Augmented muscle vasodilatory responses in obese children with Glu27 beta(2)-adrenoceptor polymorphism

This study examined forearm vasodilatation during mental challenge and exercise in 72 obese children (OC; age = 10 +/- 0.1 years) homozygous with polymorphism in the allele 27 of the beta(2)-adrenoceptors: Gln27 (n = 61) and Glu27 (n = 11). Forearm blood flow was recorded during 3 min of each using the Stroop color-word test (MS) and handgrip isometric exercise. Baseline hemodynamic and vascular measurements were similar. During the MS, peak forearm vascular conductance was significantly greater in group Glu27 (Delta = 0.35 +/- 0.4 vs. 0.12 +/- 0.1 units, respectively, p = .042). Similar results were found during exercise (Delta = 0.64 +/- 0.1 vs. 0.13 +/- 0.1 units, respectively, p = .035). Glu27 OC increased muscle vasodilatory responsiveness upon the MS and exercise

Entre muros: os espaços dos condomínios residenciais fechados

The cities as they grow, has been closed between new walls, leading to worsening of issues the streets and occupation of urban space, the privatization of public spaces, the neighborhood relationship mandatory, the allusion of greater security and status. With this, the public spaces of the contemporary city are marked by selective appropriation and differentiated spaces that should be accessible to everyone. The gated alters the relationship between public and private from the privatization of public spaces. In the southern city of João Pessoa, only in the neighborhood of the Sun Portal, has today closed with seven condominiums, each with its large leisure areas. How cities can generate a variety of uses with an extension of breakaway walls for those who owe more purchasing power? The objective of this research is to analyze the areas of collective use of closed condominiums: Cabo Branco Residence Prive, Puerta del Sol and Orchid Grove, the morphology and sociospatial organization, noting planning rules, forms, uses and user behaviors . The methodology of this research is structured using as reference base: Lynch (1997), Kohlsdorf (2005) and Gehl (2006). Despite the formal and functional similarities visible in these collective spaces, there are fundamental differences in the spatial practices of its users. Know them in order to understand the dynamics and performance of these spaces and the social logic of segregation and production part of contemporary culture.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPESAs cidades à medida que crescem, tem se fechado entre novos muros, levando ao agravamento das questões relativas as ruas e ocupação do espaço urbano, a privatização de espaços públicos, a relação de vizinhança obrigatória, a alusão de uma maior segurança e status. Com isso, os espaços públicos da cidade contemporânea são marcados pela apropriação seletiva e diferenciada dos espaços que deveriam ser acessíveis a todos. O condomínio fechado altera a relação entre público e privado a partir da privatização de espaços públicos. Na zona sul da cidade de João Pessoa, somente no Bairro Portal do Sol, conta-se hoje com sete condomínios horizontais fechados, cada um com as suas grandes áreas de lazer. Como as cidades podem gerar uma diversidade de usos com uma extensão de muros separatistas para aquele que deve mais poder aquisitivo? O objetivo desta pesquisa é analisar as áreas de uso coletivo dos condomínios horizontais fechados: Cabo Branco Residence Prive, Porta do Sol e Bosque das Orquídeas, quanto à morfologia e organização socioespacial, observando as regras de planejamento, as formas, usos e comportamentos dos usuários. A metodologia desta pesquisa será estruturada utilizando como referência base: Lynch (1997), Kohlsdorf (2005) e Gehl (2006). Apesar das semelhanças formais e funcionais visíveis nestes espaços coletivos, existem diferenças fundamentais nas práticas espaciais dos seus usuários. Conhecê-las para poder compreender as dinâmicas e desempenho destes espaços bem como a lógica social de produção da segregação e parte da cultura contemporânea

Association between variants in ADIPOQ and adiponectina levels with metabolic features in obese children and adolescents

