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BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to describe the effects of acupuncture under real life conditions, in the treatment of emotional complaints during pregnancy. METHODS: A group of 51 conventionally treated pregnant women (with counselling by their physicians and nurses) was allocated by chance into two groups to be either treated or not by acupuncture. Both groups (28 in the study group and 23 in the control group) presented emotional complaints such as anxiety, depression and irritability. They reported the severity of symptoms using a Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) from 0 to 10; and they rated how much the symptoms disturbed five aspects of their lives: mood, sleep, relationships, social activities, sexual life and joy of living. Traditional acupuncture was used. In order to facilitate protocols we used pre-programmed points. Up to four points were permitted as optional points. RESULTS: Three women from the acupuncture group and four from the control group dropped out of the study. Over the study period, the NRS scores of intensity of emotional distress decreased by at least half in 15/25 (60%) of patients in the study group and in 5/19 (26%) of those in the control group (P=0.013). The impact of the distress on three out of the five aspects of life was significantly less in the acupuncture group when compared with the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Emotional complaints are very common in pregnancy and medication is always a risk. In this study, acupuncture seems to be an efficacious means of reducing symptoms and improving the quality of life of women with emotional complaints during pregnancy. Large randomised studies are recommended to confirm these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1992, Brazil adopted the goal of measles elimination by the year 2000; however, in 1997, after a 4-year period of good control, there was a resurgence of measles in Brazil. In 1999, to achieve the elimination goal, Brazil implemented the Supplementary Emergency Measles Action plan, with one measles surveillance technician designated to each state. Of 10,007 suspected measles cases reported during 1999, 908 (9.1%) were confirmed, and of them 378 (42%) were confirmed by laboratory analysis. Of 8358 suspected measles cases reported in 2000, 36 (0.4%) were confirmed (30 [83%] by laboratory); 92% of the discarded cases were classified on the basis of laboratory testing. In 2001, only 1 of 5599 suspected measles cases was confirmed, and it was an imported case from Japan. The last outbreak occurred in February 2000, with 15 cases. Current data suggest interruption of indigenous measles transmission in Brazil. Copyright © 2003 Infectious Diseases Society of America [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complexity of treating neurological diseases has meant that new strategies have had to be developed to deliver drugs to the brain more efficiently and safely. Intranasal drug delivery is characterized by its ease of administration, safety, and rapid delivery directly from the nose to the brain. Several strategies have been developed to improve the delivery of drugs to the brain via nasal administration. These include the use of mucoadhesive and thermoresponsive polymers and their combination into polymer blends, as well as the use of liposomes, niosomes, and nano- and microemulsions. Therefore, this review focuses on technologies for developing pharmaceutical systems aimed at delivery via the nose to the brain, contributing to new treatments for difficult neurological disorders. Some of the most common and difficult-to-treat neurological conditions, the intranasal route of administration, and the anatomy of the nasal cavity have been discussed, as well as factors that may influence the absorption of drugs administered into the nose. The types of intranasal formulations and the devices that can be used to administer these products are also discussed in this review. Strategies for improving the transport of bioactive agents and increasing bioavailability are highlighted. The technologies discussed in this review can facilitate the development of formulations with improved properties, such as drug release and mucoadhesiveness, which have several advantages for patients requiring complex neurological treatments., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists.)

The use of foods to color other foods ( coloring food ) should be considered in food production. In this study, freeze-dried canistel ( Pouteria campechiana (Kunth) Baehni) pulp underwent a photostability test. A blue LED light with a maximum intensity of 420 nm was utilized to induce photodegradation of the pulp. After irradiation, the samples were analyzed using photoacoustic spectroscopy. Different concentrations (2%, 4%, and 6%) of the pulp were employed as coloring food in ice cream, and the ice cream was thoroughly characterized. Photoacoustic spectroscopy provided valuable insights into dehydrated canistel pulp, revealing two stages of photoreaction involving carotenoids (violaxanthin and ξ-carotene) and demonstrating photostability under visible LED irradiation. The ice cream made with natural food dye produce elevated levels of bioactive compounds and retained a stable color throughout storage. All ice creams exhibited thixotropy. Ice creams with higher pulp concentrations displayed greater resistance to shear stress and, in sensory tests, received the highest scores, attributed to their intense yellow color. Dehydrated canistel pulp holds significant potential for use as food coloring in the industry due to its photostability., Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-024-05991-5., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors have declared no conflicts of interest for this article., (© Association of Food Scientists & Technologists (India) 2024. