Calcitriol combined with calcium chloride causes apoptosis in undifferentiated adipose tissue-derived human mesenchymal stem cells, but this effect decreases during adipogenic differentiation.

Calcitriol, the bioactive hormone of vitamin D, is currently linked to several diseases, such as obesity and gain of adipose mass, due to its liposolubility and, consequently, its sequestration by adipocytes. As rates of obesity continue to increase, research on the biology of weight gain should be encouraged. This study evaluated the effects of calcitriol combined with CaCl2 on adipose tissue-derived human mesenchymal stem cells. We evaluated the cytotoxicity of the combination by MTT assays, in which undifferentiated cells and cells undergoing adipogenic differentiation were tested for 7 and 14 days. The results demonstrated that the combination of calcitriol at the IC50 and CaCl2 at the IC20 was effective at reducing the viability of mesenchymal stem cells, but with the progression of cell differentiation towards adipocytes, cell resistance to the cytotoxic effects increased. The percentages of dead cells were 88.29, 57.45 and 28.81% for undifferentiated cells and cells exposed to differentiation medium for 7 and 14 days, respectively. Undifferentiated cells were evaluated for apoptosis in response to the same combination using Annexin V assays, and a possible onset of programmed cell death in undifferentiated cells was detected. Additionally, the combination of the compounds altered the membrane permeability of undifferentiated cells by 16 percentage points and induced cell cycle arrest in S phase due to the accumulation of damage. An evaluation of gene expression revealed the overexpression of the GADD45 and ATM genes and the underexpression of the P21, P53, ATR, BCL-2, EIF2 AK3, IGF1R, DNAse-2, ATF, MAP3K4, ENGO-G, CASP3, CASP7 and CASP8 genes. Our results provide valuable insights into the biology of obesity and may contribute to the development of new anti-obesity therapies focusing on the inhibition of adipose tissue mesenchymal stem cell hyperplasia and adipogenic differentiation.

All-trans retinoic acid induces mitochondria-mediated apoptosis of human adipose-derived stem cells and affects the balance of the adipogenic differentiation.

The all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) is the most active form of vitamin A that helps to regulate the proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis of several types of cells, mainly the adipocytes, and causes weight loss through the reduction of adipogenesis and lipogenesis. In this present study we demonstrated that ATRA concentrations of 20.75, 50 and 100 µM decreased the cell viability in vitro of human adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs), and in ADSCs during adipogenic differentiation. The cells cycle assessment showed that ATRA increased the cell frequency in Sub-G1 at 4.02x and decreased it in G1 in 2.54x. Moreover, the membrane integrity loss increased by 4.66x and apoptosis increased by 33.56x in ATRA-treated cultures. The gene expression assay suggested that the treatment using ATRA leads to mitochondrial membrane permeabilization and to consequent release of proapoptotic BAK and BAX molecules (increased expression 5.5 and 5.4x respectively); in addition, it increased CASP3 expression (by 8.8x). These events may activate the Bcl-2 (4.1x increase), GADD45 (increase 3.14x) and PPAR-γ (16x increase) expressions, as well as, to reduce the p53 (by -1.38x) expression; therefore, these events should be further mediated by increased RARα expression (by 3.8x). The results evidenced that ATRA may be a good proposal for mesotherapy strategies in order to control the development of subcutaneous adipose tissue; as this tissue have a higher development in some specific areas and ATRA interferes not only in the ADSCs differentiation but also in the apoptosis of ADSCs, preadipocytes and adipocytes.

Prevalência dos exames protoparasitológicos coletados em unidades básicas de saúde / Prevalence of protoparasitologic collected in basic health units

INTRODUÇÃO: Segundo a Organização Mundial da Saúde, as infecções gastrointestinais afetam 2,1 milhões de pessoas, estas infecções são dependentes de vários fatores, dentre eles: imunidade associada à nutrição, geralmente transmitidas através do solo e da água. Entre as crianças constitui uma das principais causas de mortalidade. OBJETIVO: Analisar a frequência de parasitas em amostras de fezes de pacientes atendidos em Unidade Básica de Saúde). MÉTODOS: Foram analisados os resultados de 5.301 exames protoparasitológicos processados no laboratório municipal de Campo Grande, no período compreendido entre dezembro de 2009 a fevereiro de 2010. RESULTADOS: Dentre os 256 exames positivos, Giardia lamblia foi a mais prevalente (64,5%), seguida de Entamoeba coli (26,2%), Enterobius vermicularis (2,7%), Hymenolepis nana (2,3%), Endolimax nana (1,6%), Strongyloides stercoralis (1,6%) e Ancilostomídeos sp (0,4%). Em relação aos locais de atendimento analisados, a UBS São Francisco foi à unidade que mais atendeu pacientes infectados (10,9%). Maior positividade foi observada em pacientes do sexo masculino e a faixa etária que apresentou maior percentual de indivíduos infectados foi de 0 a 10 anos, com maior índice de giardíase. CONCLUSÕES: Apesar da baixa frequência de parasitose encontrada no município, melhorias nas condições de saneamento básico, educação sanitária, além de mudanças nos hábitos de higiene da população sempre contribuem para a redução dos índices de contaminação, espera-se que novos projetos educativos que tragam conhecimento e conscientização a população, principalmente aquelas de baixo poder econômico, sejam instituídos.

INTRODUCTION: According to the World Health Organization, gastrointestinal infections affect 2.1 million people, these infections are dependent on several factors, including: immunity associated with nutrition, usually transmitted through soil and water. Among children is a major cause of mortality. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the frequency of parasites in stool samples of patients seen at the Basic Health Unit). METHODS: We analyzed the results of 5,301 parasitological examinations processed in municipal laboratory of Campo Grande, in the period between December 2009 and February 2010. RESULTS: Among the 256 positive tests, Giardia lamblia was the most prevalent (64.5%), followed by Entamoeba coli (26.2%), Enterobius vermicularis (2.7%), (2.3%), Endolimax nana (1.6%), Strongyloides stercoralis (1.6%) and sp Hookworms (0.4%). Regarding service locations analyzed, UBS San Francisco was the unit that met most infected patients (10.9%). Higher Hymenolepis nana positivity was observed in male patients (51.2%), and the age group with the highest percentage of infected individuals was 0-10 years, with a higher rate of giardiasis. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the low frequency of parasites found in the city, improvements in basic sanitation, health education, and changes in hygiene habits of the population always contribute to the reduction of contamination levels, it is expected that new educational programs that bring knowledge and awareness of the population, especially those of low economic power, are introduced.