Ever since the uncultivated South American fungal pathogen Lacazia loboi was first described 90 years ago, its etiology and evolutionary traits have been at the center of endless controversies. This ...pathogen infects the skin of humans and as long believed, dolphin skin. However, recent DNA analyses of infected dolphins placed its DNA sequences within Paracoccidioides species. This came as a surprise and suggested the human and dolphin pathogens may be different species. In this study, population genetic analyses of DNA from four infected dolphins grouped this pathogen in a monophyletic cluster sister to P. americana and to the other Paracoccidioides species. Based on the results we have emended the taxonomy of the dolphin pathogen as Paracoccidioides cetii and P. loboi the one infecting human. Our data warn that phylogenetic analysis of available taxa without the inclusion of unusual members may provide incomplete information for the accurate classification of anomalous species.
Self-activated luminescent calcium phosphate (CaP) nanoparticles, including hydroxyapatite (HA) and amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP), are promising for bioimaging and theragnostic applications in ...nanomedicine, eliminating the need for activator ions or fluorophores. In this study, we developed luminescent and stable citrate-functionalized carbonated ACP nanoparticles for bioimaging purposes. Our findings revealed that both the CO
content and the posterior heating step at 400 °C significantly influenced the composition and the structural ordering of the chemically precipitated ACP nanoparticles, impacting the intensity, broadness, and position of the defect-related photoluminescence (PL) emission band. The heat-treated samples also exhibited excitation-dependent PL under excitation wavelengths typically used in bioimaging (
= 405, 488, 561, and 640 nm). Citrate functionalization improved the PL intensity of the nanoparticles by inhibiting non-radiative deactivation mechanisms in solution. Additionally, it resulted in an increased colloidal stability and reduced aggregation, high stability of the metastable amorphous phase and the PL emission for at least 96 h in water and supplemented culture medium. MTT assay of HepaRG cells, incubated for 24 and 48 h with the nanoparticles in concentrations ranging from 10 to 320 μg mL
, evidenced their high biocompatibility. Internalization studies using the nanoparticles self-activated luminescence showed that cellular uptake of the nanoparticles is both time (4-24 h) and concentration (160-320 μg mL
) dependent. Experiments using confocal laser scanning microscopy allowed the successful imaging of the nanoparticles inside cells
their intrinsic PL after 4 h of incubation. Our results highlight the potential use of citrate-functionalized carbonated ACP nanoparticles for use in internalization assays and bioimaging procedures.
A growing number of long COVID cases after infection have been reported. By definition, long COVID is the condition whereby affected individuals do not recover for several weeks or months following ...the onset of symptoms suggestive of COVID-19, the profile and timeline of which remains uncertain.
In this work, in-home, outpatient and hospitalized COVID-19 positive patients were monitored for up to 14 mo to establish the prevalence of long COVID symptoms and their correlation with age, pre-existing comorbidities and course of acute infection. The longitudinal study included 646 positive patients who were monitored once a month.
From the whole population, 50.2% presented with long COVID syndrome. Twenty-three different symptoms were reported. Most frequent were fatigue (35.6%), persistent cough (34.0%), dyspnea (26.5%), loss of smell/taste (20.1%) and frequent headaches (17.3%). Mental disorders (20.7%), change in blood pressure (7.4%) and thrombosis (6.2%) were also reported. Most patients presented with 2-3 symptoms at the same time. Long COVID started after mild, moderate and severe infection in 60, 13 and 27% of cases, respectively, and it was not restricted to specific age groups.
Older patients tended to have more severe symptoms, leading to a longer post-COVID-19 period. The presence of seven comorbidities was correlated with the severity of infection, and severity itself was the main factor that determined the duration of symptoms in long COVID cases.
Paracoccidioides species have always been surrounded by taxonomic uncertainties. The continuing nomenclatoral muddle was caused in part by the failure of Adolfo Lutz and Jorge Lôbo to name the ...etiologic agents of human paracoccidioidomycosis and Jorge Lôbo's diseases, respectively. Early in their history, it was postulated that the cultivable species causing systemic infections belonged in the genus Paracoccidioides, whereas the uncultivable species, causing skin disease, were not part of the genus. The taxonomy of these pathogens was further complicated when a similar skin disease with numerous yeast-like cells in infected dolphins was also reported. Due to its phenotypic similarities with that described by Jorge Lôbo in human and its uncultivable nature, it was assumed that the disease in dolphins was caused by the same fungus. Recent molecular and population genetic analysis, however, found the DNA extracted from the uncultivable yeast-like cells affecting dolphins shared common phylogenetic traits with cultivable Paracoccidioides species. The study revealed that the uncultivable pathogens comprised 2 different Paracoccidioides species, now known as P. ceti and P. loboi, correspondingly. To validate P. loboi binomial, a comprehensive historical critical review of Jorge Lôbo etiology was performed. This review showed the proposed binomial P. loboi was previously used, and, thus, a replacement name is introduced, Paracoccidioides lobogeorgii nom. nov. In addition, in this review, several cultivable human Paracoccidioides species are validated, and the generic type species, P. brasiliensis, is neotypified as the original material could not be traced.
