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Health education for socially marginalized populations challenges the efficacy of existing strategies and methods, and the pertinence of the educational and philosophical principles that underpin them. The Brazilian Community Health Agents Initiative (CHAI) hires residents of deprived marginalized communities to undertake health promotion and education in their communities. The ultimate goal of the CHAI is to connect populations with the public healthcare system by promoting social re-affiliation, protecting civil rights and enhancing equity of access to health services. In this article, we present the education work of community health agents through interplay between popular and scientific health knowledge in nine Rio de Janeiro shantytowns. A critical ethnographic research design, using thematic analysis, allowed us to explore agents' education work to enhance family health literacy in shantytowns. Local culture and social practices inspire Agents to create original strategies to reconcile forms of health knowledge in their work.

Consolidation Ordinance No. 5 of 2017 provides for the elaboration of a specific plan for the monitoring of pesticides in water for human consumption. In the absence of the plan, it is permitted to carry out only a semiannual analysis that may not coincide with the period of greatest use of pesticides. In this way, the present study proposes a method to assist in the determination of the priority active ingredients associated with the coffee culture and the ideal times for its monitoring. A spatial analysis of coffee production in the state of Espírito Santo was carried out to define the spatial unit that concentrates the largest productions. From this, a crossover between the climatic conditions of the region was carried out; crop phenology and plant health; and physical-chemical characteristics of the active ingredients for prioritizing the compounds and determining the ideal times for their monitoring. The main coffee-producing municipalities of the state are located in the mesoregion of the northern coast, where, in the rainy season of the year, there is concentration of the use of active ingredients with a high potential for contamination of water resources. In the dry season, there is a smaller number of active ingredients in use, representing a lower risk of contamination. The proposed method allowed to observe the seasonality of the use of pesticides in the region and the prioritization of those with a higher risk of water contamination, however, a validation is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intestinal obstruction due to foreign body ingestion is one of the causes of colic in horses. The objective of this work is to report a case of small colon obstruction in a foal caused by two different foreign bodies. A 200 kg filly, seven months old and of the Mangalarga Machador breed arrived at HV-UVV with bilateral abdominal distension, hypomotility and pain unresponsive to analgesics. It was reported that the filly lived in a paddock and frequently defecated pieces of bag. The animal became recumbent with acute signs of abdominal pain during treatment and was referred for surgical treatment. A celiotomy was performed, and the presence of obstructive content in the smaller colon, in addition to impaction in the larger and transverse colon, was verified. An enterotomy was performed in the large colon for emptying and intestinal washing. The obstructive content in the small colon was milked orally and expelled into the anus. The presence of two distinct foreign bodies was found, one plastic and one tissue. The obstructed intestine showed tissue viability and was not resected. There was a good postoperative evolution, and the animal was discharged 10 days after surgery. Foreign bodies continue to be a major challenge for the equine species. Surgical treatment allowed the animal to improve and return to activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Introduction : Serotype replacement - a consequence of polysaccharide vaccine use - will continue to drive the inclusion of new serotypes on conjugate vaccines, increasing production complexity and costs, and making an already expensive vaccine less accessible to developing countries, where prevalence is higher and resources available for health systems, scarcer. Serotype-independent formulations are a promising option, but so far they have not been successful in reducing colonization/transmission. Areas covered : Protein-based and whole-cell vaccine candidates studied in the past 30 years. Challenges for serotype-independent vaccine development and alternative approaches. Expert opinion : Clinical trials performed so far demonstrated the importance to establish more reliable animal models and better correlates of protection. Defining appropriate endpoints for clinical trials of serotype-independent vaccine candidates has been a challenge. Inhibition of colonization has been evaluated, but concern on the extent of bacterial elimination is still a matter of debate. Challenges on establishing representative sites for clinical trials, sample sizes and appropriate age groups are discussed. On a whole, although many challenges will have to be overcome, establishing protein-based antigens as serotype-independent vaccines is still the best alternative against the huge burden of pneumococcal diseases in the world.

