Influence of Religiosity and Spirituality on the Adoption of Behaviors of Epidemiological Relevance in Emerging and Re-Emerging Diseases: The Case of Dengue Fever.

Emerging and re-emerging diseases are responsible for recurrently affecting the health of human populations. Although people are aware of these diseases, they do not seem to adopt prophylactic methods to prevent them. Here, we propose to investigate the influence of religiosity/spirituality (R/S) on the frequency of the adoption of prophylactic behaviors and the perception of risk of vulnerability to the disease. We used dengue, which is a seasonal arboviral disease in Brazil, as a model. To measure the dimensions of religiosity/spirituality, we used the Portuguese version of the Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiosity/Spirituality questionnaire. All data were obtained through a structured questionnaire that was answered online by 204 volunteers living throughout Brazil. Our results indicate that R/S is predictive of the frequency of prophylactic behaviors (p = 0.0222, R2 = 0.025) and the perception of risk of vulnerability (p < 0.05, R2 = 0.07). We argue that the effect of R/S on health occurs through the promotion of salutogenic mechanisms promoted by socialization in religious environments. This can help understand social dynamics in epidemiological crises and mitigate the influence of these diseases.

The spider toxin Phα1ß recombinant possesses strong analgesic activity.

The native Phα1ß - a Voltage-Gated Calcium Channel (VGCC) blocker - and its Recombinant Version - were both tested in rodent pain models with an intraplantar injections of capsaicin or formalin, a chronic constriction injury, and melanoma cancer related pain. The formalin nociceptive behaviour in the neurogenic phase was not affected by the toxin pre-treatments, while in the inflammatory phase, Phα1ß and the Recombinant form caused a significant reduction. The nociception that was triggered by capsaicin, an agonist of the TRPV1 vanilloid receptor, was totally blocked by 100 pmol/site, i.t. of Phα1ß or the recombinant version. For the neuropathic pain that was induced by a chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve, Phα1ß and its Recombinant reduced the allodynia that was induced by the CCI procedure in the rats and the hypersensitivity lasted for 4 h. Fourteen days after the inoculation of the B16-F10 melanoma cells in the mice, a marked hyperalgesia was induced in the melanoma cancer pain model. Phα1ß and the Recombinant form reduced the hyperalgesia with a full reversion at 100 pmol/site i.t. The inhibitory effects of the nociception that was induced by native Phα1ß and the Recombinant in the studied pain models were not statistically different and they developed with no side effects.