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Purpose: To test the use of commercial swine as an in vivo model for studying pulp healing in response to direct capping agents. Methods: Six swine sus scrofa domesticus (Landrace X Large White) were used in the experiment. Under anesthesia, class V cavities were prepared with a pulp exposure, which was directly capped with hard-setting calcium hydroxide (Dycal(R), Dentsply, Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). Restorations were performed with resin-modified glass ionomer cement (Vitremer(R) 3M Espe St Paul, MN, USA). After 7 or 70 days (n = 6), the animals were died; the teeth were extracted, formalin-fixed and prepared for histological evaluation. The biological response was categorized using the following criteria: inflammatory response, soft tissue organization, reactionary and, reparative dentin formations. Results: After seven days pulp in most specimens inflammatory response was present and after 70 days reparative dentin was formed at the pulp exposure area in almost all the animals. These responses were similar to those previously reported in human in similar periods of evaluation. In addition, the swine model showed another advantages: easy handling and economical feasibility compared to other animal models. Conclusion: The commercial swine model seems to be an adequate animal model to test pulp biocompatibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metastatic cancer cells undergo metabolic reprogramming, which involves changes in the metabolic fluxes, including endocytosis, nucleocytoplasmic transport, and mitochondrial metabolism, to satisfy their massive demands for energy, cell division, and proliferation compared to normal cells. We have previously demonstrated the ability of two different types of compounds to interfere with linchpins of metabolic reprogramming, Pitstop-2 and 1,6-hexanediol (1,6-HD). 1,6-HD disrupts glycolysis enzymes and mitochondrial function, enhancing reactive oxygen species production and reducing cellular ATP levels, while Pitstop-2 impedes clathrin-mediated endocytosis and small GTPases activity. Besides, both compounds interfere with the integrity of nuclear pore complexes, the gatekeepers for all nucleocytoplasmic transport. Herein, we investigate the possible synergistic effects of both compounds on lowly, highly metastatic, and erlotinib-resistant non-small cell lung cancer. We observe a synergistic cytotoxic effect on erlotinib-resistant cells. Moreover, motility assays show that the compounds combination significantly impedes the motility of all cells. Drug safety and tolerability assessments were validated using the in vivo model organism Caenorhabditis elegans, where fairly high doses showed negligible impact on survival, development, or behavioral parameters. Our findings propose that the 1,6-HD and Pitstop-2 combination may usher in the design of potent strategies for treating advanced lung cancer., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Brazil's COVID-19 response has faced challenges due to the continuous emergence of variants of concern (VOCs), emphasizing the need for ongoing genomic surveillance and retrospective analyses of past epidemic waves to reassess and fine tune containment protocols. Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil's southernmost state, has international borders and trades with Argentina and Uruguay, along with significant domestic connections within Brazil. The identification of source and sink transmission chains at national and international scales can identify main hubs and pathways to target future interventions. In this study we investigated the RS state role in the national and international SARS-CoV-2 transmission chains, which has not been fully explored. Nasopharyngeal samples from various municipalities in RS were collected between June 2020 and July 2022. SARS-CoV-2 whole genome amplification and sequencing were performed using high-throughput Illumina sequencing. Bioinformatics analysis encompassed the development of scripts and tools to perform subsampling taking into account epidemiological information to reduce sequencing disparities bias among the regions/countries, genome assembly, and large-scale alignment and phylogenetic reconstruction. We sequenced a total of 1,480 SARS-CoV-2 genomes from RS, covering all major regions. Sequences predominantly represented Gamma (April-June 2021) and Omicron (January-July 2022) lineages. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a regional pattern for transmission dynamics, particularly with Southeast Brazil for Gamma, and a range of inter-regional connections for Delta and Omicron within the country. On the other hand, international and cross-border transmission with Argentina and Uruguay was rather limited. We evaluated the three VOCs circulation over two years in RS using a new subsampling strategy based on the number of cases in each state during the circulation of each VOC. In summary, the retrospective analysis of genomic surveillance data demonstrated that virus transmission was less intense between country borders than within the country. These findings suggest that while non-pharmacological interventions were effective to mitigate transmission across international RS land borders, they were insufficient to contain transmission at the domestic level., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Plant electrophysiology has unveiled the involvement of electrical signals in the physiology and behavior of plants. Spontaneously generated bioelectric activity can be altered in response to changes in environmental conditions, suggesting that a plant's electrome may possess a distinct signature associated with various stimuli. Analyzing electrical signals, particularly the electrome, in conjunction with Machine Learning (ML) techniques has emerged as a promising approach to classify characteristic electrical signals corresponding to each stimulus. This study aimed to characterize the electrome of common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cv. BRS-Expedito, subjected to different water availabilities, seeking patterns linked to these stimuli. For this purpose, bean plants in the vegetative stage were subjected to the following treatments: (I) distilled water; (II) half-strength Hoagland's nutrient solution; (III) -2 MPa PEG solution; and (IV) -2 MPa NaCl solution. Electrical signals were recorded within a Faraday's cage using the MP36 electronic system for data acquisition. Concurrently, plant water status was assessed by monitoring leaf turgor variation. Leaf temperature was additionally measured. Various analyses were conducted on the electrical time series data, including arithmetic average of voltage variation, skewness, kurtosis, Probability Density Function (PDF), autocorrelation, Power Spectral Density (PSD), Approximate Entropy (ApEn), Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), and Multiscale Approximate Entropy (ApEn(s)). Statistical analyses were performed on leaf temperature, voltage variation, skewness, kurtosis, PDF µ exponent, autocorrelation, PSD β exponent, and approximate entropy data. Machine Learning analyses were applied to identify classifiable patterns in the electrical time series. Characterization of the electrome of BRS-Expedito beans revealed stimulus-dependent profiles, even when alterations in water availability stimuli were similar in terms of quality and intensity. Additionally, it was observed that the bean electrome exhibits high levels of complexity, which are altered by different stimuli, with more intense and aversive stimuli leading to drastic reductions in complexity levels. Notably, one of the significant findings was the 100% accuracy of Small Vector Machine in detecting salt stress using electrome data. Furthermore, the study highlighted alterations in the plant electrome under low water potential before observable leaf turgor changes. This work demonstrates the potential use of the electrome as a physiological indicator of the water status in bean plants.

