Effects of climate variability on respiratory diseases in the Western Region of Bahia, Brazil.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to analyse hospitalisations for respiratory diseases in the Western Region of Bahia, Northeast Brazil, from 2010 to 2019, and to explore possible correlations with meteorological data. STUDY DESIGN: This descriptive, epidemiological, ecological study analysed data from 37 municipalities in the Western Bahia health macro-region, defined according to geographical, administrative, demographic, epidemiological, social and cultural criteria, and accounting for availability of health resources. METHODS: Hospitalisation data for respiratory diseases, including total admissions and disease frequency, mean and prevalence, were obtained from DATASUS (Ministry of Health). The data were evaluated by sex, age group and city. Statistical tests, such as the Chi-squared test and analysis of variance, were used for data analysis. Meteorological data were compared using the t-test and Mann-Whitney test. Correlations between health indicators and weather data were assessed using the Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients. RESULTS: Over the investigated period, there were 536,195 hospitalisation records in the region, with respiratory diseases accounting for 17.1% of admissions. Notably, 40% of respiratory hospitalisations were among children aged 0-9 years. The most prevalent respiratory conditions were pneumonia and asthma, which together constituted 73% of all respiratory hospitalisations. A significant negative correlation was observed between respiratory diseases and rainfall (r = -0.70, P = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: Pneumonia and asthma remain important causes of hospitalisation among children in the Western Bahia Region. The study findings suggest that respiratory diseases are influenced by rainfall, possibly due to increased atmospheric pollutants during time of low rainfall. These findings emphasise the importance of environmental factors in the development and exacerbation of respiratory diseases.

Electrical nerve stimulation therapy in refractory primary monosymtomatic enuresis - A sistematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effect of electrical nerve stimulation on urinary symptoms in pediatric patients with monosymptomatic primary enuresis refractory to conventional treatment. METHODS: Three databases (Medline, Embase, and Cochrane) were searched and 160 studies were identified by July 15, 2020. After establishing and applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a step-by-step analysis was performed using the title, abstract and full text. The Cochrane Collaboration Tool was then used to analyze the biases of the selected studies. RESULTS: Of the 160 articles found, 03 were selected for this systematic review. In 02 studies there was a significant reduction in the number of wet nights/week after electrical nerve stimulation. Urodynamic pattern was evaluated in 01 study, with improvement of maximum cystometric capacity in the intervention group. About maximum voided volume, there was no improvement in 01 study, but in other, there was increase in the intervention group. CONCLUSION: Electrical nerve stimulation might promote improvement in partial and total response scores over the number of dry nights, with no improvement in urodynamic parameters, and could be considered as an feasible option in the management of refractory monosymptomatic primary enuresis. However, it is worth emphasizing the need to conduct more RCTs with a larger sample for better evaluation of the role of neurostimulation.

Inferring transcription factor activity from microarray data reveals novel targets for toxicological investigations.

Transcription factors (TFs) are important modulators of the inducible portion of the transcriptome, and therefore relevant in the context of exposure to exogenous compounds. Current approaches to predict the activity of TFs in biological systems are usually restricted to a few entities at a time due to low-throughput techniques targeting a limited fraction of annotated human TFs. Therefore, high-throughput alternatives may help to identify new targets of mechanistic and predictive value in toxicological investigations. In this study, we inferred the activity multiple TFs using publicly available microarray data from primary human hepatocytes exposed to hundreds of chemicals and evaluated these molecular profiles using multiple correspondence analysis. Our results demonstrate that the lowest dose and latest exposure time (24h) in a subset of chemicals generates a signature indicative of carcinogenicity possibly due to DNA-damaging properties. Furthermore, profiles from the earliest exposure time (2h) and highest dose creates clusters of chemicals implicated in the development of diverse forms of drug-induced liver injury (DILI). Both approaches yielded a number of TFs with similar activity across groups of chemicals, including TFs known in toxicological responses such as AhR, NFE2L2 (Nrf2), NF-κB and PPARG. FOXM1, IRF1 and E2F4 were some of the TFs identified that may be relevant in genotoxic carcinogenesis. SMADs (SMAD1, SMAD2, SMAD5) and KLF5 were identified as some of potentially new TFs whose inferred activities were linked to acute and progressive outcomes in DILI. In conclusion this study offers a novel mechanistic approach targeting TF activity during chemical exposure.

