Neonatal consequences of maternal exposure to the chikungunya virus: Case reports.

Rationale: The chikungunya virus (CHIKV) was first isolated in a Tanzanian epidemic area between 1952 and 1953. The best description of the CHIKV transmission during pregnancy can be found in a well-documented epidemic in 2005, in the "La Reunion" island, a French territory located in the Indian Ocean, in which about one-third of the population was infected. Reports of arbovirus infections in pregnancy are increasing over time, but the spectrum of clinical findings remains an incognita among researchers, including CHIKV.

Development of Secondary Microcephaly After Delivery: Possible Consequence of Mother-Baby Transmission of Zika Virus in Breast Milk.

BACKGROUND The Zika virus is an arbovirus that has as main source of transmission the bite of infected insects of the genus Aedes and has been associated with cases of congenital malformation and microcephaly in neonates. However, other sources of transmission have been identified since the emergence of this virus in the world population, such as vertical transmission by semen and possibly other body fluids such as vaginal secretion and breast milk. CASE REPORT An infant, born to a mother whose previous delivery was a baby with severe microcephaly, was normal and was negative for Zika virus at birth but developed secondary microcephaly 1 month later, that persisted.

The effects of protein malnutrition on the TNF-RI and NF-κB expression via the TNF-α signaling pathway.

Malnutrition is a nutritional condition that can affect many aspects of the immunological response, including by decreasing cell migration and stimulating phagocytosis; the bactericidal response; changes in reactive oxygen and nitrogen species production; and the production of proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). This cytokine is primarily produced by macrophages and is associated with a wide range of biological activities, including inflammatory processes, growth, differentiation, and apoptosis. TNF-α acts through the activation of TNF receptors, and mainly receptor I (TNF-RI), which is responsible for most of the effects of TNF-α.

Protein malnutrition alters spleen cell proliferation and IL-2 and IL-10 production by affecting the STAT-1 and STAT-3 balance.

Protein malnutrition (PM) is an important public health problem that affects resistance to infection by impairing a number of physiological processes. PM induces structural changes in the lymphoid organs that affect the roles of the immune and inflammatory responses in a crucial way. The activation of different transcription factors, including signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) family members, leads to the production of different cytokines, which are mediators essential to mounting adequate immune and inflammatory responses.