Evaluation of Anti-Nociceptive and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of a Heterofucan from Dictyota menstrualis

Fucan is a term that defines a family of homo-and hetero-polysaccharides containing sulfated L-fucose in its structure. in this work, a heterofucan (F2.0v) from the seaweed, Dictyota menstrualis, was evaluated as an antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory agent. F2.0v (20.0 mg/kg) inhibits 100% of leukocyte migration into the peritoneal cavity after chemical stimulation. However, F2.0v does not alter the expression of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), as well as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). F2.0v (20.0 mg/kg) has peripheral antinociceptive activity with potency similar to dipyrone. On the other hand, it had no effect on pain response on the hot plate test. Confocal microscopy analysis and flow cytometry showed that F2.0v binds to the surface of leucocytes, which leads us to suggest that the mechanism of action of anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive F2.0v is related to its ability to inhibit the migration of leukocytes to the site of tissue injury. in summary, the data show that F2.0v compound has great potential as an antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory, and future studies will be performed to further characterize the mechanism of action of F2.0v.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundacao de Apoio a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte-FAPERNCoordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnologia e Inovacao-MCTIFed Univ Rio Grande Norte UFRN, Dept Biochem, Lab Biotechnol Nat Polymers BIOPOL, BR-59078970 Natal, RN, BrazilFed Univ Rio Grande Norte UFRN, Grad Program Hlth Sci, BR-59078970 Natal, RN, BrazilFed Univ São Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Biochem, BR-04044020 São Paulo, BrazilFed Univ São Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Biochem, BR-04044020 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Heterofucans from the Brown Seaweed Canistrocarpus cervicornis with Anticoagulant and Antioxidant Activities

Fucan is a term used to denominate a family of sulfated polysaccharides rich in sulfated l-fucose. We extracted six fucans from Canistrocarpus cervicornis by proteolytic digestion followed by sequential acetone precipitation. These heterofucans are composed mainly of fucose, glucuronic acid, galactose and sulfate. No polysaccharide was capable of prolonging prothrombin time (PT) at the concentration assayed. However, all polysaccharides prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT). Four sulfated polysaccharides (CC-0.3/CC-0.5/CC-0.7/CC-1.0) doubled aPTT with only 0.1 mg/mL of plasma, only 1.25-fold less than Clexane®, a commercial low molecular weight heparin. Heterofucans exhibited total antioxidant capacity, low hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, good superoxide radical scavenging efficiency (except CC-1.0), and excellent ferrous chelating ability (except CC-0.3). These results clearly indicate the beneficial effect of C. cervicornis polysaccharides as anticoagulants and antioxidants. Further purification steps and additional studies on structural features as well as in vivo experiments are needed to test the viability of their use as therapeutic agents

Effectiveness and safety of first-generation protease inhibitors in real-world patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection in Brazil: a multicenter study

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of first-generation protease inhibitors for the treatment of genotype 1 hepatitis C virus-infected patients at Brazilian reference centers. METHODS: This multicenter cross-sectional study included hepatitis C virus genotype 1 monoinfected patients treated with Peg-interferon, ribavirin, and either boceprevir (n=158) or telaprevir (n=557) between July 2013 and April 2014 at 15 reference centers in Brazil. Demographic, clinical, virological, and adverse events data were collected during treatment and follow-up. RESULTS: Of the 715 patients, 59% had cirrhosis and 67.1% were treatment-experienced. Based on intention-to-treat analysis, the overall sustained viral response was 56.6%, with similar effectiveness in both groups (51.9% for boceprevir and 58% for telaprevir, p=0.190). Serious adverse events occurred in 44.2% of patients, and six deaths (0.8%) were recorded. Cirrhotic patients had lower sustained viral response rates than non-cirrhotic patients (46.9% vs. 70.6%, p 465 years, diagnosis of cirrhosis, and abnormal hemoglobin levels/platelet counts prior to treatment were associated with serious adverse events. CONCLUSION: Although serious adverse events rates were higher in this infected population, sustained viral response rates were similar to those reported for other patient cohorts.Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Med, Dept Molestias Infecciosas & Parasitarias, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Rio de Janeiro, Rio De Janeiro, RJ, BrazilCtr Referencia & Treinamento DST Aids, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilCDH, Rio De Janeiro, RJ, BrazilHosp Fed Servidores Estado Rio de Janeiro HFSE, Setor Gastrohepatol, Rio De Janeiro, RJ, BrazilUniv Sao Paulo, Fac Med, Dept Gastroenterol & Hepatol, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo UNIFESP, Disciplina Gastroenterol, EPM, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo UNIFESP, EPM, Disciplina Infectol, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Sao Paulo, FMRP, Dept Clin Med, Div Gastroenterol, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil| Univ Fed do Maranhao UFMA, HUPD, Ctr Pesquisa Clin, Sao Luis, MA, BrazilUniv Fed Estado Rio de Janeiro UNIRIO, Disciplina Clin Med & Gastroenterol, Rio De Janeiro, RJ, BrazilUniv Fed Rio do Grande Sul UFRGS, Dept Med Interna, Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilUniv Fed Espirito Santo, Ambulatorio HIV AIDS Hepatites Virais, Vitoria, ES, BrazilSMS, Ctr Orientacao & Aconselhamento, Foz Do Iguacu, PR, BrazilUniv Estado Rio de Janeiro UERJ, Serv Gastroenterol, Rio De Janeiro, RJ, BrazilIMT, Lab Virol LIM 52, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo UNIFESP, Disciplina Gastroenterol, EPM, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo UNIFESP, EPM, Disciplina Infectol, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilWeb of Scienc

