Human immunodeficiency virus transmission-Mechanisms underlying the cell-to-cell spread of human immunodeficiency virus.

Despite the success of combined antiretroviral therapy in controlling viral load and reducing the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission, an estimated 1.5 million new infections occurred worldwide in 2021. These new infections are mainly the result of sexual intercourse and thus involve cells present on the genital mucosa, such as dendritic cells (DCs), macrophages (Mø) and CD4+ T lymphocytes. Understanding the mechanisms by which HIV interacts with these cells and how HIV exploits these interactions to establish infection in a new human host is critical to the development of strategies to prevent and control HIV transmission. In this review, we explore how HIV has evolved to manipulate some of the physiological roles of these cells, thereby gaining access to strategic cellular niches that are critical for the spread and pathogenesis of HIV infection. The interaction of HIV with DCs, Mø and CD4+ T lymphocytes, and the role of the intercellular transfer of viral particles through the establishment of the infectious or virological synapses, but also through membrane protrusions such as filopodia and tunnelling nanotubes (TNTs), and cell fusion or cell engulfment processes are presented and discussed.

SARS-CoV2 pneumonia recovery is linked to expansion of innate lymphoid cells type 2 expressing CCR10.

Accelerate lung repair in SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia is essential for pandemic handling. Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are likely players, given their role in mucosal protection and tissue homeostasis. We studied ILC subpopulations at two time points in a cohort of patients admitted in the hospital due to SARS-CoV-2 infection. COVID-19 patients with moderate/severe respiratory failure featured profound depletion of circulating ILCs at hospital admission, in agreement with overall lymphocyte depletion. However, ILCs recovered in direct correlation with lung function improvement as measured by oxygenation index and in negative association with inflammatory and lung/endothelial damage markers like RAGE. While both ILC1 and ILC2 expanded, ILC2 showed the most striking phenotype changes, with CCR10 upregulation in strong correlation with these parameters. Overall, CCR10+ ILC2 emerge as relevant contributors to SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia recovery.

Cell-to-Cell Transmission of HIV-1 and HIV-2 from Infected Macrophages and Dendritic Cells to CD4+ T Lymphocytes.

Macrophages (Mø) and dendritic cells (DCs) are key players in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and pathogenesis. They are essential for the spread of HIV to CD4+ T lymphocytes (TCD4+) during acute infection. In addition, they constitute a persistently infected reservoir in which viral production is maintained for long periods of time during chronic infection. Defining how HIV interacts with these cells remains a critical area of research to elucidate the pathogenic mechanisms of acute spread and sustained chronic infection and transmission. To address this issue, we analyzed a panel of phenotypically distinct HIV-1 and HIV-2 primary isolates for the efficiency with which they are transferred from infected DCs or Mø to TCD4+. Our results show that infected Mø and DCs spread the virus to TCD4+ via cell-free viral particles in addition to other alternative pathways. We demonstrate that the production of infectious viral particles is induced by the co-culture of different cell populations, indicating that the contribution of cell signaling driven by cell-to-cell contact is a trigger for viral replication. The results obtained do not correlate with the phenotypic characteristics of the HIV isolates, namely their co-receptor usage, nor do we find significant differences between HIV-1 and HIV-2 in terms of cis- or trans-infection. The data presented here may help to further elucidate the cell-to-cell spread of HIV and its importance in HIV pathogenesis. Ultimately, this knowledge is critical for new therapeutic and vaccine approaches.

Severe COVID-19 Recovery Is Associated with Timely Acquisition of a Myeloid Cell Immune-Regulatory Phenotype.

After more than one year since the COVID-19 outbreak, patients with severe disease still constitute the bottleneck of the pandemic management. Aberrant inflammatory responses, ranging from cytokine storm to immune-suppression, were described in COVID-19 and no treatment was demonstrated to change the prognosis significantly. Therefore, there is an urgent need for understanding the underlying pathogenic mechanisms to guide therapeutic interventions. This study was designed to assess myeloid cell activation and phenotype leading to recovery in patients surviving severe COVID-19. We evaluated longitudinally patients with COVID-19 related respiratory insufficiency, stratified according to the need of intensive care unit admission (ICU, n = 11, and No-ICU, n = 9), and age and sex matched healthy controls (HCs, n = 11), by flow cytometry and a wide array of serum inflammatory/immune-regulatory mediators. All patients featured systemic immune-regulatory myeloid cell phenotype as assessed by both unsupervised and supervised analysis of circulating monocyte and dendritic cell subsets. Specifically, we observed a reduction of CD14lowCD16+ monocytes, and reduced expression of CD80, CD86, and Slan. Moreover, mDCs, pDCs, and basophils were significantly reduced, in comparison to healthy subjects. Contemporaneously, both monocytes and DCs showed increased expression of CD163, CD204, CD206, and PD-L1 immune-regulatory markers. The expansion of M2-like monocytes was significantly higher at admission in patients featuring detectable SARS-CoV-2 plasma viral load and it was positively correlated with the levels of specific antibodies. In No-ICU patients, we observed a peak of the alterations at admission and a progressive regression to a phenotype similar to HCs at discharge. Interestingly, in ICU patients, the expression of immuno-suppressive markers progressively increased until discharge. Notably, an increase of M2-like HLA-DRhighPD-L1+ cells in CD14++CD16- monocytes and in dendritic cell subsets was observed at ICU discharge. Furthermore, IFN-γ and IL-12p40 showed a decline over time in ICU patients, while high values of IL1RA and IL-10 were maintained. In conclusion, these results support that timely acquisition of a myeloid cell immune-regulatory phenotype might contribute to recovery in severe systemic SARS-CoV-2 infection and suggest that therapeutic agents favoring an innate immune system regulatory shift may represent the best strategy to be implemented at this stage.

