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Heterotrophic protists are vital in Earth's ecosystems, influencing carbon and nutrient cycles and occupying key positions in food webs as microbial predators. Fossils and molecular data suggest the emergence of predatory microeukaryotes and the transition to a eukaryote-rich marine environment by 800 million years ago (Ma). Neoproterozoic vase-shaped microfossils (VSMs) linked to Arcellinida testate amoebae represent the oldest evidence of heterotrophic microeukaryotes. This study explores the phylogenetic relationship and divergence times of modern Arcellinida and related taxa using a relaxed molecular clock approach. We estimate the origin of nodes leading to extant members of the Arcellinida Order to have happened during the latest Mesoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic (1054 to 661 Ma), while the divergence of extant infraorders postdates the Silurian. Our results demonstrate that at least one major heterotrophic eukaryote lineage originated during the Neoproterozoic. A putative radiation of eukaryotic groups (e.g., Arcellinida) during the early-Neoproterozoic sustained by favorable ecological and environmental conditions may have contributed to eukaryotic life endurance during the Cryogenian severe ice ages. Moreover, we infer that Arcellinida most likely already inhabited terrestrial habitats during the Neoproterozoic, coexisting with terrestrial Fungi and green algae, before land plant radiation. The most recent extant Arcellinida groups diverged during the Silurian Period, alongside other taxa within Fungi and flowering plants. These findings shed light on heterotrophic microeukaryotes' evolutionary history and ecological significance in Earth's ecosystems, using testate amoebae as a proxy.

Atrazine is a pesticide used to control weeds in both in pre- and post-emergence crops. The chronic exposure to atrazine can lead to severe damage in animals, especially in the endocrine and reproduction systems, leading to the inclusion of this pesticide into the endocrine disrupting chemicals group. Studies with rats showed that atrazine exposure during lactation in dams caused changes in the juvenile offspring, however; there is still limited information regarding the effects of atrazine during puberty. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of peripubertal exposure of atrazine in rats, assessing motor activity, social behavior and neurochemical alterations. Juvenile rats were treated with different doses of atrazine (0, 10, 30 or 100 mg/kg) by gavage from postnatal day 22 to 41. Behavioral tests were conducted for the evaluation of motor activity and social behavior, and neurochemical evaluation was done in order to assess monoamine levels. Atrazine caused behavioral alterations, evidenced by decrease in the exploratory activity (p values variation between 0.05 and 0.0001) and deficits in the social behavior of both male and females as adults (p values variation between 0.01 and 0.0001). As for the monoaminergic neurotransmission, atrazine led to very few alterations on the dopamine and serotonin systems that were limited to the females (p < 0.05). Altogether, the results suggests that peripubertal exposure of atrazine cause behavioral and neurochemical alterations. More studies need to be conducted to fully understand the differences in atrazine's effects and its use should be considered carefully., 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 © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Arcellinida is ascending in importance in protistology, but description of their diversity still presents multiple challenges. Furthermore, applicable tools for surveillance of these organisms are still in developing stages. Importantly, a good database that sets a correspondence between molecular barcodes and species morphology is lacking. Cytochrome oxidase (COI) has been suggested as the most relevant marker for species discrimination in Arcellinida. However, some major groups of Arcellinida are still lacking a COI sequence. Here we expand the database of COI marker sequences for Arcellinids, using single-cell PCR, transcriptomics, and database scavenging. In the present work, we added 24 new Arcellinida COI sequences to the database, covering all unsampled infra- and suborders. Additionally, we added six new SSUrRNA sequences and described four new species using morphological, morphometrical, and molecular evidence: Heleopera steppica, Centropyxis blatta, Arcella uspiensis, and Cylindrifflugia periurbana. This new database will provide a new starting point to address new research questions from shell evolution, biogeography, and systematics of arcellinids., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier GmbH.. All rights reserved.)