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Purpose: The biceps brachii muscle (BBM) is a large and thick muscle on the ventral portion of the upper arm. The scientific literature reports the existence of extra heads., Objective: The present work investigated the frequency of occurrence of BBM accessory head(s) in four different Anatomy Laboratories at universities in Northeast Brazil., Material and Methods: Once the upper limbs with an anatomical variation of the BBM heads were identified, the accessory head was evaluated for morphometric characterization (the length, width, and thickness)., Results: The sample consisted of 249 upper limbs and the outcomes were 26 members with BBM accessory heads (10.44% of the total sample). Among the 26 members studied was found a single accessory head in 22 (84.62%), two accessory heads in 3 (11.54%), and three accessory heads in 1 (3.85%). BBMs with one, two, and three accessory heads were found, with different origins. The average length, width, and thickness of these accessory heads were 169.39mm, 10.25mm, and 3.39mm, respectively., Conclusion: The frequency of BBM accessory heads in a population of northeastern Brazil in this cadaveric study was 10.44%., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

For 2160 broilers, were raised from 1 to 42 d of age, was evaluated the consequences of microencapsulated blend of organic acids and bioactive compounds on dietary supplementation in broilers on meat quality and consumer acceptance during 200 d. Broilers were randomly distributed in a completely randomized design with 6 treatments: Negative control (NC): basal diet; Positive control (PC): NC+ Zinc bacitracin 15%; B150: NC+150 g/t of the microencapsulated blend of organic acids and bioactive compounds; B300: NC+300 g/t of the microencapsulated blend of organic acids and bioactive compounds; B450:NC+450 g/t of the microencapsulated blend of organic acids and bioactive compounds; and B600:NC+600 g/t of the microencapsulated blend of organic acids and bioactive compounds. The poultry meat characteristics (thawing loss, cooking loss, shear force, color and microstructure of the meat), oxidative stability (lipid oxidation, antioxidant activity DPPH and ABTS) and consumer acceptance (visual appraisal and willingness to buy) were evaluated. Color parameters (L and b), thawing losses and shear force were not significantly different among the treatments (NC, PC, B150, B300, B450 and B600; P > 0.05). The highest level of a was in the PC. The cooking losses were the greatest in B600. No treatment showed changes in muscle fibers. The antioxidant activity for DPPH was higher for B600. For ABTS, B150 and B300 presented the least lipid oxidation. When evaluating consumers' visual preference, B300 had the greatest in consumer preference and B150 and B300 had the greatest purchase intention on the first day of storage. After 6 d, B300 continued to be the most preferred and B150 and B450 began to show the greatest purchase intention. The B300 treatment showed a protective effect on lipid stability and consumer preference. These results highlight the importance of using a precise additive dosage during animal production to guarantee the meat's quality and satisfy consumers' demands., Competing Interests: DISCLOSURES 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 Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Amantadine (AMA) is a useful drug in neuronal disorders, but few studies have been performed to access its toxicological profile. Conversely, doxorubicin (Dox) is a well-known antineoplastic drug that has shown neurotoxic effects leading to cognitive impairment. The aims of this study are to evaluate the cytotoxic, genotoxic, and mutagenic effects of AMA, as well as its possible protective actions against deleterious effects of Dox. The Salmonella/microsome assay was performed to assess mutagenicity while cytotoxicity and genotoxicity were evaluated in SH-SY5Y cells using MTT and comet assays. Possible modulating effects of AMA on the cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, and mutagenicity induced by Dox were evaluated through cotreatment procedures. Amantadine did not induce mutations in the Salmonella/microsome assay and decreased Dox-induced mutagenicity in the TA98 strain. AMA reduced cell viability and induced DNA damage in SH-SY5Y cells. In cotreatment with Dox, AMA attenuated the cytotoxicity of Dox and showed an antigenotoxic effect. In conclusion, AMA does not induce gene mutations, although it has shown a genotoxic effect. Furthermore, AMA decreases frameshift mutations induced by Dox as well as the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of Dox in SH-SY5Y cells, suggesting that AMA can interfere with Dox mutagenic activity and attenuate its neurotoxic effects., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: In rare instances, pancreatitis can manifest as inguinal edema without typical abdominal symptoms, posing diagnostic challenges., Case Presentation: We report a case of a man in his 40s, with alcohol addiction, who presented with left inguinal pain and swelling but no other abdominal complaints. Physical examination revealed inguinal tenderness and edema, with no hernia signs. Laboratory results showed leukocytosis and elevated C-reactive protein, inconsistent with the patient's symptoms. Abdominopelvic CT scan revealed peripancreatic fat densification and retroperitoneal fluid extending into the inguinal area. No hernia was evident. Extended analysis revealed elevated amylase and lipase levels, sustaining the diagnosis of pancreatitis. The patient responded well to supportive care and was discharged symptom-free., Discussion: Acute pancreatitis emerging as an inguinoscrotal swelling, in the absence of any abdominal symptoms or signs, is extremely rare and can mimic more common causes of inguinoscrotal swellings, such as incarcerated hernias. This case highlights the ability of leaking pancreatic juice to track widely in the retroperitoneal tissues, particularly on the left side. A high level of suspicion, in combination with a CT scan, is essential for achieving an accurate diagnosis and determining the disease's extent. Failure to diagnose correctly could lead to unnecessary surgical procedures and inappropriate/delayed medical care., Conclusion: Inguinal