Enhancing the expression of multi-antigen chimeric TGAGS/BST protein from Toxoplasma gondii in Escherichia coli BL 21 Star during batch cultivation.

Toxoplasmosis, despite advances in science and technology, is a disease that requires attention since there is no vaccine capable of immunizing humans and animals against all isolated types of Toxoplasma gondii. Thus, the use of chimeric proteins, which can contain multiple antigens, is a very promising alternative for the process of obtaining a vaccine and diagnostic test for toxoplasmosis due to the great diversity of antigens presented by T. gondii. In this context, the present study evaluates batch culture strategies in the production of the multi-antigenic chimeric protein TgAGS/BsT from Toxoplasma gondii. Several exploratory cultures were initially carried out to observe the kinetic behavior of E. coli BL21 Star in five different medium compositions without the addition of IPTG (inducer). Cultures of E. coli B21 Star were carried out with 1.0 mM IPTG at different times of initiation of induction (0.5, 1, and 6 h) to evaluate the effects on cell growth, production of the protein of interest, culture pH, and acetic acid formation. The results showed that among the culture media evaluated, 2xTY and TB supplemented with glycerol had the best cell concentration values of 3.42 ± 0.05 g/L and 5.48 ± 0.05 g/L, respectively. In the assays induced by IPTG, a higher expression of TgAGS/BsT protein was observed, with induction beginning within 6 h of culture, with a maximum concentration of protein of interest of 1.82 ± 0.02 g/L for the 2xTY and 2.49 ± 0.03 g/L for the TB medium. In addition, later induction by IPTG provided greater stability of plasmid pET-TgAGS, remaining with values above 90% at the end of culture.

Three Individuals with PURA Syndrome in a Cohort of Patients with Neuromuscular Disease.

Pur-α protein (PURA) syndrome manifests in early childhood with core features such as neurodevelopmental and speech delay, feeding difficulties, epilepsy, and hypotonia at birth. We identified three cases with PURA syndrome in a cohort of patients with unexplained muscular weakness, presenting with a predominantly neuromuscular and ataxic phenotype. We further characterize the clinical presentation of PURA syndrome including myopathic facies and muscular weakness as the main clinical symptoms in combination with elevated serum creatine kinase levels. Furthermore, we report two novel variants located in the conservative domains PUR-I and PUR-II. For the first time, we present the muscle biopsies of PURA syndrome patients, showing myopathic changes, fiber size variability, and fast fiber atrophy as the key features. PURA syndrome should be taken into consideration as a differential diagnosis in pediatric patients with unexplained muscle weakness.

Whole-genome resequencing of common bean elite breeding lines.

The expansion of bean genome technologies has prompted new perspectives on generating resources and knowledge essential to research and implementing biotechnological tools for the practical operations of plant breeding programs. This study aimed to resequence the entire genome (whole genome sequencing-WGS) of 40 bean genotypes selected based on their significance in breeding programs worldwide, with the objective of generating an extensive database for the identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Over 6 million SNPs were identified, distributed across the 11 bean chromosomes. After quality variant filtering, 420,509 high-quality SNPs were established, with an average of 38,228 SNPs per chromosome. These variants were categorized based on their predicted effects, revealing that the majority exerted a modifier impact on non-coding genome regions (94.68%). Notably, a significant proportion of SNPs occurred in intergenic regions (62.89%) and at least one SNP was identified in 58.63% of the genes annotated in the bean genome. Of particular interest, 7841 SNPs were identified in 85% of the putative plant disease defense-related genes, presenting a valuable resource for crop breeding efforts. These findings provide a foundation for the development of innovative and broadly applicable technologies for the routine selection of superior genotypes in global bean improvement and germplasm characterization programs.

Transcriptomics-Guided In Silico Drug Repurposing: Identifying New Candidates with Dual-Stage Antiplasmodial Activity.