Bioremediation, involving the strategic use of microorganisms, has proven to be a cost-effective alternative for restoring areas impacted by persistent contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In this context, the aim of this study was to explore hydrocarbon-degrading microbial consortia by prospecting native species from soils contaminated with blends of diesel and biodiesel (20% biodiesel/80% diesel). After enrichment in a minimal medium containing diesel oil as the sole carbon source and based on 16S rRNA, Calmodulin and β-tubulin gene sequencing, seven fungi and 12 bacteria were identified. The drop collapse test indicated that all fungal and four bacterial strains were capable of producing biosurfactants with a surface tension reduction of ≥20%. Quantitative analysis of extracellular laccase production revealed superior enzyme activity among the bacterial strains, particularly for Stenotrophomonas maltophilia P05R11. Following antagonistic testing, four compatible consortia were formulated. The degradation analysis of PAHs and TPH (C5-C40) present in diesel oil revealed a significantly higher degradation capacity for the consortia compared to isolated strains. The best results were observed for a mixed bacterial-fungal consortium, composed of Trichoderma koningiopsis P05R2, Serratia marcescens P10R19 and Burkholderia cepacia P05R9, with a degradation spectrum of ≥91% for all eleven PAHs analyzed, removing 93.61% of total PAHs, and 93.52% of TPH (C5-C40). Furthermore, this study presents the first report of T. koningiopsis as a candidate for bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons.

Reference growth curves are viable tools for monitoring somatic growth. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop reference growth curves for body mass, height, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) in Brazilian children and adolescents aged 7-14 years. The reference growth curves were constructed from a cross-sectional panel study using data from four surveys conducted in 2002, 2007, 2012/2013 and 2018/2019, with 9675 children and adolescents aged 7-14 years, of both sexes from Florianopolis, Southern Brazil. Growth curves were constructed using the LMS method, based on anthropometric indicators and indices (body mass, height, BMI, WC and WHtR), measured according to standardised norms. There was an increase in body mass, height, BMI and WC values with increasing age in both sexes and percentiles (P5, P10, P25, P50, P75, P85 and P95). The girls presented higher values of body mass, BMI and WC in the analysed percentiles, compared to the boys. Regarding height, there was a higher value from 10 to 11 years old in girls and from 12 to 14 years old in boys. WHtR decreased with increasing age in both sexes and analysed percentiles. Region-specific reference growth curves can enable the monitoring of somatic growth of particular paediatric populations, expanding discussions in different regions of the world., (© 2024 British Nutrition Foundation.)

