29 results on '"Fernandes SJ"'
Search Results
2. Evaluation of Borderline Psychopathy through neuropsychological and psychosocial factors
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Fernandes Sj
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PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences ,bepress|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Psychology|Clinical Psychology ,Psychopathy ,bepress|Social and Behavioral Sciences ,Neuropsychology ,medicine ,Psychology ,medicine.disease ,Psychosocial ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology ,PsyArXiv|Social and Behavioral Sciences|Clinical Psychology|Personality Disorders ,Clinical psychology - Abstract
Psychopathy, in its literal sense, is a dangerous disorder. It exhibits antisocial behavior, inclusive of rage or aggression, fantasy, etc. The current psychopath population is 1%, but this paper puts forth the probability of an increase in the current population. No individual scores a zero on the Levenson scale, and that in itself shows the innate harsh tendencies of the individual, hidden behind the social norms and good values, however, this paper shows how those could be affected and cause the individual to rank higher on the APD scale (given below), resulting in undesired antisocial behavior or the potential behavior. In this paper, we have taken the scores of the different generations (gen x, millennials, and gen z) to outline the statistical change in the scores to predict an estimate. This paper, through the different variables and the statistics, deduces an increase in the APD population to be a likely one in the future to come through theoretical prediction.
- Published
- 2019
3. Disparities by Race and Ethnicity in Inpatient Hospitalizations Among Autistic Adults.
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Rast JE, Fernandes SJ, Schott W, and Shea LL
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- Adolescent, Adult, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Young Adult, Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, Black or African American statistics & numerical data, Epilepsy ethnology, Epilepsy epidemiology, Epilepsy therapy, Epilepsy diagnosis, Hispanic or Latino statistics & numerical data, Inpatients statistics & numerical data, Mood Disorders ethnology, Mood Disorders epidemiology, Mood Disorders diagnosis, Mood Disorders therapy, Prevalence, Racial Groups statistics & numerical data, Racial Groups ethnology, Schizophrenia ethnology, Schizophrenia epidemiology, Schizophrenia therapy, Schizophrenia diagnosis, United States epidemiology, United States ethnology, White People statistics & numerical data, Autistic Disorder ethnology, Autistic Disorder therapy, Autistic Disorder epidemiology, Autistic Disorder diagnosis, Ethnicity statistics & numerical data, Healthcare Disparities ethnology, Healthcare Disparities statistics & numerical data, Hospitalization statistics & numerical data
- Abstract
This study examined hospitalizations in a large, all-payer, nationally representative sample of inpatient hospitalizations in the US and identified differences in rates of hospitalization for conditions by race and ethnicity in autistic adults. Conditions examined included mood disorders, epilepsy, schizophrenia, and ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs). Compared to white, non-Hispanic autistic adults, Black, Hispanic, Asian or Pacific Islander (API), and autistic adults of another race had lower prevalence of admission for a principal diagnosis of a mood disorder. Conversely, Black, Hispanic, API, and autistic adults of another race had higher odds of admission for epilepsy than white autistic adults. Black and Hispanic autistic adults were more likely to have schizophrenia as a principal diagnosis compared to white autistic adults, but only Black autistic adults had increased odds for admission for an ACSCs compared to white autistic adults. Differences in diagnosis prevalence among hospitalized autistic adults may suggest differential access to comprehensive outpatient care that could prevent such hospitalizations, while also pointing to concerns of differential validity of diagnostic tools and treatment approaches. Insurance policy and programs should prioritize optimizing outpatient care to ensure access to care and emphasize the need for equitable treatment., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)
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- 2024
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4. Nursing Ethical Decision Making on Adult Physical Restraint: A Scoping Review.
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Cortinhal VSJ, Correia ASC, and Deodato Fernandes SJ
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- Adult, Humans, Databases, Factual, Decision Making, Systematic Reviews as Topic, Durable Medical Equipment, Restraint, Physical
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Objective: to map the existing knowledge on nursing ethical decision making in the physical restraint of hospitalised adults. (1) Background: physical restraint is a technique that conditions the free movement of the body, with risks and benefits. The prevalence of physical restraint in healthcare suffers a wide variation, considering the environment or pathology, and it raises ethical issues that hinders decision making. This article intends to analyse and discuss this problem, starting from a literature review that will provoke a grounded discussion on the ethical and legal aspects. Inclusion criteria are: studies on physical restraint (C) and ethical nursing decision making (C) in hospitalized adults (P); (2) methods: a three-step search strategy was used according to the JBI. The databases consulted were CINAHL Plus with Full Text (EBSCOhost), MEDLINE Full Text (EBSCOhost), Nursing and Allied Health Collection: Comprehensive and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (by Cochrane Library, RCAAP and Google Scholar. All articles were analysed by two independent reviewers; (3) results: according to the inclusion criteria, 18 articles were included. The categories that influence ethical decision in nursing are: consequence of the decision, the context, the nature of the decision in terms of its complexity, the principles of the ethical decision in nursing, ethical issues and universal values; (4) conclusions: the findings of this review provide evidence that there is extensive knowledge regarding nursing ethical decision making in adult physical restriction, also, it is considered an ethical issue with many associated assumptions. In this article we aim to confront all these issues from a legal perspective.
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- 2024
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5. Serological evidence of exposure to Bartonella sp. in dogs with suspected vector-borne diseases, toxoplasmosis and neosporosis.
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Gonçalves LR, Merino MMGJ, Freschi CR, Fernandes SJ, André MR, and Machado RZ
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- Animals, Brazil epidemiology, Dogs, Humans, Immunoglobulin G, Mammals, Retrospective Studies, Bartonella, Bartonella Infections diagnosis, Bartonella Infections epidemiology, Bartonella Infections veterinary, Dog Diseases parasitology, Toxoplasmosis, Vector Borne Diseases veterinary
- Abstract
Bartonellosis is a vector-borne zoonotic disease with worldwide distribution that infect a broad spectrum of mammalian species. Despite the recent studies carried out in Brazil, information regarding Bartonella in dogs are scarce. Therefore, we performed a retrospective study to investigate the exposure to Bartonella sp. in dogs by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA). Three hundred and thirty-five archived serum samples from dogs previously tested for vector-borne pathogens, Toxoplasma gondii, and Neospora caninum were screened for the presence of IgG antibodies to Bartonella sp. All dogs originated from the Metropolitan region of Ribeirão Preto, northeast of the State of São Paulo. Twenty-eight samples (8.3%) were positive for Bartonella sp. at the cut-off of 64. Among the 28 seropositive samples for Bartonella sp., 16 (57.1%) were also seropositive for Ehrlichia canis, 12 (42.8%) for Babesia vogeli, five (17.8%) for T. gondii and three (10.7%) for L. infantum and N. caninum. Our results demonstrated that dogs sampled were exposed to Bartonella sp. Since all the animals sampled in the present study were from private owners, our findings demonstrate that these people may also be exposed to Bartonella sp. Further studies designed to assess whether the infection by other arthropod-borne pathogens such as B. vogeli and E. canis are risk factors for Bartonella infection are needed.
