pDC-like cells are pre-DC2 and require KLF4 to control homeostatic CD4 T cells.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) have been shown to play an important role during immune responses, ranging from initial viral control through the production of type I interferons to antigen presentation. However, recent studies uncovered unexpected heterogeneity among pDCs. We identified a previously uncharacterized immune subset, referred to as pDC-like cells, that not only resembles pDCs but also shares conventional DC (cDC) features.

Why Is Whipple's Disease Still a Challenging Diagnosis? A Case Report and Brief Review of Literature.

Whipple's disease (WD) is a rare multisystemic infectious disease caused by The pathogenesis of Whipple's disease remains unknown and clinical experience relies solely on various case reports published in the literature. The disease may occur at any age, with most studies describing patients in their fifth decade. Classic WD mainly affects the gastrointestinal tract, but extraintestinal commitment can occur, with the most common manifestations being arthralgias, lymphadenopathy, fever, and neurological symptoms.

Neighborhood Social Support and Social Participation as Predictors of Dating Violence.

Many adolescents experience violence in the context of dating and romantic relationships. Neighborhoods can influence dating violence by offering certain resources which can provide social support and opportunities for social participation, but knowledge about these effects is still limited. The purpose of the current study was to (a) assess the association between neighborhood social support, social participation, and dating violence, and (b) explore possible gender difference in these associations.

Unsupervised algorithms to identify potential under-coding of secondary diagnoses in hospitalisations databases in Portugal.

Background: Quantifying and dealing with lack of consistency in administrative databases (namely, under-coding) requires tracking patients longitudinally without compromising anonymity, which is often a challenging task.

Objective: This study aimed to (i) assess and compare different hierarchical clustering methods on the identification of individual patients in an administrative database that does not easily allow tracking of episodes from the same patient; (ii) quantify the frequency of potential under-coding; and (iii) identify factors associated with such phenomena.

Method: We analysed the Portuguese National Hospital Morbidity Dataset, an administrative database registering all hospitalisations occurring in Mainland Portugal between 2011-2015.

Preclinical dental students self-assessment of an improved operative dentistry virtual reality simulator with haptic feedback.

To test and evaluate the second installment of DENTIFY, a virtual reality haptic simulator for Operative Dentistry (OD), on preclinical dental students, by focusing on user performance and self-assessment. Twenty voluntary unpaid preclinical dental students, with different background experience, were enrolled for this study. After the completion of an informed consent, a demographic questionnaire, and being introduced to the prototype (on the first testing session), three testing sessions followed (S1, S2, S3).

A Cre-deleter specific for embryo-derived brain macrophages reveals distinct features of microglia and border macrophages.

Genetic tools to target microglia specifically and efficiently from the early stages of embryonic development are lacking. We generated a constitutive Cre line controlled by the microglia signature gene Crybb1 that produced nearly complete recombination in embryonic brain macrophages (microglia and border-associated macrophages [BAMs]) by the perinatal period, with limited recombination in peripheral myeloid cells. Using this tool in combination with Flt3-Cre lineage tracer, single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis, and confocal imaging, we resolved embryonic-derived versus monocyte-derived BAMs in the mouse cortex.

Aberrant fucosylation sustains the NOTCH and EGFR/NF-κB pathways and has a prognostic value in human intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Background And Aims: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is a lethal malignancy, with increasing incidence worldwide and limited therapeutic options. Aberrant protein glycosylation is a hallmark of cancer. Here, we thoroughly investigated the possible involvement of fucosylation in cholangiocarcinogenesis.

Shewanella algae, an Emerging Human Pathogen: A Series of Four Cases From a Portuguese Hospital.

is a rod-shaped, Gram-negative bacterium that is considered an emerging human pathogen. Traditionally associated with warmer climates, has now been isolated from patients worldwide, and reports of infection are increasing. In a regional hospital on the outskirts of Lisbon, Portugal, four cases have been detected in the past 10 years.

In vitro maturation of oocytes as a laboratory approach to polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS): From oocyte to embryo.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder affecting women of reproductive age, which in some case leads to infertility. This disorder is characterized by hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction and polycystic ovarian morphology. Infertile PCOS women that need in vitro fertilization (IVF) have greater risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) if conventional ovarian stimulation is used.

Primary Dentition Caries Patterns as Predictors of Permanent Dentition Caries: A Prospective Cohort Study.

The aims of this study were to estimate the risk of caries in the permanent teeth at 12 years of age and to describe the diagnostic accuracy of caries patterns in the primary dentition at age 4 years to predict caries at age 12 years. A prospective cohort study followed children from birth to age 12 years in the city of São Leopoldo, Brazil. Sociodemographic variables were collected at birth, and dental caries was measured at 4 and 12 years of age (n = 204).

Criteria for preclinical models of cholangiocarcinoma: scientific and medical relevance.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a rare malignancy that develops at any point along the biliary tree. CCA has a poor prognosis, its clinical management remains challenging, and effective treatments are lacking. Therefore, preclinical research is of pivotal importance and necessary to acquire a deeper understanding of CCA and improve therapeutic outcomes.

Intrinsic motor neuron excitability is increased after resistance training in older adults.

This study investigated the effects of high-intensity resistance training on estimates of the motor neuron persistent inward current (PIC) in older adults. Seventeen participants (68.5 ± 2.

Effect of the dietary inflammatory potential on the trajectory of body adiposity in a Brazilian cohort of university students.

