Urinary excretion rate and bioavailability of chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, and ferulic acid in non-fasted rats maintained under physiological conditions.

Hydroxycinnamic acids (HAs) are one of the major classes of phenolic compounds and epidemiological studies have suggested that they have beneficial health effects. This study aimed to determine the urinary excretion rate of chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, and ferulic acid in non-fasted rats and to estimate their bioavailability under physiological conditions. Previous studies have primarily used fasted animals, which exhibit severe changes in various physiological processes. Furthermore, the food matrix can affect HA bioavailability. Thus, our studies using non-fasted rats under physiological conditions may allow for a more accurate determination of both the HA urinary excretion rate and the bioavailability of HAs. HAs were successively gavaged to rats at a dose of 40 mg/kg body weight (BW) with a wash-out period of one week. The rats were fed the AIN-93M diet throughout the experiment. The urine was collected at time intervals of 0-6 h, 6-24 h, and 24-48 h after HA administration. Ingested HAs, except chlorogenic acid, were primarily excreted in the urine within 0-6 h as free forms or conjugated (glucuronidated and/or sulfated) forms. The majority of the ingested chlorogenic acid was detected in the urine at 6-24 h or 24-48 h as caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, and their conjugates. The total urinary excretion rate (% of the dose) at 48 h was ferulic acid (73.2%) > caffeic acid (61.6%) > p-coumaric acid (54.1%) >> chlorogenic acid (4.9%). The percentages of the conjugates in the urine differed amongst the rats gavaged with the individual HAs (74% for chlorogenic acid, 83% for caffeic acid, 68% for p-coumaric acid, and 96% for ferulic acid), which may be explained by their distinct bioactivities. These data reveal that caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, and ferulic acid are much more bioavailable than chlorogenic acid, even though they are excreted more rapidly than chlorogenic acid. Our findings may provide additional insight into the health benefits of HAs and how they function in the body.

Filantropia médica e assistência aos pobres: a trajetória da Policlínica de Botafogo (1900-1939) / Medical philanthropy and assistance to the poor: the trajectory of the Botafogo Polyclinic (1900-1939)

A presente pesquisa busca reconstituir a trajetória da Policlínica de Botafogo (PB), instituição de assistência fundada em 1900, pelo médico Luiz Pedro Barbosa (1870-1949), evidenciando: (1) o seu modelo de organização inspirada nos dispensários europeus e norte-americanos (2) o seu papel na prestação da assistência à saúde aos pobres urbanos e (3) seu funcionamento como espaço para o desenvolvimento do ensino médico. Desta forma, discutem-se ideias, debates, ações em torno da origem e desenvolvimento da PB, tendo em vista o modelo de policlínica implantada em 1882, a Policlínica Geral do Rio de Janeiro (PGRJ), considerada a primeira instituição de saúde a adotar o modelo dos dispensários implantada na cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Depois, faremos a comparação entre as características entre estas instituições, funcionamento dos serviços médicos e finalizaremos analisando como ocorreu e os mecanismos implicados no seufinanciamento. As fontes levantadas forneceram dados históricos e estatísticos sobre a sua organização, a forma de financiamento, o número de consultas e especialidades médicas, o corpo médico voluntário, dentre outros. Parte dessas fontes foram coletas na Hemeroteca Digital, formando um conjunto de notícias jornalísticas, retiradas dos seguintes jornais e periódicos médicos: A Noite, Annuario Fluminense, Correio da Manhã, Gazeta de Notícias, A Imprensa, A Notícia, Jornal do Brazil, O Fluminense, O Imparcial, O Jornal, O Paiz, Brasil Médico e União Médica. A seleção de matérias dos jornais e dos periódicos médicos obedeceu ao recorte temporal de 1882 a 1935. Outro conjunto de fontes foi formado por trabalhos publicados por Luiz Pedro Barbosa: relatórios, artigos, discursos, pronunciamentos, inaugurações e aulas, entre 1900 a 1939.Com efeito, o estudo da implantação do modelo europeu de dispensário no Rio de Janeiro por meio da PGRJ e sua difusão através da criação e desenvolvimento da PB não apenas trouxeram à luz questões relacionadas com o desenvolvimento da assistência à saúde em meio a transformações sociais, políticas, econômicas e culturais entre o final do século XIX e o início do século XX no Brasil, mas também possibilitou a contribuição ao conhecimento para a historiografia das ciências e da saúde do país.(AU)

Association of body mass index with lifestyle and rotating shift work in Japanese female nurses.

OBJECTIVE: Higher body mass index (BMI) values have been reported in rotating shift workers compared with regular daytime workers. This study examines the relationship between work schedule and BMI, and considers whether lifestyle habits could explain the relationship. METHODS: Japanese female nurses (1179 day workers and 1579 rotating shift workers, aged 20-59) were studied using self-administered questionnaires. The questionnaires assessed height, weight, and dietary intake, physical activity, and sleep (lifestyle) habits. RESULTS: The BMI of shift workers was significantly higher than that of day workers. Shift workers consumed significantly higher amounts of sugar-sweetened beverages and slept for significantly shorter durations on nights between days on the day shift compared with day workers-factors which were also independently associated with higher BMI. In addition, multivariable linear regression coefficients for BMI showed a significant correlation with rotating shift work (ß = 0.051), after controlling for lifestyle habits. CONCLUSIONS: Higher consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and shorter sleep duration were associated with rotating shift work and higher BMI. This should be taken into consideration in preventing obesity in real-life shift work situations. Other shift work-related factors, such as abnormal timing of meals and/or sleep, should also be identified.

Liver transplantation using liver grafts preserved under high pressure.

To extend organ preservation time, we attempted to establish a unique method of maintaining a preservation solution in a stable unfrozen state below its freezing point by pressurizing the solution. Livers removed from Lewis rats (RT1l) were stored in UW solution pressurized at the prescribed pressure. After the termination of preservation, orthotopic liver transplantation was performed. Experiment 1: Liver grafts were pressurized up to 30, 40, 50, and 70 MPa and preserved at 0 degrees C for 60 min. Experiment 2: Liver grafts were compressed at a rate of 1.32 or 0.04 MPa/s to 35 MPa and preserved for 60 min at 0 degrees C. Experiments 3 and 4: Liver grafts were pressurized up to 5, 10, 20, and 30 MPa and preserved at -2 degrees C (Exp. 3), -3 degrees C or -4 degrees C (Exp. 4) for 5 h. All rats transplanted with livers pressurized up to 30 MPa (Exp. 1), all rats in the 5 MPa and control groups at -2 degrees C (Exp. 3), and all rats in the 5 MPa group at -3 degrees C (Exp. 4) survived for 2 weeks. In light microscopy, diffuse hemorrhage and vacuolar degeneration of hepatocytes were observed in a pressure-dependent manner. Liver grafts preserved under pressurized, subzero nonfrozen condition have sufficient function to sustain the life of rats after orthotopic transplantation.