edema as the sole presentation of acute pancreatitis is extremely rare. Therefore, it is essential to maintain a high index of suspicion, especially in patients with a history of alcohol consumption, in order to proceed with prompt treatment and avoid unnecessary surgery., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a life-threatening haemostatic disease frequently diagnosed among the cancer population. The Khorana Score is currently the primal risk assessment model to stratify oncological patients according to their susceptibility to VTE, however, it displays a limited performance. Meanwhile, intensive research on VTE pathophysiology in the general population has uncovered a range of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with the condition. Nonetheless, their predictive ability concerning cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT) is controversial. Cervical cancer (CC) patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy often experience VTE, which negatively affects their survival. Thus, aiming for an improvement in thromboprophylaxis, new thrombotic biomarkers, including SNPs, are currently under investigation. In this study, the predictive capability of haemostatic gene SNPs on CC-related VTE and their prognostic value regardless of VTE were explored. Six SNPs in haemostatic genes were evaluated. A total of 401 CC patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy were enrolled in a retrospective cohort study. The implications for the time to VTE occurrence and overall survival (OS) were assessed. CAT considerably impacted the CC patients' OS (log-rank test, P < 0.001). SERPINE1 rs2070682 (T > C) showed a significant association with the risk of CC-related VTE (CC/CT vs. TT, log-rank test, P = 0.002; C allele, Cox model, hazard ratio (HR) = 6.99 and P = 0.009), while F2 rs1799963 (G > A) demonstrated an important prognostic value regardless of VTE (AA/AG vs. GG, log-rank test, P = 0.020; A allele, Cox model, HR = 2.76 and P = 0.026). For the remaining SNPs, no significant associations were detected. The polymorphisms SERPINE1 rs2070682 and F2 rs1799963 could be valuable tools in clinical decision-making, aiding in thromboprophylaxis and CC management, respectively., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Purpose: This study aims to transpose the printed Brazilian Children's Anxiety Questionnaire (CAQ BR) into a 2D digital format, validate it with nurses and hospitalized children, and analyze the association between the printed and 2D digital format versions., Design and Method: This is a descriptive and multicentric study, conducted from 2021 to 2022 on working in pediatric care at two hospitals in Brazil. The nurses analyzed the printed and digital instruments and subsequently applied them to a child and proposed suggestions. A cutoff score of 0.80 on the content validity index was used; items that scored an average lower than the CVI in the study were adequate. Eighty children responded to the questionnaires sequentially according to the randomization table. A 90% agreement rate was used., Results: The digital instrument was validated in content by 51 experts, with a CVI of 0.95. Face validation data for 80 children (mean age = 7.9 years) shows a 90% agreement rate. The intraclass correlation index for the general score was 0.87 and 95% CI (0.79-0.91), which shows good stability of the children's responses in both questionnaires. In addition, 59% (n = 47) of the children reported a preference for the digital questionnaire., Conclusions: The digital CAQ BR can be used as an audiovisual instrument by nurses when implementing the systematization of nursing care in pediatrics., Practical Implications: The digital 2D version was successfully applied and can be used in hospitals to measure children's self-reported anxiety., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

RT-qPCR dissects transcription-based processes but requires reference genes (RGs) for data normalization. This study prospected RGs for mouse macrophages (pMØ) and spleen infected with Listeria monocytogenes . The pMØ were infected in vitro with L. monocytogenes or vehicle for 4 h. Mice were injected with L. monocytogenes (or vehicle) and euthanized 24 h post-injection. The RGs came from a multispecies primer set, from the literature or designed here. The RG ranking relied on GeNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, Delta-CT and RefFinder. B2m - H3f3a - Ppia were the most stable RGs for pMØ, albeit RG indexes fine-tuned estimations of cytokine relative expression. Actβ-Ubc - Ppia were the best RGs for spleen but modestly impacted the cytokine relative expression. Hence, mouse models of L. monocytogenes require context-specific RGs for RT-qPCR, thus reinforcing its paramount contribution to accurate gene expression profiling.

The intranasal administration of drugs using environmentally responsive formulations, employing a combination of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and poloxamer 407 (P407), can result in release systems that may assist in the treatment of neurological diseases. Meloxicam, considered a potential adjuvant in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, could be used in these platforms. The aim of this work was to develop a mucoadhesive, thermoresponsive, and nanostructured system containing HPMC for nose-to-brain administration of meloxicam. The initially selected systems were investigated for their rheological, mechanical, and micellar size characteristics. The systems were dilatant at 25 °C and pseudoplastic with a yield value at 37 °C, showing viscoelastic properties at both temperatures. The platform containing HPMC (0.1%, w/w) and P407 (17.5%, w/w) was selected and demonstrated good mucoadhesive properties, along with an appropriate in vitro release profile. HPMC could form a binary system with P407, displaying superior mucoadhesive and thermoresponsive properties for nose-to-brain meloxicam administration, indicating that the selected formulation is worthy of clinical studies., 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 B.V. All rights reserved.)

