Search

Background: Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3/Machado-Joseph disease (SCA3/MJD) is a rare disease with diagnosis offered by the Unified Health System in Brazil. Our aim was to investigate the diagnostic delay in an interval of 23 years in a public university hospital, and some potentially determining factors. Methods: A retrospective review of the medical records of subjects identified at our institution between 1999 and 2017 was carried out, including residents of Rio Grande do Sul. The diagnostic delay was equivalent to the difference between age at onset of symptoms and age at molecular diagnosis. Calendar years, educational level, sex, distance between the household and the clinics, age and being the index case were studied as modifying factors. Results: SCA3/MJD had a median diagnostic delay of 5 years. Index cases had delays of 6 versus 4 years (p<0.001) for subsequent family members. Delay correlated with age (rho=0.346, p<0.001), but not with age at disease onset (rho=0.005, p=0.91). No change was observed with the level of education of individuals or with the distance between household and hospital from 1999 to 2017. Discussion: The diagnostic delay of SCA3/MJD is high in our region, where its occurrence has been reported for years. Failure to change the delay over the years suggests ineffective dissemination to the population, but a smaller lag among younger people can portray the effect of digital inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Main Conclusion: Natural selection influenced adaptive divergence between Cereus fernambucensis and Cereus insularis, revealing key genes governing abiotic stress responses and supporting neoteny in C. insularis. Uncovering the molecular mechanisms driving adaptive divergence in traits related to habitat adaptation remains a central challenge. In this study, we focused on the cactus clade, which includes Cereus sericifer F.Ritter, Cereus fernambucensis Lem., and Cereus insularis Hemsley. These allopatric species inhabit distinct relatively drier regions within the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, each facing unique abiotic conditions. We leveraged whole transcriptome data and abiotic variables datasets to explore lineage-specific and environment-specific adaptations in these species. Employing comparative phylogenetic methods, we identified genes under positive selection (PSG) and examined their association with non-synonymous genetic variants and abiotic attributes through a PhyloGWAS approach. Our analysis unveiled signatures of selection in all studied lineages, with C. fernambucensis northern populations and C. insularis showing the most PSGs. These PSGs predominantly govern abiotic stress regulation, encompassing heat tolerance, UV stress response, and soil salinity adaptation. Our exclusive observation of gene expression tied to early developmental stages in C. insularis supports the hypothesis of neoteny in this species. We also identified genes associated with abiotic variables in independent lineages, suggesting their role as environmental filters on genetic diversity. Overall, our findings suggest that natural selection played a pivotal role in the geographic range of these species in response to environmental and biogeographic transitions., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Simple Summary: The livestock sector contributes a considerable proportion of greenhouse gas emissions. Mechanisms must be developed in this sector to reduce these gases' emissions. This generates a demand for studies that evaluate plant species or their extracts to define their potential in modulating ruminal fermentation with the objective of reducing enteric methane emissions. The yerba mate extract (YME) is obtained from a plant widely consumed in the southern region of Brazil for its biological properties, with few studies on rumen fermentation, meat quality, and production parameters. For this reason, this study sought to evaluate the inclusion of different levels of YME and analyze its effects on ruminal fermentability, methane emissions, and animal performance. Our results show that the inclusion of YME does not affect ruminal fermentation parameters or apparent digestibility. The inclusion of plant extracts that contain secondary compounds with the potential to modulate rumen fermentation and improve animal performance has gained attention in recent years. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the inclusion of yerba mate extract (Ilex paraguariensis ST. Hilaire) (YME) on the ruminal parameters. Eight castrated cattle were divided into four groups, a control without YME (0%) and three treatment groups with 0.5, 1 and 2% inclusion of YME in the dry matter. The inclusion of YME did not show differences in ruminal methane emissions (CH4), and total apparent digestibility (p = 0.54). Likewise, YME did not modify ruminal pH, but positively affected NH3-N, which decreased linearly as the extract level in the diet increased (p = 0.01). No short chain fatty acids (SCFA) were influenced by YME, except isovaleric acid (p = 0.01), which showed a lower concentration in the inclusion of 2% YME. Our results show that up to 2% YME does not affect digestibility, ruminal fermentation parameters, or the concentration of short-chain fatty acids in the rumen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxic methane production (OMP) has been reported to significantly