Açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) supplementation promotes histological and ultrastructural changes in rats' alveolar bone.

The açai juice contains high concentrations of phenolic compounds, including cyanidin-3-glucoside and others flavonoids. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of açai supplementation on healthy mandibular alveolar bone in male albino rats of the Wistar strain. 24 rats were divided into 3 groups, in which one group received a daily dose of saline solution and the other two groups were treated with daily doses of clarified açai juice for 14 or 28 days. After the experiment, hemimandibles were collected and analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), histological assessments, and micro-CT. Results showed changes in the integrity of the alveolar bone as seen in SEM, increased osteocyte density and higher collagen matrix area in the açai group compared to the control group as seen in histological analysis, and increased bone volume, trabecular thickness and number, and cortical bone as seen in micro-CT analysis. The space between bone trabeculae showed no difference among the groups. These results suggest that açai supplementation may have a structural change effect on alveolar bone, but further research is needed to confirm these findings in humans and to determine the exact mechanisms behind these effects.

Analysis of phenolic compounds in Parkinson's disease: a bibliometric assessment of the 100 most cited papers.

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify and characterize the 100 most cited articles on Parkinson's disease (PD) and phenolic compounds (PCs). Methods: Articles were selected in the Web of Science Core Collection up to June 2022 based on predetermined inclusion criteria, and the following bibliometric parameters were extracted: the number of citations, title, keywords, authors, year, study design, tested PC and therapeutic target. MapChart was used to create worldwide networks, and VOSviewer software was used to create bibliometric networks. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to identify the most researched PCs and therapeutic targets in PD. Results: The most cited article was also the oldest. The most recent article was published in 2020. Asia and China were the continent and the country with the most articles in the list (55 and 29%, respectively). In vitro studies were the most common experimental designs among the 100 most cited articles (46%). The most evaluated PC was epigallocatechin. Oxidative stress was the most studied therapeutic target. Conclusion: Despite the demonstrations in laboratorial studies, the results obtained point to the need for clinical studies to better elucidate this association.

A critical analysis on the concentrations of phenolic compounds tested using in vitro and in vivo Parkinson's disease models.

Phenolic compounds (PCs) have neuroprotective effects with potential to prevent or slower the progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, whether the PCs neuroprotective effects can be observed under their dietary concentrations remains unclear. Therefore, we searched for the most cited articles in density on PCs and PD in the Web of Science Core Collection and All-Database (WoS-CC/AD) and selected the articles based on our eligibility criteria. From these 81 articles selected, we extracted information on experimental design, compounds tested, concentration and/or dose administered, route of administration, and main results obtained. We compared the concentrations of PCs evaluated in vitro with the concentrations bioavailable in the human bloodstream. Further, after extrapolation to humans, we compared the doses administered to animals in vivo with the daily consumed amounts of PCs. Concentrations evaluated in 21 in vitro laboratory studies were higher than those bioavailable in the bloodstream. In the case of in vivo laboratory studies, only one study administered doses of PCs in normal daily amount. The results of the comparisons demonstrate that the neuroprotective effects of the selected articles are mainly associated with concentrations, amounts and routes of administration that do not correspond to the consumption of phenolic compounds through the diet.

Açaí (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) Attenuates Oxidative Stress and Alveolar Bone Damage in Experimental Periodontitis in Rats.

Açaí (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) juice is rich in phenolic compounds with high antioxidant capacity. It has been observed that the use of antioxidants may be an additional strategy to nonsurgical periodontal therapy as well as to prevent alveolar bone loss. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of açaí supplementation on experimental periodontitis in rats. Twenty male Rattus norvegicus (Wistar) rats were assigned into control, açaí, experimental periodontitis, and experimental periodontitis with açaí supplementation groups. Periodontitis was induced by placing ligatures around the lower first molars. Animals in the açaí groups received 0.01 mL/g of clarified açaí juice for 14 days by intragastric gavage. At the end of the experimental period, blood was collected to assess the reduced glutathione (GSH), Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), and lipid peroxidation (TBARS) levels. Moreover, hemimandibles were analyzed by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) for alveolar bone loss and bone quality. Açaí supplementation increased blood total antioxidant capacity and decreased lipid peroxidation. It also reduced alveolar bone loss when compared to the experimental periodontitis group. Moreover, clarified açaí per se modulated the oxidative biochemistry and bone microstructure. Thus, açaí may be considered a viable alternative for managing periodontal oxidative stress and preventing alveolar bone loss.

What Is Known about Midazolam? A Bibliometric Approach of the Literature.

Midazolam is a drug with actions towards the central nervous system producing sedative and anticonvulsants effects, used for sedation and seizures treatments. A better understanding about its effects in the different scenarios presented in the literature could be helpful to gather information regarding its clinical indications, pharmacological interactions, and adverse events. From this perspective, the aim of this study was to analyze the global research about midazolam mapping, specifically the knowledge of the 100 most-cited papers about this research field. For this, a search was executed on the Web of Science-Core Collection database using bibliometric methodological tools. The search strategy retrieved 34,799 articles. A total of 170 articles were evaluated, with 70 articles being excluded for not meeting the inclusion criteria. The 100 most-cited articles rendered 42,480 citations on WoS-CC, ranging from 253 to 1744. Non-systematic review was the most published study type, mainly from North America, during the period of 1992 to 2002. The most frequent keywords were midazolam and pharmacokinetics. Regarding the authors, Thummel and Kunze were the ones with the greatest number of papers included. Our findings showed the global research trends about midazolam, mainly related to its different effects and uses throughout the time.

Metagenomic Approaches to Analyze Antimicrobial Resistance: An Overview.

Antimicrobial resistance is a major global public health problem, which develops when pathogens acquire antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), primarily through genetic recombination between commensal and pathogenic microbes. The resistome is a collection of all ARGs. In microorganisms, the primary method of ARG acquisition is horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Thus, understanding and identifying HGTs, can provide insight into the mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance transmission and dissemination. The use of high-throughput sequencing technologies has made the analysis of ARG sequences feasible and accessible. In particular, the metagenomic approach has facilitated the identification of community-based antimicrobial resistance. This approach is useful, as it allows access to the genomic data in an environmental sample without the need to isolate and culture microorganisms prior to analysis. Here, we aimed to reflect on the challenges of analyzing metagenomic data in the three main approaches for studying antimicrobial resistance: (i) analysis of microbial diversity, (ii) functional gene analysis, and (iii) searching the most complete and pertinent resistome databases.