Objective: To explore how being infected with the Zika virus during pregnancy was experienced by affected women, and how it influenced their family relationships and future family planning.
Methods: We conducted a qualitative study, including 19 semistructured interviews with women of reproductive age and confirmed Zika infection during 2015-2018 in Medellin, Colombia. Purposeful sampling was applied, and participants were identified through National Public Health Surveillance System records. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using content analysis with inductive and deductive approaches.
Results: Of 19 women interviewed, eight women identified the pregnancy as unexpected and two women had undergone permanent sterilization. Women had mixed views about decision-making related to family planning, and not having an abortion in a future pregnancy was influenced by religious beliefs. Women knew about vector-borne transmission but were not well informed about sexual transmission of the virus. Women desired better support and guidance to ease concerns about Zika virus.
Conclusion: All interviewed women expressed a need for more information about Zika virus and continuous support, specifically after delivery, from healthcare professionals. Communication strategies to enhance culturally sensitive messages and for accurate perception of information are recommended during Zika outbreaks.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ijgo.13046 | DOI Listing |
Biomed Chromatogr
April 2025
NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Drug Metabolism & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening & Guangdong-Hongkong-Macao Joint Laboratory for New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Compound 13b, a newly identified anthraquinone derivative, has demonstrated potent efficacy against the Zika virus. To explore the bioavailability and pharmacokinetic properties of compound 13b, a robust and sensitive HPLC-MS/MS method was established and verified to determine its plasma concentration in rats. Sample preparation involved protein precipitation using acetonitrile with testosterone as an internal standard.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Microbiol
February 2025
Laboratory of molecular studies of the Orinoquian region- LEMO, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Internacional del Trópico Americano, Universidad Internacional del Trópico Americano, Yopal, Colombia.
Studies focused on the epidemiological surveillance of arboviruses that cause potentially zoonotic diseases, such as dengue, Zika, or emerging viruses like West Nile virus (WNV), are critical due to their significant impact on public health. Although research on these infectious agents is increasing in Colombia, regions remain where the presence of zoonotic agents is still unknown. To address this knowledge gap, the present study aimed to investigate the current status of WNV circulation in wildlife in two municipalities of the department of Casanare (El Yopal and Paz de Ariporo) from the Colombian region of Orinoquia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFEBS J
March 2025
Departamento de Farmacologia, Escola Paulista de Medicina/Universidade Federal de São Paulo (EPM/UNIFESP), Brazil.
Zika virus (ZIKV) poses a significant threat due to its association with severe neurological complications, particularly during pregnancy. Although viruses exhibit tropism for neural cells, including astrocytes, the role of these cells in controlling ZIKV replication remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that ZIKV induces caspase-1 activation in primary astrocytes despite the absence of classical signs of inflammasome activation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActa Neuropathol Commun
March 2025
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
The fetal origins of neuropsychiatric disorders are poorly understood but have been linked to viral or inflammatory injury of the developing brain. The fetal white matter is particularly susceptible to injury as myelination, axonal growth, and deep white matter tracts become established. We have used the pigtail macaque (Macaca nemestrina) to study the maternal and fetal effects of influenza A virus (FLUAV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy, in cohorts with different time intervals between inoculation and delivery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
March 2025
Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G2E1, Canada.
Some viruses counter host-cell efforts to digest invading viral RNA by using special structures resistant to host RNases, known as exoribonuclease-resistant RNAs (xrRNAs). xrRNAs typically form an unusual fold with the 5'-end threaded through a ring consisting of a multihelix junction closed by a pseudoknot. By using single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS), we previously showed that a Zika virus xrRNA is extremely rigid mechanically, withstanding very high forces, and that this mechanical resistance-not simply the knot-like fold topology-is essential for RNase resistance.
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