, Sérgio Teixeira da Fonseca 9RESUMO -Objetivo: Comparar o desenvolvimento da função motora de crianças nascidas pré-termo com crianças nascidas a termo, aos 8 e 12 meses de idade. Investigar a relação entre a qualidade motora aos 8 meses e a habilidade motora aos 12 meses. Método: Trinta e duas crianças participaram deste estudo: 16 nascidas pré-termo (grupo de risco) e 16 nascidas a termo (grupo controle). A movimentação espontânea das crianças foi avaliada aos 8 meses e as habilidades e independência em mobilidade foram avaliadas aos 12 meses de idade (idades corrigidas para grupo pré-termo), utilizando-se testes infantis padronizados (AIMS e PEDI, respectivamente). Os dados foram analisados através dos textes t de Student para grupos independentes (comparação entre grupos) e de correlação de Pearson (comparação intra grupo). Resultados: Não foi evidenciada diferença significativa na comparação de crianças nascidas a termo com as pré-termo nem aos 8 nem aos 12 meses de idade. No grupo controle, foi observada relação significativa (r=0,67; p=0,004) entre movimentação aos 8 meses e habilidade de mobilidade aos 12 meses. No grupo de risco, houve relação significativa entre habilidade e independência em mobilidade aos 12 meses de idade corrigida (r=0,80; p=0,0001). Conclusão: Na ausência de outros distúrbios e com correção da idade em pré-termos, o desenvolvimento motor pode ser semelhante ao de crianças nascidas a termo. A forma pela qual as crianças nascidas pré-termo adquirem suas habilidades funcionais parece ocorrer de modo diferente da observada em crianças a termo. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: prematuro, desenvolvimento infantil, atividade motora. Study of motor function at 8 and 12 months of age in preterm and at term children ABSTRACT -Objective:To compare the development of motor function in children born preterm with those born at term, at 8 and 12 months of age. To investigate the relation of motor function quality at the age of 8 months with motor ability at 12 months. Method: Thirty-two children participated in this study: 16 were born preterm (risk group) and 16 were born at term (control group). The spontaneous movements of the children were assessed at 8 months and their mobility skills and independence were assessed at 12 months (corrected ages for the preterm group), using standardized developmental tests (AIMS and PEDI, respectively). Data were analysed using independent t-tests (between-group comparison) and Pearson correlation coefficients (within-group comparison). Results: There was no significant difference in motor function, between those born preterm with those born at term, either at 8 or at 12 months of age. In the control group, there was significant association (r=0.67; p=0.004) between movement at 8 months and mobility skills at 12 months. In the risk group, there was significant relationship between skills and independence in mobility, at 12 months corrected age (r=0.80; p=0.0001). Conclusion: Preterm born children, without other disorders and with age correction, might show a similar motor de...

Trypanosoma cruzi is a protozoan parasite that comprises different phylogenetic groups and is the causative agent of Chagas’ disease. Different T. cruzi strains present differences in infectivity in in vitro and in vivo experimental models, which are likely related to the expression of different virulence factors. Amastin is a surface glycoprotein abundantly expressed on the intracellular mammalian amastigote form of the parasite. In this study, we showed that a highly infective strain (G strain) of extracellular amastigote (EA) invasive forms expressed reduced RNA levels of amastin compared to a less infective strain (CL). The treatment of HeLa cells with recombinant δ-amastin reduced infectivity of EA forms. However, the ectopic expression of δ-amastin accelerated amastigote differentiation into trypomastigotes. Corroborating the virulence behavior in association with amastin expression, the EAs overexpressing amastin were precociously and robustly observed in the liver of susceptible mouse strains (A/JUnib), whereas parasitemia was never detected in in vivo assays. This is the first report on the regulatory role of amastin in the course of both in vitro and in vivo T. cruzi infection.

