Low muscle mass and high visceral fat mass predict mortality in patients hospitalized with moderate-to-severe COVID-19: a prospective study.

Introduction: The severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been positively correlated with several comorbidities. The primary outcome of the study was to assess the relationship between the mortality and severity of COVID-19 and obesity classes according to BMI, visceral adipose tissue (VAT) area, s.c. adipose tissue area, muscle area (MA), and leptin levels. Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 200 patients hospitalized with moderate-to-severe COVID-19 underwent an unenhanced CT of the thorax and laboratory tests, and leptin levels between June and August 2020 were obtained. Results: Our study included 200 patients (male 52%; mean age: 62 (49-74) years; obesity (BMI > 30): 51.5%)). Fifty-eight patients (23.5%) were admitted to the intensive care unit and 29 (14.5%) died. In multivariate logistic regression (corrected for leptin, sex, age, and serum biomarkers) and receiver operating characteristic curve analyses, high VAT > 150 cm2 (odds ratio (OR): 6.15; P < 0.002), MA < 92 cm2 (OR: 7.94; P < 0.005), and VAT/MA ratio > 2 (OR: 13.9; P < 0.0001) were independent risk factors for mortality. Indeed, the Kaplan-Meier curves showed that patients with MA < 92 cm2 and without obesity (BMI < 30) had a lower survival rate (hazard ratio between 3.89 and 9.66; P < 0.0006) than the other groups. Leptin levels were not related to mortality and severity. Conclusion: This prospective study reports data on the largest number of hospitalized severe COVID-19 patients and pinpoints VAT area and MA calculated by CT as predictors of COVID-19 mortality.

Efecto antinociceptivo y antiinflamatorio del aceite esencial de Lippia pedunculosa Hayek y su complejo de inclusión de ß-ciclodextrina / Antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effect of Lippia pedunculosa Hayek essential oil and its ß-cyclodextrin inclusion complex

Lippia pedunculosa Hayek (EOLp) presenta efectos tripanocidas y amebicidas. En este trabajo se estudia su aceite esencial en modelos experimentales de analgesia e inflamación una vez que la prevalencia del dolor en la población genera un gran sufrimiento y discapacidad, y los medicamentos que se usan con mayor frecuencia tienen efectos secundarios indeseables. También se evalúa si la formulación del complejo de inclusión EOLp/ß-ciclodextrina (ß-CD) fue capaz de mejorar la actividad antinociceptiva de la EOLp sola. Los datos se evaluaron mediante análisis de varianza (ANOVA), seguido de la prueba de Tukey. Las diferencias se consideraron significativas si p<0,05. EOLp presentó un mejor efecto antinociceptivo en comparación con el complejo de inclusión EOLp/ß-CD. De esta manera, las ciclodextrinas parecen no ser eficientes para aceites esenciales con sustancias de peróxido. Sin embargo, en peritonitis, EOLp redujo la migración total de leucocitos y los niveles de IL-1ß en el líquido peritoneal, lo que confirma su efecto antiinflamatorio. Los efectos observados sugieren que EOLp es una buena y prometedora opción para el tratamiento de la inflamación y los trastornos relacionados con el dolor.

Lippia pedunculosa Hayek (EOLp) presents tripanocid and amebicid effects. However essential oil needs to be further studied in experimental models of analgesia and inflammation once the prevalence of pain in the population generates great suffering and disability and the drugs most often used have undesirable side effects. We also evaluated whether the inclusion complex formulation EOLp/ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD) was able to improve the antinociceptive activity of the EOLp alone. Data were evaluated by analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Tukey's test. Differences were considered significant if p<0.05. EOLp presented better antinociceptive effect when compared to the EOLp/ß-CD inclusion complex. Thus, cyclodextrins appear not to be efficient for essential oils with peroxide substances. However, in peritonitis, EOLp reduced total leucocyte migration and IL-1ß levels in the peritoneal fluid, which confirmed its anti-inflammatory effect. The observed effects suggest that EOLp is the best promising option for the treatment of inflammation and pain-related disorders.

