Histology for the visually impaired: a study applying models at universities in spain and Brazil / Histología para discapacitados visuales: un estudio aplicando modelos en universidades de españa y Brasil

SUMMARY: This study aimed to develop models that reproduce histological slide images and evaluate them with blind and sighted students from an inclusion perspective. A questionnaire with questions about the ideal characteristics of a model was answered by visually impaired (VI) students. Based on the responses and optical microscopy images from histological atlases, nine models were constructed with standardized materials. The models were tested at different times with VI students and with students who see. Our results indicate that morphology teaching, according to the students themselves, should make use of extra resources, such as models. The ideal characteristics for model efficiency as a teaching tool were representative textures and reliefs. The models built were evaluated by blind students in Spain and sighted students in Brazil because, from an inclusive perspective, it is ideal that the same material can meet the demands of all types of students. The use of the developed models enhanced learning in both groups, even when combined with microscopes for sighted students. According to student opinions, the use of relief models can represent an important pedagogical strategy used to teach morphological. The importance of developing that materials was also highlighted from an inclusion perspective, as these materials can be used in mixed classes, all students together, in cooperative learning. This study aids morphological subject teachers who teach visually impaired students to know where to start on the path to an inclusive and pedagogically coherent learning process.

RESUMEN: Este estudio tuvo como objetivo desarrollar modelos que reproduzcan imágenes histológicas de diapositivas y las evalúen con estudiantes ciegos y videntes desde una perspectiva de inclusión. Los estudiantes no videntes respondieron un cuestionario con preguntas sobre las características ideales de un modelo. En base a las respuestas y las imágenes de microscopía óptica de los atlas histológicos, se construyeron nueve modelos con materiales estandarizados. Los modelos fueron probados en diferentes momentos con estudiantes no videntes y con estudiantes videntes. Nuestros resultados indican que en la enseñanza de la morfología, según los propios estudiantes, se debe hacer uso de recursos adicionales tal como los modelos. Las características ideales para la eficiencia del modelo como herramienta de enseñanza fueron las texturas y relieves representativos. Los modelos construidos fueron evaluados por estudiantes ciegos en España y estudiantes videntes en Brasil. Desde una perspectiva inclusiva, es ideal que un mismo material pueda satisfacer las demandas de todo tipo de estudiantes. El uso de los modelos desarrollados mejoró el aprendizaje en ambos grupos, incluso cuando se combinó con microscopios para estudiantes videntes. Según las opiniones de los estudiantes, el uso de modelos en relieve puede representar una importante estrategia pedagógica utilizada en la enseñanza de la morfología. También se destacó la importancia de desarrollar esos materiales desde una perspectiva de inclusión, ya que estos materiales pueden ser utilizados en clases mixtas, todos los estudiantes juntos, en aprendizaje cooperativo. Este estudio ayuda a los profesores de asignaturas morfológicas que enseñan a los estudiantes con discapacidad visual a conocer la vía hacia un proceso de aprendizaje inclusivo y pedagógicamente coherente.

Contribution of sulfate-reducing bacteria to homeostasis disruption during intestinal inflammation.

Alteration in microbial populations and metabolism are key events associated with disruption of intestinal homeostasis and immune tolerance during intestinal inflammation. A substantial imbalance in bacterial populations in the intestine and their relationships with the host have been observed in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), believed to be part of an intricate mechanism of triggering and progression of intestinal inflammation. Because elevated numbers of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) have been found in the intestines of patients with IBD, the study of their interaction with intestinal cells and their potential involvement in IBD has been the focus of investigation to better understand the intestinal pathology during IBD, as well as to find new ways to treat the disease. SRB not only directly interact with intestinal epithelial cells during intestinal inflammation but may also promote intestinal damage through generation of hydrogen sulfide at high levels. Herein we review the literature to discuss the various aspects of SRB interaction with host intestinal tissue, focusing on their interaction with intestinal epithelial and immune cells during intestinal inflammation.

Sulphate-reducing bacteria from ulcerative colitis patients induce apoptosis of gastrointestinal epithelial cells.

