RESUMO

Aging and neuronal deterioration constitute important risk factors for the development of neuronal-related diseases, such as different dementia. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has emerged as a popular model system for studying neurodegeneration diseases, due to its complete neuronal connectivity map. DiI is a red fluorescent dye that can fill the worm amphid neurons and enables the visualization of their neurodegeneration over time. This protocol provides an efficient, fast, and safe method to stain worm amphid neurons to highlight the chemosensory structures of live nematodes.

RESUMO

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the food consumption of pregnant women and the degree of industrial processing using the Energy-Adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index (E-DII). METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of 237 women in the immediate postpartum period, ages 19 to 43. Sociodemographic, anthropometric, and food consumption information related to the gestational period were collected. A semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to determine the contribution of each food processing category to the energetic consumption. Using the calculation of the E-DII score (divided into quartiles), 27 dietary parameters were considered. Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney, and χ2 tests, as well as ordinal multinomial logistic regression models, were used. RESULTS: The increase in E-DII score was associated with an increase in the consumption of ultra-processed foods (quartile 1: 10.42% [0.00%-44.63%] < quartile 4: 34.17% [2.72%-74.90%]; P < 0.001) and a reduction in the consumption of unprocessed and minimally processed foods (quartile 1: 64.59% [34.08%-88.32%] > quartile 4: 44.64% [16.15%-70.59%]; P < 0.001). In the final regression model, women classified in the fourth quartile (most proinflammatory) were more likely to have a higher consumption of ultra-processed (odds ratio: 1.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-1.20) and processed products (odds ratio: 1.07; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.13). There was no association with gestational, sociodemographic, and maternal nutritional status information. CONCLUSIONS: The increase in the consumption of foods with a higher degree of processing is associated with a more proinflammatory potential of the maternal diet.

Assuntos

Dieta , Fast Foods , Adulto , Estudos Transversais , Fast Foods/efeitos adversos , Feminino , Manipulação de Alimentos , Humanos , Fenômenos Fisiológicos da Nutrição Materna , Gravidez , Adulto Jovem

RESUMO

Most chronic modern non-transmissible diseases seem to begin as the result of low-grade inflammation extending over prolonged periods of time. The importance of diet as a source of many pro-inflammatory compounds that could create and sustain such a low-grade inflammatory state cannot be ignored, particularly since we are constantly exposed to them during the day. The focus of this review is on specific components of the diet associated with inflammation, specifically advanced glycation end products (AGEs) that form during thermal processing of food. AGEs are also generated in the body in normal physiology and are widely recognized as increased in diabetes, but many people are unaware of the potential importance of exogenous AGEs ingested in food. We review experimental models, epidemiologic data, and small clinical trials that suggest an important association between dietary intake of these compounds and development of an inflammatory and pro-oxidative state that is conducive to chronic diseases. We compare dietary intake of AGEs with other widely known dietary patterns, such as the Mediterranean and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diets, as well as the Dietary Inflammation Index (DII). Finally, we delineate in detail the pathophysiological mechanisms induced by dietary AGEs, both direct (i.e., non-receptor-mediated) and indirect (receptor-mediated).

Assuntos

Dieta/estatística & dados numéricos , Produtos Finais de Glicação Avançada/análise , Inflamação , Humanos , Inflamação/sangue , Inflamação/metabolismo

RESUMO

Basic emotions are universally recognized, although differences across cultures and between genders have been described. We report results in two emotion recognition tasks, in a sample of healthy adults from Chile. METHODS: 192 volunteers (mean 31.58 years, s.d. 8.36; 106 women) completed the Emotional Recognition Task, in which they were asked to identify a briefly displayed emotion, and the Emotional Intensity Morphing Task, in which they viewed faces with increasing or decreasing emotional intensity and indicated when they either detected or no longer detected the emotion. RESULTS: All emotions were recognized at above chance levels. The only sex differences present showed men performed better at identifying anger (p = .0485), and responded more slowly to fear (p = .0057), than women. DISCUSSION: These findings are consistent with some, though not all, prior literature on emotion perception. Crucially, we report data on emotional perception in a healthy adult Latino population for the first time, which contributes to emerging literature on cultural differences in affective processing.

