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Brazil is one of the countries that experienced an epidemic of microcephaly and other congenital manifestations related to maternal Zika virus infection which can result in Congenital Zika Syndrome (CZS). Since the Zika virus can modulate the immune system, studying mothers’ and children’s immune profiles become essential to better understanding CZS development. Therefore, we investigated the lymphocyte population profile of children who developed CZS and their mothers’ immune response in this study. The study groups were formed from the Plaque Reduction Neutralization Test (PRNT) (CZS+ group) result. To evaluate the lymphocyte population profile, we performed phenotyping of peripheral lymphocytes and quantification of serum cytokine levels. The immunophenotyping and cytokine profile was correlated between CSZ+ children and their mothers. Both groups exhibited increased interleukin-17 levels and a reduction in the subpopulation of CD4+ T lymphocytes. In contrast, the maternal group showed a reduction in the population of B lymphocytes. Thus, the development of CZS is related to the presence of an inflammatory immune profile in children and their mothers characterized by Th17 activation.

Introduction. Primitive malignant heart tumours are rare, specific cases. The presence of cardiac metastases, often in the pericardium, besides indicating disseminated oncological disease, represents a diagnostic challenge since they tend to be asymptomatic. Malignant cutaneous melanoma (MCM) is the neoplasm that most often affects the heart. Patients and Methods. The authors describe a case report of a 59-year-old female patient with a history of non-insulin-treated diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia, and remitting cutaneous malignant melanoma who underwent skin excision, lymphadenectomy, and adjuvant chemotherapy in 1996. In April 2014, she resorted to emergency service due to epigastric pain and progressive tiredness. Due to the persistence of the complaints, abdominal ultrasound was performed, which showed a large pericardial effusion, corroborated later by teleradiography and echocardiography. The patient underwent pericardiocentesis, which isolated neoplastic cells. A computed tomography study of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis revealed bilateral and pericardial pleural effusion, as well as alterations suggestive of pericardial and pulmonary metastasis. Later, fine-needle aspiration puncture of the left posterior cervical nodule confirmed histologically malignant melanoma metastasis. Discussion. Given the natural history of melanoma that when metastasized has an overall survival of 15–20% for 5 years, its metastatic spread may occur several years after its surgical excision. Thus, patients with a history of melanoma and heart failure who develop new cardiac symptoms of unknown aetiology should undergo imaging studies such as echocardiography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging.

Background. Iatrogenic agranulocytosis (IA), by nonchemotherapeutic drugs, is a rare adverse event, resulting in a neutrophil count under 0.5 × 109 cells/L with fever or other suggestive signs of infection. Methods. This paper discusses the possible mechanisms responsible for agranulocytosis induced by nonchemotherapeutic drugs. It also describes three cases as well as potential ways to handle such iatrogenic situations. Conclusion. Neutropenia under 0.1 × 109 cells/L predispose patients to potentially fatal infections. Empiric broad-spectrum antibiotic and hematopoietic growth factors may be helpful in shortening hospitalization and prevent further infectious complications. Not all drugs associated with IA require frequent hematological monitoring, except medications such as clozapine, ticlopidine, and antithyroids.

We describe a rare presentation of acute pyelonephritis associated with a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. A 68-year-old female presented to the emergency department with a 3 day history of cystitis. General examination revealed the acute onset of pain in the left flank accompanied by fever and chills. Blood tests revealed leucocytosis 25,400×109/L and C-reactive protein 495 mg/L (400 mg/L in order to exclude complications and other potentially fatal pathologies. LEARNING POINTS Acute pyelonephritis can lead to a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. There should be a high index of suspicion for other concomitant acute pathologies in patients with pyelonephritis and a C-reactive protein >400 mg/L. A low threshold for abdominal imaging, either a computed tomography scan or abdominal ultrasound, may allow for the diagnosis of pathologies with a high mortality rate, such as a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, at an early stage and thus result in better prognosis.

