Background: Brazil has witnessed the co-circulation of dengue virus (DENV), Zika virus (ZIKV), and chikungunya virus (CHIKV), with outbreaks exacerbated by environmental factors, social determinants, and poor sanitation. The recent re-emergence of Oropouche virus (OROV) has added complexity to vector control strategies, emphasizing the need for integrated approaches to curb arboviruses spread. We aimed to analyze temporal trends and spatial distributions with national scope of these emerging arboviruses. Methods: An ecological study using data from the Brazilian Notifiable Diseases Information System the period from 2023 to 2024 was undertaken. Temporal trends were evaluated using Joinpoint regression, while spatial analysis was conducted using Moran’s I, and local indicators of spatial association. Results: Dengue fever cases increased by 322%, while Oropouche fever (OF) increased by 300%. The states of Amazonas and Espírito Santo reported increases in OF cases. Moran’s I test revealed spatial clustering of DENV and CHIKV. Two municipalities in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul showed cocirculation of DENV, CHIKV, and ZIKV. Conclusions: This study identified a surge in arbovirus cases between 2023 and 2024, with peak incidences from January to March and October to December, linked to favorable climatic conditions. Clustering patterns and co-circulation of arboviruses highlight the need for tailored control and prevention strategies and targeted interventions to mitigate their impact.

We evaluated the influence of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in cytokine, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, and uromodulin genes on COVID-19 severity and the persistence of symptoms in the post-COVID phase. Two cross-sectional cohort studies were conducted: a retrospective cohort (cohort 1) from early phase of the pandemic and a prospective cohort (cohort 2) including patients with symptoms in the post-COVID phase. Single-nucleotide polymorphism detection was performed using real-time and conventional polymerase chain reaction. Cohort 1 included 112 patients (mean age 57.4±17.5 years, 42% male). ACE rs4646994, ACE2 rs2285666, IL1A rs1800587, and TNF rs1800629 were associated with COVID-19 severity. However, when evaluating more specific outcomes such as intensive care unit admission and the need for invasive mechanical ventilation, associations were observed only for ACE2 and TNF. In women, the ACE2 rs2285666 GG genotype (p=0.003) and G allele (p=0.013) were associated with intensive care unit admission. In addition the A allele of TNF rs1800629 was associated with a higher risk of invasive mechanical ventilation (p<0.001). Cohort 2 included 107 patients (mean age 54.7±15.18 years 27.2% male). The TNF GA genotype was a risk factor for cough (p=0.03) and exertional fatigue (p=0.049). Lastly, IL1A rs1800587 was associated with the risk of persistent respiratory symptoms. Our results suggest that single-nucleotide polymorphisms in ACE2, IL1A, and TNF may be associated with an increased risk of severe COVID-19 and persistence of symptoms in affected patients.

Introduction: In systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an inflammatory state leads to oxidative stress and excessive formation of reactive oxygen species, increasing cellular damage, mutations and compromised DNA repair. Therefore, our study aimed to evaluate the performance of the alkaline comet assay to investigate DNA damage in women with SLE.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that included Brazilian women with SLE attended at an university hospital (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) from 2015 to 2018. Disease activity was assessed using the SLE Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K). Diagnosis of CMVand EBV infections were performed by qPCR. DNA damage was determined by alkaline comet assay, which is a electrophoresis techinique used to evaluate DNA fragmentation in leukocytes, which is expressed as arbitrary units (AU). Results: We studied 34 SLE patients with a median age of 34.5 years-old. Hospitalized patients (n=11, 32.3%) presented higher SLEDAI-2K, where 9 (81.8%) had SLEDAI-2K ≥ 5 (p=0.038). We did not identify significant differences between healthy and SLE; however, hospitalized patients showed higher median AU, but with no statistical significance (p=0.095). Also, no differences were in DNA damage according to SLEDAI-2, lupus nephritis, use of immunossupressants, or CMV/EBV infections. DNA damage was not associated with levels of anti-dsDNA. Lastlty, ROC curves demonstrated a poor predictive power of DNA damage to differentiate groups (AUC < 0.7, p > 0,05). Conclusion: Our results indicate that DNA damage measured by alkaline comet assay is not associated with SLE severity and the presence of viral infections