Publications by authors named "Patricia Brito"

Article Synopsis
  • * AIH frequently occurs alongside other autoimmune diseases, complicating diagnosis and treatment due to the lack of standardized protocols and the rarity of the condition, which limits research and treatment options.
  • * A case study highlights a 54-year-old woman with acute hepatitis that escalated to liver failure; upon diagnosis of AIH and primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), she was treated with corticosteroids, demonstrating the complexities of overlap syndromes.
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Background: Nutritional risk situations related to decreased food intake in the hospital environment hinder nutritional care and increase malnutrition in hospitalized patients and are often associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study is to develop and test the reliability and data similarity of a mobile application as a virtual instrument to assess the acceptability and quality of hospital diets for inpatients.

Methods: This intra- and interobserver development and reliability study investigated an in-hospital food intake monitoring application based on a validated instrument for patients with infectious diseases who were treated at the Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases (INI/FIOCRUZ).

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Neuron specification and maturation are essential for proper central nervous system development. However, the precise mechanisms that govern neuronal maturation, essential to shape and maintain neuronal circuitry, remain poorly understood. Here, we analyse early-born secondary neurons in the Drosophila larval brain, revealing that the early maturation of secondary neurons goes through 3 consecutive phases: (1) Immediately after birth, neurons express pan-neuronal markers but do not transcribe terminal differentiation genes; (2) Transcription of terminal differentiation genes, such as neurotransmitter-related genes VGlut, ChAT, or Gad1, starts shortly after neuron birth, but these transcripts are, however, not translated; (3) Translation of neurotransmitter-related genes only begins several hours later in mid-pupa stages in a coordinated manner with animal developmental stage, albeit in an ecdysone-independent manner.

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Article Synopsis
  • Regeneration involves mature cells at the injury site creating tissue-specific progenitors that help rebuild the original organ structure.
  • The study investigates how glucose metabolism impacts cell fate transitions leading to new osteoblast formation in the zebrafish fin after injury.
  • Findings show that injury-induced changes in metabolism enhance glycolysis, affecting transcription and allowing mature osteoblasts to re-enter the cell cycle, crucial for forming new osteoblasts and the blastema necessary for regeneration.
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Streptococcus dysgalactiae (SD) is capable of infecting both humans and animals and causing a wide range of invasive and non-invasive infections. With two subspecies, the taxonomic status of subspecies of SD remains controversial. Subspecies (SDSE) is an important human pathogen, while subspecies (SDSD) has been considered a strictly animal pathogen; however, occasional human infections by this subspecies have been reported in the last few years.

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  • Researchers isolated three orange-pigmented yeast strains from soil samples in a Cerrado-Atlantic Rain Forest location in Brazil.
  • Molecular analyses indicated these strains do not belong to any known species and are proposed as a new species, with the holotype designated as CBS 16121 and MycoBank number MB 839315.
  • This novel yeast species is notable for its presence in a tropical region, as all other related species are found in temperate areas, likely due to the region's moderate temperatures and the yeast's ability to tolerate higher temperatures.
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, the causative agent of cryptococcosis, is the primary fungal pathogen that affects the immunocompromised individuals. Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is an animal lectin involved in both innate and adaptive immune responses. The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of Gal-3 on the infection.

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  • Polybrominated diphenyl esters, like BDE-47, are new environmental contaminants that raise concerns due to limited toxicological data, prompting this study on their effects on the fish species Oreochromis niloticus.
  • The study exposed fish to various BDE-47 doses over 80 days, finding that these exposures impacted liver and reproductive health, hormone levels, and enzyme activity across different dosages.
  • The results indicate that low doses of BDE-47 can be toxic to this fish species and highlight the importance of using multiple biomarkers in ecotoxicology research and environmental monitoring.
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  • Current knowledge about how extreme temperatures affect alpine evergreens in Mediterranean climates is lacking, highlighting the vulnerability of these biodiverse ecosystems under climate change.
  • The study focused on the thermal sensitivity of a key evergreen species in the Teide mountain, revealing that mature leaves are more susceptible to moderate heat compared to other alpine plants.
  • It was found that young leaves possess greater freezing tolerance than mature leaves in spring, indicating a potential resilience to late-frost events, yet mature leaves are particularly vulnerable to rising temperatures.
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Sexual reproduction in fungi relies on proteins with well-known functions encoded by the mating type () loci. In the Basidiomycota, loci are often bipartite, with the locus encoding pheromone precursors and pheromone receptors and the locus encoding heterodimerizing homeodomain transcription factors (Hd1/Hd2). The interplay between different alleles of these genes within a single species usually generates at least two compatible mating types.

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is an orange-colored basidiomycetous yeast genus of the order Cystofilobasidiales that contains a single species, . This species is the only fungus known to produce the economically relevant carotenoid astaxanthin. Although was originally found in the Northern hemisphere, its diversity in the southern part of the globe has been shown to be much greater.

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Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are brominated, persistent and bioaccumulative flame retardants widely used in the manufacture of plastic products. Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) is the most prevalent PBDE in the atmosphere and found in human blood, breast milk and umbilical cord. In vitro studies showed that BDE-209 interferes with murine melanoma cells (B16F10), modulating cell death rates, proliferation and migration, important events for cancer progression.

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Manganese (Mn) is essential for animal development and homeostasis. However, anthropogenic activities increase the concentration of Mn in the environment and lead to increased risk of exposure to high doses of the metal. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of high doses of Mn on the male reproductive system of swiss mice.

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