A propriedade industrial pode limitar o combate à pandemia? / Nota Técnica n. 61 (Diset): A propriedade industrial pode limitar o combate à pandemia? / Português

Esta nota técnica apresenta alguns dos pontos que vêm sendo debatidos em meio à pandemia: i) as disputas e os acordos envolvendo empresas e seus direitos de propriedade industrial (DPIs), já em andamento e com potencial de aumentar ao longo do tempo; ii) as mudanças legais que já estão sendo discutidas e adotadas por alguns países para facilitar o licenciamento compulsório de patentes; e iii) os movimentos internacionais para a adoção de uma solução global.

The application of near infrared spectroscopy to wine analysis: An innovative approach using lyophilization to remove water bands interference.

The implementation of near-infrared spectroscopy as an analytical method for the quantification of major wine parameters is limited due to the aqueous nature of wines. Water molecules contribute to a poor signal-to-noise ratio and to suppress important groups' vibrations frequencies, preventing the quantification of most chemical compounds present. This paper proposes an alternative approach for the quantification of major wine indicators based on near infrared spectroscopy using lyophilized wine samples. A diversity of wine samples, including red, white and rosé, were lyophilized and analyzed by NIR spectroscopy. The parameters quantified were: alcoholic degree, volumic mass, total dry extract, total sugars, total acidity, volatile acidity, pH, free sulfur dioxide and total sulfur dioxide. Calibrations using partial least squares (PLS) regression were performed against the results obtained by reference methods. Spectra collected within 10,000 to 4000 cm-1 range were randomly divided in two sets: one for the optimization of the PLS models and the remaining for external testing. The PLS models obtained were able to accurately quantify total sugars, pH, volumic mass and total dry extract with a range-error-ratio above 10. The quantification of the remaining parameters yielded unsatisfactory results. This methodology proved to be an interesting alternative for the quantification of major wine quality descriptors by circumventing the interference of water bands. Further studies exploring different lyophilization conditions and additional wine chemical compounds present at low concentrations are needed.

Guia prático para o manejo da dor / Guia prático para o manejo da dor

O estudo da dor e suas particularidades é de grande importância para o tratamento de diversas patologias e para a melhora na qualidade de vida dos pacientes. A maioria das disfunções orgânicas tem a dor como um ponto importante da sua manifestação. Dessa maneira, é justificável a elaboração de conteúdo para auxiliar os profissionais da saúde no entendimento e tratamento das principais causas de dores agudas e crônicas. Este livro foi elaborado com o objetivo de servir como um guia prático para o manejo da dor por profissionais e acadêmicos de Medicina. Engloba temas como conceitos e aspectos biopsicossociais da dor, além de questões mais complexas como a fisiologia da dor e o tratamento medicamentoso com o arsenal terapêutico existente. Finalmente, também trata dos diversos tipos de dor mais prevalentes e o conhecimento básico que envolve seu manejo.

Desenvolvimento e estabilidade de formulação cosmética obtida com corante natural azul / Development and stability of cosmetic formulation obtained with natural blue dye

Introdução: Dentre os corantes de fontes naturais disponíveis no mercado, os mais comuns são aquelas capazes de conferir as cores vermelha, roxa, laranja e amarela, sendo a coloração azul relativamente escassa. A espécie Ravenala madagascariensis, também conhecida como árvore dos viajantes, é uma planta oriunda da Ilha de Madagascar, África do Sul, característica por sementes recobertas por arilos fibrosos de coloração azul intensa. Objetivo: Descrever uma metodologia capaz de extrair e incorporar os corantes azuis presentes nos arilos em uma formulação dermocosmética estável. Metodologia: Foi realizado screening com distintos líquidos extratores para a obtenção do extrato dos arilos. O extrato em ciclometicone foi incorporado em preparações cosméticas empregando-se as bases Polawax® e Cold cream. Após a avaliação dos aspectos sensoriais, a formulação preparada com Polawax foi direcionada para avaliação de estabilidade acelerada (15 dias) de acordo com o protocolo definido pela ANVISA. Resultados: O melhor processo extrativo foi obtido pela utilização do ciclometicone, que é um excipiente compatível com o preparo de formulações cosméticas. O produto contendo 1% do extrato dos arilos em ciclometicone, incorporado à base Polawax, foi avaliado em relação às variáveis aspecto, cor (azul), odor, sensação ao tato e pH (5,5) e não apresentou alterações no ensaio de estabilidade acelerado. Conclusão: Com a metodologia apresentada, foi possível extrair e preparar uma formulação dermocosmética estável com nova proposta de corante azul, aplicável como excipiente para formulações.

