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Nutrition during pregnancy is one of the key elements to good maternal and child health, as well as to lifetime landmarks. However, many pregnant women go undernourished in less developed settings. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence and factors associated with gestational night blindness (GXN) and maternal anemia in a cross-sectional population-based study in Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre State, Western Brazilian Amazon. All women living in the municipality admitted at the only maternity-hospital in the city to delivery of a singleton infant were eligible to this study (n = 1,525). Recruitment of participants took place between July 2015 to June 2016. GXN was assessed in the postpartum period by WHO standardized interview. Maternal anemia was defined as hemoglobin at delivery < 110.0 g/L. We estimated prevalence rates and adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR), alongside 95% confidence intervals (95% CI), of the factors associated with the outcomes through multiple Poisson regression models with robust variance. Alarming prevalence of GXN (11.5%; 95% CI, 9.97-13.25) and maternal anemia (39.4%; 95% CI, 36.84-41.95) were found. Factors associated with GXN were (aPR; 95% CI): ≥ 5 residents in the household (2.06; 1.24-3.41), smoking during pregnancy (1.78; 1.15-2.78), and attending < 6 antenatal care visits (1.61; 1.08-2.40). Factors associated with maternal anemia were (aPR; 95% CI): maternal age < 19 years (1.18; 1.01-1.38), gestational malaria (1.22; 1.01-1.49), not taking micronutrient supplements during pregnancy (1.27; 1.01-1.62), and attending < 6 antenatal care visits (1.40; 1.15-1.70). High prevalence rates of GXN and maternal anemia in these postpartum women may reflect poor assistance during antenatal care, underlying the importance of rethinking current protocols related to nutrition in pregnancy.

Malaria in pregnancy remains a substantial public health problem in malaria-endemic areas with detrimental outcomes for both the mother and the foetus. The placental changes that lead to some of these detrimental outcomes have been studied, but the mechanisms that lead to these changes are still not fully elucidated. There is some indication that imbalances in cytokine cascades, complement activation and angiogenic dysregulation might be involved in the placental changes observed. Nevertheless, the majority of studies on malaria in pregnancy (MiP) have come from areas where malaria transmission is high and usually restricted to Plasmodium falciparum, the most pathogenic of the malaria parasite species. We conducted a cross-sectional study in Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre state, Brazil, an area of low transmission and where both P. vivax and P. falciparum circulate. We collected peripheral and placental blood and placental biopsies, at delivery from 137 primigravid women and measured levels of the angiogenic factors angiopoietin (Ang)-1, Ang-2, their receptor Tie-2, and several cytokines and chemokines. We measured 4 placental parameters (placental weight, syncytial knots, placental barrier thickness and mononuclear cells) and associated these with the levels of angiogenic factors and cytokines. In this study, MiP was not associated with severe outcomes. An increased ratio of peripheral Tie-2:Ang-1 was associated with the occurrence of MiP. Both Ang-1 and Ang-2 had similar magnitudes but inverse associations with placental barrier thickness. Malaria in pregnancy is an effect modifier of the association between Ang-1 and placental barrier thickness.

Histological evidence of Plasmodium in the placenta is indicative of placental malaria, a condition associated with severe outcomes for mother and child. Histological lesions found in placentas from Plasmodium-exposed women include syncytial knotting, syncytial rupture, thickening of the placental barrier, necrosis of villous tissue and intervillositis. These histological changes have been associated with P. falciparum infections, but little is known about the contribution of P. vivax to such changes. We conducted a cross-sectional study with pregnant women at delivery and assigned them to three groups according to their Plasmodium exposure during pregnancy: no Plasmodium exposure (n = 41), P. vivax exposure (n = 59) or P. falciparum exposure (n = 19). We evaluated their placentas for signs of Plasmodium and placental lesions using ten histological parameters: syncytial knotting, syncytial rupture, placental barrier thickness, villi necrosis, intervillous space area, intervillous leucocytes, intervillous mononucleates, intervillous polymorphonucleates, parasitized erythrocytes and hemozoin. Placentas from P. vivax-exposed women showed little evidence of Plasmodium or hemozoin but still exhibited more lesions than placentas from women not exposed to Plasmodium, especially when infections occurred twice or more during pregnancy. In the Brazilian state of Acre, where diagnosis and primary treatment are readily available and placental lesions occur in the absence of detected placental parasites, relying on the presence of Plasmodium in the placenta to evaluate Plasmodium-induced placental pathology is not feasible. Multivariate logistic analysis revealed that syncytial knotting (odds ratio [OR], 4.21, P = 0.045), placental barrier thickness (OR, 25.59, P = 0.021) and mononuclear cells (OR, 4.02, P = 0.046) were increased in placentas from P. vivax-exposed women when compared to women not exposed to Plasmodium during pregnancy. A vivax-score was developed using these three parameters (and not evidence of Plasmodium) that differentiates between placentas from P. vivax-exposed and unexposed women. This score illustrates the importance of adequate management of P. vivax malaria during pregnancy.