The need for implementation of economically viable agrochemicals with lower toxicity and that are capable of overcoming resistance developed by insects, fungi and invasive plants has spurred the scientific community in the search for new active and selective substances and synthetic methodologies that adhere to the parameters of green chemistry. Cinnamamides, in turn, present a scaffold that has been a basis for various investigations due to their broad spectrum of biological activities. The agrochemical industry is a vast field in which these classes of compounds stand out, whether for their potential herbicidal, fungicidal, nematicidal, or insecticidal properties. Therefore, this review reports the progress of synthesis and the agrochemical potential of cinnamamides, their mechanism of action, and their structure-activity relationship (SAR), to provide insights for further research addressing the use of cinnamamides in crop protection. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Background: Oropouche virus (OROV) is an arbovirus endemic in the Amazon region that closely resembles other arboviruses in terms of human disease, leading to potential misdiagnoses. The virus ecology has mostly restricted its occurrence to the Amazon biome; however, after a large 2023-24 OROV epidemic in the Brazilian Amazon region, outbreaks are being reported across Brazil and in other countries in Latin America. Here, we investigate the OROV spread outside Amazonia., Methods: In this genomic and epidemiological study, OROV cases from January, 2023, to July, 2024, provided by the General Coordination of Public Health Laboratories of Brazil on Aug 1, 2024, were compared by geographical location (Amazon vs non-Amazon) and municipal population size, and a linear mixed model was employed to assess the relationship between agricultural area size and cases. OROV-positive samples from central laboratories of five non-Amazonian Brazilian states were sequenced using an amplicon-based approach. Bayesian phylogeographical analysis was performed with near full-length viral genomes, incorporating individual travel histories when relevant. The estimated dates of viral introductions in each sampled location were then contextualised with public epidemiological data., Findings: Epidemic data show that outside the Amazon region, OROV cases frequency was 3·9-times higher in small municipalities than in large municipalities. The planted areas of some agricultural products, such as banana plantations, were positively correlated (r=0·39, p<0·0001) with OROV cases. The linear mixed model revealed that, besides banana, cassava also has larger (p<0·05) planted areas in municipalities with OROV cases when compared with those with no cases. The phylogenetic analysis of 32 new OROV genomes reconstructed multiple exportation events of the newly identified reassortant lineage from the Amazon to other Brazilian regions between January and March, 2024. At least three of the previously described OROV phylogenetic clades circulating in the Amazon were the source of viral introductions. Molecular clock analysis estimated that viral introductions happened from 50 days to 100 days before detecting the outbreaks in each state., Interpretation: Our results confirm that the novel OROV reassortant lineage spread from the Amazon to other regions in early 2024, successfully establishing local transmission. The fact that outbreaks were observed in small municipalities, instead of large urban centres, suggests that local ecological conditions that are ideal for OROV vector occurrence, such as the banana plantation environment, might be important factors driving its spread in Brazil., Funding: DECIT, CNPq, FAPEAM, and Inova-Fiocruz., Translation: For the Portuguese translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests We declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.)

Objective: To provide a comprehensive summary of the available evidence on the oral microbiota of humans and non-human primates about the etiology of periodontal disease., Design: An integrative literature review was conducted on 398 clinical and observational articles published between 2010 and 2024 using searches in the MEDLINE/PubMed, Virtual Health Library, and SciELO databases. After the screening, eligibility, data extraction, and methodological quality assessment, 21 studies were selected., Results: The results, which reveal striking similarities between the pathogens involved in periodontal disease in humans and NHPs, confirm the potential of NHPs as research models and inspire further research in this area., Conclusion: According to these studies, Actinomyces spp., Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Campylobacter rectus, Capnocytophaga spp., Eubacterium spp., Filifactor alocis, Fusobacterium spp., Leptotrichia spp., Neisseria mucosa, Parvimonas micra, Porphyromonas spp., Prevotella spp., Selenomonas spp., Streptococcus spp., Treponema spp., Tannerella spp., Veillonella parvula, were the genus and/or species of bacteria found in humans. On the other hand, Aggregatibacter acinomycetemcomitans, Campylobacter rectus, Desulfobulbus spp., Dialister invisus, Eikenella corrodens, Filifactor alocis, Fusobacterium spp., Parvimonas micra, Porphyromonas spp., Prevotella spp., Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., Treponema spp., Tannerella spp., Veillonella spp., were the most reported in NHPs. No study in non-human primates reported the presence of protozoa, unlike studies in humans that reported the presence of Entamoeba gingivalis and Trichomonas tenax. However, its role in periodontal disease still needs to be elucidated, despite the strong association mainly with severe periodontal disease where protozoa are observed in injured tissues., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2025. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Recent advances in understanding Alzheimer's disease (AD) suggest the possibility of an infectious etiology, with Porphyromonas gingivalis emerging as a prime suspect in contributing to AD. P. gingivalis may invade systemic circulation via weakened oral/intestinal barriers and then cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), reaching the brain and precipitating AD pathology. Based on the proposed links between P. gingivalis and AD, a prospective approach is the development of an oral nanovaccine containing P. gingivalis antigens for mucosal delivery. Targeting the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT), the nanovaccine may elicit both mucosal and systemic immunity, thereby hampering P. gingivalis ability to breach the oral/intestinal barriers and the BBB, respectively. The present study describes the optimization, characterization, and in vitro evaluation of a candidate chitosan-coated poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA-CS) nanovaccine containing a P. gingivalis antigen extract. The nanocarrier was prepared using the double emulsion solvent evaporation method and optimized for selected experimental factors, e.g. PLGA amount, surfactant