Search

Brazil currently ranks second in absolute deaths by COVID-19, even though most of its population has completed the vaccination protocol. With the introduction of Omicron in late 2021, the number of COVID-19 cases soared once again in the country. We investigated in this work how lineages BA.1 and BA.2 entered and spread in the country by sequencing 2173 new SARS-CoV-2 genomes collected between October 2021 and April 2022 and analyzing them in addition to more than 18,000 publicly available sequences with phylodynamic methods. We registered that Omicron was present in Brazil as early as 16 November 2021 and by January 2022 was already more than 99% of samples. More importantly, we detected that Omicron has been mostly imported through the state of São Paulo, which in turn dispersed the lineages to other states and regions of Brazil. This knowledge can be used to implement more efficient non-pharmaceutical interventions against the introduction of new SARS-CoV variants focused on surveillance of airports and ground transportation.

Several studies have monitored the SARS-CoV-2 variants in Brazil throughout the pandemic. Here, we systematically reviewed and conducted a scientometric analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance studies using Brazilian samples. A Pubmed database search on October 2022 returned 492 articles, of which 106 were included. Ninety-six different strains were reported, with variant of concern (VOC) gamma (n = 35,398), VOC delta (n = 15,780), and the variant of interest zeta (n = 1983) being the most common. The top three states with the most samples in the published articles were São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas Gerais. Whereas the first year of the pandemic presented primary circulation of B.1.1.28 and B.1.1.33 variants, consecutive replacements were observed between them and VOI zeta, VOC gamma, VOC delta, and VOC omicron. VOI mu, VOI lambda, VOC alpha, and VOC beta were also detected but failed to reach significant circulation. Co-infection, re-infection, and vaccine breakthrough reports were found. Article co-citation differed from the co-authorship structure. Despite the limitations, we expect to give an overview of Brazil’s genomic surveillance studies and contribute to future research execution.

We report SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance results between Belo Horizonte, Brazil's third and fourth case waves. Samples were obtained through a routine university monitoring COVID-19 program from the 9th to the 22nd epidemiological weeks (March and June 2022). We identified ten samples from the BA.1 clade (BA.1, BA.1.1, and BA.1.14.1 lineages) and 45 samples from the BA.2 clade (BA.2, BA.2.56, BA.2.9, BA.2.62, BA.2.23, BA.2.81, and BA.2.10). We observed progressive replacement of the BA.1 by the BA.2 clade. Furthermore, two XAG recombinants were found in the 22nd week. Diversification of the omicron variant seems to have contributed to the resurgence of cases in Belo Horizonte, similarly to what has been reported in South Africa.

The emergence and global dissemination of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern (VOCs) have been described as the main factor driving the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic. In Brazil, the Gamma variant dominated the epidemiological scenario during the first period of 2021. Many Brazilian regions detected the Delta variant after its first description and documented its spread. To monitor the introduction and spread of VOC Delta, we performed Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) genotyping and genome sequencing in ten regional sentinel units from June to October 2021 in the State of Minas Gerais (MG). We documented the introduction and spread of Delta, comprising 70 per cent of the cases 8 weeks later. Comparing the viral loads of the Gamma and Delta dominance periods, we provide additional evidence that the latter is more transmissible. The spread and dominance of Delta did not culminate in the increase in cases and deaths, suggesting that the vaccination may have restrained the epidemic growth. Analysis of 224 novel Delta genomes revealed that Rio de Janeiro state was the primary source for disseminating this variant in the state of MG. We present the establishment of Delta, providing evidence of its enhanced transmissibility and showing that this variant shift did not aggravate the epidemiological scenario in a high immunity setting.

BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had quite an impact on dental health care. Concerns about the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission through contaminant fluids and droplet formation during several dental procedures highly impacted dental health care, drastically reducing the number of dental practices worldwide. To monitor SARS-CoV-2 contamination in dental clinics, a longitudinal study was carried out during the return of dental practice at university.MethodsDental health care professionals [(DHCPs); teachers, undergraduate dental students, and dental assistants] and patients were screened for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in a dental school clinic environment from 11th January to 12th March 2021 (9 weeks). Serological testing was performed on DHCPs in two-time points. Additionally, samples with low Ct values were sequenced to identify the circulating SARS-CoV-2 variant and possible transmission clusters.ResultsWe found a low number of dental staff (5.8%), patients (0.9%), and environment sites (0.8%) positive for SARS-CoV-2. Most positive cases had asymptomatic to mild symptoms, and two asymptomatic DHCPs presented prolonged infection. In the first week after previous exposure to COVID-19, 16.2% of DHCPs had IgM or IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, and 1/3 of them had undetected antibodies in the last weeks. The variant zeta (P.2) could be detected. No cross-infection was observed between participants.ConclusionOur study suggests that dental practice can be safely executed when adequate control measures and biosafety protocols are applied. DHCP and patient testing, patient telemonitoring, proper use of personal protection equipment, and sanitization of surfaces are essential to avoid SARS-CoV-2 cross-infection in dental practice.

Agricultural crop residues are known to be a renewable source of value-added products, and their application as a bio-based production chain type in the circular bioeconomy system is considered efficient in minimizing environmental problems. Value-added products, such as cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) from lignocellulose in agriculture residues, have been widely applied in the production of membranes that have desirable physicochemical characteristics. In this work, orange bagasse residue was used to obtain cellulose nanofiber and then applied to starch membranes as a mechanical reinforcement. The 1-methylimidazolium ionic liquid was used as biomass treatment for cellulose nanofiber isolation, and then two starch membranes were prepared with 5% (v/v) of cellulose nanofiber solution at 70 °C and 90 °C by the casting method. The cellulose nanofibers and membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and X-ray diffraction. Thickness and tensile tests were applied to the membranes. Cellulose nanofibers less than 100 nm in diameter were obtained by the 1-methylimidazolium treatment, and the characterization analyses showed that the CNFs were incorporated into the membranes, which improved their mechanical resistance and thermal degradation capacity. However, membrane 1, which was prepared at 70 °C, showed a particularly significant gain in tensile strength.

