Role of peroxynitrite in sepsis-induced acute kidney injury in an experimental model of sepsis in rats.

The mechanisms involved in sepsis-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) are unknown. We investigated the role of nitrosative stress in sepsis-induced AKI by studying the effects of manganese (III) tetrakis-(1-methyl-4-pyridyl) porphyrin pentachloride (MnTMPyP), a peroxynitrite decomposition catalyst, and aminoguanidine (AG), a selective nitric oxide synthase 2 (NOS2) inhibitor and peroxynitrite scavenger, on kidney function of rats subjected to cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Sprague-Dawley rats (weighing 350 [SD, 50] g) were treated with MnTMPyP (6 mg/kg i.

Effects of Hg(II) exposure on MAPK phosphorylation and antioxidant system in D. melanogaster.

The heavy metal mercury is a known toxin, but while the mechanisms involved in mercury toxicity have been well demonstrated in vertebrates, little is known about toxicological effects of this metal in invertebrates. Here, we present the results of our study investigating the effects associated with exposure of fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster to inorganic mercury (HgCl2 ). We quantify survival and locomotor performance as well as a variety of biochemical parameters including antioxidant status, MAPK phosphorylation and gene expression following mercury treatment.

Pulsed ultrasound and dimethylsulfoxide gel treatment reduces the expression of pro-inflammatory molecules in an animal model of muscle injury.

Studies have shown an exacerbated increase in proinflammatory markers during and after muscle injury. In this way, interventions that reduce inflammatory activation appear to be of great interest in muscle injury therapy. Thus, the preset study evaluated the effect of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) on the proinflammatory molecules in an animal model of traumatic muscle injury.

Gold nanoparticles and diclofenac diethylammonium administered by iontophoresis reduce inflammatory cytokines expression in Achilles tendinitis.

Introduction: Tendinitis affects a substantial number of people in several occupations involving repetitive work or direct trauma. Iontophoresis is a therapeutic alternative used in the treatment of injury during the inflammatory phase. In recent years, gold nanoparticles (GNP) have been studied due to their therapeutic anti-inflammatory capacity and as an alternative to the transport of several proteins.

Effects of Artificial Flooding for Hydroelectric Development on the Population of Mansonia humeralis (Diptera: Culicidae) in the Paraná River, São Paulo, Brazil.

The closure of two phases of the dam at the Porto Primavera Hydroelectric Plant on the Paraná River flooded a flawed system located in the Municipality of Presidente Epitácio, São Paulo state, favoring the proliferation of aquatic weeds. This study aimed to observe the population of Mansonia humeralis in the area, monitoring the richness, diversity, and dominance of this species both before and during different phases of reservoir flooding as well as evaluate its possible consequences concerning human and animal contact. Adult mosquitoes were collected monthly in the following periods: at the original level, after the first flood, and after the maximum level had been reached between 1997 and 2002.

Pulsed ultrasound associated with gold nanoparticle gel reduces oxidative stress parameters and expression of pro-inflammatory molecules in an animal model of muscle injury.

Background: Nanogold has been investigated in a wide variety of biomedical applications because of the anti-inflammatory properties. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of TPU (Therapeutic Pulsed Ultrasound) with gold nanoparticles (GNP) on oxidative stress parameters and the expression of pro-inflammatory molecules after traumatic muscle injury.

Materials And Methods: Animals were divided in nine groups: sham (uninjured muscle); muscle injury without treatment; muscle injury + DMSO; muscle injury + GNP; muscle injury + DMSO + GNP; muscle injury + TPU; muscle injury + TPU + DMSO; muscle injury + TPU + GNP; muscle injury + TPU + DMSO + GNP.

Role of transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 in rat joint inflammation.

Objective: To determine whether activation of transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV-4) induces inflammation in the rat temporomandibular joint (TMJ), and to assess the effects of TRPV-4 agonists and proinflammatory mediators, such as a protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR-2) agonist, on TRPV-4 responses.

Methods: Four hours after intraarticular injection of carrageenan into the rat joints, expression of TRPV-4 and PAR-2 in trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons and in the TMJs were evaluated by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescence, followed by confocal microscopy. The functionality of TRPV-4 and its sensitization by a PAR-2-activating peptide (PAR-2-AP) were analyzed by measuring the intracellular Ca(2+) concentration in TMJ fibroblast-like synovial cells or TG neurons.

Recombinant DNA immunotherapy ameliorate established airway allergy in a IL-10 dependent pathway.

