Are ambulatory blood pressure parameters associated more with central adiposity than with total adiposity? Results of the ELSA-Brasil study.

Background: Worldwide obesity has a high prevalence, as well as carries a high risk of several chronic diseases, including hypertension. Studies of the association between obesity and ambulatory blood pressure (BP) are scarce and most use only body mass index (BMI) as indicator of adiposity. Thus, we aimed to examine for associations between total and central adiposity and ambulatory BP parameters (BP means and variability, nocturnal dipping and morning surge) among participants in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil). Methods: This cross-sectional study (2012-2014) used a subsample of participants (n = 812) of ELSA-Brasil who underwent 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring to assess systolic and diastolic BP (SBP and DBP, respectively) over 24-hour periods and sub-periods. Indicators for total adiposity were BMI and body fat (BF) and, for central adiposity, waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-height ratio (WHR). Associations were tested using crude and adjusted gamma and logistic regression. Results: Overweight (BMI) and abdominal obesity (WC and WHR) associated positively with mean 24-hour (Coef = 2.71, 3.09 and 4.00, respectively), waking (Coef = 2.87, 3.26 and 4.16, respectively), and sleeping (Coef = 2.30, 2.74 and 3.50, respectively) SBP; mean DBP associated with high WHR in these three periods (Coef = 2.00, 2.10 and 1.68, respectively) and with WC in the waking period (Coef = 1.44). Overweight and abdominal obesity (WC and WHR) were positively associated with SBP variability over 24 h (Coef = 0.53, 0.45 and 0.49, respectively) and in sleep (Coef = 0.80, 0.74 and 0.59, respectively), and with DBP variability in 24 h (Coef = 0.64, 0.73 and 0.58, respectively), wakefulness (Coef = 0.50, 0.52 and 0.52, respectively) and sleep (Coef = 0.53, 0.45 and 0.49); excess BF associated positively with DBP variability over 24 h (Coef = 0.43) and in wakefulness (Coef = 0.38). Lastly, high WHR and excess BF were associated with higher odds of extreme dipping (OR = 1.03 for both), while high WC and WHR associated with higher odds of exacerbated diastolic morning surge (OR = 3.18 and 3.66, respectively). Conclusion: Indicators of adiposity were associated with the BP means and variability, nocturnal dipping and morning surge, with more substantial results for indicators of central adiposity that the others.

Central adiposity as a predictor of mortality in older adults: Identification of cutoffs using generalized additive models.

Background: Obesity is associated with premature mortality in adults; however, this association has been inconsistent in the older adult population. In addition, there is a lack of specific cutoff points for indicators of negative health outcomes in older adults. Methods: This is a prospective study with 796 non-institutionalized older adults. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle, food consumption, and nutritional status were obtained at baseline. Generalized additive models were used to identify cutoff points for the waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and Cox proportional hazards models to assess the independent association between adiposity and mortality. Results: Over the 9 years of follow-up, 197 deaths (24.7%) occurred, of which 51.8% were men, with a mean age of 76.1 ± 9.0 years. Older adults at higher risk of death had WHtR of <0.52 or ≥0.63 and WC of <83 cm or ≥101 cm. An increased risk of death was observed in older adults with high WC (HR: 2.03 95% CI: 1.20-3.41) and high WHtR (HR: 1.51 95% CI: 1.01-2.26) in the adjusted models, and an increase in WC was a risk factor for higher CVD mortality (HR: 2.09, 95% CI: 1.12-3.88) in the adjusted models. Conclusion: Adiposity was associated with an increased risk of death in older adults. In view of these results and considering the lack of cutoff points for anthropometric indices in Brazilian older adults, further studies are needed to confirm the WC and WHtR cutoff values found in this study.

Chemical composition of the volatile oil of Croton glandulosus Linnaeus and its allelopathic activity.

