Dapagliflozin for the treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction in Brazil: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

Background: Heart failure, a complex clinical syndrome with high morbidity and mortality, has become a significant burden on public health. Recently, a new class of antidiabetic agents-the sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors-was associated with a significant reduction on mortality and hospitalization in HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) when added to standard pharmacological treatment. Considering the lack of data on its cost-effectiveness, the present study aims to estimate the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of add-on dapagliflozin treatment for HFrEF from the Brazilian public healthcare system perspective.

Efficacy and feasibility of a novel semi-facial respirator with chitosan nanoparticles on the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in healthcare professionals: randomized controlled trial.

Background: Evidence suggests that semi-facial respirators provide protection against contamination in high-risk environments, although the COVID-19 pandemic called for greater protection and viral inactivation capacity. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a novel semi-facial respirator containing chitosan nanoparticles, compared with a conventional N95 respirator on the incidence of laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 in healthcare professionals. The secondary outcomes were influenza infection, usability and comfort.

IL-10 and TGF-β, but Not IL-17A or IFN-γ, Potentiate the IL-15-Induced Proliferation of Human T Cells: Association with a Decrease in the Expression of β2m-Free HLA Class I Molecules Induced by IL-15.

IL-15 is a homeostatic cytokine for human T and NK cells. However, whether other cytokines influence the effect of IL-15 is not known. We studied the impact that IL-10, TGF-β, IL-17A, and IFN-γ have on the IL-15-induced proliferation of human T cells and the expression of HLA class I (HLA-I) molecules.

Simulation-based economic evaluation of the Wolbachia method in Brazil: a cost-effective strategy for dengue control.

Background: Dengue virus (DENV) is an arbovirus transmitted by mosquitoes, which can cause severe conditions such as hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome. These conditions are associated with adverse social, clinical, and economic consequences in Brazil. Herein, the Wolbachia mosquito replacement method is a promising dengue control strategy.

Costs of hospital admissions due to COVID-19 in the federal capital of Brazil: a study based on hospital admission authorizations.

This is a cost analysis study based on hospital admissions, conducted from the perspective of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS), carried out in a cohort of patients hospitalized at the University Hospital of Brasília (UHB) due to Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI) caused by COVID-19, from April 1, 2020, to March 31, 2022. An approach based on macro-costing was used, considering the costs per patient identified in the Hospital Admission Authorizations (HAA). Were identified 1,015 HAA from 622 patients.

Artesunate-mefloquine therapy for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of efficacy and safety.

To provide a continuous update on the safety and efficacy of artesunate-mefloquine (ASMQ) compared with other artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) schemes used in the treatment of uncomplicated malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum, this study updated and expanded the results of the systematic literature review published in 2016. Only randomised controlled clinical trials published from 1 January 2001 to 12 June 2023 from five databases were included in this study. The results related to efficacy, expressed through RR, were summarized in meta-analyses, performed according to the compared ACTs and with the intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses.

A novel N95 respirator with chitosan nanoparticles: mechanical, antiviral, microbiological and cytotoxicity evaluations.

Background: It is known that some sectors of hospitals have high bacteria and virus loads that can remain as aerosols in the air and represent a significant health threat for patients and mainly professionals that work in the place daily. Therefore, the need for a respirator able to improve the filtration barrier of N95 masks and even inactivating airborne virus and bacteria becomes apparent. Such a fact motivated the creation of a new N95 respirator which employs chitosan nanoparticles on its intermediate layer (SN95 + CNP).

Incidence of Guillain-Barré syndrome in the world between 1985 and 2020: A systematic review.

Introduction: Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy that affects the peripheral nervous system. The study aimed to describe the incidence of GBS in the world up to the year 2020.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted.

Cardiometabolic risk factors and social jetlag in university professors.