concentration, w 1 /o phase ratio, applying a d-optimal statistical design to target the desired physicochemical criteria for its intended application. After nanocarrier optimization, the nanovaccine was characterized in terms of particle size, polydispersity index (PdI), ζ-potential, encapsulation efficiency (EE), drug loading (DL), morphology, and in vitro release profile, as well as for mucoadhesivity, stability under simulated gastrointestinal conditions, antigen integrity, in vitro cytotoxicity and uptake using THP-1 macrophages. The candidate PLGA-CS nanovaccine demonstrated appropriate physicochemical, mucoadhesive, and antigen release properties for oral delivery, along with acceptable levels of EE (55.3 ± 3.5 %) and DL (1.84 ± 0.12 %). The integrity of the encapsulated antigens remained uncompromised throughout NPs production and simulated gastrointestinal exposure, as confirmed by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting analyses. Furthermore, the nanovaccine showed effective in vitro uptake, while exhibiting low cytotoxicity. Taken together, these findings underscore the potential of PLGA-CS NPs as carriers for adequate antigen mucosal delivery, paving the way for further investigations into their applicability as vaccine candidates against P. gingivalis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest in the elaboration of this article., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Microalgae are microorganisms that are rich in bioactive compounds, including pigments, proteins, lipids, and polysaccharides. These compounds can be utilized for a number of biomedical purposes, including drug delivery, wound healing, and tissue engineering. Nevertheless, encapsulating microalgae cells and microalgae bioactive metabolites is vital to protect them and prevent premature degradation. This also enables the development of intelligent controlled release strategies for the bioactive compounds. This review outlines the most employed encapsulation techniques for microalgae, with a particular focus on their biomedical applications. These include ionic gelation, oil-in-water emulsions, and spray drying. Such techniques have been widely explored, due to their ability to protect sensitive compounds from degradation, enhance their stability, extend their shelf life, mask undesirable tastes or odours, control the release of bioactive compounds, and enable targeted delivery to specific sites within the body or environment. Moreover, a patent landscape analysis is also provided, allowing an overview of the microalgae encapsulation technology development applied to a variety of fields, including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food, and agriculture., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Wolbachia are endosymbiotic bacteria that infect a wide range of arthropods and filarial nematodes, often manipulating host reproduction. The efficacy of Wolbachia -based interventions for dengue and chikungunya control has been validated through numerous field studies in recent years. This study aimed to investigate the diversity and prevalence of Wolbachia infections in sylvatic mosquitoes from two locations in Recife, Brazil. Multiple mosquito species were screened for Wolbachia using both target marker gene amplification coupled with Sanger sequencing and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) approaches. Phylogenetic analyses were conducted to classify Wolbachia strains into supergroups and assess their evolutionary relationships. Results revealed the presence of Wolbachia in eleven mosquito species examined, with different infection rates. Both supergroups A and B of Wolbachia strains were identified, with Aedes albopictus showing co-infection by both supergroups through the WGS approach. We also detected indirect evidence of Wolbachia horizontal transmission among mosquitoes and other distant host orders. This study provides valuable insights into the distribution and diversity of Wolbachia in sylvatic mosquitoes from Brazil and adds new important data about Wolbachia detection through target marker gene amplicon coupled with Sanger sequencing and WGS methods, highlighting its complementarity to ascertain the presence of Wolbachia in mosquito samples.

In this paper, filamentous fungi have been used as biotemplates to integrate gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) into the cell wall. A new chemical mechanism has been proposed to elucidate the assimilation of Au-NPs by fungi, considering the ionic current that arises in the function of fungal metabolism. After biological components were eliminated, mycelium-like gold microtubes have been obtained using different fungal species as precursors. Mycelium-like gold microtubes replicate the biological shape of fungi, presenting inherent multifunctionality. This work presents two promising applications for this material: high surface area electrodes for electrochemical experiments and substrates for SERS detection of organic molecules such as Rhodamine 6G., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

In Brazil, where Chagas disease is endemic, the most frequent form of transmission of the parasite is the oral route, associated with greater severity and worse response to benznidazole (BZ), the drug used in its treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of gastrointestinal infection (GI) and BZ treatment on the parasitological and histopathological parameters in mice inoculated with a strain of T. cruzi II. Swiss mice were inoculated by GI and intraperitoneal (IP) routes with 2x10 6 culture-derived metacyclic trypomastigotes of the Y strain (TcII) of T. cruzi and were treated with BZ in the acute phase of the infection. Fresh blood examination, qPCR, histopathological and biochemical evaluations (enzymatic dosages and oxidative stress-OS) were performed. BZ treatment of uninfected animals caused changes in the liver, increased the activity of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase enzymes and OS, showing that the drug alone affects this organ. Inflammation and necrosis in the cardiac tissue were less intense and deaths occurred later in animals inoculated via the GI route than the animals inoculated via the IP route. BZ reduced the intensity of tissue lesions and avoided lethality in animals inoculated via the GI route, and decreased parasitemia and OS in those inoculated via both routes. Although BZ alone caused liver damage, it was less intense than that caused by both routes of inoculation. Infection with the Y strain of T. cruzi II via the GI route proved to be less virulent and pathogenic and responded better to treatment than the infection acquired via the IP route., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Antiretrovirals have improved considerably since the introduction of 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (zidovudine or AZT), a molecule with also anticancer effects. Subsequently, a variety of other nucleosides have been synthesized. However, these medications are often associated with serious