Despite the success of the available polysaccharide-based vaccines against Streptococcus pneumoniae in preventing invasive diseases, this bacterium remains a major cause of death in many parts of the world. New vaccine strategies are needed in order to increase protection. Thus, the utilization of fusion proteins is being investigated as an alternative to the current formulations. In the present work, we demonstrate that a chimeric protein, composed of PspA and PotD in fusion is able to maintain the protective characteristics of both parental proteins, providing protection against systemic infection while reducing nasal colonization. The hybrid was not able to improve the response against invasive disease elicited by PspA alone, but the inclusion of PotD was able to reduce colonization, an effect never observed using subcutaneous immunization with PspA. The mechanisms underlying the protective efficacy of the rPspA-PotD hybrid protein were investigated, revealing the production of antibodies with an increased binding capacity to pneumococcal strains of diverse serotypes and genetic backgrounds, enhanced opsonophagocytosis, and secretion of IL-17 by splenocytes. These findings reinforce the use of chimeric proteins based on surface antigens as an effective strategy against pneumococcal infections., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) is a widely studied pneumococcal protein, exposed at the surface of all strains. It is an important virulence factor, preventing complement deposition as well as inhibiting the lytic effects of lactoferrin over pneumococci. Several studies have investigated the use of PspA as a candidate in alternative pneumococcal vaccines, with great success. However, PspA presents sequence variability - there are six clades, grouped in three families - and PspAs within the same clade exhibit different levels of cross-reactivity. Therefore, the aim of this work was to select, from a panel of eight pneumococcal isolates expressing family 2 PspAs, the molecule with the broadest reactivity within this family. Antisera to these PspA fragments were initially screened by immunoblot against thirteen pneumococcal extracts; the three most cross-reactive antisera were tested for their ability to enhance the deposition of complement factor C3b on the bacterial surface and to promote their phagocytosis in vitro. PspA from strain P490 was the most effective, increasing phagocytosis of all but one pneumococcal isolate. Thus, this molecule was selected for inclusion in chimeric protein-based pneumococcal vaccines. In conclusion, the rational selection of cross-reactive molecules is an important step in the development of vaccines with broad coverage., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Quality and sensory attributes of meat from 32 mixed-breed Santa Inês lambs fed diets composed of four silages with old man saltbush (Atriplex nummularia Lind), buffelgrass (Cenchrus ciliaris), Gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium), and Pornunça (Manihot sp.) were evaluated. Meat from lambs fed diet containing old man saltbush silage (P<0.05) showed greater values for cooking loss. Of the sensory attributes evaluated in the Longissimus lumborum muscle of the lambs, color and juiciness did not differ (P>0.05). However, the silages led to differences (P<0.05) in aroma, tenderness, and flavor values. The meat from animals fed the pornunça and Gliricidia silages was tenderer. Flavor scores were higher in meat from lambs that consumed old man saltbush silage and lower in the meat from those fed buffelgrass silage. Diets formulated with buffelgrass silage for sheep reduce meat production. Based on the results for carcass weight and meat quality, old man saltbush and pornunça are better silages for finishing sheep., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is a human pathogen that can cause otitis media, pneumonia and, in severe cases, meningitis and bacteremia. The pneumococcus expresses PotD, a protein belonging to the polyamines transporter complex called PotABCD. PotD is a membrane-associated protein that binds polyamines and has been shown to be important for virulence. In this work we demonstrate that subcutaneous immunization with rPotD reduces the bacterial load in the nasal tissue of mice, following intranasal challenge with a type 6B pneumococcus. The protective effect correlated with the induction of high levels of antibodies in the immunized group; the antibodies were able to increase bacterial phagocytosis by mouse peritoneal cells. The cellular immune response was characterized by the production of gamma-interferon, IL-2 and IL-17 by splenocytes and nitric oxide by peritoneal cells of immunized mice, upon stimulation with rPotD. Taken together