Background: Previous studies have established that mycobacterial infections ameliorate allergic inflammation. However, a non-infectious approach that controls allergic responses might represent a safer and more promising strategy. The 60-65 kDa heat shock protein (Hsp) family is endowed with anti-inflammatory properties, but it is still unclear whether and how single mycobacterial Hsp control allergic disorders.

Sandfly fauna (Diptera: Psychodidae) in Parque do Sabiá complex, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Between April 2003 and May 2009 phlebotomine sandflies were collected in Parque do Sabiá complex, Uberlândia municipality, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, using CDC and Shannon traps. The objective was to associate the sandfly species captured to the risk of the transmission of leishmaniasis in the municipality. The 126 captured specimens belonging to six species of phlebotomine, among which Lutzomyia (Psychodopygus) davisi (Root, 1934) predominated with 113 specimens (89.

Protective effects of organoselenium compounds against methylmercury-induced oxidative stress in mouse brain mitochondrial-enriched fractions.

We evaluated the potential neuroprotective effect of 1-100 µM of four organoselenium compounds: diphenyl diselenide, 3'3-ditri-fluoromethyldiphenyl diselenide, p-methoxy-diphenyl diselenide, and p-chloro-diphenyl diselenide, against methylmercury-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in mitochondrial-enriched fractions from adult Swiss mouse brain. Methylmercury (10-100 µM) significantly decreased mitochondrial activity, assessed by MTT reduction assay, in a dose-dependent manner, which occurred in parallel with increased glutathione oxidation, hydroperoxide formation (xylenol orange assay) and lipid peroxidation end-products (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, TBARS). The co-incubation with diphenyl diselenide (100 µM) completely prevented the disruption of mitochondrial activity as well as the increase in TBARS levels caused by methylmercury.

A metabolomic approach for diagnosis of experimental sepsis.

Background: The search for reliable diagnostic biomarkers of sepsis remains necessary. Assessment of global metabolic profiling using quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics offers an attractive modern methodology for fast and comprehensive determination of multiple circulating metabolites and for defining the metabolic phenotype of sepsis.

Objective: To develop a novel NMR-based metabolomic approach for diagnostic evaluation of sepsis.

Ecological aspects of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in an Atlantic forest area on the north coast of Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil.

Mosquito diversity was determined in an area located on the southern limit of the Atlantic Forest on the north coast of Rio Grande of Sul State. Our major objective was to verify the composition, diversity, and temporal distribution of the mosquito fauna, and the influence of temperature and rainfall. Samplings were performed monthly between December, 2006 and December, 2008, in three biotopes: forest, urban area, and transition area, using CDC light traps and a Nasci vacuum.

Dissemination of blaKPC-2 by the spread of Klebsiella pneumoniae clonal complex 258 clones (ST258, ST11, ST437) and plasmids (IncFII, IncN, IncL/M) among Enterobacteriaceae species in Brazil.

This article reports the spread of bla(KPC-2) in the Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro states, facilitated by globally spread K. pneumoniae clonal complex 258 (CC258) clones (ST258, ST11, and ST437) and a diversity of plasmids (IncFII, IncN, and IncL/M, two untypeable plasmids carrying Tn4401a or Tn4401b) successfully disseminated among species of the Enterobacteriaceae (Enterobacter cloacae, Serratia marcescens, and Citrobacter freundii). It also constitutes the first description of sequence type 258 (ST258) in Brazil, which was associated with a nosocomial hospital outbreak in Ribeirao Preto city.

Vascular dysfunction in sepsis: effects of the peroxynitrite decomposition catalyst MnTMPyP.

The mechanisms contributing to sepsis vascular dysfunction are not well known. We tested the hypothesis that peroxynitrite scavenging ameliorates sepsis-induced macrovascular and microvascular dysfunction. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were killed 48 h after cecal ligation (n = 15) and puncture or sham procedure (n = 15).

Distinct patterns of somatic alterations in a lymphoblastoid and a tumor genome derived from the same individual.

Although patterns of somatic alterations have been reported for tumor genomes, little is known on how they compare with alterations present in non-tumor genomes. A comparison of the two would be crucial to better characterize the genetic alterations driving tumorigenesis. We sequenced the genomes of a lymphoblastoid (HCC1954BL) and a breast tumor (HCC1954) cell line derived from the same patient and compared the somatic alterations present in both.