Several essential oils have allelochemicals with phytotoxic effects. Croton species are producers of secondary metabolites with biological potential. In the present study, chemical composition of the essential oil extracted from aerial parts of Croton glandulosus Linnaeus was evaluated by gas chromatography and the phytotoxicity of the oil on Lactuca sativa seeds was evaluated for the first time. The yield of the essential oil was 0.12% (v/w). Chromatographic analysis allowed the identification of 97.49% of the total compounds present in the oil. Sesquiterpenes were found to be the predominant constituents of the volatile oil, with ß-caryophyllene (53.24%) being the major compound. Treatment with 0.1%-1% (v/v) of the essential oil inhibited the development of the hypocotyl and radicle of L. sativa to a greater extent compared to the inhibition of seed germination, demonstrating the phytotoxic effect of the oil.

Antagonistic activity of Diplodia pinea against phytopathogenic fungi.

The ability of Diplodia pinea to inhibit Armillaria sp., Bjerkandera adusta, Botrytis cinerea, and Rhizoctonia sp. mycelium growth was analyzed using the double-culture method. Wild-type fungal strains were incubated in a biochemical oxygen demand incubator using potato agar dextrose medium at 24 ± 2 °C for 35 days in darkness. D. pinea significantly inhibited the growth of all fungi species tested (30.75 to 98.37% inhibition) and showed moderate antagonistic activity (antagonistic index, 14.5). Chemical analysis of D. pinea culture broth extracts revealed steroids, triterpenes, and phenolic compounds. Alkaloids were qualitatively detected in the mycelium crude extract. The presence of these compounds may be related to the antagonistic activity observed. The inhibition ability of D. pinea is due to competition with the tested fungi for substrate and space.

Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry, and Antimicrobial Activities of Eugenia Species - A Review.

Antimicrobial resistance is a critical health problem, and pathogens responsible for common infections have developed resistance to antimicrobials, posing a threat to global health and placing a huge burden on health services. During the past two decades, the search for new bioactive agents in nature has become extremely important for promoting health and in the development of more efficient antimicrobials. The genus Eugenia is one of the largest in the Myrtaceae family, comprising approximately 1000 species from Mexico to Argentina, with a few species distributed in Australia and Africa. Eugenia species are used in folk medicine, with antidiabetic, antirheumatic, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, antidiarrheal, antifungal, and antibacterial properties. This study systematically reviews the Eugenia species to compile the phytochemical composition and antimicrobial effects. In addition, we provide information regarding the traditional uses and cytotoxic activity of Eugenia species. We conducted a systematic literature search of specialized databases (Web of Science, Scielo, Lilacs, Pubmed, Science Direct, Scopus) and selected articles published between 1973 and 2015 using Eugenia and antimicrobial activity, Eugenia and toxicity, and Eugenia and chemical composition as key words. Ninety-three studies were included, and the phytochemical analyses from these studies show that Eugenia species are a rich source of flavonoids, tannins, triterpenes, and sesquiterpenes. Chemical constituents play an apparent role in the antimicrobial effects and reinforce the known antimicrobial potential of the Eugenia genus. It is worth mentioning that some Eugenia species cause significant cytotoxicity.

Effects of Excitatory Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of the P3 Point in Chronic Stroke Patients-Case Reports.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of excitatory repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the international 10⁻20 system P3 point (intraparietal sulcus region) in chronic patients with a frontal lesion and parietal sparing due to stroke on the impaired upper (UL) and lower limb (LL) as measured by the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA). METHODS: Three patients (C1: 49.83/2.75, C2: 53.17/3.83, C3: 63.33/3.08-years-old at stroke/years post-stroke, respectively) received two weeks (five days/week) of rTMS at 10 Hz of P3. A patient was treated in similar conditions with a sham coil (S1: 56.58/4.33). Patients were evaluated before, after, and two months post-treatment (A1, A2, and A3, respectively). RESULTS: For LL, the scores of the motor function subsection of C1 and C3 as well as the sensory function of C2 increased by A2 and remained by A3. For UL, the score of the motor function of C2 and C3 also increased, but the score of C3 decreased by A3. The score of the range of motion subsection of C3 increased by the two follow-up evaluations. CONCLUSION: This study suggests excitatory rTMS over P3 may be of use for some chronic stroke patients, but these findings need to be verified in a future clinical trial.