adverse events and the onset or exacerbation of degenerative processes, diseases, and syndromes, affecting mainly the mitochondria. In this study, we used Caenorhabditis elegans to investigate the toxicity potential of AZT and three new organoselenium derivatives with modifications in the 5' position of the sugar ring in place of the 5'-OH group, with the insertion of a neutral, an electron-withdrawing and an electron-donating group attached to the aryl selenol moiety: 5'-seleno-(4-chloro-phenyl)-3-(amino)-thymidine (ASAT-4-Cl), 5'-seleno-(phenyl)-3-(amino)-thymidine (ASAT-Ph), and 5'-seleno-(4-methoxyphenyl)-3-(amino)- thymidine (ASAT-4-OMe). Analyzes included worm survival, behavior parameters, high-resolution respirometry, citrate synthase activity, and ATP levels. Although all compounds negatively affected C. elegans, ASAT-4-Cl and ASAT-Ph showed lower toxicity compared to AZT, especially in mitochondrial viability and ATP production. Therefore, more studies must be carried out on the use of these new compounds as pharmacological interventions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Intracanal medicaments, primarily calcium hydroxide, play a significant role in optimizing root canal disinfection. Recently, calcium silicate-based intracanal medicaments have emerged as potential alternatives. This scoping review sought to map the available evidence concerning the clinical and laboratory properties of these bioceramic medicaments., Data: The study protocol was registered a priori (https://osf.io/rnyuv/) and a systematic search strategy using relevant MeSH terms was employed., Sources: The search was conducted across databases including the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PubMed/MEDLINE, SciVerse Scopus, and Web of Science., Study Selection: Studies that investigated the clinical and laboratory properties of calcium silicate-based intracanal medicaments were included., Conclusions: Out of 1008 potentially relevant articles, 15 met the inclusion criteria. The majority of the studies came from Brazil, primarily focusing on Bio-C Temp (Angelus). The studies revealed acceptable biocompatibility, alkaline pH, and high calcium ion release. However, they showed reduced antibacterial activity compared to conventional calcium hydroxide formulations. Tooth discoloration beyond clinically acceptable thresholds was also a significant concern. A single clinical case report exhibited potential for periapical healing and root development, though this evidence is very limited. While current evidence is preliminary, high-quality clinical trials are essential to determine their clinical efficacy and safety in endodontic treatments., Clinical Relevance: Calcium silicate-based intracanal medicaments have lower antibacterial activity and potential for tooth discoloration compared to conventional calcium hydroxide-based medicaments. Given the available evidence, they cannot be recommended for routine clinical practice., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare not having any interest that might be perceived as a conflict of interest or bias, (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The present study investigated the effect of adding allopathic doxorubicin (DOX 0.3 µg/mL), the vehicle of ultradiluted/dynamized doxorubicin (0.2 % ethanol), different dynamizations of ultradiluted/dynamized doxorubicin (DOX 6CH, DOX 12CH and DOX 30CH), both in the absence or presence of chemical stress induced by doxorubicin at 0.3 µg/mL on follicular survival and activation, antioxidant capacity of the medium, Catalase activity (CAT), production of reactive protein thiol, maintenance of type I and III collagen fibers and accumulation of lipofuscin in porcine ovarian tissue cultured in vitro for 48 hours. To do this, part of the ovarian tissue fragments was fixed for the uncultured control and the rest were cultured in: MEM (cultured control), DOX 0.3 µg/mL, Ethanol, DOX 6CH, DOX 12CH, DOX 30CH, DOX (0.3 µg/mL) + DOX 6CH, DOX (0.3 µg/mL) + DOX 12CH, DOX (0.3 µg/mL) + DOX 30CH treatments. The results showed that, in general, ultradiluted/dynamized doxorubicin (DOX 6CH, DOX 12CH and DOX 30CH) mitigated the toxic effect of allopathic doxorubicin (0.3 µg/mL) on the morphology of preantral follicles, the content of type I and III collagen fibers, and the production of lipofuscin in the tissue. However, only DOX (0.3 µg/mL) + DOX 6CH attenuated the oxidative stress induced by DOX (0.3 µg/mL), maintaining adequate CAT activity that was similar to the uncultured control. Additionally, when the three isolated ultradiluted/dynamized doxorubicin were considered, only DOX 12CH increased the reduced thiol levels compared to the uncultured control and MEM. In conclusion, supplementing the culture medium with ultradiluted/dynamized DOX (DOX 6CH, DOX 12CH and DOX 30CH) attenuated the toxicity induced by allopathic doxorubicin during the in vitro culture of pig preantral follicles enclosed in ovarian tissue., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) placement remains the gold-standard treatment for post-prostatectomy urinary incontinence (PPUI), despite their need for periodic surgical revision., Objective: To understand the experiences of patients who undergo repeat AUS revisions., Design: Mixed design including quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews for thematic analysis., Methods: Men with ⩾2 revisions were collected from a single-institution, retrospective database of AUS patients. Participants were interviewed about their prostatectomy, incontinence, AUS placement, and revisions. A survey was administered utilizing validated tools (e.g., Decision Regret Scale (DRS), Incontinence Impact Questionnaire-7) for quantitative analysis. Interview transcripts were used for qualitative thematic analysis., Results: Of 26 respondents, 20 completed the interview. Twenty-three men completed the survey. The mean DRS score for prostatectomy was 24 (standard deviation (SD) = 27), indicating low regret. Median Incontinence Impact Questionnaire score was 54 (SD = 27), with 70% of participants describing their PPUI as "severe." Participants experienced a significant decrease in daily pad usage with AUS placement (5.5 pre-AUS vs 1.4 post-AUS, p  < 0.0001). Qualitative analysis revealed themes involving prostatectomy urgency, physician-patient relationships, expectation setting, and quality of follow-up. Most participants (96%) were satisfied with their initial AUS placement and endorsed a positive relationship with their urologist. However, 22% of participants were unaware of device limitations, including the need for revision. Some participants (26%) were uncertain of the status of their AUS, while some participants (35%) desired improved follow-up., Conclusions: Initial improvement and positive experiences with urologists motivate patients to undergo AUS repeat revision. Urologists should emphasize the limitations of the AUS before placement and follow up with patients to evaluate their needs for future care., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s), 2024.)

