Knowledge, practices, and perceived barriers on breast self-examination of female college students: Experience from a local higher education institution.

Background: Breast self-examination (BSE) is an inexpensive, harmless screening tool for finding breast cancer. This study examines the knowledge, practices, and perceived barriers of female college students from a local higher education institution (HEI) regarding BSE, focusing on those in the reproductive age group.

Materials And Methods: Three hundred sixty (360) female college students, including 226 health sciences majors and 134 non-health sciences majors, were selected through criteria sampling.

Mobility paradoxes: disruptors, benefits, and agency among mobile female sex workers living with HIV in the Dominican Republic and Tanzania.

Background: Mobility is a key social determinant of health for female sex workers (FSWs). While extant research has focused on the adverse effects of mobility for FSWs, there are very few studies that have examined the multiple ways in which mobility may impact the lives of these mobile women from their perspective. This qualitative study aims to fill this gap by exploring how mobility impacts the lives, livelihoods, and HIV care and treatment from the perspectives of women living with HIV in two epidemic settings, the Dominican Republic and Tanzania.

Rehabilitation of back pain with laser associated with negative or positive pressure massage in workers: A randomized controlled trial.

Background And Purpose: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are an array of conditions affecting the human locomotor system, such as muscles, tendons, nerves, bones, and joints. It is related to physiological, kinesiological and biomechanical changes which result in pain, paresthesia, inflammation, weakness, tiredness, heaviness in limbs, fatigue, reduced range of motion and/or compression of peripheral nerves. The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effects of positive (massage gum) or negative pressure (vacuum therapy) combined with laser on the health of workers with back pain, investigating pain intensity, shoulder mobility, spinal flexibility, life quality, and well-being.

Impact of food additives (sodium carbonate and ammonium bicarbonate) on interactions between astringent compounds and an oral cell model.

Many foods contain additives like sodium carbonate and ammonium bicarbonate to ensure safety, preserve quality, or extend shelf life. Recent studies suggest these additives may influence interactions between astringent compounds and oral cells. Using a tongue epithelium cell model, we investigated how these salts affect interactions between astringent compounds (phenolic and non-phenolic) and oral constituents.

5-Fluorouracil-loaded chitosan nanoparticles conjugated with methotrexate for targeted therapy of colorectal cancer.

The poor prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) is mainly associated with the highly invasive nature, delayed diagnosis, multidrug-resistant cells, tumor recurrence, and metastasis. Targeted therapies offer a promising means to enhance drug accumulation at the tumor site with the aid of cell-targeting ligands. Herein, chitosan-based multifunctional nanoparticles, conjugated with methotrexate (MTX) by covalent bonds, were designed for targeted delivery of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) to improve CRC therapy.

Urine and serum-based ELISA using a recombinant protein and synthetic peptide for the diagnosis of tegumentary leishmaniasis.

The diagnosis of tegumentary leishmaniasis (TL) presents problems by the variable sensitivity and specificity of the tests, and the biological samples used are also invasive. Here, ELISA experiments were performed using paired TL patient urine and serum samples in reaction against the recombinant LiHyS protein, a predicted B cell epitope and parasite antigenic extract (SLA). Two hundred and five paired samples were used, which were provided by TL patients, healthy controls and patients with Chagas disease, leprosy, malaria or HIV-infected.

HTLV infection in urban population from Mato Grosso do Sul, Central Brazil.

Background: Brazil has the highest number of HTLV-1 infection in Latin America, with around one million cases spread unevenly across regions. However, there is a limited number of studies on this infection in the general population. This cross-sectional study aimed to estimate the prevalence of HTLV as well as identify types, and subtypes of HTLV among the urban population of Campo Grande, capital of Mato Grosso do Sul state (MS).

Alanine Scanning to Define Membrane Protein-Lipid Interaction Sites Using Native Mass Spectrometry.

Lipids surrounding membrane proteins interact with different sites on the protein at varying specificities, ranging from highly specific to weak interactions. These interactions can modulate the structure, function, and stability of membrane proteins. Thus, to better understand membrane protein structure and function, it is important to identify the locations of lipid binding and the relative specificities of lipid binding at these sites.

The therapeutic potential of reduced graphene oxide in attenuating cuprizone-induced demyelination in mice.

Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) has unique physicochemical properties that make it suitable for therapeutic applications in neurodegenerative scenarios. This study investigates the therapeutic potential of rGO in a cuprizone-induced demyelination model in mice through histomorphological techniques and analysis of biochemical parameters. We demonstrate that daily intraperitoneal administration of rGO (1 mg ml) for 21 days tends to reduce demyelination in theby decreasing glial cell recruitment during the repair mechanism.

Informatics and Artificial Intelligence-Guided Assessment of the Regulatory and Translational Research Landscape of First-in-Class Oncology Drugs in the United States, 2018-2022.

Purpose: Cancer drug development remains a critical but challenging process that affects millions of patients and their families. Using biomedical informatics and artificial intelligence (AI) approaches, we assessed the regulatory and translational research landscape defining successful first-in-class drugs for patients with cancer.

Methods: This is a retrospective observational study of all novel first-in-class drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from 2018 to 2022, stratified by cancer versus noncancer drugs.

β2 integrins impose a mechanical checkpoint on macrophage phagocytosis.

Phagocytosis is an intensely physical process that depends on the mechanical properties of both the phagocytic cell and its chosen target. Here, we employed differentially deformable hydrogel microparticles to examine the role of cargo rigidity in the regulation of phagocytosis by macrophages. Whereas stiff cargos elicited canonical phagocytic cup formation and rapid engulfment, soft cargos induced an architecturally distinct response, characterized by filamentous actin protrusions at the center of the contact site, slower cup advancement, and frequent phagocytic stalling.