contribute to methane emissions from oxic surface waters. Demethylation of organic compounds, photosynthesis-associated methane production, and (bacterio)chlorophyll reduction activity are some of the investigated mechanisms as potential OMP sources related to photosynthetic organisms. Recently, cyanobacteria have often been correlated with methane accumulation and emission in freshwater, marine, and saline systems. The Brazilian Pantanal is the world's largest wetland system, with approximately 10,000 shallow lakes, most of which are highly alkaline and saline extreme environments. We initiated this study with an overall investigation using genetic markers, from which we explored metagenomic and limnological data from the Pantanal soda for five potential OMP pathways. Our results showed a strong positive correlation between dissolved methane concentrations and bloom events. Metagenomic data and nutrients, mainly orthophosphate, nitrogen, iron, and methane concentrations, suggest that the organic phosphorous demethylation pathway has the most potential to drive OMP in lakes with blooms. A specialized bacterial community was identified, including the Cyanobacteria Raphidiopsis, although the bloom does not contain the genes to carry out this process. These data showed enough evidence to infer the occurrence of an OMP pathway at Pantanal soda lakes, including the microbial sources and their relation to the cyanobacterial blooms., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Japan KK, part of Springer Nature.)

Population abundance data are often used to define species' conservation status. Abundance of marine turtles is typically estimated using nesting beach monitoring data such as nest counts and clutch frequency (CF, i.e., the number of nests female turtles lay within a nesting season). However, studies have shown that CF determined solely from nesting beach monitoring data can be underestimated, leading to inaccurate abundance estimates. To obtain reliable estimates of CF for hawksbill turtles in northeastern Brazil (6.273356° S, 35.036271° W), the region with the highest nesting density in the South Atlantic, data from beach monitoring and satellite telemetry were combined from 2014 to 2019. Beach monitoring data indicated the date of first nesting event, while state-space modeling of satellite telemetry data indicated the departure date of turtles, allowing calculations of residence length at breeding site and CF estimates based on internesting intervals. Females were estimated to nest up to six times within the nesting season with CF estimates between 4.5 and 4.8 clutches per female. CF estimates were used to determine the number of nesting females at the study site based in two approaches: considering and not considering transient turtles. Our approach and findings highlight that transients heavily influence CF estimates and need for reconsideration of how this key parameter is commonly determined for marine turtle populations and the use of beach monitoring data and satellite telemetry for estimations of CF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To perform an epidemiological survey comparing the cell proliferative activity of 107 cases of oral leukoplakia with their clinical and histopathological characteristics. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional, observational, and histological-histochemical study. The cases came from the Histopathological Diagnostic Service of UPF/RS and the School of Dentistry of Araçatuba FOA/UNESP/SP (1986–2016). The histopathological sections were stained using the silver staining (AgNOR) technique and the nuclei of 100 epithelial cells selected randomly were recorded to count the number of nucleolar organizer regions (NORs). The mean NORs per lesion were correlated to clinical and histological characteristics using ANOVA, at 5% significance. Results: Most of the cases included men (62.62%), white (64.49%), and with an average age of 53.94 years. The most probable etiological factors were smoking (44.7%) and alcohol consumption (9.85%). The evolution time of most lesions was fast (33.65%), manifesting mainly in the form of plaques (70.37%) and without symptoms (58.88%). They were located mainly in the cheek mucosa (26.62%) and presented white color (66.35%), well-defined edges (59.81%), firm consistency (47.5%), and keratinized surface (49.53%). Etiological factor (p = 0.003), evolution time (p = 0.006), symptoms (p = 0.029), location (p = 0.020), consistency (p = 0.047), histopathological characteristics (p = 0.004), and superficial keratinization (p = 0.001) were statistically significant regarding the mean NORs of the leukoplakias studied. Clinical relevance: Oral leukoplakias caused by alcohol consumption and/or tobacco use, considering an evolution time of fewer than 12 months, asymptomatic, located in the lower lip or tongue, and with a firm consistency and increased superficial keratinization should be treated more aggressively by the clinician to avoid cancerization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We determined the prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) and associated factors in 419 women (aged 40 to 65 years) in Northeast Brazil in a cross-sectional study conducted from April to November 2013. We defined MetS using the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III) criteria. Socio-demographic variables, reproductive factors, lifestyle