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Bacillus subtilis is known to promote root growth and improve plant physiology, while organic compost enhances soil water retention. This study explored the combined effect of inoculating B. subtilis in organic compost on soybean growth under water deficit. The treatments included chemical fertilization, non-inoculated organic compost, and organic compost inoculated with B. subtilis which were assessed under well-watered and water-deficit conditions. The organic compost inoculated with B. subtilis increased root biomass, length, volume, and the number of root tips under well-watered conditions, although it reduced root diameter. Under water deficit, the organic compost inoculated with B. subtilis increased root tip number (∼150%), biomass (∼95%) and number (∼85%) of nodules. Water deficit negatively affected soybean physiology, reduced photosynthesis, transpiration, and stomatal conductance, while increased internal CO₂ concentration. However, the organic compost inoculated with B. subtilis mitigated these effects, enhancing photosynthesis (∼20%) and water use efficiency (∼25%). Under water deficit, this treatment also increased shoot biomass by 15% and the drought tolerance index by 51% compared to the control. The combination of B. subtilis and organic compost improved root architecture, nodulation, and drought tolerance. These results suggest that B. subtilis inoculated in the organic compost is a promising strategy for enhancing soybean productivity and resilience under water stress, offering a novel approach to mitigating drought effects in agriculture., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2025 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the GSH effect on functional and histological recovery after experimental spinal cord injury in rats., Methods: Forty Wistar rats were subjected to spinal cord injury through the Multicenter Animal Spinal Cord Injury Study (MASCIS) Impactor system. The rats were sorted and divided into four groups, as follows: Group 1 ‒ Laminectomy and spinal cord injury; Group 2 ‒ Laminectomy, spinal cord injury and Saline Solution (SS) 0.9%; Group 3 ‒ Laminectomy, spinal cord injury, and GSH; and Group 4 ‒ lLaminectomy without spinal cord injury. GSH and SS were administered intraperitoneally. Groups 1 and 4 received no intervention., Results: The rats were evaluated for locomotor function recovery at seven different times by the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) scale on days 2, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, and 42 after the spinal cord injury. On day 42, the rats were sacrificed to analyze the histological findings of the injured spinal cord. In the group submitted to GSH, our experimental study revealed better functional scores on the BBB scale, horizontal ladder scale, and cranial and caudal axon count. The differences found were statistically significant in BBB scores and axonal count analysis., Conclusion: This study demonstrated that using glutathione in experimental spinal trauma can lead to better functional recovery and improved axonal regeneration rate in Wistar rats submitted to experimental spinal cord injury., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 HCFMUSP. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

The surgical approach to the lumbosacral spine has been the subject of experimental and scientific anatomical studies since the Hippocratic era. However, it was in the 20th century that, with the evolution of asepsis and antibiotic therapy, spine surgery began to evolve at breakneck speed, and the various possibilities of access roads became objects of development and discussion. As a result, pathologies of the lumbosacral spine can be accessed in different ways and positions, from the traditional posterior approach in the prone position to the anterior, oblique, lateral, and endoscopic approaches. The current article brings state-of-the-art access routes to the lumbosacral spine. This article objective is to elucidate the possibilities of accesses the lumbar spine for any purposes, as decompression, fusion, tumour resections, reconstruction or deformity correction, despites type of implants or implants positioning., Competing Interests: Conflito de Interesses Os autores não têm conflitos de interesse a declarar., (The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ).)

Introduction: Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a neglected vector-borne parasitic disease prevalent in 92 countries with approximately one million new infections annually. Interactions between vector saliva and the human host alter the response to infection and outcome of disease., Methods: To characterize the human immunological responses developed against saliva of Phlebotomus duboscqi , a Leishmania major (L. major) vector, we repeatedly exposed the arms of 14 healthy U.S volunteers to uninfected P. duboscqi bites. Blood was collected a week after each exposure and used to assess total IgG antibodies against the proteins of P. duboscqi salivary gland homogenate (SGH) and the levels of IFN-gamma and IL-10 from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) stimulated with SGH or recombinant sand fly proteins. We analyzed skin punch biopsies of the human volunteer arms from the insect bite site and control skin site after multiple P. duboscqi exposures (four volunteers) using immunohistochemical staining., Results: A variety of immediate insect bite skin reactions were observed. Late skin reactions to insect bites were characterized by macular hyperpigmentation and/or erythematous papules. Hematoxylin and eosin staining showed moderate mononuclear skin infiltrate with eosinophils in those challenged recently (within 2 months), eosinophils were not seen in biopsies with recall challenge (6 month post bites). An increase in plasma antigen-specific IgG responses to SGH was observed over time. Western Blot results showed strong plasma reactivity to five P. duboscqi salivary proteins. Importantly, volunteers developed a cellular immunity characterized by the secretion of IFN-gamma upon PBMC stimulation with P. duboscqi SGH and recombinant antigens., Discussion: Our results demonstrate that humans mounted a local and systemic immune response against P. duboscqi salivary proteins. Specifically, PduM02/SP15-like and PduM73/adenosine deaminase recombinant salivary proteins triggered a Th1 type immune response that might be considered in future development of a potential Leishmania vaccine., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2024 de Araujo, Abdeladhim, Teixeira, Hummer, Wilkerson, Ressner, Lakhal-Naouar, Ellis, Meneses, Nurmukhambetova, Gomes, Tolbert, Turiansky, Pazgier, Oliveira, Valenzuela, Kamhawi and Aronson.)

