Association between perceived stress and health-risk behaviours in workers.

Individuals who experience stress can engage in health-risk behaviours that may decrease work performance. The aim of this study was to determine perceived stress levels in Brazilian workers and verify whether perceived stress was associated with health-risk behaviours. Stress levels of 1,270 workers (1,019 men, 251 women) were assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale. The health-risk behaviours investigated were low intake of vegetables and fruits, daily smoking, high-risk alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, and the presence of obesity. The Student's t-test or one-way analysis of variance was used to assess differences in stress levels. Ordinal regression was used to determine the association between the degrees of stress and health-risk behaviours. Women had higher perceived stress levels than men. In addition, perceived stress levels were higher in those who had low socioeconomic status, were unmarried, had a negative perception of their health, were smokers, or had obesity. Smoking and the presence of two or more health-risk behaviours were associated with 1.84 (95% CI: 1.24-2.73) times and 1.49 (95% CI: 1.18-1.89) times higher odds of experiencing higher degrees of stress, respectively. In women, such an association was observed with the presence of obesity (odds ratio: 2.0; 95% CI: 1.01-3.98).

The posterior insular cortex is necessary for the consolidation of tone fear conditioning.

The insular cortex (IC) is notably implicated in emotional and cognitive processing; however, little is known regarding to what extent its two main subregions play functionally distinct roles on memory consolidation of conditioned fear tasks. Here we verified the effects of temporary functional inactivation of the anterior (aIC) and posterior IC (pIC) on contextual and tone fear memory. Rats received post-training bilateral infusions of the GABAA receptor agonist muscimol into either the aIC or pIC and were tested 48 and 72 h after the delay tone fear conditioning session to assess the background contextual (CFC) and tone (TFC) fear conditioning, respectively. Inactivation of the aIC during memory consolidation did not affect fear memory for CFC or TFC. On the other hand, post-training inactivation of the pIC impaired TFC but not CFC. Our findings indicate that the pIC is a necessary part of the neural circuitry related to the consolidation of cued-fear memories.

Overexpression of ALDH1 and EMT marker profile are linked with unfavorable outcome in head and neck cancer.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this research was to assess the expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), and to correlate them with the clinical and histopathological parameters of a patient cohort with follow-up over an 8-year period. MATERIAL AND METHODS: For this, seventeen HNSCC and non-neoplastic adjacent epithelium (AE) samples were subjected to laser microdissection and real-time PCR to evaluate the mRNA expression of ALDH1, E-cadherin (E-CAD), N-cadherin (N-CAD), and vimentin (VIM). Also, immunohistochemistry was performed for ALDH1, E-CAD, N-CAD, and VIM in the tumor center (TC), invasion front (IF), and AE of the seventeen samples. Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis and Chi-square tests were used to correlate the mRNA and immunohistochemical expression with different variables, considering p<0.05. Kaplan-Meier curves were produced for local recurrence, regional metastasis and treatment. RESULTS: A mRNA overexpression of ALDH1 in primary tumors was associated with regional metastasis and a high ALDH1 immunostaining was related to metastasis and a worse patient outcome. Additionally, a favorable outcome was associated with the transition phase and an unfavorable outcome was associated with EMT event. An overall 26.9 months was observed with longer survival associated with surgery and radiotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: However, due to the intense variability inherent to the indicator proteins in the EMT process, the complete profile markers related to this biological process should be continuous investigated.

A1 adenosine receptors in the striatum play a role in the memory impairment caused by sleep deprivation through downregulation of the PKA pathway.

