Plasma osteopontin relates to myocardial fibrosis and steatosis and to immune activation among women with HIV.

OBJECTIVE: Women with HIV (WWH) have heightened heart failure risk. Plasma OPN (osteopontin) is a powerful predictor of heart failure outcomes in the general population. Limited data exist on relationships between plasma OPN and surrogates of HIV-associated heart failure risk. DESIGN: Prospective, cross-sectional. METHODS: We analyzed relationships between plasma OPN and cardiac structure/function (assessed using cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging) and immune activation (biomarkers and flow cytometry) among 20 WWH and 14 women without HIV (WWOH). RESULTS: Plasma OPN did not differ between groups. Among WWH, plasma OPN related directly to the markers of cardiac fibrosis, growth differentiation factor-15 (ρ = 0.51, P = 0.02) and soluble interleukin 1 receptor-like 1 (ρ = 0.45, P = 0.0459). Among WWH (but not among WWOH or the whole group), plasma OPN related directly to both myocardial fibrosis (ρ = 0.49, P = 0.03) and myocardial steatosis (ρ = 0.46, P = 0.0487). Among the whole group and WWH (and not among WWOH), plasma OPN related directly to the surface expression of C-X3-C motif chemokine receptor 1 (CX3CR1) on nonclassical (CD14-CD16+) monocytes (whole group: ρ = 0.36, P = 0.04; WWH: ρ = 0.46, P = 0.04). Further, among WWH and WWOH (and not among the whole group), plasma OPN related directly to the surface expression of CC motif chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) on inflammatory (CD14+CD16+) monocytes (WWH: ρ = 0.54, P = 0.01; WWOH: ρ = 0.60, P = 0.03), and in WWH, this held even after controlling for HIV-specific parameters. CONCLUSION: Among WWH, plasma OPN, a powerful predictor of heart failure outcomes, related to myocardial fibrosis and steatosis and the expression of CCR2 and CX3CR1 on select monocyte subpopulations. OPN may play a role in heart failure pathogenesis among WWH. CLINICALTRIALSGOV REGISTRATION: NCT02874703.

The effects of oestrogens and their receptors on cardiometabolic health.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of mortality in developed countries. The incidence of CVD is sexually dimorphic, and research has focused on the contribution of sex steroids to the development and progression of the cardiometabolic syndrome, which is defined as a clustering of interrelated risk factors that promote the development of atherosclerosis (which can lead to CVD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Data are inconclusive as to how sex steroids and their respective receptors increase or suppress the risk of developing the cardiometabolic syndrome and thus CVD. In this Review, we discuss the potential role, or roles, of sex hormones in cardiometabolic health by first focusing on the influence of oestrogens and their receptors on the risk of developing cardiometabolic syndrome and CVD. We also highlight what is known about testosterone and its potential role in protecting against the development of the cardiometabolic syndrome and CVD. Given the inconclusive nature of the data regarding the direct effects of each sex hormone, we advocate and highlight the importance of studying the relative levels and the ratio of sex hormones to each other, as well as the use of cross sex hormone therapy and its effect on cardiometabolic health.

Genotyping of DNA using sequence-specific methyltransferases followed by immunochemical detection.

Modern molecular genetics relies on the ability to map the positions of genes on chromosomes, relative to known DNA markers. The first such DNA markers described were Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms, but any restriction endonuclease used for RFLP mapping is just one member of a restriction-modification pair. For each restriction endonuclease, there is a companion methyltransferase (MTase) that has the same DNA sequence specificity. Therefore, in principle, it should be possible to use MTases rather than restriction enzymes to detect polymorphic sites in DNA. We have used sequence-specific DNA MTases to detect polym orphisms in closely related viral pathogens. If at least one MTase recognition site is present in PCR-amplified DNA, then methyl groups are incorporated; if no MTase site is present, then methyl groups are not incorporated. When several different sequence-specific DNA MTase reactions are carried out, the pattern of methyl incorporation defines a DNA MTase genotype. DNA MTase Genotyping (DMG) can be used to rapidly diagnose heritable or infectious diseases, to immunochemically detect DNA at defined 2 to 8 base pair sites, or to characterize the amplicons by constructing ordered maps.

