The latest developments in the area of therapeutic delivery excluding some diseases, such as COVID-19 and the big three (HIV/AID, malaria and tuberculosis).

It is the beginning of a new decade, where COVID-19 and the 'big three' (HIV/AID, malaria and tuberculosis) have raised public awareness of the type of challenges researchers face every day. Beyond these diseases, there are also still many more for which scientists are working to develop new therapies and their impact in healthcare is enormous too. This industry update covers the period 1-31 August 2021, and some examples of research and approvals for many other diseases excluding COVID-19 and the 'big three' are presented.

Regul-A: A Technological Application for Sensory Regulation of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Home Context.

(1) Background: Sensory processing disorder is now recognised as a core feature of autism spectrum disorder that influences children's adaptive behaviours, which, in turn, may interfere with their participation in life situations. This study describes the process of developing a technological platform, in the form of an app, to help families regulate children with ASD, aged 3-6 years old, by applying sensory strategies to improve the child's participation in daily routines in the home context. (2) Methods: A focus group formed by four specialised occupational therapists who intervene with children with ASD was selected in order to understand and discuss content that should be included in the app.

Self-Assembly Nanoparticles of Natural Bioactive Abietane Diterpenes.

Different approaches have been reported to enhance penetration of small drugs through physiological barriers; among them is the self-assembly drug conjugates preparation that shows to be a promising approach to improve activity and penetration, as well as to reduce side effects. In recent years, the use of drug-conjugates, usually obtained by covalent coupling of a drug with biocompatible lipid moieties to form nanoparticles, has gained considerable attention. Natural products isolated from plants have been a successful source of potential drug leads with unique structural diversity.

An integrated approach to identify bimodal genes associated with prognosis in câncer.

Bimodal gene expression (where a gene expression distribution has two maxima) is associated with phenotypic diversity in different biological systems. A critical issue, thus, is the integration of expression and phenotype data to identify genuine associations. Here, we developed tools that allow both: i) the identification of genes with bimodal gene expression and ii) their association with prognosis in cancer patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA).

Photobiomodulation impacts the levels of inflammatory mediators during orthodontic tooth movement? A systematic review with meta-analysis.

During orthodontic tooth movement (OTM), there is the release of cytokines in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) that are supposed to participate in the bone remodeling. This systematic review aimed at assessing the effects of photobiomodulation (PBM) on the levels of these cytokines during OTM. This systematic review according to Cochrane Collaboration guidelines aimed to answer the clinical question following the PICOS strategy.

Effects of Therapy with Fibrin Glue combined with Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) on Bone Regeneration: A Systematic Review.

Cell therapy strategies using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) carried in fibrin glue have shown promising results in regenerative medicine. MSCs are crucial for tissue healing because they have angiogenic, anti-apoptotic and immunomodulatory properties, in addition to the ability to differentiate into several specialized cell lines. Fibrin sealant or fibrin glue is a natural polymer involved in the coagulation process.

Outdoor daylight exposure and longer sleep promote wellbeing under COVID-19 mandated restrictions.

Light is an important regulator of daily human physiology in providing time-of-day information for the circadian clock to stay synchronised with the 24-hr day. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to social restrictions in many countries to prevent virus spreading, restrictions that dramatically altered daily routines and limited outdoor daylight exposure. We previously reported that sleep duration increased, social jetlag decreased, and mid-sleep times delayed during social restrictions (Global Chrono Corona Survey, N = 7,517).

Noncovalent Interactions with PAMAM and PPI Dendrimers Promote the Cellular Uptake and Photodynamic Activity of Rose Bengal: The Role of the Dendrimer Structure.

Rose bengal is an anionic dye considered as a potential photosensitizer for anticancer photodynamic therapy. The clinical utility of rose bengal is hampered by its short half-life, limited transmembrane transport, aggregation, and self-quenching; consequently, efficient drug carriers that overcome these obstacles are urgently required. In this study, we performed multilevel and characterization of interactions between rose bengal and cationic poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) and poly(propyleneimine) (PPI) dendrimers of the third and fourth generation and assessed the ability of the resultant complexes to modulate the photosensitizing properties of the drug.