Submitted by DIEGO NOVAIS (diego.m.novais@gmail.com) on 2022-06-15T18:23:58Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE_DOUTORADO_2_09062022.pdf: 9612892 bytes, checksum: 0413687a2d4cbdfc7222f3d492b7e1ff (MD5) Approved for entry into archive by Solange Rocha (soluny@gmail.com) on 2022-06-28T14:50:13Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE_DOUTORADO_2_09062022.pdf: 9612892 bytes, checksum: 0413687a2d4cbdfc7222f3d492b7e1ff (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2022-06-28T14:50:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE_DOUTORADO_2_09062022.pdf: 9612892 bytes, checksum: 0413687a2d4cbdfc7222f3d492b7e1ff (MD5) Previous issue date: 2022-04-11 CAPES Modelagens harmônicas são empregadas para representar o campo gravitacional de corpos massivos a partir da solução da equação de Laplace. O emprego da série harmônica em coordenadas esféricas é frequente na literatura geodésica física. Entretanto, levando em con- sideração o formato elipsoidal da Terra, é mais consistente solucionar a equação de Laplace em coordenadas elipsoidais e obter a série harmônica elipsoidal para representar o referido campo. No presente estudo, são aplicadas as séries harmônicas esférica e elipsoidal em dados gravimétricos de satélites sobre o estado da Bahia. O cálculo dos coeficientes das modelagens dessas séries usa os métodos ordinário e ponderado dos mínimos quadrados. As matrizes de ponderações do mínimo quadrado ponderado utilizam matrizes diagonais com valores das diagonais principais baseadas em dois métodos: um relacionado com o inverso do resíduo menos a variância e o segundo relacionado com o inverso das médias geométricas do resíduo menos o da variância. Gráficos de barras dispõem as métricas avaliativas de comparação entre as distintas modelagens. A gravidade teórica ao nível do elipsoide de referência da Terra é utilizada para correções gravimétricas e sua fórmula pode ser concebida através da derivada do potencial gravitacional somada ao potencial centrífugo de rotação da Terra. O presente trabalho apresenta dois mapas de gravidade teórica calculados através dos harmô- nicos esférico e elipsoidal. O resultado da análise harmônica permite elaborar um modelo mais realístico da correção Bouguer, baseado em uma capa elipsoidal, comparado com o modelo Bullard B baseado em uma capa esférica. Para auxiliar a interpretação geológica, foi realizado uma inversão gravimétrica para estimar a profundidade de Moho através dos dados processados com os harmônicos elipsoidais. Os resultados obtidos permitiram esboçar três perfis geológicos leste-oeste para o estado da Bahia com interpretações dos blocos geológicos juntamente com um modelo da crosta e do manto. Harmonic modeling is used for gravimetric field representation of massive bodies, such as the Earth. The solution of Laplace’s equation based on spherical coordinates, the spherical harmonic series, is widely used in bibliographies on physical geodesy. Taking into account the Earth’s ellipsoidal shape, it would be more adequate to use the solution of the Laplace equation via ellipsoidal coordinates, reaching the ellipsoidal harmonic series. In the present study, the harmonic series - spherical and ellipsoidal - are applied to gravimetric satellite data over the state of Bahia. For the calculation of harmonic coefficients of spherical and ellipsoidal harmonic modeling, the ordinary and weighted least squares methods are used. For the weighting matrices of the weighted least square method, diagonal matrices with principal diagonal values are used based on the functions: related to the inverse of the residue minus the variance and the second related to the inverse of the geometric means of the residue minus the variance. Bar charts provide evaluative metrics for comparing the different models. Theoretical gravity at the level of the Earth’s reference ellipsoid is used for gravimetric corrections and its formula can be conceived through the derivative of the gravitational potential added to the centrifugal potential of rotation of the Earth. The present work presents two theoretical gravity maps calculated through the spherical and ellipsoidal harmonics. After harmonic analysis, it will present the gravimetric corrections, mainly the Bouguer correction. Bouguer’s simple correction, commonly used, is based on approximating the subsurface to an infinite horizontal plate of thickness equal to the elevation of the observation point, but this conception lacks realism to the terrestrial format. Based on the Bullard B correction for a spherical cap, the thesis proposes a new Bouguer correction for an ellipsoidal cap establishing an appropriate approximation for the terrestrial shape. In this way, the Bouguer corrections for the infinite plate, spherical cap and ellipsoidal cap are computed and arranged in maps for the state of Bahia. To support the geological interpretation, a gravimetric inversion was performed to estimate the depth of the Moho through the data processed with the ellipsoidal harmonics. The obtained results allowed to sketch three east-west geological profiles for the state of Bahia with interpretations of the geological blocks together with a model of the crust and the mantle.

Human polymorphisms may contribute to SARS-CoV-2 infection susceptibility and COVID-19 outcomes (asymptomatic presentation, severe COVID-19, death). We aimed to evaluate the association of IFITM3, FURIN, ACE1, and TNF-α genetic variants with both phenotypes using meta-analysis. The bibliographic search was conducted on the PubMed and Scielo databases covering reports published until February 8, 2022. Two independent researchers examined the study quality using the Q-Genie tool. Using the Mantel–Haenszel weighted means method, odds ratios were combined under both fixed- and random-effect models. Twenty-seven studies were included in the systematic review (five with IFITM3, two with Furin, three with TNF-α, and 17 with ACE1) and 22 in the meta-analysis (IFITM3 n = 3, TNF-α, and ACE1 n = 16). Meta-analysis indicated no association of 1) ACE1 rs4646994 and susceptibility, 2) ACE1 rs4646994 and asymptomatic COVID-19, 3) IFITM3 rs12252 and ICU hospitalization, and 4) TNF-α rs1800629 and death. On the other hand, significant results were found for ACE1 rs4646994 association with COVID-19 severity (11 studies, 692 severe cases, and 1,433 nonsevere controls). The ACE1 rs4646994 deletion allele showed increased odds for severe manifestation (OR: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.26–1.66). The homozygous deletion was a risk factor (OR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.22–1.83), while homozygous insertion presented a protective effect (OR: 0.57, 95% CI: 0.45–0.74). Further reports are needed to verify this effect on populations with different ethnic backgrounds.Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prosperodisplay_record.php?ID=CRD42021268578, identifier CRD42021268578