Sleep deprivation is known to affect memory formation, but how it interacts with different memory systems is not completely understood. Adenosine, a homeostatic regulator of sleep that has an increased extracellular concentration during sleep deprivation, is one of the neuromodulators that may be involved in this interaction. The A1 adenosine receptor is involved in both sleep regulation and memory formation. Among other pathways, the A1 receptor decreases cAMP levels in the cytosol and thus also regulates protein kinase A (PKA) and exchange protein activated by cAMP (EPAC) activity. To verify the role of the A1 receptor in the memory impairment caused by sleep deprivation, we tested the effect of 96 h of sleep deprivation (SD) and the administration of DPCPX, an A1 receptor antagonist on male Wistar rats prior to the training sessions for two memory tasks that relies on the hippocampal function: the multiple trial inhibitory avoidance (MTIA) task, which also requires the striatum, and the contextual fear conditioning (CFC) task, which does not. We also evaluated the effect of SD, DPCPX and the MTIA training session on the protein expression levels of the A1 receptor, PKA phosphorylation and EPAC activity in both the hippocampus and the striatum. Sleep deprivation impaired the performance in the test sessions of both tasks; DPCPX was able to prevent the impairment in the MTIA test but not in the CFC test. SD increased A1 receptor protein expression levels in the striatum but not in the hippocampus and also decreased PKA phosphorylation in both structures; DPCPX prevented this decrease in the striatum, but not in the hippocampus. Finally, SD had no effect on EPAC activity in either of the structures. These results indicate that the A1 adenosine receptors play a role in the memory impairment caused by sleep deprivation in tasks that involve the striatum through modulation of the cAMP/PKA pathway.

Non-muscle myosin II as a predictive factor in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The present study attempted to provide information regarding non-muscle myosin II (MII) isoforms immunoreactivity in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and analysis of the patients' clinical status after 5 years of monitoring. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A semiquantitative analysis of the immunoreactivity of the MII isoforms was performed in 54 surgical specimens and its correlation with clinical and pathological variables and prognosis was verified. Data were analyzed using chi-square, Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests. To evaluate the survival over the total monitoring time and any connection with the proteins studied, the Kaplan-Meier analysis was used. P values ≤0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: In the advanced stages of pathological tumor-node-metastasis, the expression of MIIB in adjacent non-neoplastic epithelial tissues tended to increase (p = 0.057). In tumoral zones there was an association of high expression among the three isoforms (MIIA/MIIB p=0,001, MIIB/MIIC p=0,006 and MIIA/MIIC p=0,012). Negative clinical evolution in patients was directly correlated to increased MIIC expression in the tumoral zone of invasion in HNSCC (p = 0.017). Based on clinical evolution after the monitoring period, patients with tumors expressing MIIC had poorer prognoses (p = 0.048). CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that MIIB expression in non-neoplastic adjacent epithelial tissues may indicate a potential for regional metastasis and that MIIC expression in the tumoral zone of invasion is predictive of negative evolution of the disease.

Sulfur fertilization increases defense metabolites and nitrogen but decreases plant resistance against a host-specific insect.

We tested the sulfur-modulated plant resistance hypothesis using potted cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) plants that were grown without and with increasing levels of sulfur fertilization. Changes in plant chemical traits were assessed and developmental performance of Plutella xylostella, a highly host-specific leaf-chewing insect, was followed. Leaf sulfur concentration gradually increased with growing addition of sulfur in soil; however, there was a generalized saturation response curve, with a plateau phase, for improvements in total leaf nitrogen, defense glucosinolates and insect performance. Plutella xylostella performed better in sulfur-fertilized cabbage probably because of the higher level of nitrogen, despite of the higher content of glucosinolates, which are toxic for many non-specialized insects. Despite the importance of sulfur in plant nutrition and production, especially for Brassica crops, our results showed that sulfur fertilization could decrease plant resistance against insects with high feeding specialization.

Virulence and antimicrobial resistance of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from passerine and psittacine birds.

Klebsiella pneumoniae is considered one of the most important Gram-negative opportunistic pathogens. The contact between humans and birds poses health risks to both. The aim of this study was to investigate the resistance and virulence of K. pneumoniae isolates from psittacines and passerines, seized from illegal trade in Brazil. We analysed 32 strains isolated from birds of the orders Psittaciformes and Passeriformes by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for virulence factor genes. Antibiotic resistance was assessed by disk diffusion assay and PCR. The results indicated that fimH (100%), uge (96.8%), kfu (81.2%) and irp-2 (68.7%) were the most common virulence genes, followed by kpn (46.8%), K2 (43.7%), mrkD (34.3%) and iroN (15.6%). The combination of virulence genes resulted in a great diversity of genotypes and the heterogeneity of the strains is also confirmed in the analysis by amplified fragment length polymorphism. The susceptibility profiles of the K. pneumoniae showed 25% of multiple antibiotic resistance strains. We identified seven strains that presented non-extended spectrum beta lactamase blaSHV variants SHV-1 and SHV-11 and one strain positive to the blaTEM-1 gene. Plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance was present in 10 strains (10/32). The data obtained in this study reveal the pathogenic potential of this pathogen and highlight the need for surveillance and monitoring.

