Abstract
Fatigue is one of the most important symptoms for patients with RA, and imposes a great burden on patients’ lives, being associated with significantly reduced health-related quality of life. ...Although being recognized by the rheumatology community as a major gap in the current management of the disease, fatigue has not been easy to measure and conceptualize. Part of the problem seems to reside in the multidimensional causality of this phenomenon, which may warrant dedicated measures and interventions. Although there are several instruments available to measure it, no consensus has yet been reached to recommend a ‘gold-standard’. This review aims at synthesizing the role of fatigue in the global impact of RA; describing validated instruments and their psychometric properties as measures of fatigue among patients with RA; and finally proposing a clinically meaningful, valid and feasible process to measure fatigue in clinical practice.
Schistosomiasis mansoni is an infectious parasitic disease caused by worms of the genus Schistosoma, and praziquantel (PZQ) is the medication available for the treatment of schistosomiasis. However, ...the existence of resistant strains reinforces the need to develop new schistosomicidal drugs safely and effectively. Thus, the (±)-licarin A neolignan incorporated into poly-Ɛ-caprolactone (PCL) nanoparticles and not incorporated were evaluated for their in vivo schistosomicidal activity. The (±)-licarin A -loaded poly(ε-caprolactone) nanoparticles and the pure (±)-licarin A showed a reduction in the number of worm eggs present in spleens of mice infected with Schistosoma mansoni. In addition, the (±)-licarin A incorporated in the concentration of 20 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg reduced the number of worms, presenting percentages of 56.3% and 41.7%, respectively.
•Neolignane constitutes a class of natural products with diverse biological properties.•The dihydrobenzofuran (±)-licarin A neolignane showed potent trypanocidal and schistosomicidal activities in vitro.•(±)-licarin A neolignan was incorporated into poly-Ɛ-caprolactone (PCL), nanoparticles for evaluation in vivo against Schistosoma mansoni.•Poly-Ɛ-caprolactone polymer (PCL) is a polyester widely used in drug delivery systems.
Cosmocercids are common nematodes that parasitize the digestive tract and lungs of amphibians and reptiles around the world. They are commonly found in leptodactylid and bufonid anurans in South ...America, primarily in Brazil and Argentina. This paper describes a new species of genus Cosmocerca based on specimens collected in a microhylid from the Dry Chaco ecoregion.
A total of 18 specimens of Elachistocleis haroi were collected in October 2011 in Chaco province and in December 2021 and March 2022 in Formosa province, Argentina, both areas of the Dry Chaco ecoregion. The morphology of the nematodes was studied in detail using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy.
One hundred and fifty-one nematodes were collected from the large intestines of E. haroi. Based on the morphology of the caudal papillae (rosette papillae and plectanes), the presence of two spicules and the absence of caudal alae in males, and the presence of two prodelphic ovaries in females, these specimens were allocated to the genus Cosmocerca. However, they presented unique characteristics that differentiate them from all known species. Cosmocerca wichiorum sp. nov. is similar to C. archeyi, C. australis, C. sardiniae, C. zugi, and C. leytensis by having four pairs of plectanes, but can be easily distinguished from all of them by the type, number, and arrangement of the precloacal (non-plectanes), adcloacal and postcloacal papillae, by the length of the spicules and by its different zoogeographical distribution.
This is the 14th species of the genus Cosmocerca described in South America and the first one for the microhylid E. haroi from the Dry Chaco ecoregion.
•P. aeruginosa can provoke nosocomial infections with high morbidity and mortality.•Antibiotics resistance is commonly observed in P. aeruginosa infections.•Photodynamic inactivation can eradicate ...efficiently P. aeruginosa in oral infections refractory to antibiotics treatment.
P. aeruginosa is a gram-negative bacterium present in nosocomial infections with high morbidity and mortality. This microorganism is frequently resistant to antibiotics, leading to clinical complications. In the present report, we described a clinical case of a patient with severe oral lesions caused by P. aeruginosa, which was refractory to antibiotics treatment and presented positive clinical outcomes after some sessions of antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation (API) mediated by methylene blue dye. We discuss the potential of API for P. aeruginosa refractory infections and possible resistance mechanisms of this microorganism to different API protocols.
