Aphelenchoides besseyi parasitizing tobacco cultivars in Brazil.

Foliar nematodes, Aphelenchoides spp., are known to be parasites of tobacco in restricted areas, but symptoms caused by A. besseyi in tobacco are not well characterized, depite the great importance of this nematode worldwide. This study aimed to evaluate the host reaction of four Nicotiana tabacum cultivars (Comum, Xanthi, Samsun, and TNN) and N. benthamiana cv. Comum to A. besseyi and to characterize the symptoms and the parasitism of this nematode. Two experiments were conducted under greenhouse conditions with controlled humidity and temperature, in which the plants were inoculated with 600 A. besseyi. At 30 days after inoculation (DAI), nematodes present in the soil, roots and shoot parts were extracted and roots and shoot tissues were stained with acid fuchsin. High number of A. besseyi was obtained per gram of shoot tissues (125 - 2,169 nematodes) and severe symptoms were observed in leaves and inflorescences of all cultivars. Symptoms included foliar distortion and deformation, necrotic spots delimited by the veins, flower abortion and poor development of plants. In addition, A. besseyi was observed to penetrate tobacco roots at 30 DAI, and nematodes were also observed in the foliar mesophyll, inflorescences, and stems, a parasitism that has not been previously reported in tobacco plants. The disease caused by A. besseyi in tobacco could be a concern for growers in Southern and Northeastern Brazil because this nematode can cause severe damage to the marketable leaves of tobacco, reducing its commercial value.

2-Arylpropionic Acid Pyrazolamides as Cannabinoid CB2 Receptor Inverse Agonists Endowed with Anti-Inflammatory Properties.

Among the most recent proposals regarding the mechanism of action of dipyrone, the modulation of cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 appears to be a promising hypothesis. In this context, the present work describes a series of five novel pyrazolamides (7-11) designed as molecular hybrids of dipyrone metabolites and NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen and flurbiprofen. Target compounds were obtained in good overall yields (50-80%) by classical amide coupling between 4-aminoantipyrine and arylacetic or arylpropionic acids, followed in some cases by N-methylation of the amide group. The compounds presented good physicochemical properties in addition to stability to chemical (pH 2 and 7.4) and enzymatic (plasma esterases) hydrolysis and showed medium to high gastrointestinal and BBB permeabilities in the PAMPA assay. When subjected to functional testing on CB1- or CB2-transfected cells, compounds demonstrated an inverse agonist profile on CB2 receptors and the further characterization of compound LASSBio-2265 (11) revealed moderate binding affinity to CB2 receptor (Ki = 16 µM) with an EC50 = 0.36 µM (Emax = 63%). LASSBio-2265 (11) (at 1, 3, and 10 mg/kg p.o.) was investigated in the formalin test in mice and a remarkable analgesic activity in the late inflammatory phase was observed, suggesting it could be promising for the treatment of pain syndromes associated with chronic inflammatory diseases.

Phenylbenzohydrazides Obtained from Isatoic Anhydride Present Anti-Inflammatory Activity In Vivo and In Vitro.

BACKGROUND: Despite the existence of a wide variety of anti-inflammatory drugs, the vast majority are classified as steroidal or non-steroidal. Both classes present a variety of side effects that limit usage. Thus, the search for new molecules with anti-inflammatory potential is still important. METHODS: Five phenylbenzohydrazides were synthetized and evaluated in pre-clinical models of acute inflammation in vivo and in vitro. RESULTS: The new substances (INL-06, -07, -10, and -11), as well as AISCT, significantly reduced cell migration induced by carrageenan. It was also observed that all INLs inhibited protein extravasation as well as cytokines (IL-6, IL-1ß, and TNF-α) and nitric oxide (NO) production. The INL-11 was demonstrated to be the most potent, since the inhibition observed in several parameters was significant even when compared with dexamethasone. In vitro INLs also reduced cytokines and NO production and inducible nitric oxide (iNOS) enzyme activity. The INL-11 was the most effective in reducing cell migration in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that these substances are suitable for further development into a new series of compounds that could lead to new hits and future drug prototypes for anti-inflammatory conditions.

Endometriosis: A Disease with Few Direct Treatment Options.