Chronic stress leads to circadian disruption, with variability in sleep time and duration. This scenario increases the prevalence and incidence of cardiometabolic abnormalities. Social jetlag (SJL), a proxy of circadian disruption, has been associated with increased vulnerability to the development of metabolic syndrome, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.

Factors associated with yellow fever vaccine failure: A systematic literature review.

Introduction: Considering that vaccination with yellow fever vaccine (YFV) is the most important method to prevent and control yellow fever (YF), this study synthesized evidence on factors associated with YFV failure.

Methods: A systematic review (SR) was performed in the PubMed, Cochrane CENTRAL, Embase, and LILACS databases up to November 2019. Observational and experimental analytical epidemiological studies that analyzed the failure of YFV were included.

Long-term survival and clinical outcomes following direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment in HCV decompensated cirrhosis in Brazil: a real-world study.

Introduction: The outcomes regarding portal hypertension-related complications and infections after HCV cure in decompensated cirrhosis are scarcely reported. We aimed to identify the predictors of survival and to evaluate the frequency of decompensation events of cirrhosis, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), portal hypertension complications and infections in a cohort of decompensated cirrhotic with sustained virological response (SVR) in a real-world scenario.

Patients And Methods: This was a prospective study in consecutive HCV-infected patients with decompensated cirrhosis who achieved SVR after direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment.

Clinical and epidemiological aspects of severe acute respiratory infection: before and during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil.

Background: Widespread respiratory infections with high morbidity rates caused by respiratory viruses represent a significant global public health problem. Our objective was to describe cases and deaths from severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) in Brazil over the past 8 y as well as changes in the distribution and risk of illness and death from SARI before and in the first year of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic (FYP).

Methods: We performed a descriptive epidemiological study of hospitalized SARI cases and deaths between 2013 and 2020 in Brazil, separated into pre-pandemic (2013 to 2019) and FYP (2020).

Snakebites caused by the genera Bothrops and Lachesis in the Brazilian Amazon: a study of factors associated with severe cases and death.

Background: Snakebites are a major problem in developing countries owing to their high morbidity rates, severity, and sequelae. In Brazil, most cases of envenomation are caused by Bothrops and Lachesis snakes. The present study aimed to evaluate variables associated with death, systemic complications, and amputations in victims of envenomation due to Bothrops or Lachesis snake.

Real-life quantitative G6PD screening in Plasmodium vivax patients in the Brazilian Amazon: A cost-effectiveness analysis.

Background: As quantitative glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PDd) screening tools are evaluated in operational studies, questions remain as to whether they are cost-effective. Here, a cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) was performed to estimate the Incremental Cost-effectiveness Ratio (ICER) of the introduction of quantitative screening test to detect G6PDd among P. vivax carriers in two municipalities in the Brazilian Amazon.

Epidemiological burden of Chikungunya fever in Brazil, 2016 and 2017.

Objectives: To describe Chikungunya fever (CHIKF) cases and estimate the burden of the disease in Brazil between 2016 and 2017.

Methods: The first stage of this study consisted of a descriptive epidemiological study with estimations of incidence, mortality and case-fatality rates for each Brazilian state. The second stage provided estimates of the disease burden using DALY, an indicator that aggregates measures of morbidity (years lived with disability - YLD) and mortality (years of life lost - YLL) into a single value.

Costs of Guillain-Barré Syndrome in the Brazilian Federal District: the patients' perspective.

Background: Although rare, Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) has a high economic burden, with consequences for families and society. This study aimed to estimate the total cost of GBS, per individual and per variant of the disease, as well as its effect on household income, from the perspective of patients.

Methods: This was a cost-of-illness study from the perspective of patients and their families, with a time horizon from disease onset to 6 mo after discharge.

Ten Epidemiological Parameters of COVID-19: Use of Rapid Literature Review to Inform Predictive Models During the Pandemic.