Melipona subnitida (Ducke, 1911), a species of stingless bee, popularly known as Jandaíra, has a wide distribution in the Brazilian Northeast region, being an important pollinator of the Caatinga biome. This bee produces products such as honey, geopropolis, pollen (saburá) and wax that are traditionally used for therapeutic purposes and some studies report the biological properties, as well as its chemical composition. This review aimed to select, analyze and gather data published in the literature focusing on the chemical profile and bioactivities described for M. subnitida products. Data collection was carried out through the Capes Journal Portal platform, using the following databases: Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed. Original articles published in English and Portuguese were included, with no time limitation. The chemical composition of M. subnitida products has been investigated through chromatographic analysis, demonstrating the presence of a variety of phenolic compounds, such as flavonoids and phenylpropanoids, among other classes of secondary metabolites. These products also have several biological activities, including antioxidant, healing, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, antidepressant, antidyslipidemic, antiobesity, antifungal, antibacterial and prebiotic. Among the biological activities reported, the antioxidant activity was the most investigated. These data show that products derived from the stingless bee M. subnitida have promising bioactive compounds. This review provides useful information about the bioactivities and chemical profile of Melipona subnitida bee products, and a direction for future research, which should focus on understanding the mechanisms of action associated with the already elucidated pharmacological activities, as well as the bioactive properties of the main isolate's constituents identified in the chemical composition of these products., (© 2023 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

Superficial lymphadenectomy is an easy-to-perform and cost-effective routine technique. Despite its simplicity, it remains underutilized in veterinary medicine, with most practitioners being oncological surgeons. This study aims to enhance accessibility to the surgical procedure by providing anatomical representations of superficial lymphadenectomy in the carcasses of dogs and cats. A preliminary study involving two canines and two felines was conducted, with each group comprising a dog and a cat. Group A was designated to superficial lymphadenectomy techniques to create an illustrated step-by-step procedure, while group B underwent anatomical dissection to expose lymph nodes and their adnexa. The approach to superficial lymph nodes in dogs and cats is simple, allowing for the demonstration of superficial lymphadenectomy techniques in the corpses of dogs and cats without complications. This includes the dissection and presentation of anatomical structures adjacent to the lymph nodes. In conclusion, the techniques applied to subjects in groups A and B proved effective, successfully demonstrating and excising all superficial lymph nodes in the corpses of dogs and cats. These findings suggest that the developed set of techniques developed for lymph node excision holds promise for safe and effective application in live animals., Competing Interests: Conflict of interests: MJB, CVCB, NC, JBS, RLR and MESLF - No conflict of interest.

The research proposes a model to estimate the carbon stock in mangrove forests from multispectral images from Landsat 8 and Sentinel 2B satellites. The Gramame River mangrove, located on the southern coast of Paraíba State, Brazil, was adopted as the study area. Carbon stocks in biomass, below and above ground, were measured from a forest inventory, and vegetation indices were processed on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. To define the fit curves, linear and non-linear regressions were used. The choice of the model considered the highest coefficients of determination (R 2 ), the biomass and carbon stock were estimated from the equations. The biomass carbon stock, calculated from field data, corresponded to 22.27 Gg C, equivalent to 81.75 Gg CO 2 , with 13.85 Gg C (50.84 Gg CO 2 ) and 8.42 Gg C (30.91 Gg CO 2 ) stored in biomass above and below ground, respectively. Among the models fitted to the indices calculated from Landsat 8 images, NDVI was the one that best explained the spatial distribution of biomass and carbon, with 90.26%. For Sentinel 2B, SAVI was able to explain 80.76%. The total estimated plant carbon stocks corresponded to 26.66 Gg (16.20 Gg C above and 10.36 Gg C below ground) for Landsat 8 and 27.76 Gg C (16.93 Gg C above and 10.83 Gg C below ground) for Sentinel 2B. The proposed work methodology and the suggested mathematical models can be replicated to analyze carbon stocks in other locations, especially in the Americas, because they share the same species., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Background Aims: Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) are a class of biological products for human use that are based on gene, tissues or cells. ATMPs have peculiar characteristics when compared with traditional medicines. In this regard, long-term safety and efficacy follow-up systems of individuals treated with ATMPs have become necessary and may present unique challenges, because unlike conventional drugs and biologics, these products can exert their effects for years after administration. This work seeks to assess the requirements foreseen in the regulatory frameworks for the post-marketing authorization safety and efficacy surveillance for ATMPs in Brazil, European Union (EU), Japan and United States, which are some of the members of the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use., Methods: We reviewed the scientific