Are elevated plasma fibrinogen associated with lung function? An 8-year follow-up of the ELSA study

BACKGROUND: Fibrinogen is an important biomarker of inflammation, but findings from longitudinal studies that correlated fibrinogen with lung function in older adults are inconsistent. AIM: To investigate the relationship between fibrinogen plasma levels and lung function impairment later in life. METHODS: Longitudinal analysis of 2,150 participants of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) aged 50 years and older. Associations between changes in plasma fibrinogen between waves 2 (2004-05) and 4 (2008-09) and lung function in wave 6 (2012-13) were performed using multiple linear regression adjusted by potential confounders. RESULTS: Regarding the fibrinogen profile, 18.5% of the participants presented higher levels in both waves. In the adjusted models, the maintenance of high fibrinogen levels was associated with a significant reduction of lung function only for men. FEV1 showed a reduction of 0.17L, FVC of 0.22L, and the percentages predicted were 5.16% for FEV1 and 6.21% for FVC compared to those that maintained normal levels of fibrinogen. DISCUSSION: To the best of our knowledge, this was the first study investigating the relationship between changes in fibrinogen levels over a long follow-up period and lung function in older adults without pre-existing chronic diseases. ELSA has information on critical demographic and clinical parameters, which allowed to adjust for potential confounding factors. CONCLUSION: It was found that the persistence of high levels of plasma fibrinogen in older English men, but not women, is associated with lung function decline. Therefore, plasma fibrinogen showed to be an important biomarker of pulmonary dysfunction in this population

Avaliação do acesso em mamografias no Brasil e indicadores socioeconômicos: um estudo espacial

Resumo OBJETIVO Avaliar a correlação entre a cobertura do exame mamografia em mulheres de 50 a 69 anos e os indicadores socioeconômicos Índice de Desenvolvimento Humano (IDH) e Índice de Gini. MÉTODOS Estudo epidemiológico, retrospectivo e ecológico realizado no Brasil com dados secundários. A amostra é composta por 5565 municípios do Brasil. Como variável dependente: a Razão de exames de mamografia de rastreamento realizados em mulheres de 50 a 69 anos, de 2008 a 2015, e como variáveis independentes: o Índice de desenvolvimento humano (IDH) e Índice de Gini. Foi realizada a análise descritiva, análise espacial univariada e bivariada. RESULTADOS Norte, Nordeste e Centro-Oeste são regiões que se mostram mais propícias para o câncer de mama, devido ao baixo acesso para mamografias. CONCLUSÃO O IDH e o índice de Gini, determinantes de desigualdades, influenciam diretamente na cobertura de exames de mamografia no Brasil, destacando a importância de avaliação das políticas públicas

Chemical constituents of Simarouba versicolor

From the roots, stems and fruits of Simarouba versicolor (Simaroubaceae) were isolated quassinoids (3, 5-7), triterpenoids (8-14), a mixture of steroids (15-17), the flavonoid kaempferol (18) and the squalene derivative 11,14-diacetoxy-7,10; 15,18-diepoxy-6,19-dihidroxy-6,7,10,11,14,15,18,19-octahydrosqualene (19). Spectral data were used for structural characterization.<br>Das raízes, galhos e frutos de Simarouba versicolor foram isolados quassinóides (3, 5-7), triterpenóides (8-14), uma mistura de esteróides (15-17), o flavonóide canferol (18) e o derivado esqualênico 11,14-diacetoxi-7,10;15,18-diepóxi-6,19-diidroxi-6, 7, 10.11, 14, 15, 18, 19-octaidroesqualeno (19). Dados espectrais foram usados para caracterização estrutural