Publications by authors named "Bastos C"

A 22-year-old woman presented with an ulcer on her right earlobe 2 months ago, with inflammation and enlarged ipsilateral lymph nodes in her neck. She was treated with antibiotics without success and then was referred to an infectious disease specialist. She has a cat at home with sporotrichosis, but without direct contact with the lesion, she did not remember any scratching by the cat.

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  • Major depressive disorder (MDD) is linked to neuroinflammatory processes involving the NLRP3 inflammasome, and a study examined the impact of the NLRP3 rs10754558 polymorphism on MDD diagnoses among young adults.
  • A population-based study with 1,100 participants found no significant association between the NLRP3 genotype and MDD diagnosis, but a clinical trial showed that individuals with the GG genotype had poorer treatment outcomes compared to those with GC/CC genotypes.
  • Longitudinal analyses indicated that GG individuals experienced less improvement in depressive and anxiety symptoms over time, suggesting that this genotype may affect the effectiveness of psychotherapy for MDD.
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  • Childhood trauma negatively affects mental health and can be passed down to future generations, impacting the emotional and behavioral issues of children.
  • The study analyzed 310 preschool-aged children to see how maternal childhood trauma interacted with genetic factors, specifically the COMT ValMet variant, and assessed behavioral problems using established questionnaires.
  • Results showed that while maternal trauma generally increases behavioral issues in children, those with the Val/Met genotype are less prone to certain problems compared to those with other genetic variants, highlighting the importance of both trauma and genetics in child development.
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Growth factor receptor-bound protein 2 (GRB2) is a negative regulator of insulin signaling and a positive regulator of angiogenesis. Its expression is increased in a mouse model of retinal neovascularization and in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This case-control study aimed to investigate the association between the rs9896052 polymorphism (A>C) upstream of and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) in patients with T2DM from Southern Brazil, taking into consideration self-reported skin color (white or non-white) and the known duration of diabetes (<10 years or ≥10 years).

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Bovine anaplasmosis is endemic and is of fundamental importance worldwide. Therefore, measures for controlling and preventing clinical diseases are warranted to ensure the reduction of associated economic losses. The objective of the present study was to assess the post-inoculation effects and protection conferred by three different protocols of inoculation of low-virulence live strains of Anaplasma marginale (UFMG1 and UFMG3) in field-challenged cattle.

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Blood culture is crucial for accurate and timely bacteremia diagnosis and guide antibiotic therapy. However, during culture sampling, contamination can occur, resulting in misdiagnosis, unnecessary antibiotic exposure, and prolonged hospitalization. This before-and-after intervention study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a multimodal intervention in preventing blood culture contamination.

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Stray dogs and cats pose significant challenges for public health and animal welfare due to their potential involvement in zoonotic disease transmission, accidents, and aggressions. Large urban centers exacerbated challenges due to the presence of these animals in public areas with high human density. Ethical Population Management Programs (EPMP), rooted in the One Health approach, are crucial for addressing this issue comprehensively.

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Biosurfactants, sustainable alternatives to petrochemical surfactants, are gaining attention for their potential in medical applications. This study focuses on producing, purifying, and characterizing a glycolipid biosurfactant from Candida sp. UFSJ7A, particularly for its application in biofilm prevention on siliconized latex catheter surfaces.

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Context: Due to advances in synthesizing lower-dimensional materials, there is the challenge of finding the wave equation that effectively describes quantum particles moving on 1D and 2D domains. Jensen and Koppe and Da Costa independently introduced a confining potential formalism showing that the effective constrained dynamics is subjected to a scalar geometry-induced potential; for the confinement to a curve, the potential depends on the curve's curvature function.

Method: To characterize the electrons in polyenes, we follow two approaches.

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The transplacental transmission of parasites and hemoparasites is crucial for understanding the epidemiology of diseases. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of hemopathogens in bovine fetuses at various gestational periods. Samples were obtained from a slaughterhouse in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and a total of 236 fetuses were collected.

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  • The CACNA1C gene is linked to calcium channels that influence brain functions related to mood and behavior, specifically in depression.
  • In a study with male and female mice subjected to chronic stress, impaired emotional regulation was primarily found in males, with changes in gene expression observed in their brains.
  • The findings suggest a connection between CACNA1C, Nfat5, and Bdnf genes, with potential implications for understanding and treating psychiatric conditions.
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Pelotherapy treatments in thermal spas, which utilize peloids composed of clay minerals mixed with saltwater or mineral-medicinal water, can have various effects on spa users, ranging from therapeutic to potential adverse reactions. Despite the widespread use of peloids, comprehensive information on the penetration and permeation of essential and potentially toxic elements into deeper layers of the skin during pelotherapy is limited. Understanding the concentrations of these elements is crucial for evaluating therapeutic benefits and ensuring safety.