factors, anthropometrics, body composition, quality of life, and physical performance were assessed for their associations. We constructed multivariate Poisson regression models to estimate prevalence rate ratios (PRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). We identified 275 (65.6%) cases of MetS. The three most prevalent indicators were obesity (73.5%), reduced high-density lipoprotein level (63.0%), and elevated blood pressure (60.9%). In the final adjusted model, black race (PR 1.30, 95% CI: 1.07–1.57), lower grip strength/body mass index (PR 1.31, 95% CI: 1.15–1.50), and low estradiol levels (PR 1.17, 95% CI: 1.00–1.35) were associated with MetS. MetS is a long-term threat to the health of middle-aged women and a potential public health burden. These results may help in developing health promotion strategies to prevent morbidity and mortality associated with MetS in this vulnerable population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the northern Pantanal wetlands of Brazil, alkaline sodic soils play a significant role in the ecological functioning of the region, but little is known about their mineralogical equilibria in current flooding dynamics, which is necessary for good management of these areas. This study focused on a transition between sodic and non‐sodic soils, identified by low frequency electromagnetic induction survey. Samples of B horizons from alkaline‐sodic and non‐sodic soils were analyzed via soil solution from saturated paste, decomposition of X‐ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and transmission electron microscopy with X‐ray dispersive energy spectroscopy (TEM‐EDS) analysis. The transition between alkaline‐sodic and non‐sodic soils matches with the transition between flooded and non‐flooded areas. The soil solution shows a concentration factor of about 40 along this transition. The formation of sodic soils results from an accumulation by evaporation of solutions with a positive calcite residual alkalinity (RAcalcite), probably imposed by the chemistry of the São Lourenço River. An increasing Na:Ca ratio caused solonization of the exchange complex. These alkaline‐sodic soils, however, can be interpreted as declining soils in the current context with an evacuation of soluble salts during flood cycles. The detailed investigation of the fine clay fraction (< 0.2 μm) using full profile modelling and decomposition of XRD patterns and TEM‐EDS analysis demonstrates gradual transformations of trioctahedral to dioctahedral smectite by Mg ‐ Al substitutions on octahedral sites, leading to the prevalence of kaolinite‐smectite interstratified minerals when the conditions become more acidic via the solodization process. Highlights: Clay minerals of alkaline‐sodic soil have been altered due to flooding dynamic.Clay minerals are a useful tool for understanding environmental changes.Interstratified clay minerals result from current acidification.The evolution of soil mineral suite is related to the environmental changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the influence of ethnicity in presentation of childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) patients. Methods: This multicenter study included cSLE patients (American College of Rheumatology criteria) followed in 27 Pediatric Rheumatology services of Brazil. Ethnicities were classified in four groups according to the parents' and all four grandparents' self-reported ethnicity. The statistical analysis was performed using the Bonferroni's correction (p < 0.0027). Results: According to ethnic groups, 1537 cSLE patients were classified in Caucasian (n = 786), African-Latin American (n = 526), Asian (n = 8), and others/unknown (n = 217). Comparisons between 1312 African-Latin American and Caucasian revealed similar median age at cSLE diagnosis [12.2(2.6–18) vs. 12.1(0.3–18) years, p = 0.234], time interval to diagnosis [0.25(0–12) vs. 0.3(0–10) years, p = 0.034], and SLEDAI-2K score [14(0–55) vs. 14(0–63), p = 0.781] in both groups. The mean number of diagnostic criteria according to SLICC (6.47 ± 1.911 vs. 5.81 ± 1.631, p < 0.0001) and frequencies of maculopapular lupus rash (8% vs. 3%, p < 0.0001), palate oral ulcers (17% vs. 11%, p = 0.001), tongue oral ulcers (4% vs. 1%, p = 0.001), and nonscarring alopecia (29% vs. 16%, p < 0.0001) were significantly higher in African-Latin American, whereas malar rash (45% vs. 58%, p < 0.0001) was more frequent in Caucasian. The presence of anti-phospholipid antibody (23% vs. 12%, p < 0.0001), low complement levels (58% vs. 41%, p < 0.0001), and isolated direct Coombs test (10% vs. 5%, p = 0.001) was also significantly higher in the former group. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that disease presentation severity of African-Latin American cSLE patients is comparable with Caucasian. Mucocutaneous manifestations and autoantibodies profile were the only distinctive features of the former group. The unique mixed background of Brazilian patients probably minimized race diversity spectrum of these patients. Key Points • Our study demonstrated that disease presentation severity of African-Latin American cSLE patients is comparable with Caucasian. • Mucocutaneous manifestations and autoantibodies profile were the only distinctive features of African-Latin American cSLE patients. • African-Latin American cSLE patients had more often anti-phospholipid antibodies and hypocomplementemia. • The unique mixed background of Brazilian patients probably minimized race diversity spectrum of these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objectives: To investigate the frequency of calcifying odontogenic cysts (COCs) that have been submitted for microscopic examination from representative geographic regions of Brazil and to compare it with literature data. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on biopsies obtained from 1953 to 2016 at 10 Brazilian oral and maxillofacial pathology centres. A total of 198,350 biopsy specimens were analysed. Demographic data and histopathological diagnosis were evaluated descriptively and statistically. In addition, a literature review of case series was carried out in four electronic databases. Results: A total of 268 cases of COC were surveyed, representing 0.1% of the oral lesions at the centres studied. Female patients in their second decade of life and the maxilla were more affected. The mean lesion size of symptomatic individuals was larger than that of cases without symptoms (p = 0.026). The literature review showed a higher frequency in Asia and Europe, mainly affecting men in the third decade of life. Conclusions: COC is a rare lesion. Novel data on the clinicopathological features of 268 cases have been added to the literature. Data regarding gender and age of the Brazilian patients reported herein contrast with findings of case series and retrospective studies reported elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Fluoropyrimidines are one of the most used drug class to treat cancer patients, although they show high levels of associated toxicity. This study analyzed 33 polymorphisms in 17 pharmacogenes involved with the pharmacogenomics of fluoropyrimidines, in gastrointestinal cancer patients undergoing fluoropyrimidine-based treatment in the Brazilian Amazon., Methods: The study population was composed of 216 patients, 92 of whom have an anatomopathological diagnosis of gastric cancer and 124 of colorectal cancer. The single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) were genotyped by allelic discrimination using the TaqMan OpenArray Genotyping technology, with a panel of 32 customized assays, run in a QuantStudio ™ 12K Flex Real-Time PCR System (Applied Biosystems, Life Technologies, Carlsbad USA). Ancestry analysis was performed using 61 autosomal ancestry informative markers (AIMs)., Results: The study population show mean values of 48.1% European, 31.1% Amerindian, and 20.8% African ancestries. A significant risk association for general and severe toxicity was found in the rs4451422 of FPGS (p = 0.001; OR 3.40; CI 95% 1.65-7.00 and p = 0.006; OR 4.63; CI 95% 1.56-13.72, respectively) and the rs9524885 of ABCC4 (p = 0.023; OR 2.74; CI 95% 1.14-6.65 and p = 0.024; OR 5.36; IC 95% 1.24-23.11, respectively) genes. The rs760370 in the SLC29A1 gene (p = 0.009; OR 6.71; CI 95% 1.16-8.21) and the rs1801133 in the MTHFR toxicity (p = 0.023; OR 3.09; CI 95% 1.16-8.21) gene also demonstrated to be significant, although only for severe toxicity. The results found in this study did not have statistics analysis correction., Conclusion: Four polymorphisms of the ABCC4, FPGS, SLC29A1, and MTHFR genes are likely to be potential predictive biomarkers for precision medicine in fluoropyrimidine-based treatments in the population of the Brazilian Amazon, which is constituted by a unique genetic background., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Recent studies have focused on the formation of authigenic clays in an alkaline soil system surrounding lakes of the Nhecolândia region, Pantanal wetland. The presence of trioctahedral Mg-smectites (stevensite and saponite types), which requires low Al and Fe contents in the soil solution for its formation, contrasts with the neoformation of dioctahedral Fe-mica (glauconite, and Fe-illite), which instead requires solutions relatively enriched in Al and Fe. This study aims to understand the conditions of co-existence of both, Mg-smectite and Fe-mica a common clay association in former or modern alkaline soil systems and sediments. The study was carried out along an alkaline soil catena representative of the region. The soil organization revealed that Mg-smectite occur in top soil close to the lake, whereas Fe-mica dominate in the clay fraction of deeper greenish horizons a few meters apart. We propose here that this spatial distribution is controlled by the lateral transfer of Fe and Al with organic ligands. Alkaline organic rich solutions (DOC up to 738 mg L-1) collected in the watertable were centrifuged and filtered through membranes of decreasing pore size (0.45 μm, 0.2 μm, 30 KDa, 10 KDa, 3 KDa) to separate colloidal and dissolved fractions. Fe, Al, Si, Mg and K were analysed for each fraction. Although the filtration had no influence on Si and K contents, almost 90% of Fe (up to 2.3 mg L-1) and Al (up to 7 mg L-1) are retained at the first cutoff threshold of 0.45μm. The treatment of the same solutions by oxygen peroxide before filtration shows that a large proportion of Fe and Al were bonded to organic colloids in alkaline soil solution at the immediate lake border, allowing Mg-smectite precipitation. The fast mineralization of the organic matter a few meters apart from the lake favors the release of Fe and Al necessary for Fe-mica neoformation. In comparison with chemical and mineralogical characteristics of alkaline environments described in the literature, the study