A Brazilian regional basic diet-induced chronic malnutrition drives liver inflammation with higher ApoA-I activity in C57BL6J mice

Malnutrition is still considered endemic in many developing countries. Malnutrition-enteric infections may cause lasting deleterious effects on lipid metabolism, especially in children living in poor settings. The regional basic diet (RBD), produced to mimic the Brazilian northeastern dietary characteristics (rich in carbohydrate and low in protein) has been used in experimental malnutrition models, but few studies have explored the effect of chronic RBD on liver function, a central organ involved in cholesterol metabolism. This study aimed to investigate whether RBD leads to liver inflammatory changes and altered reverse cholesterol metabolism in C57BL6/J mice compared to the control group, receiving a standard chow diet. To evaluate liver inflammation, ionized calcium-binding adapter protein-1 (IBA-1) positive cell counting, interleukin (IL)-1β immunohistochemistry, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and IL-10 transcription levels were analyzed. In addition, we assessed reverse cholesterol transport by measuring liver apolipoprotein (Apo)E, ApoA-I, and lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) by RT-PCR. Furthermore, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was measured to assess liver function. RBD markedly impaired body weight gain compared with the control group (P<0.05). Higher hepatic TNF-α (P<0.0001) and IL-10 (P=0.001) mRNA levels were found in RBD-challenged mice, although without detectable non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Marked IBA-1 immunolabeling and increased number of positive-IBA-1 cells were found in the undernourished group. No statistical difference in serum ALT was found. There was also a significant increase in ApoA mRNA expression in the undernourished group, but not ApoE and LCAT, compared with the control. Altogether our findings suggested that chronic RBD-induced malnutrition leads to liver inflammation with increased ApoA-I activity.

Evaluation of apoptosis as a mechanism of follicular cell atresia in the ovaries of cattle (bos indicus) and buffalo (bubalus bubalis) fetuses

The objective of this study was to investigate the occurrence of apoptosis in the ovaries of cattle and buffalo fetuses between 4 and 8 months old by the terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase - mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay . Histological analysis of the ovarian t issue showed that apoptosis occurred at all ages evaluated , presenting a similar pattern among different fetal stages in both species . Within species, secondary follicles displayed a higher (P 0.05) of apoptotic follicular cells among the three follicular classes compared . C omparing resul ts between species, secondary follicles had a higher (P < 0.05) mean number of TUN EL positive cells in bovine fetuses; however , this difference was proportional to the larger number of follicular cells present in secondary follicles in this species . In summary, the TUNEL method was effective for the detection of apoptosis in the support ing cells of ovarian follicles from bovine and buffalo fetuses with apoptosis occurring at similar rates in both species between 4 and 8 months of gestational age. Further studies are needed to better understand the dynamics of apoptosis as a regulator of follicular atresia in fetal ovaries from these species, as well as the potential involvement of the oocyte in this process.

Disgerminoma do ovario - Analise de 19 casos. / Dysgerminoma of the ovary - Analysis of 19 cases

Sao analisados 19 casos de disgerminoma, tratados de 1953 a 1976, no Departamento de Ginecologia do Instituto Centrol do Hospital A.C. Camargo da Fundacao Antonio Prudente. Destes, 16 foram tratados previamente em outra instituicao. As pacientes apresentaram-se, em 58% dos casos, na segunda e terceira decadas de vida, notando-se nitidamente tratar-se de patologia que acomete pacientes jovens. Isto e facilmente aceito por ser o disgerminoma um tumor de celulas germinativas, que estariam em fase de maiores modificacoes durante estas decadas. Os sintomas predominantes foram tumor e dor abdominal; nao ha queixas com substrato endocrino por ser o disgerminoma um tumor destituido desse tipo de atividade. Na nossa casuistica, os casos encontravam-se assim distribuidos: estadio clinico I - nove casos; estadio clinico II - tres; estadio clinico III - seis; e estadio clinico IV - um caso. Nos achados cirurgicos, 9 eram unitalerais e 10 bilaterais. O tratamento cirurgico foi aplicado em todos, sendo que 16 foram completados pela radioterapia. Quando a paciente chegou virgem de tratamento, a terapeutica cirurgica adequada foi, sem duvida, a anexectomia unilateral nos casos iniciais e a panhisterectomia nos demais. A radioterapia deve ser sempre o tratamento complementar. A sobrevida observada foi de 47% aos cinco anos e 37% aos 10

Androblastoma do ovario. / Androblastoma of the ovary

Relatam os autores um caso de androblastoma funcionante do ovario direito, do tipo sarcomatoide e benigno, em paciente de 19 anos que apresentava amenorreia, esterilidade e sinais de masculinizaçäo. Os 17 cetosteroides aumentados confirmaram o quadro hiperandrogenico.Apos a extirpaçäo do tumor ovariano houve queda dos niveis hormonais e retorno dos ciclos ovulatorios normais, o que permitiu duas gestaçöes subsequentes. Acreditam ser o 23o caso da literatura brasileira