Association between polymorphisms in , and genes and covid-19 severity in Southern Brazil.

Background: A distinct phenotype in Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) was observed in severe patients, consisting of a highly impaired interferon (IFN) type I response, an exacerbated inflammatory response.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate a possible association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), in five genes related to the immune response, rs3775291 in ; rs2292151 in ; rs1758566 in ; rs1800629 in , and rs1800795 in with the severity of Covid-19.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed, with non-severe and severe/critical patients diagnosed with Covid-19, by two public hospitals in Brazil.

Description of four new HLA-B alleles in Brazilian bone marrow donors.

Four new HLA-B alleles were identified in Brazilian individuals using next generation sequencing.

Low-cost molecular methodology for blood group antigens identification and genotyping contribution to transfusion efficacy in multiple transfused patients.

Background: Blood transfusions usually result in the production of alloantibodies, complicating subsequent transfusions. Many blood group systems, in addition to ABO and Rh, can lead to the production of irregular antibodies in multiple transfused patients.

Objectives: The aim of this work was to standardize a molecular biology methodology for identified some alleles of KEL, FY, JK and DI blood group system; the transfusion efficacy of chronically transfused patients with phenotype-matched blood was also evaluated.

Influence of (rs1800896) Polymorphism and TNF-α, IL-10, IL-17A, and IL-17F Serum Levels in Ankylosing Spondylitis.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease that mainly affects the axial and sacroiliac joints. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes encoding cytokines have been associated with AS, which can interfere with the production of these cytokines and contribute to the development of AS. In order to contribute to a better understanding of the pathology of AS, our objective was to investigate a possible association of the -1082 A>G SNP (rs1800896) with AS and to evaluate the serum levels of TNF-α, IL-10, IL-17A, and IL-17F in AS patients and controls comparing them with their respective genotypes ( rs1800629, rs1800896, rs2275913, and rs763780).

: A Possible Risk Marker for Spondyloarthritis in Negative Brazilian Patients.

is an important marker for spondyloarthritis (SpA), however, many SpA patients are negative. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of , and gene polymorphisms in SpA patients who were negative. This case-control study was conducted in 158 patients [102 patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and 56 with psoriatic arthritis (PsA)] and 184 controls.

Association of IL16 polymorphisms with periodontitis in Brazilians: A case- control study.

Periodontitis (PD) is a chronic inflammatory process resulting from the relationship of the immune response with the components in dental plaque. Cytokines and their genetic polymorphisms seem to be involved in the immunopathogenesis of this disease. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation of IL16 polymorphism with PD.

Influence of inflammasome NLRP3, and IL1B and IL2 gene polymorphisms in periodontitis susceptibility.

The pathogenesis of periodontitis (PD) involves several molecules of the immune system that interact in a network to eliminate the periodontopathogens, yet, they contribute to periodontal tissue destruction. The different mechanisms that lead to periodontal tissue damage are not clear. Despite this, immune response genes have been related to the development of PD previously, such as those involved in inflammasomes which are multiprotein complexes and cytokines including Interleukin-1.

Visualization of Carotenoid-Storage Structures in Fruits by Transmission Electron Microscopy.

Plastids are cell organelles that, beside other functions, have the capability to store carotenoids in specialized structures, which may vary among the different plant species, tissues or according to the carotenoid complement. Fruits are an important source of carotenoids, and during ripening, chloroplasts differentiate into chromoplasts that are able to accumulate large amounts of carotenoids, rendering then the characteristic fruit coloration. Whereas lycopene or β-carotene may accumulate as crystal in the chromoplasts of some fruit, other xanthophyll-accumulating fruits differentiate plastoglobuli as a preferred system to enhance carotenoids stability and storage.

Vitamin D Receptor Gene Polymorphisms Are Associated With Leprosy in Southern Brazil.

Vitamin D, together with its nuclear receptor (VDR), plays an important role in modulating the immune response, decreasing the inflammatory process. Some polymorphisms of the gene, such as I (G>A rs1544410)I (G>T rs7975232), and I (T>C rs731236) could affect its stability and mRNA transcription activity, while I T>C (rs2228570) gives a truncated protein with three fewer amino acids and more efficiency in binding vitamin D. This study evaluated these four polymorphisms in the immunopathogenesis of leprosy in 404 patients and 432 control individuals without chronic or infectious disease in southern Brazil.

The Influence of , , , and Polymorphisms in Periodontitis: A Case-Control Study.

The pathogenesis of periodontitis involves a complex interaction between the microbial challenge and the host immune response. The individual immunoinflammatory response has a great contribution in the pathogenesis of the disease and becomes a trigger in the process of bone remodeling which is a characteristic of the disease. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the A896G (rs4986790), C1196T (rs4986791), C-260T (rs2569190), (, rs2277438), and ( C163T, rs3102735) polymorphisms in periodontitis.

Polymorphism and Periodontitis Susceptibility, Regardless of , , and Smoking Habits.

Genetic variations contribute to the susceptibility in the development of periodontitis. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of , , and polymorphisms in the chronic periodontitis. This case-control study involved 381 individuals matched by gender and age.

Genotyping of Dombrock and Lutheran blood group systems in blood donors from the southwestern region of the state of Paraná, Southern Brazil.

