Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-12T15:50:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 arquivo1547_1.pdf: 944166 bytes, checksum: da39d9541b222d67d2bd1bf6c2fab3cd (MD5) license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / O papilomavírus humano (HPV) é um dos mais importantes agentes etiológicos envolvidos no desenvolvimento do câncer cervical. Dois dos principais fatores de risco envolvidos no desenvolvimento dessas neoplasias malignas são infecção pelo HPV e co-infecção com doenças sexualmente transmissíveis. O sistema imunológico é responsável pelo reconhecimento e eliminação de substâncias estranhas. A proteína ligadora de manose (MBL) é uma proteína sintetizada no fígado, sendo uma das vias de ativação do sistema complemento. Polimorfismos dentro da região gênica/promotora da MBL afetam a quantidade desta proteína dentro do soro, sendo associada com um importante elemento no aparecimento de várias doenças infecciosas. O gene hBD-1 é um candidato a um gene supressor tumoral encontrado alterado em 90% de câncer renal e 82% de câncer de próstata e polimorfismos dentro da região promotora têm sido associados à susceptibilidade a várias infecções virais. Sendo assim, o presente estudo teve como objetivo verificar a existência de correlação entre polimorfismo do gene da MBL-2 e do gene da β -defensina-1 com a susceptibilidade às infecções por HPV, HIV e HPV/HIV através da metodologia da PCR em tempo real. Os resultados obtidos não demonstraram associação dos polimorfismos do gene MBL-2 nos grupos estudados (HIV positivo, HPV positivo, HPV/HIV positivos). Em relação ao polimorfismo da região -44 do gene HBD-1, verificou-se associação com a susceptibilidade apenas à infecção pelo HIV entre os grupos analisados

In der humanen Haut spielen antimikrobielle Peptide (AP) bei Entzündungsgeschehen bakteriellen und nicht-bakteriellen Ursprungs eine bedeutende Rolle. Neben einer konstitutiven Expression AP können Zytokine deren vermehrte oder abgeschwächte Expression bewirken. In dieser Arbeit wurden die AP humanes β-Defensin (HBD) -2, HBD-3 und Psoriasin (PSO) in Bezug auf deren Expression in gesunder Haut und deren Modulation durch Zytokine in vivo anhand des xenogenen NOD-SCID-Maus-Transplantationsmodells untersucht. Nach erfolgreicher Transplantation von humaner Haut auf NOD-SCID Mäuse wurden die Zytokine TNF-α, IFN-γ und IL-13 in unterschiedlicher Dosierung einzeln und in Kombination intradermal appliziert. Für TNF-α konnte eine erhöhte Expression von HBD-2, HBD-3 und PSO auf RNA-Ebene mittels in-situ-Hybridisierung und Protein-Ebene mittels immunhistochemischer Nachweismethoden gezeigt werden. Eine erhöhte Expression nach Injektion von IFN-γ ließ sich für HBD-3 auf RNA-Ebene und Protein-Ebene und für HBD-2 auf RNA-Ebene erfolgreich belegen. PSO zeigte auf Protein-Ebene nach Modulation mit IFN-γ eine bei höherer Dosierung leicht abnehmende Expression. Eine Änderung der Expression durch IL-13 ließ sich nicht eindeutig belegen. In dieser Arbeit konnte die in der Literatur in vitro beschriebene Modulationsfähigkeit der untersuchten AP durch die verwendeten Zytokine in vivo belegt werden.

No description available.

