RESUMO
@#The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of enteroparasitic infections in students and their hormonal and immunological repercussions on physical development. Students of basic education of both sexes were evaluated. Parasitological stool tests were performed using the Hoffman and Kato-Katz methods. The students were divided into two groups: a control group (negative parasitological examination, N=25) and an infected group (positive parasitological test, N=25). Anthropometric variables (height, weight, and BMI), concentrations of hormones (melatonin and cortisol), cytokine/chemokine levels (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-17 and TNF-α) and physical performance (aerobic capacity, upper- and lower-limb muscle strength and abdominal performance) were evaluated. The prevalence of parasitic infection among the students was 7.98%. No anthropometric differences were observed among the groups. IL-2 and TNF-α levels were higher and IL-8 levels were lower in serum from students who were positive for parasitic infection. Serum from students who were positive for parasitic infection showed higher levels of melatonin than that from parasitenegative students. No differences were observed in cortisol levels. Students who were positive for parasitic infection presented greater lower-limb strength and lower abdominal performance than parasite-negative students. In the parasitic infection group, IL-12 was positively correlated with melatonin. In the parasitic infection group, IL-8 showed a positive correlation with aerobic capacity, while IL-17 and TNF-α showed a positive correlation with abdominal performance. These data suggest that parasitic infections determine the profile of inflammatory cytokines and that melatonin may be involved in the control of this process to minimize tissue damage. Additionally, students’ difficulty in practising physical exercises can be an indication of enteroparasitic infection.
RESUMO
Prostate cancer (PCa) is considered the most common malignancy in men. The aim of this study is to assess the role of serum miR-15a and miR-16-1 expression in PCa development, diagnosis and prognosis aiming to find a specific noninvasive biomarker. This study comprised 70 patients with PCa, 70 patients complaining of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), 30 patients with chronic prostatitis and 70 controls. Circulating miR-15a and miR-16-1 expression was detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Prostate specific antigen levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression levels of serum miR-15a were decreased in PCa patients compared with controls, chronic prostatitis and BPH patients (0.43 ± 0.12, 1.7 ± 0.76, 1.56 ± 0.34 and 1.53 ± 0.65, respectively). The expression levels of serum miR-16-1 were decreased in PCa patients compared with controls, chronic prostatitis and BPH patients (0.55 ± 0.23, 2.15 ± 0.87, 2.08 ± 0.54 and 1.96 ±0.61, respectively). Downregulation of miR-15a and miR-16-1 correlated with higher Gleason score (P = 0.002 and P = 0.006, respectively), higher tumor stage (P = 0.001 and P = 0.01, respectively), PCa metastasis (P = 0.002 and P = 0.025, respectively) and lymph node involvement (P = 0.02 and P = 0.007, respectively). Moreover, Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that combined miR-15a/miR-16-1 and PSA increased the sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of PCa (97.1% and 94.3%, respectively) more than prostate specific antigen alone (82.9% sensitivity and 75.7% specificity). Combined serum miR-15a/miR-16-1 expression and PSA level can be used as promising specific noninvasive biomarkers in the diagnosis and prognosis of PCa better than prostate specific antigen alone. © 2018 IUBMB Life, 70(5):437-444, 2018.