Protists, the micro-eukaryotes that are neither plants, animals nor fungi build up the greatest part of eukaryotic diversity on Earth. Yet, their evolutionary histories and patterns are still mostly ignored, and their complexity overlooked. Protists are often assumed to keep stable morphologies for long periods of time (morphological stasis). In this work, we test this paradigm taking Arcellinida testate amoebae as a model. We build a taxon-rich phylogeny based on two mitochondrial (COI and NADH) and one nuclear (SSU) gene, and reconstruct morphological evolution among clades. In addition, we prove the existence of mitochondrial mRNA editing for the COI gene. The trees show a lack of conservatism of shell outlines within the main clades, as well as a widespread occurrence of morphological convergences between far-related taxa. Our results refute, therefore, a widespread morphological stasis, which may be an artefact resulting from low taxon coverage. As a corollary, we also revise the groups systematics, notably by emending the large and highly polyphyletic genus Difflugia. These results lead, amongst others, to the erection of a new infraorder Cylindrothecina, as well as two new genera Cylindrifflugia and Golemanskia., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Arsenic is a ubiquitous element in the environment, a source of constant evolutionary pressure on organisms. The arsenic resistance machinery is thoroughly described for bacteria. Highly resistant lineages are also common in eukaryotes, but evolutionary knowledge is much more limited. While the origin of the resistance machinery in eukaryotes is loosely attributed to horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from bacteria, only a handful of eukaryotes were deeply studied. Here we investigate the origin and evolution of the core genes in arsenic resistance in eukaryotes using a broad phylogenetic framework. We hypothesize that, as arsenic pressure is constant throughout Earth's history, resistance mechanisms are probably ancestral to eukaryotes. We identified homologs for each of the arsenic resistance genes in eukaryotes and traced their possible origin using phylogenetic reconstruction. We reveal that: i. an important component of the arsenic-resistant machinery originated before the last eukaryotic common ancestor; ii. later events of gene duplication and HGT generated new homologs that, in many cases, replaced ancestral ones. Even though HGT has an important contribution to the expansion of arsenic metabolism in eukaryotes, we propose the hypothesis of ancestral origin and differential retention of arsenic resistance mechanisms in the group. Key-words: Environmental adaptation; resistance to toxic metalloids; detoxification; comparative genomics; functional phylogenomics., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: to identify the risk of depression in pregnancy among pregnant women undergoing follow-up in high-risk prenatal care, to assess the factors associated with higher risk of depression in pregnancy and to compare the risk of depression in each gestational trimester., Method: this is a descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional study, conducted with 151 pregnant women in prenatal care in a high-risk pregnancy outpatient clinic at a university hospital in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Data were collected through an online form. Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were performed. After the bivariate analysis, the variables were included in the logistic regression model. In the final model, the Odds Ratio was calculated., Results: 118 (78.1%) pregnant women had a higher risk of depression during pregnancy, which was higher in the first trimester, but without statistical significance. The number of pregnancies (OR = 0.32) and marital status (OR = 0.07) remained significantly associated with higher risk of depression during pregnancy as protective factors., Conclusion: the results elucidate the importance of screening for depression risk and the significant need to improve access to effective interventions for preventing prenatal depression and promoting mental health.

The cement industry has been under pressure due to the environmental impact of high cement production, which demands a significant amount of energy and results in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In many developed countries, the cement industry has sought to replace conventional fossil fuels with alternatives to minimize GHG emissions; however, Brazil has underexploited this possibility. Considering the potential of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) to reduce the non-recycled waste disposed in landfills, and its suitable performance as an alternative fuel for cleaner cement production, this paper presents a reverse logistics network analysis for RDF production planning with respect to local economic incentives, social euqity and justice, pollution prevention, and global environmental concerns regarding carbon emissions reduction. The reverse logistics network involves important stakeholders related in waste management in Espirito Santo, Brazil, especially harmonizing social sustainability concerns between waste pickers' cooperatives and waste retailers. By considering the waste generated in 78 municipalities in the Espírito Santo state, the possible levels of fuel replacement in cement industries reflects the economic sustainability of the timeframe of the solid waste management policy implementation. The results showed that the RDF to be produced varies from 42,446.5 tonnes in 2024 with a small fuel replacement by cement industries, to 567,092.1 tonnes in 2040 if all non-recyclable waste available can be used to produce RDF. The avoided annual disposal costs via this network analysis vary from $3,855,412.0 in the initial years to $47,822,876.8 in the year 2040 under optimistic conditions, representing around 25% of the total cost in the network. The cost and GHG emitted reduced significantly in all simulated scenarios; however, the financial incentives are essential for achieving the network social sustainability., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) affects millions of people and compromises quality of life. Critical limb ischemia (CLI), which is the most advanced stage of PAD, can cause nonhealing ulcers and strong chronic pain, and it shortens the patients' life expectancy. Cell-based angiogenic therapies are becoming a real therapeutic approach to treat CLI. Pericytes are cells that surround vascular endothelial cells to reinforce vessel integrity and regulate local blood pressure and metabolism. In the past decade, researchers also found that pericytes may function as stem or progenitor cells in the body, showing the potential to differentiate into several cell types. We investigated the gene expression profiles of pericytes during the early stages of limb ischemia, as well as the alterations in pericyte subpopulations to better understand the behavior of pericytes under ischemic conditions., Methods: In this study, we used a hindlimb ischemia model to mimic CLI in C57/BL6 mice and explore the role of pericytes in regeneration. To this end, muscle pericytes were isolated at different time points after the induction of ischemia. The phenotypes and transcriptomic profiles of the pericytes isolated at these discrete time points were assessed using flow cytometry and RNA sequencing., Results: Ischemia triggered proliferation and migration and upregulated the expression of myogenesis-related transcripts in pericytes. Furthermore, the transcriptomic analysis also revealed that pericytes induce or upregulate the expression of a number of cytokines with effects on endothelial cells, leukocyte chemoattraction, or the activation of inflammatory cells., Conclusions: Our findings provide a database that will improve our understanding of skeletal muscle pericyte biology under ischemic conditions, which may be useful for the development of novel pericyte-based cell and gene therapies.

