Laboratory readiness and genomic surveillance of Covid-19 in the capital of Brazil.

This study aims to analyze the diagnostic readiness to Covid-19 and the genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in Brasília, the capital of Brazil. This is a retrospective, cross-sectional study, with data from: cases/deaths-Ministry of Health; RT-PCR analyses Brasília Central Public Health Laboratory (LACEN); genomics-Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID). It was found that in March 2021, with the Gamma variant was predominant, RT-PCR diagnostic tests administered by LACEN reached their peak, followed by a reduction, possibly due to the start of vaccination.

Enzyme-assisted extraction of aflatoxin M1 in Brazilian artisanal cheese using reversed-phase liquid chromatography.

Brazil is an influential and successful food-producing country, where we can highlight artisanal cheeses gaining visibility in foreign markets. Some of these cheeses are made from raw milk, making them susceptible to contamination by microorganisms, including fungi, which can produce harmful mycotoxins. Feed contaminated with aflatoxin B1, when consumed by dairy animals, is metabolized and transformed into aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), which is excreted in milk.

Increased consumption of ultra-processed foods and worse diet quality in colorectal cancer patients after colostomy: A prospective study.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is commonly treated with intestinal resections that lead to colostomy, which can influence changes in eating habits. This study aimed to analyze energy and nutrient intake, diet quality, and food consumption based on the processing level in CRC patients after colostomy. A prospective study was carried out at three time points (T0-recent colostomy, T1-3 months after colostomy, and T2-6 months after colostomy).

Prevention of unplanned extubation in neonatal patients: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Unplanned extubation (UPE), defined as accidental removal of the endotracheal tube during mechanical ventilation or its replacement due to suspected obstruction or inadequate diameter, is considered the fourth most common adverse event in neonatal intensive care units (NICU). This study aimed to describe a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol that will identify and assess the effect of primary intervention measures designed to prevent UPE in NICU. A search will be carried out in the following databases: PubMed/Medline, EMBASE, Scopus, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, SciELO, and LILACS.

Addressing challenges in the implementation of precision oncology: An in-depth examination of limitations and disparities in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer in the Brazilian public healthcare system (SUS).

Precision oncology (PO) has significantly advanced lung cancer treatment by enabling personalised therapy based on genetic mutations. However, equitable access to molecular testing and targeted therapies remains a challenge, particularly in resource-limited settings such as the Brazilian Public Health System (SUS). To identify the challenges faced by SUS in caring for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in terms of access to Precision Oncology.

Restrictive or Liberal Blood Transfusion in Patients with Myocardial Infarction and CKD.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with higher risk of myocardial infarction and anemia. Among patients with anemia and CKD who experience myocardial infarction, it remains uncertain if a liberal red blood cell transfusion threshold strategy (hemoglobin cutoff [Hgb] < 10 g/dL) is superior to a restrictive transfusion threshold (Hgb 7-8 g/dL) strategy.

Methods: Among the 3,504 patients enrolled in the Myocardial Ischemia and Transfusion (MINT) trial with non-missing creatinine, we compared baseline characteristics and 30-day and 6-month outcomes of patients without CKD (N = 1279), CKD with eGFR 30-60 mL/min/1.

Anaphylaxis in pediatric patients: single-center study in a private hospital.

This study aimed to characterize the profile of probable anaphylaxis cases treated at a private pediatric hospital emergency department in São Paulo. It investigated triggering factors, the presence of cofactors, treatments administered, and follow-up for these cases through interviews with the patients' families. A single-center cross-sectional study analyzed medical records of children and adolescents treated between 2016 and 2020.

Jaccoud's Arthropathy Secondary to Leprosy.

Jaccoud's arthropathy is a deforming, non-erosive form of arthritis initially described in patients with rheumatic fever. However, it has been recently observed more frequently in those with systemic lupus erythematosus. Cases of Jaccoud's arthropathy have also been described to be associated with other conditions.

Globally approved vaccines for COVID-19: a systematic review.

