Changing epidemiology of rotavirus-related hospitalizations in rio de janeiro, Brazil, from 2002 to 2006.

A prospective hospital-based sentinel study conducted in Rio de Janeiro identified a shift in the pattern (long to short electropherotype and P(8) to P(4) genotype) of rotavirus strains recovered from children with severe diarrhea a few months after the far-reaching Brazilian rotavirus immunization program was launched, posing new interesting challenges.

Biotin-psolaren labeled cDNA amplicons for genotyping rotavirus strains by dot hybridization assay.

A simple method to produce biotinylated probes by utilizing an amine-psoralen to conjugate an ester-biotin to nucleic acid molecules is described. It is simple, rapid, and well suited to label cDNA probes with any PCR-generated amplicon for hybridization assay. Its application to identify or to confirm the G and P genotypes of rotavirus-derived amplicons is described; however, it may be used to label amplicons of any origin.

Expression of NR1/NR2B N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors enhances heroin toxicity in HEK293 cells.

Repeated use of drugs of abuse, namely opiates, has been shown to affect glutamate-releasing neurons. Moreover, blockade of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors (NMDAR) prevents cell death by apoptosis induced by morphine, a heroin metabolite. Thus, in this article we investigated the involvement of different NMDAR subunits in heroin cytotoxicity.

Genetic characterization of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 from Beira, Mozambique.

In this report, we examined the genetic diversity of HIV-1 strains circulating in the city of Beira, the second largest metropolitan area in Mozambique. A total of 131 blood samples, collected between August and October 2003 from antiretroviral-naïve individuals, were characterized with a combined approach consisting of heteroduplex mobility assay (HMA) subtyping for gag (n=74) and/or env (n=117) genes, and DNA sequence analysis of proviral env (C2V3C3, n=52), LTR (n=30) and/or pol (n=43) genomic regions. Aside from the identification, by bootscanning analysis, of a viral strain with a C/A1 mosaic C2V3C3 structure, classified as subtype A by env HMA, phylogenetic inference studies of the sequence data demonstrated the circulation of genetically diverse subtype C viruses, predominantly of the R5 type.

The relationship between body mass index and educational level in young Portuguese males: 1995 and 1999 cohorts.

Introduction: Over the last decades, a progressive increase in height and weight has been observed throughout Europe. Increase in weight has been more marked however, with a resulting increase in overweight and obesity prevalence. RESULTS published have analyzed the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and educational level.

[Assessment of an obesity clinic in a center hospital].

Introduction: Slight weight losses (5%) are consensually accepted as important in the treatment of obesity today. Some authors also consider that maintaining weight is an indicator of success in the treatment of this condition.

Objective: Characterisation and assessment of changes in weight in obese patients monitored at an obesity clinic in a hospital endocrinology department.

Obsessions with aggressive content emerging during the course of panic disorder: a different subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder?

We report the clinical and therapeutic features of three patients with an obsessive-compulsive syndrome that emerged during the course of panic disorder. The DSM-IV criteria for panic disorder places central attention on the patient's phobic responses to the panic attacks and their perceived consequences. These phobic responses may develop into a syndrome that closely resembles obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) but typically responds to conventional anti-panic approaches.

FK506 prevents mitochondrial-dependent apoptotic cell death induced by 3-nitropropionic acid in rat primary cortical cultures.

The mitochondrial toxin 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP) has been largely used to study neurodegenerative disorders in which bioenergetic defects are implicated. In the present study, we analyzed the molecular pathways involved in FK506 neuroprotection against cell death induced by 3-NP, using cultured cortical neurons. 3-NP induced cytochrome c release and increased caspases -2, -3, -8, and -9-like activities, although, calpain activity was not significantly affected.

Evaluation of tests based on the antibody response to keyhole limpet haemocyanin and soluble egg antigen to differentiate acute and chronic human schistosomiasis mansoni.

