Face mask use and viral load in patients with mild symptoms of COVID-19.

Objective: Previous studies indicated that face masks reduce the probability of infection by SARS-CoV-2 but did not examine the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 viral load and mask usage. This study analyzed this relationship.

Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated patients admitted to a public Emergency Care Unit in Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil, between October 2020 and March 2021.

Viral Infections and Their Ability to Modulate Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Response Pathways.

In eukaryotic cells, the endoplasmic reticulum is particularly important in post-translational modification of proteins before they are released extracellularly or sent to another endomembrane system. The correct three-dimensional folding of most proteins occurs in the ER lumen, which has an oxidative environment that is essential for the formation of disulfide bridges, which are important in maintaining protein structure. The ER is a versatile organelle that ensures the correct structure of proteins and is essential in the synthesis of lipids and sterols, in addition to offering support in the maintenance of intracellular calcium.

Dual Functionalization of Hyaluronan Dermal Fillers with Vitamin B3: Efficient Combination of Bio-Stimulation Properties with Hydrogel System Resilience Enhancement.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels are commonly used for facial dermal filling and for alternative medical aesthetic purposes. High diversity exists in commercial formulations, notably for the optimization of finished product stability, functionality, and performance. Polyvalent ingredients such as calcium hydroxylapatite (CaHA) or vitamin B3 (niacinamide) are notably used as bio-stimulants to improve skin quality attributes at the administration site.

Mechanistic Insights into the Multiple Functions of Niacinamide: Therapeutic Implications and Cosmeceutical Applications in Functional Skincare Products.

Niacinamide (or nicotinamide) is a small-molecule hydrosoluble vitamin with essential metabolic functions in mammalian cells. Niacinamide has become a key functional ingredient in diverse skincare products and cosmetics. This vitamin plays a pivotal role in NAD synthesis, notably contributing to redox reactions and energy production in cutaneous cells.

Mix-method toolbox for monitoring greenhouse gas production and microbiome responses to soil amendments.

In this study, we adopt an interdisciplinary approach, integrating agronomic field experiments with soil chemistry, molecular biology techniques, and statistics to investigate the impact of organic residue amendments, such as vinasse (a by-product of sugarcane ethanol production), on soil microbiome and greenhouse gas (GHG) production. The research investigates the effects of distinct disturbances, including organic residue application alone or combined with inorganic N fertilizer on the environment. The methods assess soil microbiome dynamics (composition and function), GHG emissions, and plant productivity.

Carbon and Nutrients from Organic Residues Modulate the Dynamics of Prokaryotic and Fungal Communities.

Inputs of carbon (C) and nutrients from organic residues may select specific microbes and shape the soil microbial community. However, little is known about the abiotic filtering of the same residues with different nutrient concentrations applied to the soil. In our study, we explored how applying organic residue, vinasse, as fertilizer in its natural state (V) versus its concentrated form (CV) impacts soil microbiota.

New anti-SARS-CoV-2 aminoadamantane compounds as antiviral candidates for the treatment of COVID-19.

Here, the antiviral activity of aminoadamantane derivatives were evaluated against SARS-CoV-2. The compounds exhibited low cytotoxicity to Vero, HEK293 and CALU-3 cells up to a concentration of 1,000 µM. The inhibitory concentration (IC) of aminoadamantane was 39.

Manipulation of unfolded protein response by zoonotic and .

The replicative success of vaccinia virus (VACV) depends on its ability to subvert host functions. Poxviruses multiplication and maturation are closely associated with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and its membranes. This organelle responds to disturbances caused by the accumulation of misfolded proteins, leading to processing of these proteins or even programmed cell death through the unfolded protein response (UPR).

Multi-experiment assessment of soil nitrous oxide emissions in sugarcane.

Unlabelled: Soil nitrous oxide (NO) fluxes comprise a significant part of the greenhouse gas emissions of agricultural products but are spatially and temporally variable, due to complex interactions between climate, soil and management variables. This study aimed to identify the main factors that affect NO emissions under sugarcane, using a multi-site database from field experiments. Greenhouse gas fluxes, soil, climate, and management data were obtained from 13 field trials spanning the 2011-2017 period.

SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Test Based on a New Anti-Nucleocapsid Protein Monoclonal Antibody: Development and Real-Time Validation.

SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic tests have become an important tool for pandemic control. Among the alternatives for COVID-19 diagnosis, antigen rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDT) are very convenient and widely used. However, as SARS-CoV-2 variants may continuously emerge, the replacement of tests and reagents may be required to maintain the sensitivity of Ag-RDTs.

RT-qPCR-based pool testing for the diagnosis of COVID-19.

