Renal nerves and hypertension contribute to impaired proximal tubule megalin-mediated albumin uptake in renovascular hypertensive rats.

Proteinuria, especially albuminuria, serves as an independent risk factor for progression in cardiovascular and renal diseases. Clinical and experimental studies have demonstrated that renal nerves contribute to renal dysfunction in arterial hypertension (AH). This study hypothesizes that renal nerves mediate the mechanisms of protein endocytosis by proximal tubule epithelial cells (PTEC) and glomerular function; with dysregulation of the renal nerves contributing to proteinuria in Wistar rats with renovascular hypertension (2-kidney, 1-clip model, 2K-1C).

Efficacy of probiotic adjuvant therapy in women with major depressive disorder: insights from a case series study.

Background: The therapeutic targeting of the intestinal microbiota has gained increasing attention as a promising avenue for addressing mood disorders. This study aimed to assess the potential effect of supplementing standard pharmacological treatment with the probiotic kefir in patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).

Methods: Thirty-eight female participants diagnosed with moderate MDD by the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) were selected to receive the probiotic kefir in conjunction with antidepressant therapy for 12 weeks.

Atomic Force Microscopy Measurements of Cartilage in Intact and Regenerating Axolotl Limbs.

Mechanical forces provide important signals for normal cell function and pattern formation in developing tissues, and their role has been widely studied during embryogenesis and pathogenesis. Comparatively, little is known of these signals during animal regeneration. The axolotl is an important model organism for the study of regeneration, given its ability to fully restore many organs and tissues after injury, including missing cartilage and bone.

The water extract and the lectin WSMoL from the seeds of Moringa oleifera prevent the hypertension onset by decreasing renal oxidative stress.

Maternal endotoxemia disturbs the intrauterine environment, impairs nephrogenesis, and increases the risk of hypertension and kidney disease in adulthood. Here, it was investigated whether maternal treatment with the water extract of Moringa oleifera seeds (WEMoS) or the water-soluble M. oleifera seed lectin (WSMoL) prevents the oxidative stress induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in pregnant rats, and the renal injury and hypertension in the adult offspring.

Axolotl mandible regeneration occurs through mechanical gap closure and a shared regenerative program with the limb.

The mandible plays an essential part in human life and, thus, defects in this structure can dramatically impair the quality of life in patients. Axolotls, unlike humans, are capable of regenerating their lower jaws; however, the underlying mechanisms and their similarities to those in limb regeneration are unknown. In this work, we used morphological, histological and transcriptomic approaches to analyze the regeneration of lateral resection defects in the axolotl mandible.

Adora2A downregulation promotes caffeine neuroprotective effect against LPS-induced neuroinflammation in the hippocampus.

Caffeine has been extensively studied in the context of CNS pathologies as many researchers have shown that consuming it reduces pro-inflammatory biomarkers, potentially delaying the progression of neurodegenerative pathologies. Several lines of evidence suggest that adenosine receptors, especially A and AA receptors, are the main targets of its neuroprotective action. We found that caffeine pretreatment 15 min before LPS administration reduced the expression of Il1b in the hippocampus and striatum.

Unravelling the Gastroprotective Potential of Kefir: Exploring Antioxidant Effects in Preventing Gastric Ulcers.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the protective effect of milk kefir against NSAID-induced gastric ulcers. Male Swiss mice were divided into three groups: control (Vehicle; UHT milk at a dose of 0.3 mL/100 g), proton pump inhibitor (PPI; lansoprazole 30 mg/kg), and 4% milk kefir (Kefir; 0.

Multi-species atlas resolves an axolotl limb development and regeneration paradox.

Humans and other tetrapods are considered to require apical-ectodermal-ridge (AER) cells for limb development, and AER-like cells are suggested to be re-formed to initiate limb regeneration. Paradoxically, the presence of AER in the axolotl, a primary model organism for regeneration, remains controversial. Here, by leveraging a single-cell transcriptomics-based multi-species atlas, composed of axolotl, human, mouse, chicken, and frog cells, we first establish that axolotls contain cells with AER characteristics.

Voice Handicap Index: Cut-Off Points for Screening European Portuguese With Voice Disorders.