Acute HIV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 Infections Share Slan+ Monocyte Depletion-Evidence from an Hyperacute HIV-1 Case Report.

Monocytes are key modulators in acute viral infections, determining both inflammation and development of specific B- and T-cell responses. Recently, these cells were shown to be associated to different SARS-CoV-2 infection outcome. However, their role in acute HIV-1 infection remains unclear. We had the opportunity to evaluate the mononuclear cell compartment in an early hyper-acute HIV-1 patient in comparison with an untreated chronic HIV-1 and a cohort of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients, by high dimensional flow cytometry using an unsupervised approach. A distinct polarization of the monocyte phenotype was observed in the two viral infections, with maintenance of pro-inflammatory M1-like profile in HIV-1, in contrast to the M2-like immunosuppressive shift in SARS-CoV-2. Noticeably, both acute infections had reduced CD14low/-CD16+ non-classical monocytes, with depletion of the population expressing Slan (6-sulfo LacNac), which is thought to contribute to immune surveillance through pro-inflammatory properties. This depletion indicates a potential role of these cells in acute viral infection, which has not previously been explored. The inflammatory state accompanied by the depletion of Slan+ monocytes may provide new insights on the critical events that determine the rate of viral set-point in acute HIV-1 infection and subsequent impact on transmission and reservoir establishment.

["In search of respect": life stories of black women seen at a Specialized Center for Women's Care in the Baixada Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil]. / "Respeito é bom e eu gosto": trajetórias de vida de mulheres negras assistidas por um Centro Especializado de Atendimento à Mulher em Situação de Violência na Baixada Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

Based on a constructivist inter-sector approach and considering the possible agency and negotiations within violent relationships, the study aimed to understand how black women redefined gender violence according to their affective-sexual relationships. The procedures included participant observation in discussion groups and individual interviews with women seen at a Specialized Center for Women's Care in the Baixada Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. According to the results, gender violence is present throughout the women's lives. The narratives reveal a feeling of affective-sexual loneliness caused by neglect by their partners or potential partners, as well as experiences with racist and sexist treatment in their own relationships at school and work. Violence, apparently limited to intimate partner relations, spills over into other family relations. Understanding violence as "lack of respect" produced a kind of "collective surveillance" among the women, evidencing the building of a solidarity network. By retelling their life stories, these women remember the past, present, and future with expectations by poor black working women of reinventing themselves. A joint on-going effort is needed by civil society, teaching institutions, and the political sphere to deconstruct culturally instituted models that persistently keep black women in a place of submission, inferiority, and marginalization.

A six-step model to transform an ergonomic work analysis into design guidelines for engineering projects.

BACKGROUND: Ergonomic work analysis (EWA) is an ethnographic-like method that can produce highly detailed accounts of real work in work systems. Such knowledge is valuable for designers when they are designing new work systems. However, rich data derived from EWA should be transformed into more designer-friendly guidelines to have an impact on engineering design projects. OBJECTIVE: We propose a six-step model to transform EWA into ergonomic design guidelines (EDG). This model can be applied by ergonomists and researchers when taking part in projects with the aim of transferring operational experiences into engineering design. METHODS: Based on previous experiences using EWA, we establish a model for transforming the outcome of EWA into EDG. We illustrate the model through a case study based on the offshore oil industry. RESULTS: This paper describes how EWA rich data is transformed into EDG following the proposed six-step model, including the concepts of characteristic situations and settings of usage. CONCLUSIONS: Based on preliminary testing and validation by designers, EWA can be transformed into useful EDG by following the six steps of the proposed model.