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- 2022
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6. Hospital Inpatient Stays for Autistic Youth and Youth With Other Disabilities.
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Rast JE, Roux AM, Fernandes SJ, D'Silva V, and Shea LL
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- Adolescent, Child, Child, Preschool, Hospitals, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Inpatients, Length of Stay, Medicaid, United States epidemiology, Autistic Disorder diagnosis, Autistic Disorder epidemiology, Autistic Disorder therapy
- Abstract
Background: Addressing health care needs is complex in autistic youth for many reasons. Increased inpatient care that has been noted in this population, particularly for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs), may be a marker of inadequate primary and outpatient care., Methods: This study used data from hospital inpatient discharges from the National Inpatient Sample 2017. The prevalence, average length of stay, and the average cost per day of the 10 most common principal diagnoses for index stay were calculated for autistic youth and youth with mental, behavioral, and other neurodevelopmental disabilities (MBND), ages 0 to 17., Results: Of every 1000 inpatient stays, 7.3 were for autistic youth and 65.2 for youth with MBND. The rate varied by US region and zip code-level household income. The most common diagnosis associated with stays in autistic youth was mood disorders, as in youth with MBND. Nearly all top 10 principal diagnoses for autistic youth were for ACSCs. The highest average cost per day for autistic youth was for physical injuries ($4320 per day), and the longest stays were for schizophrenia (14 days)., Conclusions: High occurrence of ACSCs in autistic youth suggests that primary care may not adequately address health and mental health needs. Clinical complexity and autism characteristics may be impacting care received in the hospital. Additional considerations need to explore and examine care complexity, racial and ethnic disparities, and the large portion of Medicaid-covered youth. Strategies for the provision of care to these vulnerable populations are of great concern., Competing Interests: CONFLICT OF INTEREST DISCLOSURES: The authors have indicated they have no potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article to disclose., (Copyright © 2022 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.)
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- 2022
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7. Clinical and Genetic Findings of the First Report of PAPA Syndrome in Brazil.
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Fernandes SJ, Valdomir Nadaf MI, Monteiro NH, Nadaf IN, Lélis CR, Takano BY, Gabriella de Camargo Monteiro B, Gabriella de Camargo Monteiro N, Takano OA, and Mendonça LO
- Abstract
Background: PAPA syndrome (MIM #604416) is a rare monogenic autoinflammatory disease genetically transmitted in an autosomal dominant trait that results from missense mutations in the proline-serine-threonine phosphatase-interactive protein 1 (PSTPIP1) gene located on chromosome 15 and is characterized by sterile pyogenic arthritis, pyoderma gangrenosum, and cystic acne. We describe the clinical and molecular findings of two related Brazilian patients with PAPA syndrome. Case Presentation . A 7-year-and-3-month-old boy with nonconsanguineous parents had had recurrent pyoarthritis since the age of 5 years and 8 months. During his last and long hospitalization, the lack of improvement with antibiotics, evidence of increased inflammatory activity, repeated arthrotomies, draining purulent fluid that had negative cultures, and the history of trauma, all on in a clinical background of pyoarthritis, led to the suspicion of an autoinflammatory syndrome. This was confirmed by the good clinical response to corticotherapy. Genetic sequencing confirmed the diagnosis of PAPA syndrome, with the pathogenic mutation c.688 G > A (p. Ala230Thr) in the PSTPIP1 gene present in the patient and in the mother., Conclusions: This case illustrates that in children with recurrent/recalcitrant sterile recurrent pyogenic arthritis/osteomyelitis, the possibility of an underlying immunological condition should be considered. In both, recurrent infections or recurrent inflammation, many genes involved in the inborn errors of immunity can be associated, and a correct and precocious diagnosis is necessary to avoid mobility and mortality. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of PAPA syndrome in Brazil., Competing Interests: Leonardo Oliveira Mendonça received fees as speaker and advisory board from Novartis. The other authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Sérgio Júlio Fernandes et al.)
- Published
- 2021
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8. Deep characterization of paired chromatin and transcriptomes in four immune cell types from multiple sclerosis patients.
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Fernandes SJ, Ericsson M, Khademi M, Jagodic M, Olsson T, Gomez-Cabrero D, Kockum I, and Tegnér J
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- Alleles, Biomarkers, Chromatin metabolism, CpG Islands, DNA Methylation, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Humans, Immune System metabolism, Lymphocytes immunology, Lymphocytes metabolism, Multiple Sclerosis metabolism, Multiple Sclerosis pathology, Organ Specificity, Chromatin genetics, Disease Susceptibility, Immune System immunology, Multiple Sclerosis etiology, Transcriptome
- Abstract
Background: The putative involvement of chromatin states in multiple sclerosis (MS) is thus far unclear. Here we determined the association of chromatin-accessibility with concurrent genetic, epigenetic and transcriptional events. Material & methods: We generated paired assay for transposase-accessible chromatin sequencing and RNA-sequencing profiles from sorted blood immune CD4
+ and CD8+ T cells, CD14+ monocytes and CD19+ B cells from healthy controls (HCs) and MS patients. Results: We identified differentially accessible regions between MS patients and HCs, primarily in CD4+ and CD19+ . CD4+ regions were enriched for MS-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms and differentially methylated loci. In the vicinity of differentially accessible regions of CD4+ cells, 42 differentially expressed genes were identified. The top two dysregulated genes identified in this multilayer analysis were CCDC114 and SERTAD1 . Conclusion: These findings provide new insight into the primary role of CD4+ and CD19+ cells in MS.- Published
- 2021
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9. Serological evidence of exposure to Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum in free-ranging Orinoco goose (Neochen jubata) in Brazil.