Numerous commercial tests for the serological diagnosis of COVID-19 have been produced in recent years. However, it is important to note that these tests exhibit significant variability in their sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of results. Therefore, the objective of this study was to utilize bioinformatics tools to map SARS-CoV-2 peptides, with the goal of developing a new serological diagnostic test for COVID-19. Two peptides from the S protein and one from the N protein were selected and characterized in silico, chemically synthesized, and used as a serological diagnostic tool to detect IgM, IgG, and IgA anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies through the ELISA technique, confirmed as positive and negative samples by RT-qPCR or serology by ELISA. The results showed a sensitivity, specificity, Positive Predictive Value and Negative Predictive Value of 100% (p < 00001, 95% CI) for the proposed test. Although preliminary, this study brings proof-of-concept results that are consistent with the high-performance rates of the ELISA test when compared to other well-established methods for diagnosing COVID-19., (© 2024. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Sociedade Brasileira de Microbiologia.)

Mosquitoes can transmit several pathogenic viruses to humans, but their natural viral community is also composed of a myriad of other viruses such as insect-specific viruses (ISVs) and those that infect symbiotic microorganisms. Besides a growing number of studies investigating the mosquito virome, the majority are focused on few urban species, and relatively little is known about the virome of sylvatic mosquitoes, particularly in high biodiverse biomes such as the Brazilian biomes. Here, we characterized the RNA virome of 10 sylvatic mosquito species from Atlantic forest remains at a sylvatic-urban interface in Northeast Brazil employing a metatranscriptomic approach. A total of 16 viral families were detected. The phylogenetic reconstructions of 14 viral families revealed that the majority of the sequences are putative ISVs. The phylogenetic positioning and, in most cases, the association with a high RNA-dependent RNA polymerase amino acid divergence from other known viruses suggests that the viruses characterized here represent at least 34 new viral species. Therefore, the sylvatic mosquito viral community is predominantly composed of highly divergent viruses highlighting the limited knowledge we still have about the natural virome of mosquitoes in general. Moreover, we found that none of the viruses recovered were shared between the species investigated, and only one showed high identity to a virus detected in a mosquito sampled in Peru, South America. These findings add further in-depth understanding about the interactions and coevolution between mosquitoes and viruses in natural environments., Importance: Mosquitoes are medically important insects as they transmit pathogenic viruses to humans and animals during blood feeding. However, their natural microbiota is also composed of a diverse set of viruses that cause no harm to the insect and other hosts, such as insect-specific viruses. In this study, we characterized the RNA virome of sylvatic mosquitoes from Northeast Brazil using unbiased metatranscriptomic sequencing and in-depth bioinformatic approaches. Our analysis revealed that these mosquitoes species harbor a diverse set of highly divergent viruses, and the majority comprises new viral species. Our findings revealed many new virus lineages characterized for the first time broadening our understanding about the natural interaction between mosquitoes and viruses. Finally, it also provided several complete genomes that warrant further assessment for mosquito and vertebrate host pathogenicity and their potential interference with pathogenic arboviruses., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Seroprevalence studies on cats are essential for monitoring the occurrence of Toxoplasma gondii infection. The present research investigated anti-T. gondii antibodies, risk factors, clinical signs, hematology and serum biochemistry in cats from different regions of Rio de Janeiro. An overall 18.7% (17/91) of the cats were seroreactive, and age was associated with increased chances of seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii antibodies. Clinical signs, hematology and serum biochemistry parameters did not help achieve an antemortem diagnosis of cat toxoplasmosis. The parasite circulates in cats from three major regions of Rio de Janeiro, and the present data set will contribute to future epidemiological studies in this endemic state of Brazil., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Currently, the market for wearable devices is expanding, with a growing trend towards the use of these devices for continuous-monitoring applications. Among these, real-time posture monitoring and assessment stands out as a crucial application given the rising prevalence of conditions like forward head posture (FHP). This paper proposes a wearable device that combines the acquisition of electromyographic signals from the cervical region with inertial data from inertial measurement units (IMUs) to assess the occurrence of FHP. To improve electronics integration and wearability, e-textiles are explored for the development of surface electrodes and conductive tracks that connect the different electronic modules. Tensile strength and abrasion tests of 22 samples consisting of textile electrodes and conductive tracks produced with three fiber types (two from Shieldex and one from Imbut) were conducted. Imbut's Elitex fiber outperformed Shieldex's fibers in both tests. The developed surface electromyography (sEMG) acquisition hardware and textile electrodes were also tested and benchmarked against an electromyography (EMG) gold standard in dynamic and isometric conditions, with results showing slightly better root mean square error (RMSE) values (for 4 × 2 textile electrodes (10.02%) in comparison to commercial Ag/AgCl electrodes (11.11%). The posture monitoring module was also validated in terms of joint angle estimation and presented an overall error of 4.77° for a controlled angular velocity of 40°/s as benchmarked against a UR10 robotic arm.

