Chromobacterium violaceum is one of millions of species of free-living microorganisms that populate the soil and water in the extant areas of tropical biodiversity around the world. Its complete genome sequence reveals (i) extensive alternative pathways for energy generation, (ii) Ϸ500 ORFs for transport-related proteins, (iii) complex and extensive systems for stress adaptation and motility, and (iv) widespread utilization of quorum sensing for control of inducible systems, all of which underpin the versatility and adaptability of the organism. The genome also contains extensive but incomplete arrays of ORFs coding for proteins associated with mammalian pathogenicity, possibly involved in the occasional but often fatal cases of human C. violaceum infection. There is, in addition, a series of previously unknown but important enzymes and secondary metabolites including paraquat-inducible proteins, drug and heavy-metal-resistance proteins, multiple chitinases, and proteins for the detoxification of xenobiotics that may have biotechnological applications.T he genomes of soil-and water-borne free-living bacteria have received relatively little attention thus far in comparison to pathogenic and extremophilic organisms, yet they provide fundamental insights into environmental adaptation strategies and represent a rich source of genes with biotechnological potential and medical utility. A particularly interesting organism of this kind is Chromobacterium violaceum, a Gram-negative ␤-proteobacterium first described at the end of the 19th century (1), which dominates a variety of ecosystems in tropical and subtropical regions. This bacterium has been found to be highly abundant in the water and borders of the Negro river, a major component of the Brazilian Amazon (2) and as a result has been studied in Brazil over the last three decades. These, in general, have focused on the most notable product of the bacterium, the violacein pigment, which has already been introduced as a therapeutic compound for dermatological purposes (3). Violacein also exhibits antimicrobial activity against the important tropical pathogens Mycobacterium tuberculosis (4), Trypanosoma cruzi (5), and Leishmania sp. (6) and is reported to have other bactericidal (2, 7-10), antiviral (11), and anticancer (12, 13) activities.Some other aspects of the biotechnological potential of C. violaceum have also begun to be explored, including the synthesis of poly(3-hydroxyvaleric acid) homopolyester and other shortchain polyhydroxyalkanoates, which might represent alternatives to plastics derived from petrochemicals (14, 15), the hydrolysis of plastic films (16), and the solubilization of gold through a mercury-free process, thereby avoiding environmental contamination (17, 18). These studies, however, have been based on knowledge of only a tiny fraction of the genetic constitution of the organism. In addition, the more basic issues of the mechanisms and strategies underlying the adaptability of C. violaceum, including its observed but infrequent infection of h...

Age, multiple sexual partners, and infection with HPV-16 increased the risk of having LSILs or HSILs. Early onset of sexual activity and smoking only increased the risk of having HSILs.

The BCR/ABL junctional region and the b3 exon from chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) patients were sequenced. In all 21 samples analysed the junctional region, as well as the b3 exon of 8 b3a2 mRNA molecules, presented no differences to the already described sequences. However, we identified a polymorphic base in the b2 exon in two out of seven b3a2 samples, four out of 10 b2a2 samples and all four b3a2/b2a2 samples analysed. In the eighth position before the junctional region of BCR/ABL cDNA, a cytosine replaces thymine in these cases. The polymorphism described here could be a useful marker for the differentiation of normal and rearranged BCR alleles in heterozygotes.

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We analyzed cervical specimens of 202 women, aged 15 to 64 years, attended at Luis Antonio Hospital, Natal, Brazil, to determine the prevalence of HPV and identify the more frequent genotypes and risk factors for HPV infection in women attended at a cervical cancer screening service. Two specimens were collected from each patient: one for cytological examination and the other to detect HPV DNA by PCR, and typing by dot blot hybridization. A total of 54.5% of the sample had normal cytology and 45.5% had cytological alterations. HPV was detected in 24.5% of the cytologically normal women and in 59.8% of those with altered cytology. Both single and double HPV infection increased the likelihood of cytological alterations. Thirteen types of HPV were identified, most of which were high risk. HPV 16 was the most prevalent single-type infection, followed by HPV 58. The most frequent double infection was the association between HPV 56 and 57. The prevalence of HPV in cytologically normal women was greater than that reported for countries on all the continents except Africa. The inverse was observed in women with cytological alterations. The distribution of HPV types was similar to that described for the Americas, with some differences. Multiple sexual partners was the only risk factor showing an association with the presence of HPV infection.