Early Use of Liraglutide for the Treatment of Acute COVID-19 Infection: An Open-Label Single-Center Phase II Safety Study with Biomarker Profiling.

Background: Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists are an existing treatment option for patients with insulin-resistant states, which elicit further pleiotropic effects related to immune cell recruitment and vascular inflammation. GLP-1 agonists downregulate the cluster of differentiation 147 (CD147) receptor, one of several receptors for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that mediate viral infection of host cells.

Methods: We conducted an open-label prospective safety and tolerability study including biomarker responses of the GLP-1 agonist Liraglutide, administered for 5 days as an add-on therapy to the standard of care within 48 h of presentation in a cohort of 13 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia.

Assessing static balance control improvement following cataract surgery using a smartphone.

Introduction: Cataract remains a prevalent cause of visual impairment among the elderly, significantly increasing the risk of falls due to compromised visual function. Cataract removal surgery has been established as a means to enhance visual acuity and balance control. The advent of novel technologies, such as accelerometers integrated into smartphones, provides an opportunity to assess static balance control.

Floodplain forests drive fruit-eating fish diversity at the Amazon Basin-scale.

Unlike most rivers globally, nearly all lowland Amazonian rivers have unregulated flow, supporting seasonally flooded floodplain forests. Floodplain forests harbor a unique tree species assemblage adapted to flooding and specialized fauna, including fruit-eating fish that migrate seasonally into floodplains, favoring expansive floodplain areas. Frugivorous fish are forest-dependent fauna critical to forest regeneration via seed dispersal and support commercial and artisanal fisheries.

How Does Landscape Structure Affect Dung Beetle Assemblages in Amazon Cities?

The growth of cities is one of the main direct and indirect factors responsible for the loss of native vegetation cover. Urbanization directly affects the biological communities inhabiting forest remnants inserted in cities, compromising the maintenance of urban and natural ecosystems. By understanding the effects of landscape transformation due to urbanization, we can have insights regarding the distribution of land uses that allow a proper maintenance of the urban ecosystems.

Proteomic profiling of peripheral blood mononuclear cells reveals immune dysregulation and metabolic alterations in kidney transplant recipients with COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted global health, especially in vulnerable populations like kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). Recently, mass spectrometry-based proteomics has emerged as a powerful tool to shed light on a broad spectrum of dysregulated biological processes in KTRs with COVID-19. In this study, we prospectively collected blood samples from 17 COVID-19-positive KTRs and 10 non-infected KTRs between May and September 2020.

The Most Attractive Is Not Always the Preferred: Lessons From Necrophagous Dung Beetle Assemblages in a Region of the Central Amazon.

Resource attractiveness and preference is determinant to assess how biodiversity is structured in different ecosystems. Necrophagy is the alternative or complementary dietary habit of dung beetles, but a few studies have focused on evaluating how different carrion types attract different species. The goal of this study was to assess the effect of carrion type on attractiveness and preference of dung beetle taxonomic diversity in a region of Central Amazon.

The role of intraspecific mechanical and chemical signaling for mate and sexual recognition in male Tityus pusillus (Scorpiones, Buthidae).

Hydrophobic compounds present in the cuticular wax layer (CWL) of terrestrial arthropods protect them from dehydration and are also involved in chemical communication. However, the role of CWL compounds in the behavioral ecology of scorpions has been studied less often, with most investigations focusing on their responses to mechanical stimuli. In this study, we aimed to characterize the CWL composition of Tityus pusillus (Scorpiones, Buthidae) and examine the influence of CWL solvent extracts and movement on intraspecific mate and sexual recognition by males of this species.

The biogeography of the Amazonian tree flora.

We describe the geographical variation in tree species composition across Amazonian forests and show how environmental conditions are associated with species turnover. Our analyses are based on 2023 forest inventory plots (1 ha) that provide abundance data for a total of 5188 tree species. Within-plot species composition reflected both local environmental conditions (especially soil nutrients and hydrology) and geographical regions.

The role of bromeliad structural complexity on the presence, spatial distribution and predator avoidance in (Scorpiones: Buthidae).

The spatial arrangement of organisms is significantly influenced by the structure of vegetation. Bromeliads, characterized by a remarkable architectural design featuring rosette-like leaf arrangements for rainwater storage, act as habitats for various organisms. These organisms use bromeliads for shelter, foraging, reproduction and the supply of nutrients and moisture.

New World dung beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) colonization of a recent Miocene insular territory: The case of Costa Rica.

Costa Rica emerged from the seas as a new geological territory during the Miocene as an insular archipelago. It later became part of a continental area once it became a segment of Central America. Two dung beetle genera that colonized this new territory from South and North America, and (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae), are here studied, in the first analysis of a volcanic paleo-archipelago, colonized from its emergence, and then later becoming .

Intra and Inter-Device Reliabilities of the Instrumented Timed-Up and Go Test Using Smartphones in Young Adult Population.

The Timed-Up and Go (TUG) test is widely utilized by healthcare professionals for assessing fall risk and mobility due to its practicality. Currently, test results are based solely on execution time, but integrating technological devices into the test can provide additional information to enhance result accuracy. This study aimed to assess the reliability of smartphone-based instrumented TUG (iTUG) parameters.

