Chronic Sleep Restriction during Pregnancy - Repercussion on Cardiovascular and Renal Functioning of Male Offspring

Changes in the maternal environment can induce fetal adaptations that result in the progression of chronic diseases in the offspring. the objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of maternal chronic sleep restriction on blood pressure, renal function and cardiac baroreflex response on male offspring at adult age. Female 3-month-old Wistar rats were divided in two experimental groups: control (C) and chronic sleep restricted (CSR). Pregnancy was confirmed by vaginal smear. Chronic sleep restricted females were subjected to sleep restriction by the multiple platform technique for 20 h daily, between the 1st and 20th day of pregnancy. After birth, the litters were reduced to 6 rats per mother, and were designated as offspring from control (OC) and offspring from chronic sleep restricted (OCSR). Indirect blood pressure (BPi tail cuff) was measured by plethysmography in male offspring at 3 months old. Following, the renal function and cardiac baroreflex response were analyzed. Values of BPi in OCSR were significantly higher compared to OC [OC: 127 +/- 2.6 (19); OCSR: 144 +/- 2.5 (17) mmHg]. the baroreflex sensitivity to the increase of blood pressure was reduced in OCSR [Slope: OC: -2.6 +/- 0.15 (9); OCRS: -1.6 +/- 0.13 (9)]. Hypothalamic activity of ACE2 was significantly reduced in OCSR compared to OC [OC: 97.4 +/- 15 (18); OSR: 60.2 +/- 3.6 (16) UAF/min/protein mg]. Renal function alteration was noticed by the increase in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) observed in OCSR [OC: 6.4 +/- 0.2 (10); OCSR: 7.4 +/- 0.3 (7)]. Chronic sleep restriction during pregnancy caused in the offspring hypertension, altered cardiac baroreflex response, reduced ACE-2 activity in the hypothalamus and renal alterations. Our data suggest that the reduction of sleeping time along the pregnancy is able to modify maternal homeostasis leading to functional alterations in offspring.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Associacao Fundo de Incentivo a Pesquisa (AFIP)Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Fisiol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psicobiol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Biociencias, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Fisiol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psicobiol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Biociencias, São Paulo, BrazilFAPESP: FAPESP-10/51665-4Web of Scienc

Leucine Supplementation Does Not Improve Muscle Recovery from Resistance Exercise in Young Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Crossover Study

International Journal of Exercise Science 14(2): 486-497, 2021. This study aimed to investigate the effects of free leucine supplementation on muscle recovery from resistance exercise (RE) in young adults. Fourteen untrained subjects (23.9 ± 3.6 years old) underwent RE sessions (leg press and hack squat: three sets of 8-12 reps at 70% 1RM) supplemented with leucine (LEU: two daily doses of 3g) or a placebo (PLA), separated by a seven-day washout period. Following each occasion, participants were evaluated in three subsequent days (24h, 48h, and 72h) for muscle recovery via a repetition-to-failure test. The following markers were assessed: repetition performance, perceived exertion, lactate, creatine kinase, muscle soreness (DOMS), testosterone, and cortisol. No significant difference was observed between LEU and PLA conditions (p \u3e 0.05). Number of repetitions performed in the repetition-to-failure tests, perceived exertion, cortisol, and testosterone:cortisol ratio did not change over time (p \u3e 0.05). Creatine kinase increased immediately after exercise, at 24h, and 48h, and was attenuated at 72h post-exercise, while testosterone, lactate, and DOMS increased at 24h post-exercise (p \u3c 0.05) and remained elevated up to 72h. All outcomes were similar between LEU and PLA. Results indicate that a 6g daily dose of free leucine supplementation does not improve muscle recovery following lower-limb RE in untrained young adults

Agricultural intensification can help protect the Amazon Forest and reduce global warming / Protecting the Amazon forest and reducing global warming via agricultural intensification

