Publications by authors named "Natalia Araujo"

Article Synopsis
  • The study focuses on a genus of plants known for their therapeutic properties, particularly for treating conditions like tuberculosis and urinary infections, with an emphasis on a species endemic to Brazil.
  • It identifies and analyzes the main compounds in its aqueous extract, finding Arbutin, Caffeic acid 4-O-glucoside, and Dihydroformononetin to be the most abundant; the gastrointestinal absorption and ability to cross the blood-brain barrier of these compounds were evaluated.
  • The research indicates that Arbutin and Dihydroformononetin may lead to drug synthesis and shows potential for phytotherapeutic use, although some mutagenicity predictions require cautious interpretation.
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Nitrites have emerged as promising therapeutic agents for cardiovascular diseases, alongside nitrates. While chronic use of organic nitrates is well recognized to lead to vascular tolerance, the tolerance associated with nitrite therapy remains incompletely understood. The aim of the present study was to investigate vascular tolerance to sodium nitrite and the underlying molecular mechanisms.

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Article Synopsis
  • Aminoglycosides, like gentamicin, are critical antibiotics used for severe infections, particularly those caused by Gram-negative bacteria, despite some toxicity associated with their use.
  • Gentamicin consists of multiple compounds with slight variations, and the enzyme GenB2 is crucial for a specific chemical modification (epimerization) that differentiates two of these compounds, gentamicin C2 and C2a.
  • This research determined the structure of GenB2 and revealed its unique mechanism of action, which involves a specific cysteine residue, and offers insights that could aid in developing new aminoglycoside antibiotics.
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Article Synopsis
  • This study investigates the molecular characteristics of hepatitis B virus (HBV) among socially vulnerable immigrants in Brazil to assess the introduction of rare HBV strains.
  • Researchers tested serum samples from 102 immigrants with positive HBV serology, discovering various HBV subgenotypes, including the first report of subgenotype A5 in Brazil.
  • The findings highlight the need for improved prevention and control strategies by understanding the genetic diversity of HBV within immigrant communities, which could enhance public health initiatives for both immigrants and the broader population.
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The genus is crucial for global production in food, perfume, and pharmaceutical industries. However, exploitation threatens some species, leading to extinction. Traditional communities use vanilla for medicinal purposes, and there are species like Klotzsch and Hoehne with potential to occupy the market.

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The pork production chain is an important reservoir of antimicrobial resistant bacteria. This study identified and characterized integrons in isolates from a Brazilian pork production chain and associate them with their antibiotic resistance pattern. A total of 41 whole-genome sequencing data of nontyphoidal were analyzed using PlasmidSPAdes and IntegronFinder software.

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Background: The highly eusocial stingless bees are crucial pollinators of native and agricultural ecosystems. Nevertheless, genomic studies within this bee tribe remain scarce. We present the genome assembly of the stingless bee Melipona bicolor.

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This study aims to estimate the prevalence and to identify the determinants of cancer-related neuropathic pain (CRNP), chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) and cognitive decline among patients with breast cancer over five years after diagnosis. Women with an incident breast cancer (n = 462) and proposed for surgery were recruited at the Portuguese Institute of Oncology-Porto in 2012 and underwent systematic neurological examinations and evaluations with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) before treatment and after one, three, and five years. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the determinants of CRNP and CIPN, and multivariate linear regression for the variation in MoCA scores.

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Patient characteristics may influence access and acceptance of Prostate Specific Antigen test, and therefore, the timing of prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis. A group of 361 patients from a cohort (n = 451) diagnosed with PCa in 2018-2020 at the Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto was evaluated before treatment, using a structured interview, the Medical Term Recognition Test, and the EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire QLQ-PR25. PCa prognostic stages (I, II, III, IV) were attributed according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer eighth edition.

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Adeno-associated virus (AAV) differs from most other viruses, as it requires the simultaneous presence of a helper virus for an active infection. Up to 80% of the human population is seropositive for AAV antibodies. AAV has been known to be a non-pathogenic virus and an inhibitor of carcinogenesis caused by coinfecting viruses.

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Global climate changes may cause profound effects on species adaptation, particularly in ectotherms for whom even moderate warmer temperatures can lead to disproportionate heat failure. Still, several organisms evolved to endure high desert temperatures. Here, we describe the thermal tolerance survival and the transcriptomic heat stress response of three genera of desert (, , and ) and two of temperate ants ( and ) and explore convergent and specific adaptations.

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Background: Evidence suggests an association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and worse performance on cognitive tests, and a higher risk of Parkinson's disease (PD) and dementia up to 6 and 12 months after infection, respectively. Longer follow-ups with comparison groups are needed to clarify the potentially increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases in COVID-19 survivors, namely those infected before mass vaccination.

Methods: A prospective study started in July 2022 with four cohorts of 150 individuals each, defined according to SARS-CoV-2 infection and hospitalisation status between March 2020 and February 2021: cohort 1-hospitalised due to SARS-CoV-2 infection; cohort 2-hospitalised, COVID-19-free; cohort 3-infected, not hospitalised; cohort 4-not infected, not hospitalised.

