culture samples of 43 patients with chronic Chagas disease. From 43 patients, 42 were born in Brazil, mainly in Southeast and Northeast Brazilian regions, and one patient was born in Bolivia. Their mean age at the time of blood collection was 52.4±13.2 years. The clinical presentation was as follows 51.1% cardiac form, 25.6% indeterminate form, and 23.3% cardiodigestive form. Discrete typing unit (DTU) was determined by multilocus conventional PCR. TcII (n = 40) and TcVI (n = 2) were the DTUs identified. DTU was unidentifiable in one patient. The average follow-up time after blood culture was 5.7±4.4 years. A total of 14 patients (32.5%) died and one patient underwent heart transplantation. The cause of death was sudden cardiac arrest in six patients, heart failure in five patients, not related to Chagas disease in one patient, and ignored in two patients. A total of 8 patients (18.6%) progressed, all of them within the cardiac or cardiodigestive forms.
TcII was the main T. cruzi DTU identified in chronic Chagas disease Brazilian patients (92.9%) with either cardiac, indeterminate or cardiodigestive forms, born at Southeast and Northeast regions. Other DTU found in much less frequency was TcVI (4.8%). TcII was also associated to patients that evolved with heart failure or sudden cardiac arrest, the two most common and ominous consequences of the cardiac form of Chagas disease.
Background Sporotrichosis is the most common subcutaneous mycosis caused by Sporothrix spp. Traditionally, it is transmitted through injuries involving plant debris. However, over the past few ...decades, there has been an epidemic increase in human cases resulting from contact with infected animals, particularly cats, in various regions of Brazil. In this report, we report a notable increase in both human and animal cases within the Brazilian Amazon state. Methodology/Principal findings An ecological study was conducted by analyzing official records of human and animal sporotrichosis diagnosed in the state of Amazon from 2020 to 2023. Data including patient demographics, clinical manifestations, mycological examination results, and species identification through PCR confirmation were evaluated. During this period, a total of 950 human cases and 2,823 animal cases of sporotrichosis were reported at an exponential rate, since no human cases were registered in 2020. The spatial and temporal dispersion of human sporotrichosis followed that of animal cases, moving from downtown areas to the periphery. Contact with infected animals was reported in 77.7% of cases, with cats being the most commonly implicated (73.5%). Only 66.7% of individuals underwent mycological examination. Among the positive cultures for Sporothrix spp., 65.4% were identified as S. brasiliensis. All patients were treated with systemic antifungals. Conclusions/Significance This study highlights a rising incidence of sporotrichosis among animals and humans in the Brazilian Amazon region over the past four years, with S. brasiliensis being the predominant agent. Collaborative efforts involving healthcare professionals, veterinarians, and public health authorities are crucial to implement effective control measures, educate populations at risk, and promote responsible guidance for pet guardians. These measures are essential to mitigate the burden of epidemic sporotrichosis in Brazil.
is the protozoan parasite that causes toxoplasmosis, a potentially fatal disease to immunocompromised patients, and which affects approximately 30% of the world's population. Previously, we showed ...that purinergic signaling
the P2X7 receptor contributes to
elimination in macrophages, through reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and lysosome fusion with the parasitophorous vacuole. Moreover, we demonstrated that P2X7 receptor activation promotes the production of anti-parasitic pro-inflammatory cytokines during early
infection
. However, the cascade of signaling events that leads to parasite elimination
P2X7 receptor activation remained to be elucidated. Here, we investigated the cellular pathways involved in
elimination triggered by P2X7 receptor signaling, during early infection in macrophages. We focused on the potential role of the inflammasome, a protein complex that can be co-activated by the P2X7 receptor, and which is involved in the host immune defense against
infection. Using peritoneal and bone marrow-derived macrophages from knockout mice deficient for inflammasome components (NLRP3
, Caspase-1/11
, Caspase-11
), we show that the control of
infection
P2X7 receptor activation by extracellular ATP (eATP) depends on the canonical inflammasome effector caspase-1, but not on caspase-11 (a non-canonical inflammasome effector). Parasite elimination
P2X7 receptor and inflammasome activation was also dependent on ROS generation and pannexin-1 channel. Treatment with eATP increased IL-1β secretion from infected macrophages, and this effect was dependent on the canonical NLRP3 inflammasome. Finally, treatment with recombinant IL-1β promoted parasite elimination
mitochondrial ROS generation (as assessed using Mito-TEMPO). Together, our results support a model where P2X7 receptor activation by eATP inhibits
growth in macrophages by triggering NADPH-oxidase-dependent ROS production, and also by activating a canonical NLRP3 inflammasome, which increases IL-1β production (
caspase-1 activity), leading to mitochondrial ROS generation.
The role of human adenovirus (HAdV) infection in different acute diseases, such as febrile exudative tonsillitis, conjunctivitis, and pharyngoconjunctival fever is well established. However, the ...relationships, if any, of HAdV persistence and reactivation in the development of the chronic adenotonsillar disease is not fully understood. The present paper reports a 3‐year cross‐sectional hospital‐based study aimed at detecting and quantifying HAdV DNA and mRNA of the HAdV hexon gene in adenoid and palatine tonsil tissues and nasopharyngeal secretions (NPS) from patients with adenotonsillar hypertrophy or recurrent adenotonsillitis. HAdV C, B, and E were detectable in nearly 50% of the patients, with no association with the severity of airway obstruction, nor with the presence of recurrent tonsillitis, sleep apnea or otitis media with effusion (OME). Despite the higher rates of respiratory viral coinfections in patients with HAdV, the presence of other viruses, including DNA and RNA viruses, had no association with HAdV replication or shedding in secretions. Higher HAdV loads in adenoids showed a significant positive correlation with the presence of sleep apnea and the absence of OME. Although this study indicates that a significant proportion (~85%) of individuals with chronic adenotonsillar diseases have persistent nonproductive HAdV infection, including those by HAdV C, B, and E, epithelial and subepithelial cells in tonsils seem to be critical for HAdV C production and shedding in NPS in some patients, since viral antigen was detected in these regions by immunohistochemistry in four patients, all of which were also positive for HAdV mRNA detection.
