A team affiliated with a FAPESP-supported research center showed in mice that molecules capable of preventing the peptide C5a from binding to its cellular receptor helped prevent lung damage and other complications typical of severe COVID-19.
In experiments conducted at the State University of Campinas (Brazil), intestinal epithelial stem cells proliferated more in mice fed an inulin-rich diet than in mice given insoluble fiber. The study also showed that the beneficial effects depended on interaction with gut microbiota.
A study conducted at the University of São Paulo and reported in PNAS explains hyperglycemia in hospitalized patients and shows how SARS-CoV-2 causes symptoms similar to those of diabetes.
Researchers at Butantan Institute in São Paulo, Brazil, discovered that survival of the parasitic worm that causes the disease depends on expression of a specific type of RNA. In animal trials, inhibition of the molecule interrupted the infection.
Researchers at the University of São Paulo observed the effects of adiponectin in trials involving blood samples from lean and obese subjects. The discovery points to novel routes to treatment for type 2 diabetes and related dysfunctions.
A study conducted at the Federal University of São Paulo shows that 20% of patients with bloodstream infections are not treated, and at least half of those treated die. Diagnostic techniques must improve, the authors warn.
Combinations of antifungals with brilacidin, a drug undergoing clinical trials for other diseases, cleared up lung infections in animals. On its own, the candidate drug treated a fungal disease of the cornea that affects millions of people worldwide.
Trials involving mammalian cells were conducted by researchers in São Paulo state, Brazil. Although it endangers biodiversity along much of the coast, sun coral could be an ally in combating Chagas disease, which affects 7 million people worldwide and lacks effective treatment.
Experiments involving mice and conducted by Brazilian researchers showed four weeks of training with weights to be sufficient to reverse behavioral and physical alterations characteristic of the disease.
Brazilian researchers analyzed data from MRI scans and various tests to detect biological alterations linked to the neurological symptoms most reported by patients, especially anxiety, depression, sleepiness and fatigue. The latest results were presented to the ninth edition of BRAINN Congress.
A study of 40 asymptomatic subjects living with HIV conducted at São Paulo State University showed that a daily dose of 500 mg was safe and helped combat premature aging.
Brazilian researchers compared the therapies used most frequently for tinnitus, which affects some 750 million worldwide.
The discovery, led by researchers at a FAPESP-supported center, could lead to novel treatments for autoimmune diseases.
A research group at Butantan Institute performed tests on animal models with asthma as a reference and demonstrated that the peptide from Thalassophryne nattereri, common in North and Northeast Brazil, is safe and efficacious.
The call was issued in 2022 by the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases, a transnational consortium of research funders set up to combat chronic non-communicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries. Two proposals supported by FAPESP were among those approved.
The molecule was identified by researchers at the University of São Paulo in cells of the Amblyomma tick that transmits the disease.
Esper Kallás, who heads Latin America’s leading producer of vaccines, delivered the Second 2023 FAPESP Lecture on “Viruses, pandemics and vaccines”. He spoke about the “100 Day Mission” to produce novel vaccines in just over three months.
Researchers in São Paulo state analyzed data for over 1 million patients hospitalized for treatment by the public health service after contracting COVID-19. Lower levels of inflammatory cytokines and fewer ACE2 receptors for the virus to bind to may be the explanation.
In experiments involving rats, researchers at São Paulo State University found that periods of low oxygen levels in the first months of life can lead to dysregulation of the sympathetic autonomic nervous system, which controls functions such as heart rate and blood pressure. The discovery points to possible routes to the development of novel therapies.
A biodressing containing human umbilical cord stem cells was produced in a 3D printer by the startup In Situ Cell Therapy. Researchers at the University of São Paulo found that when used on diabetic mice, the “smart” biodressing modulated the immune response, stimulated collagen synthesis and enhanced tissue repair.
Leishmania alters the structure of the human protein that would normally induce the death of infected cells and weakens the inflammatory response. Reported in Nature Communications, the discovery could serve as a basis for better treatment.
An analysis conducted at the University of São Paulo showed that no sample exceeded the recommended limit for aflatoxin M1, a contaminant of fungal origin considered carcinogenic. Nevertheless, the researchers warn of the need to demand best practices in dairy production.
A study by researchers at the State University of Campinas showed that although the two types of training produce similar metabolic stress, muscle activation is different.
Brazilian researchers observed an increase in production of endocannabinoid, a natural anti-inflammatory neurotransmitter, in COVID-19 patients given glucocorticoids. The discovery points to possibilities of novel treatments for various inflammatory and neurological diseases.
Scientists at São Paulo State University repurposed a device already used to analyze bovine reproductive cells to observe different characteristics of human sperm simultaneously.
