While Chagas disease is highly prevalent across Latin America — from Mexico to Argentina — its diagnosis remains challenging due to the extensive geographic variability of parasite strains a postdoctoral fellow in UTEP’s Almeida lab who led the study.  progresses in two stages: an ‘acute’ phase lasting 4-5 weeks during which patients typically do not experience specific symptoms and a ‘chronic’ phase that can persist for decades leading to severe heart and gastrointestinal complications “Chagas disease is a real conundrum when it comes to diagnosis,” said Farani “Patients in the acute phase typically do not have symptoms when the parasitic load is highest in the bloodstream But when the symptoms do manifest in the chronic phase the parasitic load is much lower and harder to detect in blood samples.”  a UTEP biological sciences professor who specializes in Chagas disease research Farani tested a new diagnostic method against the standard diagnostic tool for Chagas disease Both methods rely on extracting parasitic DNA from blood samples Farani mixed blood samples with guanidine-EDTA a substance that breaks down blood cells and ensures parasite DNA is released and preserved She then added magnetic beads specifically designed to bind to DNA allowing for efficient extraction and analysis of parasitic genetic material While magnetic beads have been used for detection of a number of diseases Farani’s research marks the first time the bead method has been applied to the detection of Chagas disease The standard method for filtering genetic material from blood typically relies on a silica column the magnetic beads yielded a higher quantity of pure DNA and significantly enhanced the sensitivity of parasite detection in blood samples making them a more reliable indicator of parasites in the blood “This research marks a significant advancement especially for patients in the chronic phase where reliable parasite detection remains a major challenge,” Farani said “As a postdoctoral researcher dedicated to improving infectious disease diagnostics I was thrilled to coordinate this project.” The diagnostic research is part of a broader effort at UTEP to combat Chagas disease This includes a clinical trial of Chagas chemotherapeutic treatments recently concluded in Bolivia and vaccines developed by the Almeida and Maldonado labs which have been patented and are progressing toward the first-ever clinical trial of Chagas disease vaccine candidates.  Farani’s more sensitive approach to DNA extraction represents a significant advancement in Chagas disease diagnostics Her work has the potential to greatly enhance early detection and improve patient therapeutic outcomes particularly for those in the chronic phase when accurate diagnosis is most challenging," said Almeida Farani is set to join UTEP’s School of Pharmacy as an Assistant Professor where she will continue her research on developing improved diagnostic tools and treatment strategies for Chagas disease patients Additional coauthors on the study include Jacqueline Lopez – former UTEP undergraduate student who conducted most of the experiments – and Drs Otacilio Moreira and Amanda Faier at the Fiocruz Institute in Rio de Janeiro The University of Texas at El Paso is America’s leading Hispanic-serving university where three states and two countries converge along the Rio Grande and more than half are the first in their families to go to college master’s and doctoral degree programs at the only open-access 2025 at 12:00 AM | Originally published March 20 This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page This year, Easter falls on Sunday so there’s relatively little time left until the holiday the Portuguese are starting to think about how to ‘adorn’ the table with food and sweets and tradition dictates that sponge cake and folar should not be missing But we’ll tell you all about it in a moment The Association of Trade and Industry of Bakery Pastry and Similar Products (ACIP) recently held a competition to determine the best in the country First place on the podium went to Padaria Flor de Grijó this was not the only distinction for the spot from Gaia which also won in the Salted Puff Pastry and Bôlas section According to the official ACIPwebsite, these are officially the three places that stand out for the excellence of their sponge cake: View this post on Instagram The best moist sponge cake category For those who prefer their sponge cake moist, here are the three best spots: View this post on Instagram And where can you find the best folar Easter that is Easter must include a folar on the table the ACIP initiative also evaluated the best in this category