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BackgroundNon-communicable diseases (NCDs) remain a major public health concern globally, threatening the achievement of sustainable development goal 3.4 (SDG 3.4), which seeks to reduce premature NCD-related deaths by one-third by 2030. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), improving the efficiency of NCD spending (i.e., maximizing the impact of every dollar spent on NCDs) is one of the strategic approaches for achieving SDG target 3.4. This study aims to assess the efficiency and productivity of NCDs spending in 34 sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries from 2015 to 2019.MethodsThe study employed the data envelopment analysis (DEA) double-bootstrap truncated and Tobit regressions, one-stage stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) model, the Malmquist productivity index (MPI), and spatial autocorrelation analysis to estimate NCDs spending efficiency, identify the context-specific environmental factors that influence NCDs spending efficiency, evaluate total productivity change and identify its components, and assess the spatial interdependence of the efficiency scores.ResultsThe estimated average DEA bias-corrected NCD spending efficiency score was 87.3% (95% CI: 86.2-88.5). Additionally, smoking per capita, solid fuel pollution, alcohol use, governance quality, urbanization, GDP per capita, external funding for NCDs, and private domestic funding for NCDs healthcare services were found to be significantly associated with NCDs spending efficiency. The study also revealed a decline of 3.2% in the MPI, driven by a 10.6% technical regress. Although all countries registered growth in efficiency, except for the Central Africa Republic and DR Congo, the growth in efficiency was overshadowed by the decline in technical change. Global Moran's I test indicated the existence of significant positive spatial autocorrelation in the efficiency of NCDs spending across SSA countries.ConclusionThe study underscores the importance of efficient use of resources in NCDs treatment and prevention and increased investment in NCDs research and development in achieving the SDG target 3.4.

Integrins are transmembrane receptors that play a critical role in many biological processes which can be therapeutically modulated using integrin blockers, such as peptidomimetic ligands. This work aimed to develop new potential β1 integrin antagonists using modeled receptors based on the aligned crystallographic structures and docked with three lead compounds (BIO1211, BIO5192, and TCS2314), widely known as α4β1 antagonists. Lead-compound complex optimization was performed by keeping intact the carboxylate moiety of the ligand, adding substituents in two other regions of the molecule to increase the affinity with the target. Additionally, pharmacokinetic predictions were performed for the ten best ligands generated, with the lowest docking interaction energy obtained for α4β1 and BIO5192. Results revealed an essential salt bridge between the BIO5192 carboxylate group and the Mg2+ MIDAS ion of the integrin. We then generated more than 200 new BIO5192 derivatives, some with a greater predicted affinity to α4β1. Furthermore, the significance of retaining the pyrrolidine core of the ligand and increasing the therapeutic potential of the new compounds is emphasized. Finally, one novel molecule (1592) was identified as a potential drug candidate, with appropriate pharmacokinetic profiles, similar dynamic behavior at the integrin interaction site compared with BIO5192, and a higher predicted affinity to VLA-4.

As inovações tecnológicas nas indústrias farmacêuticas e da medicina permitiram o prolongamento da vida sexual da população de idosos. Esse fator associado ao rompimento de tabus que envolvem a sexualidade na terceira idade tornam os idosos mais vulneráveis às infecções sexualmente transmissíveis (IST's). Um dos fatores que contribuem para a multiplicação dos casos é a falta de informação. O objetivo do estudo é analisar a vulnerabilidade às infecções sexualmente transmissíveis/Aids em idosos que frequentaram um espaço cultural de dança. Trata-se de uma pesquisa do tipo descritiva, com abordagem quantitativa. O local do estudo é um espaço cultural de dança localizado no município de Teresina-PI. A amostra é composta por 40 idosos, de ambos os sexos, que frequentavam o espaço cultural. Foi preenchido um questionário denominado ficha de coleta de dados que foi dividido em três partes. Com o presente estudo, percebeu-se nitidamente que a maioria dos idosos exercem atividade sexual com regularidade e possuem conhecimento da importância do uso do preservativo, porém acabam negligenciando sua utilização devido a sua condição de idoso. Com relação à atividade de dança, verificou-se que os idosos reconhecem a importância da mesma na melhoria da saúde e de sua qualidade de vida. Portanto, observa-se que a sexualidade deve ser debatida com os idosos e estimulada dentro de uma prática saudável e sem estigmas.