Introduction: Among the dyes from natural sources available in the market, the most common are those capable of giving the colors red, purple, orange and yellow, being the blue coloration relatively scarce. The Ravenala madagascariensis species, also known as the traveler's tree, is a plant from Madagascar Island, South Africa, characterized by seeds covered by intense blue colored fibrous aryls. Objective: To describe a methodology capable of extracting and incorporating the blue dyes present in aryls in a stable dermocosmetic formulation. Methodology:Screening with different extracting liquids was performed to obtain the extract of the arils. The cyclomethicone extract was incorporated into cosmetic preparations using the Polawax® and Cold cream bases. After evaluation of sensory aspects, the formulation prepared with Polawax was directed to accelerated stability evaluation (15 days) according to the protocol defined by ANVISA. Results: The best extraction process was obtained by the use of cyclomethicone, which is an excipient compatible with the preparation of cosmetic formulations. The product containing 1% of the cyclomethicone aryl extract, incorporated into the Polawax base, was evaluated in relation to the variables appearance, color (blue), odor, touch sensation and pH (5.5) and showed no changes in the stability test accelerated. Conclusion:With the methodology presented, it was possible to extract and prepare a stable dermocosmetic formulation with new blue dye proposal, applicable as an excipient for formulations.

Raman spectroscopy for wine analyses: A comparison with near and mid infrared spectroscopy.

Routine wine analysis are commonly employed to ensure the quality and safety standards, and to meet consumers' demands and legal requirements. In the last decades, efforts have been done in order to replace the traditional analytical techniques by vibrational spectroscopic techniques such as near infrared (NIR) and mid infrared (MIR) spectroscopy. The potential of these techniques has already been proved by several studies that revealed their ability for the determination of several wine parameters with high levels of precision and accuracy. Raman spectroscopy, (which is also a vibrational technique), was much less explored in the wine industry. In this work, the ability of Raman spectroscopy for routine wine analysis was evaluated and compared to NIR and MIR spectroscopy. Several calibration models were developed aiming the quantitative assessment of alcoholic strength, density, total acidity, volatile acidity, total sugars and pH in white wines. For this purpose, partial least squares (PLS) regression was employed, enabling the correlation between reference results and spectral information obtained by NIR, MIR and Raman spectroscopy. Results revealed the better performance of MIR spectroscopy for the measurement of alcoholic strength (R2P = 0.99, RMSEP=1.77%, and RER=56.41), and total acidity (R2P = 0.98, RMSEP=2.02%, and RER=49.46). Raman spectroscopy was pointed out as the most suitable for the determination of total sugars (R2P = 0.97, RMSEP=5.12%, RER=19.52), and pH (R2P = 0.90, RMSEP=4.92%, RER=20.34). The three techniques presented similar results in what referred the assessment of density (R2P = 0.96, 0.98, and 0.97, RMSEP=4.72%, 3.90%, and 3.80%, for Raman, MIR, and NIR respectively). None of the three techniques seemed to be suitable for the accurate determination of volatile acidity (R2P <0.78, RMSEP>14.32%, and RER<6.98).

Merging vibrational spectroscopic data for wine classification according to the geographic origin.

