The Role of Metformin in Controlling Oxidative Stress in Muscle of Diabetic Rats

Metformin can act in muscle, inhibiting the complex I of the electron transport chain and decreasing mitochondrial reactive oxygen species. Our hypothesis is that the inhibition of complex I can minimize damage oxidative in muscles of hypoinsulinemic rats. The present study investigated the effects of insulin and/or metformin treatment on oxidative stress levels in the gastrocnemius muscle of diabetic rats. Rats were rendered diabetic (D) with an injection of streptozotocin and were submitted to treatment with insulin (D+I), metformin (D+M), or insulin plus metformin (D+I+M) for 7 days. The body weight, glycemic control, and insulin resistance were evaluated. Then, oxidative stress levels, glutathione antioxidant defense system, and antioxidant status were analyzed in the gastrocnemius muscle of hypoinsulinemic rats. The body weight decreased in D+M compared to ND rats. D+I and D+I+M rats decreased the glycemia and D+I+M rats increased the insulin sensitivity compared to D rats. D+I+M reduced the oxidative stress levels and the activity of catalase and superoxide dismutase in skeletal muscle when compared to D+I rats. In conclusion, our results reveal that dual therapy with metformin and insulin promotes more benefits to oxidative stress control in muscle of hypoinsulinemic rats than insulinotherapy alone

Design and baseline characteristics of the finerenone in reducing cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in diabetic kidney disease trial

Background: Among people with diabetes, those with kidney disease have exceptionally high rates of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality and progression of their underlying kidney disease. Finerenone is a novel, nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist that has shown to reduce albuminuria in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) while revealing only a low risk of hyperkalemia. However, the effect of finerenone on CV and renal outcomes has not yet been investigated in long-term trials. Patients and Methods: The Finerenone in Reducing CV Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIGARO-DKD) trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of finerenone compared to placebo at reducing clinically important CV and renal outcomes in T2D patients with CKD. FIGARO-DKD is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, event-driven trial running in 47 countries with an expected duration of approximately 6 years. FIGARO-DKD randomized 7,437 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate >= 25 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio >= 30 to <= 5,000 mg/g). The study has at least 90% power to detect a 20% reduction in the risk of the primary outcome (overall two-sided significance level alpha = 0.05), the composite of time to first occurrence of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure. Conclusions: FIGARO-DKD will determine whether an optimally treated cohort of T2D patients with CKD at high risk of CV and renal events will experience cardiorenal benefits with the addition of finerenone to their treatment regimen. Trial Registration: EudraCT number: 2015-000950-39; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02545049

A História da Alimentação: balizas historiográficas

Os M. pretenderam traçar um quadro da História da Alimentação, não como um novo ramo epistemológico da disciplina, mas como um campo em desenvolvimento de práticas e atividades especializadas, incluindo pesquisa, formação, publicações, associações, encontros acadêmicos, etc. Um breve relato das condições em que tal campo se assentou faz-se preceder de um panorama dos estudos de alimentação e temas correia tos, em geral, segundo cinco abardagens Ia biológica, a econômica, a social, a cultural e a filosófica!, assim como da identificação das contribuições mais relevantes da Antropologia, Arqueologia, Sociologia e Geografia. A fim de comentar a multiforme e volumosa bibliografia histórica, foi ela organizada segundo critérios morfológicos. A seguir, alguns tópicos importantes mereceram tratamento à parte: a fome, o alimento e o domínio religioso, as descobertas européias e a difusão mundial de alimentos, gosto e gastronomia. O artigo se encerra com um rápido balanço crítico da historiografia brasileira sobre o tema

Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil: setting the baseline knowledge on the animal diversity in Brazil

The limited temporal completeness and taxonomic accuracy of species lists, made available in a traditional manner in scientific publications, has always represented a problem. These lists are invariably limited to a few taxonomic groups and do not represent up-to-date knowledge of all species and classifications. In this context, the Brazilian megadiverse fauna is no exception, and the Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil (CTFB) (http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/), made public in 2015, represents a database on biodiversity anchored on a list of valid and expertly recognized scientific names of animals in Brazil. The CTFB is updated in near real time by a team of more than 800 specialists. By January 1, 2024, the CTFB compiled 133,691 nominal species, with 125,138 that were considered valid. Most of the valid species were arthropods (82.3%, with more than 102,000 species) and chordates (7.69%, with over 11,000 species). These taxa were followed by a cluster composed of Mollusca (3,567 species), Platyhelminthes (2,292 species), Annelida (1,833 species), and Nematoda (1,447 species). All remaining groups had less than 1,000 species reported in Brazil, with Cnidaria (831 species), Porifera (628 species), Rotifera (606 species), and Bryozoa (520 species) representing those with more than 500 species. Analysis of the CTFB database can facilitate and direct efforts towards the discovery of new species in Brazil, but it is also fundamental in providing the best available list of valid nominal species to users, including those in science, health, conservation efforts, and any initiative involving animals. The importance of the CTFB is evidenced by the elevated number of citations in the scientific literature in diverse areas of biology, law, anthropology, education, forensic science, and veterinary science, among others

