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Actinrelated protein 2/3 complex subunit 1B (ARPC1B) deficiency is an inborn error of immunity (IEI) characterized by a combination of immunodeficiency and immune dysregulation and classified as an IEI with allergic manifestations. Here, we describe two patients with pathogenic variants in the ARPC1B gene. The first patient presented with eczema and bronchospasm at six months of age. The second patient presented with eczema and milk protein allergy at five months of age. The c.899_944 (p.Glu300Glyfs*7) pathogenic variant was previously described, whereas the c.863del (p.Pro288Leufs*9) variant was novel. ARPC1B deficiency should be considered because of the severe allergic manifestations at an early age.
Subject(s)
Eczema , Food Hypersensitivity , Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes , Milk Hypersensitivity , Animals , Humans , Infant , Actin-Related Protein 2-3 Complex/genetics , Allergens , Eczema/genetics , Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes/genetics , Milk , Milk Hypersensitivity/diagnosis , Milk Hypersensitivity/geneticsABSTRACT
Introduction: The mechanistic/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a serine/threonine kinase, which is downregulated or upregulated and is implicated in different types of cancer including hematologic neoplasms, skin prostate, and head and neck cancer. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the current knowledge of mTOR signaling in acute lymphoblastic leukemia and Hodgkin lymphoma. Methods: A systematic review was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, searching PubMed, Discovery Service for National Autonomous University of Mexico, Registro Nacional de Instituciones y Empresas Científicas y Tecnológicas (RENIECYT), and Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) from 1994 to 2023. A total of 269 papers were identified for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, but based on specific criteria, 15 were included; for Hodgkin lymphoma, 110 papers were identified, but 5 were included after manual searching. Results: A total of 20 papers were evaluated, where mTOR activity is increased in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia by different molecular mechanisms. Conclusions: mTOR activity is increased in patients with both hematologic neoplasms and NOTCH; interleukin 4, 7, and 9, and nuclear proteins have been studied for their role in the activation of mTOR signaling.
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BACKGROUND: B7H3 is a co-stimulatory molecule for immune reactions found on the surface of tumor cells in a wide variety of tumors. Preclinical and clinical studies have reported it as a tumor target towards which various immunotherapy modalities could be directed. So far, good results have been obtained in hematological neoplasms; however, a contrasting situation is evident in solid tumors, including those of the CNS, which show high refractoriness to current treatments. The appearance of cellular immunotherapies has transformed oncology due to the reinforcement of the immune response that is compromised in people with cancer. OBJECTIVE: This article aims to review the literature to describe the advancement in knowledge on B7H3 as a target of CAR-T cells in pediatric gliomas to consider them as an alternative in the treatment of these patients. RESULTS: Although B7H3 is considered a suitable candidate as a target agent for various immunotherapy techniques, there are still limitations in using CAR-T cells to achieve the desired success. CONCLUSION: Results obtained with CAR-T cells can be further improved by the suggested proposals; therefore, more clinical trials are needed to study this new therapy in children with gliomas.
Subject(s)
Glioma , Immunotherapy , Humans , Child , Glioma/therapy , T-LymphocytesABSTRACT
Background The escalating overload and saturation of emergency services, primarily caused by non-urgent cases overwhelming the system, have spurred a critical necessity for innovative solutions that can effectively differentiate genuine emergencies from situations that could be managed through alternative means, such as using AI chatbots. This study aims to evaluate and compare the accuracy in differentiating between a medical emergency and a non-emergency of three of the most popular AI chatbots at the moment. Methods In this study, patient questions from the online forum r/AskDocs on Reddit were collected to determine whether their clinical cases were emergencies. A total of 176 questions were reviewed by the authors, with 75 deemed emergencies and 101 non-emergencies. These questions were then posed to AI chatbots, including ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Microsoft Bing AI, with their responses evaluated against each other and the authors' responses. A criteria-based system categorized the AI chatbot answers as "yes," "no," or "cannot determine." The performance of each AI chatbot was compared in both emergency and non-emergency cases, and statistical analysis was conducted to assess the significance of differences in their performance. Results In general, AI chatbots considered around 12-15% more cases to be an emergency than reviewers, while they considered a very low number of cases as non-emergency compared to reviewers (around 35% fewer cases). Google Bard detected the most true emergency cases (87%) and true non-emergency cases (36%). However, no real difference in performance between the three AI chatbots was found in detecting true emergencies (p-value = 0.35) and non-emergency cases (p-value = 0.16). Conclusions These AI systems require further refinement to identify emergency situations accurately, but they could potentially be an innovative tool for emergency care and improving patient outcomes. The integration of AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Microsoft Bing Chat offers a promising avenue to mitigate ED strain and enhance emergency management.
