Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: one or multiple causes?

The Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common form of motor neuron disease in the adulthood, and it is characterized by rapid and progressive compromise of the upper and lower motor neurons. The majority of the cases of ALS are classified as sporadic and, until now, a specific cause for these cases still is unknown. To present the different hypotheses on the etiology of ALS. It was carried out a search in the databases: Bireme, Scielo and Pubmed, in the period of 1987 to 2011, using the following keywords: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, motor neuron disease, etiology, causes and epidemiology and its similar in Portuguese and Spanish. It did not have consensus as regards the etiology of ALS. Researches demonstrates evidences as regards intoxication by heavy metals, environmental and occupational causes, genetic mutations (superoxide dismutase 1), certain viral infections and the accomplishment of vigorous physical activity for the development of the disease. There is still no consensus regarding the involved factors in the etiology of ALS. In this way, new research about these etiologies are necessary, for a better approach of the patients, promoting preventive programs for the disease and improving the quality of life of the patients

Benign fasciculations and corticosteroid use: possible association? An update

Fasciculations are characterized by visible subtle and fast contractions of muscle, even wormlike in movement, by the contraction of a fascicle of muscle fibers. The authors present the case study of a 28-year-old patient with the appearance of migratory and diffuse fasciculations with an onset after partial tapering off of oral corticosteroides (60 mg total dose) indicated for treatment of Minimal change Glomerulopathy. Clinical Neurological physical exam allied with an ENMG, besides other complementary laboratory exams were used for screening the above-mentioned patient. Afterwards, current research relating to the topic at hand was made in order to update the data available in the Bireme, Scielo and PubMed Data Banks using the following key words: Fasciculation's, motor neuron disease, and benign fasciculations in the Portuguese, English as well as Spanish language. Although fasciculation's are most commonly associated with Motor neuron disease as well as with certain metabolic disorders, they may also be present in individuals with absolutely no underlying pathological disorders. In our case, fasciculation potentials that have been present for six months, with no other signs of a neurogenic disorder as well as absence of laboratory findings, the patient received a diagnosis of Benign Fasciculation Syndrome (BFS).We believe that the use of corticosteroides in high doses with subsequent tapering contributed to the fasciculation's, especially due to the changes that this causes on the ionic channels. Fasciculation's are symptoms seen in a large range of conditions, and also being the main symptom of the so-called Benign Fasciculation Syndrome. We have presented an example of this clinical syndrome in a patient whose complaint was fasciculation's, with complete clinical remission of symptoms following complete tapering off of corticosteroid six months previously

Mortalidade por asma em crianças brasileiras de até 19 anos de idade no período entre 1980 a 2007

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a tendência de mortalidade por asma em crianças brasileiras de até 19 anos de idade no período de 1980 a 2007. MÉTODOS: Foi realizado um estudo ecológico, de séries temporais, baseado em banco de dados do Departamento de Informática do Sistema Único de Saúde, do qual foi extraído o número de óbitos por asma e a população residente de até 19 anos de idade no país como um todo. O coeficiente de mortalidade foi calculado pelo número de óbitos por asma dividido pela população, multiplicando por 100.000. Utilizou-se o teste de regressão linear para avaliar a tendência temporal de mortalidade. Para a análise, estudaram-se separadamente três grupos etários: 1 a 4 anos, 5 a 9 anos e 10 a 19 anos. RESULTADOS: No período estudado, ocorreram 9.051 óbitos por asma no Brasil em menores de 19 anos. Destes, 69% (6.270 registros) foram de menores de 5 anos. Observou-se um decréscimo significativo de mortalidade por asma no período em todos os grupos etários. A redução média anual do coeficiente de mortalidade por asma em crianças foi de 0,022 (p < 0,0001). De 1 a 4 anos foi de 0,076, de 5 a 9 anos foi de 0,005, e de 10 a 19 anos foi de 0,004 (p < 0,0001). CONCLUSÃO: A mortalidade por asma em crianças é baixa e mantém a tendência de queda no período estudado em todas as faixas etárias pediátricas

Unraveling the Metabolic Alterations Induced by Zika Infection in Prostate Epithelial (PNT1a) and Adenocarcinoma (PC-3) Cell Lines

The outbreak of Zika virus infection in 2016 led to the identification of its presence in several types of biofluids, including semen. Later discoveries associated Zika infection with sexual transmission and persistent replication in cells of the male reproductive tract. Prostate epithelial and carcinoma cells are favorable to virus replication, with studies pointing to transcriptomics alterations of immune and inflammation genes upon persistence. However, metabolome alterations promoted by the Zika virus in prostate cells are unknown. Given its chronic effects and oncolytic potential, we aim to investigate the metabolic alterations induced by the Zika virus in prostate epithelial (PNT1a) and adenocarcinoma (PC-3) cells using an untargeted metabolomics approach and high-resolution mass spectrometry. PNT1a cells were viable up to 15 days post ZIKV infection, in contrast to its antiproliferative effect in the PC-3 cell lineage. Remarkable alterations in the PNT1a cell metabolism were observed upon infection, especially regarding glycerolipids, fatty acids, and acylcarnitines, which could be related to viral cellular resource exploitation, in addition to the over-time increase in oxidative stress metabolites associated with carcinogenesis. The upregulation of FA20:5 at 5 dpi in PC-3 cells corroborates the antiproliferative effect observed since this metabolite was previously reported to induce PC-3 cell death. Overall, Zika virus promotes extensive lipid alterations on both PNT1a and PC-3 cells, promoting different outcomes based on the cellular metabolic state