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This paper presents a methodology for automatically extracting insights from PubMed articles using a Natural Language Processing (NLP) framework. Our approach, leveraging advanced NLP techniques and Named Entity Recognition (NER), is crucial for advancing pharmacogenomics and other scientific fields that benefit from streamlined access to literature through automated services like RESTful APIs.Building a new NLP model presents several challenges. First, it is essential to have a thorough understanding of the field in order to define relevant entities. Second, the construction of a diverse and consistent set of examples is crucial. Finally, the effective utilization of pre-established models is of paramount importance, as demonstrated in this work.Our model, validated via ten-fold cross-validation, achieved over 70% recall and precision for all entities in the training set. We provide a reproducible pipeline for the scientific community and propose a structured approach for qualitative analysis and clustering of results. This methodology refines literature reviews, optimizes knowledge extraction, and supports broader application across diverse research domains. An online platform could further extend these benefits to researchers, educators, and practitioners.

Sampling deep-sea biota is a significant challenge because of the logistics required, in terms of vessels and equipment, to obtain minimally preserved specimens. Traditional methods (trawls, nets, and dredges) cause physical damage, stress, and even contamination during the process of removal from the seabed and their displacement through the water column to the surface. Preserving conditions similar to those found in situ is particularly important when the sampling strives to maintain living organisms and for analyses where contamination or degradation by stress or damage may interfere with the results. Therefore, for the sampling and storage of this biota with less interference, a polypropylene box was designed based on the model of Kellogg et al. (2009) incorporating adaptations to be used by a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). This new device has been successfully used in eight oceanographic campaigns, adequately performing for sediment and biota sampling, including coral reef forming or framework species (Scleractinia), octocorals, associated fauna, and rhodoliths, at depths between 50 and 900 m.

Purpose: This work was designed to identify the pharmacogenetic profile of Brazilian psychiatric patients receiving psychoactive drug treatment according to ethnicity. Methods: Based on the GnTech ® database, this cross-sectional study analyzed data from self-reported sociodemographic and genetic results from the next-generation sequencing panel composed of 26 pharmacogenes from 359 psychotropic drug users. Results: Variant frequencies of multiple pharmacogenes presented differences between ethnicities ( CYP3A5 , CYP2D6 , CYP1A2 , CYP2B6 , CYP3A4 , UGT1A4 , UGT2B15 , ABCB1 rs1045642 , ADRA2A rs1800544 , COMT rs4680 , GRIK4 rs1954787 , GSK3B rs334558 , GSK3B rs6438552 , HTR1A rs6295 , HTR2A rs7997012 , HTR2C rs1414334 , MTHFR rs1801131 , OPRM1 rs1799971 and 5-HTTLPR ), endorsing the necessity of individual-level analyses in drug treatment. Conclusion: A discussion of pharmacogenomic test implementation in psychiatric clinical practice is needed to improve treatment choices, especially in Brazil, a multiethnic country.

Previous studies have shown that associations between obesity and other comorbidities favor worse outcomes in COVID-19. However, it is not clear how these factors interrelate and whether effects on men and women differ. We conducted an observational, cross-sectional study using a national COVID-19 inpatient database. We studied differences in direct and indirect effects of obesity and comorbidities according to sex and body mass index (BMI) categories in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Brazil using path analysis models and logistic regression. For men, path analysis showed a direct association between BMI and death and a negative correlation of death and chronic cardiovascular disease (CCD). For women, the association of BMI and death was indirect, mediated by admission to the ICU and comorbidities and association with CCD was non-significant. In the logistic regression analyses, there was a positive association between death and BMI, age, diabetes mellitus, kidney and lung diseases and ICU admission. We highlight the need to consider the distinct impact of obesity and sex on COVID-19, of monitoring of BMI and of the design for specific male-targeted approaches to manage obesity., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