We have measured the kinetic energy distributions for the mutual neutralization of a large ensemble of atomic anions and cations. Ions are accelerated to equal velocities in a merged beam setup, enabling measurements at collision energies as low as 5 meV. Three-dimensional momentum imaging is performed with two position sensitive detectors located several meters downstream from the few centimeter long region where the beams overlap. An unprecedented resolution in the kinetic energy release (KER) spectra allows us to identify the states of both reactants and products down to their fine structure. Knowing the angular distribution of the products in the laboratory and center-of-mass frame, allows for total, partial, and differential cross sections to be retrieved., SCOPUS: cp.p, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Introduction: The authors describe a rare presentation of central nervous system cryptococcosis in an immunocompromised patient. Case description: An HIV-positive patient, with poor adherence to the treatment, presented with a seventeen days history of severe headache. On the neurological exam there was only evidence of neck stiffness, he had a CD4 count of 23 cells/μl and plasma HIV RNA viral loads of 364,000 copies/ml. Lumbar puncture revealed positive for cryptococcal antigen virus and so treatment with amphotericin B was started. During his admission the patient developed an expressive aphasia with visual hallucinations and the brain MRI revealed cerebral cryptococcomas. After 98 days of treatment general and neurological examination was normal and the patient was discharged home. Conclusion: This case highlights a rare and severe complication of Cryptococcus neoformans infection in immunocompromised patients.

Objective Climacterium is associated with elevated leptin levels and increased risk of cardiovascular disorders. Conflicting data diverge on whether high leptin levels in climacterium reflect increasing adipose mass or, at least partially, age-related hormonal changes. This study addresses this issue in women from a Brazilian state with a low human development index. Subjects and methods A case-control study was conducted, enrolling 136 women from the state of Maranhão, 52 (38.2%) climacteric and 84 (61.8%) non-climacteric. Biometric, biochemical, hormonal and immunological parameters were analyzed. Results Climacteric women showed a moderately increased waist/hip ratio (0.894 versus 0.834, p < 0.05), sustained body mass index (27.46 versus 28.68, p > 0.05) increased leptin levels (9.59 versus 7.13, p < 0.05) and no evidence of metabolic syndrome. No other parameters were altered. The climacteric cohort didn’t show significant body fat gains but displayed a typical age-related redistribution of adipose tissue. Even so, leptin levels were significantly elevated compared with non-climacteric women. Conclusions Altogether, these data support the hypothesis that leptin is elevated, at least partially, as a function of age and climacterium and is not necessarily correlated with metabolic dysfunction and systemic inflammation. Further studies are needed to evaluate the impact of higher leptin levels on postmenopausal women. Arch Endocrinol Metab. 2020;64(3):276-81

Evidence points to a possible role of tubular sodium reabsorption in worsening renal injury. Proximal tubule (PT) albumin overload is a critical process in the development of tubule-interstitial injury (TII), and consequently in progression of renal disease. We studied the possible correlation between changes in albumin concentration in the lumen of PT with modification of Na

The transport of myo-inositol is the main mechanism for the maintenance of its high intracellular levels. We aimed to measure the mRNA and protein levels of myo-inositol cotransporters in the sciatic nerve (SN) and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) during experimental diabetes. Streptozotocin-induced (STZ; 4, 8, and 12 weeks; 65 mg/kg; ip) diabetic rats (DB) and age-matched euglycemic (E) rats were used for the analysis of mRNA and protein levels of sodium myo-inositol cotransporters 1, 2 (SMIT1, SMIT2) or H+/myo-inositol cotransporter (HMIT). There was a significant reduction in the mRNA levels for SMIT1 in the SN and DRG (by 36.9 and 31.0%) in the 4-week DB (DB4) group compared to the E group. SMIT2 was not expressed in SN. The mRNA level for SMIT2 was up-regulated only in the DRG in the DB4 group. On the other hand, the protein level of SMIT1 decreased by 42.5, 41.3, and 44.8% in the SN after 4, 8, and 12 weeks of diabetes, respectively. In addition, there was a decrease of 64.3 and 58.0% of HMIT in membrane and cytosolic fractions, respectively, in the SN of the DB4 group. In the DRG, there was an increase of 230 and 86.3% for SMIT1 and HMIT, respectively, in the DB12 group. The levels of the main inositol transporters, SMIT1 and HMIT, were greatly reduced in the SN but not in the DRG. SMIT-1 was selectively reduced in the sciatic nerve during experimental STZ-induced diabetes.