Specific IgG and IgM responses to soluble egg antigen (SEA) and keyhole limpet haemocyanin (KLH) were measured by ELISA in patients with acute and chronic schistosomiasis. The tests based upon IgM and IgG antibodies responses to KLH presented the best diagnostic discrimination, and can be used in conjunction with clinical and epidemiological data to the differential diagnosis of acute schistosomiasis.

Hypertensive portal colopathy in schistosomiasis mansoni--proposal for a classification.

Portal hypertension is a frequent complication of chronic liver disease, detected not only in schistosomiasis, but also in cirrhosis of any etiology. Vascular alterations in the colonic mucosa are a potential source for acute or chronic bleeding and have been observed in patients with portal hypertension. The purpose of this prospective study was to describe and propose a classification for the vascular alterations of portal hypertension in the colonic mucosa among patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis mansoni.

Growth and development of the arborescent cactus Stenocereus queretaroensis in a subtropical semiarid environment, including effects of gibberellic acid.

In Stenocereus queretaroensis (Weber) Buxbaum, an arborescent cactus cultivated in Jalisco, Mexico, for its fruits but studied here in wild populations, stem extension occurred in the autumn at the beginning of the dry season, flowering and fruiting occurred in the spring at the end of the dry season, and new roots grew in the summer during the wet season. The asynchrony of vegetative and reproductive growth reduces competitive sink effects, which may be advantageous for wild populations growing in infertile rocky soils. Seasonal patterns of sugars in the roots and especially the stems of S.

Studies on the production and regulation of interleukin, IL-13, IL-4 and interferon-gamma in human Schistosomiasis mansoni.

The production and regulation of interleukin (IL) IL-13, IL-4 and interferon-gamma was evaluated in different clinical forms of human schistosomiasis. The mechanisms of immune regulation are apparently different in the various clinical stages of the disease, some of them being antigen specific.

Enhanced interleukin-12 and CD40 ligand activities but reduced Staphylococcus aureus Cowan 1-induced responses suggest a generalized and progressively impaired type 1 cytokine pattern for human schistosomiasis.

Whole-blood-cell cultures from schistosomiasis patients were stimulated with a variety of T-cell-dependent and T-cell-independent stimuli to determine whether the defect in type 1 cytokine expression observed following helminth infection is associated with alterations in interleukin-12 (IL-12) or CD40 ligand (CD40L) responsiveness. Cultures from uninfected individuals produced abundant gamma interferon in response to Staphylococcus aureus Cowan 1 (SAC), while patients with intestinal and hepatosplenic disease displayed intermediate and weak responses, respectively. Importantly, the decrease in type 1 cytokine expression was not attributed to defects in IL-12- or CD40L-induced activity.

Phenolic profile of quince fruit (Cydonia oblonga Miller) (pulp and peel).

Qualitative and quantitative analyses of phenolic compounds were carried out on quince fruit samples from seven different geographical origins in Portugal. For each origin, both pulp and peel were analyzed by reversed-phase HPLC-DAD and HPLC-DAD/MS. The results revealed differences between the phenolic profiles of pulps and peels in all studied cases.

Specific situations related to acute schistosomiasis in Pernambuco, Brazil.

The present work reports on two epidemiological episodes resulting in acute schistosomiasis involving wealthy persons living in the State of Pernambuco, Brazil. The authors discuss the epidemiological, clinical and serologic characteristics of the acute infections and also the way in which the conditions for transmission occurred.

Report of the second satellite symposium on ultrasound in schistosomiasis.

A group of experts on schistosomiasis and ultrasonography discussed the experiences and results obtained with the Niamey-Belo Horizonte Protocol on Ultrasonography in Schistosomiasis. A series of recommendations about qualitative and quantitative data obtained by ultrasound in studies performed in Africa and Brazil are presented. Immunological, genetic and epidemiological studies must rely on ultrasound for the identification of patients with periportal thickening/fibrosis.

