Abstract Introduction: Diagnosis of soft tissue mallet finger may go unnoticed initially in children and adolescents, limiting the possibili-ties of conservative treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of surgical treatment with the tenodermodesis technique in late-presentig lesions. Materials and Methods: Nine patients (8 male) with an average age 8.6±6 years (range 1-15 years) were retrospectively evaluated. The lesion presented at an average of 27±11.4 days after trauma (range 15 to 45 days). In 4 patients the mechanism was a laceration and in 5 indirect trauma. Patients were treated by tenodermodesis and transitory fixa-tion of the distal interphalangeal joint with a Kirshner-wire. The average follow-up was 61±34.7 months (range 12-106 months). Active and passive mobility of the distal interphalangeal joint (DIPJ), pain, deformity, limitation of activities of daily life, and need for further treatment were evaluated. Crawford criteria was used to evaluate the outcomes. Results: The results were excellent in eight patients, and fair in one according to the Crawford criteria. One case required reoperation for re-rupture in a poorly collabo-rating patient. Two cases presented as a complication a granuloma and required resection of it. No patient presented pain at the last follow-up, nor limitations for activities of daily living. Eight patients had full active DIPJ extension, and one had a 20° residual deformity. Conclusion: Tenodermodesis allows anatomical reconstruction of the extensor mechanism in pediatric patients. The clinical results are encouraging in late-presenting lesions.

Resumen Introducción: El diagnóstico del dedo en martillo tendinoso puede pasar desapercibido inicialmente en niños y adolescentes, esto limita las posibilidades del tratamiento conservador. El objetivo fue evaluar los resultados del tratamiento quirúrgico con la técnica de tenodermodesis en lesiones de presentación tardía. Materiales y Métodos: Se evaluó retrospectivamente a 9 pacien-tes (8 niños) con una edad promedio de 8.6 ± 6 años (rango 1-15). Los días promedio de evolución de la lesión eran 27±11.4 (rango 15-45). El mecanismo de lesión fue una herida cortante (4 casos) y un traumatismo indirecto (5 casos). El tratamiento consistió en tenodermodesis e inmovilización transitoria con clavija transarticular. El seguimiento promedio fue de 61 ± 34.7 meses (rango 12-106). Se evaluaron la movilidad activa y pasiva de la articulación interfalángica distal, la presencia de dolor o deformidad, la limitación de actividades de la vida diaria y la necesidad de tratamientos adicionales. Se clasificaron los resultados con los cri-terios de evaluación de Crawford. Resultados: En 8 pacientes, el resultado fue excelente y, en uno, regular según Crawford. Un paciente poco colaborador requirió una segunda intervención por re-rotura. En dos casos, hubo una complicación (granuloma) y requirió resección. Ningún paciente refirió dolor al final del seguimiento, ni limitaciones para las actividades de la vida diaria. Ocho presentaron extensión activa completa y uno, una deformidad residual de 20°. Conclusión: La tenodermodesis permite la recons-trucción anatómica del mecanismo extensor en niños y adolescentes. Los resultados clínicos de este estudio son alentadores en lesiones no diagnosticadas en forma temprana.

RESUMEN En este artículo se discuten las disputas sobre la identificación de los “legados” persistentes del pasado que participan en la constitución de los patrones presentes de violencia organizada. Resalta cómo las formas presentes de violencia organizada a menudo se vinculan con experiencias pasadas de violencia política en el contexto del discurso de justicia transicional, ya que las violaciones contemporáneas a los derechos humanos se enmarcan como indicadores del fracaso de pasados procesos transicionales. El artículo luego explora dichas disputas en el contexto de los debates recientes de la sociedad civil, en México, sobre el potencial desarrollo de mecanismos de justicia transicional; y en el contexto de la subcomisión de Verdad en Democracia “Madres de Acari”, en Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

ABSTRACT In this article, disputes over the identification of persisting “legacies” of the past that participate in the constitution of present patterns of organized violence are discussed. It highlights the ways in which present forms of organized violence are often tied to past experiences of political violence in the context of transitional justice discourse, as serious contemporary human rights violations are framed as indicators of the failure of past transitional processes. This article then explores such disputes in the context of recent civil society debates in Mexico on the potential development of transitional justice mechanisms; and in the context of the Sub commission of Truth in Democracy “Mothers of Acari” in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

RESUMO Neste artigo, são discutidas as disputas sobre a identificação dos “legados” persistentes do passado que participam da constituição dos padrões atuais de violência organizada. Ressalta-se como as formas presentes de violência organizada com frequência são vinculadas a experiências passadas de violência política no contexto do discurso de justiça de transição, já que as violações contemporâneas dos direitos humanos são definidas como indicadores do fracasso de passados processos de transição. Logo, o artigo explora essas disputas no contexto dos debates recentes da sociedade civil, no México, sobre o potencial desenvolvimento de mecanismos de justiça de transição, e no contexto da Subcomissão da Verdade na Democracia “Mães de Acari”, no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

