The role of the P2X7 receptor in inactivated SARS-CoV-2-induced lung injury.

Purinergic signaling plays a role in the pathophysiology of different viral infections. Recently, we showed that COVID-19 increases extracellular ATP levels, which may amplify the pro-inflammatory signals in the disease. The P2X7 receptor can be a protagonist in the pro-inflammatory responses.

Eco-epidemiological aspects and risk factors associated with human Chagas disease in rural areas of the state of Piauí, Brazil.

Background: Piauí is located in Northeastern Brazil, an endemic area for Chagas disease, with the Brazilian semiarid representing the second region in number of people infected by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. The state of Piauí is one of the most socially vulnerable territories with direct impact on the access to diagnosis and treatment of Chagas disease for the population living in rural communities. Triatoma brasiliensis is the vector species of greatest epidemiological importance in Northeastern Brazil.

Relationship among Dietary Intake of Vitamin E, Lipid Peroxidation Markers, and C-Reactive Protein in Flu-Like Patients Diagnosed with COVID-19.

Objective: This research aimed to assess the intake of vitamin E and its relationship with lipid peroxidation markers and C-reactive protein levels in patients with flu symptoms and COVID-19 diagnosis.

Methods: A cross-sectional study with 121 patients of both sexes assisted at two basic health units in the city of Teresina, Piauí, with COVID-19 diagnosis confirmed through real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, was performed between the 3 and 7 days of flu symptoms. The global nutritional status and the measurement of waist circumference were assessed according to the World Health Organization recommendations.

Epidemiological profile of malaria in a rural community in the Amazon, Mato Grosso State, Brazil, 2011.

Background: More than 95% of malaria transmission in Brazil occurs in the Legal Amazon Region, which in 2010 recorded around 333,429 cases reported in the Epidemiological Surveillance Information System-Malaria (Sivep_malaria), presenting an annual parasitic incidence (IPA) of 13.1 cases/1000 inhabitants.

Methods: This was a descriptive study that measured the community prevalence of Plasmodium infection and its relationship with land use in Três Fronteiras District, Colniza Municipality, Mato Grosso State.

Extracellular vesicles from primary human macrophages stimulated with VIP or PACAP mediate anti-SARS-CoV-2 activities in monocytes through NF-κB signaling pathway.

Infection by SARS-CoV-2 is associated with uncontrolled inflammatory response during COVID-19 severe disease, in which monocytes are one of the main sources of pro-inflammatory mediators leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) from different cells play important roles during SARS-CoV-2 infection, but investigations describing the involvement of EVs from primary human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) on the regulation of this infection are not available. Here, we describe the effects of EVs released by MDM stimulated with the neuropeptides VIP and PACAP on SARS-CoV-2-infected monocytes.

Diminazene aceturate inhibits the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-induced inflammation involving leukocyte migration and DNA extracellular traps formation.

Aims: To investigate the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein (Spk)-induced inflammatory response and its downmodulation by diminazene aceturate (DIZE).

Materials And Methods: Through inducing Spk inflammation in murine models, leukocyte migration to the peritoneum, levels of myeloperoxidase (MPO), malondialdehyde (MDA), rolling and adhesion of mesenteric leukocytes, and vascular permeability were investigated. Extracellular DNA traps (DETs) induced by Spk and the production of IL-6 and TNF-α were analyzed using human neutrophils, monocytes, and macrophages.

Cannabidiol prevents LPS-induced inflammation by inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome and iNOS activity in BV2 microglia cells via CB2 receptors and PPARγ.

Neuroinflammation stands as a critical player in the pathogenesis of diverse neurological disorders, with microglial cells playing a central role in orchestrating the inflammatory landscape within the central nervous system. Cannabidiol (CBD) has gained attention for its potential to elicit anti-inflammatory responses in microglia, offering promising perspectives for conditions associated with neuroinflammation. Here we investigated whether the NLRP3 inflammasome and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) are involved in the protective effects of CBD, and if their modulation is dependent on cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) and PPARγ signalling pathways.

Exploring novel pyrazole-nitroimidazole hybrids: Synthesis and antiprotozoal activity against the human pathogen trichomonas vaginalis.

Trichomoniasis, a prevalent sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the protozoan Trichomonas vaginalis, has gained increased significance globally. Its relevance has grown in recent years due to its association with a heightened risk of acquiring and transmitting the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other STIs. In addition, many publications have revealed a potential link between trichomoniasis and certain cancers.

Evaluation of Extraction Methods to Detect Noroviruses in Ready-to-Eat Raw Milk Minas Artisanal Cheese.

This study aimed to assess two homogenization methods to recover norovirus from Minas artisanal cheese (MAC) made with raw bovine milk obtained from four microregions of the Minas Gerais state, Brazil, with different ripening times and geographical and abiotic characteristics. For this purpose, 33 fiscal samples were artificially contaminated with norovirus GI and GII, and Mengovirus (MgV), used as an internal process control (IPC). TRIzol reagent and Proteinase K homogenization methods were evaluated for all samples were then subjected to RNA extraction using viral magnetic beads and RT-qPCR Taqman for viral detection/quantification.

