Mortalidade por COVID-19 em um município do Oeste Baiano: incidência e fatores de risco / Mortality by COVID-19 in a municipality in Western Bahia: incidence and risk factors

Objetivo: descrever e analisar os fatores de risco associados aos óbitos por COVID-19 no município de Barreiras-BA. Método: estudo de coorte em que foram analisadas as notificações de casos positivos da doença no período de março de 2020 a dezembro de 2022. As variáveis incluídas foram: sexo, idade, raça/cor, sintomas apresentados e condições de saúde. Para verificar a associação entre as variáveis, foi utilizada Regressão de Poisson, com estimativa do risco relativo. Resultados: Ocorreram 348 óbitos no período analisado, sendo estes mais frequentes em homens (60,6%), idosos (58,9%), pretos/pardos (88,1%). Os principais sintomas apresentados pelos indivíduos que vieram a óbito foram a tosse (67,8%), a dispneia (62,9%) e a febre (53,4%), e as principais comorbidades as doenças cardíacas (39,1%) e o diabetes (21,8%). Foram encontrados como fatores de risco associados à ocorrência do óbito ser do sexo masculino e idoso e ter apresentado sintomas como dispneia e febre, além de apresentar comorbidades como doenças respiratórias, cardíacas, diabetes, renais, imunossupressão, doenças cromossômicas e obesidade (p < 0,05). Ter tido sintomas como dor de garganta, dor de cabeça, coriza e distúrbios olfativos demonstraram menor risco de morte (p < 0,05). Conclusão: O número de mortes ocorridas por COVID-19 foi considerado baixo, com risco maior para homens e idosos e indivíduos com outras doenças prévias. Apresentação de sintomas mais graves, como febre e dispneia, também aumentam o risco de morte.

Objective: the objective of this study was to describe and analyze the risk factors associated with deaths from COVID-19 in the city of Barreiras-BA. Methods: a cohort study in which notifications of positive cases of the disease were analyzed from March 2020 to December 2022. The variables included were sex, age, race/color, presented symptoms, and health conditions. Poisson Regression was used to verify the association between variables with relative risk estimation. Results: There were 348 deaths in the period analyzed, these being more frequent in men (60.6%), elderly people (58.9%), black/brown people (88.1%). The main symptoms presented by the individuals who died were cough (67.8%), dyspnea (62.9%) and fever (53.4%), and the main comorbidities were heart disease (39.1%) and diabetes (21.8%). Risk factors associated with the occurrence of death were found to be male and elderly and having symptoms such as dyspnea and fever, in addition to presenting comorbidities such as respiratory, cardiac, diabetes, kidney diseases, immunosuppression, chromosomal diseases and obesity (p < 0 .05). Having had symptoms such as sore throat, headache, runny nose and olfactory disorders demonstrated a lower risk of death (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The number of deaths caused by COVID-19 was considered low, with a higher risk for men and the elderly and individuals with other previous illnesses. Presentation of more serious symptoms, such as fever and dyspnea, also increases the risk of death.

Isolation of arginase inhibitors from the bioactivity-guided fractionation of Byrsonima coccolobifolia leaves and stems.

Byrsonima coccolobifolia leaf and stem extracts were studied in the search for possible leishmanicidal compounds using arginase (ARG) from Leishmania amazonensis as a molecular target. Flavonoids 1b, 1e-1g, 2a, 2b, and 2d-2f showed significant inhibitory activity, with IC50 values ranging from 0.9 to 4.8 µM. The kinetics of the most active compounds were determined. Flavonoids 1e, 1f, 2a, 2b, and 2e were characterized as noncompetitive inhibitors of ARG with dissociation constants (Ki) ranging from 0.24 to 3.8 µM, demonstrating strong affinity. Structure-activity relationship studies revealed some similarities in the structural features of flavonoids related to ARG activity.

Synthetic chalcone derivatives as inhibitors of cathepsins K and B, and their cytotoxic evaluation.

A series of chalcone derivatives, 1-15, were prepared by Claisen-Schmidt condensation and evaluated for their cytotoxicities on tumor cell lines and also against proteolytic enzymes such as cathepsins B and K. Of the compounds synthesized, (E)-3-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1-phenylprop-2-en-1-one (12), (E)-3-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-phenylprop-2-en-1-one (13), (E)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1-phenylprop-2-en-1-one (14), and (E)-3-(4-nitrophenyl)-1-phenylprop-2-en-1-one (15) showed significant cytotoxicities. The most effective compound was 15, which showed high cytotoxic activity with an IC50 value lower than 1 µg/ml, and no selectivity on the tumor cells evaluated. Substituents at C(4) of ring B were found to be essential for cytotoxicity. In addition, it was also demonstrated that some of these chalcones are moderate inhibitors of cathepsin K and have no activity against cathepsin B.