Rationale and Objectives: Pulmonary atelectasis presumably promotes and facilitates lung injury. However, data are limited on its direct and remote relation to inflammation. We aimed to assess regional 2-deoxy-2-[ 18 F]-fluoro-D-glucose ( 18 F-FDG) kinetics representative of inflammation in atelectatic and normally aerated regions in models of early lung injury., Materials and Methods: We studied supine sheep in four groups: Permissive Atelectasis (n = 6)-16 hours protective tidal volume (V T ) and zero positive end-expiratory pressure; Mild (n = 5) and Moderate Endotoxemia (n = 6)- 20-24 hours protective ventilation and intravenous lipopolysaccharide (Mild = 2.5 and Moderate = 10.0 ng/kg/min), and Surfactant Depletion (n = 6)-saline lung lavage and 4 hours high V T . Measurements performed immediately after anesthesia induction served as controls (n = 8). Atelectasis was defined as regions of gas fraction <0.1 in transmission or computed tomography scans. 18 F-FDG kinetics measured with positron emission tomography were analyzed with a three-compartment model., Results: 18 F-FDG net uptake rate in atelectatic tissue was larger during Moderate Endotoxemia (0.0092 ± 0.0019/min) than controls (0.0051 ± 0.0014/min, p = 0.01). 18 F-FDG phosphorylation rate in atelectatic tissue was larger in both endotoxemia groups (0.0287 ± 0.0075/min) than controls (0.0198 ± 0.0039/min, p = 0.05) while the 18 F-FDG volume of distribution was not significantly different among groups. Additionally, normally aerated regions showed larger 18 F-FDG uptake during Permissive Atelectasis (0.0031 ± 0.0005/min, p < 0.01), Mild (0.0028 ± 0.0006/min, p = 0.04), and Moderate Endotoxemia (0.0039 ± 0.0005/min, p < 0.01) than controls (0.0020 ± 0.0003/min)., Conclusion: Atelectatic regions present increased metabolic activation during moderate endotoxemia mostly due to increased 18 F-FDG phosphorylation, indicative of increased cellular metabolic activation. Increased 18 F-FDG uptake in normally aerated regions during permissive atelectasis suggests an injurious remote effect of atelectasis even with protective tidal volumes., (Copyright © 2020 The Association of University Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The distribution pattern of the meiotic machinery in known eukaryotes is most parsimoniously explained by the hypothesis that all eukaryotes are ancestrally sexual. However, this assumption is questioned by preliminary results, in culture conditions. These suggested that Acanthamoeba, an organism considered to be largely asexual, constitutively expresses meiosis genes nevertheless-at least in the lab. This apparent disconnect between the "meiosis toolkit" and sexual processes in Acanthamoeba led to the conclusion that the eukaryotic ancestor is asexual. In this review, the "meiosis toolkit" is rigorously defended, drawing on numerous research articles. Additionally, the claim of constitutive meiotic gene expression is probed in Acanthamoeba via the same transcriptomics data. The results show that the expression of the meiotic machinery is not constitutive in Acanthamoeba as claimed before. Furthermore, it is argued that this would have no implications for understanding the nature of the eukaryotic ancestor, regardless of the result., (© 2020 WILEY Periodicals, Inc.)

Arcella, a diverse understudied genus of testate amoebae is a member of Tubulinea in Amoebozoa group. Transcriptomes are a powerful tool for characterization of these organisms as they are an efficient way of characterizing the protein-coding potential of the genome. In this work, we employed both single-cell and clonal populations transcriptomics to create a reference transcriptome for Arcella. We compared our results with annotations of Dictyostelium discoideum, a model Amoebozoan. We assembled a pool of 38 Arcella intermedia transcriptomes, which after filtering are composed of a total of 14,712 translated proteins. There are GO categories enriched in Arcella including mainly intracellular signal transduction pathways; we also used KEGG to annotate 11,546 contigs, which also have similar distribution to Dictyostelium. A large portion of data is still impossible to assign to a gene family, probably due to a combination of lineage-specific genes, incomplete sequences in the transcriptome and rapidly evolved genes. Some absences in pathways could also be related to low expression of these genes. We provide a reference database for Arcella, and we highlight the emergence of the need for further gene discovery in Arcella., (© 2020 International Society of Protistologists.)

An efficient one-pot method is described for the highly regioselective synthesis of α-ketoamide N -arylpyrazoles from secondary β-enamino diketones. For this, the key intermediate, 4-acyl 3,5-dihydroxypyrrolone, was generated in situ and underwent bimolecular nucleophilic substitution at C-5 by arylhydrazine, with subsequent heterocyclization at the carbonyl carbon of the acyl group. This strategy allowed for regiochemical control of α-ketoamide N -arylpyrazoles from β-enamino diketones and arylhydrazines.

Life was microbial for the majority of Earth's history, but as very few microbial lineages leave a fossil record, the Precambrian evolution of life remains shrouded in mystery. Shelled (testate) amoebae stand out as an exception with rich documented diversity in the Neoproterozoic as vase-shaped microfossils (VSMs). While there is general consensus that most of these can be attributed to the Arcellinida lineage in Amoebozoa, it is still unclear whether they can be used as key fossils for interpretation of early eukaryotic evolution. Here, we present a well-resolved phylogenomic reconstruction based on 250 genes, obtained using single-cell transcriptomic techniques from a representative selection of 19 Arcellinid testate amoeba taxa. The robust phylogenetic framework enables deeper interpretations of evolution in this lineage and demanded an updated classification of the group. Additionally, we performed reconstruction of ancestral morphologies, yielding hypothetical ancestors remarkably similar to existing Neoproterozoic VSMs. We demonstrate that major lineages of testate amoebae were already diversified before the Sturtian glaciation (720 mya), supporting the hypothesis that massive eukaryotic diversification took place in the early Neoproterozoic and congruent with the interpretation that VSM are arcellinid testate amoebae., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

An alternative highly regioselective synthetic method for the preparation of 3,5-disubstituted 4-formyl-N-arylpyrazoles in a one-pot procedure is reported. The methodology developed was based on the regiochemical control of the cyclocondensation reaction of β-enamino diketones with arylhydrazines. Structural modifications in the β-enamino diketone system allied to the Lewis acid carbonyl activator BF 3 were strategically employed for this control. Also a one-pot method for the preparation of 3,5-disubstituted 4-hydroxymethyl-N-arylpyrazole derivatives from the β-enamino diketone and arylhydrazine substrates is described.

