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We studied calling and spawning of the potamodromous fish zulega ( Prochilodus argenteus , Prochilodontidae) in the São Francisco River (SFR), Brazil. The study reach was the 143 river km (rkm) downstream from Três Marias Dam (TMD), but most effort was at the Pontal spawning ground (PSG). PSG is located in the SFR at the mouth of the first major tributary (Abaeté River), 33 rkm downstream from TMD. Abiotic factor in the flooding by the Abaeté River due to rain was the major trigger for spawning by zulega at PSG. Size of PSG increased with magnitude of Abaeté River flooding. Zulega males called 24 h a day, but longer periods of calling occurred in the daytime than at night. Zulega males called in lek choruses, apparently in discrete arenas, and did not school while calling. Spawning calls from zulega occurred in the entire 110 rkm reach of the SFR downstream from PSG, but only during major flooding from the Abaeté River. The spawning trigger factor was absent in SFR water draining from TMD. A large spillage of 1700 m 3 *s −1 from this dam that was warmer than temperatures during zulega spawning inhibited spawning possibly due to alteration of the thermal regime of the São Francisco River. The best time for spillage to restore zulega fisheries downstream of TMD may be in the decreasing phase of a natural flood, but further tests are needed. Damming the Abaeté River may eliminate the spawning trigger for zulega at PSG and downstream in the SFR.

Native and exotic avian species can act as reservoirs of pathogens, including bacteria and viruses, with conservation and public health implications. A retrospective study on the diagnosis and frequency of diseases in wild and exotic avian species was conducted. The occurrence of particular diseases was associated with the type of captivity or the bird’s origin. The investigation included macroscopic and microscopic descriptions and the molecular determination of the causative agent(s). Additional immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis, PCR, and genetic sequencing were conducted. A total of 243 cases were compiled for the study, mainly consisting of native wild species (39.1%) obtained from illegal trade. Primary infectious diseases, mainly parasitic (18.1%) and viral (17.7%), were the most common, although coinfections were substantial (18.1%) in birds rescued from trafficking. Fractures and neoplasms accounted for 3.7% and 3.3% of the cases, respectively. Parasitic and viral diseases were the most common in both exotic and wild birds. Chlamydia psittaci, a lethal and zoonotic bacterium, was an important cause of death, especially in native Psittaciformes. The recent detection of Psittacid alphaherpesvirus 5 (PsAHV 5) in exotic psittacines and the diagnosis of coinfections in trafficked birds highlight the importance of monitoring avian health to control potential pathogens that may endanger conservation efforts.

•Probiotics supplementation decreased food intake in nourished rats.•Probiotics increased tryptophan hydroxylase 2 in the prefrontal cortex of nourished rats.•Probiotics increased 5-hydroxytryptamine 2C receptor in the prefrontal cortex of nourished rats.•Probiotics increased 5-hydroxytryptamine 2C receptor in the prefrontal cortex of undernourished rats.•Probiotics increased tryptophan hydroxylase 2 in the hippocampus of undernourished rats.•Probiotics increased the pro–brain-derived neurotrophic factor of undernourished rats. Undernourishment can significantly affect the serotonergic system, potentially increasing the risk of neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety. Probiotic therapy has emerged as a potential modulator of the serotonergic system and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Our hypothesis posits that probiotic treatment positively influences the serotonergic system and BDNF levels in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus (HIP), mitigating the effects of malnutrition. We conducted an experiment using 38 adult isogenic rats, divided into four groups: nourished control (n = 9), undernourished control (n = 9), nourished probiotic (n = 10), and undernourished probiotic (n = 10). The animals experienced undernourishment for 10 days, followed by probiotic supplementation while continuing food restriction for an additional 15 days. On the 25th day of the experiment, we euthanized the animals, microdissected their brains, and extracted samples from the HIP and PFC. We performed immunoblotting analysis to assess the expression levels of the following proteins: BDNF, tryptophan hydroxylase 2 enzyme, and 5-HT1A and 5-HT2C serotonergic receptors. Our findings revealed the following effects of probiotic administration: tryptophan hydroxylase 2 expression increased in the PFC of nourished rats (P = 0.033) and in the HIP of undernourished rats (P = 0.013); improved 5-HT2C expression was observed in the PFC under both nutritional conditions (P < 0.01). The proBDNF levels were elevated in the HIP of undernourished rats (P = 0.001). Probiotic administration effectively modulated the gut-microbiota-brain axis by enhancing serotonergic system proteins in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of both nourished and undernourished rats. The administration of probiotics for 15 days was able to increase the expressions of 5-hydroxytryptamine 2C receptor in the prefrontal cortex, tryptophan hydroxylase 2 enzyme and pro–brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the hippocampus of undernourished rats. In addition, it was also possible to observe increased expression of tryptophan hydroxylase 2 enzyme and 5-hydroxytryptamine 2C receptor in the prefrontal cortex of nourished rats treated with probiotics and increased pro–brain-derived neurotrophic factor undernourished rats. [Display omitted]

•Persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection and shedding in a vaccinated individual.•SARS-CoV-2 infection for 40 days following symptom onset.•Persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection underlines the need to revaccinate or update COVID-19 vaccines. We describe a case of a 24-year-old Brazilian woman previously vaccinated with CoronaVac and a booster dose of Pfizer-BioNTech, with mild-to-moderate COVID-19, with persistent viral shedding. We evaluated viral load, antibody dynamics for SARS-CoV-2 and performed genomic analysis to identify the viral variant. The female remained positive for 40 days following symptom onset (cycle quantification mean: 32.54 ± 2.29). The humoral response was characterized by absence of IgM for the viral spike protein, increased IgG for the viral spike (1800.60 to 19558.60 AU/mL) and for the nucleocapsid (from 0.03 to 8.9 index value) proteins, and high titers of neutralizing antibodies (>488.00 IU/mL). The variant identified was the sublineage BA. 5.1. of Omicron (B.1.1.529). Our results suggest that even though the female produced an antibody response against SARS-CoV-2, the persistent infection can be explained by antibody decline and/or the immune evasion by the Omicron variant, illustrating the need to revaccinate or update vaccines.

To improve the efficiency of cyclodextrins as carotenoid carriers, the kinetics and thermodynamics of the inclusion complex formation between modified β-cyclodextrin (βCD-NH 2 ) and β-carotene (βCT) were studied using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) at pH 7.4 and theoretical calculations. The observed dissociation rate of the [βCD-NH 2 /βCT]° inclusion complex is small ( 2.59 × 1 0 - 1 s - 1 ), indicating that βCD-NH 2 only interacted with the βCT ionone group to form inclusion complex. The βCD-NH 2 /βCT binding constant is 2.80 × 1 0 4 Lmol - 1  (at 298.15 K ), and its temperature dependence indicates that the [βCD-NH 2 /βCT]° formation is driven by hydrophobic interactions ( Δ H ∘ = 28.83 kJ l - 1 and T Δ S ∘ = 54.21 kJ l - 1 ) caused mainly by the βCT end group desolvation. In contrast, the formation of the [βCD-NH 2 /βCT] ‡ activated complex via association between free molecules and dissociation of [βCD-NH 2 /βCT]° occurred with the overcoming of an energy barrier ( E a ‡ = 40.77 kJ mol - 1  and E d ‡ = 11.94 kJ l - 1 ) and decrease in entropy ( T Δ S a ‡ = - 11.70 kJ l - 1 and T Δ S d ‡ = - 65.92 kJ l - 1 ).

Treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis depends on drugs that potentially cause serious side effects and resistance. Thus, topical therapies are attractive alternatives to the drugs currently used. 3β, 6β, 16β-trihydroxylup-20 (29)-ene is a lupane triterpene isolated from Combretum leprosum Mart. leaves (CLF-1), with reports of in vitro antileishmanial effect against L . amazonensis and to promote lesion healing in animal model. Herein, we evaluated the in vitro and in vivo antileishmanial and healing effects of CLF-1 against L . braziliensis . CLF-1 treatment showed low toxicity in macrophages and significantly reduced parasite load in vitro . CLF-1 induced higher IL-12 and TNF-α production and more discrete IL-4 and IL-10 production. For in vivo evaluation, a CLF-1 cream formulation was prepared to treat hamsters infected with L . braziliensis . CLF-1 treatment was able to reduce parasite load of the infected skin and lymph node more efficiently than the conventional treatment. Histopathological analysis indicated a strong inflammatory response accompanied by an important healing response. Data from this study indicate that topical CLF-1 treatment was effective and non-toxic in L . braziliensis infected hamsters suggesting its potential for further development as a future therapeutic intervention.

