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Leishmaniasis consists of a group of neglected diseases, which affect millions of people worldwide. First- and second-line chemotherapies, which present high toxicity and variable efficacy, have been available for decades leading to the appearance of resistance. Globally, volatile oils have received much attention due to their increase use as effective bioactive compounds in folk medicine. They have been employed against Leishmania parasites with a positive impact in the treatment of this neglected disease. In this review, the leishmanicidal activity of volatile oils and their isolates have been described as promising novel candidate molecules for the development of leishmanicidal drugs. The purpose of this review is to critically discuss several works published between 2000 and 2020 that have described the utilization of volatile oils and some of their active principles from diverse plant sources against different species of Leishmania.

Trypanosomiasis is a parasitic disease, affecting both humans and animals, in the form of Human African Trypanosomiasis and Nagana disease, respectively. Anemia is one of the most common symptoms of trypanosomiasis, and if left unchecked, can cause severe complications and even death. Several factors have been associated with the development of this anemia, including dysregulation of iron homeostasis, but little is known about the molecular mechanisms involved. Here, using murine models, we study the involvement of hepcidin, the key regulator of iron metabolism and an important player in the development of anemia of inflammation. Our data shows two stages for the progression of anemia, to which hepcidin contributes: a first stage, when anemia develops, with a likely cytokine-mediated stimulation of hepcidin and subsequent limitation in iron availability and erythropoiesis, and a second stage, of recovery, where hepcidin elevation declines due to the decreased inflammatory signal and increased production of erythroid regulators by the kidney, spleen and bone marrow, thus leading to an increase in iron release and availability and enhanced erythropoiesis. In agreement, in hepcidin knockout mice, anaemia is much milder and its recovery is complete, in contrast to wild-type animals which do not fully recover from anaemia after 21 days. Aside from all other factors known to be involved in the development of anemia during trypanosomiasis, there clearly is an important contribution of hepcidin for both its development and recovery.

Leishmaniasis is an important vector-borne neglected tropical disease caused by Leishmania parasites. Current anti-Leishmania chemotherapy is unsatisfactory, justifying the continued search for alternative treatment options. Herein, we demonstrate that luciferase-expressing Leishmania infantum axenic amastigotes, unlike promastigotes, are highly infectious to BALB/c mice and thus generate a robust bioluminescent signal in target organs, such as the liver and the spleen, as early as two weeks after infection. Treatment with the reference drugs amphotericin B and miltefosine was effective at reducing parasite burdens. This model allows the assessment of treatment efficacy using whole-mouse bioluminescence imaging without the need to wait several weeks for spleen infections to be detectable by this non-invasive method. In conclusion, we propose the use of this model in an initial approach to evaluate the treatment efficacy of promising chemical entities without having to sacrifice large numbers of animals or to wait several days for a readout. We thank Carla Oliveira from i3S for the support with the statistical analysis. Part of the content of this manuscript has been released as a pre-print in BioRxiv (https://doi.org/10.1101/326355). This work was financed by FEDER - Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional funds through the COMPETE 2020 - Operacional Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (POCI), Portugal 2020, and by Portuguese funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior in the framework of the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-031013 (PTDC/SAU-PAR/31013/2017). This work also received funds from: Norte-01-0145-FEDER-000012 “Structured program on bioengineered therapies for infectious diseases and tissue regeneration” of Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020) under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) and through the Research Unit No. 4293; Individual funding from FCT through SFRH/BD/123734/2016 (to DC), SFRH/BD/121252/2016 (to PC) and CEECIND/02362/2017 (to JT).

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is the most severe clinical form of leishmaniasis, fatal if untreated. Vaccination is the most cost-effective approach to disease control; however, to date, no vaccines against human VL have been made available. This work examines the efficacy of a novel vaccine consisting of the Leishmania membrane protein KMP11, LEISH-F3+ (a recombinant fusion protein, composed of epitopes of the parasite proteins nucleoside hydrolase, sterol-24-c-methyltransferase, and cysteine protease B), and the sand fly salivary protein LJL143, in two dose ratios. The inclusion of the TLR4 agonist GLA-SE as an adjuvant, and the use of virosomes (VS) as a delivery system, are also examined. In a hamster model of VL, the vaccine elicited antigen-specific immune responses prior to infection with Leishmania infantum. Of note, the responses were greater when higher doses of KMP11 and LEISH-F3+ proteins were administered along with the GLA-SE adjuvant and/or when delivered within VS. Remarkably, hamsters immunized with the complete combination (i.e., all antigens in VS + GLA-SE) showed significantly lower parasite burdens in the spleen compared to those in control animals. This protection was underpinned by a more intense, specific humoral response against the KMP11, LEISH-F3+, and LJL143 antigens in vaccinated animals, but a significantly less intense antibody response to the pool of soluble Leishmania antigens (SLA). Overall, these results indicate that this innovative vaccine formulation confers protection against L. infantum infection, supporting the advancement of the vaccine formulation into process development and manufacturing and the conduction of toxicity studies towards future phase I human clinical trials, European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme, grant number 603181 (Clinical Studies on a Multivalent Vaccine for Human Visceral Leishmaniasis [MuLeVaClin]), and by the RD16CIII/0003/0002 and RD16/0027/0008 Red de Investigación Cooperativa de Enfermedades Tropicales, Subprograma RETICS del Plan Estatal de I+D+I 2013–2016, co-funded by ERDF

The optimization of compounds with multiple targets in the drug discovery cycle is a difficult multidimensional problem. Here, we present a systematic, multidisciplinary approach to the development of selective anti-parasitic compounds. Efficient microwave-assisted synthesis of pteridines along with iterations of crystallographic structure determination were used to validate computational docking predictions and support derivation of a structure-activity relationship for multitarget inhibition. This approach yielded compounds showing picomolar inhibition of T. brucei pteridine reductase 1 (PTR1), nanomolar inhibition of L. major PTR1, along with selective submicromolar inhibition of parasitic dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). Moreover, by combining design for polypharmacology with a property-based on-parasite optimization, we found three compounds that exhibited micromolar EC50 values against T. brucei brucei, whilst retaining their target inhibition. Our results provide a basis for the further development of pteridine-based compounds and we expect our multitarget approach to be generally applicable to the design and optimization of anti-infective agents.

Dengue has become a challenge for many countries. Arboviruses transmitted by Aedes aegypti spread rapidly over the last decades. The emergence chikungunya fever and zika in South America poses new challenges to vector monitoring and control. This situation got worse from 2015 and 2016, with the rapid spread of chikungunya, causing fever and muscle weakness, and Zika virus, related to cases of microcephaly in newborns and the occurrence of Guillain-Barret syndrome, an autoimmune disease that affects the nervous system. The objective of this work was to construct a tool to forecast the distribution of arboviruses transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti by implementing dengue, zika and chikungunya transmission predictors based on machine learning, focused on multilayer perceptrons neural networks, support vector machines and linear regression models. As a case study, we investigated forecasting models to predict the spatio-temporal distribution of cases from primary health notification data and climate variables (wind velocity, temperature and pluviometry) from Recife, Brazil, from 2013 to 2016, including 2015’s outbreak. The use of spatio-temporal analysis over multilayer perceptrons and support vector machines results proved to be very effective in predicting the distribution of arbovirus cases. The models indicate that the southern and western regions of Recife were very susceptible to outbreaks in the period under investigation. The proposed approach could be useful to support health managers and epidemiologists to prevent outbreaks of arboviruses transmitted by Aedes aegypti and promote public policies for health promotion and sanitation. El dengue se ha convertido en un desafío para muchos países. Los arbovirus transmitidos por Aedes aegypti se han propagado rápidamente en las últimas décadas. La aparición de la fiebre chikungunya y Zika en América del Sur presenta nuevos desafíos para el monitoreo y control de vectores. Esta situación se agravó a partir de 2015 y 2016, con la rápida propagación del chikungunya, que provoca fiebre y debilidad muscular, y el virus Zika, relacionado con casos de microcefalia en recién nacidos y la aparición del síndrome de Guillain­Barret, una enfermedad autoinmune que afecta al sistema nervioso. El objetivo de este trabajo fue construir una herramienta para predecir la distribución de arbovirus transmitidos por el mosquito Aedesaegypti mediante la implementación de predictores de transmisión de dengue, zika y chikungunya basados en aprendizaje de máquina, con foco en redes neuronales de perceptrones multicamadas, máquinas de vector de soporte y modelos de regresión lineal. Como estudio de caso, investigamos modelos de predicción para predecir la distribución espacio­temporal de casos a partir de datos de notificación de salud primaria y variables climáticas (velocidad del viento, temperatura y lluvia) de Recife, Brasil, 2013 a 2016, incluido el brote de 2015. El uso de análises espacio­temporal por medio de perceptrones multicamadas y los resultados de las máquinas de vectores de soporte demostraron ser muy eficaces para predecir la distribución de los casos de arbovirus. Los modelos indican que las regiones sur y oeste de Recife fueron muy susceptibles a brotes en el período investigado. El enfoque propuesto puede ser útil para apoyar a los administradores de salud y epidemiólogos en la prevención de brotes de arbovirus transmitidos por Aedes aegypti y en la promoción de políticas públicas para promover la salud y el saneamiento. A dengue se tornou um desafio para muitos países. Os arbovírus transmitidos por Aedes aegypti se espalharam rapidamente nas últimas décadas. A emergência de febre chikungunya e zika na América do Sul apresenta novos desafios para o monitoramento e controle de vetores. Essa situação piorou a partir de 2015 e 2016, com a rápida disseminação da chikungunya, causando febre e fraqueza muscular, e do Zika vírus, relacionado a casos de microcefalia em recém­nascidos e a ocorrência da síndrome de Guillain-Barret, doença autoimune que afeta o sistema nervoso. O objetivo deste trabalho foi construir uma ferramenta para previsão da distribuição de arbovírus transmitidos pelo mosquito Aedes aegypti por meio da implementação de preditores de transmissão de dengue, zika e chikungunya baseados em aprendizado de máquina, com foco em redes neurais perceptrons multicamadas, máquinas de vetores de suporte e modelos de regressão linear. Como um estudo de caso, investigamos modelos de previsão para prever a distribuição espaço­temporal de casos a partir de dados de notificação de saúde primária e variáveis climáticas (velocidade do vento, temperatura e pluviometria) de Recife, Brasil, de 2013 a 2016, incluindo o surto de 2015. O uso de análises espaçotemporais sobre perceptrons multicamadas e resultados de máquinas de vetores de suporte mostraram­se bastante eficazes na previsão da distribuição de casos de arbovírus. Os modelos indicam que as regiões sul e oeste do Recife foram muito suscetíveis a surtos no período investigado. A abordagem proposta pode ser útil para apoiar gestores de saúde e epidemiologistas na prevenção de surtos de arbovírus transmitidos pelo Aedes aegypti e na promoção de políticas públicas de promoção da saúde e saneamento.

The LIBRA compound library is a collection of 522 non-commercial molecules contributed by various Italian academic laboratories. These compounds have been designed and synthesized during different medicinal chemistry programs and are hosted by the Italian Institute of Technology. We report the screening of the LIBRA compound library against Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania major pteridine reductase 1, TbPTR1 and LmPTR1. Nine compounds were active against parasitic PTR1 and were selected for cell-based parasite screening, as single agents and in combination with methotrexate (MTX). The most interesting TbPTR1 inhibitor identified was 4-(benzyloxy)pyrimidine-2,6-diamine (LIB_66). Subsequently, six new LIB_66 derivatives were synthesized to explore its Structure-Activity-Relationship (SAR) and absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity (ADMET) properties. The results indicate that PTR1 has a preference to bind inhibitors, which resemble its biopterin/folic acid substrates, such as the 2,4-diaminopyrimidine derivatives.

