Estado nutricional e força de preensão manual em idosos residentes em comunidade com baixo índice de desenvolvimento humano

Modelo do estudo: Estudo epidemiológico transversal, populacional de base domiciliar. Objetivo: Verificar a relação entre indicadores antropométricos de estado nutricional e força muscular em idosos residentes em comunidade com baixo índice de desenvolvimento humano. Metodologia: Idosos (N =316) de uma cidade do Nordeste do Brasil foram submetidos a entrevista e avaliação física. A variável dependente analisada foi a força de preensão manual. As variáveis independentes foram o índice de massa corporal e a área muscular do braço. As variáveis de controle foram a idade, tabagismo, atividade física, hospitalização e hiperglicemia. Foram usados modelos de regressão linear simples e múltipla para as análises estatísticas. Resultados: Após controle pelas variáveis de ajuste, houve correlação positiva significante da força de preensão manual com o índice de massa corporal (βajustado = 0,439; p = 0,010; r2 ajustado = 0,062) e a área muscular do braço (βajustado = 0,046; p = 0,003; r2 ajustado = 0,087) para o sexo masculino, mas não para o sexo feminino. Conclusões: Indicadores antropométricos de estado nutricional foram relacionados a força de preensão manual em homens idosos, mas não em mulheres.Design of the study: Epidemiological cross-sectional population-based household study. Objective: To investigate the relationship between anthropometric indicators of nutritional status and muscular strength in community-dwelling elderly with low human development index. Methodology: Elderly (N = 316) residents of a city in Brazil’s Northeast Region were submitted to an interview and a physical evaluation. The dependent variable assessed was handgrip strength. The independent variables were body mass index and arm muscle area. The control variables were age, smoking, physical activity, hospitalization and hyperglycemia. Simple and multiple linear regression models were used for statistical analyses. Results: Following control by adjustment variables, there was significant positive correlation of handgrip strength with body mass index (βadjusted = 0.439; p = 0.010; r2 adjusted = 0.062) and arm muscle area (βadjusted = 0.046; p = 0.003; r2 adjusted = 0.087) for male individuals, but not for female individuals. Conclusions: Anthropometric indicators of nutritional status have been positively related to handgrip strength in elderly men, but not in women

Composição dos óleos essenciais de variedades de coloração de frutos de Eugenia brasiliensis Lam.

A espécie Eugenia brasiliensis Lam. apresenta a coloração dos frutos variável, sendo reconhecidas três variedades. Entretanto, a definição de variedades não é fácil para espécies de Myrtaceae e também não é amplamente aceita. Duas variedades de Eugenia brasiliensis, baseado na cor dos frutos (roxos e amarelos), tiveram a composição de seus óleos essenciais analisadas com a finalidade de obter indícios de variedade botânica para esta espécie. Embora, os componentes principais nos óleos das folhas fossem os mesmos monoterpenos para ambas as variedades, alfa-pineno, beta-pineno e 1,8-cineol, a variedade com frutos roxos acumulou maior quantidade de sesquiterpenos oxigenados (33,9%) do que aquela com frutos amarelos (3,8%). As diferenças principais ocorreram nos frutos roxos que apresentaram como componente principal o óxido de cariofileno (22,2%) e o alfa-cadinol (10,4%), não detectados no óleo das folhas, e o óleo dos frutos amarelos apresentou uma composição similar àquela observada para as folhas. Estas variedades de coloração dos frutos de E. brasilensis podem ser considerados como dois quimiotipos distintos, uma vez que na variedade com frutos roxos a rota biossintética para sesquiterpenos encontra-se mais operante do que naquela com frutos amarelos, onde são acumulados principalmente os monoterpenos.Eugenia brasiliensis Lam. is a variable species concerning fruit colour, with three recognized varieties. However, the definition of varieties is not easy for Myrtaceae species and not widely accepted. Two fruit colour varieties (purple and yellow) of E. brasiliensis had their essential oil composition analysed in order to give support to the existence of varieties for this species. Although, the major components in the leaf oil are the same monoterpenes for both varieties, alpha-pinene, beta-pinene and 1,8-cineol, the purple fruit variety accumulates more oxygenated sesquiterpenes (33.9%) than the one with yellow fruits (3.8%). The major differences occurred in purple fruits that present as major components caryophyllene oxide (22.2%) and alpha-cadinol (10.4%), not found in the leaf oil, and the yellow fruit oil presented a similar composition as observed for the leaves. These fruit colour varieties of E. brasilensis can be considered as two distinct chemotypes, since the sesquiterpene pathway is more operant in the purple variety than in the yellow one, in which monoterpenes are mainly accumulated

