Zinco sérico e perfil hormonal de pacientes do sexo masculino submetidos à hemodiálise em uso de eritropoetina humana recombinante

INTRODUÇÃO: Em pacientes submetidos à hemodiálise crônica (HD), o tratamento com eritropoetina humana recombinante (rHuEpo) está associado a melhora no bem-estar geral e na qualidade de vida. OBJETIVOS: O objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar os níveis dos hormônios sexuais e do zinco em pacientes sob HD e em uso de rHuEpo em comparação com pacientes sem tratamento com essa droga. MATERIAL E MÉTODOS: Dois grupos de doze pacientes do sexo masculino cada um, submetidos à HD, sendo um deles sem uso de rHuEpo (grupo 1) e o outro utilizando a droga (grupo 2), foram selecionados para um estudo transversal, comparando-se os níveis séricos do zinco, da albumina, dos hormônios FSH, LH, prolactina, testosterona e do hematócrito. RESULTADOS: No grupo 2, os valores de testosterona (4,65 vs. 3,5ng/ml), hematócrito (30,5 vs. 22%), albumina (3,9 vs. 3,7g/dl) e zinco (62,5 vs. 50,5microg/dl) foram significativamente maiores do que no grupo 1 (p < 0,05). DISCUSSÃO: Sugere-se que, em pacientes recipientes da rHuEpo, os níveis mais altos de hematócrito, zinco, albumina e testosterona possam ser fatores que contribuam para melhorar a disfunção sexual e a qualidade de vida dos pacientes hemodialisados. CONCLUSÃO: Os pacientes em HD em uso da rHuEpo apresentaram níveis mais elevados de testosterona, zinco e hematócrito quando comparados com os pacientes sem a terapia hormonal. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTINTRODUCTION: Treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEpo) is associated with an improvement in well-being and quality of life in patients submitted to maintenance hemodialysis (HD). OBJECTIVES: The goal of this work was to evaluate the levels of sex hormones, hematocrit, albumin and zinc in HD patients with rHuEpo therapy and compare them with those observed in patients without rHuEpo treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two groups of twelve male HD patients each were selected for a transversal study; one did not receive rHuEpo (group 1) whereas the other one did (group 2). Levels of hematocrit, albumin, zinc, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), prolactin, and testosterone were determined. RESULTS: Group 2 patients showed significantly higher medians (p < 0.05) of testosterone (4.65 vs. 3.5ng/mL), hematocrit (30.5 vs. 22%), albumin (3,9 vs. 3,7g/dL) and zinc (62.5 vs. 50.5microg/dL) than group 1 patients. DISCUSSION: In this study rHuEpo treatment resulted in higher hematocrit, testosterone, zinc and albumin. It is suggested that, in patients recipients of rHuEpo, higher levels of zinc and testosterone may be factors that contribute to relieve sexual dysfunction and improve quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: In HD patients, hematocrit, albumin, serum zinc and testosterone levels were higher in rHuEpo recipients when compared with patients not receiving this hormone therapy

Cystatin C, CRP, log TG / HDLc and metabolic syndrome are associated with microalbuminuria in hypertension