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André MR, Santi M, Luzzi MC, Oliveira JP, Fernandes SJ, Machado RZ, and Werther K
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- Animals, Bird Diseases epidemiology, Bird Diseases parasitology, Brazil epidemiology, Coccidiosis diagnosis, Coccidiosis epidemiology, Coccidiosis parasitology, Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect, Toxoplasmosis, Animal epidemiology, Toxoplasmosis, Animal parasitology, Antibodies, Protozoan blood, Bird Diseases diagnosis, Coccidiosis veterinary, Geese parasitology, Neospora immunology, Toxoplasma immunology, Toxoplasmosis, Animal diagnosis
- Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum are Apicomplexan intracellular protozoan parasites that affect numerous animal species, thus leading to severe diseases and economic losses, depending on the vertebrate species involved. The role of the avian species in maintaining and transmission of these coccidia has been studied for several years as they tend to serve as a potential source of infection for mammals and humans. The present study aimed to assess the serological exposure of Orinoco goose (Neochen jubata) to T. gondii and N. caninum. Between 2010 and 2013, 41 free-ranging Orinoco geese were captured in the Araguaia River, Brazil. The presence and titration of IgY antibodies to both coccidia were assayed via indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT). While IgY antibodies for N. caninum were present in 5 animals, with titers of 20, the antibodies for T. gondii were found in 35 animals, with titers ranging from 20 to 640. Considering that the Orinoco goose's meat is consumed by the local population in the studied area, it may represent an important source of T. gondii infection for humans. Due to its migratory behavior, this goose may play a pivotal role in the natural dispersion of both parasites. Furthermore, molecular studies are required for genotyping the isolates of T. gondii that occurs in this avian species.
- Published
- 2019
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10. Non-parametric combination analysis of multiple data types enables detection of novel regulatory mechanisms in T cells of multiple sclerosis patients.
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Fernandes SJ, Morikawa H, Ewing E, Ruhrmann S, Joshi RN, Lagani V, Karathanasis N, Khademi M, Planell N, Schmidt A, Tsamardinos I, Olsson T, Piehl F, Kockum I, Jagodic M, Tegnér J, and Gomez-Cabrero D
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- Adult, Computational Biology methods, DNA Methylation, Disease Management, Disease Progression, Disease Susceptibility, Female, Gene Expression Profiling, Humans, Lymphocyte Activation genetics, Lymphocyte Activation immunology, Male, Middle Aged, Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis, Severity of Illness Index, Transcriptome, Immunomodulation, Multiple Sclerosis etiology, Multiple Sclerosis metabolism, T-Lymphocyte Subsets immunology, T-Lymphocyte Subsets metabolism
- Abstract
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system with prominent neurodegenerative components. The triggering and progression of MS is associated with transcriptional and epigenetic alterations in several tissues, including peripheral blood. The combined influence of transcriptional and epigenetic changes associated with MS has not been assessed in the same individuals. Here we generated paired transcriptomic (RNA-seq) and DNA methylation (Illumina 450 K array) profiles of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells (CD4, CD8), using clinically accessible blood from healthy donors and MS patients in the initial relapsing-remitting and subsequent secondary-progressive stage. By integrating the output of a differential expression test with a permutation-based non-parametric combination methodology, we identified 149 differentially expressed (DE) genes in both CD4 and CD8 cells collected from MS patients. Moreover, by leveraging the methylation-dependent regulation of gene expression, we identified the gene SH3YL1, which displayed significant correlated expression and methylation changes in MS patients. Importantly, silencing of SH3YL1 in primary human CD4 cells demonstrated its influence on T cell activation. Collectively, our strategy based on paired sampling of several cell-types provides a novel approach to increase sensitivity for identifying shared mechanisms altered in CD4 and CD8 cells of relevance in MS in small sized clinical materials.
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- 2019
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11. Phosphatase inhibitor PPP1R11 modulates resistance of human T cells toward Treg-mediated suppression of cytokine expression.
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Joshi RN, Fernandes SJ, Shang MM, Kiani NA, Gomez-Cabrero D, Tegnér J, and Schmidt A
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- Animals, Cell Proliferation, Cells, Cultured, Coculture Techniques, Cytokines metabolism, Gene Expression, Gene Silencing, Humans, Immunomodulation, Inflammation Mediators, Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases metabolism, Phosphorylation, RNA, Small Interfering genetics, Cytokines genetics, Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases antagonists & inhibitors, T-Lymphocyte Subsets immunology, T-Lymphocyte Subsets metabolism, T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory immunology, T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory metabolism, Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases metabolism
- Abstract
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) act as indispensable unit for maintaining peripheral immune tolerance mainly by regulating effector T cells. T cells resistant to suppression by Tregs pose therapeutic challenges in the treatment of autoimmune diseases, while augmenting susceptibility to suppression may be desirable for cancer therapy. To understand the cell intrinsic signals in T cells during suppression by Tregs, we have previously performed a global phosphoproteomic characterization. We revealed altered phosphorylation of protein phosphatase 1 regulatory subunit 11 (PPP1R11; Inhibitor-3) in conventional T cells upon suppression by Tregs. Here, we show that silencing of PPP1R11 renders T cells resistant toward Treg-mediated suppression of TCR-induced cytokine expression. Furthermore, whole-transcriptome sequencing revealed that PPP1R11 differentially regulates not only the expression of specific T cell stimulation-induced cytokines but also other molecules and pathways in T cells. We further confirmed the target of PPP1R11, PP1, to augment TCR-induced cytokine expression. In conclusion, we present PPP1R11 as a novel negative regulator of T cell activation-induced cytokine expression. Targeting PPP1R11 may have therapeutic potential to regulate the T cell activation status including modulating the susceptibility of T cells toward Treg-mediated suppression, specifically altering the stimulation-induced T cell cytokine milieu., (©2019 The Authors. Society for Leukocyte Biology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)
- Published
- 2019
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12. Phylogeography of msp4 genotypes of Anaplasma marginale in beef cattle from the Brazilian Pantanal.
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Ramos IAS, Herrera HM, Mendes NS, Fernandes SJ, Campos JBV, Alves JVA, Macedo GC, Machado RZ, and André MR
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- Americas, Amino Acid Sequence, Anaplasma marginale isolation & purification, Animals, Asia, Brazil, DNA, Bacterial genetics, Europe, Female, Genotype, Male, Molecular Sequence Data, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Anaplasma marginale genetics, Bacterial Proteins genetics, Cattle microbiology, Membrane Proteins genetics, Phylogeography methods
- Abstract
The msp4 gene of A. marginale is unicodon, stable and mostly homogeneous, being considered as a useful marker for phylogeographic characterization of this bacterium. The objective of this work was to analyze the phylogeography of A. marginale based on the msp4 gene in beef cattle from the Brazilian Pantanal, compared to those found in other regions worldwide. The blood samples investigated were collected from 400 animals (200 cows and 200 calves) reared in five extensive breeding farms in this region. The results indicated that of the evaluated samples, 56.75% (227/400) were positive for A. marginale based on the msp1β gene by quantitatitve PCR (qPCR), while 8.37% (19/227) were positive for the msp4 gene in the conventional PCR. In the Network distance analysis, 14 sequences from the Brazilian Pantanal were grouped into a single group with those from Thailand, India, Spain, Colombia, Parana (Brazil), Mexico, Portugal, Argentina, China, Venezuela, Australia, Italy and Minas Gerais (Brazil). Among 68 sequences from Brazil and the world, 15 genotypes were present while genotype number one (#1) was the most distributed worldwide. Both Splitstree and network analyses showed that the A. marginale msp4 sequences detected in beef cattle from the Brazilian Pantanal showed low polymorphism, with the formation of one genogroup phylogenetically related to those found in ruminants from South and Central America, Europe, and Asia.