Endometriosis is a gynecological condition characterized by the growth of endometrium-like tissues inside and outside the pelvic cavity. The evolution of the disease can lead to infertility in addition to high treatment costs. Currently, available medications are only effective in treating endometriosis-related pain; however, it is not a targeted treatment. The objective of this work is to review the characteristics of the disease, the diagnostic means and treatments available, as well as to discuss new therapeutic options.

Health-Related Quality of Life and Coping Strategies in a Cohort Study of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy Naïve Patients Adherence.

Objective: The main objective of this study was to describe the perceived quality of life (QoL) in patients living with AIDS (PLWA) and their chosen coping strategies in a cohort of individuals managed with HAART. Methods: This is a prospective cohort study conducted at the Medication Dispensing Unit of a university hospital (MDU-UH) located in southeastern Brazil. Study population comprised HIV/AIDS patients starting antiretroviral treatment at MDU. The final sample comprised 99 participants. Patients were followed up for 24 months from their recruitment. We used a face-to-face questionnaire to determine sociodemographic and behavioural variables. Quality of life (QoL) and coping strategies (CS) were measured through validated instruments. Results: Regarding the QoL dimensions, the general perception of QoL among these participants was considered good. Regarding CS, the adherent patients scored higher than the nonadherents. Conclusions: The present study revealed that the perceived QoL can be maintained in individuals treated for HIV/AIDS. There is an association between high score of coping strategies and adherence to HAART.

Aphelenchoides besseyi Parasitizing Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) in Brazil.

Several species of nematodes are known to cause losses to cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) throughout the world. In Brazil, Aphelenchoides besseyi was described as causing damage on soybean, cotton, and common bean, but no report was found about the parasitism of this nematode in cowpea. This study aimed to verify the host reaction of cowpea cultivars to A. besseyi. The experiment was conducted under greenhouse conditions, using two A. besseyi populations as inocula, obtained from symptomatic soybean and cotton plants collected in naturally infested fields. Cultivars Imponente, Aracê, Guariba, Tumucumaque, Nova Era, and Tracuateua were inoculated with 500 A. besseyi of each population, separately, into soil, and after 30 days from the inoculation nematodes were extracted from shoot systems. Both populations were able to parasitize all the cowpea cultivars. Independently of the cultivar, cowpea plants exhibited symptoms of leaf deformation similar to those described for soybean, cotton, and common bean and, in addition, severe brooming was observed, with the interior of the stems being porous and necrotic. To our knowledge, this is the first report of parasitism by A. besseyi of cowpea in Brazil, under greenhouse conditions, increasing the list of hosts of this nematode.

Inside the pocket: Critical elements of HLA-mediated susceptibility to cervical precancerous lesions.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a necessary cause for cervical cancer (CC), but it also depends on genetic factors, such as HLA polymorphism. However, few reports addressed the role of amino acids residues at the HLA peptide-binding cleft in HPV-related cervical disease. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between HLA-B, HLA-C, and HLA-DRB1 polymorphism and amino acid residues composing the pockets of the peptide-binding cleft of the respective polypeptide chains with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN II/III). HLA typing was performed by PCR-SSOP in 184 women with CIN II/III and 174 controls from South Brazil. Associations were estimated by multivariate logistic regression. FDR test was performed to correct the p-value for multiple comparisons. HLA-DRB1*13:01 was associated with protection against CIN II/III, while HLA-C*03:04 was associated with susceptibility. The amino acid residues isoleucine, tyrosine, and leucine at positions 95, 116, and 163 of HLA-C, respectively, were associated with CIN II/III susceptibility. In contrast, serine at positions 11 and 13 of HLA-DRB1 was associated with protection against the disease. Our results confirm previously reported associations between HLA and cervical diseases caused by HPV and suggest a role for amino acid residues at different positions of HLA-C and HLA-DRB1 in CIN II/III. This finding may be further explored to better understand the genetic risk and the influence of immune response to CC development.

Influence of nutritional status and frailty phenotype on health-related quality of life of patients with bladder or kidney cancer.