Genetic diversity of standard leaf nutrients in Coffea canephora genotypes during phenological phases.

Diagnosing foliar nutritional status is essential for fertilizer recommendations and for the identification of nutrient imbalances. This study aimed to verify genetic diversity and establish mean standards (leaf nutrient contents; LNCs) and relationships among leaf nutrients (LNC relationships; LNCRs) in seven conilon coffee genotypes during both pre-flowering and bean-filling stages. Twenty crops from several cities in the northern region of Espírito Santo State, Brazil, with crop yield either equal to or greater than 100 bags per hectare (during two harvests) were assessed. A total of 140 samples were collected during each evaluation period for quantification of leaf nutrient contents (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, and B). The Ward procedure, a hierarchical genetic clustering method, was used to quantify the genetic diversity among genotypes. To examine differences between the LNCs and LNCRs, F-and Scott-Knott tests were used. LNCs and LNCRs showed significant differences among the conilon coffee genotypes during the evaluation periods. Additionally, the 8V, 10V,and 12V genotypes exhibited the highest values for most of the nutrients, especially for N, P, and Cu. Therefore, the clustering method revealed genetic diversity among genotypes for standard leaf nutrient levels, implying that leaf diagnosis could be specific to each genotype and phenological stage.

Immunoprofiling of oral squamous cell carcinomas reveals high p63 and survivin expression.

BACKGROUND: Cancer is a multifactorial disease composed of cells that show somatic mutations and epigenetic changes. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of proteins involved in the development and maintenance of epithelia, cell cycle regulation, and apoptosis in human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) tissue samples. METHODS: A tissue microarray containing 65 primary human OSCC specimens was immunolabeled for bcl-2, survivin, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), p21, p53, p63, and cleaved caspase-3. RESULTS: Samples were scored for percentage of positively stained tumor cells and staining intensity. A total immunostaining score was also calculated, using the product of percentage and intensity scores. All specimens showed high scores, > 75%, for p63 and survivin, and 75.4% of the specimens also presented high EGFR expression. All cases showed p53-positive cells. p21 showed a diffuse staining pattern. The percentage of cells positive for cleaved caspase-3 and bcl-2 was low. CONCLUSIONS: The high frequency of tumor cells expressing p63 and survivin highlights the role of these proteins in the malignant transformation of oral epithelium. Collectively, our results suggest that p63 and survivin may constitute attractive targets for cancer therapy in patients with OSCC.

Effects of aflatoxins on performance and exocrine pancreas of broiler chickens.

The aim of this research was to evaluate, on a weekly basis, the effects of aflatoxins on the activity of digestive enzymes (alpha-amylase, lipase, and trypsin) in the pancreas as well as on the performance and histology of pancreas in broiler chickens over the course of 42 days. One thousand and eighty 1-day-old male Cobb broilers were divided into four treatments with 18 replicates and 15 birds per replicate (i.e., 270 broilers per treatment). Treatments were established according to the amount of aflatoxins added to the diet, as follows: T1 = 0 mg of aflatoxins per kilogram of feed (mg/kg); T2 = 0.7 mg/kg; T3 = 1.7 mg/kg; and T4 = 2.8 mg/kg. Pancreas sample collection was performed from one bird out of each replicate at 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, and 42 days of experiment, which yielded a total of 18 samples per treatment on each collection. Each sample was homogenized in distilled water, frozen in liquid nitrogen, lyophilized, and stored at -20 C until analysis. Performance parameters (body weight, feed consumption, and feed conversion rate) were measured at 21, 35, and 42 days of experiment. At the end of the experiment (42 days), six birds from each treatment were randomly chosen for histologic evaluation of the pancreas. The presence of aflatoxins in the diet induced a negative effect on all performance parameters. The pancreatic activity of lipase and alpha-amylase were significantly increased in treatments T3 and T4, while the specific activity of trypsin was only affected during treatment T4. In addition, several histologic changes were observed in the pancreas of birds receiving aflatoxin-contaminated feed. Aflatoxins present in the feed determined an increase in the activity of pancreatic enzymes in broilers, affecting the digestibility of the diet, thereby leading to losses in performance and productivity.

Hyptis pectinata: redox protection and orofacial antinociception.

