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The relationship between living in a polluted city like São Paulo (Brazil) and lung disease or cancer is well known. But the problems go further. Unprecedented research shows that long-term exposure to air pollution is directly linked to increased heart risks in residents of the capital of the state of the same name. People with high blood pressure are at even greater risk. The study, published in the journal Environmental Research, was conducted by researchers from the University of [...]

Tobacco smoking and human papillomavirus (HPV) are both well-known risk factors for head and neck cancer, but there is ample evidence to show they can interact to increase still further the risk of contracting the disease, according to a study by scientists at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil and the University of Chile. An article on the study is published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. The results of the study clarify aspects of the molecular [...]

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. A research group 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. A molecule found in the venomous toadfish Thalassophryne [...]

A cleft lip or palate arises from the combined effects of genes and inflammatory risk factors experienced during pregnancy, such as smoking or infections, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in Nature Communications, has revealed for the first time how genetic and environmental factors come together to form a cleft lip or palate in a developing foetus. Cleft lip, with or without cleft palate, is the most common craniofacial malformation seen at birth, affecting [...]

Which kind of resistance training promotes more muscle growth: low load with many repetitions or high load with fewer repetitions? According to a study conducted at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in São Paulo state, Brazil, it makes no difference. The study lasted eight weeks and involved 18 volunteers in two different training protocols. One group performed high-load (HL) exercises with fewer repetitions, while the other did low-load (LL) exercises with more repetitions. [...]

A study supported by FAPESP analyzed the potential of a bacterium for biological control of the fungus Hemileia vastatrix, which causes coffee rust, a major challenge for Brazilian coffee growers. An article on the study is published in the journal BMC Microbiology. The symptoms of coffee rust are yellow spots like burn marks on the leaves of the plant. The disease impairs photosynthesis, making foliage wither and preventing bean-producing cherries from growing until the tree resembles a [...]

An article published in the journal eLife reports a study in which researchers concluded that the proportion of the population previously infected by SARS-CoV-2 (infection-induced seroprevalence) can be estimated using blood donation samples. The findings offer a sort of "portrait" of the first year of the COVID-19 epidemic in Brazil. According to the authors, their novel methodology can also be used to track and estimate collective immunity to other infectious diseases. The usual [...]

A study conducted in Brazil and reported in an article in Vaccines shows that in the São José do Rio Preto region in the northwest of São Paulo state, only 75.8% of children aged 0-15 have antibodies against measles. The proportion considered ideal to prevent outbreaks of the disease is 94%. The findings are in line with other recent surveys showing a drop in child vaccination rates in Brazil since 2015. This is yet another warning shout that Brazilian children [...]

Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil have found that severe COVID-19 is associated with an imbalance in an important immune system signaling pathway. The discovery helps explain at the molecular level why some people infected by SARS-CoV-2 develop a potentially fatal systemic inflammation. It also paves the way to the development of more specific therapies. An article on the study, which was funded by FAPESP, is published in Frontiers in Immunology. The [...]