Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research最新文献

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has stood out as a treatment for obesity, leading to adaptations of the cardiovascular system and reducing body adiposity. In addition, the search for alternative therapies for weight loss has intensified. The administration of Hibiscus sabdariffa (Hs) has been described as an efficient supplement in weight loss and in the treatment of metabolic changes associated with obesity. In this context, the objective was to investigate the effects of the association of Hs and HIIT on metabolic adaptations and lipid metabolism in obese rats. Wistars rats were subjected to obesity and subsequently randomized into 4 groups: obese (Ob), obese + HS (ObHs), obese + HIIT (ObHIIT), and obese + HS + HIIT (ObHsHIIT). For 8 weeks, ObHs and ObHsHIIT rats received Hs extract daily (150 mg/kg of body weight) and trained groups (ObHIIT and ObHsHIIT) were subjected to a HIIT program on a treadmill. Nutritional profile, glycemic curve, biochemical profile, and liver glycogen were determined. HIIT decreased caloric intake, feed efficiency, body adiposity, total body fat, and body weight gain, associated with improvements in physical performance parameters and a smaller glycemic curve and area. Hs had a hepatoprotective effect, reducing alkaline phosphatase values, but its effects were more pronounced when associated with HIIT. Therefore, the combination of treatments promoted a reduction in food consumption and body adiposity, as well as an improvement in physical performance and glycemic profile, but without changes in lipid metabolism.

SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus that infects the respiratory tract and was the causing agent of COVID-19, declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. Several studies have been carried out to understand the pathophysiology of the disease, immune reactions, and risk factors that could aggravate the condition and predict the prognosis of patients. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the most prevalent laboratory data of hospitalized patients associated with discharge or death. A survey was conducted utilizing the medical records of COVID-19 cases in patients treated in the intensive care unit of the Guilherme Álvaro Hospital in the seaside city of Santos, Brazil. We correlated the most important variables reported in the literature to provide a global comparison of the population affected by the virus in the Santos lowlands.

Epithelial cancers, such as epidermoid cancer and some adenocarcinomas, affect surface areas that are generally more accessible to various treatments. However, this group of tumor cells has an aggressive behavior, leading to a high annual mortality rate. The development of a biomaterial that is non-invasive, can kill tumor cells, and prevent opportunistic infections is the basis for the treatment for this type of cancer. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop a biomaterial from chitosan and A. oleracea extracts that exhibits cytotoxic action against the HEp-2 tumor cell line. Dried crude 90% ethanol extracts were obtained through ultrasound-assisted maceration, followed by liquid-liquid extraction to yield the butanol fraction. From these extracts, chitosan membranes were developed and evaluated for their antitumor activity against HEp-2 using viability tests with crystal violet and MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay, in addition to a wound healing test. The cytotoxic assays indicated a significant reduction in cell density and mitochondrial activity, especially at the concentration of 1000 µg/mL of crude extract. The butanol fraction had minimal effects on mitochondrial activity. The wound healing test demonstrated that the biomaterial and extract prevented closure of the wound created in the cell monolayer within 48 h of incubation and caused changes in cell morphology. In view of this, we concluded that a chitosan membrane associated with a 90% ethanol extract of Acmella oleracea exhibited cytotoxic activity is a potential alternative treatment for superficial cancers.

Liver cancer is a malignant tumor found worldwide. mRNA turnover 4 homolog (MRTO4) is highly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues, and we explored its relationship with HCC. All cancer data were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), the Cancer Immune Atlas (TCIA), and the Human Protein Atlas (THPA). Stromal scores, immune scores, and ESTIMATE scores were calculated by "ESTIMATE" R package. Single sample gene set enrichment analysis and CIBERSORT were used to evaluate the immune status and infiltration of cancer tissues. pRRophetic R package was used to predict the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of different drugs in each sample. MRTO4 overexpression was associated with poor prognosis in HCC, and positively correlated with the stage and grade of HCC patients. The average immunophenoscore (IPS) of the low MRTO4 group was significantly higher than that of the high MRTO4 group. Tumor microenvironment (TME) scores were significantly higher in the low MRTO4 group than in the high MRTO4 group in HCC. MRTO4 expression was positively correlated with tumor mutation burden (TMB) and was positively correlated with most immune checkpoint gene expressions in HCC. Drug sensitivity analysis showed significantly higher IC50 values for 5-fluorouracil, gemcitabine, and sorafenib in patients with low MRTO4 expression than in those with high MRTO4 expression. MRTO4 acts as an independent prognostic and immunological biomarker and is correlated with clinical stage, tumor grade, and drug sensitivity in HCC. It may serve as a putative therapeutic target and potential biomarker for prognosis of HCC.

Cognitive disorders and dementia largely influence individual independence and orientation. Based on the Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI) estimation, approximately 75% of individuals with dementia are undiagnosed. In fact, in some low- and middle-income countries, the percentage is as high as 90%. In this systematic review, which is based on PRISMA guidelines, we aim to identify the mechanism of action of proanthocyanidin. Finding a natural product alternative as a potential nootropic can help increase the number of armamentariums against dementia and other cognitive impairments. In this preclinical research, we determined the effect of proanthocyanidins on Alzheimer's disease (AD) by searching electronic bibliographic databases like Scopus, Proquest, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Google. There was no imposed time limit. However, the search was limited to only English articles. The review protocol is registered on PROSPERO as CRD42022356301. A population, intervention, control, and outcomes (PICO) technique was utilized for report inclusion, and all reports were assessed for risk of bias by using the SYRCLE's RoB tool. The article's bibliographic information, induction model, type of proanthocyanidins, animal strain/weight/age, and outcome measurements were acquired from ten papers and are reported here. Further analysis was validated and determined for the review. The included studies met the review's inclusion criteria and suggested that proanthocyanidins have a neurocognitive effect against AD. Additionally, the effectiveness of proanthocyanidins in reducing oxidative stress, acetylcholinesterase activity, amyloid beta, its efficacy in alleviating superoxide dismutase, cognitive properties, and in facilitating cholinergic transmission in various models of AD has been collectively observed in ten studies.

Nuclear factor erythroid 2 (NF-E2)-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a key transcription factor in the antioxidant response and is associated with various chronic diseases. The aim of this study was to explore the action of esculetin, a natural dihydroxy coumarin, on attenuating middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and reperfusion, and whether its effect is dependent on Nrf2 activation, as well as nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) inhibition. Two doses of esculetin (20 and 40 mg/kg) were tested on rats with MCAO reperfusion. Neurological deficiency, oxidative stress, and pathological analyses were performed to evaluate its effect. An in vitro analysis was also used to confirm whether its action was dependent on the Nrf2/HO-1/NQO-1 pathway. Compared with MCAO reperfusion rats, esculetin improved infarct volume and increased normal-shaped neuron cells by decreasing tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-1β levels. The oxidative stress parameter malondialdehyde (MDA) decreased and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione/glutathione disulfide (GSH/GSSG) ratio increased after esculetin treatment. Moreover, esculetin inhibited NF-κB activation induced by MCAO. In vitro, hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) impaired the viability of rat neuron cells and esculetin showed a neuron protection effect on cells. Nrf2 inhibitor Brusatol inhibited the activation of Nrf2, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO-1) caused by esculetin and abolished its protection effect. Esculetin protected cerebral neurons from ischemia-reperfusion injury by inhibiting NF-κB and Nrf2/HO-1/NQO-1 activation.

