Apolipoprotein E polymorphism influences orthotopic liver transplantation outcomes in patients with hepatitis C virus-induced liver cirrhosis

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is responsible for a chronic liver inflammation, which may cause end-stage liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma. Apolipoprotein E (protein: ApoE, gene: APOE), a key player in cholesterol metabolism, is mainly synthesized in the liver and APOE polymorphisms may influence HCV-induced liver damage. AIM: To determine whether APOE alleles affect outcomes in HCV-infected patients with liver cirrhosis following orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). METHODS: This was a cohort study in which 179 patients, both genders and aged 34-70 years, were included before or after (up to 10 years follow-up) OLT. Liver injury severity was assessed using different criteria, including METAVIR and models for end-stage liver disease. APOE polymorphisms were analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The APOE3 allele was the most common (67.3%). In inflammation severity of biopsies from 89 OLT explants and 2 patients in pre-transplant, the degree of severe inflammation (A3F4, 0.0%) was significantly less frequent than in patients with minimal and moderate degree of inflammation (≤ A2F4, 16.2%) P = 0.048, in patients carrying the APOE4 allele when compared to non-APOE4. In addition, a significant difference was also found (≤ A2F4, 64.4% vs A3F4, 0.0%; P = 0.043) and (A1F4, 57.4% vs A3F4, 0.0%; P = 0.024) in APOE4 patients when compared to APOE3 carriers. The fibrosis degree of the liver graft in 8 of 91 patients and the lack of the E4 allele was associated with more moderate fibrosis (F2) (P = 0.006). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the E4 allele protects against progression of liver fibrosis and degree of inflammation in HCV-infected patients

How much leaf area do insects eat? A data set of insect herbivory sampled globally with a standardized protocol

Herbivory is ubiquitous. Despite being a potential driver of plant distribution and performance, herbivory remains largely undocumented. Some early attempts have been made to review, globally, how much leaf area is removed through insect feeding. Kozlov et al., in one of the most comprehensive reviews regarding global patterns of herbivory, have compiled published studies regarding foliar removal and sampled data on global herbivory levels using a standardized protocol. However, in the review by Kozlov et al., only 15 sampling sites, comprising 33 plant species, were evaluated in tropical areas around the globe. In Brazil, which ranks first in terms of plant biodiversity, with a total of 46,097 species, almost half (43%) being endemic, a single data point was sampled, covering only two plant species. In an attempt to increase knowledge regarding herbivory in tropical plant species and to provide the raw data needed to test general hypotheses related to plant–herbivore interactions across large spatial scales, we proposed a joint, collaborative network to evaluate tropical herbivory. This network allowed us to update and expand the data on insect herbivory in tropical and temperate plant species. Our data set, collected with a standardized protocol, covers 45 sampling sites from nine countries and includes leaf herbivory measurements of 57,239 leaves from 209 species of vascular plants belonging to 65 families from tropical and temperate regions. They expand previous data sets by including a total of 32 sampling sites from tropical areas around the globe, comprising 152 species, 146 of them being sampled in Brazil. For temperate areas, it includes 13 sampling sites, comprising 59 species

Infection by Mycoplasma spp., feline immunodeficiency virus and feline leukemia virus in cats from an area endemic for visceral leishmaniasis

Abstract Background Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) has been increasingly recognized in cats living in areas endemic for the disease. Co-infection with Leishmania infantum and other infectious agents is well established in dogs. However, for cats, data on co-infections with L. infantum and other infectious agents are still sparse. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of vector-borne pathogens, Mycoplasma spp., feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) in cats from an area endemic for VL in southeastern Brazil. Results Of the 90 cats, eight (8.9%) were infected with Mycoplasma spp., five (5.5%) were FIV- positive and one (1.1%) was FeLV-positive. Co-infection with L. infantum and at least one other infectious agent was found in 9/50 (18.0%; CI: 8.6–31.4%) cats. In Group 1 (cats infected naturally by L. infantum), 4/50 (8.0%) cats were positive for FIV, 4/50 (8%) for Mycoplasma spp. and 1/50 (2.0%) was co-infected with FeLV and Mycoplasma spp. In Group 2 (cats non-infected with L. infantum), 2/40 (5.0%) cats were infected with Mycoplasma spp. and 1/40 (2.5%) was co-infected with FIV and Mycoplasma spp. All cats were negative for Ehrlichia spp., Babesia spp. and Anaplasma platys. Conclusion A low prevalence of co-infection in Leishmania-infected and non-infected cats was found. Co-infections with Leishmania and vector-borne diseases in cats are not common in this area endemic for VL in Brazil

