Publications by authors named "Marielena V Saivish"

Inhibition of HIV-1 protease is a cornerstone of antiretroviral therapy. However, the notorious ability of HIV-1 to develop resistance to protease inhibitors (PIs), particularly darunavir (DRV), poses a major challenge. Using quantum chemistry and computer simulations, this study aims to investigate the interactions between two novel PIs, GRL-004 and GRL-063, as well as a wild-type (WT) HIV strain and a DRV-resistant mutant strain.

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Brazil has earned the moniker "arbovirus hotspot", providing an ideal breeding ground for a multitude of arboviruses thriving in various zoonotic and urban cycles. As the planet warms and vectors expand their habitat range, a nuanced understanding of lesser-known arboviruses and the factors that could drive their emergence becomes imperative. Among these viruses is the Iguape virus (IGUV), a member of the species, which was first isolated in 1979 from a sentinel mouse in the municipality of Iguape, within the Vale do Ribeira region of São Paulo State.

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Chikungunya disease typically presents with the fever-arthralgia-rash symptom triad. However, an increase in the number of atypical clinical manifestations, particularly neurological disorders, has occurred. The current evidence regarding the pooled prevalence of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV)-associated neurological cases (CANCs) suspected of having an arboviral aetiology is not well-understood.

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Oropouche virus (OROV) is a member of the family and the causative agent of a dengue-like febrile illness transmitted by mosquitoes. Although mild symptoms generally occur, complications such as encephalitis and meningitis may develop. A lack of proper diagnosis, makes it a potential candidate for new epidemics and outbreaks like other known arboviruses such as Dengue, Yellow Fever and Zika virus.

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Cacipacoré virus (CPCV) was discovered in 1977 deep in the Amazon rainforest from the blood of a black-faced ant thrush (). As a member of the family Flaviviridae and genus orthoflavivirus, CPCV's intricate ecological association with vectors and hosts raises profound questions. CPCV's transmission cycle may involve birds, rodents, equids, bovines, marsupials, non-human primates, and bats as potential vertebrate hosts, whereas and spp.

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The arbovirus Chikungunya (CHIKV) is transmitted by mosquitoes in urban environments, and in humans, it triggers debilitating symptoms involving long-term complications, including arthritis and Guillain-Barré syndrome. The development of antiviral therapies is relevant, as no efficacious vaccine or drug has yet been approved for clinical application. As a detailed map of molecules underlying the viral infection can be obtained from the metabolome, we validated the metabolic signatures of Vero E6 cells prior to infection (CC), following CHIKV infection (CV) and also upon the inclusion of the nsP2 protease inhibitor wedelolactone (CWV), a coumestan which inhibits viral replication processes.

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Oropouche virus (OROV) is an emerging vector-borne arbovirus found in South America that causes Oropouche fever, a febrile infection similar to dengue fever. It has a high epidemic potential, causing illness in over 500,000 cases diagnosed since the virus was first discovered in 1955. Currently, the prevention of human viral infection depends on vaccination, but availability for many viruses is limited, and they are classified as neglected viruses.

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The Oropouche virus (OROV) is a member of the family (order ) and the cause of a dengue-like febrile illness transmitted mainly by biting midges and mosquitoes. In this study, we aimed to explore acylphloroglucinols and xanthohumol from hops ( L.) as a promising alternative for antiviral therapies.

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Zika virus (ZIKV) has re-emerged in recent decades, leading to outbreaks of Zika fever in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. Despite its drastic re-emergence and clinical impact, no vaccines or antiviral compounds are available to prevent or control ZIKV infection. This study evaluated the potential antiviral activity of quercetin hydrate against ZIKV infection and demonstrated that this substance inhibits virus particle production in A549 and Vero cells under different treatment conditions.

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Ilhéus virus (ILHV) is a neglected mosquito-borne flavivirus. ILHV infection may lead to Ilhéus fever, an emerging febrile disease like dengue fever with the potential to evolve into a severe neurological disease characterized by meningoencephalitis; no specific treatments are available for this disease. This study assessed the antiviral properties of caffeic acid, an abundant component of plant-based food products that is also compatible with the socioeconomic limitations associated with this neglected infectious disease.