The effects of voluntary running on the skeletal muscle of rats with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) were tested in the present study. PAH was induced in rats by a single injection of monocrotaline (MCT, 60 mg/kg). Rats in the sedentary hypertension (HS) group had their tolerance to physical exertion reduced throughout the experiment, while those in the sedentary control (SC), exercise control (EC), exercise hypertension (EH) and median exercise (EM) groups maintained or increased. Despite that, the muscular citrate synthase activity was not different between groups. The survival time was higher in the EH (32 days) than in the SH (28 days) ( p = 0.0032). SH and EH groups showed a lower percentage of muscle fiber and a higher percentage of extracellular matrix compared to control groups ( p < 0.0001). However, the EM and EH groups presented higher percentage of muscle fiber and lower percentage of extracellular matrix than SH group ( p < 0.0001). Regarding muscular gene expression, the SH and EM groups showed a lower expression of PGC1-α ( p = 0.0024) and a higher expression of VEGF ( p = 0.0033) compared to SC, while PGC1-α was elevated in the EH. No difference between groups was found for the carbonylated protein levels ( p > 0.05), while the TNF-α/IL-10 ratio was augmented in the EH ( p = 0.0277). In conclusion, voluntary running augments the proportion of fiber and affects the gene expression of inflammatory and mitochondrial biogenesis' markers in the skeletal muscle of rats with MCT-induced PAH, which benefits their survival and tolerance to physical effort., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Drummond, Soares, Leal, Leite, Rezende, Fidelis, Lavorato, Miranda, Carneiro-Júnior, Neves, Alberici, Carlo Reis, Neves and Natali.)

Purpose: TMEM176B was recently described as a negative modulator of Nlrp3 inflammasome activation in mice. In the mouse model, the inhibition of TMEM176B leads to an increased anti-tumoral activity which is dependent on Nlrp3. Since we have recently shown that single nucleotide variants (SNPs) in inflammasome genes, including NLRP3, significantly affect colorectal cancer (CRC) prognosis, we proposed to investigate here the association between genetic variants in TMEM176B and CRC prognosis., Methods: Considering that, up to now, no genetic study analyzing this gene in humans exists, we selected possible functional SNPs and genotyped them in a cohort of CRC patients submitted to surgery and followed up for more than 10 years. Genotype-guided assays were realized to evaluate the effect of the variant on NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Gene expression from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort was analyzed to valid possible prognostic and predictive features., Results: We identified the Ala134Thr variant (rs2072443) in TMEM176B as a protective factor for CRC prognosis. This SNP is associated with decreased gene expression and with an increased activation of NLRP3 inflammasome, at least in monocytes and dendritic cells. Furthermore, low TMEM176B expression is associated with higher overall survival., Conclusion: Altogether, these findings supported the role of TMEM176B in NLRP3 inflammasome biology and for the first time demonstrated the genetic association between rs2072443 and CRC in humans., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objectives: Ultrasonography is used in the evaluation of urinary disorders, and the resistivity index (RI) and pulsatility index (PI) have been successfully used to detect early hemodynamic changes in the course of kidney diseases in humans and dogs. The aim of this study was to investigate RI and PI in cats with feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD)., Methods: Twenty-nine client-owned cats were selected and divided into a control group (CG; n = 10), a group of animals with obstructive FLUTD (OG; n = 11) and non-obstructive FLUTD (nOG; n = 8). Clinical, laboratory and ultrasound evaluations were performed in all cats., Results: RI and PI values for cats in the CG were below the upper limit of normal suggested in other studies, while cats with FLUTD showed significantly higher values in the assessment of RI ( P  = 0.027 and P  = 0.034, respectively) and PI ( P  = 0.044 and P  = 0.048, respectively) of the right and left kidneys., Conclusions and Relevance: Alteration in renal blood flow was observed in cats with lower urinary tract disorders, even in the nOG group. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of renal blood flow changes related to non-obstructive FLUTD.