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Las emociones básicas son reconocidas universalmente, aunque se han descrito diferencias entre culturas y géneros. Reportamos resultados en dos tareas de reconocimiento de emociones, en una muestra de adultos sanos de Chile. Métodos: 192 voluntarios (31.58 años, d.e. 8.36; 106 mujeres) completaron la Emotional Recognition Task, en la que se pidió identificar una emoción exhibida brevemente, y la Emotional Intensity Morphing Task, en la que vieron caras con aumento o disminución de la intensidad emocional e indicando cuando detectaron o dejaron de detectar la emoción. Resultados: Todas las emociones fueron reconocidas en niveles superiores al azar. Las únicas diferencias por género, estadísticamente significativas, se encontraron en los hombres, identificando mejor el enojo (p = .0485) y reaccionando más lentamente al miedo (p = .0057). Discusión: nuestro estudio, además de confirmar hallazgos previos y discrepar con otros, agrega datos previamente inexistentes sobre la percepción emocional en una población latina adulta saludable.

RESUMO

Bilateral eye enucleation at birth (BE) leads to an expansion of the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) in rat pups. Although increased growth of the somatosensory thalamo-cortical afferents (STCAs) in part explains S1 expansion, timing mechanisms governing S1 formation are also involved. In this work, we begin the search of a developmental clock by intending to document the existence of putative clock neurons in the somatosensory thalamus (VPM) and S1 based upon changes of spontaneous spike amplitude; a biophysical property sensitive to circadian regulation; the latter known to be shifted by enucleation. In addition, we also evaluated whether STCAs growth rate and segregation timing were modified, as parameters the clock might time. We found that spontaneous spike amplitude transiently, but significantly, increased or decreased in VPM and S1 neurons of BE rat pups, respectively, as compared to their control counterparts. The growth rate and segregation timing of STCAs was, however, unaffected by BE. These results support the existence of a developmental clock that ticks differently in the VPM and S1 after BE. This observation, together with the fact that STCAs growth rate and segregation timing is unchanged, suggests that S1 expansion in BE rats may in part be controlled at the cortical level.

RESUMO

ABSTRACT About 31 percent of deaths worldwide result from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Hyperlipidemia remains the major risk factor for this disease and therefore, it is necessary to identify antihyperlipidemic compounds for drug development. The crude ethanolic extract of Cryptolepis sanguinolenta (Lindl.) Schltr., Apocynaceae, has demonstrated antihyperlipidemic properties. However, the chemical constituents responsible for this action are unknown. Hence, to identify chemical constituent(s) of C. sanguinolenta with anti-hyperlipidemic effect, five indoloquinoline alkaloids were isolated and evaluated in 1,1′-dioctadecyl-3,3,3′,3′-tetramethyl-indocarbocyanine perchlorate labeled low density lipoprotein uptake assay using HepG2 cells. The minor alkaloid, isocryptolepine, showed strong activity in promoting low lipid lipoprotein uptake by 1.85-fold. Isocryptolepine may, therefore, serve as a lead compound for future studies in the development of novel antihyperlipidemic drugs.

RESUMO

Recent evidence suggests that a pro-inflammatory diet could be associated with prostate cancer (PC) risk. To evaluate the association between dietary inflammatory index (DII) and PC risk as well as aggressiveness, we conducted a case-control study in Mexico City. Cases were 394 individuals with incident, histologically confirmed PC, who were matched by age (±5 years) with 794 population controls. Dietary information was obtained through a semi-quantitative FFQ with a 3-year frame of reference before diagnosis, for cases, or interview, for controls. On the basis of twenty-eight food parameters, we estimated the energy-adjusted DII (E-DII). According to the Gleason score at diagnosis, PC cases were categorised as high (≥8), moderate (=7) and low (≤6) PC risk. Independent, unconditional logistic regression models adjusted for potential confounders were used to estimate PC risk and PC aggressiveness. There were no significant associations between overall PC risk and E-DII (OR3rd v. 1st tertile 1·18; 95 % CI 0·85, 1·63; P=0·33) or among men with high-risk PC (Gleason≥8) (OR 1·46; 95 % CI 0·88, 2·42; P=0·14). These results do not support the hypothesis that a pro-inflammatory diet is related to PC risk and PC aggressiveness. However, further studies with larger sample sizes, with sufficient statistical power and of varying designs should be conducted to address this hypothesis.