A IMPORTÂNCIA DO ENFERMEIRO NOS SERVIÇOS DE HEMODINÂMICA: UMA REVISÃO INTEGRATIVA

No início do século XX as doenças cardiovasculares provocavam 10% dos óbitos no mundo. Com o objetivo de melhorar a estratégia de tratamento dessas doenças surgem procedimentos com resultados favoráveis, os quais estão inclusos na cardiologia intervencionista, a qual é desenvolvida em Unidades de Hemodinâmica, sendo eles: a angioplastia primária e o emprego de stents. A experiência do médico e de toda a equipe de enfermagem e radiologia é um fator essencial para o resultado obtido nos procedimentos empregados na cardiologia intervencionista. O presente artigo consiste em uma revisão integrativa, no qual tem como objetivo discorrer acerca da importância do enfermeiro nos serviços de hemodinâmica, com o intuito de conscientizar os estudantes e profissionais da área acerca da sua importância nesse setor. Trata-se de uma revisão de literatura do tipo integrativa, na qual foi realizada uma pesquisa bibliográfica, nas bases de dados da Biblioteca Virtual da Saúde: Sistema Latino Americano e do Caribe de informação em Ciências da Saúde e na Biblioteca Eletrônica Científica Online, acerca do tema em estudo. A atuação da Enfermagem no serviço de hemodinâmica cardíaca é de suma importância, visto que tem como objetivo um melhor planejamento do cuidado por meio da Sistematização da Assistência de Enfermagem. Em suma, é possível concluir que as Unidades de Hemodinâmica exigem do enfermeiro conhecimentos referentes à administração e à assistência ao indivíduo, estendendo-se à família e à comunidade

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

Rationale, study design, and analysis plan of the Alveolar Recruitment for ARDS Trial (ART): Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is associated with high in-hospital mortality. Alveolar recruitment followed by ventilation at optimal titrated PEEP may reduce ventilator-induced lung injury and improve oxygenation in patients with ARDS, but the effects on mortality and other clinical outcomes remain unknown. This article reports the rationale, study design, and analysis plan of the Alveolar Recruitment for ARDS Trial (ART). Methods/Design: ART is a pragmatic, multicenter, randomized (concealed), controlled trial, which aims to determine if maximum stepwise alveolar recruitment associated with PEEP titration is able to increase 28-day survival in patients with ARDS compared to conventional treatment (ARDSNet strategy). We will enroll adult patients with ARDS of less than 72 h duration. The intervention group will receive an alveolar recruitment maneuver, with stepwise increases of PEEP achieving 45 cmH(2)O and peak pressure of 60 cmH2O, followed by ventilation with optimal PEEP titrated according to the static compliance of the respiratory system. In the control group, mechanical ventilation will follow a conventional protocol (ARDSNet). In both groups, we will use controlled volume mode with low tidal volumes (4 to 6 mL/kg of predicted body weight) and targeting plateau pressure <= 30 cmH2O. The primary outcome is 28-day survival, and the secondary outcomes are: length of ICU stay; length of hospital stay; pneumothorax requiring chest tube during first 7 days; barotrauma during first 7 days; mechanical ventilation-free days from days 1 to 28; ICU, in-hospital, and 6-month survival. ART is an event-guided trial planned to last until 520 events (deaths within 28 days) are observed. These events allow detection of a hazard ratio of 0.75, with 90% power and two-tailed type I error of 5%. All analysis will follow the intention-to-treat principle. Discussion: If the ART strategy with maximum recruitment and PEEP titration improves 28-day survival, this will represent a notable advance to the care of ARDS patients. Conversely, if the ART strategy is similar or inferior to the current evidence-based strategy (ARDSNet), this should also change current practice as many institutions routinely employ recruitment maneuvers and set PEEP levels according to some titration method.Hospital do Coracao (HCor) as part of the Program 'Hospitais de Excelencia a Servico do SUS (PROADI-SUS)'Brazilian Ministry of Healt

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

Antiangiogenic activity and direct antitumor effect from a sulfated polysaccharide isolated from seaweed

Angiogenesis is a dynamic proliferation and differentiation process. It requires endothelial proliferation, migration and tube formation. in this context, endothelial cells are a preferred target for several studies and therapies. Anionic polysaccharides (SV1 and PSV1) from brown seaweed Sargassum vulgare were fractionated (SV1), purified (PSV1) and displayed with high total sugars, sulfate content and very low level of protein. the antiangiogenic efficacy of polysaccharides was examined in vivo in the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model by using fertilized eggs. Decreases in the density of the capillaries were assessed and scored. the results showed that SV1 and PSV1 have an inhibitory effect on angiogenesis. These results were also confirmed by the inhibition of tubulogenesis in rabbit aorta endothelial cell (RAEC) in matrigel. These compounds were assessed in an apoptosis assay (Annexin V-FITC/PI) and cell viability by MTT assay of RAEC. These polysaccharides did not affect the viability and did not have apoptotic or necrotic action. RAEC cell when incubated with SV1 and PSV1 showed inhibition of VEGF secretion, observed when compounds were incubated at 25,50 and 100 mu g/mu L.. the VEGF secretion with the RAEC cell line for 24 h was more effective for PSV1 at 50 mu g/mu L (71.4%) than for SV1 at 100 mu g/mu L (75.9%). SV1 and PSV1 had an antiproliferative action (47%) against tumor cell line HeLa. Our results indicate that these sulfated polysaccharides have antiangiogenic and antitumor actions. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Fed Univ Rio Grande Norte UFRN, Dept Biochem, Natal, RN, BrazilFed Univ São Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Biochem, São Paulo, BrazilFed Univ São Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Biochem, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc