This work reports the preparation of nanoparticles of silk fibroin with esters obtained from the oils of two Amazonian plant species (Carapa guianensis Aublet and Bertholletia excelsa) with excellent ...physicochemical properties and activity against the larvae of the vector Aedes aegypti. The temporal stability of the nanoparticles was evaluated for 50 days at temperatures of 4 ºC and 32 ºC. The size of the nanoparticle was satisfactory, with sizes ranging from 207 ± 2.3 nm to 540.8 ± 23.8 nm, and PdI values ranging from 0.294 to 0.560, and zeta potential from − 37.9 ± 0.3 mV to − 62.9 ± 0.7 mV. Study of the morphology of nanoparticles, by transmission electron microscopy analysis, clearly showed spherical shapes . The nanoparticles presented slow and controlled release that induced a high mortality rate in the 3rd larval instar of Ae. aegypti, with LC50 of 27.45 μg. mL−1 for FABE-Cg-SF-NPs and LC50 of 21.14 μg.mL−1 for FABE-Be-SF-NPs, after 48 h of exposure. In addition, they were able to inhibit oviposition by Ae. aegypti. However, the nanoparticles did not present significant teratogenic effects on zebrafish embryos up to 72 h post-fertilization. Thus, the formation of nanoparticles by butyl esters in silk fibroin may become an (eco)alternative and effective in the control of Ae. aegypti larvae.
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•Nanoparticle from Carapa guianensis (CgSFNp) and Bertholletia excelsa (BeSFNp) and silk fibroin.•Study oxidative stability and in vitro release of BeSFNp and CgSFNp.•Excellent larvicidal activity and oviposition-deterrence against the vector A. aegypti.•Nanoparticles did not present teratogenic effects on zebrafish embryos up to 72 h.
Fungal
species are commensals present in the mammalian skin and mucous membranes.
spp. are capable of breaching the epithelial barrier of immunocompromised patients with neutrophil and cell-mediated ...immune dysfunctions and can also disseminate to multiple organs through the bloodstream. Here we examined the action of innate defense regulator 1018 (IDR-1018), a 12-amino-acid-residue peptide derived from bovine bactenecin (Bac2A): IDR-1018 showed weak antifungal and antibiofilm activity against a
laboratory strain (ATCC 10231) and a clinical isolate (CI) (MICs of 32 and 64 μg · ml
, respectively), while 8-fold lower concentrations led to dissolution of the fungal cells from preformed biofilms. IDR-1018 at 128 μg · ml
was not hemolytic when tested against murine red blood cells and also has not shown a cytotoxic effect on murine monocyte RAW 264.7 and primary murine macrophage cells at the tested concentrations. IDR-1018 modulated the cytokine profile during challenge of murine bone marrow-derived macrophages with heat-killed
(HKCA) antigens by increasing monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels, while suppressing tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-12 levels. Mice treated with IDR-1018 at 10 mg · kg
of body weight had an increased survival rate in the candidemia model compared with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)-treated mice, together with a diminished kidney fungal burden. Thus, IDR-1018 was able to protect against murine experimental candidemia and has the potential as an adjunctive therapy.
The emergence and reemergence of mosquito-borne diseases in Brazil such as yellow fever, zika, chikungunya, and dengue have had serious impacts on public health. Concerns have been raised due to the ...rapid dissemination of the chikungunya virus across the country since its first detection in 2014 in Northeast Brazil. In this work, we carried out on-site training activities in genomic surveillance in partnership with the National Network of Public Health Laboratories that have led to the generation of 422 chikungunya virus genomes from 12 Brazilian states over the past two years (2021-2022), a period that has seen more than 312 thousand chikungunya fever cases reported in the country. These genomes increased the amount of available data and allowed a more comprehensive characterization of the dispersal dynamics of the chikungunya virus East-Central-South-African lineage in Brazil. Tree branching patterns revealed the emergence and expansion of two distinct subclades. Phylogeographic analysis indicated that the northeast region has been the leading hub of virus spread towards other regions. Increased frequency of C > T transitions among the new genomes suggested that host restriction factors from the immune system such as ADAR and AID/APOBEC deaminases might be driving the genetic diversity of the chikungunya virus in Brazil.
To evaluate the disease activity before and after COVID-19 and risk factors associated with outcomes, including hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, mechanical ventilation (MV) and ...death in patients with spondylarthritis (SpA).
ReumaCoV Brazil is a multicenter prospective cohort of immune-mediated rheumatic diseases (IMRD) patients with COVID-19 (case group), compared to a control group of IMRD patients without COVID-19. SpA patients enrolled were grouped as axial SpA (axSpA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and enteropathic arthritis, according to usual classification criteria.
353 SpA patients were included, of whom 229 (64.9%) were axSpA, 118 (33.4%) PsA and 6 enteropathic arthritis (1.7%). No significant difference was observed in disease activity before the study inclusion comparing cases and controls, as well no worsening of disease activity after COVID-19. The risk factors associated with hospitalization were age over 60 years (OR = 3.71; 95% CI 1.62-8.47, p = 0.001); one or more comorbidities (OR = 2.28; 95% CI 1.02-5.08, p = 0.001) and leflunomide treatment (OR = 4.46; 95% CI 1.33-24.9, p = 0.008). Not having comorbidities (OR = 0.11; 95% CI 0.02-0.50, p = 0.001) played a protective role for hospitalization. In multivariate analysis, leflunomide treatment (OR = 8.69; CI = 95% 1.41-53.64; p = 0.023) was associated with hospitalization; teleconsultation (OR = 0.14; CI = 95% 0.03-0.71; p = 0.01) and no comorbidities (OR = 0.14; CI = 95% 0.02-0.76; p = 0.02) remained at final model as protective factor.
Our results showed no association between pre-COVID disease activity or that SARS-CoV-2 infection could trigger disease activity in patients with SpA. Teleconsultation and no comorbidities were associated with a lower hospitalization risk. Leflunomide remained significantly associated with higher risk of hospitalization after multiple adjustments.
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