Are different motivations and social capital score associated with return behaviour among Brazilian voluntary non-remunerated blood donors?

BACKGROUND: We examined the association between social capital score, motivator factors and demographic and donation characteristics and donor return at three Brazilian blood centres in Recife, São Paulo and Belo Horizonte. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 5974 donors were interviewed about motivation factors to donate and cognitive and structural social capital just before an effective donation in three Brazilians blood centres in 2009. We assessed the return to a new donation within 2 years for each of these donors. Demographic and donation characteristics, motivators and scores of social capital and their association with donors' return were assessed. RESULTS: Overall, 3123 (52.3%) of the study subjects returned for a blood donation at least once. Predictors of donors' return were male gender (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.6, 1.3-1.9, for replacement and AOR = 1.3, 1.2-1.6, for community donors), previous donation (AOR = 2.7, 2.3-3.3, for replacement and AOR = 2.9, 2.5-3.5, for community donors) and high altruism (AOR = 1.3, 1.1-1.7, for replacement and AOR = 1.2, 1.0-1.5, for community donors). Altruism was the only motivator associated with return behaviour. Donors from Recife and São Paulo were more likely to return for replacement and/or for community donations than donors from Belo Horizonte. There was no association between social capital score and donor return behaviour. CONCLUSION: The likelihood to return for a subsequent blood donation is dependent upon characteristics of individual donors and also varies in different regions of Brazil. However, social capital was not associated with the likelihood of return behaviour. A better understanding of altruistic categories and appeals may help to improve donor recruitment and retention.

Chlamydia heat shock protein 60 induces trophoblast apoptosis through TLR4.

Intrauterine infection affects placental development and function, and subsequently may lead to complications such as preterm delivery, intrauterine growth retardation, and preeclampsia; however, the molecular mechanisms are not clearly known. TLRs mediate innate immune responses in placenta, and recently, TLR2-induced trophoblast apoptosis has been suggested to play a role in infection-induced preterm delivery. Chlamydia trachomatis is the etiological agent of the most prevalent sexually transmitted bacterial infection in the United States. In this study, we show that in vitro chlamydial heat shock protein 60 induces apoptosis in primary human trophoblasts, placental fibroblasts, and the JEG3 trophoblast cell line, and that TLR4 mediates this event. We observed a host cell type-dependent apoptotic response. In primary placental fibroblasts, chlamydial heat shock protein 60-induced apoptosis was caspase dependent, whereas in JEG3 trophoblast cell lines it was caspase independent. These data suggest that TLR4 stimulation induces apoptosis in placenta, and this could provide a novel mechanism of pathogenesis for poor fertility and pregnancy outcome in women with persistent chlamydia infection.

In vitro transfection of the human vas deferens using DNA-liposome and DNA-neutral lipid complexes.

OBJECTIVE: To transfect the human vas deferens in vitro. DESIGN: Prospective study, description of a procedure. SETTING: Research center and university hospital. PATIENT(S): Seven fertile men undergoing vasectomies or vasovasostomies. INTERVENTION(S): Human vas deferens pieces were transfected in vitro using the p-GeneGrip gene construction, which codifies for the green fluorescent protein (GFP). Lipofectamine or GenePorter were employed as gene vectors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): After vas deferens epithelium transfection, we described the vas deferens foreign gene expression. Maximum transfection occurred in 14.7% of the vas deferens epithelial cells. After using GenePorter, we observed green fluorescent protein gene expression in 40% of samples, which occupied 9.86% of the epithelial area. After Lipofectamine treatment, transgene expression occurred in 33% of the samples and occupied 9.05% of the epithelial area. CONCLUSION(S): The human vas deferens epithelium has the potential to be modified by gene transfection.

O papel das Heat Shock Proteins no entendimento das infeccoes ginecologicas / The hole of heat shock proteins regards to gynecological infections

Os autores enfocam a importância da biologia molecular no avanço do entendimento dos processos fisiopatogênicos das doenças infecciosas. A Heat Shock Proteínas, tidas como importante mecanismo de defesa celular quando estas estäo submetidas ao estresse, säo descritas em detalhes, classificando-as e dando suas principais funçöes. Os efeitos destas proteínas no organismo humano foram considerados, mostrando-se como hipoteticamente o aumento de sua produçäo, poderia ajudar o indivíduo em determinadas circunstâncias, favorecendo o combate de algumas infecçöes e eventualmente, potencializando a recuperaçäo celular. As situaçöes desfavoráveis também foram destacadas, uma vez que mais esporadicamente, em alguns casos, pode haver possíveis reaçöes imunogênicas cruzadas, levando ao aparecimento de doenças crônicas