Neutralizing antibody response to different COVID-19 vaccines in Brazil: the impact of previous infection and booster doses.

Introduction: In Brazil, three COVID-19 vaccines were among the first widely used (CoronaVac, ChAdOx1, and BNT162b2), which aimed to induce neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) against the original SARS-CoV-2 strain. Although effective against severe disease, they showed waning NAb levels and reduced efficacy against variants, prompting booster doses. Thus, it is important to investigate and compare the response induced by these vaccines and boosters.

Reports of violence against transvestites and transsexuals: a time series study, Brazil, 2015-2022.

Objective: To characterize reports of violence against transvestites and transsexuals in Brazil from 2015 to 2022.

Methods: This is a descriptive time-series study. Secondary data was obtained from the Interpersonal and Self-Inflicted Violence Surveillance System, part of the Notifiable Health Conditions Information System.

Spatial distribution of atmospheric pollutants and fire outbreaks in the Pantanal biome from 2016 to 2021.

Pantanal fires have a significant impact on the environment. Anthropogenic emissions of residual gases have changed the tropospheric composition in this region due to burning. This study aims to analyze the spatial patterns of atmospheric pollutants (including carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), black carbon (BC), organic carbon (OC) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) and aerosol optical depth, along with fire outbreaks across the Pantanal biome from 2016 to 2021.

Infrared radiative transfer dataset: Comparisons of HITRAN2020, HITRAN2016, and MT_CKD versions 3.2 & 4.1.1 across five model atmospheres.

This dataset presents the outputs of a series of experiments conducted varying combinations of two versions of the High Resolution Transmission (HITRAN) database (2016 and 2020) and two versions of the MT_CKD water vapor (WV) continuum model (3.2 and 4.1.

Prognostic Scores for Mortality in Invasive Mechanically Ventilated Burn Patients.

Introduction: Managing burn patients is a challenge requiring a multidisciplinary team with the ability to predict complications and act early to avoid them. There are few studies characterizing the population of critically ill burn patients in need of ventilatory support. This study aimed to describe the population of burn patients in need of invasive mechanical ventilation support and assess in-hospital mortality and the factors associated with it.

Fuzzy and spatial analysis of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Pará State, Brazilian Amazon: an ecological and exploratory study.

Introduction: This study sought to analyze the relationships between cutaneous leishmaniasis and its epidemiological, environmental and socioeconomic conditions, in the 22 microregions of Pará state, Brazil, for the period from 2017 to 2022.

Methodology: In this ecological and exploratory study, the microregions were used as spatial units because they are formed by contiguous municipalities with similar characteristics. The epidemiological, environmental, socioeconomic, and public health policy data employed were obtained from the official information systems at the Ministry of Health, National Institute for Space Research, and Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics.

Septic Embolism Associated With Periodontal Disease: A Case Report.

 and  are two commensal anaerobic bacteria of the human oral cavity. Anaerobic bacteria infections are uncommon and require a high index of suspicion and a quick start of appropriate treatment. We present a patient with multifocal infiltrates compatible with septic embolism (lung, liver, and spleen emboli) and polymicrobial bacteremia with  and .

Malaria and environmental, socioeconomics and public health conditions in the municipality of São Félix do Xingu, Pará, Eastern Amazon, Brazil: An ecological and cross-sectional study.

Background: Malaria is a parasitosis conditioned by several factors. This study sought to analyze the spatial distribution of malaria considering environmental, socioeconomic, and political variables in São Félix do Xingu, Pará, Brazil, from 2014 to 2020.

Methods: Epidemiological, cartographic, and environmental data were obtained from the Ministry of Health, Brazilian Geographical and Statistical Institute, and National Space Research Institute.

A data driven approach to mineral chemistry unveils magmatic processes associated with long-lasting, low-intensity volcanic activity.