Objective: To analyze marital outcomes, divorce or separation, and its association with demographic, socioeconomic, and clinicopathological factors among breast cancer (BC) survivors after 2-years of diagnosis., Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of marital status at baseline and at years 1 and 2 of follow-up of women aged ≥ 18 years diagnosed with invasive BC participating in the AMAZONA III (GBECAM0115) study. The BC diagnosis occurred between January 2016 and March 2018 at 23 institutions in Brazil., Results: Of the 2974 women enrolled in AMAZONA III, 599 were married or living under common law at baseline. Divorce or separation occurred in 35 (5.8%) patients at 2 years of follow-up. In the multivariate analysis, public health insurance coverage was associated with a higher risk of marital status change (8.25% vs. 2.79%, RR 3.09, 95% CI 1.39 - 7.03, p = 0.007). Women who underwent mastectomy, adenomastectomy or skin-sparing mastectomy were associated with a higher risk of divorce or separation (8.1% vs. 4.49%, RR 1.97, 95 CI 1.04 - 3.72, p = 0.0366) than those who underwent breast-conserving surgery., Conclusion: Women covered by the public health system and those who underwent mastectomy, adenomastectomy or skin-sparing mastectomy were associated with a higher risk of divorce or separation. This evidence further supports the idea that long-term marital stability is associated with a complex interplay between socioeconomic conditions and stressors, such as BC diagnosis and treatment. ClinicalTrials Registration: NCT02663973., Competing Interests: Conflicts to interest: none to declare

Background: Latin America (LATAM) encompasses a vast region with diverse populations. Despite publicly funded health care systems providing universal coverage, significant socioeconomic and ethno-racial disparities persist in health care access across the region. Breast cancer (BC) incidence and mortality rates in Brazil are comparable to those in other LATAM countries, supporting the relevance of Brazilian data, with Brazil's health care policies and expenditures often serving as models for neighboring countries. We evaluated the impact of mobility on oncological outcomes in LATAM by analyzing studies of patients with BC reporting commuting routes or travel distances to receive treatment or diagnosis., Methods: We searched MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, LILACS, and Google Scholar databases. Studies eligible for inclusion were randomized controlled trials and observational studies of patients with BC published in English, Portuguese, or Spanish and conducted in LATAM. The primary outcome was the impact of mobility or travel distance on oncological outcomes. Secondary outcomes included factors related to mobility barriers and access to health services. For studies meeting eligibility, relevant data were extracted using standardized forms. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Quantitative and qualitative evidence synthesis focused on estimating travel distances based on available data. Heterogeneity across distance traveled or travel time was addressed by converting reported travel time to kilometers traveled and estimating distances for unspecified locations., Results: Of 1142 records identified, 14 were included (12 from Brazil, 1 from Mexico, and 1 from Argentina). Meta-analysis revealed an average travel distance of 77.8 km (95% CI, 49.1-106.48) to access BC-related diagnostic or therapeutic resources. Nonetheless, this average fails to precisely encapsulate the distinct characteristics of each region, where notable variations persist in travel distance, ranging from 88 km in the South to 448 km in the North., Conclusion: The influence of mobility and travel distance on access to BC care is multifaceted and should consider the complex interplay of geographic barriers, sociodemographic factors, health system issues, and policy-related challenges. Further research is needed to comprehensively understand the variables impacting access to health services, particularly in LATAM countries, where the challenges women face during treatment remain understudied., Trial Registration: CRD42023446936., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

SARS-CoV-2 virus emerged as a new threat to humans and spread around the world, leaving a large death toll. As of January 2023, Brazil is among the countries with the highest number of registered deaths. Nonpharmacological and pharmacological interventions have been heterogeneously implemented in the country, which, associated with large socioeconomic differences between the country regions, has led to distinct virus spread dynamics. Here, we investigate the spatiotemporal dispersion of SARS-CoV-2 lineages in the Pernambuco state (Northeast Brazil) throughout the distinct epidemiological scenarios that unfolded in the first 2 years of the pandemic. We generated a total of 1,389 new SARS-CoV-2 genomes from June 2020 to August 2021. This sampling captured the arrival, communitary transmission, and the circulation of the B1.1, B.1.1.28, and B.1.1.33 lineages; the emergence of the former variant of interest P.2; and the emergence and fast replacement of all previous variants by the more transmissible variant of concern P.1 (Gamma). Based on the incidence and lineage spread pattern, we observed an East-to-West to inner state pattern of transmission, which is in agreement with the transmission of more populous metropolitan areas to medium- and small-size country-side cities in the state. Such transmission patterns may be partially explained by the main routes of