An individual tin oxide (SnO 2 ) nanobelt was connected in a back-gate field-effect transistor configuration and the conductivity of the nanobelt was measured at different temperatures from 400 K to 4 K, in darkness and under UV illumination. In darkness, the SnO 2 nanobelts showed semiconductor behavior for the whole temperature range measured. However, when subjected to UV illumination the photoinduced carriers were high enough to lead to a metal-to-insulator transition (MIT), near room temperature, at T MIT  = 240 K. By measuring the current versus gate voltage curves, and considering the electrostatic properties of a non-ideal conductor, for the SnO 2 nanobelt on top of a gate-oxide substrate, we estimated the capacitance per unit length, the mobility and the density of carriers. In darkness, the density was estimated to be 5-10 × 10 18 cm -3 , in agreement with our previously reported result (Phys. Status Solid. RRL 6, 262-4 (2012)). However, under UV illumination the density of carriers was estimated to be 0.2-3.8 × 10 19 cm -3 near T MIT , which exceeded the critical Mott density estimated to be 2.8 × 10 19 cm -3 above 240 K. These results showed that the electrical properties of the SnO 2 nanobelts can be drastically modified and easily tuned from semiconducting to metallic states as a function of temperature and light.

Mg doping of GaAs nanowires has been established as a viable alternative to Be doping in order to achieve p-type electrical conductivity. Although reports on the optical properties are available, few reports exist about the physical properties of intermediate-to-high Mg doping in GaAs nanowires grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on GaAs(111)B and Si(111) substrates. In this work, we address this topic and present further understanding on the fundamental aspects. As the Mg doping was increased, structural and optical investigations revealed: i) a lower influence of the polytypic nature of the GaAs nanowires on their electronic structure; ii) a considerable reduction of the density of vertical nanowires, which is almost null for growth on Si(111); iii) the occurrence of a higher WZ phase fraction, in particular for growth on Si(111); iv) an increase of the activation energy to release the less bound carrier in the radiative state from nanowires grown on GaAs(111)B; and v) a higher influence of defects on the activation of nonradiative de-excitation channels in the case of nanowires only grown on Si(111). Back-gate field effect transistors were fabricated with individual nanowires and the p-type electrical conductivity was measured with free hole concentration ranging from 2.7 × 10 16 cm -3 to 1.4 × 10 17 cm -3 . The estimated electrical mobility was in the range ≈0.3-39 cm 2 / Vs and the dominant scattering mechanism is ascribed to the WZ/ZB interfaces. Electrical and optical measurements showed a lower influence of the polytypic structure of the nanowires on their electronic structure. The involvement of Mg in one of the radiative transitions observed for growth on the Si(111) substrate is suggested.

Background: Outbreaks of infections caused by rapidly growing mycobacteria have been reported worldwide generally associated with medical procedures. Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. massiliense CRM0019 was obtained during an epidemic of postsurgical infections and was characterized by increased persistence in vivo. To better understand the successful survival strategies of this microorganism, we evaluated its infectivity and proliferation in macrophages (RAW and BMDM) and alveolar epithelial cells (A549). For that, we assessed the following parameters, for both M. abscessus CRM0019 as well as the reference strain M. abscessus ATCC 19977: internalization, intracellular survival for up 3 days, competence to subvert lysosome fusion and the intracellular survival after cell reinfection., Results: CRM0019 and ATCC 19977 strains showed the same internalization rate (approximately 30% after 6 h infection), in both A549 and RAW cells. However, colony forming units data showed that CRM0019 survived better in A549 cells than the ATCC 19977 strain. Phagosomal characteristics of CRM0019 showed the bacteria inside tight phagosomes in A549 cells, contrasting to the loosely phagosomal membrane in macrophages. This observation holds for the ATCC 19977 strain in both cell types. The competence to subvert lysosome fusion was assessed by acidification and acquisition of lysosomal protein. For M. abscessus strains the phagosomes were acidified in all cell lines; nevertheless, the acquisition of lysosomal protein was reduced by CRM0019 compared to the ATCC 19977 strain, in A549 cells. Conversely, in macrophages, both M. abscessus strains were located in mature phagosomes, however without bacterial death. Once recovered from macrophages M. abscessus could establish a new intracellular infection. Nevertheless, only CRM0019 showed a higher growth rate in A549, increasing nearly 10-fold after 48 and 72 h., Conclusion: M. abscessus CRM0019 creates a protective and replicative niche in alveolar epithelial cells mainly by avoiding phagosome maturation. Once recovered from infected macrophages, CRM0019 remains infective and displays greater intracellular growth in A549 cells compared to the ATCC 19977 strain. This evasion strategy in alveolar epithelial cells may contribute to the long survival of the CRM0019 strain in the host and thus to the inefficacy of in vivo treatment.