To describe an unusual presentation of a primary lymphoma of the central nervous system in a patient who, four months prior to admission, was diagnosed with herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO). Case description: A 68-year-old man, with a history of HZO, was admitted to the emergency department with nausea and vomiting that had persisted over the previous two weeks. Neurological evaluation showed right ptosis, divergent strabismus and anisocoria. Blood tests showed high c-reactive protein, while serology was negative for human immunodeficiency virus. A brain CT scan revealed three round lesions, slightly hyperdense, periventricular in the occipital and frontal regions, which biopsy revealed to be a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The patient started chemotherapy but progression to death was inevitable. Conclusion: The authors describe an unusual presentation of primary lymphoma of the central nervous system and urge physicians to be aware of this presentation in order to avoid misdiagnosis. CASE DESCRIPTION A 68-year-old Caucasian male was asymptomatic until two weeks before admission to the emergency department, when he developed nausea and vomiting, which persisted despite antiemetic medication. Other than a diagnosis of right-sided herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO), four months before admission, and type 2 diabetes, his past medical history was unremarkable. General examination on admission was normal but neurological examination revealed right ptosis, divergent strabismus and anisocoria. Blood tests revealed normocytic normochromia anaemia with Hb 10.2, VGM 86 fl, leucocytes 5,100×109/l, thrombocytopenia with a platelet count of 91,000×109/l and a C-reactive protein level of 61.5 mg/l (normal

Attallea speciosa Mart. (babassu) fruit contains a mesocarp that is rich in carbohydrates with immunomodulatory effects. The induction of the tolerogenic response is a tumor escape mechanism, and immunomodulator adjuvants have been studied to reestablish host immunogenicity. This study evaluates the adjuvant potential of babassu mesocarp carbohydrates in a tumor model. The babassu mesocarp extraction (BME) yield was 75.54%, and the total sugar concentration was 29.79 mg ml-1 containing monosaccharides, reducing sugars, polysaccharides and 0.506 mg ml-1 total protein. Chromatography analysis identified glucose, sucrose and fructose. Sensitization increased the spleen weight in the tumor group compared with the control, and a comparatively lower frequency of T helper and higher frequency of B-lymphocytes was also observed. The tumor+BME group had more cytotoxic T lymphocytes compared with the control. After co-culture with cancer cells, the tumor splenocytes showed lower proliferation, lower frequency of T helper cells and higher concentrations of interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6 and IL-10. However, the tumor+BME splenocytes presented results similar to the control, suggesting a reduction in the regulatory response of the tumor group. These results demonstrated that BME sensitization with cancer cells modulated an immune response in Balb/c animals, indicating an immunogenic effect. Key words: Arecaceae, Attallea speciosa Mart., adjuvant, carbohydrate, antitumor.

We studied the mechanisms involved in the human corpora cavernosa (HCC) relaxation induced by a new metal-based nitric oxide (NO) donor, the ruthenium complex cis-[Ru(bpy)2Imn(NO)](+3) (FOR0811). FOR0811 produced relaxation in phenylephrine (PE)-precontracted HCC with a maximal response that achieved 112.9 ± 10.6%. There was no difference between the maximal relaxation induced by FOR0811 when compared with sodium nitroprusside (SNP) (106.8 ± 7.3%), BAY41-2272 (107.6 ± 4.1%) or vardenafil (103.4 ± 3.8%), however, FOR0811 was less potent than SNP and vardenafil. L-N(G)-nitroarginine methyl ester (L-NAME), a NO synthase inhibitor, had no effect in the concentration-response curve elicited by FOR0811. 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ), a heme-site inhibitor of soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) was able to either block or reverse the relaxation induced by FOR0811. On the other hand, the relaxation induced by FOR0811 was not affected by glibenclamide, a blocker of ATP-sensitive potassium channels. FOR0811 (10 μM) was able to increase cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) levels in corpora cavernosa strips. FOR0811 completely relaxes HCC by a sGC-cGMP-dependent mechanism and can be a lead compound in the development of new stable NO donors.

