Edible insects: Understanding benzo(a)pyrene toxicokinetics in yellow mealworms for safe and sustainable consumption.

The global interest in edible insects as sustainable protein sources raises concerns about the bioaccumulation of contaminants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), to problematic levels. Understanding the accumulation dynamics of PAHs in edible insects is highly relevant due to the widespread sources and toxicological profiles; however, the bioaccumulative potential of PAHs in edible insects is unexplored. This study examined the uptake and elimination dynamics of benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P), a representative and carcinogenic PAH, in yellow mealworm larvae (YMW, Tenebrio molitor).

Effect of BCG vaccination against Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in adult Brazilian health-care workers: a nested clinical trial.

Background: The effectiveness of BCG vaccine for adult pulmonary tuberculosis remains uncertain. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of vaccination with BCG-Denmark to prevent initial and sustained interferon-γ release assay conversion in Brazilian health-care workers.

Methods: This substudy is a nested randomised controlled trial embedded within the BRACE trial (NCT04327206).

Multigeneration Exposure to Carbendazim: Gene Transcription Responses.

The world population is experiencing colossal growth and thus demand for food, leading to an increase in the use of pesticides. Persistent pesticide contamination, such as carbendazim, remains a pressing environmental concern, with potentially long-term impacts on aquatic ecosystems. In the present study, was exposed to carbendazim (5 µg L) for 12 generations, with the aim of assessing gene transcription alterations induced by carbendazim (using a custom microarray).

Impact of vaccine platform and BCG vaccination on antibody responses to COVID-19 vaccination.

Multiple factors, including vaccine platform and prior vaccinations, influence vaccine responses. We compared antibody responses to CoronaVac (Sinovac) and ChAdOx1-S (AstraZeneca-Oxford) vaccination in 874 healthcare workers in Brazil. As participants were randomised to BCG vaccination or placebo in the preceding 0-6 months as part of the BCG vaccination to reduce the impact of COVID-19 in healthcare workers (BRACE) trial, we also investigated the influence of recent BCG vaccination on antibody responses to these COVID-19 vaccines.

Harmonizing nanomaterial exposure methodologies in ecotoxicology: the effects of two innovative nanoclays in the freshwater microalgae .

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are innovative nanomaterials (NMs) with a typical nanoclay structure (height <40 nm) consisting of layers of metallic cations and hydroxides stabilized by anions and water molecules. Upon specific triggers, anions can exchange by others in the surrounding environment. Due to this stimuli-responsive behavior, LDHs are used as carriers of active ingredients in the industrial or pharmaceutical sectors.

Randomized Trial of BCG Vaccine to Protect against Covid-19 in Health Care Workers.

Background: The bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine has immunomodulatory "off-target" effects that have been hypothesized to protect against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Methods: In this international, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we randomly assigned health care workers to receive the BCG-Denmark vaccine or saline placebo and followed them for 12 months. Symptomatic Covid-19 and severe Covid-19, the primary outcomes, were assessed at 6 months; the primary analyses involved the modified intention-to-treat population, which was restricted to participants with a negative test for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 at baseline.

Congenital heart defects and preterm birth: Outcomes from a referral center.

Background: Preterm birth and congenital heart defects are two major causes of neonatal and infant mortality. However, the relationship between them has not yet been fully clarified.

Objective: To determine the prevalence and spectrum of congenital heart defects in preterms, the specific associations between categories of congenital heart defects and preterm birth and to establish the influence on outcomes.

Toxicokinetics and bioaccumulation of silver sulfide nanoparticles in benthic invertebrates in an indoor stream mesocosm.

Mesocosms allow the simulation of environmentally relevant conditions and can be used to establish more realistic scenarios of organism exposure to nanoparticles. An indoor mesocosm experiment simulating an aquatic stream ecosystem was conducted to assess the toxicokinetics and bioaccumulation of silver sulfide nanoparticles (AgS NPs) and AgNO in the freshwater invertebrates Girardia tigrina, Physa acuta and Chironomus riparius, and determine if previous single-species tests can predict bioaccumulation in the mesocosm. Water was daily spiked at 10 μg Ag L.

Toxicokinetics of silver and silver sulfide nanoparticles in Chironomus riparius under different exposure routes.

Engineered nanoparticles released into surface water may accumulate in sediments, potentially threatening benthic organisms. This study determined the toxicokinetics in Chironomus riparius of Ag from pristine silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs), a simulating aged Ag NP form (AgS NPs), and AgNO as an ionic control. Chironomid larvae were exposed to these Ag forms through water, sediment, or food.

use of a vena caval filter in the SVC in an adolescent with upper deep vein thrombosis.

Vena caval filters remain as a useful tool in patients with deep vein thrombosis and contraindications to anticoagulation. Although they are rarely used in paediatric patients, they have been shown to be safe and effective when used in the inferior vena cava.In this case report, we describe the use of a retrievable vena caval filter in the superior vena cava in an adolescent with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia with extensive thrombosis of the right upper neck veins as a means to reduce the risk of pulmonary embolism.

Transcatheter management of proximal stent migration in coarctation of the aorta.

Proximal stent migration in setting of transcatheter management of coarctation of the aorta is a rare complication, which may require emergency surgery. Herein, we report a successful transcatheter management of proximal stent migration in a high surgical risk, a 14-year-old girl, which caused partial occlusion of both the descending aorta and the left subclavian artery.

Metal transfer to sediments, invertebrates and fish following waterborne exposure to silver nitrate or silver sulfide nanoparticles in an indoor stream mesocosm.

The fate of engineered nanomaterials in ecosystems is unclear. An aquatic stream mesocosm explored the fate and bioaccumulation of silver sulfide nanoparticles (AgS NPs) compared to silver nitrate (AgNO). The aims were to determine the total Ag in water, sediment and biota, and to evaluate the bioavailable fractions of silver in the sediment using a serial extraction method.

Cardiovascular manifestations of Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome.

Cardiovascular complications are the most frequent cause of death in patients with the Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome. However, due to its rarity, studying the course of cardiac abnormalities has been a challenge. The cardiovascular phenotype helps to provide greater insight into the natural history of these abnormalities.

Change in COVID-19 risk over time following vaccination with CoronaVac: A testnegative case-control study.

Objective: To estimate the change in odds of covid-19 over time following primary series completion of the inactivated whole virus vaccine, CoronaVac (Sinovac Biotech) in São Paulo state, Brazil.

Design: Test negative case-control study.

Setting: Community testing for covid-19 in São Paulo state, Brazil.

Bioaccumulation but no biomagnification of silver sulfide nanoparticles in freshwater snails and planarians.

Bioaccumulation studies are critical in regulatory decision making on the potential environmental risks of engineered nanoparticles (NPs). The present study evaluated the toxicokinetics of silver, taken up from sulfide nanoparticles (AgS NPs; simulating an aged Ag NP form) and AgNO (ionic counterpart), in the pulmonate snail Physa acuta and the planarian Girardia tigrina. The snails were first exposed for 7 days to Ag-spiked water, along with the microalgae Raphidocelis subcapitata upon which they fed setting up a double route exposure, and subsequently provided as pre-exposed food to the planarians.

Effectiveness of ChAdOx1 vaccine in older adults during SARS-CoV-2 Gamma variant circulation in São Paulo.

A two-dose regimen of the Oxford-AstraZeneca (ChAdOx1) Covid-19 vaccine with an inter-dose interval of three months has been implemented in many countries with restricted vaccine supply. However, there is limited evidence for the effectiveness of ChAdOx1 by dose in elderly populations in countries with high prevalence of the Gamma variant of SARS-CoV-2. Here, we estimate ChAdOx1 effectiveness by dose against the primary endpoint of RT-PCR-confirmed Covid-19, and secondary endpoints of Covid-19 hospitalization and Covid-19-related death, in adults aged ≥60 years during an epidemic with high Gamma variant prevalence in São Paulo state, Brazil using a matched, test-negative case-control study.

Simultaneous transcatheter pulmonary and tricuspid valve-in-ring implantation.

We report on a 50-year-old female patient, with several severe comorbidities and high-surgical risk, in whom we successfully performed a simultaneous transcatheter pulmonary and tricuspid valve-in-ring implantation to treat both bioprosthetic pulmonary valve dysfunction and native torrential tricuspid valve regurgitation, the latter previously managed with a Carpentier annuloplasty ring.

Effectiveness of CoronaVac among healthcare workers in the setting of high SARS-CoV-2 Gamma variant transmission in Manaus, Brazil: A test-negative case-control study.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant, Gamma, emerged in the city of Manaus in late 2020 during a large resurgence of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and has spread throughout Brazil. The effectiveness of vaccines in settings with widespread Gamma variant transmission has not been reported.

Methods: We performed a matched test-negative case-control study to estimate the effectiveness of an inactivated vaccine, CoronaVac, in healthcare workers (HCWs) in Manaus, where the Gamma variant accounted for 86% of genotyped SARS-CoV-2 samples at the peak of its epidemic.

Short- and long-term effects on reproductive parameters of female Wistar rats after exposure to rosuvastatin starting in pre-puberty.

Statins are a class of drugs that act lowering lipid levels by inhibiting cholesterol biosynthesis. Additionally, statins can act by "pleiotropic effects", related to the inhibition of synthesis of the other mevalonate pathway products. Rosuvastatin is a third-generation statin and has shown better results in reducing cholesterol concentrations when compared to other statins.

Repositioning an embolised stent during a percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation.

Percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation is a less invasive procedure to treat right outflow tract dysfunction related to surgical procedures such as repair of Tetralogy of Fallot. Despite the lower risks, complications have been reported, namely embolisation of the pre-stent. We report a case of a 16-year-old boy, whose procedure was complicated by embolisation of the pre-stents and the strategy used to reimplant them, prior to the successful implantation of a pulmonary valve.

Premature closure of ductus arteriosus after a single dose of diclofenac during pregnancy.

A male term neonate was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit in the first hours of life with central cyanosis. Echocardiogram showed severe biventricular hypertrophy, markedly right-sided, tricuspid regurgitation, a patent foramen ovale and a closed ductus arteriosus (CDA). The mother recalled being treated with a single dose of intravenous diclofenac for low back pain 2 weeks earlier.

Risk Factors for Death Among 120,804 Hospitalized Patients with Confirmed COVID-19 in São Paulo, Brazil.

São Paulo is a state in Brazil with one of the highest numbers of confirmed and severe cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), with an incidence of 294 hospitalizations per 100,000 inhabitants. We report the clinical characteristics and outcomes of 120,804 hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 from February 26 to October 10, 2020, in São Paulo. Characteristics of patients who died and survived were compared using a survival analysis.