Testate amoebae are eukaryotic microorganisms characterized by the presence of an external shell (test). The shell morphology is used as a diagnostic character, but discordance between morphological and molecular data has been demonstrated in groups of arcellinids (Amoebozoa), one of the principal groups of testate amoebae. Morphology of the test is supposed to differentiate genera and species and it is applied in ecological, monitoring and paleontological studies. However, if phenotype does not reflect genotype, conclusions in these types of studies become severely impaired. The objective of this work is to evaluate the morphometrical and morphological variation of the closely related and morphologically similar taxa Arcella intermedia laevis Tsyganov and Mazei, 2006 and Arcella intermedia (Deflandre 1928) Tsyganov and Mazei, 2006 in nature and in cultured individuals and see how these are correlated with molecular data. Our results demonstrate that phenotypic plasticity in Arcella intermedia make morphological distinctions impossible in both taxa. Arcella intermedia and Arcella intermedia laevis are molecularly identical for SSU rDNA and a mitochondrial molecular marker (NAD9/7). We conclude that morphological techniques alone cannot identify phenotypic plasticity from natural populations. More work is clearly needed to better understand the morphological, morphometric and molecular variability in these organisms., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of smoking on the methylation and hydroxymethylation status of global DNA and specific sites of KRT14, KRT19, miR-9-3 and miR-137 genes in the healthy oral mucosa., Methods: Samples of oral epithelial cells were collected using mouthwash from a population of former and current smokers and those who had never smoked. Genomic DNA was extracted, and global DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation was performed using an ELISA-based technique; DNA methylation at specific sites was performed using Methylation-Specific PCR (MSP) (KRT14, miR-9-3 and miR-137) or Methylation-Sensitive Restriction Enzymes (MSRE) (KRT19). K14 and K19 protein expression was analysed by immunohistochemistry., Results: Higher levels of global DNA methylation were found in current smokers with over 15 years of consumption (p=0.04), but no differences were found in relation to global DNA hydroxymethylation. No differences in global DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation levels were found in relation to age or gender. Global DNA methylation was higher than the hydroxymethylation level (p<0.001) but they were not correlated in the oral mucosa. For specific sites, miR-9-3 hypomethylation was detected in current smokers (p<0.001). Additional analysis showed no difference in the methylation status when age, gender, period of consumption or amount of cigarettes were considered for any of the studied genes. K19 expression was higher in current smokers in comparison to former smokers and those who had never smoked (p<0.05)., Conclusion: We concluded that smoking habits were capable of inducing changes in global DNA methylation, miR-9-3 methylation status and K19 expression., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective:: To evaluate the influence of game meat consumption in Chagas disease (CD) transmission, the conditions under which it occurs and the frequency of reports in the literature., Methods:: Through systematic review, databases PubMed, LILACS, MEDLINE, and SciELO were consulted, and articles written in Portuguese, English, and Spanish were included, with no limitation over publication date. We used the following descriptors: oral, transmission, meat, wild animals, hunt, carnivory, and Chagas disease. Articles that mentioned consumption of animal meat as a form of human transmission of CD were included. We used epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory evidence criteria to confirm cases., Results:: Among the 298 articles identified, only six met the eligibility criteria. Only five episodes of oral transmission through wild animal meat or blood consumption were identified. However, in two of them, the possibility of vectorial transmission could not be ruled out. Most reports met the epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory evidence criteria established to support the transmission., Conclusion:: Though CD transmission is uncommon, hunting and consumption of wild mammals that serve as Trypanosoma cruzi reservoirs should be discouraged in endemic countries in light of the risks inherent to these practices.

The prevalence of peri-implantitis and the absence of a standard approach for decontamination of the dental implant surface have led to searches for effective therapies. Since the source of diode lasers is portable, has reduced cost, and does not cause damage to the titanium surface of the implant, high-power diode lasers have been used for this purpose. The effect of laser irradiation on the implants is the elevation of the temperature surface. If this elevation exceeds 47 °C, the bone tissue is irreversibly damaged, so for a safety therapy, the laser parameters should be controlled. In this study, a diode laser of GaAsAl was used to irradiate titanium dental implants, for powers 1.32 to 2.64 W (real) or 2.00 to 4.00 W (nominal), in continuous/pulsed mode DC/AC, with exposure time of 5/10 s, with/without air flow for cooling. The elevation of the temperature was monitored in real time in two positions: cervical and apical. The best results for decontamination using a 968-nm diode laser were obtained for a power of 1.65 and 1.98 W (real) for 10 s, in DC or AC mode, with an air flow of 2.5 l/min. In our perspective in this article, we determine a suggested approach for decontamination of the dental implant surface using a 968-nm diode laser.