Objectives: To determine cut-off values of the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) and the shortened version (VHI-10) for European Portuguese (EP) with voice disorders. In addition, to analyze the discriminatory power of individual items of the VHI-10 and the ability to detect differences in various Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) diagnoses.

Study Design: Cross-sectional cohort study.

Impact of neuroinflammation on epigenetic transcriptional control of Sonic Hedgehog members in the central nervous system.

Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) signaling plays a critical role during central nervous system (CNS) development, and its dysregulation leads to neurological disorders. Nevertheless, little is known about Shh signaling regulation in the adult brain. Here, we investigated the contribution of DNA methylation on the transcriptional control of Shh signaling pathway members and its basal distribution impact on the brain, as well as its modulation by inflammation.

A Multi-Criteria Approach to Assess the Performance of the Brazilian Unified Health System.

Brazil's Unified Health System (SUS) provides universal free access to health services and is considered a model for the rest of the world. One of the tools used by the Brazilian government to assess this system is the Index of Unified Health System Performance (IDSUS). However, this method has a number of limitations, such as disregarding the opinion of healthcare decision makers.

Development and Evaluation of Formulation for Cutaneous Wound Healing.

In regions adjacent to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, Virola oleifera (VO) resin extract has been popularly used for decades as a skin and mucosal healing agent. However, this antioxidant-rich resin has not yet been investigated in wound healing, whose physiological process might also be aggravated by oxidative stress-related diseases (e.g.

Triphenylphosphine gold(I) derivatives promote antiviral effects against the Chikungunya virus.

Herein a systematic series of four [AuLL']n+ n = 0, +1 complexes, where L = 1,3-bis(mesityl)imidazole-2-ylidene (IMes), or triphenylphosphine (PPh3), and L' = chloride, or 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP), had their in vitro antiviral activity assessed against Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). The PPh3 derivatives inhibited viral replication by 99%, whereas the IMes derivatives about 50%. The lipophilicity of the PPh3 derivatives is higher than the IMes-bearing compounds, which can be related to their more prominent antiviral activities.

DNA damage and repair on hematopoietic stem cells: impact of oxidative stress in renovascular hypertension.

Background: This study investigated oxidative damage to bone marrow cells in the pathogenesis of renovascular hypertension (RH).

Methods: Male C57BL/6 J mice (10-week-old and ~23 g) were divided into two groups: Sham-operated and 2K1C, which has a stainless-steel clip placed around the left renal artery. After twenty-eight days, the animals were anesthetized for hemodynamic measurements and bone marrow cells isolation.

Preoperative scale proposal based on clinical outcome for elderly patients with ruptured intracranial aneurysms undergoing microsurgery.

Introduction: Life expectancy in individuals has increased in recent years. There is no consensus in the literature on the best treatment for a ruptured aneurysm in the elderly (> 60 years), but some places only have microsurgery as a therapeutic strategy. This work aims to develop a prognostic scale for ruptured intracranial aneurysms in the elderly.

Metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 knockout rescues obesity phenotype in a mouse model of Huntington's disease.

Obesity represents a global health problem and is characterized by metabolic dysfunctions and a low-grade chronic inflammatory state, which can increase the risk of comorbidities, such as atherosclerosis, diabetes and insulin resistance. Here we tested the hypothesis that the genetic deletion of metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) may rescue metabolic and inflammatory features present in BACHD mice, a mouse model of Huntington's disease (HD) with an obese phenotype. For that, we crossed BACHD and mGluR5 knockout mice (mGluR5) in order to obtain the following groups: Wild type (WT), mGluR5, BACHD and BACHD/mGluR5 (double mutant mice).

Use of kefir peptide (Kef-1) as an emerging approach for the treatment of oxidative stress and inflammation in 2K1C mice.

The benefits of kefir consumption are partially due to the rich composition of bioactive molecules released from its fermentation. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are bioactive molecules with potential use in the treatment or prevention of hypertension, heart failure, and myocardial infarction. Here, the actions of the Kef-1 peptide, an ACE inhibitor derived from kefir, were evaluated in an angiotensin II-dependent hypertension model.

Thromboelastometry demonstrates endogenous coagulation activation in nonsevere and severe COVID-19 patients and has applicability as a decision algorithm for intervention.