literature and official documents of regulatory agencies (RAs) in Brazil, the EU, Japan and the United States., Results and Conclusions: RAs in the EU, US and Japan have developed regulatory guidelines for the post-marketing surveillance of ATMPs. These guidelines aim at implementing surveillance plans for monitoring adverse events, including late ones, after marketing authorization. All the ATMPs authorized by the RAs studied, submitted some type of post-marketing requirement to supplement safety and efficacy data, according to the regulations and terminology used by those jurisdictions., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have no commercial, proprietary or financial interest in the products or companies described in this article., (Copyright © 2023 International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To compare the manufacturing, infusion, and total times of handmade balloons for uterine tamponade using the El Hennawy and Alves techniques, given the failure of initial measures and uterotonic therapy to control postpartum hemorrhage., Methods: An open clinical trial (clinical article) was conducted among 30 physicians, residents, and assistants in an Obstetrics Department. Each participant manufactured and infused one of two different balloons compared in the study, in a randomly predefined sequence. The manufacturing and infusion times were timed by the researchers and their medians were compared using the t test or Mann-Whitney U test., Results: The manufacturing time of the El Hennawy balloon was 72 s lower in relation to the Alves balloon (P < 0.010). Regarding the infusion time, the Alves balloon was filled faster than the El Hennawy balloon (P < 0.010). The total time (manufacturing and infusion) of Alves balloon was also lower than the El Hennawy device (P < 0.010)., Conclusions: Although the El Hennawy balloon was manufactured more quickly, the total time of manufacturing and infusing the Alves balloon was much faster, which makes it the most suitable device to be used in critical situations of postpartum hemorrhage., (© 2023 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)

Erythrosine displays potential photodynamic activity against microorganisms and unhealthy cells. However, erythrosine has high hydrophilicity, negatively impacting on permeation through biological membranes. Combining biological macromolecules and thermoresponsive polymers may overcome these erythrosine-related issues, enhancing retention of topically applied drugs. The aim of this work was to investigate the performance of adhesive and thermoresponsive micellar polymeric systems, containing erythrosine in neutral (ERI) or disodium salt (ERIs) states. Optimized combinations of poloxamer 407 (polox407) and sodium carboxymethylcellulose (NaCMC) or hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) were used as platforms for ERI/ERIs delivery. The rheological and mechanical properties of the systems was explored. Most of the formulations were plastic, thixotropic and viscoelastic at 37 °C, with suitable gelation temperature for in situ gelation. Mechanical parameters were reduced in the presence of the photosensitizer, improving the softness index. Bioadhesion was efficient for all hydrogels, with improved parameters for mucosa in contrast to skin. Formulations composed of 17.5 % polox407 and 3 % HPMC or 1 % NaCMC with 1 % (w/w) ERI/ERIs could release the photosensitizer, reaching different layers of the skin/mucosa, ensuring enough production of cytotoxic species for photodynamic therapy. Functional micelles could boost the photodynamic activity of ERI and ERIs, improving their delivery and contact time with the cells., 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 © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Diphenyl ditelluride (DPDT) is an organotellurium (OT) compound with pharmacological properties, including antioxidant, antigenotoxic and antimutagenic activities when applied at low concentrations. However, DPDT as well as other OT compounds also show cytotoxicity against mammalian cells when treatments occur at higher drug concentrations. Considering that the underlying mechanisms of toxicity of DPDT against tumor cells have been poorly explored, the objective of our study was to investigate the effects of DPDT against both human cancer and non-tumorigenic cells. As a model, we used the colonic HCT116 cancer cells and the MRC5 fibroblasts. Our results showed that DPDT preferentially targets HCT116 cancer cells when compared to MRC5 cells with IC 50 values of 2.4 and 10.1 μM, respectively. This effect was accompanied by the induction of apoptosis and a pronounced G2/M cell cycle arrest in HCT116 cells. Furthermore, DPDT induces DNA strand breaks at concentrations below 5 μM in HCT116 cells and promotes the occurrence of DNA double strand breaks mostly during S-phase as measured by γ-H2AX/EdU double staining. Finally, DPDT forms covalent complexes with DNA topoisomerase I, as observed by the TARDIS assay, with a more prominent effect observed in HCT116 than in MRC5 cells. Taken together, our results show that DPDT preferentially targets HCT116 colon cancer cells likely through DNA topoisomerase I poisoning. This makes DPDT an interesting molecule for further development as an anti-proliferative compound in the context of cancer.