In der humanen Haut spielen antimikrobielle Peptide (AP) bei Entzündungsgeschehen bakteriellen und nicht-bakteriellen Ursprungs eine bedeutende Rolle. Neben einer konstitutiven Expression AP können Zytokine deren vermehrte oder abgeschwächte Expression bewirken. In dieser Arbeit wurden die AP humanes β-Defensin (HBD) -2, HBD-3 und Psoriasin (PSO) in Bezug auf deren Expression in gesunder Haut und deren Modulation durch Zytokine in vivo anhand des xenogenen NOD-SCID-Maus-Transplantationsmodells untersucht. Nach erfolgreicher Transplantation von humaner Haut auf NOD-SCID Mäuse wurden die Zytokine TNF-α, IFN-γ und IL-13 in unterschiedlicher Dosierung einzeln und in Kombination intradermal appliziert. Für TNF-α konnte eine erhöhte Expression von HBD-2, HBD-3 und PSO auf RNA-Ebene mittels in-situ-Hybridisierung und Protein-Ebene mittels immunhistochemischer Nachweismethoden gezeigt werden. Eine erhöhte Expression nach Injektion von IFN-γ ließ sich für HBD-3 auf RNA-Ebene und Protein-Ebene und für HBD-2 auf RNA-Ebene erfolgreich belegen. PSO zeigte auf Protein-Ebene nach Modulation mit IFN-γ eine bei höherer Dosierung leicht abnehmende Expression. Eine Änderung der Expression durch IL-13 ließ sich nicht eindeutig belegen. In dieser Arbeit konnte die in der Literatur in vitro beschriebene Modulationsfähigkeit der untersuchten AP durch die verwendeten Zytokine in vivo belegt werden.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Haemophilus ducreyi is the causative agent of the genital ulcer disease chancroid, which has been shown to facilitate the transmission of HIV. H. ducreyi is likely exposed to multiple sources of antimicrobial peptides in vivo. APs are small, cationic molecules with both bactericidal and immunomodulatory functions. Because H. ducreyi is able to establish and maintain an infection in an environment rich with antimicrobial peptides, we hypothesized that the bacterium was resistant to the bactericidal effects of these peptides. Using a 96-well AP bactericidal assay, we examined H. ducreyi susceptibility to eight human APs likely to be encountered at the site of infection, including the α-defensins human neutrophil peptide-1, human neutrophil peptide-2, human neutrophil peptide-3, and human defensin 5, the β-defensins human β defensin-2, human beta defensin-3, and human beta defensin-4, and the human cathelicidin, LL-37. H. ducreyi survival was compared to the survival of Escherichia coli ML35, a strain known to be susceptible to several antimicrobial peptides. H. ducreyi was significantly more resistant than E. coli ML35 to the bactericidal effects of all peptides tested. Furthermore, we found that representative class I and class II strains of H. ducreyi were each resistant to APs of each functional category, indicating that resistance to antimicrobial peptides could represent a conserved method of pathogenesis for H. ducreyi as a species. The H. ducreyi genome contains a homolog for the Sap influx transporter. To study the role of the H. ducreyi Sap transporter in AP resistance, we generated an isogenic sapA mutant and used the 96-well AP bactericidal assay to compare the AP susceptibility profiles of wild-type H. ducreyi, the sapA mutant and the sapA trans-complement to α-defensins, β-defensins, and LL-37. We observed a 25% decrease in the survival of the sapA mutant when it was exposed to LL-37. These findings suggest that the H. ducreyi Sap transporter plays a role in H. ducreyi resistance to LL-37, but it is likely that other AP resistance mechanisms co-exist within the bacterium.

Legionella pneumophila (Lp) est un pathogène accidentel de l'homme capable d'infecter les macrophages alvéolaires et les pneumocytes. Au cours de l'infection, Legionella se confronte à différents types d'agents antibactériens, dont les peptides antimicrobiens (PAMs) produit par l'hôte et les antibiotiques à activité intracellulaire administrés aux patients. Le mécanisme d'action des PAMs humains à l'encontre de Legionella, ainsi que le niveau de résistance aux antibiotiques de la bactérie sont à ce jour encore peu documentés. Mes travaux ont pour but de contribuer à une meilleure connaissance de l'activité anti-Legionella de ces molécules. La première partie de cette étude a consisté à évaluer la sensibilité d'isolats cliniques de Lp sg 1 à 8 antibiotiques, afin de déterminer le seuil épidémiologique de sensibilité de la bactérie à ces différentes molécules. Nous avons démontré que l'ensemble des isolats cliniques sont sensibles aux antibiotiques testés. Les résultats ont révélé l'existence d'une sous-population présentant une sensibilité réduite aux macrolides. L'analyse des génomes a permis de corréler cette sensibilité diminuée à la présence de la pompe à efflux LpeAB spécifique des macrolides. Cette pompe est présente uniquement dans trois complexes clonaux centrés sur le ST1, le ST701 et le ST1335.La seconde partie de cette étude a été consacrée à la caractérisation de l'activité antibactérienne des PAMs humains LL-37 et HBD-3, ainsi qu'à l'identification de leur(s) mécanisme(s) d'action contre Legionella. L'ensemble des tests réalisés montre que LL-37 et HBD-3 induisent une perte de cultivabilité des légionelles par des modes d'action différents. Les résultats suggèrent que LL-37 agit par perméabilisation des membranes de L. pneumophila. Nos résultats ont également montré que les deux peptides exercent une activité inhibitrice sur la réplication intracellulaire des légionelles, au moins en partie grâce à une collaboration avec la cellule hôte / Legionella pneumophila (Lp) is an accidental human pathogen which can infect alveolar macrophages and pneumocytes. During infection, Legionella have to deal with to various types of antibacterial agents, such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) produced by the host, and antibiotics with intracellular activity administered to patients. The mechanism of action of human AMPs against Legionella, and the resistance level to antibiotics of the bacterium are still poorly described. Our work aimed to contribute to a better understanding of the anti-Legionella activity of these molecules. The first part of this study consisted in the evaluation of the susceptibility of clinical Lp sg1 isolates to 8 antibiotics, to determine the epidemiological cut-off values of these different molecules. We demonstrated that all clinical isolates are susceptible to the tested antibiotics. The results revealed the presence of a subpopulation displaying a reduced susceptibility to macrolides. The analysis of the genomes allowed us to correlate this reduced susceptibility to le presence of the LpeAB macrolides efflux pump, found specifically in the sequence types ST1, ST701 and ST1335.The second part of this study was dedicated to the characterization of the antibacterial activity of the human AMPs LL-37 and HBD-3, and to the identification of their mechanism(s) of action against Legionella. All of the experiments show that LL-37 and HBD-3 induce a loss of cultivability by different mode of action. The results suggest that LL-37 is able to permeabilize the membrane of the L. pneumophila cells. Our findings also show that both peptides inhibit the intracellular replication of L. pneumophila, in part through collaboration with the host cell