Highlights
• Adenoids and palatine tonsils from patients with chronic adenotonsilar disease are frequently infected with HAdV‐B, HAdV‐C and HAdV‐E.
• Only a small proportion of patients with the chronic adenotonsilar disease has a productive adenoviral infection, characterized by the detection of viral gene expression.
• There are no obvious association between adenovirus replication and viral coinfection.
• HAdV infection was not associated with the severity of nasal obstruction or the presence of recurrent tonsillitis.
Abstract Light soils occupy 8% of the Brazilian territory and are especially expressive in the new and last agricultural frontier in Brazil: the Matopiba region - in the states of Maranhão, ...Tocantins, Piauí, and Bahia -, where they represent 20% of the area. These soils fit into the textural classes of sand and loamy sand or sandy loam, down to 0.75-m soil depth or deeper, and they are mainly represented by Neossolos Quartzarênicos (Quartzipsamments) and, partly, by Latossolos (Oxisols) and Argissolos (Ultisols). The understanding of soil functioning depends on the establishment of distinguishing criteria for: organic matter dynamics; content and mineralogy of the clay fraction; coarse sand and total sand contents, in relation to those of fine sand; mean diameter of the sand fraction; and water retention capacity. These criteria can contribute for the zoning and for the conservation and fertility management of light soils, as well as for the estimation of their agricultural potential. Integrated production systems, such as crop-livestock and crop-livestock-forestry integration, besides no-tillage with crop rotation, mixed forestry planting with legumes, and the use of green manure and cover crops are relevant for the proper management of these soils. The objective of this review was to characterize light soils and to highlight the main challenges regarding their agricultural potential and their conservation and fertility managements, in face of the expansion and consolidation of the new Brazilian agricultural frontier.
Resumo Os solos leves ocupam cerca de 8% do território brasileiro e são epecialmente expressivos na nova e na última fronteira agrícola do país: a região de Matopiba, nos estados do Maranhão, do Tocantins, do Piauí e da Bahia, onde representam 20% da área. Esses solos enquadram-se nas classes texturais areia e areia franca ou francoarenosa, até a profundidade de 0,75 m ou mais, e são representados principalmente pelos Neossolos Quartzarênicos e, em parte, por Latossolos e Argissolos. O entendimento do funcionamento desses solos depende do estabelecimento de critérios distintivos sobre: dinâmica da matéria orgânica; teor e mineralogia da fração argila; teores de areia grossa e de areia total, em relação aos de areia fina; diâmetro médio da fração areia; e capacidade de retenção de água. Esses critérios podem contribuir para o zoneamento e para o manejo conservacionista e da fertilidade dos solos leves, bem como para estimação de seu potencial agrícola. Sistemas integrados de produção, como os de integração lavoura-pecuária e lavoura-pecuária-floresta, além do plantio direto com rotação de culturas, dos plantios florestais mistos com espécies leguminosas, e do uso de adubos verdes e cultivos de cobertura, são relevantes para o manejo adequado desses solos. O objetivo deste artigo de revisão foi caracterizar os solos leves e apontar os principais desafios em relação a seu potencial agrícola, a seu manejo e conservação e sua fertilidade, frente à expansão e à consolidação da nova fronteira agrícola.
Dietary restriction (DR) reduces adiposity and improves metabolism in patients with one or more symptoms of metabolic syndrome. Nonetheless, it remains elusive whether the benefits of DR in humans ...are mediated by calorie or nutrient restriction. This study was conducted to determine whether isocaloric dietary protein restriction is sufficient to confer the beneficial effects of dietary restriction in patients with metabolic syndrome. We performed a prospective, randomized controlled dietary intervention under constant nutritional and medical supervision. Twenty-one individuals diagnosed with metabolic syndrome were randomly assigned for caloric restriction (CR; n = 11, diet of 5941 ± 686 KJ per day) or isocaloric dietary protein restriction (PR; n = 10, diet of 8409 ± 2360 KJ per day) and followed for 27 days. Like CR, PR promoted weight loss due to a reduction in adiposity, which was associated with reductions in blood glucose, lipid levels, and blood pressure. More strikingly, both CR and PR improved insulin sensitivity by 62.3% and 93.2%, respectively, after treatment. Fecal microbiome diversity was not affected by the interventions. Adipose tissue bulk RNA-Seq data revealed minor changes elicited by the interventions. After PR, terms related to leukocyte proliferation were enriched among the upregulated genes. Protein restriction is sufficient to confer almost the same clinical outcomes as calorie restriction without the need for a reduction in calorie intake. The isocaloric characteristic of the PR intervention makes this approach a more attractive and less drastic dietary strategy in clinical settings and has more significant potential to be used as adjuvant therapy for people with metabolic syndrome.
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