ABSTRACT: Mastitis affects a high proportion of dairy cows and is still one of the greatest challenges faced by the dairy industry. Staphylococcal bacteria remain the most important cause of mastitis worldwide. We investigated how distinct staphylococcal species evade some critical host defense mechanisms, which may dictate the establishment, severity, and persistence of infection and the outcome of possible therapeutic and prevention interventions. Thus, the present study investigated variations among distinct bovine-associated staphylococci in their capability to resist phagocytosis and to trigger respiratory burst activity of blood and milk polymorphonuclear neutrophil leukocytes (PMNL) in dairy cows. To do so, PMNL of 6 primiparous and 6 multiparous dairy cows were used. A collection of 38 non-aureus staphylococci (NAS) and 12 Staphylococcus aureus were included. The phagocytosis and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by blood and milk PMNL were analyzed by flow cytometry. Phagocytosis, by both blood and milk PMNL, did not differ between S. aureus and NAS as a group, although within-NAS species differences were observed. Staphylococcus chromogenes (a so-called milk-adapted NAS species) better resisted phagocytosis by blood PMNL than the so-called environmental (i.e., Staphylococcus fleurettii) and opportunistic (i.e., Staphylococcus haemolyticus) NAS species. Otherwise, S. haemolyticus was better phagocytosed by blood PMNL than S. aureus, S. fleurettii, and S. chromogenes. No influence of the origin of the isolates within the staphylococci species in the resistance to phagocytosis by blood and milk PMNL was found. Overall, both S. aureus and NAS did not inhibit intracellular ROS production in blood and milk PMNL. Non-aureus staphylococci induced fewer ROS by milk PMNL than S. aureus, which was not true for blood PMNL, although species-specific differences in the intensity of ROS production were observed. Staphylococcus chromogenes induced more blood PMNL ROS than S. fleurettii and S. haemolyticus, and as much as S. aureus. Conversely, S. chromogenes induced fewer milk PMNL ROS than S. aureus. The origin of the isolates within the staphylococci species did not affect the ROS production by blood and milk PMNL. In conclusion, our study showed differences in staphylococci species in evading phagocytosis and triggering ROS production, which may explain the ability of some staphylococci species (i.e., S. aureus and S. chromogenes) to cause persistent infection and induce inflammation.

Abstract Background Plasmodium vivax parasites are the predominant cause of malaria infections in the Brazilian Amazon. Infected individuals are treated with primaquine, which can induce haemolytic anaemia in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD)-deficient individuals and may lead to severe and fatal complications. This X-linked disorder is distributed globally and is caused by allelic variants with a geographical distribution that closely reflects populations exposed historically to endemic malaria. In Brazil, few studies have reported the frequency of G6PD deficiency (G6PDd) present in malaria-endemic areas. This is particularly important, as G6PDd screening is not currently performed before primaquine treatment. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of G6PDd in the region of Alto do Juruá, in the Western Brazilian Amazon, an area characterized by a high prevalence of P. vivax infection. Methods Five-hundred and sixteen male volunteers were screened for G6PDd using the fluorescence spot test (Beutler test) and CareStart™ G6PD Biosensor system. Demographic and clinical-epidemiological data were acquired through an individual interview. To assess the genetic basis of G6PDd, 24 SNPs were genotyped using the Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR assay. Results Twenty-three (4.5%) individuals were G6PDd. No association was found between G6PDd and the number of malaria cases. An increased risk of reported haemolysis symptoms and blood transfusions was evident among the G6PDd individuals. Twenty-two individuals had the G6PDd A(−) variant and one the G6PD A(+) variant. The Mediterranean variant was not present. Apart from one polymorphism, almost all SNPs were monomorphic or with low frequencies (0–0.04%). No differences were detected among ethnic groups. Conclusions The data indicates that ~1/23 males from the Alto do Juruá could be G6PD deficient and at risk of haemolytic anaemia if treated with primaquine. G6PD A(−) is the most frequent deficiency allele in this population. These results concur with reported G6PDd in other regions in Brazil. Routine G6PDd screening to personalize primaquine administration should be considered, particularly as complete treatment of patients with vivax malaria using chloroquine and primaquine, is crucial for malaria elimination.

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate stress responses in dog snapper (Lutjanus jocu) during transport by evaluating their hematological and biochemical responses. Twenty-five wild dog snapper specimens were used in the experiment (220 ± 68 g and 24.5 ± 2.5 cm total length). Blood samples were collected prior to transport (control), and fish were placed in two transport boxes, one with anesthetic and one without anesthetic. Immediately after transport and after 24 h, blood was collected from the fish that underwent each treatment (with anesthetic and without anesthetic). Biochemical and hematological results demonstrated the inefficiency of benzocaine as a stress reliever during handling and transport. Biochemical parameters revealed the effects of stress during transport, and after 24 h, glucose levels and hematological parameters (hemoglobin, erythrocytes, leukocytes, neutrophils and MCH) showed a tendency to return to control levels. This study is the first to report stress response measurements of hematological and biochemical indicators in dog snapper, representing an important basis for the planning of future experiments involving the transport and handling of this fish species.