The most frequent volcanic eruptions are of low-intensity and small magnitude. They produce abundant ash-sized (< 2 mm) clasts, which are too small to establish quantitative links between magmatic processes and eruptive dynamics using classic approaches. This inhibits our ability to study the past behaviour of frequently erupting volcanoes, essential to predict their future activity and mitigate their impact.

IgA quantification as a good predictor of the neutralizing antibodies levels after vaccination against SARS-CoV-2.

Background: Vaccination against COVID-19 was implemented very quickly, but the emergence of new variants that can evade the previous acquired immunological protection highlights the importance of understanding the mechanisms involved in the immune response generated after SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination.

Objectives: Since most of our knowledge on the humoral immunity generated against SARS-CoV-2 has been obtained from studies with infected patients before vaccination, our goal here was to evaluate seroconversion and its correlation with the titers of neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) in individuals who received the complete initial recommended vaccination schedule with three different vaccines.

Study Design: We analyzed serum IgG, IgA and total NAbs against the trimeric SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) protein or its receptor binding domain (RBD) in blood samples collected from 118 healthy individuals without known previous infection, before and after receiving the first and the second dose of CoronaVac ( = 18), ChAdOx-1 ( = 68) or BNT162b2 ( = 32) vaccines.

The European Pine Marten (Linnaeus, 1758) Is Autochthonous in Sicily and Constitutes a Well-Characterised Major Phylogroup within the Species (Carnivora, Mustelidae).

No molecular data are currently available for the Sicilian populations of the European pine marten , thus preventing any sound inference about its native or non-native status on the island, as well as the local phylogeography of the species. In order to investigate these issues, we sequenced two mtDNA markers in road-killed specimens collected in Sicily. Both markers consistently demonstrated the existence of a well-characterised Sicilian clade of the species, which is endemic to the island and constitutes the sister group of a clade including the Mediterranean and Central-North European major phylogroups of the European pine marten.

Combination of E- and NS1-Derived DNA Vaccines: The Immune Response and Protection Elicited in Mice against DENV2.

The occurrence of dengue disease has increased radically in recent decades. Previously, we constructed the pE1D2 and pcTPANS1 DNA vaccines encoding the DENV2 envelope (E) and non-structural 1 (NS1) proteins, respectively. To decrease the number of plasmids in a tetravalent candidate vaccine, we constructed a bicistronic plasmid, pNS1/E/D2, encoding these two proteins simultaneously.

Marine shrimps as biomonitors of the Fundão (Brazil) mine dam disaster: A multi-biomarker approach.

The disruption of the Fundão dam released 43 million m of mine tailings into the Doce River until it flowed into the ocean through the estuary. The mine tailing changed the composition of metals in water and sediment, creating a challenging scenario for the local biota. We used multivariate analyzes and the integrated biomarker response index (IBR) to assess the impact of mine tailings on the bioaccumulation profile (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn) as well as the biomarkers response in gills, hepatopancreas and muscle of shrimps sampled from different sectors during two dry seasons (dry1 and dry2) (Sep/Oct 2018; 2019) and two wet seasons (wet1 and wet2) (Jan/feb 2019; 2020).

Ecotoxicological impacts of the Fundão dam failure in freshwater fish community: Metal bioaccumulation, biochemical, genetic and histopathological effects.

This study investigates the ecotoxicological impacts of the Fundão dam rupture, one of the major environmental disaster that occurred in Brazil and in the world mining industry history, through multi-biomarkers responses and metals bioaccumulation in the fish community of different trophic levels. Specimens of the fishes (omnivorous/herbivorous and carnivorous) were collected along the Doce River channel and its affluent Guandú River, and in different lakes and coastal lagoons adjacent to the river channel, in the Espirito Santo State, Southeast of Brazil. Four sampling collections were carried out over two years (2018 to 2020, during dry and rainy seasons).

Impacts of tailings of Fundão dam (Brazil) rupture on marine fish: Metals bioaccumulation and physiological responses.

This study evaluated the impacts of the mining tailings after the rupture of the Fundão dam on fish communities on the Atlantic Ocean southeast coast. Four sample collections were carried out over two years (2018-2020), in seasonal periods. Omnivorous/herbivorous and carnivorous fish were collected for analysis of metal bioaccumulation, multibiomarkers of environmental contamination and histopathology.

Dengue Virus and Vaccines: How Can DNA Immunization Contribute to This Challenge?

Dengue infections still have a tremendous impact on public health systems in most countries in tropical and subtropical regions. The disease is systemic and dynamic with broad range of manifestations, varying from mild symptoms to severe dengue (Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever and Dengue Shock Syndrome). The only licensed tetravalent dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia, is a chimeric yellow fever virus with prM and E genes from the different dengue serotypes.

Biochemical response and metals bioaccumulation in planktonic communities from marine areas impacted by the Fundão mine dam rupture (southeast Brazil).

The rupture of the Fundão dam (Mariana, MG, southeast Brazil) released a huge flood of mine tailings to Doce river basin and its adjacent coastal area, in November 2015. This catastrophic event exposed aquatic communities to metal contamination related to mine tailings, but its biological effects are still poorly understood. This study investigates how biochemical response related to metal exposure vary between locations and seasons during the years of 2018-2020, in planktonic communities (micro and mesoplankton).

Impact of matrix support on older adults in primary care: randomized community trial.

Objective: To analyze the effect of matrix support on health for older adults in primary care according to the dimensions of frailty measured with the Clinical-Functional Vulnerability Index-20 (IVCF-20).

Methods: This is a randomized controlled community trial, developed in the Northern Minas Gerais state, Brazil, in 2018. Initially, the stratification of clinical and functional vulnerability of older adults supported by six Family Health Strategy teams occurred with the IVCF-20.

Contact System Activation in Plasma from Dengue Patients Might Harness Endothelial Virus Replication through the Signaling of Bradykinin Receptors.

Since exacerbated inflammation and microvascular leakage are hallmarks of dengue virus (DENV) infection, here we interrogated whether systemic activation of the contact/kallikrein-kinin system (KKS) might hamper endothelial function. In vitro assays showed that dextran sulfate, a potent contact activator, failed to generate appreciable levels of activated plasma kallikrein (PKa) in the large majority of samples from a dengue cohort ( = 70), irrespective of severity of clinical symptoms. Impaired formation of PKa in dengue-plasmas correlated with the presence of cleaved Factor XII and high molecular weight kininogen (HK), suggesting that the prothrombogenic contact system is frequently triggered during the course of infection.

[Frailty among the elderly assisted by primary health care teams].

The scope of this study was to assess the prevalence and factors associated with frailty among the elderly in Primary Health Care. It is a cross-sectional study carried out with 1750 elderly people in the Southeast of Brazil. The Brazilian Older American Resources and Services Multidimensional Functional Assessment Questionnaire (BOMFAQ) and the Clinical-Functional Vulnerability Index (CFVI) were used for data collection.

Robust older adults in primary care: factors associated with successful aging.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of robustness among older adults assisted in primary health care and identify factors in successful aging.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted with older adults in Northern Minas Gerais, Brazil. Two questionnaires were used for data collection: the Brazilian Older Americans Resources and Services Multidimensional Function Assessment Questionnaire (BOMFAQ) and the Clinical-Functional Vulnerability Index IVCF-20).

Complex microparticle architectures from stimuli-responsive intrinsically disordered proteins.

The controllable production of microparticles with complex geometries is useful for a variety of applications in materials science and bioengineering. The formation of intricate microarchitectures typically requires sophisticated fabrication techniques such as flow lithography or multiple-emulsion microfluidics. By harnessing the molecular interactions of a set of artificial intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), we have created complex microparticle geometries, including porous particles, core-shell and hollow shell structures, and a unique 'fruits-on-a-vine' arrangement, by exploiting the metastable region of the phase diagram of thermally responsive IDPs within microdroplets.