The present study estimated the human daily and weekly intake of inorganic elements due to consumption of fish in Rio de Janeiro state and the associated potential health risks posed by some toxic elements. All samples analyzed had values of Cd and Pb below the Maximum Tolerable Limits of 3.0 mg kg-1 for Pb and 1.0 mg kg-1 for Cd; only Mugil cephalus, Cynoscion leiarchus and Caranx crysos had As concentrations below 1 mg kg-1, maximum limit established by Brazilian legislation. The higher values of Cd and Pb correspond to 0.22% of PTWI and the higher value of As corresponds to 8.6% of PTWI. None of the studied species showed values higher than PTWI. The higher values of Cu EDI found in Pomatomus numida correspond to 33.3% of RDA; Fe in Salmo salar and Genypterus brasiliensis corresponds to 4.3% of EDI; Mn in Sardinella brasiliensis corresponds to 7.4% of EDI; Zn in S. salar corresponds to 13.2% of EDI and Se in S. salar corresponds to 20.6% of EDI. Some species can be a good source of inorganic elements. For risk assessment, it is important to assess specific eating habits of each region to avoid underestimating the data.

Nos últimos anos, casos de intoxicação exógena de animais domésticos foram atendidos na Faculdade de Veterinária da Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF). Sejam acidentais ou intencionais, esses casos ocorrem principalmente no ambiente doméstico e envolvem diferentes agentes tóxicos, tais como agrotóxicos, raticidas anticoagulantes, medicamentos, dentre outros. O presente trabalho objetivou realizar um estudo retrospectivo dos casos de intoxicação em cães e gatos atendidos na Faculdade de Veterinária da UFF, durante o período de março de 2002 a março de 2008. Os casos foram classificados por substância ou agente tóxico, espécie, sexo, raça, idade e ano de ocorrência. No total, foram registrados 101 casos, sendo 30 em 2002, 10 em 2003, 12 em 2004, três em 2005, nove em 2006 e nove casos em 2007. A maioria dos casos ocorreu no ano de 2002, tendo como principal causa a intoxicação medicamentosa, seguida da intoxicação por agrotóxicos comercializados ilegalmente como raticidas, principalmente carbamato, sendo também observado um grande número de casos em que não foi identificada a substância envolvida.

Background: Amphotericin B (AmB) is a commonly utilized antifungal agent, which is also recommended for the treatment of certain neglected tropical diseases, including leishmaniasis. However, its clinical application is constrained because of its poor oral bioavailability and adverse effects, prompting the investigation of alternative drug delivery systems. Polymeric nanoparticles (PNPs) have gained attention as a potential drug delivery vehicle, providing advantages such as sustained release and enhanced bioavailability, and could have potential as AmB carriers. However, concerns persist regarding nanomaterials’ toxicity, requiring more studies. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos were used as a valuable model for toxicity testing, especially because of their genetic similarity to humans and standardized developmental assessments. Methods: In this study, we produced and characterized AmB loaded and non-loaded PNPs by nanoprecipitation, dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and spectroscopy. Afterwards, we verified their toxicity through in vitro MTT assays in three cell lines (HEK293, HepG2, and J774 A1) and in vivo tests with zebrafish embryos. Results: In both trials, it was noted that nanoencapsulation of the drug led to increased toxicity when compared to non-encapsulated AmB, possibly indicating that they penetrated the embryo’s chorion. Nevertheless, it was demonstrated that the polymers used are safe and they are not the cause of toxicity, neither are the nanostructures per se. Conclusions: Therefore, it is believed that the objective of improving the bioavailability of AmB may have been achieved, and the observed toxicity was probably linked to AmB’s ability to destabilize cell membranes.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), valued for their antimicrobial activity, were incorporated into cotton and polyamide 66 textiles to assess durability and toxicity. Commercial and lab-synthesized AgNPs were applied with atmospheric plasma pretreatment to improve adhesion to fibers. AgNPs showed predominantly spherical morphology (~ 50 nm), confirmed by DLS and TEM, with composition verified by XRD and EDS. Pretreated textiles exhibited enhanced AgNP retention, though notable silver loss occurred after repeated laundering. Zebrafish embryo assays indicated no significant morphological or developmental toxicity, even at high concentrations. The results support the safe application of AgNPs in antimicrobial textiles but emphasize the need for improved fixation to reduce silver loss. Further studies should address long-term environmental impacts and enhance nanoparticle durability, contributing to safer nanomaterial-based textile technologies.

Although the exact mechanism of the pathogenesis of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) is not fully understood, oxidative stress and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines have been highlighted as playing a vital role in the pathogenesis of the disease. In this sense, alternative treatments are needed to reduce the level of inflammation caused by COVID-19. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the potential effect of red photobiomodulation (PBM) as an attractive therapy to downregulate the cytokine storm caused by COVID-19 in a zebrafish model. RT-qPCR analyses and protein–protein interaction prediction among SARS-CoV-2 and Danio rerio proteins showed that recombinant Spike protein (rSpike) was responsible for generating systemic inflammatory processes with significantly increased levels of pro-inflammatory (il1b, il6, tnfa, and nfkbiab), oxidative stress (romo1) and energy metabolism (slc2a1a and coa1) mRNA markers, with a pattern similar to those observed in COVID-19 cases in humans. On the other hand, PBM treatment was able to decrease the mRNA levels of these pro-inflammatory and oxidative stress markers compared with rSpike in various tissues, promoting an anti-inflammatory response. Conversely, PBM promotes cellular and tissue repair of injured tissues and significantly increases the survival rate of rSpike-inoculated individuals. Additionally, metabolomics analysis showed that the most-impacted metabolic pathways between PBM and the rSpike treated groups were related to steroid metabolism, immune system, and lipid metabolism. Together, our findings suggest that the inflammatory process is an incisive feature of COVID-19 and red PBM can be used as a novel therapeutic agent for COVID-19 by regulating the inflammatory response. Nevertheless, the need for more clinical trials remains, and there is a significant gap to overcome before clinical trials can commence.

O presente estudo verificou a cinética mercurial em órgãos, tecido muscular e conteúdo estomacal de duas espécies de peixes marinhos predadores, identificando os locais de maior acumulação desse metal. Para o processo analítico, foi utilizada a técnica de espectrofotometria de absorção atômica por arraste de vapor a frio. A distribuição de Hg nas porções analisadas apresenta ampla dispersão. Para o atum, a variação foi de 0,004 µg.g-1 no fígado, nas brânquias e baço, e 0,172µg.g-1 no tecido muscular. Para a pescada bicuda, a variação foi entre 0,013µg.g-1 nas brânquias a 0,250µg.g-1 no tecido muscular. Este último demonstrou ser, nas duas espécies, a porção de maior concentração do metal, atum = 0,080±0,050µg.g-1 e pescada bicuda = 0,187±0,030µg.g-1. Os locais de menor concentração na pescada foram as brânquias 0,029±0,031µg.g-1, e no atum os olhos (0,013±0,008µg.g-1).