Dengue fever, chikungunya, and zika are highly prevalent arboviruses transmitted by hematophagous arthropods, with a widely neglected impact in developing countries. These diseases cause acute illness in diverse populations, as well as potential cardiovascular complications. A systematic review was carried out to investigate the burden of cardiac involvement related to these arboviruses. Multiple databases were searched for articles that investigated the association of cardiovascular diseases with arboviruses, published up to March 2022. Relevant articles were selected and rated by two independent reviewers. Proportion meta-analysis was applied to assess the frequency-weighted mean of the cardiovascular findings. A total of 42 articles were selected (n = 76,678 individuals), with 17 manuscripts on dengue and 6 manuscripts on chikungunya undergoing meta-analysis. The global pooled incidence of cardiac events in dengue fever using a meta-analysis was 27.21% (95% CI 20.21–34.83; I² = 94%). The higher incidence of dengue-related myocarditis was found in the population younger than 20 years old (33.85%; 95% CI 0.00–89.20; I² = 99%). Considering the studies on chikungunya (n = 372), the global pooled incidence of cardiac involvement using a meta-analysis was 32.81% (95% CI 09.58–61.49, I² = 96%). Two Zika studies were included that examined cases of infection by vertical transmission in Brazil, finding everything from structural changes to changes in heart rate variability that increase the risk of sudden death. In conclusion, cardiac involvement in arboviruses is not uncommon, especially in dengue fever.

This study aimed to describe the kinetics of Leishmania parasite load determined using kinetoplast DNA (kDNA)-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in visceral leishmaniasis (VL) patients. Parasite load in blood was assessed by qPCR at five time points, up to 12 months post-diagnosis. Sixteen patients were followed up. A significant reduction in the parasite load was observed after treatment (P < 0.0001). One patient had an increased parasite load 3 months post-treatment and relapsed clinically at month six. We have described the use of kDNA-based qPCR in the post-treatment follow-up of VL cases.

Arthropod-borne viral diseases are acute febrile illnesses, sometimes with chronic effects, that can be debilitating and even fatal worldwide, affecting particularly vulnerable populations. Indigenous communities face not only the burden of these acute febrile illnesses, but also the cardiovascular complications that are worsened by urbanization. A cross-sectional study was conducted in an Indigenous population in the Northeast Region of Brazil to explore the association between arboviral infections (dengue, chikungunya, and Zika) and cardiac biomarkers, including cardiotrophin 1, growth differentiation factor 15, lactate dehydrogenase B, fatty-acid-binding protein 3, myoglobin, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, cardiac troponin I, big endothelin 1, and creatine kinase-MB, along with clinical and anthropometric factors. The study included 174 individuals from the Fulni-ô community, with a median age of 47 years (interquartile range 39.0 to 56.0). High rates of previous exposure to dengue, chikungunya, and Zika were observed (92.5%, 78.2%, and 95.4% anti-IgG, respectively), while acute exposure (anti-IgM) remained low. The biomarkers were linked to age (especially in the elderly), obesity, chronic kidney disease, and previous or recent exposure to chikungunya. This study pioneers the use of Luminex xMAP technology to reveal the association between cardiac inflammatory biomarkers and exposure to classical arboviruses in an Indigenous population undergoing urbanization.

This work aimed to evaluate the relative gene expression of the candidate genes psI, psII, isr, utp, and prk involved in the defense response to Black Sigatoka in banana cultivars Calcutta-4, Krasan Saichon, Grand Nain, and Akondro Mainty, by a quantitative real-time PCR. Biotic stress was imposed on 6-month-old plants during five sampling intervals under greenhouse conditions. The psII and isr genes were upregulated for the Calcutta-4- and Krasan Saichon-resistant cultivars, and were validated in this study. For Grande Naine, a susceptible cultivar, there was an early downregulation of the psI, psII, and isr genes and a late upregulation of the psII gene. There was no significant expression of any of the genes for the susceptible cultivar Akondro Mainty. Computational biology tools such as ORFFinder and PlantCARE revealed that the utp gene has more introns and exons and that, in general, cis-elements involved in the response to biotic stress, such as as-1, w-box, and STRE, were detected in the promoter region of the genes studied. Data from this work also support the phenotyping studies of banana cultivars affected by Black Sigatoka in the field. Once validated in promising new hybrids, these genes may be used in marker-assisted selection (MAS) and/or gene-editing techniques.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant public health issue, with an increasing impact among the elderly population. In Brazil, population aging poses additional challenges to disease control. Objective: To analyze the socioepidemiological and clinical profile, as well as the temporal and spatial dynamics of tuberculosis among individuals aged 60 years or older in Brazil between 2001 and 2022. Methods: This ecological, population-based study used secondary data on TB cases among older adults reported to the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN). Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were described, and temporal trends were assessed using Joinpoint regression. Spatial dependence and clusters were analyzed using Global and Local Moran’s I statistics. Results: A total of 228,912 TB cases were reported among older adults during the study period. Most cases occurred in males (65.8%), individuals aged 60–69 years (57.9%), Black and Brown individuals (46.3%), and those with low or no formal education (53.6%). There was an average annual reduction of 2.37% in TB incidence among the elderly in the country. Of the 27 federative units, 21 showed a decreasing trend, particularly the Federal District (− 4.97%) and Goiás (− 4.03%). Six states showed a stationary trend (Acre, Roraima, Paraíba, Sergipe, Minas Gerais, and Espírito Santo), and none showed a significant increasing trend. Spatial analysis revealed a persistent concentration of high-priority municipalities, especially in the North and Northeast regions, which accounted for 25.4% of the cases. Conclusions: Tuberculosis among older adults in Brazil demonstrated an overall declining trend over the past two decades, although with marked regional inequalities and persistent spatial concentration in historically vulnerable territories. These findings underscore the need for targeted strategies for surveillance, diagnosis, and care in priority territories, considering the specificities of population aging. Clinical trial number: Not applicable.