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a leading cause of death among cancer patients. Khorana score (KS) is the most studied tool to predict cancer-related VTE, however, it exerts poor sensitivity. Several single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been associated with VTE risk in the general population, but whether they are predictors of cancer-related VTE is a matter of discussion. Compared to other solid tumours, little is known about VTE in the setting of cervical cancer (CC) and whether thrombogenesis-related polymorphisms could be valuable biomarkers in patients with this neoplasia. This study aims to analyse the effect of VTE occurrence on the prognosis of CC patients, explore the predictive capability of KS and the impact of thrombogenesis-related polymorphisms on CC-related VTE incidence and patients' prognosis regardless of VTE. A profile of eight SNPs was evaluated. A retrospective hospital-based cohort study was conducted with 400 CC patients under chemoradiotherapy. SNP genotyping was carried on by using TaqMan® Allelic Discrimination methodology. Time to VTE occurrence and overall survival were the two measures of clinical outcome evaluated. The results indicated that VTE occurrence (8.5%) had a significant impact on the patient's survival (log-rank test, P < 0.001). KS showed poor performance (KS ≥ 3, χ 2 , P = 0.191). PROCR rs10747514 and RGS7 rs2502448 were significantly associated with the risk of CC-related VTE development (P = 0.021 and P = 0.006, respectively) and represented valuable prognostic biomarkers regardless of VTE (P = 0.004 and P = 0.010, respectively). Thus, thrombogenesis-related genetic polymorphisms may constitute valuable biomarkers among CC patients allowing a more personalized clinical intervention., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The present study aimed to describe the occurrence of Borrelia spp. in cattle in the states of Minas Gerais and Pará in southeastern and northern Brazil, respectively. Bovine whole blood samples were examined by blood smear and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect the flagellin B (flaB) gene of Borrelia spp. Frequencies of positive animals for Borrelia spp. were 1.52% (2/132) in the municipality of Unaí, Minas Gerais, and 14.2% (2/7) in the municipality of Marabá, Pará. Subsequent genetic sequencing confirmed that the detected spirochetes close to the species B. theileri. In both locations, the animals positive for B. theileri were also highly infested by Rhipicephalus microplus ticks. Despite the low frequency of Borrelia spp., the occurrence of this spirochete indicates that further studies are needed to determine the consequences in cattle herds., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Leptospirosis is a public health concern with lethality around 15% of the total cases. The current vaccines against Leptospira infection based on bacterins have several limitations, which require urgent development of new ones. In this context, groundbreaking approaches such as peptide-vaccines could be used to come around with promising results. Our goal was to identify conserved and immunogenic epitopes from the lipoprotein LruC that could interact with Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) I and II. LruC is a conserved lipoprotein expressed during leptospirosis that is considered among vaccine candidates and can be used as source for development of peptide-based vaccines. We searched for peptides that would be recognized by antibodies from either serum of hamsters previously immunized with low-LPS bacterin vaccines or from serum of patients diagnosed with leptospirosis. Immuno properties of seven peptides from LruC protein were evaluated in silico and by Dot Blot assay, and validate by ELISA. Preliminary results pointed one promising peptide that was recognized by the sera. In conclusion, the immunoinformatic approach helps the search and screening of peptides, while the Dot Blot assay, a simple and effective tool, helps to test and validate them. Thus, these prospective techniques together were validated to identify and validate potential peptides for further investigation as peptide-based vaccines or diagnostic methods., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Mariano et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Bats belong to the order Chiroptera and are composed of 18 families, 202 genera, and 1420 species. Cosmopolitans, they have a high diversity of trophic and behavioral guilds, several ecosystem services, and intraspecific associations with ectoparasites. In Brazil, 68 species of Streblidae have already been recorded, although knowledge about the bat fauna and their ectoparasites is still low. Thus, the objective was to present a list of bat species, and to relate parasites with hosts, for two extractive reserves in the state of Acre, western Brazilian Amazon. The collections took place in ten nights, five in each RESEX, both carried out in August 2019. At each point, 10 mist nets (9 m × 2.5 m) were used, remaining open for 6 h. The captured bats were stored in cotton bags and had their data collected. Subsequently, the search for ectoparasites was carried out throughout the individual's body and extracted with brushes moistened with 96% ethyl alcohol and fine-tipped tweezers. Species of flies were identified to the lowest taxonomic level through specific bibliography. Thirty-three bats from six trophic guilds and 46 ectoparasitic dipterans were sampled, all from the Streblidae family. The most abundant bat family was Phyllostomidae, a recurring result in several studies carried out in the neotropical region. This is related to the selectivity of the mist net in bat sampling, in addition to a close correlation between Phyllostomidae bats and ectoparasitic flies of the Streblidae family., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