"Respeito é bom e eu gosto": trajetórias de vida de mulheres negras assistidas por um Centro Especializado de Atendimento à Mulher em Situação de Violência na Baixada Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil / "In search of respect": life stories of black women seen at a Specialized Center for Women's Care in the Baixada Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil / "El respeto es bueno y me gusta": trayectorias de vida de mujeres negras asistidas por un Centro Especializado de Atención a la Mujer en la Bajada Fluminense, Río de Janeiro, Brasil

Resumo: A partir de uma abordagem interseccional construtivista e levando em consideração os agenciamentos e negociações possíveis dentro de relações violentas, a pesquisa visou a compreender como mulheres negras ressignificam a violência de gênero a partir de seus relacionamentos afetivo-sexuais. Utilizaram-se como procedimentos a observação participante em grupos de reflexão e entrevistas individuais junto a mulheres assistidas por um Centro Especializado de Atendimento à Mulher em Situação de Violência na Baixada Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Os resultados apontam que a violência de gênero está presente ao longo da trajetória de vida das interlocutoras. Nas narrativas é perceptível um sentimento de solidão afetivo-sexual provocada pela preterição dos parceiros ou potenciais parceiros, bem como experiências racistas e sexistas engendradas nos próprios relacionamentos ou no âmbito escolar e de trabalho. A violência, aparentemente restrita à relação entre parceiros íntimos, se desdobrou para outras relações familiares. A compreensão da violência como "falta de respeito" produziu uma espécie de "central de vigilância" entre as mulheres, evidenciando a construção de uma rede de solidariedade. Ao narrarem suas trajetórias de vida, essas mulheres rememoram o passado, o presente e o futuro e também a expectativa de se reinventarem como mulheres, negras, pobres e trabalhadoras. É preciso um esforço conjunto e contínuo da sociedade civil, das instituições de ensino e da esfera política para desconstruir modelos culturalmente instituídos que persistem em colocar as mulheres negras no lugar de submissão, de inferioridade e de marginalização.

Abstract: Based on a constructivist inter-sector approach and considering the possible agency and negotiations within violent relationships, the study aimed to understand how black women redefined gender violence according to their affective-sexual relationships. The procedures included participant observation in discussion groups and individual interviews with women seen at a Specialized Center for Women's Care in the Baixada Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. According to the results, gender violence is present throughout the women's lives. The narratives reveal a feeling of affective-sexual loneliness caused by neglect by their partners or potential partners, as well as experiences with racist and sexist treatment in their own relationships at school and work. Violence, apparently limited to intimate partner relations, spills over into other family relations. Understanding violence as "lack of respect" produced a kind of "collective surveillance" among the women, evidencing the building of a solidarity network. By retelling their life stories, these women remember the past, present, and future with expectations by poor black working women of reinventing themselves. A joint on-going effort is needed by civil society, teaching institutions, and the political sphere to deconstruct culturally instituted models that persistently keep black women in a place of submission, inferiority, and marginalization.

Resumen: A partir de un abordaje interseccional constructivista, y considerando las gestiones y negociaciones posibles en el seno de relaciones violentas, la investigación tuvo como objetivo comprender cómo las mujeres negras resignifican la violencia de género a partir de sus relaciones afectivo-sexuales. Se utilizaron como procedimientos la observación participante en grupos de reflexión y entrevistas individuales junto a mujeres asistidas por un Centro Especializado de Atención a la Mujer en la Baixada Fluminense, Río de Janeiro, Brasil. Los resultados apuntan que la violencia de género está presente a lo largo de la trayectoria de vida de las interlocutoras. En las narrativas es perceptible un sentimiento de soledad afectivo-sexual, provocada por el rechazo de las parejas o potenciales parejas, así como experiencias racistas y sexistas engendradas en las propias relaciones o en el ámbito escolar y de trabajo. La violencia, aparentemente restringida a la relación entre miembros de la pareja, se desdobló en otras relaciones familiares. La comprensión de la violencia como "falta de respeto" produjo una especie de "central de vigilancia" entre las mujeres, poniendo en evidencia la construcción de una red de solidaridad. Al narrar sus trayectorias de vida, esas mujeres rememoran el pasado, el presente y el futuro y la expectativa de que se reinventen como mujeres, negras, pobres y trabajadoras. Es necesario un esfuerzo conjunto y continuo de la sociedad civil, de las instituciones de enseñanza y de la esfera política para deconstruir modelos culturalmente instituidos que persisten en situar a las mujeres en un lugar de sumisión, inferioridad y marginalización.

Intermediary objects in the workspace design process: means of experience transfer in the offshore sector.

The aim of this paper is to discuss the use of intermediary objects in the workspace design process of offshore accommodations module. The integration of ergonomics in the design process can lead to better work conditions, more effectiveness in the work process and less health and safety issues. Moreover, it is more efficient in terms of cost if ergonomics is considered from the initial phases of the project, as the potential costs of the redesign, the possible losses and the down-time in the operation of the platform would be more increased. The goal, then, is to discuss the integration of ergonomics and users involvement in the design process of accommodations modules, focusing on the transfer of information from reference situations by the use of intermediary objects during the process. In this paper we will present two tools developed to be used as intermediary object(s) aiming at transferring the experience from the use to the design in the specific field of offshore accommodations module.