suggests that the co-existence of trioctahedral Mg-smectite and dioctahedral Fe-mica should be regarded as a standard occurrence in alkaline soil systems with organic rich waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Olive ridley sea turtles display two different types of nesting behavior: in arribada (synchronous mass nesting) or solitarily. Contrarily to arribadas, little has been published about solitary nesters. This study aimed to expand the knowledge on internesting interval and site fidelity of solitary nesting olive ridleys and to test a possible development of arribada nesting behavior. Data were collected in Sergipe (Brazil) over 125 km of beach from 10°30′S/36º23′W to 11°26′S/37º19′W, between nesting seasons 2004/2005 and 2006/2007. From 962 tagged females, 173 were seen renesting. The average internesting interval found was longer (22.35 ± 7.01 days) than previously described, which might relate to lower water temperatures during the internesting period. Olive ridleys at Sergipe showed high nesting site fidelity, with consecutive nesting events occurring in close proximity, non-randomly and dependently of previous events. Most of the consecutive nests were separated by 4.06-5.59 km. Development of arribada nesting behavior was not confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Brazilian green propolis is reported to have wide range of biological properties including antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-influenza, and antioxidant activities. In the digestive system, a protective effect of propolis on gastric ulcer has been reported, but a laxative effect has not yet been reported. We investigated the effect and the mechanism of action of water and ethanol extracts of Brazilian green propolis. Methods: We examined the laxative effect of propolis on stool frequency by administering orally an ethanol extract of propolis (EEP) or a water extract of propolis (WEP) at 10, 50, 100, or 500 mg/kg to normal mice. We then investigated the effects of propolis using constipation model mice induced by two types of drugs, loperamide (a µ opioid receptor agonist) and clonidine (an α-2 adrenergic receptor agonist). We also investigated the effects of WEP on gastrointestinal transit and contractional tension of the ileum to uncover the mechanism of action of WEP. Results: Treatment with WEP, but not with EEP, significantly increased the weight of stools (p<0.01 at 500 mg/kg). WEP treatment significantly restored stool frequency and stool weight in clonidine-induced constipation model mice, but not in loperamide-induced constipation model mice. WEP treatment did not affect gastro-intestinal transit, but significantly increased the contractional tension of the isolated ileum of guinea pigs. This increase was inhibited by an acetylcholine receptor antagonist (atropine), but not by a 5-HT receptor antagonist (GR113808). Conclusion: These findings indicate that WEP has laxative effects both in normal mice and in clonidine-induced constipation model mice. The laxative effects of WEP might be mediated by increased contractional tension of the ileum exerted at least in part via activation of an acetylcholine receptor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation agriculture has been promoted as the main strategy to regenerate soil life but its effect on soil enzyme activity remains little documented. This study investigated the β-glucosidase and arylsulfatase enzymes as tools to evaluate soil health at the field level. Croplands in four main grain-producing states in Brazil were selected for this study. In each cropland, three environments (high yield (HYE), medium yield (MYE), and low yield (LYE)) were delineated for soil sampling to determine soil chemical attributes and enzyme activity. In one of these fields with a large temporal database, soil DNA characterization was also undertaken. The two soil enzymes investigated were affected by a range of soil attributes and the most important of these were identified. Around 40% of the data points sampled had low soil organic matter content; these were associated with low enzyme activity. Furthermore, in HYE there was more biodiversity and a higher presence of plant-growth promoters, while in LYE there were more plant pathogenic organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evasion of the Interferon response has important implications in Zika virus (ZIKV) disease. Mutations in ZIKV viral protein NS4B, associated with modulation of the interferon (IFN) system, have been linked to increased pathogenicity in animal models. In this study, we unravel ZIKV NS4B as antagonist of the IFN signaling cascade. Firstly, we reported the genomic characterization of NS4B isolated from a strain of the 2016 outbreak, ZIKV Brazil/2016/INMI1, and we predicted its membrane topology. Secondly, we analyzed its phylogenetic correlation with other flaviviruses, finding a high similarity with dengue virus 2 (DEN2) strains; in particular, the highest conservation was found when NS4B was aligned with the IFN inhibitory domain of DEN2 NS4B. Hence, we asked whether ZIKV NS4B was also able to inhibit the IFN signaling cascade, as reported for DEN2 NS4B. Our results showed that ZIKV NS4B was able to strongly inhibit the IFN stimulated response element and the IFN-γ-activated site transcription, blocking IFN-I/-II responses. mRNA expression levels of the IFN stimulated genes ISG15 and OAS1 were also strongly reduced