Special care in dental curriculum: A transversal axis for integrating oral health with systemic health.

Aims: Distance between dentistry and medicine is a traditional and historical obstacle that affects multiple levels of the health system, especially the health policies to improve health service quality. Changes in dental education, especially involving the adoption of integrative health models in professional development, are considered essential for reducing this gap. We aimed to show a dental curriculum focused on special care as a tool for medicine-dentistry integration.

Gremlin-1 potentiates the dedifferentiation of VSMC in early stages of atherosclerosis.

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) are highly specialized, and exhibit a contractile phenotype when mature and fully differentiated, being responsible for vessel homeostasis and blood pressure control. In response to pro-atherogenic stimuli VSMC alter their state of differentiation, increase proliferation and migration, resulting in SMC phenotypes ranging from contractile to synthetic. This variability is observed in cell morphology and expression level of marker genes for differentiation status.

Effects of clomiphene citrate on male obesity-associated hypogonadism: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Background: Obesity causes secondary hypogonadism (HG) in men. Standard testosterone (T) replacement therapy improves metabolic parameters but leads to infertility.

Objective: To evaluate clomiphene citrate (CC) treatment of adult men with male obesity-associated secondary hypogonadism (MOSH).

Toxicological profile of IQG-607 after single and repeated oral administration in minipigs: An essential step towards phase I clinical trial.

IQG-607 is an anti-tuberculosis drug candidate, with a promising safety and efficacy profile in models of tuberculosis infection both in vitro and in vivo. Here, we evaluated the safety and the possible toxic effects of IQG-607 after acute and 90-day repeated administrations in minipigs. Single oral administration of IQG-607 (220 mg/kg) to female and male minipigs did not result in any morbidity or mortality.

First experience with multiple mini interview for medical school admission in Brazil: Does it work in a different cultural scenario?

Purpose: Evaluation of non-cognitive skills never has been used in Brazil. This study aims to evaluate Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) in the admission process of a School of Medicine in São Paulo, Brazil.

Methods: The population of the study comprised 240 applicants summoned for the interviews, and 96 raters.

Preclinical molecular imaging: development of instrumentation for translational research with small laboratory animals.

Objective:: To present the result of upgrading a clinical gamma-camera to be used to obtain in vivo tomographic images of small animal organs, and its application to register cardiac, renal and neurological images.

Methods:: An updated version of the miniSPECT upgrading device was built, which is composed of mechanical, electronic and software subsystems. The device was attached to a Discovery VH (General Electric Healthcare) gamma-camera, which was retired from the clinical service and installed at the Centro de Imagem Pré-Clínica of the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein.

Dact1, a Wnt-Pathway Inhibitor, Mediates Human Mesangial Cell TGF-β1-Induced Apoptosis.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a worldwide public health problem that affects millions of men and women of all ages and racial groups. Loss of mesangial cells (MC) represents an early common feature in the pathogenesis of CKD. Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) is a key inducer of kidney damage and triggers several pathological changes in renal cells, notably MC apoptosis.

Agreement on the prescription of antimicrobial drugs.

Background: There is universal awareness of the difficulties faced by doctors when prescribing antimicrobials.

Methods: Over a six-month period patients hospitalized in the ICU and under treatment with antibiotics and/or antifungals were eligible to participate in the study. The data were assessed by two infectious diseases specialists.

BMP-2 and -4 produced by vascular smooth muscle cells from atherosclerotic lesions induce monocyte chemotaxis through direct BMPRII activation.

Objective: Monocytes and macrophages, together with vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), play key roles at all stages of atherogenesis. There is also growing evidence that BMP signaling is involved in vascular diseases, including atherosclerosis. Here we evaluate the role played by the BMP agonist/antagonist axis in monocyte recruitment during atherogenesis.

ID1 inhibits USF2 and blocks TGF-β-induced apoptosis in mesangial cells.

Mesangial cells (MC) play an essential role in normal function of the glomerulus. Phenotypic changes in MC lead to the development of glomerular diseases such as diabetic nephropathy and glomerulosclerosis. The late phase of diabetic glomerulopathy is characterized by MC death and fibrosis.

Prevention of thromboembolic events in patients with atrial fibrillation - new anticoagulants.

The authors present alternatives for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. Its detection is based on the use of different methods that record the cardiac electrical activity. The treatment involves intervening in the underlying disorder, antiarrhythmic drugs, stimulation and cardiac defibrillation devices, and, less often, surgery.

Glucose-insulin infusion reduces kidney injury in an experimental model of ischemic nephropathy.

Background/aims: intensive insulin therapy may reduce renal dysfunction during severe illness in adult patients. We evaluated the effects of insulin-glucose (IG) in normoglycemic rats subjected to ischemia-reperfusion (I/R)-induced acute kidney injury.

Methods: animals received intravenous infusions of 5% glucose [control (C)] or IG for 96 h.

A strategy to improve the cardiovascular risk factor profile in renal transplant patients.

Background: Cardiovascular disease represents the leading cause of morbidity, mortality and graft function loss in renal transplant recipients (RTR). Aggressive treatment of risk factors is strongly advocated. However, there is a gap between recommended evidence-based therapy and effective cardiovascular management in that population.

The bone morphogenetic protein antagonist gremlin promotes vascular smooth muscle cell apoptosis.

Background: Previous studies from our laboratory demonstrated that gremlin significantly increases vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation and migration. The present study investigates gremlin expression in the initial stages of rat carotid balloon injury and its effects on VSMC apoptosis.

Methods: Gremlin mRNA expression was evaluated in rat carotids and cultured VSMCs by quantitative PCR.