81 research outputs found
Drug use and associated demographic factors of freshman students in a Chilean University
Relationships between cardiorespiratory fitness/muscular strength and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in brown adipose tissue after exposure to cold in young, sedentary adults
Humans have metabolically active brown adipose tissue (BAT). However, what is the relation between exercise or physical activity with this tissue remains controversial. Therefore, the main aim of the present study is to examine whether cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular strength are associated with brown adipose tissue (BAT) volume and activity after exposure to cold in young, sedentary adults. Cardiorespiratory fitness was determined in 119 young, healthy, sedentary adults (68% women, age 21.9 ± 2.1 years, body mass index 25 ± 4.8 kg/m2) via the maximum treadmill exercise test, and their muscular strength assessed by the handgrip strength test and the 1-repetition maximum bench and leg press tests. Some days later, all subjects were exposed to 2 h of personalized exposure to cold and their cold-induced BAT volume and activity determined by a combination of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography and computed tomography scan. Cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with neither the BAT volume nor BAT activity (P ≥ 0.05). However, handgrip strength with respect to lean body mass was positively (though weakly) associated with BAT activity as represented by the 18F-FDG mean standardised uptake value (SUV) (β = 3.595, R2 = 0.039, P = 0.031) and SUVpeak value (β = 15.314, R2 = 0.037, P = 0.035). The above relationships remained after adjusting for several confounders. No other associations were found. Handgrip strength with respect to lean body mass is positively associated with BAT activity (SUVmean and SUVpeak) in young adults after exposure to cold - but only weakly. Further studies are needed to reveal the relationship between muscular fitness and human BAT characteristics.This study was
supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness via the Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria
del Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI13/01393), Retos de la Sociedad (DEP2016-79512-R) and European Regional
Development Funds (ERDF), the Spanish Ministry of Education (FPU13/04365 and FPU14/04172), the Fundación
Iberoamericana de Nutrición (FINUT), the Redes Temáticas de Investigación Cooperativa RETIC (Red SAMID
RD16/0022), the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation, the University of Granada Plan Propio de Investigación
2016 -Excellence actions: Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES) - and Plan Propio de Investigación
2018 - Programa Contratos-Puente, and the Junta de AndalucÃa, ConsejerÃa de Conocimiento, Investigación y
Universidades (ERDF: SOMM17/6107/UGR)
A mouse model reproducing the pathophysiology of neonatal group B streptococcal infection
Group B streptococcal (GBS) meningitis remains a devastating disease. The absence of an animal model reproducing the natural infectious process has limited our understanding of the disease and, consequently, delayed the development of effective treatments. We describe here a mouse model in which bacteria are transmitted to the offspring from vaginally colonised pregnant females, the natural route of infection. We show that GBS strain BM110, belonging to the CC17 clonal complex, is more virulent in this vertical transmission model than the isogenic mutant BM110∆cylE, which is deprived of hemolysin/cytolysin. Pups exposed to the more virulent strain exhibit higher mortality rates and lung inflammation than those exposed to the attenuated strain. Moreover, pups that survive to BM110 infection present neurological developmental disability, revealed by impaired learning performance and memory in adulthood. The use of this new mouse model, that reproduces key steps of GBS infection in newborns, will promote a better understanding of the physiopathology of GBS-induced meningitis.The authors gratefully acknowledge the help of Encarnaca̧ ̃o Ribeiro for excellent technical assistance, Joana Tavares for assisting with IVIS Lumina LT, Susana Roque for the
luminex instrument experiments, the Molecular Microbiology group at i3S for microscope use, and the Portuguese architect and artist Gil Ferreira da Silva for the artworks
included in the last figure. This work was supported by funds from Foundation for
Science and Technology (FCT), European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) and
Compete under project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016607 (PTDC/IMI-MIC/1049/2014)
and from the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000012, supported by Norte Portugal
Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). T.S.
and A.M. were supported by Investigador FCT (IF/00875/2012 and IF/00753/2014),
POPH and Fundo Social Europeu. E.B.A. and C.C.P. hold postdoctoral fellowships from
FCT (PTDC/IMI-MIC/1049/2014 and SFRH/BPD/91962/2012). Ar.F. and P.T.C. were
supported by Laboratoire d’Excellence (LABEX) Integrative Biology of Emerging Infectious Diseases (grant ANR-10-LABX-62-IBEID).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Molecular Mechanisms Associated with Nicotine Pharmacology and Dependence.
Tobacco dependence is a leading cause of preventable disease and death worldwide. Nicotine, the main psychoactive component in tobacco cigarettes, has also been garnering increased popularity in its vaporized form, as derived from e-cigarette devices. Thus, an understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying nicotine pharmacology and dependence is required to ascertain novel approaches to treat drug dependence. In this chapter, we review the field's current understanding of nicotine's actions in the brain, the neurocircuitry underlying drug dependence, factors that modulate the function of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, and the role of specific genes in mitigating the vulnerability to develop nicotine dependence. In addition to nicotine's direct actions in the brain, other constituents in nicotine and tobacco products have also been found to alter drug use, and thus, evidence is provided to highlight this issue. Finally, currently available pharmacotherapeutic strategies are discussed, along with an outlook for future therapeutic directions to achieve to the goal of long-term nicotine cessation
Análise espacial da mortalidade infantil e adequação das informações vitais: uma proposta para definição de áreas prioritárias
Envenomation by Micrurus coral snakes in the Brazilian Amazon region: report of two cases
Two cases of proven coral snake bites were reported in Belém, Pará State, Brazil. The first case was a severe one caused by Micrurus surinamensis. The patient required mechanical ventilation due to acute respiratory failure. The second case showed just mild signs of envenomation caused by Micrurus filiformis. Both patients received specific Micrurus antivenom and were discharged without further complications. Coral snake bites are scarcely reported in the Amazon region and there is a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations, varying from extremely mild to those which may rapidly lead to death if the patient is not treated as soon as possible
Cytokine profile, proliferation and phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and Akt in circulating mononuclear cells from individuals during the chronic intestinal phase of Schistosomiasis mansoni infection
Plasmodium falciparum malaria and invasive bacterial co-infection in young African children: the dysfunctional spleen hypothesis
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