Sometimes, the size matters: Wing geometric morphometrics as a tool to assess domiciliation by Triatoma sordida (Stäl 1859).

Background: Domiciliation by Triatoma sordida is a public health concern in South America. This study aimed to evaluate the morphometric changes in the domestic and peridomestic populations of T. sordida.

IgG Isotypes Targeting a Recombinant Chimeric Protein of Trypanosoma cruzi in Different Clinical Presentations of Chronic Chagas Disease.

Chagas disease (CD) is caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, which leads to a spectrum of clinical presentations that range from asymptomatic to severe cardiac involvement. The host immune response plays a pivotal role in disease progression. Ig isotypes may contribute to disease pathogenesis.

Accuracy of the urine point-of-care circulating cathodic antigen assay for diagnosing Schistosomiasis mansoni infection in Brazil: A multicenter study.

Background: The World Health Organization recommends a market-ready, urine-based point-of-care diagnostic test for circulating cathodic antigens (CCA) to determine the prevalence of S. mansoni. This study evaluated the performance of the URINE CCA (SCHISTO) ECO TESTE® (POC-ECO), which is currently available in Brazil.

Arsenic Trioxide Triggers Apoptosis of Metastatic Oral Squamous Cells Carcinoma with Concomitant Downregulation of GLI1 in Hedgehog Signaling.

Given the lack of advances in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) therapy in recent years, pharmacological strategies to block OSCC-related signaling pathways have gained prominence. The present study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of Arsenic Trioxide (ATO) concerning its antitumoral effects and the inhibition of the Hedgehog (HH) pathway in OSCC. Initially, ATO cytotoxicity was assessed in a panel of cell lines.

Performance of Chimeric Antigens in Serological Screening for Chagas Disease in Blood Banks.

Chagas disease (CD) is among the top 10 causes of inability to blood donation. Blood donation centers screen for anti- antibodies using highly sensitive immunoenzymatic (ELISA) or chemiluminescent methods, which can lead to false positive results. Since positive samples cannot be used, to avoid the loss of valuable blood donations, it is necessary to improve specificity without reducing the sensitivity of the tests used for blood screening.

Reliability of point-of-care circulating cathodic antigen assay for diagnosing schistosomiasis mansoni in urine samples from an endemic area of Brazil after one year of storage at -20 degrees Celsius.

Background: The World Health Organization recommends reliable point-of-care (POC) diagnostic testing to eliminate schistosomiasis. Lateral flow immunoassay that detects schistosome circulating cathodic antigen (CCA) in urine to establish prevalence thresholds for intervention in endemic areas is recommended. Stored urine may be useful if surveying at-risk populations is delayed or interrupted by unforeseen circumstances, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Low specificity of point-of-care circulating cathodic antigen (POCCCA) diagnostic test in a non-endemic area for schistosomiasis mansoni in Brazil.

A point-of-care test for detecting schistosome circulating cathodic antigen in urine (POCCCA) has been proposed for mapping infection and defining prevalence thresholds for mass drug administration (MDA). However, there is increasing evidence that POCCCA may yield false-positive results, which requires rigorous specificity evaluation in non-endemic areas. POCCCA was applied in an area known to be free from infection and devoid of any condition for schistosomiasis transmission as part of a multicentre study to evaluate the performance of POCCCA in Brazil's low or potentially endemic settings.

Inhibition of CAL27 Oral Squamous Carcinoma Cell by Targeting Hedgehog Pathway With Vismodegib or Itraconazole.

Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) presents an important challenge for the health systems worldwide. Thus, unraveling the biological mechanisms involved in OSCC pathogenesis is essential to the discovery of new drugs with anticancer potential. The Hedgehog (HH) pathway has shown promising results as a therapeutic target both and This study aimed to investigate the effects of vismodegib and itraconazole on the expression of Hedgehog (HH) genes (PTCH1, SMO, and GLI1), cell cycle and cell death in OSCC cells.

GANT61 Reduces Hedgehog Molecule (GLI1) Expression and Promotes Apoptosis in Metastatic Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells.

Due to its importance in the pathogenesis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), the Hedgehog (HH) pathway is considered a potential therapeutic target. We investigated the effects of GANT61, a GLI inhibitor, on HH gene expression, as well as on metastatic OSCC cell proliferation and death. Following culture in DMEM medium, cytotoxicity of GANT61 against different tumor and non-tumor cell types was assessed by alamarBlue assays.

Seroprevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi infection among blood donors in the state of Bahia, Brazil.

Introduction: Chagas disease (CD) affects 5.7-7.0 million individuals worldwide, and its prevalence reached 25.

Detection of anti-Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies by chimeric antigens in chronic Chagas disease-individuals from endemic South American countries.

Background: Laboratory diagnosis of chronic Chagas disease is a troubling factor due to lack of reference tests. The WHO suggests the use of two distinct commercial serological tests in parallel. The performance of commercial immunoassays might fluctuate depending on the antigenic matrices and the local strains of T.

β-Lapachone and its iodine derivatives cause cell cycle arrest at G/M phase and reactive oxygen species-mediated apoptosis in human oral squamous cell carcinoma cells.