ABSTRACT
Background
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a risk factor for severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19). In Brazil, the disease is the 10th highest cause of death. We evaluated the ...epidemiological impact of COVID-19 in CDK and non-CDK patients.
Methods
Positive patients for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from 2020 to 2022 were classified according to the severity of COVID-19 and the numbers of cases and deaths were correlated to each wave of SARS-CoV-2 variants in Brazil.
Results
We compared all variables, and our data show that CDK significantly increased the mortality rate among patients, especially before COVID-19 vaccination, in comparison with non-CKD patients.
Conclusions
CKD patients had a significantly increased mortality rate compared with non-CKD.
In the search for appropriate host matrices for highly luminescent molecular guest species, an organo-silica monolithic xerogel prepared by the hydrolysis and co-condensation reactions of ...3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTS) and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) is proposed. Such alkoxides allowed the development of hybrid silica monoliths with a cross-linked three-dimensional structure, in which the silica domains are strictly interconnected with the polymeric network. Highly luminescent monoliths were prepared from the immobilization of a blue-green emissive Ir(III) phosphor in the host matrix, with improved luminescent properties attributed to the greater rigidity of the medium and less diffusion of oxygen within the matrix. The structure of the hybrid material was elucidated by high-resolution solid-state NMR, confirming that the final structure of the developed silica matrix is very similar for both Ir(III)-doped and undoped xerogels. Altogether, the experimental strategy used in this work stands as an advance in the design of photo-functional materials with substantial potential for optical and photonic applications.
Highlights
Highly luminescent GPTS:TEOS-derived organosilicate monolithic xerogel is presented.
Structural description of the matrix using high-resolution solid-state NMR techniques.
Improved luminescent properties due to the rigid media and lower diffusion of O
2
.
Versatile hybrid host system promising for optical and luminescent applications.
Itraconazole in human medicine and veterinary practice Sousa, Yamara V; Santiago, Marie G; de Souza, Bianca M ...
Journal de mycologie médicale,
June 2024, 2024-Jun, 2024-06-00, 20240601, Letnik:
34, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Diagnosis and management of fungal infections are challenging in both animals and humans, especially in immunologically weakened hosts. Due to its broad spectrum and safety profile when compared to ...other antifungals, itraconazole (ITZ) has been widely used in the treatment and prophylaxis of fungal infections, both in human and veterinary medicine. The dose and duration of management depend on factors such as the type of fungal pathogen, the site of infection, sensitivity to ITZ, chronic stages of the disease, the health status of the hosts, pharmacological interactions with other medications and the therapeutic protocol used. In veterinary practice, ITZ doses generally vary between 3 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg, once or twice a day. In humans, doses usually vary between 100 and 400 mg/day. As human and veterinary fungal infections are increasingly associated, and ITZ is one of the main medications used, this review addresses relevant aspects related to the use of this drug in both clinics, including case reports and different clinical aspects available in the literature.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a severe global health and economic crisis, with significant consequences for human mortality and morbidity. Therefore, there is an urgent need for more studies on ...the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection, both to enhance its effectiveness and prevent its deleterious effects. This study presents the chronology of antibodies during six months after infection in hospitalized patients and the kinetics of serum soluble mediators of the cellular response triggered by SARS-CoV-2. Samples and clinical data from 330 patients hospitalized at the Hospital da Baleia in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, who were suspected of having COVID-19, were collected at the time of hospitalization and during 6 months after infection. The immune response was analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and flow cytometry. There was a significant difference in IgM specific antibody titers from the 7th to 60th days after infection between COVID-19 negative and positive patients. Soon after 60 days after infection, antibody levels started to reduce, becoming similar to the antibody levels of the COVID-19 negative patients. IgG specific antibodies started to be detectable after 9 days of infection and antibody levels were comparatively higher in positive patients as soon as after 7 days. Furthermore, IgG levels remained higher in these patients during the complete period of 180 days after infection. The study observed similar antibody profiles between different patient groups. The soluble systemic biomarkers evaluated showed a decrease during the six months after hospitalization, except for CCL11, CXCL8, CCL3, CCL4, CCL5, IL-6, IFN-g, IL-17, IL-5, FGF-basic, PDGF, VEGF, G-CSF, and GM-CSF. The results indicate that IgM antibodies are more prominent in the early stages of infection, while IgG antibodies persist for a longer period. Additionally, the study identified that patients with COVID-19 have elevated levels of biomarkers after symptom onset, which decrease over time.
•Efficient encapsulation of Ir complexes inside the MCM41@COOH.•High protection of complexes inside mesopores, drastically reducing their intrinsic toxicity.•High amounts of singlet oxygen after ...light irradiation.•Low toxicity in healthy and cancerous strains in the absence of light.•High cellular toxicity in the presence of light, short lighting time and low concentration of nanoparticles.
Organically modified mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) containing Ir complexes (Ir1, Ir2 and Ir3) were successfully synthesized. These Ir‐entrapped MCM41-COOH nanoparticles have shown relevant photophysical characteristics including high efficiency in the photoproduction and delivery of singlet oxygen (1O2), which is particularly promising for photodynamic therapy (PDT) applications. In vitro tests have evidenced that complex@MCM41-COOH are able to reduce cell proliferation after 10 min of blue‐light irradiation in Hep-G2 liver cancer cells.
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