No description available.

No description available.

Interoception, the signalling, processing, and perceptual representation of the visceral organs, together with trait impulsivity are in the present study examined using the Novel Controllability task (Mancinelli et al., 2021) as individual factors in coping behavior in response to stress. The coping process is conceptualized using the model of regulatory flexibility developed by Bonanno and Burton (2013). The results based on a sample of 39 healthy adults (M = 23,64 years, 22f/17m) do not support the hypothesis that the combined UPPS-P constructs are significantly related to interoception. For the coping process, the results suggest that: Negative Urgency is related to a negative initial appraisal of the stressor context leading to coping rigidity, by limiting the repertoire of strategies and the dynamic function of feedback; Positive Urgency is related to a larger dependency on emotions to guide decision making, motivating a “trial-and-error” coping approach; Sensation Seeking is related with an opposing style of emotion-focused coping where diminished threat perception and reduced sensitivity towards stimulus valence motivate a risk-taking approach, likely to pursue stimulation; Lack of Premeditation, the only facet of impulsivity convincingly related to interoception, is speculated to be associated with a dysregulation of interoceptive afferents facilitating a “here-and-now” attentional and coping focus. Despite lacking full support, the potential involvement of interoception as an internal stressor is discussed as a mediator in impulsive behavior, alongside general methodological issues with measuring interoception.

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a life-threatening condition that can appear in patients with diabetes. High ketones in the blood lead to acidity of the blood. For DKA diagnosis and management, ketones such as hydroxybutyrate (HB) can be used to quantify the severity of the disease. The fabrication of electrochemical biosensors for the detection of HB is attractive since their capability to deliver fast response, high sensitivity, good selectivity and potential for miniaturisation. In this thesis, an integrated electrode system was prepared for the detection of HB. Laser-induced graphene (LIG) with a 3D porous structure was used as the flexible platform. Poly (toluidine blue O) (PTB) was electro-deposited on LIG (PTB/LIG) under the optimised conduction (pH of 9.7 and from 0.4 to an upper cyclic potential of 0.8 V). The single PTB/LIG working electrode demonstrated excellent performance towards the detection of NADH with a linear range of 6.7 M to 3 mM using chronoamperometry, high sensitivity of detecting NADH and excellent anti-fouling ability (94 % response current retained after 1500 s). Further integration of the 3-electrode system realised the static amperometric detection of NADH over the range of 78 M to 10 mM. Based on the excellent performance of PTB/LIG to NADH sensing, hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase was immobilised via encapsulation with chitosan and polyvinyl butyral (PVB) which was used for HB biosensing over the linear range of 0.5 M to 1 mM with NAD+ dissolved in solution. In addition, the co-immobilisation of NAD+ and HBD on PTB/LIG was conducted by optimisation of enzyme and NAD+ amount per electrode, which shows excellent reproducibility and satisfactory HB biosensing performance. Further experiments to improve the long-term stability of the enzyme electrode is expected in the future. The proposed integrated electrode system also possesses the potential to extend to a multichannel sensor array for the detection of multiple biomarkers (e.g. pH and glucose) for diagnosis and management of DKA.