Abstract During ZIKV the outbreak in Brazil it was observed an increase of almost 20 times the number of reported cases of microcephaly in newborn babies. There is no vaccine or approved drug ...available for the treatment and prevention of infections by this virus. EGCG, a polyphenol present in green tea has been shown to have an antiviral activity for many viruses. In view of the need for the development of a drug against a Brazilian strain of ZIKV, we assessed the effect of EGCG on ZIKV entry in Vero E6 cells. The drug was capable of inhibiting the virus entry by at least 1-log (>90%) at higher concentrations (>100 μM). The pre-treatment of cells with EGCG did not show any effect on virus attachment. This is the first study to demonstrate the effect of EGCG on ZIKV indicating that this drug might be possibility to be used for prevention of Zika virus infections.
Given the adverse impact of COVID-19 on the wellbeing of palliative care providers, there is a growing need to better understand protective variables, such as self-care, mindfulness and ...self-compassion, as they relate to resilience.
To investigate mindful self-care, self-compassion, and resilience as reported by palliative care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Descriptive, cross-sectional survey. An electronic questionnaire captured data from validated instruments measuring each study variable, as well as participant demographics and perceived impacts of COVID-19 on professional quality of life.
Positive, statistically significant correlations were found between mindful self-care, self-compassion, and resilience. These variables were also associated with greater satisfaction with professional life and perceived lessened impairment in physical and/or mental health due to a decrease in self-care activities stemming from altered routines during COVID-19. Those with higher resilience had worked in palliative care longer and also reported higher levels of self-compassion and mindful self-care, explaining 50% of variance. Self-compassion, satisfaction with professional life, and changes in self-care routine due to professional activities in the pandemic explained 44.3% of variance in mindful self-care. Self-compassion, female gender, and working as a frontline responder to the COVID-19 pandemic accounted for 35% variance in resilience levels.
Results from this study extend the currently limited knowledge of self-care, mindfulness and self-compassion, as protective variables related to resilience in palliative care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further longitudinal studies into causal effects on health and wellbeing over time are needed.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) frequently establishes persistent infections in the liver, leading to the development of chronic hepatitis and, potentially, to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma at ...later stages. The objective of this study was to test the ability of five Dicer substrate siRNAs (DsiRNA) to inhibit HCV replication and to compare these molecules to canonical 21 nt siRNA. DsiRNA molecules were designed to target five distinct regions of the HCV genome - the 5' UTR and the coding regions for NS3, NS4B, NS5A or NS5B. These molecules were transfected into Huh7.5 cells that stably harboured an HCV subgenomic replicon expressing a firefly luciferase/neoR reporter (SGR-Feo-JFH-1) and were also tested on HCVcc-infected cells. All of the DsiRNAs inhibited HCV replication in both the subgenomic system and HCVcc-infected cells. When DsiRNAs were transfected prior to infection with HCVcc, the inhibition levels reached 99.5%. When directly compared, canonical siRNA and DsiRNA exhibited similar potency of virus inhibition. Furthermore, both types of molecules exhibited similar dynamics of inhibition and frequencies of resistant mutants after 21 days of treatment. Thus, DsiRNA molecules are as potent as 21 nt siRNAs for the inhibition of HCV replication and may provide future approaches for HCV therapy if the emergence of resistant mutants can be addressed.
Human bacterial infections significantly contribute to the increase in healthcare-related burdens. This scenario drives the study of novel techniques for the early and precise diagnosis of infectious ...processes. Some alternatives include Nuclear Medicine- and Molecular Imaging-based strategies. However, radiopharmaceuticals that are available for routine assessments are not specific to differentiating infectious from aseptic inflammatory processes. In this context, 68GaGa-DOTA-Ubiquicidin29-41 was synthesized using an automated module and radiochemical; in vivo and in vitro studies were performed. The radiopharmaceutical remained stable in saline (up to 180 min) and in rodent serum (up to 120 min) with radiochemical purities > 99 and 95%, respectively. Partition coefficient and serum protein binding at 60 min were determined (−3.63 ± 0.17 and 44.06 ± 1.88%, respectively). Ex vivo biodistribution, as well as in vivo microPET/CT images in mice, showed rapid blood clearance with renal excretion and reduced uptake in other organs in Staphylococcus aureus-infected animals. Higher uptake was observed in the target as compared to the non-target tissue (p < 0.0001) at 60 min post administration. The presented in-human clinical case demonstrates uptake of the radiopharmaceutical by Staphyloccocus aureus bacteria. These results indicate the potential of 68GaGa-DOTA-Ubiquicidin29-41 as a radiopharmaceutical that can be obtained in a hospital radiopharmacy for the diagnosis of infectious processes using PET/CT.
Surgery of impacted lower third molars may be associated with postoperative complications. The aim of this study is to determine whether piezoelectric surgery is effective in reducing pain, swelling, ...and trismus compared to conventional rotary instruments during extraction of impacted lower third molars.