Introduction: Chagas disease (CD) is caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi . Although endemic mainly in Latin America, CD has become a global public health problem due to migration of infected individuals to non-endemic regions. Despite progress made in drug development, preclinical assays for drug discovery are required to accelerate the development of new drugs with reduced side effects, which are much needed for human treatment., Methods: We used a cure model of infected mice treated with Fexinidazole (FZ) to further validate a novel Enzyme Linked Aptamer (ELA) assay that detects parasite biomarkers circulating in the blood of infected animals., Results: The ELA assay showed cure by FZ in ~71% and ~77% of mice infected with the VL-10 and Colombiana strains of T. cruzi , respectively. The ELA assay also revealed superior treatment efficacy of FZ compared to Benznidazole prior to immunosuppression treatment., Discussion: Our study supports the use of ELA assay as an alternative to traditional serology or blood PCR to assess the efficacy of antichagasic drugs during their preclinical phase of development. Further, the combination of high sensitivity and ease of use make this parasite antigen detection assay an attractive new tool to facilitate the development of much needed new therapies for CD., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 de Araujo, Nagarkatti, Mazzeti, Gonçalves, Figueiredo Diniz, Campos do Vale, Martins-Filho, Debrabant, Bahia and Teixeira-Carvalho.)

Soybean-maize are cultivated in different management systems, such as no-tillage and pastures, which presents potential to add organic residues, and it can potentially impacts the soil microbial community present in these systems. Thus, this study aimed to examine the effects of different soybean-maize management practices on the diversity and composition of soil microbial communities. Specifically, 16 S rRNA amplicon sequencing was used to investigate whether the use of pasture species in a fallowing system influences microbial communities in a soybean-maize rotation system, as compared to conventional tillage and no-tillage systems. The results indicate that the inclusion of the pasture species Urochloa brizantha in soybean-maize management systems leads to distinct responses within the soil microbial community. It was found that different soybean-maize management systems, particularly those with U. brizantha, affected the microbial community, likely due to the management applied to this pasture species. The system with 3 years of fallowing before soybean-maize showed the lowest microbial richness (∼2000 operational taxonomic units) and diversity index (∼6.0). Proteobacteria (∼30%), Acidobacteria (∼15%), and Verrucomicrobia (∼10%) were found to be the most abundant phyla in the soil under tropical native vegetation, while soils under cropland had an increased abundance of Firmicutes (∼30% to ∼50%) and Actinobacteria (∼30% to ∼35%). To summarize, this study identified the impacts of various soybean-maize management practices on the soil microbial community and emphasized the advantages of adding U. brizantha as a fallow species., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a chronic infection caused by Leishmania ( L .) donovani or L. infantum parasites. Despite having the infection, most individuals never develop the clinical disease and are able to control the parasite and remain asymptomatic. However, some progress to symptomatic VL, leading to death if untreated. The host immune response has a major role in determining the progression and severity of the clinical manifestations in VL; several immune biomarkers of symptomatic VL have been described with interferon-gamma release as a surrogate biomarker of host cellular immunity. However, new biomarkers to identify asymptomatic VL (AVL) are needed for the identification of people at risk for VL activation. In our study, levels of chemokine/cytokine in the supernatants of peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PBMC) from 35 AVL + Iraq-deployed participants, stimulated in vitro with soluble Leishmania antigen for 72 h, were assessed by a bead-based assay that allows the measurement of multiple analytes. PBMC of AVL-negative military beneficiaries were used as controls. Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1, Monokine Induced by Gamma Interferon and Interleukin-8, were detected at high levels in AVL + stimulated cultures from Iraq deployers compared to uninfected controls. Measurement of chemokine/cytokine levels can identify cellular immune responses in AVL + asymptomatic individuals.

Chromium (Cr) contamination can affect microorganisms in the soil, but the response of the microbial community in the rhizosphere of plants grown in Cr-contaminated soils is poorly understood. Therefore, this study assessed the microbial community, by amplicon sequencing, in the rhizosphere of maize and cowpea growing in uncontaminated (∼6.0 mg kg -1 Cr) and Cr-contaminated soils (∼250 mg kg -1 Cr). Comparing Cr-contaminated and uncontaminated soils, the microbial community in the maize rhizosphere clustered separately, while the microbial community in the cowpea rhizosphere did not present clear clustering. The microbial richness ranged from ∼5000 (rhizosphere in Cr-contaminated soil) to ∼8000 OTUs (in uncontaminated soil). In the comparison of specific bacterial groups in the rhizosphere of maize, Firmicutes were enriched in Cr-contaminated soil, including Bacilli, Bacillales, and Paenibacillus. Cowpea rhizosphere showed a higher abundance of six microbial groups in Cr-contaminated soil, highlighting Rhizobiales, Pedomicrobium, and Gemmatimonadetes. The microbial community in both rhizospheres presented a similar proportion of specialists comparing uncontaminated (2.2 and 3.4% in the rhizosphere of maize and cowpea, respectively) and Cr-contaminated soils (1.8 and 3.2% in the rhizosphere of maize and cowpea, respectively). This study showed that each plant species drove differently the microbial community in the rhizosphere, with an important effect of Cr-contamination on the microbial community assembly., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Meniscal root tears represent radial tears or avulsions of the meniscal cartilage at the tibial attachment site that profoundly affect meniscal biomechanics and kinematics. Meniscal root tears have the functional effect of a total meniscectomy and can lead to rapid degenerative change with development of early knee osteoarthritis (OA). A growing range of arthroscopic surgical techniques have been developed to repair meniscal root tears with the aim of restoring joint kinematics and contact pressures and delaying the development of OA. With increased understanding of the anatomy and biomechanics of the meniscal root, meniscal root injury repair has become the treatment of choice in knees with nonadvanced OA. This article reviews the anatomy and biomechanics of the meniscal roots, clinical and imaging diagnostic criteria of meniscal root tears, correlation between arthroscopy and MRI in the diagnosis and classification of meniscal root tears, and expected and abnormal MRI findings after meniscal root repair. Familiarity with MRI signs and classifications of meniscal root tears, as well as with root repair surgical techniques, can aid radiologists in correctly reporting preoperative and postoperative MRI findings.

