Papers by Tania Araujo Jorge
Revista de Ensino de Ciências e Matemática, 2019
As doenças negligenciadas são enfermidades causadas por agentes infecciosos e parasitários que nã... more As doenças negligenciadas são enfermidades causadas por agentes infecciosos e parasitários que não despertam interesse comercial nas indústrias farmacêuticas. Ao abordar o conteúdo os professores acabam utilizando a exposição oral e os livros didáticos, mas falta estímulo aos docentes para explorar recursos que possibilitem uma aprendizagem significativa. Numa tentativa de mudar esse cenário construímos um jogo de tabuleiro sobre seis doenças negligenciadas: dengue, tuberculose, hanseníase, malária, leishmaniose e doença de Chagas. Na construção do protótipo participaram 45 estudantes do segundo ano do ensino médio e três professores de biologia, integrantes de uma escola pública estadual do Rio de Janeiro. Eles jogaram e opinaram sobre os aspectos biológico, lúdico e pedagógico do jogo. O conhecimento prévio dos estudantes, o conhecimento construído por eles no fim desse estudo, e as contribuições para a construção do material foram identificadas por meio de questionários. Os parti...
Biology
Chagas disease (CD) caused by Trypanosoma cruzi is a neglected illness and a major reason for car... more Chagas disease (CD) caused by Trypanosoma cruzi is a neglected illness and a major reason for cardiomyopathy in endemic areas. The existing therapy generally involves trypanocidal agents and therapies that control cardiac alterations. However, there is no treatment for the progressive cardiac remodeling that is characterized by inflammation, microvasculopathy and extensive fibrosis. Thus, the search for new therapeutic strategies aiming to inhibit the progression of cardiac injury and failure is necessary. Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (VEGF-A) is the most potent regulator of vasculogenesis and angiogenesis and has been implicated in inducing exacerbated angiogenesis and fibrosis in chronic inflammatory diseases. Since cardiac microvasculopathy in CD is also characterized by exacerbated angiogenesis, we investigated the effect of inhibition of the VEGF signaling pathway using a monoclonal antibody (bevacizumab) on cardiac remodeling and function. Swiss Webster mice were infec...
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 2009
Chagas' disease induced by Trypanosoma cruzi infection is an important cause of mortality and... more Chagas' disease induced by Trypanosoma cruzi infection is an important cause of mortality and morbidity affecting the cardiovascular system for which presently available therapies are largely inadequate. We previously reported that transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) is implicated in several regulatory aspects of T . cruzi invasion and growth and in host tissue fibrosis. This prompted us to evaluate the therapeutic action of an inhibitor of TGF-β signaling (SB-431542) administered during the acute phase of experimental Chagas' disease. Male Swiss mice were infected intraperitoneally with 10 4 trypomastigotes of T . cruzi (Y strain) and evaluated clinically for the following 30 days. SB-431542 treatment significantly reduced mortality and decreased parasitemia. Electrocardiography showed that SB-431542 treatment was effective in protecting the cardiac conduction system. By 14 day postinfection, enzymatic biomarkers of tissue damage indicated that muscle injury was decreased ...
Esta obra traz em seu cerne expressões artísticas desenvolvidas por um grupo seleto, que durante ... more Esta obra traz em seu cerne expressões artísticas desenvolvidas por um grupo seleto, que durante a pandemia de Covid-19 esteve lutando, pensando e repensando como manter acesa a chama da vida. Esse grupo de pessoas singulares, entre elas servidores, estudantes de pós-graduação e de instituições parceiras, compõe a comunidade da Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Uma instituição que, desde a sua criação, estuda saúde e doença e que está impregnada de arte personificada no seu imponente castelo. Projeto desenvolvido pelos Programas de Pós-Graduação em Ciência, Arte e Cultura na Saúde (CACS/IOC/FIOCRUZ), e em Ensino em Biociências e Saúde (EBS/IOC/FIOCRUZ), em parceria com o Multimeios (ICICT/FIOCRUZ). Este livro foi publicado de acordo com a Política de Acesso Aberto ao Conhecimento da Fiocruz. Os textos constantes nesta publicação podem ser copiados e compartilhados desde que: não sejam utilizados para fins comerciais e que seja citada a fonte e atribuídos os devidos créditos. Distribuição gratuita. Acesso: https://www.arca.fiocruz.br/handle/icict/45956 https://portolivre.fiocruz.br/express%C3%B5es-art%C3%ADsticas-durante-pandemia
Nature
Despite notable scientific and medical advances, broader political, socioeconomic and behavioural... more Despite notable scientific and medical advances, broader political, socioeconomic and behavioural factors continue to undercut the response to the COVID-19 pandemic1,2. Here we convened, as part of this Delphi study, a diverse, multidisciplinary panel of 386 academic, health, non-governmental organization, government and other experts in COVID-19 response from 112 countries and territories to recommend specific actions to end this persistent global threat to public health. The panel developed a set of 41 consensus statements and 57 recommendations to governments, health systems, industry and other key stakeholders across six domains: communication; health systems; vaccination; prevention; treatment and care; and inequities. In the wake of nearly three years of fragmented global and national responses, it is instructive to note that three of the highest-ranked recommendations call for the adoption of whole-of-society and whole-of-government approaches1, while maintaining proven preve...