In patients with severe forms of COVID-19, thromboelastometry has been reported to display a hypercoagulant pattern. However, an algorithm to differentiate severe COVID-19 patients from nonsevere patients and healthy controls based on thromboelastometry parameters has not been developed. Forty-one patients over 18 years of age with positive qRT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 were classified according to the severity of the disease: nonsevere (NS, n = 20) or severe (S, n = 21).

DNA damage and aging on hematopoietic stem cells: Impact of oxidative stress in ApoE/ mice.

The effects of aging on ROS production and DNA damage were assessed in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) from apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE/) mice (2-, 12- and 24-month-old), a traditional experimental model of atherogenic dyslipidemia. HSCs from aged ApoE mice were associated with increased ROS levels, leading to loss quiescence, DNA damage, apoptosis and telomere shortening. The concurrence of lack of ApoE and aging result in exhaustion and senescence of HSCs accompanied by increased oxidative stress and inflammation.

NPCdc, a synthetic natriuretic peptide, is a substrate to neprilysin and enhances blood pressure-lowering induced by enalapril in 5/6 nephrectomized rats.

NPCdc is a natriuretic peptide synthesized from the amino acid sequence of the Crotalus durissus cascavella snake venom peptide, NP2Casca. NPCdc presents hypotensive and antioxidants effects. This study aimed to investigate in vivo whether angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition would influence the impact of NPCdc in arterial pressure of rats submitted to 5/6 nephrectomy (Nx).

Benefits of multi-day supplementation with probiotic kefir in Rasmussen encephalitis: the first case report.

Introduction: Rasmussen encephalitis (RE) is a rare inflammatory disease, characterized by unilateral hemispheric atrophy, focal intractable seizures, progressive hemiparesis, and neurological deficits.

Case Report: The patient is a young man under pharmacotherapy for epilepsy, exhibiting classical abnormal movements, which are consider typical hallmarks of RE. During clinical care sessions, he presented many episodes of tonic-clonic seizures involving sudden loss of consciousness followed by a post-ictal phase with weakness and interaction difficulty.

Molecular and Cellular Biomarkers of COVID-19 Prognosis: Protocol for the Prospective Cohort TARGET Study.

Background: Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world's attention has been focused on better understanding the relation between the human host and the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as its action has led to hundreds of thousands of deaths.

Objective: In this context, we decided to study certain consequences of the abundant cytokine release over the innate and adaptive immune systems, inflammation, and hemostasis, comparing mild and severe forms of COVID-19.

Methods: To accomplish these aims, we will analyze demographic characteristics, biochemical tests, immune biomarkers, leukocyte phenotyping, immunoglobulin profile, hormonal release (cortisol and prolactin), gene expression, thromboelastometry, neutralizing antibodies, metabolic profile, and neutrophil function (reactive oxygen species production, neutrophil extracellular trap production, phagocytosis, migration, gene expression, and proteomics).

A "Golden Age" for the discovery of new antileishmanial agents: Current status of leishmanicidal gold complexes and prospective targets beyond the trypanothione system.

Leishmaniasis is one of the most neglected diseases worldwide and is considered a serious public health issue. The current therapeutic options have several disadvantages that make the search for new therapeutics urgent. Gold compounds are emerging as promising candidates based on encouraging in vitro and limited in vivo results for several Au and Au complexes.

Renal ischemia-reperfusion leads to hypertension and changes in proximal tubule Na transport and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system: Role of NADPH oxidase.

Acute renal injury (AKI) is a risk factor for the development of hypertension, which involves oxidative stress, changes in Na handling, and the intrarenal renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) as underlying mechanisms. We investigated in rats whether renal ischemia-reperfusion (IR) leads to changes in the proximal tubule ATP-dependent Na transport and the intrarenal content of RAAS components, as well as the role of NADPH oxidase. Rats weighing 300-350 g were submitted to AKI by bilateral IR (n = 25).

The challenge of concomitant infections in the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic era: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in a patient with chronic Chagas disease and dimorphic leprosy.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first officially described in Brazil on February 26th, 2020. The accumulation of reports of concomitant infections with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and pathogens that cause diseases endemic to tropical countries, such as dengue and chikungunya fever, has started to draw attention. Chagas disease and leprosy remain public health problems in many developing countries, such as Brazil.