Background: Malaria-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (MA-ARDS) is a potentially lethal complication of clinical malaria. Acute lung injury in MA-ARDS shares features with ARDS triggered by other causes, including alveolar inflammation and increased alveolar-capillary permeability, leading to leak of protein-rich pulmonary oedema fluid. Mechanisms and physiologic alterations in MA-ARDS can be examined in murine models of this syndrome. Integrin αDβ2 is a member of the leukocyte, or β2 (CD18), sub-family of integrins, and emerging observations indicate that it has important activities in leukocyte adhesion, accumulation and signalling. The goal was to perform analysis of the lungs of mice wild type C57Bl/6 (a D (+/+) ) and Knockout C57Bl/6 (a D (-/-) ) with malaria-associated acute lung injury to better determine the relevancy of the murine models and investigate the mechanism of disease., Methods: C57BL/6 wild type (a D (+/+) ) and deficient for CD11d sub-unit (a D (-/-) ) mice were monitored after infection with 10(5) Plasmodium berghei ANKA. CD11d subunit expression RNA was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction, vascular barrier integrity by Evans blue dye (EBD) exclusion and cytokines by ELISA. Protein and leukocytes were measured in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples. Tissue cellularity was measured by the point-counting technique, F4/80 and VCAM-1 expression by immunohistochemistry. Respiratory function was analysed by non-invasive BUXCO and mechanical ventilation., Results: Alveolar inflammation, vascular and interstitial accumulation of monocytes and macrophages, and disrupted alveolar-capillary barrier function with exudation of protein-rich pulmonary oedema fluid were present in P. berghei-infected wild type mice and were improved in αDβ2-deficient animals. Key pro-inflammatory cytokines were also decreased in lung tissue from α D (-/-) mice, providing a mechanistic explanation for reduced alveolar-capillary inflammation and leak., Conclusions: The results indicate that αDβ2 is an important inflammatory effector molecule in P. berghei-induced MA-ARDS, and that leukocyte integrins regulate critical inflammatory and pathophysiologic events in this model of complicated malaria. Genetic deletion of integrin subunit αD in mice, leading to deficiency of integrin αDβ2, alters lung inflammation and acute lung injury in a mouse model of MA-ARDS caused by P. berghei.

Background: A canine vaccine remains a promising approach for effective control of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), given its complex epidemiology in areas where zoonotic VL is prevalent. Leish-Tec(®) is a recombinant vaccine, based on the Leishmania A2 antigen, against canine VL (CVL). It is, since 2014, the single commercial vaccine licensed in Brazil. Here, Leish-Tec(®) efficacy was estimated through a randomized field trial (RFT), in a highly VL endemic area., Methods: The RFT was conducted from 2008 to 2010 in an endemic area of southeastern Brazil, presenting a CVL seroprevalence of 41.9%. Eight hundred forty-seven seronegative dogs were randomly selected to receive Leish-Tec(®) (n=429) or placebo (n=418). Animals were followed up by clinical, serological, and parasitological exams for 18 months. The CVL incidence in both groups was compared through proportion analysis., Results: A significant reduction in the number of cases of CVL was observed in the vaccine group, as compared with the placebo group, whether efficacy was estimated according to parasitological results (71.4%; 95% CI: 34.9-87.3%; p=0.001; risk ratio=0.287), by adding results of xenodiagnosis and parasitological exams (58.1%; 95% CI: 26.0-76.3%; p=0.002; risk ratio=0.419). Among the animals that converted to a positive anti-A2 serology, efficacy reached 80.8% (95% CI: 37.6-94.1%, p=0.001; risk ratio=0.192). Xenodiagnosis has detected a reduction of 46.6% (p=0.05) in transmission to sand flies from vaccinated animals presenting anti-A2 positive serology., Conclusion: The Leish-Tec(®) vaccine proved significantly effective for prophylaxis of CVL, after natural challenge assured by transmission of Leishmania parasites, in a highly endemic area. Noteworthy, this report has unveiled the complexity of performing a RFT for anti-CVL vaccines in Brazil, which may be helpful for designing of future studies., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: To investigate the regeneration process of autologous implants of liver on the retroperitoneum., Methods: Thirty male Fisher rats were used divided in to group 1 (G1): studied 60 d after surgery; group 2 (G2): studied 90 d after surgery; group 3 (G3): studied 180 d after surgery; and group C (GC): animals without surgery. Hepatic fragment was processed for histologic and biochemical analysis., Results: There was inflammatory infiltrate, diffuse hydropic degeneration, necrosis, and moderate fibrosis that reduced in direct relation to the postsurgical time. The concentration of albumin was different between GC and G1 and between G1 and G3 (P = 0.0007). The Catalase (CAT) was related to the time of surgery with GC being different when compared with G1, G2, and G3 (P < 0.0001). The oxidative stress measured through the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances lipid peroxidation was different between the GC and the G2 groups (P = 0.0381)., Conclusions: The analysis made showed hepatic regeneration in the fragment subjected to autologous transplant at the retroperitoneum., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study proposes a reverse logistics network involved in the management of municipal solid waste (MSW) to solve the challenge of economically managing these wastes considering the recent legal requirements of the Brazilian Waste Management Policy. The feasibility of the allocation of MSW material recovery facilities (MRF) as intermediate points between the generators of these wastes and the options for reuse and disposal was evaluated, as well as the participation of associations and cooperatives of waste pickers. This network was mathematically modelled and validated through a scenario analysis of the municipality of São Mateus, which makes the location model more complete and applicable in practice. The mathematical model allows the determination of the number of facilities required for the reverse logistics network, their location, capacities, and product flows between these facilities. The fixed costs of installation and operation of the proposed MRF were balanced with the reduction of transport costs, allowing the inclusion of waste pickers to the reverse logistics network. The main contribution of this study lies in the proposition of a reverse logistics network for MSW simultaneously involving legal, environmental, economic and social criteria, which is a very complex goal. This study can guide practices in other countries that have realities similar to those in Brazil of accelerated urbanisation without adequate planning for solid waste management, added to the strong presence of waste pickers that, through the characteristic of social vulnerability, must be included in the system. In addition to the theoretical contribution to the reverse logistics network problem, this study aids in decision-making for public managers who have limited technical and administrative capacities for the management of solid wastes., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Context: Clinical presentation of celiac disease is extremely variable and the diagnosis relies on serologic tests, mucosal intestinal biopsy and clinic and serologic response to a gluten-free diet., Objectives: To correlate the endoscopic and histological aspects of adult patients with suspicion of celiac disease and to evaluate the interobserver histological agreement., Methods: Endoscopic aspects of 80 adult patients were evaluated and correlated with the histological features according the Marsh-Oberhuber classification system. The interobserver histological agreement was based on kappa values., Results: The symptoms of the patients varied largely, with prominence for chronic diarrhea, present in 48 (60%) patients. The endoscopic aspects related with the duodenal villous atrophy had been observed in 32 (40%) patients. There were confirmed 46 cases of celiac disease, with prevalence of 57.5%. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of the endoscopic markers for celiac disease diagnosis were of 60.9%, 88.2%, 87.5% and 62.5%. There was moderate interobserver histological agreement (kappa = 0.46)., Conclusions: The endoscopic markers of villous atrophy, although not diagnostic, had assisted in the suspicion and indication of the duodenal biopsies for diagnosis proposal. Histology is sometimes contradictory and new biopsies or opinion of another professional can provide greater diagnostic agreement.

