Time is life: EpAssistant - a new tool for the automatic identification of anti-HLA antibody epitope specificity in transplant programs.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This work aims to present the expert system EpAssistant, a platform algorithm designed to accurately and automatically identify the EPLETS specificities of anti-HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen) antibodies in the sera of transplantation candidates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: RESULTS: As preliminary results, we present the development and establishment of the EpAssistant platform. EpAssistant analyses can be performed for Class I (-A, B and C) and Class II (-DR, -DQ and -DP) HLA molecules. CONCLUSIONS: EpAssistant automates the EPLETS reactivity analysis process and drastically reduces the time required to produce final results, enabling large-scale data analyses in a simple, inexpensive and rapid manner and facilitating the allocation of donated organs via the EPLETS Virtual Crossmatch (EVxM) system.

Effect of mineral status and glucocorticoid use on bone mineral density in patients with Crohn's disease.

OBJECTIVES: Crohn's disease (CD) is a condition that is characterized by chronic inflammation. The presence of multifactorial pathogenesis that results from inflammation is associated with low micronutrient consumption and glucocorticoid use, which may be related to bone health. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between dietary mineral intake and glucocorticoid use in bone mineral density (BMD) in patients with CD. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 62 patients with CD ages 20 y to 40 y measured their macro- and micronutrient intake with a 3-d food record. The lumbar spine and femoral neck BMDs were determined using a bone densitometry technique. The C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) values were also noted. RESULTS: Dietary intake of calcium, zinc, and magnesium was below the reference values but the phosphorus intake level was within the normal value range. Patients with osteopenia and osteoporosis accounted for 17.7% and 14.5%, respectively, of the total number of participants. Significant bone loss was found in 22.6% of patients taking glucocorticoid medications. BMD was significantly reduced and also observed in patients in the active phase of their disease. Zinc and calcium intakes were found to be correlated with reduced femoral neck BMD. The mean CRP and ESR values were above the normal ranges. Significant differences in age and ESR were observed between patients with normal and reduced BMD (P <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Low calcium and zinc intake, glucocorticoid use, and active disease phase are favorable conditions for bone loss in patients with Crohn's disease.

New Hybrid Nanomaterial Based on Self-Assembly of Cyclodextrins and Cobalt Prussian Blue Analogue Nanocubes.

Supramolecular self-assembly has been demonstrated to be a useful approach to developing new functional nanomaterials. In this work, we used a cobalt Prussian blue analogue (PBA, Co3[Co(CN)6]2) compound and a ß-cyclodextrin (CD) macrocycle to develop a novel host-guest PBA-CD nanomaterial. The preparation of the functional magnetic material involved the self-assembly of CD molecules onto a PBA surface by a co-precipitation method. According to transmission electronic microscopy results, PBA-CD exhibited a polydisperse structure composed of 3D nanocubes with a mean edge length of 85 nm, which became shorter after CD incorporation. The supramolecular arrangement and structural, crystalline and thermal properties of the hybrid material were studied in detail by vibrational and electronic spectroscopies and X-ray diffraction. The cyclic voltammogram of the hybrid material in a 0.1 mol · L(-1) NaCl supporting electrolyte exhibited a quasi-reversible redox process, attributed to Co2+/Co3+ conversion, with an E1/2 value of 0.46 V (vs. SCE), with higher reversibility observed for the system in the presence of CD. The standard rate constants for PBA and PBA-CD were determined to be 0.07 and 0.13 s(-1), respectively, which suggests that the interaction between the nanocubes and CD at the supramolecular level improves electron transfer. We expect that the properties observed for the hybrid material make it a potential candidate for (bio)sensing designs with a desirable capability for drug delivery.

Oral health of patients under short hospitalization period: observational study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of hospitalization on the oral health status of individuals hospitalized for a short period of time. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was an observational study of hospitalized patients. The plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI) was measured at baseline (T0 - first 24 h of hospital admission), and at 3 (T1), 7 (T2), 14 (T3) days. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty-two patients were examined at baseline (T0), 35 examined at 3 days (T1), 23 at 7 days (T2) and 16 at 14 days (T3). The main reason for loss of patients was hospital discharge. The mean PI increased at T1 (0.97-1.21; p < 0.001), at T2 (1.06-1.30; p < 0.007) and at T3 (1.19-1.44; p < 0.03). Gingival index (GI) increased at T2 (0.74-0.96; p < 0.04) and at T3 (0.74-0.96; p < 0.02). CONCLUSION: Oral health, assessed through PI and GI, deteriorates after a short period of hospitalization.

Brazilian brown propolis elicits antileishmanial effect against promastigote and amastigote forms of Leishmania amazonensis.

Propolis is a complex matrix of chemical constituents extracted from plants and produced by bees which is used in folk medicine due to its several pharmacological properties. Its chemical composition varies according to the region where it is produced. This work has studied the antileishmanial activity and cytotoxicity of brown propolis (BP) originating from the semi-arid region of Piauí, Brazil. The BP showed significant inhibition of the Leishmania amazonensis promastigotes growth as well as being effective in reducing infection of murine macrophages and the number of internalised amastigotes in these cells. The dichloromethane fraction was the most active and showed the best selectivity index. The studied samples presented good activity and the fractioning improved the antileishmanial activity without an increase in the cytotoxicity against mammalian cells. Therefore, BP is a potential source for development of apitherapeutic products for the treatment of leishmaniasis.