Background: Lutheran and Dombrock are two blood group systems with low immunogenic antigens; they can cause mild-to-moderate transfusion reactions. For both, immunophenotyping is not performed in the pretransfusion routine in Brazil. In addition, the distribution of their antigenic frequencies is an important marker of ethnicity.

Transverse mode-switchable fiber laser based on a photonic lantern.

We propose and experimentally demonstrate an intra-cavity transverse mode-switchable fiber laser based on a mode-selective photonic lantern and a few-mode Er-doped fiber amplifier. The six lowest-order LP modes can lase independently and are switchable by changing the input port of the photonic lantern. We measured the slope efficiency, mode intensity profile, and optical spectrum of each lasing mode.

Photonic lantern broadband orbital angular momentum mode multiplexer.

Optical vortex beams that carry orbital angular momentum (OAM), also known as OAM modes, have attracted considerable interest in recent years as they can comprise an additional degree of freedom for a variety of advanced classical and quantum optical applications. While canonical methods of OAM mode generation are effective, a method that can simultaneously generate and multiplex OAM modes with low loss and over broad spectral range is still in great demand. Here, via novel design of an optical fiber device referred to as a photonic lantern, where the radial mode index ("m") is neglected, for the first time we demonstrate the simultaneous generation and multiplexing of OAM modes with low loss and over the broadest spectral range to date (550 nm).

Triple-clad photonic lanterns for mode scaling.

We propose a novel triple-clad photonic lanterns for mode scaling. This novel structure alleviates the adiabatic tapering requirement for the fabrication of large photonic lanterns. A 10-mode photonic lantern with insertion losses ranging from 0.

KIR and HLA ligands demonstrate genetic inheritance diversity in Japanese descendants from Paraná, Brazil.

In order to investigate killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) and their ligands, human leukocyte antigen (HLA), diversity in the Brazilian population influenced by migrations, unrelated Brazilian Japanese descendants were selected and genotyped for the KIR genes and HLA class I allele groups. Genetic heterogeneity in Brazil Paraná Japanese was observed for KIR genes, whose frequency distributions demonstrated similarity with mixed Brazilian populations and with the Japanese population, suggesting gene flow. The data contributed to the identification of the genetic constitution of the Brazilian population influenced by immigrations and two new genotypes were defined.

All-fiber few-mode multicore photonic lantern mode multiplexer.

The emergence of space division multiplexing (SDM) for ultrahigh capacity networks has heralded pioneering Petabit-class optical transmission systems. In parallel to novel SDM fibers, a new class of components to enable scalable, low-loss schemes for unlocking fiber capacity is being developed. In this work, an all-fiber mode selective photonic lantern mode multiplexer designed for launching into few-mode multicore fibers is demonstrated.

Cytokine gene polymorphisms in populations from Parana, Southern Brazil.

In this study, were genotyped 22 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 13 genes that encode the pro-inflammatory (IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-1R, IL-4Rα, IL-12, IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-2) and anti-inflammatory (IL-1RA, TGF-β, IL-4, IL-6 and IL-10) cytokines of 350 individuals by PCR-SSP (polymerase chain reaction - sequence specific primer). A total of 473 individuals were genotyped for IL17A and IL17F genes by PCR-RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism). The sample consisted of healthy and unrelated subjects from a mixed population from Parana state, in the South region of Brazil.

Genetic polymorphisms of human platelet antigens in Euro-African and Japanese descendants from Parana, Southern Brazil.

The frequency distributions of HPA-1 to HPA-6 and HPA-15 were evaluated in two Brazilian populations from Parana: a mixed population of predominantly Caucasians and a population of Japanese descendants. Genotyping was performed by PCR-SSP in 364 unrelated individuals. Differences in the distribution of HPA highlight diversity in Brazilian miscegenation and the importance of formation of the HPA panel composed of regional blood donors.

Profile of Rh, Kell, Duffy, Kidd, and Diego blood group systems among blood donors in the Southwest region of the Paraná state, Southern Brazil.

The aim of this study was to assess the distribution of alleles and genotypes of the blood group systems Rh, Kell, Duffy, Kidd, and Diego in 251 regular blood donors registered in the hemotherapy unit of the Southwestern region of Paraná, Southern Brazil. The frequencies were obtained by direct counting on a spreadsheet program and statistical analyses were conducted in order to compare them with other Brazilian populations using chi-squared with Yates correction on OpenEpi software. The frequencies of RHD* negative, RHCE*c/c and RHCE*e/e were higher than expected for the Caucasian population.

Severe canine distemper outbreak in unvaccinated dogs in Mozambique.

Although significant animal suffering caused by preventable diseases is frequently seen in developing countries, reports of this are scarce. This report describes avoidable animal suffering owing to a suspected canine distemper (CD) outbreak in unvaccinated dogs owned by low-income families in Mozambique that killed approximately 200 animals. Affected dogs exhibited clinical signs, and gross and microscopic lesions compatible with CD.

Frequency of RHD variants in Brazilian blood donors from Parana State, Southern Brazil.

The Rh blood group system is one of the most complex, polymorphic and immunogenic blood group systems in humans. Some individuals produce a weak or a partial D as a result of RHD and RHCE gene conversion events and RHD point mutations. Because the incidence of RHD variants differs considerably among ethnic groups, the objective of this study was to establish the frequency of blood donors carrying some weak and partial RHD, at the molecular level, in 400 blood donors from the North/Northwest of the state of Parana, Southern Brazil.