Publications by authors named "Alessandra De Souza"

Photosensitization reactions caused by ultraviolet and visible radiation (UV-vis) absorbing chemicals can induce DNA damage through direct and indirect mechanisms. In this context, the investigation of phototoxicity is an essential part of the toxicological assessment programs for drugs, cosmetics and other chemicals that may be exposed to UV-vis light. The current battery of photosafety assessment tests includes an initial investigation of their photoreactive potential followed by in vitro phototoxicity testing.

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Background: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), in which patients receive high concentrations of oxygen in a pressurized chamber, has been used in clinical practice to improve wound healing. More recent applications of HBOT have resulted in successful management of a wide range of conditions; however, the psychosomatic factors associated with these conditions remain understudied and require clarification.

Purpose: To investigate the effects of HBOT in a female patient without diabetes who presented with an atypical wound of 9 years' duration with no sign of healing as well as with psychosomatic factors.

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Citrus canker disease, caused by subsp. , poses a significant threat to global citrus production. The control of the disease in the field relies mainly on the use of conventional tools such as copper compounds, which are harmful to the environment and could lead to bacterial resistance.

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Background: Xylella fastidiosa is a multi-host bacterium that can be detected in hundreds of plant species including several crops. Diseases caused by X. fastidiosa are considered a threat to global food production.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The article highlights the shift towards open access in scientific publishing, emphasizing the need for research outputs like data, code, and publications to be freely available.
  • - It offers best practices for publishing in The American Phytopathological Society journals, covering critical topics such as diagnostic assays, experimental design, and data sharing.
  • - The goal is to enhance reproducibility and effective use of research resources, ultimately improving understanding of biological effects in plant pathology.
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Gene editing technologies have opened up the possibility of manipulating the genome of any organism in a predicted way. CRISPR technology is the most used genome editing tool and, in agriculture, it has allowed the expansion of possibilities in plant biotechnology, such as gene knockout or knock-in, transcriptional regulation, epigenetic modification, base editing, RNA editing, prime editing, and nucleic acid probing or detection. This technology mostly depends on tissue culture and genetic transformation/transfection protocols, which sometimes become the major challenges for its application in different crops.

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Xanthomonas is an important genus of plant-associated bacteria that causes significant yield losses of economically important crops worldwide. Different approaches have assessed genetic diversity and evolutionary interrelationships among the Xanthomonas species. However, information from clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs) has yet to be explored.

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Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common complication of DM and may go unnoticed until irreversible damage occurs. Its screening can contribute to the early detection. Although, there are no studies which investigate the ability of digital retinography to detect vascular changes in pre-diabetic patients.

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Pseudomonas aeruginosa an opportunistic pathogen that causes infections in hospitals and has high morbidity and mortality rates. In addition, it is a widely distributed environmental bacterium that can colonise a variety of habitats. Although wild animals do not have access to antibiotics, antibacterial resistance in these animals has increasingly been reported worldwide.

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The increased use of agrochemicals raises concerns about environmental, animal, and mainly human toxicology. The development of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) for toxicological risk assessment including new in vitro tests and in silico protocols is encouraged. Although agrochemical mutagenicity testing is well established, a complementary alternative approach may contribute to increasing reliability, with the consequent reduction of false-positive results that lead to unnecessary use of animals in follow-up in vivo testing.

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Background And Objectives: Radical prostatectomy (RP) is a definitive surgical therapy for localized prostate cancer. Evidence suggests that the poor ergonomics of surgeons during RP may lead to work-related musculoskeletal disorders and loss of productivity. Since each surgery modality has its physical demands, we compared the ergonomic risk between laparoscopic (LRP) and robotic-assisted (RARP) radical prostatectomy.

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Background: This study aimed to evaluate the risk and protective factors associated with anxiety and depression symptoms in cancer patients at an advanced stage of cancer.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on patients with advanced cancer who were receiving palliative care. Cancer patients aged 18 years or older, with preserved cognitive function who completed the questionnaires were eligible.

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This study evaluated the effects of previous exposure to Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on nociceptive, neuroinflammatory, and neurochemical parameters, in rats subjected to an incisional pain model. Forty adult male Wistar rats (60 days old; weighing ∼ 250 g) were divided into five groups: 1. control (C); 2.

