33rd Brazilian Society for Virology (SBV) 2022 Annual Meeting.

Each year, the Brazilian Society for Virology promotes a national meeting during the second semester of the year. In October 2022, the 33rd meeting took place at Arraial da Ajuda, Porto Seguro, Bahia, in-person:.this was the first in-person meeting since 2019, as the 2020 and 2021 events occurred online due to the issues imposed by COVID-19. It was a great pleasure for the whole audience to return to an in-person event, which certainly improved the interactions between the attendees in all ways. As usual, the meeting involved massive participation of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoc students, and several noteworthy international researchers were present. During five afternoons and evenings, attendees could discuss and learn about the most recent data presented by distinguished scientists from Brazil and other countries. In addition, young virology researchers from all levels could present their latest results as oral presentations and posters. The meeting covered all virology areas, with conferences and roundtables about human, veterinary, fundamental, environmental, invertebrate, and plant virology. The costs associated with attending the in-person event caused a slight reduction in the number of attendees compared to the two online events. However, even with this issue, the attendance was impressive. The meeting successfully achieved its most important goals: inspiring young and senior scientists and discussing high-quality, up-to-date virology research.

A transição alimentar de uma família açoriana em Santa Catarina / The dietary transition of an Azorean family in Santa Catarina

Introdução: As transformações nos hábitos de consumo e alimentares no Brasil a partir da segunda metade do século XX foram significativas. Grupos populacionais deixaram de consumir alimentos tradicionais e passaram a adotar produtos industrializados, resultando no abandono de práticas agrícolas de subsistência nas áreas rurais e periurbanas. A modernidade, caracterizada pela industrialização, urbanização e êxodo rural, impactou os padrões de alimentação. As mudanças acarretaram a perda da tradição alimentar baseada em alimentos frescos, locais e sazonais, e a substituição de práticas agroecológicas por métodos de agricultura intensiva. No litoral brasileiro, a introdução do turismo e a abertura das fronteiras territoriais levaram a globalização para comunidades tradicionais. O estudo proposto se concentra na história da transformação dos hábitos alimentares de uma família na Guarda do Embaú, litoral de Santa Catarina, a partir da introdução do turismo na região. Objetivos: contar a história da transição alimentar da família Leal da Silveira e entender como a chegada do turismo impactou os hábitos de consumo e cultivo na comunidade. Métodos: Estudo de caso através da Pesquisa Qualitativa Genérica, com aportes da etnografia, tendo como instrumento de campo entrevistas em profundidade semi-estruturadas. Resultados: A entrada do turismo na comunidade proporcionou oportunidades de trabalho remunerado e opções de comércios de alimentos, o que fez com que a família abandonasse o auto cultivo de alimentos e adotasse a alimentação moderna. Conclusão: O que comemos é determinado por uma série de fatores, a maioria deles alheios a nós. No caso da família, não houve um momento de decisão: o que houve foram as contingências da vida. A alimentação mudou porque a vida mudou, em uma escala global e massiva que acabou com fronteiras locais.

Introduction: Transformations in consumption and eating habits in Brazil from the second half of the twentieth century were significant. Population groups stopped consuming traditional foods and started to adopt industrialized products, resulting in the abandonment of subsistence agricultural practices in rural and peri-urban areas. Modernity, characterized by industrialization, urbanization and rural exodus, has impacted food patterns. The changes led to the loss of the food tradition based on fresh, local and seasonal foods, and the replacement of agroecological practices by intensive farming methods. On the Brazilian coast, the introduction of tourism and the opening of territorial borders led to globalization for traditional communities. The proposed study focuses on the history of the transformation of the eating habits of a family in Guarda do Embaú, on the coast of Santa Catarina, since the introduction of tourism in the region. Objectives: to tell the story of the food transition of the Leal da Silveira family and understand how the arrival of tourism impacted consumption and cultivation habits in the community. Methods: Case study through Generic Qualitative Research, with contributions from ethnography, using semi-structured in-depth interviews as a field instrument. Results: The arrival of tourism in the community provided opportunities for paid work, which led the family to abandon self-growing and adopt modern food. Conclusion: The entry of tourism in the community provided opportunities for paid work and options for food stores, which made the family abandon self-growing food and adopt modern food. What we eat is determined by a number of factors, most of them outside our control. In the case of the family, there wasn't a moment of decision: What happened were the contingencies of life. Food has changed because life has changed, on a massive global scale that does away with local borders.

The 32nd Brazilian Society of Virology (SBV) 2021 Annual Meeting.

