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Tuberculosis research plays a crucial role in understanding and responding to the necessities of people with this disease, yet the integrity of this research is compromised by frequent retractions. Identifying and analyzing the main reasons for retraction of tuberculosis articles is essential for improving research practices and ensuring reliable scientific output. In this study, we conducted an advanced systematic literature review of retracted original articles on Tuberculosis, utilizing databases such as Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, PubMed, LILACS, and the Retraction Watch Database webpage. We found that falsification and plagiarism were the most frequent reasons for retraction, although 16% of the retracted articles did not declare the drivers behind the retraction. Almost half of the retracted studies received external funding, affecting not only those specific studies but future funding opportunities for this research field. Stronger measures of research integrity are needed to prevent misconduct in this vulnerable population.

PARTNER is a prospective, phase II-III, randomised controlled clinical trial, which recruited patients with Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) , who were gBRCA wild type (gBRCAwt) . Patients (n=559) were randomised on a 1:1 basis to neoadjuvant carboplatin with paclitaxel +/- olaparib 150mg twice daily, days 3 to 14, for 4 cycles (gap schedule olaparib, research arm) followed by 3 cycles of anthracycline chemotherapy before surgery. The primary endpoint was pathological complete response (pCR) , and secondary endpoints included event-free survival (EFS), and overall survival (OS) . pCR was achieved in 51% in the research arm and 52% in the control arm (p=0.753). Estimated EFS at 36 months in research and control arms were 80% and 79% (log-rank p>0.9); OS were 90% and 87.2% (log-rank p=0.8) respectively. In patients with pCR, estimated EFS at 36 months was 90%, and with non-pCR was 70% (log-rank p < 0.001) and OS was 96% and 83% (log-rank p < 0.001) respectively. Neo-adjuvant olaparib did not improve pCR rates, EFS or OS when added to carboplatin/paclitaxel and anthracycline chemotherapy in patients with TNBC (gBRCAwt). This is in marked contrast to the major benefit of olaparib (gap schedule) in those with gBRCA pathogenic variants (gBRCAm) which is reported separately (gBRCAm article). ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT03150576.

Diabetic macroangiopathy is characterized by increased extracellular matrix deposition, including excessive hyaluronan accumulation, vessel thickening and stiffness, and endothelial dysfunction in large arteries. We hypothesized that the overexpression of hyaluronan in the tunica media also led to endothelial cell (EC) dysfunction. To address this hypothesis, we investigated the following in the aortas of mice with excessive hyaluronan accumulation in the tunica media (HAS-2) and wild-type mice: EC dysfunction via myograph studies, nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability via diaminofluorescence, superoxide formation via dihydroethidium fluorescence, and the distances between ECs via stereological methods. EC dysfunction, characterized by blunted relaxations in response to acetylcholine and decreased NO bioavailability, was found in the aortas of male HAS-2 mice, while it was unaltered in the aortas of female HAS-2 mice. Superoxide levels increased and extracellular superoxide dismutase (ecSOD) expression decreased in the aortas of male and female HAS-2 mice. The EC–EC distances and LDL receptor expression were markedly increased in the HAS-2 aortas of male mice. Our findings suggest hyaluronan increases oxidative stress in the vascular wall and that together with increased EC distance, it is associated with a sex-specific decrease in NO levels and endothelial dysfunction in the aorta of male HAS-2 transgenic mice.

Bluetongue (BT) is an important arthropod-borne livestock disease transmitted by Culicoides midges. The etiological agent, Bluetongue virus (BTV), can lead to severe economic losses due to reduced productivity and trade restrictions. Nowadays, classical vaccines based on inactivated viruses are used to control outbreaks but do not confer multiserotype protection, which reinforces the idea of pursuing research into developing strategies that enhance the immune response directed to conserved antigenic regions, aiming broader protection across multiple serotypes. Recently, we described a vaccine candidate that confers full protection against a homologous serotype of BTV based on recombinant Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara (MVA) co-expressing the highly conserved BTV nonstructural protein NS1 and the N-terminal end of NS2 along with protein VP2 of BTV-4. In this work, we evaluated the multiserotype protective capacity of this recombinant vaccine candidate in sheep after infection with the heterologous virus BTV-8, achieving a significant blockade of viral replication and attenuation of the clinical signs induced by BTV. After infection, vaccinated animals showed more regulated pro-inflammatory cytokine levels compared to non-vaccinated sheep. In addition, we noticed the induction of potent T cell immune responses specific to NS1 and NS2-Nt proteins of BTV, mainly based on CD8+ T cells, which could mediate the protection against BTV-8. Moreover, stimulated immunized sheep PBMCs with BTV antigens triggered the secretion of IL-6, IL-1β, IL-1α, IL-17a, IL-10 and IFN-γ, cytokines that play crucial roles in initiating immune responses.

Capsicum spp. fruits (CFs) are a basic ingredient in the diet and have been used as active ingredients in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food products, due to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and antimicrobial properties. The antimicrobial activity is the most studied property due to its effectiveness against pathogenic species, however, few studies have focused on the mechanisms of action involved. Therefore, this review discusses the effects generated by the CFs compounds on the viability and metabolism of microorganisms, highlighting the mechanisms by which these compounds exert their antimicrobial effects. The information provided shows that CFs are mainly source of capsaicinoids and phenolic compounds responsible for the inhibition of bacteria, yeasts, and fungi, through an increase in the permeabilization of the membrane and cell wall. Also, these compounds show an antiviral effect associated with the inactivation of virus binding proteins, preventing their replication and infection. Despite this, there is still a lack of information about the mechanisms that regulate the interactions between CFs compounds and food-important-microorganisms. Therefore, future research should focus on new antimicrobial compounds from CFs for their subsequent use against novel infectious agents, mainly virus of importance in health such as SARS-CoV-2.