Bivariate and multivariate analyses of the correlations between stability of the erythrocyte membrane, serum lipids and hematological variables.

The observation that the fluidity must remain within a critical interval, outside which the stability and functionality of the cell tends to decrease, shows that stability, fluidity and function are related and that the measure of erythrocyte stability allows inferences about the fluidity or functionality of these cells. This study determined the biochemical and hematological variables that are directly or indirectly related to erythrocyte stability in a population of 71 volunteers. Data were evaluated by bivariate and multivariate analysis. The erythrocyte stability showed a greater association with hematological variables than the biochemical variables. The RDW stands out for its strong correlation with the stability of erythrocyte membrane, without being heavily influenced by other factors. Regarding the biochemical variables, the erythrocyte stability was more sensitive to LDL-C. Erythrocyte stability was significantly associated with RDW and LDL-C. Thus, the level of LDL-C is a consistent link between stability and functionality, suggesting that a measure of stability could be more one indirect parameter for assessing the risk of degenerative processes associated with high levels of LDL-C.

Phenolic compounds and interaction between aminoglycosides and natural products of Lygodium venustum SW against multiresistant bacteria.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this work was to evaluate the interactions between aminoglycosides and the ethyl-acetate fraction of the fern Lygodium venustum SW (EAFLV) METHODS: The ethyl-acetate fraction was obtained from the ethanol extract of L. venustum and was assayed via the checkerboard method associated with aminoglycosides against two bacterial strains multiresistant to antibiotics. RESULTS: The antibiotic activity of all drugs, when associated with the ethyl-acetate fraction, was enhanced in an additive manner, except for the association between EAFLV and amikacin, which showed a synergistic interaction against the Escherichia coli strain. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that L. venustum can be a source of secondary metabolites to be used in association with antibiotics like aminoglycosides in antibiotic chemotherapy against resistant bacteria.

Toxicity of Brazilian plant seed extracts to two strains of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) and nontarget animals.

Seed ethanolic extracts of 21 Brazilian plants were evaluated for ovicidal, larvicidal, and pupicidal activities against insecticide-susceptible (SS) and field-collected (FC) strains of Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae), as well as for their effects on nontarget organisms. Myracrodruon urundeuva Fr. Allemao extract was highly toxic to both mosquito strains. Schinopsis brasiliensis Engler extract showed low toxicity and was 38-68 times less toxic to Ae. aegypti larvae than was M. urundeuva extract. The pupicidal activity (LC50) of 14 plant seed extracts ranged between 9 and 433/g/ml, and toxicities were comparable to both mosquito strains. Piptadenia moniliformis Benth. and Luetzelburgia auriculata (Allemao) Ducke extracts showed the highest activities against pupae of FC and SS strains. None of the extracts showed 100% ovicidal activity. In addition, the active extracts did not show high acute toxicity to mice (LD50 > 1.5 g/kg), except that of Enterolobium contortisiliquum (Vell.) Morong. Most of the active extracts exhibited low toxicity against brine shrimp (Artemia sp.) nauplii. The extracts of M. urundeuva, P. moniliformis, and L. auriculata are promising sources of recognized classes of insecticidal compounds with good selectivity against immature stages of Ae. aegypti.

Increased micronucleus frequency in exfoliated cells of the buccal mucosa in hairdressers.

