Experimental Hyperthyroidism Decreases Gene Expression and Serum Levels of Adipokines in Obesity

Aims. To analyze the influence of hyperthyroidism on the gene expression and serum concentration of leptin, resistin, and adiponectin in obese animals. Main Methods. Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups: control (C)—fed with commercial chow ad libitum—and obese (OB)—fed with a hypercaloric diet. After group characterization, the OB rats continued receiving a hypercaloric diet and were randomized into two groups: obese animals (OB) and obese with 25 μg triiodothyronine (T3)/100 BW (OT). The T3 dose was administered every day for the last 2 weeks of the study. After 30 weeks the animals were euthanized. Samples of blood and adipose tissue were collected for biochemical and hormonal analyses as well as gene expression of leptin, resistin, and adiponectin. Results. T3 treatment was effective, increasing fT3 levels and decreasing fT4 and TSH serum concentration. Administration of T3 promotes weight loss, decreases all fat deposits, and diminishes serum levels of leptin, resistin, and adiponectin by reducing their gene expression. Conclusions. Our results suggest that T3 modulate serum and gene expression levels of leptin, resistin, and adiponectin in experimental model of obesity, providing new insights regarding the relationship between T3 and adipokines in obesity

The perception of effort is not a valid tool for establishing the strength-training zone

The main purpose was to investigate whether the perception of effort during the two first repetitions of strength exercises could be an adequate strategy for estimating the strength-training zone. The sample comprised 11 women (18 to 35 years-old). In the first week, the volunteers performed a 1-RM test in seven exercises on strength machines, and the load was calculated to reach 50%, 70% and 90% of the 1-RM. Over the next three weeks, the volunteers were required to perform randomly the exercises at these three intensities. After the two first repetitions, the volunteers were questioned about how many repetitions they believed they could achieve until failure (self-estimated). Additionally, volunteers were asked to indicate their exertion according Borg scale. After volunteers performed every exercise until concentric failure to complete the repetition maximum test (RMs test). The data were analyzed using linear regression, Pearson correlation and paired t-test. The results showed that the self-estimated number of repetitions underestimated 44% and 30% of the mean values of repetition maximum obtained directly at intensities of 50% and 70% (p < 0.05), respectively. Although repetition maximum were correlated with Borg scale (r = -0.23 to -0.41; p < 0.05) and self-estimated number of repetitions (r = 0.25 to 0.41; p < 0.05), the standard errors of estimate obtained by linear regression were very high (40% to 49%), which prevented any estimation equations. In conclusion, the perception of effort during the two first repetitions is not a satisfactory strategy for estimating the strength-training zone

Endobronchial myxoma: Case report

INTRODUCTION: Pulmonary myxoma is an extremely rare benign neoplasm. It is mostly parenchymal but may occasionally occur within the tracheobronchial tree. There are very few reports of endobronchial myxoma. CASE REPORT: We describe a case of endobronchial myxoma in a 40-year-old female patient with a history of asthma and repeated right-sided pneumonia. Thoracic computed tomography (CT) showed medium lobe atelectasis. Fiber optic bronchoscopy revealed a polypoid, well-circumscribed tumor, causing total obstruction of the medium lobe bronchus. Biopsy of the mass was non-diagnostic. Further study included a positron emission tomography (PET) which demonstrated low metabolic activity of the tumor and no evidence of neoplasia in other location. The patient was submitted to a medium lobectomy and microscopic examination of the tumor revealed myxoid stroma with lobulated pattern, elongated and stellate cells, compatible with myxoma. CONCLUSION: Pulmonary myxoma is extraordinary rare and endobronchial location is very few reported in medical literature

High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity Model Does Not Promote Endothelial Dysfunction via Increasing Leptin/Akt/eNOS Signaling

Experimental studies show that the unsaturated high-fat diet-induced obesity promotes vascular alterations characterized by improving the endothelial L-arginine/Nitric Oxide (NO) pathway. Leptin seems to be involved in this process, promoting vasodilation via increasing NO bioavailability. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that unsaturated high-fat diet-induced obesity does not generate endothelial dysfunction via increasing the vascular leptin/Akt/eNOS signaling. Thirty-day-old male Wistar rats were randomized into two groups: control (C) and obese (Ob). Group C was fed a standard diet, while group Ob was fed an unsaturated high-fat diet for 27 weeks. Adiposity, hormonal and biochemical parameters, and systolic blood pressure were observed. Concentration response curves were performed for leptin or acetylcholine in the presence or absence of Akt and NOS inhibitor. Our results showed that an unsaturated high-fat diet promoted a greater feed efficiency (FE), elevation of body weight and body fat (BF), and an adiposity index, characterizing a model of obesity. However, comorbidities frequently associated with experimental obesity were not visualized, such as glucose intolerance, dyslipidemia and hypertension. The evaluation of the endothelium-dependent relaxation with acetylcholine showed no differences between the C and Ob rats. After NOS inhibition, the response was completely abolished in the Ob group, but not in the C group. Furthermore, Akt inhibition completely blunted vascular relaxation in the C group, but not in the Ob group, which was more sensitive to leptin-induced vascular relaxation. L-NAME incubation abolished the relaxation in both groups at the same level. Although Akt inhibitor pre-incubation reduced the leptin response, group C was more sensitive to its effect. In conclusion, the high-unsaturated fat diet-induced obesity improved the vascular reactivity to leptin and does not generate endothelial dysfunction, possibly by the increase in the vascular sensitivity to leptin and increasing NO bioavailability. Moreover, our results suggest that the increase in NO production occurs through the increase in NOS activation by leptin and is partially mediated by the Akt pathway