Proteomics of serum-derived extracellular vesicles are associated with the severity and different clinical profiles of patients with COVID-19: An exploratory secondary analysis.

Background Aims: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is characterized by a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations with the potential to progress to multiple organ dysfunction in severe cases. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) carry a range of biological cargoes, which may be used as biomarkers of disease state.

Methods: An exploratory secondary analysis of the SARITA-2 and SARITA-1 datasets (randomized clinical trials on patients with mild and moderate/severe COVID-19) was performed.

Vaccine Development against Infectious Diseases: State of the Art, New Insights, and Future Directions.

In the 18th century, English physician Edward Jenner laid the foundation for modern vaccination by achieving protection against variola [...

Seroprevalence of Hantavirus among Manual Cane Cutters and Epidemiological Aspects of HPS in Central Brazil.

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a rodent-borne zoonotic disease that is endemic throughout the Americas. Agricultural activities increase exposure to wild rodents, especially for sugarcane cutters. We carried out a survey of the epidemiological aspects of HPS and investigated the prevalence of hantavirus infection in the sugarcane cutter population from different localities in the Brazilian Midwest region.

High Levels of NfL, GFAP, TAU, and UCH-L1 as Potential Predictor Biomarkers of Severity and Lethality in Acute COVID-19.

Few studies showed that neurofilament light chain (NfL), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), total tubulin-associated unit (TAU), and ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase-L1 (UCH-L1) may be related to neurological manifestations and severity during and after SARS-CoV-2 infection. The objective of this work was to investigate the relationship among nervous system biomarkers (NfL, TAU, GFAP, and UCH-L1), biochemical parameters, and viral loads with heterogeneous outcomes in a cohort of severe COVID-19 patients admitted in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a university hospital. For that, 108 subjects were recruited within the first 5 days at ICU.

Phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study: a study on the safety and clinical efficacy of AZVUDINE in moderate COVID-19 patients.

Background: In 2019, a highly pathogenic coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) surfaced and resulted in the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). With the aim of finding effective drugs to fight against the disease, several trials have been conducted since COVID-19 can only be considered a treatable disease, from a clinical point of view, after the availability of specific and effective antivirals. AZVUDINE (FNC), initially developed for treating HIV, is a potential treatment for COVID-19 as it has the capability to lower the patient's viral load and promote recovery.

Clinical Profile of SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Mechanisms of the Cellular Immune Response and Immunogenetic Markers in Patients from Brazil.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate some mechanisms of the immune response of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 in both acute infection and early and late convalescence phases.

Methods: This is a cohort study of 70 cases of COVID-19, confirmed by RT-PCR, followed up to 60 days. Plasma Samples and clinical data were.

Inactivated and Immunogenic SARS-CoV-2 for Safe Use in Immunoassays and as an Immunization Control for Non-Clinical Trials.

Successful SARS-CoV-2 inactivation allows its safe use in Biosafety Level 2 facilities, and the use of the whole viral particle helps in the development of analytical methods and a more reliable immune response, contributing to the development and improvement of in vitro and in vivo assays. In order to obtain a functional product, we evaluated several inactivation protocols and observed that 0.03% beta-propiolactone for 24 h was the best condition tested, as it promoted SARS-CoV-2 inactivation above 99.

Validation of the NAT Chagas IVD Kit for the Detection and Quantification of in Blood Samples of Patients with Chagas Disease.

In the absence of validated biomarkers to control the cure of Chagas disease, PCR-based diagnosis is being used as the main tool for an early indication of therapeutic failure. However, since it is considered a technique of complex reproducibility, mainly due to difficulties in establishing accurate controls to guarantee the quality of the reaction, the use of PCR for Chagas disease diagnosis is restricted to specialized centers. In an effort to disseminate the molecular diagnosis of Chagas disease and its applications, new diagnostic kits based on qPCR have been made available in the market in recent years.

Higher frequency of Human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) viral DNA simultaneously with low frequency of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) viral DNA in a cohort of multiple sclerosis patients from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS). The etiology of MS is not well understood, but it's likely one of the genetic and environmental factors. Approximately 85% of patients have relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), while 10-15% have primary progressive MS (PPMS).

PACAP key interactions with PAC1, VPAC1, and VPAC2 identified by molecular dynamics simulations.

The neuropeptide pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) belongs to the glucagon/secretin family. PACAP interacts with the pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide receptor type 1 (PAC1) and vasoactive intestinal peptide receptors 1 and 2 (VPAC1 and VPAC2), exhibiting functions in the immune, endocrine, and nervous systems. This peptide is upregulated in numerous instances of brain injury, acting as a neuroprotective agent.

Differential haplotype expression in class I MHC genes during SARS-CoV-2 infection of human lung cell lines.

Introduction: Cell entry of SARS-CoV-2 causes genome-wide disruption of the transcriptional profiles of genes and biological pathways involved in the pathogenesis of COVID-19. Expression allelic imbalance is characterized by a deviation from the Mendelian expected 1:1 expression ratio and is an important source of allele-specific heterogeneity. Expression allelic imbalance can be measured by allele-specific expression analysis (ASE) across heterozygous informative expressed single nucleotide variants (eSNVs).