The wine making procedure is no longer a secret and it is nowadays well described and repeated around the world. Nevertheless, wines present unique features, strongly associated with their geographic origin. Classification systems were developed to catalogue wines according to the provenance, and are currently established by official authorities in order to ensure wine authenticity. The use of near-infrared (NIR), mid-infrared (MIR) and Raman spectroscopy for tracing the origin of wine samples, has been reported with different levels of success. This work evaluated and compared the performance of these techniques, as well as their joint use, in terms of geographic origin classification. NIR, MIR and Raman spectra of wine samples belonging to four Portuguese wine regions (Vinhos Verdes, Lisboa, Açores and Távora-Varosa) were analyzed by partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). Results revealed the better suitability of MIR spectroscopy (87.7% of correct predictions) over NIR (60.4%) and Raman (60.8%). The joint use of spectral sets did not improve the predictive ability of the models. The best models were achieved by combining MIR and NIR spectra resulting in 86.7% of correct predictions. Multiblock partial least squares (MB-PLS) models were developed to further explore the combination of spectral data. Although these models did not improve the percentage of correct predictions, they demonstrated the higher contribution of MIR spectroscopic data, in the development of the models.

Impacto da co-terapia no tratamento do TEPT com terapia cognitivo-comportamental / Impact of co-therapy in the cognitive behavioral treatment of PTSD

A terapia cognitivo-comportamental (TCC) apresenta eficácia comprovada no tratamento do Transtorno de Estresse Pós-Traumático (TEPT), contando com técnicas tais como psicoeducação, reestruturação cognitiva, relaxamento muscular progressivo, respiração diafragmática, exposição in vivo e imaginária. A utilização de co-terapia no tratamento individual de pacientes praticamente não foi investigada. O objetivo deste estudo foi ilustrar a adaptação do protocolo da Edna Foa para TCC no TEPT com destaque para a introdução da co-terapia, não presente no protocolo original. Trata-se da avaliação do tratamento de uma paciente com TEPT que não tolerou os medicamentos de primeira escolha, através de escalas de auto-relato e heteroavaliação realizada por psiquiatras. Observou-se diminuição dos escores do Inventário Beck de Depressão (BDI), Inventário Beck de Ansiedade (BAI), Clinical Global Impression (CGI) e do PTSD Checklist - civilian version (PCL-C) ao longo do tratamento. O presente caso sugere que a administração do protocolo foi adequada, havendo evidências de eficácia da TCC e da relevância da co-terapia como ingrediente importante neste processo. Ensaios randomizados controlados poderão testar o custo-efetividade da adição da co-terapia ao tratamento, particularmente em casos de TEPT resistentes ou intolerantes aos tratamentos convencionais e com comorbidades psiquiátricas

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and use techniques such as psychoeducation, cognitive restructuring, relaxation, breathing retraining, imaginal and in vivo exposure. The role of co-therapy in individual treatment of patients hasn't been well investigated. The aim of the present study was to illustrate the adaptation of a version of Edna Foa's protocol of CBT for the treatment of PTSD, highlighting the addition of co-therapy, not included at the original protocol. It was evaluated the treatment of a medication intolerant PTSD patient through self report scales and psychiatric evaluation. It was observed that scores of Depression Beck Inventory, Anxiety Beck Inventory, Clinical Global Impression and PTSD Checklist - civilian version decreased over treatment. This case report suggests that the administration of the protocol was satisfactory, with evidences of CBT efficacy and co-therapy relevance as an important element in this process. Randomized controlled trials are necessary to test the cost-effectiveness of co-therapy addition in the treatment protocol, particularly in patients with treatment-resistant or treatment-intolerant PTSD and psychiatric comorbidity.

Does cognitive behavioral therapy change the brain? A systematic review of neuroimaging in anxiety disorders.

This systematic review aims to investigate neurobiological changes related to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in anxiety disorders detected through neuroimaging techniques and to identify predictors of response to treatment. Cognitive-behavioral therapy modified the neural circuits involved in the regulation of negative emotions and fear extinction in judged treatment responders. The only study on predictors of response to treatment was regarding obsessive-compulsive disorder and showed higher pretreatment regional metabolic activity in the left orbitofrontal cortex associated with a better response to behavioral therapy. Despite methodological limitations, neuroimaging studies revealed that CBT was able to change dysfunctions of the nervous system.