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Objectives: Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE) shows improvement in pain and functional capacity in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP). Therefore, the study aimed to verify if the physiotherapeutic treatment associated with PNE decreases the functional disability of patients with nonspecific CLBP.

Methods: Forty patients were clinically evaluated and answered the following questionnaires: Brief pain inventory, Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI), Roland-Morris disability questionnaire, pain catastrophizing scale, Tampa scale of kinesiophobia, hospital anxiety, and depression scale, SF6D quality of life questionnaire and performed quantitative sensory tests (QSTs).

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Voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) are targeted to treat pain conditions. Since the discovery of their relation to pain processing control, they are investigated to find new strategies for better pain control. This review provides an overview of naturally based and synthetic VGCC blockers, highlighting new evidence on the development of drugs focusing on the VGCC subtypes as well as mixed targets with pre-clinical and clinical analgesic effects.

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Background: Three years after the first confirmed COVID-19 case in Brazil, the outcomes of Federal government omissions in managing the crisis and anti-science stance heading into the pandemic have become even more evident. With over 36 million confirmed cases and nearly 700 000 deaths up to January 2023, the country is one of the hardest-hit places in the world. The lack of mass-testing programs was a critical broken pillar responsible for the quick and uncontrolled SARS-CoV-2 spread throughout the Brazilian population.

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Purpose: Periodontitis and coronavirus disease (COVID-19) share risk factors and activate similar immunopathological pathways, intensifying systemic inflammation. This study investigated the clinical, immunological and microbiological parameters in individuals with COVID-19 and controls, exploring whether periodontitis-driven inflammation contributes to worsening COVID-19 endpoints.

Methods: Case (positive RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2) and control (negative RT-PCR) individuals underwent clinical and periodontal assessments.

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Transcription activator-like effectors are key virulence factors of . They are secreted into host plant cells and mimic transcription factors inducing the expression of host susceptibility (S) genes. In citrus, is a direct target of PthA4, the primary effector associated with citrus canker symptoms.

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Calcium (Ca ) is an important second messenger in charge of many critical processes in the central nervous system (CNS), including membrane excitability, neurotransmission, learning, memory, cell proliferation, and apoptosis. In this way, the voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) act as a key supply for Ca entry into the cytoplasm and organelles. Importantly, the dysregulation of these channels has been reported in many neurological diseases of young-onset, with associated genetic factors, such as migraine, multiple sclerosis, and Huntington's disease.

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Article Synopsis
  • Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) presents unique challenges due to its varied behavior and treatment needs, prompting a survey of Brazilian Society of Mastology members to evaluate knowledge and treatment approaches.* -
  • A consensus was formed among experts and affiliates, with panel agreement improving after discussions, indicating strong support for neoadjuvant chemotherapy—including platinum agents—and strategies for immunotherapy and surgical procedures.* -
  • Overall, expert consensus was reached on more than 70% of treatment questions, highlighting the importance of education in shaping treatment decisions for systemic breast cancer.*
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SU-8 polymer is an excellent platform for diverse applications due to its high aspect ratio of micro/nanostructure fabrication and exceptional physicochemical and biocompatible properties. Although SU-8 polymer has often been investigated for various biological applications, how its surface properties influence the interaction of bacterial cells with the substrate and its colonization is poorly understood. In this work, we tailor SU-8 nanoscale surface properties to investigate single-cell motility, adhesion, and successive colonization of phytopathogenic bacteria, .

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Background And Aim: Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by pain and inflammation. Electroacupuncture (EA) and swimming (SW) are non-pharmacological interventions recommended for treating OA. The study evaluated the benefits of electroacupuncture (EA) and swimming (SW) association when compared with isolated protocols in an OA rodent model.

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Prediction of pulmonary metabolites following inhalation of a locally acting pulmonary drug is essential to the successful development of novel inhaled medicines. The lungs present metabolic enzymes, therefore they influence drug disposal and toxicity. The present review provides an overview of alternative methods to evaluate the pulmonary metabolism for the safety and efficacy of pulmonary delivery systems.

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Background: Microbial resistance has become a worldwide public health problem and may lead to morbidity and mortality in affected patients.

Objectives: Therefore, this work aimed to evaluate the antibacterial activity of quinone-4- oxoquinoline derivatives.

Methods: These derivatives were evaluated against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria by their antibacterial activity, anti-biofilm, and hemolytic activities and in silico assays.

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