Metrics details In the heart tissue of acutely Trypanosoma cruzi-infected mice miR-145-5p and miR-146b-5p are we used the H9C2 rat cardiomyoblast cell line infected with the Colombian T cruzi strain to investigate the parasite-host cell interplay focusing on the regulation of miR-145-5p and miR-146b-5p expression we explored the effects of interventions with the trypanosomicidal drug Benznidazole (Bz) alone or combined with Pentoxifylline (PTX) a methylxanthine derivative shown to modulate immunological and cardiac abnormalities in a model of chronic chagasic cardiomyopathy on parasite load and expression of miR-145-5p and miR-146b-5p The infection of H9C2 cells with trypomastigote forms allowed parasite cycle with intracellular forms multiplication and trypomastigote release upregulation of miR-145-5p (24 h: 2.38 ± 0.26; 48 h: 3.15 ± 0.9-fold change) and miR-146b-5b (24 h: 2.60 ± 0.46; 48 h: 2.97 ± 0.23-fold change) was detected The peak of both miRNA levels paralleled with release of trypomastigote forms Addition of 3 µM and 10 µM of Bz 48 h after infection reduced parasite load but did not interfere with miR-145-5p and miR-146b-5p levels Addition of PTX did not interfere with Bz-induced parasite control efficacy combined Bz + PTX treatment decreased the levels of both microRNAs resembling the expression levels detected in non-infected H9C2 cells the use of miR-145-5p and miR-146b-5p mimic/inhibitor systems before infection of H9C2 cells decreased parasite load When H9C2 cells were treated with miR-145-5p and miR-146b-5p mimic/inhibitor 48 h after infection our data indicate that these microRNAs putatively control signaling pathways crucial for parasite–host cell interaction miR-145-5p and miR-146b-5p deserve to be further investigated as biomarkers of parasite control and tools to identify therapeutic adjuvants to etiological treatment in Chagas disease The data described above support involvement of the mRNAs miR-145-5p and miR-146b-5p in the physiological pathogenesis of cardiac diseases we propose the establishment of a CD in vitro experimental model using the H9C2 cell line of rat cardiomyoblasts infected with the Colombian T cruzi strain to investigate parasite-host interplay focusing on the effect of parasite infection on the expression of miR-145-5p and miR-146b-5p we used this model to evaluate the potential of these miRNA as biomarkers of parasite control evaluating their expression levels under treatment of infected cells with the trypanosomicidal drug Benznidazole (Bz) alone or combined with the immunoregulator Pentoxifylline (PTX) All reagents were purchased from ThermoFisher Scientific 106 VERO cells were infected with 107 trypomastigotes for 48 h under an atmosphere of 5% CO2 at 37 °C to allow parasite–cell interaction cells were washed with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS pH 7.4) and after 6 days the trypomastigotes were collected from the supernatant submitted to a centrifugation step at 4000×g for 10 min to retrieve the parasites following subsequent infection of H9C2 cells Cover slips were placed on 24 well-plate and treated with Poly-l-Lysin for 2 h let dry for approximately 1 h and added with 5 × 103 H9C2 cells For definition of better multiplicity of infection (MOI) cruzi trypomastigotes were added in the wells for 4 h to allow parasite–cell interaction cells were washed with PBS pH 7.4 to eliminate non-adhered parasites and collected at 24- and 48-h post-infection washed with PBS stained with panoptic following manufacturer’s protocol and mounted with Permount (ThermoFisher Scientific cruzi infected H9C2 cells and intracellular amastigotes forms/cell were counted (200 cells/coverslip) endocytic index was calculated as % infected cells × amastigotes forms/cells 5 × 104 H9C2 cells were seeded in 6-well plate and infected with 5 × 105 of T cruzi trypomastigotes (10:1) for 4 h to allow parasite–cell interaction H9C2 cells were washed with PBS pH 7.4 and collected at different time points following specific experimental protocols as shown in the Results section Representative images were acquired on a light microscope coupled with a digital camera DS-L3 (Nikon Corporation using different cell culture flasks in each experimental condition Benznidazole powder was obtained from Laboratório de Farmacotécnica Experimental (Farmanguinhos/FIOCRUZ) being first diluted in DMSO at a concentration of 100 mM following subsequent dilutions in PBS pH 7.4 at concentrations of 5 mM 1 mM and 0.3 mM prior use at the experiments Pentoxifylline was commercially purchased as injectable solution under the name of Trental 100 mg/5 mL (Sanofi-Aventis Dilutions were done in