Terapia cognitivo-comportamental e o TDAH subtipo desatento: uma área inexplorada

O Transtorno de Déficit de Atenção/Hiperatividade (TDAH) é definido a partir de um curso crônico o qual conduz a diversos comprometimentos. Em adultos, as maiores dificuldades são de organização, sustentação da atenção e memória. O transtorno apresenta como características nucleares a desatenção, a hiperatividade e a impulsividade, e seu diagnóstico é fundamentalmente clínico. Nosso objetivo é relatar o caso de uma cliente adulta diagnosticada com TDAH subtipo desatento e Depressão Maior, tratada apenas com Terapia Cognitivo-Comportamental (TCC) em 20 sessões. Inicialmente serão apresentadas as características clínicas do TDAH e breve revisão do tratamento com TCC. As medidas pré e pós-tratamento envolveram o Inventário de Depressão de Beck e Adult Self-Report Scale. Entre as intervenções utilizadas estavam a psicoeducação, o questionamento socrático e as estratégias de organização. Após a TCC a cliente não mais preenche critérios para depressão maior, além de apresentar redução dos sintomas de TDAH.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is defined from a chronic course which leads to several impairments. In adults, the greatest difficulties are in organization, sustained attention and memory. The disorder presents as core characteristics: inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity and its diagnosis is mainly clinical. Our aim is to report the case of an adult client diagnosed with ADHD inattentive subtype and Major Depression, treated only with Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in 20 sessions. Initially we will present the clinical characteristics of ADHD and a brief review of the treatment of ADHD with CBT. We will then describe the search in the literature about the efficacy of CBT without medication in adults with ADHD inattentive subtype. The measures pre and post-treatment were: Beck Depression Inventory and Adult Self-Report Scale. Some interventions were psychoeducation, Socratic questioning and strategies to improve organization. After CBT, the client no longer meets criteria for major depression and there was a decrease in symptoms of ADHD.

Evidências científicas das neurociências para a terapia cognitivo-comportamental / Evidencias científicas de las neurociencias para la terapia cognitiva-conductista / Scientific evidences from neurosciences to cognitive behavioral therapy

Os transtornos de ansiedade estão envolvidos com a incapacidade de controlar o medo e a dificuldade em regular emoções negativas. A terapia cognitivo-comportamental (TCC) abrange técnicas que permitem tanto a extinção do medo condicionado quanto a regulação cognitiva de emoções. Este artigo tem como objetivo apresentar resultados de estudos de regulação da emoção que podem ilustrar a associação e colaboração entre a TCC e as neurociências. Amparado nas pesquisas de regulação da emoção, este estudo corrobora os resultados dos ensaios clínicos com TCC revelando que as intervenções de distração, reestruturação cognitiva e exposição são eficazes para a regulação emocional.

Anxiety disorders are related with inability to control fear and regulate negative emotions. The cognitive behavioral therapy (TCC) encompasses techniques that allow both the extinction of fear conditioning and cognitive emotional regulation. The study aims to report results of emotion regulation studies that can illustrate the association and collaboration between TCC and neuroscience. Based on emotion regulation studies, this study corroborates previous findings of clinical trials with TCC, revealing that interventions like distraction, cognitive reªstructuring and exposure are effective in regulating emotions.

Los trastornos de ansiedad establecen relación con la incapacidad de controlar el miedo y la dificultad en regular emociones negativas. La terapia cognitiva-conductista (TCC) abarca técnicas que permiten tanto la extinción del miedo condicionado, como la regulación cognitiva de emociones. Este artículo tiene como objetivo presentar resultados de estudios de regulación de la emoción que pueden ilustrar la asociación y colaboración entre la TCC y las neurociencias. Anclado en las pesquisas de regulación de la emoción este estudio corrobora los resultados de los ensayos clínicos con la TCC al revelar que las intervenciones de distracción, reestructuración cognitiva y exposición son eficaces para la regulación emocional.