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  • The capuchin monkey is an ideal model for neuroscience research due to its unique biological features like brain structure, genetic profile, and cognitive abilities.
  • Traditional stereotactic neurosurgery methods often rely on brain atlases but can result in inaccuracies due to individual variations in monkeys' brain sizes and shapes.
  • A new protocol using MRI imaging, along with a 3D-printed stereotactic head-holder and non-invasive fiducial markers, allows for personalized brain coordinate derivation, enhancing experimental design and accuracy in neurosurgery and benefiting other nonhuman primate research.
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Urinary tract infections are among the most prevalent types of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in hospitals and nursing homes, and they are primarily a result of unnecessary catheter usage and inadequate care. In Portugal, epidemiological data indicate that catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) remain widespread in clinical settings, resulting in increased morbidity and mortality rates among vulnerable populations. This study aimed to assess urinary catheter use in an oncology ward in Portugal and to evaluate nurses' adherence to the government-endorsed standards for preventing CAUTIs.

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Objective: This study sought to describe the experience of a group of older adults who participated in a chronic illness self-management program.

Methods: The study employed a qualitative phenomenological approach. Participants were eight elders and data collected using semi-structured interviews Data was analysed using thematic analysis.

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Malignant germ-cell-tumours (GCTs) are characterised by microRNA (miRNA/miR-) dysregulation, with universal over-expression of miR-371~373 and miR-302/367 clusters regardless of patient age, tumour site, or subtype (seminoma/yolk-sac-tumour/embryonal carcinoma). These miRNAs are released into the bloodstream, presumed within extracellular-vesicles (EVs) and represent promising biomarkers. Here, we comprehensively examined the role of EVs, and their miRNA cargo, on (fibroblast/endothelial/macrophage) cells representative of the testicular GCT (TGCT) tumour microenvironment (TME).

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We evaluated the impact of an Achyrocline satureioides inflorescence infusion on the clinical outcomes of viral respiratory infections, including those caused by SARS-CoV-2, in a monocentric, randomized, open-label, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Patients with symptoms of viral respiratory infection, including suspected cases of COVID-19, were included and assigned to receive either A. satureioides (n = 57) or Malus domestica (n = 67) infusions twice a day for 14 days.

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  • Menopause is associated with a decrease in estrogen production, leading to various physiological and cognitive changes, prompting the need for alternatives to mitigate these effects.
  • High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has shown potential benefits for cognitive function by boosting antioxidant defenses and levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).
  • In a study with ovariectomized rats, HIIT improved memory and increased BDNF levels, but also raised anxiety and corticosterone levels, indicating a complex impact on behavior and neurochemistry related to memory impairments.
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Although the boll weevil (BW), (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) has been attributed to the significant losses caused to cotton yield in the Americas, the categorization as a quarentenary pest in places where it is still not occurring has increased its relevance worldwide. In areas where it is widespread, pest suppression relies on many broad-spectrum insecticide applications. However, other control tactics are sought.

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This work aims to describe the observed enrichment of inverted repeats in the human genome; and to identify and describe, with detailed length profiles, the regions with significant and relevant enriched occurrence of inverted repeats. The enrichment is assessed and tested with a recently proposed measure (-scores based measure). We simulate a genome using an order 7 Markov model trained with the data from the real genome.

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  • - Sporotrichosis is a fungal disease affecting both humans and animals, particularly in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, where a study aimed to examine its spread and the species of *Sporothrix* involved in recent outbreaks.
  • - The research found a notable rise in sporotrichosis cases among animals, mostly affecting cats, with *Sporothrix brasiliensis* identified as the primary pathogen in all tested cases over four years.
  • - Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the strains found in Belo Horizonte likely originated from earlier outbreaks in Rio de Janeiro, suggesting interconnected outbreaks in Brazil, which highlights the need for genetic monitoring to manage and control the disease effectively.
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The risks associated with the use of peloids in thermal centers, spas, or at home, must be tested to develop appropriate safety guidelines for peloids formulations and the release of substances of high concern. Additionally, the beneficial effects of some elements on human health should be assessed to aid in interpreting the therapeutic action and effectiveness of pelotherapy on dermatological or osteomuscular disorders. Therefore, a methodology was developed to better understand the biogeochemical behavior of the elements in formulated peloids.

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