Preeclampsia is a maternal hypertension disorder associated with vascular dysfunction and fetal and placental growth restrictions. Placental ischemia is suggested as the primary trigger of preeclampsia-associated impairments of both endothelium-derived nitric oxide (NO) and the vascular activity of extracellular matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2). Reduced uteroplacental perfusion pressure (RUPP) is a placental ischemia model of preeclampsia. Reduction of sodium nitrite to NO may occur during ischemic conditions. However, sodium nitrite effects in the RUPP model of preeclampsia have not yet been investigated. Pregnant rats were divided into four groups: normotensive pregnant rats (Norm-Preg), pregnant rats treated with sodium nitrite (Preg + Nitrite), preeclamptic rats (RUPP), and preeclamptic rats treated with sodium nitrite (RUPP + Nitrite). Maternal blood pressure and fetal and placental parameters were recorded. Vascular function, circulating NO metabolites, and the gelatinolytic activity of vascular MMP-2 were also examined. Sodium nitrite attenuates increased blood pressure, prevents fetal and placental weight loss, counteracts vascular hyper-reactivity, and partially restores NO metabolites and MMP-2 activity. In conclusion, sodium nitrite reduction to NO may occur during RUPP-induced placental ischemia, thereby attenuating increased blood pressure, fetal and placental growth restriction, and vascular hyper-reactivity associated with preeclampsia and possibly restoring NO and MMP-2 activity, which underlie the blood pressure-lowering effects.

Preeclampsia (PE) is a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy and is associated with increases in soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) and reductions in nitric oxide (NO) levels. Placental ischemia and hypoxia are hypothesized as initial pathophysiological events of PE. Nitrite (NO metabolite) may be recycled back to NO in ischemic and hypoxic tissues. Therefore, this study examined the sodium nitrite effects in an experimental model of PE. Pregnant rats received saline (Preg group) or sodium nitrite (Preg + Na-Nitrite group). Pregnant rats submitted to the placental ischemia received saline (RUPP group) or sodium nitrite (RUPP + Na-Nitrite group). Blood pressure, placental and fetal weights, and the number of pups were recorded. Plasma levels of NO metabolites and sFlt-1 were also determined. Vascular and endothelial functions were also measured. Blood pressure, placental and fetal weights, the number of pups, NO metabolites, sFlt-1 levels, vascular contraction, and endothelium-dependent vasodilation in the RUPP + Na-Nitrite rats were brought to levels comparable to those in Preg rats. In conclusion, sodium nitrite may counteract the reductions in NO and increases in sFlt-1 levels induced by the placental ischemia model of PE, thus suggesting that increased blood pressure and vascular and endothelial dysfunctions may be attenuated by sodium nitrite-derived NO.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) of sheep herds from twenty-three sheep farms spread in the Alto Sertão region of Paraíba state, Brazil. Sample size was obtained through a simple random sampling, which was determined from the total amount of sheep head of the microregion. It was collected 262 faecal samples directly from the rectum of the animals, conditioned in polyethylene bags previously identified and kept refrigerated until processing. Faecal egg counting was performed and cultures in pool of each farm were done separately. It was observed a prevalence of GN of 84.7% (222/262) to the evaluated sheep. Furthermore, it was noted the presence of unless one positive animal for helminths in 100.0% of sheep farms. Among the 222 positive animals, 65.3% presented EPG2000. Recovered third stage larvae showed that the most prevalent nematode was Haemonchus sp. (79.6%), followed by Trichostrongylus sp. (13.8%), Oesophagostomum sp. (3.6%), Strongyloides sp. (2.4%) e Bunostomum sp. (0.6%). Sheep herd from the Alto Sertão region of Paraíba state presents a high prevalence of GIN.

This study assessed the knowledge of 459 public school students in Sousa, Paraíba, on visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and evaluated an educational intervention’s impact. Students completed questionnaires before and after lectures and activities addressing transmission, the etiological agent, and preventive measures. Results showed a marked improvement: elementary students’ correct answers rose from 57.8% to 90.4%, and secondary students from 67.9% to 97.3%, reflecting enhanced understanding of disease concepts. The findings underscore the value of school-based health education, highlighting students as agents of knowledge dissemination and promoters of preventive practices in their communities. Integrating health education into school curricula proved effective for raising VL awareness and suggests a promising strategy for controlling other zoonoses while fostering public health engagement and capacity-building among youth.

In Brazil, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is endemic in many cities. Domestic dogs are the principal reservoir host of Leishmania infantum and play an important role in the maintenance of VL in endemic areas. Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the seroprevalence of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) in dogs from Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil, between 2012 and 2020. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study based on a survey of secondary data from the Epidemiological Surveillance Coordination of Montes Claros. Serological survey for CVL was carried out by the working team of trained professionals of the Zoonosis Control Center. The serodiagnosis was performed using the Dual-Path Plataform Immunochromatographic rapid test (Biomanguinhos®) as a screening and ELISA (EIE Visceral Canine Leishmaniasis, Biomanguinhos®) as a confirmatory test. Results: A total of 140,056 dogs were submitted to CVL diagnostic in the period (average of 15,562 dogs/year). The average seroprevalence was 13.8% (±3.47). The lowest and highest seroprevalence rates were observed in 2014 (7.8%) and 2016 (19.1%), respectively. Conclusion: This study offers valuable insights into the seroprevalence of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) in dogs from Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The results highlight the importance of maintaining screening and diagnostic protocols and provide evidence to support public health decision-making aimed at controlling and reducing CVL transmission in the region.