In tropical and subtropical areas, malaria stands as a profound public health challenge, causing an estimated 247 million cases worldwide annually. Given the absence of a viable vaccine, the timely and effective treatment of malaria remains a critical priority. However, the growing resistance of parasites to currently utilized drugs underscores the critical need for the identification of new antimalarial therapies. Here, we aimed to identify potential new drug candidates against Plasmodium falciparum, the main causative agent of malaria, by analyzing the transcriptomes of different life stages of the parasite and identifying highly expressed genes. We searched for genes that were expressed in all stages of the parasite's life cycle, including the asexual blood stage, gametocyte stage, liver stage, and sexual stages in the insect vector, using transcriptomics data from publicly available databases. From this analysis, we found 674 overlapping genes, including 409 essential ones. By searching through drug target databases, we discovered 70 potential drug targets and 75 associated bioactive compounds. We sought to expand this analysis to similar compounds to known drugs. So, we found a list of 1557 similar compounds, which we predicted as actives and inactives using previously developed machine learning models against five life stages of Plasmodium spp. From this analysis, two compounds were selected, and the reactions were experimentally evaluated. The compounds HSP-990 and silvestrol aglycone showed potent inhibitory activity at nanomolar concentrations against the P. falciparum 3D7 strain asexual blood stage. Moreover, silvestrol aglycone exhibited low cytotoxicity in mammalian cells, transmission-blocking potential, and inhibitory activity comparable to those of established antimalarials. These findings warrant further investigation of silvestrol aglycone as a potential dual-acting antimalarial and transmission-blocking candidate for malaria control.

Conhecimento de universitários do sexo masculino sobre o hpv / Knowledge of male university students about hpv

Introdução: O papilomavírus humano, mais conhecido como HPV, é um vírus responsável por infectar peles e mucosas (oral, genital ou anal), podendo evoluir para um quadro cancerígeno, é caracterizado como uma infecção sexualmente transmissível, e seu principal meio de transmissão é o contato com a pele ou mucosa contaminada. Como ocorre na maioria das infecções de transmissão sexual, a literatura aponta que o homem é o principal elo na cadeia epidemiológica do HPV, atuando como "portador" ou "vetor" de tipos oncogênicos. Assim, é extremamente importante salientar que a população masculina, considerada o principal vetor de transmissão do HPV e apresentando alto índice de prevalência da infecção, seja informada sobre o HPV. Objetivo: Identificar o conhecimento de adultos jovens universitários do sexo masculino sobre o HPV. Material e Método: Estudo descritivo e exploratório com abordagem quantitativa. Pesquisa desenvolvida em um centro universitário de uma cidade do interior paulista. A coleta de dados foi realizada entre universitários do sexo masculino, adultos jovens com idade entre 18 e 20 anos e que estavam matriculados nos cursos de graduação deste centro universitário. A coleta de dados consistiu na apuração em um questionário virtual abrangendo questões sobre dados pessoais e questões fechadas sobre a temática abordada no estudo. Após a coleta foi realizada a análise percentual referente às respostas dadas pelos participantes. Resultados: Foi observado que a maioria dos participantes (75,4%) tinha conhecimento sobre o que é o HPV. Porém, os dados mostraram que nem todos que tinham esse conhecimento foram vacinados (60,2%). Em adição, os dados mostraram que a maioria (77,1%) apresentou conhecimento sobre a via de transmissão, mas nem todos (51,7%) apresentaram conhecimento sobre os sintomas que o HPV poderia causar. Conclusão: Apesar de a maioria dos indivíduos apresentarem conhecimento sobre o HPV, nota-se a importância de difundir conhecimentos sobre sinais e sintomas relacionados a esse vírus e as formas de proteção a fim de reduzir a taxa de transmissibilidade do mesmo