People recovered from COVID-19 may still present complications including respiratory and neurological sequelae. In other viral infections, cognitive impairment occurs due to brain damage or dysfunction caused by vascular lesions and inflammatory processes. Persistent cognitive impairment compromises daily activities and psychosocial adaptation. Some level of neurological and psychiatric consequences were expected and described in severe cases of COVID-19. However, it is debatable whether neuropsychiatric complications are related to COVID-19 or to unfoldings from a severe infection. Nevertheless, the majority of cases recorded worldwide were mild to moderate self-limited illness in non-hospitalized people. Thus, it is important to understand what are the implications of mild COVID-19, which is the largest and understudied pool of COVID-19 cases. We aimed to investigate adults at least four months after recovering from mild COVID-19, which were assessed by neuropsychological, ocular and neurological tests, immune markers assay, and by structural MRI and 18 FDG-PET neuroimaging to shed light on putative brain changes and clinical correlations. In approximately one-quarter of mild-COVID-19 individuals, we detected a specific visuoconstructive deficit, which was associated with changes in molecular and structural brain imaging, and correlated with upregulation of peripheral immune markers. Our findings provide evidence of neuroinflammatory burden causing cognitive deficit, in an already large and growing fraction of the world population. While living with a multitude of mild COVID-19 cases, action is required for a more comprehensive assessment and follow-up of the cognitive impairment, allowing to better understand symptom persistence and the necessity of rehabilitation of the affected individuals., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Pathogenic species of Leptospira are etiologic agents of leptospirosis, an emerging zoonotic disease of worldwide extent and endemic in tropical regions. The growing number of identified leptospiral species sheds light to their genetic diversity and unique virulence mechanisms, many of them still remain unknown. Toxins and adhesins are important virulence factors in several pathogens, constituting promising antigens for the development of vaccines with cross-protection and long-lasting effect against leptospirosis. For this aim, we used the shotgun phage display technique to unravel new proteins with adhesive properties. A shotgun library was constructed using fragmented genomic DNA from Leptospira interrogans serovar Copenhageni strain Fiocruz L1-130 and pG8SAET phagemid vector. Selection of phages bearing new possible cell-binding antigens was performed against VERO cells, using BRASIL biopanning methodology. Analysis of selected clones revealed the hypothetical protein LIC10778, a potentially exposed virulence factor that belongs to the virulence-modifying (VM) protein family (PF07598), composed of 13 members in the leptospiral strain Fiocruz L1-130. Prediction of LIC10778 tertiary structure indicates that the protein contains a cellular-binding domain (N-terminal portion) and an unknown domain of no assigned activity (C-terminal portion). The predicted N-terminal domain shared structural similarities with the cell-binding and internalization domain of toxins like Ricin and Abrin, as well as to the Community-Acquired Respiratory Distress Syndrome (CARDS) toxin in Mycoplasma pneumoniae . Interestingly, recombinant portions of the N-terminal region of LIC10778 protein showed binding to laminin, collagens I and IV, vitronectin, and plasma and cell fibronectins using overlay blotting technique, especially regarding the binding site identified by phage display. These data validate our preliminary phage display biopanning and support the predicted three-dimensional models of LIC10778 protein and other members of PF07598 protein family, confirming the identification of the N-terminal cell-binding domains that are similar to ricin-like toxins. Moreover, fluorescent fused proteins also confirmed that N-terminal region of LIC10778 is capable of binding to VERO and A549 cell lines, further highlighting its virulence role during host-pathogen interaction in leptospirosis probably mediated by its C-terminal domain. Indeed, recent results in the literature confirmed this assumption by demonstrating the cytotoxicity of a closely related PF07598 member., 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 © 2022 Lauretti-Ferreira, Teixeira, Giordano, da Silva, Abreu, Barbosa, Akamatsu and Ho.)

Introduction and Hypothesis: The differential diagnosis of urinary symptoms may allow health professionals to establish a therapeutic objective and to choose the appropriate treatment for the patient's complaint. The aim of this study was to cross-culturally adapt the Three Incontinence Questionnaire (3IQ) into Brazilian Portuguese (3IQ-Br) and to analyze test-retest reliability, construct, and criterion validity in women., Methods: The cross-cultural adaptation of the 3IQ-Br included forward-translation, back-translation, and consensus among an expert committee. Participants with and without urinary incontinence (UI) completed the 3IQ-Br, King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ), and Questionnaire for Female Urinary Incontinence Diagnosis (QUID-Br). Only women with UI answered 3IQ-Br after 7-10 days. Test-retest reliability and construct validity were analyzed using the Cohen linear kappa (k). The 3IQ-Br accuracy was analyzed using the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve, considering the sensitivity and specificity to correctly classify women with and without UI., Results: The reliability of each question from the 3IQ-Br was considered substantial in the test-retest. The agreement among 3IQ-Br, QUID-Br, and KHQ was almost perfect for UI diagnosis (k > 0.8). The 3IQ-Br was considered to have good accuracy in distinguishing women with UI considering the KHQ (AUC 0.83, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.78 to 0.87, p < 0.001), and fair to the QUID-Br (AUC 0.73, 95% CI 0.68 to 0.78; p < 0.001)., Conclusions: The results of this study showed that this version of the 3IQ-Br has acceptable measurement properties for identifying and differentiating UI symptoms in Brazilian women., (© 2022. The International Urogynecological Association.)