For this systematic review, the searches were performed independently by 2 researchers. Randomized clinical trials that used the piezoelectric instrument for the removal of impacted lower third molars in humans were included. The predictor variable was the study group (piezo surgery vs rotary instruments). The main outcome was the analysis of postoperative pain, swelling, and trismus. Data analysis included risk of bias assessment (RoB 2 Cochrane) and meta-analysis with heterogeneity based on random effects I2 and 95% confidence interval.
In the initial results, 956 articles were revised and after applying inclusion/exclusion criteria, the final sample was composed of 18 publications, all being randomized clinical trials. The results of this meta-analysis demonstrated a significant reduction in pain scores with a Cohen's d of −0.95 CI 95% = −1.23 to −0.67 of high clinical impact (P < .001). In the piezo group there was a significant increase in mouth opening of 4.29 CI 95% = 2.33 to 6.25 mm (P < .001). Regarding swelling, Tragus-Ang and Go-eye, both showed a significant reduction in the piezo group (P < .001). There was a significant increase of 7.32 CI 95% = 4.40 to 10.24 minutes in the piezo group (P < .00001), and none of the studies showed a significant risk of bias.
Piezo proved to be effective in reducing pain, swelling, and trismus in third molar surgeries even with longer surgical time, but due to the lack of standardization in primary studies regarding swelling, new, controlled and standardized studies should be carried out with the objective of proving the effectiveness of this therapeutic modality in the reduction of postoperative swelling.
Biomass cultivation has a large influence over the resulting bio-based products and is largely influenced by local conditions. Therefore, accounting for spatialization into sustainability assessments ...under the life-cycle perspective is key. The study aims to integrate satellite image classification for sugarcane areas in the Center-South of Brazil with georeferenced modeling for sugarcane yield and ethanol production. 290 ethanol mills were simulated, and the resulting inventories were used to trace ethanol's carbon footprint spatial profile and mitigation potential for gasoline substitution. Ethanol's carbon intensity varied from 14.38 to 34.0 gCO2e.MJ−1, with an average of 18.41 gCO2e.MJ−1. By translating these indicators into Decarbonization Credits (CBIOS), under the RenovaBio program, a GHG mitigation potential of 45.07 MtCO2e could be annually attributed to the current Brazilian ethanol sector, corresponding to an additional revenue of US$ 0.88 billion. The proposed georeferenced framework showed significant spatial variations that should be accounted in future sustainability assessments.
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Auricular acupuncture (AA) has been used to manage chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). However, the application of the technique varies widely among the clinical trials that test its ...effectiveness. The aim of the present study was to develop and clinically validate an AA protocol for the management of CINV in cancer patients. This study was carried out in two stages: (1) development of the AA protocol for the management of CINV and (2) clinical validation of the protocol. The content validity of the protocol was determined by a panel of specialists, with an agreement rate ranging from 85.7% to 100%. In the clinical validation, when administered to cancer patients, the protocol developed has been shown to reduce the incidence, frequency, severity, and length of nausea and vomiting following chemotherapy, as well as the severity of nausea and anticipatory nausea following chemotherapy. This protocol needs to be tested in future studies, including a pilot study with a sham group and a randomized clinical trial, in order to further evaluate its feasibility, acceptability, safety, and clinical usefulness for the management of CINV.
In recent years, synthetic peptides have been considered promising targets for drug development that possess low side-effects, are cost-effective and are susceptible to rational design. Hecate was ...initially described as a potent bacterial inhibitor and subsequently as an anticancer drug with functions related to its lipid interaction property. Viruses, such as hepatitis C virus (HCV), have a lipid-dependent life cycle and could be affected by Hecate in many ways. Here, we assessed modifications on Hecate's N-terminus region and its effects on HCV and hepatotoxicity. Gallic acid-conjugated Hecate was the most efficient Hecate-derivative, presenting high potential as an antiviral and inhibiting between 50 to 99% of all major steps within the HCV infectious cycle. However, the most promising aspect was GA-Hecate's mechanism of action, which was associated with a balanced lipid interaction with the viral envelope and lipid droplets, as well as dsRNA intercalation, allowing for the possibility to affect other ssRNA viruses and those with a lipid-dependent cycle.
This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) in a Brazilian sample. We analyzed spiritual well-being, defined as existential well-being (EWB) and ...religious well-being (RWB), among individuals with varying religious and spiritual experiences, both users and non-users of psychedelics. The online cross-sectional survey was conducted in Brazil, from April to June 2022. The psychometric analyses demonstrated reliability and validity based on the internal structure and the relationship with satisfactory external variables concerning the RWB and EWB factors of the SWBS. Validity evidence was shown for both factors (RWB, EWB) with adequate reliability ratings. However, the RWB factor, which was entirely replicated, demonstrated the best group differentiation and internal consistency. Although both factors showed validity, the RWB factor exhibited superior psychometric indices for validity, group discrimination, and reliability. Regarding psychedelics, the association with RWB and EWB demonstrates a U-shaped pattern, as participants who never use these substances typically exhibit higher RWB and EWB indices, succeeded by frequent users. This finding underscores the need for additional studies to further explore the intricate interplay between psychedelics and spiritual well-being.
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