Retinoblastoma in Ceara: An epidemiological study in a Brazilian pediatric oncology referral center.

Purpose: Although Brazil has a high prevalence of retinoblastoma, there is a lack of epidemiological data on the disease. Thus, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the epidemiological profile of patients diagnosed with retinoblastoma in the ophthalmology department of a pediatric tertiary referral hospital in Ceara, Brazil.

Methods: A descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted by retrospectively analyzing the clinical and socioeconomic data from the medical records of pediatric patients followed-up at the hospital between 2007 and 2021.

The burden of pediatric critical illness among pediatric oncology patients in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Pediatric oncology patients have increased risk for critical illness; outcomes are well described in high-income countries (HICs); however, data is limited for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL and Global Health databases for articles in 6 languages describing mortality in children with cancer admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) in LMICs. Two investigators independently assessed eligibility, data quality, and extracted data.

Preventing and Treating Pain and Anxiety during Needle-Based Procedures in Children with Cancer in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

: Children with cancer experience significant pain and anxiety during needle-based procedures. Undertreated pain in children has long-lasting consequences and reduces the efficacy of subsequent analgesic efforts. A validated quality improvement (QI) intervention, known as the "Children's Comfort Promise", includes (1) topical anesthetics, (2) sucrose or breastfeeding for infants, (3) comfort positioning, and (4) distraction techniques, and has been shown to be highly effective in decreasing procedural pain and anxiety in children.

A research definition and framework for acute paediatric critical illness across resource-variable settings: a modified Delphi consensus.

The true global burden of paediatric critical illness remains unknown. Studies on children with life-threatening conditions are hindered by the absence of a common definition for acute paediatric critical illness (DEFCRIT) that outlines components and attributes of critical illness and does not depend on local capacity to provide critical care. We present an evidence-informed consensus definition and framework for acute paediatric critical illness.

A Specific Polymorphic Genotype Modulates the Risk of Parasitemia While , , and Variant Profiles and HIV Infection Protect Against Cardiomyopathy in Chagas Disease.

Background: Chagas disease caused by () affects approximately six million individuals worldwide. Clinical manifestations are expected to occur due to the parasite persistence and host immune response. Herein we investigated potential associations between , , , or polymorphism profiles and cardiomyopathy or parasitemia, as well as the impact of HIV infection on cardiopathy.

Antitrypanosomal activity and effect in plasma membrane permeability of (-)-bornyl p-coumarate isolated from Piper cernuum (Piperaceae).

This work describes the isolation of six metabolites from leaves and branches of Piper cernuum (Piperaceae): (-)-cubebin (1), (-)-hinokinin (2), (-)-kusunokinin (3), trans-dehydroagarofuran (4), 11-hydroxi-4,5-secoeudesmane-4,5-dione (5), and (-)-bornyl p-coumarate (6). Antitrypanosomal activity and toxicity of purified compounds were performed in vitro against trypomastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi and NCTC cells, respectively. Compounds 2, 3 and 5 showed moderate activities with IC values of 33.

Dehydrodieugenol B derivatives as antiparasitic agents: Synthesis and biological activity against Trypanosoma cruzi.

Chagas disease is a neglected protozoan disease that affects more than eight million people in developing countries. Due to the limited number and toxicity profiles of therapies in current use, new drugs are urgently needed. In previous studies, we reported the isolation of two related antitrypanosomal neolignans from Nectandra leucantha (Lauraceae).

Efficacy of sertraline against : an in vitro and in silico study.

Background: Drug repurposing has been an interesting and cost-effective approach, especially for neglected diseases, such as Chagas disease.

Methods: In this work, we studied the activity of the antidepressant drug sertraline against trypomastigotes and intracellular amastigotes of the Y and Tulahuen strains, and investigated its action mode using cell biology and in silico approaches.

Results: Sertraline demonstrated in vitro efficacy against intracellular amastigotes of both strains inside different host cells, including cardiomyocytes, with IC values between 1 to 10 μM, and activity against bloodstream trypomastigotes, with IC of 14 μM.

Acetylenic fatty acids from Porcelia macrocarpa (Annonaceae) against trypomastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi: Effect of octadec-9-ynoic acid in plasma membrane electric potential.

Porcelia macrocarpa (Warm.) R. E.

Antitrypanosomal activity and evaluation of the mechanism of action of diterpenes from aerial parts of Baccharis retusa (Asteraceae).

Baccharis retusa, a medicinal Brazilian plant from Asteraceae, has been used in Brazilian folk medicine to treatment of several illnesses, including parasitic diseases. Bioactivity-guided fractionation of the n-hexane extract from the aerial parts of B. retusa resulted in the isolation and characterization of three active related diterpenes: ent-15β-senecioyl-oxy-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid (1), ent-kaur-16-en-19-oic (2) and ent-16-oxo-17-nor-kauran-19-oic (3) acids.

Rearranged Terpenoids from the Marine Sponge Darwinella cf. oxeata and Its Predator, the Nudibranch Felimida grahami.

Marine sponges are a rich source of terpenoids with rearranged spongian carbon skeletons. Investigation of extracts from the sponge Darwinella cf. oxeata yielded four new rearranged diterpenoids, oxeatine (2) and oxeatamides H-J (3-5), as well as the known metabolites oxeatamide A (6), oxeatamide A methyl ester (7), and membranolide (1).

Investigation of Calcium Channel Blockers as Antiprotozoal Agents and Their Interference in the Metabolism of Leishmania (L.) infantum.

Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease are neglected parasitic diseases endemic in developing countries; efforts to find new therapies remain a priority. Calcium channel blockers (CCBs) are drugs in clinical use for hypertension and other heart pathologies. Based on previous reports about the antileishmanial activity of dihydropyridine-CCBs, this work aimed to investigate whether the in vitro anti-Leishmania infantum and anti-Trypanosoma cruzi activities of this therapeutic class would be shared by other non-dihydropyridine-CCBs.

Gibbilimbol analogues as antiparasitic agents--Synthesis and biological activity against Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania (L.) infantum.

The essential oils from leaves of Piper malacophyllum (Piperaceae) showed to be mainly composed by two alkenylphenol derivatives: gibbilimbols A and B. After isolation and structural characterization by NMR and MS data analysis, both compounds were evaluated against promastigote/amastigote forms of Leishmania (L.) infantum as well as trypomastigote/amastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi.

Diazepam and fluoxetine decrease the stress response in zebrafish.

The presence of pharmaceutical products in the aquatic environment has been reported in several studies. However, the impact of these drugs on living organisms is still uncharacterized. Here, we investigated the effects of acute exposure to either diazepam or fluoxetine on the stress response in Danio rerio.

Agrichemicals chronically inhibit the cortisol response to stress in fish.

We studied the stress response of Rhamdia quelen fingerlings at 45, 90, 135 and 180 d following acute exposure to agrichemicals. Herein, we report the novel observation that acute exposure of fingerling-aged fish to a methyl parathion-based insecticide (MPBI) and to a tebuconazole-based fungicide (TBF) induced chronic inhibition of the stress response. In contrast, fish exposed to an atrazine-simazine-based herbicide (ASBH) recovered the stress response on day 45, and fish exposed to a glyphosate-based herbicide (GBH) did not present stress response inhibition.

Chemical communication of predation risk in zebrafish does not depend on cortisol increase.

We investigated chemical cues among groups of zebrafish (Danio rerio) when communicating information about the risk of predation. We found that visual cues of the predator (tiger Oscar, Astronotus ocellatus) did not increase whole-body cortisol levels in groups of zebrafish but that water conditioned by these (donor) zebrafish stressed (target) conspecifics, thereby increasing whole-body cortisol. This finding was confirmed when these zebrafish groups were in different aquaria and communicated exclusively via water transfer.

Puberty influences stress reactivity in female catfish Rhamdia quelen.

We investigated a group of Rhamdia quelen females during their entire first reproductive cycle and beginning of the 2nd cycle by evaluating the stress response at different phases of gonadal maturation. In mammals, including humans, pubertal development modulates stress response reactivity due to the maturation of the neuroendocrine stress axis. These shifts in the stress reactivity were also detected in salmonid fishes.

Alcohol impairs predation risk response and communication in zebrafish.

The effects of ethanol exposure on Danio rerio have been studied from the perspectives of developmental biology and behavior. However, little is known about the effects of ethanol on the prey-predator relationship and chemical communication of predation risk. Here, we showed that visual contact with a predator triggers stress axis activation in zebrafish.

Bee products prevent agrichemical-induced oxidative damage in fish.

In southern South America and other parts of the world, aquaculture is an activity that complements agriculture. Small amounts of agrichemicals can reach aquaculture ponds, which results in numerous problems caused by oxidative stress in non-target organisms. Substances that can prevent or reverse agrichemical-induced oxidative damage may be used to combat these effects.

Resveratrol and grape juice differentially ameliorate cardiovascular autonomic modulation in L-NAME-treated rats.

Polyphenols consumption detected in red wine and grape juice may prevent or help in the treatment of hypertension. However, cardiovascular autonomic effects of polyphenols were poorly studied. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of resveratrol and grape juice treatments in hemodynamics, baroreflex sensitivity, heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) variability and cardiac redox parameters.

Acceptance of hospital diets and nutritional status among inpatients with cancer.

Objective: To verify acceptance of hospital diets as to the nutritional status among patients admitted to the Oncology/Hematology Unit of a tertiary care hospital.

Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted among 100 patients, aged ≥ 18 years, of both genders. Body mass index and subjective global nutritional evaluation by patients were used to detect the nutritional status.

Chemical communication of handling stress in fish.

We investigated whether juveniles of the nocturnal fish jundiá (Rhamdia quelen) and the diurnal fish Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) are able to chemically communicate stress to conspecifics. Groups of 8 fish were reared in tanks under recirculated water (water exchanged among all the tanks) for each species. Fish were handled in half of the tanks (stressor fish) and whole-body cortisol concentrations were compared among handled fish, non-handled fish exposed to water from the handled fish, and non-handled control fish held with no water communication.

Assessment of oxidative stress and metabolic changes in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) acutely exposed to different concentrations of the fungicide tebuconazole.

The aim of this research is to determine the lethal concentration (LC(50-96 h)) of fungicide tebuconazole for common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and to investigate the occurrence of oxidative stress and metabolic changes after acute exposure to different concentrations of tebuconazole. For this purpose, several parameters were assessed as whole-body levels of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS), protein carbonyl, catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione S-transferase, nonprotein thiols, ascorbic acid, glycogen, glucose, lactate, protein, amino acids and ammonia in tebuconazole-exposed fish. The calculated LC(50-96 h) was 2.

Assessment of oxidative stress in Rhamdia quelen exposed to agrichemicals.

Due to the proximity of crop and fish culture areas, some agrichemicals that could be harmful for fish could enter into fishponds by different ways, such as by leaching through rain. Rhamdia quelen (Teleostei) were exposed to sublethal concentrations of methyl parathion (MP), a glyphosate based herbicide (Gly), and tebuconazole (Teb). The liver of R.