Multiple introductions and sustained local transmission of in Southern Brazil between 2022-2023.

Mpox is a zoonotic viral disease caused by the (MPXV). Human cases have been mainly restricted to the African continent until the worldwide multi-country outbreak unfolded in 2022. We reconstructed epidemiological links of 53 MPXV infections using genomic epidemiology in Rio Grande do Sul State, southern Brazil, during 2022 and 2023.

Laboratory validation of a simplified DNA extraction protocol followed by a portable qPCR detection of M. tuberculosis DNA suitable for point of care settings.

Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is a treatable and curable disease, and yet remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Diagnosis is essential to reducing the number of cases and starting treatment, but costly tests and equipments that require complex infrastructure hamper their widespread use as a tool to contain the disease in vulnerable populations as well countries lacking resources. Therefore, it becomes necessary to develop new technological approaches to molecular methods as well as screening tests that can be rapidly conducted among people presenting to a health facility to differentiate those who should have further diagnostic evaluation for TB from those who should undergo further investigation for non-TB diagnoses.

Implementation of bedside medication preparation in intensive care: post-improvement cycle.

Objective: To assess the implementation of the bedside medication preparation process in an Intensive Care Unit, following a quality improvement cycle.

Method: A quasi-experimental study with non-paired samples, pre- and post-implementation, conducted in an Intensive Care Unit of a public hospital in southern Brazil, from September 2022 to April 2023, following the guidelines of the Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence 2.0.

The virome of bubaline (Bubalus bubalis) tonsils reveals an unreported bubaline polyomavirus.

Water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) farming is increasing in many regions of the world due to the species' ability to thrive in environments where bovine cattle would struggle. Despite water buffaloes being known for their resistance to diseases, there is a lack of data about the diversity of the microbiome of the species. In this study, we examined the virome diversity in palatine tonsils collected from animals from the island of Marajó, northern Pará state, Brazil, which harbors the largest bubaline flock in the country.

Assessing sediment quality at tropical mangrove areas for using as reference sites in ecotoxicological bioassays.

The sediment of five mangrove in Pernambuco/Brazil was investigated to find a reference site for toxicity bioassays. Sediment characteristics, metal levels, and toxic effects on the nauplius of the copepod Tisbe biminiensis were studied. The sediment was composed by terrigenous muds and siliciclastic sands with medium to high organic matter contents.

Chikungunya virus infection in the southernmost state of Brazil was characterised by self-limited transmission (2017-2019) and a larger 2021 outbreak.

Background: Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne virus that has been causing large outbreaks in the Americas since 2014. In Brazil, Asian-Caribbean (AC) and East-Central-South-African (ECSA) genotypes have been detected and lead to large outbreaks in several Brazilian states. In Rio Grande do Sul (RS), the southernmost state of Brazil, the first cases were reported in 2016.

Development of an amplicon-based sequencing approach in response to the global emergence of mpox.

The 2022 multicountry mpox outbreak concurrent with the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic further highlighted the need for genomic surveillance and rapid pathogen whole-genome sequencing. While metagenomic sequencing approaches have been used to sequence many of the early mpox infections, these methods are resource intensive and require samples with high viral DNA concentrations. Given the atypical clinical presentation of cases associated with the outbreak and uncertainty regarding viral load across both the course of infection and anatomical body sites, there was an urgent need for a more sensitive and broadly applicable sequencing approach.

Influenza A(H3N2) infection followed by separate COVID-19 infection.

This study describes the case of a health professional infected first by influenza virus A(H3N2) and then by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 11 days later. Respiratory samples and clinical data were collected from the patient and from close contacts. RNA was extracted from samples and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to investigate the viruses.

Incipient Parallel Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 Deltacron Variant in South Brazil.

With the coexistence of multiple lineages and increased international travel, recombination and gene flow are likely to become increasingly important in the adaptive evolution of SARS-CoV-2. These processes could result in genetic introgression and the incipient parallel evolution of multiple recombinant lineages. However, identifying recombinant lineages is challenging, and the true extent of recombinant evolution in SARS-CoV-2 may be underestimated.

Anthropological examination in burned body: a retrospective identification case.

It is a well-established fact that forensic anthropology has been extremely helpful in identifying thermally altered human remains, especially in recent years. With the improvement of new analytical techniques, the identification success rate has also been increased. With the help of statistical analysis, combined with analytical anthropological methods, the Forensic Anthropology Service of the Afranio Peixoto Medico-Legal Institute succeeded in identifying a charred body, with a margin of error of approximately 1:500 million to be obtained.

Molecular characterization of a new SARS-CoV-2 recombinant cluster XAG identified in Brazil.

Recombination events have been described in the Coronaviridae family. Since the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, a variable degree of selection pressure has acted upon the virus, generating new strains with increased fitness in terms of viral transmission and antibody scape. Most of the SC2 variants of concern (VOC) detected so far carry a combination of key amino acid changes and indels.

Possible Occupational Infection of Healthcare Workers with Monkeypox Virus, Brazil.

We evaluated epidemiologic and molecular characteristics of monkeypox virus (MPXV) infections sampled from 2 healthcare nurses. Five days after collecting samples from an infected patient, the nurses showed typical MPXV manifestations; quantitative PCR and whole-genome sequencing confirmed MPXV infection, most likely transmitted through contact with fomites.

