Putative Mechanisms of Viral Transmission and Molecular Dysregulation of Mammary Epithelial Cells by Human Papillomavirus: Implications for Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. Several studies have demonstrated the presence of Human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in breast cancer samples. However, the role of HPV in breast carcinogenesis is not clear, and the interaction mechanisms between this infectious agent and the breast cancer cell need to be more fully clarified. In this article, we discuss the putative roles of HPV infection in breast carcinogenesis.

Short communication: Variable number of tandem repeat polymorphisms in DGAT1 gene of buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) is associated with milk constituents.

The diacylglycerol-O-transferase 1 gene is a positional and functional candidate for milk composition traits. The objective of this study was to evaluate the segregation of the variable number of tandem repeat polymorphisms in the regulatory region of diacylglycerol-O-transferase 1 gene in a water buffalo herd, and to assess the association of this mutation with milk production traits. For this purpose, 196 Murrah buffalo cows were genotyped by PCR. The association of the marker with total milk, fat, and protein yields at 305 d of lactation, milk fat and protein percentage, and somatic cell scores were evaluated by single-trait analyses using a generalized mixed model. Two segregating alleles were identified in the population. The allele with 2 repeats affected fat percentage favorably. The present results suggest that this polymorphism is an interesting marker to include in the genetic evaluation of buffaloes.

Co-infection of Bovine Papillomavirus and feline-associated Papillomavirus in bovine cutaneous warts.

The diversity of papillomavirus (PV) found in bovine cutaneous warts from Brazilian cattle was evaluated using the PCR technique with the utilization of consensus primers MY09/11 and by PCR using Bovine Papillomavirus (BPV) type-specific primers followed by sequencing. Eleven cutaneous warts from 6 cattle herds were selected. Six warts were positive for the presence of PV. The presence of BPV types 1, 2, 3, 6 and feline sarcoid-associated PV (FeSarPV) in cutaneous wart lesions, as well as the presence of co-infections, was found. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that FeSarPV is described co-infecting a cutaneous wart in Brazil. The present study confirms the previous finding of FeSarPV infecting cattle. These results show the necessity of more studies to investigate the diversity of PV in cattle, its diversity and the possibility of co-infection in cattle and other animals.

Accumulation of (137)Cs in Brazilian soils and its transfer to plants under different climatic conditions.

The spatial distribution and behaviour of the global fallout (137)Cs in the tropical, subtropical and equatorial soil-plant systems were investigated at several upland sites in Brazil selected according to their climate characteristics, and to the agricultural importance. To determine the (137)Cs deposition density, undisturbed soil profiles were taken from 23 environments situated between the latitudes of 02 degrees N and 30 degrees S. Sampling sites located along to the equator exhibited (137)Cs deposition densities with an average value of 219Bqm(-2). Extremely low deposition densities of 1.3Bqm(-2) were found in the Amazon region. In contrast, the southern part of Brazil, located between latitudes of 20 degrees S and 34 degrees S, exhibited considerably higher deposition densities ranging from 140Bqm(-2) to 1620Bqm(-2). To examine the (137)Cs soil-to-plant transfer in the Brazilian agricultural products, 29 mainly tropical plant species, and corresponding soil samples were collected at 43 sampling locations in nine federal states of Brazil. Values of the (137)Cs concentration factor plant/soil exhibited a large range from 0.020 (beans) to 6.2 (cassava). Samples of some plant species originated from different collecting areas showed different concentration factors. The (137)Cs content of some plants collected was not measurable due to a very low (137)Cs concentration level found in the upper layers of the incremental soils. Globally, the soil-to-plant transfer of (137)Cs can be described by a logarithmic normal distribution with a geometric mean of 0.3 and a geometric standard deviation of 3.9.

The radiation field characteristics of a 137Cs source used for calibration of radiation protection instruments.

In this work, an experimental study of the radiation beam characteristics of the photon beams produced by commercial irradiator that uses a single collimated 137Cs source is performed. A set of lead attenuators are placed at the exit window of the irradiator to vary the air Kerma that is required to cover the instrument scales at a particular calibration distance. The results strongly enhance the findings of previous studies that a single source with appropriate attenuation and collimation is a practical solution for calibration laboratories with an acceptable overall accuracy.

Clastogenic effect of bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum v. arachnoideum) diet in peripheral lymphocytes of human consumers: preliminary data.

Ingestion of bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum v. arachnoideum) is associated with digestive tract cancer in different regions of Japan, Venezuela and Brazil. In view of reports that dietary bracken fern causes chromosomal instability in cattle, the clastogenic effect of bracken fern was investigated, in a preliminary study, in peripheral lymphocytes obtained from habitual consumers and a control group of non-consumers, which were carefully investigated about cancer history or family cancer history, negative in both cases, using protocols comparable to those previously described in studies in cattle raised on bracken pastures. Cytogenetic analysis showed significant increased levels of chromosomal abnormalities, such as chromatid breaks, in cultured peripheral lymphocytes of the consumer group. There was no correlation with subjects, gender, smoking habits or alcohol consumption, and the only correlation was with prolonged exposure to dietary bracken.

A rare case of lip ulcer infected by Klebsiella pneumoniae: case report.

The aetiology of mouth ulcers is diverse and may include several types of trauma, systemic disease and infection. The size, depth, outline, base, aspect of the floor, pain, time of evolution and resolution of oral ulcers are discussed. Both past and present medical history, biopsy, blood tests and microbiological tests are also considered in order to assure precise identification. This paper reports a case of a lip ulcer caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae.

A new approach to determine the reliability of the rater technique by use of Smith's Rating Scales.

Used as the base for the study a sample of ratings of 15 pilots made by supervisors during a 6-month period. This report of that evaluation confirms the validity of technique (Smith, 1974) using intraclass correlation and Spearman's rho to identify which rates were unreliable. More rigorous criteria for the elimination of unreliable raters were developed by applying the Kuder-Richardson reliability than the intraclass correlation criteria used by Smith. The proposed technique permits improved reliability by the criterious removal of the raters who are not contributing significantly to the total consistency of the behavioral scale and thus eliminates partially the inconvenience of the unavailable significant table of data to test the acceptance of the reliability.