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Snakebite envenomations (SBE) are a significant global public health threat due to their morbidity and mortality. This is a neglected public health issue in many tropical and subtropical countries. Brazil is in the top ten countries affected by SBE, with 32,160 cases reported only in 2020, posing a high burden for this population. In this paper, we describe the data structure of snakebite records from 2007 to 2020 in the Notifiable Disease Information System (SINAN), made available by the Brazilian Ministry of Health (MoH). In addition, we also provide R scripts that allow a quick and automatic updating of data from the SINAN according to its availability. The data presented in this work are related to clinical and demographic information on SBE cases. Also, data on outcomes, laboratory results, and treatment are available. The dataset is available and freely accessible; however, preprocessing, adjustments, and standardization are necessary due to incompleteness and inconsistencies. Regardless of these limitations, it provides a solid basis for assessing different aspects and the national burden of envenoming. Dataset: The dataset is available at https://github.com/LabdataManaus/describe%5fsnakebite/tree/main. Accessed on 26 April 2024. Dataset License: CC BY-NC-SA [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) is a swallowing disorder that involves difficulty in safely passing the food bolus from the oral cavity to the stomach. OD is a common problem in children with congenital Zika virus syndrome (CZS). In this case series, we describe the clinical and acoustic alterations of swallowing in children exposed to the Zika virus during pregnancy in a cohort from Amazonas, Brazil. From July 2019 to January 2020, 22 children were evaluated, 6 with microcephaly and 16 without microcephaly. The mean age among the participants was 35 months (±4.6 months). All children with microcephaly had alterations in oral motricity, mainly in the lips and cheeks. Other alterations were in vocal quality, hard palate, and soft palate. Half of the children with microcephaly showed changes in cervical auscultation during breast milk swallowing. In children without microcephaly, the most frequently observed alteration was in lip motricity, but alterations in auscultation during the swallowing of breast milk were not observed. Regarding swallowing food of a liquid and pasty consistency, the most frequent alterations were incomplete verbal closure, increased oral transit time, inadequacy in capturing the spoon, anterior labial leakage, and increased oral transit time. Although these events are more frequent in microcephalic children, they can also be seen in non-microcephalic children, which points to the need for an indistinct evaluation of children exposed in utero to ZIKV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an RNA flavivirus (Flaviviridae family) endemic in tropical and subtropical regions that is transmitted to humans by Aedes (Stegomyia) species mosquitoes. The two main urban vectors of ZIKV are Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, which can be found throughout Brazil. This study investigated ZIKV infection in mosquito species sampled from urban forest fragments in Manaus (Brazilian Amazon). A total of 905 non-engorged female Ae. aegypti (22 specimens) and Ae. albopictus (883 specimens) were collected using BG-Sentinel traps, entomological hand nets, and Prokopack aspirators during the rainy and dry seasons between 2018 and 2021. All pools were macerated and used to inoculate C6/36 culture cells. Overall, 3/20 (15%) Ae. aegypti and 5/241 (2%) Ae. albopictus pools screened using RT-qPCR were positive for ZIKV. No supernatants from Ae. aegypti were positive for ZIKV (0%), and 15 out of 241 (6.2%) Ae. albopictus pools were positive. In this study, we provide the first-ever evidence of Ae. albopictus naturally infected with ZIKV in the Amazon region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methylene blue (MB) is an alternative for combating drug-resistant malaria parasites. Its transmission-blocking potential has been demonstrated in vivo in murine models, in vitro, and in clinical trials. MB shows high efficacy against Plasmodium vivax asexual stages; however, its efficacy in sexual stages is unknown. In this study, we evaluated the potential of MB against asexual and sexual forms of P. vivax isolated from the blood of patients residing in the Brazilian Amazon. An ex vivo schizont maturation assay, zygote to ookinete transformation assay, direct membrane feed assay (DMFA), and standard membrane feed assay (SMFA) using P. vivax gametocytes with MB exposure were performed. A cytotoxicity assay was also performed on freshly collected peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and the hepatocyte carcinoma cell line HepG2. MB inhibited the P. vivax schizont maturation and demonstrated an IC50 lower than that of chloroquine (control drug). In the sexual forms, the MB demonstrated a high level of inhibition in the transformation of the zygotes into ookinetes. In the DMFA, MB did not considerably affect the infection rate and showed low inhibition, but it demonstrated a slight decrease in the infection intensity in all tested concentrations. In contrast, in the SMFA, MB was able to completely block the transmission at the highest concentration (20 μM). MB demonstrated low cytotoxicity to fresh PBMCs but demonstrated higher cytotoxicity to the hepatocyte carcinoma cell line HepG2. These results show that MB may be a potential drug for vivax malaria treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]