Coronavírus (CoVs) são vírus de RNA fita positiva que constituem a subfamília Orthocoronavirinae. Sete diferentes tipos de CoV são capazes de infectar humanos, dentre elas o Betacoronavirus SARS-CoV-2, proximamente relacionado a linhagens que infectam morcegos, sua provável origem zoonótica. O novo coronavírus possui polimorfismos em seu genoma especialmente na sua proteína de superfície spike, utilizada para infectar células humanas através do receptor ACE-2 sendo associado ao desenvolvimento da nova doença COVID-19, de caráter pandêmico. Tendo origem na China no fim de dezembro de 2019, o SARS-CoV-2 teve seu primeiro caso de infecção confirmada no Brasil no dia 26 de fevereiro de 2020 e no estado de Minas Gerais no dia 04 de março de 2020. Estratégias constantes de vigilância genômica são importantes no controle da transmissão e dispersão do vírus na população humana. Com o surgimento de variantes de interesse (VOI) e de preocupação (VOC) do SARS-CoV-2, o cenário local e global da pandemia se tornou mais complexo, o que reforça a necessidade dessa estratégia. O objetivo dessa dissertação foi realizar a vigilância genômica do SARS-CoV-2 na cidade de Betim-MG, quinta mais populosa do estado, com importância industrial e atravessada por estradas estaduais e federais recebendo um fluxo migratório humano considerável. Para isso, um total de 3239 amostras de swab naso-faríngeo coletadas de junho a julho de 2020 foram testadas por RT-qPCR para o SARS-CoV-2, triadas para sequenciamento na plataforma MiSeq (Illumina) através de uma metodologia baseada em amplificação com iniciadores cobrindo todo o genoma de SARS-CoV-2. No final, foram obtidos 35 novos genomas de SARS-CoV-2 (cobertura > 79%; profundidade > 200x). Estes genomas foram incluídos em reconstruções filogenéticas para identificação de linhagens virais circulantes, modelos filogeográficos datados, interpolação para análise de padrões de dispersão e mapas genéticos para visualização de polimorfismos. Dos 35 genomas obtidos, 18 (51,4%) foram classificados como linhagem B.1.1.28 e 17 (48,6%) como linhagem B.1.1.33, circulantes na primeira fase da pandemia do estado de MG. O modelo filogenético não-enraizado confirmou as linhagens e sugeriu múltiplas introduções para ambos os clados. Os modelos filogeográficos sugeriram pelo menos 7 e 12 introduções distintas para as linhagens B.1.1.28 e B.1.1.33, respectivamente. Os modelos de dispersão geográfica mostram a propagação da pandemia ao longo do tempo, mas não sugerem padrões geográficos de cada linhagem. Destacamos um genoma B.1.1.33 que possui 12 mutações específicas e que está posicionado com considerável distância em comparação aos demais no modelo filogeográfico desta linhagem. Os resultados sugerem um fluxo interestadual de migração da população humana na dispersão do SARS-CoV-2, fato que deve ser levado em conta na adoção de medidas de controle da pandemia na cidade de Betim-MG. Coronaviruses (CoVs) are positive strand RNA viruses that constitute the subfamily Orthocoronavirinae. Seven different types of CoV are capable of infecting humans, including the Betacoronavirus SARS-CoV-2, closely related to strains that infect bats, its probable zoonotic origin. The new coronavirus has polymorphisms in its genome, specially in its gene encoding the spike surface protein, used to infect human cells through the ACE-2 receptor, and is associated with the development of the new pandemic disease named COVID-19. Originating in China at the end of December 2019, SARS-CoV-2 had its first confirmed case of infection in Brazil on February 26, 2020 and in the state of Minas Gerais on March 4, 2020. Constant genomic surveillance strategies are important to control the transmission and spread of the virus in the human population. With the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest (VOI) and concern (VOC), the local and global scenario of the pandemic has become more complex, which reinforces the need for this type of study. The goal of this dissertation was to carry out the genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in the city of Betim-MG, the fifth most populous city in the state, with industrial importance and crossed by state and federal roads receiving a considerable human migratory flow. For this, a total of 3239 nasopharyngeal swab samples collected from June to July 2020 were tested by RT-qPCR for SARS-CoV-2, sorted for sequencing on the MiSeq platform (Illumina) using an amplification-based methodology with primers covering the whole SARS-CoV-2 genome. In the end, 35 new SARS-CoV-2 genomes were obtained (coverage > 79%; depth > 200x). These genomes were included in phylogenetic reconstructions to identify circulating viral lineages, dated phylogeographic models, interpolation to analyze dispersion patterns and genetic maps to visualize polymorphisms. Of the 35 genomes obtained, 18 (51.4%) were classified as lineage B.1.1.28 and 17 (48.6%) as lineage B.1.1.33, circulating in the first phase of the pandemic in the state of MG. The unrooted phylogenetic model confirmed the lineages and suggested multiple introductions for both clades. The phylogeographic models suggested at least 7 and 12 distinct introductions for the B.1.1.28 and B.1.1.33 lineages, respectively. Geographic dispersion models show the spread of the pandemic over time, but do not suggest geographic patterns for each lineage. We highlight a B.1.1.33 genome that presents 12 specific mutations and that is positioned at a considerable distance compared to the others in the phylogeographic model of this strain. The results suggest an interstate migration flow of the human population in the dispersion of SARS-CoV-2, fact that must be taken into account when adopting measures to control the pandemic in the city of Betim-MG.

Since its first identification in Brazil, the variant of concern (VOC) Gamma has been associated with increased infection and transmission rates, hospitalizations, and deaths. Minas Gerais (MG), the second-largest populated Brazilian state with more than 20 million inhabitants, observed a peak of cases and deaths in March–April 2021. We conducted a surveillance study in 1240 COVID-19-positive samples from 305 municipalities distributed across MG’s 28 Regional Health Units (RHU) between 1 March to 27 April 2021. The most common variant was the VOC Gamma (71.2%), followed by the variant of interest (VOI) zeta (12.4%) and VOC alpha (9.6%). Although the predominance of Gamma was found in most of the RHUs, clusters of Zeta and Alpha variants were observed. One Alpha-clustered RHU has a history of high human mobility from countries with Alpha predominance. Other less frequent lineages, such as P.4, P.5, and P.7, were also identified. With our genomic characterization approach, we estimated the introduction of Gamma on 7 January 2021, at RHU Belo Horizonte. Differences in mortality between the Zeta, Gamma and Alpha variants were not observed. We reinforce the importance of vaccination programs to prevent severe cases and deaths during transmission peaks.

The Covid-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented need for epidemiological monitoring using diverse strategies. We conducted a project combining prevalence, seroprevalence, and genomic surveillance approaches to describe the initial pandemic stages in Betim City, Brazil. We collected 3239 subjects in a population-based age-, sex- and neighbourhood-stratified, household, prospective; cross-sectional study divided into three surveys 21 days apart sampling the same geographical area. In the first survey, overall prevalence (participants positive in serological or molecular tests) reached 0.46% (90% CI 0.12% – 0.80%), followed by 2.69% (90% CI 1.88% – 3.49%) in the second survey and 6.67% (90% CI 5.42% - 7.92%) in the third. The underreporting reached 11, 19.6, and 20.4 times in each survey, respectively. We observed increased odds to test positive in females compared to males (OR 1.88 95% CI 1.25 – 2.82), while the single best predictor for positivity was ageusia/ anosmia (OR 8.12, 95% CI 4.72 – 13.98). Thirty-five SARS-CoV-2 genomes were sequenced, of which 18 were classified as lineage B.1.1.28, while 17 were B.1.1.33. Multiple independent viral introductions were observed. Integration of multiple epidemiological strategies was able to describe Covid-19 dispersion in the city adequately. Presented results have helped local government authorities to guide pandemic management.

Summary Biomarker identification may provide strategic opportunities to understand disease pathophysiology, predict outcomes, improve human health, and reduce healthcare costs. The highly heterogeneous Covid‐19 clinical manifestation suggests a complex interaction of several different human, viral and environmental factors. Here, we systematically reviewed genetic association studies evaluating Covid‐19 severity or susceptibility to SARS‐CoV‐2 infection following PRISMA recommendations. Our research comprised papers published until December 31st, 2020, in PubMed and BioRXiv databases focusing on genetic association studies with Covid‐19 prognosis or susceptibility. We found 20 eligible genetic association studies, of which 11 assessed Covid‐19 outcome and 14 evaluated infection susceptibility (five analyzed both effects). Q‐genie assessment indicated moderate quality. Five large‐scale association studies (GWAS, whole‐genome, or exome sequencing) were reported with no consistent replication to date. Promising hits were found on the 3p21.31 region and ABO locus. Candidate gene studies examined ACE1, ACE2, TMPRSS2, IFITM3, APOE, Furin, IFNL3, IFNL4, HLA, TNF‐ɑ genes, and ABO system. The most evaluated single locus was the ABO, and the most sampled region was the HLA with three and five candidate gene studies, respectively. Meta‐analysis could not be performed. Available data showed the need for further reports to replicate claimed associations.