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- 2019
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13. Frequency of antibodies and risk factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii infection in backyard pig production in the city of Mossoró, state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
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Santos IMCD, Leite AI, Furquim MEC, Zanatto DCS, Fernandes SJ, Silva GCPD, Sampaio PH, Machado RZ, and André MR
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- Animals, Brazil epidemiology, Female, Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect veterinary, Male, Risk Factors, Seroepidemiologic Studies, Antibodies, Protozoan blood, Swine parasitology, Toxoplasma immunology, Toxoplasmosis, Animal epidemiology
- Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is an important zoonosis for pregnant women and immunosuppressed people. The pig population also becomes infected by this pathogen, and undercooked or raw meat is an important source of infection for humans. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the rate of exposure of pigs to T. gondii in the municipality of Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte and seek to identify associations with possible risk factors. Blood samples were collected from 412 pigs and were analyzed using the immunofluorescence assay. Among these 412 serum samples, 40.7% were seropositive for T. gondii. The IgG antibody titers were 64 (56 specimens), 128 (32), 256 (37), 512 (23), 1024 (14), 2048 (5) and 4046 (1). Seropositivity for T. gondii was found to be related (p-value < 0.05) to the following factors: female gender, semi-confined rearing system, use of well water, dewormed animals, presence of cats, goats, sheep, mice and vultures on the farm and carcasses left on the ground. In contrast, seropositivity was not related (p-value < 0.05) to the age of the pigs, type of facility or feeding with human food remains. Preventive measures need to be adopted on the farms studied here, with the aim of decreasing the animals' intake of sporulated oocysts.
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- 2019
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14. Genetic diversity of Anaplasma marginale in beef cattle in the Brazilian Pantanal.
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de Souza Ramos IA, Herrera HM, Fernandes SJ, do Amaral RB, Zanatto DCS, da Silva TMV, Horta BLS, Campos JBV, Alves JVA, de Macedo GC, Machado RZ, and André MR
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- Anaplasmosis microbiology, Animals, Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins genetics, Brazil, Cattle microbiology, DNA, Bacterial blood, DNA, Bacterial genetics, Female, Male, Microsatellite Repeats, Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction, Anaplasma marginale genetics, Genetic Variation, Genotype, Phylogeny
- Abstract
There are few studies on the genetic diversity of Anaplasma marginale in Brazilian cattle herds, especially about beef cattle. The objective of this study was to evaluate the genetic diversity of A. marginale, based on the msp1α gene in Bos taurus indicus sampled from the Brazilian Pantanal. Aliquots of blood with and without EDTA were taken from 400 cattle (200 cows and 200 calves) across five extensive farms. The samples were submitted to the indirect immunoenzymatic assay (iELISA), quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) for the msp1β gene and to the semi-nested (sn) PCR for the msp1α gene. Positive samples were sequenced by the Sanger method and subjected to diversity analysis using the RepeatAnalyser software. The percentage of positive animals by iELISA, qPCR and (sn) PCR was 72.2% (289/400), 56.7% (227/400) and 23% (52/227), respectively. Cows (154/200) showed to be significantly more seropositive than calves (135/200). In qPCR, the number of calves and average quantification value (138/200; 1.3 × 10
6 ) A. marginale msp1α copies per μL proved to be higher when compared to that found for the cows (89/200; 3.9 × 104 ). The microsatellite analysis of the 26 sequences obtained from the msp1α gene revealed the presence of E (77%), C (15.4%) and B (7.7%) genotypes. Fourteen A. marginale strains were identified in the studied region, with eight that have never before been described in the literature (τ-10-13-13-18; τ-27-18; EV8-EV8-17; α-β-β-β-100; EV7-11-10-15; τ-11-11-27-18; τ-11-10-15; τ-27-13-18). Beef cattle are highly exposed to A. marginale in the Brazilian Pantanal. Moreover, a high genetic diversity of A. marginale, with eight new strains, was found in the studied region. While cows may act as chronic carriers, perpetuating the pathogen within the herd, male beef calves sold to other regions may disperse these strains., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)- Published
- 2019
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15. Combining evidence from four immune cell types identifies DNA methylation patterns that implicate functionally distinct pathways during Multiple Sclerosis progression.
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Ewing E, Kular L, Fernandes SJ, Karathanasis N, Lagani V, Ruhrmann S, Tsamardinos I, Tegner J, Piehl F, Gomez-Cabrero D, and Jagodic M
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- Adult, Aged, B-Lymphocyte Subsets immunology, B-Lymphocyte Subsets metabolism, Biomarkers, CpG Islands, Disease Progression, Disease Susceptibility, Female, Humans, Immunophenotyping, Male, Middle Aged, Multiple Sclerosis diagnostic imaging, Multiple Sclerosis pathology, Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive diagnosis, Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive etiology, Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive metabolism, Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting diagnosis, Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting etiology, Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting metabolism, Quantitative Trait Loci, T-Lymphocyte Subsets immunology, T-Lymphocyte Subsets metabolism, DNA Methylation, Immunity, Multiple Sclerosis etiology, Multiple Sclerosis metabolism, Signal Transduction
- Abstract
Background: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease and a leading cause of progressive neurological disability among young adults. DNA methylation, which intersects genes and environment to control cellular functions on a molecular level, may provide insights into MS pathogenesis., Methods: We measured DNA methylation in CD4
+ T cells (n = 31), CD8+ T cells (n = 28), CD14+ monocytes (n = 35) and CD19+ B cells (n = 27) from relapsing-remitting (RRMS), secondary progressive (SPMS) patients and healthy controls (HC) using Infinium HumanMethylation450 arrays. Monocyte (n = 25) and whole blood (n = 275) cohorts were used for validations., Findings: B cells from MS patients displayed most significant differentially methylated positions (DMPs), followed by monocytes, while only few DMPs were detected in T cells. We implemented a non-parametric combination framework (omicsNPC) to increase discovery power by combining evidence from all four cell types. Identified shared DMPs co-localized at MS risk loci and clustered into distinct groups. Functional exploration of changes discriminating RRMS and SPMS from HC implicated lymphocyte signaling, T cell activation and migration. SPMS-specific changes, on the other hand, implicated myeloid cell functions and metabolism. Interestingly, neuronal and neurodegenerative genes and pathways were also specifically enriched in the SPMS cluster., Interpretation: We utilized a statistical framework (omicsNPC) that combines multiple layers of evidence to identify DNA methylation changes that provide new insights into MS pathogenesis in general, and disease progression, in particular. FUND: This work was supported by the Swedish Research Council, Stockholm County Council, AstraZeneca, European Research Council, Karolinska Institutet and Margaretha af Ugglas Foundation., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)- Published
- 2019
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16. Feedforward regulation of Myc coordinates lineage-specific with housekeeping gene expression during B cell progenitor cell differentiation.