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INTRODUCTION: Brainstem tumors comprise 10.9% of all brain tumors, and pediatric diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPG) have a fatal prognosis. Some countries have developed national and international register databases to characterize their populations to aid clinical and public policy decisions. This study provides information regarding the clinical characteristics of a retrospective cohort of children with DIPG in México from 2001 to 2021, and assesses the proposed prognostic factors previously described for survival outcome. METHODS: Health institutions from Mexico were invited to contribute to a retrospective electronic registry of patients with DIPG based on the International DIPG Registry. Fisher's exact test was used to compare long- and short-term survivors. Overall survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Differences between survival curves were evaluated using the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazard regression analysis. RESULTS: Total 110 patients were included. The median age of the patients at diagnosis was 7 years. Sixty patients (54.5%) presented with symptoms in less than 6 months; the most frequent symptom was ataxia (56.4%). Ninety patients received treatment (81.8%), the overall survival at 4 years was 11.4%, and 16 patients (14.5%) were admitted for palliative end-of-life care. We found no significant survival differences for any of the prognostic factors. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the need to develop strategies to standardize healthcare processes and enhance the quality of care to improve clinical diagnosis in Mexico. We also observed a barrier to the acceptance of palliative end-of-life care in the family and medical teams.
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Engineered bacteria are promising candidates for in situ detection and treatment of diseases. The female uro-genital tract presents several pathologies, such as sexually transmitted diseases or genital cancer, that could benefit from such technology. While bacteria from the gut microbiome are increasingly engineered, the use of chassis isolated from the female uro-genital resident flora has been limited. A major hurdle to implement the experimental throughput required for efficient engineering in these non-model bacteria is their low transformability. Here we report an optimized electrotransformation protocol for Lactobacillus jensenii, one the most widespread species across vaginal microflora. Starting from classical conditions, we optimized buffers, electric field parameters, cuvette type and DNA quantity to achieve an 80-fold improvement in transformation efficiency, with up to 3.5·103 CFUs/µg of DNA in L. jensenii ATCC 25258. We also identify several plasmids that are maintained and support reporter gene expression in L. jensenii. Finally, we demonstrate that our protocol provides increased transformability in three independent clinical isolates of L. jensenii. This work will facilitate the genetic engineering of L. jensenii and enable its use for addressing challenges in gynecological healthcare.
Subject(s)
Lactobacillus , Vagina , Female , Humans , Vagina/microbiology , Bacteria/genetics , Plasmids/geneticsABSTRACT
Purpose: To measure the effects of an exercise program on the physical capacities of older adults such as strength, flexibility, balance, and aerobic capacity. Patients and Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study on a population of 5550 older adults and a sample of 4830 participants in an active aging program designed by the Municipal Health Secretary. The exercise program lasted 12 months, and pre-and post-program intervention measures were recorded using the senior fitness test. Results: Most participants were women (92.4%) and their mean age was 70.7 years (standard deviation, 7.3 years; range, 60-97 years). All areas showed significant differences before and after the program in terms of the participants' physical capabilities (p < 0.05), muscular strength and flexibility had a more significant mean difference and a large effect (>0.80), except for aerobic capacity, which had a small effect. Conclusion: The present study revealed that a supervised physical exercise program at the community level has positive effects on the physical capacities of coordination, balance, flexibility, strength, and aerobic capacity, which are essential components for a better functional capacity at this stage of life, with improvements that encompassed the improved self-perception of their health status, a reduction of overweight and obesity. The reinforcement of these programs is recommended, consequently, promoting pre-sport games and sports championships among the elderly population, as a public health strategy.
