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Meloidogyne ethiopica, an aggressive nematode, causes significant economic losses to Vitis crops. Rootstocks can successfully manage phytoparasitic nematodes. However, no studies exist on M. ethiopica-resistant rootstocks under field conditions. This study assessed the resistance of six Vitis rootstocks to M. ethiopica under field and greenhouse conditions. The number of galls and eggs in vine roots, quantity of second stage juveniles and males in 250 ml of soil, root weight, and shoot weight were determined for the Harmony, SO4, 101-14 MG, 110R, 3309C, and Kober 5BB rootstocks, and the own-root Chardonnay variety as a control. In the field, Harmony, SO4, 101-14 MG, Kober 5BB, and 110R were highly resistant to nematode parasitism and reproduction. In turn, 3309C was the least resistant rootstock. In the greenhouse, all rootstocks similarly limited M. ethiopica attack and reproduction. In both conditions, Chardonnay was the most susceptible vine to nematode attack, with high quantities of galls, eggs, and nematode reproduction. In conclusion, most of the evaluated rootstocks reduced M. ethiopica parasitism. Harmony, SO4, 101-14 MG, 110R, and Kober 5BB rootstocks are options for vineyard use, with final selection dependent on winegrower requirements.

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Our purpose was to investigate the effects of low-volume, high-intensity interval training (HIT) on cardiometabolic risk and exercise capacity in women with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Sedentary overweight/obese T2DM women (age=44.5±1.8 years; BMI=30.5±0.6 kg/m(2)) were randomly assigned to a tri-weekly running-based HIT program (n=13) or non-exercise control follow-up (CON; n=10). Glycemic control, lipid and blood pressure levels, endurance performance, and anthropometry were measured before and after the follow-up (16 weeks) in both groups. Medication intake was also assessed throughout the follow-up. Improvements (P<0.05) on fasting glucose (14.3±1.4%), HbA1c (12.8±1.1%), systolic blood pressure (3.7±0.5 mmHg), HDL-cholesterol (21.1±2.8%), triglycerides (17.7±2.8%), endurance performance (9.8±1.0%), body weight (2.2±0.3%), BMI (2.1±0.3%), waist circumference (4.0±0.5%) and subcutaneous fat (18.6±1.4%) were found after HIT intervention. Patients of HIT group also showed reductions in daily dosage of antihyperglycemic and antihypertensive medication during follow-up. No changes were found in any variable of CON group. The HIT-induced improvements occurred with a weekly time commitment 56-25% lower than the minimal recommended in current guidelines. These findings suggest that low-volume HIT may be a time-efficient intervention to treat T2DM women.

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Caves offer a stable and protected environment from harsh and changing outside prevailing conditions. Hence, they represent an interesting habitat for studying life in extreme environments. Here, we report the presence of a member of the ancient eukaryote red algae Cyanidium group in a coastal cave of the hyperarid Atacama Desert. This microorganism was found to form a seemingly monospecific biofilm growing under extremely low photon flux levels. Our work suggests that this species, Cyanidium sp. Atacama, is a new member of a recently proposed novel monophyletic lineage of mesophilic "cave" Cyanidium sp., distinct from the remaining three other lineages which are all thermo-acidophilic. The cave described in this work may represent an evolutionary island for life in the midst of the Atacama Desert.

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We studied some biochemical, toxic and immunological characteristics of the venoms of Bothrops atrox, Bothrops brazili and Lachesis muta, Viperidae responsible for most of the bites of venomous snakes in French Guiana. Chromatographic (HPLC) and electrophoretical profiles (SDS-PAGE), lethal, hemorrhagic, defibrinogenating, coagulant, thrombin like, proteolytic, fibrino(geno)lytic and phospholipase activities were studied. In addition, the neutralization of some toxic activities conferred by four antivenins was compared. The chromatographic and electrophoretic profiles were different for the three venoms, showing differences between Bothrops and L. muta venoms. In general, bothropic venoms showed the highest toxic and enzymatic activities, while the venom of L. muta showed the lowest lethal, hemorrhagic and coagulant activities. The enzymes of bothropic venoms responsible for gelatinolytic activity were around 50-90 kDa. All the venoms were able to hydrolyze a and beta chains of the fibrinogen, showing different patterns of degradation. Although all the antivenoms tested were effective to various degrees in neutralizing the venom of B. brazili and B. atrox, neutralization of L. muta venom was significantly better achieved using the antivenom including this venom in its immunogenic mixture. For the neutralization of L. muta venom, homologous or polyvalent antivenoms that include the "bushmaster" venom in their immunogenic mixture should be preferred.

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SETTING: It is generally accepted that antibodies do not protect against Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, as this role relies upon T-cell reactivity. Hence, most studies on antimycobacterial antibodies have been aimed at developing serologic tests, and few explore their role in disease pathogenesis. OBJECTIVE: To determine the IgG antimycobacterial antibody response of 55 Mexican Totonaca Indians with pulmonary tuberculosis and its correlation with some features of the disease. DESIGN: Study of the profile of antigen recognition by immunoblot and ELISA with isolated antigen 85 complex (Ag85) and whole culture filtrate proteins. Correlation of immunoblot and ELISA results with BCG vaccination, tuberculin reactivity, extent of the disease, clinical setting, and response to treatment. RESULTS: On immunoblot, band reactivity was very poor and the most frequently recognized antigen was the 30-32 kDa, antigen 85 complex (45.8% of serum samples). ELISA with this antigen showed a sensitivity of 72% and a specificity of 100%. Positive antibody titers to Ag85 were observed in 79.4% of patients with non-cavitary tuberculosis (P = 0.012) and in 95.8% of patients who were cured with anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy (P = 0.0001). By contrast, an antibody response to whole culture filtrate antigens had no correlation with the presence of cavitations or with prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that an antibody response to Ag85, aside from having great potential to develop a serologic test for tuberculosis, was associated with a positive outcome in a cohort of tuberculous Mexican Indians.

