Seroprevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in blood donors in the extreme South of Brazil.

Background: We aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence of Chagas disease among blood donors in southern Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Methods: The study was conducted from 2010 to 2019 based on data registered by the Hemocentro Regional de Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul.

Results: There were 106,320 blood donations, and the discard rate of blood bags, either due to positive reactions to anti-T.

Current situation of Chagas disease vectors (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) in Southern Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil.

Chagas disease (CD) has been considered endemic in the South of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) State, Brazil. This study aimed at evaluating the occurrence of Trypanosoma cruzi vectors based on the main species captured in Southern Rio Grande do Sul State from 2008 to 2019. The study area comprised counties that belong to the 3rd Regional Health Coordination (RHC) and to the 7th RHC, whose headquarters are in Pelotas and Bage, respectively.

Ovicidal and larvicidal potential of Rosmarinus officinalis to control gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep.

Gastrointestinal Nematode Infection (GIN) are the main constraint to the production of small ruminants. Studies of medicinal plants have been an important alternative in the effort to control these parasites. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the in vitro ovicidal and larvicidal activity of essential oil of Rosmarinus officinalis.

Prevalence of and risk factors for intestinal parasite infections in pediatric patients admitted to public hospitals in Southern Brazil.

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of intestinal parasitosis and to identify risk factors associated therewith in hospitalized children.

Methods: Three fecal samples from each patient were evaluated using three different techniques. The patients' nutritional and socioeconomic status and hematologic profiles were evaluated.

Trichomonas vaginalis PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS FOR WOMEN IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL.

Trichomonas vaginalis infections have been associated with other diseases so that epidemiological studies of the parasite are important and help to prevent the spread of the disease. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of T. vaginalis in female patients of 19 counties in southwestern Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Frequency of geohelminths in public squares in Pelotas, RS, Brazil.

The frequency of parasitic contamination of public areas in the municipality of Pelotas, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, was studied between June 2010 and May 2011, when soil samples were collected from eight city squares. Out of 400 samples submitted to centrifugal floatation technique in solution of sodium dichromate with density of 1.35, 176 (44%) proved positive for at least one parasite; 29 (16.

CpG-Induced IFN-α production of plasmacytoid dendritic cells: time and dosage dependence and the effect of structural modifications to the CpG backbone.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) represent a highly specialized immune cell subset and are considered to be the main sentinels against viral infections and play an important role in the development of immune tolerance. pDCs are able to recognize cytosine-phosphate-guanosine (CpG) motifs within microbial DNA, which are unmethylated CG dinucleotides in a certain sequence context and trigger the secretion of interferon (IFN)-α and other proinflammatory cytokines. Here we used the typical class A CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) 2216, the B-class ODN 2006, and the newly synthesized CpG ODN TM64 to explore the potency and kinetics of IFN-α stimulation of pDC.

First report of Lagochilascaris (Nematoda: Ascarididae) eggs in a public park in Southern Brazil.

Public parks, especially in developing countries, are places where stray animals run free and may contaminate the environment with different species of parasites. In an evaluation of environmental sanitation of these sites, soil samples were collected monthly from public parks in the Pelotas city, Rio Grande do Sul State, Southern Brazil. Eggs of the nematode Lagochilascaris sp.

Effect of head and neck cancer supernatant and CpG-oligonucleotides on migration and IFN-alpha production of plasmacytoid dendritic cells.

Background: Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDCs) infiltrating solid tumor tissues and draining lymph nodes of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) show an impaired immune response. Immunosuppressive cytokines secreted by HNSCC have been recognized to account for reduced interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) production, whereas the influence on PDC migration has not yet been investigated.

Materials And Methods: PDCs were isolated from human peripheral blood by magnetic bead separation.