Beneficial effects of exercise training (treadmill) on insulin resistance and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in high-fat fed C57BL/6 mice

C57BL/6 mice develop signs and symptoms comparable, in part, to the human metabolic syndrome. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of exercise training on carbohydrate metabolism, lipid profile, visceral adiposity, pancreatic islet alterations, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in C57BL/6 mice. Animals were fed one of two diets during an 8-week period: standard (SC, N = 12) or very high-fat (HF, N = 24) chow. An exercise training protocol (treadmill) was then established and mice were divided into SC and HF sedentary (SC-Sed, HF-Sed), exercised groups (SC-Ex, HF-Ex), or switched from HF to SC (HF/SC-Sed and HF/SC-Ex). HF/HF-Sed mice had the greatest body mass (65 percent more than SC/SC-Sed; P < 0.0001), and exercise reduced it by 23 percent (P < 0.0001). Hepatic enzymes ALP (+80 percent), ALT (+100 percent) and AST (+70 percent) were higher in HF/HF mice than in matched SC/SC. Plasma insulin was higher in both the HF/HF-Sed and HF/SC-Sed groups than in the matched exercised groups (+85 percent; P < 0.001). Pancreatic islets, adipocytes and liver structure were greatly affected by HF, ultimately resulting in islet â-cell hypertrophy and severe liver steatosis. The HF group had larger islets than the SC/SC group (+220 percent; P < 0.0001), and exercise significantly reduced liver steatosis and islet size in HF. Exercise attenuated all the changes due to HF, and the effects were more pronounced in exercised mice switched from an HF to an SC diet. Exercise improved the lipid profile by reducing body weight gain, visceral adiposity, insulin resistance, islet alterations, and fatty liver, contributing to obesity and steatohepatitis control.

Impairment of cytomegalovirus-specific cellular immune response as a risk factor for cytomegalovirus disease in transplant recipients: [review]

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is common in most people but nearly asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals. After primary infection the virus persists throughout life in a latent form in a variety of tissues, particularly in precursor cells of the monocytic lineage. CMV reinfection and occurrence of disease are associated with immunosuppressive conditions. Solid organ and bone marrow transplant patients are at high risk for CMV disease as they undergo immunosuppression. Antiviral treatment is effective in controlling viremia, but 10-15 percent of infected patients can experience CMV disease by the time the drug is withdrawn. In addition, long-term antiviral treatment leads to bone marrow ablation and renal toxicity. Furthermore, control of chronic CMV infection in transplant recipients appears to be dependent on the proper recovery of cellular immunity. Recent advances in the characterization of T-cell functions and identification of distinct functional signatures of T-cell viral responses have opened new perspectives for monitoring transplant individuals at risk of developing CMV disease.

Efeito da palpaçäo retal e da freqüência de inseminaçöes na fertilidade de éguas inseminadas com sêmen fresco diluído / Effect of rectal palpation and frequency of inseminations on fertility of inseminated mares with fresh diluted semen

Estudaram-se os efeitos da palpaçäo retal e da freqüência de inseminaçöes sobre a fertilidade de 42 éguas inseminadas, ou em dias alternados, com sêmen de apenas um garanhäo, diluído no diluidor de mínima contaminaçäo. Utilizou-se um delineamento inteiramente casualizado com número igual de repetiçöes, em um esquema fatorial 3 x 2, com três freqüências de palpaçäo retal (6/6 h, 12/12 e uma vez ao dia). E duas de inseminaçäo (diárias ou em dias alternados). Sistema de palpaçäo retal näo afetou as taxas de concepçäo ao primeiro ciclo, concepçäo/cio e concepçäo total, nem a eficiência de prenhez obtida, independentemente de freqüência de inseminaçäo utilizada. Näo se observou influência da freqüência de palpaçäo sobre as seguintes características: ciclos/égua, ciclos/éguas gestante, ciclos/prenhez, prenhez/ciclo, número de IA/égua, número de IA/égua gestante e número de IA/égua vazia. A freqüência de inseminaçöes näo afetou as taxas de concepçäo ao primeiro ciclo, concepçäo/ciclo, concepçäo total, nem a eficiência de prenhez. O número de IA/égua, número de IA/égua gestante e número de IA/égua vazia diferiram em relaçäo à freqüência de inseminaçöes, com os maiores valores observados no grupo de éguas inseminadas diariamente. Recomenda-se a utilizaçäo de inseminaçöes em dias alternados. Palpaçöes retais a cada 6 horas podem ser realizadas sem deprimir a fertilidade

