Risk clusters of COVID-19 transmission in northeastern Brazil: prospective space-time modelling.

This study aimed to analyse the trend and spatial-temporal clusters of risk of transmission of COVID-19 in northeastern Brazil. We conducted an ecological study using spatial and temporal trend analysis. All confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Northeast region of Brazil were included, from 7 March to 22 May 2020. We used the segmented log-linear regression model to assess time trends, and the local empirical Bayesian estimator, the global and local Moran indexes for spatial analysis. The prospective space-time scan statistic was performed using the Poisson probability distribution model. There were 113 951 confirmed cases of COVID-19. The average incidence rate was 199.73 cases/100 000 inhabitants. We observed an increasing trend in the incidence rate in all states. Spatial autocorrelation was reported in metropolitan areas, and 178 municipalities were considered a priority, especially in the states of Ceará and Maranhão. We identified 11 spatiotemporal clusters of COVID-19 cases; the primary cluster included 70 municipalities from Ceará state. COVID-19 epidemic is increasing rapidly throughout the Northeast region of Brazil, with dispersion towards countryside. It was identified high risk clusters for COVID-19, especially in the coastal side.

COVID-19 mortality in an area of northeast Brazil: epidemiological characteristics and prospective spatiotemporal modelling.

This study aimed to analyse the spatial-temporal distribution of COVID-19 mortality in Sergipe, Northeast, Brazil. It was an ecological study utilising spatiotemporal analysis techniques that included all deaths confirmed by COVID-19 in Sergipe, from 2 April to 14 June 2020. Mortality rates were calculated per 100 000 inhabitants and the temporal trends were analysed using a segmented log-linear model. For spatial analysis, the Kernel estimator was used and the crude mortality rates were smoothed by the empirical Bayesian method. The space-time prospective scan statistics applied the Poisson's probability distribution model. There were 391 COVID-19 registered deaths, with the majority among ⩾60 years old (62%) and males (53%). The most prevalent comorbidities were hypertension (40%), diabetes (31%) and cardiovascular disease (15%). An increasing mortality trend across the state was observed, with a higher increase in the countryside. An active spatiotemporal cluster of mortality comprising the metropolitan area and neighbouring cities was identified. The trend of COVID-19 mortality in Sergipe was increasing and the spatial distribution of deaths was heterogeneous with progression towards the countryside. Therefore, the use of spatial analysis techniques may contribute to surveillance and control of COVID-19 pandemic.

Supplementation of culture medium with knockout serum replacement improves the survival of bovine secondary follicles when compared with other protein sources during in vitro culture.

The present study evaluated the effect of knockout serum replacement (KSR), fetal bovine serum (FBS) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) on the viability and growth of bovine secondary follicles cultured in vitro for 12 days. To this end, secondary follicles were isolated (185-202 µm) and cultured in vitro in TCM-199+ medium supplemented with KSR (5% and 10%), FBS (5% and 10%) or BSA (3 mg/ml) at 38.5°C with 5% CO2 in air. Follicular diameters were evaluated on days 0, 4, 8 and 12. After 12 days of culture, follicular survival analysis was performing by using calcein-AM and ethidium homodimer. Before and after culture, follicles were fixed in paraformaldehyde for histological evaluation. Follicular diameter at different days of culture were compared using the Kruskal-Wallis test, while the percentages of viable follicles were analyzed by chi-squared test (P < 0.05). Results showed that follicles cultured in the presence of KSR at both concentrations presented higher follicular survival rates than those cultured in control medium alone or supplemented with FBS or BSA. Conversely, the presence of KSR, BSA or FBS did not increase follicular diameter after 12 days of culture. Histology analysis showed that, among the tested treatments, follicles cultured in the presence of KSR had preserved rounded oocytes, juxtaposed granulosa cells and intact basal membrane. In conclusion, supplementation of culture medium with KSR increases the follicular survival of bovine secondary follicles cultured in vitro.

Effects of dexamethasone on growth, viability and ultrastructure of bovine secondary follicles cultured in vitro.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dexamethasone on development, viability, antrum formation and ultrastructural integrity of bovine secondary follicles cultured in vitro for 18 days. Bovine ovaries were obtained from slaughterhouses and secondary follicles of ~150-200 µm diameter were isolated and cultured in the laboratory in TCM-199+ alone or supplemented with different concentrations of dexamethasone (1, 10, 100 and 1000 ng/ml). Follicle viability was evaluated after the culture period, using calcein-AM (viable) and ethidium homodimer (nonviable). Follicle diameters and antrum formation were evaluated at days 0, 6, 12 and 18. Before or after in vitro culture, follicles were fixed for histological and ultrastructural analysis. Follicle diameters were evaluated using analysis of variance and Kruskal-Wallis test, while chi-squared test was used to evaluate the percentage of viable follicles and antrum formation (P < 0.05). Follicles cultured for 6 days with all treatments increased their diameters significantly, but there was no significant difference between treatments at the end of the culture period. In vitro cultured follicles showed antral cavity formation at the end of the culture period, but no influence of dexamethasone was seen. Ultrastructural analysis showed that follicles cultured with dexamethasone (1, 10, 100 and 1000 ng/ml) had well preserved granulosa cells. However, oocytes from follicles cultured with 10, 100 or 1000 ng/ml dexamethasone showed signs of degeneration. It can be concluded that follicles cultured in vitro in the presence of dexamethasone demonstrated continuous in vitro growth, but oocytes from follicles cultured with 10, 100 or 1000 ng/ml dexamethasone had poor ultrastructure.