A library of seventeen novel ether phospholipid analogues, containing 5-membered heterocyclic rings (1,2,3-triazolyl, isoxazolyl, 1,3,4-oxadiazolyl and 1,2,4-oxadiazolyl) in the lipid portion were designed and synthesized aiming to identify optimised miltefosine analogues. The compounds were evaluated for their in vitro antiparasitic activity against Leishmania infantum and Leishmania donovani intracellular amastigotes, against Trypanosoma brucei brucei and against different developmental stages of Trypanosoma cruzi. The nature of the substituents of the heterocyclic ring (tail) and the oligomethylene spacer between the head group and the heterocyclic ring was found to affect the activity and toxicity of these compounds leading to a significantly improved understanding of their structure–activity relationships. The early ADMET profile of the new derivatives did not reveal major liabilities for the potent compounds. The 1,2,3-triazole derivative 27 substituted by a decyl tail, an undecyl spacer and a choline head group exhibited broad spectrum antiparasitic activity. It possessed low micromolar activity against the intracellular amastigotes of two L. infantum strains and T. cruzi Y strain epimastigotes, intracellular amastigotes and trypomastigotes, while its cytotoxicity concentration (CC50) against THP-1 macrophages ranged between 50 and 100 μM. Altogether, our work paves the way for the development of improved ether phospholipid derivatives to control neglected tropical diseases.

Cycloguanil is a known dihydrofolate-reductase (DHFR) inhibitor, but there is no evidence of its activity on pteridine reductase (PTR), the main metabolic bypass to DHFR inhibition in trypanosomatid parasites. Here, we provide experimental evidence of cycloguanil as an inhibitor of Trypanosoma brucei PTR1 (TbPTR1). A small library of cycloguanil derivatives was developed, resulting in 1 and 2a having IC50 values of 692 and 186 nM, respectively, toward TbPTR1. Structural analysis revealed that the increased potency of 1 and 2a is due to the combined contributions of hydrophobic interactions, H-bonds, and halogen bonds. Moreover, in vitro cell-growth-inhibition tests indicated that 2a is also effective on T. brucei. The simultaneous inhibition of DHFR and PTR1 activity in T. brucei is a promising new strategy for the treatment of human African trypanosomiasis. For this purpose, 1,6-dihydrotriazines represent new molecular tools to develop potent dual PTR and DHFR inhibitors.

Pomegranate stands out as healthy fruit due to its phytochemical compounds. Some dormancy studies have stated the need to understand seed physiology, subsequent seedling production, as producers intended to expand the supply of pomegranate, besides facilitating the introduction of such promising crop. Thus, this study aimed to identify possible integumentary dormancy in seeds of pomegranate cultivar Comum and to evaluate the effect of mechanical scarification and water immersion of seeds, as overcoming method. In this study, sarcotesta was removed from scarified and non-scarified seeds, and then immersed in deionised water for up to 0, 12, 24 and 48 hours. Then seeds were embedded in trays of expanded polystyrene with organic substrate at greenhouse. The following evaluations were carried out: initial emergence, speed index, mean time of emergence and emergence percentage, besides biometric variables such as leaf number, stem diameter, length of aerial part and root system, fresh matter and total dry matter. A 2 x 4 factorial arrangement (presence or absence of scarification x four immersion time) in a completely randomized design was used, with 4 replicates of 25 seeds each. The results showed that seeds do not need to be scarified and immersed in water, regarding to both emergence and initial seedling growth variables. Results indicated that it was unnecessary to perform scarification and water immersion for emergence and initial growth variables, leading to conclusion that pomegranate seeds cv. Comum have no integumentary dormancy.

Sheep breeding displays high potential, but, in order to maximize productivity, the exploitation of the entire genetic potential of these animals, combined with diets tailored to meet their nutritional requirements, is required. Knowledge on sheep ingestive behavior is important for diet evaluations, which allows for adjustments regarding dietary management, in order to obtain superior productive performance. In this context, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the interference of two distinct environments in the behavioral responses of Santa Inês and Dorper sheep breeding activities during the dry period at the Paraíba Cariri region. The study was carried out in the municipality of Caturité, Paraíba, with 20 male sheep, 10 Santa Inês breeds and 10 Dorper breeds. The animals were subdivided into four lots, containing five animals each, and placed in two different environments, in the sun and in the shade. Feeding behavior was determined by quantifying parameters for 10 hours/day, at 5 min intervals. A completely randomized design (CRD) in a 2 x 2 factorial scheme was applied, of two breeds and two environments, with three replicates. The data were analyzed by SAS, applying the chi-square test. The main daily sheep activities comprised alternate periods of feeding, rumination and idleness, and behavioral activities were exhibited the worse results in the sun environment.

Funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreements No. 602773 (Project KINDRED) was received for all partners in this work. This work also received funds from FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior through the Research Unit No. 4293 and project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-031013 (PTDC/SAUPAR/31013/2017 to NS); Individual funding from FCT through SFRH/BD/133485/2017 (to MS) and CEECIND/02362/2017 (to JT). Neglected tropical diseases caused by kinetoplastid parasites (Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania spp.) place a significant health and economic burden on developing nations worldwide. Current therapies are largely out-dated, inadequate and facing mounting drug resistance from the causative parasites. Thus, there is an urgent need for drug discovery and development. Target-led drug discovery approaches have focused on the identification of parasite enzymes catalysing essential biochemical processes, which significantly differ from equivalent proteins found in humans, thereby providing potentially exploitable therapeutic windows. One such target is ribose 5-phosphate isomerase B (RpiB), an enzyme involved in the non-oxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway, which catalyses the inter-conversion of D-ribose 5-phosphate and D-ribulose 5-phosphate. Although protozoan RpiB has been the focus of numerous targeted studies, compounds capable of selectively inhibiting this parasite enzyme have not been identified. Here, we present the results of a fragment library screening against Leishmania infantum RpiB, performed using thermal shift analysis. Hit fragments were shown to be effective inhibitors of LiRpiB in activity assays, and several were capable of selectively inhibiting parasite growth in vitro. These results support the identification of LiRpiB as a validated therapeutic target. The X-ray crystal structure of apo LiRpiB was also solved, permitting docking studies to assess how hit fragments might interact with LiRpiB to inhibit its activity. Overall, this work will guide structure-based development of LiRpiB inhibitors as anti-leishmanial agents. Postprint

Made available in DSpace on 2021-06-25T15:08:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-03-09 Wellcome Trust From 1985 to 2016, the prevalence of underweight decreased, and that of obesity and severe obesity increased, in most regions, with significant variation in the magnitude of these changes across regions. We investigated how much change in mean body mass index (BMI) explains changes in the prevalence of underweight, obesity, and severe obesity in different regions using data from 2896 population-based studies with 187 million participants. Changes in the prevalence of underweight and total obesity, and to a lesser extent severe obesity, are largely driven by shifts in the distribution of BMI, with smaller contributions from changes in the shape of the distribution. In East and Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, the underweight tail of the BMI distribution was left behind as the distribution shifted. There is a need for policies that address all forms of malnutrition by making healthy foods accessible and affordable, while restricting unhealthy foods through fiscal and regulatory restrictions. Imperial Coll London, London, England Harvard TH Chan Sch Publ Hlth, Boston, MA USA Middlesex Univ, London, England World Hlth Org, Geneva, Switzerland Minist Hlth, Victoria, Seychelles Univ Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland Eduardo Mondlane Univ, Maputo, Mozambique Victor Babes Univ Med & Pharm Timisoara, Timisoara, Romania Univ Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia Natl Inst Biomed Innovat Hlth & Nutr, Tokyo, Japan Univ Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand Seoul Natl Univ, Seoul, South Korea ICMR Natl Inst Nutr, Hyderabad, India Capital Med Univ, Beijing An Zhen Hosp, Beijing, Peoples R China Univ Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru Univ Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia Univ Oulu, Oulu, Finland Univ Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia Univ Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia Caja Costarricense Seguro Social, San Jose, Costa Rica Al Quds Univ, East Jerusalem, State Of Palest, Palestine Natl Ctr Publ Healthcare, Nur Sultan, Kazakhstan Minist Hlth, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Qatar Univ, Doha, Qatar Birzeit Univ, Birzeit, State Of Palest, Israel Usmanu Danfodiyo Univ Teaching Hosp, Sokoto, Nigeria Inst Mexicano Seguro Social, Mexico City, DF, Mexico Flinders Univ S Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia Mahidol Univ, Salaya, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand BRAC James P Grant Sch Publ Hlth, Dhaka, Bangladesh Univ Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark Copenhagen Univ Hosp, Copenhagen, Denmark Food & Nutr Res Inst, Taguig, Philippines Urmia Univ Med Sci, Orumiyeh, Iran Inst Nacl Ciencias Med & Nut, Mexico City, DF, Mexico Univ Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands Shahrekord Univ Med Sci, Shahrekord, Iran Noncommunicable Dis Res Ctr, Tehran, Iran Univ Oslo, Oslo, Norway Univ Bremen, Bremen, Germany Republican Ctr Hlth Promot, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan Natl Ctr Diabet Endocrinol & Genet, Amman, Jordan Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman Univ, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Kuwait Inst Sci Res, Kuwait, Kuwait King Abdulaziz Univ, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Dasman Diabet Inst, Kuwait, Kuwait Luxembourg Inst Hlth, Strassen, Luxembourg Aldara Hosp & Med Ctr, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia King Abdullah Int Med Res Ctr, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Bispebjerg & Frederiksberg Hosp, Copenhagen, Denmark Barcelona Inst Global Hlth CIBERESP, Barcelona, Spain World Hlth Org Reg Off Eastern Mediterranean, Cairo, Egypt Bombay Hosp & Med Res Ctr, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India Res Ctr Social Determinants Hlth, Tehran, Iran UMR CNRS MNHN 7206 Ecoanthropologie, Paris, France Univ Lille, Lille, France Lille Univ Hosp, Lille, France Western Norway Univ Appl Sci, Sogndal, Norway Norwegian Sch Sport Sci, Oslo, Norway Madras Diabet Res Fdn, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India Zahedan Univ Med Sci, Zahedan, Iran Natl Inst Publ Hlth, Tunis, Tunisia Univ Porto, Inst Publ Hlth, Porto, Portugal Norwegian Inst Publ Hlth, Oslo, Norway Univ Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003 USA Abt Associates Inc, Kathmandu, Nepal Univ Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland Univ Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon Univ Fed Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil Univ Med 1, Yangon, Myanmar Banska Bystrica Reg Author Publ Hlth, Banska Bystrica, Slovakia Tel Aviv Univ, Tel Aviv, Israel Hebrew Univ Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Univ Porto, Med Sch, Porto, Portugal Neyshabur Univ Med Sci, Neyshabur, Iran Res Inst Endocrine Sci, Tehran, Iran Indian Council Med Res, New Delhi, India Natl Inst Publ Hlth, Copenhagen, Denmark Univ Sci & Technol, Sanaa, Yemen Med Univ Lodz, Lodz, Poland Med Univ Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland Univ Autonoma Madrid CIBERESP, Madrid, Spain Univ Rzeszow, Rzeszow, Poland Univ Palermo, Palermo, Italy Pan Amer Hlth Org, Washington, DC USA Mohammed V Univ Rabat, Rabat, Morocco Univ Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil Baqai Inst Diabetol & Endocrinol, Karachi, Pakistan Univ Fed Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, SC, Brazil Dalhousie Univ, Halifax, NS, Canada Jordan Univ Sci & Technol, Irbid, Jordan Univ Fed Maranhao, Sao Luis, Brazil Farabi Kazakh Natl Univ, Alma Ata, Kazakhstan Univ Coll Dublin, Dublin, Ireland Christian Med Coll & Hosp, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India Fed Minist Social Affairs Hlth Care & Consumer Pr, Vienna, Austria Cafam Univ Fdn, Bogota, Colombia Kazakh Natl Med Univ, Alma Ata, Kazakhstan Lithuanian Univ Hlth Sci, Kaunas, Lithuania Univ Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil BJ Med Coll, Ahmadabad, Gujarat, India Chirayu Med Coll, New Delhi, India Sunder Lal Jain Hosp, Delhi, India Hosp Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada Shandong Univ Tradit Chinese Med, Jinan, Peoples R China Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ, Sch Med, Shanghai, Peoples R China Univ Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay Inst Med Res & Med Plant Studies, Yaounde, Cameroon Ufa Eye Res Inst, Ufa, Russia Nepal Hlth Res Council, Kathmandu, Nepal Univ Montenegro, Niksic, Montenegro Univ Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark Univ Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden Univ Fed Rio de Janeiro, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil Natl Inst Publ Hlth & Environm, Bilthoven, Netherlands Univ Turin, Turin, Italy UCL, London, England Liverpool John Moores Univ, Liverpool, Merseyside, England Nanyang Technol Univ Singapore, Singapore, Singapore German Inst Human Nutr, Potsdam, Germany Endocrinol Res Ctr, Moscow, Russia Ctr Educ Med & Invest Clin, Buenos Aires, DF, Argentina IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, Italy Toulouse Univ, Sch Med, Toulouse, France Univ Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland Univ Hosp KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium Flemish Agcy Care & Hlth, Brussels, Belgium Univ Ghent, Ghent, Belgium FrieslandCampina, Amersfoort, Netherlands Univ Cent Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela Bielefeld Univ, Bielefeld, Germany World Hlth Org Reg Off Europe, Moscow, Russia German Canc Res Ctr, Heidelberg, Germany Fred Hollows Fdn, Auckland, New Zealand Univ Med & Pharm Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania Swansea Univ, Swansea, W Glam, Wales Univ Coll Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark Inst Publ Hlth, Tirana, Albania Munster Technol Univ, Cork, Ireland Univ La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain Univ Malta, Msida, Malta Vanderbilt Univ, 221 Kirkland Hall, Nashville, TN 37235 USA Minist Hlth, Tongatapu, Tonga Canadian Fitness & Lifestyle Res Inst, Ottawa, ON, Canada Hosp Santa Maria, Lisbon, Portugal Istanbul Univ Cerrahpasa, Istanbul, Turkey Univ Fed Juiz de Fora, Juiz De Fora, Brazil Minist Publ Hlth, Asuncion, Paraguay Natl Inst Publ Hlth, Prague, Czech Republic Gaetano Fucito Hosp, Mercato San Severino, Italy Univ Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands Karolinska Inst, Huddinge, Sweden Ctr Estudios Nutr Infantil, Buenos Aires, DF, Argentina Univ Porto, Porto, Portugal Univ Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain Santiago de Compostela Univ, Santiago De Compostela, Spain Minist Hlth, Ankara, Turkey Council Agr Res & Econ, Rome, Italy Fed Univ Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Brazil India Diabet Res Fdn, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India Duke NUS Med Sch, Singapore, Singapore ICMR Natl Inst Med Stat, New Delhi, India Singapore Eye Res Inst, Singapore, Singapore Acad Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan Capital Inst Pediat, Beijing, Peoples R China Duke Univ, Durham, NH USA Kailuan Gen Hosp, Tangshan, Peoples R China Univ Oxford, Oxford, England Ahvaz Jundishapur Univ Med Sci, Ahvaz, Iran Gertner Inst Epidemiol & Hlth Policy Res, Ramat Gan, Israel Natl Ctr Publ Hlth & Anal, Sofia, Bulgaria Univ Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland Minist Hlth & Welf, Taipei, Taiwan CIBER Epidemiol & Salud Publ, Murcia, Spain Univ Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark Univ Estadual Paulista, Presidente Prudente, Brazil Med Univ Silesia, Katowice, Poland Charles Univ Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Primary Hlth Care, Floriana, Malta Carol Davila Univ Med & Pharm, Bucharest, Romania Katholieke Univ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium STAT Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada UMR CNRS MNHN 7206 Ecoanthropol, Marseille, France Agcy Prevent & Social Med, Bregenz, Austria Univ Southampton, Southampton, Hants, England Inst Pasteur, Lille, France Malawi Epidemiol & Intervent Res Unit, Lilongwe, Malawi CIBEROBN, Madrid, Spain Univ Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary Univ Med & Pharm Carol Davila, Bucharest, Romania Univ Fed Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil CNR, Reggio Di Calabria, Italy Eftimie Murgu Univ Resita, Resita, Romania Spanish Agcy Food Safety & Nutr, Madrid, Spain Indian Stat Inst, Kolkata, India Tabriz Hlth Serv Management Res Ctr, Tabriz, Iran Geneva Univ Hosp, Geneva, Switzerland Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium Univ Med Ctr Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands Natl Res Ctr Prevent Med, Moscow, Russia Innovating Hlth Int, Port Au Prince, Haiti Univ Montreal, Montreal, PQ, Canada French Natl Res Inst Sustainable Dev, Montpellier, France French Publ Hlth Agcy, St Maurice, France Mediterranea Cardioctr, Naples, Italy Univ Vale Rio dos Sinos, Sao Leopoldo, Brazil Natl Inst Hyg Epidemiol & Microbiol, Havana, Cuba Natl Council Sci & Tech Res, Buenos Aires, DF, Argentina Minist Hlth & Med Educ, Tehran, Iran Univ Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia Natl Inst Nutr, Hanoi, Vietnam Univ Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia Ist Super Sanita, Rome, Italy Univ Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen, Munich, Germany Univ Tehran Med Sci, Tehran, Iran Minist Sante & Hyg Publ, Abidjan, Cote Ivoire Univ Hosp Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany Natl Inst Cardiol, Warsaw, Poland Beijing Ctr Dis Prevent & Control, Beijing, Peoples R China UMI 3189 ESS, Marseille, France Beth Israel Deaconess Med Ctr, Boston, MA 02215 USA Scuola Super Sant Anna, Pisa, Italy Univ Latvia, Riga, Latvia Minist Hlth & Med Serv, Gizo, Solomon Islands Hormozgan Univ Med Sci, Bandar Abbas, Iran Univ Benin, Benin, Nigeria Univ Skovde, Skovde, Sweden Natl Inst Nutr & Food Technol, Tunis, Tunisia Univ West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica Univ Calif Davis, Davis, CA 95616 USA Univ Stellenbosch, Cape Town, South Africa Univ Duisburg Essen, Duisburg, Germany Karadeniz Tech Univ, Trabzon, Turkey Univ Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland Mashhad Univ Med Sci, Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan, Iran Rafsanjan Univ Med Sci, Rafsanjan, Iran Queens Univ Belfast, Belfast, Antrim, North Ireland Tabriz Univ Med Sci, Tabriz, Iran Fasa Univ Med Sci, Fasa, Iran Shiraz Univ Med Sci, Shiraz, Iran Baqai Med Univ, Karachi, Pakistan Ctr Salud Villanueva Norte, Badajoz, Spain Hosp Don Benito Villanueva Serena, Badajoz, Spain Minist Hlth, Buenos Aires, DF, Argentina Univ Insubria, Varese, Italy Pontificia Univ Catolica Chile, Santiago, Chile Inst Mother & Child Hlth, Warsaw, Poland Swiss Trop & Publ Hlth Inst, Basel, Switzerland Univ Tartu, Tartu, Estonia Univ Sains Malaysia, Kota Baharu, Kelantan, Malaysia Umea Univ, Umea, Sweden Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil Hosp Univ Son Espases, Palma De Mallorca, Spain Hosp Clin Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil Univ Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia Kindai Univ, Osaka, Japan Kyoto Univ, Kyoto, Japan Med Univ Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland Jagiellonian Univ, Med Coll, Krakow, Poland Minist Salute DG Prevenz Sanit, Rome, Italy Univ Catania, Catania, Italy CIBER Epidemiol & Salud Publ, Alicante, Spain Africa Hlth Res Inst, Mtubatuba, South Africa Univ Geneva, Med Sch, Geneva, Switzerland CIBER Epidemiol & Salud Publ, Barcelona, Spain Univ Fed Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil Univ Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands Wageningen Univ, Wageningen, Netherlands Univ Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia Lund Univ, Lund, Sweden Aristotle Univ Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece Inst Natl Sante & Rech Med, Villejuif, France Minist Hlth, Jerusalem, Israel McGill Univ, Montreal, PQ, Canada Gasol Fdn, Barcelona, Spain PASs Hirszfeld Inst Immunol & Expt Therapy, Wroclaw, Poland Univ Politecn Madrid, Madrid, Spain St Annes Univ Hosp, Brno, Czech Republic Natl Inst Publ Hlth, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico Ctr Estudios Diabet AC, Mexico City, DF, Mexico Univ Autonoma Santo Domingo, Santo Domingo, Dominican Rep Minist Hlth, Lisbon, Portugal Inst Clin & Expt Med, Prague, Czech Republic Childrens Mem Hlth Inst, Warsaw, Poland Natl Ctr Cardiovasc Dis, Beijing, Peoples R China Univ Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy Author Sanitaria San Marino, San Marino, CA USA Iceland Heart Assoc, Kopavogur, Iceland Univ Icesi, Cali, Colombia Univ Estadual Montes Claros, Montes Claros, MG, Brazil Kings Coll London, London, England Int Agcy Res Canc, Lyon, France Capital Med Univ, Beijing, Peoples R China Capital Med Univ, Beijing Tongren Hosp, Beijing, Peoples R China Healis Sekhsaria Inst Publ Hlth, Navi Mumbai, India Eternal Heart Care Ctr & Res Inst, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India Univ Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria Inst Clin Effectiveness & Hlth Policy, Buenos Aires, DF, Argentina Natl Hlth Insurance Serv, Wonju, South Korea Prevent Metab Disorders Res Ctr, Tehran, Iran Res & Educ Inst Child Hlth, Nicosia, Cyprus Danish Canc Soc Res Ctr, Copenhagen, Denmark Univ West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados Kermanshah Univ Med Sci, Kermanshah, Iran Univ Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland Beijing Inst Ophthalmol, Beijing, Peoples R China Int Hellen Univ, Thessaloniki, Greece Kyushu Univ, Fukuoka, Japan Univ Bergen, Bergen, Norway Tulane Univ, New Orleans, LA USA Natl Res Inst Hlth & Family Planning, Beijing, Peoples R China Chinese Ctr Dis Control & Prevent, Beijing, Peoples R China Univ Pecs, Pecs, Hungary Danish Hlth Author, Copenhagen, Denmark Joep Lange Inst, Amsterdam, Netherlands Univ Fed Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil Oulu Univ Hosp, Oulu, Finland Univ Autonoma Bucaramanga, Bucaramanga, Colombia Swiss Fed Inst Technol, Zurich, Switzerland Chron Dis Res Ctr, Tehran, Iran Univ Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Peoples R China Chinese Univ Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Peoples R China Univ Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia Kingston Hlth Sci Ctr, Kingston, ON, Canada Fdn Oftalmol Santander, Bucaramanga, Colombia Univ Oran 1, Oran, Algeria Nay Pyi Taw, Independent Publ Hlth Specialist, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar Minist Hlth & Sports, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar Peking Univ, Beijing, Peoples R China Natl Inst Publ Hlth, Bucharest, Romania Vrije Univ Amsterdam Med Ctr, Amsterdam, Netherlands Amer Univ Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon CIBER Epidemiol & Salud Publ, San Sebastian, Spain Cairo Univ, Cairo, Egypt Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands Med Univ Varna, Varna, Bulgaria Univ Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan Deakin Univ, Geelong, Vic, Australia Tokyo Metropolitan Inst Gerontol, Tokyo, Japan Hadassah Univ Med Ctr, Jerusalem, Israel Norwegian Univ Sci & Technol, Trondheim, Norway Univ Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic, Australia Sports Univ Tirana, Tirana, Albania Univ Hosp Ctr Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia Univ Zagreb, Sch Med, Zagreb, Croatia Heart Fdn, Melbourne, Vic, Australia Guangzhou 12th Hosp, Guangzhou, Peoples R China Univ Eugenio Maria Hostos, Santo Domingo, Dominican Rep Simon Fraser Univ, Burnaby, BC, Canada Inst Mol & Clin Ophthalmol Basel, Basel, Switzerland Univ New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia World Hlth Org Country Off, Delhi, India Guilan Univ Med Sci, Rasht, Iran Inst Publ Hlth, Belgrade, Serbia Univ Opole, Opole, Poland Finnish Inst Hlth & Welf, Helsinki, Finland Gulu Univ, Gulu, Uganda Univ Crete, Iraklion, Greece Sri Venkateswara Univ, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India Sree Chitra Tirunal Inst Med Sci & Technol, Trivandrum, Kerala, India Hellen Med Assoc Obes, Athens, Greece Natl & Kapodistrian Univ Athens, Athens, Greece Maharajgunj Med Campus, Kathmandu, Nepal Aarhus Univ, Aarhus, Denmark Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Sch Publ Hlth, Baltimore, MD USA Pennington Biomed Res Ctr, Baton Rouge, LA USA Natl Inst Epidemiol, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India Univ Munster, Munster, Germany Israel Ctr Dis Control, Ramat Gan, Israel Res Inst Primordial Prevent Noncommunicable Dis, Esfahan, Iran Amsterdam UMC Publ Hlth Res Inst, Amsterdam, Netherlands South African Med Res Council, Cape Town, South Africa Kyrgyz State Med Acad, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan Res Inst Child Nutr, Dortmund, Germany Shahid Beheshti Univ Med Sci, Tehran, Iran Univ Cambridge, Cambridge, England Mazandaran Univ Med Sci, Sari, Iran Hypertens Res Ctr, Esfahan, Iran Med Univ Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria Muhimbili Univ Hlth & Allied Sci, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania Yonsei Univ, Coll Med, Seoul, South Korea Natl Canc Ctr, Goyang Si, South Korea Univ Coll South Denmark, Haderslev, Denmark Stat Austria, Vienna, Austria BP Koirala Inst Hlth Sci, Dharan, Nepal Univ Vienna, Vienna, Austria Tartu Univ Clin, Tartu, Estonia Kansai Med Univ, Hirakata, Osaka, Japan Hungarian Sch Sport Federat, Budapest, Hungary Minist Hlth & Qual Life, Port Louis, Mauritius Univ Hosp Ulm, Ulm, Germany North West Univ, Potchefstroom, South Africa Univ Jyvaskyla, Jyvaskyla, Finland Inst Publ Hlth, Podgorica, Montenegro Amrita Inst Med Sci, Cochin, Kerala, India Inst Endocrinol, Prague, Czech Republic All India Inst Med Sci, New Delhi, India African Populat & Hlth Res Ctr, Nairobi, Kenya Hanoi Univ Publ Hlth, Hanoi, Vietnam Hassan First Univ Settat, Settat, Morocco Minist Hlth, Algiers, Algeria Harokopio Univ, Athens, Greece Sahlgrens Acad, Gothenburg, Sweden Endocrinol & Metab Res Ctr, Tehran, Iran Univ Publ Hlth, Yangon, Myanmar Int Food Policy Res Inst, Dakar, Senegal Natl Univ Singapore, Singapore, Singapore Hong Kong Polytech Univ, Hong Kong, Peoples R China Tampere Univ Hosp, Tampere, Finland Univ Douala, Douala, Cameroon Univ Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa Natl Inst Hlth Dev, Tallinn, Estonia West Virginia Univ, Morgantown, WV 26506 USA Oswaldo Cruz Fdn Rene Rachou Res Inst, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil Natl Taiwan Univ, Taipei, Taiwan Univ Chinese Acad Sci, Shanghai, Peoples R China Uppsala Univ, Uppsala, Sweden Taipei Med Univ, Taipei, Taiwan Sports Med Ctr Minho, Braga, Portugal Univ San Martin Porres, Lima, Peru Consejeria Sanidad Junta Castilla & Leon, Valladolid, Spain Univ Fed Ciencias Saude Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil Norrbotten Cty Council, Lulea, Sweden Ilembula Lutheran Hosp, Ilembula, Iran Univ Fed Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Brazil Univ Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal Coimbra Univ Hosp Ctr, Coimbra, Portugal Inst Neurosci Natl Res Council, Padua, Italy Baker Heart & Diabet Inst, Melbourne, Vic, Australia Agr Univ Athens, Athens, Greece Hosp Israelita Albert Einstein, Sao Paulo, Brazil SB RAS Fed Res Ctr Inst Cytol & Genet, Novosibirsk, Russia Univ Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand Univ Padua, Padua, Italy Hellen Mediterranean Univ, Siteia, Greece Loughborough Univ, Loughborough, Leics, England Minist Hlth, Nicosia, Cyprus Lausanne Univ Hosp, Lausanne, Switzerland Escola Nacl Saude Publ Sergio Arouca, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil CIBERCV, Madrid, Spain Mary Immaculate Coll, Limerick, Ireland Emory Univ, Atlanta, GA 30322 USA Hungarian Soc Sports Med, Budapest, Hungary Paracelsus Med Univ, Salzburg, Austria Univ Estadual Centro Oeste, Guarapuava, Brazil Sherikashmir Inst Med Sci, Srinagar, India UiT Arctic Univ Norway, Tromso, Norway ICMR Natl Ctr Dis Informat & Res, Bengaluru, India Cape Peninsula Univ Technol, Cape Town, South Africa Brown Univ, Providence, RI 02912 USA London Sch Hyg & Trop Med, London, England Univ Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland Shahid Sadoughi Univ Med Sci, Tehran, Iran Inst Natl Sante & Rech Med, Lille, France Robert Koch Inst, Berlin, Germany Univ Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal Womens Social & Hlth Studies Fdn, Trivandrum, Kerala, India Democritus Univ, Alexandroupolis, Greece Grigore T Popa Univ Med & Pharm, Iasi, Romania Univ Firenze, Florence, Italy Ain Shams Univ, Cairo, Egypt Isfahan Cardiovasc Res Ctr, Esfahan, Iran Univ Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France Mulago Hosp, Kampala, Uganda Univ San Carlos, Guatemala City, Guatemala Univ Limpopo, Sovenga, South Africa Univ Med Sci Cienfuegos, Cienfuegos, Cuba Royal Coll Surgeons Ireland, Dublin, Ireland Trobe Univ, Melbourne, Vic, Australia Int Inst Mol & Cell Biol, Warsaw, Poland Inst Conmemorat Gorgas Estudios Salud, Panama City, Panama World Hlth Org Country Off, Lilongwe, Malawi Dept Publ Hlth, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar Univ Brescia, Brescia, Italy Minist Hlth & Social Protect, Dushanbe, Tajikistan Univ Limerick, Limerick, Ireland Croatian Inst Publ Hlth, Zagreb, Croatia Univ Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Bushehr Univ Med Sci, Bushehr, Iran Ulm Univ, Ulm, Germany Dept Stat, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Kobe Univ, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan Suraj Eye Inst, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India UNICEF, Yaounde, Cameroon Univ Med Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany Karolinska Inst, Stockholm, Sweden Natl Inst Hyg & Epidemiol, Hanoi, Vietnam Univ Med & Pharm Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Hanoi Med Univ, Hanoi, Vietnam LifeDoc Hlth, Memphis, TN USA Heartfile, Islamabad, Pakistan Eastern Mediterranean Publ Hlth Network, Amman, Jordan Univ Manchester, Manchester, Lancs, England State Univ Med & Pharm, Kishinev, Moldova Tachikawa Gen Hosp, Nagaoka, Niigata, Japan Korea Ctr Dis Control & Prevent, Cheongju, South Korea Japan Wildlife Res Ctr, Tokyo, Japan Istanbul Univ, Istanbul, Turkey Minist Hlth, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Univ Fed Parana, Curitiba, Parana, Brazil Univ Madeira, Funchal, Portugal Univ Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR 00936 USA Ctr Clin Res & Prevent, Glostrup, Denmark MRC Lifecourse Epidemiol Unit, Southampton, Hants, England Kwame Nkrumah Univ Sci & Technol, Kumasi, Ghana UniSante, Lausanne, Switzerland Inst Canc Res, Prevent & Clin Network, Florence, Italy Univ Wisconsin, Madison, WI USA Heidelberg Univ, Heidelberg, Germany IRCCS Ente Osped Specializzato Gastroenterol S de, Bari, Italy Zayed Univ, Abu Dhabi, U Arab Emirates Catholic Univ Daegu, Daegu, South Korea Univ Med Pharm Sci & Technol Targu Mures, Targu Mures, Romania Jivandeep Hosp, Anand, Gujarat, India South African Med Res Council, Durban, South Africa Natl Dent Care Ctr Singapore, Singapore, Singapore Univ Malaga, Malaga, Spain Univ Hosp Varese, Varese, Italy Vietnam Natl Heart Inst, Hanoi, Vietnam Clin Med Avanzada Dr Abel Gonzalez, Santo Domingo, Dominican Rep Leibniz Inst Prevent Res & Epidemiol BIPS, Bremen, Germany Univ Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herceg Cardiovasc Prevent Ctr Udine, Udine, Italy Pisa Univ Hosp, Pisa, Italy Minist Hlth & Med Serv, Honiara, Solomon Islands Publ Hlth Agcy Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain Inst Hosp del Mar Invest Med, Barcelona, Spain Ardabil Univ Med Sci, Ardebil, Iran Ctr Dis Prevent & Control, Riga, Latvia Alborz Univ Med Sci, Karaj, Iran Minist Hlth, Hanoi, Vietnam Pure Earth, Dhaka, Bangladesh Inst Epidemiol Dis Control & Res, Dhaka, Bangladesh Univ Turku, Turku, Finland Inst Univ Invest Atenc Primaria Jordi Gol, Girona, Spain Univ Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia Univ Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Sotiria Hosp, Athens, Greece Univ Valencia, Valencia, Spain Univ Philippines, Manila, Philippines Slovak Acad Sci, Bratislava, Slovakia Nutr Res Fdn, Barcelona, Spain Minas Gerais State Secretariat Hlth, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil CS S Agustin Ibsalut, Palma De Mallorca, Spain Amsterdam Inst Global Hlth & Dev, Amsterdam, Netherlands Natl Inst Hlth Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal Univ Nove Julho, Sao Paulo, Brazil Publ Hlth Agcy Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada Canarian Hlth Serv, Tenerife, Spain Univ Ind Santander, Bucaramanga, Colombia Assoc Calabrese Epatol, Reggio Di Calabria, Italy Univ Minho, Braga, Portugal Fiji Natl Univ, Suva, Fiji Spanish Nutr Fdn, Madrid, Spain Publ Hlth Agcy Sweden, Stockholm, Sweden Inst Food Sci Natl Res Council, Avellino, Italy Sitaram Bhartia Inst Sci & Res, New Delhi, India Kindergarten Avlonari, Evia, Greece Natl Inst Hlth, Lima, Peru Minist Hlth, Jakarta, Indonesia Catalan Dept Hlth, Barcelona, Spain Biodonostia Hlth Res Inst, San Sebastian, Spain Inst Saude Ambiental, Lisbon, Portugal South Karelia Social & Hlth Care Dist, Lappeenranta, Finland McMaster Univ, Hamilton, ON, Canada Natl Canc Ctr, Tokyo, Japan Univ Sao Paulo Clin Hosp, Sao Paulo, Brazil Hosp Italiano Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, DF, Argentina Rigshosp, Copenhagen, Denmark Acad Med Ctr Univ Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands Ctr Oral Hlth Serv & Res Midnorway, Trondheim, Norway Lagos State Univ, Coll Med, Lagos, Nigeria Univ Las Palmas Gran Canaria, Las Palmas Gran Canaria, Spain Comenius Univ, Bratislava, Slovakia Natl Ctr Dis Control & Publ Hlth, Tbilisi, Georgia Nippon Med Sch, Tokyo, Japan Sungkyunkwan Univ, Seoul, South Korea Finnish Inst Occupat Hlth, Helsinki, Finland Publ Hlth Promot & Dev Org, Kathmandu, Nepal St Vincents Hosp, Sydney, NSW, Australia Nes Municipal, Aarnes, Norway Hlth Polytech Jakarta II Inst, Jakarta, Indonesia Diponegoro Univ, Semarang, Indonesia Univ Bari, Bari, Italy Inst Reg Sante Publ, Ouidah, Benin Univ Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France Oslo Metropolitan Univ, Oslo, Norway Inst Publ Hlth, Skopje, North Macedonia Univ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium Lamprecht & Stamm Sozialforsch & Beratung AG, Zurich, Switzerland Inst Natl Sante & Rech Med, Nancy, France Univ Bonn, Bonn, Germany Sotiria Hosp, Sotiria, Greece Kalina Malina Kindergarten, Pazardjik, Bulgaria Jikei Univ, Sch Med, Tokyo, Japan Fu Jen Catholic Univ, Taipei, Taiwan Natl Stat Off, Praia, Cape Verde Natl Inst Publ Hlth Natl Inst Hyg, Warsaw, Poland Deakin Univ, Sydney, NSW, Australia Sci Res Inst Maternal & Child Hlth, Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan Univ Lincoln, Lincoln, England Minist Hlth, Amman, Jordan UNICEF, Niamey, Niger Cent Univ Kerala, Kasaragod, India Amsterdam Publ Hlth Res Inst, Amsterdam, Netherlands Hlth Serv Murcia, Murcia, Spain Inst Invest Sanitaria Illes Balears, Menorca, Spain Univ Bologna, Bologna, Italy Hellen Hlth Fdn, Athens, Greece Govt Med Coll, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India Sefako Makgatho Hlth Sci Univ, Ga Rankuwa, South Africa Addis Ababa Univ, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Minist Hlth, Wellington, New Zealand Univ Ctr Occidental Lisandro Alvarado, Barquisimeto, Venezuela Meharry Med Coll, Nashville, TN 37208 USA Dokuz Eylul Univ, Izmir, Turkey Univ Tampere, Tays Eye Ctr, Tampere, Finland Sabiha Gokcen Ilkokulu, Ankara, Turkey Polytech Inst Porto, Porto, Portugal Icahn Sch Med Mt Sinai, New York, NY 10029 USA Univ CEU San Pablo, Madrid, Spain CNR, Pisa, Italy Univ Miguel Hernandez, Alicante, Spain Vrije Univ Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands Sunflower Nursery Sch, Craiova, Romania North Karelia Ctr Publ Hlth, Joensuu, Finland Univ Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa Med Univ Vienna, Vienna, Austria Cork Inst Technol, Cork, Ireland Inst Med Res, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Xinjiang Med Univ, Urumqi, Peoples R China Shanghai Educ Dev Co Ltd, Shanghai, Peoples R China Minist Hlth, Auckland, New Zealand Rebro Univ, Rebro, Sweden St Georges Univ London, London, England Univ Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia Minist Agr & Rural Affairs, Inst Food & Nutr Dev, Beijing, Peoples R China Fudan Univ, Childrens Hosp, Shanghai, Peoples R China Univ Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus Niigata Univ, Niigata, Japan Int Med Univ, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia Hellen Mediterranean Univ, Iraklion, Greece Iran Univ Med Sci, Tehran, Iran Ctr Diabet & Endocrine Care, Srinagar, India Peking Univ First Hosp, Beijing, Peoples R China Jiangsu Prov Ctr Dis Control & Prevent, Nanjing, Peoples R China Sun Yat Sen Univ, Guangzhou, Peoples R China West Kazakhstan Med Univ, Aktobe, Kazakhstan Inner Mongolia Med Univ, Hohhot, Peoples R China Przedszkole 81, Warsaw, Poland Univ Estadual Paulista, Presidente Prudente, Brazil