Parasitoid wasps within the Vespoidea superfamily have been chronically under surveyed, thanks to the bigger attention given to the social species within that group or to the other parasitoids within ...the megadiverse Parasitica infraorder. To address that, we test a new sampling technique for the capture of parasitoid Vespoidea and other Hymenoptera in comparison to other two well stablished designs. Between the consecutive dry and wet seasons of 2014-2015 we placed sets of Malaise (MT), yellow pan (YPT) and ethanolic (ET) traps in a fragment of semideciduous Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest. We hypothesised that MT is the most efficient method for sampling Hymenoptera families and lower taxa of Vespoidea, while YPT and ET would be more efficient in attracting specific taxa, given their characteristic luring mechanisms. We calculated taxa accumulation curves to evaluate expected richness. Average Taxonomic Distinctiveness (Δ+ ) was used as the continuous dependent variable in two-way ANOVAs. Faunal similarity was inspected through nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). All tests were performed taking season and trap design as explanatory variables. MT was the most efficient in sampling total richness and Δ+ of Hymenoptera and Vespoidea lower taxa. It captured all 39 families recorded in the present study and 60 out of the 73 Vespoidea lower taxa. YPT tended to lure Diapriidae, Dryinidae, Ponerinae and Myrmicinae ants and a few taxa of Pompilidae and Mutillidae, proving its efficiency in sampling wingless and shortflying hymenopterans as well as the predators and parasites of other non-grass feeding insects. ET, although successful in estimating Hymenoptera Δ + , did not have a sufficient capture rate to give a precise estimate of total richness. It attracted, however, the social wasps Polybia jurinei Saussure and Synoeca surinama (L.), species traditionally captured by active search. Synthesis and Applications: MT is confirmed as the most efficient capture method for Hymenoptera sampling and is recommended when a survey of the whole community is intended. ET was not successful in capturing any parasitoid Vespoidea as hypothesised but, as well as the YPT, it could be used as an alternative to active searches when the taxa listed above are the focus of the survey. These results provide a better understanding of passive capture methods for Hymenoptera sampling and can be considered in future surveys aiming to investigate their diversity, distribution and improve their conservation.
Land-use change is having a negative effect on pollinator communities, and these changes in community structure may have unexpected impacts on the functional composition of those communities. Such ...changes in functional composition may impact the capacity of these assemblages to deliver pollination services, affecting the reproduction of native and wild plants. However, elucidating those relationships requires studies in multiple spatial scales because effects and consequences are different considering biological groups and interactions. In that sense, by using a multi-trait approach, we evaluated whether the landscape structure and/or local environmental characteristics could explain the functional richness, divergence, and dispersion of bee communities in agroecosystems. In addition, we investigated to what extent this approach helps to predict effects on pollination services. This study was conducted in an agroecosystem situated in the Chapada Diamantina region, State of Bahia, Brazil. Bees were collected using two complementary techniques in 27 sample units. They were classified according to their response traits (e.g., body size, nesting location) and effect traits (e.g., means of pollen transportation, specialty in obtaining resources). The Akaike information criterion was used to select the best models created through the additive combination of landscape descriptors (landscape diversity, mean patch shape, and local vegetation structure) at the local, proximal, and broad landscape levels. Our results indicate that both landscape heterogeneity and configuration matter in explaining the three properties of bee functional diversity. We indicate that functional diversity is positively correlated with compositional and configurational heterogeneity. These results suggest that landscape and local scale management to promote functional diversity in pollinator communities may be an effective mechanism for supporting increased pollination services.
► Vaccinia virus, an
orthopoxvirus, causes an occupational zoonotic disease in Brazil. ► Brazilian vaccinia virus constitute a risk to people and livestock. ► Brazilian vaccinia virus show genetic ...and phenotypic diversity forming at least two clades. ► Brazilian vaccinia virus were detected in wildlife and peri-domestic species. ► Co-infection and co-circulation of viruses was detected in bovine vaccinia.
Vaccinia virus (VACV), the prototype species of the
Orthopoxvirus (OPV) genus, causes an occupational zoonotic disease in Brazil that is primarily associated with the handling of infected dairy cattle. Cattle and human outbreaks have been described in southeastern Brazil since 1999 and have now occurred in almost half of the territory. Phylogenetic studies have shown high levels of polymorphisms among isolated VACVs, which indicate the existence of at least two genetically divergent clades; this has also been proven in virulence assays in a mouse model system. In humans, VACV infection is characterized by skin lesions, primarily on the hands, accompanied by systemic symptoms such as fever, myalgia, headache and lymphadenopathy. In this review, we will discuss the virological, epidemiological, ecological and clinical aspects of VACV infection, its diagnosis and compounds that potentially could be used for the treatment of severe cases.
