The emergence of Omicron VOC and its rapid spread and persistence in the Western Amazon.

Genomic surveillance represents a strategy to understanding the evolutionary mechanisms, transmission, and infectivity of different SARS-CoV-2 variants. We evaluated 603 individuals positive for SARS-CoV-2 from 34 municipalities of Rondônia between December 2021 to December 2022. Nasopharyngeal samples were collected, RNA was extracted and screened using RT-qPCR for VOCs. RNA of the samples were sequenced and further analyzed for phylogeny, mutations, and lineages, totaling 96.19% of samples positive for Omicron VOC in this cohort. We observed that most individuals had at least two doses, however 18.97% were not vaccinated with any dose. 554 sequences were amenable to analysis for alignment and phylogenetic characterization; this group corresponded to the 27 subvariants of the Omicron VOC; a total of 100 mutations were identified, 48% of which were found in the S gene. In conclusion, the data demonstrated the rapid spread and persistence of Omicron VOC in Rondônia during the 12-month study period. Although high frequency of mutations was found in the analyzed samples, there were no individuals with a severe clinical profile, demonstrating that vaccination had a positive effect in those cases.

SARS-CoV-2 reinfection caused by the P.1 lineage in Araraquara city, Sao Paulo State, Brazil.

Reinfection by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-COV-2) has been reported in many countries, suggesting that the virus may continue to circulate among humans despite the possibility of local herd immunity due to massive previous infections. The emergence of variants of concern (VOC) that are more transmissible than the previous circulating ones has raised particular concerns on the vaccines effectiveness and reinfection rates. The P.1 lineage was first identified in December 2020 in Manaus city and is now globally spread. We report the first case of reinfection of SARS-CoV-2 caused by the P.1 variant outside of Manaus. The potential of these new variants to escape naturally and vaccine- induced immunity highlights the need for a global vigilance.

Commercial sunscreen formulations: UVB irradiation stability and effect on UVB irradiation-induced skin oxidative stress and inflammation.

Evidence shows that sunscreens undergo degradation processes induced by UV irradiation forming free radicals, which reduces skin protection. In this regard, the biological effects of three commercial sunscreen formulations upon UVB irradiation in the skin were investigated. The three formulations had in common the presence of benzophenone-3 added with octyl methoxycinnamate or octyl salycilate or both, which are regular UV filters in sunscreens. The results show that formulations F1 and F2 presented partial degradation upon UVB irradiation. Formulations F1 and F2 presented higher skin penetration profiles than F3. None of the formulations avoided UVB irradiation-induced GSH depletion, but inhibited reduction of SOD activity, suggesting the tested formulations did not present as a major mechanism inhibiting all UVB irradiation-triggered oxidative stress pathways. The formulations avoided the increase of myeloperoxidase activity and cytokine production (IL-1ß and TNF-α), but with different levels of protection in relation to the IL-1ß release. Concluding, UVB irradiation can reduce the stability of sunscreens, which in turn, present the undesirable properties of reaching viable skin. Additionally, the same SPF does not mean that different sunscreens will present the same biological effects as SPF is solely based on a skin erythema response. This found opens up perspectives to consider additional studies to reach highly safe sunscreens.