[Osteodensimetric curves in a female population].

Aim: To define female bone osteodensitometric reference curves, for different anatomical sites, in a female population.

Participants And Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed involving 573 Caucasoid women living in Porto. Bone mineral density was measured using a Hologic® QDR 1500 dual X-ray absorciometry system.

Humoral and cell-mediated immune responses to monovalent 2009 influenza A/H1N1 and seasonal trivalent influenza vaccines in high-risk children.

Objective: Humoral and cell-mediated immune responses to monovalent 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1/2009) and seasonal trivalent influenza (TIV) vaccines were evaluated in healthy children and children with asthma, sickle cell disease (SCD), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and solid organ transplantation (SOT).

Study Design: Blood was collected from 112 subjects at the time of H1N1/2009 vaccination and 46 ± 15 days later for hemagglutination inhibition titers and γ-interferon ELISPOT responses to H1N1/2009 vaccine and TIV; unvaccinated children also received TIV at enrollment.

Results: A significant increase in the percentage of subjects with seroprotective hemagglutination inhibition titers to both vaccines was observed in all high-risk groups.

A mutant Ahr allele protects the embryonic kidney from hydrocarbon-induced deficits in fetal programming.

Background: The use of experimental model systems has expedited the elucidation of pathogenetic mechanisms of renal developmental disease in humans and the identification of genes that orchestrate developmental programming during nephrogenesis.

Objectives: We conducted studies to evaluate the role of AHR polymorphisms in the disruption of renal developmental programming by benzo(a)pyrene (BaP).

Methods: We used metanephric cultures of C57BL/6J (C57) mice expressing the Ahr(b-1) allele and B6.

Transcriptome and gene expression profile of ovarian follicle tissue of the triatomine bug Rhodnius prolixus.

Insect oocytes grow in close association with the ovarian follicular epithelium (OFE), which escorts the oocyte during oogenesis and is responsible for synthesis and secretion of the eggshell. We describe a transcriptome of OFE of the triatomine bug Rhodnius prolixus, a vector of Chagas disease, to increase our knowledge of the role of FE in egg development. Random clones were sequenced from a cDNA library of different stages of follicle development.

The influenza virus protein PB1-F2 inhibits the induction of type I interferon at the level of the MAVS adaptor protein.

PB1-F2 is a 90 amino acid protein that is expressed from the +1 open reading frame in the PB1 gene of some influenza A viruses and has been shown to contribute to viral pathogenicity. Notably, a serine at position 66 (66S) in PB1-F2 is known to increase virulence compared to an isogenic virus with an asparagine (66N) at this position. Recently, we found that an influenza virus expressing PB1-F2 N66S suppresses interferon (IFN)-stimulated genes in mice.

Strategies to vaccinate against cancer of the cervix: feasibility of a school-based HPV vaccination program in Peru.

Operational research using a mixed method, cross-sectional, case-study approach assessed the feasibility and health system impact of large-scale implementation of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination into routine vaccine delivery by the Ministry of Health in Peru. The strategy was school-based vaccination of fifth grade girls in 527 primary schools in Piura region. Our evaluation showed that school-based HPV vaccination is feasible without major changes in existing health systems.

Phenazine-1-carboxylic acid promotes bacterial biofilm development via ferrous iron acquisition.

The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa forms biofilms, which render it more resistant to antimicrobial agents. Levels of iron in excess of what is required for planktonic growth have been shown to promote biofilm formation, and therapies that interfere with ferric iron [Fe(III)] uptake combined with antibiotics may help treat P. aeruginosa infections.

Microscopic and molecular characterization of ovarian follicle atresia in Rhodnius prolixus Stahl under immune challenge.

In this work we characterized the degenerative process of ovarian follicles of the bug Rhodnius prolixus challenged with the non-entomopathogenic fungus Aspergillus niger. An injection of A. niger conidia directly into the hemocoel of adult R.

Discovery of novel quaternary ammonium derivatives of (3R)-quinuclidinyl carbamates as potent and long acting muscarinic antagonists.

Novel quaternary ammonium derivatives of N,N-disubstituted (3R)-quinuclidinyl carbamates have been identified as potent M(3) muscarinic antagonists with long duration of action in an in vivo model of bronchoconstriction. These compounds have also presented a high level of metabolic transformation (human liver microsomes). The synthesis, structure-activity relationships and biological evaluation of these compounds are reported.

