BackgroundHuman papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) diverges geographically. The reliability of using p16INK4a expression as a marker of viral infection is controversial in HNSCC. We evaluated HPV types and HPV-16 variants prevalence, and p16INK4a expression in HNSCC specimens provided by two different Institutions in São Paulo.MethodsHPV DNA from formalin-fixed specimens was accessed by Inno-LiPA, HPV-16 variants by PCR-sequencing, and p16INK4a protein levels by immunohistochemistry.ResultsOverall, HPV DNA was detected among 19.4 % of the specimens (36/186). Viral prevalence was higher in the oral cavity (25.0 %, 23/92) then in other anatomical sites (oropharynx 14,3 %, larynx 13.7 %) when samples from both Institutions were analyzed together. HPV prevalence was also higher in the oral cavity when samples from both Institutions were analyzed separately. HPV-16 was the most prevalent type identified in 69.5 % of the HPV positive smaples and specimens were assigned into Asian-American (57.2 %) or European (42.8 %) phylogenetic branches. High expression of p16INK4a was more common among HPV positive tumors.ConclusionOur results support a role for HPV-16 in a subset of HNSCC.

Amorphous/nanocrystalline silicon pi′ii′n devices fabricated on micromachined glass substrates are integrated with oligonucleotide-derivatized gold nanoparticles for a colorimetric detection method. The method enables the specific detection and quantification of unamplified nucleic acid sequences (DNA and RNA) without the need to functionalize the glass surface, allowing for resolution of single nucleotide differences between DNA and RNA sequences—single nucleotide polymorphism and mutation detection. The detector’s substrate is glass and the sample is directly applied on the back side of the biosensor, ensuring a direct optical coupling of the assays with a concomitant maximum photon capture and the possibility to reuse the sensor.

Knowledge of HPV by the population evaluated in this study is partial and fragmented. Lack of knowledge may contribute to the further spread of the disease. Public health policies for education and guidance of the population should be implemented in Brazil.

The collagen concentration in the samples where the fibrin sealant was applied was significantly higher compared to samples without glue. Thus, the presence of a fibrin sealant stimulates fibrogenesis in this tissue.

The growing concern with the amount of plastic materials found in the oceans makes it necessary to develop biodegradable materials that have low toxicity to marine animals and humans, but at the same time are resistant to the actions of microorganisms such as fungi or bacteria. On the other hand, agricultural waste rich in inorganic materials (such as silica) is often discarded, while it could be reused as a source of raw material. Considering these points, sodium silicate solution extracted from sugarcane waste ash was utilized to prepare biodegradable bioplastics based on corn starch and potato starch. The starch-based bioplastics were produced by casting and characterized by several physical-chemical techniques evaluating tensile strength, elongation at break, color analyses, transparency, opacity, moisture, and biodegradation assay. Bioplastics prepared with corn starch presented better physical, mechanical, and thermal properties and optical quality than bioplastics based on potato starch. The samples called CS3 and PS3, with 5.0% glycerol, were the most resistant to tensile strengths of 0.73 and 0.36 MPa, respectively. On the other hand, the highest elongation at break values were found for the samples with 7.5% glycerol (CS9, 52.90% and PS9, 49.33%). Corn starch-based bioplastics were more thermally resistant (CS3, 152.86 °C and CS9, 135.20 °C) when compared to potato starch-based bioplastics (PS3, 140.39 °C and PS9, 127.57 °C). In general, the addition of sodium silicate solution improved the mechanical and thermal properties of both types of bioplastics. The potato starch-based bioplastics were biodegraded in 5 days, while those made from corn starch took almost 40 days. The inclusion of sodium silicate inhibited fungal growth for both corn starch and potato starch bioplastics. The results suggest that sodium silicate solution obtained from renewable sources can be incorporated into starch-based bioplastics for production of biodegradable packaging with antifungal activity.

The diagnostic and treatment of verrucous lesions of the larynx involves a high level of suspicion by the physician attending the patient. The causes may go from unspecific laryngitis to neoplasia and granulomatous diseases. This kind of lesion is uncommon and the presentation aspects may vary broadly. The lesions in larynx are significant source of morbidity. The onset of symptoms is insidious and the diagnosis is usually delayed. Symptoms include dysphonia, dyspnea, dysphagia and odynophagia. Proper treatment depends upon tissue biopsy, identification of the causative organism, and the appropriate pharmacotherapy. As there are few papers presenting the clinical features of infectious granulomatous laryngitis (IGL) as leishmaniasis, tuberculosis and paracoccidiodomycosis affecting the larynx, we considered important to show the experience of a big Brazilian Laryngology Service in dealing with this potential worldwide problem. We present a retrospective chart review showing our institution's experience with IGL focusing in the diagnostic, treatment and prognosis aspects. Twenty-four patients were identified. Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Paracoccidiodis brasiliensis accounted for ten cases each, and Leishmania braziliensis the remaining four. Hoarseness was the most common symptom of infection. Up to one-third of patients with laryngeal involvement lacked laryngeal symptoms. The average delay from onset of symptoms to diagnosis was 7 months. All patients underwent direct laryngoscopy and biopsies. Caseating granulomas was the key histopathologic finding. Identification of the causative organism was uncommon. No evidence of concomitant malignancy was seen on biopsy. Despite treatment, almost 40% of patients had permanent sequelae of infection, including hoarseness, dyspnea, and dysphagia. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, P. brasiliensis, and L. braziliensis accounted for all cases of IGL. Patients may have laryngeal infection but lack laryngeal symptoms. Prompt diagnosis relies upon a high index of suspicion, especially when evaluating patients from endemic areas. Given the degree of tissue destruction, which accompanies infection, timely intervention may be important in the prevention of late sequelae. Despite appropriate therapy, a significant number of patients may have permanent sequelae of infection.

Seven acidophilic actinobacteria isolated from humus and mineral layers of a spruce forest soil were examined using a polyphasic approach. Chemotaxonomic properties of the isolates were found to be consistent with their classification in the genus Actinospica. The strains formed a distinct phyletic line in the Actinospica 16S rRNA gene tree being most closely related to Actinospica robiniae DSM 44927T (98.7–99.3 % similarity). DNA:DNA relatedness between isolate CSCA57T and the type strain of A. robiniae was found to be low at 40.8 (±6.6) %. The isolates were shown to have many phenotypic properties in common and were distinguished readily from the type strains of Actinospica acidiphila and A. robiniae using a range of phenotypic features. On the basis of these data the seven isolates were considered to represent a new species for which the name Actinospica durhamensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of the species is CSCA 57T (=DSM 46820T = NCIMB 14953T).Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10482-015-0496-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Tropical diseases like Chikungunya and Zika have come to prominence in recent years as the cause of serious, long-lasting, populationwide health problems. In large countries like Brasil, traditional disease prevention programs led by health authorities have not been particularly effective. We explore the hypothesis that monitoring and analysis of social media content streams may effectively complement such efforts. Specifically, we aim to identify selected members of the public who are likely to be sensitive to virus combat initiatives that are organised in local communities. Focusing on Twitter and on the topic of Zika, our approach involves (i) training a classifier to select topic-relevant tweets from the Twitter feed, and (ii) discovering the top users who are actively posting relevant content about the topic. We may then recommend these users as the prime candidates for direct engagement within their community. In this short paper we describe our analytical approach and prototype architecture, discuss the challenges of dealing with noisy and sparse signal, and present encouraging preliminary results.