β-Lapachone is a natural naphthoquinone originally obtained from the bark of the purple Ipe (Tabebuia avellanedae Lor, Bignoniaceae) and its therapeutic potential in human cancer cells has been evaluated in several studies. In this study, we examined the effects of β-lapachone and its 3-iodine derivatives (3-I-α-lapachone and 3-I-β-lapachone) on cell proliferation, cell death, and cancer-related gene expression in human oral squamous cell carcinoma cells. β-Lapachone and its 3-iodine derivatives showed potent cytotoxicity against different types of human cancer cell lines.

Relationship between diabetes mellitus and heart rate variability in community-dwelling elders.

Background And Objective: Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and may influence the autonomic nervous system. This study aims to analyze the autonomic control, through heart rate variability (HRV), from community-dwelling elders with (DM+) and without diabetes mellitus (DM-).

Materials And Methods: This cross-sectional study, in which 205 elders (≥ 60 years old), from the urban area of Aiquara municipality gave their written consent to participate.

Dissemination of the ST-103 clonal complex serogroup C meningococci in Salvador, Brazil.

Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is a major public health problem worldwide. An epidemic of serogroup C (NmC) IMD occurred in 2010 in the city of Salvador. In this study, we describe the antigenic and genetic characterization of meningococcal isolates collected from meningitis cases in Salvador from 2001 to 2012.

Genotyping of HBV and tracking of resistance mutations in treatment-naïve patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Background And Aims: Resistance mutation analogs to nucleos(t)ides have been described in treatment-naïve patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), with clinical implications. The aim of this study was to investigate primary resistance mutations and genotypes circulating in patients naïve to chronic hepatitis B, in the Northern and Northeastern regions of Brazil.

Methods: We conducted a study of resistance mutations and genotypic characterization of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in 189 treatment-naïve patients chronically infected with HBV.

Heterogenic colonization patterns by Leptospira interrogans in Rattus norvegicus from urban slums.

We evaluated the renal colonization by Leptospira interrogans in Rattus norvegicus (rats), as it is the major natural reservoir of urban leptospirosis. We caught 72 R. norvegicus, out of which 32 were found to be positive for L.

Evaluation of pre-induction temperature, cell growth at induction and IPTG concentration on the expression of a leptospiral protein in E. coli using shaking flasks and microbioreactor.

Background: Leptospirosis is a zoonose that is increasingly endemic in built-up areas, especially where there are communities living in precarious housing with poor or non-existent sanitation infrastructure. Leptospirosis can kill, for its symptoms are easily confused with those of other diseases. As such, a rapid diagnosis is required so it can be treated effectively.

Immunomodulatory treatment with thalidomide in experimental leptospirosis in Golden Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus).

Background: The benefit of antibiotics in leptospirosis is limited when treatment is started four days after symptoms appear, and new adjuvant therapeutic options are urgently needed.

Methods: Hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) were infected by Leptospira interrogans strain L1-130, and groups were assigned based on no treatment (NONE), thalidomide only (TAL), ampicillin only (AMP) or both (AMP-TAL). Treatment was started two days after the onset of symptoms (experiment 1) and immediately after detection of the first death (experiment 2).

Ionic imbalance and lack of effect of adjuvant treatment with methylene blue in the hamster model of leptospirosis.

Leptospirosis in humans usually involves hypokalaemia and hypomagnesaemia and the putative mechanism underlying such ionic imbalances may be related to nitric oxide (NO) production. We previously demonstrated the correlation between serum levels of NO and the severity of renal disease in patients with severe leptospirosis. Methylene blue inhibits soluble guanylyl cyclase (downstream of the action of any NO synthase isoforms) and was recently reported to have beneficial effects on clinical and experimental sepsis.

Surveillance for leptospirosis in the Americas, 1996-2005: a review of data from ministries of health.

Objective: To characterize current leptospirosis reporting practices in the Americas.

Methods: Information was collected from the official websites of national ministries of health from the Americas region and two international organizations; personal communications; and three international morbidity databases. For all sources other than the morbidity databases, the review was limited to official reports citing clinically suspected and laboratory confirmed leptospirosis cases or deaths during the period 1996-2005.

Biological, biochemical and molecular features of Trypanosoma cruzi strains isolated from patients infected through oral transmission during a 2005 outbreak in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil: its correspondence with the new T. cruzi Taxonomy Consensus (2009).

We examined strains of Trypanosoma cruzi isolated from patients with acute Chagas disease that had been acquired by oral transmission in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil (2005) and two isolates that had been obtained from a marsupial (Didelphis aurita) and a vector (Triatoma tibiamaculata). These strains were characterised through their biological behaviour and isoenzymic profiles and genotyped according to the new Taxonomy Consensus (2009) based on the discrete typing unities, that is, T. cruzi genotypes I-VI.

Inverse association between Lancefield group G Streptococcus colonization and sore throat in slum and nonslum settings in Brazil.

Group G Streptococcus has been implicated as a causative agent of pharyngitis in outbreak situations, but its role in endemic disease remains elusive. We found an unexpected inverse association of Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis colonization and sore throat in a study of 2,194 children of 3 to 15 years of age in Salvador, Brazil.