ATLANTIC EPIPHYTES: a data set of vascular and non-vascular epiphyte plants and lichens from the Atlantic Forest

Epiphytes are hyper-diverse and one of the frequently undervalued life forms in plant surveys and biodiversity inventories. Epiphytes of the Atlantic Forest, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world, have high endemism and radiated recently in the Pliocene. We aimed to (1) compile an extensive Atlantic Forest data set on vascular, non-vascular plants (including hemiepiphytes), and lichen epiphyte species occurrence and abundance; (2) describe the epiphyte distribution in the Atlantic Forest, in order to indicate future sampling efforts. Our work presents the first epiphyte data set with information on abundance and occurrence of epiphyte phorophyte species. All data compiled here come from three main sources provided by the authors: published sources (comprising peer-reviewed articles, books, and theses), unpublished data, and herbarium data. We compiled a data set composed of 2,095 species, from 89,270 holo/hemiepiphyte records, in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, recorded from 1824 to early 2018. Most of the records were from qualitative data (occurrence only, 88%), well distributed throughout the Atlantic Forest. For quantitative records, the most common sampling method was individual trees (71%), followed by plot sampling (19%), and transect sampling (10%). Angiosperms (81%) were the most frequently registered group, and Bromeliaceae and Orchidaceae were the families with the greatest number of records (27,272 and 21,945, respectively). Ferns and Lycophytes presented fewer records than Angiosperms, and Polypodiaceae were the most recorded family, and more concentrated in the Southern and Southeastern regions. Data on non-vascular plants and lichens were scarce, with a few disjunct records concentrated in the Northeastern region of the Atlantic Forest. For all non-vascular plant records, Lejeuneaceae, a family of liverworts, was the most recorded family. We hope that our effort to organize scattered epiphyte data help advance the knowledge of epiphyte ecology, as well as our understanding of macroecological and biogeographical patterns in the Atlantic Forest. No copyright restrictions are associated with the data set. Please cite this Ecology Data Paper if the data are used in publication and teaching events. © 2019 The Authors. Ecology © 2019 The Ecological Society of Americ

Avaliação da função miocárdia de ratos obesos

A obesidade é uma doença metabólica crônica caracterizada pelo acúmulo excessivo de tecido adiposo em relação à massa magra tecidual. O número de indivíduos com sobrepeso vem crescendo mundialmente representando atualmente mais de um bilhão de pessoas, sendo que, mais de 30% desta população é obesa. No Brasil, a previsão é que 35% da população adulta brasileira se tornará obesa em 2025. Pesquisas clínicas indicam que a obesidade está associada com o aumento do risco de morbidade, mortalidade e redução na expectativa de vida, podendo acarretar diversas co-morbidades, como doenças cardiovasculares. Estudos mostram que a obesidade promove alterações hemodinâmicas, morfológicas e funcionais cardíacas, que se correlacionam com a duração e intensidade da obesidade. Modelos experimentais relacionando função cardíaca, obesidade e dieta hipercalórica por um período de 10 a 16 semanas, apresentam resultados inconsistentes. Enquanto alguns autores relataram comportamento preservado, outros observaram aumento ou diminuição do desempenho cardíaco. Em razão de poucos estudos avaliarem a relação entre função cardíaca e o trânsito intracelular de cálcio em animais obesos por dieta hipercalórica, o objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a função cardíaca de ratos obesos submetidos a um ciclo de dietas hipercalóricas. Ratos Wistar machos, com 30 dias, foram randomizados em dois grupos: controle (C; n=28) e obeso (OB; n=25). O grupo C recebeu ração Labina (3,3 Kcal/g) e o OB um ciclo de cinco dietas hipercalóricas ( 4,5 kcal/g) durante 15 semanas. Foram analisados peso corporal final (PCF), percentual de gordura na carcaça (PG), pressão arterial sistólica final (PA), área seccional (AS) do músculo papilar, peso dos ventrículos esquerdo...The obesity is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by the extreme accumulation of fat tissue in relation to the tissue lean mass. The number of individuals with overweight comes world-wide growing currently representing more than a billion of people, being that, more than 30% of this population are obese. In Brazil, the prevision is that 35% of the Brazilian adult population will become fat in 2025. Clinical research indicates that the obesity is associated with the increase of the risk of morbity, mortality and reduction in the life expectancy, being able to cause diverse co-morbidities, as cardiovascular diseases. Studies show that the obesity promotes hemodinamical, morphological and functional heart alterations that correlate with the duration and intensity of the obesity. Experimental models, relating cardiac function, obesity and high fat diet for a period of 10 to 16 weeks, present inconsistent results. While some authors had told about preserved behavior, others had observed increase or reduction of the cardiac performance. In reason of few studies to evaluate the relation between cardiac function and the intracellular calcium cycling in fat animals by high fat diet, the objective of this study was to evaluate the cardiac function of submitted fat rats to a cycle of high fat diet. Male Wistar rats, with 30 days, were randomly in two groups: control (C; n=28) and obese (OB; n=25). Group C received a control low-fat diet Labina (3,3 Kcal/g) and the OB a cycle from five high fat diets (4,5 kcal/g) during 15 weeks. Final corporal weight (FBW), percentage of fat of the carcass (%CF), final systolic blood pressure (SBP), cross-sectional area (CSA) of the papillary muscle, left ventricle weight (LVW), right ventricle weight (RVW) and the ratio LV/FBW and RV/FBW were... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP