Publications by authors named "Juliana M Alvim"

Introduction: Chagas cardiomyopathy, a disease caused by () infection, is a major contributor to heart failure in Latin America. There are significant gaps in our understanding of the mechanism for infection of human cardiomyocytes, the pathways activated during the acute phase of the disease, and the molecular changes that lead to the progression of cardiomyopathy.

Methods: To investigate the effects of on human cardiomyocytes during infection, we infected induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CM) with the parasite and analyzed cellular, molecular, and metabolic responses at 3 hours, 24 hours, and 48 hours post infection (hpi) using transcriptomics (RNAseq), proteomics (LC-MS), and metabolomics (GC-MS and Seahorse) analyses.

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Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) and, among all the chronic manifestations of the disease, Chronic Chagas Cardiomyopathy (CCC) is the most severe outcome. Despite high burden and public health importance in Latin America, there is a gap in understanding the molecular mechanisms that results in CCC development.

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Chagas disease is a tropical zoonosis caused by . After infection, the host present an acute phase, usually asymptomatic, in which an extensive parasite proliferation and intense innate immune activity occurs, followed by a chronic phase, characterized by low parasitemia and development of specific immunity. Most individuals in the chronic phase remain without symptoms or organ damage, a state called indeterminate IND form.

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Objectives: To establish a straightforward single-cell passaging cultivation method that enables high-quality maintenance of human induced pluripotent stem cells without the appearance of karyotypic abnormalities or loss of pluripotency.

Methods: Cells were kept in culture for over 50 passages, following a structured chronogram of passage and monitoring cell growth by population doubling time calculation and cell confluence. Standard procedures for human induced pluripotent stem cells monitoring as embryonic body formation, karyotyping and pluripotency markers expression were evaluated in order to assess the cellular state in long-term culture.

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Article Synopsis
  • Tissue remodeling from renal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) significantly impacts heart function, causing increased stiffness and impaired contraction.
  • In a study with mice, researchers found that I/R induced cardiac hypertrophy, characterized by wall thickening and increased capillary density over time.
  • The changes observed, including elevated MMP2 protein and altered collagen content, suggest that while I/R affects heart morphology, it primarily influences specific areas of heart tissue.
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