Identification of a phylogenetically distinct orthobunyavirus from group C

Apeu virus (APEUV) (family Bunyaviridae, genus Orthobunyavirus) was plaque purified and characterised by serological and molecular analysis. Neutralising assays confirmed cross-reactivity between purified APEUV clones and the Caraparu virus complex of group C orthobunyaviruses. Partial sequencing of the L, M and S segments of one APEUV clone (APEUV-CL5) was carried out. A phylogenetic tree constructed with the L amino acid sequences clustered APEUV-CL5 within the genus Orthobunyavirus, confirming its serological classification. Analysis of M segment sequences clustered APEUV-CL5 in the Caraparu virus complex (Group C), in agreement with serological tests and previous molecular characterisation. However, the sequence of the nucleocapsid gene (N) gave low identity values when compared to those of the group C viruses. The phylogenetic tree based on N nucleotide sequences clustered APEUV-CL5 next to the California and Bwamba groups. This remarkable S nucleotide variability suggests that APEUV-CL5 could be a genetic reassortant and that this evolutionary mechanism is present in the history of the group C viruses.     

Attitudes and anxiety levels of medical students towards the acquisition of competencies in communication skills

Objective

Results of third year medical students’ attitudes and stress levels towards the acquisition of communication skills before and after a Communication and Clinical Skills Course (CCSC) at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP), Portugal, are presented.

Methods

115 students attending third-year CCSC completed a demographic questionnaire, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Communication Skills Attitudes Scale and Interpersonal Behavior Survey.

Results

Significant negative correlation was found between anxiety levels and attitudes towards learning communication skills in general as well as the teaching and learning process. At the end of the Course students reported that when compared to the start, their communication skills are less sufficient.

Conclusion

At the end of this CCSC at FMUP, students recognized its major importance and how they need to invest and improve communication skills. However, it seems important to monitor the attitudes and anxiety levels of students towards patient care and communication during the medical course and to identify ways of overcoming barriers towards learning communication skills.

Practice implications

It is recommended that there should be a complete (transversal and vertical) integration of communication skills, including effective teaching methods, assessments, and examinations in order to be valued by the students. This would necessitate curricular changes.     

Dicoogle - an Open Source Peer-to-Peer PACS

Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) have been widely deployed in healthcare institutions, and they now constitute a normal commodity for practitioners. However, its installation, maintenance, and utilization are still a burden due to their heavy structures, typically supported by centralized computational solutions. In this paper, we present Dicoogle, a PACS archive supported by a document-based indexing system and by peer-to-peer (P2P) protocols. Replacing the traditional database storage (RDBMS) by a documental organization permits gathering and indexing data from file-based repositories, which allows searching the archive through free text queries. As a direct result of this strategy, more information can be extracted from medical imaging repositories, which clearly increases flexibility when compared with current query and retrieval DICOM services. The inclusion of P2P features allows PACS internetworking without the need for a central management framework. Moreover, Dicoogle is easy to install, manage, and use, and it maintains full interoperability with standard DICOM services.     

Structure and functional significance of the transverse vesical fold

The plica vesicalis transversa or transverse vesical fold (TVF) is a peritoneal fold extending from the lateral side of the bladder to the side of the lesser pelvis near the deep inguinal ring. It is an important landmark in laparoscopic surgery of the pelvis but is variably observed in the embalmed cadaver. We investigated the gross anatomy of this structure in the cadaver and confirmed that its medial portion corresponds to the location of the superior vesical artery(ies), thus supporting the idea that the TVF is "mesovesical." However, no large vessels were observed grossly in the lateral portion of the TVF. The hypothesis that the lateral TVF has a suspensory function was tested histologically by comparison with the suspensory ligament of the duodenum and the phrenicocolic ligament, both of which have smooth muscle contributing to their inferred suspensory function. Microscopic examination of prepared samples from 20 cadavers shows that the TVF evinces no smooth muscle in either its lateral or medial segments. The TVF is demonstrated to be a mesentery-like reflection of peritoneum raised by branches of the superior vesical artery which provides no demonstrable structural support for the bladder. Implications of these findings include avoidance of sectioning of medial TVF during laparoscopic surgery because of its vascular nature, and inadvisability of utilizing any portion of theTVF for an anchor in reconstruction of the anterior pelvic floor within the paravesical fossae.     