Avaliação: Revista da Avaliação da Educação Superior (Campinas), 2021
Este artigo apresenta a adaptação da matriz e indicadores para mensuração do retorno de investime... more Este artigo apresenta a adaptação da matriz e indicadores para mensuração do retorno de investimento em pesquisa em saúde, para avaliação de um programa de indução à pesquisa, no âmbito de 16 cursos de doutorado da Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, uma das ações do Plano Brasil Sem Miséria. A matriz canadense se mostrou adequada para avaliação dos resultados do programa, em virtude dos atributos como flexibilidade, amplitude e profundidade, contemplando abordagens quantitativas e qualitativas. Para adaptação, foram consideradas as cinco dimensões avaliativas, bem como seus indicadores e métricas, critérios como validade, relevância, disponibilidade, custo e tempo de coleta de dados, orientaram a adaptação ao contexto brasileiro e ao objeto de estudo. Como resultado apresenta-se a matriz adaptada, os indicadores, assim como a fonte de coleta de dados e forma de análise dos dados. Ressalta-se a relevância deste estudo como contribuição à crescente demanda acadêmica e da sociedade civil por avali...
American Journal of Educational Research, 2017
According to epidemiological and economic relevance, either by direct or indirect cost, six negle... more According to epidemiological and economic relevance, either by direct or indirect cost, six neglected diseases (ND) were elected by the Brazilian government as major research problems: dengue, tuberculosis, leprosy, malaria, leishmaniasis and Chagas disease. These diseases are presented in Brazilian schools basically with the help of textbooks that are evaluated, acquired and distributed freely in public schools by the National Textbook Program (PNLD). Thus, we investigated how these six diseases and their structural concepts were presented in the biology textbooks approved by PNLD 2012/13/14. The six selected diseases were found in almost every collection approved in the PNLD 2012/13/14, exceptions being tuberculosis and leprosy, and we found 30 problems out of 144 insertions. In this sense, we emphasize the need more rigorous evaluation processes in the textbooks so that the content can be understood as potentially significant material.
RESUMO A multidimensionalidade da pobreza foi premissa central do Plano Brasil Sem Miseria (2011-... more RESUMO A multidimensionalidade da pobreza foi premissa central do Plano Brasil Sem Miseria (2011-2014), que visava a erradicar a extrema pobreza no Pais. A Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz coordenou um programa de inducao a pesquisa em saude que promoveu investigacoes destinadas a produzir conhecimento para mitigar problemas relacionados a miseria. O estudo de avaliabilidade foi orientado pelo instrumento teorico-metodologico da Teoria da Mudanca, que permitiu tracar o caminho do cenario inicial para um cenario esperado, com base nos resultados da inducao, representados no modelo logico do programa, no qual tambem foram descritos a estrutura, os processos e os resultados. A partir da analise documental e entrevistas com stakeholders das instituicoes envolvidas foi possivel identificar os objetivos do programa, os resultados esperados, o publico beneficiado pelo programa e o publico beneficiado pela avaliacao dos resultados do programa. Este estudo orientou o planejamento da avaliacao que se se...
The multidimensionality of poverty was the central premise of the Brazilian Without Misery Plan (... more The multidimensionality of poverty was the central premise of the Brazilian Without Misery Plan (2011-2014), which aimed at eradicating misery in the country. The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation coordinated a health research induction program that promoted research aimed at producing knowledge to mitigate problems related to misery. The evaluability study was guided by the theoretical and methodological instrument of the Theory of Change, which allowed us to trace the path from the initial scenario to an expected scenario, based on the induction results, represented in the logical model of the program, in which the structure, processes, and results were also described. Through document analysis and interviews with stakeholders, it was possible to identify the objectives, expected results of the program, as well as the public benefited by it and by the evaluation of the program’s results. This study guided the planning of the assessment that followed, as well as the definition of the Canadia...