The assessment of ecosystem functions in Cerrado is important to implement practices of conservation. Recently, a 'rapid ecosystem function assessment' (REFA) for measuring ecosystem functions has been proposed and tested as a suitable method. Thus, this study aimed to assess the proxies of ecosystem functions of three physiognomies of Cerrado through REFA. This method was applied in three different preserved physiognomies of Cerrado from Northeastern, Brazil, namely: Campo Graminoide (CG), Cerrado Stricto Sensu (CSS), and Cerradão (CD). All proxies for the selected ecosystem functions differed between sites and seasons. The above- and belowground primary productivity and microbial biomass C were higher in CD than in CSS and CG. The above- and belowground secondary productivity and decomposition were higher and similar in CD and CSS as compared to CG. The principal component analysis explained 89.8% of the data variation and clustered the majority of ecosystem functions with CD, in both seasons and CSS in the wet season. The proxies of ecosystem functions measured through REFA showed differences between the physiognomies of Cerrado. Since each physiognomy of Cerrado presents different plant richness and diversity, and soil conditions, these characteristics contribute to influencing multiple ecosystem functions.

The process of composting has been proposed as a biological alternative to improve the quality of tannery sludge (TS) by the action of microbial communities. However, there is limited knowledge about the dynamic of these microbial communities during the composting process. This study assessed the responses of bacterial and archaeal communities during TS composting using the 16S rRNA sequencing. The composting process occurred within 90 days, and samples of compost were collected on day 7 (d7; mesophilic stage), 30 (d30; thermophilic stage), 60 (d60; cooling stage), and 90 (d90; maturation stage). The results showed a succession of microbial phyla during the composting with enrichment of Synergistetes, WS1, and Euryarchaeota at the mesophilic stage, while at the thermophilic stage, there was an enrichment of Hydrogenedentes, WPS-2, Chloroflexi, and Deinococcus-Thermus. At the cooling stage, there was an enrichment of Kiritimatiellaeota, and at the maturation stage, there was an enrichment of Entotheonellaeota, Dadabacteria, Nitrospirae, Dependiatiae, and Fibrobacteres. When analyzing the drivers influencing microbial communities, Cr and pH presented more negative correlations with general phyla. In contrast, S, C, K, temperature, and N presented more positive correlations, while Ni, Cd, and P showed fewer correlations. According to niche occupancy, we observed a decreased proportion of generalists with a consequently increased proportion of specialists following the composting process. This study showed that different stages of the composting present a specific microbial community structure and dynamics, which are related to some specific composting characteristics., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Soil microbial communities act on important environmental processes, being sensitive to the application of wastes, mainly those potential contaminants, such as tannery sludge. Due to the microbiome complexity, graph-theoretical approaches have been applied to represent model microbial communities interactions and identify important taxa, mainly in contaminated soils. Herein, we performed network and statistical analyses into microbial 16S rRNA gene sequencing data from soil samples with the application of different levels of composted tannery sludge (CTS) to assess the most connected nodes and the nodes that act as bridges to identify key microbes within each community. The network analysis revealed hubs belonging to Proteobacteria in soil with lower CTS rates, while active degraders of recalcitrant and pollutant chemical hubs belonging to Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were found in soils under the highest CTS rates. The majority of classified connectors belonged to Actinobacteria, but similarly to hubs taxa, they shifted from metabolic functional profile to taxa with abilities to degrade toxic compounds, revealing a soil perturbation with the CTS application on community organization, which also impacted the community modularity. Members of Actinobacteria and Acidobacteria were identified as both hub and connector suggesting their role as keystone groups. Thus, these results offered us interesting insights about crucial taxa, their response to environmental alterations, and possible implications for the ecosystem., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To describe fluid resuscitation practices in Brazilian intensive care units and to compare them with those of other countries participating in the Fluid-TRIPS., Methods: This was a prospective, international, cross-sectional, observational study in a convenience sample of intensive care units in 27 countries (including Brazil) using the Fluid-TRIPS database compiled in 2014. We described the patterns of fluid resuscitation use in Brazil compared with those in other countries and identified the factors associated with fluid choice., Results: On the study day, 3,214 patients in Brazil and 3,493 patients in other countries were included, of whom 16.1% and 26.8% (p < 0.001) received fluids, respectively. The main indication for fluid resuscitation was impaired perfusion and/or low cardiac output (Brazil: 71.7% versus other countries: 56.4%, p < 0.001). In Brazil, the percentage of patients receiving crystalloid solutions was higher (97.7% versus 76.8%, p < 0.001), and 0.9% sodium chloride was the most commonly used crystalloid (62.5% versus 27.1%, p < 0.001). The multivariable analysis suggested that the albumin levels were associated with the use of both crystalloids and colloids, whereas the type of fluid prescriber was associated with crystalloid use only., Conclusion: Our results suggest that crystalloids are more frequently used than colloids for fluid resuscitation in Brazil, and this discrepancy in frequencies is higher than that in other countries. Sodium chloride (0.9%) was the crystalloid most commonly prescribed. Serum albumin levels and the type of fluid prescriber were the factors associated with the choice of crystalloids or colloids for fluid resuscitation.

Selenium (Se) is considered a beneficial element in higher plants when provided at low concentrations. Recently, studies have unveiled the interactions between Se and ethylene metabolism throughout plant growth and development. However, despite the evidence that Se may provide longer shelf life in ethylene-sensitive flowers, its primary action on ethylene biosynthesis and cause-effect responses are still understated. In the present review, we discuss the likely action of Se on ethylene biosynthesis and its consequence on postharvest physiology of cut flowers. By combining Se chemical properties with a dissection of ethylene metabolism, we further highlighted both the potential use of Se solutions and their downstream responses. We believe that this report will provide the foundation for the hypothesis that Se plays a key role in the postharvest longevity of ethylene-sensitive flowers., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Costa, Luz, Nascimento, Araujo, Santos, França, Silva, Fugate and Finger.)