Modulation of Cell Surface Receptor Expression by Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara in Leukocytes of Healthy and HIV-Infected Individuals

Viral vectors are increasingly used as delivery means to induce a specific immunity in humans and animals. However, they also impact the immune system, and it depends on the given context whether this is beneficial or not. The attenuated vaccinia virus strain modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) has been used as a viral vector in clinical studies intended to treat and prevent cancer and infectious diseases. The adjuvant property of MVA is thought to be due to its capability to stimulate innate immunity. Here, we confirmed that MVA induces interleukin-8 (IL-8), and this chemokine was upregulated significantly more in monocytes and HLA-DR(bright)dendritic cells (DCs) of HIV-infected patients on combined antiretroviral therapy (ART) than in cells of healthy persons. The effect of MVA on cell surface receptors is mostly unknown. Using mass cytometry profiling, we investigated the expression of 17 cell surface receptors in leukocytes afterex vivoinfection of human whole-blood samples with MVA. We found that MVA downregulates most of the characteristic cell surface markers in particular types of leukocytes. In contrast, C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) was significantly upregulated in each leukocyte type of healthy persons. Additionally, we detected a relative higher cell surface expression of the HIV-1 co-receptors C-C motif chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) and CXCR4 in leukocytes of HIV-ART patients than in healthy persons. Importantly, we showed that MVA infection significantly downregulated CCR5 in CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, B cells, and three different DC populations. CD86, a costimulatory molecule for T cells, was significantly upregulated in HLA-(DRDCs)-D-bright after MVA infection of whole blood from HIV-ART patients. However, MVA was unable to downregulate cell surface expression of CD11b and CD32 in monocytes and neutrophils of HIV-ART patients to the same extent as in monocytes and neutrophils of healthy persons. In summary, MVA modulates the expression of many different kinds of cell surface receptors in leukocytes, which can vary in cells originating from persons previously infected with other pathogens

Influence of Genetic Polymorphisms in Prostaglandin E2 Pathway (COX-2/HPGD/SLCO2A1/ABCC4) on the Risk for Colorectal Adenoma Development and Recurrence after Polypectomy

OBJECTIVES: Deregulation of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) levels reported in colorectal carcinogenesis contributes to key steps of cancer development. Our aim was to evaluate the influence of the genetic variability in COX-2/HPGD/SLCO2A1/ABCC4 PGE2 pathway genes on the development and recurrence of colorectal adenomas. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted gathering 480 unscreened individuals and 195 patients with personal history of adenomas. A total of 43 tagSNPs were characterized using the Sequenom platform or real-time PCR. RESULTS: Ten tagSNPs were identified as susceptibility biomarkers for the development of adenomas. The top three most meaningful tagSNPs include the rs689466 in COX-2 (odds ratio (OR)=3.23; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.52-6.86), rs6439448 in SLCO2A1 (OR=0.38; 95% CI: 0.22-0.65) and rs1751051 in ABCC4 genes (OR=2.75; 95% CI: 1.58-4.80). The best four-locus gene-gene interaction model included the rs1346271, rs1863642 and rs12500316 single nucleotide polymorphisms in HPGD and rs1678405 in ABCC4 genes and was associated with a 13-fold increased susceptibility (95% CI: 3.84-46.3, P<0.0001, cross-validation (CV) accuracy: 0.78 and CV consistency: 8/10). Interesting, in low-risk patients the ABCC4 rs9524821AA genotype was associated not only with a higher hazard ratio (HR=2.93; 95% CI: 1.07-8.03), but half of these patients had adenoma recurrence at 60 months, considerably higher than the 21% noticed in low-risk patients. CONCLUSIONS: Genetic polymorphisms in COX-2/PGE2 pathway appear to contribute to the development of colorectal adenomas and influence the interval time to adenomas recurrence. The definition of risk models through the inclusion of genetic biomarkers might improve the adherence and optimization of current screening and surveillance guidelines for colorectal cancer prevention.Financial support: This study was supported by a research grant from the Instituto Português de Oncologia do Porto— Centro de Investigação. Furthermore, C.P. was a recipient of a PhD grant (SFRH/BD/64805/2009) from FCT— Fundacão para a Ciência e Tecnologia, co-financed by European Social Funds (ESF) under Human Potential Operation Programme (POPH) from National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) and Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro—Núcleo Regional do Norte. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Safflower oil: an integrated assessment of phytochemistry, antiulcerogenic activity, and rodent and environmental toxicity

Gastric ulcers are a significant medical problem and the development of complications lead to significant mortality rates worldwide. In Brazil, Carthamus tinctorius L., Asteraceae, seeds essential oil, the safflower oil, is currently used as a thermogenic compound and as treatment for problems related to the cardiovascular system. In this study, by Raman spectroscopy, it was shown that oleic and linoleic acids are the compounds present in higher concentrations in the safflower oil. We demonstrated that safflower oil (750 mg/kg, p.o.) decrease the ulcerogenic lesions in mice after the administration of hydrochloric acid-ethanol. The gastric ulcers induced by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) in mice treated with cholinomimetics were treated with four different doses of safflower oil, of which, the dose of 187.5 mg/kg (p.o.) showed significant antiulcerogenic properties (**p < 0.01). Moreover, the safflower oil at doses of 187.5 mg/kg (i.d.) increased the pH levels, gastric volume (**p < 0.01) and gastric mucus production (***p < 0.001), and decreased the total gastric acid secretion (***p < 0.001). The acute toxicity tests showed that safflower oil (5.000 mg/kg, p.o.) had no effect on mortality or any other physiological parameter. Ecotoxicological tests performed using Daphnia similis showed an EC50 at 223.17 mg/l, and therefore safflower oil can be considered “non-toxic” based on the directive 93/67/EEC on risk assessment for new notified substances by European legislation. These results indicate that the antiulcer activity of Safflower oil may be due to cytoprotective effects, which serve as support for new scientific studies related to this pathology.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Universidade Santa Cecília Programa de Pós-graduação em Sustentabilidade de Ecossistemas Costeiros e Marinhos Laboratório de Pesquisa em Produtos NaturaisUniversidade Estadual de Campinas Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica Laboratório de Produtos NaturaisUniversidade Santa Cecília Laboratório de EcotoxicologiaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Instituto do MarUniversidade Camilo Castelo Branco Instituto de Engenharia BiomédicaUNIFESP, Instituto do MarFAPESP: 2009/01788-5SciEL

Silver(I) and Copper(II) Complexes of 1,10-Phenanthroline-5,6-Dione Against Phialophora Verrucosa: A Focus on the Interaction With Human Macrophages and Galleria Mellonella Larvae