We have measured the spontaneous neutral particle emission from copper-cluster anions (${\mathrm{Cu}}_{n}{}^{\ensuremath{-}}, n=3--6$) stored at cryogenic temperatures in one of the electrostatic ion storage rings of the Double ElectroStatic Ion Ring ExpEriment facility at Stockholm University. The measured rate of emission from the stored ${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}{}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ ions follows a single power-law decay for about 1 ms but then decreases much more rapidly with time. The latter behavior may be due to a decrease in the density of available final states in ${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$ as the excitation energies of the decaying ions approach the electron detachment threshold. The emissions from ${\mathrm{Cu}}_{4}{}^{\ensuremath{-}}, {\mathrm{Cu}}_{5}{}^{\ensuremath{-}}$, and ${\mathrm{Cu}}_{6}{}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ are well described by sums of two power laws that are quenched by radiative cooling of the stored ions with characteristic times between a few and hundreds of milliseconds. We relate these two-component behaviors to populations of stored ions with higher and lower angular momenta. In a separate experiment, we studied the laser-induced decay of ${\mathrm{Cu}}_{6}{}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ ions that were excited by 1.13- or 1.45-eV photons after 46 ms of storage.

The intrinsic radiative lifetimes of the $5{d}^{10}6{s}^{}^{2}S_{1/2}$ and $5{d}^{9}6{s}^{2} ^{2}D_{3/2}$ bound excited states in the platinum anion ${\text{Pt}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ have been studied at cryogenic temperatures at the Double ElectroStatic Ion Ring Experiment (DESIREE) facility at Stockholm University. The intrinsic lifetime of the higher-lying $5{d}^{10}6{s}^{} ^{2}S_{1/2}$ state was measured to be $2.54\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.10\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{s}$, while only a lifetime in the range of 50\char21{}200 ms could be estimated for the $5{d}^{9}6{s}^{2} ^{2}D_{3/2}$ fine-structure level. The storage lifetime of the ${\text{Pt}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ ion beam was measured to be a little over 15 min at a ring temperature of $13\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$. The present study reports the lifetime of an atomic negative ion in an excited bound state with an electron configuration different from that of the ground state.

The intrinsic lifetime of the upper level in the bound-bound $3{d}^{9}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}4{s}^{2}$ ${}^{2}{D}_{3/2} \ensuremath{\rightarrow} 3{d}^{9}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}4{s}^{2}$ ${}^{2}{D}_{5/2}$ radiative transition in ${\text{Ni}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ was measured to be $15.1\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.4\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{s}$. The experiment was performed at cryogenic temperatures in one of the ion-beam storage rings of the Double ElectroStatic Ion Ring ExpEriment facility at Stockholm University. The storage lifetime of the ${\text{Ni}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ ion beam was measured to be close to 5 min at a ring temperature of 13 K.