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The life course development of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and the undergoing epidemiological transition in Mozambique highlight the importance of monitoring the cardiovascular risk profile in young adults. Therefore, this study aims to estimate the prevalence of CVD risk factors in a population aged 18-25 years living in Mozambique. A total of 776 young adults from a nationally representative sample were evaluated in 2014/2015 following the World Health Organization's STEPwise approach to chronic disease risk factor surveillance.

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The evolution of mitochondrial genomes in the stingless bees is surprisingly dynamic, making them a model system to understand mitogenome structure, function, and evolution. Out of the seven mitogenomes available in this group, five exhibit atypical characteristics, including extreme rearrangements, rapid evolution and complete mitogenome duplication. To further explore the mitogenome diversity in these bees, we utilized isolated mtDNA and Illumina sequencing to assemble the complete mitogenome of Trigonisca nataliae, a species found in Northern Brazil.

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Introduction: Ingesting some foods can trigger headache attacks in migraine patients. Diet-sourced citrulline activates the l-arginine-nitric oxide pathway, acting on the pathophysiology of migraine.

Methods: The study was a clinical trial, interventional, controlled, and with group comparison.

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The hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype D (HBV/D) is the most extensively distributed genotype worldwide with distinct molecular and epidemiological features. This report provides an up-to-date review on the history of HBV/D subgenotyping and misclassifications, along with large-scale analysis of over 1000 HBV/D complete genome sequences, with the aim of gaining a thorough understanding of the global prevalence and geographic distribution of HBV/D subgenotypes. We have additionally explored recent paleogenomic findings, which facilitated the detection of HBV/D genomes dating back to the late Iron Age and provided new perspectives on the origins of modern HBV/D strains.

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Background: Although human-animal interactions (HAI) have been associated with health benefits, they have not been extensively studied among cancer patients nor which factors may influence HAI during cancer survivorship. Therefore, this study aims to describe pet ownership in a breast cancer cohort within 5 years post-diagnosis and to identify associated factors.

Methods: Four hundred sixty-six patients from the NEON-BC cohort were evaluated.

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Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) represent an eco-friendly alternative to reduce the use of chemical products while increasing the productivity of economically important crops. The emission of small gaseous signaling molecules from PGPB named volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has emerged as a promising biotechnological tool to promote biomass accumulation in model plants (especially ) and a few crops, such as tomato, lettuce, and cucumber. Rice () is the most essential food crop for more than half of the world's population.

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Plant diseases caused by phytopathogens result in huge economic losses in agriculture. In addition, the use of chemical products to control such diseases causes many problems to the environment and to human health. However, some bacteria and fungi have a mutualistic relationship with plants in nature, mainly exchanging nutrients and protection.

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Discovered as a contaminant of adenovirus stocks in the 1960s, adeno-associated virus (AAV) is a mono-stranded DNA virus that depends on helper factors to replicate. Even though AAV is endemic in the human population (35-80%), it is remarkable that many issues concerning the natural infection by this virus remain unanswered. In this study, we reflect on the main basic aspects of AAV biology and provide an overview of the studies exploring the impact of AAV infection on human health, focusing on three major research areas including, (i) cervical and (ii) liver cancer, and (iii) reproductive system disorders.

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Adenovirus was first identified in the 1950s and since then this pathogenic group of viruses has been explored and transformed into a genetic transfer vehicle. Modification or deletion of few genes are necessary to transform it into a conditionally or non-replicative vector, creating a versatile tool capable of transducing different tissues and inducing high levels of transgene expression. In the early years of vector development, the application in monogenic diseases faced several hurdles, including short-term gene expression and even a fatality.

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Cigarette smoking throughout life causes serious health issues in the lungs. The electronic cigarette (E-Cig) use increased, since it was first introduced in the world. This research work compared the short-term exposure consequences to e-cigarette vapor and cigarette smoke in male mice.

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Aims: Obesity can lead to the loss of the anticontractile properties of perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT). Given that cafeteria (CAF) diet reflects the variety of highly calorie and easily accessible foods in Western societies, contributing to obesity and metabolic disorders, we sought to investigate the impact of CAF diet on PVAT vasoactive profile and the involvement of renin-angiotensin system, oxidative stress, and cyclooxygenase pathway.

Main Methods: Male Balb/c mice received standard or CAF diet for 4 weeks.

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Vascular dysfunction induced by angiotensin-II can result from direct effects on vascular and inflammatory cells and indirect hemodynamic effects. Using isolated and functional cultured aortas, we aimed to identify the effects of angiotensin-II on cyclooxygenase (COX) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and evaluate their impact on vascular reactivity. Aortic rings from mice were incubated overnight in culture medium containing angiotensin-II (100 nmol/L) or vehicle to induce vascular disfunction.

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