Hyptis pectinata L. Poit, known as 'sambacaitá', is used in Brazil to treat inflammatory and painful disorders. In this study, the antioxidant and orofacial antinociceptive properties of the aqueous extract of H. pectinata leaves (AEPH) were assessed using in vitro and in vivo models. Thus, AEPH reduced the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical up to 72.10% with an EC50 of 14.56 µg/ml. It also inhibited 40.80% of the lipoperoxidation induced by 2'-azobis (2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride in the thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances assay. The orofacial antinociceptive activity was evaluated in mice pre-treated with AEPH (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg, p.o.) and morphine (5 mg/kg, i.p.), which received afterwards formalin- (20 µl, 2% solution, s.c.), glutamate- (40 µl, 25 mM, s.c.) and capsaicin- (20 µl, 2.5 µg, s.c.) to induce orofacial nociception. AEPH at all doses reduced (p < 0.001) the nociceptive response in the first (43-62%) and second (47-80%) phases of the formalin test. Besides, the effect of AEPH (400 mg/kg) was not changed in the presence of naloxone (1.5 mg/kg, i.p.), an opioid antagonist. AEPH significantly inhibited mice face rubbing for capsaicin (23-69%, p < 0.05) and glutamate (48-77%, p < 0.001) at all doses. The findings suggested the AEPH has peripheral and central antinociceptive activities, which are not related to opioid receptors.

Bone marrow-derived mononuclear cell therapy attenuates silica-induced lung fibrosis.

This study tests the hypothesis that bone marrow-derived mononuclear cell (BMDMC) therapy may reduce lung inflammation and fibrosis leading to an improvement in respiratory mechanics in a murine model of silicosis. 52 female C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned into four groups. In the silica group (SIL), silica suspension (20 mg/50 µL in saline) was intratracheally instilled. In the control animals, 50 µL saline was administered intratracheally. At 1 h, the control and SIL groups were further randomised, receiving BMDMC (2×106 i.v. control-cell and SIL-cell) or saline (50 µL i.v. control and SIL). BMDMC were obtained from male donor mice. At day 15, lung mechanics, histology, and the presence of Y chromosome, interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-1α, IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RN), IL-1 receptor type 1, transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß and caspase-3 mRNA expressions in lung tissue were analysed. In the SIL-cell group, the fraction area of granuloma, the number of macrophages and the collagen fibre content were reduced, yielding improved lung mechanics. The presence of male donor cells in lung tissue was not confirmed using detection of Y chromosome DNA. Nevertheless, caspase-3, IL-1ß, IL-1α, IL-1RN and TGF-ß mRNA expression diminished after cell therapy. In conclusion, BMDMC acted on inflammatory and fibrogenic processes improving lung function through paracrine effects.

Sida cordifolia leaf extract reduces the orofacial nociceptive response in mice.

In this study, we describe the antinociceptive activity of the ethanol extract (EE), chloroform (CF) and methanol (MF) fractions obtained from Sida cordifolia, popularly known in Brazil as "malva branca" or "malva branca sedosa". Leaves of S. cordifolia were used to produce the crude ethanol extract and after CF and MF. Experiments were conducted on Swiss mice using the glutamate and formalin-induced orofacial nociception. In the formalin test, all doses of EE, CF and MF significantly reduced the orofacial nociception in the first (p < 0.001) and second phase (p < 0.001), which was also naloxone-sensitive. In the glutamate-induced nociception test, only CF and MF significantly reduced the orofacial nociceptive behavior with inhibition percentage values of 48.1% (100 mg/kg, CF), 56.1% (200 mg/kg, CF), 66.4% (400 mg/kg, CF), 48.2 (200 mg/kg, MF) and 60.1 (400 mg/kg, MF). Furthermore, treatment of the animals with EE, CF and MF was not able to promote motor activity changes. These data demonstrate that S. cordifolia has a pronounced antinociceptive activity on orofacial nociception. However, pharmacological and chemical studies are necessary in order to characterize the responsible mechanisms for this antinociceptive action and also to identify other bioactive compounds present in S. cordifolia.

Phytochemical characterization, and antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the hydroethanolic extract of Anadenanthera peregrina stem bark.

