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Neisseria meningitidis capsular switching has been reported in several countries. In order to establish the genetic relationship within group B and C strains expressing subtypes 2a or 2b, and to evaluate whether C to B capsular switching occurred in Portugal, 64 meningococci (56 serogroup C and 8 serogroup B) isolated from invasive meningococcal disease were typed using molecular methods. The studied phenotypes, 2b:P1.5,2 and 2a:P1.5-1,10-8, were the most frequent among serogroup C, but were uncommon among serogroup B strains. The multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) allelic profile and the pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) fingerprints showed that seven serogroup B strains were genotypically identical to C strains, suggesting that capsular switching occurred. Active laboratory surveillance to find evidence of capsule switching is a now priority as MenC was introduced in the Portuguese vaccination schedule in January 2006. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal disease characterized by muscle weakness, atrophy, fasciculations, and decreased reflexes due to upper and lower motor neurons death. It can be present in both sexes (55-65 years), but with predominance in males. However, in female patients, ALS presents its first symptoms when they are already postmenopausal, when then the incidence ratio of the disease is practically equal between the sexes, which leads to a probable involvement of sex hormones in the development and protection against ALS. The aim of this systematic review, which used the PRISMA consensus and NOS (New Castle-Ottawa Scale) score, was to evaluate the evidence of the action of hormone therapy in women with ALS. The Medline and Cochrane databases were accessed from March 2019 to June 2019, and only full-text articles in Spanish, English, and Portuguese were included. Only four articles matched our inclusion criteria. Postmenopausal women who used exogenous estrogen did not have the same protective factor as women still under the action of endogenous estrogen in the same age group. There was also no increase in the survival of these women.

We determined the nuclear volume of fibroblasts of the normal mammary lobular stroma during the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle. Twenty patients aged 15 to 35 years and eumenorrheic for at least 6 months were randomly assigned to 2 groups, i.e., 10 women in the follicular phase and 10 in the luteal phase. The nuclear volume was 34.4 micron 3 and 98.8 micron 3 for the follicular and luteal phases, respectively, with the difference being statistically significant (p < 0.05). These data suggest a higher metabolic activity in the mammary intralobular stroma during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, probably due to a synergistic action of estradiol and progesterone.

The objective of this study conducted in tropical Brazil was to characterize some physiological responses to heat stress in imported Bos taurus, native Bos taurus, and native Bos indicus cattle. Imported Simmental (n = 107) native Simmental (n = 99), and native Bos indicus cattle (n = 121) (42 to 80 mo of age) were evaluated. Animals were walked 7 km at 37 degrees C and 60 to 65% relative humidity during midday. Rectal temperatures and respiration rates were taken before and after the walk. A .01-cm2 sample of cutaneous tissue from the lateral cervical region was obtained from each animal. Slices were stained with hematoxylin-eosin solution, and the epithelial strata were counted. Perimeter of the sweat glands was also calculated. Rectal temperatures before the walk were greater (P < .001) in imported Simmental (40.52 +/- .04 degrees C) than in native Simmental (38.92 +/- .04 degrees C) or Bos indicus (38.90 +/- .04 degrees C). Rectal temperatures after the walk were greater (P < .001) in native Simmental (39.87 +/- .05 degrees C) than in Bos indicus (39.46 +/- .05 degrees C). Because of the heat, imported Simmental were not capable of finishing the drive, and rectal temperatures could not be taken. Respiration rates before and after the walk were greater (P < .001) in imported Simmental (64.3 +/- .6; 95.8 +/- .8) than in native Simmental (35.0 +/- .6; 56.8 +/- .8) or Bos indicus (15.0 +/- .2; 33.2 +/- .8). Sweat gland perimeter was greater (P < .001) in Bos indicus (540.5 +/- 19.1 mm) than in native Simmental (382.0 +/- 27.6 micrograms) or imported Simmental 497.2 +/- 17.4 micrograms). Native Bos indicus were environmentally adapted, native Simmental had elevated body temperatures and respiration rates, and imported Simmental had dramatically increased body temperatures and respiration rates. Native Bos indicus cattle were environmentally adapted and differed in skin histology, sweat gland histometry, and number of epithelial strata.