Both T cells and B cells have been shown to be generated after infection with SARS-CoV-2 yet protocols or experimental models to study one or the other are less common. Here, we generate a chimeric protein (SpiN) that comprises the receptor binding domain (RBD) from Spike (S) and the nucleocapsid (N) antigens from SARS-CoV-2. Memory CD4+ and CD8+ T cells specific for SpiN could be detected in the blood of both individuals vaccinated with Coronavac SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and COVID-19 convalescent donors. In mice, SpiN elicited a strong IFN-γ response by T cells and high levels of antibodies to the inactivated virus, but not detectable neutralizing antibodies (nAbs). Importantly, immunization of Syrian hamsters and the human Angiotensin Convertase Enzyme-2-transgenic (K18-ACE-2) mice with Poly ICLC-adjuvanted SpiN promotes robust resistance to the wild type SARS-CoV-2, as indicated by viral load, lung inflammation, clinical outcome and reduction of lethality. The protection induced by SpiN was ablated by depletion of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and not transferred by antibodies from vaccinated mice. Finally, vaccination with SpiN also protects the K18-ACE-2 mice against infection with Delta and Omicron SARS-CoV-2 isolates. Hence, vaccine formulations that elicit effector T cells specific for the N and RBD proteins may be used to improve COVID-19 vaccines and potentially circumvent the immune escape by variants of concern.

Evaluation of different phosphorus sources in the diet on ruminal parameters, microbial synthesis, nutrient apparent digestibility and plasma phosphorus in cattle ABSTRACT -This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of different phosphorus sources, in diets of growing cattle, on apparent partial and total nutrient digestibility; ruminal parameters; microbial efficiency synthesis and plasma phosphorus. Four Holstein steers weighting 280 kg and implanted with ruminal and duodenal cannulas were used. The experimental design was a 4 × 4 Latin Square and treatments were four supplemental phosphorus sources in the diet as follows:dicalcium phosphate (DP), supertriple phosphate (SP), monoammonium phosphate (MP) and Araxa rock phosphate (ARP).Phosphorus sources did not affect intake, fecal flow, apparent ruminal and intestinal digestibility of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and non fiber carbohydrates (NFC). There was a lower phosphorus apparent absorption for ARP, differing of DP and MP. Animals receiving ARP showed higher intake, fecal flow, duodenal flow, ruminal disappearance and total disappearance for fluoride. Animals receiving ARP presented fluoride levels higher than those acceptable to avoid toxicity. Phosphorus sources did not affect plasma phosphorus, nitrogen intake, microbial efficiency synthesis and ruminal bacteria composition. Treatments did not affect ruminal pH and ruminal ammonia concentration. These results show a possible use for supertriple phosphate and monoammonium phosphate to replace dicalcium phosphate.

The current COVID-19 vaccines protect against severe disease, but are not effective in controlling replication of the Variants of Concern (VOCs). Here, we used the existing pre-clinical models of severe and moderate COVID-19 to evaluate the efficacy of a Spike-based DNA vaccine (pCTV-WS) for protection against different VOCs. Immunization of transgenic (K18-hACE2) mice and hamsters induced significant levels of neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) to Wuhan and Delta isolates, but not to the Gamma and Omicron variants. Nevertheless, the pCTV-WS vaccine offered significant protection to all VOCs. Consistently, protection against lung pathology and viral load to Wuhan or Delta was mediated by nAbs, whereas in the absence of nAbs, T cells controlled viral replication, disease and lethality in mice infected with either the Gamma or Omicron variants. Hence, considering the conserved nature of CD4 and CD8 T cell epitopes, we corroborate the hypothesis that induction of effector T-cells should be a main goal for new vaccines against the emergent SARS-CoV-2 VOCs.

