Extracellular Vesicles: The Next Generation of Biomarkers and Treatment for Central Nervous System Diseases.

It has been widely established that the characterization of extracellular vesicles (EVs), particularly small EVs (sEVs), shed by different cell types into biofluids, helps to identify biomarkers and therapeutic targets in neurological and neurodegenerative diseases. Recent studies are also exploring the efficacy of mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles naturally enriched with therapeutic microRNAs and proteins for treating various diseases. In addition, EVs released by various neural cells play a crucial function in the modulation of signal transmission in the brain in physiological conditions.

When to test for COVID-19 using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction: a systematic review.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the time in days between symptom onset and first positive real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) result for COVID-19.

Methods: This systematic review was conducted in the MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase, and Scopus databases using the following descriptors: "COVID-19", "SARS-CoV-2", "coronavirus", "RT-PCR", "real time PCR", and "diagnosis".

Results: The included studies were conducted in 31 different countries and reported on a total of 6831 patients.

Membrane Distillation: Pre-Treatment Effects on Fouling Dynamics.

In the research reported in this paper, membrane distillation was employed to recover water from a concentrated saline petrochemical effluent. According to the results, the use of membrane distillation is technically feasible when pre-treatments are employed to mitigate fouling. A mathematical model was used to evaluate the fouling mechanism, showing that the deposition of particulate and precipitated material occurred in all tests; however, the fouling dynamic depends on the pre-treatment employed (filtration, or filtration associated with a pH adjustment).

Bone marrow mononuclear cell transplant prevents rat depression and modulates inflammatory and neurogenic molecules.

Introduction: Major depressive disorder is associated with chronic inflammation and deficient production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Bone marrow mononuclear cell (BMMC) transplantation has an anti-inflammatory effect and has been proven effective in restoring non-depressive behavior. This study investigated whether BMMC transplantation can prevent the development of depression or anxiety in chronic mild stress (CMS), as well as its effect on inflammatory and neurogenic molecules.

The antidepressant effect of bone marrow mononuclear cell transplantation in chronic stress.

Background: Inflammation could be a risk factor for the development of depression and change the outcome of this common chronic-recurrent mental disorder.

Aims: This study aimed to investigate if bone marrow mononuclear cell (BMMC) transplantation is effective in restoring sucrose preference in rats subjected to chronic stress (CS), if it has an anti-inflammatory effect and is able to restore damaged DNA.

Methods: The effect of BMMC transplantation was studied in a controlled protocol (compared with a control group and a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor escitalopram group) involving sucrose preference in CS in rats.

In house reverse membrane hybridisation assay versus GenoType MTBDRplus and their performance to detect mutations in the genes rpoB, katG and inhA.

Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) threatens global TB control and is a major public health concern in several countries. We therefore developed a multiplex assay (LINE-TB/MDR) that is able to identify the most frequent mutations related to rifampicin (RMP) and isoniazid (INH) resistance. The assay is based on multiplex polymerase chain reaction, membrane hybridisation and colorimetric detection targeting of rpoB and katG genes, as well as the inhA promoter, which are all known to carry specific mutations associated with multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB).

Postconceptional age at the treatment of retinopathy of prematurity in inborn and referred preterm infants from the same institution.

Purpose: The outcomes of the treatment of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) seem to be better in inborn patients than in those patients who were referred for ROP treatment. This study aims to investigate the timing of treatment and the outcomes in inborn patients and in patients referred for treatment to the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Methods: An institutional prospective cohort study was conducted from 2002 to 2010 and included in group 1 all inborn preterm neonates treated for retinopathy of prematurity and in group 2 all babies referred for treatment to the same institution.

Maternal preeclampsia protects preterm infants against severe retinopathy of prematurity.

Objective: To study the influence of maternal preeclampsia on the occurrence of retinopathy of prematurity.

Study Design: A prospective cohort study of 324 preterm neonates with birth weight ≤ 1500 g and gestational age ≤ 32 weeks. Multiple maternal and perinatal factors were analyzed for association and confounding by multiple logistic regression analysis.

The influence of gestational age on the dynamic behavior of other risk factors associated with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).

Background: Improved survival of preterm neonates has increased the incidence of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in many middle-income countries.

Aim: This study aimed to verify the main risk factors for the development of ROP according to different gestational age (GA) groups.

Methods: A prospective cohort study including infants weighing < or =1,500 g or GA < or =32 weeks at birth was conducted.