Adiponectina é um hormônio produzido e secretado em abundância pelo tecido adiposo, que regula o metabolismo melhorando a sensibilidade à insulina pela sua ação hepática e muscular. Diferentemente dos outros hormônios do tecido adiposo, seus níveis séricos diminuem à medida que aumenta a adiposidade e são inversamente correlacionados com a obesidade, resistência à insulina e síndrome metabólica. Variações no gene da adiponectina foram associadas a níveis de adiponectina, resistência à insulina e risco de diabetes. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar os níveis de adiponectina e as variantes no gene da adiponectina em crianças e adolescentes obesos e sem obesidade e correlacionar os achados às características antropométricas e metabólicas. Níveis de adiponectina sérica foram mais baixos em obesos e em indivíduos púberes. Em não obesos, os níveis de adiponectina a correlacionaram-se negativamente com a adiposidade, entretanto nos obesos, a resistência à insulina e o desenvolvimento puberal foram os fatores de diminuição dos níveis de adiponectina. Independentemente da adiposidade, da resistência à insulina e da puberdade, menores níveis de adiponectina (abaixo de 10g/mL) correlacionaram-se com maior risco de hipertrigliceridemia, baixo HDLC e síndrome metabólica. Na análise do gene da adiponectina foram identificados os SNPs -11391G>A (rs17300539), -11377C>G (rs822387) na região promotora, +45T>G (rs22411766) no exon 2, +349A>G (rs6773957) no intron 2, Y111H (rs17366743) e a mutação G90S no exon 3. O SNP-11391G>A estava em desequilíbrio de ligação de Hardy-Weinberg. As variantes Y111H e G90S estavam em forte desequilíbrio de ligação com SNP-11377C>G e G90S com SNP+45T>G. Foi observada associação do alelo G do SNP-11377 a maior adiposidade central e menores níveis séricos de glicose. Após construção dos haplótipos com os SNPs -11377C>G, +45T>G e +349A>G observou-se que a presença do alelo G do SNP-11377T>G associou-se a maior obesidade (GTA vs CTA) , enquanto que a presença dos alelos recessivos dos outros SNPs diminuiu essa associação (GTA vs GGG). Na presença do alelo G do SNP+349A>G (CTG vs CTA), foi observada maior freqüência de indivíduos hipertensos, entretanto a associação dos alelos recessivos dos SNPs -11377C>G e +45T>G (CTG vs GGG) diminuiu a freqüência de hipertensão. Os resultados do presente estudo demonstram que níveis de adiponectina diferem em crianças e adolescentes dependendo do grau de adiposidade e puberdade e que níveis mais baixos estão associados às alterações metabólicas de maior risco cardiovascular na obesidade. Variantes no gene da adiponectina podem estar em desequilíbrio de ligação com um SNP funcional ou um pool gênico responsável por maior risco de obesidade e desenvolvimento de alterações metabólicas relacionadas ao aumento da adiposidadeAdiponectin, present in high concentrations in blood circulation is produced in adipocytes. Adiponectin regulates insulin sensibility acting in liver and muscle. Plasma adiponectin decreases as adiposity increases and are inversely related to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. Variants in the adiponectin encoding gene have been associated with adiponectin levels, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to evaluate adiponectin levels, identify variants in the adiponectin gene and determine the relationship between adiponectin levels, genetic variances and anthropometric and metabolic features in obese and non-obese children and adolescents. We found lower adiponectin levels in obese and pubertal individuals. Adiponectin was inversely correlated to adiposity in non-obese. Instead, in obese youngsters, adiponectin levels were negatively associated to insulin resistance and pubertal state. Independent of adiposity, insulin resistance and pubertal stage, lower adiponectin levels (under 10g/mL) were related to lower HDLC, higher triglycerides and higher risk of having metabolic syndrome. We have identified 6 variants in adiponectin gene: SNPs -11391G>A (rs17300539), -11377C>G (rs822387) in promoter region, SNP+45T>G (rs22411766) in exon 2, SNP+349A>G (rs6773957) in intron 2 and SNP Y111H (rs17366743) and G90S mutation in exon 3. We found strong linkage disequilibrium between variant Y111H and -11377C>G SNP and between G90S mutation and -11377C>G and +45T>G SNPs. We detected an association between -11377C>G G allele and higher central adiposity and lower glucose levels. Haplotypes were constructed using the SNPs -11377C>G, +45T>G and +349A>G, and the results showed an association between -11377SNP G allele presence and higher adiposity (GTA vs CTA), whereas the presence of the recessive alleles of SNPs +45T>G and +349A>G was associated to a lower adiposity (GTA vs GGG). Hypertension was more frequent in the presence of +349A>G G allele (CTG vs CTA), whereas the presence of the recessive alleles of SNPs -11377 and +45T>G (CTG vs GGG) was not associated to hypertension. This study suggests that adiponectin levels, in Brazilian children and adolescents, depends on degree of adiposity and pubertal stage and that lower adiponectin concentrations are associated to altered metabolic features and higher cardiovascular risk. Variants in the adiponectin encoding gene can be in linkage disequilibrium with susceptibility regions responsible to higher risk of obesity and metabolic related feature

Carotenoids from Marine Microalgae as Antimelanoma Agents

Melanoma cells are highly invasive and metastatic tumor cells and commonly express molecular alterations that contribute to multidrug resistance (e.g., BRAFV600E mutation). Conventional treatment is not effective in a long term, requiring an exhaustive search for new alternatives. Recently, carotenoids from microalgae have been investigated as adjuvant in antimelanoma therapy due to their safety and acceptable clinical tolerability. Many of them are currently used as food supplements. In this review, we have compiled several studies that show microalgal carotenoids inhibit cell proliferation, cell migration and invasion, as well as induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in various melanoma cell lines. MAPK and NF-ĸB pathway, MMP and apoptotic factors are frequently affected after exposure to microalgal carotenoids. Fucoxanthin, astaxanthin and zeaxanthin are the main carotenoids investigated, in both in vitro and in vivo experimental models. Preclinical data indicate these compounds exhibit direct antimelanoma effect but are also capable of restoring melanoma cells sensitivity to conventional chemotherapy (e.g., vemurafenib and dacarbazine)

How to diagnose acute appendicitis: ultrasound first

International audienceAcute appendicitis (AA) is a common abdominal emergency with a lifetime prevalence of about 7 %. As the clinical diagnosis of AA remains a challenge to emergency physicians and surgeons, imaging modalities have gained major importance in the diagnostic work-up of patients with suspected AA in order to keep both the negative appendectomy rate and the perforation rate low. Introduced in 1986, graded-compression ultrasound (US) has well-established direct and indirect signs for diagnosing AA. In our opinion, US should be the first-line imaging modality, as graded-compression US has excellent specificity both in the paediatric and adult patient populations. As US sensitivity is limited, and non-diagnostic US examinations with non-visualization of the appendix are more a rule than an exception, diagnostic strategies and algorithms after non-diagnostic US should focus on clinical reassessment and complementary imaging with MRI/CT if indicated. Accordingly, both ionizing radiation to our patients and cost of pre-therapeutic diagnosis of AA will be low, with low negative appendectomy and perforation rates