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Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an arthropod-borne virus that belongs to the genus (family Togaviridae). CHIKV causes chikungunya fever, which is mostly characterized by fever, arthralgia and, sometimes, a maculopapular rash. The bioactive constituents of hops (, Cannabaceae), mainly acylphloroglucinols, known as well as - and -acids, exerted distinct activity against CHIKV, without showing cytotoxicity.

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Ilheus fever is a mosquito-borne, poorly known tropical disease. We aimed to report the pooled rate of exposure to the Ilheus virus (ILHV) and clinical outcomes of infection to determine the epidemiological patterns of ILHV. We conducted a meta-analysis of 37 studies ( = 17,722 individuals) from Latin America.

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The mosquito-borne disease caused by the Rocio virus is a neglected threat, and new immune inputs for serological testing are urgently required for diagnosis in low-resource settings and epidemiological surveillance. We used in silico approaches to identify a specific antigenic peptide (p_ROCV2) in the NS1 protein of the Rocio virus that was theoretically predicted to be stable and exposed on its surface, where it demonstrated key properties allowing it to interact with antibodies. These findings related to the molecular dynamics of this peptide provide important insights for advancing diagnostic platforms and investigating therapeutic alternatives.

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Rocio virus (ROCV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus and human pathogen. The virus is indigenous to Brazil and was first detected in 1975 in the Sao Paulo State, and over a period of two years was responsible for several epidemics of meningoencephalitis in coastal communities leading to over 100 deaths. The vast majority of ROCV infections are believed to be subclinical and clinical manifestations can range from uncomplicated fever to fatal meningoencephalitis.

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Nanoparticles (NPs) have a wide range of applications in various areas. For health application, cytotoxicity tests are used to ensure its efficiency and safety. In this paper, ZnFeO, CoFeO, ZnCoFeO NPs were synthesized, characterized and their antibacterial properties were evaluated.

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The Brazilian regions are still highly endemic areas for Canine morbillivirus [canine distemper virus (CDV)]. However, little is known regarding the genetic variability of the strain circulating in several Brazilian regions. Here, we report the first full-length genome and molecular characterization of CDV isolated from domestic dogs in the Brazilian Center-West region.

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In a short time, humanity has experienced two pandemics: the influenza A virus pandemic (pH1N1) in 2009 and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020. Therefore, it is likely that the general population will erroneously seek to compare the two pandemics and adopt similar attitudes in facing them. However, the two pandemics have their intrinsic characteristics that distinguish them considerably; for example, the virulence of the infectious agents and the availability of treatment and vaccine.

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At the beginning of the 21st century, a new deadly infectious disease known as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was recognized as a global public health threat. Subsequently, ten years after the initial SARS cases occurred in 2002, new cases of another atypical respiratory disease caused worldwide concern. This disease became known as Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and was even more lethal than SARS.

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Recent seroprevalence studies in animals detected Rocio virus in regions of Brazil, indicating risk for re-emergence of this pathogen. We identified Rocio virus RNA in samples from 2 human patients for whom dengue fever was clinically suspected but ruled out by laboratory findings. Testing for infrequent flavivirus infections should expedite diagnoses.

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Introduction: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major health problem associated with considerable risk of mortality in different regions of the world. The purpose of this study was to investigate the contribution of HCV infection on all-cause and liver-related mortality, in a large cohort of blood donors in Brazil.

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of blood donors from 1994 to 2013, at Fundação Pró-Sangue-Hemocentro de São Paulo (FPS).

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The Mayaro virus is endemic to South America, and the possible involvement of Aedes spp. mosquitoes in its transmission is a risk factor for outbreaks of greater proportions. The virus causes a potentially disabling illness known as Mayaro fever, which is similar to that caused by the chikungunya virus.

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Background: Canine morbillivirus (canine distemper virus, CDV) persists as a serious threat to the health of domestic dogs and wildlife. Although studies have been conducted on the frequency and risk factors associated with CDV infection, there are no comprehensive data on the current epidemiological magnitude in the domestic dog population at regional and national levels. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional study and included our results in a meta-analysis to summarize and combine available data on the frequency and potential risk factors associated with CDV infection.

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Introduction:: Emerging diseases are of great interest, especially those associated with high mortality rates such as hantaviruses. We aimed to conduct a seroepidemiological survey to determine the levels of hantavirus infection.

Methods:: In-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect specific antibodies.

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