A comparative analysis of dengue, chikungunya, and Zika manifestations in a pediatric cohort over 18 years.

Background: Dengue, chikungunya, and Zika are mosquito-borne diseases of major human concern. Differential diagnosis is complicated in children and adolescents by their overlapping clinical features (signs, symptoms, and complete blood count results). Few studies have directly compared the three diseases.

Advancing therapeutic frontiers in urothelial carcinoma: targeted strategies and clinical implications.

Urothelial carcinoma poses significant challenges in clinical management due to its aggressive nature and high prevalence. While most diagnoses involve localized disease, advanced urothelial carcinoma (aUC) often leads to short overall survival (OS). Historically, platinum-based chemotherapy has been the primary treatment for aUC, although its efficacy is limited.

High-Flow Nasal Oxygen vs Noninvasive Ventilation in Patients With Acute Respiratory Failure: The RENOVATE Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: High-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) and noninvasive ventilation (NIV) are commonly used respiratory support therapies for patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF).

Objective: To assess whether HFNO is noninferior to NIV on the rates of endotracheal intubation or death at 7 days in 5 patient groups with ARF.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This noninferiority, randomized clinical trial enrolled hospitalized adults (aged ≥18 years; classified as 5 patient groups with ARF: nonimmunocompromised with hypoxemia, immunocompromised with hypoxemia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] exacerbation with respiratory acidosis, acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema [ACPE], or hypoxemic COVID-19, which was added as a separate group on June 26, 2023) at 33 hospitals in Brazil between November 2019 and November 2023 (final follow-up: April 26, 2024).

A Nutritional Strategy Based on Multiple Components for Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.

Background/objectives: The optimal dietary approach for managing glycemic and metabolic control in type 2 diabetes (T2D) is still uncertain, though it should be tailored for clinical settings. Therefore, we sought to assess the impact of a multicomponent nutritional strategy on glycemic control in T2D patients within a public health system.

Methods: NUGLIC was an open-label, parallel-group, superiority, multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Effect of a driving pressure-limiting strategy for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome secondary to community-acquired pneumonia: the STAMINA randomised clinical trial.

Background: This study aimed to assess whether a driving pressure-limiting strategy based on positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) titration according to best respiratory system compliance and tidal volume adjustment increases the number of ventilator-free days within 28 days in patients with moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

Methods: This is a multi-centre, randomised trial, enrolling adults with moderate to severe ARDS secondary to community-acquired pneumonia. Patients were randomised to a driving pressure-limiting strategy or low PEEP strategy based on a PEEP:FiO table.

Inflammatory and adhesion profile of gingival fibroblasts to lithium disilicate ceramic surfaces.

Objectives: Lithium disilicate (LS) ceramic emerges as a compelling option for customized implant abutments. However, ensuring its safety and reliability requires clarification on key aspects, notably its impact on inflammation and potential for cell adhesion. This study delves into these considerations, examining the influence of LS ceramic on cytokine release and the transcriptional profile of human gingival fibroblasts (hGFs) in direct contact with various LS surfaces.

Comparative analysis of hydrophobicity and dentin adhesion ability in Candida albicans strains.

Objective: Adhesion to dentin is a first step for a successful microbial root canal colonization. Cell hydrophobicity seems to have some influence in the Candida species adhesion to surfaces. To measure cell surface hydrophobicity and to investigate the adherence ability to human dentin among Candida albicans strains isolated from root canal and lingual dorsum via an in vitro study.

Evaluation of a Blood Reserve Protocol for Hip Fracture Surgery in the Elderly.

 To identify the predictive factors for the need for transfusion during and after surgery to treat hip fractures in the elderly and to evaluate a protocol to guide the request for blood reserves for surgery.  The medical records of 172 elderly patients undergoing surgical treatment for proximal femoral fractures were collected. Data on sex, age, preoperative hemoglobin level, diagnosis, and type of surgery were tested for correlation with blood transfusion.

Development of cellulose-based biosorbents from the residue of the peach palm agribusiness and simulation of industrial scale-up for copper removal from Brazilian spirit.

Background: Cachaça (Brazilian spirit) is an alcoholic beverage of cultural and economic importance in Brazil. Its artisanal production is usually conducted in copper alembics, which results in contamination. The development of effective biosorbents from cheap matrices is an alternative to minimize both solid waste generation and copper levels in cachaça.

Enhancing Analytical Sensitivity and Selectivity for Methylene Blue Determination in Water Samples by Using Multiphase Electroextraction Coupled with Optical Absorption Spectroscopy and Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering.

While optical analysis spectroscopy offers operational ease and low cost, it suffers from limitations regarding sensitivity when it comes to analyzing analytes at low concentrations. On the other hand, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) offers high sensitivity but low selectivity in complex matrices. In this study, we have effectively addressed these challenges by integrating multiphase electroextraction (MPEE) as a sample preparation technique with these two spectroscopic methods for determining methylene blue (MB) dye in tap water samples.

Antisense therapy to block the Kallikrein-kinin pathway in COVID-19: The ASKCOV randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: To assess the effect of antisense therapy to block kallikrein-kinin pathway in COVID-19 patients.

Material And Methods: Randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind, controlled trial enrolling hospitalized COVID-19 patients that required supplementary oxygen to sustain peripheral oxygen saturation. Key exclusion criteria included use of mechanical ventilation or vasopressors, and patients with more than 10 days since symptom onset or more than 48 h of oxygen use.

The hidden oases: unveiling trophic dynamics in Namib's fog plant ecosystem.

The Namib Desert is a hyperarid coastal desert where fog is a major moisture source. We hypothesized that the fog-harvesting grass Stipagrostis sabulicola establishes an important ecological niche, termed the "Fog-Plant-Oases" (FPOs), and serves as the primary carbon source for the invertebrate community. To determine this, we measured the natural variations of the stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes (δC and δN) of invertebrates as well as that of plant biomass and belowground detritus and estimated the contributions of the fog plants in their diets.

Primary exposure to Zika virus is linked with increased risk of symptomatic dengue virus infection with serotypes 2, 3, and 4, but not 1.

Infection with any of the four dengue virus serotypes (DENV1-4) can protect against or enhance subsequent dengue depending on preexisting antibodies and infecting serotype. Additionally, primary infection with the related flavivirus Zika virus (ZIKV) is associated with increased risk of DENV2 disease. Here, we measured how prior DENV and ZIKV immunity influenced risk of disease caused by DENV1-4 in a pediatric Nicaraguan cohort.

Prospective, randomized, controlled trial assessing the effects of a driving pressure-limiting strategy for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome due to community-acquired pneumonia (STAMINA trial): protocol and statistical analysis plan.

Background: Driving pressure has been suggested to be the main driver of ventilator-induced lung injury and mortality in observational studies of acute respiratory distress syndrome. Whether a driving pressure-limiting strategy can improve clinical outcomes is unclear.

Objective: To describe the protocol and statistical analysis plan that will be used to test whether a driving pressure-limiting strategy including positive end-expiratory pressure titration according to the best respiratory compliance and reduction in tidal volume is superior to a standard strategy involving the use of the ARDSNet low-positive end-expiratory pressure table in terms of increasing the number of ventilator-free days in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome due to community-acquired pneumonia.

Halofuginone for non-hospitalized adult patients with COVID-19 a multicenter, randomized placebo-controlled phase 2 trial. The HALOS trial.

Background: Halofuginone (PJS-539) is an oral prolyl-tRNA synthetase inhibitor that has a potent in vitro activity against SARS-CoV-2 virus. The safety and efficacy of halofuginone in Covid-19 patients has not been studied.

Methods: We conducted a phase II, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose ranging, safety and tolerability trial of halofuginone in symptomatic (≤ 7 days), mostly vaccinated, non-hospitalized adults with mild to moderate Covid-19.

Interactions between DNA and the acridine intercalator: A computational study.

Cancer is a global public health problem characterized by deviations in the mechanisms that control cell proliferation, resulting in mutations and variations in the structure of DNA. The mechanisms of action of chemotherapeutic drugs are related to their interactions and binding with DNA; consequently, the development of antineoplastic agents that target DNA has extensively focused on use of acridine, a heterocyclic molecule that binds to deoxyribonucleic acid via intercalation, a process that modifies DNA and makes replication impossible. In this context, this study aimed to computationally investigate how acridine intercalators interact with DNA by evaluating the mechanism of interactions, binding, and interaction energies using quantum mechanics calculations.

Distinctive genes and signaling pathways associated with type 2 diabetes-related periodontitis: Preliminary study.

The biological mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes (T2DM)-related periodontitis remain unclear. This cross-sectional study evaluated the distinctive transcriptomic changes between tissues with periodontal health and with periodontitis in patients with T2DM. In this cross-sectional study, whole transcriptome sequencing was performed on gingival biopsies from non-periodontitis and periodontitis tissues from non-diabetic and diabetic patients.

A scarab beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) causes tree mortality, delayed growth, and yield reduction in cacao with genotype-specific susceptibility to herbivory.

Background: This study explored the impact of Leucothyreus femoratus, a previously unreported folivorous pest in cacao cultivation, on cacao tree survival, development, and yield. The study was conducted in an experimental cacao plot in the Colombian plains, it featured 20 cacao genotypes in an agroforestry system, with plantain and Mexican sunflower providing temporary shade, and yopo offering permanent shade.

Results: We found an infestation rate of 2.

Lessons from a Multilaboratorial Task Force for Diagnosis of a Fatal Toxoplasmosis Outbreak in Captive Primates in Brazil.

Toxoplasmosis is an important zoonotic disease caused by the parasite and is especially fatal for neotropical primates. In Brazil, the Ministry of Health is responsible for national epizootic surveillance, but some diseases are still neglected. Here, we present an integrated investigation of an outbreak that occurred during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic among eleven neotropical primates housed at a primatology center in Brazil.

Primary exposure to Zika virus increases risk of symptomatic dengue virus infection with serotypes 2, 3, and 4 but not serotype 1.

Infection with any of the four dengue virus serotypes (DENV1-4) can protect against or enhance subsequent dengue depending on pre-existing antibodies and the subsequent infecting serotype. Additionally, primary infection with the related flavivirus Zika virus (ZIKV) has been shown to increase DENV2 disease. Here, we measured how prior DENV and ZIKV immunity influenced risk of disease caused by all four serotypes in a pediatric Nicaraguan cohort.