Introdução: Câncer de próstata é a multiplicação descontrolada das células da próstata, originando um tumor maligno. Trata-se do segundo tipo de neoplasia mais frequente nos homens. Alguns desses tumores podem crescer rapidamente, espalhando-se para outros órgãos e podendo levar a óbito. Objetivos: Identificar o perfil epidemiológico dos pacientes internados por câncer de próstata na região Nordeste do Brasil, no período de 2011 a 2020. Materiais e Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo ecológico cujos dados foram coletados no Sistema de Informação Hospitalar (SIH/DATASUS), em morbidade hospitalar por local de internação, filtrados por divisão região, ano processamento, faixa etária, lista Morb CID-10 (neoplasia maligna de próstata), e analisados por Excel. Resultados: No período analisado, ocorreram 66.301 internações por câncer de próstata na região Nordeste (média anual 6.630,1±1.207,4). Em 2011 registrou-se a menor quantidade de internações, 4.577, em 2019, a maior quantidade, 8.182. Houve crescimento de 2011 até 2019, seguido de decréscimo de 13,37% em 2020 (N=7.088), em relação ao ano anterior. O estado com maior número de internações foi a Bahia (36,8%, N=24.414), enquanto Sergipe (1,89%, F=1.254) registrou o menor número. Na distribuição por raça/cor, a população parda foi a mais acometida (62.75%, N=41.605), e a indígena (0,0001%, N= 9) a menos afetada. A faixa etária mais acometida foi de 60 a 69 anos (37,62%, N=24.943) e a menos afetada foi de 10 a 19 anos (0.0006%, N=44). Conclusão: As internações por câncer de próstata no Nordeste brasileiro ocorrem, majoritariamente, na população parda, na faixa etária de 60 a 69 anos, residentes na Bahia. Dessa forma, a identificação dos grupos mais vulneráveis possibilita o direcionamento de ações e projetos para prevenção, diagnóstico e tratamento.

Brazil was one of the most affected countries during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, with more than 10 million cases and more than 300.000 deaths reported. Together with the increasing rate of cases, the emergence of new variants of concern (VOCs) possessing mutations that affect immunogenicity and transmissibility poses a concerning burden in the healthcare system. In Brazil, three such lineages are currently circulating: P.1, a lineage firstly described in Manaus, P.2, firstly described in Rio de Janeiro, both already reported in other cities in the country, and B.1.1.7, a lineage initially identified in England and recently associated to increasing mortality rates.In this scenario, it urges the necessity of a rapid assessment methodology for identification of variants that could contribute to a better epidemiological surveillance and public healthcare administration decisions in dealing with the pandemic. Here, we describe a PCR genotyping approach using RhAmp technology (IDT Technologies) to correctly assess the circulating emergent variants P.1, P.2 and B.1.1.7 in Brazil. Genotyping is a quicker methodology requiring only a real time PCR machine available in most of laboratories preforming COVID-19 molecular diagnosis.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic highly impacted dental healthcare assistance owing to concerns about the risk of transmission by contaminant fluids, droplet formation during dental practice, drastically reducing the number of dental procedures worldwide. This longitudinal study was conducted to monitor SARS-CoV-2 contamination in dental clinics during activities return of students at university. Methods: We evaluated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA by RT-PCR in a dental school clinic environment, on professors, undergraduate dental students, dental assistants, and patients from January 11th to March 12th, 2021 (9 weeks). Serological testing was performed on dental healthcare personnel (DHCP) during the first and last weeks. Additionally, samples with low Ct values were sequenced to identify circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants and possible transmission clusters. Findings: A low number of dental staff (5·8%), patients (0·9%), and environmental sites (0·8%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Most positive cases were asymptomatic to mildly symptomatic, and two asymptomatic DHCP tested positive in longitudinal follow-up RT-PCR test. Previous exposition to COVID-19 were found in 16·2% of the DHCP that showed IgM or IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, and 1/3 of them had undetected antibodies in the last week. Variant Zeta (P.2) were detected. No cross-infection was observed among the participants. Interpretation: Our study suggests that dental practice can be executed safely when control measures and biosafety protocols are applied adequately. DHCP and patient testing, telemonitoring, proper use of personal protection equipment, and surface sanitisation are essential to avoid SARS-CoV-2 cross-infection in dental practice. Funding Information: UFMG/RTR/PRPq, FAPEMIG, CNPq, CAPES/MEC, FINEP, and Rede Corona-omica BR MCTI/FINEP affiliated to RedeVirus/MCTI. Declaration of Interests: All authors declare to have no conflict of interests. Ethics Approval Statement: The present study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) (Protocol no31041720.3.0000.5149) (https://plataformabrasil.saude.gov.br/login.jsf). All participants enrolled in this study were volunteers, and their samples and clinical data were collected only via signed consent forms.

Background: Epilepsy is a temporary and reversible change in brain function, which is not caused by fever, drugs or metabolic disorders, and its different symptoms may require hospitalization for seizure control. Objective: To describe the epidemiological profile of patients with epilepsy hospitalized in Northeastern Brazil, from 2011 to 2020. Design and setting: This is an ecological study placed in Northeastern Brazil. Methods: Data were obtained from Brazilian Health Informatics Department - DATASUS (Hospital Information System). Epilepsy was the morbidity selected. Data were collected by year, age, sex and state and processed through Microsoft Excel. Results: There were 108,804 hospitalizations for epilepsy in Northeast Brazil from 2011 to 2020 (mean annual: 10,880.4 ± 1,653.7). There were most hospitalizations for epilepsy in 2019 (12.7%, n=13,806) and the lowest in 2012 (8.1%, n=8,842). An increase was noticed from 2012 to 2019, followed by a 13.8% decrease in 2020 (n=11,803). Males were most hospitalized (58.7%, n=63,900). Children between 0 to 9 years (38.6%, n=41,998) were the most hospitalized, followed by 10 to 19 years (13.8%, n=15,025), whereas eldery aged 80 years or older were the least frequently hospitalized (3.6%, n=3,917). Bahia (27.7%, n=30,120) and Pernambuco (27.6%, n=30,037) showed the highest ratios of hospitalizations, while Sergipe recorded the lowest ratio (2.3%, n=2,499). Conclusion: Hospitalizations for epilepsy in Northeastern Brazil from 2011 to 2020 were most frequently in males, aged 0 to 9 years, living in Bahia.

Microorganisms play an important role in the bioconversion of organic residues and have therefore become promising for obtaining value-added enzymes. In an attempt to take advantage of the by-products and residues of bioconversion, this work sought to use lignocellulosic fractions extracted from corncob as fermentation substrate for ligninase induction by Pleurotus sajor-caju. To obtain the corncob lignocellulosic fractions, biomass was submitted to treatment by alkaline extraction (NaOH 0.75 mol L−1, 55 °C for 2 h) and organosolv (40% ethanol/water, 185 °C for 20 min). The in natura biomass and lignocellulosic fractions were used as substrates in the subsequent fermentation processes: 2% in natura corncob; 2% cellulose–lignin complex fraction; 2% lignin-enriched fraction; 1% lignin-enriched fraction; and synthetic medium fungal (SMF) as standard. Chemical and physical–chemical analyses indicated the effectiveness of the lignocellulosic extraction process. According to the results, the developed system promoted the induction of ligninases by P. sajor-caju. The enzymatic analysis showed laccase production (768 U L−1) using the 1% lignin-enriched fraction as substrate. Manganese peroxidase production was 1050 U L−1 with the use of the 2% lignin-enriched fraction. The presence of lignocellulosic fractions extracted from corncob’s lignin-enriched fraction in the culture medium favored the induction of ligninases in comparison to the use of residue alone.

