Neuropeptide kyotorphin (tyrosyl-arginine) has decreased levels in the cerebro-spinal fluid of Alzheimer’s disease patients: potential diagnostic and pharmacological implications

In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), besides the characteristic deterioration of memory, studies also point to a higher pain tolerance in spite of sensibility preservation. A change in the normal tau protein phosphorylation is also characteristic of AD, which contributes to the pathogenesis of the disease and is useful in early diagnosis. Kyotorphin (KTP) is an endoge-nous analgesic dipeptide (Tyr-Arg) for which there is evidence of eventual neuroprotective and neuromodulatory properties. The objective of this work was to study the possible cor-relation between KTP and phosphorylated tau protein (p-tau) levels in cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF) samples of AD patients. CSF samples were collected from 25 AD patients and 13 age-matched controls (N), where p-tau and KTP levels were measured.We found a statis-tically significant difference between p-tau/KTP values in AD and N groups with an inverse correlation between p-tau and KTP values in AD samples. These results suggest that in the future KTP may be a candidate biomarker for neurodegeneration and may be a lead compound to be used pharmacologically for neuroprotection.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal) is acknowledged for fellowship SFRH/BPD/79542/2011 to Sónia Sá Santos and Grant PTDC/QUI-BIQ/112929/2009. MarieCurie International Research Staff Exchange Scheme (IRSES) is also acknowledged forfunding (FP7-PEOPLE-2009-IRSES, project MEMPEPACROSS)

In vitro evaluation of five antimicrobial peptides against the plant pathogen Erwinia amylovora

Fire blight is a major pome fruit trees disease that is caused by the quarantine phytopathogenic Erwinia amylovora, leading to major losses, namely, in pear and apple productions. Nevertheless, no effective sustainable control treatments and measures have yet been disclosed. In that regard, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been proposed as an alternative biomolecule against pathogens but some of those AMPs have yet to be tested against E. amylovora. In this study, the potential of five AMPs (RW-BP100, CA-M, 3.1, D4E1, and Dhvar-5) together with BP100, were assessed to control E. amylovora. Antibiograms, minimal inhibitory, and bactericidal concentrations (minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC), growth and IC50 were determined and membrane permeabilization capacity was evaluated by flow cytometry analysis and colony-forming units (CFUs) plate counting. For the tested AMPs, the higher inhibitory and bactericidal capacity was observed for RW-BP100 and CA-M (5 and 5–8 M, respectively for both MIC and MBC), whilst for IC50 RW-BP100 presented higher efficiency (2.8 to 3.5 M). Growth curves for the first concentrations bellow MIC showed that these AMPs delayed E. amylovora growth. Flow cytometry disclosed faster membrane permeabilization for CA-M. These results highlight the potential of RW-BP100 and CA-M AMPs as sustainable control measures against E. amylovora.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Acquired Vitamin B12 Deficiency in Newborns: Positive Impact on Newborn Health through Early Detection

The early diagnosis of and intervention in vitamin B12 deficiency in exclusively breastfed infants by mothers with low vitamin B12 is crucial in preventing possible irreversible neurologic damage, megaloblastic anemia, and failure to thrive. We assess the usefulness of the early detection of asymptomatic B12 deficiency related to acquired conditions and highlight the importance of monitoring serum vitamin B12 levels during pregnancy. We describe demographic, clinical, dietary, and biochemical data, including the evolution of a vitamin B12 deficiency's functional biomarkers. We enrolled 12 newborns (5 males) with an age range of 1-2 months old that were exclusively breastfed and asymptomatic. These cases were referred to our metabolic unit due to alterations in expanded newborn screening: high levels of methylmalonic acid and/or total homocysteine (tHcy). All mothers were under a vegetarian diet except three who had abnormal B12 absorption, and all presented low or borderline serum B12 level and high plasma levels of tHcy. Supplementation with oral vitB12 re-established the metabolic homeostasis of the mothers. In infants, therapy with an intramuscular injection of 1.0 mg hydroxocobalamin led to the rapid normalization of the metabolic pattern, and a healthy outcome was observed. Acquired B12 deficiency should be ruled out before proceeding in a differential diagnosis of cobalamin metabolism deficits, methylmalonic acidemia, and homocystinuria.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Primary follicular mucinosis – case report

De etiologia desconhecida, a mucinose folicular primária ou idiopática se caracteriza clinicamente como afecção inflamatória, com placas mais ou menos infiltradas e descamativas, com ou sem perda de pelos. Na sua forma secundária, costuma apresentar lesões mais numerosas e difusas, com morfologia variá- vel, desde placas até nódulos ulcerados. É representada por depósitos localizados ou difusos de mucina na pele ou nos folículos pilosos. Objetivo: Apresentar um caso incomum de mucinose folicular primária, de importância da diferenciação com a forma secundária de mucinose folicular, discutir os aspectos clínicos e histopatológicos utilizados no diagnóstico, suas características e classificações, bem como as possíveis escolhas terapêuticas.Of unknown etiology, acute follicular mucinosis is clinically characterized as an inflammatory disease coursing with more or less infiltrated and scaly plaques, with or without hair loss. In the chronic form, it usually has more numerous and diffuse lesions with variable morphology, from plaques to ulcerated nodules. It is characterized by localized or diffuse deposits of mucin in the skin or hair follicles. Objective: To present an unusual case of primary follicular mucinosis, the importance of differentiation from the secondary form of follicular mucinosis, to discuss the clinical and histopathological aspects used in the diagnosis, its characteristics and classifications as well as the possible therapeutic choices

O CENÁRIO DA PESQUISA CIENTÍFICA NO IFMT A PARTIR DO FINANCIAMENTO À PESQUISA E DA PRODUÇÃO DOCENTE

O desenvolvimento das Instituições de Ciência e Tecnologia passa necessariamente pelo debate quanto ao progresso da pesquisa e do impacto das produções realizadas pelos pesquisadores e pela academia. Partindo disso, este estudo teve por objetivo mapear a produção científica dos pesquisadores de uma instituição federal de ensino, especificamente o IFMT. Utilizando de métodos bibliométricos, o estudo levantou dados acerca da aplicação de recursos para financiamento da pesquisa científica na instituição, além de terem sido averiguadas as produções científicas dos projetos de pesquisa. O estudo apresentou resultados da produção bibliográfica de parte dos projetos de pesquisa, bem como relatos dos coordenadores acerca de desafios, sugestões e novos caminhos para a pesquisa na instituição

ERICA: prevalência de comportamentos alimentares saudáveis em adolescentes brasileiros