Chagas drug discovery has been hampered by a lack of validated assays to establish treatment efficacy in pre-clinical animal models and in patients infected with T. cruzi. Reduced levels of parasite secreted antigens in the blood of infected hosts could be used to demonstrate treatment efficacy. A published proteomic study of parasite secreted antigens identified the hypothetical protein Tc&#95;5171 as a secreted antigen. In this report, we developed Tc&#95;5171 specific antibodies and showed that the native protein was expressed by the three life cycle stages of the parasite. Anti-peptide antibodies were able to detect the parasite antigen in blood of infected mice during the acute and the chronic phase of infection. Benznidazole treatment of infected mice significantly reduced their blood antigen levels. Of clinical significance, patients diagnosed with Chagas disease, either asymptomatic or with cardiac clinical symptoms had significantly higher Tc&#95;5171 antigen levels compared to endemic controls. Pair-wise analysis, before and after Benznidazole treatment, of patients with asymptomatic Chagas disease showed a significant reduction in antigen levels post treatment. Taken together, our results indicate that Tc&#95;5171 could be used as a novel biomarker of Chagas disease for diagnosis and to assess treatment efficacy.

Composting has been recommended as a suitable alternative for recycling wastes and could improve tannery sludge (TS) before its use. However, the long-term application of composted tannery sludge (CTS) may bring concerns about its effects on soil properties and, consequently, on plants and environment, mainly when considering Cr contamination. In this study, we summarize the responses of soil chemical and biological parameters in a 10-year study with yearly applications of CTS. Chemical and biological parameters were assessed in soil samples, and the multivariate analysis method principal response curve (PRC) was used to show the temporal changes in all the biological and chemical properties caused by CTS. The PRC analysis showed different long-term response patterns of chemical and biological parameters according to the rates of CTS. Interestingly, Cr content increased strongly in the first 5 years and only increased slightly in the following 5 years. The yearly applications of CTS changed the biological and chemical parameters of the soil, negatively and positively, respectively. Organic matter, K and P, increased during the 10 years of application, while soil pH and Cr concentration increased, and soil microbial biomass and enzymes activity decreased.

The use of herbicides is important for controlling weeds in crops. However, they can present impacts on soil properties, such as biological properties. In this study, we evaluated the responses of soil microbial biomass and enzymes activity to the application of the herbicides imazethapyr and flumioxazin and their mixture in an experiment under laboratory conditions, using soils with a different history of use. Soil microbial biomass C (MBC) decreased, while microbial biomass N (MBN) was not affected after the application of the herbicides as compared to the control. Soil respiration, respiratory quotient, and dehydrogenase (DHA) activity increased significantly after the application of the herbicides compared to the control. The hydrolysis of fluorescein diacetate (FDA) was not significantly different between the control and the herbicide treatments. The principal response curve showed the largest initial effects for the flumioxazin, followed by imazethapyr and their mixture. Flumioxazin had a different influence on soil respiration and respiratory quotient than imazethapyr and their mixture. Finally, the effects of herbicides on soil microbial biomass and enzymes are short-term as we observed recovery in the biological parameters over time.

Different physiognomies across the Cerrado could influence the microbial C:N:P ratio in the soil since these physiognomies present different abundance and diversity of plant species. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the microbial C:N:P ratio in soil across three different physiognomies of Cerrado in the Northeast, Brazil, namely campo graminóide (dominance of grasses), cerrado stricto sensu (dominance of grasses, shrubs, low trees, and woody stratum), and cerradão (dominance of woody stratum). Campo graminóide was characterized by lower values of total organic C, N, microbial C:P, N:P, and soil C:N. Cerrado stricto sensu presented average values for most of the measured parameters, while cerradão presented higher values of microbial C, N, P, organic C, N and soil C:P and C:N ratios. The principal component analysis showed that the samples grouped according to the sites, with a clear gradient from campo graminóide to cerradão. Therefore, the differences of vegetation across physiognomies of Cerrado influenced the soil microbial C:N:P ratio, where cerradão showed highest microbial C:N:P ratio than soil under campo graminóide.

Introduction: Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi), is the fourth most important tropical disease, which affects approximately 7 million people worldwide. The mechanisms involved in the development of this disease are not completely well understood. An important protective role of regulatory T cells (Treg) in Chagas disease has been observed; however, the specific mechanisms remain unclear. We evaluated apoptosis as a possible mechanism mediated by Treg cells (CD4 + CD25 High FOXP3 + ) to orchestrate the immune response in chronic Chagas disease., Methods and Results: Patients with Chagas disease were grouped as the indeterminate (IND; asymptomatic patients with Chagas disease; n = 10) and dilated cardiomyopathy (CARD; n = 10). Healthy T. cruzi-negative individuals (NI; n = 10) were included as a control group. In order to evaluate the apoptotic cell profile, the expression of PD1, PD1L, CD39, CD95, CD95L molecules were investigated. We also evaluated the proportion of CD14 + cells expressing caspase 3. The IND group presented a substantially higher expression of CD39 by Treg cells as compared to the CARD group. On the other hand, the CARD group showed higher expression of PD-1 by Treg cells than both NI and IND groups. Significant positive correlations were observed between Treg CD95L + cells and CD14 cells expressing caspase 3 as well as between Treg CD39 cells and CD14 + Caspase3 + cells in the IND group., Conclusion: Our data indicate that the expressions of different molecules that induce apoptosis are associated with suppressive mechanisms mediated by Treg cells and suggest a possible role for PD1 and PDL1 molecules in the morbidity of chronic Chagas disease., (Copyright © 2019 American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To report the use of two techniques (radiosurgery and en bloc vertebrectomy) on the same patient for the treatment of two metastases in different sites of the spine arising from intracranial hemangiopericytoma. Intracranial hemangiopericytomas are rare, comprising approximately 2.4% of meningeal tumors and <1% of all tumors of the central nervous system. Metastases to the spine are even rarer: The largest case series reported in the literature has 5 and 7 cases., Methods: A 37-year-old man diagnosed with intracranial hemangiopericytoma was referred for a metastatic lesion in T12 and underwent en bloc resection using the Tomita technique., Results: The disease evolved with a metastasis to T2 treated by radiosurgery with 1600 cGy. The patient died 1,706 days after the en bloc resection of T12 and 1324 days after the radiosurgery of T2, and no recurrence occurred in these locations due to progression of the systemic diseases (liver and central nervous system)., Conclusion: This is the first case reported in the literature in which two different techniques were used to treat metastatic lesions in the spine from an intracranial hemangiopericytoma and is unique for its use of two treatments in the same patient. Level of evidence: V, case report ., Competing Interests: All authors declare no potential conflict of interest related to this article.