The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of whole-body vibration (WBV) on bone mineral density (BMD), pain levels, and body composition in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis (PMOP). Relevant studies were retrieved from the PubMed, EMBASE, Web of science, CENTRAL, and PEDro databases. Thirteen randomized controlled trials with 783 patients were enrolled. The meta-analysis results showed that WBV can significantly increase lumbar spine BMD (WMD=0.018; 95%CI: 0.004 to 0.032; P=0.011), femoral neck BMD (WMD=0.005, 95%CI: 0.001 to 0.011, P=0.0493), and reduce pain degree (WMD=-0.786; 95%CI: -1.300 to -0.272; P=0.0027) in PMOP, but has no significant effect on patients' muscle mass (WMD=0.547; 95%CI: -1.104 to 2.199; P=0.5158) as well as fat mass (WMD=0.530; 95%CI: -2.389 to 3.448; P=0.7222). To conclude, WBV showed the potential to provide positive benefits in improving BMD and relieving pain of PMOP.

The goal of this study was to digitally evaluate the development of maxillary dental arches of children with unilateral cleft lip and palate treated with one- and two-stage palatal closure. One hundred and sixty-eight digitized dental models of cheiloplasty and one-stage palatoplasty (G1) and cheiloplasty and two-stage palatoplasty (G2) were evaluated at preoperative time 1 (T1), preoperative time 2 (T2), and postoperative (T3). The following surface distances were evaluated: across surface distance; cleft widths anterior (P-P') and posterior (U-U') cleft widths, intercanine width (C-C'), and intertuberosity width (T-T'); smallest (P'-T') and largest (P-T) segment lengths; and smallest (C'-D') and largest (C-D) segment cleft depths. In G1, P-P', U-U', and C-C' reduced at T2, unlike P'-T' (P<0.05). P-T and C'-D' distances increased at T3 (P<0.05), while C-D increased at all stages (P<0.001). In G2, U-U' and C-C' reduced at T2 (P<0.05), while P'-T', P-T, C'-D', and C-D' increased at T3 (P<0.001). In an intergroup analysis of growth rate, G2 showed higher growth percentages compared to G1, in which C'-D' was significant (P=0.038). Furthermore, C'-D' presented a coefficient of determination of 0.076 (P=0.039). In conclusion, dental arch development is influenced by the rehabilitation protocol. However, in the sample evaluated, the comparison suggested that individuals whose palate was operated on in two stages had the most favorable palatal growth.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is a revolutionary immunotherapeutic strategy that has shown efficacy in hematological malignancies. However, its application in solid tumors, particularly gastrointestinal cancers, faces significant challenges. These include the selection of target antigens, the complexity of the tumor microenvironment, and safety and toxicity concerns. This review provides a current overview of CAR-T therapy in various gastrointestinal cancers, such as esophageal, gastric, colorectal, pancreatic, and liver cancers. It discusses the limitations and future directions of CAR-T therapy in this context. This review highlights innovative strategies, including novel target antigens, multispecific CAR-T cells, armored CAR-T cells, and the development of universal CAR-T cells. These insights aim to inform ongoing research and foster advancements in CAR-T therapy for gastrointestinal cancers.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) continues to be a leading cause of death globally, with distinct immune cell dynamics in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) playing a critical role in disease progression and patient outcomes. Sample data for STEMI and NSTEMI were downloaded from the Sequence Read Archive (SRA) database (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sra). Differences and correlations of immune infiltrating cells were assessed by CIBERSORT. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between STEMI and NSTEMI, followed by functional analysis. Immune-related DEGs were further identified. Some immune-related DEGs were selected to perform expression verification using real-time PCR. There was a significant difference in immune cells between STEMI and NSTEMI, including activated dendritic cells, memory CD4 T cells, mast cells, and CD8 T cells. A total of 229 DEGs were identified, with functions related to inflammatory regulation and drug metabolism. A total of 21 immune-related DEGs, which may play important roles in STEMI and NSTEMI, were identified. Among the 21 immune-related DEGs, genes like CCL18, NRP2, CXCR2, CXCL9, KIR2DL4, BPIFB1, and IL33 were significantly correlated with immune cells and had a tendency for differential expression between STEMI and NSTEMI patients. Our study reveals differences in the distribution of immune cell subsets between STEMI and NSTEMI, highlighting key immune-related genes and their association with immune cells, which may provide new insights into the treatment of AMI.