Preliminary results on the effects of CD40/CD40L interactions and SAC-induction on IFN-gamma expression in human schistosomiasis.

In this communication the authors analyzed the pattern of expression of IFN-gamma as a surrogate type 1 response in different clinical forms of schistosomiasis in response to stimulation involving T-cell dependent and T-cell independent pathways, to investigate which pathways were functional in human schistosomiasis, and to further characterize the nature of Th1 response impairment in this parasitic disease.

[An outbreak of acute schistosomiasis at Porto de Galinhas beach, Pernambuco, Brazil].

We recently confirmed several cases of acute schistosomiasis in Porto de Galinhas beach, Northeast Brazil. A total of 662 patients were diagnosed by parasitological and clinical examinations. The infection likely occurred during the September 7 national holiday, when heavy rainfall flooded the Ipojuca River and people were infected when the water covered their yards.

Aggregation of Rotavirus Particles and Improvement of the Detection of Rotavirus RNA by Polycrylamide Gel Electrophoresis After Treatment With Tween-80.

Treatment of feces rotavirus-positive with Tween-80 at 0.25% enhances by a factor of 4-fold the viral detection of rotavirus RNA by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) after silver impregnation. By use of electron microscopy 35% of the rotavirus particles in untreated feces are aggregated, but after Tween-80 treatment, the percentage aggregated is decreased significantly to approximately 6%.

Ultrasonography of the liver and spleen in Brazilian patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis and cirrhosis.

Ultrasonography is now widely used in the diagnosis and management of patients with chronic Schistosoma mansoni infections. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the use of ultrasonography in patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis (HSS) with and without cirrhosis. Ninety-seven patients (52 males; median age 38 years, range 19-68 years) with HSS, 65 with well compensated (HSSC) and 32 with decompensated (HSSD) disease and cirrhosis, were systematically examined by ultrasound.

Cytokine production in acute versus chronic human Schistosomiasis mansoni: the cross-regulatory role of interferon-gamma and interleukin-10 in the responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and splenocytes to parasite antigens.

The contribution of interleukin (IL)-10 and interferon (IFN)-gamma to the regulation of type 1 and type 2 cytokine responses was investigated in Brazilians with different clinical forms of schistosomiasis mansoni. Cells from members of a family with acute intestinal schistosomiasis responded to schistosomal soluble egg antigen (SEA) or soluble adult worm antigen preparation (SWAP) with greater amounts of IFN-gamma than did cells from several patients with chronic intestinal schistosomiasis; IL-10 levels were similar. Neutralization of IL-10 had no effect on the SEA-specific IFN-gamma response in patients with acute infection, whereas SWAP-induced IFN-gamma was increased in both groups.

Factors involved in Schistosoma mansoni infection in rural areas of northeast Brazil.

Two contiguous villages in Tracunhaém county (State of Pernambuco), endemic for schistosomiasis, were studied: Itapinassu (138 inhabitants) and São Joaquim (91 inhabitants). Agriculture predominates in the former region while ceramics is the main activity in the latter. Although no statistical difference was found regarding prevalence, severe infection (> 400 epg) predominated in Itapinassu, probably related to the kind of occupation.

Risk factors for typhlitis.

A case-control study was undertaken to identify risk factors for typhlitis in patients with hematological malignancies. A data base file with a total of 410 episodes of fever and neutropenia in patients cared for between May 1987 and 1996 was reviewed. Typhlitis was defined as a symptom complex of fever, intense abdominal pain and tenderness in the presence of neutropenia.

Hepatitis C virus infection in Schistosomiasis mansoni in Brazil.

The involvement of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the severity of liver disease in chronic schistosomiasis was investigated in 215 Brazilian patients with S. mansoni infections, but without evidence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Forty-three had hepatointestinal (HIS) and 172 had hepatosplenic schistosomiasis (HSS), and 135 had compensated (HSSC), and 37 had decompensated (HSSD) liver disease.