Hairdressers are exposed daily to chemical substances, such as dyes, chemical straighteners and curling chemicals, which can be absorbed, inhaled or possibly ingested. We analyzed the frequency of micronuclei (MNC) in exfoliated cells of the buccal mucosa of 50 hairdressers and 50 controls in Pelotas, RS, Brazil. An assessment was carried out on the incidence of MNC, binucleated cells (BNC), broken egg cells (BEC), budding cells (BC), and the sum of anomalies (SA), in 2000 cells per individual. The data were analyzed with SPSS, using the Mann-Whitney U-test, α = 0.05. The mean number of anomalies in hairdressers was 2.02 ± 3.60 MNC; 8.50 ± 5.07 BNC; 9.06 ± 3.83 BEC; 0.32 ± 0.62 BC, and 19.90 ± 9.61 SA; in controls it was 0.36 ± 1.06 MNC; 5.20 ± 4.73 BNC; 5.92 ± 2.67 BEC; 0.10 ± 0.36 BC, and 11.58 ± 6.67 SA; the differences for all parameters were significant. The non-occupational factors did not significantly influence the alterations. A significant increase of BEC (P = 0.003) was observed in the hairdressers and SA (P = 0.033) in females. The lowest income level influenced MNC (P = 0.044), and the habit of not smoking influenced SA (P = 0.020). We concluded that exposure to substances used by hairdressers is genotoxic for men.

Neuropathology of naturally occurring Trypanosoma evansi infection of horses.

The clinical signs and pathology of the central nervous system in 9 horses with naturally occurring neurologic disease due to Trypanosoma evansi are described. The clinical course was 2 to 20 days; clinical signs included marked ataxia, blindness, head tilt and circling, hyperexcitability, obtundity, proprioceptive deficits, head pressing, and paddling movements. Grossly, asymmetric leukoencephalomalacia with yellowish discoloration of white matter and flattening of the gyri were observed in the brain of 7 of 9 horses. Histologically, all 9 horses had necrotizing encephalitis that was most severe in the white matter, with edema, demyelination, and lymphoplasmacytic perivascular cuffs. Mild to moderate meningitis or meningomyelitis was observed in the spinal cord of 5 of 7 horses. T. evansi was detected immunohistochemically in the perivascular spaces and neuropil of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded brain tissue in 8 of 9 horses.

Highly palatable diet consumption increases protein oxidation in rat frontal cortex and anxiety-like behavior.

Obesity is frequently associated with consumption of high amounts of sugar and/or fat. Studies have demonstrated a high prevalence of overweight and obesity associated or not with increase rates of psychiatry disorders, in particular mood and anxiety disorders. Recent works have demonstrated an association between specific genes involved in oxidative stress metabolism and anxiety-like behavior. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a highly palatable diet enriched with sucrose in body fat mass composition, anxiety behavior and brain oxidative status. Twenty male Wistar rats received two different diets during four months: standard chow (SC) and highly palatable (HP). Metabolic parameters, behavioral tests and oxidative stress status were evaluated. Body fat mass, insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance were altered in the HP group (p<0.01). The same group spends less time in light compartment and had a lower risk assessment behavior (p<0.05) but no differences were observed in the open field test habituation (p>0.05). Protein degradation, DCF and TBARS levels were not different in the hippocampus between groups; however, there were higher levels of protein degration in frontal cortex of HP groups (p<0.05), although DCF and TBARS levels don't differ from the SC group (p>0.05). In conclusion, our data suggest that the consumption of HP diet leads to an obese phenotype, increases protein oxidation in frontal cortex and appears to induce anxiety-like behavior in rats.

The chloroxoquinolinic derivative 6-chloro-1,4-dihydro-4-oxo-1-(beta-D-ribofuranosyl) quinoline-3-carboxylic acid inhibits HSV-1 adsorption by impairing its adsorption on HVEM.

In this paper, we describe that the oxoquinolinic acid derivative (compound A) inhibited HSV-1 adsorption on Vero cells. This effect was achieved with an EC(50) value of 10 +/- 2.0 microM and with low cytotoxicity, since the CC(50) value for compound A was >1000 microM. Moreover, we demonstrate for the first time that adsorption inhibition was due to the blockage of the interactions between HSV-1 and the cellular receptor herpes virus entry mediator (HVEM). These results show that compound A can prevent HSV-1 infection in Vero cells, encouraging further studies to determine at what level compound A inhibits HSV-1-HVEM interactions.