Background: The correct understanding of the epidemiological dynamics of COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2, is essential for formulating public policies of disease containment., Methods: In this study, we constructed a picture of the epidemiological dynamics of COVID-19 in a Brazilian population of almost 17000 patients in 15 months. We specifically studied the fluctuations of COVID-19 cases and deaths due to COVID-19 over time according to host gender, age, viral load, and genetic variants., Results: As the main results, we observed that the numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths due to COVID-19 fluctuated over time and that men were the most affected by deaths, as well as those of 60 or more years old. We also observed that individuals between 30- and 44-years old were the most affected by COVID-19 cases. In addition, the viral loads in the patients' nasopharynx were higher in the early symptomatic period. We found that early pandemic SARS-CoV-2 lineages were replaced by the variant of concern (VOC) P.1 (Gamma) in the second half of the study period, which led to a significant increase in the number of deaths., Conclusions: The results presented in this study are helpful for future formulations of efficient public policies of COVID-19 containment.

Objective: To develop recommendations to strengthen nutritional care in the primary health care (PHC) setting in Brazil based on expert consensus., Method: A descriptive and exploratory study was performed using the Delphi technique. Of 172 invited PHC experts in nutrition, 116 accepted the invitation and 72 participated in the first Delphi round. The second round had 56 participants from the five Brazilian regions, including managers, healthcare professionals, representatives from civil society organizations, and researchers. The recommendations were developed based on thematic analysis of the responses to open-ended questions about barriers, strategies, actions, and initiatives from five components of the National Food and Nutrition Policy (food and nutrition surveillance, coordination of nutritional care, health promotion, intersectoral focus, and management of food and nutrition actions). In the second round, experts classified each proposed item regarding its pertinence and relevance for the purpose of recommendation., Results: A consensus was reached on 35 recommendations distributed in six categories: structure; PHC nutritional agenda; organization of the healthcare network and PHC; nutritional work processes in PHC; planning, monitoring and evaluation of nutritional actions in PHC; and information systems. These categories were further classified into two blocks: "PHC structuring actions to strengthen nutrition" and "nutrition structuring actions to strengthen PHC.", Conclusions: The recommendations were developed by experienced participants who are familiar with both nutritional and PHC pathways from diverse perspectives, and will be useful for the management and proposition of public policies to strengthen nutritional care in the PHC setting in Brazil.

The aim of this study was to verify the effects of moderate-intensity continuous (MICT) and high-intensity interval (HIIT) aerobic training on cardiac morphology and function and the mechanical properties of single cardiomyocytes in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) in the compensated phase of hypertension. Sixteen-week-old male SHR and normotensive Wistar (WIS) rats were allocated to six groups of six animals each: SHR CONT or WIS CONT (control); SHR MICT or WIS MICT (underwent MICT, 30 min/day, five days per week for eight weeks); and SHR HIIT or WIS HIIT (underwent HIIT, 30 min/day, five days per week for eight weeks). Total exercise time until fatigue and maximum running speed were determined using a maximal running test before and after the experimental period. Systolic (SAP), diastolic (DAP), and mean (MAP) blood pressures were measured using tail plethysmography before and after the experimental period. Echocardiographic evaluations were performed at the end of the experimental period. The rats were euthanized after in vivo assessments, and left ventricular myocytes were isolated to evaluate global intracellular Ca 2+ transient ([Ca 2+ ] i ) and contractile function. Cellular measurements were performed at basal temperature (~37°C) at 3, 5, and 7 Hz. The results showed that both training programs increased total exercise time until fatigue and, consequently, maximum running speed. In hypertensive rats, MICT decreased SAP, DAP, MAP, interventricular septal thickness during systole and diastole, and the contraction amplitude at 5 Hz. HIIT increased heart weight and left ventricular wall thickness during systole and diastole and reduced SAP, MAP, and the time to peak [Ca 2+ ] i at all pacing frequencies. In conclusion, both aerobic training protocols promoted beneficial adaptations to cardiac morphology, function, and mechanical properties of single cardiomyocytes in SHR.