First record of culex (Culex) brethesi (Dyar) (Diptera: Culicidae) in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil.

This is the first record of Culex (Culex) brethesi (Dyar) in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. The species was identified from specimens collected in a sand bar vegetation with the aid of a Nasci's trap, during an expedition for surveillance of the West Nile Virus in July of 2006, in the city of Mostardas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

IFN-γ-mediated efficacy of allergen-free immunotherapy using mycobacterial antigens and CpG-ODN.

Epidemiological and experimental evidence supports the notion that microbial infections that are known to induce Th1-type immune responses can suppress Th2 immune responses, which are characteristics of allergic disorders. However, live microbial immunization might not be feasible for human immunotherapy. Here, we evaluated whether induction of Th1 immunity by the immunostimulatory sequences of CpG-oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG-ODN), with or without culture filtrate proteins (CFP), from Mycobacterium tuberculosis would suppress ongoing allergic lung disease.

Macroinvertebrates in low-order streams in two fragments of Atlantic Forest in different states of conservation, in the State of São Paulo (Brazil).

The presence of a riparian forest is one of the main factors that act directly on the ecology of a fluvial system, and the relation of the forest and the lotic environments might have an important influence on the distribution of the macroinvertebrates. In this context, the benthic macroinvertebrate communities in four low-order streams in São Paulo (Brazil) were analysed, with the aim of assessing the state of recovery of the surrounding forest fragments. The benthic organisms were sampled in the winter, a period of low rainfall.

[New records and epidemiological potential of certain species of mosquito (Diptera, Culicidae) in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil].

Introduction: Entomological surveillance has proven to be an important strategy for monitoring culicidae fauna, aimed at predicting the risk of exposure to pathogen vector species. The present work reports species identified for the first time in the State Rio Grande do Sul and discusses the epidemiological potential displayed by mosquito species occurring in Maquiné municipality and in other regions of the State.

Methods: Mosquitoes were collected with Nasci vacuum and CDC light traps between December 2006 and December 2008, in the wild, rural and urban areas of Maquiné.

Effects of flooding of the River Paraná on the temporal activity of Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) darlingi Root (Diptera: Culicidae), at the border state of Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo, Brazil.

Introduction: Study of the temporal activity of malaria vectors during the implantation of a hydroelectric power station on the River Paraná, intended to generate electrical energy. The river separates the States of São Paulo and Mato Grosso do Sul, in Brazil. The objective was to verify whether alterations occurred in the wealth and diversity indices of Anopheles, following two successive floods, extended to the temporal activity and nycthemeral rhythm followed over a five year period.

Host genetic background affects regulatory T-cell activity that influences the magnitude of cellular immune response against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Using two mouse strains with different abilities to generate interferon (IFN)-γ production after Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, we tested the hypothesis that the frequency and activity of regulatory T (Treg) cells are influenced by genetic background. Our results demonstrated that the suppressive activity of spleen Treg cells from infected or uninfected BALB/c mice was enhanced, inhibiting IFN-γ and interleukin (IL)-2 production. Infected C57BL/6 mice exhibited a decrease in the frequency of lung Treg cells and an increased ratio CD4(+):CD4(+)Foxp3(+) cells compared with infected BALB/c mice and uninfected C57BL/6 mice.

Diphenyl diselenide induces apoptotic cell death and modulates ERK1/2 phosphorylation in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells.

Diphenyl diselenide (PhSe)(2) is a synthetic organoselenium compound displaying glutathione peroxidase-like activity. Protective and antioxidant potential of (PhSe)(2) have been extensively investigated in in vivo and in vitro studies. In spite of this, there is a lack of studies addressed to the investigation of potential cytotoxic effect and signaling pathways modulated by this compound.

[Ecology of Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) darlingi Root in the installation area of a hydroelectric scheme on the border between the States of Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo].

Introduction: Hydroelectric schemes modify the water flow and cause an impact on mosquito composition, thus justifying investigations. The aim of this study was to study anophelines in the area under the influence of a new lake and to evaluate their relative vulnerability to malaria.

Methods: Anopheles specimens were collected from the edges of the Porto Primavera reservoir, during the phases of reservoir filling until its maximum level was reached.

Leukotrienes are not essential for the efficacy of a heterologous vaccine against Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.

Leukotrienes are reported to be potent proinflammatory mediators that play a role in the development of several inflammatory diseases such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and periodontal disease. Leukotrienes have also been associated with protection against infectious diseases. However, the role of leukotrienes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection is not understood.