The Amazon basin includes 550 M ha covered with rainforests, with 60% of this area being in Brazil. Conversion of rainforest for soybean production raises concerns about the degree to which Brazil can reconcile production and environmental goals. Here we investigated the degree to which intensification could help Brazil produce more soybean without further encroachment of the Amazon Forest. Our analysis shows that continuation of current trends in soybean yield and area would lead to conversion of additional 5.7 M ha of forests and savannas during the next 15 years, with an associated 2550 Mt of CO2eq released into the atmosphere. In contrast, acceleration of yield improvement, coupled with expansion of soybean area only in areas currently used for livestock production, would allow Brazil to achieve similar economic benefits without deforestation and with substantially lower global climate warming

Fluência de Leitura, Reconhecimento de Palavras e Compreensão Leitora em Alunos do 4º ao 9º Ano do Ensino Fundamental: Revisão Sistemática

O processamento da leitura é resultado da interação de distintos processos cognitivos, como reconhecimento de palavras, compreensão oral e fluência. Há evidências sobre a importância da fluência para predizer a compreensão de leitura, mas ainda não é claro seu papel ao longo do desenvolvimento. Essa revisão sistemática analisou estudos nacionais e internacionais sobre a relação das habilidades de reconhecimento de palavras e fluência de leitura com a compreensão de leitura em alunos do 4º ao 9º ano. A revisão foi conduzida de acordo com a metodologia prisma e utilizou a base de dados PubMed, de 2000 a setembro de 2019. Foram incluídos artigos que respondiam à pergunta norteadora e atendiam à temática estabelecida pelos descritores e palavras-chave. Foram encontrados 992 artigos, dos quais 904 foram excluídos pelo título e resumo e 56 pela leitura do texto completo. Isto possibilitou a análise de 32 artigos. Os resultados sugerem que, diferentemente do reconhecimento de palavras, a habilidade de fluência de leitura tende a manter relação significativa com a compreensão de leitura no decorrer do segundo ciclo do Ensino Fundamental

Fluência de Leitura, Reconhecimento de Palavras e Compreensão Leitora em Alunos do 4º ao 9º Ano do Ensino Fundamental: Revisão Sistemática

Text processing results from the interaction of different cognitive processes, such as word recognition, listening comprehension, and fluency. There is evidence relating to the importance of fluency in predicting reading comprehension, but its role during the course of development is still uncertain. The present systematic review has analyzed national and international research on the relationship between word recognition skills and reading fluency with reading comprehension in students from the 4th to 9th grade. The review was conducted according to the PRISMA methodology and employed the PubMed database from 2000 to September 2019. The chosen papers answered the orienting question and corresponded to the topic established by the descriptors and keywords. We found 992 articles, of which 904 were excluded by reading the titles and abstracts and 56 by reading the full texts. It was possible to analyze 32 papers. The results suggest that, unlike word recognition, the ability to read fluently tends to uphold a significant relationship with reading comprehension during the second cycle of Elementary School.El procesamiento de la lectura es el resultado de la interacción de diferentes procesos cognitivos, como el reconocimiento de palabras, la comprensión oral y la fluidez. Existe evidencia sobre la importancia de la fluidez en la predicción de la comprensión lectora, pero a lo largo del desarrollo su papel no está claro. Esta revisión sistemática analizó estudios nacionales e internacionales sobre la relación entre las habilidades de reconocimiento de palabras y fluidez lectora con la comprensión lectora en estudiantes de 4° a 9° grado. La revisión se realizó de acuerdo con la metodología prisma y utilizó la base de datos  PubMed, desde el 2000 hasta septiembre de 2019. Fueron incluidos artículos que respondieron a la pregunta guía y cumplieron con la temática establecida por los descriptores y palabras clave. Se encontraron 992 artículos, de los cuales 904 fueron excluidos por título y resumen, y 56 por lectura de texto completo. Esto permitió el análisis de 32 artículos. Los resultados sugieren que, a diferencia del reconocimiento de palabras, la habilidad de fluidez lectora tiende a mantener una relación significativa con la comprensión lectora durante el segundo ciclo de la escuela primaria.O processamento da leitura é resultado da interação de distintos processos cognitivos, como reconhecimento de palavras, compreensão oral e fluência. Há evidências sobre a importância da fluência para predizer a compreensão de leitura, mas ainda não é claro seu papel ao longo do desenvolvimento. Essa revisão sistemática analisou estudos nacionais e internacionais sobre a relaçãodas habilidades de reconhecimento de palavrase fluência de leitura com a compreensão de leitura em alunos do 4º ao 9º ano. A revisão foi conduzida deacordo com a metodologia prisma e utilizou a basede dados PubMed, de 2000 a setembro de 2019. Foram incluídos artigos que respondiam à pergunta norteadora e atendiam à temática estabelecida pelos descritores e palavras-chave. Foram encontrados 992 artigos, dos quais 904 foram excluídos pelo título e resumo e 56 pela leitura do texto completo. Isto possibilitou a análise de 32 artigos. Os resultados sugerem que, diferentemente do reconhecimento de palavras, a habilidade de fluência de leitura tende a manter relação significativa com a compreensão de leitura no decorrer do segundo ciclo do Ensino Fundamental

