NMR Studies on the Structure of Yeast Sis1 and the Dynamics of Its Interaction with Ssa1-EEVD.

HSP70 chaperones play pivotal roles in facilitating protein folding, refolding, and disaggregation through their binding and releasing activities. This intricate process is further supported by J-domain proteins (JDPs), also known as DNAJs or HSP40s, which can be categorized into classes A and B. In yeast, these classes are represented by Ydj1 and Sis1, respectively.

CheckAP: Prevalence of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and performance evaluation of the EARP questionnaire in the population of Portuguese patients with psoriasis followed in a dermatology setting.

Background: The percentage of Portuguese psoriasis patients with psoriatic arthritis is unknown but musculoskeletal complaints related to PsA affect up to a third of patients. Dermatologists can identify early PsA as skin symptoms often precede joint symptoms in 80% of patients. Efficient and easy to perform screening tools are needed to help dermatologists effectively discriminate between Pso and PsA patients.

Backbone NMR resonance assignment of Sis1, a type B J-domain protein from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

J-domain proteins (JDPs) are essential cochaperones of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70), as they bind and deliver misfolded polypeptides while also stimulating ATPase activity, thereby mediating the refolding process and assisting Hsp70 in maintaining cellular proteostasis. Despite their importance, detailed structural information about JDP‒Hsp70 complexes is still being explored due to various technical challenges. One major challenge is the lack of more detailed structural data on full-length JDPs.

Impact of Etonogestrel-releasing contraceptive implant use in cisgender women with Sickle cell disease.

Background: Sickle cell disease is a hereditary hemolytic anemia that exposes women to increased health risks especially in pregnancy, with serious implications for the woman and fetus. Acute pain episodes can occur multiple times per month and result in reduction of quality of life and disruption of her life.

Objective: To assess the clinical, including pain and metabolic parameters of women with sickle cell disease using etonogestrel-releasing contraceptive implants.

Molecular Detection and Characterization of Rickettsia Species in Ixodid Ticks from Selected Regions of Namibia.

Rickettsial pathogens are among the emerging and re-emerging vector-borne zoonoses of public health importance. Reports indicate human exposure to Rickettsial pathogens in Namibia through serological surveys, but there is a lack of data on infection rates in tick vectors, hindering the assessment of the relative risk to humans. Our study sought to screen Ixodid ticks collected from livestock for the presence of species in order to determine infection rates in ticks and to determine the species circulating in the country.

Serological Evidence of Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever in Livestock in the Omaheke Region of Namibia.

This research examined the positivity ratio of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) antibodies in cattle and sheep within Namibia's Omaheke region after a human disease outbreak in the same geographical area. A total of 200 samples (100 cattle and 100 sheep) were randomly collected from animals brought to two regional auction sites, and then tested using the ID Screen CCHF Double Antigen Multi-Species Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay kit. Of the cattle samples, 36% tested positive, while 22% of the sheep samples were seropositive.

Patients hospitalized with active tuberculosis and Covid-19 coinfection: A matched case-control from the Brazilian Covid-19 Registry.

Although control of Covid-19 has improved, the virus continues to cause infections, such as tuberculosis, that is still endemic in many countries, representing a scenario of coinfection. To compare Covid-19 clinical manifestations and outcomes between patients with active tuberculosis infection and matched controls. This is a matched case-control study based on data from the Brazilian Covid-19 Registry, in hospitalized patients aged 18 or over with laboratory confirmed Covid-19 from March 1, 2020, to March 31, 2022.

Corrigendum: Assessment of risk scores to predict mortality of COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2023.

Cycling versus swapping strategies in psoriatic arthritis: results from the rheumatic diseases Portuguese register.

Objective: To compare the 2-year retention rate between a second tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitor (TNFi) and secukinumab (SEK) or ustekinumab (UST), in Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) patients with previous inadequate response to their first TNFi.

Methods: Prospective longitudinal cohort study with a follow-up period of 2 years using the Nationwide Portuguese Reuma.pt database.