The Brazilian Cerrado biome consists of a great variety of endemic species with several bioactive compounds, and Anadenanthera peregrina (L.) Speg is a promising species. In this study, we aimed to perform phytochemical characterization and evaluate the antioxidant and antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli of the hydroethanolic extract of A. peregrina stem bark. The barks were collected in the Botanical Garden of Goiânia, Brazil. The hydroethanolic extract was obtained by percolation and subjected to physicochemical screening, total phenolic content estimation, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprinting, and antioxidant (IC50 values were calculated for the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay - DPPH) and antibacterial activity determination. The pH of the extract was 5.21 and density was 0.956 g/cm3. The phytochemical screening indicated the presence of cardiac glycosides, organic acids, reducing sugars, hemolytic saponins, phenols, coumarins, condensed tannins, flavonoids, catechins, depsides, and depsidones derived from benzoquinones. The extract showed intense hemolytic activity. The total phenolic content was 6.40 g GAE 100 g-1. The HPLC fingerprinting analysis revealed the presence of gallic acid, catechin, and epicatechin. We confirmed the antioxidant activity of the extract. Furthermore, the extract did not inhibit the growth of E. coli colonies at any volume tested, but there were halos around S. aureus colonies at all three volumes tested. These results contribute to a better understanding of the chemical composition of A. peregrina stem bark and further support the medicinal applications of this species.

Motor activity and depression severity in adolescent outpatients.

OBJECTIVES: The present study investigated the association between motor activity and severity of depression in 6 depressed adolescent outpatients. METHOD: Motor activity was assessed by actigraphy and the severity of depression was assessed weekly using the CDRS-R. The levels of motor activity were analyzed by considering activity parameters. RESULTS: Among the parameters of motor activity studied, the mean total activity, the mean 24-hour activity levels, the mean waking activity, and the mean activity level between 12:00 and 18:00 h were inversely correlated with severity of depression. The means of the 10 most active hours tended toward a negative correlation with the depressive severity score. CONCLUSION: The results seem to suggest an association between motor activity level and severity of depression in adolescents. Nevertheless, in order to reach a more conclusive understanding, it would be necessary to replicate this study using a larger number of individuals as well as a longer observation period.

Neuroinflammation at single cell level: What is new?

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic and demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS), most prevalent in women, and with an important social and economic cost worldwide. It is triggered by self-reacting lymphocytes that infiltrate the CNS and initiate neuroinflammation. Further, axonal loss and neuronal death takes place, leading to neurodegeneration and brain atrophy. The murine model for studying MS, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), consists in immunizing mice with myelin-derived epitopes. APCs activate encephalitogenic T CD4 and CD8 lymphocytes that migrate mainly to the spinal cord resulting in neuroinflammation. Most of the knowledge on the pathophysiology and treatment of MS was obtained from EAE experiments, as Th17 cells, anti-alpha4 blocking Abs and the role of microbiota. Conversely, recent technology breakthroughs, such as CyTOF and single-cell RNA-seq, promise to revolutionize our understanding on the mechanisms involved both in MS and EAE. In fact, the importance of specific cellular populations and key molecules in MS/EAE is a constant matter of debate. It is well accepted that both Th1 and Th17 T CD4 lymphocytes play a relevant role in disease initiation after re-activation in situ. What is still under constant investigation, however, is the plasticity of the lymphocyte population, and the individual contribution of both resident and inflammatory cells for the progression or recovery of the disease. Thus, in this review, new findings obtained after single-cell analysis of blood and central nervous system infiltrating cells from MS/EAE and how they have contributed to a better knowledge on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of neuroinflammation are discussed.

Characterization and identification of proteolytic bacteria from the gut of the velvetbean caterpillar (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

The characterization and identification of proteolytic bacteria from the gut of the velvetbean caterpillar (Anticarsia gemmatalis) were the objectives of this study. Twelve aerobic and anaerobic isolates of proteolytic bacteria were obtained from the caterpillar gut in calcium caseinate agar. The number of colony forming units (CFUs) of proteolytic bacteria was higher when the bacteria were extracted from caterpillars reared on artificial diet rather than on soybean leaves (1.73 +/- 0.35 x 10(3) and 0.55 +/- 0.22 x 10(3) CFU/mg gut, respectively). The isolated bacteria were divided into five distinct groups, according to their polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment-length polymorphism profiles. After molecular analysis, biochemical tests and fatty acid profile determination, the bacteria were identified as Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Enterococcus gallinarum, Enterococcus mundtii, and Staphylococcus xylosus. Bacterial proteolytic activity was assessed through in vitro colorimetric assays for (general) proteases, serine proteases, and cysteine proteases. The isolated bacteria were able of hydrolyzing all tested substrates, except Staphylococcus xylosus, which did not exhibit serine protease activity. This study provides support for the hypothesis that gut proteases from velvetbean caterpillar are not exclusively secreted by the insect cells but also by their symbiotic gut bacteria. The proteolytic activity from gut symbionts of the velvetbean caterpillar is suggestive of their potential role minimizing the potentially harmful consequences of protease inhibitors from some of this insect host plants, such as soybean, with implications for the management of this insect pest species.

