Higher frequency of interstate over international transmission chains of SARS-CoV-2 virus at the Rio Grande do Sul - Brazil state borders.

Brazil's COVID-19 response has faced challenges due to the continuous emergence of variants of concern (VOCs), emphasizing the need for ongoing genomic surveillance and retrospective analyses of past epidemic waves to reassess and fine tune containment protocols. Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil's southernmost state, has international borders and trades with Argentina and Uruguay, along with significant domestic connections within Brazil. The identification of source and sink transmission chains at national and international scales can identify main hubs and pathways to target future interventions.

Nicotine and Vape: Drugs of the Same Profile Flock Together.

Smoking, a major behavioral health burden, causes preventable and premature deaths globally. Nicotine, the addictive component present in tobacco products and Electronic cigarettes (E-cigarettes, vape), can bind to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the brain to trigger a dopamine release that reinforces smoking. Despite the widespread usage of nicotine, its mechanisms of toxicity, particularly in e-cigarettes, are poorly understood.

Mining differentially expressed genes during paratomy in the transcriptome of the flatworm Stenostomum leucops.

Paratomy is an asexual reproductive process that occurs in annelids, flatworms and other groups. During this process, anterior structures are formed in the middle of the body, giving rise to segmented organisms, each segment being called a zooid. Once formed, the zooids detach and form new organisms.

Carboxymethylation of β-Glucan from Pythium insidiosum: Structural characterization and preliminary adsorption evaluation of DON and T2 toxin.

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of carboxymethylation on the structural and functional properties of β-glucan derived from the pathogenic oomycete Pythium insidiosum. β-Glucan was extracted and subjected to carboxymethylation (CM-glucan), with structural changes analyzed using C and H NMR spectroscopy. The modified β-glucan's ability to adsorb mycotoxins, specifically deoxynivalenol (DON) and T2 toxin, was assessed through in vitro adsorption assays.

A novel picorna-like virus in the flatworm Stenostomum leucops (Catenulida).

We present the genome sequence and organization and evidence of persistence of a new picorna-like virus infecting the flatworm Stenostomum leucops. The complete genome sequence belongs to a virus with a positive single-stranded RNA genome with two open reading frames (ORFs) flanked by untranslated regions and a polyadenylated C-terminus. The ORFs encode proteins with conserved motifs typical of members of the order Picornavirales.