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Rapid virus identification is crucial for preventing outbreaks. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical nature of rapid virus detection. Here, we designed a label-free electrochemical biosensor modified with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to detect IgG antibodies from human serum, enabling rapid point-of-care diagnostics. AuNPs were synthesized and characterized. A multivariate optimization was carried out to determine the optimal condition for functionalizing AuNPs with anti-IgG. Subsequently, using a glassy carbon electrode (GCE), a modified AuNPs/GCE electrochemical biosensor was developed for IgG detection. The results indicated that AuNPs displayed a spherical morphology with a size distribution of 19.54 nm. Additionally, the zeta potential was recorded at -7.84 mV. Central composite design (CCD) analysis determined the optimal conditions for functionalizing AuNPs to be an anti-IgG concentration of 320 µg mL-1, a temperature of 25 °C, and pH of 7.4. The characterization study confirmed the successful synthesis and functionalization of AuNPs. Through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurement, the biosensor demonstrated a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.2 ng mL-1 and limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.8 ng mL-1. Furthermore, tests in real samples showed the interaction between IgG antibodies in serum samples and AuNPs/GCE, confirming the biosensor's ability to detect and quantify IgG in clinical samples.

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UV radiation can cause damages, such as erythema, skin photoaging, and carcinogenesis. The adoption of protective measures against sun exposure is essential to prevent these damages, and the interest in using natural substances as an alternative for photoprotection is growing. Thus, hesperetin with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties is a promising substance to be used with photochemopreventive action and to protect the skin from damage induced by UV radiation. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop a topical formulation based on AAMVPC gel containing hesperetin and evaluate its photoprotective effect on the skin of rats exposed to UVA-UVB radiation. The animals were submitted to the irradiation protocol UVA-UVB, and at the end, erythema, lipid peroxidation, and activity of the antioxidant enzyme catalase and superoxide dismutase were evaluated. Additionally, it evaluated the activity of myeloperoxidase and histological changes. The formulation presented a rheological and spreadability profile suitable for cutaneous application. In vivo results demonstrated that the topical formulation of AAMVPC gel containing hesperetin at a concentration of 10% protected the skin from damage induced by UVA-UVB radiation, with the absence of erythema, lipid lipoperoxidation, and inflammation (low myeloperoxidase activity), and increased catalase and superoxide dismutase activities. The morphology and architecture of the dermo-epidermal tissue of these animals were like those observed under normal conditions (non-irradiated animals). Thus, the results showed that hesperetin was able to protect the animals' skin against UV radiation-induced skin damage and the protection mechanisms may be related to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of this natural product.

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BACKGROUND: The increase in bacterial resistance against antibiotics is thought to be another type of pandemic after COVID-19. Emergency treatment based on antibiotics is a major influence in increasing this resistance. Bacteria, such as Klebsiella pneumoniae, are the most affected by the indiscriminate use of antibiotics, since they are resistant to most antibiotics currently available on the market. OBJECTIVE: This review aimed to evaluate patents of new drugs and formulations, for the treatment of infections caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae. METHODS: The present patent review was carried out through a specialized search database Espacenet. The selection was based on the criteria of patents published from 2010 to May 2021, in any language, and containing the keywords in title or abstract. Also, a research was performed on the PubMed database, using the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Twenty-two patents were selected for the analysis according to the aim of the study. The advance of new patents has been mostly observed in the World Intellectual Property Organization, China, and United States. The results showed that the main approach was the drug association, followed by drug carriers, new isolated products, and vaccines. CONCLUSION: It has been observed that few studies use new drug alternatives for the treatment, probably due to the higher cost of the development and lack of investments. The effectiveness and safety of these therapies depend on the acceptance, the correct prescription, and rational use of medicines. Therefore, this review can further develop new treatments as alternatives against Klebsiella pneumoniae and pneumonia caused by it.

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Since January 2020, the World Health Organization announces COVID-19 outbreak a case of public health emergency of international interest, and declaring it a pandemic on March. Due to the high transmission of this disease, rate precautions have been implemented, such as the use of masks by the population, personal protective equipment (PPE), and safety protocols, mainly to health workers. Thus, we performed a patent review to evaluate the current patents related to the protective mask. The review was carried out in the patent database in the period of May 2019 to May 2020. After the process of screening and eligibility, 563 patents were selected for our analysis according to the aim of the study which used masks such as a PPE against dust particles and pathogens, mostly when it is about airborne transmission, such as viruses and bacteria. Here, an overview of the main materials used in the mask manufacturing and their efficiency was described. The results of the review showed that most of the masks used cotton, nylon, silver fiber fabrics, among others as fabrics to develop the masks. It also makes an analysis of masks composed of nanotechnology which provide high filtration efficiency. Moreover, the review also brought possibilities of masking the population, which already have been done in countries such as China and Korea and ways of sterilization for reuse of PPE during COVID-19 outbreak. Thus, this review can further researchers in the developing of masks to decrease the spread of a pandemic disease. Graphical abstract.

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Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a pandemic situation due to a new viral infection (COVID-19) caused by a novel virus (Sars-CoV-2). COVID-19 is today the leading cause of death from viral infections in the world. It is known that many elements play important roles in viral infections, both in virus survival, and in the activation of the host's immune system, which depends on the presence of micronutrients to maintain the integrity of its functions. In this sense, the metallome can be an important object of study for understanding viral infections. Therefore, this work presents an overview of the role of trace elements in the immune system and the state of the art in metallomics, highlighting the challenges found in studies focusing on viral infections.

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Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic disease that has as main characteristic generalized musculoskeletal pain, which can cause physical and emotional problems to patients. However, pharmacological therapies show side effects that hamper the adhesion to treatment. Given this, (-)-linalool (LIN), a monoterpene with several therapeutic properties already reported in scientific literature as anti-depressive, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, and antihyperalgesic also demonstrated therapeutic potential in the treatment of FM. Nevertheless, physicochemical limitations as high volatilization and poor water-solubility make its use difficult. In this perspective, this present research had performed the incorporation of LIN into polymeric nanocapsules (LIN-NC). Size, morphology, encapsulation efficiency, cytotoxicity, and drug release were performed. The antihyperalgesic effect of LIN-NC was evaluated by a chronic non-inflammatory muscle pain model. The results demonstrated that the polymeric nanocapsules showed particle size of 199.1 ± 0.7 nm with a PDI measurement of 0.13 ± 0.01. The drug content and encapsulation efficiency were 13.78 ± 0.05 mg/mL and 80.98 ± 0.003%, respectively. The formulation did not show cytotoxicity on J774 macrophages. The oral treatment with LIN-NC and free-LIN increased the mechanical withdrawal threshold on all days of treatment in comparison with the control group. In conclusion, LIN-NC is a promising proposal in the development of phytotherapy-based nanoformulations for future clinical applications.

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