PURPOSE: This research aimed to assess the impact of nutritional status and frailty in the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with bladder or kidney cancer. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study with individuals aged 20 years or older. Frailty phenotype was defined using the criteria of Fried et al. (2001). Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) classified nutritional status. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of life questionnaire Core-30 third version (EORTC QLQ-C30) assessed HRQoL. RESULTS: Forty-four patients with bladder and 44 with kidney cancer, mostly male, with a mean age of 65.9 and 58.6 years, respectively, were evaluated. Presence of frailty was not different between young and older adults. More than 80% of the robust subjects were well-nourished, while there was a predominance of frail with some degree of malnutrition (p < 0.05). The summary score of HRQoL was worse among the frails than pre-frails and robusts, both in bladder (68.5 vs 86.8 vs 89.5; p = 0.002) and in kidney cancer (54.9 vs 82.9 vs 91.4; p < 0.001), as well as in malnourished compared to well-nourished with bladder (72.9 vs 90.3; p = 0.003) and kidney cancer (69.4 vs 88.3; p = 0.001). After adjusted, frailty and malnutrition continued associated with poor summary score (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that frailty and malnutrition negatively affect HRQoL of patients with bladder or kidney cancer in several aspects.

Do different culture intervals (2 × 24 hours) after thaw of cleavage stage embryos affect pregnancy rates? A randomized controlled trial.

The aim of the study was to evaluate whether selecting embryos for transfer after prolonged culture after thaw (18-24 h) has better pregnancy rates than selecting embryos for transfer after short culture after thaw (2-5 h). We performed a double-blinded, randomized, controlled trial, evaluating 388 patients submitted to ART treatment who had embryos frozen on day-2 and subsequently transferred. All patients received the same endometrial priming with estradiol valerate followed by vaginal progesterone. Patients were randomized for Frozen embryo transfer 2-5 h after thaw (Group D2) or 18-24 h after thaw (Group D2/D3). The main Outcome Measure was ongoing pregnancy rate (OPR) at 20 weeks' gestation per embryo transfer. A total of 179 patients had embryos transferred 2-5 h after thaw and 209 patients had embryos transferred 18-24 h after thaw. The mean age in group D2 was 36 ± 4.4 and 36 ± 5.4 in group D2/D3. Ongoing pregnancy rate was 28% and 33.5% (p = 0.2) for groups D2 and D2/D3, respectively. These results suggest that increasing the culture time of embryos in one day to improve selection before transfer does not increase ongoing pregnancy rate. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03381001.

Uso de bactéria probiótica tindalizada tópica no tratamento da acne vulgar / Use of topical tyndallized probiotic bacteria in the treatment of acne vulgaris

Introdução: A acne vulgar, considerada doença crônica inflamatória e multifatorial, apresenta diversas opções terapêuticas. O uso de probióticos tem se apresentado como uma boa opção de tratamento coadjuvante devido a seu efeito anti-inflamatório. Objetivo: Com base no caráter promissor destes estudos, que são em sua grande maioria oriundos da probioticoterapia de uso oral, decidiu-se investigar quais resultados poderiam advir de seu uso tópico, utilizando-se uma bactéria probiótica que passou pelo processo de tindalização. Métodos: Neste trabalho, demonstramos o uso tópico do Lactobacillus plantarum GMNL06, em monoterapia, por três meses. Resultados: Obtivemos resposta terapêutica considerada boa ou muito boa em 90% dos casos de acne grau leve ou moderado. Conclusões: O uso tópico de bactéria probiótica demonstrou ser eficaz no tratamento da acne, mesmo em monoterapia

Introduction: Acne vulgaris, considered a chronic inflammatory and multifactorial disease, presents several therapeutic options. The use of probiotics is a good adjunctive treatment option due to its anti-inflammatory effect. Objective: Based on the promising character of these studies, which derive mostly from oral probiotic therapy, we decided to investigate what results could come from the topical use of a probiotic bacterium that has undergone the tyndallization process. Methods: In this study, we demonstrated the topical use of Lactobacillus plantarum GMNL06, alone, for three months. Results: We obtained a therapeutic response considered good or very good in 90% of mild or moderate acne cases. Conclusions:Vulgar acne, considered a chronic inflammatory and multifactorial disease, presents several therapeutic options. The use of probiotics has become an adjunct treatment due to its anti-inflammatory effect. In this study, we demonstrated that the use of topical probiotics, in monotherapy, for three months obtained therapeutic response considered good or very good in 90% of mild or moderate acne cases.

MICA and KLRK1 genes and their impact in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia development in the southern Brazilian population.