Evidências científicas das neurociências para a terapia cognitivo-comportamental / Evidencias científicas de las neurociencias para la terapia cognitiva-conductista / Scientific evidences from neurosciences to cognitive behavioral therapy

Os transtornos de ansiedade estão envolvidos com a incapacidade de controlar o medo e a dificuldade em regular emoções negativas. A terapia cognitivo-comportamental (TCC) abrange técnicas que permitem tanto a extinção do medo condicionado quanto a regulação cognitiva de emoções. Este artigo tem como objetivo apresentar resultados de estudos de regulação da emoção que podem ilustrar a associação e colaboração entre a TCC e as neurociências. Amparado nas pesquisas de regulação da emoção, este estudo corrobora os resultados dos ensaios clínicos com TCC revelando que as intervenções de distração, reestruturação cognitiva e exposição são eficazes para a regulação emocional.(AU)

Anxiety disorders are related with inability to control fear and regulate negative emotions. The cognitive behavioral therapy (TCC) encompasses techniques that allow both the extinction of fear conditioning and cognitive emotional regulation. The study aims to report results of emotion regulation studies that can illustrate the association and collaboration between TCC and neuroscience. Based on emotion regulation studies, this study corroborates previous findings of clinical trials with TCC, revealing that interventions like distraction, cognitive reªstructuring and exposure are effective in regulating emotions.(AU)

Los trastornos de ansiedad establecen relación con la incapacidad de controlar el miedo y la dificultad en regular emociones negativas. La terapia cognitiva-conductista (TCC) abarca técnicas que permiten tanto la extinción del miedo condicionado, como la regulación cognitiva de emociones. Este artículo tiene como objetivo presentar resultados de estudios de regulación de la emoción que pueden ilustrar la asociación y colaboración entre la TCC y las neurociencias. Anclado en las pesquisas de regulación de la emoción este estudio corrobora los resultados de los ensayos clínicos con la TCC al revelar que las intervenciones de distracción, reestructuración cognitiva y exposición son eficaces para la regulación emocional.(AU)

Alternativa estética para reconstrução de dentes anteriores fraturados / Aesthetic alternative for reconstruction of fractured anterior teeth

Fraturas em dentes anteriores são situações clínicas que exigem do cirurgião-dentistaconhecimento científico, habilidade técnica e senso artístico para o sucesso do tratamento, o qual tem a tecnologia adesiva como uma alternativa conservadora e rápida com ótimos resulta-dos estéticos. Este trabalho objetiva, através de relato clínico, descrever uma técnica parareconstrução de dentes anteriores fraturados, com envolvimento endodôntico, utilizando resina composta micro-híbrida e pino estético direto de fibra de vidro.

Anterior teeth fractures are clinical situations that demand scientific knowledge, technical ability and artistic sense for the success of the treatment, which has the adhesive technology asan conservative and fast alternative, with excellent aesthetic results. The purpose of this clinical report is to describe a reconstruction technique of fractured teeth with endodontic involvement, by the use of micron-hybrid composite resin and aesthetic fiber glass post.

Orientação de pais de crianças com fobia social / Guide for parents of children with social phobia

As práticas de psicoterapia Cognitivo-Comportamental têm se mostrado eficazes no tratamento da Fobia Social. Este trabalho apresenta os prejuízos que esta psicopatologia pode trazer à vida dos pacientes e salientar a importância da intervenção desde a infância. A Terapia Cognitivo-Comportamental na infância apresenta dois enfoques distintos que são interdependentes: a intervenção realizada diretamente com a criança e a intervenção realizada com a família. Na Fobia Social, a participação dos pais recebe especial atenção porque o contexto familiar tem sido enfatizado como crítico para aquisições de habilidades sociais na infância. O psicólogo deve estar atento as variáveis parentais que podem prejudicar o tratamento. Essas variáveis devem ser identificadas desde o início, de forma que a intervenção com a criança apresentará maiores chances de sucesso(AU)

Flavonoids from grape seeds prevent increased alcohol-induced neuronal lipofuscin formation.