Proteomic survey of the cestode Mesocestoides corti during the first 24 hours of strobilar development

Despite the fact that cestodes represent major etiological agents of both human and domestic animal diseases, little is known about the molecular aspects of cestode development. In this work, Mesocestoides corti, a model cestode species, was studied from the early development of its larval form (tetrathyridium) into adult worms (strobilation) using different proteomic approaches. The protein profiles of M. corti tetrathyridia induced or not induced to undergo strobilation were compared. Proteomic mapping by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis showed the resolution of 248 and 154 spots from tetrathyridia that were subjected or not subjected to strobilation induction, respectively, allowing for the detection of at least nine spots exclusive to each group. Spot analysis by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) or MALDI-TOF MS/MS identified four reference proteins (six spots). LC-MS/MS analyses of protein extracts identified 66 proteins, eight of which were found exclusively in non-induced tetrathyridia, while 13 were found exclusively in strobilation-induced tetrathyridia. Among the proteins exclusively identified in strobilation-induced worms, there was a predominance of proteins with functions relating to chaperone activity and protein synthesis and turnover. Quantitative differential expression analysis between M. corti tetrathyridia prior to and after strobilation induction revealed six proteins upregulated in strobilation-induced worms; these proteins were involved in metabolic pathways, cell proliferation, and cytoskeletal rearrangement. Overall, despite the absence of a sequenced M. corti genome, using sequences from other platyhelminthes, we were able to establish comprehensive protein profiles for tetrathyridia prior to and after strobilation induction and identify several proteins potentially involved in the early events leading to strobilation.     

Prevalence and risk factors for giardiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis in three municipalities of Southeastern Minas Gerais State, Brazil: risk factors for giardiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis

Giardiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) are parasitic diseases that are among the major health concerns observed in economically disadvantaged populations of developing countries, and have clear social and environmental bases. In Brazil, there is a lack of epidemiologic data concerning these infections in the study area, whose inhabitants have plenty of access to health care services, including good dwelling and adequate sanitary conditions. In this survey we investigated the risk factors for giardiasis and STH in three municipalities with good sanitation, situated in Minas Gerais state, Brazil. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the municipalities of Piau, Coronel Pacheco and Goianá, in both urban and rural areas. The fieldwork consisted of a questionnaire and the examination of 2,367 stool samples using the Hoffmann, Pons and Janer method. Of all individuals from the population sample, 6.1% were found infected with the parasitic diseases included in this work. Hookworm infection was the most prevalent disease, followed by giardiasis, trichuriasis and ascariasis. Infection was more prevalent in males (8.1%, p < 0.001; odds ratio [OR] = 1.975) and in individuals living in rural areas (8.6%, p = 0.003; OR = 1.693). Multivariate analysis showed that variables such as inadequate sewage discharge (p < 0.001), drinking of unsafe water (p < 0.001), lack of sanitary infrastructure (p = 0.015), and host sex (p < 0.001) were the risk factors more strongly associated with infection status (95% confidence interval [CI]). In this study we demonstrate that giardiasis and STH still persist, infecting people who have good housing conditions and free access to public health care and education.     

Differential expression of MYC in H. pylori-related intestinal and diffuse gastric tumors

Evidence suggests that the carcinogenic process guided by Helicobacter pylori is related to the expression of cell cycle and apoptosis proteins as BCL-2, BAX, and MYC. However, the literature is conflicting regarding the expression frequency in the histological subtypes and did not consider cagA gene presence. To investigate the expression of these proteins considering the histological subtypes of gastric cancer associated with H. pylori (cagA), a total of 89 cases were used. H. pylori infection and cagA status were determined by PCR. Immunodetection was performed for MYC, BCL-2, and BAX proteins. H. pylori was found in 95.5% of the patients, among them, 65.8% were cagA(+). Nuclear MYC was detected in 36.4%, BAX in 55.7%, while BCl-2 in just 5%. Nuclear MYC staining was significantly lower in the intestinal than diffuse subtype (p?=?0.008) and was related with the presence of H. pylori cagA(+). Additionally, most of the few cases cytoplasmic MYC positive were in the intestinal subtype. In diffuse tumors, although most nuclear MYC positive cases were cagA(+), it was not significant. No difference was observed between BCL-2 or BAX expression considering the presence of cagA gene in the histological subtypes. It seems that MYC could be relevant for the diffuse tumorigenic pathway associated with H. pylori and possibly influenced by the presence of cagA gene, while in intestinal tumors, the tumorigenic pathway does not occur through the MYC expression.