Monocyte state 1 (MS1) cells in critically ill patients with sepsis or non-infectious conditions: association with disease course and host response.

Background: Sepsis is a life-threatening condition arising from an aberrant host response to infection. Recent single-cell RNA sequencing investigations identified an immature bone-marrow-derived CD14 monocyte phenotype with immune suppressive properties termed "monocyte state 1" (MS1) in patients with sepsis. Our objective was to determine the association of MS1 cell profiles with disease presentation, outcomes, and host response characteristics.

Effects of landscape metrics on scorpion (Arachnida: Scorpiones) assemblage in a tropical urban ecosystem.

Urban landscapes restrain the distribution of forest-dwelling species, which may be related to challenging conditions that impair body condition. The dynamics in urban areas lead to the simplification of communities that inhabit forest patches in cities with the turnover of sensitive species for opportunistic ones. In this study, we investigated the effect of urbanization on the body condition and diversity of scorpions at the landscape scale.

The Predictive Value of Sepsis Scores for In-Hospital Mortality in Patients with Left-Sided Infective Endocarditis.

Background: As infective endocarditis has particular characteristics compared to other infectious diseases, it is not clear if sepsis scores are reported with good accuracy in these patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of the qSOFA and SOFA scores to predict mortality in patients with infective endocarditis.

Methods: Between January 2010 and June 2019, 867 patients with suspected left-sided endocarditis were evaluated; 517 were included with left-sided infective endocarditis defined as "possible" or "definite" endocarditis, according to the Modified Duke Criteria.

Expanding the phenotypic spectrum of -related leucoencephalopathy and ataxia.

Mutations in are a rare cause of autosomal recessive leucoencephalopathy with ataxia and specific imaging abnormalities. Very few cases have been reported to date. Here, we describe the clinical and imaging phenotype of 12 additional patients and expand the known phenotypic spectrum of this disorder.

Sex-related difference in the retinal structure of young adults: a machine learning approach.

Purpose: To compare the accuracy of machine learning (ML) algorithms to classify the sex of the participant from retinal thickness datasets in different retinal layers.

Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 26 male and 38 female subjects. Data were acquired using HRA + OCT Spectralis, and the thickness and volume of 10 retinal layers were quantified.

Insularization drives physiological condition of Amazonian dung beetles.

The fragmentation and degradation of otherwise continuous natural landscapes pose serious threats to the health of animal populations, consequently impairing their fitness and survival. While most fragmentation ecology studies focus on habitat remnants embedded withinn terrestrial matrices, the effects of true insularization remains poorly understood. Land-bridge islands created by major dams leads to habitat loss and fragmentation, negatively affecting terrestrial biodiversity.

The conversion of native savannah into pasturelands does not affect exclusively species diversity: Effects on physiological condition of a highly abundant dung beetle species.

Dung beetles are efficient indicators to obtain responses regarding the effects of land use change on biodiversity. Although the biological consequences of Cerrado conversion into pasture have been observed at the assemblage scale, there are no cues regarding the effects of tropical savanna conversion into pasture on physiological condition of dung beetle individuals. In this study, we evaluated whether native and non-native habitats in Cerrado affect the physiological condition and body traits of males and females of .

Patterns of Circulating Cytokines and Vascular Markers' Response in the Presence of COVID-19 in Kidney Transplant Recipients Compared with Non-Transplanted Patients.

COVID-19's severity has been associated with a possible imbalance in the cross-regulation of cytokines and vascular mediators. Since the beginning of the pandemic, kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) have been identified as patients of high vulnerability to more severe diseases. Thus, aiming to describe the patterns of cytokines and vascular mediators and to trace patients' differences according to their KTR status, this prospective study enrolled 67 COVID-19 patients (20 KTRs) and 29 non-COVID-19 controls before vaccination.

Mapping density, diversity and species-richness of the Amazon tree flora.

Using 2.046 botanically-inventoried tree plots across the largest tropical forest on Earth, we mapped tree species-diversity and tree species-richness at 0.1-degree resolution, and investigated drivers for diversity and richness.

More than 10,000 pre-Columbian earthworks are still hidden throughout Amazonia.

Indigenous societies are known to have occupied the Amazon basin for more than 12,000 years, but the scale of their influence on Amazonian forests remains uncertain. We report the discovery, using LIDAR (light detection and ranging) information from across the basin, of 24 previously undetected pre-Columbian earthworks beneath the forest canopy. Modeled distribution and abundance of large-scale archaeological sites across Amazonia suggest that between 10,272 and 23,648 sites remain to be discovered and that most will be found in the southwest.

Understanding COVID-19 progression with longitudinal peripheral blood mononuclear cell proteomics: Changes in the cellular proteome over time.

The clinical presentation of COVID-19 is highly variable, and understanding the underlying biological processes is crucial. This study utilized a proteomic analysis to investigate dysregulated processes in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with COVID-19 compared to healthy volunteers. Samples were collected at different stages of the disease, including hospital admission, after 7 days of hospitalization, and 30 days after discharge.