14-weeks combined exercise epigenetically modulated 118 genes of menopausal women with prediabetes

Background: Pre-diabetes precedes Diabetes Mellitus (DM) disease and is a critical period for hyperglycemia treatment, especially for menopausal women, considering all metabolic alterations due to hormonal changes. Recently, the literature has demonstrated the role of physical exercise in epigenetic reprogramming to modulate the gene expression patterns of metabolic conditions, such as hyperglycemia, and prevent DM development. In the present study, we hypothesized that physical exercise training could modify the epigenetic patterns of women with poor glycemic control. Methods: 48 post-menopause women aged 60.3 ± 4.5 years were divided according to their fasting blood glucose levels into two groups: Prediabetes Group, PG (n=24), and Normal Glucose Group, NGG (n=24). All participants performed 14 weeks of physical exercise three times a week. The Infinium Methylation EPIC BeadChip measured the participants’ Different Methylated Regions (DMRs). Results: Before the intervention, the PG group had 12 DMRs compared to NGG. After the intervention, five DMRs remained different. Interestingly, when comparing the PG group before and after training, 118 DMRs were found. The enrichment analysis revealed that the genes were related to different biological functions such as energy metabolism, cell differentiation, and tumor suppression. Conclusion: Physical exercise is a relevant alternative in treating hyperglycemia and preventing DM in post-menopause women with poor glycemic control

Hybrid transducer for susceptométricas and ultrasonic measures simultaneously.

Este trabalho descreve a construção e caracterização de um novo transdutor dedicado às medições susceptométricas e ultrassônicas de amostras marcadas com partículas magnéticas. Este transdutor, denominado de magnetoacústico, consiste de um sistema híbrido formado pela junção de um Biossusceptômetro de Corrente Alternada (BCA) e um transdutor ultrassônico. Seu principio básico de funcionamento consiste na medida simultânea da magnetização de um meio material marcado com partículas magnéticas e das microvibrações da estrutura interna deste meio quando excitado por um campo magnético alternado externo gerado pelas próprias bobinas de excitação do BCA. Estudos in vitro foram realizados para auxiliar no desenvolvimento e caracterização do protótipo apresentado neste trabalho. A técnica de medida empregando este transdutor híbrido foi denominada de vibromagnetoacustografia. As amostras utilizadas consistiram de meios fluidos marcados com traçadores magnéticos (micropartículas de ferrita de tamanhos variando entre 30 m e 70 m de diâmetro). Foi avaliada a dependência da resposta do sistema com diferentes parâmetros físicos tais como: viscosidade do material base o qual foi misturado as partículas ferromagnéticas; concentração dessas partículas misturadas ao material base; frequência de oscilação do campo magnético de excitação; tensão nas bobinas de excitação e a distância entre a amostra e o transdutores. A resposta do transdutor magnetoacústico apresentou melhor relação sinal/ruído em torno de 200 Hz de frequência de magnetização, considerando uma concentração de 4% de ferrita. Acima desta concentração a viscosidade do material base era alterada e interferia na medida. As respostas do susceptômetro e do ultrassom Doppler contínuo possuem uma relação linear com o nível de tensão aplicada nas bobinas de excitação e uma dependência quase linear com baixas concentrações de partículas ferromagnéticas ( 4%). Também foi realizado um teste de repetibilidade no protótipo obtendo um desvio relativo de 0,94% e 0,25% nas medições Doppler e susceptométricas, respectivamente. A medida de vibração das micropartículas ferromagnéticas realizadas in vitro, usando um transdutor Doppler contínuo, apresentou alta sensibilidade para baixas concentrações de material ferromagnético inseridos em meio fluido (~ 1%).This work describes the construction and characterization of a new transducer dedicated to the susceptometrics and ultrasonic measurements of samples labeled with magnetic particles. This transducer, called magneto-acoustic, consists of a hybrid system formed by the junction of an Alternating Current Biosusceptometer (ACB) and an ultrasonic transducer. Its basic operation principle is the simultaneous measurement of the magnetization and the internal structure micro-vibrations of a medium labeled with magnetic particles when excited by an external alternating magnetic field generated by the ACB excitation coils. In vitro measurements were performed to support the prototype development and characterization presented in this work. The measurement technique employing this hybrid transducer was called vibromagnetoacoustography. The samples consisted of fluid medium labeled with magnetic tracers (ferrite micro particles of diameter ranging from 30 m and 70 m). It was evaluated the system response dependence with different physical parameters such as: base material viscosity in which ferromagnetic particles was mixed; the particles concentration in the base material; the oscillation frequency of the magnetic field excitation; the voltage applied on magnetizing coils and the distance between sample and transducers. The magneto-acoustic transducer response showed a better signal to noise ratio for magnetization frequency around 200 Hz and a 4% ferrite concentration. Above this concentration the base material viscosity changed disrupting the measurements. The responses of susceptometer and Doppler ultrasound have a linear dependence with the applied voltage level in the magnetizing coils and an quasi linear dependence with low ferromagnetic particles concentrations (4%). A repeatability test was also performed to the prototype which indicated a deviation of 0.94% and 0.25% in the Doppler and susceptometric measurements, respectively. The vibration measurement of ferromagnetic micro-particles performed in vitro, using a Doppler transducer, showed high sensitivity to low ferromagnetic material concentrations (~1%) immersed in a fluid medium

Magnetoacústico transducer application in gastric studies: in vitro and in vivo.

