Maternal Melatonin Programs the Daily Pattern of Energy Metabolism in Adult Offspring

Background: Shift work was recently described as a factor that increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes mellitus. In addition, rats born to mothers subjected to a phase shift throughout pregnancy are glucose intolerant. However, the mechanism by which a phase shift transmits metabolic information to the offspring has not been determined. Among several endocrine secretions, phase shifts in the light/dark cycle were described as altering the circadian profile of melatonin production by the pineal gland. The present study addresses the importance of maternal melatonin for the metabolic programming of the offspring. Methodology/Principal Findings: Female Wistar rats were submitted to SHAM surgery or pinealectomy (PINX). The PINX rats were divided into two groups and received either melatonin (PM) or vehicle. The SHAM, the PINX vehicle and the PM females were housed with male Wistar rats. Rats were allowed to mate and after weaning, the male and female offspring were subjected to a glucose tolerance test (GTT), a pyruvate tolerance test (PTT) and an insulin tolerance test (ITT). Pancreatic islets were isolated for insulin secretion, and insulin signaling was assessed in the liver and in the skeletal muscle by western blots. We found that male and female rats born to PINX mothers display glucose intolerance at the end of the light phase of the light/dark cycle, but not at the beginning. We further demonstrate that impaired glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and hepatic insulin resistance are mechanisms that may contribute to glucose intolerance in the offspring of PINX mothers. The metabolic programming described here occurs due to an absence of maternal melatonin because the offspring born to PINX mothers treated with melatonin were not glucose intolerant. Conclusions/Significance: The present results support the novel concept that maternal melatonin is responsible for the programming of the daily pattern of energy metabolism in their offspring.Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP)Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP)CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Aperfeicoameno Cientifico)CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Aperfeicoameno Cientifico

Gene TNFA em pacientes brasileiros com acidente vascular encefálico hemorrágico ou aneurisma cerebral

Introdução: Muitas doenças cerebrovasculares relacionam-se com processos inflamatórios, portanto, a influência de vários polimorfismos em doenças tem sido estudada para melhorar o conhecimento sobre os mecanismos fisiológicos do sistema nervoso. Objetivo: Identificar a associação entre um polimorfismo na posição -308 do gene TNFA e o desenvolvimento de acidente vascular encefálico hemorrágico (AVEH) ou aneurisma em pacientes de uma base hospitalar do Distrito Federal, Brasil. Métodos: Foram coletados os prontuários e as informações clínicas de pacientes com AVEH ou aneurisma. A caracterização dos grupos caso foi confirmada por tomografia computadorizada (TC) ou ressonância nuclear magnética (RNM). Os genótipos do gene TNFA foram determinados por técnica do polimorfismo de comprimento dos fragmentos de restrição do produto obtido pela reação em cadeia da polimerase (PCR). Resultados: O genótipo AG parece diminuir a ocorrência de AVEH ou aneurisma em indivíduos entre 45 e 63 anos. Nosso estudo foi o primeiro a investigar essa associação em uma amostra brasileira, embora um relatório anterior tenha mostrado efeito semelhante com o acidente vascular encefálico isquêmico em uma população chinesa. Conclusão: O genótipo TNFA -308 AG está associado à diminuição do risco de aneurisma ou AVEH em uma população da capital do Brasil, Distrito Federal.Introduction: Many cerebrovascular diseases display a relation with inflammatory processes. Furthermore, the influence of several polymorphisms has been studied to improve the knowledge of physiological mechanisms of the nervous system. Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify if there was an association between a polymorphism in -308 position of the TNFA gene and the development of hemorrhagic stroke or aneurysm in Distrito Federal, Brazil. Methods: We collected the clinical information and the medical records from hemorrhagic stroke or aneurysm patients. The occurrence of stroke or aneurysm was confirmed by computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance image (MRI). The TNFA genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism. Results: The AG genotype appears to decrease the occurrence of hemorrhagic stroke or aneurysm in people between 45-63 years. Our study was the first to investigate this association in a Brazilian sample, although a previous report showed a similar effect with ischemic stroke in a Chinese population. Conclusion: The TNFA -308 AG genotype is associated with a decreased risk of aneurysm or hemorrhagic stroke in a population from the capital of Brazil, Distrito Federal

Construction of a skin substitute composed of porcine collagen matrix populated with human dermal fibroblasts and keratinocytes: histological evaluation

INTRODUÇÃO: O uso de enxertos autólogos é limitado pela extensão da área doadora e pelo estado clínico dos pacientes, no caso de lesões extensas. Alotransplantes coletados de cadáveres ou voluntários são rejeitados após uma ou duas semanas, servindo apenas como cobertura temporária para essas lesões. O tratamento de grandes lesões cutâneas com tegumento autólogo reconstruído constitui alternativa atraente, já que, a partir de um pequeno fragmento de pele do paciente, pode-se obter culturas de células que se multiplicam rapidamente e podem ser criopreservadas, permitindo, assim, sua utilização em novos tratamentos por tempo indeterminado. Este estudo pretendeu avaliar o comportamento histológico de queratinócitos e fibroblastos humanos cultivados sobre uma matriz de colágeno porcino derivada da submucosa intestinal. MÉTODO: Células da epiderme e derme humana foram cultivadas separadamente e semeadas sobre matriz de colágeno porcino, onde permaneceram em ambiente controlado por 21 dias, antes de serem submetidas a análise histológica. RESULTADOS: Observou-se que os fibroblastos invadem e colonizam a matriz de colágeno, enquanto os queratinócitos se organizam de forma laminar e estratificada sobre a superfície em que foram semeados. CONCLUSÕES: A utilização da matriz de colágeno porcino como carreador de células da pele humana é possível e a organização dessas células se assemelha à arquitetura da pele humana