Discovering mammography-based machine learning classifiers for breast cancer diagnosis.

This work explores the design of mammography-based machine learning classifiers (MLC) and proposes a new method to build MLC for breast cancer diagnosis. We massively evaluated MLC configurations to classify features vectors extracted from segmented regions (pathological lesion or normal tissue) on craniocaudal (CC) and/or mediolateral oblique (MLO) mammography image views, providing BI-RADS diagnosis. Previously, appropriate combinations of image processing and normalization techniques were applied to reduce image artifacts and increase mammograms details.

Effects of receptor binding specificity of avian influenza virus on the human innate immune response.

Humans infected by the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza viruses (HPAIV) present unusually high concentrations in serum of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, which are believed to contribute to the high pathogenicity of these viruses. The hemagglutinins (HAs) of avian influenza viruses preferentially bind to sialic acids attached through α2,3 linkages (SAα2,3) to the terminal galactose of carbohydrates on the host cell surface, while the HAs from human strains bind to α2,6-linked SA (SAα2,6). To evaluate the role of the viral receptor specificity in promoting innate immune responses in humans, we generated recombinant influenza viruses, one bearing the HA and neuraminidase (NA) genes from the A/Vietnam/1203/2004 H5N1 HPAIV in an influenza A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 (A/PR/8/34) backbone with specificity for SAα2,3 and the other a mutant virus (with Q226L and G228S in the HA) with preferential receptor specificity for SAα2,6.

Olfactory ensheathing cells as putative host cells for Streptococcus pneumoniae: evidence of bacterial invasion via mannose receptor-mediated endocytosis.

Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) are a special glia that ensheath olfactory receptor axons that enter the brain via olfactory phila, thus, providing a potential route for access of pathogens. Streptococcus pneumoniae (Sp), that has a capsule rich in mannosyl residues, is the most common cause of rhinosinusitis that may evolve to meningitis. We have tested whether OECs in vitro express the mannose receptor (MR), and could internalize Sp via MR.

Grid infrastructures for developing mammography CAD systems.

This paper presents a set of technologies developed to exploit Grid infrastructures for breast cancer CAD, that include (1) federated repositories of mammography images and clinical data over Grid storage, (2) a workstation for mammography image analysis and diagnosis and (3) a framework for data analysis and training machine learning classifiers over Grid computing power specially tuned for medical image based data. An experimental mammography digital repository of approximately 300 mammograms from the MIAS database was created and classifiers were built achieving a 0.85 average area under the ROC curve in a dataset of 100 selected mammograms with representative pathological lesions and normal cases.

Calreticulin expression levels and endoplasmic reticulum during late oogenesis and early embryogenesis of Rhodnius prolixus Stahl.

This study reports the cloning, expression analysis and localization of calreticulin (CRT) in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) during late oogenesis and early embryogenesis of the insect Rhodnius prolixus. CRT was cloned and sequenced from cDNA extracted from unfertilized eggs. Real-time PCR showed that CRT expression remains at lower levels during late oogenesis when compared to vitellogenic oocytes or day 0 laid fertilized eggs.

Spontaneous closure of a left ventricle pseudoaneurysm following apical venting.

Cardiac surgery is the second most frequent aetiology of left ventricular pseudoaneurysm (LVP). Left ventricular apical venting is a recognized cause of LVP. Prompt surgical treatment is usually needed since there is a high risk of rupture and spontaneous closure is very rare.

Nucleoplasmin binds histone H2A-H2B dimers through its distal face.

Nucleoplasmin (NP) is a pentameric chaperone that regulates the condensation state of chromatin extracting specific basic proteins from sperm chromatin and depositing H2A-H2B histone dimers. It has been proposed that histones could bind to either the lateral or distal face of the pentameric structure. Here, we combine different biochemical and biophysical techniques to show that natural, hyperphosphorylated NP can bind five H2A-H2B dimers and that the amount of bound ligand depends on the overall charge (phosphorylation level) of the chaperone.

Biological width following immediate implant placement in the dog: flap vs. flapless surgery.

Objective: To assess the marginal soft tissue healing process after flap or flapless surgery in immediate implant placement in a dog model.