Compounds with dual action on cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) may be a treatment option for erectile dysfunction, as they not only promote penile erection but also prevent the upregulation of phosphodiesterase-5. In this study, we examined the possible relaxant effect and mechanism of 17-nor-subincanadine E (SEC, 0.2-200 µmol l⁻¹), a plant-derived alkaloid, in rabbit corpus cavernosum (RbCC) strips that had been precontracted by exposure to phenylephrine (10 µmol l⁻¹) or a high concentration of K(+) (60 mmol l⁻¹) in vitro. In addition to SEC's effect on cAMP and cGMP levels, electrical field stimulation (EFS) in phenylephrine-precontracted RbCC and calcium chloride (1-100 mmol l⁻¹) evoked responses in depolarized RbCC were analysed. SEC relaxed the phenylephrine-precontracted RbCCs in a concentration-dependent manner. Atropine, guanethidine and N-ω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) did not have any effect on the relaxation of RBCCs. When 1H-(1, 2, 4)oxadiazole[4,3-a] quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ) was added, it effectively blocked the relaxant response of SEC. Although SEC enhanced the maximal relaxation produced by sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and forskolin in phenylephrine-precontracted cavernosal smooth muscle, it caused a decrease in the maximal contractile response induced by calcium chloride in depolarized RbCCs. The relaxant effect of SEC was paralleled by an increase in the tissue levels of the cyclic nucleotides cAMP and cGMP. We conclude that SEC promotes the relaxation of RbCC, possibly favouring cAMP and cGMP accumulation and calcium blockade. This novel mechanism could be useful for patients who do not benefit from phosphodiesterase inhibitors and for those with endothelial and nitrergic dysfunction, such as patients with diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidaemias.

Com o objetivo de verifi car a possibilidade do uso de farinhas extrusadas de trigo e soja para produtos cárneos, lácteos e de panifi cação, foram estudados os efeitos de parâmetros do processo de extrusão na absorção de água (AA) e na absorção de gordura (AG) destas farinhas. As farinhas mistas cruas, com 10 e 20% de soja, foram extrusadas, individualmente, em duas umidades (26 e 29%), cinco temperaturas do canhão (TC; 110, 120, 130, 140 e 150ºC) e quatro velocidades de rotação de parafuso (VRP; taxa de compressão de 3:1; 120, 150, 180 e 210rpm). Os resultados mostraram que a AA e a AG aumentaram, em alguns casos, até certo ponto com o aumento da VRP e TC em duas umidades e duas proporções de soja estudadas. Os valores mais altos da AA e AG foram verifi cados em VRP maiores para as TC mais baixas, porém em VRP menores para as TC mais altas. O aumento de umidade resultou em aumento da AA, mas não afetou tanto a AG. O teor maior de soja resultou em redução de AA e AG. As farinhas de trigo-soja (90:10 e 80:20) extrusadas tiveram AA e AG maiores do que as de trigo crua e de mista crua, indicando a possibilidade de seus usos em produtos cárneos, requeijão cremoso, patê, molho, sopa, “donut†e outros, embora as outras propriedades funcionais, tais como propriedades emulsificantes e propriedades de pasta, devem ser também consideradas.

A recent study of soft X-ray absorption in native and hydrogenated coronene cations, C$_{24}$H$_{12+m}^+$ $m=0-7$, led to the conclusion that additional hydrogen atoms protect (interstellar) Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules from fragmentation [Reitsma et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 053002 (2014)]. The present experiment with collisions between fast (30-200 eV) He atoms and pyrene (C$_{16}$H$_{10+m}^+$, $m=0$, 6, and 16) and simulations without reference to the excitation method suggests the opposite. We find that the absolute carbon-backbone fragmentation cross section does not decrease but increases with the degree of hydrogenation for pyrene molecules., 10 pages, 5 figures

RESUMO – As etapas de processamento do cacau reduzem os compostos fenolicos, ou por difusao, ou por oxidacao. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho consistiu em sintetizar a estrutura de processamento do cacau, maximizando os teores dos compostos fenolicos, atribuindo ao chocolate melhores propriedades antioxidantes e sensoriais. Para isso, foram utilizados os Metodos Heuristico e Evolutivo. O processo de obtencao do chocolate foi estruturado na forma de uma arvore de estados, com seis subsistemas e 200 fluxogramas. Com a utilizacao de regras heuristicas desenvolveram-se algoritmos para identificacao dos estados mais apropriados, que foram: fermentacao com inibicao quimica por CuSO4, secagem solar, torrefacao em estufa sem circulacao de ar com temperatura mais baixa (80 °C) e moagem em moinho de rolos. Assim, identificou-se o fluxograma base como sendo o de numero 122. Pelo Metodo Evolutivo, identificaram-se doze fluxogramas vizinhos ao fluxograma 122, que possivelmente resolvem a funcao objetivo.