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Ferreirós-Vidal I, Carroll T, Zhang T, Lagani V, Ramirez RN, Ing-Simmons E, Gómez-Valadés AG, Cooper L, Liang Z, Papoutsoglou G, Dharmalingam G, Guo Y, Tarazona S, Fernandes SJ, Noori P, Silberberg G, Fisher AG, Tsamardinos I, Mortazavi A, Lenhard B, Conesa A, Tegner J, Merkenschlager M, and Gomez-Cabrero D
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- Animals, B-Lymphocytes metabolism, Cell Cycle physiology, Cell Differentiation genetics, Cell Lineage, Databases, Genetic, Down-Regulation, Gene Expression Regulation, Genes, Essential, Humans, Ikaros Transcription Factor metabolism, Lymphocyte Activation, Mice, Precursor Cells, B-Lymphoid metabolism, Transcription Factors metabolism, B-Lymphocytes cytology, Genes, myc, Precursor Cells, B-Lymphoid cytology
- Abstract
The differentiation of self-renewing progenitor cells requires not only the regulation of lineage- and developmental stage-specific genes but also the coordinated adaptation of housekeeping functions from a metabolically active, proliferative state toward quiescence. How metabolic and cell-cycle states are coordinated with the regulation of cell type-specific genes is an important question, because dissociation between differentiation, cell cycle, and metabolic states is a hallmark of cancer. Here, we use a model system to systematically identify key transcriptional regulators of Ikaros-dependent B cell-progenitor differentiation. We find that the coordinated regulation of housekeeping functions and tissue-specific gene expression requires a feedforward circuit whereby Ikaros down-regulates the expression of Myc. Our findings show how coordination between differentiation and housekeeping states can be achieved by interconnected regulators. Similar principles likely coordinate differentiation and housekeeping functions during progenitor cell differentiation in other cell lineages., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
- Published
- 2019
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17. Genetic diversity and hematological and biochemical alterations in Alouatta primates naturally infected with hemoplasmas in Brazil.
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de Melo CMF, Daneze ER, Mendes NS, de Souza Ramos IA, Morales-Donoso JA, Fernandes SJ, Machado RZ, André MR, and da Rosa Sobreira MF
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- Alouatta, Animals, Bartonella Infections epidemiology, Bartonella Infections microbiology, Brazil epidemiology, DNA, Bacterial genetics, Genetic Variation, Monkey Diseases microbiology, Mycoplasma Infections epidemiology, Mycoplasma Infections microbiology, RNA, Ribosomal, 16S genetics, Bartonella genetics, Bartonella Infections veterinary, Monkey Diseases epidemiology, Mycoplasma genetics, Mycoplasma Infections veterinary
- Abstract
Mycoplasma spp. and Bartonella spp. are Gram-negative bacteria transmitted by arthropod vectors that infect red blood cells of several mammal species. This study investigated the occurrence and genetic diversity of hemoplasmas and Bartonella spp. in 68 howler monkeys kept in captivity in São Paulo, a southeastern state in Brazil. In addition, possible hematological, biochemical and electrophoretic changes of serum proteins associated with the occurrence of hemoplasmas and Bartonella spp. in captive primates were also investigated. The cPCR results showed that all sampled howler monkeys were negative for Bartonella spp. based on the gltA gene. The cPCR results indicated that 18 (26.47%) non-human primates (NHP) were positive for hemoplasmas based on the 16S rRNA gene. Monocyte and lymphocyte counts were higher in hemoplasma-positive howlers (P < 0.05). Platelet counts decreased in nonhuman primates (NHP) positive for hemoplasmas (P < 0.05). The results from the blood serum proteinogram and biochemistry analyses were not significantly different between NHPs positive and negative for hemotrophic mycoplasmas. Phylogenetic analysis using Bayesian Inference (BI) based on the 16S rRNA gene positioned the obtained sequences close to 'Candidatus Mycoplasma kahanei'. The analysis of sequence diversity of the 16S rRNA gene showed that 5 different genotypes are circulating in NHP in Brazil and in the world; besides, a clear separation between the sequences of hemoplasmas that infect NHP of the Sapajus and Alouatta genus in Brazil was found, probably corresponding to two different species. The pathogenic potential of this hemoplasma species in NHP should be further investigated., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
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- 2019
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18. Diversity of Anaplasma species in cattle in Mozambique.
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Fernandes SJ, Matos CA, Freschi CR, de Souza Ramos IA, Machado RZ, and André MR
- Subjects
- Anaplasma immunology, Animals, Antibodies, Bacterial blood, Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins genetics, Bacterial Proteins genetics, Cattle, Cattle Diseases microbiology, Chaperonin 60 genetics, DNA, Bacterial genetics, Haplotypes, Immunoglobulin G blood, Membrane Proteins genetics, Mozambique epidemiology, Phylogeny, RNA, Ribosomal, 16S genetics, Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction, Anaplasma classification, Anaplasmosis epidemiology, Cattle Diseases epidemiology, Genetic Variation
- Abstract
Although species of Anaplasma are highly prevalent Rickettsiales agents in domestic and wild ruminants with a wide distribution worldwide, few studies have been conducted so far to detect and/or investigate the diversity of these agentsin cattle in Mozambique. In the present study, serological and molecular assays were used to investigate the occurrence of Anaplasma spp. in 219 bovines sampled in the districts of Boane, Magude, Matutuíne, Moamba and Namaacha in Maputo, Mozambique. In the iELISA test for detection ofIgG antibodies to A. marginale, 86.3% (189/219) of the samples were positive. In qPCR assays for the gene msp1β for A. marginale and msp2 for A. phagocytophilum, 97.3% (213/219) and 2.7% (6/219) of the animals were positive, respectively. Two different cPCR protocols based on the 16S rRNA gene showed that 100% of the samples were positive for Anaplasma spp. The DNA sequences obtained were phylogenetically related to A. platys, A. phagocytophilum, Candidatus Anaplasma boleense, A. centrale, A. marginale and A. ovis. Phylogenetic inference based on the msp4 and msp5 genes positioned the obtained sequences in the clade of A. marginale, with evidence of occurrence of 8 and 5 different haplotypes for each gene, respectively. Anaplasma sp. phylogenetically associated with A. platys was evidenced in phylogenetic analyzes based on 16S rRNA and groEL genes. It is concluded that a high diversity of species of Anaplasma spp. occurs in cattle in Mozambique., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2019
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19. Hypermethylation of MIR21 in CD4+ T cells from patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis associates with lower miRNA-21 levels and concomitant up-regulation of its target genes.
- Author
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Ruhrmann S, Ewing E, Piket E, Kular L, Cetrulo Lorenzi JC, Fernandes SJ, Morikawa H, Aeinehband S, Sayols-Baixeras S, Aslibekyan S, Absher DM, Arnett DK, Tegner J, Gomez-Cabrero D, Piehl F, and Jagodic M
- Subjects
- Adult, DNA Methylation, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive immunology, Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting immunology, Up-Regulation, CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes physiology, Gene Expression Regulation physiology, MicroRNAs genetics, Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive genetics, Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting genetics
- Abstract
Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system caused by genetic and environmental factors. DNA methylation, an epigenetic mechanism that controls genome activity, may provide a link between genetic and environmental risk factors., Objective: We sought to identify DNA methylation changes in CD4+ T cells in patients with relapsing-remitting (RR-MS) and secondary-progressive (SP-MS) disease and healthy controls (HC)., Methods: We performed DNA methylation analysis in CD4+ T cells from RR-MS, SP-MS, and HC and associated identified changes with the nearby risk allele, smoking, age, and gene expression., Results: We observed significant methylation differences in the VMP1/MIR21 locus, with RR-MS displaying higher methylation compared to SP-MS and HC. VMP1/MIR21 methylation did not correlate with a known MS risk variant in VMP1 or smoking but displayed a significant negative correlation with age and the levels of mature miR-21 in CD4+ T cells. Accordingly, RR-MS displayed lower levels of miR-21 compared to SP-MS, which might reflect differences in age between the groups, and healthy individuals and a significant enrichment of up-regulated miR-21 target genes., Conclusion: Disease-related changes in epigenetic marking of MIR21 in RR-MS lead to differences in miR-21 expression with a consequence on miR-21 target genes.
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- 2018
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20. Time-resolved transcriptome and proteome landscape of human regulatory T cell (Treg) differentiation reveals novel regulators of FOXP3.
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Schmidt A, Marabita F, Kiani NA, Gross CC, Johansson HJ, Éliás S, Rautio S, Eriksson M, Fernandes SJ, Silberberg G, Ullah U, Bhatia U, Lähdesmäki H, Lehtiö J, Gomez-Cabrero D, Wiendl H, Lahesmaa R, and Tegnér J
- Subjects
- Cell Differentiation genetics, Cell Differentiation physiology, Cell Line, Forkhead Transcription Factors genetics, Gene Expression Regulation, Humans, Sequence Analysis, RNA, Signal Transduction, Transcriptome genetics, Transforming Growth Factor beta genetics, Transforming Growth Factor beta metabolism, Forkhead Transcription Factors metabolism, Proteome metabolism, T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory metabolism, Transcriptome physiology
- Abstract
Background: Regulatory T cells (Tregs) expressing the transcription factor FOXP3 are crucial mediators of self-tolerance, preventing autoimmune diseases but possibly hampering tumor rejection. Clinical manipulation of Tregs is of great interest, and first-in-man trials of Treg transfer have achieved promising outcomes. Yet, the mechanisms governing induced Treg (iTreg) differentiation and the regulation of FOXP3 are incompletely understood., Results: To gain a comprehensive and unbiased molecular understanding of FOXP3 induction, we performed time-series RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) and proteomics profiling on the same samples during human iTreg differentiation. To enable the broad analysis of universal FOXP3-inducing pathways, we used five differentiation protocols in parallel. Integrative analysis of the transcriptome and proteome confirmed involvement of specific molecular processes, as well as overlap of a novel iTreg subnetwork with known Treg regulators and autoimmunity-associated genes. Importantly, we propose 37 novel molecules putatively involved in iTreg differentiation. Their relevance was validated by a targeted shRNA screen confirming a functional role in FOXP3 induction, discriminant analyses classifying iTregs accordingly, and comparable expression in an independent novel iTreg RNA-Seq dataset., Conclusion: The data generated by this novel approach facilitates understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying iTreg generation as well as of the concomitant changes in the transcriptome and proteome. Our results provide a reference map exploitable for future discovery of markers and drug candidates governing control of Tregs, which has important implications for the treatment of cancer, autoimmune, and inflammatory diseases.
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- 2018
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21. Impact of genetic risk loci for multiple sclerosis on expression of proximal genes in patients.
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James T, Lindén M, Morikawa H, Fernandes SJ, Ruhrmann S, Huss M, Brandi M, Piehl F, Jagodic M, Tegnér J, Khademi M, Olsson T, Gomez-Cabrero D, and Kockum I
- Subjects
- Cohort Studies, Gene Expression Regulation, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, HLA Antigens genetics, Humans, Interferon-gamma pharmacology, Leukocytes, Mononuclear physiology, Linkage Disequilibrium, Lipopolysaccharides pharmacology, Monocytes drug effects, Monocytes metabolism, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Reproducibility of Results, Multiple Sclerosis genetics, Quantitative Trait Loci
- Abstract
Despite advancements in genetic studies, it is difficult to understand and characterize the functional relevance of disease-associated genetic variants, especially in the context of a complex multifactorial disease such as multiple sclerosis (MS). As a large proportion of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) are context-specific, we performed RNA-Seq in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from MS patients (n = 145) to identify eQTLs in regions centered on 109 MS risk single nucleotide polymorphisms and 7 associated human leukocyte antigen variants. We identified 77 statistically significant eQTL associations, including pseudogenes and non-coding RNAs. Thirty-eight out of 40 testable eQTL effects were colocalized with the disease association signal. As many eQTLs are tissue specific, we aimed to detail their significance in different cell types. Approximately 70% of the eQTLs were replicated and characterized in at least one major peripheral blood mononuclear cell-derived cell type. Furthermore, 40% of eQTLs were found to be more pronounced in MS patients compared with non-inflammatory neurological diseases patients. In addition, we found two single nucleotide polymorphisms to be significantly associated with the proportions of three different cell types. Mapping to enhancer histone marks and predicted transcription factor binding sites added additional functional evidence for eight eQTL regions. As an example, we found that rs71624119, shared with three other autoimmune diseases and located in a primed enhancer (H3K4me1) with potential binding for STAT transcription factors, significantly associates with ANKRD55 expression. This study provides many novel and validated targets for future functional characterization of MS and other diseases.
