Applicability of gene expression profile of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia at diagnosis and at the end of the induction phase of chemotherapy at a cancer hospital in the state of Goiás (Brazil).

The present study compared the gene expression pattern of some previously described genes at the time of diagnosis and after induction chemotherapy for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in patients submitted to Brazilian Childhood Leukemia Treatment Group (GBTLI) ALL-99 Protocol. Samples were obtained at the time of diagnosis from 16 patients with ALL and on the 28th day of induction chemotherapy the bone marrow samples were obtained from 12 children. The genes expression profiles in diagnostic and induction samples were analyzed by array-based qPCR and then related to the clinical and biological prognostic factors. The results showed significant associations (p ≤ 0.05) between gender and immunophenotype, immunophenotype and age, immunophenotype and risk group, presence of CD10 and RUNX1 expression, risk group, and immunophenotype. A significant positive correlation was observed between the expression levels of BAX and BCL2. There was a significant difference (p = 0.008) between the gene expression pattern at the time of diagnosis and after induction chemotherapy. The expression pattern of these genes after the induction phase of treatment approached the expression profile of the control group, indicating a good induction response in children treated according to the GBTLI ALL-99 protocol. The findings of the current research could be routinely useful for clinical practice and could assist in the discovery phase of medical applications.

[Evaluation of nematode predacious fungus Duddingtonia flagrans on infective Haemonchus contortus and Strongyloides papillosus larvae of goats]. / Avaliação do fungo predador de nematóides Duddingtonia flagrans sobre larvas infectantes de Haemonchus contortus e Strongyloides papillosus de caprinos.

One brazilian isolate of nematode-trapping fungus Duddingtonia flagrans AC 001 was evaluated regarding the capacity of supporting passage through the gastrointestinal tract of goats without losing the ability to entrap infective Haemonchus contortus and Strongyloides papillosus larvae (L3). Ten saneen goats of eight months old, males and infected naturally were divided in two groups of five animals. In the group 1, the animals received orally 20 g of pellets of the D. flagrans. In the group 2 (control), the animals received orally 20 g of pellets without fungi. Fecal Samples were collected at 14, 20, 24, 36 and 46 hours after the treatments and were allocated in fecal cultures at 25 degrees C during fifteen days. There was significant reduction (p<0.05) of the average number of S. papillosus larvae recovered of the fecal cultures in the animals treated with fungus when compared with the control animals at 14 and 46 hours, in the end of the experiment, this difference was 82.3%. There was significant reduction (p<0.05) of the average number of H. contortus larvae recovered of the fecal cultures in the animals treated with fungus when compared with the control animals at 14, 20 and 46 hours, in the end of the experiment, this difference was 59.3%. Such evidences confirm the transit of these fungi pellets by the digestive tract of the goats without loss of the predatory viability on L3 of H. contortus and S. papillosus.