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Exercise , Muscle Strength , Humans , Aged , Female , Male , Aging , Behavior Therapy , Exercise TherapyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Social participation is an important aspect of health and well-being across the lifespan, but older adults might encounter some barriers, which has been highlighted in the current Covid-19 pandemic situation, where technology has become the primary way to maintain contact with family and friends. In fact, technology can serve both as a facilitator and barrier to social participation in later life, and this issue needs to be further understood. AIM: To identify the barriers and facilitators encountered by older adults in using technology to promote social participation. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted. Studies were included if they were peer-reviewed, written in English or French, included participants 50 years or older, included technology to promote social participation, and reported potential barriers or facilitators regarding such technologies. Four databases were included: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsychINFO and, ERIC. Each study was reviewed by two independent reviewers. The quality of the study was appraised using the Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool. RESULTS: Seventeen studies were included in this report. Four main themes emerged from the data: perceived benefits of the technology, self-confidence and knowledge about using the technology efficiently and safely, affordability of the technology, and ability of the technology to adapt to the physical and cognitive declines in later life. CONCLUSION: These findings can help health care professionals to make better decisions when deciding to recommend technology for their older clients.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONAcceptance of technology to promote social participation in later life is a multi-complex process. There is no "one size fits all" approach, a person-centered intervention must be used.When introducing new technologies, using an adapted/tailored training approach could potentially increase self-efficacy in using technology.Rehabilitation professionals' misconceptions concerning the use of technology in later life can be a barrier to acceptance. It's important to be aware of our own believes and attitudes in this context.
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COVID-19 , Pandemics , Humans , Aged , Social Participation , Health Personnel/psychologyABSTRACT
Synthetic biology aims at engineering new biological systems and functions that can be used to provide new technological solutions to worldwide challenges. Detection and processing of multiple signals are crucial for many synthetic biology applications. A variety of logic circuits operating in living cells have been implemented. One particular class of logic circuits uses site-specific recombinases mediating specific DNA inversion or excision. Recombinase logic offers many interesting features, including single-layer architectures, memory, low metabolic footprint, and portability in many species. Here, we present two automated design strategies for both Boolean and history-dependent recombinase-based logic circuits. One approach is based on the distribution of computation within multicellular consortia, and the other is a single-cell design. Both are complementary and adapted for non-expert users via a web design interface, called CALIN and RECOMBINATOR, for multicellular and single-cell design strategies, respectively. In this book chapter, we are guiding the reader step by step through recombinase logic circuit design, from selecting the design strategy fitting to their final system of interest to obtaining the final design using one of our design web interfaces.
Subject(s)
Logic , Recombinases , DNA , Recombinases/genetics , Recombinases/metabolism , Synthetic Biology/methodsABSTRACT
Gut metabolites are pivotal mediators of host-microbiome interactions and provide an important window on human physiology and disease. However, current methods to monitor gut metabolites rely on heavy and expensive technologies such as liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). In that context, robust, fast, field-deployable, and cost-effective strategies for monitoring fecal metabolites would support large-scale functional studies and routine monitoring of metabolites biomarkers associated with pathological conditions. Living cells are an attractive option to engineer biosensors due to their ability to detect and process many environmental signals and their self-replicating nature. Here we optimized a workflow for feces processing that supports metabolite detection using bacterial biosensors. We show that simple centrifugation and filtration steps remove host microbes and support reproducible preparation of a physiological-derived media retaining important characteristics of human feces, such as matrix effects and endogenous metabolites. We measure the performance of bacterial biosensors for benzoate, lactate, anhydrotetracycline, and bile acids, and find that they are highly sensitive to fecal matrices. However, encapsulating the bacteria in hydrogel helps reduce this inhibitory effect. Sensitivity to matrix effects is biosensor-dependent but also varies between individuals, highlighting the need for case-by-case optimization for biosensors' operation in feces. Finally, by detecting endogenous bile acids, we demonstrate that bacterial biosensors could be used for future metabolite monitoring in feces. This work lays the foundation for the optimization and use of bacterial biosensors for fecal metabolites monitoring. In the future, our method could also allow rapid pre-prototyping of engineered bacteria designed to operate in the gut, with applications to in situ diagnostics and therapeutics.
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Cell-free systems have great potential for delivering robust, inexpensive, and field-deployable biosensors. Many cell-free biosensors rely on transcription factors responding to small molecules, but their discovery and implementation still remain challenging. Here we report the engineering of PeroxiHUB, an optimized H2O2-centered sensing platform supporting cell-free detection of different metabolites. H2O2 is a central metabolite and a byproduct of numerous enzymatic reactions. PeroxiHUB uses enzymatic transducers to convert metabolites of interest into H2O2, enabling rapid reprogramming of sensor specificity using alternative transducers. We first screen several transcription factors and optimize OxyR for the transcriptional response to H2O2 in a cell-free system, highlighting the need for preincubation steps to obtain suitable signal-to-noise ratios. We then demonstrate modular detection of metabolites of clinical interestâlactate, sarcosine, and cholineâusing different transducers mined via a custom retrosynthesis workflow publicly available on the SynBioCAD Galaxy portal. We find that expressing the transducer during the preincubation step is crucial for optimal sensor operation. We then show that different reporters can be connected to PeroxiHUB, providing high adaptability for various applications. Finally, we demonstrate that a peroxiHUB lactate biosensor can detect endogenous levels of this metabolite in clinical samples. Given the wide range of enzymatic reactions producing H2O2, the PeroxiHUB platform will support cell-free detection of a large number of metabolites in a modular and scalable fashion.