BACKGROUND: Disclosure of one's HIV status to a sexual partner can have significant health implications. From a health promotion point of view, disclosure is seen as a cornerstone for the prevention of HIV transmission between partners. Despite its importance as a strategy for controlling the spread of HIV, there are challenges that inhibit voluntary disclosure. OBJECTIVES: In exploring factors associated with disclosure of HIV status, the study had two complementary objectives related to: (1) investigation of participants' views about HIV-positive status disclosure to sexual partners; and (2) a broader identification of factors that influence disclosure of HIV-positive status. METHOD: The study explored factors associated with disclosure of the HIV status of people living with HIV to their sexual partners. Purposive sampling was used to select 13 participants living with HIV who attended a wellness clinic. Primary data were collected via an in-depth interview with each of the participants RESULTS: The exploration showed that male participants were notably more reluctant to disclose to their sexual partners for fear of rejection; and secrecy was commonly reported around sexual matters. Female participants (who were in the majority) were relatively more willing to disclose their HIV status to their sexual partners. Despite the complexity of disclosure, all participants understood the importance of disclosure to their sexual partners. CONCLUSION: There is a need for HIV prevention strategies to focus on men in particular, so as to strengthen disclosure counselling services provided to people living with HIV and to advocate strongly for partner testing.

Facilitating the delivery of exogenous antigens to antigen-presenting cells, ensuing processing and presentation via the major histocompatibility complex class I and induction of an effective immune response are fundamental for an effective therapeutic cancer vaccine. In this regard, we propose the use of cell-penetrating peptides fused to a tumor antigen. To demonstrate this concept we designed a fusion protein comprising a novel cell-penetrating and immunostimulatory peptide corresponding to residues 32 to 51 of the Limulus anti-lipopolysaccharide factor protein (LALF32-51) linked to human papillomavirus 16 E7 antigen (LALF32-51-E7). In this work, we demonstrated that the immunization with LALF32-51-E7 using the TC-1 mouse model induces a potent and long-lasting anti-tumor response supported on an effective E7-specific CD8+ T-cell response. The finding that therapeutic immunization with LALF32-51 or E7 alone, or an admixture of LALF32-51 and E7, does not induce significant tumor reduction indicates that covalent linkage between LALF32-51 and E7 is required for the anti-tumor effect. These results support the use of this novel cell-penetrating peptide as an efficient means for delivering therapeutic targets into cellular compartments with the induction of a cytotoxic CD8+ T lymphocyte immune response. This approach is promissory for the treatment of tumors associated with the human papillomavirus 16, which is responsible for the 50% of cervical cancer cases worldwide and other malignancies. Furthermore, protein-based vaccines can circumvent the major histocompatibility complex specificity limitation associated with peptide vaccines providing a greater extent in their application.

Facilitar la internalización de moléculas exógenas por las células presentadoras de antígenos, su procesamiento, presentación en el complejo mayor de histocompatibilidad tipo I y la inducción de una respuesta inmune efectiva, constituyen premisas fundamentales en el diseño de candidatos vacunales terapéuticos contra cáncer. Para ello se propone el uso de péptidos penetradores a células (PPC) fusionados con el antígeno tumoral. Para demostrarlo se empleó un novedoso PPC derivado de la proteína factor antilipopolisacárido de Limulus (LALF32-51), fusionado genéticamente a una muteína de la proteína E7 del virus del papiloma humano tipo 16 (VPH16), que denominamos LALF32-51-E7. En este estudio se demuestra que la inmunización con LALF32-51-E7, en el modelo murino tumoral TC-1 de VPH16, induce una respuesta anti-tumoral potente, protectora y de larga duración, cuyo mecanismo es la inducción de una respuesta celular mediada por linfocitos T citotóxicos CD8+ específicos contra el antígeno E7. La inmunización con la E7 sola o la mezcla de ella con el PPC no reproduce los efectos obtenidos con la fusión covalente LALF32-51-E7. Los resultados avalan este nuevo PPC como una herramienta atractiva para la internalización de antígenos con la consecuente inducción de una respuesta de linfocitos T citotóxicos CD8+. Además, abre una perspectiva promisoria para el tratamiento de tumores asociados al VPH16 responsable del 50% del cáncer cervical y de otros tumores. A diferencia de las vacunas peptídicas, las basadas en proteínas no están restringidas por el antígeno leucocitario humano y permiten una amplia aplicación.