Bioprospecção de atividade antioxidante e antimicrobiana da casca de Stryphnodendron adstringens (Mart) Coville (Leguminosae-Mimosoidae) / Bioprospection of antioxidant and antimicrobial activities in the bark of Stryphnodendron adstringens (Mart)Coville (Leguminosae-Mimosoidae)

O presente estudo teve por objetivo avaliar a classe de metabólitos secundários responsável pela atividade antioxidante e antimicrobiana de extratos da casca de Stryphnodendron adstringens (Mart.) Coville(Leguminosae-Mimosoidae), planta amplamente utilizada medicinalmente pela população. Foram obtidos extratos da casca utilizando etanol 50%, etanol 70%, acetona:água (7:3, v/v) e clorofórmio. A bioprospecção da atividade antioxidante foi realizada por meio de cromatografia em camada delgada revelada com 2,2-difenil-1-picrilhidrazila (DPPH) e a capacidade de sequestro de radicais livres utilizando DPPH foi quantificada por espectrofotometria. A bioprospecção da atividade antibacteriana foi realizada por meio de difusão em ágar e bioautografia. A cromatografia revelada com DPPH revelou atividade antioxidante na região onde foram identificadas as manchas referentes aos derivados de taninos e o extrato clorofórmico foi o que apresentou menor capacidade de sequestro de radicais livres. A atividade antimicrobiana foi comprovada para os extratos polares pela formação de halos de inibição de crescimento bacteriano e abioautografia revelou atividade na região onde foram identificadas as manchas de derivados tânicos. Assim, foi determinado que extratos da casca de S. adstringens apresentaram atividades antioxidante e antimicrobiana devido aos metabólitos secundários derivados da classe de taninos, que são os principais constituintes desta droga vegetal, de acordo com a literatura.

Avaliação da atividade fotoprotetora de Achillea millefolium L. (Asteraceae) / Sunscreen activity evaluation of Achillea millefolium L. (Asteraceae)

As radiações ultravioleta (divididas em ultravioleta A, B e C), por possuírem diferentes energias e comprimentos de onda, apresentam diferentes atividades sobre os organismos, sendo que algumas destas atividades são benéficas e outras, não. A fim de evitar os malefícios causados por estas radiações, existem produtos denominados fotoprotetores. Uma vez que os flavonóides são considerados um fator importante de proteção contra a radiação ultravioleta, alguns estudos concentram-se na avaliação da atividade fotoprotetora que algumas plantas, compostas por flavonóides, possam apresentar. Sendo assim, este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a atividade fotoprotetora de extratos das flores e folhas de Achillea millefolium L. através de testes in vitro por espectrofotometria no ultravioleta. Embora a literatura descreva a presença de flavonóides nas flores e folhas de A. millefolium, não foi encontrada atividade fotoprotetora nos extratos testados.

The ultraviolet radiations (divided in ultraviolet A, B and C), have different energy and wave length; because of these properties, they show different activities on the organisms, being some beneficial and others not. In order to avoid the harmful effects that these radiations cause, there are products named sunscreens. Since the flavonoids are important protecting agents against the ultraviolet radiation, there are studies to evaluate the sunscreen activity that some plants (wich contain flavonoids) could show. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the sunscreen activity of Achillea millefolium L. flowers and leaves extracts by in vitro test using ultraviolet spectrophotometry. Although the literature reports the presence of flavonoids in A. millefolium flowers and leaves, this work did not find sunscreen activity in the tested extracts.

Perfil lipoprotéico de cadelas submetidas à ovário-histerectomia com e sem reposição estrogênica / Lipoproteic profile of bitches submitted to ovaryhysterectomy with and without estrogen administration

Doze cadelas mestiças, adultas, foram submetidas à ovário-histerectomia e posteriormente distribuídas em dois grupos de seis animais. Um dos grupos recebeu estrógenos naturais conjugados na dose de 0,01mg/kg, via oral, a cada 48 horas, durante 12 meses, e o outro serviu como controle. A cada 60 dias foram realizadas colheitas de sangue e obtidos os valores de colesterol total, triglicerídeos, HDL, LDL e VLDL. Houve elevação do colesterol total e do LDL nas fêmeas sem reposição de hormônio. No grupo que recebeu estrógenos houve elevação do HDL. A ovário-histerectomia influenciou significativamente o perfil lipoprotéico; a reposição com estrógenos foi capaz de preservar esse perfil nas cadelas castradas.