The effects of Agaricus blazei intake on the lipid profile of animals fed a hypercholesterolemic diet were evaluated. Thirty-two female Fisher rats were divided into four groups and given the standard AIN-93 M diet (C), this diet + 1 % A. blazei (CAb), a hypercholesterolemic diet with 25 % soybean oil and 1 % cholesterol (H) or this diet + 1 % A. blazei (HAb) for 6 weeks. Food intake, weight gain, liver and serum lipid profiles, activity of aminotransferases [alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)], and creatinine and urea levels as well as abdominal fat weight were measured. Histological analysis of kidney and liver tissue was also performed. The HAb group had a higher food intake, but a lower weight gain as compared to group H. This resulted in a significant decrease in abdominal fat weight, to values close to those of groups C and CAb. Supplementing the hypercholesterolemic diet with A. blazei promoted a significant reduction in total and non-HDL cholesterol, as well as in the atherogenic index, as compared to group H, and this effect was more pronounced in the serum. There was no hepatotoxic effect caused by the supplementation of the diets with the mushroom. We conclude that in our experimental model and in the concentration used, A. blazei was effective in improving the lipid profile of the animals.

The electrical observation of energy sub-band formation in the electronic structure, that gives rise to the phenomenon of quantized transport is reported in tin oxide (SnO2) nanobelt back-gate field-effect transistors, at low temperatures. Sub-band formation was observed as current oscillations in the drain current vs. gate voltage characteristics, and was analyzed considering the nanobelt as a "quantum wire" with a rectangular cross-section and hard walls. The lateral quantum confinement in the nanowires created conditions for the successive filling of the first twelve electron energy sub-bands, as the gate voltage increases. When the source-drain voltage is changed, the oscillations are not dislocated with respect to the gate voltage indicating flat-band energies, and that the observations are incompatible with the phenomena of Coulomb blockade and tunnelling oscillations. The separation of the energy sub-bands was found to be in good agreement with the measured cross-section dimensions of the nanobelt and with the threshold temperature, since for T > 60 K the oscillations tend to vanish.

Dengue fever has been a major problem in hospital settings in Brazil for the past 15 years. The main concern has been the severe forms, i.e., dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome. Hemorrhagic events of different degrees have also been a major concern. We report five cases of large vein thrombotic events associated with the acute phase of dengue fever, including a previously non-reported case of mesenteric vein thrombosis. Complications such as these could have been overlooked in the diagnosis of dengue fever, given that the major concern is the hemorrhagic event.

Mycobacterium massiliense is a rapidly growing bacterium associated with opportunistic infections. The genome of a representative isolate (strain GO 06) recovered from wound samples from patients who underwent arthroscopic or laparoscopic surgery was sequenced. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first announcement of the complete genome sequence of an M. massiliense strain.

The nervous and endocrine systems jointly control intestinal movements, secretions of their glands and also participate of the processes of nutrient digestion and absorption. Therefore, the central objective of this study was to verify the existence of a possible relationship between the number of nervous cells and ganglia of the submucosal and myenteric plexuses and the number of endocrine cells in the small intestine of adult D. aurita. The utilized staining techniques were Grimelius, modified Masson-Fontana, direct immunoperoxidase and H-E. Argyrophillic, argentaffin and insulin immunoreactive endocrine cells do not numerically vary between the initial, mid and final regions of the duodenum, jejunum and ileum (P>0.05), except for argyrophillic cells in the jejunum (P>0.05). No numerical relationship has yet been verified between the number of nerve ganglia and endocrine cells, and also between nervous and endocrine cells. We recommended the use of new immunohistochemical techniques to confirm the numerical correlation between the nervous and endocrine systems in the small intestine. The morphology and distribution of endocrine cells and the nerve ganglia studied were similar to those encountered in eutherian mammals.