Increases in nuclear calcium concentration generate specific biological outcomes that differ from those resulting from increased cytoplasmic calcium. Nuclear calcium effects on tumor cell proliferation are widely appreciated; nevertheless, its involvement in other steps of tumor progression is not well understood. Therefore, we evaluated whether nuclear calcium is essential in other additional stages of tumor progression, including key steps associated with the formation of the primary tumor or with the metastatic cascade. We found that nuclear calcium buffering impaired 4T1 triple negative breast cancer growth not just by decreasing tumor cell proliferation, but also by enhancing tumor necrosis. Moreover, nuclear calcium regulates tumor angiogenesis through a mechanism that involves the upregulation of the anti-angiogenic C-X-C motif chemokine 10 (CXCL10-IP10). In addition, nuclear calcium buffering regulates breast tumor cell motility, culminating in less cell invasion, likely due to enhanced vinculin expression, a focal adhesion structural protein. Together, our results show that nuclear calcium is essential for triple breast cancer angiogenesis and cell migration and can be considered as a promising strategic target for triple negative breast cancer therapy.

Cognition heavily relies on social determinants and genetic background. Latin America comprises approximately 8% of the global population and faces unique challenges, many derived from specific demographic and socioeconomic variables, such as violence and inequality. While such factors have been described to influence mental health outcomes, no large-scale studies with Latin American population have been carried out. Therefore, we aim to describe the cognitive performance of a representative sample of Latin American individuals with schizophrenia and its relationship to clinical factors. Additionally, we aim to investigate how socioeconomic status (SES) relates to cognitive performance in patients and controls. We included 1175 participants from five Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico): 864 individuals with schizophrenia and 311 unaffected subjects. All participants were part of projects that included cognitive evaluation with MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery and clinical assessments. Patients showed worse cognitive performance than controls across all domains. Age and diagnosis were independent predictors, indicating similar trajectories of cognitive aging for both patients and controls. The SES factors of education, parental education, and income were more related to cognition in patients than in controls. Cognition was also influenced by symptomatology. Patients did not show evidence of accelerated cognitive aging; however, they were most impacted by a lower SES suggestive of deprived environment than controls. These findings highlight the vulnerability of cognitive capacity in individuals with psychosis in face of demographic and socioeconomic factors in low- and middle-income countries.

This work presents a fractal design methodology for frequency selective surfaces (FSSs) with Peano pre-fractal patch elements. The proposed FSS structures are composed of periodic arrays of metallic patches printed on a single-layer fibreglass dielectric. The shapes presented by pre-fractal patches allow one to design compact FSSs that behave like dual-polarised band-stop spatial filters. On the other side, the space-filling and self-similarity properties of Peano fractals became possible various configurations for patch elements. An FSS parametric analysis is performed in terms of the fractal iteration-number and cell-size of pre-fractal patches. To validate the used methodology four FSS prototypes are built and tested in the range from 1.0 to 13.5 GHz. Experimental characterisation of the FSS prototypes is accomplished through three different measurement setups with commercial horns and circular monopole microstrip antennas. Results show that the proposed FSS presents most of the desired features for spatial filters: compact design, multiband responses, dual-polarisation, excellent angular stability and facility for reconfiguration.

This paper presents a design methodology for frequency selective surfaces (FSSs) using metallic patches with dissimilar Sierpinski fractal elements. The transmission properties of the spatial filters are investigated for FSS structures composed of two alternately integrated dissimilar Sierpinski fractal elements, corresponding to fractal levels k = 1 , 2, and 3. Two FSS prototypes are fabricated and measured in the range from 2 to 12 GHz to validate the proposed fractal designs. The FSSs with dissimilar Sierpinski fractal patch elements are printed on RT/Duroid 6202 high frequency laminate. The experimental characterization of the FSS prototypes is accomplished through two different measurement setups composed of commercial horns and elliptical monopole microstrip antennas. The obtained results confirm the compactness and multiband performance of the proposed FSS geometries, caused by the integration of dissimilar fractal element. In addition, the proposed FSSs exhibited frequency tuning ability on the multiband frequency responses. Agreement between simulated and measured results is reported.