DNA and RNA polymerase activity in a Moniliophthora perniciosa mitochondrial plasmid and self-defense against oxidative stress.

Moniliophthora perniciosa (Stahel) Aime and Phillips-Mora is a hemibiotrophic basidiomycete (Agaricales, Tricholomataceae) that causes witches' broom disease in cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.). This pathogen carries a stable integrated invertron-type linear plasmid in its mitochondrial genome that encodes viral-like DNA and RNA polymerases related to fungal senescence and longevity. After culturing the fungus and obtaining its various stages of development in triplicate, we carried out total RNA extraction and subsequent complementary DNA synthesis. To analyze DNA and RNA polymerase expression levels, we performed real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for various fungal phases of development. Our results showed that DNA and RNA polymerase gene expression in the primordium phase of M. perniciosa is related to a potential defense mechanism against T. cacao oxidative attack.

Histology and histochemistry of the accessory gland of the female reproductive tract of Rhodnius neglectus Lent, 1954 (Hemiptera: Reduviidae).

Rhodnius neglectus is a wild triatomine, vector of the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes Chagas' disease, and feeds on the blood of small mammals, being essential for its growth and reproduction. Accessory glands of the female reproductive tract are important in insect reproduction, but their anatomy and histology in R. neglectus are poorly studied. The aim of this work was to describe the histology and histochemistry of the accessory gland of the female reproductive tract of R. neglectus. The reproductive tract of five females of R. neglectus was dissected and the accessory glands transferred to Zamboni's fixative solution, dehydrated in a crescent series of ethanol, embedded in historesin, sectioned at 2 µm thick, stained with toluidine blue for histological analysis or mercury bromophenol blue for detection of total proteins. The accessory gland R. neglectus is tubular, without branches, opening in the dorsal region of the vagina and differing along its length in proximal and distal regions. In the proximal region, the gland is lined by the cuticle with a layer of columnar cells associated with muscle fibers. In the distal region of the gland, the epithelium has spherical secretory cells with terminal apparatus and conducting canaliculi opening in the lumen through pores in the cuticle. Proteins were identified in the gland lumen, terminal apparatus, nucleus and cytoplasm of secretory cells. The histology of the R. neglectus gland is similar to that found in other species of this genus, but with variations in the shape and size of its distal region.

Glyphosate adsorption on C60 fullerene in aqueous medium for water reservoir depollution.

The indiscriminate use of pesticides has caused several damages to the environment, in particular the pollution of water reservoirs, so that this has motivated the development of techniques to minimize its consequences. One of the main surface water pollutants is glyphosate, which is a widely used herbicide for weed control. Therefore, in this work, computational simulations were used with density functional theory and molecular dynamics to theoretically verify if C60 fullerene is capable of adsorbing glyphosate in aqueous media. As a result, we showed through the adsorption energies, molecular dynamics methods, and infrared absorption that C60 can adsorb glyphosate molecules in at least three distinct configurations, either in vacuum or in water, which theoretically indicates it as a good candidate for removal of this herbicide from water by nanotechnology techniques.

Regulation of cadmium uptake by Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

In this work, we verified that yeast cells deleted in ZRT1 were not capable of transporting cadmium, suggesting that the transport of this metal into the cell would be carried out through this zinc transporter. On the other hand, cadmium absorption shown by a Deltagsh1 strain (a mutant not able of synthesizing glutathione) was twofold higher than in the control strain. Moreover, the deletion of YCF1 (which encodes a vacuolar glutathione S-conjugate pump) impaired the transport of this metal significantly. Using a mutant strain deficient in YAP1, which codifies a transcription factor that controls the expression of both GSH1 and YCF1, we also observed a twofold increase in cadmium uptake, the same behavior shown by Deltagsh1 cells. Cadmium is compartmentalized in vacuoles through the Ycf1 transporter, in the form of a bis-glutathionato-cadmium complex. We propose that gsh1 cells are unable to form the Cd-GS(2) complex, while ycf1 cells would accumulate high levels of this complex in the cytoplasm. In face of these results we raised the hypothesis that Cd-GS(2) complex controls cadmium uptake through the Zrt1 protein.

Evaluation of the role of Ace1 and Yap1 in cadmium absorption using the eukaryotic cell model Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

In a previous paper, we demonstrated that the cytoplasmic level of glutathione-cadmium complex affects cadmium absorption by Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a usual eukaryotic cell model for studies of stress response. Furthermore, it was also observed that the absorption of this non-essential metal seems to be achieved by Zrt1, a zinc transporter of high affinity. Looking a little further into the control mechanism, we have verified that the deficiency in Ace1 impaired cadmium transport significantly. Ace1 is a transcription factor that activates the expression of CUP1, which encodes the S. cerevisiae metallothionein. On the other hand, the deficiency in the transcription factor Yap1 produced a two-fold increase in cadmium uptake. Cells lacking Yap1 showed low levels of glutathione, which could explain their higher capacity of absorbing cadmium. However, the mutant strain Ace1 deficient exhibited considerable amounts of glutathione. By using RT-PCR analysis, we observed that the lack of Yap1 activates the expression of both CUP1 and ZRT1, while the lack of Ace1 inhibited significantly the expression of these genes. Thus, metallothionein seems also to participate in the regulation of cadmium transport by controlling the expression of ZRT1. We propose that, at low levels of Cup1, the cytoplasmic concentration of essential metals, such as zinc, in free form (not complexated), increases, inhibiting ZRT1 expression. In contrast, at high levels of Cup1, the concentration of these metals falls, inducing ZRT1 expression and favoring cadmium absorption. These results confirm the involvement of zinc transport system with cadmium transport.