Phialophora verrucosa is a dematiaceous fungus that causes mainly chromoblastomycosis, but also disseminated infections such as phaeohyphomycosis and mycetoma. These diseases are extremely hard to treat and often refractory to current antifungal therapies. In this work, we have evaluated the effect of 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione (phendione) and its metal-based complexes, [Ag (phendione)2]ClO4 and [Cu(phendione)3](ClO4)2.4H2O, against P. verrucosa, focusing on (i) conidial viability when combined with amphotericin B (AmB); (ii) biofilm formation and disarticulation events; (iii) in vitro interaction with human macrophages; and (iv) in vivo infection of Galleria mellonella larvae. The combination of AmB with each of the test compounds promoted the additive inhibition of P. verrucosa growth, as judged by the checkerboard assay. During the biofilm formation process over polystyrene surface, sub-minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of phendione and its silver(I) and copper(II) complexes were able to reduce biomass and extracellular matrix production. Moreover, a mature biofilm treated with high concentrations of the test compounds diminished biofilm viability in a concentration-dependent manner. Pre-treatment of conidial cells with the test compounds did not alter the percentage of infected THP-1 macrophages; however, [Ag(phendione)2]ClO4 caused a significant reduction in the number of intracellular fungal cells compared to the untreated system. In addition, the killing process was significantly enhanced by post-treatment of infected macrophages with the test compounds. P. verrucosa induced a typically cell density-dependent effect on G. mellonella larvae death after 7 days of infection. Interestingly, exposure to the silver(I) complex protected the larvae from P. verrucosa infection. Collectively, the results corroborate the promising therapeutic potential of phendione-based drugs against fungal infections, including those caused by P. verrucosa

Substrate texture properties induce triatomine probing on bitten warm surfaces

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In this work we initially evaluated whether the biting process of <it>Rhodnius prolixus </it>relies on the detection of mechanical properties of the substrate. A linear thermal source was used to simulate the presence of a blood vessel under the skin of a host. This apparatus consisted of an aluminium plate and a nickel-chrome wire, both thermostatized and presented at 33 and 36°C, respectively. To evaluate whether mechanical properties of the substrate affect the biting behaviour of bugs, this apparatus was covered by a latex membrane. Additionally, we evaluated whether the expression of probing depends on the integration of bilateral thermal inputs from the antennae.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The presence of a latex cover on a thermal source induced a change in the biting pattern shown by bugs. In fact, with latex covered sources it was possible to observe long bites that were never performed in response to warm metal surfaces. The total number of bites was higher in intact versus unilaterally antennectomized insects. These bites were significantly longer in intact than in unilaterally antennectomized insects.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results suggest that substrate recognition by simultaneous input through thermal and mechanical modalities is required for triggering maxillary probing activity.</p

Systematic comparison of the effects of Alpha-synuclein mutations on its oligomerization and aggregation

Copyright: © 2014 Lázaro et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Aggregation of alpha-synuclein (ASYN) in Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites is the typical pathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD) and other synucleinopathies. Furthermore, mutations in the gene encoding for ASYN are associated with familial and sporadic forms of PD, suggesting this protein plays a central role in the disease. However, the precise contribution of ASYN to neuronal dysfunction and death is unclear. There is intense debate about the nature of the toxic species of ASYN and little is known about the molecular determinants of oligomerization and aggregation of ASYN in the cell. In order to clarify the effects of different mutations on the propensity of ASYN to oligomerize and aggregate, we assembled a panel of 19 ASYN variants and compared their behaviour. We found that familial mutants linked to PD (A30P, E46K, H50Q, G51D and A53T) exhibited identical propensities to oligomerize in living cells, but had distinct abilities to form inclusions. While the A30P mutant reduced the percentage of cells with inclusions, the E46K mutant had the opposite effect. Interestingly, artificial proline mutants designed to interfere with the helical structure of the N-terminal domain, showed increased propensity to form oligomeric species rather than inclusions. Moreover, lysine substitution mutants increased oligomerization and altered the pattern of aggregation. Altogether, our data shed light into the molecular effects of ASYN mutations in a cellular context, and established a common ground for the study of genetic and pharmacological modulators of the aggregation process, opening new perspectives for therapeutic intervention in PD and other synucleinopathies.This work was supported by the DFG Center for Nanoscale Microscopy and Molecular Physiology of the Brain (CNMPB).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio