Comparison of three immunological tests for leprosy diagnosis and detection of subclinical infection.

Objective: Our aim was to compare the performance of three serological assays in leprosy patients and their household contacts utilising two quantitative ELISA tests using native PGL-I (PGL-1 ELISA), synthetic ND-O-HSA (ND-O-HSA ELISA), and the semi-quantitative lateral flow test (ML Flow).

Methods: Comparisons among three immunological assays, PGL-I ELISA, ND-O-HSA ELISA, and ML Flow were performed in 154 leprosy patients, 191 household contacts and 52 health subjects.

Results: The sensitivity results of the PGL-1, ND-O-HSA, and ML Flow were 68.

Functional epitope core motif of the Anaplasma marginale major surface protein 1a and its incorporation onto bioelectrodes for antibody detection.

Anaplasmosis, a persistent intraerythrocytic infection of cattle by Anaplasma marginale, causes severe anemia and a higher rate of abortion, resulting in significant loss to both dairy and beef industries. Clinical diagnosis is based on symptoms and confirmatory laboratory tests are required. Currently, all the diagnostic assays have been developed with whole antigens with indirect ELISA based on multiple epitopes.

An engineered innate immune defense protects grapevines from Pierce disease.

We postulated that a synergistic combination of two innate immune functions, pathogen surface recognition and lysis, in a protein chimera would lead to a robust class of engineered antimicrobial therapeutics for protection against pathogens. In support of our hypothesis, we have engineered such a chimera to protect against the gram-negative Xylella fastidiosa (Xf), which causes diseases in multiple plants of economic importance. Here we report the design and delivery of this chimera to target the Xf subspecies fastidiosa (Xff), which causes Pierce disease in grapevines and poses a great threat to the wine-growing regions of California.

Speech disorders in students in Belo Horizonte.

Purpose: To describe speech disorders in students from 1st to 4th grades, and to investigate possible associations between these disorders and stomatognathic system and auditory processing disorders.

Methods: Cross-sectional study with stratified random sample composed of 288 students, calculated based on an universe of 1,189 children enrolled in public schools from the area covered by a health center in Belo Horizonte. The median age was 8.

Expression analysis of osteopontin mRNA splice variants in prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Osteopontin splicing isoforms (OPN-SI) present differential expression patterns and specific tumor roles. Our aims were to characterize OPN-SI expression in prostate cancer (PCa) and benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) tissues, besides evaluating their potential as biomarkers for PCa diagnosis and prognostic implications. Prostatic tissue specimens were obtained from 40 PCa and 30 benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) patients.

Cutaneous hypersensitivity test to evaluate phage display anti-tick borne vaccine antigen candidates.

Early experiments performed by our group with the phage display technique revealed the potential for using epitope-displaying phages (mimotopes) as a tool for tick antigen discovery. Thus, as a preliminary study, inflammatory reactions induced by phage display tick-borne candidates were investigated by using the cutaneous hypersensitivity test. The profile of selected Rhipicephalus microplus mimotopes was assessed on tick field-exposed cattle and our data indicated a pattern similar to immediate hypersensitivity reaction and not a delayed immune response as expected.

Development and validation of an HPLC method for mefloquine hydrochloride determination in tablet dosage form.

A simple HPLC method for determination of mefloquine hydrochloride in tablets was developed and validated. The separation was carried out on an Xterra RP18 (250 x 4.6 mm id, 5 pm particle size) analytical column.

Oral lesion in leprosy: borderline tuberculoid diagnosis based on detection of Mycobacterium leprae DNA by qPCR.

Oral lesions are rarely reported in paucibacillary forms of leprosy. We report here a case with an erythematous hyposensitive lesion in the palate and no skin lesions. In addition to routine tests, biopsies of the lesion in the palate and of clinically normal surrounding areas were performed and subjected to real-time PCR for detection of Mycobacterium leprae DNA.

Antigen fingerprinting of polyclonal antibodies raised in immunized chickens with tick total proteins: a reservoir for the discovery of novel antigens.

Identification of tick-protective antigens remains the limiting step in vaccine development. The authors have generated several B cell epitope candidates by fingerprinting Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus proteins that were characterized through bioselection of random peptide phage display libraries against polyclonal antibodies antitick proteins. From 280 clones selected and sequenced, 107 distinct reactive clones were validated by dot-blot assays.

The streptozotocin-induced rat model of diabetes mellitus evidences significant reduction of myosin-Va expression in the brain.

Diabetes mellitus is a disease characterized by increased glucose levels in the blood. Hyperglycemia causes damage to the brain tissue, and induces significant changes in synaptic transmission. In this investigation, we have found a significant alteration in the expression of the molecular motor involved in the synaptic vesicles transport, myosin-Va, and its distribution in rat brains of streptozotocin-induced diabetes model.

The phage display technique: advantages and recent patents.

Phage display technology has advanced considerably since its creation, and the number of research projects using this technique is constantly increasing, generating numerous antibody and antigen libraries. These libraries, besides expediting library screening, improving selection methods and allowing evaluation of novel applications, have great potential for the development of new vaccines, drugs and diagnosis tests. Consequently, patent registries for the protection of these sequences are essential.

Specific IgG antibody responses may be used to monitor leprosy treatment efficacy and as recurrence prognostic markers.

Although curable, leprosy requires better diagnostic and prognostic tools to accompany therapeutic strategies. We evaluated the serum samples of leprosy patients from Venezuela and Brazil for reactivity against the specific recombinant proteins, ML0405 and ML2331, and the LID-1 fusion protein that incorporates both of these antigens. Antigen-specific IgG was highest in lepromatous leprosy patients (LL) and decreased across the disease spectrum, such that only a small subset of true tuberculoid patients (TT) tested positive.