Drugs that target human thymidylate synthase (hTS) are widely used in anti-cancer therapy. However, treatment with classical substrate-site-directed TS inhibitors induces its over-expression and the development of drug resistance. We thus pursued an alternative strategy that led to the discovery of TS-dimer disrupters that bind at the monomer-monomer interface and shift the dimerization equilibrium of both the recombinant and the intracellular protein toward the inactive monomers. We performed a structural, spectroscopic and kinetic investigation of the effects of these small molecules andthe best one, E7, accelerates the proteasomal degradation of hTS in cancer cells. E7 showed a superior anticancer profile to fluorouracil in a mouse model of human pancreatic and ovarian cancer. Thus, over sixty years after the discovery of the first TS prodrug inhibitor, fluorouracil, E7 breaks the link between TS inhibition and enhanced expression in response, providing a strategy to fight drug-resistant cancers.

A proper description of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 will be critical for the assessment of protection elicited after both infection and vaccination. Uncoupled T and B cell responses have been described in acute and convalescent patients and exposed individuals. We assessed the potential usefulness of whole blood stimulation assays to identify functional cellular immune responses to SARS-CoV-2. Blood from COVID-19 recovered individuals (5 months after infection) and negative subjects was stimulated for 24 hours with HLA predicted peptide “megapools” of the Spike and Nucleoprotein, or the mixture of them. After stimulation, cytokines were quantified using a beads-based multiplex assay. Interleukin-2 and IFN-γ were found to be specific biomarkers of SARS-CoV-2 cellular response. Using the Spike and Nucleoprotein mixture, 91.3% of COVID-19 recovered individuals presented an IL-2 stimulation index over the cut-off, while 82.6% showed IFN-γ. All the negative individuals presented an IL-2 response under the cut-off, while 5.3% of these subjects presented positive IFN-γ stimulation indexes. Moreover, IL-2 production correlated with IgG levels for Spike 1, RBD, and Nucleocapsid. In conclusion, we demonstrate the potential of whole blood stimulation assays and the quantification of IL-2 and IFN-γ for the analysis of SARS-CoV-2 functional cellular responses.

The draft whole-genome sequence of the mushroom Pleurotus ostreatoroseus DPUA 1720 (38,588,587 bp) is presented here. This report contributes to the prospective research for bioactive compounds in the genus Pleurotus.

Intracellular protozoan of the genus Leishmania, endemic in the Mediterranean basin, are the cause of cutaneous (CL), mucocutaneous (MCL), and visceral leishmaniasis (VL). A 75-year-old woman was admitted nine years after a second kidney transplant (KT), due to persistent pancytopenia and fever. She presented edema and erythema of the nose in the last two years and an exophytic nodular lesion located on the left arm, with areas of peripheral necrosis and central ulceration in the last 18 months. A bone marrow biopsy revealed features compatible with Leishmania amastigotes, and polymerase chain reaction test (PCR) for Leishmania infantum was positive. Moreover, biopsy and PCR for L. infantum of the cutaneous lesion on the patient’s left arm and nose and PCR from peripheral blood were positive. Thus, a diagnosis of CL, MCL, and VL was made, and liposomal amphotericin B was initiated, but the patient had an unfavorable outcome and died. This is the first report of a KT recipient presenting with the entire spectrum of leishmaniasis. In Portugal, this infection is rare—so a high degree of clinical suspicion is required for its diagnosis, especially in endemic regions, as visceral leishmaniasis is a potentially life-threatening infection.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 1 billion people are at risk of or are affected by neglected tropical diseases. Examples of such diseases include trypanosomiasis, which causes sleeping sickness; leishmaniasis; and Chagas disease, all of which are prevalent in Africa, South America, and India. Our aim within the New Medicines for Trypanosomatidic Infections project was to use (1) synthetic and natural product libraries, (2) screening, and (3) a preclinical absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion-toxicity (ADME-Tox) profiling platform to identify compounds that can enter the trypanosomatidic drug discovery value chain. The synthetic compound libraries originated from multiple scaffolds with known antiparasitic activity and natural products from the Hypha Discovery MycoDiverse natural products library. Our focus was first to employ target-based screening to identify inhibitors of the protozoan Trypanosoma brucei pteridine reductase 1 ( TbPTR1) and second to use a Trypanosoma brucei phenotypic assay that made use of the T. brucei brucei parasite to identify compounds that inhibited cell growth and caused death. Some of the compounds underwent structure-activity relationship expansion and, when appropriate, were evaluated in a preclinical ADME-Tox assay panel. This preclinical platform has led to the identification of lead-like compounds as well as validated hits in the trypanosomatidic drug discovery value chain.

The last decade has seen a sharp increase in the number of scientific publications describing physiological and pathological functions of extracellular vesicles (EVs), a collective term covering various subtypes of cell-released, membranous structures, called exosomes, microvesicles, microparticles, ectosomes, oncosomes, apoptotic bodies, and many other names. However, specific issues arise when working with these entities, whose size and amount often make them difficult to obtain as relatively pure preparations, and to characterize properly. The International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) proposed Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles ("MISEV") guidelines for the field in 2014. We now update these "MISEV2014" guidelines based on evolution of the collective knowledge in the last four years. An important point to consider is that ascribing a specific function to EVs in general, or to subtypes of EVs, requires reporting of specific information beyond mere description of function in a crude, potentially contaminated, and heterogeneous preparation. For example, claims that exosomes are endowed with exquisite and specific activities remain difficult to support experimentally, given our still limited knowledge of their specific molecular machineries of biogenesis and release, as compared with other biophysically similar EVs. The MISEV2018 guidelines include tables and outlines of suggested protocols and steps to follow to document specific EV-associated functional activities. Finally, a checklist is provided with summaries of key points.

Phage display is a powerful technique to select high-affinity antibodies for different purposes, including biopharmaceuticals. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) presented itself as a robust solution, making it possible to assess billions of sequences of the variable domains from selected sublibraries. Handling this process, a central difficulty is to find the selected clones. Here, we present the AutomaTed Tool For Immunoglobulin Analysis (ATTILA), a new tool to analyze and find the enriched variable domains throughout a biopanning experiment. The ATTILA is a workflow that combines publicly available tools and in-house programs and scripts to find the fold-change frequency of deeply sequenced amplicons generated from selected VH and VL domains. We analyzed the same human Fab library NGS data using ATTILA in 5 different experiments, as well as on 2 biopanning experiments regarding performance, accuracy, and output. These analyses proved to be suitable to assess library variability and to list the more enriched variable domains, as ATTILA provides a report with the amino acid sequence of each identified domain, along with its complementarity-determining regions (CDRs), germline classification, and fold change. Finally, the methods employed here demonstrated a suitable manner to combine amplicon generation and NGS data analysis to discover new monoclonal antibodies (mAbs).