Cafeteria diet during lactation and/or post-lactation altered lipid profile/lipid peroxidation and increased anxiety-like behavior in male rat offspring.

Objective: Evaluate the impact of the cafeteria diet during lactation and/or post-lactation on physiological parameters and anxiety in the offspring of Wistar rats. Methods: Male offspring of Wistar rats (n = 60) were randomized into four groups: Control (C), Lactation Cafeteria (LC), Post-lactation Cafeteria (PC) and Total Cafeteria (TC). Later in adult life the animals were submitted to the behavioral (elevated plus-maze and open field) and biological (body weight, consumption and food preference, glycemia, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, VLDL cholesterol, triglycerides, total proteins, urea, creatinine, bilirubin, serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase, serum protein, and oxidative stress) evaluations. The data were submitted to ANOVA, followed by the Newman-Keuls test (p < 0.05). Results: Animals treated with the cafeteria diet presented greater weight measurements compared to the control group. Triglyceride levels were higher in the PC group than in the other groups. MDA levels were higher in the PC and TC group than CL and C. The animals of the PC and TC groups presented higher levels of anxiety compared to the C and LC groups. No significant differences due to diet were observed in the locomotor and exploratory behaviors. Conclusions: The cafeteria diet ingestion was capable of triggering biological and behavioral alterations in rats.

Ortho-eugenol exhibits anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities.

Ortho-eugenol is a much used phenylpropanoid whose ability to reduce pain and inflammation has never been studied. Researching ortho-eugenol's antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activity, and its possible mechanisms of action is therefore of interest. The administration of vehicle, ortho-eugenol (50, 75 and 100mg/kg i.p.), morphine (6mg/kg, i.p.) or dexamethasone (2mg/kg, s.c.) occurred 30min before the completion of pharmacological tests. Pretreatment with ortho-eugenol did not change motor coordination test results, but reduced the number of writhes and licking times in the writhing test and glutamate test, respectively. The reaction time from thermal stimulus was significantly increased in the hot plate test after administration of ortho-eugenol. Treatment with yohimbine reversed the antinociceptive effect of ortho-eugenol, suggesting involvement of the adrenergic system. In anti-inflammatory tests, ortho-eugenol inhibited acetic acid induced vascular permeability and leukocyte migration, reducing TNF-α and IL-1ß by virtue of its suppression of NF-κB and p38 phosphorylated forms in the peritonitis test. From these results, ortho-eugenol antinociceptive effects mediated by the adrenergic system and anti-inflammatory activity through regulation of proinflammatory cytokines and phosphorylation of NF-kB and p38 become evident for the first time.

Anxiolytic Effect of Citrus aurantium L. on Patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia.

The bone marrow aspiration procedure is used in hematological diseases and consists of a painful, invasive procedure causing anxiety-associated symptoms. The present study assessed the effect of Citrus aurantium L. essential oil on the treatment of anxiety, in the moment that precedes the collection of medullary material in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Volunteers from both sexes were divided into groups receiving either the C. aurantium essential oil through inhalation, diazepam (10 mg), or the placebo. The evaluation was performed through psychometric scales [State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)] and physiological measurements (blood pressure and cardiac and respiratory frequency). Inhalation of C. aurantium was associated with a decrease in the STAI-S scores, suggesting an anxiolytic effect. In support of these results, a change in all the physiological measurements was observed in the group exposed to C. aurantium. In the diazepam group, only the diastolic pressure decreased, and no effect was observed in the placebo group. Therefore, the results showed that C. aurantium exhibits an anxiolytic effect and reduces the signs and symptoms associated with anxiety in patients with CML.

Nerolidol exhibits antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activity: involvement of the GABAergic system and proinflammatory cytokines.

