Proposal of Model for Evaluation of Viral Kinetics of African/Asian/Brazilian-Zika virus Strains (Step Growth Curve) in Trophoblastic Cell Lines.

The Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic brought new discoveries regarding arboviruses, especially flaviviruses, as ZIKV was described as sexually and vertically transmitted. The latter shows severe consequences for the embryo/fetus, such as congenital microcephaly and deficiency of the neural system, currently known as Congenital ZIKV Syndrome (CZS). To better understand ZIKV dynamics in trophoblastic cells present in the first trimester of pregnancy (BeWo, HTR-8, and control cell HuH-7), an experiment of viral kinetics was performed for African MR766 low passage and Asian-Brazilian IEC ZIKV lineages. The results were described independently and demonstrated that the three placental cells lines are permissive and susceptible to ZIKV. We noticed cytopathic effects that are typical in in vitro viral infection in BeWo and HTR-8. Regarding kinetics, MR766lp showed peaks of viral loads in 24 and 48 hpi for all cell types tested, as well as marked cells death after peak production. On the other hand, the HTR-8 lineage inoculated with ZIKV-IEC exhibited increased viral production in 144 hpi, with a peak between 24 and 96 hpi. Furthermore, IEC had peak variations of viral production for BeWo in 144 hpi. Considering such in vitro results, the hypothesis that maternal fetal transmission is probably a way of virus transmission between the mother and the embryo/fetus is maintained.

HERVs Role in the Pathogenesis, Diagnosis or Prognosis of Aging Diseases: A Systematic Review.

INTRODUCTION: HERVs are human endogenous retroviruses, which represent about 8% of the human genome, and have various physiological functions, especially in pregnancy, embryo development and placenta formation. However, their involvement in diseases is not well defined. Some studies have observed changes in HERV expression according to age. OBJECTIVE: Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to analyze their role in pathogenesis and usage as diagnosis or prognosis biomarkers in aging disorders. METHODS: In this study, a search on the Pubmed interface was performed for papers published from January 1953 to June 1st, 2021. RESULTS: 45 articles have been included, which matched the eligibility criteria and evaluated the following diseases: breast cancer, prostate cancer, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), osteoarthritis, Alzheimer's disease, immuno-senescence, cognitive impairment, cataract, glaucoma and hypertension. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the results suggested that HERVs play a role in the pathogenesis and can be used as biomarkers for the diagnosis or prognosis of aging disorders.

MicroRNA target prediction tools for animals: Where we are at and where we are going to - A systematic review.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs containing 19-26 nucleotides, and they directly regulate the translation of mRNAs by binding to them. MiRNAs participate in various physiological processes and are associated with the development of diseases, such as cancer. Therefore, understanding miRNAs regulation on targets is crucial for understanding the mechanisms of diseases and for obtaining a more suitable treatment. In animals, the base complementarity between miRNAs and the mRNA is imperfect, hindering the prediction of these targets. Thus, over the past 15 years, several computational tools have emerged for the prediction of miRNA targets in animals, generally with a focus on human expression data. Taking into account the wide range of prediction tools, a systematic review is presented here to analyze and classify these methods and features to enable the most appropriate choice according to the needs of each researcher. In this study, only articles whose methods met the inclusion and exclusion criteria established in the protocol were considered. The search was performed in November 2020, in two search engines PubMed and VHL Regional Portal. Among the initial 5315 journals found in the two searches, 78 articles were accepted, comprising 49 different tools analyzed and grouped by features and method similarities. As we limited our criteria to animals, all tools found in our search were suitable for human studies. The results demonstrated the evolution of prediction tools, including the most used features, such as alignment and thermodynamics, the methods used, as well as performance issues. It is possible to conclude that the currently available miRNA target prediction tools and methods can be aggregated with new features or other methods to improve accuracy.