Esta dissertação reavalia o papel que a interação entre os pares tem na determinação do lócus de controle, uma medida de quão pessoalmente responsável uma pessoa se sente com relação ao que acontece na sua vida. O estudo se concentra no contexto escolar, utilizando os dados de alunos majoritariamente no Ensino Médio do sistema de ensino público e privado de Sertãozinho, um município brasileiro perto da cidade de São Paulo. De forma análoga ao trabalho que produziu a primeira análise dessa relação, a estratégia empírica utiliza variáveis instrumentais baseadas na estrutura de painel dos dados, porém de modo menos restritivo. Diferente de tal estudo, os resultados desta avaliação apresentam evidência de efeito de pares endógeno significativo sobre o lócus de controle. O efeito é positivo e se mantém robusto à inclusão de controles adicionais This dissertation re-evaluates the role of peer interaction in the determination of the locus of control, a measure of how personally responsible an individual feels about what happens in their life. The essay focuses on the school context, using data of students mostly in the High School of the public and private schooling system of Sertãozinho, a Brazilian municipality near the city of São Paulo. Similar to the research that produced the first analysis of this relationship, the empirical strategy uses instrumental variables based on the panel structure of the data, but in a less restrictive way. Unlike that study, the results of this evaluation show evidence of significant endogenous peer effect on the locus of control. The effect is positive and remains robust to the inclusion of additional controls

Based on surveys and our professional experience, we feel impelled to seek ways to work in CRAS in the territorialization process. Our proposal aims to overcome the mere division of the territory and identification of facilities and beneficiaries of income transfer governmental programs as from the discussion of methodologies involving professionals and users, supported on ethical and political commitment to the community. Thus, we find in Environmental Psychology relevant strategies to this endeavor. We aim to present the Affective Maps Generator Instrument as a method able to assist the CRAS’ Psychologist in the territorialization process. In CRAS, the Affective Maps provide a design of the studied area in its entirety, enables user-environment relationship visualization, as from the ways in which community subjects imply with their residence places.

Geomagnetic Depth Sounding (GDS) is a natural source electromagnetic method used to investigate great depths of the Earth's interior to obtain the electrical conductivity distribution. GDS data from nineteen stations distributed in the Sao Francisco Craton (SFC) and its marginal strips have been processed and analyzed. The processing of the GDS data employed consolidated techniques such as contour maps of the Fourier transform, horizontal polarization ellipse, data stacks in time-domain and frequency-domain, as well as the implementation of electromagnetic modeling based on line source of current. To assist the interpretation of the GDS, Bouguer and geological maps of the tectonic compartments of the SFC have been employed. In addition to those mentioned, inverse gravimetric modeling has been implemented for the Moho depth based on the Parker-Oldenburg methodology. The joint analysis of GDS and gravimetric data and the geological model allowed to design conductive blocks in the crust along with the investigated profile ensured by the development of an innovative approach to electromagnetic modeling GDS.

This work evaluated the degradation of sugarcane vinasse with the production of biomass by Pleurotus sajor-caju CCB020, considering the combination of temperature and pH effects, using surface response methodology (RSM). A 22 complete central factorial composite experiment was used to analyze the results. The optimum temperature and pH values were respectively 27°C and 5.6 for maximum decolorization yield and 20°C and 6.8 for maximum biomass production. In parallel, scale-up experiments under conditions of 30°C and initial pH 5.0 were evaluated in two different air-lift bioreactors of 7.0L. Under these conditions, reductions of 53% and 58% in chemical oxygen demand (COD) and 71% and 58% in biological oxygen demand (BOD) were obtained respectively with the concentric tube type air-lift bioreactor with an increased degassing zone and without an increased degassing zone. Under these conditions, this study concluded that the systematic combination of P. sajor-caju and vinasse can be applied in the biodegradation process of refractory compounds contained in vinasse, concomitant to obtaining biomass and laccase and manganese peroxidase enzymes. Due to the good performance of the air-lift bioreactors, they can be used in scale studies in future industrial vinasse applications, besides it is possible to emphasize that different configurations in the bioreactor can affect the efficiency of the process., Supplementary data to this article can be found online at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.125432., info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Free heme is an inflammatory molecule capable of inducing migration and activation of neutrophils. Here, we examine the heme-driven oxidative stress-associated cell death mechanisms in human neutrophils infected with Leishmania infantum, an etiologic agent of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). We first performed exploratory analyses in a population of well characterized treatment-naïve VL patients as well as uninfected controls, who were part of previously reported studies. We noted a positive correlation between serum concentrations of heme with heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and lactate deydrogenase, as well as, a negative correlation between heme values and peripheral blood neutrophils counts. Moreover, in vitro infection with L. infantum in the presence of heme enhanced parasite burden in neutrophils, while increasing the production of reactive oxygen species and release of neutrophilic enzymes. Additional experiments demonstrated that treatment of infected neutrophils with ferrous iron (Fe+2), a key component of the heme molecule, resulted in increased parasite survival without affecting neutrophil activation status. Furthermore, stimulation of infected neutrophils with heme triggered substantial increases in HO-1 mRNA expression as well as in superoxide dismutase-1 enzymatic activity. Heme, but not Fe+2, induced oxidative stress-associated cell death. These findings indicate that heme promotes intracellular L. infantum survival via activation of neutrophil function and oxidative stress. This study opens new perspectives for the understanding of immunopathogenic mechanisms involving neutrophils in VL.

This study describes the combination of microwave heating and green acid catalysis by Bi(NO 3 ) 3 ·5H 2 O and AcOH as a practical one-pot diastereoselective synthetic route to alkaloid-like multi-functionalized 3,4-disubstituted indolizidinones and quinolizidinones from cyclic enaminones and Erlenmeyer–Plochl azalactone derivatives, as an alternative methodology to access these synthetically and biologically important classes of structural scaffolds in a simple way. The potential biological activity of some synthesized alkaloid-like derivatives was tested against the human tumor lineage hepatoma (HepG-2), and their inhibitory effect evaluated after 24 and 48 h. The indolizidine-like scaffold appears to be crucial to biological activity in the investigated compounds.