Proponemos un algoritmo de inferencia gramatical para lenguajes regulares que permite ahorrar cómputo al usar dos criterios diferentes para elegir los estados a ser procesados, un criterio se usa en la primera fase del proceso de inferencia (al principio) y el otro en el resto del proceso. Realizamos experimentos para observar el desempeño del algoritmo, para aprender sobre el tamaño ideal de su primera fase y para mostrar su aplicación en la solución de un problema específico en bioinformática: la predicción de sitios de corte en poliproteínas codificadas por virus de la familia Potyviridae.

We propose a grammar inference algorithm for regular languages which saves computational cost by using two different criteria to choose states to be processed: one in the first phase of the inference process (the beginning) and another for the rest of the process. We applied experiments to observe performance of the algorithm, to learn about the best size of its first phase and to show results of its application to solve a specific problem in Bioinformatics: the cleavage site prediction problem in polyproteins encoded by viruses of the Potyviridae family.

Acute gastroenteritis caused by viruses is one of the leading causes of infantile morbidity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence of human caliciviruses of the genera norovirus and sapovirus in children up to 3 years of age with acute gastroenteritis from low-income communities in the city of Salvador, Brazil. This study is an extension of previous work carried out to establish the profile of the most prevalent enteric pathogens present in these communities. In this report, 139 fecal samples, collected from July 2001 to January 2002 were analyzed by RT-PCR and 13 (9%) were positive for human caliciviruses. By sequencing, seven isolates were characterized as norovirus genogroup GII and one as sapovirus genotype GII/1. Sequencing of the previously detected group-A rotaviruses and human astroviruses was also performed and revealed the circulation of rotavirus group A genotypes G1P[8] and G9P[8], and human astrovirus genotypes 6, 7, and 8. No mixed infection was observed. Community-based studies provide geographically representative information on disease burden. However, there are only a few reports in developing countries concerning the genotypes of the most important gastroenteric viruses detected in such communities. The present findings demonstrate the wide diversity of genotypes of the most important viruses responsible for acute gastroenteritis circulating in low-income communities.

Human Epidermal Growth Factor (hEGF) is a protein molecule with potent mitogenic activity, increasing the rate of wound and ulcer healing in different tissues of the human body. In recent years, the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB) has carried out projects at the developmental stages for the application of hEGF in novel therapies. It is now necessary to increase production capacity within the same facility, to meet the increasing demand of this product.The aim of this work was to increase hEGF expression levels by optimizing the culture conditions. The culture media, pH and temperature dependency of hEGF expression and degradation rate were studied. An increase of 1.8 times of the hEGF expression level was achieved by adding to the medium 50 mg/L of histidine and leucine. A factorial design experiment was applied to optimize the yeast extract and bacteriological peptone concentration in the culture media. The statistical analysis of response surface predicted that using 18 g/L of yeast extract and 25 g/L of bacteriological peptone improved the hEGF expression level up to 3.5 mg/g. This is the highest expression level reported for hEGF in yeast up to now. Furthermore, the form in which the hEGF degradation rate was reduced to less than 10% in fermenters when the culture was made on the optimized medium at pH 6.5 and 25 °C, is discussed.

El Factor de crecimiento epidérmico humano (FCE-h) es una proteína que posee una potente actividad mitógenica la cual se manifiesta en el incremento la velocidad de cicatrización de heridas y ulceras en diferentes tejidos del cuerpo humano. Durante los últimos años el Centro de Ingeniería Genética y Biotecnología (CIGB) ha estado involucrado en diversos proyectos de terapias novedosas asociadas al uso del FCE-h. Actualmente existe la necesidad de aumentar de forma significativa la capacidad productiva de esta molécula en la misma instalación industrial para dar respuesta a la creciente demanda de este producto. El objetivo central de este trabajo fue el aumento del nivel de expresión de FCE-h mediante la optimización de las condiciones de cultivo. En el siguiente trabajo se estudió la influencia del medio de cultivo, el pH y la temperatura sobre la expresión del Factor de Crecimiento Epidérmico humano (FCE-h). Se logró un aumento de 1.8 veces en el nivel de expresión del FCE-h mediante la adición de 50 mg/L de histidina y leucina respecto al medio base. El medio de cultivo fue optimizado empleando un experimento factorial de superficie de respuesta. Se encontró un óptimo de concentración de extracto de levadura y peptona bacteriológica de 18 y 25 g/L, respectivamente, correspondiéndose con un nivel de expresión máximo de 3.5 mg/g. Este nivel de expresión es el máximo reportado para el FCE-h en levaduras. Por otra parte, se discute como es posible lograr un control de la proteolisis del FCE-h cuando se opera a un pH de 6.5 y una temperatura de 25 °C.