A proposta deste trabalho foi desenvolver e avaliar as aplicações do transdutor magnetoacústico, em estudos in vitro e in vivo como ferramenta para o diagnóstico clínico, inicialmente para a análise de motilidade gastrintestinal. Na primeira etapa, a intensidade do campo magnético foi mapeada e ajustada, o melhor processamento para os dados foi definido e a viabilidade do uso de nanopartículas como marcadores foi contatada. Nos estudos in vivo, realizados em ratos, avaliou-se o potencial do transdutor híbrido para análise do esvaziamento gástrico, de alimentos marcado com partículas magnéticas, comparando os dados susceptométricos (padrão ouro) com os acústicos. O esvaziamento foi relacionado com a variação de área do estômago no tempo, que foi demarcada nas imagens de ultrassom usando a vibração das partículas como contraste. Outras variações e aplicações da ultrassonografia magnetomotriz foram investigadas, usando a excitação magnética pulsada (antes harmônica), aumentando a taxa de aquisição das imagens e gerando imagens elastográficas em fantomas. A produção e detecção de Shaer Waves (elastografia absoluta) também foi avaliada em outros fantomas com uma esfera de ferrita, sem e com uma inclusão mais rígida. A ultrassonografia magnetomotriz pulsada e o processamento vinculado a ela foram capazes de gerar as shear waves, através de puxões magnéticos na esfera de ferrita, e estimar a velocidade de propagação dessas. Com esta velocidade, estimaram-se os coeficientes elástico e viscoso dos meios de propagação. Portanto, o transdutor magnetoacústico, avaliado de diversas formas nesse trabalho, apresentou-se como uma potencial ferramenta para diagnóstico da motilidade gástrica in vivo, usando tanto a ultrassonografia magnetomotriz harmônica como a pulsada. As técnicas de processamento podem ser convencionais (modos Doppler, Power Doppler e elastográficos) ou dedicadas, as quais podem detectar deslocamentos, deformações ou propagação de ondas sísmicas; suas aplicações não se limitam ao estômago e nem os diagnósticos in vivo.The aim of this study was to develop and to evaluate applications magneto-acoustic transducer in phantoms and in vivo studies, as a tool for clinical diagnosis, initially for analysis of gastrointestinal motility. First step, the magnetic field intensity was adjusted and mapped; the best data and image processing was defined, and nanoparticles markers were studied to future applications. In experiments with rats (in vivo), we evaluated the hybrid transducer potential by gastric emptying analysis using foods labeled magnetic particles, comparing the susceptometric data (gold standard) with the acoustic. Others magneto motive ultrasonography variations and applications were investigated. The variations were the pulsed magnetic excitation and the high frame rate. The rats empty gastric were evaluated with solid and liquid food by pulsed magneto-motive ultrasound; the solid food took longer to leave the stomach, as was expected. Other applications based on the use of elastography techniques combined with pulsed magneto-motive ultrasound in phantoms were evaluated - the first potential application was the lesions detection in the colon wall (by elastography relative). In this case, harder inclusions were located by elastography based on deformations caused by the magnetic pulse and by the magnetic fluid inserted in the supposed colon. The second potential application was Shear Waves production and detection (Transient elastography) using a ferrite sphere inside the phantoms with a harder inclusion. The pulsed Magneto Motive Ultrasound was able to generate shear waves by magnetic \"pushes\" in the ferrite sphere and it estimated the speed propagation of these. Therefore, the Magneto-Acoustic transducer showed that it is a potential tool for gastric motility diagnosis in vivo, using the harmonic or pulsed Magneto-Motive Ultrasound. Their processing techniques can be conventional (Doppler, Power Doppler and elastography modes), or dedicated to detect displacements, strains and seismic waves propagation, and its applications are not limited to stomach and in vivo diagnostics

Three-Dimensional Dosimetry by Optical-CT and Radiochromic Gel Dosimeter of a Multiple Isocenter Craniospinal Radiation Therapy Procedure

Craniospinal irradiation (CSI) is a complex radiation technique employed to treat patients with primitive neuroectodermal tumors such as medulloblastoma or germinative brain tumors with the risk of leptomeningeal spread. In adults, this technique poses a technically challenging planning process because of the complex shape and length of the target volume. Thus, it requires multiple fields and different isocenters to guarantee the primary-tumor dose delivery. Recently, some authors have proposed the use IMRT technique for this planning with the possibility of overlapping adjacent fields. The high-dose delivery complexity demands three-dimensional dosimetry (3DD) to verify this irradiation procedure and motivated this study. We used an optical CT and a radiochromic Fricke-xylenol-orange gel with the addition of formaldehyde (FXO-f) to evaluate the doses delivered at the field junction region of this treatment. We found 96.91% as the mean passing rate using the gamma analysis with 3%/2 mm criteria at the junction region. However, the concentration of fail points in a determined region called attention to this evaluation, indicating the advantages of employing a 3DD technique in complex dose-distribution verifications