RESUMO

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are a public health burden rising in developed and developing nations. The World Health Organization estimates nearly 374 million new cases of curable STIs yearly. Global efforts to control their spread have been insufficient in fulfilling their objective. As there is no vaccine for many of these infections, these efforts are focused on education and condom distribution. The development of vaccines for STIs is vital for successfully halting their spread. The field of immunoinformatics is a powerful new tool for vaccine development, allowing for the identification of vaccine candidates within a bacterium's genome and allowing for the design of new genome-based vaccine peptides. The goal of this review was to evaluate the usage of immunoinformatics in research focused on non-viral STIs, identifying fields where research efforts are concentrated. Here we describe gaps in applying these techniques, as in the case of Treponema pallidum and Trichomonas vaginalis.

Assuntos

RESUMO

Bacteria of the Leuconostoc genus are Gram-positive bacteria that are commonly found in raw milk and persist in fermented dairy products and plant food. Studies have already explored the probiotic potential of L. mesenteroides, but not from a probiogenomic perspective, which aims to explore the molecular features responsible for their phenotypes. In the present work, probiogenomic approaches were applied in strains F-21 and F-22 of L. mesenteroides isolated from human milk to assess their biosafety at the molecular level and to correlate molecular features with their potential probiotic characteristics. The complete genome of strain F-22 is 1.99 Mb and presents one plasmid, while the draft genome of strain F-21 is 1.89 Mb and presents four plasmids. A high percentage of average nucleotide identity among other genomes of L. mesenteroides (≥ 96%) corroborated the previous taxonomic classification of these isolates. Genomic regions that influence the probiotic properties were identified and annotated. Both strains exhibited wide genome plasticity, cell adhesion ability, proteolytic activity, proinflammatory and immunomodulation capacity through interaction with TLR-NF-κB and TLR-MAPK pathway components, and no antimicrobial resistance, denoting their potential to be candidate probiotics. Further, the strains showed bacteriocin production potential and the presence of acid, thermal, osmotic, and bile salt resistance genes, indicating their ability to survive under gastrointestinal stress. Taken together, our results suggest that L. mesenteroides F-21 and F-22 are promising candidates for probiotics in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

RESUMO

Syphilis, a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum, has seen a resurgence over the past years. T. pallidum is capable of early dissemination and immune evasion, and the disease continues to be a global healthcare burden. The purpose of this study was to design a multi-epitope immunogen through an immunoinformatics-based approach. Multi-epitope immunogens constitute carefully selected epitopes belonging to conserved and essential bacterial proteins. Several physico-chemical characteristics, such as antigenicity, allergenicity, and stability, were determined. Further, molecular docking and dynamics simulations were performed, ensuring binding affinity and stability between the immunogen and TLR-2. An in silico cloning was performed using the pET-28a(+) vector and codon adaptation for E. coli. Finally, an in silico immune simulation was performed. The in silico predictions obtained in this work indicate that this construct would be capable of inducing the requisite immune response to elicit protection against T. pallidum. Through this methodology we have designed a promising potential vaccine candidate for syphilis, namely Tpme-VAC/LGCM-2022. However, it is necessary to validate these findings in in vitro and in vivo assays.

RESUMO

O objetivo do estudo foi explorar as opiniões das voluntárias de um protocolo de treinamento pliométrico associado a exercícios resistidos (TPER) e virtual (TV) para prevenção de lesões. Essa abordagem foi escolhida, pois as percepções dos pacientes em geral podem ser negligenciadas. A coleta de dados ocorreu com dois grupos focais (GFs), e para isso formalizou-se o convite a sete participantes de cada um deles que já houvessem finalizado o treinamento. Realizou-se um encontro, com duração média de 60 minutos para cada grupo de intervenção, e um moderador treinado o conduziu; as sessões foram gravadas em áudio e transcritas posteriormente para análise. As participantes relataram em ambos os treinos o aumento do condicionamento físico, resistência e força muscular. Concluiu-se que no TPER foi mais destacada a melhora do equilíbrio e estabilidade de membros inferiores, já no TV isso ocorreu em relação à concentração e à disposição para a rotina diária.

The aim of the study was to explore the opinions of the volunteers about the plyometric training protocol associated with resistance (PTRE) and virtual (VT) exercises for injury prevention. This approach was chosen considering that patients' perceptions in general could be neglected. Data collection took place with two Focus Groups (FGs) and to this end, an invitation was made to seven participants from both groups who had already completed the training. A meeting was held, with an average duration of 60 minutes for each intervention group, and a trained moderator conducted it; the sessions were recorded on audio and later transcribed for analysis. The participants reported the increase of physical conditioning, endurance and muscle strength in both training sessions. It was concluded that in PTRE, the issue of improved balance and stability of lower limbs was highlighted, while in VT the improvement of concentration and disposition for the daily routine.