our results suggest that PotD is a promising candidate to be included in a protein based pneumococcal vaccine, able to induce phagocytic antibodies, a Th1 cellular immune response and production of IL-17, reducing nasopharyngeal colonization, the main event responsible for transmission of pneumococci in humans., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a common colonizer of the human nasopharynx, which can occasionally spread to sterile sites, causing diseases such as otitis media, sinusitis, pneumonia, meningitis and bacteremia. Human apolactoferrin (ALF) and lysozyme (LZ) are two important components of the mucosal innate immune system, exhibiting lytic effects against a wide range of microorganisms. Since they are found in similar niches of the host, it has been proposed that ALF and LZ could act synergistically in controlling bacterial spread throughout the mucosa. The combination of ALF and LZ has been shown to enhance killing of different pathogens in vitro, with ALF facilitating the latter action of LZ. The aim of the present work was to investigate the combined effects of ALF and LZ on S pneumoniae. Concomitant addition of ALF and LZ had a synergistic killing effect on one of the pneumococci tested. Furthermore, the combination of ALF and ALZ was more bactericidal than lysozyme alone in all pneumococcal strains. Pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA), an important vaccine candidate, partially protects pneumococci from ALF mediated killing, while antibodies against one PspA enhance killing of the homologous strain by ALF. However, the serological variability of this molecule could limit the effect of anti-PspA antibodies on different pneumococci. Therefore, we investigated the ability of anti-PspA antibodies to increase ALF-mediated killing of strains that express different PspAs, and found that antisera to the N-terminal region of PspA were able to increase pneumococcal lysis by ALF, independently of the sequence similarities between the molecule expressed on the bacterial surface and that used to produce the antibodies. LF binding to the pneumococcal surface was confirmed by flow cytometry, and found to be inhibited in presence of anti-PspA antibodies. On a whole, the results suggest a contribution of ALF and LZ to pneumococcal clearance, and confirm PspA's ability to interact with ALF., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Here we describe the cloning and characterization of the Schistosoma mansoni Alkaline Phosphatase (SmAP), previously identified in the tegument of adult worms. SmAP encodes a complete sequence composed of 536 amino acids containing an N-terminal signal peptide, five N-glycosylation sites, and a GPI anchor signal, similar to that described for mammalian orthologs. Real-time RT-PCR and Western blot experiments suggest a rapid translation as soon as cercariae are transformed into schistosomula. Immunolocalization analysis shows that the protein is widely distributed in the worm tissues, with increased concentration in the vitelline glands of female parasites. Furthermore, the surface localization of this enzyme was quantitatively supported by its enzymatic activity in live ex vivo or cultured parasites throughout the life cycle stages. The fact that cercariae accumulate large amounts of SmAP mRNA, which rapidly translates into protein upon schistosomula transformation, indicates it may have an important role in host invasion., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Streptococcus pneumoniae is one of the most important human pathogens and improvement of the currently used polysaccharide vaccines is being pursued. We constructed DNA vaccine vectors containing either the full-length psaA (pneumococcal surface adhesin A) or a truncated pspA (pneumococcal surface protein A--pspA') gene. Both constructs showed transient expression of the antigens in vertebrate cells and induced significant antibody response to the pneumococcal antigens in BALB/c mice injected intramuscularly (i.m.). Fusion with an N-terminal cytoplasmatic SV40 T-antigen (CT-Ag), which was previously shown to stabilize poorly expressed antigens through association with Hsp73, also induced anti-PspA antibody response. The induction of antibodies with a low IgG1:IgG2a ratio and elevated gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) production by spleen cells elicited by DNA vaccination indicate preferential priming of Th1 immunity. Since induction of antibodies against both PsaA and PspA was previously shown to correlate with protection against fatal infection with S. pneumoniae and cell-mediated immune responses could contribute to protection, further evaluation of PsaA and PspA as antigens for a DNA vaccine against S. pneumoniae could be promising.