Assuntos

Dieta/efeitos adversos , Próstata/imunologia , Neoplasias da Próstata/etiologia , Saúde da População Urbana , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Estudos de Casos e Controles , Fatores de Confusão Epidemiológicos , Dieta/etnologia , Ingestão de Energia/etnologia , Humanos , Masculino , México/epidemiologia , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Gradação de Tumores , Próstata/patologia , Neoplasias da Próstata/epidemiologia , Neoplasias da Próstata/etnologia , Neoplasias da Próstata/imunologia , Fatores de Risco , Comportamento Sedentário/etnologia , Autorrelato , Saúde da População Urbana/etnologia

RESUMO

Study of polymorphism is of great importance for the pharmaceutical industry once polymorphs may display different physicochemical properties, which, in turn, may result in stability differences that can bring problems for the manufacturing stages and the quality of fnal products. Although research on organic polymorphs has greatly increased in the last decades, it still does not cover all needs for the pharmaceutical market. Techniques such as spectroscopy in the infrared region, nuclear magnetic resonance, thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, etc., can be used to identify polymorphism. The polymorphism is a property of the crystalline solid state, and can be evaluated by X-ray diffraction once each polymorph exhibits one specifc X-ray diffraction pattern. The JST-XRD program is a tool designed to help the identifcation of crystalline phases (including polymorphs) present in pharmaceutical ingredients and tablets by using X-ray diffraction data obtained from scientifc articles and patents. This paper presents new implementations for the JST-XRD and describes its use in the analysis of active pharmaceutical ingredient and marketed tablets of norfloxacin, mebendazole and atorvastatin calcium. By the means of comparison, JSTXRD allowed identifying the crystalline phases in the diffraction patterns of the analyzed drugs, showing the program suitability for polymorphism research, pre-formulation and quality control in pharmaceutical industries. JST-XRD can also be used for educational purposes in undergraduate and graduate programs in order to show the potentiality of X-ray powder diffraction in polymorphism analysis.(AU)

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O estudo do polimorfsmo é de grande importância na indústria farmacêutica porque os polimorfos podem apresentar diferentes propriedades físico-químicas, podendo resultar em diferenças na estabilidade e desse modo causar problemas nas etapas de manufatura e no produto fnal. Embora a pesquisa de moléculas orgânicas que apresentam polimorfsmo tenha aumentado bastante nas últimas décadas, ainda não contempla todas as necessidades do mercado farmacêutico. Para a identifcação de polimorfsmo podem ser utilizadas técnicas como espectroscopia na região do infravermelho, ressonância nuclear magnética, análise térmica (DSC), difração de raios X, etc. O polimorfsmo, por ser uma propriedade do estado sólido e cristalino, pode ser avaliado através da difração de raios X, já que cada polimorfo apresenta um padrão de difração de raios X único. O programa JST-XRD é uma ferramenta projetada para auxiliar a identifcação de fases cristalinas, incluindo polimorfos, presentes em insumos farmacêuticos e comprimidos, usando dados de difração de raios X obtidos em artigos científcos e patentes. Esse trabalho apresenta novas implementações no JST-XRD e descreve seu uso na análise de amostras de princípio ativo e comprimidos comerciais de norfloxacino, mebendazol e atorvastatina cálcica. Através das comparações realizadas, JSTXRD permitiu identifcar todas as fases cristalinas dos difratogramas dos fármacos analisados, mostrando que o programa é adequado para pesquisa em polimorfsmo; na pré-formulação e controle de qualidade em indústrias farmacêuticas, assim como para uso didático em cursos de graduação e pós-graduação a fm de mostrar as potencialidades da difração de raios X na análise de polimorfsmo.(AU)

Assuntos

Comprimidos/química , Difração de Raios X/métodos , Software , Cristalização/métodos , Insumos Farmacêuticos , Norfloxacino/química , Estudos de Avaliação como Assunto , Estabilidade de Medicamentos , Atorvastatina/química , Mebendazol/química

