Publications by authors named "Jose L Proenca-Modena"

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is linked to high mortality, primarily through an intense inflammatory response. Diacerein has emerged as a potential therapy for COVID-19 due to its potential impact in decreasing the inflammasome activation and coronavirus replication. This study aims to explore diacerein's influence in inhibiting both viral replication and the inflammatory response after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

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  • The study explores the resurgence of Oropouche fever in Brazil from 2023 to 2024, focusing on virological factors influencing the outbreak after decades of sporadic cases.
  • Researchers gathered data from various sources, analyzed serum samples from patients and previously infected individuals, and performed molecular tests to understand the virus's characteristics and behavior.
  • The findings showed an extraordinary spike in cases in 2024, with over 8,600 confirmed incidents, highlighting the virus's widespread distribution across all regions of Brazil.
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  • * The study included data from 2015 to 2024, revealing a dramatic rise in infections—83.2% occurring in the North—and identified a novel OROV strain that is much more virulent than the original prototype.
  • * The new OROV strain was shown to replicate significantly faster and more effectively in mammalian cells, with a notable decrease in neutralizing antibodies from individuals previously infected, indicating a potential threat to public health.
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SARS-CoV-2 can induce vascular dysfunction and thrombotic events in patients with severe COVID-19; however, the cellular and molecular mechanisms behind these effects remain largely unknown. In this study, we used a combination of experimental and in silico approaches to investigate the role of PC in vascular and thrombotic events in COVID-19. Single-cell RNA-sequencing data from patients with COVID-19 and healthy subjects were obtained from the publicly available Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) repository.

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We detected Mayaro virus (MAYV) in 3.4% (28/822) of febrile patients tested during 2018-2021 from Roraima State, Brazil. We also isolated MAYV strains and confirmed that these cases were caused by genotype D.

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  • Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) can lead to severe diseases, including chronic arthritis and, in rare cases, neurological issues and death, primarily transmitted by mosquitoes.
  • A comprehensive study revealed that deaths from CHIKV are linked to multi-organ infections, serious brain damage, and higher levels of inflammation in the body compared to survivors.
  • The research also found that CHIKV infection disrupts the blood-brain barrier, leading to increased permeability and changes in protein expression, enhancing our understanding of CHIK pathophysiology and fatal outcomes.
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Monkeypox virus (MPXV) infection was classified as a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2022, being transmitted between humans by large respiratory droplets, in contact with skin lesions, fomites, and sexually. Currently, there are no available accessible and simple-to-use diagnostic tests that accurately detect MPXV antigens for decentralized and frequent testing. Here, we report an electrochemical biosensor to detect MPXV antigens in saliva and plasma samples within 15 min using accessible materials.

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The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the agent of a major global outbreak of respiratory tract disease known as Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). SARS-CoV-2 infects mainly lungs and may cause several immune-related complications, such as lymphocytopenia and cytokine storm, which are associated with the severity of the disease and predict mortality. The mechanism by which SARS-CoV-2 infection may result in immune system dysfunction is still not fully understood.

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Background: Chikungunya is associated with high morbidity and the natural history of symptomatic infection has been divided into three phases (acute, post-acute, and chronic) according to the duration of musculoskeletal symptoms. Although this classification has been designed to help guide therapeutic decisions, it does not encompass the complexity of the clinical expression of the disease and does not assist in the evaluation of the prognosis of severity nor chronic disease. Thus, the current challenge is to identify and diagnose musculoskeletal disorders and to provide the optimal treatment in order to prevent perpetuation or progression to a potentially destructive disease course.

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Emerging and re-emerging viruses are a global health concern. Genome sequencing as an approach for monitoring circulating viruses is currently hampered by complex and expensive methods. Untargeted, metagenomic nanopore sequencing can provide genomic information to identify pathogens, prepare for or even prevent outbreaks.

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Occurrence of hyperglycemia upon infection is associated with worse clinical outcome in COVID-19 patients. However, it is still unknown whether SARS-CoV-2 directly triggers hyperglycemia. Herein, we interrogated whether and how SARS-CoV-2 causes hyperglycemia by infecting hepatocytes and increasing glucose production.

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  • A study analyzed the immune response (specifically IgA and IgG antibodies) in COVID-19 patients, focusing on the spike and nucleocapsid proteins of the virus to relate it to disease severity.
  • The research found that hospitalized patients with severe symptoms had a significantly stronger IgG response compared to those with mild symptoms, indicating a correlation between antibody levels and disease outcome.
  • The findings suggest that tracking specific antibody responses could help in understanding disease progression and potentially improving patient outcomes.
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Each year, the Brazilian Society for Virology promotes a national meeting during the second semester of the year. In October 2022, the 33rd meeting took place at Arraial da Ajuda, Porto Seguro, Bahia, in-person:.this was the first in-person meeting since 2019, as the 2020 and 2021 events occurred online due to the issues imposed by COVID-19.