AIMS: In a previous study, we found that prolonged oxidative stress produced by chronic ethanol consumption leads to an increased formation of lipofuscin in hippocampal and cerebellar neurons. This pigment is an end-result of lipid peroxidation. Flavanols, which abound in the human diet, are known to exert a powerful in-vitro antioxidant action. Therefore, to evaluate whether these compounds might display beneficial effects in the rat brain, we examined whether or not these natural antioxidants would impede neuronal ethanol-induced lipofuscin accumulation. METHODS: Adult rats were fed for 6 months either with 20% ethanol solution or with the same solution to which a mixture of grape seed catechins and oligomeric procyanidins (200 mg/l) was added. Controls ingested either tap water or water supplemented with the antioxidant compound. The total amount of lipofuscin in the hippocampal CA1 and CA3 pyramids and in the cerebellar Purkinje cells was estimated by applying unbiased stereological methods. The mean volume of the neurons was estimated using the nucleator and the volumetric density of lipofuscin was calculated by point counting. RESULTS: Flavanols prevented the accumulation of neuronal lipofuscin in the animals submitted to ethanol feeding (i.e. under conditions of increased oxidative stress) but not in the water-drinking controls. The neuronal volume did not alter among the groups studied. CONCLUSIONS: Data obtained show that consumption of flavanols can reduce the effects of oxidative activity brought about by alcohol consumption, indicating that these compounds might display neuronal beneficial effects under oxidative stress.

Avaliação de três técnicas de obturação endodôntica / Avaluation of three obturations techniques in endodontics

Avaliou-se o grau de infiltração apical de três técnicas de obturação de canais radiculares em sessenta raízes distais de molares inferiores. As avaliações da infiltração, com e sem a presença de material obturador, foram realizadas por três examinadores através de uma lupa com 20X de aumento. Os resultados não revelaram diferença estatística entre os grupos nas condições avaliadas

Clinical features of the metabolic syndrome in adolescents: minor role of the Trp64Arg beta3-adrenergic receptor gene variant.

Obesity and hypertension are increasing medical problems in adolescents. We evaluated the association between being overweight-particularly abdominal fat-and having hypertension and assessed the contribution of the Trp64Arg beta3-adrenergic receptor gene variant. In a population-based study, we determined family history, anthropometric variables, and arterial blood pressure of 934 high school students, out of whom we selected 121 normotensive and 54 hypertensive students. Biochemical measurements included circulating renin and angiotensin-converting enzyme activities, leptin, glucose, insulin and lipid levels, and beta3-adrenergic receptor genotypes. We used Mann-Whitney U test, chi2-test, and Spearman rank-order correlation. In the total population, hypertension prevalence increased across the entire range of body mass index (BMI) percentiles. In the sample, hypertensive students showed higher BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, triglycerides, and insulin resistance and lower HDL-cholesterol than normotensive students did. Age- and sex-adjusted systolic arterial blood pressure was correlated with BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, insulin resistance, and leptin. Leptin was correlated with BMI and homeostasis model assessment method. We found no association among hypertension, BMI, and leptin levels with beta3-adrenergic receptor genotypes. Especially in girls, the waist-to-hip ratio was, however, suggestively higher in Arg64 variant carriers than in noncarriers, independent of hypertension. In fact, there was a significantly (p < 0.01) higher frequency of carriers of the Arg64 variant across the waist-to-hip ratio quartiles. In adolescents of European origin, hypertension is associated with an increased degree of obesity among other characteristics of the metabolic syndrome; the Trp64Arg variant of the beta3-adrenergic receptor gene may favor the central adiposity gain.