ACE2-angiotensin-(1-7)-Mas axis in renal ischaemia/reperfusion injury in rats

AngII (angiotensin II), ACE (angiotensin I-converting enzyme) and the AT(1) receptor (AngII type I receptor) are associated with the inflammatory process and microvascular dysfunction of AKI (acute kidney injury) induced by renal I/R (ischaemia/reperfusion). However, Ang-(1-7) [angiotensin-(1-7)], ACE2 (angiotensin I-converting enzyme 2) and the Mas receptor also play a role in renal disease models. Therefore, in the present study, we have examined the renal profile of Ang-(1-7), ACE2 and the Mas receptor in renal I/R and compared them with that of AngII, ACE and the AT(1) receptor. Male Wistar rats were submitted to left nephrectomy and ischaemia (45 min) followed by reperfusion (2 or 4 h) in the right kidney. At 4 h of reperfusion, renal AngII was increased (P < 0.01) and renal Ang-(1-7) was decreased substantially (P < 0.05), although plasma levels of both angiotensins were unchanged. in addition, renal I/R decreased the renal mRNA expression of renin (P < 0.05), AT(1) receptors (P < 0.001) and ACE2 (P < 0.05). At 2 and 4 h of reperfusion, renal ACE activity was reduced (P < 0.05). On the other hand, renal expression of the Mas receptor was greatly increased at 4 h of reperfusion (P < 0.01), which was confirmed by immunohistochemical and Western blot analysis. in conclusion, increased renal expression of the Mas receptor associated with changes in the RAS (renin-angiotensin-system)-related peptidases support an important role for the ACE2 Ang-(1-7) Mas axis in AKI.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG)Univ Fed Minas Gerais, Inst Biol Sci, Dept Physiol & Biophys, BR-31270901 Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Biophys, BR-04044020 São Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Minas Gerais, Dept Pathol, BR-31270901 Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilUniv Fed Minas Gerais, Dept Microbiol, BR-31270901 Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilUniv Fed Minas Gerais, Clin Pathol Unit COLTEC, BR-31270901 Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilUniv Fed Minas Gerais, Dept Biochem, Inst Biol Sci, BR-31270901 Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilUniv Fed Minas Gerais, Dept Pediat, Fac Med, BR-31270901 Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Biophys, BR-04044020 São Paulo, SP, BrazilCAPES: PRDEX2009CNPq: 8701480/1997-4FAPEMIG: CBS 2044/96Web of Scienc

