Brazilian Consensus on Photoprotection

Brazil is a country of continental dimensions with a large heterogeneity of climates and massive mixing of the population. Almost the entire national territory is located between the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn, and the Earth axial tilt to the south certainly makes Brazil one of the countries of the world with greater extent of land in proximity to the sun. The Brazilian coastline, where most of its population lives, is more than 8,500 km long. Due to geographic characteristics and cultural trends, Brazilians are among the peoples with the highest annual exposure to the sun. Epidemiological data show a continuing increase in the incidence of nonmelanoma and melanoma skin cancers. Photoprotection can be understood as a set of measures aimed at reducing sun exposure and at preventing the development of acute and chronic actinic damage. Due to the peculiarities of Brazilian territory and culture, it would not be advisable to replicate the concepts of photoprotection from other developed countries, places with completely different climates and populations. Thus the Brazilian Society of Dermatology has developed the Brazilian Consensus on Photoprotection, the first official document on photoprotection developed in Brazil for Brazilians, with recommendations on matters involving photoprotection

Large-Scale Determination of Sequence, Structure, and Function Relationships in Cytosolic Glutathione Transferases across the Biosphere

The cytosolic glutathione transferase (cytGST) superfamily comprises more than 13,000 nonredundant sequences found throughout the biosphere. Their key roles in metabolism and defense against oxidative damage have led to thousands of studies over several d

Possible renoprotection by vitamin D in chronic renal disease: beyond mineral metabolism

Vitamin D is typically viewed as a key player in the regulation of calcium and phosphate levels and the control of bone metabolism; however, growing evidence suggests that vitamin D deficiency may also have an important role in the progressive loss of renal function. Vitamin D deficiency is particularly frequent in patients with chronic kidney disease, in whom it is associated with increased mortality. Studies indicate that treatment with vitamin D analogues reduces proteinuria, suppresses the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), and exerts anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. These pleiotropic effects render vitamin D a potentially interesting treatment modality for renoprotection in patients with chronic kidney disease. Whether vitamin D has clinically relevant renoprotective effects in addition to RAAS blockade is currently under investigation