O1: Assessing the protective effect of dexrazoxane against doxorubicin-induced toxicity in HL-1 cardiomyocytes

This research deals with the affectivity in the study of accessibility conditions the deaf students face in academic environment. This research goes towards the emerging paradigm of science, which means that its intention is to produce a knowledge clearly committed to the objective of enhancing social transformation. The questions that started up this study were: What makes the university an accessible environment to the deaf student? Are the inclusion policies sufficient to make the university an accessible place? Is the place an important dimension in the exclusion-inclusion dialectic of deaf people? What is the relationship between Affectivity an Accessibility? To answer these questions, our general objective is to investigate the relation Affection (considering BOMFIM’s Place Esteem) and Accessibility. The method used in this journey was the Affective Maps Generator Instrument (IGMA) and the Participant Observation. The data seized from reality were analyzed using the Thematic Content Analysis of Laurence Bardin in conjunction with the theoretical contributions of Espinosa, Vygotsky and Sawaia. The IGMA was applied on deaf students of Benfica campus from Ceará’s Federal University in a period of eight (8) months in which the researcher kept close contact with the deaf community. At the end, we concluded that, in order to promote psychosocial well-being of deaf students, the recognition demand of their culture and identity is as necessary as the materialization of assertive policies and that the affective indicator contrast enables sad passions and passive joys in university to turn into affection action giving more clarity to the deaf in the choices of good encounters, which is what, based on Sawaia, I call the ethics of accessibility. AUGUSTO, Diego Menezes. Afetividade e acessibilidade: um estudo com alunos surdos em ambiente universitário. 2016. 117f. - Dissertação (Mestrado) – Universidade Federal do Ceará, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psicologia, Fortaleza (CE), 2016. A presente pesquisa versa sobre a afetividade no estudo das condições de acessibilidade de alunos surdos em ambiente acadêmico. Esta investigação se situa no paradigma emergente da Ciência, o que significa dizer que sua pretensão é de produzir um saber comprometido com o claro intuito de potencializar transformações sociais. As perguntas que deram partida a este estudo foram: O que torna a universidade um ambiente acessível para o aluno surdo? As políticas de inclusão são suficientes para tornar a universidade acessível? O lugar é uma dimensão importante na dialética exclusão-inclusão das pessoas surdas? Qual a relação existente entre a Afetividade e a Acessibilidade? Para responder esses questionamentos, temos como objetivo geral investigar a relação Afetividade (por meio da Estima de Lugar; BOMFIM) e Acessibilidade. O método utilizado nesta jornada foi o Instrumento Gerador dos Mapas Afetivos (IGMA) e a Observação Participante. Os dados apreendidos da realidade foram analisados por meio da Análise Temática de Conteúdo de Laurence Bardin em conjunto com as contribuições teóricas de Espinosa, Vygotsky e Sawaia. O IGMA foi aplicado em alunos surdos do campus do Benfica da Universidade Federal do Ceará em um período de oito (8) meses de convívio do pesquisador com a comunidade surda acadêmica. Ao término, concluímos que para a promoção do bem-estar psicossocial dos discentes surdos a demanda de reconhecimento de sua cultura e identidade é tão necessária quanto a materialização das políticas assertivas; que o indicador afetivo contraste possibilita que as paixões tristes e alegrias passivas na universidade se transformem em afeto-ação dando mais clareza aos surdos nas escolhas de bons encontros, o que baseado em Sawaia, chamo de ética da acessibilidade.

Polyamines are important regulators of growth and differentiation in a variety of cells, including parasitic protozoa. Promastigotes of Leishmania species have high levels of putrescine and spermidine and their growth can be inhibited by polyamine biosynthesis antagonists. The putrescine analogue 1,4-diamino-2-butanone (DAB) is microbicidal against Tritrichomonas foetus and Trypanosoma cruzi, so we tested its effects on Leishmania amazonensis proliferation, viability, organization, putrescine transport and synthesis as well as in vitro infectivity. DAB impaired promastigote proliferation dose-dependently (IC(50) 144 microM) and the parasite putrescine concentration was reduced by nearly 50 %. This analogue markedly inhibited both ornithine decarboxylase activity and [H(3)]putrescine uptake by promastigotes. Pre-treatment with DAB for 24 h led to compensatory enhancement of putrescine uptake, indicating an adaptive mechanism in DAB-treated parasites. Remarkably, DAB caused mitochondrial damage, assessed by transmission electron microscopy, and 3 h treatment with 1 mM DAB enhanced lipid peroxidation, whereas incubation with 10 mM DAB or for 24 h resulted in decreased peroxidation levels in the parasites. This effect was probably due to the loss of mitochondrial function, demonstrated by the diminished reduction of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), not observed in macrophages. Murine macrophages infected with L. amazonensis amastigotes treated with DAB had parasite loads significantly (P

Hemozoin (Hz) is a heme crystal produced upon hemoglobin digestion as the main mechanism of heme disposal in several hematophagous organisms. Here, we show that, in the helminth Schistosoma mansoni, Hz formation occurs in extracellular lipid droplets (LDs). Transmission electron microscopy of adult worms revealed the presence of numerous electron-lucent round structures similar to LDs in gut lumen, where multicrystalline Hz assemblies were found associated to their surfaces. Female regurgitates promoted Hz formation in vitro in reactions partially inhibited by boiling. Fractionation of regurgitates showed that Hz crystallization activity was essentially concentrated on lower density fractions, which have small amounts of pre-formed Hz crystals, suggesting that hydrophilic–hydrophobic interfaces, and not Hz itself, play a key catalytic role in Hz formation in S. mansoni. Thus, these data demonstrate that LDs present in the gut lumen of S. mansoni support Hz formation possibly by allowing association of heme to the lipid–water interface of these structures.

This work describes a two-step, one-pot synthetic method for the formal aza-[3 + 3] cycloaddition between N-alkyl substituted enaminones and benzoyl isothiocyanate, which afforded 4-thioxopyrimidines in reasonable yields. Reaction of acyclic enaminone with a sterically hindered group attached to the nitrogen atom afforded pyridine-2-thione, yet in low yield. The antibacterial, antifungal, and trypanocidal activities of the thioxopyrimidines were evaluated and five compounds exhibited moderate activity against Candida albicans, Micrococcus luteus, and Trypanosoma cruzi. The solid state structures of a thioxopyrimidine, an organic disulfide, and a 1,2,4-triazole were determined by X-ray diffraction analysis.

Hemozoin (Hz) is a heme crystal produced upon the digestion of hemoglobin (Hb) by blood-feeding organisms as a main mechanism of heme disposal. The structure of Hz consists of heme dimers bound by reciprocal iron-carboxylate interactions and stabilized by hydrogen bonds. We have recently described heme crystals in the blood fluke, Schistosoma mansoni, and in the kissing bug, Rhodnius prolixus. Here, we characterized the structures and morphologies of the heme crystals from those two organisms and compared them to synthetic beta-hematin (betaH). Synchrotron radiation X-ray powder diffraction showed that all heme crystals share the same unit cell and structure. The heme crystals isolated from S. mansoni and R. prolixus consisted of very regular units assembled in multicrystalline spherical structures exhibiting remarkably distinct surface morphologies compared to betaH. In both organisms, Hz formation occurs inside lipid droplet-like particles or in close association to phospholipid membranes. These results show, for the first time, the structural and morphological characterization of natural Hz samples obtained from these two blood-feeding organisms. Moreover, Hz formation occurring in close association to a hydrophobic environment seems to be a common trend for these organisms and may be crucial to produce very regular shaped phases, allowing the formation of multicrystalline assemblies in the guts of S. mansoni and R. prolixus.