Exploring the Association Between Genetic Polymorphisms in Genes Involved in Craniofacial Development and Isolated Tooth Agenesis.

Tooth agenesis is a common congenital anomaly in humans and is more common in oral cleft patients than in the general population. Many previous studies suggested that oral cleft and tooth agenesis share a similar genetic background. Therefore, this study explored the association between isolated tooth agenesis and genetic polymorphisms in genes that are crucial for craniofacial and tooth development.

Practical Strategies and Tools for Use by Occupational and Environmental Medicine Departments During COVID-19 Pandemic Surges.

Objectives: Occupational and environmental medicine (OEM) departments in healthcare institutions can be quickly overwhelmed when COVID-19 infection rates rapidly and simultaneously increase in the workforce and the patients served. Our goal is to present a detailed toolkit of practical approaches for use by front-line OEM specialists to address workforce management tasks during pandemic surges.

Methods: Specific focus is on tasks related to employee symptom triage, exposure risk assessment, workplace contact tracing, and work restrictions.

How do zebrafish (Danio rerio) respond to MK-801 and amphetamine? Relevance for assessing schizophrenia-related endophenotypes in alternative model organisms.

Schizophrenia pathophysiology has been associated with dopaminergic hyperactivity, NMDA receptor hypofunction, and redox dysregulation. Most behavioral assays and animal models to study this condition were developed in rodents, leaving room for species-specific biases that could be avoided by cross-species approaches. As MK-801 and amphetamine are largely used in mice and rats to mimic schizophrenia features, this study aimed to compare the effects of these drugs in several zebrafish (Danio rerio) behavioral assays.

Cell-targeted PD-1 agonists that mimic PD-L1 are potent T cell inhibitors.

The PD-1/PD-L1 pathway is a key immune checkpoint that regulates T cell activation. There is strong rationale to develop PD-1 agonists as therapeutics against autoimmunity, but progress in this area has been limited. Here, we generated T cell receptor (TCR) targeting, PD-1 agonist bispecifics called ImmTAAI molecules that mimic the ability of PD-L1 to facilitate the colocalization of PD-1 with the TCR complex at the target cell-T cell interface.

Essential tremor amplitude modulation by median nerve stimulation.

Essential tremor is a common neurological disorder, characterised by involuntary shaking of a limb. Patients are usually treated using medications which have limited effects on tremor and may cause side-effects. Surgical therapies are effective in reducing essential tremor, however, the invasive nature of these therapies together with the high cost, greatly limit the number of patients benefiting from them.

The Immune System Throws Its Traps: Cells and Their Extracellular Traps in Disease and Protection.

The first formal description of the microbicidal activity of extracellular traps (ETs) containing DNA occurred in neutrophils in 2004. Since then, ETs have been identified in different populations of cells involved in both innate and adaptive immune responses. Much of the knowledge has been obtained from in vitro or ex vivo studies; however, in vivo evaluations in experimental models and human biological materials have corroborated some of the results obtained.

Sugammadex administration in pregnant patients undergoing non-obstetric surgery: a case series.

The use of sugammadex for reversal of rocuronium-induced neuromuscular blockade after caesarean section is nowadays common practice, but concerns exist about its use in pregnant women undergoing non-obstetric surgery. We report six cases of pregnant women submitted to general anesthesia for non-obstetric surgery in which neuromuscular blockade was reversed with sugammadex. We followed the outcome of both mother and baby during and after delivery.

Electrochemical impedance biosensor for detection of saxitoxin in aqueous solution.

Saxitoxin is a cyanotoxin which is very harmful to human health; the concentration limit in drinking water is only 3 μg/L. Therefore, a simple, fast, sensitive, low-cost, and specific method for its detection, quantification, and monitoring in water bodies is needed to avoid adverse effects on animal and human health. In this work, we developed an electrochemical impedimetric biosensor using a specific aptamer as recognition element for saxitoxin detection.

Rotavirus susceptibility of antibiotic-treated mice ascribed to diminished expression of interleukin-22.