Cervical carcinoma and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) are associated with persistent infection by oncogenic subtypes of HPV (Human Papillomavirus). Factors linked to immunity, genetics and others like oral contraceptive use, sexual behavior, coinfections with other microorganisms and smoking seem to influence the mechanisms that determine regression or progression to CIN and cervical cancer. We investigated the effect of the MHC class I chain-related gene A (MICA) and Killer Cell Lectin Like receptor K1 (KLRK1) genes on cervical cancer and CIN lesions susceptibility in a group of 195 patients from southern Brazil. There were found a significantly higher number of ex-smokers in the control group (p = 0.005). There were more oral contraceptives (OC) users in the patient group. MICA*008:01/04 allele showed a significant difference between patient and control groups (p = 0.03; OR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.41-0.96), as well as MICA*018:01(p = 0.004, OR = 0.15, 95% CI 0.03-0.64) and MICA*002:01/020 (p = 0.01; OR = 0.60, 95% CI 0.40-0.88). We also analyzed cases and controls according to the MICA-129 genotypes (Met/Val). There was found a difference (p = 0.02) with the Met/Val genotype in a higher frequency in controls and Val/Val and Val/MICA del at a higher frequency in the patient group. For the KLRK1 gene there was no significant difference between groups.

Prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the semen of patients submitted to assisted reproductive technology treatment in a private clinic in Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to identify the prevalence of HPV in the semen of men submitted to ART treatment and look into the possible impacts of the virus on sperm parameters. METHODS: Thirty-five patients treated for infertility from March to August 2016 were invited to join the study. Samples with a minimum concentration of 40x106 spermatozoa per milliliter were included in the study. After the evaluation of semen parameters, DNA extraction and PCR were performed to verify the presence of HPV by electrophoresis in 8% polyacrylamide gel. RESULTS: Patient age ranged from 27 to 68 years (mean 39.2 years). Semen analysis showed a mean volume of 2.5mL; mean concentration of 58.9x106; and mean motility of 51.8%. HPV DNA was identified in seven semen samples from 25 patients (28%). Ten samples with DNA concentrations below 10ng/µL were excluded from the study due to poor amplification quality. There was no statistical difference in sperm concentration when HPV-negative and HPV-positive samples were compared (65.9x106 vs. 62.3x106; p=0.70). However, sperm motility was significantly higher in HPV-positive semen (65% vs. 46.6%; p=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: HPV prevalence was 28% in the semen of patients submitted to ART treatment. HPV-positive samples had statistically increased motility compared to negative samples (65% vs. 46.6%; p=0.02).

Procura-PALavras (P-PAL): A Web-based interface for a new European Portuguese lexical database.

In this article, we present Procura-PALavras (P-PAL), a Web-based interface for a new European Portuguese (EP) lexical database. Based on a contemporary printed corpus of over 227 million words, P-PAL provides a broad range of word attributes and statistics, including several measures of word frequency (e.g., raw counts, per-million word frequency, logarithmic Zipf scale), morpho-syntactic information (e.g., parts of speech [PoSs], grammatical gender and number, dominant PoS, and frequency and relative frequency of the dominant PoS), as well as several lexical and sublexical orthographic (e.g., number of letters; consonant-vowel orthographic structure; density and frequency of orthographic neighbors; orthographic Levenshtein distance; orthographic uniqueness point; orthographic syllabification; and trigram, bigram, and letter type and token frequencies), and phonological measures (e.g., pronunciation, number of phonemes, stress, density and frequency of phonological neighbors, transposed and phonographic neighbors, syllabification, and biphone and phone type and token frequencies) for ~53,000 lemmatized and ~208,000 nonlemmatized EP word forms. To obtain these metrics, researchers can choose between two word queries in the application: (i) analyze words previously selected for specific attributes and/or lexical and sublexical characteristics, or (ii) generate word lists that meet word requirements defined by the user in the menu of analyses. For the measures it provides and the flexibility it allows, P-PAL will be a key resource to support research in all cognitive areas that use EP verbal stimuli. P-PAL is freely available at http://p-pal.di.uminho.pt/tools .