This study proposes a strategy for large-scale testing among a large number of people for the early diagnosis of COVID-19 to elucidate the epidemiological situation. Pool testing involves the analysis of pooled samples. This study aimed to discuss a reverse transcription technique followed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction using pool testing to detect SARS-CoV-2 in nasopharyngeal swab samples.

Vaccinia virus induces endoplasmic reticulum stress and activates unfolded protein responses through the ATF6α transcription factor.

Background: Cell responses to different stress inducers are efficient mechanisms that prevent and fight the accumulation of harmful macromolecules in the cells and also reinforce the defenses of the host against pathogens. Vaccinia virus (VACV) is an enveloped, DNA virus, belonging to the Poxviridae family. Members of this family have evolved numerous strategies to manipulate host responses to stress controlling cell survival and enhancing their replicative success.

New trends in sugarcane fertilization: Implications for NH volatilization, NO emissions and crop yields.

Recycling nutrients helps to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture and contributes to alleviating the effects of global climate change. A recent trend in sugarcane cultivation is the application of concentrated vinasse (CV) combined with fertilizers into an organo-mineral formulation to improve logistics, reduce costs and foster the circular economy. However, the implications of the application of such organo-mineral formulation in sugarcane fields are unclear.

33rd Brazilian Society for Virology (SBV) 2022 Annual Meeting.

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.

Self-collected nasopharyngeal swab and molecular test using pool testing as strategies to detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2): feasibility in medical students at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2021.

Objective: To show the feasibility of the combined use of self-collected nasopharyngeal swab and pool testing to detect SARS-CoV-2 in epidemiological surveys.

Methods: This experience included a sample of 154 students at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, who performed self-collected nasopharyngeal swab in individual cabins and without supervision. The molecular test was performed using the pool testing technique.

The 32nd Brazilian Society of Virology (SBV) 2021 Annual Meeting.

The Brazilian Society of Virology has been organizing annual meetings for 32 years now. The 32nd annual meeting, which occurred in 2021, was once again an online meeting in consequence of the issues imposed by COVID-19, even with the vaccination advances. As in the 2020 meeting, the number of attendees was high, with considerable participation by undergraduate, graduate, and postdoc students.

Survey of SARS-CoV-2 genetic diversity in two major Brazilian cities using a fast and affordable Sanger sequencing strategy.

Genetic variants of SARS-CoV-2 have been emerging and circulating in many places across the world. Rapid detection of these variants is essential since their dissemination can impact transmission rates, diagnostic procedures, disease severity, response to vaccines or patient management. Sanger sequencing has been used as the preferred approach for variant detection among circulating human immunodeficiency and measles virus genotypes.

High Rate of Mutational Events in SARS-CoV-2 Genomes across Brazilian Geographical Regions, February 2020 to June 2021.

Brazil was considered one of the emerging epicenters of the coronavirus pandemic in 2021, experiencing over 3000 daily deaths caused by the virus at the peak of the second wave. In total, the country had more than 20.8 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, including over 582,764 fatalities.

Zoonotic vaccinia virus strains belonging to different genetic clades exhibit immunomodulation abilities that are proportional to their virulence.

Background: The vaccinia virus (VACV) isolates, Guarani P1 virus (GP1V) and Passatempo virus (PSTV), were isolated during zoonotic outbreaks in Brazil. Each one of them belongs to two different VACV clades, defined by biological aspects that include virulence in mice and phylogenetic analysis. Considering that information about how vaccinia viruses from different groups elicit immune responses in animals is scarce, we investigated such responses in mice infected either by GP1V (group 2) or PSTV (group 1), using VACV Western Reserve strain (VACV-WR) as control.

Dynamics and resilience of soil mycobiome under multiple organic and inorganic pulse disturbances.

Disturbances in soil can cause short-term soil changes, consequently changes in microbial community what may result in long-lasting ecological effects. Here, we evaluate how multiple pulse disturbances effect the dynamics and resilience of fungal community, and the co-occurrence of fungal and bacterial communities in a 389 days field experiment. We used soil under sugarcane cultivation as soil ecosystem model, and organic residue (vinasse - by-product of sugarcane ethanol production) combined or not with inorganic (organic residue applied 30 days before or together with mineral N fertilizer) amendments as disturbances.

Nitrification inhibitors effectively target N O-producing Nitrosospira spp. in tropical soil.

The nitrification inhibitors (NIs) 3,4-dimethylpyrazole (DMPP) and dicyandiamide (DCD) can effectively reduce N O emissions; however, which species are targeted and the effect of these NIs on the microbial nitrifier community is still unclear. Here, we identified the ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) species linked to N O emissions and evaluated the effects of urea and urea with DCD and DMPP on the nitrifying community in a 258 day field experiment under sugarcane. Using an amoA AOB amplicon sequencing approach and mining a previous dataset of 16S rRNA sequences, we characterized the most likely N O-producing AOB as a Nitrosospira spp.