Effects of inorganic mercury exposure in the alveolar bone of rats: an approach of qualitative and morphological aspects

Pró-Reitoria de Pesquisa (PACI/PROPESP/UFPA/ Brazil), Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brazil (CAPES) – Finance Cod 001Background: In comparison to organic mercury (MeHg), the environmental inorganic mercury (IHg) can be found in some skin-lightening cosmestics were considered “harmless” for a long time. However, recent studies have shown that long-term exposure to low doses of IHg may affect biological systems. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of IHg long-term exposure to the alveolar bone of adult rats. Methods: Adult Wistar rats were distributed in control and HgCl2 exposed (0.375 mg/kg/day). After 45 days, the rats were euthanized and both blood and hemimandibles were collected. Total blood Hg levels were measured and both inorganic and organic components of the alveolar bone were determined through XRD and ATR-FTIR. The microstructure of the alveolar bone was assessed by using micro-CT and the morphometric analysis was performed by using stereomicroscopy. Results: Alterations in the physicochemical components of the alveolar bone of exposed animals were observed. The bone changes represented a tissue reaction at the microstructural level, such as bone volume increase. However, no significant dimensional changes (bone height) were observed. Conclusion: Exposure to IHg at this dose can promote microstructural changes and alteration in the organic and inorganic components in the alveolar bone.publishersversionpublishe

Effects of Fluoride on Submandibular Glands of Mice: Changes in Oxidative Biochemistry, Proteomic Profile, and Genotoxicity

Although fluoride (F) is well-known to prevent dental caries, changes in cell processes in different tissues have been associated with its excessive exposure. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of F exposure on biochemical, proteomic, and genotoxic parameters of submandibular glands. Twenty one old rats (n = 30) were allocated into three groups: 60 days administration of drinking water containing 10 mgF/L, 50 mgF/L, or only deionized water (control). The submandibular glands were collected for oxidative biochemistry, protein expression profile, and genotoxic potential analyses. The results showed that both F concentrations increased the levels of thiobarbituric acid–reactive substances (TBARS) and reduced glutathione (GSH) and changed the proteomic profile, mainly regarding the cytoskeleton and cellular activity. Only the exposure to 50 mgF/L induced significant changes in DNA integrity. These findings reinforce the importance of continuous monitoring of F concentration in drinking water and the need for strategies to minimize F intake from other sources to obtain maximum preventive/therapeutic effects and avoid potential adverse effects

Bone impairment in adolescent female rats chronically exposed to ethanol

258-262Ethanol consumption has increased among teenagers worldwide considerably,including females. Long-term ethanol consumption in women has been reported to cause bone metabolism imbalance. However, only few studies are available on the impact of long-term ethanol consumptionon bone morphology during adolescence. Here, we report the effects of chronic ethanol consumption on bone structure in adolescent female rats. Twenty female Wistar rats (35 days old) received, by gavage, distilled water (control) or ethanol (6.5 g/kg/day, 22.5% w/v) once daily for 55 days. After ethanol administration, animals were perfused, and the femora were collected. Morphometric evaluations were performed by electron microscopy scanning. Femora length, cortical bone thickness and medullar bone diameter was measured. The results demonstrated that ethanol exposure during adolescence reduced the length of femurs, with a decrease of the anterior thickness, posterior thickness, and mid-lateral diameter (P<0.05). Thus, long-term ethanol intake may lead to alterations on bone morphometry, reducing the thickness of compact bone and femur length in adolescent females

Effects of long-term fluoride exposure are associated with oxidative biochemistry impairment and global proteomic modulation, but not genotoxicity, in parotid glands of mice

Fluoride has become widely used in dentistry because of its effectiveness in caries control. However, evidence indicates that excessive intake interferes with the metabolic processes of different tissues. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effects of long-term exposure to F on the parotid salivary gland of mice, from the analysis of oxidative, proteomic and genotoxic parameters. The animals received deionized water containing 0, 10 or 50 mg/L of F, as sodium fluoride, for 60 days. After, parotid glands were collected for analysis of oxidative biochemistry, global proteomic profile, genotoxicity assessment and histopathological analyses. The results revealed that exposure to fluoride interfered in the biochemical homeostasis of the parotid gland, with increased levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive species and reduced glutathione in the exposed groups; as well as promoted alteration of the glandular proteomic profile in these groups, especially in structural proteins and proteins related to oxidative stress. However, genotoxic assessment demonstrated that exposure to fluoride did not interfere with DNA integrity in these concentrations and durations of exposure. Also, it was not observed histopathological alterations in parotid gland

Music and software piracy : issues and solutions for music teachers and media intensive educators

The rampant piracy of digital materials is not just a problem for the individual home user. In today\u27s world it is increasingly a concern for educators and their school district as a whole. Many recent court actions have been brought against school districts based the illegal use of unlicensed software and other copyrighted materials. This project presents the issues of music and software piracy and the legalities of the United States Copyright Act. It presents common examples for use in the music or media intensive classroom, as well as legal usage requirements including the payment of royalties and purchase of recording or distribution licenses. Also covered are methods and suggestions on how faculty members can ensure that their school is compliant with current law and beyond the scope of legal actions that can adversely affect the district both financially and in the realm of public relations

Neurotoxicology of alcohol: a bibliometric and science mapping analysis

Alcohol consumption is common in many societies and has increased considerably, resulting in many socioeconomic and public health problems. In this sense, studies have been carried out in order to understand the mechanisms involved in alcohol consumption and related harmful effects. This study aimed to identify and map the knowledge and to perform bibliometric analysis of the neurotoxicology of alcohol based on the 100 most cited articles. A search was carried out in the Web of Science Core Collection database and information was extracted regarding the journal, authors, keywords, year of publication, number of citations, country and continent of the corresponding author. For each selected manuscript, the study design, alcohol exposure model, dose, period of exposure, and effect on the central nervous system and research hotspots were mapped. The journal with the highest number of publications was Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research (n = 11 papers), the author who contributed the most was Crews FT (n = 8 papers), the studies had a total of 288 keywords and 75% of the publications were from the United States of America. The experimental studies evaluated the effects of prenatal and postnatal exposure and were conducted in rats and mice using doses ranging from 2.5 to 14 g/kg/day, with administration by subcutaneous, intraperitoneal, intragastric, or inhalation route or with free access through drinking bottles. Among the studies mapped, the oldest one (1989) aimed to understand the systemic damage and mechanisms of action involved, while the most recent focused on understanding the receptors and mechanisms involved in addiction, as well as genetic factors. Our results show the panorama of the most widespread scientific production in the scientific community on the neurotoxicology of ethanol, a high prevalence was observed in studies that addressed fetal alcohol syndrome and/or the effects of ethanol on neurodevelopment

Fluoride exposure duringintrauterine and lactation periods promotes changes in the offspring rats' alveolar bone

The importance of fluoride (F) for oral health is well established in the literature. However, evidence suggests that excessive exposure to this mineral is associated with adverse effects at different life stages and may affect many biological systems, especially mineralized tissues. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of F exposure during pregnancy and breastfeeding on the alveolar bone of the offspring since the alveolar bone is one of the supporting components of the dental elements. For this, the progeny rats were divided into three groups: control, 10 mg F/L, and 50 mg F/L for 42 (gestational and lactation periods). Analysis of the quantification of F levels in the alveolar bone by particle-induced gamma emission; Raman spectroscopy to investigate the physicochemical aspects and mineral components; computed microtomography to evaluate the alveolar bone microstructure and analyses were performed to evaluate osteocyte density and collagen quantification using polarized light microscopy. The results showed an increase in F levels in the alveolar bone, promoted changes in the chemical components in the bone of the 50 mg F/L animals (p < 0.001), and had repercussions on the microstructure of the alveolar bone, evidenced in the 10 mg F/L and 50 mg F/L groups (p < 0.001). Furthermore, F was able to modulate the content of organic bone matrix, mainly collagen; thus, this damage possibly reduced the amount of bone tissue and consequently increased the root exposure area of the exposed groups in comparison to a control group (p < 0.001). Our findings reveal that Fcan modulate the physicochemical and microstructural dimensions and reduction of alveolar bone height, increasing the exposed root region of the offspring during the prenatal and postnatal period. These findings suggest that F can modulate alveolar bone mechanical strength and force dissipation functionality.This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES) – Finance Code 001. R.R.L is a researcher from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and received grant under number 312275/2021-8. Also this research was funded by PROCAD Amazônia – CAPES (23038.005350/2018–78).Peer reviewe