OBJETIVO Descrever a prevalência de comportamentos alimentares considerados saudáveis em adolescentes brasileiros, segundo sexo, idade, escolaridade da mãe, tipo de escola, turno de estudo e região geográfica. MÉTODOS Os dados analisados provêm do Estudo de Riscos Cardiovasculares em Adolescentes (ERICA), estudo transversal, nacional e de base escolar. Foram avaliados adolescentes de 1.247 escolas em 124 municípios brasileiros, utilizando questionário autopreenchível que incluía um bloco sobre aspectos relacionados ao comportamento alimentar. Foram considerados saudáveis os seguintes comportamentos alimentares: consumo de café da manhã, ingestão de água e realização de refeições com os pais ou responsáveis. As estimativas das prevalências foram apresentadas em proporções, com seus respectivos intervalos de confiança de 95%. O teste Qui-quadrado foi utilizado para avaliar a diferença das prevalências dos comportamentos alimentares saudáveis de acordo com as demais variáveis. Utilizou-se o módulosurvey do programa Stata versão 13,0 para análise de dados de amostra complexa. RESULTADOS Foram avaliados 74.589 adolescentes (72,9% dos alunos elegíveis). Desses, 55,2% eram do sexo feminino e a média de idade foi de 14,6 anos (DP = 1,6). Entre os adolescentes brasileiros, aproximadamente metade apresentou comportamentos alimentares saudáveis quanto ao consumo de café da manhã, realização de refeições com os pais ou responsáveis e ingestão de cinco ou mais copos de água por dia. Todos os comportamentos alimentares saudáveis analisados apresentaram diferença estatisticamente significativa por sexo, idade, tipo de escola, turno de estudo ou região geográfica. CONCLUSÕES Sugere-se que ações específicas, de abordagem intersetorial, sejam implementadas para a disseminação dos benefícios dos comportamentos alimentares saudáveis. Adolescentes do sexo feminino, mais velhos (15 a 17 anos), cujas mães têm escolaridade mais baixa, alunos de escolas públicas e da região Sudeste, deveriam ser o foco dessas ações já que são os que apresentam menores frequências dos comportamentos saudáveis analisados.OBJECTIVE To describe the prevalence of eating habits considered healthy in adolescents according to sex, age, education level of the mother, school type, session of study, and geographic region. METHODS The assessed data come from the Study of Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescents (ERICA), a cross-sectional, national and school-based study. Adolescents of 1,247 schools of 124 Brazilian municipalities were evaluated using a self-administered questionnaire with a section on aspects related to eating behaviors. The following eating behaviors were considered healthy: consuming breakfast, drinking water, and having meals accompanied by parents or legal guardians. All prevalence estimates were presented proportionally, with their respective 95% confidence intervals. The Chi-square test was used to evaluate the differences in healthy eating habits prevalences according to other variables. The module survey of the Stata program version 13.0 was used to analyze complex data. RESULTS We evaluated 74,589 adolescents (72.9% of the eligible students). Of these, 55.2% were female, average age being 14.6 years (SD = 1.6). Among Brazilian adolescents, approximately half of them showed healthy eating habits when consuming breakfast, drinking five or more glasses of water a day, and having meals with parents or legal guardians. All analyzed healthy eating habits showed statistically significant differences by sex, age, type of school, session of study, or geographic region . CONCLUSIONS We suggest that specific actions of intersectoral approach are implemented for the dissemination of the benefits of healthy eating habits. Older female adolescents (15 to 17 years old) who studied in public schools, resided in the Southeast region, and whose mothers had lower education levels, should be the focus of these actions since they present lower frequencies concerning the evaluated healthy habits