PBS pH 7.4 at concentrations of 20 mg/mL 2.5 mg/mL and 1.25 mg/mL prior use at the experiments The experiment was repeated three times The plates were read at 570 nm using a Molecular Devices SpectraMax Plus microplate reader (California MicroRNAs mirVana miRNA mimic for miR-145-5p (ThermoFisher Assay ID MC11480) and miR-146b-5p (Assay ID MC10105) and inhibitor systems for miR-145-5p (Assay ID MH11480) and miR-146b-5p (Assay ID MH10105) were used according to manufacturer’s instructions using Lipofectamine RNAiMAX reagent (Invitrogen Mimic and inhibitor systems for miR-145-5p and mimic system for miR-146b-5p were used at the final concentration of 10 pmol and inhibitor system for miR-146b-5p was used at the final concentration of 30 pmol in 6-well plates with previously added 5 × 104 H9C2 cells and incubated under an atmosphere of 5% CO2 at 37 °C All controls are added with Lipofectamine RNAiMAX Cruzi1 (5′-ASTCGGCTGATCGTTTTCGA-3′) and Cruzi2 (5′-AATTCCTCCAAGCAGCGGAT A-3′) and the TaqMan probe Cruzi3 (6FAM–CACACACTGGACACCAA–NFQ–MGB) at 50 nM Standard curves were done with 106 VERO cells spiked with 107 T cruzi trypomastigotes in Tissue Lysis Buffer and extracted making a 1:10 serial dilution of the eluted DNA in TE buffer ranging from 107 to 1 parasite equivalents Real-time PCR reactions were carried out on Applied Biosystems ViiA 7 Real-Time PCR system (Thermo Fisher using the cycling conditions: 50 °C for 2 min followed by 40 cycles at 95 °C and 58 °C for 1 min where fluorescence was collected at annealing/extension step after each cycle Parasite load was normalized per ng of DNA in each sample All experiments were performed at least in three technical replicates Student’s t test or Mann–Whitney Rank Sum test was used to analyze the statistical significance of the observed differences (according to the parametric or nonparametric distribution of the values respectively) with SigmaPlot for Windows version 12.0 (Systat Software Results were expressed as means and standard deviations differences were considered significant if p < 0.05 cruzi infection modulates miR-145-5p and miR-146b-5p expression (B) Parasite load of H9C2 cells infected with T (C) Concentration of parasites released into the supernatant significance was determined using unpaired Student’s t test (*p < 0.05 these data revealed that the upregulation of expression of the miR-145-5p and miR-146b-5p precedes the release of the trypomastigote forms of the parasite from the H9C2 cells and the highest levels of both microRNAs paralleled the release of the trypomastigote forms confirming the specificity of the TaqMan assays used herein Combined therapy with Benznidazole and Pentoxifylline reverse miR-145-5p and miR-146b-5p upregulation treated 48 h post-infection with 3 µM and 5 µM of Bz and collected 72 h later cruzi and treated with 3 µM and 5 µM of Bz treated 48 h post-infection with 3 µM and 5 µM of Bz + PTX 0.125 mg/mL and 0.250 mg/mL and collected 72 h later (F) Parasite load of H9C2 cells infected with T significance was determined using unpaired Student’s t test or Mann–Whitney Rank Sum (*p < 0.05 Pre- and post-treatment of miR-145-5p and miR-146b-5p TaqMan® mimic/inhibitor systems alters T (A) H9C2 cells were pre-treated with miR-145-5p or miR-146b-5p TaqMan mimic/inhibitor systems for 48 h (B) Parasite load of H9C2 cells pre-treated with miR-145-5p TaqMan mimic/inhibitor system (C) Parasite load of H9C2 cells pre-treated with miR-146b-5p TaqMan mimic/inhibitor system post-treated with miR-145-5p or miR-146b-5p TaqMan mimic/inhibitor systems for 48 h and collected 72 h later (E) Parasite load of H9C2 cells post-treated with miR-145-5p TaqMan mimic/inhibitor system (F) Parasite load of H9C2 cells post-treated with miR-146b-5p TaqMan mimic/inhibitor system allowing health professionals to make proper interventions in time to prevent reactivation and its consequences It is most likely that the combined Bz + PTX therapy was able to reverse miR-145-5p and miR-146-5p overexpression by combining the trypanosomicidal effect of Bz reducing the tissue damage caused by the parasites as well as the immunomodulatory effect of PTX preventing potential overproduction of cytokines that could culminate in the modulation of potential miRNA targets that remains to be explored in the present experimental T all these results reinforce the importance of proposing a combined etiological and immunomodulatory treatment for CCC which shows us additional advantages to the further investigation of the use of miR-146b-5p for the treatment of CCC as well as a tool for identification of putative pathways to be targeted by new therapeutic approaches the participation of miR-145-5p and miR-146b-5p in pathophysiological processes of T cruzi infection might be more relevant than previously thought It is clear from the results we came across in this study the participation of miR-145-5p and miR-146b-5p in the parasite–host interaction and establishment of T pharmacotherapy being able to modulate these microRNAs might serve as a first insight on the potential role of microRNAs as biomarkers of treatment efficacy the potential use of miR-145-5p and miR-146b-5p as therapeutic adjuvants in the treatment of CD also deserves special 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Cell Biol. 11, 228–234. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncb0309-228 (2009) Download references This work received financial support from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior Brasil (CAPES—Finance Code 001) OC Moreira is a researcher fellow 1D of CNPq (311539/2020-3) and FAPERJ (JCNE- E-26/203.031/2018) J Lannes-Vieira is fellow of CNPq1B (BPP 306037/2019-0) and FAPERJ (CNE Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Endemic Diseases Beatriz Iandra Silva Ferreira & Otacilio Cruz Moreira and D.G.: in vitro experiments and data analysis O.C.M.: data analysis and manuscript preparation O.C.M.: manuscript final revision and financial support The authors declare no competing interests Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-05493-4 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science The dates displayed for an article provide information on when various publication milestones were reached at the journal that has published the article activities on preceding journals at which the article was previously under consideration are not shown (for instance submission All content on this site: Copyright © 2025 Elsevier B.V. While many choose to take a nap or lay on the couch after chowing down on Turkey during Thanksgiving the kids at the Boys and Girls Club of Binghamton decided to break out in dance after cleaning their plates on Tuesday Over 150 boys and girls watched as a group of 10 or so dancers punched the air and kicked out their legs in unison to the hit songs like "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" and "Hit the Quan" sat next to empty cartons of chocolate milk and paper turkey decorations on abandoned tables as kids pushed close to the front of the gym to get a close look at their wiggling peers children took to the microphone to tell their peers things they were grateful for like family and food and read poems like "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost "We do this because these kids come here everyday and it becomes a family," said Boys and Girls Club of Binghamton Unit Director Roberto Sostre "We try to have one big family dinner every year and this is the perfect opportunity." local organizations like CHOW and Binghamton University donated food items towards the dinner Follow Andrew Thayer on Twitter @Andrew_Thayer RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilians were outraged when they learned their country was a top target of the U.S National Security Agency's overseas spying operation with data from billions of calls and emails swept up in Washington's top secret surveillance program Yet when it comes to the cloak and dagger effort of catching philandering lovers all high-tech weapons appear to be fair game — at least to the tens of thousands of Brazilians who downloaded "Boyfriend Tracker" to their smartphones before the stealthy software was removed from the Google Play app store last week apparently in response to complaints about privacy abuses and its potential to be used for extortion or even stalking Of course it's going to be popular," said Marcia Almeida a 47-year-old woman in Rio whose marriage ended seven years ago in large part because of what she said was her husband's infidelity "It's a different type of spying," she said of comparisons to the NSA surveillance program "You're checking up on somebody you know intimately called "Rastreador de Namorados" (Portuguese for Boyfriend Tracker) promises to act like a "private detective in your partner's pocket." Functions include sending the person doing the tracking updates on their partner's location and forwarding duplicates of text message traffic from the targeted phone There is even a command that allows a user to force the target phone to silently call their own so they can listen in on what the person is saying Similar apps are marketed for smartphone users in other countries but Boyfriend Tracker is the first that has made any impact in Brazil a country still irate as it learns more about