Evidence for reductive genome evolution and lateral acquisition of virulence functions in two Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis strains.

Background: Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, a gram-positive, facultative intracellular pathogen, is the etiologic agent of the disease known as caseous lymphadenitis (CL). CL mainly affects small ruminants, such as goats and sheep; it also causes infections in humans, though rarely. This species is distributed worldwide, but it has the most serious economic impact in Oceania, Africa and South America.

Productive performance of the dairy cattle Girolando breed mediated by the fat-related genes DGAT1 and LEP and their polymorphisms.

Candidate genes have been associated with milk production in bovines, such as the diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1) and leptin (LEP); however, they have not been simultaneously investigated nor have been evaluated in the Brazilian Girolando breed (Gir×Holstein, backcrossed to Holstein). Our aim was to determine the influence of fat-related genes, DGAT1 and LEP, and their polymorphisms on performance traits of milk production in the Girolando breed. Results indicated that the K allele of the DGAT1 gene showed a significant association with total and average daily milk production with additive effect.

Specific phage-displayed peptides discriminate different forms of neurocysticercosis by antibody detection in the serum samples.

Neurocysticercosis (NC), caused by Taenia solium metacestode, infects the central nervous system and is a devastating parasitic infection. Diagnosis is based on symptoms, imaging, serology and epidemiology. Current markers present variable sensitivity and specificity, frequent cross-reactions and are not able to discriminate NC clinical forms.

Overexpression of myosin-IIB in the brain of a rat model of streptozotocin-induced diabetes.

The Ca(2+)/calmodulin complex interacts with and regulates various enzymes and target proteins known as calmodulin-binding proteins (CaMBPs). This group of proteins includes molecular motors such as myosins. In this study, we show that non-muscle myosin-IIB is overexpressed in the brains of diabetic rats.

Oral mucosa as a source of Mycobacterium leprae infection and transmission, and implications of bacterial DNA detection and the immunological status.

Leprosy is an important health problem in Brazil despite extensive use of multidrug therapy. The nasal mucosa is the preferential site of entry and exit of Mycobacterium leprae, and although lesions have been found in the oral mucosa, its potential involvement in the transmission of leprosy bacilli has never been investigated. We investigated the presence of the M.

[Identification by PCR and antifungal susceptibility of vaginal clinical Candida sp isolates].

Introduction: Vaginal candidiasis is a condition that affects innumerous fertile women. Candida albicans is the most frequently isolated species from vaginal discharge; however, other different species that are more resistant to antifungal drugs can be identified in vaginal clinical samples.

Methods: The species of 30 vaginal Candida isolates was identified by PCR using the universal ITS4 primer and species-specific primers for C.

[Brazilian guidelines for the treatment of narcolepsy].

This manuscript contains the conclusion of the consensus meeting of the Brazilian Sleep Association with Brazilian sleep specialists on the treatment of narcolepsy based on the review of medical literature from 1980 to 2010. The manuscript objectives were to reinforce the use of agents evaluated in randomized placebo-controlled trials and to issue consensus opinions on the use of other available medications as well as to inform about safety and adverse effects of these medications. Management of narcolepsy relies on several classes of drugs, namely, stimulants for excessive sleepiness, antidepressants for cataplexy and hypnotics for disturbed nocturnal sleep.

Energy metabolism and fasting in male and female insectivorous bats Molossus molossus (Chiroptera: Molossidae).

Metabolic adaptations induced by 24 and 48 hours of fasting were investigated in male and female insectivorous bats (Molossus molossus Pallas, 1766). For this purpose, plasma glucose, non esterified fatty acids (NEFA), glycogen, protein and lipids concentrations in liver and muscles were obtained. Data presented here demonstrate that fed bats showed plasma glucose levels similar to those reported for other mammal species.

[Brazilian guidelines for the diagnosis of narcolepsy].

This manuscript contains the conclusion of the consensus meeting on the diagnosis of narcolepsy based on the review of Medline publications between 1980-2010. Narcolepsy is a chronic disorder with age at onset between the first and second decade of life. Essential narcolepsy symptoms are cataplexy and excessive sleepiness.

Recombinant peptides as new immunogens for the control of the bovine tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus.

A candidate vaccine that effectively controls Rhipicephalus microplus ticks in livestock is an attractive strategy in bovine management because of the expensive and labor-intensive treatment of animals with acaricides. However, the complex nature of ectoparasites has imposed restrictions on the development of such a vaccine, and its future efficacy is still under debate. Using Phage Display technology, we developed specific immunogens that mimic R.

Biomarkers for serum diagnosis of infectious diseases and their potential application in novel sensor platforms.

Nanotechnological tools and biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis, as well as strategies for disease control and monitoring populations at higher risk, are continuous worldwide challenges for infectious diseases. Phage display and monoclonal antibody combinatorial libraries are important sources for biomarker discovery and for improved diagnostic strategies. Mimetic peptides were selected against polyclonal antibodies from patients with dengue fever, leprosy, and leishmaniasis as model diseases, and from immunized chickens with total antigens from all three pathogens.

Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii genes preferentially expressed during rat macrophage infection.

Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii are encapsulated yeast agents of cryptococcosis and facultative intracellular pathogens. The interaction of these yeasts with macrophages is essential for containing the infection. However, Cryptococcus spp.

Selection of high affinity peptide ligands for detection of circulating antibodies in neurocysticercosis.

Neurocysticercosis (NC), caused by Taenia solium, is the most common infection caused by helminthes of the human central nervous system. In this study, a random peptide phage display library was used to isolate peptide ligands as potential markers for neurocysticercosis diagnosis, because occurrence of cross-reactions with other helminthes species in the current used markers. We selected different peptides using IgG purified from pooled sera of neurocysticercosis patients.