Fundamento: Em pacientes com hipertensão arterial sistêmica, a microalbuminúria é um marcador de lesão endotelial e está associada a um risco aumentado de doença cardiovascular. Objetivo: O objetivo do presente estudo foi determinar os fatores que influenciam a ocorrência de microalbumiúria em pacientes hipertensos com creatinina sérica menor que 1,5 mg/dL. Métodos: Foram incluídos no estudo 133 pacientes brasileiros atendidos em um ambulatório multidisciplinar para hipertensos. Pacientes com creatinina sérica maior do que 1,5 mg/dL e aqueles com diabete mellitus foram excluídos do estudo. A pressão arterial sistólica e diastólica foi aferida. O índice de massa corporal (IMC) e a taxa de filtração glomerular estimada pela fórmula CKD-EPI foram calculados. Em um estudo transversal, creatinina, cistatina C, colesterol total, HDL colesterol, LDL colesterol, triglicerídeos, proteína C-reativa (PCR) e glicose foram mensurados em amostra de sangue. A microalbuminúria foi determinada na urina colhida em 24 horas. Os hipertensos foram classificados pela presença de um ou mais critérios para síndrome metabólica. Resultados: Em análise de regressão múltipla, os níveis séricos de cistatina C, PCR, o índice aterogênico log TG/HDLc e a presença de três ou mais critérios para síndrome metabólica foram positivamente correlacionados com a microalbuminuria (r2: 0,277; p < 0,05). Conclusão: Cistatina C, PCR, log TG/HDLc e presença de três ou mais critérios para síndrome metabólica, independentemente da creatinina sérica, foram associados com a microalbuminúria, um marcador precoce de lesão renal e de risco cardiovascular em pacientes com hipertensão arterial essencial.Background: In patients with systemic hypertension, microalbuminuria is a marker of endothelial damage and is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Objective: To determine the factors that may lead to the occurrence of microalbuminuria in hypertensive patients with serum creatinine lower than 1.5 mg/dL. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 133 Brazilians with essential hypertension followed up at a hypertension outpatient clinic. Those with serum creatinine higher than 1.5 mg/dL, as well as those with diabetes mellitus, were excluded. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured, and body mass index (BMI) and GFR estimated by using the CKD-EPI formula were calculated. The serum levels of the following were assessed: CysC, creatinine, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, C-reactive protein (CRP) and fasting glucose. Microalbuminuria was determined in 24-hour urine. Hypertensive patients were classified according to the presence of one or more criteria for metabolic syndrome. Results: In a multiple regression analysis, the serum levels of CysC and CRP, the atherogenic index log TG/HDLc and the presence of three or more criteria for metabolic syndrome were positively correlated with microalbuminuria (r2: 0.277, p < 0.05). Conclusion: CysC, CRP, log TG/HDLc, and the presence of three or more criteria for metabolic syndrome, regardless of serum creatinine, were associated with microalbuminuria, an early marker of kidney damage and cardiovascular risk in patients with essential hypertension

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Comportamento depressivo e má qualidade de vida em homens com insuficiência renal crônica submetidos à hemodiálise

OBJECTIVE: To assess mood and quality of life in male hemodialysis patients, and to correlate mood swings with the different domains of the quality of life questionnaire. METHOD: Forty-seven male patients undergoing regular hemodialysis for more than six months were included in the study. The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire, in a version translated into and adapted to Portuguese, were used. RESULTS: The patients' age was 39.4 ± 8.9 years (median ± SD). Depression was observed in 32 (68.1%) patients according to the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. A significant negative correlation was found between the results from the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and the following parameters of the specific dimensions of the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire: list of symptoms and problems (rs = -0.399; p = 0.005), quality of social interaction (rs = -0.433; p = 0.002), and quality of sleep (rs = -0.585; p < 0.001). Among the generic domains, mood showed a significant negative correlation with general health (rs = -0.475; p < 0.001), emotional well-being (rs = -0.354; p = 0.015), social functioning and energy/fatigue (rs = -0.518; p < 0.001). The other parameters of the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire did not show significant correlations with the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. CONCLUSION: Mood showed a negative correlation with the various scores of quality of life assessed by the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire, suggesting a possible influence of mood on the quality of life of chronic renal patients undergoing hemodialysis.OBJETIVO: Avaliar o estado de humor e a qualidade de vida de homens em tratamento hemodialítico, correlacionar as alterações observadas no humor com os diferentes domínios do questionário de qualidade de vida. MÉTODO: Foram incluídos 47 homens em tratamento hemodialítico estável há mais de seis meses. Foram aplicadas a Escala de Hamilton de depressão e o Kidney Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire, questionário de qualidade de vida relacionado à saúde, em sua forma traduzida e adaptada para a língua portuguesa. RESULTADOS: A média da idade dos pacientes era 39,4 ± 8,9 anos. Na avaliação pela Escala de Hamilton, observou-se em 32 (68,1%) pacientes a presença de depressão. Encontramos correlação negativa significativa entre os resultados obtidos na escala de Hamilton e os seguintes parâmetros das dimensões específicas do Kidney Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire: lista de sintomas e problemas (rs = -0,399; p = 0,005), qualidade da interação social (rs = -0,433; p = 0,002) e sono (rs = -0,585; p < 0,001). Entre os domínios genéricos, o estado de humor apresenta correlação negativa significativa com a saúde geral (rs = -0,475; p < 0,001), o bem-estar emocional (rs = -0,354; p = 0,015), a função social e a energia/fadiga (rs = -0,518; p < 0,001). Para os demais parâmetros do Kidney Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire não foram observadas relações significativas com a escala de Hamilton. CONCLUSÃO: O estado de humor apresentou correlação negativa com diversos escores de qualidade de vida avaliados pelo Kidney Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire, sugerindo possível influência do estado de humor na qualidade de vida dos pacientes renais em hemodiálise

