Use of ethanol in vehicles reduces pollution by nanoparticles, a study shows. Levels of ultrafine particulate matter in São Paulo City, Brazil, increased by up to 30 percent at times when ethanol prices rose and consumption fell.

In a recent study published in the scientific journal Translational Oncology, a group of Brazilian researchers tested the therapeutic effect of a combination of conventional -- common anti-cancer agents -- and new drugs -- under clinical trials. 'The results were very exciting because the successful outcome depended on the chemotherapy regimens. On the other hand, 'wrong' combination of drugs could elicit harmful effects.'

The immune mechanisms triggered by the virus when it is reactivated, changing the way that sensory neurons work and resulting in herpetic neuralgia, are described by researchers affiliated with the University of São Paulo in an article published in the Journal of Neuroscience. The authors say that their discoveries lay a foundation for novel treatments not only to combat acute pain but also to prevent it from becoming chronic, a condition known as post-herpetic neuralgia.

Brazil runs a serious risk of being afflicted by Oropouche, another virus that is widely distributed throughout South and Central America and the Caribbean. An arbovirus transmitted by a mosquito (like Zika and yellow fever), Oropouche causes acute fever and may lead to meningitis and meningoencephalitis (inflammation of the brain and meninges).

Builders of hydroelectric dams are required to perform seismic hazard studies before their designs are approved.

A study by the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil, published recently in the journal Autophagy, helps to elucidate part of the mechanism whereby aerobic exercise protects the sick heart. The benefits of exercise range from prevention of cachexia -- severe loss of weight and muscle mass -- and control of arterial blood pressure to improved cardiac function, postponing a degenerative process that causes progressive heart cell death. About 70% of heart failure patients die from the condition within five years.