The human microbiome consists of a multitude of bacterial genera and species which continuously interact with one another and their host establishing a metabolic equilibrium. The dysbiosis can lead to the development of pathology, such as inflammatory bowel diseases. Sulfide-producing prokaryotes, including sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) constituting different genera, including the Desulfovibrio, are commonly detected within the human microbiome recovered from fecal material or colonic biopsy samples. It has been proposed that SRB likely contribute to colonic pathology, for example ulcerative colitis (UC). The interaction of SRB with the human colon and intestinal epithelial cell lines has been investigated using Desulfovibrio indonesiensis as a model mono-culture and in a co-culture with E. coli isolate, and with SRB consortia from human biopsy samples. We find that D. indonesiensis, whether as a mono- or co-culture, was internalized and induced apoptosis in colon epithelial cells. This effect was enhanced in the presence of E. coli. The SRB combination obtained through enrichment of biopsies from UC patients induced apoptosis of a human intestinal epithelial cell line. This response was not observed in SRB enrichments from healthy (non-UC) controls. Importantly, apoptosis was detected in epithelial cells from UC patients and was not seen in epithelial cells of healthy donors. Furthermore, the antibody raised against exopolysaccharides (EPS) of D. indonesiensis cross reacted with the SRB population from UC patients but not with the SRB combination from non-UC controls. This study reinforces a correlation between the presence of sulphate-reducing bacteria and an inflammatory response in UC sufferers.

Sulfate-reducing bacteria stimulate gut immune responses and contribute to inflammation in experimental colitis.

The intestinal microbiota is critical for mammalian immune system development and homeostasis. Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are part of the normal gut microbiota, but their increased levels may contribute to colitis development, likely in association with hydrogen sulfide (H2S) production. Here, we investigated the effects of SRB in the gut immune response in germ-free mice, and in experimental colitis. After 7days of colonization with Desulfovibrio indonesiensis or with a human SRB consortium (from patients with colitis), germ-free mice exhibited alterations in the colonic architecture, with increased cell infiltration in the lamina propria. SRB colonization upregulated the Th17 and Treg profiles of cytokine production/cell activation, in T cells from mesenteric lymph nodes. These alterations were more pronounced in mice colonized with the human SRB consortium, although D. indonesiensis colonization produced higher levels of H2S. Importantly, the colon of C57BL/6 mice with colitis induced by TNBS or oxazolone had increased SRB colonization, and the administration of D. indonesiensis to mice with TNBS-induced colitis clearly exacerbated the alterations in colonic architecture observed in the established disease, and also increased mouse weight loss. We conclude that SRB contribute to immune response activation in the gut and play an important role in colitis development.

Pyrimidinergic Receptor Activation Controls Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Macrophages.

Infection by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii is highly prevalent worldwide and may have serious clinical manifestations in immunocompromised patients. T. gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that infects almost any cell type in mammalian hosts, including immune cells. The immune cells express purinergic P2 receptors in their membrane--subdivided into P2Y and P2X subfamilies--whose activation is important for infection control. Here, we examined the effect of treatment with UTP and UDP in mouse peritoneal macrophages infected with T. gondii tachyzoites. Treatment with these nucleotides reduced parasitic load by 90%, but did not increase the levels of the inflammatory mediators NO and ROS, nor did it modulate host cell death by apoptosis or necrosis. On the other hand, UTP and UDP treatments induced early egress of tachyzoites from infected macrophages, in a Ca2+-dependent manner, as shown by scanning electron microscopy analysis, and videomicroscopy. In subsequent infections, prematurely egressed parasites had reduced infectivity, and could neither replicate nor inhibit the fusion of lysosomes to the parasitophorous vacuole. The use of selective agonists and antagonists of the receptor subtypes P2Y2 and P2Y4 and P2Y6 showed that premature parasite egress may be mediated by the activation of these receptor subtypes. Our results suggest that the activity of P2Y host cell receptors controls T. gondii infection in macrophages, highlighting the importance of pyrimidinergic signaling for innate immune system response against infection. Finally the P2Y receptors should be considered as new target for the development of drugs against T. gondii infection.

Construção de espaços de escuta, diagnóstico e análise coletiva de problemas de saúde pública com a linguagem teatral: o caso das oficinas de jogos teatrais sobre a dengue / Construction of spaces for listening, diagnosis and collective analysis of problems of public health using theatrical language: the case of workshops of theatrical games relating to dengue / Construcción de espacios de escucha, diagnóstico y análisis colectivo de problemas de salud pública con el lenguaje teatral: el caso de los talleres de juegos teatrales en el dengue

As características históricas, sociais e ecológicas da dengue têm motivado ações de educação em saúde visando medidas preventivas. Ações educativas e comunitárias que partam do contexto da população envolvida têm sido apontadas como cruciais. No presente estudo, investigou-se a utilização da linguagem teatral como estratégia para caracterizar as concepções de educadores envolvidos na prevenção da dengue, por meio de Oficinas de Jogos Teatrais. A linguagem teatral foi escolhida por ser dialógica, estabelecer relação com a inventividade da ciência, estimular a colaboração e provocar a ação espontânea dos participantes. A análise dos resultados evidenciou o relato dos educadores sobre a sensação de isolamento profissional bem como a desconfiança quanto à credibilidade do poder executivo. Concluímos que é possível utilizar experiências teatrais para organizar espaços propícios à análise coletiva de situações ligadas a problemas de saúde pública, estimulando ações cooperativas por parte dos educadores.

