Productivity of CNPq Researchers from Different Fields in Biomedical Sciences: The Need for Objective Bibliometric Parameters-A Report from Brazil.

In Brazil, the CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development) provides grants, funds and fellowships to productive scientists to support their investigations. They are ranked and categorized into four hierarchical levels ranging from PQ 1A (the highest) to PQ 1D (the lowest). Few studies, however, report and analyse scientific productivity in different sub-fields of Biomedical Sciences (BS), e.

Cytotoxic and antioxidative potentials of ethanolic extract of Eugenia uniflora L. (Myrtaceae) leaves on human blood cells.

Eugenia uniflora is used in the Brazilian folk medicine to treat intestinal disorders and hypertension. However, scanty information exist on its potential toxicity to human, and little is known on its antioxidant activity in biological system. Hence, we investigated for the first time the potential toxic effects of ethanolic extract (EtOH) of E.

Oxidative indices correlate with dyslipidemia and pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in fluoride-exposed rats.

The aim of this study was to establish the effects of fluoride on lipid metabolism and attendant inflammatory response by exposing rats to 50 mg L(-1) and 100 mg L(-1) of fluoride through drinking water for seven weeks. Both concentrations led to hypercholesterolemia while the 100 mg L(-1) concentration induced hypertriglyceridaemia. High density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels dropped in the exposed rats while interleukin 2 (IL-2) increased more than 1.

Antihyperlipidemic and antiatherogenic activity of simvastatin may involve modulation of the expression of lecithin:cholesterol acyl transferase.

Introduction: The statin-induced effects on high density lipoprotein (HDL) are relatively small compared with those of low density lipoprotein (LDL) and, as a result, most clinical trials of statins are underpowered with respect to HDL parameters. This study experimentally investigated, the effects of statin on serum lipids, atherogenic index and examined the possibility of a relationship amongst serum concentrations of HDL-C, atherogenic index and activity of lecithin:cholesterol acyl transferase.

Method: Thirty albino rats equally divided into 2 groups were used for the study.

Impaired lipid levels and inflammatory response in rats exposed to cadmium.

To investigate the subchronic effect of cadmium intoxication on lipid metabolism and the inflammatory responses accompanying it, rats were administered 50 and 100 ppm cadmium through their drinking water for 7 weeks. At both concentrations, cadmium exposure resulted in significant elevation (p < 0.05) of total cholesterol and gave rise to hypertriglyceridemia in the plasma of the animals.