Glycine rich proteins of ticks: more than a cement component.

Glycine-rich proteins (GRPs) are arbitrarily defined as those containing 20% or more glycine residues and constitute a superfamily divided into subfamilies based on their structure and/or function. GRPs have been identified in a diverse array of organisms and have been shown to possess a number of distinctive biological characteristics, including nucleic acid binding, adhesive glue-like properties, antimicrobial activity, involvement in the stress response and in the formation of cuticle components. In ticks, their expression has been described and studied mainly in the salivary glands, and their primary function is usually associated with cement formation and/or structure.

Bactericidal and Synergistic Effects of Essential Oil and Its Main Constituents against Multidrug-Resistant Strains of .

Bacterial resistance in is a significant public health challenge, as these bacteria can evade multiple antibiotics, leading to difficult-to-treat infections with high mortality rates. As part of the search for alternatives, essential oils from medicinal plants have shown promising antibacterial potential due to their diverse chemical constituents. This study evaluated the antibacterial, antibiofilm, and synergistic activities of the essential oil of (EOLo) and its main constituents against multidrug-resistant clinical isolates of .

Losartan and enalapril maleate differently influence SARS-CoV-2-infected vero cells.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has posed significant challenges to global healthcare systems, particularly impacting individuals with pre-existing conditions like hypertension. This study sought to assess the impact of the antihypertensive medications, losartan and enalapril maleate on SARS-CoV-2 infected cells. Vero E6 cells were infected and treated in vitro, evaluating cell viability via the MTT colorimetric assay.

Essential oils of Eugenia spp. (myrtaceae) show in vitro antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus isolates from bovine mastitis.

Bovine mastitis, an inflammation of the mammary glands, is mainly caused by bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus. While antibiotics are the primary treatment for this disease, their effectiveness is often diminished due to resistant strains and biofilm formation, creating the need for safer and more efficient therapies. Plant-based oil therapies, particularly those derived from the genus Eugenia, are gaining popularity due to their pharmacological potential and historical use.

Abatacept inhibits Th17 differentiation and mitigates α-synuclein-induced dopaminergic dysfunction in mice.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a multifaceted disease characterized by degeneration of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons, which results in motor and non-motor dysfunctions. Accumulation of α-synuclein (αSYN) in Lewy bodies is a key pathological feature of PD. Although the exact cause of PD remains unknown, accumulating evidence suggests that brain infiltration of T cells plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of disease, contributing to neuroinflammation and dopaminergic neurodegeneration.

Antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity of highly soluble polypyrrole against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Aims: The purpose was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of highly soluble polypyrrole (Hs-PPy), alone or combined with oxacillin, as well as its antibiofilm potential against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains. Furthermore, the in silico inhibitory mechanism in efflux pumps was also investigated.

Methods And Results: Ten clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and two reference strains were used.

Digestibility and Palatability of the Diet and Intestinal Functionality of Dogs Fed a Blend of Yeast Cell Wall and Oregano Essential Oil.

Feed additives, such as prebiotics and essential oils, are used in pet foods and can affect digestibility, palatability, and intestinal functionality of dogs. The combined effects of yeast cell wall and oregano essential oil on apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) and palatability of diet, intestinal fermentation products, and fecal microbiota in dogs were analyzed. Eighteen adult dogs were fed for 20 days with three dry extruded diets for adult dogs: control (without the additive), a diet containing 1.

A Clustering Algorithm for Polygonal Data Applied to Scientific Journal Profiles.

Millions of papers are submitted and published every year, but researchers often do not have much information about the journals that interest them. In this paper, we introduced the first dynamical clustering algorithm for symbolic polygonal data and this was applied to build scientific journals profiles. Dynamic clustering algorithms are a family of iterative two-step relocation algorithms involving the construction of clusters at each iteration and the identification of a suitable representation or prototype (means, axes, probability laws, groups of elements, etc.

Transposon mutagenesis of atypical enteroaggregative reveals a hemagglutinin-associated protein that mediates cell adhesion and contributes to the virulence.

Twenty-two atypical enteroaggregative isolates from a previous epidemiological study harboring EAEC virulence genes were examined for their adhesion properties. Nine strains showed a typical aggregative adherence (AA) pattern, while 13 strains showed variant AA, such as AA with lined up cells characteristic of the chain-like adhesion (CLA) and AA mainly to HeLa cells characteristic of the diffuse adherence (DA). The aggregative forming pilus (AFP) genes and were detected only in strain Q015B, which exhibited an AA/DA pattern.

High-protein dried distillers grains in dog diets: diet digestibility and palatability, intestinal fermentation products, and fecal microbiota.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of high-protein dried distillers grains (HPDDG) on palatability and metabolizable energy (ME) of the diet, apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of nutrients and energy, intestinal fermentation products, and fecal microbiota in dogs. Four diets containing 0, 70, 140, and 210 g/kg of HPDDG were manufactured. To evaluate the ME and the ATTD of macronutrients of HPDDG itself, an additional test diet was manufactured containing 70% of the control diet formula (0 g/kg) and 300 g/kg of HPDDG.