Acta Tropica, 2021
Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, affects more than 6 million people wor... more Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, affects more than 6 million people worldwide. Following a mostly asymptomatic acute phase, the disease progresses to a long-lasting chronic phase throughout which life-threatening disorders to the heart and/or gastrointestinal tract will manifest in about 30% of those chronically infected. During the chronic phase, the parasitemia is low and intermittent, while a high level of anti-T. cruzi antibodies persist for years. These two features hamper post-chemotherapeutic follow-up of patients with the tools available. The lack of biomarkers for timely assessment of therapeutic response discourages a greater use of the two available anti-parasitic drugs, and complicates the evaluation of new drugs in clinical trials. Herein, we investigated in a blinded case-control study the serological reactivity over time of a group of parasite-derived antigens to potentially address follow up of T. cruzi chronically infected subjects after treatment. We tested PFR2, KMP11, HSP70, 3973, F29 and the InfYnity multiplexed antigenic array, by means of serological assays on a multi-national retrospective collection of samples. Some of the antigens exhibited promising results, underscoring the need for further studies to determine their potential role as treatment response biomarkers.
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2002
Selenium (Se) deficiency is linked with some cardiomyopathies. Its status was determined in 170 p... more Selenium (Se) deficiency is linked with some cardiomyopathies. Its status was determined in 170 patients with chronic Chagas' disease from 2 Brazilian regions (Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte), clinically stratified into groups as follows: indeterminate or asymptomatic (IND); cardiac asymptomatic (CARDa); cardiac symptomatic with moderate to severe heart dysfunction (CARDb); and healthy adults (HA), used for comparison. In most HA, Se levels were normal, excluding an overall Se deficiency. Se was significantly lower in CARDb than in HA, IND, or CARDa patients. This was not associated with a concomitant decrease in activity of glutathione peroxidase. Thyrotropin was normal, excluding iodine deficiency. Se correlated positive and significantly with ventricular ejection fraction (assessed via echocardiography). Asymptomatic children with acute Chagas' disease had normal Se as well as 5 noninfectious cases of cardiomyopathy. Low Se was found in 6 of 10 chagasic patients with digestive megasyndromes. Thus, the decrease in Se in chagasic patients seems to be a biological marker for Trypanosoma cruzi infection and related to the progression of pathology.
Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, 2009
Trypanosoma cruzi infection induces diverse alterations in immunocompetent cells and organs, myoc... more Trypanosoma cruzi infection induces diverse alterations in immunocompetent cells and organs, myocarditis and congestive heart failure. However, the physiological network of disturbances imposed by the infection has not been addressed thoroughly. Regarding myocarditis induced by the infection, we observed in our previous work that Fas-L-/mice (gld/gld) have very mild inflammatory infiltration when compared to BALB/c mice. However, all mice from both lineages die in the early acute phase. Therefore, in this work we studied the physiological connection relating arterial pressure, renal function/damage and cardiac insufficiency as causes of death. Our results show that a broader set of dysfunctions that could be classified as a cardio/anaemic/renal syndrome is more likely responsible for cardiac failure and death in both lineages. However, gld/gld mice had very early glomerular deposition of IgM and a more intense renal inflammatory response with reduced renal filtration, which is probably responsible for the premature death in the absence of significant myocarditis in gld/gld.
Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, 2008
Chagas disease is a major public health problem in Bolivia. In the city of Cochabamba, 58% of the... more Chagas disease is a major public health problem in Bolivia. In the city of Cochabamba, 58% of the population lives in peripheral urban districts ("popular zones") where the infection prevalence is extremely high. From 1995 to 1999, we studied the demographics of Chagas infections in children from five to 13 years old (n = 2218) from the South zone (SZ) and North zone (NZ) districts, which differ in social, environmental, and agricultural conditions. Information gathered from these districts demonstrates qualitative and quantitative evidence for the active transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi in urban Cochabamba. Seropositivity was high in both zones (25% in SZ and 19% in NZ). We observed a high risk of infection in children from five to nine years old in SZ, but in NZ, a higher risk occurred in children aged 10-13, with odds ratio for infection three times higher in NZ than in SZ. This difference was not due to triatomine density, since more than 1,000 Triatoma infestans were captured in both zones, but was possibly secondary to the vector infection rate (79% in SZ and 37% in NZ). Electrocardiogram abnormalities were found to be prevalent in children and pre-adolescents (SZ = 40%, NZ = 17%), indicating that under continuous exposure to infection and re-infection, a severe form of the disease may develop early in life. This work demonstrates that T. cruzi infection should also be considered an urban health problem and is not restricted to the rural areas and small villages of Bolivia.
Cell Biology and Toxicology, 2008
The American Journal of Pathology, 2005
The cytokine transforming growth factor- (TGF-) plays various functions in the control of Trypa... more The cytokine transforming growth factor- (TGF-) plays various functions in the control of Trypanosoma cruzi infectivity and in the progression of Chagas' disease. When we immunostained T. cruzi-infected cardiomyocytes (after either in vivo or in vitro infections) for TGF-, we observed stronger immunoreactivity in parasites than in host cells. TGF- immunoreactivity evolved during parasite cycle progression , with intense staining in amastigotes versus very faint staining in trypomastigotes. TGF- was present on the surface of amastigotes , in the flagellar pocket, and in intraparasitic vesicles as revealed by electron microscopy. However , no ortholog TGF- gene could be identified in the genome of T. cruzi by in silico analysis or by extensive polymerase chain reaction and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction studies. Immunoreactive TGF- was most probably taken up by the parasite from the host cell cytoplasm because such an internalization process of biotinylated TGF- could be observed in axenic amastigotes in vitro. These observations represent the first example of a novel mechanism by which a primitive unicellular protozoan can use host cell TGF- to control its own intracellular life cycle.
