Introduction The Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) disease has had a catastrophic impact on the world resulting in several deaths. Since World Health Organization declared the pandemic status of the disease, several molecular diagnostic kits have been developed to help the tracking of viruses spread. Areas Covered This review aims to describe and evaluate the currently reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) diagnosis kit. Several processes used in COVID-19 diagnostic procedures are detailed in further depth to demonstrate optimal practices. Therefore, we debate the main factors that influence the viral detection of SARS-COV-2 and how they can affect the diagnosis of patients. Expert Opinion Here is highlighted and discussed several factors that can interfere in the RT-PCR analysis, such as the viral load of the sample, collection site, collection methodology, sample storage, transport, primer, and probe mismatch/dimerization in different brand kits. This is a pioneer study to discuss the factor that could lead to the wrong interpretation of RT-qPCR diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2. This study aimed to help the readers to understand what very likely is behind a bad result of SARS-CoV-2 detection by RT-PCR and what could be done to reach a reliable diagnosis.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is caused by constitutively active fusion protein BCR-ABL1, and targeting ABL1 is a promising therapy option. Imatinib, dasatinib, and nilotinib have all been shown to work effectively in clinical trials. ABL1 mutations, particularly the T315I gate-keeper mutation, cause resistance in patients. As a result, broad-spectrum ABL1 medicines are desperately needed. In order to screen potential drugs targeting CML, mebendazole (MBZ) was subjected to the in vitro test against CML cell lines (K562 and FEPS) and computational assays. The antiproliferative effect of MBZ and the combination with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) was tested using end-point viability assays, cell cycle distribution analysis, cell membrane, and mitochondrial dyes. By interrupting the cell cycle and causing cell death, MBZ and its combination with imatinib and dasatinib have a significant antiproliferative effect. We identified MBZ as a promising “new use” drug targeting wild-type and mutant ABL1 using molecular docking. Meanwhile, we determined which residues in the allosteric site are important in ABL1 drug development. These findings may not only serve as a model for repositioning current authorized medications but may also provide ABL1-targeted anti-CML treatments a fresh lease of life.

Resumo As mudanças climáticas são uma ameaça para o setor agrícola. O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar a influência da temperatura e radiação ultravioleta (UV) no desenvolvimento in vitro de isolados de Trichoderma spp. Os experimentos foram conduzidos no Laboratório de Patologia Pós-Colheita, da Embrapa Agroindústria Tropical (Fortaleza - CE). Avaliou-se a influência da temperatura de incubação (30, 35 e 40 °C) no crescimento micelial, bem como na esporulação (conídios.mL-1) e na germinação (%) dos conídios dos isolados de Trichoderma spp. (T. asperellum - SF 04, Quality WG®; T. harzianum - IBLF 006, Ecotrich WP®; e T. harzianum ESALQ - 1306, Trichodermil 1306). Para a avaliação da influência da UV, as placas de Petri contendo os isolados fúngicos foram expostas à luz em diferentes intervalos de tempo (0, 2, 4, 6 e 8 minutos) e obteve-se a germinação relativa. O isolado mais sensível à temperatura foi T. asperellum (SF 04), no qual, a temperatura de 35 °C apresentou menor área de crescimento micelial e menor germinação relativa (38,4%). O isolado T. harzianum (ESALQ 1306) apresentou a menor porcentagem de conídios germinados a 30 °C (63%), porém, teve o maior número a 35 °C (100%). A radiação UV diminuiu a germinação dos conídios e os isolados que apresentaram maior germinação relativa ao final do período de exposição foi T. asperellum (SF 04) e T. harzianum (ESALQ 1306). Estes resultados podem demonstrar uma maior capacidade de adaptação do isolado T. harzianum (ESALQ 1306) às condições extremas de temperatura.

Despite advances in cancer chemotherapy, gastric cancer (GC) continues to have high recurrence rates and poor prognosis with limited treatment options. Understanding the etiology of GC and developing more effective, less harmful therapeutic approaches are vital and urgent. Therefore, this work describes a novel kinase target in malignant gastric cells as a potential therapeutic strategy. Our results demonstrate that among 147 kinase inhibitors (KI), only three molecules were significantly cytotoxic for the AGP-01 cell line. Hence, these three molecules were further characterized in their cellular mode of action. There was significant cell cycle impairment due to the expression modulation of genes such as TP53, CDKN1A, CDC25A, MYC, and CDK2 with subsequent induction of apoptosis. In fact, the Gene Ontology analysis revealed a significant enrichment of pathways related to cell cycle regulation (GO:1902749 and GO:1903047). Moreover, the three selected KIs significantly reduced cell migration and Vimentin mRNA expression after treatment. Surprisingly, the three KIs share the same target, ALK and INSR, but only the ALK gene was found to have a high expression level in the gastric cancer cell line. Additionally, lower survival rates were observed for patients with high ALK expression in TCGA-STAD analysis. In summary, we hypothesize that ALK gene overexpression can be a promising biomarker for prognosis and therapeutic management of gastric adenocarcinoma.

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is characterized by the increased and unregulated growth of myeloid cells in bone marrow and accumulation of these cells in blood. Its occurrence during pregnancy is a very rare condition and the correct management is not well stablished yet. We present a case of a 21-year-old female diagnosed with CML during pregnancy. The protocol chose by the doctor was hydroxyurea on second trimester, and interferon-alpha on third trimester. The baby was born healthy and at the expected time. After giving birth, the patient started Imatinib Mesilate (IM) 400mg/day treatment and was able to control the disease.

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