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The COVID-19 pandemic was triggered by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, whose peak occurred in the years 2020 and 2021. The main target of this virus is the lung, and the infection is associated with an accentuated inflammatory process involving mainly the innate arm of the immune system. Here, we described the induction of a pulmonary inflammatory process triggered by the intranasal (IN) instillation of UV-inactivated SARS-CoV-2 in C57BL/6 female mice, and then the evaluation of the ability of vitamin D (VitD) to control this process.

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  • Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, has significantly affected Brazil since its introduction in 2013, leading to high case numbers and severe health outcomes, particularly in Ceará state.
  • An extensive study utilized genomic sequencing, vector data, and epidemiological records to analyze over 250,000 confirmed cases of chikungunya across Brazil from 2013 to 2022, identifying seven distinct epidemic waves.
  • The analysis revealed that females were more likely to be infected than males in Ceará, with a cumulative case-fatality ratio of 1.3 deaths per 1000 cases, and highlighted the recurrence of chikungunya in specific states like Ceará, Tocantins, and Pernambuco
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The duration and protectiveness of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in infected subjects are still uncertain; nonetheless, anti-S-specific antibodies can contribute to protective immunity against new infections. It has been described that the level of antibodies produced in COVID-19 is related to the severity of symptoms, and the majority of the humoral response studies have been conducted in hospitalized patients who have been, then, followed over time. However, about 80% of SARS-CoV-2 infections in unvaccinated people are mild to asymptomatic, and this percentage reaches more than 95% in vaccinated individuals.

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  • LDL levels in COVID-19 patients decline and exhibit phenotypic changes during the disease, which are linked to worse clinical outcomes.
  • A study with hospitalized COVID-19 patients found high levels of oxidized LDL (ox-LDL) were associated with increased mortality, especially for those whose ox-LDL levels rose significantly within the first week of hospitalization.
  • Lipidomic analysis revealed specific lipid changes in LDL, with a distinct pattern of lipid species varying between survivors and non-survivors, suggesting that monitoring these changes could help predict patient prognosis.
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Objectives: Several Flaviviruses can co-circulate. Pre-existing immunity to one virus can modulate the response to a heterologous virus; however, the serological cross-reaction between these emerging viruses in dengue virus (DENV)-endemic regions are poorly understood.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed among the residents of Manaus city in the state of Amazonas, Brazil.

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Background: With the progression of the Coronavirus disease pandemic, the number of mutations in the viral genome has increased, showing the adaptive evolution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in humans and intensification in transmissibility. Long-term infections also allow the development of viral diversity. In this study, we report the case of a child with severe combined immu presenting a prolonged severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection.

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The COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019), caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), severely affects mainly individuals with pre-existing comorbidities. Here our aim was to correlate the mTOR (mammalian/mechanistic Target of Rapamycin) and autophagy pathways with the disease severity. Through western blotting and RNA analysis, we found increased mTOR signaling and suppression of genes related to autophagy, lysosome, and vesicle fusion in Vero E6 cells infected with SARS-CoV-2 as well as in transcriptomic data mining of bronchoalveolar epithelial cells from severe COVID-19 patients.

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The hospital environment can be considered a high risk for the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 transmission outbreaks, either for health professionals who are directly involved in the care of suspected or confirmed cases of the disease, or for patients, for being in an environment more vulnerable to the acquisition of nosocomial infections. In this molecular epidemiology study, we aimed to analyze the occurrence and transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in outbreaks and local chains of transmission in a large tertiary teaching hospital in southern Brazil, in addition to verifying circulating strains and their epidemiological relation in the local context, from September 21, 2020 to October 5, 2021. Positive samples involved in COVID-19 clusters or outbreaks were analyzed using clinical, epidemiological and genomic data.

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This is the third year of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, and yet most children remain unvaccinated. COVID-19 in children manifests as mostly mild or asymptomatic, however high viral titers and strong cellular and humoral responses are observed upon acute infection. It is still unclear how long these responses persist, and if they can protect from re-infection and/or disease severity.

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  • The nucleocapsid (N) protein of coronaviruses is crucial for genome transcription and packaging, making it a prime focus for antiviral development.
  • A novel fluorescence polarization assay identified small molecules, notably L-chicoric acid (CA), that inhibit the N protein's binding to viral RNA.
  • CA was confirmed as a high-affinity ligand for the N protein and demonstrated effectiveness in reducing SARS-CoV-2 replication in cell cultures, highlighting potential new antiviral strategies.
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Visceral adiposity is a risk factor for severe COVID-19, and a link between adipose tissue infection and disease progression has been proposed. Here we demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 infects human adipose tissue and undergoes productive infection in fat cells. However, susceptibility to infection and the cellular response depends on the anatomical origin of the cells and the viral lineage.

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