A series of new thiosemicarbazones derived from natural diterpene kaurenoic acid were synthesized and tested against the epimastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi to evaluate their antitrypanosomal potential. Seven of the synthesized thiosemicarbazones were more active than kaurenoic acid with IC50 values between 2-24.0 mM. The o-nitro-benzaldehyde-thiosemicarbazone derivative was the most active compound with IC50 of 2.0 mM. The results show that the structural modifications accomplished enhanced the antitrypanosomal activity of these compounds. Besides, the thiocyanate, thiosemicarbazide and the p- methyl, p-methoxy, p-dimethylamine, m-nitro and o-chlorobenzaldehyde-thiosemicarbazone derivatives displayed lower toxicity for LLMCK2 cells than kaurenoic acid, exhibing an IC50 of 59.5 mM.

Leishmaniasis has an overwhelming impact on global public health especially in tropical and subtropical countries and the currently available antileishmanial drugs have serious side effects and low efficacy. Natural and synthetic compounds have been tested in the past few years against Leishmania and the beta-carboline class of compounds have shown great results in antiparasitic chemotherapy. In the present study, three 1-substituted beta-carboline-3-carboxamides (3-5) and 1-substituted beta-carboline-3-carboxylic acid (2) were synthesized and screened for in vitro activity against L. amazonensis. Compound 5 (N-benzyl 1-(4-methoxy)phenyl-9H-beta-carboline-3-carboxamide) had the best activity against promastigote and axenic amastigote forms with IC(50) of 2·6 and 1·0 μM, respectively. Its CC(50) on macrophages cell line was higher than 2457·0 μM with an SI ratio of 930·2. Against intracellular amastigote forms, it had a dose-dependent relationship with a 50% growth inhibitory concentration of 1·0 μM. Through morphological and ultrastructure analysis of promastigote forms treated with compound 5, alterations on cell shape and number of flagella and nuclear membrane damage were observed. For this, compound 5 supports the idea for more in vitro and in vivo studies.

Background/Objectives: Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of female mortality worldwide, but significant racial and socioeconomic disparities persist in disease outcomes. This review aimed to analyze racial and socioeconomic inequalities in mortality and survival from breast cancer, identifying the impact of social risk factors on access to diagnosis and treatment. Methods: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis was performed following PRISMA guidelines. Eighteen studies published between 2014 and 2024 were included, with 11 contributing to the meta-analysis. Random-effect models were used to assess correlations between socioeconomic status, race, and clinical outcomes, including heterogeneity and publication bias analyses. Results: The strongest associations were observed between income, race, and breast cancer survival, with survival significantly worse among Black women and low-income populations (p < 0.001). Income also showed a strong positive correlation with clinical outcomes. In contrast, the overall effect on mortality was not statistically significant (p = 0.290), likely due to high heterogeneity across studies (I² = 100%). These findings suggest that structural disparities in access to healthcare and early detection substantially affect survival rates. Conclusions: Racial and socioeconomic disparities in breast cancer outcomes remain critical public health challenges. Targeted policies to expand early diagnosis and ensure equitable access to effective treatment are essential to reduce these disparities and improve survival in underserved populations.

The effect of adding Agaricus blazei to the diet of broilers on immunity, serum parameters, and antioxidant activity was evaluated. A total of 840 1-day-old chicks were used, distributed among five levels of a completely randomized design (0.0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, and 0.20% A. blazei), with six replications and 28 birds per experimental unit. The weights of the thymus, spleen and cloacal bursa were not influenced (P > 0.05). Leukocytes, macrophages and nitric oxide were unaffected (P > 0.05), but at each supplementation level compared with the control, differences appeared in the percentages of eosinophils and macrophages (P < 0.05) at inclusion levels of 0.10, 0.15 and 0.20%. At 28 days, the antibody titer against Newcastle disease showed a quadratic response (P < 0.05) with supplementation, and from the estimated level of 0.08% the production of antibodies was stimulated; however, the same behavior was not observed (P > 0.05) at 42 days. Hypocholesterolemic effect was demonstrated (P < 0.05), but the serum triglyceride concentration was not affected (P > 0.05). The antioxidant activity of mushroom showed a positive linear effect (P < 0.05) on DPPH capture on day zero of meat cooling. The inclusion of A. blazei in the diet of broilers provided an immunostimulatory activity and hypocholesterolemic effect. Residual compounds with antioxidant activity were present in the meat, which may promote tissue protection of the animal in vivo, making possible the use of A. blazei as a natural additive.