Carcinoma in benign-mixed tumor (CBMT) is common in the female canine mammary gland and comprises malignant epithelial between benign mesenchymal elements. This study investigated the morphological aspects of 29 CBMT and their immunophenotypical profiles, by using an immunohistochemistry panel based on five molecular markers-estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), cytokeratin 5 (CK5), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 1 (EGFR). From these, CBMT was classified into four subtypes: luminal A, luminal B, HER2-like, basal-like, and normal. "In situ" and invasive carcinomatous components were analyzed and compared. Histological grade I carcinoma was observed in 16 cases (55.2%) of the tumors analyzed, grade II in 10 cases (34.5%), and grade III in three cases (10.3%). The invasive carcinomatous component has shown, more frequently, luminal A (12/29 cases, 41.4%), followed by basal-like phenotype (8/29 cases, 27.6%). There was high concordance between immunophenotypical profiles of the in situ and invasive carcinomatous components (kappa coefficient = 0.816, P < 0.001). We concluded that CBMT predominantly has features of low-grade neoplasms of malignancy. The various immunophenotypic profiles suggest the origin of these lesions in more than one cell type (luminal and myoepithelial).

Reye's syndrome is an infrequently diagnosed medical condition affecting mainly children. The etiology, epidemiology and natural history of Reye's syndrome have been cloudily written in footnotes of medical books and exotic papers since the initial description in early 1950s. We report here a case of adult Reye's syndrome associated with serologic evidence of parvovirus B19 infection.

A high-resolution codimension-two parameter space showing the abundance of complex periodic structures of an experimental chaotic circuit is reported. Such resolution was propitiated by the use of a 0.5 mV step dc voltage source as one of the control parameters. Those complex periodic structures organize themselves in a period-adding bifurcation cascade that accumulates in a chaotic region. Numerical investigations on the dynamical model were also carried out to corroborate several new features observed in the experimental high-resolution parameter space., ((c) 2010 American Institute of Physics.)

In view of the need to combat the generalized spread of resistance in ticks to commercial acaricides, the objective of this study was to evaluate the action of entomopathogenic nematodes (Steinernema carpocapsae, strains Santa Rosa and ALL) on engorged female Anocentor nitens. Five ticks per Petri dish were exposed to concentrations of 500, 5,000, or 25,000 infective juveniles of S. carpocapsae for 72 h. After transferring the ticks to clean plates, biological parameters were analyzed. Related to strains Santa Rosa, the period of pre-oviposition (p = 0.0001), oviposition (p = 0.041), and the mass weight of eggs (p = 0.005) showed significant differences between the control group and treated group. When the strain ALL was tested, the control and treated groups differed between the periods of pre-oviposition (p = 0.001), oviposition (p = 0.001), and egg mass weight (p = 0.01). The egg mass conversion was less significant in the groups when exposed to strains Santa Rosa (p = 0.002) and ALL (p = 0.001) relative to the control. The efficacy of both entomopathogenic nematode strains used in this study was comparable to other biological control agents, showing their potential against A. nitens in the laboratory.

Tatumella ptyseos is the type species of the Tatumella genus (Enterobacteriaceae). This fermentative Gram-negative rod has only rarely been reported as a cause of human infections; there is very little information about it in the medical literature. We report here the first two Brazilian cases of T. ptyseos infections, both evolving to severe sepsis.

We have observed low frequency current oscillations in a semi-insulating GaAs sample grown by low temperature molecular beam epitaxy. For this, an experimental setup proper to measure high impedance samples with small external noise was developed. Spontaneous oscillations in the current were observed for some bias conditions. Although measurements were carried out from room temperature down to liquid helium, the dynamical analysis was carried out around 200 K where the signal to noise ratio was fairly favorable. To increase the data quality we have also used a noise reduction algorithm suitably developed for nonlinear systems. We observed attractors having low embedding dimension, limit cycle bifurcations, and chaotic behavior characteristic of nonlinear dynamical processes in route to chaos. Attractor reconstruction, Poincare sections, Lyapunov exponents, and correlation dimension were also analyzed., ((c) 2003 American Institute of Physics.)

Investigators have speculated on the role of Helicobacter pylori in gastric carcinogenesis. The current study was performed to evaluate prospectively the prevalence of H. pylori infection in the stomachs of Brazilian patients with gastric carcinoma. Forty patients receiving gastrectomy for gastric carcinoma were studied. H. pylori was examined in four areas without atrophy or with minor atrophic changes. Mucosal fragments were obtained for microbiologic studies in 19 cases. H. pylori was detected in 82.5% of the cases. Of the cases evaluated by histologic and microbiologic methods, 94% had positive results by at least one method. In most cases there were small numbers of microorganisms. There was no correlation between the site and histologic type of neoplasia and the presence of H. pylori. The use of more than one diagnostic method improves H. pylori detection in gastric carcinoma. The small number of microorganisms observed in gastric carcinoma cases may lead to an underestimate of H. pylori in histologic sections. This might explain the variation in H. pylori infection rates reported for patients with gastric carcinoma.