Evaluacion de dos formulaciones de Bacillus thuringiensis H-14 para el control de larvas de Aedes aegypti / Evaluation of two formulations of Bacillus thuringiensis H-14 for the control of Aedes aegypti larvaes

Se evaluaron en el laboratorio y en condiciones naturales, dos formulaciones de bacillus thuringiensis H-14, el cual es un insecticida microbiologico contra larvas de aedes aegypty. Se utilizo polvo humectable (3.500 AA/mg) y liquido concentrado (1.000 AA/mg) (AA= unidades Toxicas internacionales en A. aegypti). Se calcularon las dosis letales (Dl 99.9) para cada formulacion. En una estacion de laboratorio que simulaba las condiciones naturales de cria de A. aegypti, se relaizaron pruebas con cuatro dosis diferentes de cada una de las dos formulaciones. Con cada dosis de 1.050 AA/I, se encontro una accion residual de 11 dias con el polvo humectable y de 9.9 dias con el liquido concentrado. La accion residual no aumento en proporcion directa con la dosis. la tasa de emergencia diaria de adultos tardo 21.7 dias en recuperarse hasta el 30% de su nivel de pretratamiento, cuando se aplico polvo humectable y 18 dias cuando se aplico liquido concentrado. Aunque en las pruebas en condiones seminaturales, se encontraron diferencias estadisticamente significativas entre las difernetes dosis y los diferentes tipo de criaderos, operacionalmente estas diferencias no tienen iomportancia practica porque no aumentan el rendimiento de la medida de control. Los ensayos en condiciones naturales se realizaron aplicando una dosis de 1.050 AA/I a las albercas, toneles y llantas. El B. t H-14 demostro ser efectivo, al causar 100% de mortalidad en todos los estadios larvarios. de A.aegypti en los criaderos tratados. Se obtuvo una accion residual de 9 dias en los criaderos cuando...

Aedes aegypti: biology and ecology / Aedes Aegypti: biologia y ecologia

[From Preface] This manual will contribute to the training of health care personnel in the methodology for study, surveillance, and control of Aedes aegypti.

Aedes Aegypti: biologia y ecologia / Aedes Aegypti: Biology and ecology

[Prefacio] El moquito Aedes aegypti y la enfermedades que transmiten, e dengue y la fiebre amarilla, todavía están presente en las Américas. la situación creada de emergencia creada por la epidemia de dengue clásico que afecto durante 1977-1978 a las mayoría de los países del caribe, Centro América, el norte de América del Sur y México, y la primera epidemia de dengue hemorrágico registrada en Cuba durante 1981, han renovado el interés de fortalecer los programas de control o erradicación del Aedes aegypti e los países de la región

Hallazgo de Mesocyclops Aspericornis (Daday)(Copepoda: Cyclopidae) Depredador de Larvas de Aedes Aegypti en Anapoima-Colombia. (1) / Finding of Mesocycolps Aspericonis (DaDay) (Copepoda: Cyclopidae) Depredator of Aedes Aegipty in Anapoima-Colombia. (1)

En Anapioma, Colombia, se encontro que el Copepodo Mesocyclops Aspericornis era depredador de larvas del mosquito Aedes Aegypti. Este encuentro representa el primer hallazgo de este Copepodo en recipientes artificiales en la region neotropical, y el primer hallazgo como depredador de larvas de Aedes Aegypti

Aplicacion aerea de malation ULV contra Aedes aegypti, en forma experimental, en una ciudad de Colombia. / Experimental ULV aerial application of malathion against Aedes aegypti in a Colombian city

Debido a su rapidez de ejecucion y a que se pueden llevar a cabo con personal reducido, las aplicaciones aereas de insecticidas en zonas urbanas son especialmente utiles para el control de epidemias en situaciones de emergencia