A IMPORTÂNCIA DA AVALIAÇÃO DAS DOSAGENS DAS COLINESTERASES EM CASOS DE INTOXICAÇÕES POR ORGANOFOSFORADOS

Os agrotóxicos são amplamente utilizados nos setores agrícolas visando uma maior produtividade, porém essa utilização tem se tornado uma ameaça a saúde pública, principalmente para a população rural, devido à desinformação quanto à nocividade desses compostos à saúde humana e ao meio ambiente. A principal classe de inseticidas envolvidas nos casos de intoxicação é representada pelos organofosforados e os carbamatos, estes compostos causam a inativação das enzimas colinesterásicas, AChe e BChe, que levam a elevação de Acetilcolina, gerando uma série de manifestações nicotínicas, muscarínicas e no Sistema Nervoso Central. O artigo foi realizado através de pesquisa bibliográfica, que abrange toda bibliografia pública em relação ao tema estudado, como publicações de artigos científicos, monografias, dissertações e revistas eletrônicas, entre outras, localizadas em acervo digital através de sites relacionados. Concluiu-se com o trabalho, a necessidadede maior emprego de normas de segurança, como a utilização de EPI`s durante o manuseio dos produtos, fortalecimento nos sistemas de notificações e informações aos agricultores sobre os organofosforados, realização de monitoramento dos níveis das colinesterases de agricultores, por meio de exames laboratoriais, para prevenção, diagnóstico e melhoramento de qualidade de vida, relacionada à saúde dos trabalhadores, evitando possíveis complicações

Exploiting the complexities of glioblastoma stem cells: insights for cancer initiation and therapeutic targeting

The discovery of glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) in the 2000s revolutionized the cancer research field, raising new questions regarding the putative cell(s) of origin of this tumor type, and partly explaining the highly heterogeneous nature of glioblastoma (GBM). Increasing evidence has suggested that GSCs play critical roles in tumor initiation, progression, and resistance to conventional therapies. The remarkable oncogenic features of GSCs have generated significant interest in better defining and characterizing these cells and determining novel pathways driving GBM that could constitute attractive key therapeutic targets. While exciting breakthroughs have been achieved in the field, the characterization of GSCs is a challenge and the cell of origin of GBM remains controversial. For example, the use of several cell-surface molecular markers to identify and isolate GSCs has been a challenge. It is now widely accepted that none of these markers is, per se, sufficiently robust to distinguish GSCs from normal stem cells. Finding new strategies that are able to more efficiently and specifically target these niches could also prove invaluable against this devastating and therapy-insensitive tumor. In this review paper, we summarize the most relevant findings and discuss emerging concepts and open questions in the field of GSCs, some of which are, to some extent, pertinent to other cancer stem cells.J.V.C., C.S.G., and B.M.C. were supported by funds from the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000013,supported by the Northern Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020) under the Portugal Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), and by National funds,through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT)—project UIDB/50026/2020 and UIDP/50026/2020

The In Vivo Granulopoietic Response to Dexamethasone Injection Is Abolished in Perforin-Deficient Mutant Mice and Corrected by Lymphocyte Transfer from Nonsensitized Wild-Type Donors

Exogenously administered glucocorticoids enhance eosinophil and neutrophil granulocyte production from murine bone-marrow. A hematological response dependent on endogenous glucocorticoids underlies bone-marrow eosinophilia induced by trauma or allergic sensitization/challenge. We detected a defect in granulopoiesis in nonsensitized, perforin-deficient mice. In steady-state conditions, perforin- (Pfp-) deficient mice showed significantly decreased bone-marrow and blood eosinophil and neutrophil counts, and colony formation in response to GM-CSF, relative to wild-type controls of comparable age and/or weight. By contrast, peripheral blood or spleen total cell and lymphocyte numbers were not affected by perforin deficiency. Dexamethasone enhanced colony formation by GM-CSF-stimulated progenitors from wild-type controls, but not Pfp mice. Dexamethasone injection increased bone-marrow eosinophil and neutrophil counts in wild-type controls, but not Pfp mice. Because perforin is expressed in effector lymphocytes, we examined whether this defect would be corrected by transferring wild-type lymphocytes into perforin-deficient recipients. Short-term reconstitution of the response to dexamethasone was separately achieved for eosinophils and neutrophils by transfer of distinct populations of splenic lymphocytes from nonsensitized wild-type donors. Transfer of the same amount of splenic lymphocytes from perforin-deficient donors was ineffective. This demonstrates that the perforin-dependent, granulopoietic response to dexamethasone can be restored by transfer of innate lymphocyte subpopulations

Chemistry of volcanic soils used for agriculture in Brava Island (Cape Verde) envisaging a sustainable management

