Mycobacterium leprae virulence-associated peptides are indicators of exposure to M. leprae in Brazil, Ethiopia and Nepal.

Silent transmission of Mycobacterium leprae, as evidenced by stable leprosy incidence rates in various countries, remains a health challenge despite the implementation of multidrug therapy worldwide. Therefore, the development of tools for the early diagnosis of M. leprae infection should be emphasised in leprosy research.

Pathogen-specific epitopes as epidemiological tools for defining the magnitude of Mycobacterium leprae transmission in areas endemic for leprosy.

During recent years, comparative genomic analysis has allowed the identification of Mycobacterium leprae-specific genes with potential application for the diagnosis of leprosy. In a previous study, 58 synthetic peptides derived from these sequences were tested for their ability to induce production of IFN-γ in PBMC from endemic controls (EC) with unknown exposure to M. leprae, household contacts of leprosy patients and patients, indicating the potential of these synthetic peptides for the diagnosis of sub- or preclinical forms of leprosy.

New biomarkers with relevance to leprosy diagnosis applicable in areas hyperendemic for leprosy.

Leprosy is not eradicable with currently available diagnostics or interventions, as evidenced by its stable incidence. Early diagnosis of Mycobacterium leprae infection should therefore be emphasized in leprosy research. It remains challenging to develop tests based on immunological biomarkers that distinguish individuals controlling bacterial replication from those developing disease.

Peptides Derived from Mycobacterium leprae ML1601c Discriminate between Leprosy Patients and Healthy Endemic Controls.

The stable incidence of new leprosy cases suggests that transmission of infection continues despite worldwide implementation of MDT. Thus, specific tools are needed to diagnose early stage Mycobacterium leprae infection, the likely sources of transmission. M.

Divine proportions and facial esthetics after manipulation of frontal photographs.

Aim: To investigate the relationship between divine proportion and facial esthetics in frontal photographs as well as whether any of the 4 ratios for manipulation provide more favorable facial esthetics.

Material And Methods: The sample comprised 20 frontal photographs of Caucasian individuals (11 males and 9 females). The photographs were digitized and stored on a compact disk.

The level of PPD-specific IFN-gamma-producing CD4+ T cells in the blood predicts the in vivo response to PPD.

There are no reliable means for detecting subclinical mycobacterial infections. The recent sequencing of several mycobacterial genomes has now afforded new opportunities for the development of pathogen-specific diagnostic tests, critical in the context of leprosy and tuberculosis control. In the present study, we applied a multi-parametric flow cytometric analysis that allowed the investigation of T-cell functions in order to define immunological markers that measure previous exposure to mycobacteria.

Evaluation of digital optical density of bone repair in rats medicated with ketoprofen.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of ketoprofen on bone repair process in tibiae of rats by means of analysis of the digital optical density. Twenty Wistar rats were assigned to two groups: an untreated control group and a group treated with ketoprofen. The experimental procedures comprised the following stages: general anesthesia, preparation of a unicortical bone defect on the left tibia of each rat, medication with ketoprofen and radiographic examination.

Identification of specific proteins and peptides in Mycobacterium leprae suitable for the selective diagnosis of leprosy.

Diagnosis of leprosy is a major obstacle to disease control and has been compromised in the past due to the lack of specific reagents. We have used comparative genome analysis to identify genes that are specific to Mycobacterium leprae and tested both recombinant proteins and synthetic peptides from a subset of these for immunological reactivity. Four unique recombinant proteins (ML0008, ML0126, ML1057, and ML2567) and a panel of 58 peptides (15 and 9 mer) were tested for IFN-gamma responses in PBMC from leprosy patients and contacts, tuberculosis patients, and endemic and nonendemic controls.