Backbone and sidechain NMR assignments of residues 1-81 from yeast Sis1 in complex with an Hsp70 C-terminal EEVD peptide.

Molecular chaperones aid proteins to fold and assemble without modifying their final structure, requiring, in several folding processes, the interplay between members of the Hsp70 and Hsp40 families. Here, we report the NMR chemical shift assignments for  H,  N, and  C nuclei of the backbone and side chains of the J-domain of the class B Hsp40 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Sis1, complexed with the C-terminal EEVD motif of Hsp70. The data revealed information on the structure and backbone dynamics that add significantly to the understanding of the J-domain-Hsp70-EEVD mechanism of interaction.

Assessment of risk scores to predict mortality of COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit.

Objectives: To assess the ABC-SPH score in predicting COVID-19 in-hospital mortality, during intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and to compare its performance with other scores (SOFA, SAPS-3, NEWS2, 4C Mortality Score, SOARS, CURB-65, modified CHA2DS2-VASc, and a novel severity score).

Materials And Methods: Consecutive patients (≥ 18 years) with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 admitted to ICUs of 25 hospitals, located in 17 Brazilian cities, from October 2020 to March 2022, were included. Overall performance of the scores was evaluated using the Brier score.

Novel scFv against Notch Ligand JAG1 Suitable for Development of Cell Therapies toward JAG1-Positive Tumors.

The Notch signaling ligand JAG1 is overexpressed in various aggressive tumors and is associated with poor clinical prognosis. Hence, therapies targeting oncogenic JAG1 hold great potential for the treatment of certain tumors. Here, we report the identification of specific anti-JAG1 single-chain variable fragments (scFvs), one of them endowing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells with cytotoxicity against JAG1-positive cells.

Mechanical ventilation and death in pregnant patients admitted for COVID-19: a prognostic analysis from the Brazilian COVID-19 registry score.

Background: The assessment of clinical prognosis of pregnant COVID-19 patients at hospital presentation is challenging, due to physiological adaptations during pregnancy. Our aim was to assess the performance of the ABC-SPH score to predict in-hospital mortality and mechanical ventilation support in pregnant patients with COVID-19, to assess the frequency of adverse pregnancy outcomes, and characteristics of pregnant women who died.

Methods: This multicenter cohort included consecutive pregnant patients with COVID-19 admitted to the participating hospitals, from April/2020 to March/2022.

Development of Dl1.72, a Novel Anti-DLL1 Antibody with Anti-Tumor Efficacy against Estrogen Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer.

The Notch-signaling ligand DLL1 has emerged as an important player and promising therapeutic target in breast cancer (BC). DLL1-induced Notch activation promotes tumor cell proliferation, survival, migration, angiogenesis and BC stem cell maintenance. In BC, DLL1 overexpression is associated with poor prognosis, particularly in estrogen receptor-positive (ER) subtypes.

Development and validation of voltammetric method for determination of amoxicillin in river water.

Amoxicillin is an antibiotic that can accumulate in aquatic environments and lead to the development of resistant bacteria; thus, its determination is of great importance. In this study, a glassy carbon electrode modified with reduced graphene oxide and Nafion was used as a sensor in a square-wave voltammetry method for determination of amoxicillin in river water samples from Guarapuava city, Brazil. The method was validated, using parameters and statistical tools recommended by the validation guidelines, in the range of 1.

Membrane interactions of the anuran antimicrobial peptide HSP1-NH: Different aspects of the association to anionic and zwitterionic biomimetic systems.

Studies have suggested that antimicrobial peptides act by different mechanisms, such as micellisation, self-assembly of nanostructures and pore formation on the membrane surface. This work presents an extensive investigation of the membrane interactions of the 14 amino-acid antimicrobial peptide hylaseptin P1-NH (HSP1-NH), derived from the tree-frog Hyla punctata, which has stronger antifungal than antibacterial potential. Biophysical and structural analyses were performed and the correlated results were used to describe in detail the interactions of HSP1-NH with zwitterionic and anionic detergent micelles and phospholipid vesicles.