Determinação das características físico-químicas e antimicrobianas de soluções experimentais à base de hipoclorito de sódio e óleo essencial / Determination of the physicochemical and antimicrobial properties of experimental solutions of sodium hypoclorite and essential oil

Esta pesquisa objetivou avaliar as características físico-químicas e antimicrobianas de soluções experimentais de hipoclorito de sódio a 1 por cento com adição de óleo essencial de Eucalyptus globulus em várias concentrações (0,15 por cento, 0,5 por cento e 0,8 por cento), comparando com a solução de hipoclorito de sódio a 1 por cento pura. Foram analisados o teor de cloro ativo e o pH das soluções, quando recém-preparadas, com 15, 30 e 60 dias. As outras medidas, como densidade, tensão superficial, viscosidade e condutividade foram tomadas nos momentos: recém-preparadas, com 30 e 60 dias. A atividade antibacteriana foi verificada através do teste por exposição direta das soluções sobre as bactérias Actinomyces purpureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus e uma mistura delas, em tempos de contato de 1, 5 e 15 minutos. Os resultados mostraram, quanto à análise química, que a adição do óleo de Eucalyptus globulus reduziu significativamente a tensão superficial do hipoclorito de sódio a 1 por cento. Os teores de cloro ativo e os valores de condutividade foram inversamente proporcionais à concentração do óleo e ao tempo. Todas as soluções apresentaram efetividade antibacteriana a partir de 1 minuto de contato. A concentração de 0,15 por cento de óleo essencial de Eucalyptus globulus é a ideal para adicão ao hipoclorito de sódio a 1 por cento, para corrigir organolepticamente seu odor e por não comprometer suas características físico-químicas e antimicrobianas

Antioxidant protection of low density lipoprotein by procyanidins: structure/activity relationships.

The antioxidant activity of catechins and oligomeric procyanidins against low density lipoproteins peroxidation was studied by means of three distinct methods: cis-parinaric acid fluorescence decay, conjugated-dienes detection, and oxygen consumption. A relationship between the radical trapping efficiency of procyanidins and their structure was investigated. The results indicated that: (i) interflavan linkage type (C4[bond]C6 or C4[bond]C8) exerts a significant effect upon radical-trapping antioxidant activity of procyanidins. It is suggested that the conformation adopted by each procyanidin in aqueous solution influence their hydrophilic character, hence affecting their interaction with the peroxyl radicals present in aqueous phase and those in LDL particle (lipidic nature); (ii) antioxidant activity increase with the degree of polymerization for the compounds with (-)-epicatechin (epi) as structural unit (epi, dimer B2 (epi-epi) and trimer C1 (epi-epi-epi)); (iii) galloylation increases antioxidant activity of procyanidins, specially in the case of B2-3"-O-gallate dimer, which revealed the maximal trapping efficiency.

Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system loci and multilocus interactions in young-onset essential hypertension.

OBJECTIVE: Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system component genes have been associated to essential hypertension. Thus, we studied the association of singe locus or multilocus interactions with young-onset essential hypertension. SETTING AND DESIGN: This is a case-control study based on a population sample of adolescent at an inner city. PARTICIPANTS: We studied 54 adolescents with hypertension and 121 age-matched normotensives, recruited from a high-school student population of 934 interviewed individuals. METHODS: Resting blood pressure was measured on three different days and normalized (Z-score) by sex and age. Genotypes of ACE (I/D) angiotensinogen (T174M and M235T), ATIR (A1166C), and CYP11B2 (C-344T) were determined by PCR/RFLP or ASO. RESULTS: Although genotype frequencies were not different in both groups, we found a significant dominant effect of ACE D and angiotensinogen 235T alleles on normalized systolic arterial blood pressure in males. This effect was confirmed by sib-pair linkage analysis taking normalized blood pressure as a quantitative trait. We independently analyzed multilocus interactions in normotensive and hypertensive adolescents searching for multiple locus deviation from Hardy-Weinberg or linkage equilibrium. We found that from 63 multilocus combinations, 4 deviated significantly from equilibrium in hypertensive adolescents but none in the normotensives. Deviations from equilibrium may indicate that the combination of alleles at different loci affects susceptibility or resistance to the disease. CONCLUSION: In addition to the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and angiotensinogen (AGT) gene variants, gene-gene interactions may be important causative factors in a complex disease such as young-onset essential hypertension.