Behavioral and pharmacological validation of the elevated plus maze contructed with transparent walls

In this study we compared the performance of male Wistar rats, weighing 250-300g, submitted to the standard plus maze (vertical surfaces of the closed arms with opaque walls) to their performance in a modified maze with raised Plexiglas edges in the closed arms (transparent walls). The animals (N = 12 for each group) continued to show a clear preference for the closed arms with transparent walls of the modified elevated plus maze. In addition, exploratory activity was higher in the open arms of the modified plus maze (4.25 ñ 0.42 entries and 53.50 ñ 5.10s) as compared to that of the standard plus maze (2.10 ñ 0.25 entries and 24.00 ñ 4.91 s). Intraperitoneal injection of midazolam produced an increase in the number of entries (6.40 ñ 1.21 and 8.50 ñ 1.15 for 1.0 and 2.0 mg/Kg, rspectively) and in the time spent in the open arms (85.32 ñ 14.56 and 125.50 ñ 22.16 s for 1.0 and 2.0 mg/Kg, respectively) while pentylenetetrazole caused a decrease in the number of entries (3.68 ñ 0.54 and 2.33 ñ 0.62 for 5.0 and 10 mg/Kg, respectively) and in the time spent in the open arms of the modified maze (39.60 ñ 6.67 and 23.60 ñ 6.40 s for 5.0 and 10 mg/Kg, respectively). The anxiolytic effect of midazolam and the anxiogenic effect of pentylenetetrazole were similar to those usually reported in the literature by authors using the standard test. The4se results behaviorally and pharmacologically validate the elevated plus maze with transparebnt walls and suggest that this test could be a useful tool for the study of anxiolytic drugs and the neurobiology of anxiety

Analysis of mutagenicity of waters under the influence of Petrochemical Industrial Complexes by the Ames test (Salmonella microsome)

Water samples within the area of the II Petrochemical Industrial Complex (pluvial draining accumulation, safety basins and industrial effluent) and at different points along the Caí river were tested for the presence of mutagens and/or carcinogens using the Ames test. Positive results were obtained for the TA 100 an TA 98 strains with or without microsomal activation in samples within the area of the Petrochemical Industrial Complex and at the Caí river sampling sites closest to the industrial complex. These results suggest the presence of mutagens causing frameshift and base-pair substitution mutations, indicating the need for continuous monitoring of the area of influence of the III Petrochemical Industrial Complexo to evaluate the full environmental impact of this industrial complex

Estudo hemodinamico em individuos chagasicos sem cardiopatia aparente. / Hemodynamic study in subjects with Chagas' disease without apparent heart disease

Os autores realizam estudo hemodinamico em 40 individuos chagasicos, con eletrocardiogramas e radiografias do coracao normais, idade variando entre 16 e 51 (media 32,8 anos), sendo 24 homens. Foram excluidas cardiopatias associadas de outras etiologias. A investigacao hemodinamica constou de cinecoronariografia e cateterismo esquerdos. As coronarias nao apresentavam obstrucao ateroscleroticas. Em 19 casos, a hemodinamica mostrou-se normal.Em 21 enfermos, foram verificados discretos aumentos da pd2, hipocinesias discretas e localizadas e lesoes da ponta do ventriculo esquerdo. Chamam a atencao sobre 2 casos, que apresentaram tromboembolismo cerebral: em um, posteriormente, submetido a aneurismectomia, o AVC foi a primeira manifestacao da doenca; e no outro, o diagnostico etiologico, confirmado pela presencao do aneurisma apical a ventriculografia, apos 2 episodios de acidente vascular cerebral, nao obstante a sorologia ser repetidamente negativa. Os autores concluem que o ECG e o RX do coracao podem falhar na verificacao dos estagios iniciais da cardiopatia e que a hemodinamica, com sensibilidade maior, possibilitara, a introducao de medidas profilaticas e terapeuticas das complicacoes da doenca de Chagas, com suas implicacoes medicas, sociais e trabalhistas.Apesar de se tratar de tecnica invasiva, nao ocorreram obitos nem complicacoes importante