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 2002
ABSTRACTMany studies have shed light on the mechanisms underlying both immunoprotection and immun... more ABSTRACTMany studies have shed light on the mechanisms underlying both immunoprotection and immune dysregulation arising afterTrypanosoma cruziinfection. However, little is known about the impact of benznidazole (N-benzyl-2-nitroimidazole acetamide), the drug available for clinical treatment of the infection, on the immune system in the infected host. In the present study we investigated the effect of benznidazole therapy on the lymphoid compartment during the course of experimentalT. cruziinfection. Although amelioration of a variety of clinical and parasitological signs was observed in treated mice, amelioration of splenocyte expansion was not detected. Interestingly, this sustained splenomegaly observed in benznidazole-treated mice showed a preferential expansion of CD8+T lymphocytes. Moreover, although benznidazole treatment blocked the expansion of recently activated CD4+and CD8+T cells seen in infected hosts, benznidazole treatment led to a selective expansion of effector and ...
Educação Profissional e Tecnológica em Revista, 2018
Refletimos aqui sobre a avaliação da Rede Amazônica de Ensino de Ciências (REAMEC) para antever l... more Refletimos aqui sobre a avaliação da Rede Amazônica de Ensino de Ciências (REAMEC) para antever lições aos próximos desafios para a Área de Ensino. Após uma introdução histórica sobre o surgimento da Pós-Graduação (PG) no Brasil, focamos nas experiências de constituição das 13 redes de PGque foram avaliadas em 2017. Destas, 9 utilizaram a nova ficha de avaliação de redes, concebida e aprovada pela CAPES para enfatizar os resultados das redes relativos a seus egressos e a sua inserção social (60% do peso da avaliação). O uso desta ficha foi feito justamente na REAMEC e trouxe resultados positivos, que foram sistematizados no artigo, para que considerações pudessem ser tecidas relativamente a sua aplicação em novas redes, como o Prof-EPT e outras que estão sendo geradas na Área.
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 2005
Several alterations involving peripheral lymphoid organs have been extensively described after ex... more Several alterations involving peripheral lymphoid organs have been extensively described after experimental Trypanosoma cruzi infection. Thymic involution occurs as well in infected mice, with both structural and functional alterations in the organ. Despite these abnormalities, specific immune response proceeds to control parasitemia and the participation of T lymphocytes is essential. However, there are relatively few studies on the impact of benznidazole (N-benzyl-2-nitroimidazole acetamide) upon this response. In this present work, we decided to evaluate the impact of benznidazole treatment upon the thymus involution following acute T. cruzi infection in mice. We have provided evidence that benznidazole treatment controls the severe abnormalities seen in the thymus due to T. cruzi infection. The thymocyte loss related to the depletion of double-positive CD4+CD8+ thymocytes was clearly prevented, corroborating the idea that the mechanism responsible for the prevention of thymus in...
Background: Chagas disease induced by Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) infection is a major cause of ... more Background: Chagas disease induced by Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) infection is a major cause of mortality and morbidity affecting the cardiovascular system for which presently available therapies are largely inadequate. Transforming Growth Factor beta (TGFß) has been involved in several regulatory steps of T. cruzi invasion and in host tissue fibrosis. GW788388 is a new TGFß type I and type II receptor kinase inhibitor that can be orally administered. In the present work, we studied its effects in vivo during the acute phase of experimental Chagas disease. Methodology/Principal Findings: Male Swiss mice were infected intraperitoneally with 10 4 trypomastigotes of T. cruzi (Y strain) and evaluated clinically. We found that this compound given once 3 days post infection (dpi) significantly decreased parasitemia, increased survival, improved cardiac electrical conduction as measured by PR interval in electrocardiography, and restored connexin43 expression. We could further show that cardiac fibrosis development, evaluated by collagen type I and fibronectin expression, could be inhibited by this compound. Interestingly, we further demonstrated that administration of GW788388 at the end of the acute phase (20 dpi) still significantly increased survival and decreased cardiac fibrosis (evaluated by Masson's trichrome staining and collagen type I expression), in a stage when parasite growth is no more central to this event. Conclusion/Significance: This work confirms that inhibition of TGFß signaling pathway can be considered as a potential alternative strategy for the treatment of the symptomatic cardiomyopathy found in the acute and chronic phases of Chagas disease.
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Papers by Tania Araujo Jorge