Mutagenic damage among bronchiectasis patients attending in the pulmonology sector of a hospital in southern Brazil

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: Bronchiectasis is a chronic respiratory disease characterized by inflammation, irreversible dilation of the bronchi, and recurrent pulmonary infections, with a high morbidity and mortality rate, but is less studied from the point of view of its prevalence and associated factors not directly related to respiratory prognosis. As it is a disease related to the exacerbation of the inflammatory process and oxidative stress, this study searched to investigate the micronucleus frequency in patients with and without bronchiectasis treated at a specialized pulmonology service in a hospital in the extreme south of Brazil. METHODS: Patients with a confirmed tomographic diagnosis of bronchiectasis were defined as cases. Mutagenicity was evaluated by the micronucleus test in patients' oral mucosa cells. Data collection was performed through a questionnaire containing socioeconomic, demographic, lifestyle, and health condition information. RESULTS: Of the 95 patients involved in this study, 21 (22.1%) were diagnosed with bronchiectasis aged between 12 and 89 years. There was no significant difference in the frequency of micronucleus between patients with and without bronchiectasis. There was a significant positive association between age and frequency of micronucleus among patients with bronchiectasis, but this association does not occur among patients without the disease. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to investigate data on the prevalence and clinical and epidemiological aspects of this chronic disease in Brazil, especially those related to the genotoxicity outcome.

Micronucleus in exfoliated buccal cells of crack users: systematic review and meta-analysis / Micronúcleos en células bucales exfoliadas en consumidores de crack: una revisión sistemática y meta-análisis

Abstract This research aimed to conduct a systematic review and metanalysis to compare the frequency of cell damage in crack users and nonusers, through Micronucleous (MN) test in buccal mucosa cells. A comprehensive search was carried out on MEDLINE via PubMeb, Web of Science, LILACS and the grey literature without restrictions. It was included case-control studies that report the frequency of micronuclei in the oral mucosa of adult crack users and nonusers. A review protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42018115672), and conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines for the report of this systematic review. Furthermore, study quality was evaluated using an adapted Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for cross-sectional studies.The original search yielded 27 references, after eligibility criteriaonly five articles were included. The number of micronuclei was higher in crack users compared to nonusers. Also, secondary outcomes: binucleated cells, nuclear buds, pyknosis, karyorrhexis and karyolysis had higher prevalence in crack users.Crack use is associated with genotoxic and mutagenic effects because there is a higher frequency of micronuclei in exfoliated cells of crack users. In addition, MN test proved to be a goodbiomarker to assess the mutagenic impact of crack use in oral epithelium.

Resumen Esta investigación tuvo como objetivo realizar una revisión sistemática y un meta-análisis para comparar la frecuencia de daño celular en usuarios de crack y sin crack, a través de la prueba de micronúcleos (MN) en células de la mucosa bucal. Se realizó una búsqueda exhaustiva en MEDLINE a través de PubMeb, Web of Science, LILACS y la literatura gris sin restricciones. Se incluyeron estudios de casos y controles que informaron la frecuencia de micronúcleos en la mucosa oral de usuarios adultos de crack y sin crack. Se registró un protocolo de revisión con PROSPERO (CRD42018115672), y se realizó de acuerdo con las pautas de PRISMA para el informe de esta revisión sistemática. Además, la calidad del estudio se evaluó mediante una escala Newcastle-Ottawa adaptada para estudios transversales. La búsqueda original arrojó 27 referencias, después de los criterios de elegibilidad se incluyeron un total de cinco artículos. El número de micronúcleos fue mayor en los usuarios de crack en compa ración con los usuarios sin crack. Además, los resultados secundarios de células binucleadas, yemas nucleares, picnosis, cario- rrexis y cariólisis tuvieron una mayor prevalencia en los usuarios de crack. El uso de crack se asocia con efectos genotóxicos y mutagénicos porque hay una mayor frecuencia de micronúcleos en las células exfoliadas de los usuarios de crack. Además, la prueba de MN demostró ser un buen biomarcador para evaluar el impacto mutagénico del uso de crack en el epitelio oral.

Prevalence and factors associated to the use of illicit drugs and psychotropic medications among brazilian undergraduates

The aim of this study was to verify the prevalence of use of psychoactive substances (PS) and its associated factors in undergraduate students of a university in southern Brazil. The study was carried out with 830 undergraduate students in the year 2016. The individuals answered a self-administered questionnaire about the PS and its prevalence of daily use, in the last 30 days or at any time of their lives, as well as socioeconomic conditions and academic variables. Caffeine-based energy drinks was the most consumed psychoactive substance (96.3%) among undergraduates in the last 30 days, followed by alcohol (64.0%). Among the illicit drugs most consumed in the last 30 days was marijuana (17.3%), while anxiolytics and amphetamines were the most prevalent psychoactive medicaments in the last 30 days. The prevalence of lifetime illicit drugs used by these students was 41.5%, where we highlight besides marijuana (38.6%) the high consumption of cocaine (7.8%), ecstasy (9.3%) and solvents. Socioeconomic and demographic factors such as gender, have children, religion, and financial background as well as academic variables were associated to recent consumption of these substances. This study concluded there is a high prevalence of use of PS among the undergraduate students, including illicit drugs.