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- 2018
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22. Molecular detection of Anaplasmataceae agents in Dasyprocta azarae in northeastern Brazil.
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Braga MDSCO, Pereira JG, Fernandes SJ, Marques ICL, Jesus RP, Ferreira GS, Xavier DR, Benevenute JL, Machado RZ, and André MR
- Subjects
- Animals, Brazil, Female, Male, Molecular Diagnostic Techniques, RNA, Bacterial analysis, Anaplasma isolation & purification, Dasyproctidae microbiology, Ehrlichia isolation & purification
- Abstract
Recently, the importance of wild-living rodents for maintenance of pathogens of the family Anaplasmataceae in the environment was investigated. These mammals play a role as reservoirs for these pathogens and act as hosts for the immature stages of tick vectors. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of Ehrlichia sp. and Anaplasma sp. in 24 specimens of Azara's agouti (Dasyprocta azarae) that had been trapped in the Itapiracó Environmental Reserve, in São Luís, Maranhão, northeastern Brazil, using molecular methods. Four animals (16.7%) were positive for Ehrlichia spp. in nested PCR assays based on the 16S rRNA gene. In a phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene, using the maximum likelihood method and the GTRGAMMA+I evolutionary model, Ehrlichia sp. genotypes detected in Azara's agoutis were found to be closely related to E. canis and to genotypes relating to E. canis that had previously been detected in free-living animals in Brazil. The present work showed the first molecular detection of Ehrlichia sp. in Azara's agoutis in Brazil.
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- 2018
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23. Paternal gonadal mosaicism as cause of a puzzling inheritance pattern of activated PI3-kinase delta syndrome.
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Segundo GRS, Takano OA, Moraes LSL, Nadaf MISV, Fernandes SJ, Ochs HD, and Torgerson TR
- Subjects
- Fathers, Female, Humans, Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes genetics, Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes therapy, Inheritance Patterns, Male, Mosaicism, Pedigree, Pneumonia, Respiratory Tract Infections, Sepsis, Siblings, Class I Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases genetics, Gonads physiology, Immunoglobulins, Intravenous therapeutic use, Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes diagnosis
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- 2017
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24. Multiplexed next-generation sequencing and de novo assembly to obtain near full-length HIV-1 genome from plasma virus.
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Aralaguppe SG, Siddik AB, Manickam A, Ambikan AT, Kumar MM, Fernandes SJ, Amogne W, Bangaruswamy DK, Hanna LE, Sonnerborg A, and Neogi U
- Subjects
- Ethiopia, Genome, Human, Genome, Viral, HIV-1 isolation & purification, Humans, India, RNA, Viral genetics, Sweden, Genotype, HIV Infections virology, HIV-1 classification, HIV-1 genetics, High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing methods, Plasma virology, Sequence Analysis, DNA methods
- Abstract
Analysing the HIV-1 near full-length genome (HIV-NFLG) facilitates new understanding into the diversity of virus population dynamics at individual or population level. In this study we developed a simple but high-throughput next generation sequencing (NGS) protocol for HIV-NFLG using clinical specimens and validated the method against an external quality control (EQC) panel. Clinical specimens (n=105) were obtained from three cohorts from two highly conserved HIV-1C epidemics (India and Ethiopia) and one diverse epidemic (Sweden). Additionally an EQC panel (n=10) was used to validate the protocol. HIV-NFLG was performed amplifying the HIV-genome (Gag-to-nef) in two fragments. NGS was performed using the Illumina HiSeq2500 after multiplexing 24 samples, followed by de novo assembly in Iterative Virus Assembler or VICUNA. Subtyping was carried out using several bioinformatics tools. Amplification of HIV-NFLG has 90% (95/105) success-rate in clinical specimens. NGS was successful in all clinical specimens (n=45) and EQA samples (n=10) attempted. The mean error for mutations for the EQC panel viruses were <1%. Subtyping identified two as A1C recombinant. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of a simple NGS-based HIV-NFLG that can potentially be used in the molecular surveillance for effective identification of subtypes and transmission clusters for operational public health intervention., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2016
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25. A long-term pulmonary rehabilitation program progressively improves exercise tolerance, quality of life and cardiovascular risk factors in patients with COPD.
- Author
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Reis LF, Guimarães FS, Fernandes SJ, Cantanhede LA, Dias CM, Lopes AJ, and De Menezes SL
- Subjects
- Ambulatory Care, Analysis of Variance, Brazil, Cardiovascular Diseases etiology, Dyspnea etiology, Exercise Therapy instrumentation, Female, Hemodynamics physiology, Humans, Hypertension prevention & control, Hypertension therapy, Lipoproteins blood, Male, Middle Aged, Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive complications, Respiratory Muscles physiology, Risk Factors, Time Factors, Cardiovascular Diseases prevention & control, Dyspnea therapy, Exercise Therapy methods, Exercise Tolerance physiology, Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive therapy, Quality of Life
- Abstract
Background: Support and treatment options have been widely discussed in recent decades with the aim of improving morbidity, mortality and quality of life of chronic respiratory disease (COPD) patients. Although it is believed that longer pulmonary rehabilitation programs can provide better results, most of the evidence comes from short-term programs., Aim: To determine the effects of an outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program on exercise tolerance, dyspnoea, hemodynamic variables and quality of life., Design: Case series study., Setting: Rehabilitation Centre., Population and Methods: A convenience sample of COPD patients was enrolled in this study. The intervention consisted of a 96-wk exercise training program, including aerobic training, upper-limb exercises and inspiratory muscle training. Pulmonary function tests, blood biochemistry, six-minute walking distance test and health-related quality of life were recorded at baseline and after completion of the 6th, 12th, 18th, 24th months., Results: Forty one consecutive COPD patients were recruited and thirty six completed the study. There was a significant improvement in hemodynamics, demonstrated by the gradual reduction in heart rate, blood pressure and MvO2 (double product) starting from the 12th month. Lipid profile showed a reduction of low density lipids and an increase of the high density lipids levels starting from the 6th month. Exercise tolerance, dyspnoea, respiratory muscle strength and quality of life also improved starting from the 6th month., Conclusion: A 24-month pulmonary rehabilitation program leads to a progressive improvement in quality of life, dyspnoea and exercise tolerance, and reduces cardiovascular risk factors in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease., Impact: Our study suggests that long-term pulmonary rehabilitation programs can result in further improvements in the aforementioned cardiorespiratory variables.