The Brazilian Society of Virology has been organizing annual meetings for 32 years now. The 32nd annual meeting, which occurred in 2021, was once again an online meeting in consequence of the issues imposed by COVID-19, even with the vaccination advances. As in the 2020 meeting, the number of attendees was high, with considerable participation by undergraduate, graduate, and postdoc students. Distinguished scientists from different countries offered high-quality conferences, and oral presentation sessions were presented by young scientists showing their newest research results. For almost five hours a day during five days, attendees discussed high-quality science related to all areas of virology. Even with the difficulties imposed by another pandemic year, the 32nd SBV annual meeting achieved its most important goal-to inspire young scientists and discuss high-quality virology research.

Inhibition of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Replication by Hypertonic Saline Solution in Lung and Kidney Epithelial Cells.

An unprecedented global health crisis has been caused by a new virus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We performed experiments to test if a hypertonic saline solution was capable of inhibiting virus replication. Our data show that 1.2% NaCl inhibited virus replication by 90%, achieving 100% of inhibition at 1.5% in the nonhuman primate kidney cell line Vero, and 1.1% of NaCl was sufficient to inhibit the virus replication by 88% in human epithelial lung cell line Calu-3. Furthermore, our results indicate that the inhibition is due to an intracellular mechanism and not to the dissociation of the spike SARS-CoV-2 protein and its human receptor. NaCl depolarizes the plasma membrane causing a low energy state (high ADP/ATP concentration ratio) without impairing mitochondrial function, supposedly associated with the inhibition of the SARS-CoV-2 life cycle. Membrane depolarization and intracellular energy deprivation are possible mechanisms by which the hypertonic saline solution efficiently prevents virus replication in vitro assays.

Inhibition of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 replication by hypertonic saline solution in lung and kidney epithelial cells

An unprecedented global health crisis has been caused by a new virus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We performed experiments to test if a hypertonic saline solution was capable of inhibiting virus replication. Our data show that 1.2% NaCl inhibited virus replication by 90%, achieving 100% of inhibition at 1.5% in the nonhuman primate kidney cell line Vero, and 1.1% of NaCl was sufficient to inhibit the virus replication by 88% in human epithelial lung cell line Calu-3. Furthermore, our results indicate that the inhibition is due to an intracellular mechanism and not to the dissociation of the spike SARS-CoV-2 protein and its human receptor. NaCl depolarizes the plasma membrane causing a low energy state (high ADP/ATP concentration ratio) without impairing mitochondrial function, supposedly associated with the inhibition of the SARS-CoV-2 life cycle. Membrane depolarization and intracellular energy deprivation are possible mechanisms by which the hypertonic saline solution efficiently prevents virus replication in vitro assays.

Risk of Zika virus-associated birth defects in congenital confirmed cases in the Brazilian Amazon.

OBJECTIVE: To establish the risk of microcephaly in neonates born to women infected with ZIKV during pregnancy. METHODS: A cohort of laboratory-confirmed ZIKV cases of congenital infections (109 mothers infected during pregnancy and 101 newborns) among 308 suspect cases was followed in Belem, Pará, Brazil, from October 2015 to December 2017. RESULTS: A microcephaly risk of 1.98% (95% CI 0.54-6.93%) was found, or 2 cases among the 101 neonates infected with ZIKV during pregnancy. 72% of the pregnant women had ZIKV infection confirmed by RT-qPCR during gestation. CONCLUSIONS: Results showed a low incidence of ZIKV-associated birth defects, stillbirth, and miscarriage, which contrasts with previous studies in other Brazilian regions. Previous exposure to yellow fever vaccine and/or multiserotype DENV infection could be implicated in the protection from ZIKV congenital infection.

OBJETIVO: Establecer el riesgo de microcefalia en los recién nacidos de mujeres infectadas con ZIKV durante el embarazo. MÉTODOS: Se siguió a una cohorte de casos con infección congénita por ZIKV confirmada por laboratorio (109 madres infectadas durante el embarazo, 101 recién nacidos) conformada a partir de 308 casos sospechosos en Belem, Pará, Brasil, de octubre de 2015 a diciembre de 2017. RESULTADOS: Se encontró un riesgo de microcefalia de 1,98% (IC95% 0,54-6,93%), o 2 casos entre los 101 neonatos infectados con ZIKV durante el embarazo. En el 72% de las mujeres embarazadas se confirmó mediante RT-qPCR la infección por ZIKV durante la gestación. CONCLUSIONES: Los resultados mostraron una baja incidencia de malformaciones congénitas, mortinatos y abortos asociados al ZIKV, lo que contrasta con estudios anteriores de otras regiones de Brasil. La exposición previa a la vacuna contra la fiebre amarilla o la infección previa por varios serotipos de virus del dengue podrían estar implicados en la protección contra la infección congénita por ZIKV.