Canine leishmaniasis is a major veterinary issue and also a public health challenge due to its zoonotic potential. In this context, serological evaluation is essential for Canine leishmaniasis management. Several serological alternatives, such as rapid diagnostic tests, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT), are well established. In fact, the capacity of distinct tests and antigens, evaluated by their sensitivity and specificity, to detect disease is normally considered sufficient for diagnosing Canine leishmaniasis. In this context, we evaluated the seropositivity using 8 different serological tests (ELISA with Leishmania recombinant proteins (rK39, LicTXNPx); soluble promastigote Leishmania antigens (SPLA); commercial ELISA test) in 82 clinically suspect animals from Northern Portugal. The obtained serological data originated 50% of inconclusive serological information with a mixture of seropositive and seronegative results for individual animals. Cut-off independent risk groups were then generated from the serological data to evaluate the clustering of the samples. This analysis originated risk groups that correlated with the most seropositive samples, suggesting that this method might be used, in a cut-off independent manner, to improve conventional serological evaluation. Ultimately, given that no test prioritization exists, the use of any single serological test increases the potential for misdiagnosis, along with all associated risks for the dog as well as public health. The use of a cut-off independent analysis has the potential to improve the predictive values of these tests, enabling a more accurate evaluation of the dog’s condition. Our sincere thanks to Dr. Steven Reed - Infectious Disease Research Institute, Seattle, USA for providing the rK39 used in the study. This work was financed by: FEDER-Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional funds through the COMPETE 2020-Operacional Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (POCI), Portugal 2020, and by Portuguese funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior in the framework of the project “Institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences” (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007274) and project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000012, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)” Ó. Felgueiras and M. Brito were partially supported by CMUP (UID/MAT/00144/2019), which is funded by FCT (Portugal) with national (MCTES) and European structural funds through the programs FEDER, under the partnership agreement PT2020.

Lutzomyia longipalpis sand flies are the major natural vector of Leishmania infantum parasites, responsible for transmission of visceral leishmaniasis in the New World. Several experimental studies have demonstrated the ability of Lu. longipalpis to sustain development of different Leishmania species. However, no study had explored in depth the potential vector competence of Lu. longipalpis for Leishmania species other than L. infantum. Here, we show that Lu. longipalpis is a competent vector of L. major parasites, being able to acquire parasites from active cutaneous leishmaniasis lesions, sustain mature infections, and transmit them to naive hosts, causing disease.

T lymphocytes are key players in immunity. Anti-CD3 antibodies activate T cells and promote a suppressive phenotype in vivo. Although the pharmacological use of these antibodies is widely studied, the underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood. Here we describe the response of the non-coding RNA transcriptome of T cells after in vitro stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) by anti-CD3 and demonstrate that several novel long non-coding RNA are associated with antibody treatment. Regulated long intergenic non-coding RNAs were associated with lymphocyte activation and signaling pathways. In particular the lncRNA transcripts WFDC21P and GAPLINC are regulated in stimulated T cell.

Leishmaniasis is a spectrum of diseases transmitted by sand fly vectors that deposit Leishmania spp. parasites in the host skin during blood feeding. Currently, available treatment options are limited, associated with high toxicity and emerging resistance. Even though a vaccine for human leishmaniasis is considered an achievable goal, to date we still do not have one available, a consequence (amongst other factors) of a lack of pre-clinical to clinical translatability. Pre-exposure to uninfected sand fly bites or immunization with defined sand fly salivary proteins was shown to negatively impact infection. Still, cross-protection reports are rare and dependent on the phylogenetic proximity of the sand fly species, meaning that the applicability of a sand fly saliva-based vaccine will be limited to a defined geography, one parasite species and one form of leishmaniasis. As a proof of principle of a future vector saliva-based pan-Leishmania vaccine, we engineered through a reverse vaccinology approach that maximizes translation to humans, a fusion protein consisting of immunogenic portions of PdSP15 and LJL143, sand fly salivary proteins demonstrated as potential vaccine candidates against cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis, respectively. The in silico analysis was validated ex vivo, through T cell proliferation experiments, proving that the fusion protein (administered as a DNA vaccine) maintained the immunogenicity of both PdSP15 and LJL143. Additionally, while no significant effect was detected in the context of L. major transmission by P. duboscqi, this DNA vaccine was defined as partially protective, in the context of L. major transmission by L. longipalpis sand flies. Importantly, a high IFN¿ response alone was not enough to confer protection, that mainly correlated with low T cell mediated Leishmania-specific IL-4 and IL-10 responses, and consequently with high pro/anti-inflammatory cytokine ratios. Overall our immunogenicity data suggests that to design a potentially safe vector-based pan-Leishmania vaccine, without geographic restrictions and against all forms of leishmaniasis is an achievable goal. This is why we propose our approach as a proof-of principle, perhaps not only applicable to the anti-Leishmania vector-based vaccines’ field, but also to other branches of knowledge that require the design of multi-epitope T cell vaccines with a higher potential for translation. The research leading to these results has received funding from the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000012, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This research was also supported in part by the Intramural Research Program of the NIH, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. PC was supported by Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), Portugal, through the individual Grant SFRH/BD/121252/2016. PC was also supported by Fulbright Portugal. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the initial growth of jatropha (Jatropa curcas L.) plants under the effect of phosphate fertilization and simulation of glyphosate drift. The experiment was conducted using plastic vessels, conditioned under field conditions. A randomized block design, in a 3 x 5 factorial scheme, three doses of phosphorus (0, 40 and 80 kg ha-1 of P2O5) and five doses of glyphosate (0, 1.1, 3.3, 10 e 30 g ha-1) with four replicates. Leaf area, total dry matter, lignin and cellulose content, foliar phosphorus content, and gas exchange were evaluated. It was concluded that fertilizations from 40 kg ha-1 presented on average the largest increases in: leaf area; total dry matter; phosphorus content and for liquid photosynthesis. The simulation doses of glyphosate drift above 30 g ha-1 may impair the growth of jatropha plants considering the following variables: total dry matter, lignin content and cellulose and protein. Phosphate fertilization may render jatropha plants tolerant to glyphosate drift simulation doses.

Basing on a library of thiadiazole derivatives showing anti-trypanosomatidic activity, we have considered the thiadiazoles opened forms and reaction intermediates, thiosemicarbazones, as compounds of interest for phenotypic screening against Trypanosoma brucei (Tb), intracellular amastigote form of Leishmania infantum (Li) and Trypanosoma cruzi (Tc). Similar compounds have already shown interesting activity against the same organisms. The compounds were particularly effective against T. brucei and T. cruzi. Among the 28 synthesized compounds, the best one was (E)-2-(4-((3.4-dichlorobenzyl)oxy)benzylidene) hydrazinecarbothioamide (A14) yielding a comparable anti-parasitic activity against the three parasitic species (TbEC50 = 2.31 mM, LiEC50 = 6.14 mM, TcEC50 = 1.31 mM) and a Selectivity Index higher than 10 with respect to human macrophages, therefore showing a pan-anti-trypanosomatidic activity. (E)-2-((3'.4'-dimethoxy-[1.1'-biphenyl]-3-yl)methyle ne) hydrazinecarbothioamide (A12) and (E)-2-(4-((3.4-dichlorobenzyl)oxy)benzylidene)hydrazine carbothioamide (A14) were able to potentiate the anti-parasitic activity of methotrexate (MTX) when evaluated in combination against T. brucei, yielding a 6-fold and 4-fold respectively Dose Reduction Index for MTX. The toxicity profile against four human cell lines and a panel of in vitro early-toxicity assays (comprising hERG, Aurora B, five cytochrome P450 isoforms and mitochondrial toxicity) demonstrated the low toxicity for the thosemicarbazones class in comparison with known drugs. The results confirmed thiosemicarbazones as a suitable chemical scaffold with potential for the development of properly decorated new anti-parasitic drugs.

Considering that tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.), an exotic fruit in Brazil, is appreciated in natura consumption and has been highlighted by its nutritional and pharmaceutical characteristics, its application in medicines available in the market due its long period of freshness has become an obstacle to the commercial cultivation of this fruit; therefore, the method of propagation by air-layering can solve this problem. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of substrates and the use of indolebutyric acid (IBA) on the production of seedlings by tamarind air-layering method. For this purpose, commercial organic compound, coconut powder and sphagnum were used to make the air-layering and IBA concentrations (500, 750, 1000 and 1250 mg L-1). The experimental design was a randomized complete block, in a 3 × 5 factorial scheme, containing 10 blocks, each plant being considered a block, with 4 replicates (air-layering) per block, distributed in the plants quadrants. Influence of the substrates and IBA concentrations used for the rooting of tamarind air-layering was observed, with a significant interaction of these factors obtained in the evaluated variables. Thus, it can be concluded that propagation by the method of air-layering is viable. For organic compound and coconut powder, the concentrations of 500 and 1000 mg L-1 IBA, respectively, may improve the results obtained by air-layering. With the use of sphagnum as substrate, the use of 500 mg L-1 IBA to maximize the results is indicated in this method. Key words: Fruits, propagation materials, Tamarindus indica L., tropical fruits, seedling production.

Pteridine reductase-1 (PTR1) is a promising drug target for the treatment of trypanosomiasis. We investigated the potential of a previously identified class of thiadiazole inhibitors of Leishmania major PTR1 for activity against Trypanosoma brucei (Tb). We solved crystal structures of several TbPTR1-inhibitor complexes to guide the structure-based design of new thiadiazole derivatives. Subsequent synthesis and enzyme- and cell-based assays confirm new, mid-micromolar inhibitors of TbPTR1 with low toxicity. In particular, compound 4m, a biphenyl-thiadiazole-2,5-diamine with IC50 = 16 μM, was able to potentiate the antitrypanosomal activity of the dihydrofolate reductase inhibitor methotrexate (MTX) with a 4.1-fold decrease of the EC50 value. In addition, the antiparasitic activity of the combination of 4m and MTX was reversed by addition of folic acid. By adopting an efficient hit discovery platform, we demonstrate, using the 2-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazole scaffold, how a promising tool for the development of anti-T. brucei agents can be obtained.

Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) is a major veterinary concern and a public health issue. Serological data are essential for disease management. Several antigens used in serological assays have specificity related problems preventing relevant seropositivity values establishment. Herein we report significant seropositivity level disparity in a study cohort with 384 dogs from eight countries, for antigens traditionally used in CanL - soluble promastigote Leishmania antigens (SPLA) and K39 recombinant protein (rK39): 43·8 and 2·9% for SPLA and rK39, respectively. To better understand the reasons for this disparity, CanL-associated serological response was characterized using, for complement serological evaluation, a ubiquitous antigen - soluble Escherichia coli antigens (SECAs). Using cohorts of CanL dogs and dogs without clinical evidences of CanL from non-endemic regions of Portugal, the serological response of CanL animals followed specific trend of seropositivity rK39 > SPLA > SECA absent in non-diseased animals. Using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, these characteristic trends were converted in ratios, SPLA/SECA, rK39/SECA and rK39/SPLA, that presented high predictive for discriminating the CanL cohort that was potentiated when applied in a scoring system involving positivity to four out of five predictors (rK39, SPLA, SPLA/SECA, rK39/SECA and rK39/SPLA). In fact, this approach discriminated CanL with similar sensitivity/specificity as reference antigens, diminishing seropositivity in European cohort to 1·8%. Ultimately, non-related antigens like SECA and seropositivity ratios between antigens enable different perspectives into serological data focusing on the search of characteristic serological signatures and not simple absolute serology values contributing to comprehensive serological status characterization. This work was financed by FEDER–Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional funds through the COMPETE 2020–Operacional Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (POCI), Portugal 2020, and by Portuguese funds through FCT Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior in the framework of the project‘Institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences’(POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007274) and from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreement No. 603181 [Clinical Studies on a Multivalent Vaccine for Human Visceral Leishmaniasis (MuLeVaClin)]. ‘This article is a result of the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000012, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)’. C.L. and N.S. were supported by BD SFRH/BD/89183/2012 and European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreement No. 602773 (Project KINDRED), respectively.

Deep-sea coral reefs and coral habitats are hotspots of biodiversity and provide numerous resources for fishing, bioprospecting and science. The deep-water coral reefs and coral aggregates were first discovered in locations off the coast of Norway, in 1865. The increase of commercial operations in deep waters, and the use of advanced technology in offshore areas have revealed the true scale of deep-sea coral ecosystems of Europe, until then virtually unknown. From the 1990’s, there was a considerable increase in the number of important scientific contributions on deep-sea coral habitats. So, today is known that the occurrence of coral reefs is not restricted to shallow waters of tropical and subtropical regions and that there are deep-sea coral reefs spread out of the world, including Brazil. The goal of this study was to indicate the existence of potential areas of deep-sea coral reefs/habitats along the Brazilian coast, from records of occurrence of coral reef builders species (Lophelia pertusa, Madrepora oculata, Solenosmilia variabilis, Dendrophyllia alternata and Enallopsammia rostrata). The examination of the records/specimens demonstrated an extensive and almost continuous latitudinal distribution of the coral species along the Brazilian coast. Fishing is the main cause of impact to deep-sea coral reefs in several regions of the world. For more than a decade the deep demersal fishing has been held in Brazil and the extent of the impact caused by fishing nets, used by the boats close to the reefs, is unknown. The data presented here provide a contribution not only to the scientific community, but also to the decision makers regarding the uses of areas of the Brazilian shelf and slope, which represent reservoirs of rich marine biodiversity.

Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) prevention in the Mediterranean basin is considered essential to stop human zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis. In this context, vaccination of dogs is expected to have a significant impact in disease control. CaniLeish® (Virbac Animal Health) is one of a few CanL vaccines that are at this moment licensed in Europe. This vaccine contains purified excreted-secreted proteins of Leishmania having several antigens/immunogens with potential to influence serological response. Therefore, it is important to know if CaniLeish vaccination increased the diagnostic challenges associated with conventional serology, limiting the value of some antigens. To address this 20 dogs from a cohort of 35 healthy dogs that were vaccinated, maintained indoor for 1 month and then returned to their natural domiciles for 2 years. After this period, they were re-called to evaluate their clinical/parasitological condition and assess the evolution of seroreactivity against different antigens: soluble promastigote Leishmania antigens (SPLA), recombinant protein Leishmania infantum cytosolic peroxiredoxin, recombinant protein K39 (rK39), recombinant protein K28 and recombinant kinesin degenerated derived repeat using ELISA. Two years after vaccination all vaccinated non-infected animals were seropositive for SPLA. For the other antigens the serological profile was indistinguishable from non-infected animals. Moreover, vaccinated animals presented a characteristic relative serological profile, with higher normalized serological response to SPLA than rK39. This fact enabled to distinguish with sensitivity 92.3% and specificity 95.4%, vaccinated non-infected dogs from infected and non-infected dogs. Ultimately, relative serological profile enabled the detection of healthy vaccinated animals enabling more accurate serological surveys. This work was financed by: FEDER - Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional funds through the COMPETE 2020 - Operacional Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalization (POCI), Portugal 2020, and by Portuguese funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior in the framework of the project Institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007274) and project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000012, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). EC was supported by a research contract funded via the VII PN I+D+I 2013-2016 programme and FEDER Funds (RICET RD12/0018/0003).

Every year, up to 90,000 new cases of Visceral Leishmaniasis and 30,000 resultant deaths are estimated to occur worldwide. Such numbers give relevance to the continuous study of this complex form of the disease: a zoonosis and an anthroponosis; two known etiological agents (Leishmania infantum and L. donovani, respectively); with an estimated average ratio of 1 symptomatic per 10 asymptomatic individuals; and sometimes associated with atypical clinical presentations. This complexity, which results from a long co-evolutionary process involving vector-host, host-pathogen, and pathogen-vector interactions, is still not completely understood. The determinants of visceralization are not fully defined and the dichotomy resistance vs. susceptibility remains unsolved, translating into obstacles that delay the progress of global disease control. Inbred mouse models, with different susceptibility patterns to Leishmania infection, have been very useful in exploring this dichotomy. BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice were described as susceptible strains to L. donovani visceral infection, while SV/129 was considered resistant. Here, we used these three mouse models, but in the context of L. infantum infection, the other Leishmania species that cause visceral disease in humans, and dynamically compared their local and systemic infection-induced immune responses in order to establish a parallel and to ultimately better understand susceptibility vs. resistance in visceral leishmaniasis. Overall, our results suggest that C57BL/6 mice develop an intermediate "infection-phenotype" in comparison to BALB/c and SV/129 mouse strains, considering both the splenic parasite burden and the determined target organs weights. However, the immune mechanisms associated with the control of infection seem to be different in each mouse strain. We observed that both BALB/c and SV/129, but not C57BL/6 mice, show an infection-induced increase of splenic T follicular helper cells. On the other hand, differences detected in terms of CD21 expression by B cells early after infection, together with the quantified anti-Leishmania specific antibodies, suggest that SV/129 are faster than BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice in the assembly of an efficient B-cell response. Additionally, we observed an infection-induced increase in polyfunctional CD4+ T cells in the resistant SV/129 model, opposing an infection-induced increase in CD4+IL-10+ cells in susceptible BALB/c mice. Our data aligns with the observations reported for L. donovani infection and suggest that not only a single mechanism, but an interaction of several could be necessary for the control of this parasitic disease. The research leading to these results has received funding from the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000012, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). PC was supported by Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), Portugal, through the individual grant SFRH/BD/121252/2016.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is mainly caused by Leishmania donovani (India and East Africa), and Leishmania infantum (Mediterranean Basin and South America) infections. Although murine models of visceral infection lack the clinicopathological aspects of VL in humans, they have been proven useful at advancing our knowledge in the Leishmania field. Indeed, these models have been used not only to better understand the pathophysiology of the infection but also in drug and vaccine development. This chapter focuses on the protocols used to experimentally infect mice and to quantify parasite burdens in mice infected with L. infantum using limiting dilution methodology of target organs and whole-mouse in vivo imaging.

Chemical modulation of the flavonol 2-(benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-yl)-chromen-4-one (1), a promising anti-Trypanosomatid agent previously identified, was evaluated through a phenotypic screening approach. Herein, we have performed structure–activity relationship studies around hit compound 1. The pivaloyl derivative (13) showed significant anti-T. brucei activity (EC50 = 1.1 μM) together with a selectivity index higher than 92. The early in vitro ADME-tox properties (cytotoxicity, mitochondrial toxicity, cytochrome P450 and hERG inhibition) were determined for compound 1 and its derivatives, and these led to the identification of some liabilities. The 1,3-benzodioxole moiety in the presented compounds confers better in vivo pharmacokinetic properties than those of classical flavonols. Further studies using different delivery systems could lead to an increase of compound blood levels.

2-Amino-benzo[ d]thiazole was identified as a new scaffold for the development of improved pteridine reductase-1 (PTR1) inhibitors and anti-trypanosomatidic agents. Molecular docking and crystallography guided the design and synthesis of 42 new benzothiazoles. The compounds were assessed for Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania major PTR1 inhibition and in vitro activity against T. brucei and amastigote Leishmania infantum. We identified several 2-amino-benzo[ d]thiazoles with improved enzymatic activity ( TbPTR1 IC50 = 0.35 μM; LmPTR1 IC50 = 1.9 μM) and low μM antiparasitic activity against T. brucei. The ten most active compounds against TbPTR1 were able to potentiate the antiparasitic activity of methotrexate when evaluated in combination against T. brucei, with a potentiating index between 1.2 and 2.7. The compound library was profiled for early ADME toxicity, and 2-amino- N-benzylbenzo[ d]thiazole-6-carboxamide (4c) was finally identified as a novel potent, safe, and selective anti-trypanocydal agent (EC50 = 7.0 μM). Formulation of 4c with hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin yielded good oral bioavailability, encouraging progression to in vivo studies.

Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-28T19:27:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2019-01-01 Fig tree (Ficus carica L.) stands out due to its range of cultivation and easy adaptation to diverse edaphoclimatic conditions. In addition to its adaptability, fruits have nutraceutical characteristics and are used in industry and for fresh consumption, widely appreciated by the world cuisine. Due to lack of manpower and phytosanitary problems, the area planted in Brazil has decreased recently. To overcome these obstacles, the production of quality seedlings is the first step to obtaining productive and healthy orchards. Therefore, the aim of the present literature review was to gather data referring to advances in research related to the fig tree propagation. Currently, the methods found for fig tree propagation consist of seedling production, where entomophilic or vegetative pollination occurs. Commercially, the propagation method by cutting is still the most used for this crop; however, other methods can also be used, such as the use of burrs or plunging and grafting techniques and tissue culture. Although there is a diversity of propagation methods and new technologies being developed, cuttings remain the most feasible method. In addition, obtaining healthy and quality seedlings is one of the main problems currently found in ficiculture, since, in addition to the scarcity of studies related to propagation, the use of resistant cultivars and pathogen-free substrates should be prioritized due to susceptibility of fig trees to nematodes. Thus, further studies should be carried out in order to seek new information on the cultivars most adapted to each locality, as well as improvements in propagation and cultivation techniques. Department of Plant Science Food Technology and Socio-economics State University of São Paulo Faculty of Engineering Department of Agronomy Mato Grosso State University Department of Horticulture State University of São Paulo Faculty of Agronomic Sciences Department of Plant Production University of São Paulo Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture Department of Agricultural Sciences University of Bologna

Leishmaniasis, a major health problem worldwide, has a limited arsenal of drugs for its control. The appearance of resistance to first- and second-line anti-leishmanial drugs confirms the need to develop new and less toxic drugs that overcome spontaneous resistance. In the present study, we report the design and synthesis of a novel library of 38 flavonol-like compounds and their evaluation in a panel of assays encompassing parasite killing, pharmacokinetics, genomics and ADME-Toxicity resulting in the progression of a compound in the drug discovery value chain. Compound 19, 2-(benzo[b]thiophen-3-yl)-3-hydroxy-6-methoxy-4H-chromen-4-one, exhibited a broad-spectrum activity against Leishmania spp. (EC50 1.9 mM for Leishmania infantum, 3.4 mM for L. donovani, 6.7 mM for L. major), Trypanosoma cruzi (EC50 7.5 mM) and T. brucei (EC50 0.8 mM). Focusing on anti-Leishmania activity, compound 19 challenge in vitro did not select for resistance markers in L. donovani, while a Cos-Seq screening for dominant resistance genes identified a gene locus on chromosome 36 that became ineffective at concentrations beyond EC50. Thus, compound 19 is a promising scaffold to tackle drug resistance in Leishmania infection. In vivo pharmacokinetic studies indicated that compound 19 has a long half-life (intravenous (IV): 63.2 h; per os (PO): 46.9 h) with an acceptable ADME-Toxicity profile. When tested in Leishmania infected hamsters, no toxicity and limited efficacy were observed. Low solubility and degradation were investigated spectroscopically as possible causes for the sub-optimal pharmacokinetic properties. Compound 19 resulted a specific compound based on the screening against a protein set, following the intrinsic fluorescence changes.