Papillomaviruses are among the most widespread animal viruses, with many hosts harbouring multiple virus types. The present study aimed to evaluate the haematological and immunophenotypic profile of cattle infected with bovine papillomavirus (BPV). Blood samples were collected from 10 animals with clinical cutaneous BPV and without clinical papillomatosis (control). Haematological analysis demonstrated a significant reduction in haemoglobin and haematocrit for BPV-infected animals. The results also showed an increase of natural killer cells and a decrease of γδ + T-cells and the CD4 + /CD8 + ratio for the BPV group when compared to the control group. The infection was also found to stimulate a pro-inflammatory profile with the participation of CD8 + T cells producing elevated IFN-γ and IL-17. These findings, although preliminary, provide a better understanding of the immune response of cattle infected with BPV., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is characterized by rotational and lateral deformity of the spine. The measurement of vertebral rotation is important for prognosis and treatment. Our objective was to evaluate whether the Nash-Moe method can be used to measure axial deformity correction with surgical treatment using the rod derotation maneuver at both the apex and extremities of the deformity in patients with AIS., Methods: Rotation was assessed using the Nash and Moe criteria, on preoperative and postoperative radiographs. We also evaluated the severity on the coronal plane using the Cobb method, ratio of correction achieved, screw density, and number of vertebrae involved in the instrumentation., Results: The Cobb method correction average was 54.8%. When we disregarded vertebrae that presented preoperative Nash-Moe grade 0, the average measurable correction was 54.5% in the first non-instrumented vertebra above, 69.2% in the first instrumented vertebra, 32.2% in the apical vertebra, 36.8% in the last instrumented vertebra, and 30% in the first non-instrumented vertebra below. In our study, 32.14% of the patients presented a measurable correction in the apical vertebra., Conclusion: On the axial plane, correction can be satisfactorily evaluated using the Nash-Moe method. Level of Evidence VI. Case Series ., Competing Interests: All authors declare no potential conflict of interest related to this article.

Biodiversity underlies ecosystem functioning. While aboveground biodiversity is often well studied, the belowground microbiome, in particular protists, remains largely unknown. Indeed, holistic insights into soil microbiome structures in natural soils, especially in hyperdiverse biomes such as the Brazilian Cerrado, remain unexplored. Here, we study the soil microbiome across four major vegetation zones of the Cerrado, ranging from grass-dominated to tree-dominated vegetation with a focus on protists. We show that protist taxon richness increases towards the tree-dominated climax vegetation. Early successional habitats consisting of primary grass vegetation host most potential plant pathogens and least animal parasites. Using network analyses combining protist with prokaryotic and fungal sequences, we show that microbiome complexity increases towards climax vegetation. Together, this suggests that protists are key microbiome components and that vegetation succession towards climax vegetation is stimulated by higher loads of animal and plant pathogens. At the same time, an increase in microbiome complexity towards climax vegetation might enhance system stability., Competing Interests: All authors declare no conflicts of interest.

The application of composted tannery sludge (CTS) has promoted shifts in soil chemical properties and, therefore, can affect the soil bacterial community. This study assessed the effect of the CTS on the soil bacterial community over time. The CTS was applied at five rates (0, 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 t/ha), and the bacterial community was evaluated for 180 days. The principal curve response (PRC) analysis showed that the most abundant phyla were not influenced by the CTS rates over time, while the analysis of the bacterial community showed that some of the less abundant phyla were influenced by the CTS rates. Similarly, the PRC analysis for the bacterial classes showed the significant effect of the CTS rates. The redundancy analyses for the bacterial phyla and classes showed the relationship between the significant chemical properties and the bacterial community of the soil after the CTS amendment over time. Therefore, there was a shift in the bacterial community over time with the application of the composted tannery sludge. Our study has shown that the less abundant bacterial groups were more influenced by the CTS than the most abundant bacterial groups and that these bacterial groups were driven by soil chemical properties, primarily chromium (Cr) and the soil pH.

Menopause is an endocrine phenomenon characterized by gradual estrogen decline. This is a stage in a woman's life in which contraception is extremely important as the risks associated with pregnancy and childbirth increase, both maternal issues associated with higher incidence of comorbidities and issues related to fetal abnormalities, mitochondrial abnormalities, or genetic syndromes. On the other hand, there is a growing number of women who have postponed motherhood and need effective contraception, but without prolonging the return to fertility. Long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), low-dose oral hormonal contraceptives and non-oral contraceptives are preferred. The levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system is a very good alternative that can maintain endometrial protection after menopause. Definitive methods such as tubal ligation and vasectomy are options for couples that already have their offspring. In this review, we present evidence for contraceptive indication and the effects of hormonal methods on climacteric including options for contraception, control of bleeding during perimenopause and of climacteric symptoms, as well as the transition from such methods to hormone therapy if indicated.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of monosialoganglioside (GM-1) in spinal cord trauma patients seen in our service who have not been treated with methylprednisolone., Methods: Thirty patients with acute spinal cord trauma were randomly divided into two groups. In Group 1, patients received 200 mg GM-1 in the initial assessment and thereafter received 100 mg intravenous per day for 30 days and Group 2 (control) received saline. Patients were evaluated periodically (at 6 weeks, 6 months, one year and two years), using a standardized neurological assessment of the American Spinal Injury Association / International Spinal Cord Society., Results: The comparative statistical analysis of motor indices, sensitive indices for pain and touch according to the standardization of ASIA / ISCOS showed that the assessments at 6 weeks, 6 months and 2 years, GM-Group 1 patients had higher rates than the control group regarding sensitivity to pain and touch, with no statistically significant difference from the motor index., Conclusion: The functional assessment showed improvement in the sensitive indices of patients treated with GM1 after post-traumatic spinal cord injury compared to patients who received placebo. Level of Evidence IV, Prospective Case Studies Series.