Detection of non-tuberculosus mycobacteria (NTMs) in lung samples using 16S rRNA.

Background: Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTMs) cause diseases known as mycobacteriosis and are an important cause of morbidity and mortality. The diagnosis of pulmonary disease caused by NTM is hampered by its clinical similarity with tuberculosis (TB) and by the lack of an accurate and rapid laboratory diagnosis.

Objectives: Detect DNA from NTMs directly from lung samples using real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for amplification of 16S rRNA.

Increasing carbon, nutrient and trace metal accumulation driven by development in a mangrove estuary in south Asia.

Mangrove forests sequester organic carbon, nutrients and toxic metals sorbed to fine sediment, and thus restrict the mobility of pollutants through estuarine environments. However, mangrove removal and environmental degradation caused by industrial activity and urban growth can impact the ability of mangrove communities to provide these critical ecosystem services. Here, we use sediment profiles from an impacted tropical estuary in southwest India to provide a c.

Brazilian guideline for pediatric cycloplegia and mydriasis.

Cycloplegia is crucial for reliable pediatric ophthalmology examinations. This document provides a re-commendation for pediatric cycloplegia and mydriasis for Brazilian ophthalmologists. This article was developed based on literature reviews; the clinical experience of Brazilian specialists, as obtained through questionnaires; and the consensus of the Expert Committee of the Brazilian Pediatric Ophthalmology Society.

Critically ill COVID-19 patients: a sociodemographic and clinical profile and associations between variables and workload.

Objective: To identify the sociodemographic and clinical profile of COVID-19 patients; measure workload and make associations between clinical variables.

Methods: Cross-sectional study with 150 adult COVID-19 patients in an intensive care unit (from March to June 2020). Data from the electronic medical record in the first 24 hours of hospitalization: gender, age, education, origin, comorbidities, invasive mechanical ventilation, prone maneuver, renal replacement therapy, pressure injury, Braden, Nursing Activities Score, diagnoses, and nursing care.

Policy and strategies addressing prevention and control of antimicrobial resistance in Brazil: A scoping review protocol.

Introduction: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is considered one of the biggest health challenges of the 21st century. It has both social and economic consequences; therefore, timely review of public health policies that have been designed to manage AMR is essential. Brazil too has developed and implemented various polices for the prevention and control of AMR.

Performance evaluation of segmentation methods for assessing the lens of the frog Thoropa miliaris from synchrotron-based phase-contrast micro-CT images.

Purpose: In the context of synchrotron microtomography using propagation-based phase-contrast imaging (XSPCT), we evaluated the performance of semiautomatic and automatic image segmentation of soft biological structures by means of Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) and volume quantification.

Methods: We took advantage of the phase-contrast effects of XSPCT to provide enhanced object boundaries and improved visualization of the lenses of the frog Thoropa miliaris. Then, we applied semiautomatic segmentation methods 1 and 2 (Interpolation and Watershed, respectively) and method 3, an automatic segmentation algorithm using the U-Net architecture, to the reconstructed images.

Anthropogenic influences on sedimentary geochemistry of Itapessoca Estuarine Complex, Pernambuco, Brazil.

The Itapessoca Estuarine Complex is characterized by a history of intense economic activities developed on the banks of its tributary rivers, often exercised without any control or planning. In order to relate natural and/or anthropic events to the sediment age, radiometric dating method was performed by determining excess Pb in the sediment using the proportional gas flow technique. To investigate possible disturbances in recent sedimentation processes in studied area, 20 surfaces sediment samples and 2 sediment cores were collected for determination of concentrations of the chemical elements.

Assessment of the temporal retention of mercury and nutrient records within the mangrove sediments of a highly impacted estuary.

Mangrove ecosystems are dynamic and biodiverse environments with the capacity to sequester more organic carbon per unit area, per time, than terrestrial forests, yet are among one of the most heavily degraded ecosystems on Earth. Here, we quantify trace metal, nutrient and carbon accumulation rates in a tropical mangrove environment in northeast Brazil, a region that has been rapidly developed over the past seven decades. Carbon accumulation rate results show modest or no increase since the 1950's, when major development occurred in the region.

Response to Awake Prone Position in Nonintubated Individuals With COVID-19.

Background: Prone positioning is used for patients with ARDS undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation; its effectiveness in nonventilated awake patients is unclear. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the prone maneuver in decreasing the risk of intubation and increasing the odds of favorable events.

Methods: We prospectively evaluated 66 subjects with COVID-19-related moderate ARDS who were admitted to the ICU; treated with high-flow nasal cannula, noninvasive ventilation, a reservoir mask, or a nasal cannula; and subjected to awake prone maneuvers from March 1, 2020-August 30, 2020.

Smartphone as a tool for evaluating oblique muscle dysfunction.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe a simple, accessible, and reliable method using a smartphone for evaluating oblique muscle dysfunctions.

Methods: The photograph rotation tool in the iPhone PHOTO app was used by 75 examiners to evaluate 22 photographs from only 9 patients, captured in infra- and supra-dextroversion, and infra- and supra-levoversion, as not all the patients were photographed in the 4 positions mentioned. Each patient received a score for the superior and inferior oblique muscle functions, ranging from -4 (hypofunction) to 4 (hyperfunction) or 0 (normal function), using preediting and postediting photographs.