Material And Methods: This study was carried out on five Beagle dogs. Four implants were placed in the lower jaw in each dog immediately after tooth extraction.

[Percutaneous closure of a giant coronary artery fistula draining into superior vena cava].

Coronary artery fistulas are rare coronary anomalies; coronary angiography remains the gold standard for the diagnosis, and is essential to plan either surgical or percutaneous intervention. The use of an Amplatzer Vascular Plug device in percutaneous closure of coronary fistulas has been recently described in a few cases of paediatric age patients, with positive results, but has never been reported in adult patients. We report the case of a 36-year-old female, with an unusually large right coronary artery fistula draining into superior vena cava that was successfully closed percutaneously, using a 14 mm Amplatzer device (Vascular Plug II, AGA).

Structural determinants allowing endolysosomal sorting and degradation of endosomal GTPases.

Rapid control of protein degradation is usually achieved through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. We recently found that the short-lived GTPase RhoB is degraded in lysosomes. Moreover, the fusion of the RhoB C-terminal sequence CINCCKVL, containing the isoprenylation and palmitoylation sites, to other proteins directs their sorting into multivesicular bodies (MVBs) and rapid lysosomal degradation.

Calcium- and polyphosphate-containing acidic granules of sea urchin eggs are similar to acidocalcisomes, but are not the targets for NAADP.

Acidocalcisomes are acidic calcium-storage compartments described from bacteria to humans and characterized by their high content in poly P (polyphosphate), a linear polymer of many tens to hundreds of Pi residues linked by high-energy phosphoanhydride bonds. In the present paper we report that millimolar levels of short-chain poly P (in terms of Pi residues) and inorganic PPi are present in sea urchin extracts as detected using 31P-NMR, enzymatic determinations and agarose gel electrophoresis. Poly P was localized to granules randomly distributed in the sea urchin eggs, as shown by labelling with the poly-P-binding domain of Escherichia coli exopolyphosphatase.

Endogenous pH, Titratable Acidity and Total Soluble Solid Content of Mouthwashes Available in the Brazilian Market.

Objectives: To evaluate in vitro the endogenous pH, titratable acidity and total soluble solid content (TSSC) of mouthwashes available in the Brazilian market.

Methods: The study sample was composed of 10 commercial brands of mouthwashes based on different active ingredients: Cepacol(R), Clinerize(R), Equate(R), Listerine Cool Citrus(R), Oral-B(R), Periogard(R), Peroxyl(R), Plax Overnight(R), Prevident 220(R) and Sanifill(R). The experiments were performed in triplicate.

Electrical characterization of a single electrospun porous nanostructured tin oxide ribbon.

A single nanostructured porous tin oxide ribbon, with its length, width and thickness of more than 1 mm, around 20 microm and around 20 nm, respectively, were fabricated using electrospinning, and electrically characterized in a temperature range between 300 K and 90 K, a magnetic field range from -9 to 9 T (negative sign stands for the reverse direction), and the environment of air and vacuum. The electrical conductivity (sigma) of the ribbon was found insensitive to magnetic field, but sensitive to temperature and environment. Its response time to air evacuation is 67+7 s.

Field effect devices and sensors based on electrospun polymer assisted tin oxide nanoribbons.

Electrospinning is presented as a facile method of preparing relatively long tin oxide (SnO2) nanofibers that are robust and stable in air. Upon heat treatment, the fibers collapse into a ribbon-like structure with surfaces that are not smooth, rather, are marked with several interconnected pathways. These nanoribbons were electrically characterized in a field effect transistor configuration in vacuum, with and without ultra violet (UV) light exposure.

Calcium- and polyphosphate-containing acidocalcisomes in chicken egg yolk.

Background Information: Poly P (inorganic polyphosphate) is a polymer formed by P(i) residues linked by high-energy phosphoanhydride bonds. The presence of poly P in bacteria, fungi, algae and protists has been widely recognized, but the distribution of poly P in more complex eukaryotes has been poorly studied. Poly P accumulates, together with calcium, in acidic vesicles or acidocalcisomes in a number of organisms and possesses a diverse array of functions, including roles in stress response, blood clotting, inflammation, calcification, cell proliferation and apoptosis.