Trajetória de vida de mulheres negras assistidas por um Centro de Especializado de Atendimento à mulher em situação de violência: (res)significados, (re)descobertas e (re)construções / Life journey of black women assisted by a Specialized Care Center for Women in situations of violence: (res) meanings, (re) discoveries and (re) constructions

Esta pesquisa discute a trajetória de vida de mulheres negras assistidas por um Centro Especializado de Atendimento à Mulher em situação de violência (CEAM). O uso do (Re) indicando os (res)significados, as (re)descobertas e as (re)construções apontavam para a hipótese de que estes elementos poderiam ou não ser constitutivos do contexto de violência das mulheres institucionalizadas, mas o primordial foi compreendê-los a partir de suas trajetórias de vida. O objetivo da pesquisa foi compreender como essas mulheres ressignificam suas relações com parceiros íntimos, se redescobrem nos espaços sociais e reconstroem seus laços afetivos. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa baseada na interpretação de trajetórias de vida a partir da utilização da observação participante nos grupos de reflexão e de entrevistas individuais em profundidade. Foi possível perscrutar que o processo de (res)significação nos contextos violentos não estava circunscrito as relações com parceiros íntimos, abrangendo também outros agentes ligados ao seu círculo social direta ou indiretamente. A violência foi compreendida como práticas de desrespeito presente no cotidiano das mulheres. No âmbito das redescobertas, o desejo de romper com estruturas de poder que limitavam essas mulheres de ocupar os espaços sociais passa pela separação com parceiros que as cerceavam de buscar seus sonhos e objetivos. O processo de redescoberta envolveu também o exercício da sexualidade e a relação com o corpo. Nesse ponto, a satisfação sexual e a boa relação com o corpo foram influenciadas pela sensação de serem desejadas e tratadas com afeto pelos parceiros. Na esfera da reconstrução dos laços afetivos, os modelos familiares influenciaram negativamente na dinâmica e na resposta das informantes à violência de gênero. Os conflitos familiares que mais se destacaram foram aqueles envolvendo a relação mães e filhos. No entanto, foram esses conflitos que evidenciaram maior possibilidade de reconstrução exitosa. A violência esta presente ao longo de toda a trajetória de vida das mulheres pesquisadas. Essa violência muitas vezes apareceu de forma ­sutil‖ através do preconceito racial, da discriminação etária, de ofensas e preterições de parceiros ou potenciais parceiros afetivo-sexuais, das dificuldades de acesso ao mercado de trabalho e do esforço dessas mulheres para se enquadrarem aos padrões condizentes com a cultura do embranquecimento. É necessário ampliar o debate que cerca a violência de gênero e a interseccionalidade, visto que estes recortes são essenciais para a construção de políticas públicas e para a capacitação de profissionais no manejo e no enfretamento da violência de gênero

This research discusses the life journey of black women assisted by a specialized Center Care for of women in situation of violence (CEAM). The use of (Re) indicating meanings, (re) discoveries and (re) constructions pointed out to the hypothesis that these elements might or might not be constitutive of the institutionalized women's violence context, but the primordial was understood them from their life trajectories. The objective of the research was to understand how these women re-signify their relationships with intimate partners, rediscover themselves in social spaces and rebuild their affective ties. It is a qualitative research based on the interpretation of life trajectories from the use of participant observation in reflection groups and from individual in-depth interviews. It was possible to examine that the process of (re) signification in violent contexts was not limited to relationships with intimate partners, also encompassing other agents linked to their social circle directly or indirectly. Violence was understood as practices of disrespect present in women's daily lives. In the context of the rediscovery, the desire to break with the structures of power that limited these women to occupy the social spaces, passes through the separation with partners that constrained them from pursuing their dreams and goals. The process of rediscovery also involved the exercise of sexuality and the relationship with the body. At this point, sexual satisfaction and good relationship with the body were influenced by the feeling of being wanted and treated with affection by the partners. In the sphere of the reconstruction of the affective bonds, the familiar models influenced negatively in the dynamics and the answer of the informants to the violence of gender. The family conflicts that stood out the most were those involving the relationship between mothers and children. However, it was these conflicts that showed a greater possibility of successful reconstruction. Violence is present throughout the life journey of the women surveyed. This violence often appeared "subtly" through racial prejudice, age discrimination, offenses and preteritions of partners or potential sexual-affective partners, difficulties in accessing the labor market, and the effort of these women to conform to standards consistent with the culture of whitening. It is necessary to broaden the debate surrounding gender violence and intersectionality, since these cuts are essential for the construction of public policies and for the training of professionals in the management and enforcement of gender violence