Shotgun metagenomic sequencing of the first case of monkeypox virus in Brazil, 2022

ABSTRACT Monkeypox virus (MPXV), a zoonotic virus endemic to the African continent, has been reported in 33 non-endemic countries since May 2022. We report an almost complete genome of the first confirmed case of MPXV in Brazil. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing was completed in 18 hours, from DNA extraction to consensus sequence generation.

Identification and characterisation of SARS-CoV-2 and Human alphaherpesvirus 1 from a productive coinfection in a fatal COVID-19 case

BACKGROUND During routine Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) diagnosis, an unusually high viral load was detected by reverse transcription real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) in a nasopharyngeal swab sample collected from a patient with respiratory and neurological symptoms who rapidly succumbed to the disease. Therefore we sought to characterise the infection. OBJECTIVES We aimed to determine and characterise the etiological agent responsible for the poor outcome. METHODS Classical virological methods, such as plaque assay and plaque reduction neutralisation test combined with amplicon-based sequencing, as well as a viral metagenomic approach, were performed to characterise the etiological agents of the infection. FINDINGS Plaque assay revealed two distinct plaque phenotypes, suggesting either the presence of two severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) strains or a productive coinfection of two different species of virus. Amplicon-based sequencing did not support the presence of any SARS-CoV-2 genetic variants that would explain the high viral load and suggested the presence of a single SARS-CoV-2 strain. Nonetheless, the viral metagenomic analysis revealed that Coronaviridae and Herpesviridae were the predominant virus families within the sample. This finding was confirmed by a plaque reduction neutralisation test and PCR. MAIN CONCLUSIONS We characterised a productive coinfection of SARS-CoV-2 and Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) in a patient with severe symptoms that succumbed to the disease. Although we cannot establish the causal relationship between the coinfection and the severity of the clinical case, this work serves as a warning for future studies focused on the interplay between SARS-CoV-2 and HSV-1 coinfection and COVID-19 severity.

A novel Betacoronavirus characterised in collared peccaries from the Rio de Janeiro Zoo (Brazil) killed by unknown disease

In an enclosure with nine collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu) from the Rio de Janeiro city Zoo, Brazil, one specimen was found dead and two others developed prostration, apathy and dehydration, resulting on its death. Necropsy of two animals pointed to pulmonary and renal damage. Histological examination revealed vasculitis in spleen from both P. tajacu, suggesting a systemic viral infection. Lungs from one specimen showed fibrinoid vasculitis, alveolar damage with hyaline membrane, and interstitial lymphocytes infiltration. Virome analysis in anal wash samples from the latter two animals revealed a new type of Betacoronavirus, lineage A, provisionally named Ptajacu-CoV.

Estudo da dor no período pós-operatório de cirurgia de catarata: utilização de dipirona no intraoperatório / Study on immediate postoperative pain following cataract surgery: intraoperative endovenous administration of dipyrone

Resumo Objetivos: Quantificar a dor dos pacientes submetidos a cirurgia de facoemulsificação sob anestesia tópica e anestesia tópica mais dipirona e avaliar se há correlação da dor com o tempo operatório, a graduação da catarta e a Energia Ultrassônica Dissipada Acumulada. Métodos: Cento e quatro olhos de 52 pacientes foram submetidos a cirurgia de catarata por facoemulsificação. Um olho foi submetido a anestesia tópica associado à sedação. O outro olho foi submetido a anestesia anterior acrescida de 1g de dipirona venosa. 15 minutos e 24 horas após a cirurgia, uma Escala Visual de Dor era respondida. Registraram-se a graduação da catarata, tempo cirúrgico, energia ultrassônica. Resultados: Dor no grupo sem dipirona 15 minutos e 24 horas apresentou decréscimo com correlação estatística significativa (p=0,004). Não houve significância estatística na redução da dor no grupo submetido à infusão de dipirona. Pacientes com cataratas de maior graduação apresentaram dor maior no pós-operatório (p=0,046). Conclusão: Ausência de redução significativa da dor com a dipirona apresentou resultados semelhantes a outros estudos. Redução da dor 24 horas após a cirurgia no grupo sem o analgésico pode ser devido à subjetividade da dor. Pacientes com cataratas de grau mais avançados apresentam dor mais intensa.