Drug discovery initiatives, aimed at Chagas treatment, have been hampered by the lack of standardized drug screening protocols and the absence of simple pre-clinical assays to evaluate treatment efficacy in animal models. In this study, we used a simple Enzyme Linked Aptamer (ELA) assay to detect T. cruzi biomarker in blood and validate murine drug discovery models of Chagas disease. In two mice models, Apt-29 ELA assay demonstrated that biomarker levels were significantly higher in the infected group compared to the control group, and upon Benznidazole treatment, their levels reduced. However, biomarker levels in the infected treated group did not reduce to those seen in the non-infected treated group, with 100% of the mice above the assay cutoff, suggesting that parasitemia was reduced but cure was not achieved. The ELA assay was capable of detecting circulating biomarkers in mice infected with various strains of T. cruzi parasites. Our results showed that the ELA assay could detect residual parasitemia in treated mice by providing an overall picture of the infection in the host. They suggest that the ELA assay can be used in drug discovery applications to assess treatment efficacy in-vivo.

In this study, we demonstrate that G-CSF administration triggers distinct kinetics of stem cell-SC mobilization with early raise of hematopoietic-HSC and late increase of mesenchymal-MSC in bone marrow-BM and peripheral blood-PB. The cytokine microenvironment observed following primary cultures showed an overall G-CSF dose-dependent profile with a clear mixed pro-inflammatory/regulatory pattern. Moreover, primary cultures performed at the peak of MSC/HSC ratio, showed distinct cytokine patterns, with higher IL-10, TNF-α and IL-17A observed for BM and enhanced IL-10, IL-2 and IFN-γ for PB harvested cells. Positive correlation was observed between BM-MSC and the levels of TNF-α, IL-10 and IL-17A whereas negative correlation was found between IL-10 and BM-HSC. An opposite association was observed between IL-10 and PB-HSC. Our results support the hypothesis that MSC and HSC harvested from BM and PB display differential functional properties that should be considered when electing the SC sources available for cell therapy applied in clinical protocols., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Chagas disease affects about 5 million people across the world. The etiological agent, the intracellular parasite Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi), can be diagnosed using microscopy, serology or PCR based assays. However, each of these methods has their limitations regarding sensitivity and specificity, and thus to complement these existing diagnostic methods, alternate assays need to be developed. It is well documented that several parasite proteins called T. cruzi Excreted Secreted Antigens (TESA), are released into the blood of an infected host. These circulating parasite antigens could thus be used as highly specific biomarkers of T. cruzi infection. In this study, we have demonstrated that, using a SELEx based approach, parasite specific ligands called aptamers, can be used to detect TESA in the plasma of T. cruzi infected mice. An Enzyme Linked Aptamer (ELA) assay, similar to ELISA, was developed using biotinylated aptamers to demonstrate that these RNA ligands could interact with parasite targets. Aptamer L44 (Apt-L44) showed significant and specific binding to TESA as well as T. cruzi trypomastigote extract and not to host proteins or proteins of Leishmania donovani, a related trypanosomatid parasite. Our result also demonstrated that the target of Apt-L44 is conserved in three different strains of T. cruzi. In mice infected with T. cruzi, Apt-L44 demonstrated a significantly higher level of binding compared to non-infected mice suggesting that it could detect a biomarker of T. cruzi infection. Additionally, Apt-L44 could detect these circulating biomarkers in both the acute phase, from 7 to 28 days post infection, and in the chronic phase, from 55 to 230 days post infection. Our results show that Apt-L44 could thus be used in a qualitative ELA assay to detect biomarkers of Chagas disease.

