Oswaldo Cruz Foundation

About: Oswaldo Cruz Foundation is a facility organization based out in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Trypanosoma cruzi. The organization has 18673 authors who have published 36752 publications receiving 802378 citations. The organization is also known as: Fundação Oswaldo Cruz & FIOCRUZ.

Rapid spread of an invasive snail in South America: the giant African snail, Achatina fulica , in Brasil

Abstract: Beginning around 1800, but primarily since the early and mid-twentieth century, the giant African snail, Achatina (Lissachatina) fulica Bowdich, 1822, has been introduced throughout the tropics and subtropics and has been considered the most important snail pest in these regions In Brasil, specimens probably brought from Indonesia were introduced into the state of Parana in the 1980s for commercial purposes (“escargot” farming) that were not successful Achatina fulica is now widespread in at least 23 out of 26 Brasilian states and the Federal District, including the Amazonian region and natural reserves Among the reasons for the species’ rapid invasion are its high reproductive capacity and the tendency for people to release the snails into the wild Achatina fulica occurs in dense populations in urban areas where it is a pest in ornamental gardens, vegetable gardens, and small-scale agriculture Also of concern is the damage caused to the environment, and potential competition with native terrestrial mollusks It can also act as an intermediate host of Angiostrongylus cantonensis, a nematode that can cause meningoencephalitis in people, and it may be a potential host of A costaricensis, which causes abdominal angiostrongylosis, a zoonosis that occurs from the southern United States to northern Argentina Management and control measures for A fulica are under way in Brasil through a national plan implemented by the Brasilian government

Safety and neurological assessments after autologous transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in subjects with chronic spinal cord injury.

Abstract: The administration of stem cells holds promise as a potential therapy for spinal cord injury (SCI). Mesenchymal stem cells have advantages for clinical applications, since they can be easily obtained, are suitable for autologous transplantation and have been previously shown to induce regeneration of the spinal cord in experimental settings. Here we evaluated the feasibility, safety and potential efficacy of autologous transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells in subjects with chronic complete SCI. We conducted a phase I, non-controlled study in 14 subjects of both genders aging between 18 to 65 years, with chronic traumatic SCI (>6 months), at thoracic or lumbar levels, classified as American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) A - complete injury. Baseline somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP), spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and urodynamics were assessed before and after treatment. Pain rating was performed using the McGill Pain Questionnaire and a visual analogue score scale. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells were cultured and characterized by flow cytometry, cell differentiation assays and G-band karyotyping. Mesenchymal stem cells were injected directly into the lesion following laminectomy and durotomy. Cell transplantation was an overall safe and well-tolerated procedure. All subjects displayed variable improvements in tactile sensitivity and eight subjects developed lower limbs motor functional gains, principally in the hip flexors. Seven subjects presented sacral sparing and improved American Spinal Injury Association impairment scale (AIS) grades to B or C – incomplete injury. Nine subjects had improvements in urologic function. One subject presented changes in SSEP 3 and 6 months after mesenchymal stem cells transplantation. Statistically significant correlations between the improvements in neurological function and both injury size and level were found. Intralesional transplantation of autologous mesenchymal stem cells in subjects with chronic, complete spinal cord injury is safe, feasible, and may promote neurological improvements. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01325103 – Registered 28 March 2011

Single-Dose Tafenoquine to Prevent Relapse of Plasmodium vivax Malaria.

Abstract: Background Treatment of Plasmodium vivax malaria requires the clearing of asexual parasites, but relapse can be prevented only if dormant hypnozoites are cleared from the liver (a treatmen...