Abstract Objectives: Evaluate the effect of intraoperative endovenous administration of dipyrone on postoperative pain in patients submitted to phacoemulsification by correlating pain scores with duration of surgery and the amount of cumulative dissipated energy (CDE) delivered to the eye. Methods: The sample consisted of 104 eyes from 52 patients submitted to phacoemulsification under topic anesthesia and sedation. In each patient, one eye was treated intraoperatively with 1g dipyrone. Information was collected on cataract grade/type, duration of surgery and CDE. Postoperative pain was scored on a visual analog scale at 15 min and 24 hours. Results: Between 15 min and 24 hours, pain decreased significantly (p=0.004) among patients not treated with dipyrone, but no change was observed in patients receiving dipyrone. Caratact severity was positively associated with postoperative pain (p=0.046). Conclusion: The absence of a measurable effect of dipyrone on pain scores matched the literature. The decrease in pain scores at 24 hours among patients not treated with dipyrone may be explained by the influence of subjective psychological factors on pain perception. Higher grades of cataract were associated with greater postoperative pain.

Medição de micromovimentos em implantes endósseos por correlação de imagem digital 3D / Micromoviment measurements of endosseous implants with 3D digital image correlation

Os micromovimentos excessivos entre implante e osso peri-implantar são uma das primeiras causas para a não osseointegração. Todavia, não existe nenhum método clínico disponível para medir diretamente os micromovimentos. A análise da frequência de ressonância (AFR), método muito utilizado, quantifica indiretamente a estabilidade implantar sem, contudo, medir deslocamentos. A correlação de imagem digital tridimensional (CID 3D), técnica óptica de medição sem contato, segue o campo de micromovimentos da superfície de um objeto. O objetivo principal deste trabalho foi validar o método CID 3D correlacionando-o com a AFR. Secundariamente, pretendeu perceber se a alteração dos pilares protéticos de standard (SD) para platform-switching (PS) influencia os micromovimentos dos implantes. A metodologia utilizada consistiu em um modelo experimental ex vivo com mandíbulas de porco frescas isoladas, onde foram colocados 30 implantes endósseos e pilares de cicatrização (SD e PS, n = 15 para cada grupo). Sobre estes se exerceu uma carga compressiva vertical de 100 N. A medição dos micromovimentos efetuou-se pelo programa Vic-3D 2010 (CorrelatedSolutions, Columbia, EUA). Os resultados obtidos foram comparados com os valores de ISQ (Implant Stability Quotient) do sistema de AFR (Osstell, IntegrationDiagnostic, Suécia) obtidos previamente. Pelos resultados, verificou-se uma correlação entre a mobilidade medida por CID 3D e os valores de ISQ, mas apenas na direção mesiodistal (U). Dentro das limitações deste estudo, o método de CID 3D parece ser capaz de medir os micromovimentos de implantes dentários. Os resultados parecem estar correlacionados com os valores de AFR. Os implantes com pilares PS apresentaram, em média, valores de micromovimentos mais baixos.

One of the first causes for not occurring osseointegration is the excessive micromovements between the implant and perimplant bone. However, there is no clinical method available to directly measure micromovements. Resonance Frequency Analysis (RFA), a largely used method, quantifies implant stability indirectly without measuring displacements. The 3D Digital Image Correlation method (3D DIC) is a non-contact optical measurement technique that tracks the surface displacement field of an object. The primary objective of this work is to validate 3D DIC with the RFA method. Secondarily, we pretend to understand if the change of prosthetic abutments from standard (SD) to platform-switching (PS) influences dental implant micromovements. The methodology used consisted in an experimental ex vivo model with isolated fresh porcine mandibles where 30 endosseous implants were placed with healing abutments (SD and PS, n=15 for each group). These were submitted to a vertical compressive load of 100N. Micromovement measurements were determined by Vic-3D 2010 (CorrelatedSolutions, Columbia, EUA). Results were compared with RFA (Osstell, IntegrationDiagnostic, Sweden) ISQ values (Implant Stability Quotient) obtained previously. The results show correlation between implant mobility measured by 3D DIC and ISQ values, but only in mesiodistal direction (U). Within the limitations of this study, 3D DIC method seems to be capable to measure dental implant micromovements. The results suggest a correlation with the ISQ values obtained by RFA. Although not statiscally significant, implants with PS abutments presented lower micromovement values.