Hemoglobin electrophoresis and hemoglobinopathies in Kuwait.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the results of hemoglobin electrophoresis (HE) in the routine laboratory of a tertiary hospital in Kuwait and to review the common types of hemoglobinopathies prevalent in the country. METHODS: This was a prospective study of HE performed on 2,386 samples in Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital, which serves more than 30% of the population of Kuwait, from June 1997 to May 1998. RESULTS: Of the 2,386 HE tests, only 561 (23.5%) had abnormal hemoglobin genotypes. The most commonly identified hemoglobinopathies were beta-thalassemia minor (14%), sickle cell trait (6%), sickle cell anemia (0.9%), S beta zero thal (0.8%) and S beta + thal (0.8%). Two rare hemoglobin variants, Hb DPunjab and Hb E, were encountered. CONCLUSION: HE yielded only 23.5% abnormal results, thus indicating the need to streamline requests for the test. The test should be limited to patients with hematological and clinical features suggestive of hemoglobinopathies or to individuals with a positive family history.

Th1 and Th2 cytokine profiles in sickle cell disease.

We have investigated the levels of Th1 (IL-2 and IFN-gamma) and Th2 (IL-4) cytokines in the plasma and supernatants following peripheral blood mononuclear cell culture and mitogen stimulation in a group of 39 patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) made up of 29 SS, 8 Sbeta-thal and 2 Hb SD in steady state. Five SS patients were studied during 7 episodes of vaso-occlusive crisis. Twenty-four control (3 Hb AS and 21 Hb AA) were also studied; 10 were acutely ill while 14 were healthy at the time of the study. The plasma levels of IL-2 and IFN-gamma were similar in the patients and the controls. However, plasma IL-4 was significantly higher among the steady-state SS patients than in the controls. While there was no significant difference in cytokine levels following mitogen stimulation in the different groups, plasma IL-2 to IL-4 and IFN-gamma to IL-4 ratios were significantly lower among the steady-state SS patients, indicating a possible Th2 bias in our sickle cell patients and suggesting a possible mechanism to explain the predisposition of SCD patients to bacterial infections. However, SS patients with good splenic function showed a relative Th1 bias, which may be an additional explanation for the protection against bacterial infections in such patients.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha is undetectable in the plasma of SS patients with elevated Hb F.

Steady-state sickle cell disease (SCD) patients may have increased plasma levels of acute phase reactants and pro-inflammatory cytokines because of subclinical inflammation. We have estimated TNF-alpha levels in the plasma and in supernatants following peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) activation with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) in a group of Kuwaiti SCD patients using ELISA. The group consisted of 28 SS, 8 Sbeta-thal, and 2 SD patients all in steady state; 5 SS patients were studied during 7 episodes of painful crisis. The subjects were aged 2 to 16 years, with a mean of 7.3 +/- 3.5 years. The beta(S)-globin gene cluster haplotype, alpha-tha1 status, and spleen function were determined in the SS group using standard techniques. Most (82%) were homozygous for the Saudi Arabia/India haplotype and had elevated Hb F levels ranging from 15% to 35%. There were 24 controls (Hb AA or AS), of whom 14 were healthy and 10 were acutely ill at the time of the study. None of the children with SCD (either in steady state or crisis) had detectable plasma TNF-alpha, but four controls (3 acutely ill and one healthy) had levels ranging from 61.7 to 249.8 pg/mL. Following PHA stimulation most subjects responded with high levels of TNF-alpha, with the median level among the steady-state SS patients being significantly higher than that in the controls (both the acutely ill or healthy). It therefore appears that because of the mild disease among our Arab SS children, TNF-alpha is not detectable in their plasma in steady state; these children, however, had a significantly higher response than controls following PBMC activation.

GM-CSF in sickle cell anemia patients with elevated Hb F.

