Detection of hepatitis A, B, and C virus-specific antibodies using oral fluid for epidemiological studies.

In this report, we examine the adaptability of commercially available serological kits to detect antibodies markers for viral hepatitis in oral fluid samples. We also assessed the prevalence of hepatitis A, B, and C virus-specific antibodies, and related risk factors for these infectious diseases through sensitivity of the tests in saliva samples to evaluate if oralfluid can be an alternative tool to substitute serum in diagnosis of acute viral hepatitis and in epidemiological studies. One hundred and ten paired serum and saliva specimens from suspect patients of having acute hepatitis were collected to detect antibodies to hepatitis A (total and IgM), hepatitis B (anti-HBs, total anti-HBc and IgM anti-HBc), and hepatitis C (anti-HCV) using commercially available enzyme-linked immunossorbent assay (EIA).

Epidemiological pattern and mortality rates for hepatitis A in Brazil, 1980-2002--a review.

The prevalence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection is high in developing countries, in which low standards of sanitation promote the transmission of the virus. In Latin America, which is considered an area of high HAV endemicity, most HAV-positive individuals are infected in early childhood However recent studies have shown that prevalence rates are decreasing. Herein, we review the data on HAV prevalence and outbreaks available in scientific databases.

Alteration of cylindrospermopsin production in sulfate- or phosphate-starved cyanobacterium Aphanizomenon ovalisporum.

The effect of sulfate and phosphate deprivation on cell growth and cylindrospermopsin level was studied in Aphanizomenon ovalisporum ILC-164. Sulfate starvation induced a characteristic reduction of cylindrospermopsin pool size on the basis of cell number and unit of dry mass of culture. Phosphorous starvation of A.

Influence of the counterion and the solvent molecules in the spin crossover system [Co(4-terpyridone)2]Xp.nH2O.

A series of new complexes belonging to the [Co(4-terpyridone)2]X(p) x nS family (4-terpyridone = 2,6-bis(2-pyridyl)-4(1H)-pyridone) have been synthesized and characterized, using X-ray single crystal determination and magnetic susceptibility studies, to be X = [BF4]- (p = 2) and S = H2O for polymorphs 1 and 2, X = [BF4]- (p = 1) and [SiF6]2- (p = 0.5) and S = CH(3)OH for 3, X = [SiF6]2- (p = 1) and S = 3CH3OH and H2O for 4, X = [Co(NCS)4]2- (p = 1) and S = 0.5CH3OH for 5, X = I- (p = 2) and S = 5H2O for 6, X = [PF6]- (p = 1) for 7, and X = [NO3]- (p = 2) for 8.

Barnacle allergy: allergen characterization and cross-reactivity with mites.

Background: Barnacles are a type of seafood with worldwide distribution and abundant along the shores of temperate seas. They are particularly appreciated and regularly consumed in Portugal as well as in Spain, France and South America, but barnacle allergy is a rare condition of which there is only one reference in the indexed literature. The molecular allergens and possible cross-reactivity phenomena implicated (namely with mites) have not been established.

[Self-esteem in formal care providers and quality of life indexes in users of support facilities for the institutionalized elderly, in Portalegre].

It is a transversal and descriptive study, and the main meaning was to measure the Self-concept of formal caregivers in elderly institutions, and also the life quality of internally users in the same institutions. To the development of the study were selected two of the elderly institutions of Portalegre, Portugal. The population was composed by internally users (N=113) and formal caregivers (N=81) of both elderly institutions, being used respectively the WOHQOL-bref Questionnaire and the Self-concept Inventory (Vaz Serra, 1986).

Separation of 1,4-benzodiazepines by micellar elektrokinetic capillary chromatography.

In this work the applicability of micellar elektrokinetic capillary chromatography (MECC) for the determination of benzodiazepines (BZD) has been studied. The applied method was used for the simultaneous separation of 8 BZDs (alprazolam, bromazepam, chlordiazepoxide, diazepam, flunitrazepam, medazepam, oxazepam, nitrazepam), and also for the study of stability in acidic medium. A fast and reliable method has been developed; using a separation buffer composed of sodium tetraborate 25 mM (pH 9.

Quantitative 31P NMR detection of oxygen-centered and carbon-centered radical species.

Quantitative 31P NMR spin trapping techniques can be used as effective tools for the detection and quantification of many free radical species. Free radicals react with a nitroxide phosphorus compound, 5-diisopropoxy-phosphoryl-5-methyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DIPPMPO), to form stable radical adducts, which are suitably detected and accurately quantified using (31)P NMR in the presence of phosphorus containing internal standards. Initially, the 31P NMR signals for the radical adducts of oxygen-centered (*OH, O2*-) and carbon-centered (*CH3, *CH2OH, CH2*CH2OH) radicals were assigned.

Application of internal universal calibration for determination of fully dissociated species in capillary electrophoresis using indirect UV detection and electrokinetic injection.

Although the electrokinetic injection suffers from quantitation problems arising from mobility and matrix bias, the application of electrokinetic injection and indirect photometric detection may provide a very simple, sensitive and universal determination of fully dissociated components. In this work a survey of the possibilities of quantitative analysis using EK injection with indirect UV detection is given and a simple procedure (internal universal calibration) for accurate quantitative determination of traces using EK injection is proposed. It was shown that the thiosulfate as an internal universal standard (IUS) can be applied for quantitative determination of fully dissociated analytes (e.

Assembly of distinct pilus structures on the surface of Corynebacterium diphtheriae.

Different surface organelles contribute to specific interactions of a pathogen with host tissues or infectious partners. Multiple pilus gene clusters potentially encoding different surface structures have been identified in several gram-positive bacterial genomes sequenced to date, including actinomycetales, clostridia, corynebacteria, and streptococci. Corynebacterium diphtheriae has been shown to assemble a pilus structure, with sortase SrtA essential for the assembly of a major subunit SpaA and two minor proteins, SpaB and SpaC.