Background The alcohol industry is an excellent representation of the development process in Brazil, it considers the sugar cane as one of the biggest monocultures. As a result of this high production, there is the vinasse, a residue from the alcohol production after the pulp fermentation and distillation of the wine (Pulp after fermentation), ensuing from 8 to 15 liters for each liter of ethanol produced. This high colored effluent and an objectionable odor is rich in nutrients, mainly in organic matter, having a high potencial poluent when it is inaccordingly in the environment [1,2]. Lignolytic fungi can be used to the remediation of the pollutants, such as vinasse, by the action of peroxidases. So, the search is interested in reducing the contaminations caused by the direct application of the vinasse on the earth without a previous treatment. Therefore the objective is to characterize the biodegradation of the residue through the basidiomycetes Pleurotus sajor-cajuCCB 020 and consequently to produce enzymes with biotechnological potential, decoloring the vinasse and minimizing the polluter potential. After the treatment of the vinasse, it shows several goals as the fertirrigation, the water reuse for the washing proccess of the sugar cane and/or other activities related to the industrial process.

Bromelain is a collective name for proteolytic enzymes or proteases (natural proteolytic enzymatic complex) found in tissues including stems, fruit and leaves of the pineapple (Ananas comosus var. comosus) and of other plant species of the family Bromeliaceae (KUMAR, 2011). Is a bioactive agent possessing remarkable therapeutic properties such as reversible inhibition of platelet aggregation, relief from bronchitis, sinusitis and enhanced absorption of drugs, particularly of antibiotics (BHUI et al., 2009). Although Brazil is a major producer of pineapple, occupying the first position in 2010 worldwide with a production of 1.5 million tons of fruit, the salt stress, deleterious alterations observed in plants grown in saline conditions, which occur due to intoxication by ions and decline of supply of water and nutrients to the plant (LI et al., 2010), is main factor limiting growth and productivity of plants since it causes metabolic responses in plants, affecting and compromising all important processes such as photosynthesis, changes in levels and protein synthesis and activity enzymes, as well as in the synthesis of lipid metabolism and energy (PIZA et al., 2003). Thus, the objective of this research was to evaluate the influence of salt stress on the activity of bromelain in pineapple plants (Ananas comosus L. Merril) cv. Perola cultured in vitro.

Submitted by Elaine Lucia (lucia.elaine@live.com) on 2015-07-10T19:50:16Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Disserta????o - Jose Diego Menezes Quintiliano.pdf: 953038 bytes, checksum: 1c35376cab63b2792bb046d70e320aa1 (MD5) Approved for entry into archive by Divis??o de Documenta????o/BC Biblioteca Central (ddbc@ufam.edu.br) on 2015-07-13T14:41:26Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Disserta????o - Jose Diego Menezes Quintiliano.pdf: 953038 bytes, checksum: 1c35376cab63b2792bb046d70e320aa1 (MD5) Approved for entry into archive by Divis??o de Documenta????o/BC Biblioteca Central (ddbc@ufam.edu.br) on 2015-07-13T14:45:10Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Disserta????o - Jose Diego Menezes Quintiliano.pdf: 953038 bytes, checksum: 1c35376cab63b2792bb046d70e320aa1 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2015-07-13T14:45:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Disserta????o - Jose Diego Menezes Quintiliano.pdf: 953038 bytes, checksum: 1c35376cab63b2792bb046d70e320aa1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-08-12 N??o informada In the present dissertation studied the effect of a uniform electric field , applied the Over a graphene layer , On the spectrum of Landau levels. We calculate one Current Density dissipative Until Monday constant of the Order of electron phonon interaction Para um system composed of a two-dimensional electron gas interacting with acoustic phonons in graphene One Network, In Effect conditions Quantum Hall in hum finite electric field. Show que ONLY real energy transitions contribute Par?? Chain dissipative . Also we calculate one Hall of the system conductivity, paragraph a Wed. retrieve a known expression M = 4 ( N + 1 = 2 ) = e 2 h . Na presente disserta????o estudamos o efeito de um campo el??trico uniforme, aplicado ao longo de uma camada de grafeno, sobre o espectro dos n??veis de Landau. Calculamos a densidade de corrente dissipativa at?? segunda ordem da constante de intera????o el??tron f??non para um sistema composto por um g??s de el??trons bidimensional interagindo com f??nons ac??sticos em uma rede de grafeno, nas condi????es do efeito Hall qu??ntico em um campo el??trico finito. Mostramos que apenas transi????es reais de energia contribuem para acorrente dissipativa. Calculamos tamb??m a condutividade Hall do sistema, para a qual recuperamos a express??o conhecida H=4(N+1=2)e2=h.

As a result of a program to find antitumor compounds of endophytes from medicinal Asteraceae, the steroid (22E,24R)-8,14-epoxyergosta-4,22-diene-3,6-dione (a) and the diterpene aphidicolin (b) were isolated from the filamentous fungi Papulaspora immersa and Nigrospora sphaerica, respectively, and exhibited strong cytotoxicity against HL-60 cells. A proteomic approach was used in an attempt to identify the drugs' molecular targets and their respective antiproliferative mode of action. Results suggested that the (a) growth inhibition effect occurs by G2/M cell cycle arrest via reduction of tubulin alpha and beta isomers and 14-3-3 protein gamma expression, followed by a decrease of apoptotic and inflammatory proteins, culminating in mitochondrial oxidative damage that triggered autophagy-associated cell death. Moreover, the decrease observed in the expression levels of several types of histones indicated that (a) might be disarming oncogenic pathways via direct modulation of the epigenetic machinery. Effects on cell cycle progression and induction of apoptosis caused by (b) were confirmed. In addition, protein expression profiles also revealed that aphidicolin is able to influence microtubule dynamics, modulate proteasome activator complex expression, and control the inflammatory cascade through overexpression of thymosin beta 4, RhoGDI2, and 14-3-3 proteins. Transmission electron micrographs of (b)-treated cells unveiled dose-dependent morphological characteristics of autophagy- or oncosis-like cell death.

This dissertation presents a measurement of Z boson pair production in p¯p collisions at 1.96 TeV with 9.6 fb-1 to 9.8 fb-1 of D0 data. We examine the final states eeee, eeμμ, and μμμμ. Based on selected data, the measured cross section in the mass region M(Z/γ*) > 30 GeV is σ(p¯p → Z/γ* Z/γ*) = 1.26+0.44 -0.36 (stat)+0.17 -0.15 (syst) ± 0.08 (lumi) pb.