Exposure to Trypanosoma cruzi parasites induces monocytes and macrophages to produce various endogenous mediators, including prostaglandins and cytokines. To clarify the involvement of monocytes as an important source of inflammatory mediators in Chagas disease patients, we evaluated PBMC before and after depletion of adherent cells (monocytes) from patients with indeterminate (IND) and cardiac (CARD) clinical forms and from non-infected individuals (NI). We demonstrated that after the partial depletion of adherent cells, production of PGE2 was slightly decreased in patients with Chagas disease. Inhibition of the cells by indomethacin increased the proliferation in PBMC cells from patients after antigen stimulation. Pro-inflammatory cytokines as IL-2 and IFN-γ also had a greater decrease after partial depletion of adherent cells in both clinical forms of Chagas disease. IL-10 and IL-5 levels were also reduced after partial depletion of adherent cells both in IND and CARD patients. In addition, we evaluated the APC potential of B cells and observed that the MHCII and CD80 molecules had an increased expression after partial depletion of most monocytes in all groups. Thus, inflammatory mediators produced by monocytes seem to be important to modulate immune responses in Chagas disease by regulating the processes of inflammation and antigen presentation., (Copyright © 2013 American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Oral contraceptives used for extended periods of time have been studied because of their potential benefits; however, there have been few publications on extended regimens of vaginal contraceptive rings. The aim of this study was to evaluate modifications in the lipid profile of women using the vaginal ring continuously over a 1-year period., Study Design: This prospective cohort enrolled 75 women (18-37 years) who used a contraceptive vaginal ring releasing 120 mcg of etonogestrel and 15 mcg of ethinyl estradiol daily continuously for 84 days, followed by a 7-day ring-free interval, during 1 year. At baseline and every 3 months during the 1-year study period, blood was collected to assess cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides and apolipoproteins A-I and B. The ANOVA test was used to analyze differences in the results of these exams over time., Results: After 1 year of continuous contraceptive use, there was a significant increase in triglycerides as well as in total and HDL-C levels. There was a nonsignificant decrease in the mean concentration of LDL-C during the study period. Apolipoprotein A-I increased and apolipoprotein B decreased, but the apolipoprotein A-I/apolipoprotein B ratio did not change significantly., Conclusion: The combined contraceptive vaginal ring used on an extended regimen causes changes in the lipid profile metabolism of users. Despite the vaginal route of administration, the steroids released by the ring caused significant changes in lipids and lipoproteins, which were typical of those seen with ethinyl estradiol given either orally or parenterally., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: This prospective noncomparative observational study evaluated the clinical aspects of adolescents who received an etonogestrel implant within 6 months of delivery., Study Design: The study population comprised 44 adolescents managed at the Family Planning Sector of São Paulo Federal University. The implant was inserted, on average, 102 days after delivery and patients were followed during 1 year. At each monthly visit to the clinic, the participants were weighed, had their blood pressure measured and were asked to report on symptoms experienced during the last 30 days., Results: Approximately one-third (38.6%) of the participants reported symptoms, mostly headaches. There were no complaints of dysmenorrhea, breast tenderness or lower leg edema throughout the 12 months of follow-up. Mean body weight dropped 1.2 kg on average, from 56.4 kg at implant insertion to 55.3 kg at the end of the 1-year period. Body mass index also decreased 0.5 kg/m(2) on average, although these changes did not reach statistical significance. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure remained unchanged throughout the study period. There were no pregnancies and none of the participants discontinued the method (528 women-months)., Conclusion: These findings suggest that the etonogestrel implant is a safe and effective contraceptive method that is well accepted by adolescents after a pregnancy., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is one of the most frequent symptoms in women of reproductive age. This is an enigmatic clinical condition that results from the complex interactions of physiological and psychological factors with direct impact on the social, marital, and professional lives of women., Aim: To evaluate the quality of life and sexual satisfaction of women who suffer from CPP with or without endometriosis., Method: Forty-nine patients who had been diagnosed with endometriosis and 35 patients with CPP diagnosed with another gynecological condition, all 84 of whom were treated at the Chronic Pelvic Pain and Endometriosis Clinic at Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) from January to July of 2008. The controls were 50 healthy women from the Family Planning Clinic at UNIFESP., Main Outcome Measures: World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment-Bref (WHOQOL-BREF) quality of life questionnaire and the Golombok-Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction (GRISS)., Results: No statistically significant differences were observed between the groups with CPP symptoms, in either the results from the WHOQOL-BREF or in the GRISS questionnaire. In both questionnaires, differences were observed when the two groups of symptomatic women were compared with the group of healthy women., Conclusion: CPP caused by endometriosis or other gynecological conditions leads to a significant reduction of quality of life and sexual satisfaction., (© 2010 International Society for Sexual Medicine.)

Background: The increasing rate of teenage pregnancies is a challenge to health professionals. New contraceptive methods have been developed to try to improve adherence in this group of patients. The study was conducted to evaluate the bleeding pattern, efficacy and discontinuation rate of etonogestrel implant (68 mg) inserted in postpartum adolescents., Study Design: The study population comprised 44 postpartum adolescents managed at the Family Planning Sector of São Paulo Federal University. The implant was inserted, on average, 102 days after delivery. Patients were followed prospectively during four 90-day periods., Results: All 44 patients completed the 12 months of follow-up, resulting in a study discontinuation rate of 0%. No implants were removed. There were no pregnancies during the study. After 1 year of use, frequent and prolonged bleeding were reported by less than 5% of the patients and amenorrhea occurred in 38.6% of the users. Laboratory parameters indicated a significant increase in hemoglobin and hematocrit among users., Conclusion: These findings suggest that the etonogestrel implant is a safe and effective contraceptive method that is well accepted by adolescents after a pregnancy., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The undue resistance to intrauterine device (IUD) use seen in several settings does not seem to occur in the Family Planning Unit of UNIFESP-EPM (São Paulo Federal University, Brazil). In fact, the Copper T 380A IUD in this clinic has reached an outstanding importance and this motivated us to present our differing experience. The prevalence of this method in this clinic is as high as 40%. This contrasts to the low use in the rest of the country, where tubal ligation is by far the most used contraceptive method (40%) and where IUD is inexpressive (1.1%)., Study Design: This is a retrospective study of the records of 118 users of Copper T 380A IUD inserted at the clinic and who were followed during 5 years., Results: The cumulative pregnancy rate was 0.8%. The main cause for discontinuation of the study was loss to follow-up (21.3%). Other reasons for the withdrawal of the device were personal option (13.6%), dislocation (11.7%) and pregnancy wish (3.4%). There was no withdrawal by pelvic inflammatory disease. Bleeding (0.8%) was not an important cause for withdrawal, and there were no withdrawals due to pain. The continuation rate at 5 years was 46.7%. The structured service and an adequate educative program perhaps could explain at least partially the good performance of IUD use in this clinic. There was an amazing prevalence of the components of the metabolic syndrome. This could represent contraindications for hormonal contraception, and, in consequence, it could influence the increased option for and continuation of the IUD., Conclusion: These data show a good performance of the IUD for long duration, in relation to other studies, and this should be considered as a reliable alternative to the high prevalence of female sterilization in this country.

As shown in earlier work [Ahlers, J. Fluid Mech. 569, 409 (2006)], non-Oberbeck-Boussinesq (NOB) corrections to the center temperature in turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection in water and also in glycerol are governed by the temperature dependences of the kinematic viscosity and the thermal diffusion coefficient. If the working fluid is ethane close to the critical point, the origin of non-Oberbeck-Boussinesq corrections is very different, as will be shown in the present paper. Namely, the main origin of NOB corrections then lies in the strong temperature dependence of the isobaric thermal expansion coefficient beta(T). More precisely, it is the nonlinear T dependence of the density rho(T) in the buoyancy force that causes another type of NOB effect. We demonstrate this through a combination of experimental, numerical, and theoretical work, the last in the framework of the extended Prandtl-Blasius boundary-layer theory developed by Ahlers as cited above. The theory comes to its limits if the temperature dependence of the thermal expension coefficient beta(T) is significant. The measurements reported here cover the ranges 2.1