Subject(s)
Biosensing Techniques , Hydrogen Peroxide , Cell-Free System/metabolism , Hydrogen Peroxide/metabolism , Transcription Factors/geneticsABSTRACT
Bacteria equipped with genetically encoded lactate biosensors are promising tools for biopharmaceutical production, diagnostics, and cellular therapies. However, many applications involve glucose-rich and anoxic environments, in which current whole-cell lactate biosensors show low performance. Here we engineer an optimized, synthetic lactate biosensor system by repurposing the natural LldPRD promoter regulated by the LldR transcriptional regulator. We removed glucose catabolite and anoxic repression by designing a hybrid promoter, containing LldR operators and tuned both regulator and reporter gene expressions to optimize biosensor signal-to-noise ratio. The resulting lactate biosensor, termed ALPaGA (A Lactate Promoter Operating in Glucose and Anoxia), can operate in glucose-rich, aerobic and anoxic conditions. We show that ALPaGA works reliably in the probiotic chassisEscherichia coliNissle 1917 and can detect endogenous l-lactate produced by 3D tumor spheroids with an improved dynamic range. In the future, the ALPaGA system could be used to monitor bioproduction processes and improve the specificity of engineered bacterial cancer therapies by restricting their activity to the lactate-rich microenvironment of solid tumors.
Subject(s)
Biosensing Techniques , Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial , Glucose , Humans , Hypoxia , Lactic Acid/metabolism , Promoter Regions, Genetic/geneticsABSTRACT
Bacterial biosensors, or bactosensors, are promising agents for medical and environmental diagnostics. However, the lack of scalable frameworks to systematically program ligand detection limits their applications. Here we show how novel, clinically relevant sensing modalities can be introduced into bactosensors in a modular fashion. To do so, we have leveraged a synthetic receptor platform, termed EMeRALD (Engineered Modularized Receptors Activated via Ligand-induced Dimerization) which supports the modular assembly of sensing modules onto a high-performance, generic signaling scaffold controlling gene expression in E. coli. We apply EMeRALD to detect bile salts, a biomarker of liver dysfunction, by repurposing sensing modules from enteropathogenic Vibrio species. We improve the sensitivity and lower the limit-of-detection of the sensing module by directed evolution. We then engineer a colorimetric bactosensor detecting pathological bile salt levels in serum from patients having undergone liver transplant, providing an output detectable by the naked-eye. The EMeRALD technology enables functional exploration of natural sensing modules and rapid engineering of synthetic receptors for diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and control of therapeutic microbes.
