A number of the uncertainties in climate projections for the end of the century are due to the difficulty of general circulation models (GCMs) to represent large‐scale precipitating systems such as ...the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) in the historical period. In this study, we evaluate the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 and 6 models based on the position of the ITCZ in the South Atlantic during the period in which it is climatologically further south (February–May). This period characterizes the rainy season of the Brazilian semiarid. The models were ranked according to two objective methods and validated through a qualitative analysis. The first method considered a success rate to evaluate the correct position of the areas with maximum precipitation and minimum pressure and meridional wind as representative of the mean position of the ITCZ. Among the 15 coupled GCMs analysed for each CMIP, those that best represented the position of the ITCZ were HADGEM.2‐AO, MIROC5 and CANESM2 from CMIP5 and CESM2 and MIROC6 from CMIP6. These models represented well the following characteristics of the ITCZ in February–May: maximum precipitation near the equator at the height of the coast of South America and with the wind convergence zone sloping north towards the African continent. The most common problem noticed in the other GCMs was to displace the ITCZ to the south of its observed mean position within the period February–May. Also, some GCMs presented a double ITCZ (GISS‐E2‐H, GDFL‐CM3 and IPSL‐CM5A‐LR from CMIP5 and INM‐CM5‐0 from CMIP6) following two high TSM cores. One GCM (ACCESS1‐3 from CMIP5) presented a relatively good performance, but the zone of greater precipitation was shifted to the east, being located in the centre of the Atlantic basin. Knowing how the GCMs represent the ITCZ is a criterion that must be considered when choosing the GCMs for climate change studies.
Future precipitation projected by the climate models vary greatly due to misrepresentation of large meteorological systems. This study evaluated the CMIP5 and CMIP6 models based on the position of the ITCZ in the Atlantic in its southernmost climatological position, essential for the rainy season quality in the Brazilian semiarid.
Background and Aims Attention to patient safety has increased recently due to outbreaks of nosocomial infections associated with GI endoscopy. The aim of this study was to evaluate current cleaning ...and disinfection procedures of endoscope channels with high bioburden and biofilm analysis, including the use of resistant mycobacteria associated with postsurgical infections in Brazil. Methods Twenty-seven original endoscope channels were contaminated with organic soil containing 108 colony-forming units/mL of Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Staphylococcus aureus , or Mycobacterium abscessus subsp bolletii. Biofilms with the same microorganisms were developed on the inner surface of channels with the initial inoculum of 105 colony-forming units/mL. Channels were reprocessed following current protocol, and samples from cleaning and disinfection steps were analyzed by bioluminescence for adenosine triphosphate, cultures for viable microorganisms, and confocal microscopy. Results After contamination, adenosine triphosphate levels increased dramatically, and high bacterial growth was observed in all cultures. After cleaning, adenosine triphosphate levels decreased to values comparable to precontamination levels, and bacterial growth was demonstrated in 5 of 27 catheters, 2 with P aeruginosa and 3 with M abscessus . With regard to induced biofilm, a remarkable reduction occurred after cleaning, but significant microbial growth inhibition occurred only after disinfection. Nevertheless, viable microorganisms within the biofilm were still detected by confocal microscopy, more so with glutaraldehyde than with peracetic acid or O -phataladehyde. Conclusion After the complete disinfection procedure, viable microorganisms could still be detected within the biofilm on endoscope channels. Prevention of biofilm development within endoscope channels should be a priority in disinfection procedures, particularly for ERCP and EUS.
Approximately 75% of the worldwide production of hard natural fibers originates from sisal, an industrial crop from arid and semiarid tropical regions. Brazil is the world's largest producer of sisal ...fiber, accounting for more than 40% of the worldwide production, and sisal bole rot disease has been the main phytosanitary problem of this crop. All previous studies reporting
as the causal agent of the disease were based on the morphological features of fungal isolates from infected plant tissues in pure cultures. Black aspergilli are one of the most complex and difficult groups to classify and identify. Therefore, we performed an integrative analysis of this disease based on the isolation of black aspergilli from the endospheres and soils in the root zones of symptomatic adult plants,
pathogenicity tests, histopathology of symptomatic plants, and molecular phylogeny and worldwide genetic variability of the causal agent. All sisal isolates were pathogenic and unequivocally produced symptoms of bole rot disease in healthy plants. In all tree-based phylogenetic methods used, a monophyletic group formed by
along with all sisal isolates was retrieved. Ten
haplotypes have been identified in the world, and three occur in the largest sisal-producing area. Most of the isolates are from a unique haplotype, present in only the sisal-producing region.
destroyed parenchymatic and vascular cylinder cells and induced the necrosis of internal stem tissues. Therefore, sisal bole disease is probably the consequence of a saprotrophic fungus that opportunistically invades sisal plants and behaves as a typical necrotrophic pathogen.