AUGUSTO, Diego Menezes; FEITOSA, Maria Zelfa de Souza; BOMFIM, Zulmira Áurea Cruz. A utilização dos mapas afetivos como possibilidade de leitura do Território no CRAS. Estudos Interdisciplinares em Psicologia, Londrina, v. 7, n. 1, p. 145-158, jun. 2016 Based on surveys and our professional experience, we feel impelled to seek ways to work in CRAS in the territorialization process. Our proposal aims to overcome the mere division of the territory and identification of facilities and beneficiaries of income transfer governmental programs as from the discussion of methodologies involving professionals and users, supported on ethical and political commitment to the community. Thus, we find in Environmental Psychology relevant strategies to this endeavor. We aim to present the Affective Maps Generator Instrument as a method able to assist the CRAS’ Psychologist in the territorialization process. In CRAS, the Affective Maps provide a design of the studied area in its entirety, enables user-environment relationship visualization, as from the ways in which community subjects imply with their residence places. Baseados em pesquisas e em nossa experiência profissional, nos sentimos impelidos a buscar caminhos para o trabalho no CRAS, no processo de territorialização. Nossa proposta visa superar a mera divisão do território e identificação de equipamentos e beneficiários dos programas de transferência de renda, a partir da discussão de metodologias que envolvam profissionais e usuários, embasadas no compromisso ético-político com a comunidade. Assim, encontramos na Psicologia Ambiental estratégias pertinentes a esta empreitada. Objetivamos neste artigo apresentar o Instrumento Gerador dos Mapas Afetivos como método capaz de auxiliar o psicólogo do CRAS, no processo de territorialização. No CRAS, os Mapas Afetivos proporcionam um desenho do território em sua integralidade, visibilizando a relação usuário-ambiente, a partir dos modos como os sujeitos comunitários implicam-se com seu lugar de moradia. Basados en investigaciones y en nuestra experiencia profesional, nos sentimos impulsados a buscar maneras para el trabajo en el CRAS, en el proceso de territorialización. Nuestra propuesta busca superar la mera división de territorio y la identificación de los equipamientos y los beneficiarios de los programas de transferencia de renta a partir de la discusión de metodologías que incluyan los profesionales y los usuarios, apoyados en el compromiso ético y político con la comunidad. Así, encontramos en la Psicología Ambiental estrategias pertinentes a este esfuerzo. Objetivamos presentar el Generador Instrumento de Mapas Afectivos como método capaz de ayudar al psicólogo en el proceso de territorialización. En el CRAS, los mapas afectivos proporcionan un diseño del área en su totalidad permitiendo la visualización de la relación usuario-medio ambiente, desde el modo como los sujetos de la comunidad se implican con su lugar de moradia.

Background The parasitic trematode Schistosoma mansoni is one of the major causative agents of human schistosomiasis, which afflicts 200 million people worldwide. Praziquantel remains the main drug used for schistosomiasis treatment, and reliance on the single therapy has been prompting the search for new therapeutic compounds against this disease. Our group has demonstrated that heme crystallization into hemozoin (Hz) within the S. mansoni gut is a major heme detoxification route with lipid droplets involved in this process and acting as a potential chemotherapeutical target. In the present work, we investigated the effects of three antimalarial compounds, quinine (QN), quinidine (QND) and quinacrine (QCR) in a murine schistosomiasis model by using a combination of biochemical, cell biology and molecular biology approaches. Methodology/Principal Findings Treatment of S. mansoni-infected female Swiss mice with daily intraperitoneal injections of QN, and QND (75 mg/kg/day) from the 11th to 17th day after infection caused significant decreases in worm burden (39%–61%) and egg production (42%–98%). Hz formation was significantly inhibited (40%–65%) in female worms recovered from QN- and QND-treated mice and correlated with reduction in the female worm burden. We also observed that QN treatment promoted remarkable ultrastructural changes in male and female worms, particularly in the gut epithelium and reduced the granulomatous reaction to parasite eggs trapped in the liver. Microarray gene expression analysis indicated that QN treatment increased the expression of transcripts related to musculature, protein synthesis and repair mechanisms. Conclusions The overall significant reduction in several disease burden parameters by the antimalarial quinoline methanols indicates that interference with Hz formation in S. mansoni represents an important mechanism of schistosomicidal action of these compounds and points out the heme crystallization process as a valid chemotherapeutic target to treat schistosomiasis., Author Summary Heme is an essential molecule to most living organisms, but once in a free state it exerts toxic effects. Blood-feeding organisms evolved efficient ways to detoxify free heme derived from hemoglobin digestion. A key mechanism present in some hematophagous organisms consists of the crystallization of heme into a pigment named hemozoin. Schistosoma mansoni is one of the etiologic agents of human schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease that affects over 200 million people in tropical and subtropical areas. Hemozoin formation represents the main heme detoxification pathway in S. mansoni. Here, we report that the antimalarial quinoline methanols quinine and quinidine exert schistosomicidal effects notably due to their capacity to interfere with hemozoin formation. When quinine or quinidine were administered intraperitoneally during seven days to S. mansoni-infected mice (75 mg/kg/day), both worm and eggs burden were significantly reduced. Interestingly, hemozoin content in female worms was drastically affected after treatment with either compound. We also found that quinine caused important changes in the cellular organization of worm gastrodermis and increased expression of genes related to musculature, protein synthesis and repair mechanisms. Together, our results indicate that interference with hemozoin formation is a valid chemotherapeutic target for development of new schistosomicidal agents.

Hemozoin (Hz) is a heme crystal produced by several blood-feeding organisms in order to detoxify free heme released upon hemoglobin (Hb) digestion. Here we show that heme crystallization also occurs in three species of triatomine insects. Ultraviolet-visible and infrared light absorption spectra of insoluble pigments isolated from the midgut of three triatomine species Triatoma infestans, Dipetalogaster maximus and Panstrongylus megistus indicated that all produce Hz. Morphological analysis of T. infestans and D. maximus midguts revealed the close association of Hz crystals to perimicrovillar membranes and also as multicrystalline assemblies, forming nearly spherical structures. Heme crystallization was promoted by isolated perimicrovillar membranes from all three species of triatomine bugs in vitro in heat-sensitive reactions. In conclusion, the data presented here indicate that Hz formation is an ancestral adaptation of Triatominae to a blood-sucking habit and that the presence of perimicrovillar membranes plays a central role in this process.

Trypanosoma cruzi is the etiological agent of American trypanosomiasis. Most of the available data on trypanosomatid parasites were obtained from African trypanosomes. Parasitic protozoa polyamine metabolism and transport pathways comprise valuable targets for chemotherapy. T. cruzi cannot synthesize putrescine, but its uptake from the extracellular milieu can promote parasite survival. Nevertheless, little is known about the cell biology of this diamine in T. cruzi. Here we notice that the putrescine analogue 1,4-diamino-2-butanone (DAB) inhibited T. cruzi epimastigotes' in vitro proliferation and produced remarkable mitochondrial destruction and cell architecture disorganization, as assessed by transmission electron microscopy. Mitochondrial damage was confirmed by MTT reduction. We decided to analyze the oxidative stress undergone by DAB-treated parasites. Thiobarbituric-acid-reactive substances were measured to assess lipid peroxidation. Analogue effects were dose-dependent; 5 mM DAB only slightly enhanced peroxidation, whereas 10 mM DAB significantly (P < 0.05) diminished it. These data indicate that putrescine uptake by this diamine auxotrophic parasite may be important for epimastigote axenic growth and cellular organization.

Although Panstrongylus lutzi (Neiva and Pinto) is currently the fifth most frequent species of Triatominae captured in artificial structures in Brazil, its silvatic habitat remains unknown. A survey of its natural ecotopes was performed in an area of Bahia State. P. lutzi nymphal instars and adults were detected in burrows of Dasypodidae. Silvatic habitat of four other endemic triatomine species of the caatinga (Triatoma pseudomaculata Correa and Espinola, Triatoma brasiliensis Neiva, Rhodnius neglectus Lent, and Psammolestes tertius Lent and Jurberg) was also recorded.