Subject(s)
Bacteria/metabolism , Biomarkers/metabolism , Biosensing Techniques , Carrier Proteins/metabolism , Pathology, Molecular/methods , Bacteria/genetics , Bile Acids and Salts/blood , Biosensing Techniques/methods , Carrier Proteins/genetics , Escherichia coli/genetics , Escherichia coli/metabolism , Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial , Humans , Liver Transplantation , Metabolic Engineering/methods , Sensitivity and Specificity , Sequence Alignment , Vibrio , Vibrio Infections/diagnosisABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To describe a Covid-19 outbreak in a gerontological center in Mexico City. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study in older adults. The association of risk factors for dying from Covid-19 was analyzed using a multiple logistic regression model. RESULTS: One hundred and two elders with an average age of 82.5 ± 8.8 years were included. Fifty-five (54%) tested positive and 47 (46%) were negative for the new coronavirus. Using the multiple logistic regression model, people with frailty had an OR of 11.6 of dying from Covid-19 compared to robust people (p-value = 0.024). CONCLUSION: The Covid-19 outbreak was initially caused by a resident of the center and spread by cross infection. In vulnerable populations, early detection, isolation, and follow-up of contacts should be carried out, as well as the identification of risk factors in order to reduce the spread and mortality caused by SARSCoV-2.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/epidemiology , Disease Outbreaks , Homes for the Aged , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Male , MexicoABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Optimal control of acute postoperative pain and prevention of chronic persistent pain in total hip arthroplasty (THA) remain a challenge. The main hypothesis was that peripheral nerve blocks improve postoperative analgesia. METHODS: Immediate postoperative pain (24 hours) was evaluated every hour in 510 patients using a verbal rating 11-point scale for patient self-reporting of pain (VRS-11). All patients received subarachnoid anesthesia (SA) and were randomly allocated in six groups: SA with morphine 0.1 (SA0.1) or 0.2 mg (SA0.2), fascia iliaca compartment block with dexamethasone 4 mg + levobupivacaine 0.375% 20 (FICB20) or 30 mL (FICB30), lateral femoral cutaneous nerve block with levobupivacaine 0.25% 5 mL (LFCNB) and FICB20+LFCNB. Standardized analgesia included intravenous metamizole magnesium, dexketoprofen and rescue with paracetamol and morphine, and/or regional rescue (FICB, LFCNB, femoral and sciatic nerve blocks). RESULTS: About 37.5% of patients had at least one episode of pain, 31.3% of them needed rescue analgesia while the remaining 6.2% did not request analgesia. There were no significant differences between the groups in paracetamol, morphine and rescue nerve blocks requirements. There was pain only in 5.4% of the total PACU pain records: 3.1% mild pain, 1.7% moderate pain and 0.6% severe pain. CONCLUSIONS: combined with a multimodal analgesic approach, infra-inguinal FICB and LFCNB did not improve immediate postoperative analgesia for THA in our hospital. Other options and longer-term studies should be more extensively investigated to determine the role of peripheral blocks in postoperative pain treatment protocols.
Subject(s)
Analgesia , Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip , Nerve Block , Analgesics, Opioid/therapeutic use , Humans , Pain, Postoperative/drug therapy , Pain, Postoperative/prevention & controlABSTRACT
Genetic programs operating in a history-dependent fashion are ubiquitous in nature and govern sophisticated processes such as development and differentiation. The ability to systematically and predictably encode such programs would advance the engineering of synthetic organisms and ecosystems with rich signal processing abilities. Here we implement robust, scalable history-dependent programs by distributing the computational labor across a cellular population. Our design is based on standardized recombinase-driven DNA scaffolds expressing different genes according to the order of occurrence of inputs. These multicellular computing systems are highly modular, do not require cell-cell communication channels, and any program can be built by differential composition of strains containing well-characterized logic scaffolds. We developed automated workflows that researchers can use to streamline program design and optimization. We anticipate that the history-dependent programs presented here will support many applications using cellular populations for material engineering, biomanufacturing and healthcare.
Subject(s)
Models, Genetic , Synthetic Biology/methods , Cell Physiological Phenomena/genetics , DNA/genetics , DNA/metabolism , Logic , Recombinases/genetics , Recombinases/metabolism , Software , WorkflowABSTRACT
RESUMEN Objetivos Generar un modelo de intervención en promoción de salud, desde el Sistema Nacional Integrado de Salud (SNIS) de Uruguay, con promotores escolares de salud, recursos web y abordaje desde los centros educativos a la comunidad. Materiales y Métodos Estudio descriptivo transversal, de base poblacional, mediante un muestreo aleatorio, no agrupado, durante los meses de abril y diciembre de 2016. Se llevó a cabo una capacitación para escolares en promoción de salud, encuesta poblacional, herramientas web, exámenes parasitológicos y georreferenciación. Resultados Se observaron prevalencias de giardiasis, del 14% (IC95%: 11-17) (6,5 a 22%); y oxiurosis 26% (IC95: 22-30) (20 a 44%). Se visualizaron 45 conglomerados de geohelmintiasis (HTS), la mayoría en zonas con asentamientos poblacionales carentes de servicios básicos. Conclusiones La existencia de sectores poblacionales vulnerables con índices de contaminación fecal intradomiciliaria y ambientales hace necesario que el SNIS realice de forma sistemática actividades de promoción de salud que puedan aportar datos relevantes para intervenciones gubernamentales intersectoriales y para mejorar la salud de estos sectores desprotegidos.
