Complement Factor H as a potential atherogenic marker in chronic Chagas' disease.

We aimed to investigate the association between plasma levels of complement Factor H (FH) with cardiac involvement, inflammatory and cardiometabolic parameters in patients with chronic Chagas' disease (CD). FH plasmatic levels were determined in 80 chronic CD patients. Glycaemic index, lipidogram (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol HDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol LDL-C, triglycerides and total cholesterol) and Ultrasensitive C-Reactive Protein (uCRP) values were obtained from medical records. Height, weight, body mass index (BMI) blood pressure and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were obtained from echocardiography examinations. Comparisons between chronic CD clinical forms were performed using Mann-Whitney test and correlation Spearman's test. FH levels were correlated positively with triglycerides (P = .001, r = .39), LDL-C (P = .009, r = .3), cholesterol (P = .02, r = .28), uCRP (P = .029, r = .31) and BMI (P = .008, r = .34); and negatively with HDL-C (P = .03, r = -.25) levels. Dyslipidemic patients showed higher FH levels compared to normolipidemic, although no difference for FH levels was observed between chronic CD clinical forms. Alternative pathway of complement may be a link between immune response and metabolic disorders, with important immunoregulatory role in chronic CD.

Neuro-ophthalmologic manifestations in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease that can affect different ocular structures, such as cornea, conjunctiva, episclera, sclera, uveal tract, retina, optic nerve and vessels. Neuro-ophthalmologic manifestations in SLE include different degrees of involvement of retina, choroid and optic nerve. Retinal changes are one of the most common ocular involvements and are frequently used as clinical criteria for activity, even if isolated. Studies show that up to 29% of patients with active SLE manifest retinal disease. The exact prevalence of choroidal disease is unknown, but is thought to be less common than retinopathy, due to under-diagnosis. Optic nerve disease, represented by optic neuritis and anterior/posterior ischaemic optic neuropathy, affects approximately 1% of SLE patients. These ocular manifestations have been associated with neurologic flares, antiphospholipid antibodies, nephropathy, and increased mortality. The aim of this paper is to review the different aspects of neuro-ophthalmologic involvement in SLE. Since these manifestations are frequent and potentially severe, a multi-professional team approach is needed to investigate properly and provide early aggressive treatment in order to avoid visual sequelae.

Fisetin as a promising antifungal agent against Cryptocococcus neoformans species complex.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanisms of action of fisetin, a flavonol with antifungal activity previously evaluated against the Cryptococcus neoformans species complex. METHODS AND RESULTS: Ergosterol content and flow cytometry analysis were determined for the C. neoformans species complex in the presence of fisetin and ultrastructural analysis of morphology was performed on Cryptococcus gattii and C. neoformans. Decrease in the total cellular ergosterol content after exposure to fisetin ranged from 25·4% after exposure to 128 µg ml(-1) to 21·6% after exposure to 64 µg ml(-1) of fisetin compared with the control (without fisetin). The fisetin effects obtained with flow cytometry showed metabolic impairment, and alterations in its normal morphology caused by fisetin in C. neoformans cells were verified using scanning electron microscopy. CONCLUSIONS: Fisetin is a compound that acts in the biosynthesis of ergosterol. Flow cytometry showed that fisetin reduced viability of the metabolically active cells of C. gattii, while morphological changes explain the action of fisetin in inhibiting growth of these fungi. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study supports the idea that fisetin may represent a good starting point for the development of future therapeutic substances for cryptococcosis.

Accumulation of silicon and arrangement and shapes of silica bodies in corn leaves.

Different plant species have different levels and locations of silicon accumulation in their tissues, and may or may not have silica bodies. Grasses usually accumulate these bodies, which may have different shapes depending on the genotype. Besides, this element can be beneficial to crops. The present study aimed to examine the forms and locations of silicon accumulation, as well as silicon content, in flag leaves of corn (Zea mays L.). This was a field experiment with two cultivars of corn: Coodetec 384 and Pioneer BG7065H. Four months after sowing, the flag leaves of the corn cultivars were obtained for determination of the silicon content of leaf tissue with the use of plasma atomic emission spectrometry, as well as examination of the different forms and locations of silicon accumulation using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The two cultivars were found to accumulate foliar silicon, primarily at the base of the trichomes and on the venation. Also, silica bodies in the shape of four-leaf clovers and dumbbells were detected, and the cultivar Coodetec 384 showed a silicon content in leaf tissue 26% higher than that of Pioneer BG7065H.

