Mask decontamination methods (model N95) for respiratory protection: a rapid review.

BACKGROUND: N95 respiratory protection masks are used by healthcare professionals to prevent contamination from infectious microorganisms transmitted by droplets or aerosols. METHODS: We conducted a rapid review of the literature analyzing the effectiveness of decontamination methods for mask reuse. The database searches were carried out up to September 2020. The systematic review was conducted in a way which simplified the stages of a complete systematic review, due to the worldwide necessity for reliable fast evidences on this matter. RESULTS: A total of 563 articles were retrieved of which 48 laboratory-based studies were selected. Fifteen decontamination methods were included in the studies. A total of 19 laboratory studies used hydrogen peroxide, 21 studies used ultraviolet germicidal irradiation, 4 studies used ethylene oxide, 11 studies used dry heat, 9 studies used moist heat, 5 studies used ethanol, two studies used isopropanol solution, 11 studies used microwave oven, 10 studies used sodium hypochlorite, 7 studies used autoclave, 3 studies used an electric rice cooker, 1 study used cleaning wipes, 1 study used bar soap, 1 study used water, 1 study used multi-purpose high-level disinfection cabinet, and another 1 study used chlorine dioxide. Five methods that are promising are as follows: hydrogen peroxide vapor, ultraviolet irradiation, dry heat, wet heat/pasteurization, and microwave ovens. CONCLUSIONS: We have presented the best available evidence on mask decontamination; nevertheless, its applicability is limited due to few studies on the topic and the lack of studies on real environments.

Oral manifestations in chikungunya patients: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Chikungunya fever is considered an abrupt onset arbovirus transmitted by mosquitoes, mainly Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. The disease has a significant impact on the quality of life of affected persons, and many of its numerous symptoms have not yet been properly clarified, such as the manifestations that can occur in the oral cavity. The aim of this study was to identify the main oral manifestations related to chikungunya fever, as well as describe the demographic characteristics of patients, by conducting a systematic review of the literature. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Searches were performed in MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase (Elsevier), LILACS (VHL), Cochrane Library, Scopus, and CAPES electronic databases for theses and dissertations published up to January 16, 2021 without language and date restrictions. Additional manual searches of gray literature, reference list, and Google Scholar were carried out. We included 27 studies highlighting mainly oral manifestations that cause masticatory discomfort such as ulcers and oral thrush, gingival bleeding, pain and burning of the oral mucous membranes, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthralgia, opportunistic infections, and changes in taste. CONCLUSIONS: There seems to be a predominance of oral manifestations that cause discomfort when chewing, such as ulcerations in the acute phase of the disease, with complete remission within 3 to 10 days after the onset, apparently mostly affecting women and older persons. These oral manifestations can be compatible with basic viral infections related to inflammatory response and transitory immunosuppression.

A styrylpyrone dimer isolated from Aniba heringeri causes apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast cancer cells.

The styrylpyrone dehydrogoniothalamin (1) and two of its dimers (2 and 3) were isolated from the leaves of Aniba heringeri (Lauraceae). Compound 3 is new, while 1 and 2 are being reported for the first time in this species. Structures were determined by 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and optical rotation data. Cytotoxic effects and selectivity indices were evaluated in five neoplastic cell lines-PC-3 (prostate), 786-0 (renal), HT-29 (colon), MCF-7, and MDA-MB-231 (breast)-and a non-neoplastic cell line, (NIH/3T3, murine fibroblast). Compound 1 inhibited cell growth by 50% (GI50) at concentrations in the 90.4-175.7 µM range, while 2 proved active against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cells (GI50 = 12.24, and 34.22 µM, respectively). Compound 3 showed strong cytotoxicity (GI50 = 4.4 µM) against MDA-MB-231 (an established basal triple-negative breast carcinoma (TNBC) cell line), with a high selective index of 35. This compound was subsequently evaluated for apoptosis induction in MDA-MB-231 cells, using GI50 and 50% lethal concentrations (LC50). Flow cytometry analysis showed that at LC50 compound 3 induced cell death with phosphatidylserine externalization and caspase-3 activation. Apoptotic genes were measured by RT-qPCR, revealing an upregulation of BAX, with an increase in expression of the BAX/BCL2 ratio in treated cells. Fluorescence microscopy disclosed morphological changes related to apoptosis. Overall, these findings showed compound 3 to be a promising prototype against TNBC cells that tend to respond poorly to conventional therapies.