Introduction: The human papillomavirus, better known as HPV, is a virus responsible for infecting skin and mucous membranes (oral, genital or anal), which can develop into a cancerous condition. It is characterized as a sexually transmitted infection, and its main means of transmission is contact with contaminated skin or mucous membrane. As is the case with most sexually transmitted infections, the literature indicates that men are the main link in the HPV epidemiological chain, acting as a "carrier" or "vector" of oncogenic types. Therefore, it is extremely important to emphasize that the male population, considered the main vector of HPV transmission and presenting a high prevalence rate of infection, is informed about HPV. Objective: To identify the knowledge of young male university students about HPV. Material and Method: Descriptive and exploratory study with a quantitative approach. The research was developed in a university center located in a city in the country of São Paulo. Data collection was carried out among male university students, young adults aged between 18 and 20 years and who were enrolled in undergraduate courses at this university center. Data collection consisted of a virtual questionnaire covering questions about personal data and closed questions on the thematic of this study. After collection, a percentage analysis was performed between the responses given by the participants. Results: It was observed that most participants (75.4%) were aware of what HPV is. However, the data showed that not everyone who had this knowledge was vaccinated (60.2%). In addition, the data showed that the majority (77.1%) were aware of the transmission route, but not all (51.7%) were aware of the symptoms that HPV could cause. Conclusion: Although most individuals have knowledge about HPV, it is important to disseminate knowledge about signs and symptoms related to this virus and forms of protection in order to reduce its transmissibility rate

Introducción: El virus del papiloma humano, mejor conocido como HPV, es un virus responsable de infectar la piel y las mucosas (orales, genitales o anales), pudiendo convertirse en una condición cancerosa. HPV se caracteriza por ser una infección de transmisión sexual, y su principal vía de transmisión es el contacto con la piel o mucosas contaminadas. Como ocurre con la mayoría de las infecciones de transmisión sexual, la literatura señala que los hombres son el principal eslabón de la cadena epidemiológica del HPV, actuando como "portadores" o "vectores" de tipos oncogénicos. Por lo tanto, es de suma importancia enfatizar que la población masculina, considerada el principal vector de transmisión del HPV y que presenta una alta tasa de prevalencia de infección, esté informada sobre el HPV. Objetivo: Identificar el conocimiento de jóvenes universitarios varones sobre el HPV. Material y Método: Estudio descriptivo y exploratorio con enfoque cuantitativo. La investigación se desarrolló en un centro universitario ubicado en una ciudad del interior de São Paulo. La recolección de datos se realizó entre estudiantes universitarios del sexo masculino, adultos jóvenes con edades comprendidas entre 18 y 20 años y que cursaban cursos de pregrado en este centro universitario. La recolección de datos consistió en un cuestionario virtual que abarcó preguntas sobre datos personales y preguntas cerradas sobre el tema abordado en este estudio. Después de la recolección, se realizó un análisis porcentual de las respuestas dadas por los participantes. Resultados: Se observó que la mayoría de los participantes (75,4%) conocían qué es el HPV. Sin embargo, los datos mostraron que no todos los que tenían este conocimiento estaban vacunados (60,2%). Además, los datos mostraron que la mayoría (77,1%) conocía la vía de transmisión, pero no todos (51,7%) conocían los síntomas que podría causar el HPV. Conclusión: Aunque la mayoría de los individuos tiene conocimiento sobre el HPV, es importante difundir el conocimiento sobre los signos y síntomas relacionados con este virus y las formas de protección para reducir su tasa de transmisibilidad

Regulation in work and decision-making in the activity of public prosecutors in Santa Catarina, Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: Was to characterize the relationship between regulation at work and decision processes in the activity of Prosecutors in SC. To this end, it starts with the assumption that the decision-making and regulation are complex phenomena of conduct at work, since the worker makes continuously micro and macro decisions, based on a set of regulations, influenced by contingency and personal variables. PARTICIPANTS: Four Prosecutors participated in this study. METHODS: This was a case study, descriptive and exploratory. For data collection, documents were analyzed, observing the workplace and interviewed key personnel of the institution in order to identify macro and micro organizational factors. Also as a technique for data collection an Ergonomic Analysis of Work. RESULTS: It was found that the work of the Prosecutor presents a set of activities that take place on the basis of coordination and cooperation in a dynamic and unstable environment. The prosecutor's activity, in addition to being the full expression of basic psychological processes of service work, is embedded in a context which, in part, depends and, therefore, encourages and requires choices and referrals by employees, demanding the demonstration of skills and modulating its operative mode. CONCLUSIONS: Processing depends on the idiosyncrasies and the force of circumstances, thus creating a brand, a unique personal style in the work. It is inferred that they are dialectical processes, since they regulate to decide and decide because they are regulated. However, the regular employee builds micro decisions that subsidize an effective decision. Thus, the better the variability of regulation, the greater the variability of decisions.