The historical, social and ecological characteristics of dengue have motivated a variety of health educational actions aimed at preventive measures. Educational and community actions starting from the context of the population involved have been indicated to be crucial. In the present study, the use of theatrical language as a strategy to characterize the conceptions of educators involved in dengue prevention was investigated through workshops of theatrical games. Theatrical language was chosen because of its dialogical nature, in order to establish a relationship with scientific inventiveness and to stimulate collaboration and spontaneous action among the participants. Analysis on the results showed that the educators have a feeling of professional isolation and that were mistrustful of the credibility of executive authorities. We conclude that it is possible to use theatrical activities for organizing spaces suitable for collective analysis on situations relating to public health problems, through stimulating cooperative actions by educators.

Las caracteristicas históricas, sociales y ecológicas del Dengue han generado varias acciones de educación en salud, dirigidas a su prevención. Las acciones educativas y comunitarias que partan del contexto de la población participante han sido señaladas como cruciales. Se investigó la utilización del lenguaje teatral como estrategia para caracterizar las concepciones de los educadores involucrados en la prevención del Dengue, por medio de Talleres de Juegos Teatrales. El lenguaje teatral fue elegido por ser dialógico, establecer relación con la capacidade de creación de la ciencia, estimular la colaboración y provocar la acción espontánea de los participantes. Los resultados mostraron la sensación de aislamiento profesional entre los educadores, bien como su desconfianza en relación a la credibilidad del poder ejecutivo. Concluimos que es posible utilizar experiencias teatrales para organizar espacios propicios para el análisis colectivo de situaciones relacionadas a los problemas de salud pública.

Estudo sobre a participação das proteínas de fase aguda alfa-2-macroglobulina e proteína C reativa na infecção por Trypanosoma cruzi / Study on participation of proteins of acute phase alpha-2-macroglobulina and protein C reactive in infection for Trypanosoma cruzi

Alfa-2-macroglobulina (A2M), proteína inibidora de protease, é encontrada no plasma e tecidos de mamíferos. Camundongos e humanos infectados por T. cruzi apresentaram aumento nos níveis de A2M durante a fase aguda da doença. Examinou-se por citometria de fluxo (CF) a ligação de A2M-protease (A2M-P) a macrófagos peritoneais de camundongos C3H e C57/B/6 infectados com T. cruzi observando que o receptor para A2M está mais expresso em C57/B1/6 do que em C3H e é positivamente modulado em ambas as cepas durante a fase aguda da infecção. Pela técnica de imunofluorescência (IF), A2M foi detectada no coração de camundongos Swiss durante a fase aguda da infecção por T. cruzi. Geralmente A2M co-localizava com os ninhos de amastigotas e com antígenos do parasita espalhados no miocárdio inflamado. A marcação mais intensa de A2M no tecido cardíaco foi correlacionada com o dia de pico do parasitismo tissular nos animais infectados. Análises de IF indireta sugeriram que A2M++liga-se in vivo à superfície de T. cruzi. Estudos através das técnicas de ELISA e de CF caracterizaram a ligação in vitro de A2M nativa (A2M-N) e A2M-P a formas tripomastigotas obtidos por cultivo em meio definido. A ligação de A2M-N ao parasita foi mais forte em pH 5.0 e inibidores de cisteíno- e serino-proteinases interferiram nesta ligação. Aproximadamente 80 dos parasitas ligaram A2M-P conjugada a FITC com alta afinidade, em processo dependente da concentração e revertido pela adição de A2M-P não marcada, de EDTA, ou ainda pela incubação em pH ácido, sugerindo a presença de um receptor para A2M. Experimentos de IF indireta destinados a detectar a ligação de proteína C reativa (CRP), proteína de fase aguda em humanos, a formas circulantes de T. cruzi foram prejudicados, pois soros anti-CRP humana se ligavam ao parasita. Ensaios de ELISA, de CF e de "western blot" mostraram que três soros policlonais monoespecíficos e dois anticorpos monoclonais anti-CRP humana se ligavam à superfíciede metacíclicos de T. cruzi obtidos por cultivo em meio definido. Essa ligação é específica, dose-dependente e saturável. O uso de EDTA impede o reconhecimento antigênico pelos anti-soros. Em análises de "western blot" de extratos do parasita, uma banda proteica em torno de 20 kDa é reconhecida pelos anti-soros. Os resultados indicam que uma possível molécula "CRP-like" é expressa na superfície de T. cruzi.