ABSTRACT Objectives To generate a model of intervention, from the National Integrated Health System (NIHS, Uruguay), with school facilitators of health, web resources and approach from the schools to the community. Materials and Methods Descriptive cross-sectional study of population base using a random sampling, non-clustered, during the months of April and December 2016. This was based in the model of schoolchildren health promoters, the use of web resources and community approach with the school as the centre of actions. Results The prevalence of parasites was 14% for Giardiasis (6,5 and 22%) (IC95%: 11-17) and 26% for Oxiurosis (IC95%: 22-30) (20 and 44%). Soil transmitted helminthiases were geo-referenced: we found 45 clusters, mainly in slums without basic services. Conclusions These worrying results show that there are regions in Montevideo (Uruguay) with high levels of faecal home and environmental contamination. Community approaches with prevention activities from NIHS may have a positive impact on these vulnerable populations.
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Resumen: La paracoccidioidomicosis es una micosis profunda sistémica, endémica en algunos países de Latinoamérica, sin embargo en Uruguay es poco frecuente y está estrechamente vinculada a la ocupación del paciente. Se describe el caso clínico de un hombre de 26 años, monteador, inmunocompetente, que se presentó clínicamente con linfadenopatías, lesiones cutáneo mucosas y sintomatología respiratoria de evolución subaguda; como hallazgos radiológicos presentó infiltrados perihiliares bilaterales e imagen en halo invertido. Desde el punto de vista micológico se evidenció la presencia del microorganismo en diversas muestras biológicas: biopsias de lesiones orofaríngeas y estudio micológico de lesiones de piel, con serología positiva para Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. Se realizó tratamiento dirigido con antimicótico intravenoso presentando buena respuesta al mismo con mejoría clínica. El abordaje del paciente fue realizado por un equipo multidisciplinario conformado por Otorrinolaringología, Parasitología y Micología, Anatomía patológica, Infectología, Salud Ocupacional y Medicina Interna.
Abstract: Paracoccidioidomycosis is a deep systemic mycosis, endemic in some Latin American countries, however in Uruguay it is rare and is closely linked to patient occupation. The clinical case of a 26-year-old man, immunocompetent, who presented clinically with lymphadenopathy, mucous skin lesions and respiratory symptoms of subacute evolution is described; As radiological findings, it presented bilateral perihilar infiltrates and inverted halo image. From the mycological point of view, the presence of the microorganism in several biological samples was evidenced: biopsies of oropharyngeal lesions and mycological study of skin lesions, with positive serology for Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. Targeted treatment with intravenous antifungal was performed presenting good response to it with clinical improvement. The patient was approached by a multidisciplinary team made up of Otolaryngology, Parasitology and Mycology, Pathology, Infectology, Occupational Health and Internal Medicine.
Resumo: A paracoccidioidomicose é uma micose sistêmica profunda, endêmica em alguns países da América Latina, porém no Uruguai é rara e está intimamente ligada à ocupação do paciente. É descrito o caso clínico de um homem de 26 anos, imunocompetente, que apresentou clinicamente linfadenopatia, lesões de mucosa da pele e sintomas respiratórios de evolução subaguda; Como achados radiológicos, apresentou infiltrados peri-hilares bilaterais e imagem invertida do halo. Do ponto de vista micológico, foi evidenciada a presença do microrganismo em várias amostras biológicas: biópsias de lesões orofaríngeas e estudo micológico de lesões cutâneas, com sorologia positiva para Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. O tratamento direcionado com antifúngico intravenoso foi realizado, apresentando boa resposta a ele com melhora clínica. O paciente foi abordado por uma equipe multidisciplinar composta por Otorrinolaringologia, Parasitologia e Micologia, Patologia, Infectologia, Saúde do Trabalhador e Medicina Interna.
ABSTRACT
The environmental effects of chemical fertilizers and pesticides have encouraged the quest for new strategies to increase crop productivity with minimal impacts on the natural medium. Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can contribute to this endeavor by improving fitness through better nutrition acquisition and stress tolerance. Using the neutral (non PGPR) rhizobacterium Cupriavidus pinatubonensis JMP134 as the host, we engineered a regulatory forward loop that triggered the synthesis of the phytohormone indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in a manner dependent on quorum sensing (QS) signals. Implementation of the device in JMP134 yielded synthesis of IAA in an autoregulated manner, improving the growth of the roots of inoculated Arabidopsis thaliana. These results not only demonstrated the value of the designed genetic module, but also validated C. pinatubonensis JMP134 as a suitable vehicle for agricultural applications, as it is amenable to genetic manipulations.