Liquid-liquid phase separation and fibrillation of the prion protein modulated by a high-affinity DNA aptamer.

Structural conversion of cellular prion protein (PrP) into scrapie PrP (PrP) and subsequent aggregation are key events associated with the onset of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). Experimental evidence supports the role of nucleic acids (NAs) in assisting this conversion. Here, we asked whether PrP undergoes liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) and if this process is modulated by NAs.

Nurses in the triage of the emergency department: self-compassion and empathy.

Objective: to adapt the Consultation and Relational Empathy Measure (Brazilian version) for nurses; to evaluate the concurrence between empathy self-reported by nurses and that perceived by patients; To correlate self-compassion to the empathy self-reported by nurses and perceived by patients.

Method: seven specialists validated the Consultation and Relational Empathy Measure Nurses (Brazilian version)' adaptation by original author's authorization. A sample with 15 triage nurses and 93 patients they admitted to the Emergency Department of a philanthropic private hospital were interviewed according to the following instruments: Consultation and Relational Empathy Measure - Nurses (Brazilian version) and the Self-Compassion Scale (Brazilian version).

Selective antibacterial activity of the cationic peptide PaDBS1R6 against Gram-negative bacteria.

Infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa foremost among them, constitute a major worldwide health problem. Bioinformatics methodologies are being used to rationally design new antimicrobial peptides, a potential alternative for treating these infections. One of the algorithms used to develop antimicrobial peptides is the Joker, which was used to design the peptide PaDBS1R6.

Molecular orientation and femtosecond charge transfer dynamics in transparent and conductive electrodes based on graphene oxide and PEDOT:PSS composites.

The conducting polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-polystyrenesulfonic acid (PEDOT:PSS), is certainly one of the most important substitute materials for indium tin oxide in organic devices. Its metallic conductivity and transmittance bring favorable perspectives for organic photovoltaic applications. Although graphene oxide (GO) is not a good conductor, it can form high-quality thin films and can be transparent, and additionally, GO is an inexpensive material and can be easily synthesized.

Fast and potent bactericidal membrane lytic activity of PaDBS1R1, a novel cationic antimicrobial peptide.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising candidates for the development of future antibiotics. In an attempt to increase the efficacy of therapeutic AMPs, computer-based design methods appear as a reliable strategy. In this study, we evaluated the antimicrobial efficiency and mechanism of action of a novel designed AMP named PaDBS1R1, previously designed by means of the Joker algorithm, using a fragment of the ribosomal protein L39E from the archaeon Pyrobaculum aerophilum as a template.

In silico optimization of a guava antimicrobial peptide enables combinatorial exploration for peptide design.

Plants are extensively used in traditional medicine, and several plant antimicrobial peptides have been described as potential alternatives to conventional antibiotics. However, after more than four decades of research no plant antimicrobial peptide is currently used for treating bacterial infections, due to their length, post-translational modifications or  high dose requirement for a therapeutic effect . Here we report the design of antimicrobial peptides derived from a guava glycine-rich peptide using a genetic algorithm.

Highly Conducting, Sustainable, Nanographitic Rubber Composites.

Environmentally friendly multifunctional rubber composites are reported. Graphitic nanocarbon (NC) deriving from cracking of biogas (methane/carbon dioxide) and natural rubber extracted directly from the tree are the two components of these composites produced via latex technology. While maintaining and enhancing the intrinsic thermal and mechanical characteristics of rubber, the presence of NC shows a significant improvement on the electrical response.

Imprinted Naked Pt Nanoparticles on N-Doped Carbon Supports: A Synergistic Effect between Catalyst and Support.

A synergistic effect resulting from the interaction of small (2.4-3.1 nm) naked Pt nanoparticles (NPs) imprinted on N-doped carbon supports is evidenced by structural, electronic and electrochemical characterization.