The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of genes encoding enzymes and other factors involved with carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in the liver of 2 genetic groups of dairy cows during the transition period. We analyzed the expression of glucose-6-phosphatase (G6PC), cytosolic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK-C), methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (MUT), β-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase-2 (BDH2), acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), carnitine palmitoyltransferase-2 (CPT2), 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGCR), glucose transporter-2 (SLC2A2), and the transcription factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARA). Blood concentrations of glucose, nonesterified fatty acids, and β-hydroxybutyrate were also determined. Liver biopsies and blood samples were taken at d 15 prepartum and at d 6, 21, 36, 51, and 66 postpartum from Holsteins (n = 6) and F Holstein-Gir (n = 6) cows. Cows were kept under the same prepartum and postpartum management conditions. The results showed that the expression of G6PC, PEPCK-C, BDH2, ACC, CPT2, HMGCR, SLC2A2, and PPARA genes did not differ between genetic groups. Except for PEPCK-C, no interaction between genetic groups and the experimental period was observed. Within both groups of cows, G6PC and PEPCK-C gene expression decreased when comparing prepartum gene expression with 21 and 36 DIM, and increased in d 51 postpartum. MUT mRNA levels differed between the 2 genetic groups and displayed a significant increase after d 36 postpartum, whereas mRNA levels of HMGCR tended to increase when comparing d 21 and 36 to d 51 postpartum. Glucose concentrations also differed between genetic groups, being significantly higher in the plasma of F Holstein-Gir cows than in Holstein cows, but no differences were found within each group during the analysis period. β-Hydroxybutyrate and nonesterified fatty acid concentrations did not differ between genetic groups, but displayed increased levels from prepartum to d 6 and 21 postpartum. Our results indicated that expression in the liver of genes involved with glucose and fatty acid metabolism were similar in both groups of cows and significant differences were observed between the 2 groups in the expression of MUT, a gene involved in propionate metabolism.

This study of 52 Swiss patients with Hodgkin's disease (HD), including 17 cases with a high content of Sternberg-Reed (SR) and Hodgkin (H) cells, was performed to determine the percentage of cases harboring Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA and/or clonal rearrangements of Ig and T- cell antigen receptor (TcR) genes in diagnostic lymph node biopsies. Special attention was drawn to the heavily infiltrated cases to detect a possible relationship between clonality and EBV DNA identification. EBV DNA was detected by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using three different sets of specific primers. The viral origin of the amplification products was confirmed by hybridization with a radiolabeled internal probe or demonstration of a specific Sma I restriction site. Genomic rearrangement of Ig and TcR genes was studied by Southern blot analysis. EBV DNA was identified by PCR in 38 of 48 cases (79%). Clonal rearrangements were identified in only 4 of 52 cases (Ig genes) and were independent of the degree of infiltration by SR cells and the presence of EBV DNA. The absence of EBV DNA in three cases with numerous SR cells (only one of them showed clonal rearrangement) and the presence of only a few viral copies in four further cases with numerous SR cells (semiquantitative analysis of viral DNA by PCR was performed in 26 EBV-positive cases) suggests that this virus is modulating rather than an etiologic agent in a considerable proportion of HD cases.

This study of 52 Swiss patients with Hodgkin's disease (HD), including 17 cases with a high content of Sternberg-Reed (SR) and Hodgkin (H) cells, was performed to determine the percentage of cases harboring Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA and/or clonal rearrangements of Ig and T- cell antigen receptor (TcR) genes in diagnostic lymph node biopsies. Special attention was drawn to the heavily infiltrated cases to detect a possible relationship between clonality and EBV DNA identification. EBV DNA was detected by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using three different sets of specific primers. The viral origin of the amplification products was confirmed by hybridization with a radiolabeled internal probe or demonstration of a specific Sma I restriction site. Genomic rearrangement of Ig and TcR genes was studied by Southern blot analysis. EBV DNA was identified by PCR in 38 of 48 cases (79%). Clonal rearrangements were identified in only 4 of 52 cases (Ig genes) and were independent of the degree of infiltration by SR cells and the presence of EBV DNA. The absence of EBV DNA in three cases with numerous SR cells (only one of them showed clonal rearrangement) and the presence of only a few viral copies in four further cases with numerous SR cells (semiquantitative analysis of viral DNA by PCR was performed in 26 EBV-positive cases) suggests that this virus is modulating rather than an etiologic agent in a considerable proportion of HD cases.