BACKGROUND The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants can infect common mice inducing significant pathological lung lesions and inflammatory responses. This substantially mimics coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) infection and pathogenesis in humans. OBJECTIVES To characterise the effects of recombinant SARS-CoV-2 S1 receptor-binding domain (RBD) peptide in murine macrophage and microglial cells’ immune activation compared with classical PAMPs in vitro. METHODS Murine RAW 264.7 macrophages and BV2 microglial cells were exposed to increasing concentrations of the RBD peptide (0.01, 0.05, and 0.1 µg/mL), Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and Poly(I:C) and evaluated after two and 24 h for significant markers of macrophage activation. We determined the effects of RBD peptide on cell viability, cleaved caspase 3 expressions, and nuclear morphometry analysis. FINDINGS In RAW cells, RBD peptide was cytotoxic, but not for BV2 cells. RAW cells presented increased arginase activity and IL-10 production; however, BV2 cells expressed iNOS and IL-6 after RBD peptide exposure. In addition, RAW cells increased cleaved-caspase-3, apoptosis, and mitotic catastrophe after RBD peptide stimulation but not BV2 cells. CONCLUSION RBD peptide exposure has different effects depending on the cell line, exposure time, and concentration. This study brings new evidence about the immunogenic profile of RBD in macrophage and microglial cells, advancing the understanding of SARS-Cov2 immuno- and neuropathology.

RESUMO A fim de nos aproximarmos da singular constelação conceitual que nos permite falar de uma noção de imagem artística na estética adorniana - ainda que na margem do seu pensamento e muito menos manifesta do que na escrita de Walter Benjamin - partimos da conexão entre os conceitos de “aparência” e “expressão”, remetendo-nos à própria materialidade das obras de arte, da literatura à música, para uma maior nitidez teórico-crítica. O intuito de ressaltar a importância do conceito de imagem artística em Theodor W. Adorno visa tanto atualizar alguns pontos opacos de sua estética quanto conectar seu pensamento com o debate acerca da imagem na estética contemporânea, sobretudo em Jacques Rancière e Didi-Huberman.

ABSTRACT In order to approach the remarkable conceptual constellation that permits us to develop a notion of artistic image in Adorno's aesthetics - although not outstanding in the author's thought, and even less evident than in Walter Benjamin's writings - we depart from the connection between the concepts of “appearance” and “expression”, referring to the material quality of works of art in themselves, from literature to music, for broader theoretical and critical clearness. The intent of highlighting the importance of the concept of artistic image within Theodor W. Adorno's ideas, aims to both update some opaque points within the author's aesthetics and to connect his thought with the debate about the image in contemporary aesthetic theories, mostly in the works of Jacques Rancière and Didi-Hubermann.

BACKGROUND Zika virus (ZIKV) was recognised as a zoonotic pathogen in Africa and southeastern Asia. Human infections were infrequently reported until 2007, when the first known epidemic occurred in Micronesia. After 2013, the Asian lineage of ZIKV spread along the Pacific Islands and Americas, causing severe outbreaks with millions of human infections. The recent human infections of ZIKV were also associated with severe complications, such as an increase in cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome and the emergence of congenital Zika syndrome. OBJECTIVES To better understand the recent and rapid expansion of ZIKV, as well as the presentation of novel complications, we compared the genetic differences between the African sylvatic lineage and the Asian epidemic lineage that caused the recent massive outbreaks. FINDINGS The epidemic lineages have significant codon adaptation in NS1 gene to translate these proteins in human and Aedes aegypti mosquito cells compared to the African zoonotic lineage. Accordingly, a Brazilian epidemic isolate (ZBR) produced more NS1 protein than the MR766 African lineage (ZAF) did, as indicated by proteomic data from infections of neuron progenitor cells-derived neurospheres. Although ZBR replicated more efficiently in these cells, the differences observed in the stoichiometry of ZIKV proteins were not exclusively explained by the differences in viral replication between the lineages. MAIN CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that natural, silent translational selection in the second half of 20th century could have improved the fitness of Asian ZIKV lineage in human and mosquito cells.