COVID-19 caused a public health emergency, which instituted a global effort to develop vaccines using different platforms, such as basic types and new-generation vaccines. Considering the importance of vaccination in preventing the severity of infectious diseases and the success in developing and approving vaccines against COVID-19 in record time, it is essential to learn about the characteristics of these vaccines. This study aimed to conduct a structured, systematic review following the PRISMA guideline, to analyze the general characteristics of vaccines approved globally for use against COVID-19.

Chlamydia in farms located in the Argentine-Brazilian-Paraguay tri-border.

Chlamydias are zoonotic pathogens, broadly present in several bird species and responsible for economic losses in animal production. Our study focused on assessing the prevalence of Chlamydial species posing zoonotic risks in farm animals within the highly biodiverse Argentine, Brazil, and Paraguay tri-border area, characterized by significant human interaction. We surveyed nine farms in an area and nasally swabbed a total of 62 animals, that included cattle, horses and pigs.

α-Ketoisocaproic Acid Disrupts Mitochondrial Bioenergetics in the Brain of Neonate Rats: Molecular Modeling Studies of α-ketoglutarate Dehydrogenase Subunits Inhibition.

Brain accumulation of the branched-chain α-keto acids α-ketoisocaproic acid (KIC), α-keto-β-methylvaleric acid (KMV), and α-ketoisovaleric acid (KIV) occurs in maple syrup urine disease (MSUD), an inherited intoxicating metabolic disorder caused by defects of the branched-chain α-keto acid dehydrogenase complex. Patients commonly suffer life-threatening acute encephalopathy in the newborn period and develop chronic neurological sequelae of still undefined pathogenesis. Therefore, this work investigated the in vitro influence of pathological concentrations of KIC (5 mM), KMV (1 mM), and KIV (1 mM) on mitochondrial bioenergetics in the cerebral cortex of neonate (one-day-old) rats.

A dataset and benchmark for hospital course summarization with adapted large language models.

Objective: Brief hospital course (BHC) summaries are clinical documents that summarize a patient's hospital stay. While large language models (LLMs) depict remarkable capabilities in automating real-world tasks, their capabilities for healthcare applications such as synthesizing BHCs from clinical notes have not been shown. We introduce a novel preprocessed dataset, the MIMIC-IV-BHC, encapsulating clinical note and BHC pairs to adapt LLMs for BHC synthesis.

Anterior component separation techniques: is it necessary to preserve the perforators? a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Anterior component separation (ACS), or Ramirez component separation technique, is an established technique still used by surgeons to repair a ventral hernia. Compared with other ventral hernia repair techniques, recent studies about ACS show more postoperative complications like wound breakdown, wound infection, hematoma, skin necrosis, seroma, and recurrence. Our study aims to compare the ACS technique with the preservation perforator technique and verify if the perforator preservation technique can decrease postoperative complications.

Guidelines for Accurate and Precise Stable Isotope Analysis of Calcite, Dolomite, and Magnesite Using a Carbonate Device for Continuous Flow-Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (CF-IRMS).

Rationale: Carbonate minerals are one of the most popular samples for an automated sample preparation system for CF-IRMS, such as GasBench II and iso FLOW, but no standardized analytical protocols exist. This study gives guidelines on optimal analytic conditions for carbon and oxygen isotope analysis of Ca-Mg carbonates when using the carbonate-phosphoric acid reaction method.

Methods: Calcite (CaCO-McMaster Carrara), dolomite (CaMg(CO)-MRSI Dolomite), and magnesite (MgCO-ROM Brazil Magnesite) with two grain size fractions (< 74 and 149-250 μm) were reacted with 103% (specific gravity of 1.

Biomarkers.

Background: Understanding the genetic etiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been a major focus of research in neurodegenerative diseases. Amid the three common allelic variants of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene in humans, called APOE ε2, ε3 and ε4, the ε4 allele is the most common genetic risk factor for late-onset AD, being found in 20% of the world population.

Method: We used Event-Related Potentials (ERP) and Event-Related Spectral Perturbation (ERSP) as features for classification of apolipoprotein E ϵ4 (APOE ε4) allele carriers in AD patients and healthy controls.