RESUMO

The medial nucleus of the amygdala (Me) is a component of the neural circuit for the interpretation of multimodal sensory stimuli and the elaboration of emotions and social behaviors in primates. We studied the presence, distribution, diverse shape, and connectivity of dendritic spines in the human Me of adult postmortem men. Data were obtained from the five types of multipolar neurons found in the Me using an adapted Golgi method and light microscopy, the carbocyanine DiI fluorescent dye and confocal microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Three-dimensional reconstruction of spines showed a continuum of shapes and sizes, with the spines either lying isolated or forming clusters. These dendritic spines were classified as stubby/wide, thin, mushroom-like, ramified or with an atypical morphology including intermediate shapes, double spines, and thorny excrescences. Pleomorphic spines were found from proximal to distal dendritic branches suggesting potential differences for synaptic processing, strength, and plasticity in the Me neurons. Furthermore, the human Me has large and thin spines with a gemmule appearance, spinules, and filopodium. The ultrastructural data showed dendritic spines forming monosynaptic or multisynaptic contacts at the spine head and neck, and with asymmetric or symmetric characteristics. Additional findings included en passant, reciprocal, and serial synapses in the Me. Complex long-necked thin spines were observed in this subcortical area. These new data reveal the diversity of the dendritic spines in the human Me likely involved with the integration and processing of local synaptic inputs and with functional implications in physiological and various neuropathological conditions.

Assuntos

Tonsila do Cerebelo/anatomia & histologia , Dendritos/ultraestrutura , Espinhas Dendríticas/ultraestrutura , Idoso , Axônios/ultraestrutura , Cadáver , Humanos , Masculino , Microscopia Confocal , Microscopia Eletrônica de Transmissão , Pessoa de Meia-Idade

RESUMO

La toxoplasmosis es una de las infecciones oportunistas más frecuentes en los pacientes infectados con el virus de inmunodeficiencia humana (VIH), mientras que, en los pacientes inmunocompetentes, la infección es sintomática sólo en 10% a 20% de los casos, generalmente con un comportamiento benigno y autolimitado. En la última década se han informado casos graves de compromiso visceral por toxoplasmosis aguda en pacientes inmunocompetentes. En este artículo se presenta un brote epidémico causado por Toxoplasma gondii en personal militar durante el desarrollo de operaciones de selva en el área general de La Macarena, Meta, Colombia. Los 18 casos reportados se confirmaron mediante inmunofluorescencia indirecta (IFI) de anticuerpos IgG anti-toxoplasma, al obtener títulos iguales o superiores a 1:1.024 (valor negativo inferior a 1:16). Los síntomas más importantes en estos pacientes fueron fiebre prolongada, adenopatías y compromiso pulmonar y gastrointestinal. Un paciente desarrolló compromiso miopericárdico grave. Todos los pacientes se recuperaron después de tratamiento con pirimetamina/sulfodaxina y clindamicina durante tres semanas. Una hipótesis para la presentación del brote epidémico es el consumo de agua contaminada con ooquistes y, probablemente, la seriedad del compromiso puede atribuirse a una cepa silvestre del parásito, tal como se ha descrito en otros casos reportados en la literatura, aunque en nuestro caso en particular, no se pudo realizar el aislamiento y tipificación de las cepas involucradas.

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Toxoplasmosis is a common opportunistic infection in patients infected with HIV/AIDS while in immunocompetent patients this infection causes symptoms only in 10% to 20% of the cases, generally with a benign and autoresolutive course. In the last decade some severe cases with visceral involvement has been reported in immunocompetent patients, though they were isolated or recovered during years. We present the first Colombian report of an epidemic outbreak caused by Toxoplasma gondii in military personnel deployed to rural areas located at La Macarena, Meta, Colombia. All 18 cases were confirmed by IgG indirect immunofluorescence (IFI) with titers higher than 1:1,024 (normal range: 1:16). Their main symptoms were fever, adenopathies and pulmonary and gastrointestinal compromise. One patient developed severe myocardial compromise. All the patients recovered after treatment with pyrimetamine/sulfadoxine and clyndamicin for 3 weeks. A possible hypothesis for this outbreak was the consumption of contaminated water with oocysts, and probably the severity of the compromise could be elicited by a “wild” strain of the parasite as it is reported in the literature. Unfortunately, it was impossible to isolate and identify the specific strain.

Assuntos

Humanos , Militares , Toxoplasmose , Colômbia