Washington's snooping Brazil has sent a government delegation to meet with U.S leaders about the spy program that was revealed by Edward Snowden the former NSA contractor who has been on the run since May and was recently granted asylum in Russia Google spokeswoman Gina Johnson said by email that as a policy the company doesn't comment on why apps are removed apps like Boyfriend Tracker can violate privacy rights and they warn that in the wrong hands they could be used for more sinister purposes Some in Brazil argue it breaks an anti-online harassment and hacking law in place since April The law is named after Brazilian actress Carolina Dieckmann who had nude photos of herself leaked by hackers in 2012 after she refused to pay about $5,000 similar apps popular on Google Play market themselves to parents as a means of monitoring how teenage children use the phone and where they are at any given moment a 24-year-old Sao Paulo-based developer behind Boyfriend Tracker says it has attracted around 50,000 users since its launch about two months ago most since the site began attracting media attention two weeks ago Grijo insists his lawyer vetted the app and determined it does not violate any Brazilian laws it is still available via direct download from his company's website A disclaimer on that website stipulates the app is for "social and recreational use" and absolves the developer of responsibility for any misuse The first line of the download instructions says a woman installing the tracker on her boyfriend's phone should do so "with his consent." "We are waiting for Google's position on the removal of 'Boyfriend Tracker' from Google Play which we consider an error," read a posting on a Facebook page Grijo set up for the app suspicious partners have to get their hands on their loved one's smartphones and upload the app A free version leaves the app's icon visible on the target's phone while a version that costs $2 a month masks the icon Grijo said the app began as a joke between him and his girlfriend but the idea quickly caught on among their friends we have this culture of switching partners really quickly so this is a way of dealing with that," said Grijo "People really appreciate having a tool to help them find out whether they're being cheated on." He acknowledged that "of course some people are against it but on balance the response from users has been positive." He said he's received messages of gratitude from around 50 people who used the app to ferret out their partners' infidelity the app is clearly marketed to women suspicious of their male partners Postings on the app's Facebook page exhort: "Girls Grijo insisted he personally has never given his girlfriends any reason to worry "I've had three steady girlfriends until now but I've never had these kinds of issues," he said Associated Press writer Bradley Brooks contributed to this report want everyone to come along to the Brazilian Fair on September 15 A vibrant celebration of everything Brazil is happening in Pāpāmoa this month to bring the unique culture to the community Event organiser Daiana Price says the Brazilian Fair on Sunday September 15 from 9am-2pm at the Pāpāmoa Recreation Centre will offer stalls selling traditional foods “The focus is on showcasing the Brazilian community within the Bay of Plenty and giving people a taste of the colourful Brazilian culture.” jewellery - the list goes on - at the fair is from the Brazilian community here in the BoP “We invite everyone to come and try the food The free community event is held quarterly - the idea was sparked from conversations among friends who frequently received questions about their distinct food Daiana says the event is getting better and better kids’ games and more activities are added each time “The good thing about the venue is there’s a playground right next to it.” Daiana says this gives parents a chance to eat and relax while their children play there’ll be lots of kids’ entertainment including face-painting and outdoor activities.” Music is also a big part of the experience with a mix of Brazilian and English songs playing and we encourage the community to dance and sing along.” With a large variety of Brazilian foods - including traditional pastries cakes and sweets - food trucks with other cuisines make it enticing to all palates “but all [stalls] are owned by Brazilians” The Brazilian Fair is to take place from 9am-2pm on Sunday September 15 at the Pāpāmoa Recreation Centre “Everyone is welcome,” says Daiana “It’s a great day out for families and friends to experience the Brazilian vibe - SunLive How do you feel about Tauranga’s rapid population growth Back to top