Brazilian guidelines for the diagnosis of narcolepsy

Este artigo relata as conclusões da reunião de consenso com médicos especialistas sobre diagnóstico de narcolepsia baseada na revisão dos artigos sobre narcolepsia listados no Medline entre 1980 e 2010. A narcolepsia é uma doença crônica de início entre a primeira e segunda décadas de vida do indivíduo. Os sintomas essenciais são cataplexia e sonolência excessiva. A cataplexia é definida como episódios súbitos, recorrentes e reversíveis de fraqueza da musculatura esquelética desencadeados por situações de conteúdo emocional. Os sintomas acessórios são alucinações hipnagógicas, paralisia do sono e sono fragmentado. Critérios de diagnóstico clínico de acordo com a Classificação Internacional dos Transtornos do Sono são de sonolência excessiva e cataplexia. Recomenda-se a realização de polissonografia seguida do teste de latência múltipla do sono em um laboratório de sono para confirmação e diagnóstico de comorbidades. Quando não houver cataplexia, deve haver duas ou mais sonecas com sono REM no teste de latência múltipla do sono. Tipagem HLA-DQB1*0602 positiva com níveis de hipocretina-1 abaixo de 110pg/mL devem estar presentes para o diagnóstico de narcolepsia sem cataplexia e sem sonecas com sono REM.This manuscript contains the conclusion of the consensus meeting on the diagnosis of narcolepsy based on the review of Medline publications between 1980-2010. Narcolepsy is a chronic disorder with age at onset between the first and second decade of life. Essential narcolepsy symptoms are cataplexy and excessive sleepiness. Cataplexy is defined as sudden, recurrent and reversible attacks of muscle weakness triggered by emotions. Accessory narcolepsy symptoms are hypnagogic hallucinations, sleep paralysis and nocturnal fragmented sleep. The clinical diagnosis according to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders is the presence of excessive sleepiness and cataplexy. A full in-lab polysomnography followed by a multiple sleep latency test is recommended for the confirmation of the diagnosis and co-morbidities. The presence of two sleep-onset REM period naps in the multiple sleep latency test is diagnostic for cataplexy-free narcolepsy. A positive HLA-DQB1*0602 with lower than 110pg/mL level of hypocretin-1 in the cerebrospinal fluid is required for the final diagnosis of cataplexy- and sleep-onset REM period -free narcolepsy

Brazilian guidelines for the treatment of narcolepsy

Este artigo relata as conclusões da reunião de consenso com médicos especialistas sobre diagnóstico de narcolepsia baseada na revisão dos artigos sobre narcolepsia listados no Medline entre 1980 e 2010. A narcolepsia é uma doença crônica de início entre a primeira e segunda décadas de vida do indivíduo. Os sintomas essenciais são cataplexia e sonolência excessiva. A cataplexia é definida como episódios súbitos, recorrentes e reversíveis de fraqueza da musculatura esquelética desencadeados por situações de conteúdo emocional. Os sintomas acessórios são alucinações hipnagógicas, paralisia do sono e sono fragmentado. Critérios de diagnóstico clínico de acordo com a Classificação Internacional dos Transtornos do Sono são de sonolência excessiva e cataplexia. Recomenda-se a realização de polissonografia seguida do teste de latência múltipla do sono em um laboratório de sono para confirmação e diagnóstico de comorbidades. Quando não houver cataplexia, deve haver duas ou mais sonecas com sono REM no teste de latência múltipla do sono. Tipagem HLA-DQB1*0602 positiva com níveis de hipocretina-1 abaixo de 110pg/mL devem estar presentes para o diagnóstico de narcolepsia sem cataplexia e sem sonecas com sono REM.This manuscript contains the conclusion of the consensus meeting on the diagnosis of narcolepsy based on the review of Medline publications between 1980-2010. Narcolepsy is a chronic disorder with age at onset between the first and second decade of life. Essential narcolepsy symptoms are cataplexy and excessive sleepiness. Cataplexy is defined as sudden, recurrent and reversible attacks of muscle weakness triggered by emotions. Accessory narcolepsy symptoms are hypnagogic hallucinations, sleep paralysis and nocturnal fragmented sleep. The clinical diagnosis according to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders is the presence of excessive sleepiness and cataplexy. A full in-lab polysomnography followed by a multiple sleep latency test is recommended for the confirmation of the diagnosis and co-morbidities. The presence of two sleep-onset REM period naps in the multiple sleep latency test is diagnostic for cataplexy-free narcolepsy. A positive HLA-DQB1*0602 with lower than 110pg/mL level of hypocretin-1 in the cerebrospinal fluid is required for the final diagnosis of cataplexy- and sleep-onset REM period -free narcolepsy