HLA haplotypes and differential regional mortality caused by COVID-19 in Brazil: an ecological study based on a large bone marrow donor bank dataset.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mortality rates varied among the states of Brazil during the course of the pandemics. The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) is a critical component of the antigen presentation pathway. Individuals with different HLA genotypes may trigger different immune responses against pathogens, which could culminate in different COVID-19 responses.

Synthesizing the connections between environmental disturbances and zoonotic spillover.

Zoonotic spillover is a phenomenon characterized by the transfer of pathogens between different animal species. Most human emerging infectious diseases originate from non-human animals, and human-related environmental disturbances are the driving forces of the emergence of new human pathogens. Synthesizing the sequence of basic events involved in the emergence of new human pathogens is important for guiding the understanding, identification, and description of key aspects of human activities that can be changed to prevent new outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics.

Beyond diversity loss and climate change: Impacts of Amazon deforestation on infectious diseases and public health.

Amazonian biodiversity is increasingly threatened due to the weakening of policies for combating deforestation, especially in Brazil. Loss of animal and plant species, many not yet known to science, is just one among many negative consequences of Amazon deforestation. Deforestation affects indigenous communities, riverside as well as urban populations, and even planetary health.

T-cell profile and systemic cytokine levels in overweight-obese patients with moderate to very-severe COPD.

This study aimed to evaluate the immune profile of lean and overweight-obese COPD patients. Forty patients with moderate to very severe COPD were divided into lean group (n=20; aged 62.00±8.

Ficolin Gene Polymorphisms in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Systemic lupus erythemathosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are complex autoimmune diseases characterized by an immune balance breakdown and by chronic inflammation. Several findings link SLE and RA development with the complement system and ficolin components have emerged as candidates for disease development. Since genetic association studies with ficolin genes in SLE and RA have not yet been conducted in a Brazilian population, the aim of this study was to determine whether polymorphisms of ficolin-1(FCN1) and ficolin-2 (FCN2) genes are associated with SLE and RA susceptibility as well as disease manifestation.

Behavior of human dental pulp cells exposed to transforming growth factor-beta1 and acidic fibroblast growth factor in culture.

The development of methods for regenerative endodontic procedures requires an understanding of the factors regulating the development of odontoblasts from adult cell populations such as pulpal cell lines. In this study, we exposed cultures of human pulp cells (7th passage) to growth factors including transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1, at 1 or 5 ng/mL), acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF, 5 ng/mL), or a combination of the 2 growth factors and evaluated cellular morphology and markers of cell phenotype including alkaline phosphatase activity, osteocalcin, bone sialoprotein (BSP), and dentin sialophosprotein (DSPP). The mean number of nucleoli in the 1 ng/mL TGF-beta1 group was significantly higher than with 5 ng/mL aFGF.

Is steroid resistance related to multidrug resistance-I (MDR-I) in rheumatoid arthritis?

Both healthy ageing and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are frequently associated with acquired steroid resistance. Here, we investigated the potential involvement of steroid resistance with multidrug resistance (MDR) and explored the impact of pathological ageing on lymphocyte sensitivity to glucocorticoids. Seventy-four RA patients and 26 healthy controls took part in this study.