Snake venom L-Amino acid oxidases: trends in pharmacology and biochemistry

Submitted by Claudete Queiroz ([email protected]) on 2016-05-03T18:02:40Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Snake Venom L-Amino Acid Oxidases Trends in - Pharmacology and Biochemistry.pdf: 3419937 bytes, checksum: 77270860cee91bddcc146303c805335c (MD5)Approved for entry into archive by EMERSON LEAL ([email protected]) on 2016-05-17T14:23:25Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Snake Venom L-Amino Acid Oxidases Trends in - Pharmacology and Biochemistry.pdf: 3419937 bytes, checksum: 77270860cee91bddcc146303c805335c (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2016-05-17T14:23:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Snake Venom L-Amino Acid Oxidases Trends in - Pharmacology and Biochemistry.pdf: 3419937 bytes, checksum: 77270860cee91bddcc146303c805335c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014Universidade Federal de Uberlândia. Faculdade de Ciências Integradas do Pontal. Departamento de Genética e Bioquímica. Uberlândia, MG, Brazil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Estudos de Biomoléculas Aplicadas à Saúde. Departamento de Medicina. Universidade Federal de Rondônia. Porto Velho, RO, Brazil.Universidade Federal de Uberlândia. Faculdade de Ciências Integradas do Pontal. Departamento de Genética e Bioquímica. Uberlândia, MG, Brazil.Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto. Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas. Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Estudos de Biomoléculas Aplicadas à Saúde. Departamento de Medicina. Universidade Federal de Rondônia. Porto Velho, RO, Brazil.Universidade Federal de Uberlândia. Faculdade de Ciências Integradas do Pontal. Departamento de Genética e Bioquímica. Uberlândia, MG, Brazil.Universidade Federal de São João del Rei. Departamento de Química, Biotecnologia e Engenharia de Bioprocessos. Ouro Branco, MG, Brazil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Estudos de Biomoléculas Aplicadas à Saúde. Departamento de Medicina. Universidade Federal de Rondônia. Porto Velho, RO, Brazil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Estudos de Biomoléculas Aplicadas à Saúde. Departamento de Medicina. Universidade Federal de Rondônia. Porto Velho, RO, Brazil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Estudos de Biomoléculas Aplicadas à Saúde. Departamento de Medicina. Universidade Federal de Rondônia. Porto Velho, RO, Brazil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Estudos de Biomoléculas Aplicadas à Saúde. Departamento de Medicina. Universidade Federal de Rondônia. Porto Velho, RO, Brazil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Estudos de Biomoléculas Aplicadas à Saúde. Departamento de Medicina. Universidade Federal de Rondônia. Porto Velho, RO, Brazil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Estudos de Biomoléculas Aplicadas à Saúde. Departamento de Medicina. Universidade Federal de Rondônia. Porto Velho, RO, Brazil.L-amino acid oxidases are enzymes found in several organisms, including venoms of snakes, where they contribute to the toxicity of ophidian envenomation. Their toxicity is primarily due to enzymatic activity, but other mechanisms have been proposed recently which require further investigation. L-amino acid oxidases exert biological and pharmacological effects, including actions on platelet aggregation and the induction of apoptosis, hemorrhage, and cytotoxicity. These proteins present a high biotechnological potential for the development of antimicrobial, antitumor, and antiprotozoan agents. This review provides an overview of the biochemical properties and pharmacological effects of snake venom L-amino acid oxidases, their structure/activity relationship, and supposed mechanisms of action described so far

Antitumoral Activity of Snake Venom Proteins: New Trends in Cancer Therapy

For more than half a century, cytotoxic agents have been investigated as a possible treatment for cancer. Research on animal venoms has revealed their high toxicity on tissues and cell cultures, both normal and tumoral. Snake venoms show the highest cytotoxic potential, since ophidian accidents cause a large amount of tissue damage, suggesting a promising utilization of these venoms or their components as antitumoral agents. Over the last few years, we have studied the effects of snake venoms and their isolated enzymes on tumor cell cultures. Some in vivo assays showed antineoplastic activity against induced tumors in mice. In human beings, both the crude venom and isolated enzymes revealed antitumor activities in preliminary assays, with measurable clinical responses in the advanced treatment phase. These enzymes include metalloproteases (MP), disintegrins, L-amino acid oxidases (LAAOs), C-type lectins, and phospholipases A2 (PLA2s). Their mechanisms of action include direct toxic action (PLA2s), free radical generation (LAAOs), apoptosis induction (PLA2s, MP, and LAAOs), and antiangiogenesis (disintegrins and lectins). Higher cytotoxic and cytostatic activities upon tumor cells than normal cells suggest the possibility for clinical applications. Further studies should be conducted to ensure the efficacy and safety of different snake venom compounds for cancer drug development