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Avaliação do estresse e sua relação com os níveis de cortisol sanguíneo, amilase salivar e desempenho cognitivo em executivos de um grupo empresarial

CHAPTER II: The present study examined the incidence of chronic stress in business executives (n=125) and its relation with levels of serum cortisol, cognitive performance and autonomic reactivity after an acute stressor. Lipp\'s Inventory of Stress Symptoms for Adults and the Stroop Color-Word test were used to determine stress incidence and cognitive performance, respectively. The concentration of cortisol was determined in blood by ELISA and the activity of salivary amylase by a kinetic assay. Results revealed that 45% of the subjects investigated experience some sort of stress, and of them, 79% are in the phase of resistance. Subjects who experienced a higher level of stress also showed a higher concentration of cortisol but a lower reactivity of amylase after the Stroop test. Longer reaction times and higher rates of error after the Stroop test were also observed in these subjects. These results suggest that chronic psychological stress is associated with higher levels of serum cortisol and a lower reactivity of amylase towards cognitive demands. Diminished sympathetic activity, as result of chronic exposure to stress, and reflected by lower levels of amylase activity might have been responsible for impairments in selective attention and cognitive performance.Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas GeraisDoutor em Genética e BioquímicaCAPÍTULO II: O presente estudo analisou a incidência de estresse crônico em executivos de um grupo empresarial (n = 125) e sua relação com os níveis de cortisol sérico, desempenho cognitivo e reatividade do Sistema Nervoso Autônomo após um estressor agudo. O Inventário de Sintomas de Stress para Adultos de Lipp (ISSL) e o teste Stroop Color-Word foram utilizados para determinar a incidência de estresse e desempenho cognitivo, respectivamente. A concentração de cortisol sérico foi determinada por ELISA e a atividade da amilase salivar por um ensaio cinético. Os resultados revelaram que 45% dos sujeitos investigados se encontram em alguma fase do estresse, sendo que destes, 79% estão na fase de resistência. Indivíduos que apresentaram um maior nível de estresse, segundo o ISSL, também possuem maiores níveis de cortisol sérico, mas uma menor reatividade da alfa-amilase salivar após o teste de Stroop. Além disso, após o teste de Stroop foi observado maior tempo de reação e maior número de erros nesses indivíduos. Os resultados sugerem que o estresse psicológico crônico está associado com níveis mais altos de cortisol sérico, menor reatividade da amilase e prejuízo da demanda cognitiva. Sendo assim, a diminuição da atividade simpática, como resultado da exposição crônica ao estresse, e refletida por níveis mais baixos de atividade enzimática pode ter sido responsável por prejuízos na atenção seletiva e desempenho cognitivo

Estudo da miosina-V de cérebro de abelha Apis mellifera e de alguns vertebrados

FAPEMIG - Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas GeraisTrabalho de Conclusão de Curso (Graduação)Visou-se a padronização da técnica de homogeneização dos cortes de cérebro de rato para a detecção da MV. Além disso, verificou-se a fosforilação dos resíduos serina e treonina de proteínas das frações enriquecidas em membrana

Identificação das glicoproteínas da geléia real de Apis mellifera L. por análise em MALDI-TOF MS