In order to acquire a better knowledge of iron forms, clay minerals and the content and distribution of trace elements in soils mostly used for agriculture in the semi-arid Brava Island (Cape Verde), iron speciation, mineralogy and chemical contents in the clay-size fraction (<2 μm) of incipient soils developed on sediments and phonolitic pyroclasts was performed by Mössbauer spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and neutron activation analysis. In contrast with the whole samples in the clay-size fraction of all the studied soils only Fe(III) was detected. Iron and chromium are depleted suggesting their occurrence as ferromagnesian and oxide minerals present in coarser particles. Rare earth elements are concentrated in the clay-size fraction, and significant differences are found in their distribution which may be partially due to oxidation, since Ce anomalies were observed. Among the other chemical elements studied, high concentrations of arsenic, bromine, and particularly antimony were found in the clay-size fraction of soils where all the Fe oxides are nano-sized, confirming the predominant adsorption of these elements on the nano-particles surface. The existence of significant amounts of these elements as well as of vitreous phases in fine particles of these soils may contribute to their mobility and accumulation in groundwater and in plants, both by absorption and by dust deposition onto the plant leaves.publishe

EFEITOS CARDIOVASCULARES DO HIIT EM PACIENTES CARDIOPATAS

O treinamento intervalado de alta intensidade (HIIT) muito utilizado nos dias de hoje pela população ativa e saudável, ainda não possui um consenso absoluto quando se trata de um público com alguma comorbidade, principalmente no caso de cardiopatas, onde se tem ainda a maior parte das prescrições direcionadas para o treino contínuo moderado. Na população mundial há um aumento de pacientes cardiopatas a cada dia, e entender mais sobre aplicações em prevenção e tratamento dela se torna fundamental e essencial para os profissionais da área da saúde. O objetivo do texto foi realizar uma revisão integrativa da literatura, no qual realizou-se uma consulta de artigos científicos selecionados através de busca no banco de dados do SCiELO, Pubmed e Lilacs, foram encontrados 06 artigos referentes ao tema, sendo excluídos aqueles que não atendiam aos critérios de inclusão: artigos originais e disponíveis na integra em inglês, espanhol e português, e período de publicação compreendido de 2000 a 2020. Identificou que o HIIT, aplicado em pacientes cardiopatas, apresentam melhoras no condicionamento cardiorrespiratório quando comparado a protocolos de exercício moderado contínuo, no que diz respeito a ganhos no pico de consumo máximo de oxigênio e na melhoria da capacidade de ejeção do ventrículo esquerdo. Portanto, sugere-se que o HIIT pode ser considerado um método eficiente na prevenção e adjuvante no tratamento de doenças cardiovasculares, além da possibilidade de ser inserido em programas de reabilitação cardíaca

Impact of mesenchymal stem cells' secretome on glioblastoma pathophysiology

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive primary brain cancer, for which curative therapies are not available. An emerging therapeutic approach suggested to have potential to target malignant gliomas has been based on the use of multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), either unmodified or engineered to deliver anticancer therapeutic agents, as these cells present an intrinsic capacity to migrate towards malignant tumors. Nevertheless, it is still controversial whether this innate tropism of MSCs towards the tumor area is associated with cancer promotion or suppression. Considering that one of the major mechanisms by which MSCs interact with and modulate tumor cells is via secreted factors, we studied how the secretome of MSCs modulates critical hallmark features of GBM cells. Methods: The effect of conditioned media (CM) from human umbilical cord perivascular cells (HUCPVCs, a MSC population present in the Wharton's jelly of the umbilical cord) on GBM cell viability, migration, proliferation and sensitivity to temozolomide treatment of U251 and SNB-19 GBM cells was evaluated. The in vivo chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay was used to evaluate the effect of HUCPVCs CM on tumor growth and angiogenesis. The secretome of HUCPVCs was characterized by proteomic analyses. Results: We found that both tested GBM cell lines exposed to HUCPVCs CM presented significantly higher cellular viability, proliferation and migration. In contrast, resistance of GBM cells to temozolomide chemotherapy was not significantly affected by HUCPVCs CM. In the in vivo CAM assay, CM from HUCPVCs promoted U251 and SNB-19 tumor cells growth. Proteomic analysis to characterize the secretome of HUCPVCs identified several proteins involved in promotion of cell survival, proliferation and migration, revealing novel putative molecular mediators for the effects observed in GBM cells exposed to HUCPVCs CM. Conclusions: These findings provide novel insights to better understand the interplay between GBM cells and MSCs, raising awareness to potential safety issues regarding the use of MSCs as stem-cell based therapies for GBM.The authors would like to acknowledge the funding agencies that supported this work: Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal, projects reference: PTDC/SAU-GMG/113795/2009 (BMC); SFRH/BD/88121/2012 (JVdC); SFRH/BD/103075/2014 (EDG); IF/00601/2012 (BMC); IF/00111/2013 (AJS); SFRH/BD/81495/2011 (SIA); PTDC/NEU-NMC/0205/2012, PTDC/NEUSCC/ 7051/2014, PEst-C/SAU/LA0001/2013-2014 and UID/NEU/04539/2013 (BM); Fundacao Calouste Gulbenkian (BMC); Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro (BMC); " COMPETE Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade, QREN, the European Union (FEDER-Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional) and by The National Mass Spectrometry Network (RNEM) under the contract REDE/1506/REM/2005; FEDER funds, through the Competitiveness Factors Operational Programme (COMPETE), and by National funds, through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), under the scope of the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007038; and project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000013, supported by the Northern Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). The funding body did not have a role in the design of the study, in collection, analysis or interpretation of data, or in writing the manuscript