Análise histológica e imuno-histoquímica de leiomiomas e leiomiossarcomas de boca / Immunohistochemical and histological analysis of oral leiomyoma and leiomyosarcoma

O objetivo deste estudo foi comparar leiomiomas e leiomiossarcomas de boca por meio de análise histológica e imunoistoquímica, utilizando os marcadores Ki67, p53 e PTEN. A actina de músculo liso foi utilizada para confirmar o diagnóstico. Foram examinados 13 tumores de músculo liso disponíveis nos arquivos do Departamento de Estomatologia da Faculdade de Odontologia da USP, sendo 7 leiomiossarcomas, 4 angioleiomiomas e 2 leiomiomas sólidos. As lâminas foram avaliadas de acordo com o grau de atipia, índice mitótico e presença de necrose. Foi realizada a análise imunoistoquímica para o ki67, p53 e PTEN, por meio da contagem de células positivas em 500 células nas áreas mais representativas. A maioria dos angioleiomiomas não apresentou atipia, mitose ou necrose; atipia discreta foi encontrada nos dois leiomiomas sólidos, um deles com 1 mitose por 10 CGA. Atipia foi observada em todos os leiomiossarcomas, o índice mitótico variou de 0 a 6 mitoses por 10 CGA, e apenas um caso apresentou necrose. Houve positividade para o ki67 em apenas um angioleiomioma e em 5 leiomiossarcomas, o restante dos casos foram negativos. Em relação ao p53, ocorreu leve positividade para um caso de leiomioma sólido e moderada para o outro; a maioria dos angioleiomiomas foram levemente positivos e apenas um foi negativo; todos os leiomiossarcomas foram positivos, 2 com marcação leve, 4 moderada e um intensa. A expressão do PTEN foi negativa em um leiomioma sólido e intensamente positiva em outro; todos os casos de angioleiomioma foram positivos, sendo que 2 demonstraram positividade leve e 2 moderada; 3 leiomiossarcomas apresentaram positividade moderada e 3 intensa, apenas um foi negativo. Nossos resultados sugerem que a marcação para ki67 e p53 são úteis na diferenciação entre leiomiomas e leiomiossarcomas. O mesmo não foi observado para o anticorpo PTEN.

This study aimed to compare oral leiomyomas and leiomyosarcomas by means of histological and immunohistochemical analysis. Cases from the Stomatology Department, School of Dentistry at University of São Paulo were retrieved. For immunohistochemistry Ki67, p53 and PTEN markers were used. Smooth muscle actin was used to confirm the diagnosis. There were 13 smooth muscle tumors: 7 leiomyosarcomas, 4 angioleiomyomas and 2 solid leiomyomas. For morphological analysis, sections were evaluated for atypia, mitotic index and presence of necrosis. Immunohistochemical analysis of Ki67, p53 and PTEN expression was performed by counting 500 positive cells in the most representative areas. Most angioleiomyomas did not present atypia, mitosis or necrosis; mild atypia was found in two solid leiomyomas, one with 1 mitosis per 10 HPF. Atypia was found in all leiomyosarcomas, the mitotic index varied from 0 to 6 mitosis per 10 HPF, and necrosis was found in only one case. Ki67 expression was positive in one angioleiomyoma and 5 leiomyosarcomas, the remaining cases were negative. For p53, one solid leiomyoma was mildly positive and the other showed moderate positivity; most of angioleiomyomas were mildly positive and only one was negative; all leiomyosarcomas were positive, 2 with mild expression, 4 moderate and one intense. PTEN expression was negative in one solid leiomyoma and intensely positive in the other; all angioleiomyomas were positive, with 2 mildly positive and 2 moderately positive; 3 leiomyosarcomas presented moderate positivity and 3 intense, only one was negative. Our results suggest that ki67 and p53 are useful in the differentiation between leiomyoma and leiomyosarcoma. The same was not found for PTEN.

Evaluation of sutures after immersion in nonalcoholic benzydamine hydrochloride mouthrinse by scanning electron microscopy.

This study evaluated the surface integrity of sutures after immersion in mouthrinse or water, by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. Pieces of resorbable suture remaining after oral surgery were immediately collected. Twelve pieces each of catgut, chromed catgut, and polyglactin 910 were divided into four groups and immersed in pure mouthrinse, mouthrinse diluted in water at 1:1 and 1:2, or water (positive control), for 24 h. Three pieces each of new sutures were used as negative control. Specimens were placed on stubs and sputter coated with gold for SEM analysis. Observation of experimental groups and comparison with controls revealed that immersion in the mouthrinse at different dilutions did not alter their surface; slight, nonsignificant changes were found in some experimental specimens yet also in the positive control group. It was concluded that immersion of resorbable sutures in water or non-alcoholic benzydamine hydrochloride mouthrinse did not produce any significant change; therefore, this mouthrinse may be safely employed after oral surgery.