Genetic diversity of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli isolated from poultry meat products sold on the retail market in Southern Brazil.

Campylobacter is regarded as the most common bacterial cause of gastroenteritis throughout the world and most cases of human campylobacteriosis can be traced back to the consumption of poultry meat. In Brazil, few studies evaluated the genetic relatedness among Campylobacter isolates. The aim of this research was to evaluate the genetic diversity of Campylobacter spp. isolated from poultry meat products sold on the retail market in Southern Brazil. The presumptive identification of Campylobacter was performed using traditional microbiological analysis, followed by molecular confirmation by PCR. The genetic diversity of isolates was analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Campylobacter spp. was isolated from 91.7% (33/36) of the samples, totaling 48 isolates. Campylobacter jejuni was the most prevalent species isolated (90.8%). PFGE data revealed 26 pulsotypes and 18 PFGE patterns composed of only 1 isolate. Campylobacter isolates exhibited high genetic diversity; however, some clones were recurrent in the poultry meat products sold on the retail market. As the south region of Brazil is an important producer and exporter of chicken meat, our results highlight the need to control this pathogen in the food chain in this area of the world to reduce the risks of exposing consumers to campylobacteriosis.

The indirect amygdala-dorsal striatum pathway mediates conditioned freezing: insights on emotional memory networks.

The dorsal striatum (DS) is involved in various forms of learning and memory such as procedural learning, habit learning, reward-association and emotional learning. We have previously reported that bilateral DS lesions disrupt tone fear conditioning (TFC), but not contextual fear conditioning (CFC) [Ferreira TL, Moreira KM, Ikeda DC, Bueno OFA, Oliveira MGM (2003) Effects of dorsal striatum lesions in tone fear conditioning and contextual fear conditioning. Brain Res 987:17-24]. To further elucidate the participation of DS in emotional learning, in the present study, we investigated the effects of bilateral pretest (postraining) electrolytic DS lesions on TFC. Given the well-acknowledged role of the amygdala in emotional learning, we also examined a possible cooperation between DS and the amygdala in TFC, by using asymmetrical electrolytic lesions, consisting of a unilateral lesion of the central amygdaloid nucleus (CeA) combined to a contralateral DS lesion. The results show that pre-test bilateral DS lesions disrupt TFC responses, suggesting that DS plays a role in the expression of TFC. More importantly, rats with asymmetrical pre-training lesions were impaired in TFC, but not in CFC tasks. This result was confirmed with muscimol asymmetrical microinjections in DS and CeA, which reversibly inactivate these structures. On the other hand, similar pretest lesions as well as unilateral electrolytic lesions of CeA and DS in the same hemisphere did not affect TFC. Possible anatomical substrates underlying the observed effects are proposed. Overall, the present results underscore that other routes, aside from the well-established CeA projections to the periaqueductal gray, may contribute to the acquisition/consolidation of the freezing response associated to a TFC task. It is suggested that CeA may presumably influence DS processing via a synaptic relay on dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra compacta and retrorubral nucleus. The present observations are also in line with other studies showing that TFC and CFC responses are mediated by different anatomical networks.

Hospital bronchoscopy-related pseudo-outbreak caused by a circulating Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. massiliense.

Adolfo Lutz Institute in Sao Paolo State performs mycobacterial identification for many healthcare units, and in 2008 identified a possible outbreak involving patients submitted to bronchoscopy at the same hospital. This study aimed to analyse the clonality of isolates. Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. massiliense isolated from 28 patients, water from one bronchoscope and water from four automated endoscope reprocessing machines presented high similarity by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. This strain was not found in the water supply, and it was hypothesized that an infected patient contaminated the bronchoscope, with further false-positive cultures from subsequent patients.