ERICA: ingestão de macro e micronutrientes em adolescentes brasileiros

OBJECTIVE To describe food and macronutrient intake profile and estimate the prevalence of inadequate micronutrient intake of Brazilian adolescents. METHODS Data from 71,791 adolescents aged from 12 to 17 years were evaluated in the 2013-2014 Brazilian Study of Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescents (ERICA). Food intake was estimated using 24-hour dietary recall (24-HDR). A second 24-HDR was collected in a subsample of the adolescents to estimate within-person variability and calculate the usual individual intake. The prevalence of food/food group intake reported by the adolescents was also estimated. For sodium, the prevalence of inadequate intake was estimated based on the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL). The Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) method used as cutoff was applied to estimate the prevalence of inadequate nutrient intake. All the analyses were stratified according to sex, age group and Brazilian macro-regions. All statistical analyses accounted for the sample weight and the complex sampling design. RESULTS Rice, beans and other legume, juice and fruit drinks, breads and meat were the most consumed foods among the adolescents. The average energy intake ranged from 2,036 kcal (girls aged from 12 to 13 years) to 2,582 kcal (boy aged from14 to 17 years). Saturated fat and free sugar intake were above the maximum limit recommended (; 50.0%). Sodium intake was above the UL for more than 80.0% of the adolescents. CONCLUSIONS The diets of Brazilian adolescents were characterized by the intake of traditional Brazilian food, such as rice and beans, as well as by high intake of sugar through sweetened beverages and processed foods. This food pattern was associated with an excessive intake of sodium, saturated fatty acids and free sugar.OBJETIVO Descrever o perfil de consumo alimentar e de macronutrientes, e estimar a prevalência de inadequação da ingestão de micronutrientes em adolescentes brasileiros. MÉTODOS Foram avaliados dados de 71.791 adolescentes de 12 a 17 anos que participaram do Estudo de Riscos Cardiovasculares em Adolescentes (ERICA), realizado em 2013-2014. O consumo alimentar foi estimado por meio de recordatório alimentar de 24h; em uma subamostra dos adolescentes foi coletado um segundo R24h para a estimativa da variância intrapessoal e o cálculo de ingestão alimentar usual. Estimou-se prevalência de consumo de alimentos ou grupos de alimentos referidos pelos adolescentes. Para ingestão inadequada de sódio considerou-se valores acima do nível de ingestão máxima tolerável. Prevalências de inadequação foram calculadas pelo método da Necessidade Média Estimada (Estimated Average Requirement –EAR) como ponto de corte. Todas as análises foram estratificadas segundo sexo, faixa etária e macrorregiões do País, e levaram em consideração o peso amostral e a complexidade do desenho do estudo. RESULTADOS Os alimentos mais consumidos pelos adolescentes foram arroz, feijão e outras leguminosas, sucos e refrescos, pães, e carne bovina. A ingestão média de energia dos adolescentes variou de 2.036 kcal (meninas de 12 a 13 anos) a 2.582 kcal (meninos de 14 a 17 anos). O consumo de ácidos graxos saturados e de açúcar livre ultrapassaram limites máximos recomendados da ingestão energética total (; 50,0%) foram para cálcio e vitaminas A e E. O consumo de sódio foi acima dos limites máximos recomendados em mais de 80,0% dos adolescentes. CONCLUSÕES A dieta dos adolescentes brasileiros é caracterizada pelo consumo de alimentos tradicionais, como arroz e feijão, e ingestão elevada de bebidas açucaradas e alimentos ultraprocessados. Esse padrão associa-se à elevada inadequação da ingestão de cálcio, vitaminas A e E e ao consumo excessivo de ácidos graxos saturados, sódio e açúcar livre

New record of an alien snake Pantherophis guttatus (Squamata: Colubridae) in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil

The snake Pantherophis guttatus (Linnaeus, 1766), popularly known as the corn snake, it is a semi-arboreal snake belonging to the Colubridae family, small in size (about 1800 mm in total length), distributed throughout North America, inhabiting forested, open and urban environments preying on small mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles (Fisher and Csurhes, 2009; Hammerson 2007). It is sold as a pet in many countries and, according to Magalhães and São-Pedro (2012), pet escapes and abandonments are the main cause of this species introduction in natural environments. In Brazil, it has been registered so far by Fonseca et al. (2014) in a Conservation Unit and in an urban area located in a residential complex, both in the Atlantic Rainforest domain in the state of Bahia. The aim of this study was, therefore, to document another P. guttatus record, the first in a natural environment in the state of Pernambuco.Asociación Herpetológica Argentin