Qual o intervalo de tempo sugerido para a troca de luvas cirúrgicas?Uma revisão integrativa / What is the suggested time interval to change surgical gloves? An integrative review

A troca das luvas cirúrgicas durante o procedimento constitui uma importante medida para a manutenção da sua integridade e prevenção da infecção do sítio cirúrgico, entretanto existe pouco consensoquanto ao tempo para essas trocas. Objetivou-se identificar, analisar e sintetizar os achados disponíveis na literatura sobre o intervalo de tempo sugerido para a troca das luvas cirúrgicas durante as cirurgias com intuito de manter a sua integridade. Tratou-se de uma revisão integrativa de estudos publicados entre 2003 e 2016. Foram selecionados 19 artigos que abordaram a relação integridade da luva cirúrgica e seu tempo de uso. Os estudos apontaram a relação direta entre tempo da cirurgia e aumento do percentual de perfuração das luvas. Com base na análise realizada, sugere-se a troca em menos de 120 minutos para cirurgias do aparelho digestivo, ginecológicas e torácicas. A elaboração de protocolos relativos às diferentes especialidades cirúrgicas deve ser considerada

To change gloves during a procedure constitutes an important measure to maintain its integrity and to prevent infection in the surgical site, however, there is little consensus regarding the time for these changes. Our objective was to identify, analyze and synthesize findings available in the literature about the suggest time interval to change surgical gloves during procedures to keep its integrity. We conducted an integrative review of studies published between 2003 and 2016. We selected 19 studies addressing the relationship of surgical glove integrity and its use time. The studies showed a directconnection between surgery time and the increase of gloves perforation. Based on our analysis, we suggest changing gloves in less than 120 minutes for surgeries in the digestive system, gynecological and thoracic. The creation of protocols for different surgical specialties should be considered.

Procura-PALavras (P-Pal): uma nova medida de frequência lexical do português europeu contemporâneo / Procura-PALavras (P-Pal): a new measure of word frequency for contemporary european portuguese

Neste trabalho apresentamos as estratégias e os procedimentos adoptados na constituição de uma nova medida de frequência lexical do Português Europeu contemporâneo, o Procura-PALavras (P-PAL). Baseado num corpus de mais de 227 milhões de palavras, o P-PAL é uma aplicação web que oferece, por defeito, valores de frequência lexical para todas as suas entradas lexicais (lemas e formas) e que permite a computação de uma grande diversidade de outras medidas objectivas (lexicais e sublexicais) e subjectivas. Descrevemos ainda o processo de definição das suas entradas lexicais e da extracção dos respectivos valores de frequência. O elevado número de índices e de entradas lexicais tornam o P-PAL numa aplicação web avançada e indispensável à promoção e internacionalização da investigação em Portugal. O P-PAL encontra-se disponível em http://p-pal.di.uminho.pt/tools.

In this paper we present the strategies and procedures undertaken in the development of a new measure of lexical frequency of the contemporary European Portuguese - Procura-PALavras (P-PAL). Based on a corpus of over 227 million words, P-PAL offers the default frequency per million words (lemmas and wordforms), and the computation of several other objective (lexical and sublexical) and subjective word metrics. We also describe lexical entry integration and word frequency extraction. The high number of indices and lexical entries makes P-PAL an advanced and indispensable web application for the promotion and internationalization of Portuguese research. P-PAL is available at http://p-pal.di.uminho.pt/tools.

Activating killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor genes' association with recurrent miscarriage.

PROBLEM: Natural killer (NK) cells are regulated through NK cell receptors such as killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs). KIRs are suspected of being involved in the causes of recurrent miscarriage (RM) as a higher proportion of activated NK cells were observed in women with RM when compared with that in controls. The aim of this study was to investigate if KIR genes coding for receptors known to have as ligands HLA class I molecules are correlated with RM. METHOD OF STUDY: A matched case-control study was carried out in 68 south Brazilian Caucasian patient couples with RM and 68 control fertile couples. KIR genes were typed by PCR-Reverse SSO method. RESULTS: The rate of possession of an elevated number of activating KIR genes (positive for five or six activating KIR genes out of six different activating KIR genes analyzed) in RM patient women was significantly higher (P = 0.0201) when compared with that in control fertile women. These data suggest that women carrying a high content of activating KIR genes have about threefold increased probability to develop RM [OR = 2.71; 95% CI (1.23-6.01)]. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that RM could be associated with NK cell activation mediated by a profile rich in activating KIR genes.