Frontoxins, three-finger toxins from Micrurus frontalis venom, decrease miniature endplate potential amplitude at frog neuromuscular junction.

Neurotoxicity is a major symptom of envenomation caused by Brazilian coral snake Micrurus frontalis. Due to the small amount of material that can be collected, no neurotoxin has been fully sequenced from this venom. In this work we report six new three-finger like toxins isolated from the venom of the coral snake M. frontalis which we named Frontoxin (FTx) I-VI. Toxins were purified using multiple steps of RP-HPLC. Molecular masses were determined by MALDI-TOF and ESI ion-trap mass spectrometry. The complete amino acid sequence of FTx II, III, IV and V were determined by sequencing of overlapping proteolytic fragments by Edman degradation and by de novo sequencing. The amino acid sequences of FTx I, II, III and VI predict 4 conserved disulphide bonds and structural similarity to previously reported short-chain alpha-neurotoxins. FTx IV and V each contained 10 conserved cysteines and share high similarity with long-chain alpha-neurotoxins. At the frog neuromuscular junction FTx II, III and IV reduced miniature endplate potential amplitudes in a time-and concentration-dependent manner suggesting Frontoxins block nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

International study of emergency department care for pediatric traumatic brain injury and the role of CT scanning.

OBJECTS: Our objective was to investigate the use of CT and its relationship to head injury severity and age. METHOD: The multi-center group International Study of Head Injury Project (ISHIP) serves as the administrative body for research design, data collection and analysis. This is a nonrandomized prospective study of longitudinal outcomes following examination and care in emergency department in five different countries. The subjects of our study were 4,690 children from birth to 15 years of age, all of whom were systematically evaluated. Each child was medically evaluated and categorized as to injury severity, mechanism of injury and findings on X-ray and CT scan. Follow-up interview and assessment was completed for comparison with the presenting clinical state. RESULTS: CT scans were performed for 674 (14.3%) of the children: 438 scans were normal and 236 were abnormal (P<0.001). Of the children with abnormal CT scans, 23.3% had mild head injuries, 42.7% had moderate injuries, and 33.8% had severe injuries, as determined by the GCS. By age, 10.5% of the positive CTs were in children aged 0-2 years, 56.3% in 3- to 9-year-olds, and 33% in 10- to 15-year-olds; only in 2% of cases were both CT and X-ray positive. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of children did not need significant medical intervention. Physicians ordered X-ray investigations more frequently than CT scanning. The use of X-ray to decide whether or not CT is necessary is not warranted. The implications of positive CTs in mild or moderate injuries were most noteworthy, as were age-related interactions with positive CT findings.

International Multicenter Study of Head Injury in Children. ISHIP Group.

With the object of evaluating different epidemiological factors in the acute phase of head injury (HI) in the pediatric age group in five countries (Argentina, Brazil, France, Hong-Kong and Spain), we carried out a prospective and descriptive study, in which we analyzed the clinical and radiological risk factors versus management and outcome 7-30 days after trauma. We included all children seen in the emergency department and hospitalized who were aged between 0 and 15 years and had sustained HI. Data were compiled from the clinical records and analyzed for neurological evaluation with the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and the Glasgow Paediatric Coma Score (GPCS), and also by means of dynamics, symptoms, skull X-rays, CT scans. The total of 2478 patients enrolled in the study was made up of 60.9% boys and 39.1 % girls. Age distribution was as follows: 55.2% aged 0-4 years; 28.3% aged 5-9 years, and 16.4% aged 10-15 years. Most (75.3%, or 1768) of these patients completed follow-up. The total sample included 1058 children (42.7%) who required hospitalization. Skull fractures were identified in 11.8% (298) of the cases, and 6.4% (158) of CT scans were pathologic. Minor HI accounted for 56.4% of these children, moderate HI for 38.9%, and severe HI for the remaining 4.7%. The lethality rate was 1.6%. Our preliminary data reveal that it is very important for new guidelines on the treatment of minor HI to be prepared, because patients with minor HI had undergone the most skull X-rays and also most frequently been admitted to hospital for unnecessarily long periods of time, though the incidence of brain damage (1.6%) was lowest in this group of the study population. We intend to carry out a full analysis of the various risk factors at the end of the study.