In silico designing of multi-epitope vaccine against canine parvovirus using reverse vaccinology.

Canine parvovirus (CPV-2) is a highly contagious virus affecting dogs worldwide, posing a significant threat. The VP2 protein stands out as the predominant and highly immunogenic structural component of CPV-2. Soon after its emergence, CPV-2 was replaced by variants known as CPV-2a, 2b and 2c, marked by changes in amino acid residue 426 of VP2. Additional amino acid alterations have been identified within VP2, with certain modifications serving as signatures of emerging variants. In Brazil, CPV-2 outbreaks persist with diverse VP2 profiles. Vaccination is the main preventive measure against the virus. However, the emergence of substitutions presents challenges to conventional vaccine methods. Commercial vaccines are formulated with strains that usually do not match those currently circulating in the field. To address this, the study aimed to investigate CPV-2 variants in Brazil, predict epitopes, and design an in silico vaccine tailored to local variants employing reverse vaccinology. The methodology involved data collection, genetic sequence analysis, and amino acid comparison between field strains and vaccines, followed by the prediction of B and T cell epitope regions. The predicted epitopes were evaluated for antigenicity, allergenicity and toxicity. The final vaccine construct consisted of selected epitopes linked to an adjuvant and optimized for expression in Escherichia coli. Structural predictions confirmed the stability and antigenicity of the vaccine, while molecular docking demonstrated interaction with the canine toll-like receptor 4. Molecular dynamics simulations indicated a stable complex formation. In silico immune simulations demonstrated a progressive immune response post-vaccination, including increased antibody production and T-helper cell activity. The multi-epitope vaccine design targeted prevalent CPV-2 variants in Brazil and potentially other regions globally. However, experimental validation is essential to confirm our in silico findings.

Food marketing in supermarket circulars in Brazil: An obstacle to healthy eating.

The study aims to characterize the foods advertised in supermarket circulars in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, as well as to analyze the price and discounts applied to the products. Supermarket circulars were obtained from five supermarket chains during 2018. Foods were classified according to the NOVA classification system and the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) nutritional profile model. Advertised prices, with and without discount, were recorded. Ultra-processed foods responded for 66.9% of ads, followed by fresh or minimally processed foods with 19.9%, processed foods with 9.5%, and processed culinary ingredients with 3.7%. Only 3.5% of the products did not exceed any critical nutrients of the PAHO model. Processed foods had a higher cost (R$3.27/100 g) in relation to other food categories. Products excessive in trans-fat and sodium were statistically significant cheaper when compared to those that did not present inadequacy of these nutrients. The reverse was verified for foods excessive in saturated fat, in total fat and in added sugars. Processed culinary ingredients were more frequent on sale (27.7%), while processed foods were the least advertised with discount (15.9%). Products that were adequate in saturated fat, trans fat, total fat and added sugar were statistically significant more announced with discount. Processed culinary ingredients presented the lowest percentage of discount (13.5%). The study confirms the position of supermarket circulars in Brazil as an obstacle to healthy eating, due to the higher incidence of processed and ultra-processed food advertisements, although no greater financial stimulus was noted for these products.

Characterization of chronic cutaneous lesions from TNF-receptor-1-deficient mice infected by Leishmania major.

Leishmania major-infected TNF receptor 1 deficient (TNFR1 KO) mice resolve parasitism but fail to resolve lesions, while wild-type mice completely heal. We investigated the cell composition, cytokine production, and apoptosis in lesions from L. major-infected TNFR1 KO and wild-type (WT) mice. Chronic lesions from L. major-infected TNFR1 KO mice presented larger number of CD8+ T and Ly6G+ cells. In addition, higher concentrations of mRNA for IFN-γ CCL2 and CCL5, as well as protein, but lower numbers of apoptotic cells, were found in lesions from TNFR1 KO mice than in WT, at late time points of infection. Our studies showed that persistent lesions in L. major-infected TNFR1 KO mice may be mediated by continuous migration of cells to the site of inflammation due to the presence of chemokines and also by lower levels of apoptosis. We suggest that this model has some striking similarities to the mucocutaneous clinical form of leishmaniasis.

Estudo epidemiológico da insuficiência cardíaca no Município de Valença (RJ) / Epidemiological study of heart failure in Valença, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

Fundamentos: A insuficiência cardíaca (IC) apresenta grande morbimortalidade, porém os dados epidemiológicos regionais ainda são pouco conhecidos. Objetivo: Foram utilizados dados provenientes do sistema Datasus e da Secretaria Municipal de Saúde de Valença. As taxas de mortalidade por IC e por doenças do aparelho cardiovascular (DCV) foram calculadas em porcentagem e por 10.000 habitantes e as internações foram calculadas por 1.000 habitantes, sendo posteriormente ajustadas por idade e sexo, e comparados os resultados do município de Valença com os do Brasil. Resultados: Internações por DCV caíram de 6,75/10 metros cúbicos habitantes em 2001 para 6,21/10 metros cúbicos em 2006, em Valença...