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a disease with a high incidence worldwide, but its diagnosis and treatment are poorly managed. In this study, NASH pathophysiology and DNA damage biomarkers were investigated in mice with NASH treated and untreated with melatonin (MLT). C57BL/6 mice were fed a methionine- and choline-deficient (MCD) diet for 4 weeks to develop NASH. Melatonin was administered at 20 mg/kg during the last 2 weeks. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were measured, and hepatic tissue was dissected for histological analysis, evaluation of lipoperoxidation, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), as well as nuclear factor-erythroid 2 (Nrf2), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) expression by immunohistochemistry. DNA damage was evaluated using Comet assay, while a micronucleus test in bone marrow was performed to assess the genomic instability associated with the disease. Melatonin decreased AST and ALT, liver inflammatory processes, balloonization, and fibrosis in mice with NASH, decreasing TNF-α, iNOS, and TGF-β, as well as oxidative stress, shown by reducing lipoperoxidation and intensifying Nrf2 expression. The SOD and GPx activities were increased, while CAT was decreased by treatment with MLT. Although the micronucleus frequency was not increased in mice with NASH, a protective effect on DNA was observed with MLT treatment in blood and liver tissues using Comet assay. As conclusions, MLT slows down the progression of NASH, reducing hepatic oxidative stress and inflammatory processes, inhibiting DNA damage via anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: The aims of this study were to perform a cross-cultural adaptation of the Vulvovaginal Symptoms Questionnaire (VSQ) into Brazilian Portuguese (VSQ-Br) and evaluate its measurement properties (structural validity, construct validity, internal consistency, and reliability)., Methods: Cross-cultural adaptation was conducted through the translation, synthesis, and back-translation of the VSQ-Br. Subsequently, 314 women completed the Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire, Pelvic Floor Disorders Inventory, Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey, and VSQ-Br. Seven to 10 days later, participants completed the VSQ-Br for the second time. Data were submitted for confirmatory factor analysis. Cronbach α was used to verify internal consistency, and construct validity was assessed using Pearson correlation coefficient ( r ). Reliability was calculated using the intraclass correlation coefficient., Results: Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the questions were grouped into four domains (symptoms, emotions, life impact, and sexual impact). The model showed good fit (>0.95). The Cronbach α in this study was 0.85, reflecting adequate internal consistency. Adequate reliability was confirmed, with an intraclass correlation coefficient total score of 0.80. The VSQ-Br had a weak correlation with the pelvic domain of the Pelvic Floor Disorders Inventory, the pelvic organ prolapse domain of the Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire, and pain, vitality, and the social aspect domains of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey., Conclusions: The VSQ-Br was validated and had acceptable measurement properties for assessing vulvovaginal symptoms in Brazilian women., Competing Interests: Financial disclosure/conflicts of interest: None reported., (Copyright © 2022 by The North American Menopause Society.)

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease, with several comorbidities, such as psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, metabolic syndrome, and impaired quality of life and work activity. The Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) is the most commonly used quality of life index in psoriatic patients, as it is a marker of severe disease. This study evaluated the association between salivary Fourier transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) metabolic fingerprints and severity of psoriasis as measured by DLQI, using chemometric algorithms., Materials and Methods: Saliva was collected from 56 (27 with DLQI ≤ 10 [GI]; 29 with DLQI > 10 [GII]) psoriatic patients diagnosed and assessed by DLQI for disease severity by a dermatologist and analyzed by the transflectance technique in mid-infrared. Hierarchic cluster analysis (HCA), principal component analysis (PCA), orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) and orthogonal partial least squares (OPLS) algorithms were used to associate salivary FTIR spectra with the respective DLQI scores., Results: Second derivative (2D) discriminated GI and GII at 2522 cm -1 (p < 0.0001). HCA and PCA partially discriminated GI from GII at 4000-450 cm -1 (p = 0.042 and 0.00821, respectively). Data processing with 1 st derivative (1D), 3 latent variables (LV) and 1 orthogonal signal correction (OSC) component at 2550-1801 cm -1 generated an FTIR/OPLS-DA model with 100% accuracy to classify the severity of psoriasis, and an FTIR/OPLS model to quantify DLQI (range 0-28) with high performance: root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) < 0.01 and coefficient of determination (R 2 ) > 0.9999., Conclusions: Salivary FTIR combined with chemometric algorithms such as OPLS-DA and OPLS can be used as a clinical tool to classify or predict the severity of psoriasis according to DLQI in patients with confirmed psoriasis., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest All authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)