We use a novel electrostatic ion storage ring to measure the radiative lifetime of the upper level in the 3p 5 P 2 o 1/2 →3p 5 P 2 o 3/2 spontaneous radiative decay in S − 32 to be 503±54 ...

RESUMO – No processamento do chocolate, nas etapas de fermentacao e secagem, e que ocorrem as maiores perdas de compostos fenolicos. Nesse sentido, o objetivo desse trabalho foi desenvolver um produto de chocolate que conserve a funcionalidade das amendoas. Para tanto, utilizou-se da analise da secagem em leito fixo das amendoas de cacau, por radiacao solar e em estufa, bem como de analise granulometrica do acucar utilizado nas formulacoes. As etapas utilizadas no processo foram previamente determinadas atraves de uma arvore de estados, com todas as possibilidades de etapas. A analise da secagem mostrou que esta etapa e totalmente regulada pela resistencia a transferencia de massa por difusao efetiva; o estudo da granulometria mostrou que e preciso tempos superiores a 6 horas de moagem; Dessa forma, o trabalho torna-se importante, pois contribui para a continuidade dos estudos sobre o processamento de chocolates artesanais com alto valor agregado.

In this paper we report calculations of potential energy curves in the $1.2 a.u.\le R\le100 a.u.$ range at Multireference Configuration Interaction (MRCI) level for doubly excited states of the H$_2$ molecule. We have focused on the $Q_2$ states which lie between the second and third ionization thresholds of H$_2^+$ molecular ion, i.e., $^2\Sigma_u^+$ state in which lie the H(2l) + H(2l') dissociation channels. The MRCI approach allowed us to successfully identify for the first time the molecular state which dissociates into hydrogen atoms at 2s state. Further, Generalized Oscillator Strength as a function of transferred momentum for three doubly excited states is also presented. (Some figures in this article are in colour only in the electronic version)

We use a novel electrostatic ion storage ring to measure the radiative lifetime of the upper level in the 3p^{5} ^{2}P_{1/2}^{o}→3p^{5} ^{2}P_{3/2}^{o} spontaneous radiative decay in ^{32}S^{-} to be 503±54 sec. This is by orders of magnitude the longest lifetime ever measured in a negatively charged ion. Cryogenic cooling of the storage ring gives a residual-gas pressure of a few times 10^{-14} mbar at 13 K and storage of 10 keV sulfur anions for more than an hour. Our experimental results differ by 1.3σ from the only available theoretical prediction [P. Andersson et al., Phys. Rev. A 73, 032705 (2006)].

The electron-detachment cross section was measured for the molecular negative ions ${\mathrm{CN}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ and ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ incident on N${}_{2}$, in the 0.08\char21{}1.2 a.u. velocity region. Our setup uses the gas stripper of a tandem accelerator as a gas chamber. All cross sections present a maximum near 0.4 a.u., a velocity corresponding to the well-known shape-resonance that appears in the electron-N${}_{2}$ collisions. A semiclassical model is employed to analyze the data. The role of this shape resonance is discussed in this article.

We report the direct detection of two metastable H(2^{2}S) atoms coming from the dissociation of a single cold H(2) molecule, in coincidence measurements. The molecular dissociation was induced by electron impact in order to avoid limitations by the selection rules governing radiative transitions. Two detectors, placed close to the collision center, measure the neutral metastable H(2(2)S) through a localized quenching process, which mixes the H(2^{2}S) state with the H(2^{2}P), leading to a Lyman-α detection. Our data show the accomplishment of a coincidence measurement which proves for the first time the existence of the H(2(2)S)-H(2(2)S) dissociation channel.