We estimated plasma GM-CSF levels in a group of 28 steady-state sickle cell anemia (SS) patients in Kuwait, using an ELISA technique. There were 24 age-matched Hb AA controls, 14 of whom were healthy while 10 were acutely ill at the time of the study. Five SS patients were also studied during 6 episodes of painful crisis. Among the SS patients, 82.1% were homozygous for the Saudi Arabia/India (SAI) haplotype with Hb F ranging from 15 to 35% and total Hb from 8.5 to 11 g/dl. Three patients (siblings) were SAI/Benin compound heterozygotes with Hb F of 9-23% and total Hb >10 g/dl. One patient each was homozygous for the Benin or the Bantu haplotype; they had Hb F <2% and total Hb of 6.6 and 7.2 g/dl, respectively. Four (14. 3%) steady-state SS patients had detectable plasma GM-CSF ranging from 75 to 1,817.6 pg/ml. These included the 2 patients with Hb F <2. 0% and 2 with the SAI/Benin compound heterozygotes with Hb F of 11 and 9%, respectively. Four (66.7%) SS patients in crisis, 6 (42.9%) healthy controls and 6 (60%) acutely ill controls had detectable plasma GM-CSF. A clearcut association of GM-CSF with Hb F level or degree of anemia in steady-state SS patients could not be established. The appearance of GM-CSF in the plasma of patients in crisis and also among control subjects raises the possibility that other factors are involved in the production of this cytokine in the subjects studied.

Influence of alpha-thalassemia trait on the prevalence and severity of anemia in pregnancy among women in Kuwait.

Alpha-thalassemia is very common in the Kuwaiti population, but its influence on anemia of pregnancy has not been previously investigated. We have screened a group of 59 anemic (Hb < 11 g/dl) pregnant women for the alpha-thal-2 (-alpha-3.7 kb) deletion which is the commonest alpha-thal allele in this community, using a polymerase chain reaction method. A control group of 35 nonanemic (Hb > or = 11 g/dl) pregnant women was studied for comparison. All the women were in the second or third trimester of pregnancy. Among the 94 women in both groups, 69 (73.4%) had a normal complement of alpha-globin genes (alphaalpha/alphaalpha), 18 (19.1%) were heterozygotes (-alpha/alphaalpha) and 7 (7.4%) were homozygotes (-alpha/-alpha) giving an allele frequency of 17.0%. Among the anemic group, there were 44 (74.6%) individuals with a normal genotype, 9 (15.3%) heterozygotes and 6 (10.2%) homozygotes. In the nonanemic group, the corresponding prevalence figures were 25 (71.4%), 9 (25.7%) and 1 (2.9%), respectively. The difference between these distributions was statistically significant (chi2 = 37.5, p < 0.0001). However, the mean Hb values were similar in heterozygotes, homozygotes and normal individuals. We, therefore, conclude that while the alpha-thal trait affects the prevalence of anemia among pregnant Kuwaiti women, it does not affect its severity.

Lignin-modifying enzymes of the white rot basidiomycete Ganoderma lucidum.

Ganoderma lucidum, a white rot basidiomycete widely distributed worldwide, was studied for the production of the lignin-modifying enzymes laccase, manganese-dependent peroxidase (MnP), and lignin peroxidase (LiP). Laccase levels observed in high-nitrogen (HN; 24 mM N) shaken cultures were much greater than those seen in low-nitrogen (2.4 mM N), malt extract, or wood-grown cultures and those reported for most other white rot fungi to date. Laccase production was readily seen in cultures grown with pine or poplar (100-mesh-size ground wood) as the sole carbon and energy source. Cultures containing both pine and poplar showed 5- to 10-fold-higher levels of laccase than cultures containing pine or poplar alone. Since syringyl units are structural components important in poplar lignin and other hardwoods but much less so in pine lignin and other softwoods, pine cultures were supplemented with syringic acid, and this resulted in laccase levels comparable to those seen in pine-plus-poplar cultures. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of concentrated extracellular culture fluid from HN cultures showed two laccase activity bands (M(r) of 40,000 and 66, 000), whereas isoelectric focusing revealed five major laccase activity bands with estimated pIs of 3.0, 4.25, 4.5, 4.8, and 5.1. Low levels of MnP activity ( approximately 100 U/liter) were detected in poplar-grown cultures but not in cultures grown with pine, with pine plus syringic acid, or in HN medium. No LiP activity was seen in any of the media tested; however, probing the genomic DNA with the LiP cDNA (CLG4) from the white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium showed distinct hybridization bands suggesting the presence of lip-like sequences in G. lucidum.