Live Cell Painting: image-based profiling in live cells using Acridine Orange.

Image-based profiling has been used to analyze cell health, drug mechanism of action, CRISPR-edited cells, and overall cytotoxicity. Cell Painting is a broadly used image-based assay that uses morphological features to capture how cells respond to treatments. However, this method requires cell fixation for staining, which prevents examining live cells.

Revisiting the Reaction of Sulfur Ylides with Acetylenic Esters: Synthesis of Trisubstituted 1,3-Dienes, α-Carbonyl Vinyl Sulfoxides and α-Carbonyl Vinyl Sulfoxonium Ylides.

We report herein a reexamination of the reactions between sulfoxonium ylides and acetylenic esters. Continuing our previous study of conjugate additions using α-carbonyl sulfoxonium ylides, we came across an interesting transformation when dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (DMAD) was employed as a Michael acceptor. Trisubstituted electron-deficient 1,3-dienes and α-carbonyl vinyl sulfoxides were obtained for the first time from these sulfur ylides, in a stereoselective manner (exclusively forming the E-isomer), achieving yields of up to 70 % and 83 %, respectively.

RaTexT®: a novel rapid tick exposure test for detecting acaricide resistance in Rhipicephalus microplus ticks in Brazil.

Background: Acaricide resistance in cattle ticks is a significant concern in (sub)tropical regions, particularly Brazil. The Larval Packet Test (LPT) is the standard laboratory bioassay for resistance diagnosis, which requires triplicates of seven acaricidal dilutions plus controls to cover larval mortalities ranging between 0 and 100%. The value of the LPT lies in providing resistance ratios based on the ratio between the LC50 calculated with potentially resistant and susceptible ticks.

Work-related stress in Medical and Dentistry programs.

Introduction: Stress occurs more frequently in groups in which the degree of responsibility and decision-making power play notable roles in society, such as professors and health professionals.

Objectives: To measure and understand the stress of professors in the undergraduate course of Medicine and Dentistry of a private educational institution in northeastern Brazil.

Methods: Observational, descriptive and exploratory study with a quantitative approach was conducted between November 2018 and September 2019.

Paradoxical sleep deprivation and restriction promote castration-like effects and local inflammatory responses in male gerbil prostate.

Paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD) presents different effects on metabolism and neurological functions. In addition, over long duration, sleep restriction (SR) can promote permanent changes. The prostate is an endocrine-dependent organ with homeostatic regulation directly related to hormone levels.

Disrupting the Path from Depression to Loneliness: Multilevel Resilience among Older Sexual Minority Men with and without HIV.

Existing studies examining resilience among sexual minority men (SMM) have been limited by only analyzing 1 level of resilience. We therefore investigated the impact of multiple levels of resilience on the bidirectional relationship between loneliness and depression symptoms among older SMM. Loneliness, depression symptoms, and multilevel resilience scores were collected across 3 time points (October 2016 to March 2017 [T1]; October 2017 to March 2018 [T2]; and October 2018 to March 2019 [T3]) among 1,264 SMM aged 40 years and older living with and without HIV.

Volatile profiles of Murcott and Ponkan mandarins obtained by stir bar sorptive extraction technique and their contributions to the fruit aroma.

Citrus species have undergone immense diversification ever since their ancestral origin. Ponkan and Murcott are two mandarin varieties widely consumed in Brazil and their aroma producing active compounds have not yet been extensively investigated. The present study analyzed the volatile constituents of the Ponkan and Murcott varieties employing the stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) technique and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis for the first time.

"You know that we travel a lot": Mobility narratives among female sex workers living with HIV in Tanzania and the Dominican Republic.

Female sex workers (FSW) are highly mobile, which may result in reduced access to and use of health services and increased risk for poor health outcomes, particularly for those living with HIV. Mobility includes spatial, temporal, and social elements that are not fully captured by quantitative measures. We conducted two rounds of in-depth interviews with FSW living with HIV in Iringa, Tanzania (n = 20), and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (n = 20), to describe mobility experiences and compare mobility narratives across settings.

Single-cell topographical profiling of the immune synapse reveals a biomechanical signature of cytotoxicity.

Immune cells have intensely physical lifestyles characterized by structural plasticity and force exertion. To investigate whether specific immune functions require stereotyped mechanical outputs, we used super-resolution traction force microscopy to compare the immune synapses formed by cytotoxic T cells with contacts formed by other T cell subsets and by macrophages. T cell synapses were globally compressive, which was fundamentally different from the pulling and pinching associated with macrophage phagocytosis.

Worldwide distribution, symptoms and diagnosis of the coinfections between malaria and arboviral diseases: a systematic review.

The coinfection between malaria (ML) and arboviral diseases represents a major global public health problem, particularly in tropical and subtropical countries. Despite its relevance, this topic is still insufficiently discussed in the current literature. Here, we aimed to investigate the worldwide distribution, symptoms, and diagnosis during coinfection between ML and arboviral diseases.

Users' expectations of the new pre-exposure prophylaxis for the HIV modalities.

This article aims to discuss the expectations of Homosexual Men, Bisexual Men and a Transgender Woman, who use or want to use an oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) about PrEP modalities. Sixteen PrEP users, who are followed up in the BCN Checkpoint, were interviewed,. The interviews were audio-recorded, subjected to thematic categorical analysis within the theoretical framework from the praxiographic perspective.