Risk Factors and Characterization of Plasmodium Vivax-Associated Admissions to Pediatric Intensive Care Units in the Brazilian Amazon

BACKGROUND: Plasmodium vivax is responsible for a significant proportion of malaria cases worldwide and is increasingly reported as a cause of severe disease. The objective of this study was to characterize severe vivax disease among children hospitalized in intensive care units (ICUs) in the Western Brazilian Amazon, and to identify risk factors associated with disease severity. METHODS AND FINDINGS: In this retrospective study, clinical records of 34 children, 0-14 years of age hospitalized in the 11 public pediatric and neonatal ICUs of the Manaus area, were reviewed. P. falciparum monoinfection or P. falciparum/P. vivax mixed infection was diagnosed by microscopy in 10 cases, while P. vivax monoinfection was confirmed in the remaining 24 cases. Two of the 24 patients with P. vivax monoinfection died. Respiratory distress, shock and severe anemia were the most frequent complications associated with P. vivax infection. Ninety-one children hospitalized with P. vivax monoinfections but not requiring ICU were consecutively recruited in a tertiary care hospital for infectious diseases to serve as a reference population (comparators). Male sex (p = 0.039), age less than five years (p = 0.028), parasitemia greater than 500/mm(3) (p = 0.018), and the presence of any acute (p = 0.023) or chronic (p = 0.017) co-morbidity were independently associated with ICU admission. At least one of the WHO severity criteria for malaria (formerly validated for P. falciparum) was present in 23/24 (95.8%) of the patients admitted to the ICU and in 17/91 (18.7%) of controls, making these criteria a good predictor of ICU admission (p = 0.001). The only investigated criterion not associated with ICU admission was hyperbilirubinemia (p = 0.513)]. CONCLUSIONS: Our study points to the importance of P. vivax-associated severe disease in children, causing 72.5% of the malaria admissions to pediatric ICUs. WHO severity criteria demonstrated good sensitivity in predicting severe P. vivax infection in this small case series

Enfermedades crónicas

Adherencia al tratamiento farmacológico y relación con el control metabólico en pacientes con DM2Aluminio en pacientes con terapia de reemplazo renal crónico con hemodiálisis en Bogotá, ColombiaAmputación de extremidades inferiores: ¿están aumentando las tasas?Consumo de edulcorantes artificiales en jóvenes universitariosCómo crecen niños normales de 2 años que son sobrepeso a los 7 añosDiagnóstico con enfoque territorial de salud cardiovascular en la Región MetropolitanaEfecto a corto plazo de una intervención con ejercicio físico, en niños con sobrepesoEfectos de la cirugía bariátrica en pacientes con síndrome metabólico e IMC < 35 KG/M2Encuesta mundial de tabaquismo en estudiantes de profesiones de saludEnfermedades crónicas no transmisibles: Consecuencias sociales-sanitarias de comunidades rurales en ChileEpidemiología de las muertes hospitalarias por patologías relacionadas a muerte encefálica, Chile 2003-2007Estado nutricional y conductas alimentarias en adolescentes de 4º medio de la Región de CoquimboEstudio de calidad de vida en una muestra del plan piloto para hepatitis CEvaluación del proceso asistencial y de resultados de salud del GES de diabetes mellitus 2Factores de riesgo cardiovascular en población universitaria de la Facsal, universidad de TarapacáImplicancias psicosociales en la génesis, evolución y tratamiento de pacientes con hipertensión arterial esencialInfarto agudo al miocardio (IAM): Realidad en el Hospital de Puerto Natales, 2009-2010Introducción de nuevas TIC y mejoría de la asistencia a un programa de saludNiños obesos atendidos en el Cesfam de Puerto Natales y su entorno familiarPerfil de la mortalidad por cáncer de cuello uterino en Río de JaneiroPerfil del paciente primo-consultante del Programa de Salud Cardiovascular, Consultorio Cordillera Andina, Los AndesPrevalencia de automedicación en mujeres beneficiarias del Hospital Comunitario de Til-TiPrevalencia de caries en población preescolar y su relación con malnutrición por excesoPrevalencia de retinopatía diabética en comunas dependientes del Servicio de Salud Metropolitano Occidente (SSMOC)Problemas de adherencia farmacológica antihipertensiva en población mapuche: Un estudio cualitativoRol biológico de los antioxidantes innatos en pacientes portadores de VIH/SidaSobrepeso en empleados de un restaurante de una universidad pública del estado de São Paul

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio