Fauna flebotomínica e soroprevalência para leishmaniose visceral canina em área urbana na região Centro-Oeste do Brasil / [Phlebotomine fauna and seroprevalence for canine visceral leishmaniasis in urban area from Central-West region of Brazil]

A leishmaniose visceral americana (LVA) é uma zoonose de transmissão vetorial na qual o cão tem papel importante na epidemiologia da doença. No Brasil, a elevada prevalência da infecção em cães está diretamente correlacionada com o aumento no risco de ocorrência de casos de LVA. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a fauna flebotomínica e verificar a soroprevalência da leishmaniose visceral canina (LVC) na localidade Pedra 90, no município de Cuiabá. Para o levantamento entomológico, armadilhas CDC foram utilizadas de agosto de 2014 a julho de 2015. Na avaliação sorológica dos cães, o teste imunocromatográfico DPP LVC foi utilizado para a triagem das amostras, enquanto o ensaio imunoenzimático (EIE) para o diagnóstico da LVC (Bio-Manguinhos) foi empregado como teste confirmatório. O trabalho vem acrescentar à fauna flebotomínica do município de Cuiabá as espécies Lu. andersoni, Lu. braziliensis, Lu. bourrouli e Lu. scaffi, não registradas em publicações anteriores. Além disso, entre as espécies de flebotomíneos com importância médica, Lu. cruzi, Lu. flaviscutellata e Lu. whitmani foram capturadas. No inquérito canino, a prevalência de LVC observada na localidade Pedra 90 foi de 1,14%, indicando que a região pode ser considerada como área de transmissão.(AU)

American visceral leishmaniasis (AVL) is a vector-borne zoonosis in which the dog has an important role in the epidemiology of the disease. In Brazil, a high prevalence of canine infection is directly correlated with an increased risk of occurrence of AVL. The aim of this study was to investigate the phlebotomine fauna and seroprevalence of canine visceral leishmaniasis in Pedra 90 region of Cuiabá municipality. For the entomological survey, CDC traps were used from August 2014 to July 2015. In the serological evaluation of dogs, the immunochromatographic test DPP LVC was employed for screening the samples while enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Bio-Manguinhos) was used as a confirmatory assay. The previously unreported phlebotomine species Lu. andersoni, Lu. braziliensis, Lu. bourrouli, and Lu. scaffi were added to the phlebotomine fauna of Cuiabá. In addition, the medically important phlebotomine species Lu. cruzi, Lu. flaviscutellata, and Lu. whitmani were identified. The canine survey revealed the prevalence of 1.14% for canine visceral leishmaniasis in the Pedra 90 region, the region being considered a transmission area.(AU)

The rainy season increases the abundance and richness of the aquatic insect community in a Neotropical reservoir.

Alterations in aquatic systems and changes in water levels, whether due to rains or dam-mediated control can cause changes in community structure, forcing the community to readjust to the new environment. This study tested the hypothesis that there is an increase in the richness and abundance of aquatic insects during the rainy season in the Serra da Mesa Reservoir, with the premise that increasing the reservoir level provides greater external material input and habitat diversity, and, therefore, conditions that promote colonization by more species. We used the paired t test to test the differences in richness, beta diversity, and abundance, and a Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) was performed to identify patterns in the community under study. Additionally, Pearson correlations were analyzed between the richness, abundance, and beta diversity and the level of the reservoir. We collected 35,028 aquatic insect larvae (9,513 in dry period and 25,515 in the rainy season), predominantly of the Chironomidae family, followed by orders Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera, and Odonata. Among the 33 families collected, only 12 occurred in the dry season, while all occurred in the rainy season. These families are common in lentic environments, and the dominance of Chironomidae was associated with its fast colonization, their behavior of living at high densities and the great tolerance to low levels of oxygen in the environment. The hypothesis was confirmed, as the richness, beta diversity, and abundance were positively affected by the increase in water levels due to the rainy season, which most likely led to greater external material input, greater heterogeneity of habitat, and better conditions for colonization by several families.

