Plasma cytokine response, lipid peroxidation and NF-kB activation in skeletal muscle following maximum progressive swimming

Our objective was to determine lipid peroxidation and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation in skeletal muscle and the plasma cytokine profile following maximum progressive swimming. Adult male Swiss mice (N = 15) adapted to the aquatic environment were randomly divided into three groups: immediately after exercise (EX1), 3 h after exercise (EX2) and control. Animals from the exercising groups swam until exhaustion, with an initial workload of 2 percent of body mass attached to the tail. Control mice did not perform any exercise but were kept immersed in water for 20 min. Maximum swimming led to reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in skeletal muscle, as indicated by increased thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) levels (4062.67 ± 1487.10 vs 19,072.48 ± 8738.16 nmol malondialdehyde (MDA)/mg protein, control vs EX1). Exercise also promoted NF-κB activation in soleus muscle. Cytokine secretion following exercise was marked by increased plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels 3 h post-exercise (P < 0.05). Interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels were reduced following exercise and remained reduced 3 h post-exercise (P < 0.05). Plasma levels of other cytokines investigated, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and interleukin-12 (IL-12), were not altered by exercise. The present findings showed that maximum swimming, as well as other exercise models, led to lipid peroxidation and NF-κB activation in skeletal muscle and increased plasma IL-6 levels. The plasma cytokine response was also marked by reduced IL-10 levels. These results were attributed to exercise type and intensity.

Aspectos clínicos e hemodinâmicos das lesöes coronárias näo-obstrutivas: estudo retrospectivo comparativo / Clinical and henodynamic aspects of non-obstructive javascript:void(0);coronary lesions: a comparative retrospective study

PURPOSE--To study the clinical and hemodynamic aspects of a group of patient presenting non-obstructive coronary lesions. METHODS--We reviewed 963 coronary angiographies performed at a same institution. The 52 patients presenting only stenosis < or = 50 per cent after semi-quantitative measurement composed group I, which was compared with two other groups consisted of 52 patients each: one, with patients presenting univascular lesion > 50 per cent (group II) and the other with normal coronary arteriographies (group III). RESULTS--Mean age was similar in groups I and II (49.4 +/- 6.89 and 51.3 +/- 7.86, p > 0.05) and significantly higher than that of group III (44.8 +/- 6.81, p < 0.05). Risk factors did not discriminate group I (GI) from groups II (GII) and III (GIII). During a follow-up period of 63 months, the number of hospital admissions due to cardiac events and repetitions of coronary arteriography were similar in GI and GII, being significantly less frequent in GIII (p < 0.00001 and 0.001; p < 0.01 and 0.05, respectively). By the end of the follow-up period, though angina and heart failure functional classes had been similar in the three groups, patients in groups I and II were using more medications than those in group III (p < 0.0001 and 0.00001). Mean ejection fractions (per cent) were lower in GI and GII (67.04 +/- 10.13 and 68.90 +/- 11.32) than in GIII (74.69 +/- 6.40, p < 0.01). Lesions were predominantly proximal in GI when compared with GII (p < 0.05). Length, simmetry, ulceration, thrombus and proximal shoulder showed no difference between GI and GII. CONCLUSION--Patients with non-obstructive coronary lesions were similar to those with univascular lesion > 50 per cent regarding several aspects and were considerably different from those with normal coronary arteries

Leishmaniasis tegumentaria americana en el distrito Urdaneta, Venezuela. / American cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Urdaneta district, Venezuela

Se realizo un estudio clinico, parasitologico, epidemiologico y ecologico, a la vez que se adoptaron medidas de lucha, en un foco endemico con 50 casos de leishmaniasis tegumentaria distribuidos en 13 caserios situados entre 90 y 180 m sobre el nivel del mar, al oriente del distrito Urdaneta, Estado Lara, Venezuela. Entre las variedades clinicas, se encontraron la auricular, semejante a la ulcera de los chicleros, en tres pacientes (6%); clasica ulcerosa en 42 pacientes (84%); piodermoide en cuatro pacientes (8%) y cromomicoide en un paciente (2%). Ademas de los casos en el hombre, tambien se hallo la enfermedad en 17 asnos y un perro. El agente causal se ha identificado como miembro del complejo de la Leishmania brasiliensis, y se esperan nuevos estudios para su total caracterizacion. En relacion con este foco se han identificado las siguientes especies de flebotomos antropofilos: Lutzomyia evansi, L.gomeziy Ps. panamensis