Determination of microcystins in environmental samples using capillary electrophoresis.

The applicability of capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) methods for the simultaneous determination of two frequently occurring microcystins (MCs-LR and -YR) and a new variant (MC-YA) in crude extracts of Hungarian bloom samples and cyanobacterial cultures was studied. It was found that the comparison of the results obtained by both CZE and MEKC measurements (due to the differences in their separation mechanisms) for the same sample can guarantee the reliability of the quantitative results. In our work environmental samples like lake waters, water bloom samples, cyanobacterial isolates were analysed.

Bacillus anthracis IsdG, a heme-degrading monooxygenase.

Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, utilizes hemin and hemoglobin for growth in culture, suggesting that these host molecules serve as sources for the nutrient iron during bacterial infection. Bioinformatic analyses of the B. anthracis genome revealed genes with similarity to the iron-regulated surface determinant (isd) system responsible for heme uptake in Staphylococcus aureus.

Study of quantitative analysis of traces in low-conductivity samples using capillary electrophoresis with electrokinetic injection.

In this work we tried to clarify the relation between the signal detected by indirect UV mode and the concentration of the analyte introduced by electrokinetic (EK) injection from samples having small but different conductivities. A simple external calibration procedure was proposed for quantitative determination of traces that are present in low-conductivity samples. It was found that measuring the current through the capillary filled with the samples provides useful correction factor for the external calibration.

Architectural isomerism in the three-dimensional polymeric spin crossover system [Fe(pmd)2[Ag(CN)2]2]: synthesis, structure, magnetic properties, and calorimetric studies.

Two coordination polymers formulated [Fe(pmd)2[Ag(CN)2]2] (pmd = pyrimidine) have been synthesized and characterized. Both polymers, considered to be architectural isomers, display different crystal structures and magnetic properties. Isomer 1 crystallizes in the monoclinic C2/c space group with a = 6.

[Therapy of brain metastasis based on the RPA classification].

RPA classification of patients suffering from brain metastases is not widely used in Hungary. The authors reviewed the RPA disposition-based therapeutic recommendations in the literature. Retrospective analysis of their 123 brain metastatic cases showed 3.

Serological evidence of hepatitis E virus infection in different animal species from the Southeast of Brazil.

Serological evidence of hepatitis E virus infection (HEV) has been observed in both humans and different animal species living in non-endemic areas, suggesting that animals could be important reservoir for virus transmission to man. Antibodies to HEV have been detected in some Brazilian population groups. Nevertheless, sporadic cases of acute HEV infection have never been reported.

Evaluation of ELISA for detection of Trichinella antibodies in muscle juice samples of naturally infected pigs.

The performance characteristics of an ELISA test for trichinellosis in pigs applied to muscle juice was assessed using 314 samples collected from pigs located in endemic areas of Croatia. Peptic digestion was used as the reference method. The diagnostic accuracy of the two compared dilutions (1:10 and 1:100) was considered to be high because the area under the curve (AUC) index was 0.

Bacillus anthracis sortase A (SrtA) anchors LPXTG motif-containing surface proteins to the cell wall envelope.

Cell wall-anchored surface proteins of gram-positive pathogens play important roles during the establishment of many infectious diseases, but the contributions of surface proteins to the pathogenesis of anthrax have not yet been revealed. Cell wall anchoring in Staphylococcus aureus occurs by a transpeptidation mechanism requiring surface proteins with C-terminal sorting signals as well as sortase enzymes. The genome sequence of Bacillus anthracis encodes three sortase genes and eleven surface proteins with different types of cell wall sorting signals.

Thermal, pressure and light switchable spin-crossover materials.

This article reviews the most relevant chemical and structural aspects that influence the spin-crossover phenomenon (SCO). Special attention is focussed on the recent development of SCO coordination polymers. The different approaches currently being explored in order to achieve multifunctionality in SCO materials are discussed.

Immunohistochemical profile of multicentric reticulohistiocytosis.

Background: There is enough evidence to support the knowledge that multicentric reticulohistiocytosis (MR) is a histiocytic proliferative disorder; however, the type of histiocytes involved is not well established.

Objective And Methods: To study the nature of cells present in MR lesions by studying the immunohistochemical profile of three new cases and reviewing 23 cases reported in the literature.

Results: MR histiocytic cells are positive for vimentin, CD68, and CD45, negative for S-100 protein, CD34, and XIIIa factor, and weak reactors for thrombomodulin.

Application of capillary zone electrophoresis to the analysis and to a stability study of nitrite and nitrate in saliva.

The applicability of capillary zone electrophoresis for the determinations of nitrite and nitrate was studied. Using direct UV detection the limit of detection values of the analytes were 0.14 and 0.

A novel heterozygous missense mutation in the UMOD gene responsible for Familial Juvenile Hyperuricemic Nephropathy.

Background: Familial Juvenile Hyperuricemic Nephropathy is an autosomal dominant nephropathy, characterized by decreased urate excretion and progressive interstitial nephritis. Mutations in the uromodulin coding UMOD gene have been found responsible for the disease in some families.

Case Presentation: We here describe a novel heterozygous p.

Cold urticaria and infectious mononucleosis in children.

Physical urticaria includes a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by the development of urticarial lesions and/or angioedema after exposure to certain physical stimuli. The authors present the case of a child with severe acquired cold urticaria secondary to infectious mononucleosis. Avoidance of exposure to cold was recommended; prophylactic treatment with ketotifen and cetirizine was begun and a self-administered epinephrine kit was prescribed.