Evaluation of the agreement by examiners according to classifications of third molars.

OBJECTIVES: This study recorded and evaluated the intra- and inter-group agreement degree by different examiners for the classification of lower third molars according to both the Winter's and Pell & Gregory's systems. STUDY DESIGN: An observational and cross-sectional study was realized with forty lower third molars analyzed from twenty digital panoramic radiographs. Four examiner groups (undergraduates, maxillofacial surgeons, oral radiologists and clinical dentists) from Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil, classified them in relation to angulation, class and position. The variance test (ANOVA) was applied in the examiner findings with significance level of p<0.05 and confidence intervals of 95%. RESULTS: Intra- and inter-group agreement was observed in Winter's classification system among all examiners. Pell & Gregory's classification system showed an average intra-group agreement and a statistical significant difference to position variable in inter-group analysis with greater disagreement to the clinical dentists group (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: High reproducibility was associated to Winter's classification, whereas the system proposed by Pell & Gregory did not demonstrate appropriate levels of reliability.

Sulfated proteoglycans as modulators of neuronal migration and axonal decussation in the developing midbrain

Proteoglycans are abundant in the developing brain and there is much circumstantial evidence for their roles in directional neuronal movements such as cell body migration and axonal growth. We have developed an in vitro model of astrocyte cultures of the lateral and medial sectors of the embryonic mouse midbrain, that differ in their ability to support neuritic growth of young midbrain neurons, and we have searched for the role of interactive proteins and proteoglycans in this model. Neurite production in co-cultures reveals that, irrespective of the previous location of neurons in the midbrain, medial astrocytes exert an inhibitory or nonpermissive effect on neuritic growth that is correlated to a higher content of both heparan and chondroitin sulfates (HS and CS). Treatment of astrocytes with chondroitinase ABC revealed a growth-promoting effect of CS on lateral glia but treatment with exogenous CS-4 indicated a U-shaped dose-response curve for CS. In contrast, the growth-inhibitory action of medial astrocytes was reversed by exogenous CS-4. Treatment of astrocytes with heparitinase indicated that the growth-inhibitory action of medial astrocytes may depend heavily on HS by an as yet unknown mechanism. The results are discussed in terms of available knowledge on the binding of HS proteoglycans to interactive proteins, with emphasis on the importance of unraveling the physiological functions of glial glycoconjugates for a better understanding of neuron-glial interactions

Sulfated proteoglycans as modulators of neuronal migration and axonal decussation in the developing midbrain.

Proteoglycans are abundant in the developing brain and there is much circumstantial evidence for their roles in directional neuronal movements such as cell body migration and axonal growth. We have developed an in vitro model of astrocyte cultures of the lateral and medial sectors of the embryonic mouse midbrain, that differ in their ability to support neuritic growth of young midbrain neurons, and we have searched for the role of interactive proteins and proteoglycans in this model. Neurite production in co-cultures reveals that, irrespective of the previous location of neurons in the midbrain, medial astrocytes exert an inhibitory or nonpermissive effect on neuritic growth that is correlated to a higher content of both heparan and chondroitin sulfates (HS and CS). Treatment of astrocytes with chondroitinase ABC revealed a growth-promoting effect of CS on lateral glia but treatment with exogenous CS-4 indicated a U-shaped dose-response curve for CS. In contrast, the growth-inhibitory action of medial astrocytes was reversed by exogenous CS-4. Treatment of astrocytes with heparitinase indicated that the growth-inhibitory action of medial astrocytes may depend heavily on HS by an as yet unknown mechanism. The results are discussed in terms of available knowledge on the binding of HS proteoglycans to interactive proteins, with emphasis on the importance of unraveling the physiological functions of glial glycoconjugates for a better understanding of neuron-glial interactions.

