BackgroundCD4+/CD8+ double positive (DP) T cells have been described in healthy individuals as well as in patients with autoimmune and chronic infectious diseases. In chronic viral infections, this cell subset has effector memory phenotype and displays antigen specificity. No previous studies of double positive T cells in parasite infections have been carried out.Methodology/Principal FindingsSeventeen chronic chagasic patients (7 asymptomatic and 10 symptomatic) and 24 non-infected donors, including 12 healthy and 12 with non-chagasic cardiomyopathy donors were analyzed. Peripheral blood was stained for CD3, CD4, CD8, HLA-DR and CD38, and lymphocytes for intracellular perforin. Antigen specificity was assessed using HLA*A2 tetramers loaded with T. cruzi K1 or influenza virus epitopes. Surface expression of CD107 and intracellular IFN-γ production were determined in K1-specific DP T cells from 11 chagasic donors. Heart tissue from a chronic chagasic patient was stained for both CD8 and CD4 by immunochemistry. Chagasic patients showed higher frequencies of DP T cells (2.1%±0.9) compared with healthy (1.1%±0.5) and non-chagasic cardiomyopathy (1.2%±0.4) donors. DP T cells from Chagasic patients also expressed more HLA-DR, CD38 and perforin and had higher frequencies of T. cruzi K1-specific cells. IFN-γ production in K1-specific cells was higher in asymptomatic patients after polyclonal stimulation, while these cells tended to degranulate more in symptomatic donors. Immunochemistry revealed that double positive T cells infiltrate the cardiac tissue of a chagasic donor.ConclusionsChagasic patients have higher percentages of circulating double positive T cells expressing activation markers, potential effector molecules and greater class I antigenic specificity against T. cruzi. Although K1 tetramer positive DP T cell produced little IFN-γ, they displayed degranulation activity that was increased in symptomatic patients. Moreover, K1-specific DP T cells can migrate to the heart tissue.

SummaryEpstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a persistent virus with oncogenic capacity that has been implicated in the development of aggressive B cell lymphomas, primarily in immunosuppressed individuals, although it can be present in immunocompetent individuals. Changes in the function and clonal diversity of T lymphocytes might be implied by viral persistence and lymphoma development. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the frequency, phenotype, function and clonotypical distribution of EBV-specific T cells after peripheral blood stimulation with a virus lysate in newly diagnosed patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) aged more than 50 years without prior histories of clinical immunosuppression compared with healthy controls. Our results showed impaired EBV-specific immune responses among DLBCL patients that were associated primarily with decreased numbers of central and effector memory CD8 1 T lymphocytes. In contrast to healthy controls, only a minority of the patients showed CD4

La presente investigación tuvo como objetivo caracterizar el bullying y la relación entre redes de apoyo social y funcionamiento familiar percibido por los adolescentes de una institución educativa. Se propuso un diseño no experimental de tipo descriptivo-correlacional con el que se recogieron datos exclusivamente de Floridablanca, Santander. La población estuvo conformada por 304 estudiantes de los grados sextos, novenos y undécimos de una institución educativa pública; las edades oscilaron entre los 10 a 18 años. Como instrumentos se utilizaron tres cuestionarios: el Cuestionario Paredes Lega y Vernon, (2006) para detección del bullying, el APGAR Familiar para medir el funcionamiento familiar, y el Cuestionario MOS de apoyo social. El análisis de la información se trabajó con el programa estadístico SPSS 17.0. Los resultados evidencian que en la institución educativa se presentan conductas asociadas al fenómeno de bullying (agresión, exclusión, intimidación), el 30,5 % de todos los estudiantes admitió que alguna vez ha agredido de diferentes formas a un compañero o compañera ridiculizándolo, golpeándolo, excluyéndolo o por medio de la amenaza, siendo la más repetitiva la ridiculización con un 44,5 %, los resultados demostraron la presencia de bullying en el 22,8% de los estudiantes evaluados. Finalmente, se concluye en la investigación, la importancia de fortalecer las redes de apoyo dentro del contexto escolar, ya que no está cumpliendo la función de brindar apoyo hacia los jóvenes que presentan estos comportamientos, específicamente los que son agredidos, lo que demuestra la necesidad de hacer más partícipes a los docentes, familiares y pares, en las dinámicas que se gestan al interior de la institución educativa que apunten a la construcción de redes de apoyo sólidas en los estudiantes.

Objective. To describe the relationship between socio demographic and clinical variables and perceived social support and coping strategies in a sample of patients with cancer. Method. A transversal research quantitative approach was applied, in which 82 patients were evaluated; subjects were selected by non-probability sampling, socio demographic data were collected through a questionnaire designed for the study. It conducted an analysis of multiple correspondences. Results. It was found that medical and socio demographic variables are strongly correlated with the scores on the questionnaires, and the same trends were found in the sample evaluated, the data was grouped according to certain socio demographic and clinical characteristics. Conclusion. Clinical and socio demographic variables are correlated with the perception of social support and coping strategies in patients with cancer. The importance of taking into account the socio demographic and clinical variables in their relationship with social support and coping strategies for designing psychological intervention programs in cancer patients is discussed.Keywords. Social support, coping strategies, cancer, socio demographic variables, prognosis. Relação do apoio social, estratégias de afrontamento, fatores clínicos e sócio-demográficos em pacientes oncológicos ResumoEscopo. e clínicas, o apoio social percebido e as estratégias de afrontamento numa amostra de pacientes com câncer. Metodologia. Pesquisa transversal de enfoque quantitativo, na que foram avaliados 82 pacientes com diagnóstico de câncer, selecionados por amostragem não probabilística, a conveniência. Como instrumentos foram utilizados a Escada de Estratégia de foram recoltados com um questionário desenhado para o estudo. Foi feita uma análise de correspondências múltiplas. Resultados relacionadas com as pontuações dos questionários. Uma tendência particular na amostra foi que os dados e clínicas. Conclusão. As variáveis sócio-e clínicas estão relacionadas com a percepção do apoio social e as estratégias de afrontamento em pacientes com câncer, sendo crítica esta informação para o desenho de programas de intervenção psicológica em pacientes oncológicos. Palavras-chave.