in presence of NS4B. We found that the viral protein was acting by suppressing the STAT1 phosphorylation and consequently blocking the nuclear transport of both STAT1 and STAT2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Measuring the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) has been the key to verifying the evolution of health indicators worldwide. We analyse subnational GBD data for Brazil in order to monitor the performance of the Brazilian states in the last 28 years on their progress towards meeting the health-related SDGs. Methods: As part of the GBD study, we assessed the 41 health-related indicators from the SDGs in Brazil at the subnational level for all the 26 Brazilian states and the Federal District from 1990 to 2017. The GBD group has rescaled all worldwide indicators from 0 to 100, assuming that for each one of them, the worst value among all countries and overtime is 0, and the best is 100. They also estimate the overall health-related SDG index as a function of all previously estimated health indicators and the SDI index (Socio-Demographic Index) as a function of per capita income, average schooling in the population aged 15 years or over, and total fertility rate under the age of 25 (TFU25). Results: From 1990 to 2017, most subnational health-related SDGs, the SDG and SDI indexes improved considerable in most Brazilian states. The observed differences in SDG indicators within Brazilian states, including HIV incidence and health worker density, increased over time. In 2017, health-related indicators that achieved good results globally included the prevalence of child wasting, NTD, household air pollution, conflict mortality, skilled birth attendance, use of modern contraceptive methods, vaccine coverage, and health worker density, but poor results were observed for child overweight and homicide rates. The high rates of overweight, alcohol consumption, and smoking prevalence found in the historically richest regions (i.e., the South and Southeast), contrast with the high rates of tuberculosis, maternal, neonatal, and under-5 mortality and WASH-related mortality found in the poorer regions (i.e., the North and Northeast). Conclusions: The majority of Brazil's health-related SDG indicators have substantially improved over the past 28 years. However, inequalities in health among the Brazilian states and regions remain noticeable negatively affecting the Brazilian population, which can contribute to Brazil not achieving the SDG 2030 targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due the worldwide need to improve care for the environment and people, there is a great demand for the development of new renewable, sustainable, and less polluting technologies for food, health, and environmental industries. The marine environment is one of the main areas investigated in the search for alternatives to the raw materials currently used. Thereby, cyanobacteria and marine microalgae are microorganisms that are capable of producing a diverse range of metabolites useful for their cellular maintenance, but that also represent a great biotechnological potential. Due its great potential, they have an enormous appeal in the scientific research where, the biological activity of metabolites produced by these microorganisms, such as the antioxidant action of sterols are, some examples of biotechnological applications investigated around the world. Thereby, Brazil due to its extensive biodiversity, has high potential as a raw material supplier of marine waters, researching cyanobacteria and microalgae metabolites and their applications. Thus, this rapid review intends to present some important contributions and advances from Brazilian researchers, using the biomass of Brazilian cyanobacteria and marine microalgae, in order to illustrate the value of what has already been discovered and the enormous potential of what remains unexplored so far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emergent arthropod-borne virus whose outbreak in Brazil has brought major public health problems. Infected individuals have different symptoms, including rash and pruritus, which can be relieved by the administration of antiallergics. In the case of pregnant women, ZIKV can cross the placenta and infect the fetus leading to congenital defects. We have identified that mast cells in the placentae of patients who had Zika during pregnancy can be infected. This led to our investigation on the possible role of mast cells during a ZIKV infection, using the HMC-1 cell line. We analyzed their permissiveness to infection, release of mediators and ultrastructural changes. Flow cytometry detection of ZIKV-NS1 expression 24 h post infection in 45.3% of cells showed that HMC-1 cells are permissive to ZIKV infection. Following infection, β-hexosaminidase was measured in the supernatant of the cells with a notable release at 30 min. In addition, an increase in TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10 and VEGF levels were measured at 6 h and 24 h post infection. Lastly, different intracellular changes were observed in an ultrastructural analysis of infected cells. Our findings suggest that mast cells may represent an important source of mediators that can activate other immune cell types during a ZIKV infection, which has the potential to be a major contributor in the spread of the virus in cases of vertical transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]