Worse lung function, more allergic sensitization but less blood eosinophilia in elderly patients with long-standing versus late-onset asthma.

Background: Asthma in the elderly is usually considered homogeneous and non-atopic.

Objective: To compare clinical, functional and immunological features between elderly asthmatics with long-standing asthma (LSA) and those with late-onset asthma (LOA).

Methods: Eighty-two asthmatics older than 64 were included into LSA (asthma onset before age 40;  = 46) and LOA (asthma onset from 40 years of age on;  = 36) groups.

Type I and type IIb autoimmune chronic spontaneous urticaria: Using common clinical tools for endotyping patients with CSU.

Background: Mechanisms triggering the pathogenesis of chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) have been identified as type I autoallergic (which is associated with IgE antibodies against autoantigens) and type IIb autoimmune (which is driven by autoantibodies to FceR1 and/or IgE).

Objective: Our aim was to define presumptive endotypes in patients with CSU by using tests amenable to use in routine clinical practice.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of the medical records of 394 patients with CSU with or without chronic inducible urticaria or angioedema was performed.

The Deposition of a Lectin from on the Surface of Titanium Dioxide Nanotubes Improved the Cell Adhesion, Proliferation, and Osteogenic Activity of Osteoblast-like Cells.

Titanium and its alloys are used as biomaterials for medical and dental applications, due to their mechanical and physical properties. Surface modifications of titanium with bioactive molecules can increase the osseointegration by improving the interface between the bone and implant. In this work, titanium dioxide nanotubes (TiONTs) were functionalized with a lectin from the plasma of the fish aiming to favor the adhesion and proliferation of osteoblast-like cells, improving its biocompatibility.

Efficacy of House Dust Mite Sublingual Immunotherapy in Patients with Atopic Dermatitis: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Background: Sensitization to house dust mites (HDMs) is frequent in patients with atopic dermatitis.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) with Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus extract in patients with atopic dermatitis sensitized to HDM.

Methods: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we enrolled 91 patients 3 years or older, with SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) score greater than or equal to 15 and positive skin test result and/or IgE to D pteronyssinus.

Acquired Angioedema due to C1 Inhibitor Deficiency Preceding Splenic Marginal Zone Lymphoma: Further Insights from Clinical Practice.

Background: Acquired angioedema due to C1 inhibitor deficiency (AAE-C1-INH) is a very rare disease. In clinical practice, it may be difficult to differentiate AAE-C1-INH from hereditary angioedema due to C1-INH deficiency (HAE-C1-INH). In both conditions, patients are at an increased risk of death from asphyxiation due to upper airway obstruction.

Serum Baseline Tryptase Level as a Marker for the Severity of Anaphylaxis.

Background: Anaphylaxis is a severe and potentially fatal allergic disease or hypersensitivity reaction with variable clinical presentation. Biomarkers in anaphylaxis could be useful to improve diagnosis, to allow endotyping of patients, and to predict risk.

Objective: To investigate the role of serum basal tryptase (sBT) levels in the management of patients with anaphylaxis.

Repeat variants for the SbMATE transporter protect sorghum roots from aluminum toxicity by transcriptional interplay in and .

Acidic soils, where aluminum (Al) toxicity is a major agricultural constraint, are globally widespread and are prevalent in developing countries. In sorghum, the root citrate transporter SbMATE confers Al tolerance by protecting root apices from toxic Al, but can exhibit reduced expression when introgressed into different lines. We show that allele-specific transactivation occurs and is caused by factors located away from Using expression-QTL mapping and expression genome-wide association mapping, we establish that transcription is controlled in a bipartite fashion, primarily in but also in Multiallelic promoter transactivation and ChIP analyses demonstrated that intermolecular effects on expression arise from a WRKY and a zinc finger-DHHC transcription factor (TF) that bind to and -activate the promoter.

Encapsulation of the HSP-90 Chaperone Inhibitor 17-AAG in Stable Liposome Allow Increasing the Therapeutic Index as Assessed, , on Amastigotes-Hosted in Mouse CBA Macrophages.

The current long-term treatment for leishmaniasis causes severe side effects and resistance in some cases. An evaluation of the anti-leishmanial potential of an HSP90-inhibitor, 17-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG), demonstrated its potent effect against spp. and .

Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Babassu Oil and Development of a Microemulsion System for Topical Delivery.

Babassu oil extraction is the main income source in nut breakers communities in northeast of Brazil. Among these communities, babassu oil is used for cooking but also medically to treat skin wounds and inflammation, and vulvovaginitis. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of babassu oil and develop a microemulsion system with babassu oil for topical delivery.

Anthelmintic effect of thymol and thymol acetate on sheep gastrointestinal nematodes and their toxicity in mice.

Thymol is a monoterpene and acetylation form of this compound can reduce the toxicity and enhance its biological effects. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of thymol and thymol acetate (TA) on egg, larva and adult Haemonchus contortus and the cuticular changes, acute toxicity in mice and the efficacy on sheep gastrointestinal nematodes. In vitro tests results were analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and followed by comparison with Tukey test or Bonferroni.

University and public health system partnership: A real-life intervention to improve asthma management.

Objective: Asthma is under-diagnosed in many parts of the world. We aimed to assess the outcome of a capacitating program on asthma for non-specialist physicians and other healthcare professionals working in the public system in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.

Methods: A group of 16 asthma specialists developed a one-year capacitating program in 11 healthcare clinics in the Northern District of the city, which included lectures on asthma, training on inhalation device use and spirometry, and development of an asthma management protocol.

Characterization of the biochemical, physiological, and medicinal properties of Streptomyces hygroscopicus ACTMS-9H isolated from the Amazon (Brazil).

Actinomycetes are known to produce numerous secondary bioactive metabolites of pharmaceutical interest. The purpose of this study was to isolate, characterize, and investigate the antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer activities of metabolites produced by Actinobacteria isolated from the rhizosphere of Paullinia cupana. The Actinobacteria was identified as Streptomyces hygroscopicus ACTMS-9H.

Omalizumab in Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria: A Brazilian Real-Life Experience.

Background: Current guidelines on chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) suggest a treatment based on a 3-step approach that aims at total symptom control, starting with H1-antihistamines. However, a significant number of patients present an antihistamine-resistant urticaria that must be treated with an alternative third-line therapy such as omalizumab.

Methods: Patients with a history of CSU who did not respond to treatment with high doses of modern antihistamines were treated with 150 or 300 mg of omalizumab every 4 weeks.

Comparative efficacy and toxic effects of carvacryl acetate and carvacrol on sheep gastrointestinal nematodes and mice.

Carvacrol is a compound isolated from some essential oils. It has been reported to possess anthelmintic activity. Acetylation of this monoterpene has been proposed as a potential way to reduce the toxicity and enhance the pharmacological effects of carvacrol.

Inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus cocktail using the synergies of oregano and rosemary essential oils or carvacrol and 1,8-cineole.

This study assessed the inhibitory effects of the essential oils (EOs) from Origanum vulgare L. (OVEO) and Rosmarinus officinalis L. (ROEO), as well as of the its majority individual constituents (ICs) carvacrol (CAR) and 1,8-cineole (CIN), respectively, combined at subinhibitory concentrations against a cocktail of Staphylococcus aureus.

Comparison of vitrification and conventional freezing for cryopreservation of caprine embryos.

The experiment aimed to compare conventional freezing and different vitrification protocols for cryopreservation of caprine embryos at morphological, ultrastructural, and functional levels. Caprine embryos produced in vivo were allocated randomly to three groups: (1) conventional freezing with ethylene glycol (EG); (2) dimethyl sulfoxide + EG (DMSO/EG) vitrification; and (3) dimethylformamide + EG (DMF/EG) vitrification. All groups were scored for cell viability (propidium iodide staining and ultrastructural levels) and re-expansion rate after thawing or warming.

Renal abscess in hyper-IgE syndrome.

Kidney disease due to Aspergillus fumigatus is a rare finding in hyper-IgE syndrome. We report a patient with autosomal dominant hyper-IgE syndrome, recurrent pneumonia, and acute necrosuppurative pyelonephritis caused by Aspergillus fumigatus with a fatal outcome. We emphasize the severity and the difficulties in the management of renal complications that could be limiting the survival of these patients.

Incomplete transfer of accessory loci influencing SbMATE expression underlies genetic background effects for aluminum tolerance in sorghum.

Impaired root development caused by aluminum (Al) toxicity is a major cause of grain yield reduction in crops cultivated on acid soils, which are widespread worldwide. In sorghum, the major Al-tolerance locus, AltSB , is due to the function of SbMATE, which is an Al-activated root citrate transporter. Here we performed a molecular and physiological characterization of various AltSB donors and near-isogenic lines harboring various AltSB alleles.

Cytopathological effects of Bacillus sphaericus Cry48Aa/Cry49Aa toxin on binary toxin-susceptible and -resistant Culex quinquefasciatus larvae.

The Cry48Aa/Cry49Aa mosquitocidal two-component toxin was recently characterized from Bacillus sphaericus strain IAB59 and is uniquely composed of a three-domain Cry protein toxin (Cry48Aa) and a binary (Bin) toxin-like protein (Cry49Aa). Its mode of action has not been elucidated, but a remarkable feature of this protein is the high toxicity against species from the Culex complex, besides its capacity to overcome Culex resistance to the Bin toxin, the major insecticidal factor in B. sphaericus-based larvicides.

Needlescopic versus laparoscopic cholecystectomy. A prospective study of 60 patients.

Purpose: To test the hypothesis that needlescopic cholecystectomies (NC) offer superior outcomes in comparison to common laparoscopic cholecystectomies (LC).

Methods: Sixty consecutive patients with gallbladder disease undergoing either LC or NC were evaluated with respect to differences in operative time, frequency of per-operative incidents, post-operative pain, late postoperative symptoms, length of scars and level of postoperative satisfaction.

Results: Mean operative time was similar in both groups.

Ultrastructural analysis of midgut cells from Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) larvae resistant to Bacillus sphaericus.

The larvicidal action of the entomopathogen Bacillus sphaericus towards Culex quinquefasciatus is due to the binary (Bin) toxin present in crystals, which are produced during bacterial sporulation. The Bin toxin needs to recognize and bind specifically to a single class of receptors, named Cqm1, which are 60-kDa alpha-glucosidases attached to the apical membrane of midgut cells by a glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor. C.

Immunocytochemical and freeze-fracture characterization of the Caenorhabditis elegans DR 847 bli-1(n361) mutant which produces abnormal cuticle blisters.

The bli-1 gene of Caenorhabditis elegans has previously been described as a mutation which disrupts the structure of the adult-stage cuticle, causing the formation of fluid-filled blisters. We investigated the blistering phenotype exhibited of n361 allele through immunocytochemical and freeze-fracture techniques. In the course of the blistering process several fine changes occurred, including a high-electron-density granulous material filling the intermediate layer, alterations in strut structure, and finally the total disappearance of the fibrous and basal layers.