The royal jelly (RJ), a secretion produced by the hipopharingeal and mandibular glands of the nurse honeybees, have a variety of pharmacological activities, aside of being necessary for the castes differentiation and the queen Apis mellifera longevity. To identify the N-glycoproteins of two samples of RJ provinient from distinct origin and conditions, we used the concanavalin A affinity chromatography (ConA) associated to the mass spectrometry. The investigated samples of RJ were the brazilian RJ (GRB), produced experimentally in local apiary, and the Chinese RJ (GRC), mattered from China and commercially available. The protein profile in SDS-PAGE 1D was characteristic for GRB and GRC. The N-glycoproteins fractions eluted from the ConA column had presented nine polypeptides for GRB and 12 for GRC, with relative molecular mass (Mr) varying between 130 and 15 kDa. It was observed that the immediately aftercollects freezing of the GRB did not inhibited the appearance of bands with Mr lesser than 49 kDa. A total of 21 bands was excised from gel and digested with tripisin for analysis in MALDI-TOF MS. The bioinformatic analysis revealed that all the 16 proteins identified in the GRB and GRC samples belong to the A. mellifera apalbumins family (Apa-1, Apa-2 and Apa-3). The Apa-2 was the protein that had greater prevalence between the N-glycoproteins of the RJ, presenting Mr varying between 110 and 25 kDa. The fact that the Apa-2 had been identified with distinct Mrs can be related to glycosilation, oligomerization or degradation of this apalbumin. Therefore, the ConA affinity chromatography associated with the proteomic analysis made possible the identification of three members of the family of RJ main proteins (Apa-1, Apa-2 and Apa-3). Moreover, the comparative study of the GRB and GRC glycoprotein composition suggests similar standard between these samples and can be useful in future studies that evaluate the biological functions of the apalbumins pos-translational modifications.Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas GeraisMestre em Genética e BioquímicaA geléia real (GR), uma secreção produzida pelas glândulas hipofaringeal e mandibular das abelhas operárias, possui uma variedade de atividades farmacológicas, além de ser fundamental para a diferenciação das castas e longevidade da rainha de Apis mellifera. Com o objetivo de identificar alguns dos componentes bioativos deste produto da colméia, utilizou-se a cromatografia de afinidade de concanavalina A (ConA) associada à espectrometria de massa para identificar as N-glicoproteínas de duas amostras de GR obtidas de origem e condições distintas. As amostras de GR investigadas foram a GR brasileira (GRB), produzida experimentalmente em apiário local, e a GR chinesa (GRC), importada da China e disponível comercialmente. O perfil de proteínas em SDSPAGE 1D foi característico para GRB e GRC, com um maior número de polipeptídeos para GRC. As frações das N-glicoproteínas eluídas da coluna de ConA apresentaram nove polipeptídeos para GRB e 12 para GRC, com massa molecular variando entre 130 e 15 kDa. Observou-se que o congelamento imediatamente pós-coleta da GRB não impediu o aparecimento de polipeptídeos com Mr menor que 49 kDa. Um total de 21 bandas foi excisado do gel e digerido por tripsina para análise em MALDI-TOF MS. Para cada perfil de massa dos peptídeos (PMF) obtido, realizou-se a busca em banco de dados utilizando-se o software Mascot. Esta análise revelou que as 16 proteínas identificadas nas amostras de GRB e GRC pertencem à família das apalbuminas (Apa-1, Apa-2 e Apa-3) da abelha A. mellifera. A Apa-2 foi a proteína que teve maior prevalência entre as N-glicoproteínas da GR, apresentando Mr variando entre 110 e 25 kDa. O fato da Apa-2 ter sido identificada com Mrs distintas pode estar relacionado a fenômenos de glicosilação, oligomerização ou degradação desta apalbumina. Portanto, a cromatografia de afinidade de ConA associada a análise proteômica possibilitou a identificação de três membros da família das principais proteínas da GR (Apa-1, -2 e -3). Além disso, o estudo comparativo da composição de glicoproteínas da GRB e GRC sugere padrão similar entre estas amostras e pode ser útil em estudos futuros que avaliem as funções biológicas das modificações pós-traducionais das apalbuminas

C-reactive protein is inversely and independently associated with maximal oxygen uptake in adolescents with obesity

The purposes of this study were: 1) investigate whether different markers of infl ammation (CRP and TNF-alpha)&nbsp;are correlated to cardiorespiratory fi tness in adolescents with obesity; 2) examine the association of these&nbsp;variables when adjusted by parameters of body composition. Were selected 57 individuals, 34 girls and 23&nbsp;boys, with 16.4±1.56 years and body mass index 36.0±4.3 kg/m2. Anthropometric measurements (weight,&nbsp;height and abdominal circunference) and body composition (BMI, visceral fat, body fat) were assessment.&nbsp;Body composition was estimated by analyzer of tetrapolar bioelectrical impedance. Obesity was defi ned as&nbsp;BMI&gt;95th percentile of the curve proposed by the Center for Diseases Control. Plasma TNF-alpha was measured&nbsp;by a quantitative two-site high-sensitivity enzyme immunoassay and CRP was measured by high-sensitivityimmunoturbidimetric assay. Graded maximal exercise testing was performed to obtain the maximum oxygen&nbsp;consumption (VO2max) and velocity associated with the VO2max (vVO2max). Signifi cant correlations of CRP with&nbsp;VO2max and vVO2max were found (r=-0.40 and r=-0,36, respectively). No correlations were observed between&nbsp;TNF-alpha and VO2max e vVO2max. CRP was associated to the VO2max and vVO2max independently of measurements of&nbsp;body composition. The CRP was independently and inversely associated with direct measurement of VO2max&nbsp;and the indirect variable of cardiorespiratory fitness vVO2max, in obese adolescents, even after adjustments&nbsp;in body composition, a potential confounding factor. No association was found between TNF-alpha and the&nbsp;parameters of cardiorespiratory fitness