[Sex workers in the Brazilian pandemic: effects on and relations with health].

This paper describes the results of the study I Want More! The Lives of Sex Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic, which is part of the EPIC community research program. The study analyzed the effects of the pandemic on the lives of cis, trans and travesti sex workers in nine Brazilian states and 11 cities throughout 2020 and 2021. This article focuses on the qualitative component of the study, which was based on semi-structured, remote and face-to-face interviews carried out with 43 sex workers, and its comparison with the quantitative component.

A case of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in retroviral gene therapy for ADA-SCID.

Hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy (GT) using a γ-retroviral vector (γ-RV) is an effective treatment for Severe Combined Immunodeficiency due to Adenosine Deaminase deficiency. Here, we describe a case of GT-related T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) that developed 4.7 years after treatment.

Circulating hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell subsets contribute to human hematopoietic homeostasis.

In physiological conditions, few circulating hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (cHSPCs) are present in the peripheral blood, but their contribution to human hematopoiesis remain unsolved. By integrating advanced immunophenotyping, single-cell transcriptional and functional profiling, and integration site (IS) clonal tracking, we unveiled the biological properties and the transcriptional features of human cHSPC subpopulations in relationship to their bone marrow (BM) counterpart. We found that cHSPCs reduced in cell count over aging and are enriched for primitive, lymphoid, and erythroid subpopulations, showing preactivated transcriptional and functional state.

Invited Mini Review Metabolic Bone Disease of Prematurity: Overview and Practice Recommendations.

Metabolic bone disease of prematurity (MBDP) is defined by undermineralization of the preterm infant skeleton arising from inadequate prenatal and postnatal calcium (Ca) and phosphate (PO4) accretion. Severe MBDP can be associated with rickets and fractures. Despite advances in neonatal nutrition, MBDP remains prevalent in premature infants due to inadequate mineral accretion ex-utero.

Effect of crocin supplementation in the extender on the quality of chilled canine semen.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of crocin on canine sperm quality parameters during prolonged storage at 4 °C. Ejaculates from 10 dogs were diluted in a TRIS- egg yolk extender supplemented with 0 (control group), 0.5, 1, and 2 mM crocin and stored at 4 °C.

InCliniGene enables high-throughput and comprehensive in vivo clonal tracking toward clinical genomics data integration.

High-throughput clonal tracking in patients under hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy with integrating vector is instrumental in assessing bio-safety and efficacy. Monitoring the fate of millions of transplanted clones and their progeny across differentiation and proliferation over time leverages the identification of the vector integration sites, used as surrogates of clonal identity. Although γ-tracking retroviral insertion sites (γ-TRIS) is the state-of-the-art algorithm for clonal identification, the computational drawbacks in the tracking algorithm, based on a combinatorial all-versus-all strategy, limit its use in clinical studies with several thousands of samples per patient.

Effect of Maca aqueous extract addition to a freezing extender for canine semen.

This study investigated the effect of the addition of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) to the freezing extender on the post-thaw quality of dog semen. Ten canine ejaculates were frozen following a two-step protocol using a tris-glucose-citrate egg yolk extender with or without the addition of 10 µl/mL of aqueous extract of Maca (Maca and ctrl groups, respectively). Prior to (fresh semen) and after freezing (T0) sperm motility, kinetic parameters, viability and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), as well as the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) were evaluated.

A Novel Phenotype of Calvarial Thickening and Increased Rates of Premature Calvarial Suture Closure in Children With Chronic Lung Disease.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to characterize a novel type of calvarial thickening and provide objective measurements of skull thickness and calvarial suture morphology in patients with bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Methods: Infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia who also had undergone computed tomography (CT) scans were identified from the neonatal chronic lung disease program database. Thickness analysis was performed using Materialise Mimics.

Incorporation of Testicular Ultrasonography and Hair Steroid Concentrations in Bull Breeding Soundness Evaluation.

Testicular ultrasonography and steroid concentrations (cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), cortisol/DHEA-S ratio, testosterone) in hair were examined for their utility in the bull breeding soundness evaluation (BBSE). Beef and dairy bulls ( = 16; 2.7 ± 0.

Hematopoietic reconstitution dynamics of mobilized- and bone marrow-derived human hematopoietic stem cells after gene therapy.

Mobilized peripheral blood is increasingly used instead of bone marrow as a source of autologous hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells for ex vivo gene therapy. Here, we present an unplanned exploratory analysis evaluating the hematopoietic reconstitution kinetics, engraftment and clonality in 13 pediatric Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome patients treated with autologous lentiviral-vector transduced hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells derived from mobilized peripheral blood (n = 7), bone marrow (n = 5) or the combination of the two sources (n = 1). 8 out of 13 gene therapy patients were enrolled in an open-label, non-randomized, phase 1/2 clinical study (NCT01515462) and the remaining 5 patients were treated under expanded access programs.

Intrathymic AAV delivery results in therapeutic site-specific integration at TCR loci in mice.

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors have been successfully exploited in gene therapy applications for the treatment of several genetic disorders. AAV is considered an episomal vector, but it has been shown to integrate within the host cell genome after the generation of double-strand DNA breaks or nicks. Although AAV integration raises some safety concerns, it can also provide therapeutic benefit; the direct intrathymic injection of an AAV harboring a therapeutic transgene results in integration in T-cell progenitors and long-term T-cell immunity.

A Whole-Genome Sequencing Study Implicates GRAMD1B in Multiple Sclerosis Susceptibility.

While the role of common genetic variants in multiple sclerosis (MS) has been elucidated in large genome-wide association studies, the contribution of rare variants to the disease remains unclear. Herein, a whole-genome sequencing study in four affected and four healthy relatives of a consanguineous Italian family identified a novel missense c.1801T > C (p.

Seasonal Variations in the Lipid Profile of the Ovarian Follicle in Italian Mediterranean Buffaloes.

The reduced oocyte competence recorded during the non-breading season (NBS) is one of the key factors affecting the profitability of buffalo farming and limits the IVEP efficiency. The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate whether season influences the lipid content within the ovarian follicle in the Italian Mediterranean buffalo. Abattoir-derived ovaries were collected during the breeding season (BS) and the NBS, and different matrices (follicular fluid, oocytes, cumulus and follicular cells) were recovered.

Effect of Aqueous Extract of Maca Addition to an Extender for Chilled Canine Semen.

Antioxidant supplementation has been proposed as a new strategy to improve the long-term preservation of semen. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Maca supplementation of semen extender on quality-related canine semen parameters during cooling. Ejaculates from nine dogs were cooled for 7 days in the absence (control group) or in the presence of 10, 20 and 50 μL/mL of an aqueous extract of Maca.

Clonal reconstruction from co-occurrence of vector integration sites accurately quantifies expanding clones in vivo.

High transduction rates of viral vectors in gene therapies (GT) and experimental hematopoiesis ensure a high frequency of gene delivery, although multiple integration events can occur in the same cell. Therefore, tracing of integration sites (IS) leads to mis-quantification of the true clonal spectrum and limits safety considerations in GT. Hence, we use correlations between repeated measurements of IS abundances to estimate their mutual similarity and identify clusters of co-occurring IS, for which we assume a clonal origin.

Normalization of clonal diversity in gene therapy studies using shape constrained splines.

Viral vectors are used to insert genetic material into semirandom genomic positions of hematopoietic stem cells which, after reinfusion into patients, regenerate the entire hematopoietic system. Hematopoietic cells originating from genetically modified stem cells will harbor insertions in specific genomic positions called integration sites, which represent unique genetic marks of clonal identity. Therefore, the analysis of vector integration sites present in the genomic DNA of circulating cells allows to determine the number of clones in the blood ecosystem.

Life story, prostitution and activism: Challenges and possibilities of research in co-creation.

This article discusses the process of writing, which I refer to here as 'co-creation', of the life story of Lourdes Barreto, co-founder of the Brazilian Movement of Prostitutes. I intertwine public history and oral history methodologies with a decolonising feminist epistemology. This theoretical framework made it possible to situate Lourdes' narratives of prostitution in the North and Northeast of Brazil within the conceptual fields of agency and resistance.

Efficient and safe correction of hemophilia A by lentiviral vector-transduced BOECs in an implantable device.

Hemophilia A (HA) is a rare bleeding disorder caused by deficiency/dysfunction of the FVIII protein. As current therapies based on frequent FVIII infusions are not a definitive cure, long-term expression of FVIII in endothelial cells through lentiviral vector (LV)-mediated gene transfer holds the promise of a one-time treatment. Thus, here we sought to determine whether LV-corrected blood outgrowth endothelial cells (BOECs) implanted through a prevascularized medical device (Cell Pouch) would rescue the bleeding phenotype of HA mice.

Hematopoietic Stem- and Progenitor-Cell Gene Therapy for Hurler Syndrome.

Background: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation is the standard of care for Hurler syndrome (mucopolysaccharidosis type I, Hurler variant [MPSIH]). However, this treatment is only partially curative and is associated with complications.

Methods: We are conducting an ongoing study involving eight children with MPSIH.

Effectiveness of the first component of Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V) on reduction of SARS-CoV-2 confirmed infections, hospitalisations and mortality in patients aged 60-79: a retrospective cohort study in Argentina.

Background: A first-dose of various vaccines provides acceptable protection against infections by SARS-CoV-2 and evolution to the most severe forms of COVID-19. The recombinant adenovirus (rAd)-based vaccine, Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V), was proven efficacious but information about effectiveness in the real-world setting is lacking. The aim of our study was to investigate the association between the rollout of the first component (rAd26) of Gam-COVID-Vac and PCR-positive tests, hospitalisations and deaths.