Several immunoregulatory mechanisms are proposed to be effective both in human and experimental Trypanosoma cruzi infection. However, the role of CD4+CD25high T cells in Chagas disease has not yet been elucidated. These cells are critical for the regulation of immune response to infectious agents and in the control of autoimmune diseases. In this study, the presence of CD4+CD25high regulatory T cells in the whole blood of non-infected individuals (NI), and patients with the indeterminate (IND) and cardiac form (CARD) of Chagas disease was evaluated. To further characterize this population of regulatory cells, the co-expression of CTLA-4, CD62L, CD45RO, CD45RA, HLA-DR, CD40L, CD69, CD54, IL-10R and the intracellular molecules FOXP3 and IL-10 on the CD4+CD25high T lymphocytes was examined. FOXP3 was expressed by the majority of CD4+CD25high when compared with the other CD4+ T cells subsets in patients with Chagas disease. Patients with the IND form of the disease had a higher frequency of circulating regulatory CD4+CD25high T cells than patients with the CARD form. Moreover, there was an increase in CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ cells that were also IL-10+ in the IND group whereas, in the CARD group, there was an increase in the percentage of CD4+CD25high FOXP3+ cells that expressed CTLA-4. These data suggest that IL-10 produced by regulatory T cells is effective in controlling disease development in patients with the IND form. However, in individuals with the CARD form of the disease, the same regulatory mechanism, mediated by IL-10 and CTLA-4 expression is not sufficient to control the progression of the disease. The data suggest that CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ regulatory T cells in patients with Chagas disease might play a role in the immune response against T. cruzi infection although with distinct effects in patients with the IND and CARD forms of disease.

Non-Oberbeck-Boussinesq (NOB) effects are measured experimentally and calculated theoretically for strongly turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection of ethane gas under pressure where the material properties strongly depend on the temperature. Relative to the Oberbeck-Boussinesq case we find a decrease of the central temperature as compared to the arithmetic mean of the top- and bottom-plate temperature and an increase of the Nusselt number. Both effects are of opposite sign and greater magnitude than those for NOB convection in liquids like water.

Purpose: This study reports the results of the lipid profile and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in 46 normal patients tested before and after 5 years of Norplant use., Results: After 5 years, there was a substantial decrease of 28.9% in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and a similar but less pronounced fall of 7.1% in the total cholesterol levels. The Castelli 1 index did not vary, and the triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels remained normal and unchanged throughout the study period. All the mean values of OGTT were significantly lower after 5 years, except for the 90-min glycemia., Conclusion: These findings indicate that long-term Norplant use does not increase cardiovascular risks.

The phenomenon of irregular cessation and subsequent reversal of the large-scale circulation in turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection is theoretically analyzed. The force and thermal balance on a single plume detached from the thermal boundary layer yields a set of coupled nonlinear equations, whose dynamics is related to the Lorenz equations. For Prandtl and Rayleigh numbers in the range 10(-2) < or = Pr < or = 10(3) and 10(7) < or = Ra < or = 10(12), the model has the following features: (i) chaotic reversals may be exhibited at Ra > or = 10(7); (ii) the Reynolds number based on the root mean square velocity scales as Re(rms) approximately Ra([0.41...0.47]) (depending on Pr), and as Re(rms) approximately Pr(-[0.66...0.76]) (depending on Ra); and (iii) the mean reversal frequency follows an effective scaling law omega/(nu L(-2)) approximately Pr(-(0.64 +/- 0.01))Ra(0.44 +/- 0.01). The phase diagram of the model is sketched, and the observed transitions are discussed.

We study an unbiased, discrete-time random walk on the nonnegative integers, with the origin absorbing, and a history-dependent step length. Letting y denote the maximum distance the walker has ever been from the origin, steps that do not change y have length v, while those that increase y (taking the walker to a site that has never been visited) have length n. The process serves as a simplified model of spreading in systems with an infinite number of absorbing configurations. Asymptotic analysis of the probability generating function shows that, for large t, the survival probability decays as S(t) approximately t(-delta), with delta=v/2n. Our expression for the decay exponent is in agreement with the results obtained via numerical iteration of the transition matrix.

The purpose of this study was to determine changes in cast weight during the first 48 hours after application so that the true weight of a neonate can be estimated without the need for removing the cast. Five types of cast materials were compared. Cast weight measurements were obtained before and after application and at intervals during 48 hours. Final cast weight averaged 107.5% of dry weight for plaster and 99% of dry weight for synthetic cast materials. For very low birth weight infants, the difference between the initial wet weight of plaster of Paris and its final dry weight may be significant for calculating drug and fluid dosages. The weight of an infant can now be calculated without the necessity of cast removal.

The relative numbers of North-seeking and South-seeking polarity types in natural populations of magnetotactic bacteria were determined at sites on the coast of Brazil. These sites were South of the geomagnetic equator and had upward geomagnetic inclinations of 1-12 degrees . For upward inclinations >6 degrees , South-seeking cells predominated over North-seeking cells by more than a factor of 10. For upward inclinations <6 degrees , the fraction of North-seeking cells in the population increased with decreasing geomagnetic inclination, approaching 0.5 at the geomagnetic equator. We present a simple statistical model of a stochastic process that qualitatively accounts for the dynamics of the two polarity types in a magnetotactic bacterial population as a function of the geomagnetic field inclination.

Magnetotactic bacteria are present in fresh water and marine sediments of Fortaleza, Brazil, situated close to the geomagnetic equator. Both South-seeking and North-seeking bacteria are present in roughly equal numbers in the same samples. This observation is consistent with the hypothesis that the vertical component of the geomagnetic field selects the predominant polarity type among magnetotactic bacteria in natural environments.

Magnetotactic algae of the genus Anisonema (Euglenophyceae) have been isolated from a coastal mangrove swamp in northeastern Brazil. The magnetotactic response is based on a permanent magnetic dipole moment per cell approximately 7 10(-10) emu. Each cell contains many magnetite (Fe(3)O(4)) particles organized in chains.

A birefringence technique is used to determine the average magnetic moments of magnetotactic bacteria in culture. Differences in are noted between live and dead bacteria, as well as between normal density and high density samples of live bacteria.