- Published
- 2013
26. Next generation sequencing and de novo transcriptome analysis of Costus pictus D. Don, a non-model plant with potent anti-diabetic properties.
- Author
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Annadurai RS, Jayakumar V, Mugasimangalam RC, Katta MA, Anand S, Gopinathan S, Sarma SP, Fernandes SJ, Mullapudi N, Murugesan S, and Rao SN
- Subjects
- Abscisic Acid metabolism, Acyclic Monoterpenes, Base Sequence, Carotenoids metabolism, Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid, Computational Biology, Costus metabolism, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 drug therapy, High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing, Humans, Hypoglycemic Agents chemistry, Hypoglycemic Agents pharmacology, Methyltransferases metabolism, Molecular Sequence Annotation, Molecular Sequence Data, Monoterpenes metabolism, Phytotherapy, Plant Extracts chemistry, Plant Leaves metabolism, Sequence Analysis, DNA, Terpenes metabolism, Costus genetics, Genes, Plant, Hypoglycemic Agents metabolism, Plant Leaves genetics, Transcriptome
- Abstract
Background: Phyto-remedies for diabetic control are popular among patients with Type II Diabetes mellitus (DM), in addition to other diabetic control measures. A number of plant species are known to possess diabetic control properties. Costus pictus D. Don is popularly known as "Insulin Plant" in Southern India whose leaves have been reported to increase insulin pools in blood plasma. Next Generation Sequencing is employed as a powerful tool for identifying molecular signatures in the transcriptome related to physiological functions of plant tissues. We sequenced the leaf transcriptome of C. pictus using Illumina reversible dye terminator sequencing technology and used combination of bioinformatics tools for identifying transcripts related to anti-diabetic properties of C. pictus., Results: A total of 55,006 transcripts were identified, of which 69.15% transcripts could be annotated. We identified transcripts related to pathways of bixin biosynthesis and geraniol and geranial biosynthesis as major transcripts from the class of isoprenoid secondary metabolites and validated the presence of putative norbixin methyltransferase, a precursor of Bixin. The transcripts encoding these terpenoids are known to be Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor (PPAR) agonists and anti-glycation agents. Sequential extraction and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) confirmed the presence of bixin in C. pictus methanolic extracts. Another significant transcript identified in relation to anti-diabetic, anti-obesity and immuno-modulation is of Abscisic Acid biosynthetic pathway. We also report many other transcripts for the biosynthesis of antitumor, anti-oxidant and antimicrobial metabolites of C. pictus leaves., Conclusion: Solid molecular signatures (transcripts related to bixin, abscisic acid, and geranial and geraniol biosynthesis) for the anti-diabetic properties of C. pictus leaves and vital clues related to the other phytochemical functions like antitumor, anti-oxidant, immuno-modulatory, anti-microbial and anti-malarial properties through the secondary metabolite pathway annotations are reported. The data provided will be of immense help to researchers working in the treatment of DM using herbal therapies.
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- 2012
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27. Ethnic and Gender Variation in Religious Involvement: Patterns of Expression in Young Adulthood.
- Author
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Jones JM, St Peter JR, Fernandes SJ, Herrenkohl TI, Kosterman R, and Hawkins JD
- Abstract
This study used latent class analysis to empirically derive profiles of religious involvement among a sample of 808 young adults and describe ethnic and gender differences within such religious involvement patterns. Items on the Duke Religion Index were included as part of a larger longitudinal survey of emotional, physical, and behavioral health. The scale measured the organizational, nonorganizational, and intrinsic dimensions of religiosity (Koenig et al. 2001) in a sample of young adults at two waves of the study-age 27 and age 30. At age 27, five religious profiles were distinguishable in the sample while at age 30 six profiles emerged. Ethnic differences were found for each of the religious profiles where religious involvement manifested in different ways. Religious profiles between ages 27 and 30 changed over time and were affected by gender and ethnicity.
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- 2011
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28. Effects of vertical HIV infection on the persistence of anti-HBs after a schedule of three doses of recombinant hepatitis B vaccine.
- Author
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Fernandes SJ, Slhessarenko N, and Souto FJ
- Subjects
- Brazil, Child, Child, Preschool, Cohort Studies, Female, HIV Infections transmission, Humans, Infant, Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical, Male, HIV Infections immunology, Hepatitis B Antibodies blood, Hepatitis B Vaccines immunology
- Abstract
Anti-HBs persistence following HBV vaccination among HIV-positive children has never been systematically studied in central Brazil. An historical cohort study was performed aiming to evaluate persistence of anti-HBs in HIV-positive children in comparison with an HIV-negative child group. Fifty-eight HIV-positive and 116 HIV-negative individuals were enrolled. Birth weight, breast-feeding duration, and the time elapsed since the last hepatitis B vaccine doses were similar between the groups. Fourteen (24%) out of 58 HIV-positive participants were anti-HBs positive and 101 (87%) out of 116 were HIV-negative (p<0.001). Among anti-HBs-positive individuals, the geometric mean titres were 118 and 298 mIU/mL, respectively to HIV-positive and HIV-negative groups (p=0.04). These results disclose a worrying picture regarding the failure of standard HBV vaccination among Brazilian HIV-infected children.
- Published
- 2008
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29. Spontaneous pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema in systemic sclerosis.
- Author
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Teixeira Moreira Almeida Mdo S, Dias LT, Fernandes SJ, and Almeida JV
- Subjects
- Adult, Diagnosis, Differential, Dyspnea etiology, Female, Humans, Mediastinal Emphysema diagnostic imaging, Scleroderma, Systemic diagnostic imaging, Subcutaneous Emphysema diagnostic imaging, Tomography, X-Ray Computed, Mediastinal Emphysema etiology, Scleroderma, Systemic complications, Subcutaneous Emphysema etiology
- Abstract
A 40-year-old woman with known systemic sclerosis presented with dyspnea. She had been treated for pneumonia, 2 months prior to the present admission and at this time presented with sudden dyspnea and was found to have a spontaneous pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema. Pneumomediastinum is an extremely rare complication in patients with systemic sclerosis.
- Published
- 2007
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