The commensal microbiota regulates susceptibility to enteric pathogens by fine-tuning mucosal innate immune responses, but how susceptibility to enteric viruses is shaped by the microbiota remains incompletely understood. Past reports have indicated that commensal bacteria may either promote or repress rotavirus replication in the small intestine of mice. We now report that rotavirus replicated more efficiently in the intestines of germ-free and antibiotic-treated mice compared to animals with an unmodified microbiota.

Nutritional Status is Associated with Permanent Tooth Eruption in a Group of Brazilian School Children.

The present study aimed to investigate the association between nutritional status with delayed tooth eruption (DTE). Oral examination was performed in schoolchildren (8-11 years old), and DTE was defined by absence of dental gingival emergence or when primary tooth was still present in the oral cavity after the expected time. BMI -score of each child were collected and nutritional status was defined.

Caffeine Mouth Rinse Does Not Improve Time to Exhaustion in Male Trained Cyclists.

This study investigated the effects of caffeine mouth rinse on cycling time to exhaustion (TTE) and physiological responses in trained cyclists. In a double-blinded randomized counterbalanced cross-over design, 10 recreationally trained male cyclists (mean ± SD: 32 ± 3 years, 72.8 ± 5.

Ancestry analysis indicates two different sets of essential genes in eukaryotic model species.

Essential genes are so-called because they are crucial for organism perpetuation. Those genes are usually related to essential functions to cellular metabolism or multicellular homeostasis. Deleterious alterations on essential genes produce a spectrum of phenotypes in multicellular organisms.

Brief Version of Caffeine Expectancy Questionnaire in Brazil.

The use of extensive questionnaires has the limitation of filling time bias, related to the ability to focus and accurately respond to many items, justifying the necessity for a brief version. This study aimed to build a brief version of the Caffeine Expectancy Questionnaire in Brazil (B-CaffEQ-BR) composed of 21 items divided into seven factors, with as adequate consistency and reproducibility as the full version. Quantitative procedures using statistical modeling were applied using the CaffEQ-BR (full version) database keeping the Mean Absolute Error (MAE) (based on the full version) <0.

Treatment of keloids and hypertrophic scars. Position statement of the Brazilian expert group GREMCIQ.

Keloids (K) and hypertrophic scars (HS) are abnormal responses to wound healing that occur as the result of dermal inflammation. Despite the advances on their treatment, many patients still suffer from the negative effects of excessive scarring; its approach is impaired by the lack of objective data on different treatments and the large genetic variability among patients and the difficulties in producing multicentre studies. Their incidence among the Brazilian population is high, as the result of an admixture of Amerindians, Europeans and Africans ancestral roots.

Photobiomodulation Therapy as a Possible New Approach in COVID-19: A Systematic Review.

COVID-19 is a viral disease characterized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020. Since then, researchers from all over the world have been looking for ways to fight this disease. Many cases of complications arise from insufficient immune responses due to low immunity, with intense release of pro-inflammatory cytokines that can damage the structure of organs such as the lung.

Dehydroabietic Acid Microencapsulation Potential as Biofilm-Mediated Infections Treatment.

The antimicrobial activity of dehydroabietic acid (DHA) for its use as an antibiofilm agent was tested in this work. DHA was assayed against a collection of Gram-positive, Gram-negative sensitive and resistant bacteria and yeasts through the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), MIC with Bioburden challenge, minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC), MBIC with Bioburden challenge and growth curve studies. Toxicological studies (, sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay) were done to assess if the compound had antimicrobial and not cytotoxic properties.

Complement Decay-Accelerating Factor is a modulator of influenza A virus lung immunopathology.

Clearance of viral infections, such as SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A virus (IAV), must be fine-tuned to eliminate the pathogen without causing immunopathology. As such, an aggressive initial innate immune response favors the host in contrast to a detrimental prolonged inflammation. The complement pathway bridges innate and adaptive immune system and contributes to the response by directly clearing pathogens or infected cells, as well as recruiting proinflammatory immune cells and regulating inflammation.