Biomarkers.

Background: COVID-19 can course with persistent symptoms after infection in a condition called long Covid (NATH, 2020). In this context, cognitive complaints, sleep disorders, headache, smell disorders, in addition to anxiety and depression are common (DELGADO-ALONSO et al, 2022; ISMAEL et al, 2021.).

Biomarkers.

Background: The research on Alzheimer's disease (AD) has substantially advanced in relation to plasma biomarkers, such as pTau217, for the detection of amyloid (Aβ) pathology which identify, with high accuracy, individuals in the AD biological continuum. However, as these biomarkers become abnormal very early in the disease, biomarkers identifying more advanced disease stages and proxying pathophysiological processes beyond amyloidosis are still needed. Therefore, we have conducted a proteomic study, on plasma and CSF, aiming at identifying proteins reflecting pathological changes in AD.

Biomarkers.

Background: Alzheimer disease (AD) plasma biomarkers change in the preclinical stage of AD. However, the robustness of the discrimination performance of these biomarkers, as well as their association with longitudinal primary pathology (amyloid and tau) changes, is less understood. We aimed to determine the ability of baseline and longitudinal plasma amyloid-β (Aβ)42/40, p-tau181, GFAP and NfL to detect primary pathology in CU individuals at risk of AD.

Biomarkers.

Background: Membrane lipid compromise is also related to AD pathology, a large family of enzymes such as phospholipases that act on membrane integrity, cell signaling, and cellular processes is impaired during the disease phase. Membrane integrity is affected by the B amyloid by the pathological process of AD, moreover, releasing neurotoxic enzymes and vesicles consequently losing important neurotransmitters. Dysregulation of phospholipase D (PLD) can disrupt the plasma membrane and potentially contribute to worsening AD pathology.

Biomarkers.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathophysiology is complex and not completely known. Emerging new biomarkers that evaluate synaptic function (VILIP-1, neurogranin), co-pathology (alpha-synuclein), and neurodegeneration (NFL) are potential candidates to be incorporated into the early AD diagnosis. To better understand the relevance of these biomarkers, we evaluated the correlations between their CSF concentrations with whole-brain grey matter volumes in SCD and MCI, according to their amyloid status (A- or A+).

Biomarkers.

Background: Emerging evidence underscores the importance of neuroinflammation in the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathophysiology. Recent studies indicate the involvement of the inflammatory mechanisms both in amyloid- β (Aβ) and tau deposition in the brain. Nevertheless, due to the complexity of the immune responses and the intricate interplay between the peripheral and the central nervous systems, identifying biomarkers that reflect the brain´s inflammatory state in AD has been a challenge.

Biomarkers.

Background: Highly specific ATN plasma biomarker assays for neurodegenerative diseases have been developed, but their associations with cognition vary in different populations. Kidney disease, common in diabetes, may decrease the predictive precision of those biomarkers. The aim of this study was to characterize for the first time the relationships between plasma ATN biomarkers and cognitive function in adults with T1D.

Biomarkers.

Background: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, is one of the biggest health concerns of the century. Long COVID is one of the major sequelae from the infection and include persistent neurological manifestations. Brain images study suggest that Long COVID patients present distinct brain metabolic alterations.

Biomarkers.

Background: Blood-based biomarkers have demonstrated great promise for identifying biomarker-confirmed Alzheimer's disease. We aimed to evaluate whether blood-based biomarkers could optimize the referral of memory clinic patients to a tau-PET exam, which is crucial for prognostic evaluation.

Method: The study measured various plasma biomarkers (Aβ42/Aβ40, pTau181, pTau217, pTau231, NfL, and GFAP) and compared them with tau-PET scan results in patients with subjective cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment, or dementia.

Biomarkers.

Background: Data about dementia in Brazil are scarce and subnotified. Until 2018, 1,3 million people were estimated to have been affected. neuroimaging has a crucial importance to provide detailed information about cerebral structures and characteristics patterns of different types of dementia even as the progression of these injuries.