PREVALÊNCIA DE INTERAÇÕES MEDICAMENTOSAS ENVOLVENDO MEDICAMENTOS DE ALTA VIGILÂNCIA: ESTUDO TRANSVERSAL

RESUMO Objetivo: estimar a prevalência de interações medicamentosas potenciais (IMP) relacionadas aos medicamentos de alta vigilância (MAV) usados por uma amostra de pacientes internados em um centro de terapia intensiva (CTI). Métodos: estudo transversal, retrospectivo de abordagem quantitativa. A pesquisa apoiou-se na análise das prescrições dos pacientes internados no CTI no período de um ano (2014-2015) a fim de identificar as interações medicamentosas potenciais relacionadas aos MAVs nelas recorrentes. Para cada prontuário, foram analisadas das três às cinco primeiras prescrições, dependendo da disponibilidade destas e do período de internação do indivíduo. A identificação das IMPs foi feita a partir de consulta ao dispositivo Trissels da base de dados Micromedex 2.0. Resultados: nas 244 prescrições medicamentosas foram identificadas 846 IMPs relacionadas aos MAVs e 112 pares diferentes de IMP envolvendo os MAVs. Os principais MAVs nas IMP foram: insulina regular, midazolam, fentanil e tramadol. Dos 112 tipos de IMP identificados, algumas foram recorrentes; a saber: tramadol e ondansetrona, fentanil e midazolam, midazolam e omeprazol, insulina regular e hidrocortisona, bem como insulina regular e noradrenalina. A prevalência das IMPs com MAV nessa amostra foi de 0,96 (96%). Conclusão: grande parte dos pacientes foi exposta à IMP envolvendo midazolam, fentanil ou insulina regular. Há de se estabelecer certa vigilância no sentido de se evitar interações desnecessárias ou quando a administração conjunta de determinados interagentes for indispensável, Deve-se possuir competências para manejar essa administração de forma mais adequada e com o menor risco possível para o paciente

Transurgical Approach and Postoperative Follow-Up of a Canine with a Splenic-Azygos Shunt

Background: The most frequent hepatic circulatory abnormality in dogs is the portosystemic shunt, characterized by an atypical deviation of the hepatic blood flow, that causes the blood that should be drained by the liver through the portal vein to be diverted to another systemic vein, as a result of the presence of the anomalous vessel. This diversion leads to reduced hepatic blood flow and, consequently, organ dysfunction, along with the accumulation of many toxins in the circulation, for instance, ammonia and short-chain fatty acids. The main objective of this paper is to Report the clinical case of a canine female diagnosed with an extrahepatic portosystemic shunt and submitted to surgical treatment using an ameroid constrictor ring in the obstruction of the anomalous vessel.Case: A canine Shih-Tzu, at the age of 1 year and 8 months, was brought to the Veterinary Hospital presenting a history of emesis and smaller body structure than other animals from the same litter. The animal had been diagnosed with portosystemic shunt at age 1 month, by means of complementary biochemistry, ultrasonography and computed tomography examinations. The latter identified the anomalous vessel, which originated from the left gastric vein and was inserted into the azygos vein in the portohepatic region. During the surgical intervention, after median pre-retro-umbilical celiotomy, a calibrous vessel was identified, coming out of the junction of two splenic veins and a gastric vein that penetrated the diaphragm and connected to the azygos vein in the thorax before flowing into the vena cava. Given that, the diaphragm had to be sectioned, which lead to the loss of the negative intra-thoracic pressure, requiring muscle suturing to restore it. A small dissection was performed around the vessel for the ameroid constrictor placement. There was no complication during the procedure. Ten days after the surgery, the clinical evaluation and new blood tests showed that the patient was active, did not express pain and was fully recovered. Ten days after the first follow-up visit, the owners mentioned that the patient was reluctant to eat the prescribed diet, though she was clinically well and her blood test results were within normal ranges for the species. The animal did not have any episodes of apathy, anorexia or vomiting, gained weight (4.2 kg) and the clinical evolution was confirmed by the normality of the blood tests at the subsequent postoperative return visits (60, 180 and 356 days after the surgery). A year after the intervention, imaging exams were repeated and showed normal direction and velocity of the portal flow for the entire extra- and intrahepatic portal extension, liver growth with dimensions compatible with the species, and no blood flow in the anomalous vessel, as well as the presence of a radiopaque structure in the left epigastric region.Discussion: Regarding the choice of anesthetic protocols for these patients, attention had to be paid to the choice of drugs since the liver was already compromised and most drugs are metabolized in the liver. When it comes to the surgical procedure, the most common surgical complication would be portal hypertension, which occurs when total ligation of the anomalous vessel is performed. Although the surgical treatment is extremely challenging, the obstruction of abnormal blood flow of an anomalous vessel achieved by surgical placement of an ameroid ring was able to correct the hemodynamic changes presented by the patient, and to reverse the hepatic insufficiency and the increase in the size of the liver