To describe the methods used in a rapid review of the literature and to present the main epidemiological parameters that describe the transmission of SARS-Cov-2 and the illness caused by this virus, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This is a methodological protocol that enabled a rapid review of COVID-19 epidemiological parameters. The protocol consisted of the following steps: definition of scope; eligibility criteria; information sources; search strategies; selection of studies; and data extraction.

Burden of Disease of Guillain-Barré Syndrome in Brazil before and during the Zika virus epidemic 2014-2016.

Objective: To estimate the burden of disease of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in Brazil in 2014, 1 year before the Zika virus epidemic, and in 2015 and 2016 during the epidemic.

Methods: The burden of disease of GBS was estimated using the summary measure of population health: Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALY), that combines both mortality (Years of Life Lost YLLs) and morbidity (Years Lived with Disability) components. The study population was composed of GBS hospitalised cases and deaths from the information systems of the Brazilian Unified Health System.

Treatment With Liposomal Amphotericin B for All Confirmed Cases of Human Visceral Leishmaniasis in Brazil: A Budget Impact Analysis.

Objectives: To estimate the budget impact of the expansion of liposomal amphotericin B use for all confirmed cases of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in Brazil. Currently, the first-line medicine for VL treatment is meglumine antimoniate. Liposomal amphotericin B is indicated only for patients with a greater risk of severity by the disease.

Piquiá Shells (): A Fruit by-Product with Antioxidant and Antiaging Properties in .

In a context of rising demand for sustainable antiaging interventions, fruit processing by-products are a promising source of bioactive compounds for the production of antiaging dietary supplements. Piquiá () is a native Amazonian fruit consisting of 65% nonedible shells. In the present study, the phytochemical profile of a hydroalcoholic extract of piquiá shells (CV) was characterized by LC-MS/MS analysis.

Another piece of the Zika puzzle: assessing the associated factors to microcephaly in a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Although it is known that Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy may lead to microcephaly in the fetus, the prognostic factors associated with this tragic disorder remain unclear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the prognostic factors associated with the incidence of microcephaly in congenital ZIKV infection.

Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search in Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid MEDLINE (R) Epub ahead of print, Embase, Embase Classic, Web of Science, CINAHL, Cochrane CENTRAL, LILACS, and various thesis databases to identify human studies reporting microcephaly associated with congenital ZIKV infection.

Snakebite envenomation in the Brazilian Amazon: a cost-of-illness study.

Background: Snakebites account for significant morbidity and mortality. Their occurrence in the Brazilian Amazon warrants an analysis that will enable better understanding of their economic impact and thus contribute to their management and prevention. This study aimed to estimate the cost of snakebite envenomation in the Brazilian Amazon in 2015.

Polarization-coded material classification in automotive LIDAR aiming at safer autonomous driving implementations.

LIDAR sensors are one of the key enabling technologies for the wide acceptance of autonomous driving implementations. Target identification is a requisite in image processing, informing decision making in complex scenarios. The polarization from the backscattered signal provides an unambiguous signature for common metallic car paints and can serve as one-point measurement for target classification.

Modeling the Effect of Temperature on Membrane Response of Light Stimulation in Optogenetically-Targeted Neurons.

Optogenetics is revolutionizing Neuroscience, but an often neglected effect of light stimulation of the brain is the generation of heat. In extreme cases, light-generated heat kills neurons, but mild temperature changes alter neuronal function. To date, most experiments rely on light stimulation of neural tissue using fiber-coupled lasers of various wavelengths.

Antioxidant Activity of an Aqueous Leaf Extract from and Its Major Alkaloids Mitraphylline and Isomitraphylline in .

(Rubiaceae) has a recognized therapeutic potential against various diseases associated with oxidative stress. The aim of this research was to evaluate the antioxidant potential of an aqueous leaf extract (ALE) from , and its major alkaloids mitraphylline and isomitraphylline. The antioxidant activity of ALE was investigated in vitro using standard assays (DPPH, ABTS and  FRAP), while the in vivo activity and mode of action were studied using as a model organism.