Acute cardiometabolic effects of brief active breaks in sitting for patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Exercise is a treatment in rheumatoid arthritis, but participation in moderate-to-vigorous exercise is challenging for some patients. Light-intensity breaks in sitting could be a promising alternative. We compared the acute effects of active breaks in sitting with those of moderate-to-vigorous exercise on cardiometabolic risk markers in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. In a crossover fashion, 15 women with rheumatoid arthritis underwent three 8-h experimental conditions: prolonged sitting (SIT), 30-min bout of moderate-to-vigorous exercise followed by prolonged sitting (EX), and 3-min bouts of light-intensity walking every 30 min of sitting (BR). Postprandial glucose, insulin, c-peptide, triglycerides, cytokines, lipid classes/subclasses (lipidomics), and blood pressure responses were assessed. Muscle biopsies were collected following each session to assess targeted proteins/genes. Glucose [−28% in area under the curve (AUC), P = 0.036], insulin (−28% in AUC, P = 0.016), and c-peptide (−27% in AUC, P = 0.006) postprandial responses were attenuated in BR versus SIT, whereas only c-peptide was lower in EX versus SIT (−20% in AUC, P = 0.002). IL-1β decreased during BR, but increased during EX and SIT (P = 0.027 and P = 0.085, respectively). IL-1ra was increased during EX versus BR (P = 0.002). TNF-α concentrations decreased during BR versus EX (P = 0.022). EX, but not BR, reduced systolic blood pressure (P = 0.013). Lipidomic analysis showed that 7 of 36 lipid classes/subclasses were significantly different between conditions, with greater changes being observed in EX. No differences were observed for protein/gene expression. Brief active breaks in sitting can offset markers of cardiometabolic disturbance, which may be particularly useful for patients who may find it difficult to adhere to exercise. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Exercise is a treatment in rheumatoid arthritis but is challenging for some patients. Light-intensity breaks in sitting could be a promising alternative. Our findings show beneficial, but differential, cardiometabolic effects of active breaks in sitting and exercise in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Breaks in sitting mainly improved glycemic and inflammatory markers, whereas exercise improved lipidomic and hypotensive responses. Breaks in sitting show promise in offsetting aspects of cardiometabolic disturbance associated with prolonged sitting in rheumatoid arthritis

A betabaculovirus encoding a gp64 homolog

Abstract\ud \ud Background\ud A betabaculovirus (DisaGV) was isolated from Diatraea saccharalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), one of the most important insect pests of the sugarcane and other monocot cultures in Brazil.\ud \ud \ud Results\ud The complete genome sequence of DisaGV was determined using the 454-pyrosequencing method. The genome was 98,392 bp long, which makes it the smallest lepidopteran-infecting baculovirus sequenced to date. It had a G + C content of 29.7 % encoding 125 putative open reading frames (ORF). All the 37 baculovirus core genes and a set of 19 betabaculovirus-specific genes were found. A group of 13 putative genes was not found in any other baculovirus genome sequenced so far. A phylogenetic analysis indicated that DisaGV is a member of Betabaculovirus genus and that it is a sister group to a cluster formed by ChocGV, ErelGV, PiraGV isolates, ClanGV, CaLGV, CpGV, CrleGV, AdorGV, PhopGV and EpapGV. Surprisingly, we found in the DisaGV genome a G protein-coupled receptor related to lepidopteran and other insect virus genes and a gp64 homolog, which is likely a product of horizontal gene transfer from Group 1 alphabaculoviruses.\ud \ud \ud Conclusion\ud DisaGV represents a distinct lineage of the genus Betabaculovirus. It is closely related to the CpGV-related group and presents the smallest genome in size so far. Remarkably, we found a homolog of gp64, which was reported solely in group 1 alphabaculovirus genomes so far.BTP received a scholarship from CAPES through the Graduate Program in\ud Biotechnology from the University of São Paulo and Butantan Institute. This project was partially funded by CNPq grant 481741/2008-9. We thank Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and Fundação de Apoio à Pesquisa do Distrito Federal (FAPDF)