Accuracy of the urine point-of-care circulating cathodic antigen assay for diagnosing Schistosomiasis mansoni infection in Brazil: A multicenter study.

Background: The World Health Organization recommends a market-ready, urine-based point-of-care diagnostic test for circulating cathodic antigens (CCA) to determine the prevalence of S. mansoni. This study evaluated the performance of the URINE CCA (SCHISTO) ECO TESTE® (POC-ECO), which is currently available in Brazil.

Characterization of Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolates and Comparison of Methods of Susceptibility to Vancomycin.

S. aureus are among the main bacteria causing problems related to multidrug resistance in nosocomial infections. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out a reliable and rapid diagnosis for the identification of the bacteria and characterization of its susceptibility profile, especially vancomycin, which is an alternative treatment against multidrug-resistant (MDR) S.

Interval regression model adequacy checking and its application to estimate school dropout in Brazilian municipality educational scenario.

Interval-valued data have been commonly encountered in practice, and Symbolic Data Analysis provides a solution to the statistical treatment of these data. Regression analysis for interval-valued symbolic data is a topic that has been widely investigated in the literature of symbolic data analysis, and several models from different paradigms have been proposed. There are basic regression assumptions, and it is essential to validate them.

miracidia: revisiting motility and survival parameters for improved computational modelling.

is the main causative agent of intestinal schistosomiasis which affects millions of people worldwide. At the larval stage, miracidia are released into bodies of water where they utilize their motility to successfully infect their intermediate host, snails. Here, we revisit the motility and survival of miracidia throughout its life span.

Prevalence of postpartum depression symptoms and their association with violence: a cross-sectional study, Cariacica, Espírito Santo, Brazil, 2017.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of postpartum depression symptoms among puerperal women and their association with violence.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with puerperal women cared for at a public maternity hospital in Cariacica, ES, Brazil, in 2017. A questionnaire prepared by the authors and validated instruments were used.

Seeking tirelessly for better health and life conditions for the child with myelomeningocele.

Objective: to understand the experience of families in the care of children with myelomeningocele.

Method: a qualitative research study, which adopted Symbolic Interactionism and Grounded Theory as its theoretical and methodological framework, and the semi-structured interview as a data collection instrument. Twenty-eight participants from thirteen families living in a municipality in the inland of São Paulo took part in the study.

Oxygen uptake efficiency slope: A submaximal test evaluation tool that provides cardiopulmonary reserve data in individuals with Parkinson's disease.

Background: Oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES) is a method for investigating cardiorespiratory fitness and is proposed as an alternative to overcome the limitations of traditional measures such as peak oxygen consumption (VO) for patients who do not achieve a maximum response, such as in Parkinson's disease (PD).

Objective: To assess the performance of individuals with PD during the six-minute walk test (6MWT) using the OUES.

Methods: This is an observational cross-sectional study including 12 individuals with PD and 12 healthy controls.

Low specificity of point-of-care circulating cathodic antigen (POCCCA) diagnostic test in a non-endemic area for schistosomiasis mansoni in Brazil.

A point-of-care test for detecting schistosome circulating cathodic antigen in urine (POCCCA) has been proposed for mapping infection and defining prevalence thresholds for mass drug administration (MDA). However, there is increasing evidence that POCCCA may yield false-positive results, which requires rigorous specificity evaluation in non-endemic areas. POCCCA was applied in an area known to be free from infection and devoid of any condition for schistosomiasis transmission as part of a multicentre study to evaluate the performance of POCCCA in Brazil's low or potentially endemic settings.

Corneal crosslinking efficacy in patients with keratoconus under 18 years of age.

Purpose: Keratoconus presents certain specificities in pediatric patients compared with adults. The greatest challenge is because the disease is typically more severe and progresses faster in children. This retrospective study aimed to report crosslinking procedure in patients under 18 years of age and their follow-up for at least 24 months after the procedure.

Use of Schistosoma mansoni soluble egg antigen (SEA) for antibody detection and diagnosis of schistosomiasis: The need for improved accuracy evaluations of diagnostic tools.

Many antigens for use in antibody-detection systems for schistosomiasis have been investigated over the past 40 years. In particular, soluble egg antigens (SEA) are still widely used in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for detection of immunoglobulin classes and subclasses. Here, we conducted a literature review to examine accuracy evaluations of SEA-Immunoglobulin G (IgG)-ELISAs performed to detect Schistosoma mansoni infections and published between 1979 and 2019.

Outbreak of autochthonous cases of malaria in coastal regions of Northeast Brazil: the diversity and spatial distribution of species of Anopheles.

Background: Brazil has the fourth highest prevalence of malaria of all countries in the Americas, with an estimated 42 million people at risk of contracting this disease. Although most cases occur in the Amazon region, cases of an autochthonous nature have also been registered in the extra-Amazonian region where Anopheles aquasalis and An. albitarsis are the mosquito species of greatest epidemiological interest.