The use of secretion pathways for effector molecule delivery by microorganisms is a trademark of pathogenesis. Leishmania extracellular vesicles (EVs) were shown to have significant immunomodulatory potential. Still, they will act in conjunction with other released parasite-derived products that might modify the EVs effects. Notwithstanding, the immunomodulatory properties of these non-vesicular components and their influence in the infectious process remains unknown. To address this, we explored both in vitro and in vivo the immunomodulatory potential of promastigotes extracellular material (EXO), obtained as a whole or separated in two different fractions: EVs or vesicle depleted EXO (VDE). Using an air pouch model, we observed that EVs and VDE induced a dose-dependent cell recruitment profile different from the one obtained with parasites, attracting significantly fewer neutrophils and more dendritic cells (DCs). Additionally, when we co-inoculated parasites with extracellular products a drop in cell recruitment was observed. Moreover, in vitro, while VDE (but not EVs) downregulated the expression of DCs and macrophages activation markers, both products were able to diminish the responsiveness of these cells to LPS. Finally, the presence of Leishmania infantum extracellular products in the inoculum promoted a dose-dependent infection potentiation in vivo, highlighting their relevance for the infectious process. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that EVs are not the only relevant players among the parasite exogenous products. This, together with the dose-dependency observed, opens new avenues to the comprehension of Leishmania infectious process. The approach presented here should be exploited to revisit existing data and considered for future studies in other infection models., NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000012, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This work was also funded by FEDER through the Operational Competitiveness Programme – COMPETE and by National Funds through FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia under the project FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-019648 (PTDC/BIA-MIC/118644/2010). PC was supported by Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), Portugal, through the individual grant SFRH/BD/121252/2016, info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Objetivo: Realizar análise fitoquímica dos metabolismos secundários da raiz e folha da Planta Phyllanthus Niruri L. (Quebra-pedra). Métodos: Os procedimentos experimentais, bem como a análise fitoquímica seguiram as recomendações evidenciadas no manual de Barbosa et al., (2001) intitulado “Manual Para Análise Fitoquímica e Cromotográfica de Extratos Vegetais”. A coleta da planta Phyllanthus Niruri vulgo “quebra-pedra” se deu a partir do mês de março de 2015 até abril do mesmo ano, no município de Boa Vista-Roraima. O processo de estudo iniciou com a secagem da planta por cinco dias em ambiente sem interferência da luz solar, posteriormente, se deram a análise dos metabolismos utilizando partes da folha e raiz, o peso bruto da folha era equivalente a 1,680g e a raiz apresentava 0,103g. Resultados: Foi possível mostrar através do experimento a presença de taninos, flavonoides. Os resultados obtidos foram para folha positivo para taninos, flavonoides e para raiz positivo apenas para flavonoide. Conclusão: Os resultados ajudam a montar uma estratégia de auxiliar na procura de novos insumos que tem em vista a relação de custo benefício além de contribuir para futuras pesquisa com as plantas medicinais.

Flavonoids represent a potential source of new antitrypanosomatidic leads. Starting from a library of natural products, we combined target-based screening on pteridine reductase 1 with phenotypic screening on Trypanosoma brucei for hit identification. Flavonols were identified as hits, and a library of 16 derivatives was synthesized. Twelve compounds showed EC50 values against T. brucei below 10 μM. Four X-ray crystal structures and docking studies explained the observed structure-activity relationships. Compound 2 (3,6-dihydroxy-2-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-4H-chromen-4-one) was selected for pharmacokinetic studies. Encapsulation of compound 2 in PLGA nanoparticles or cyclodextrins resulted in lower in vitro toxicity when compared to the free compound. Combination studies with methotrexate revealed that compound 13 (3-hydroxy-6-methoxy-2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-4H-chromen-4-one) has the highest synergistic effect at concentration of 1.3 μM, 11.7-fold dose reduction index and no toxicity toward host cells. Our results provide the basis for further chemical modifications aimed at identifying novel antitrypanosomatidic agents showing higher potency toward PTR1 and increased metabolic stability.

The effects of time of feed delivery (14.00 hours; 14.00 and 20.00 hours; 16.00 and 18.00 hours) on the physiological parameters, ingestive behavior, nutrient intake and production of lactating cows maintained in a semi-arid region during the hot season were evaluated. Regardless of treatment, all animals received the first feeding supply at 06.00 hours. Eight cows with an average body weight of 600 kg, average milk yield of 20 kg/day and 80 days in milk were utilized. The rectal temperature, respiratory rate and sweating rate were not affected (P > 0.05), with average values of 38.5°C, 53.8 movements/min and 104 g/m2 /h respectively. There was no effect (P > 0.05) on the eating time (314 min/day), ruminating time (564 min/day), drinking time (61 min/day) and idle time (502 min/day). Similarly, the intake of nutrients and performance of lactating cows were not affected (P > 0.05), with average dry matter intake of 19.8 kg/day, 4% fat-corrected milk of 20.6 kg/day and milk fat concentration of 4.03 g/100 g. Since the behavior and performance have not altered, any times of feed delivery evaluated could be used to crossbred Holstein × Zebu cows maintained on a feedlot in semi-arid regions during the hot season.

Leishmania infected macrophages have conditions to produce adenosine. Despite its known immunosuppressive effects, no studies have yet established whether adenosine alter Leishmania parasitic burden upon macrophage infection. This work aimed at investigating whether endogenous adenosine exerts an autocrine modulation of macrophage response towards Leishmania infection, identifying its origin and potential pharmacological targets for visceral leishmaniasis (VL), using THP-1 differentiated macrophages. Adenosine deaminase treatment of infected THP-1 cells reduced the parasitic burden (29.1 ± 2.2%, P

Leishmaniasis is an important vector-borne neglected tropical disease caused by Leishmania parasites. Current anti-Leishmania chemotherapy is unsatisfactory, justifying the continued search for alternative treatment options. Herein, we propose the use of a minimally invasive bioluminescence-based murine model for preliminary in vivo screening of compounds against visceral infection by Leishmania infantum. We demonstrate that luciferase-expressing axenic amastigotes, unlike promastigotes, are highly infectious to BALB/c mice and generate a robust bioluminescent signal in the main target organs, such as the liver and spleen. Finally, we validate the use of this technique to evaluate in vivo treatment efficacy using reference drugs amphotericin B and miltefosine.

Immunosuppression is a well-established risk factor for Visceral Leishmaniasis. Post-immunosuppression leishmaniasis is characterized by an increase of parasite burden, hematopoietic disorders and unusual clinical manifestations. Although there are many reports on bone marrow findings in VL, less is known about the relationship between parasite dynamics in this organ and the function of either hematopoietic stem cells and progenitor cells themselves. In the present study, we tackle these issues using a new approach of infecting human stem cells derived from bone marrow with L. infantum. Using this strategy, we show that human hematopoietic stem cells (hHSC) are able to phagocytize L. infantum promastigotes and release modulatory and pro-inflammatory cytokines, mainly TNF-α. Our results demonstrated that L. infantum infection in vitro enhances hematopoiesis, favoring the development of erythrocitic lineage through a mechanism yet unknown. Moreover, we found that L. infantum infection alters the phenotypic profile of the hematopoietic progeny; modifying the surface markers expression of differentiated cells. Thus, our study represents a rare opportunity to monitor the in vitro differentiation of human stem cells experimentally infected by L. infantum to better understand the consequences of the infection on phenotypic and functional profile of the cell progeny., Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) – APQ-000647-13, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) by fellowship awarded to LRVA, OAMF and ATC. RCG received fellowship from CNPq program. DM is supported by a PhD fellowship SFRH/BD/91543/2012, MR is supported by a PhD fellowship SFRH/BD/89871/2012. RS is supported by FCT Investigator 2014 (IF/00021/2014), info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

collaboration au projet H2020 European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) program European Network on Microvesicles and Exosomes in Health and Disease (ME-HAD); International audience; Recent research has demonstrated that all body fluids assessed contain substantial amounts of vesicles that range in size from 30 to 1000 nm and that are surrounded by phospholipid membranes containing different membrane microdomains such as lipid rafts and caveolae. The most prominent representatives of these so-called extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanosized exosomes (70-150 nm), which are derivatives of the endosomal system, and microvesicles (100-1000 nm), which are produced by outward budding of the plasma membrane. Nanosized EVs are released by almost all cell types and mediate targeted intercellular communication under physiological and pathophysiological conditions. Containing cell-type specific signatures, EVs have been proposed as biomarkers in a variety of diseases. Furthermore, according to their physical functions, EVs of selected cell types have been used as therapeutic agents in immune therapy, vaccination trials, regenerative medicine, and drug delivery. Undoubtedly, the rapidly emerging field of basic and applied EV research will significantly influence the biomedicinal landscape in the future. In this Perspective, we, a network of European scientists from clinical, academic, and industry settings collaborating through the H2020 European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) program European Network on Microvesicles and.Exosomes in Health and Disease (ME-HAD), demonstrate the high potential of nanosized EVs for both diagnostic and therapeutic (i.e., theranostic) areas of nanomedicine.

Hematogenous dissemination followed by tissue tropism is a characteristic of the infectious process of many pathogens including those transmitted by blood-feeding vectors. After entering into the blood circulation, these pathogens must arrest in the target organ before they infect a specific tissue. Here, we describe a non-invasive method to visualize and quantify the homing of pathogens to the host tissues. By using in vivo bioluminescence imaging we quantify the accumulation of luciferase-expressing parasites in the host organs during the first minutes following their intravascular inoculation in mice. Using this technique we show that in the malarial infection, once in the blood circulation, most of bioluminescent Plasmodium berghei sporozoites, the parasite stage transmitted to the host skin by a mosquito bite, rapidly home to the liver where they invade and develop inside hepatocytes. This homing is specific to this developmental stage since blood stage parasites do not accumulate in the liver, as well as extracellular Trypanosoma brucei bloodstream forms and liver-infecting Leishmania infantum amastigotes. Finally, this method can be used to study the dynamics of tissue tropism of parasites, dissect the molecular and cellular basis of their increased arrest in organs and to evaluate immune interventions designed to block this targeted interaction. This work was supported by funds from the Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT)/Ministerio da Educacao e Ciencia (MEC) co-funded by FEDER (EXPL/JTAVARES-IF/00881/2012/C P0158/CT0005, EXPL/IMI-MIC/1331/2013) under the Partnership agreement PT2020, through the Research Unit No.4293, the Institut Paris - Paris, the French National Research Agency (Grant No. ANR-0-JCJC-1302-PlasmoPEP), the French Government's Investissement d'Avenir program, Laboratoire d'Excellence "Integrative Biology of Emerging Infectious Diseases" (Grant No. ANR-10-LABX-62-IBEID). JT is an Investigator FCT funded by National funds through FCT and co-funded through European Social Fund within the Human Potential Operating Programme. DC is funded by FCT (SFRH/BD/123734/2016).