Pesticides ensure greater productivity in less time; however, they spread beyond the perimeters to which they are applied to reach non-target organisms, thereby affecting plant, animal, and human ...health. Thiamethoxam (TMX) is considered to be one of the main agents responsible for poisoning bees and potentially contaminating surface and groundwater. Conventional water-treatment protocols are unable to degrade thiamethoxam; therefore, electrochemically advanced oxidative processes (EAOPs) have become promising alternatives owing to their ease of operation and cost-effectiveness. Herein, we examined the use of EAOPs to oxidize thiamethoxam in commercial Actara® and analyzed treatment efficiencies through phytotoxicity studies using cucumber and maize seeds as bioindicators. In addition, the cost of each process was analyzed based on the resulting current efficiency. The treated solutions were used to germinate seeds that were analyzed for total protein, hydrogen peroxide, lipid peroxidation (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) activities. EAOPs were found to effectively oxidize TMX, with more than 50% degraded and 80% COD removed under all treatment conditions, even when the commercial product was used. The photoelectro-Fenton process using 10 mg L−1 FeSO4 and 100 mg L−1 H2O2 exhibited the best results, with 79% of the TMX degraded and 83% of the COD removed, additionally exhibiting the lowest estimated operating cost (USD 1.01 dm−3). Higher enzymatic SOD and CAT activities, total protein content, and H2O2 concentration were observed; however, no significant changes in MDA were recorded. This treatment protocol effectively oxidizes TMX and reduces its phytotoxicity in maize and cucumber seedlings.
Treating-to-target in rheumatology: Theory and practice Duarte, Cátia; Ferreira, Ricardo J.O.; Santos, Eduardo J.F. ...
Best practice & research. Clinical rheumatology,
March 2022, 2022-03-00, 20220301, Letnik:
36, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Despite its inclusion in current treatment recommendations, adherence to the treat-to-target strategy (T2T) is still poor. Among the issues are the definition(s) of target, especially the caveats of ...the patient global assessment (PGA), included in all recommended definitions of remission. The PGA is poorly related to inflammation, especially at low levels of disease activity, rather being a measure of the disease impact. Up to 60% of all patients otherwise in remission still score PGA at >1 and as high as 10. These patients (PGA-near-remission) are exposed to overtreatment if current recommendations are strictly followed and will continue to endure significant impact, unless adjuvant measures are implemented.
A proposed method to overcome both these risks is to systematically pursue two targets: one focused on the disease process (the biological target) and another focused on the symptoms and impact (the impact target), the dual-target strategy. Candidate instruments to define each of these targets are discussed.
•The apparent herd-level prevalence of vesicular stomatitis was 38.5% (95% CI = 35.5–41.6%).•Spatial clusters of positive herds were identified in a region that borders other Brazilian ...states.•Prevalence was associated with mixed production, herd size, presence of cervids and horses, rental of pastures and sharing of water sources.
The aim of this survey was to estimate the apparent herd-level and animal-level prevalences, as well as to identify risk factors and spatial clustering of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) positive herds in the state of Paraíba, semiarid of Brazil. The state was divided into three sampling strata: Sertão, Borborema and Zona da Mata/Agreste. For each sampling stratum, herd-level and animal-level prevalences were estimated by a two-stage sampling survey. First, a pre-established number of herds (primary sampling units) were randomly selected; second, within each herd, a pre-established number of cows aged ≥ 24 months were systematically selected (secondary sampling units). In total, 2279 animals were sampled from 468 herds. Serum samples were submitted to virus neutralization (VN) test for detection of antibodies to VSV using three viral strains: VSIV-3 2013SaoBento/Paraiba E, strain Indiana (VSIV-1) and VSNJV. A herd was considered positive for VSV if it included at least one positive animal in herds of up to 10 females, two positive animals in herds of 11–99 females, and three positive in herds with more than 99 females. The spatial clustering was assessed using the Cuzick–Edwards’ k-nearest neighbor method and spatial scan statistics. The apparent herd-level prevalence in the state of Paraíba was 38.5% (95% CI = 35.5–41.6%), 80.6% (95% CI = 73.6–86.2%) in the region of Sertão, 7.0% (95% CI = 3.9–12.2%) in Borborema, and 2.6% (95% CI = 1.0–6.7%) in Agreste/Zona da Mata. The apparent animal-level prevalence was 26.2% (95% CI = 20.6–32.8%) in the state of Paraíba, 48.2% (95% CI = 41.5–54.9%) in Sertão, 6.3% (95% CI = 2.7–14%) in Borborema, and 3.2% 1.9% (95% CI = 0.4–8.4%) in Agreste/Zona da Mata. The risk factors identified were as follows: mixed production (milk/beef) (OR = 4.54), herd size > 23 animals (OR = 3.57), presence of cervids (OR = 15.24), rental of pastures (OR = 3.02), sharing of water sources (OR = 2.57) and presence of horses (OR = 1.69). Two significant clusters of positive herds were detected: the primary cluster covered the Sertão region and the secondary cluster covered part of the Sertão and Borborema regions. Our results suggest high VSV circulation in the bovine population of the state of Paraíba, semiarid region of Brazil, mainly in the Sertão mesoregion, and based on risk factor analysis it was possible to identify important associations that deserve more investigation on causal factors.
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