traffic across municipalities in the state. Our results highlight that the fine-grained intrastate analysis of lineages and incidence spread can provide actionable insights for planning future nonpharmacological intervention for air-borne transmissible human pathogens.IMPORTANCEDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, Brazil was one of the most affected countries, mainly due its continental-size, socioeconomic differences among regions, and heterogeneous implementation of intervention methods. In order to investigate SARS-CoV-2 dynamics in the state of Pernambuco, we conducted a spatiotemporal dispersion study, covering the period from June 2020 to August 2021, to comprehend the dynamics of viral transmission during the first 2 years of the pandemic. Throughout this study, we were able to track three significant epidemiological waves of transmission caused by B1.1, B.1.1.28, B.1.1.33, P.2, and P.1 lineages. These analyses provided valuable insights into the evolution of the epidemiological landscape, contributing to a deeper understanding of the dynamics of virus transmission during the early years of the pandemic in the state of Pernambuco., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Natural pigments have received special attention from the market and industry as they could overcome the harm to health and the environmental issues caused by synthetic pigments. These pigments are commonly extracted from a wide range of organisms, and when added to products they can alter/add new physical-chemical or biological properties to them. Fungi from extreme environments showed to be a promising source in the search for biomolecules with antimicrobial and antiparasitic potential. This study aimed to isolate fungi from Antarctic soils and screen them for pigment production with antimicrobial and antiparasitic potential, together with other previously isolated strains A total of 52 fungi were isolated from soils in front of the Collins Glacier (Southeast border). Also, 106 filamentous fungi previously isolated from the Collins Glacier (West border) were screened for extracellular pigment production. Five strains were able to produce extracellular pigments and were identified by ITS sequencing as Talaromyces cnidii, Pseudogymnoascus shaanxiensis and Pseudogymnoascus sp. All Pseudogymnoascus spp. (SC04.P3, SC3.P3, SC122.P3 and ACF093) extracts were able to inhibit S. aureus ATCC6538 and two (SC12.P3, SC32.P3) presented activity against Leishmania (L.) infantum, Leishmania amazonensis and Trypanossoma cruzii. Extracts compounds characterization by UPLC-ESI-QToF analysis confirmed the presence of molecules with biological activity such as: Asterric acid, Violaceol, Mollicellin, Psegynamide A, Diorcinol, Thailandolide A. In conclusion, this work showed the potential of Antartic fungal strains from Collins Glacier for bioactive molecules production with activity against Gram positive bacteria and parasitic protozoas., (© 2024. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Sociedade Brasileira de Microbiologia.)

ViralFlow v1.0 is a computational workflow developed for viral genomic surveillance. Several key changes turned ViralFlow into a general-purpose reference-based genome assembler for all viruses with an available reference genome. New virus-agnostic modules were implemented to further study nucleotide and amino acid mutations. ViralFlow v1.0 runs on a broad range of computational infrastructures, from laptop computers to high-performance computing (HPC) environments, and generates standard and well-formatted outputs suited for both public health reporting and scientific problem-solving. ViralFlow v1.0 is available at: https://viralflow.github.io/index-en.html., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of NAR Genomics and Bioinformatics.)

Introduction: This study aimed to describe the evolution of bone regeneration in children with hip osteonecrosis associated with sickle cell disease, treated with bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell implants at the Professor Edgar Santos University Hospital Complex., Materials and Methods: A non-randomized clinical trial was conducted with 48 patients of both sexes, aged between 11 and 18 years, diagnosed with femoral head osteonecrosis secondary to sickle cell disease. Patient selection was based on strict criteria, including confirmed diagnosis of sickle cell anemia and a stage of osteonecrosis compatible with the proposed treatment. Bone regeneration assessment was performed through radiographic examinations and magnetic resonance imaging, following the Ficat & Arlet criteria and the Salter-Thompson classification., Results: Statistical analysis revealed a significant association between the patients' age and positive treatment outcomes, suggesting that autologous bone marrow cell implantation is a safe and effective approach in the early stages of osteonecrosis. The majority of patients (87.5%) reported complete pain relief, while 10.42% experienced significant symptom improvement. Only one patient (2.08%) did not observe improvement. The results indicate that cell therapy can regenerate or slow the progression of bone necrosis, reducing the need for more invasive surgical procedures., Conclusion: The study demonstrates the potential of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell implantation in treating hip osteonecrosis in children with sickle cell disease, emphasizing the importance of long-term monitoring of bone structure stability., 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 © 2024 Teixeira, Daltro, Sberge, Barreto and Silva.)