Comparative biochemistry of human skin: glycosaminoglycans from different body sites in normal subjects and in patients with localized scleroderma.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this investigation is to compare the relative proportions of disaccharides of chondroitinase-digestible glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) among the different body sites in control human skin and in the skin lesions of patients with localized scleroderma. METHODS: The disaccharide relative proportions were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). RESULTS: DeltaDi-4S, the main disaccharide unit of dermatan sulphate (DS), was the major skin GAG disaccharide (approximately 70% of the total) in control skin among all different body sites studied here. In scleroderma there was an increase in the relative proportion of both deltaDi-HA, the main disaccharide unit of hyaluronic acid (HA), and deltaDi-diS(B) (alpha-deltaUA(2SO4)-1-->3-GalNAc(4SO4)), derived from DS, and a decrease in deltaDi-4S, as compared with the uninvolved skin or the site-matched control skin. CONCLUSION: DS is the major GAG species in normal skin from different body sites. In addition, our results suggest a decrease and also a structural change in DS and an increase in the proportion of HA in scleroderma skin.

Astroglial cells derived from lateral and medial midbrain sectors differ in their synthesis and secretion of sulfated glycosaminoglycans

Astroglial cells derived from lateral and medial midbrain sectors differ in their abilities to support neuritic growth of midbrain neurons in cocultures. These different properties of the two types of cells may be related to the composition of their extracellular matrix. We have studied the synthesis and secretion of sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) by the two cell types under control conditions and ß-D-xyloside-stimulated conditions, that stimulate the ability to synthesize and release GAGs. We have confirmed that both cell types synthesize and secrete heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate. Only slight differences were observed between the proportions of the two GAGs produced by the two types of cells after a 24-h labeling period. However, a marked difference was observed between the GAGs produced by the astroglial cells derived from lateral and medial midbrain sectors. The medial cells, which contain derivatives of the tectal and tegmental midline radial glia, synthesized and secreted ~2.3 times more chondroitin sulfate than lateral cells. The synthesis of heparan sulfate was only slightly modified by the addition of ß-D-xyloside. Overall, these results indicate that astroglial cells derived from the two midbrain sectors have marked differences in their capacity to synthesize chondroitin sulfate. Under in vivo conditions or a long period of in vitro culture, they may produce extracellular matrix at concentrations which may differentially affect neuritic growth

The extracellular matrix of the midline and non-midline midbrain glia: correlations with neurite growth-supporting abilities

The central nervous system (CNS) midline plays an important role in growth and guidance of axons. At the midline, a multiplicity of cell types establish boundaries that control the navigation of crossed and uncrossed axonal fibers. The extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules of the resident neuroepithelial or committed neuronal of glial cells could be involved in the control of axon growth and axon guidance. This review reports the recent advances in the study of the structure and functional role of the ECM at the midline locus of the CNS. In vivo and in vitro approaches are considered to provide new clues in the understanding of processes involved in the cellular decisions of the CNS midline.

Proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans synthesized by the hepatic granulomas isolated from schistosome-infected mice and by a granuloma-derived connective tissue cell line

1. This paper summarizes our studies on proteglycans and glycosaminoglycans in the hepatic fibrosis occurring in schistosomiasis. 2. We have compared proteglycans and glycosaminoglycans isolated from schistosomal fibrotic granulomas with those obtained from the cellular and extracellular compartments of a murine cell line derived from schistosome-induced granulomas, primary cell line "GR". 3. Our results have shown some biochemical and structural similarities between proteglycans and glycosaminoglycans extracted from granulomas and those synthesized and secreted by GR cells, suggesting that cells may be the major cell population involved in synthesis and accumulation of these molecules in the schistosomal periovular granulomas in liver. Furthermore, we have shown that GR cells can function as an extramedullary myelopoietic stroma that mediates a long-term myeloid proliferation through an autocrine mechanism where the interaction between myelopoietic growth factors and cell-surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans was characterized