Objectives: University students are vulnerable to unhealthy eating habits that characterize a proinflammatory diet. This study aimed to estimate the dietary inflammatory index (DII) and its association with the trajectory of body adiposity markers in university students.

Methods: The study analyzed data from 685 students entering a Brazilian public university in 2016 and 2017 and followed until 2018.

Undifferentiated Carcinoma With Osteoclast-Like Giant Cells: A Rare Cause of Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding.

Undifferentiated osteoclast-like giant cell carcinomas (UOLGCCs) of the digestive tract are very rare, with only a few cases reported in the literature. An 82-year-old man was referred to the emergency department for melena. Endoscopic examination revealed a hemicircumferential ulcerovegetative lesion, involving the bulbar apex and extending to the second portion of the duodenum; biopsies revealed an UOLGCC.

Association of household composition with dietary patterns among adolescents in Brazil.

The present study identified dietary patterns (DP) and analyse their association with household composition. This is a cross-sectional school-based study, with a nationally representative sample of Brazilian adolescent students, aged 11-19 years, with data from National School Health Survey ( 102 072). Food consumption was obtained through the weekly frequency of consumption of food markers, and the confirmatory factor analysis was applied to examine the latent variables 'Healthy' (beans, legumes/vegetables and fresh fruit/fruit salad) and 'Unhealthy' (ultra-processed foods, sweets, soft drinks and snacks) DP.

Mechanical wounding impacts the growth versus defense balance in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum).

Plants have evolved elaborate surveillance systems that allow them to perceive the attack by pests and pathogens and activate the appropriate defenses. Mechanical stimulation, such as mechanical wounding, represents one of the most reliable cues for the perception of potential herbivore aggressors. Here we demonstrate that mechanical wounding disturbs the growth versus defense balance in tomato, a physiological condition where growth reduction arises as a pleiotropic consequence of the activation of defense responses (or vice-versa).

The Satellite DNA Catalogues of Two Serrasalmidae (Teleostei, Characiformes): Conservation of General satDNA Features over 30 Million Years.

Satellite DNAs (satDNAs) are tandemly repeated sequences that are usually located on the heterochromatin, and the entire collection of satDNAs within a genome is called satellitome. Primarily, these sequences are not under selective pressure and evolve by concerted evolution, resulting in elevated rates of divergence between the satDNA profiles of reproductive isolated species/populations. Here, we characterized two additional satellitomes of Characiformes fish ( and ) that diverged approximately 30 million years ago, while still retaining conserved karyotype features.

Distinction of Different Colony Types by a Smart-Data-Driven Tool.

Background: Colony morphology (size, color, edge, elevation, and texture), as observed on culture media, can be used to visually discriminate different microorganisms.

Methods: This work introduces a hybrid method that combines standard pre-trained CNN keras models and classical machine-learning models for supporting colonies discrimination, developed in Petri-plates. In order to test and validate the system, images of three bacterial species (, , and ) cultured in Petri plates were used.

TRPV4 Role in Neuropathic Pain Mechanisms in Rodents.

Neuropathic pain is a chronic pain caused by a disease or damage to the somatosensory nervous system. The knowledge about the complete mechanisms is incomplete, but the role of oxidative compounds has been evaluated. In this context, we highlight the transient potential receptor vanilloid 4 (TRPV4), a non-selective cation channel, that can be activated by oxidated compounds.

Metformin acts in the gut and induces gut-liver crosstalk.

Metformin is the most prescribed drug for DM2, but its site and mechanism of action are still not well established. Here, we investigated the effects of metformin on basolateral intestinal glucose uptake (BIGU), and its consequences on hepatic glucose production (HGP). In diabetic patients and mice, the primary site of metformin action was the gut, increasing BIGU, evaluated through PET-CT.

Occurrence of two myxosporean parasites in the gall bladder of white seabream (L.) (Teleostei, Sparidae), with the morphological and molecular description of n. sp.

Myxosporeans are widespread cnidarian parasites that usually parasitize fish as part of their complex life cycle, thus constituting a potential threat for the aquaculture industry. White seabream (L.) is a commercially valuable sparid fish reared in Southern European aquacultures.

T-cell selection in the thymus: New routes toward the identification of the self-peptide ligandome presented by thymic epithelial cells.

Within the thymus, thymic epithelial cells (TECs) provide a dedicated niche for the selection of functional T cells expressing a highly variable and self-tolerant T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire. In this minireview, we start by summarizing recent studies that have improved our understanding on the composition of cortical TEC and medullary TEC microenvironments. Next, we focus on the molecular processes that control the function of TECs in T-cell selection.

Effect of different storage conditions on the stability and safety of almonds.

Almond production in Portugal is of great importance for the economy of their main producing areas. However, the contamination of these nut fruits with fungi and mycotoxins poses a significant risk to food safety and security. This work intended to evaluate the influence of storage conditions on the microbial and mycotoxin stability and safety of almonds throughout long-term storage.

Adaptation and clinical application of assistive device chair for bedside sitting in acute stroke phase: two case reports.

Purpose: This report presents the adaptation of an assistive device chair for bedside sitting and its application in two patients with trunk control impairment in the acute stroke phase.

Materials And Methods: The device was built with polyvinylchloride (PVC) pipes and designed by a team of mechanical engineers and physiotherapists to maintain a prolonged sitting position with less demand from therapists. To test the device, two patients were followed up during the acute phase of stroke.