DETECÇÃO DE BETALACTAMASE DE ESPECTRO ESTENDIDO EM ISOLADOS DE ENTEROBACTÉRIAS PROVENIENTES DE UM HOSPITAL DA REGIÃO DE SANTA TERESA-ES

A produção das chamadas Betalactamases de espectro estendido (ESBLs) entre membros da família Enterobacteriaceae tem se tornado comum, sendo cada vez mais identificadas em pacientes hospitalizados, o que representa um importante problema de saúde pública. Detectar a produção das enzimas ESBL em enterobactérias provenientes de diferentes amostras hospitalares originadas de pacientes ambulatoriais e pacientes internados. Foram coletadas 73 amostras, sendo 45 amostras de pacientes internados e 28 de pacientes ambulatoriais de diferentes sítios, e submetidas ao teste fenotípico de disco-aproximação. Do total de amostras, 28,7% foram produtoras da enzima ESBL. A prevalência da enzima foi maior nos gêneros Escherichia sp. (43%) e Klebsiella sp. (38%) sendo a maioria dos isolados provenientes de infecção urinária. Também, 10,7% dos isolados ambulatoriais foram positivos para detecção da enzima e 5 isolados produtores de ESBL apresentaram sensibilidade no teste de triagem. A prevalência geral de produção de ESBL foi considerável, sendo que a realização de testes fenotípicos é importante para essa detecção. Além disso, a presença dessas bactérias em pacientes ambulatoriais demonstra sua disseminação para fora do ambiente hospitalar

Geochemistry and Fe speciation in active volcanic environments – the case of Fogo Island, Cape Verde

Topsoils developed in different geological formations/ages, and the top layer of the lava flow from the most recent eruption (2014/2015) of Fogo Island (Cape Verde archipelago), were studied. The specific objectives of this work are: i) to estimate the REE contents and patterns in the whole sample of topsoils developed on different geological formations/ages and their correlation with the iron speciation; and ii) to study the top layer of a lava flow from the most recent eruption after two years of exposure. REE contents are in general higher in the topsoils of the pre-caldera than in those developed on the post-caldera formation, particularly the light REE probably due to their incorporation into hematite. Positive Eu anomalies found in recent topsoils suggest the existence of hydrothermal processes with intrusion of hot fluids with higher concentration of Eu2+. In the top layer of the lava flow of the most recent eruption, Fe is incorporated in pyroxenes and iron oxides (magnetite and/or maghemite). This study can be a benchmark for further knowledge of the chemical evolution and weathering rate in semi-arid climate of Fogo Island.The authors would like to thank the financial support by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal) through the projects UID/GEO/04035/2013 and UID/Multi/04349/2013

A new chalcone derivative with promising antiproliferative and anti-invasion activities in glioblastoma cells

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and most deadly primary malignant brain tumor. Current therapies are not effective, the average survival of GBM patients after diagnosis being limited to few months. Therefore, the discovery of new treatments for this highly aggressive brain cancer is urgently needed. Chalcones are synthetic and naturally occurring compounds that have been widely investigated as anticancer agents. In this work, three chalcone derivatives were tested regarding their inhibitory activity and selectivity towards GBM cell lines (human and mouse) and a non-cancerous mouse brain cell line. The chalcone 1 showed the most potent and selective cytotoxic effects in the GBM cell lines, being further investigated regarding its ability to reduce critical hallmark features of GBM and to induce apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. This derivative showed to successfully reduce the invasion and proliferation capacity of tumor cells, both key targets for cancer treatment. Moreover, to overcome potential systemic side effects and its poor water solubility, this compound was encapsulated into liposomes. Therapeutic concentrations were incorporated retaining the potent in vitro growth inhibitory effect of the selected compound. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that this new formulation can be a promising starting point for the discovery of new and more effective drug treatments for GBM.This research was funded by FCT to the PhD grant of DM fellowship (PD/BD/143038/2018) and the projects PATH (PD/00169/2013), FROnTHERA (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000023), Cells4_IDs (PTDC/BTM-SAL/28882/2017) and the NORTE 2020 Structured Project, co-funded by Norte2020 (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000021). This research was also supported by the Strategic Funding UIDB/04423/2020 and UIDP/04423/2020 (Group of Natural Products and Medicinal ChemistryCIIMAR) through national funds provided by the FCT and ERDF, within the framework of the program PT2020. Joana Moreira acknowledges her grant (SFRH/BD/135852/2018)