Social isolation is extremely important to minimize the effects of a pandemic. Latin American countries have similar socioeconomic characteristics and health system infrastructures. These countries ...face difficulties in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, and some of them have very high death rates. The government stringency index (GSI) of 12 Latin American countries was gathered from the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker project. The GSI is calculated by considering nine social distancing and isolation measures. Population data from the United Nations Population Fund and number-of-deaths data were collected from the dashboard of the WHO. We performed an analysis of the data collected from March through December 2020 using a mixed linear model. Peru, Brazil, Chile, Bolivia, Colombia, Argentina, and Ecuador had the highest death rates, with an increasing trend over time. Suriname, Venezuela, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Guyana had the lowest death rates, and these rates remained steady. The GSI in most countries followed the same pattern during the months analyzed. In other words, high indices at the beginning of the pandemic and lower indices in the latter months, whereas the number of deaths increased during the entire period. Almost no country kept its GSI high for a long time, especially from October to December. Time and GSI, as well as their interaction, were highly significant. As their interaction increases, the death rate decreases. In conclusion, a greater GSI at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a decrease in the number of deaths over time in Latin American countries.
The present study proposes a discussion about the use of breakpoints when plant derivatives are used for investigating potential agents against Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains. A systematic review ...on these aspects was performed and supported that an arbitrary breakpoint may be considered inadequate in this kind of study. In addition, we propose that the adoption of this limiter should be done from the toxicity value found using the same plant derivative.
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•A tuftsin-modified peptide (pTUF-OA) was successfully synthesized.•Rifampicin nanostructured lipid carriers were functionalized with pTUF-OA (NP-pRIF).•NP-pRIF presented a controlled ...drug release profile and non-cytotoxicity potential.•NP-pRIF was significantly more taken up by cells than naked nanoparticles.•NP-pRIF was 2-fold more effective against M. tuberculosis than free rifampicin.
Tuberculosis is an infectious bacterial disease that causes millions of deaths worldwide. Current treatment recommended by WHO is effective, however it is an extensive and arduous process associated to severe adverse effects, which induces a low patient compliance and the emerging of multidrug resistant tuberculosis. Thus, as a main goal of this study, rifampicin nanoparticles were surface functionalized with a tuftsin-modifed peptide to selectively recognize receptors located on infected alveolar macrophages, enhancing nanoparticles uptake by these cells and improving antimycobacterial activity. A tuftsin-based modified peptide was synthesized and successfully attached to nanoparticles interface (NP-pRIF). In parallel, nanoparticles without peptide were also developed for comparison (NP-RIF). Physicochemical characterization demonstrated that stable and monodisperse nanodelivery systems were obtained, with a controlled drug release profile and non-cytotoxic potential. Moreover, nanoparticles containing peptide were significantly more internalized by macrophages than nanoparticles without peptide over a wide range of time. Both nanoparticles were 2-fold more effective against M. tuberculosis than free rifampicin, suggesting NP-pRIF as a promising strategy for the management of tuberculosis treatment.
Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is the only vaccine licensed against tuberculosis. Despite the protection offered by the vaccine, in some circumstances children and immunocompromised individuals can ...develop associated infections, known as BCGitis. Drug susceptibility patterns of BCG clinical strains have rarely been described. We aimed to describe the susceptibility pattern of BCG clinical strains isolated in two different countries.
We performed culture-based drug susceptibility testing of thirty one BCG strains isolated from patients in Brazil (n=5, 16%) and Argentina (n=26, 84%) using the broth micro-dilution method (phenotypic method). Final antibiotic concentrations for susceptibility testing ranged from 0.5 to 16 mg/L for amikacin, 0.3125 to 10 mg/L for ethambutol, 0.05 to 1.6 mg/L for isoniazid and 0.25 to 8 mg/L for rifampicin, streptomycin and ofloxacin. Additionally, we compared the results with genetic data obtained by whole genome sequencing.
By using the phenotypic method we detected one strain resistant to ethambutol, three strains resistant to rifampicin and one resistant to isoniazid. Additionally, two strains that were phenotypically resistant to both isoniazid and rifampicin carried mutations in the
and
genes simultaneously.
There is evidence of the emergence of BCG-resistant strains isolated from vaccine-related complications. We recommend drug susceptibility testing of the BCG strain causing the infection in order to prevent treatment failure.
Breast cancer (BC) is the main cause of cancer-related deaths in women across the world. It can be classified into different subtypes, including triple-negative (TN), which is characterized by the ...absence of hormone receptors for estrogen and progesterone and the lack of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. These tumors have high heterogeneity, acquire therapeutic resistance, and have no established target-driven treatment yet. The identification of differentially expressed genes in TN breast tumors and the
validation of their prognostic role in these tumors.
We employed a microarray dataset and, by using the GEO2R tool, we identified a list of differentially expressed genes. The
validation was conducted using several online platforms including the KM Plotter, cBioPortal, bc-GenExMiner, Prognoscan, and Roc Plotter.
We observed that FZD9 was among the top differentially expressed genes in a cohort of patients with different TNBC subtypes. The FZD9 expression was significantly different in TN breast tumors than in non-TN (nTN) breast tumors (p<0.0001), and the basal TN subtype showed the highest levels (p<0.0001). In addition, the FZD9 levels were significantly inversely and positively proportional (p<0.0001) to estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 clinical parameters. The high levels of FZD9 were associated with worse overall survival (p=0.007), relapse-free survival (p=5.8e-05), and worse survival in patients who received chemotherapy (p=3.2e-05; 0.007).
Our cumulative results demonstrated that FZD9 plays an important role in TNBC and may be a potential prognostic biomarker. Nevertheless, further
and in vivo assays are necessary to confirm our findings and to strengthen the evidences about the mechanisms by which FZD9 functions in these tumors.
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