Serum zinc and hormonal profile in male dialysis patients receiving human recombinant erythropoietin Zinco sérico e perfil hormonal de pacientes do sexo masculino submetidos à hemodiálise em uso de eritropoetina humana recombinante

INTRODUCTION: Treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEpo) is associated with an improvement in well-being and quality of life in patients submitted to maintenance hemodialysis (HD). OBJECTIVES: The goal of this work was to evaluate the levels of sex hormones, hematocrit, albumin and zinc in HD patients with rHuEpo therapy and compare them with those observed in patients without rHuEpo treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two groups of twelve male HD patients each were selected for a transversal study; one did not receive rHuEpo (group 1) whereas the other one did (group 2). Levels of hematocrit, albumin, zinc, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), prolactin, and testosterone were determined. RESULTS: Group 2 patients showed significantly higher medians (p < 0.05) of testosterone (4.65 vs. 3.5ng/mL), hematocrit (30.5 vs. 22%), albumin (3,9 vs. 3,7g/dL) and zinc (62.5 vs. 50.5microg/dL) than group 1 patients. DISCUSSION: In this study rHuEpo treatment resulted in higher hematocrit, testosterone, zinc and albumin. It is suggested that, in patients recipients of rHuEpo, higher levels of zinc and testosterone may be factors that contribute to relieve sexual dysfunction and improve quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: In HD patients, hematocrit, albumin, serum zinc and testosterone levels were higher in rHuEpo recipients when compared with patients not receiving this hormone therapy.<br>INTRODUÇÃO: Em pacientes submetidos à hemodiálise crônica (HD), o tratamento com eritropoetina humana recombinante (rHuEpo) está associado a melhora no bem-estar geral e na qualidade de vida. OBJETIVOS: O objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar os níveis dos hormônios sexuais e do zinco em pacientes sob HD e em uso de rHuEpo em comparação com pacientes sem tratamento com essa droga. MATERIAL E MÉTODOS: Dois grupos de doze pacientes do sexo masculino cada um, submetidos à HD, sendo um deles sem uso de rHuEpo (grupo 1) e o outro utilizando a droga (grupo 2), foram selecionados para um estudo transversal, comparando-se os níveis séricos do zinco, da albumina, dos hormônios FSH, LH, prolactina, testosterona e do hematócrito. RESULTADOS: No grupo 2, os valores de testosterona (4,65 vs. 3,5ng/ml), hematócrito (30,5 vs. 22%), albumina (3,9 vs. 3,7g/dl) e zinco (62,5 vs. 50,5microg/dl) foram significativamente maiores do que no grupo 1 (p < 0,05). DISCUSSÃO: Sugere-se que, em pacientes recipientes da rHuEpo, os níveis mais altos de hematócrito, zinco, albumina e testosterona possam ser fatores que contribuam para melhorar a disfunção sexual e a qualidade de vida dos pacientes hemodialisados. CONCLUSÃO: Os pacientes em HD em uso da rHuEpo apresentaram níveis mais elevados de testosterona, zinco e hematócrito quando comparados com os pacientes sem a terapia hormonal