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By Western blotting, we demonstrate high-level expression of NRAMP1 proteins in peripheral blood cells and granulomas of Mycobacterium bovis-infected bovines. Immunohistochemistry of granulomatous lesions showed heavily labeled epithelioid macrophages and Langhans cells. These data suggest that M. bovis infection enhances NRAMP1 expression and that active tuberculosis can occur despite this response.

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The first evidence of the interaction of Mycobacterium tuberculosis with the plasminogen system is herein reported. By FACScan analysis and affinity blotting, lysine-dependent binding of plasminogen to M. tuberculosis was demonstrated. The binding molecules were 30-, 60-, and 66-kDa proteins present in cell wall and soluble protein extracts. The activation of plasminogen, which occurred only in presence of fibrin and was not inhibited by the host serpin, alpha(2)-antiplasmin, was also demonstrated.

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A screening test for the diagnosis of tuberculosis by immunodot (IDt) is described, using an antigen of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, namely, a 38-kDa glycoprotein which has shown great specificity in previous serologic analyses. The test was used to examine 28 sera from patients with lung tuberculosis. Of these, 85% were positive by micro-ELISA and by the IDt test herein described. Control sera from healthy subjects (n = 20) gave negative results for ELISA and for IDt, which indicates that the screening test is highly specific. The test is easy to handle and requires no equipment and is therefore particularly useful for field studies.

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We induced lung granulomas in BALB/c mice by intratracheal instillation of Sepharose beads coated with a Mycobacterium tuberculosis protein extract. Granulomas composed of macrophages and lymphocytes were induced. The granulomatous reaction reached its peak 3-7 days after challenge and lasted for approximately 1 month. Immunolabelling of tissue sections and bronchial washings revealed that granulomas were predominantly composed of T lymphocytes with the cytotoxic-suppressor phenotype (CD8+). Granulomas were associated with a significant decrease in anti-mycobacterial immunity manifested by a drop in delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions and antibody titres. The immunosuppressive phenomena were abolished with cyclophosphamide or indomethacin. Control granulomas induced with methylated bovine serum albumin (BSA) were smaller and composed by similar numbers of CD4+ and CD8+ cells. BSA granulomas did not alter antibody titres but they decreased delayed-type hypersensitivity to BSA which was restored to normal with indomethacin but not with cyclophosphamide. Our findings show that mycobacterial proteins anchored to Sepharose beads are granulomatogenic and that they preferentially recruit CD8+ cells which, together with locally produced prostaglandins, down-modulate cell-mediated and humoral immunity to mycobacterial antigens.

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Takayasu's arteritis is an inflammatory arteritis of unknown origin. It affects the aorta, its main branches and at times the pulmonary artery. Takayasu's arteritis is a worldwide disease, however, there is predilection to affect young women of mongoloid ancestry, therefore most cases do occur in the Far East and Latin America. For more than 50 years a relationship with mycobacterial infection has been sought without definite proof. In this investigation we found a circulating IgG antibody in the sera of Takayasu's arteritis patients, which recognizes a 38 kD glycoprotein of M. tuberculosis. This glycoprotein is an specific antigen in the human immune response against mycobacterial infection.

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In this study we have examined by immunoblot (IB) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) the humoral immune response in pulmonary tuberculosis. As a previous step, in an attempt to obtain the optimal antigen preparation for these studies, the influence of the culture age and of the obtention method on the composition of the extracts was analyzed. The highest number of antigenic bands was found in culture filtrates of 6 and 8 weeks; at these times two thick bands of 65 and 63 kilodaltons (kDa) were identified. These bands were absent from younger and older cultures. When analyzing the source of antigens, we found that culture filtrates contained more antigenic bands than sonic extracts. In view of these findings, culture filtrates of 6 weeks of age were used as test antigens. With 19 tuberculous sera a total of 16 antigenic bands were observed by IB. The response was very heterogeneous with respect to the intensity of the detected reactions and the number of reacting bands. The most frequently recognized bands were those of 31, 32, 38, 58 and 94 kDa. By ELISA with 49 tuberculous sera and with 48 control sera, a specificity of 0.98 and a sensitivity of 0.70 were obtained.

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Two weeks after mice had been infected in the footpad with cells of Nocardia brasiliensis, immunoglobulin and C3 deposits were observed in tissue from the inoculation site. Both immunoglobulin and C3 were found in the actinomycotic granules that characterize the mycetoma and in the surrounding inflammatory zones, in which plasma cells were also present. Although anti-N. brasiliensis specificity was evidenced at 14 days postinfection in an eluate of infected tissue by an immunoenzymatic assay, no such antibody was found in the serum until 45 days postinfection. Immune complexes in the lesions, as indicated by the presence of C3, may also contribute to the pathology of the disease.

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Many difficulties are encountered by clinicians in attempting to diagnose pheochromocytomas. We describe several patients with unusual clinical features. These include sudden death, cerebral hemorrhage, refractory congestive heart failure, acute abdominal pain, and hypercalcemia. In 2 patients, the rare association of this tumor and pregnancy was observed. Two subjects had sudden death, 1 during a pneumoencephalogram and another during an epidural block. The clinicians should be aware of these manifestations of pheochromocytomas.

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