Nerolidol, an acyclic sesquiterpene found as a major constituent of several essential oils, has several pharmacological activities, but its action in pain processes has never been studied. The purpose of our research was to evaluate the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of nerolidol, as well as possible mechanisms of action, in experimental mouse models of pain. Antinociceptive activity was evaluated using the acetic acid-induced writhing test, the formalin test, and the hot-plate test. The nerolidol-treated group showed lesser acetic acid-induced abdominal contractions than the control group in all of the three doses tested (200, 300, and 400 mg/kg, p.o.). The formalin test doses of 300 and 400 mg/kg p.o. inhibited licking time, in both the first phase and the second phase. In the hot-plate test, nerolidol did not alter latency at any of the observed time points. Motor coordination, evaluated through the rotarod test, was not hindered in animals treated with nerolidol. Regarding the mechanism of action, the antinociceptive activity of nerolidol is related to the GABAergic system, and not to the opioidergic or ATP-sensitive K(+) channels. Treatment with nerolidol reduced carrageenan-induced paw edema. In the model of carrageenan-induced peritonitis, nerolidol decreased the influx of polymorphonuclear cells and also reduced levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) in peritoneal lavage. Nerolidol reduced production of interleukin 1 beta (IL-1ß) in LPS-stimulated, peritoneal macrophages. Thus, these results showed that nerolidol has antinociceptive activity with possible involvement of the GABAergic system, and anti-inflammatory activity, attributed to the suppression of TNF-α and IL-1ß proinflammatory cytokines.

Antinociceptive activity of Sargassum polyceratium and the isolation of its chemical components

Abstract Marine algae have been the focus of important studies over the past fifty years, with a considerable number of components important to chemists and taxonomists having been isolated and characterized. The scientific data available on Sargassum polyceratium are extremely limited. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the antinociceptive activity of an ethanol extract of S. polyceratium and to isolate its components. Intraperitoneal treatment with ethanol extract of S. polyceratium reduced the number of acetic acid-induced writhes and the amount of time spent in paw-licking in the second phase of the formalin test. Ethanol extract of S. polyceratium also reduced the amount of time spent in paw-licking in the glutamate test; however, there was no difference in the reaction time in the hot plate test at any of the doses tested. The chemical components isolated from ethanol extract of S. polyceratium were identified using one- and two-dimensional spectroscopic methods such as infrared spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The analytical results were also compared with data obtained in the literature. The following porphyrin derivatives were isolated from S. polyceratium: 132-hydroxy-(132-R)-pheophytin-a, 132-hydroxy-(132-S)-pheophytin-a, pheophytin-a, and the steroid fucosterol. The present results indicate that the ethanol extract of S. polyceratium has antinociceptive activity. In addition, four new substances were isolated from the species evaluated.

Antinociceptive effect of hydantoin 3-phenyl-5-(4-ethylphenyl)-imidazolidine-2,4-dione in mice.

Imidazolidine derivatives, or hydantoins, are synthetic compounds with different therapeutic applications. Many imidazolidine derivatives have psychopharmacological properties, such as phenytoin, famous for its anticonvulsant efficacy, but also effective in the treatment of neuropathic pain. The hydantoin, 3-phenyl-5-(4-ethylphenyl)-imidazolidine-2,4-dione (IM-3), synthesized from the amino acid, glycine, was selected for psychopharmacological studies in mice on the basis of its chemical and structural similarity with phenytoin. The first step of this study was to define the LD50, which determined the doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg for subsequent tests. The results obtained from the behavioral screening indicated that IM-3 produces decreased ambulation and analgesia in mice. Motor coordination and anxiety behavior were not affected by treatment with IM-3, as observed in the rotarod and elevated plus-maze tests, respectively. Regarding its antinociceptive properties, IM-3 showed efficacy in the acetic acid-induced writhing test by increasing the latency of the first writhe and reducing the number of writhes, as well as reducing the paw licking time in the second phase of the formalin test. The behavior of treated animals exposed to the hot plate test, however, did not differ from that of the control group. These data suggest that IM-3 has antinociceptive effects in mice, which is probably mediated by anti-inflammatory mechanisms.