Model organisms for investigating the functional involvement of NRF2 in non-communicable diseases.

Non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) are most commonly characterized by age-related loss of homeostasis and/or by cumulative exposures to environmental factors, which lead to low-grade sustained generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), chronic inflammation and metabolic imbalance. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-like 2 (NRF2) is a basic leucine-zipper transcription factor that regulates the cellular redox homeostasis. NRF2 controls the expression of more than 250 human genes that share in their regulatory regions a cis-acting enhancer termed the antioxidant response element (ARE).

Modeling Choroideremia Disease with Isogenic Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.

Choroideremia (CHM) is a rare X-linked chorioretinal dystrophy causing progressive vision loss due to mutations in the gene, leading to Rab escort protein 1 loss of function. CHM disease is characterized by a progressive degeneration of the choroid, the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), and the retina. The RPE is a monolayer of polarized cells that supports photoreceptors, providing nutrients, growth factors, and ions, and removes retinal metabolism waste products, having a central role in CHM pathogenesis.

The Domestication of Machismo in Brazil: Motivations, Reflexivity, and Consonance of Religious Male Gender Roles.

The relationship between culture and the individual is a central focus of social scientific research. This paper examines motivations that mediate between shared culture norms and individual actions. Inspired by the works of Leon Festinger and Melford Spiro, we posit that social network conformation (the perceived adherence of one's social network with norms) and internalization of cultural norms (incorporation of cultural models with the self-schema) will differentially shape behavior (cultural consonance) depending on the domain and individual characteristics.

Distance from a cultural model of substance use risk, internalization, and self-stigma in urban Brazil.

Introduction: A cognitive theory of culture as socially distributed cultural models has proven useful in research. Cultural models exist in two forms: the model shared by individuals in a social group, and individual versions of that model modified by personal experience. In previous research we documented a shared cultural model of substance use risk among a general population sample in urban Brazil.

Co-expression of PADI isoforms during progenitor differentiation enables functional diversity.

Protein isoforms, generated through alternative splicing or promoter usage, contribute to tissue function. Here, we characterize the expression of predicted and isoforms in hair follicles and describe expression of , a hitherto unknown PADI2 isoform, in the oligodendrocyte lineage. transcription is initiated from a downstream intronic promoter, generating an N-terminally truncated, unstable, PADI2β.

Gain-of-function STAT1 mutation and visceral leishmaniasis.

Gain-of-function mutations in the STAT1 gene have been initially associated with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis. However, further research has shown that STAT1 GOF variants may increase susceptibility to infection by other intracellular pathogens. This report describes the first case of disseminated leishmaniasis associated with a STAT1 GOF mutation in a pediatric patient who did not have chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis.

Formation of Lipofuscin-Like Autofluorescent Granules in the Retinal Pigment Epithelium Requires Lysosome Dysfunction.

Purpose: We aim to characterize the pathways required for autofluorescent granule (AFG) formation by RPE cells using cultured monolayers.

Methods: We fed RPE monolayers in culture with a single pulse of photoreceptor outer segments (POS). After 24 hours the cells started accumulating AFGs that were comparable to lipofuscin in vivo.

Mapping heavy metal (Cu, Zn, and Pb) pollution and ecological risk assessment, in the surroundings of Gabes cement plant-Tunisia.

The pollution and contamination assessment of three heavy metals (Cu, Pb, and Zn) in the topsoil, and common plants (, , , , , and ) were carried out at different distances from a cement plant. This evaluation was based on four evaluation methods: Bioconcentration factor, Contamination factor, Geoaccumulation Index and Potential ecological risk factor. The chlorophylls a and b contents were also analyzed.

Gsta4 controls apoptosis of differentiating adult oligodendrocytes during homeostasis and remyelination via the mitochondria-associated Fas-Casp8-Bid-axis.

Arrest of oligodendrocyte (OL) differentiation and remyelination following myelin damage in multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with neurodegeneration and clinical worsening. We show that Glutathione S-transferase 4α (Gsta4) is highly expressed during adult OL differentiation and that Gsta4 loss impairs differentiation into myelinating OLs in vitro. In addition, we identify Gsta4 as a target of both dimethyl fumarate, an existing MS therapy, and clemastine fumarate, a candidate remyelinating agent in MS.

Microglia Susceptibility to Free Bilirubin Is Age-Dependent.

Increased concentrations of unconjugated bilirubin (UCB), namely its free fraction (Bf), in neonatal life may cause transient or definitive injury to neurons and glial cells. We demonstrated that UCB damages neurons and glial cells by compromising oligodendrocyte maturation and myelination, and by activating astrocytes and microglia. Immature neurons and astrocytes showed to be especially vulnerable.

Exosome Circuitry During (De)(Re)Myelination of the Central Nervous System.

Reciprocal neuron-glia cell communication is fundamental for the proper function of the nervous system. Oligodendrocytes are the myelinating cells of the central nervous system (CNS) that insulate and provide trophic support to neurons. This effective interaction is crucial not only for myelination but also for long-term axonal survival and neural connectivity.

Effects of Strength Training on Sleep Parameters of Adolescents: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Santiago, LCS, Lyra, MJ, Germano-Soares, AH, Lins-Filho, OL, Queiroz, DR, Prazeres, TMP, Mello, MT, Pedrosa, RP, Falcão, APST, and Santos, MAM. Effects of strength training on sleep parameters of adolescents: a randomized controlled trial. J Strength Cond Res 36(5): 1222-1227, 2022-This study aimed to examine the effects of 12 weeks of strength training (ST) on sleep quality and daytime sleepiness in adolescents with sleep complaints.

Cadaveric ichthyofauna of the Madeira River in the Amazon basin: the myth of man-eating piranhas.

Drowned bodies rescued from the rivers of the Amazon basin exhibit several artefacts caused by the actions of the cadaveric ichthyofauna, namely, the "candiru". This study aims to review and discuss the fish species responsible for the largest number of attacks on bodies in the Madeira River (Porto Velho - Rondônia, Brazil), to describe the feeding strategies and types of lesions caused by each species, and to demystify the myth of the "man-eating piranhas". To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first that aims to provide a systematic analysis of cadaveric ichthyofauna and forensic findings in this region.

Speech-language therapists with Ph.D. in Brazil: profile from 1976 to 2017.

Purpose: To investigate the association of variables gender, year of the thesis defense, type and location of the teaching institution, the thesis subject and the program in which the thesis was developed.

Methods: Data were collected through consultation of the Lattes Platform of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (1976-2017). Filters were activated to follow the inclusion criteria: is Brazilians with a degree in Speech-Language Therapy, and also with a PhD degree.

PAD2-Mediated Citrullination Contributes to Efficient Oligodendrocyte Differentiation and Myelination.

Citrullination, the deimination of peptidylarginine residues into peptidylcitrulline, has been implicated in the etiology of several diseases. In multiple sclerosis, citrullination is thought to be a major driver of pathology through hypercitrullination and destabilization of myelin. As such, inhibition of citrullination has been suggested as a therapeutic strategy for MS.

Distribution and source apportionment of hydrocarbons in sediments of oil-producing continental margin: a fuzzy logic approach.

Investigation were carried out targeting distribution and source apportioning of hydrocarbons in surface sediments from shallow to deep waters in the Campos Basin, one of the most important oil-producing provinces in Brazil. The observed levels of aliphatic (≤ 124 μg g) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs ≤ 599 ng g) are lower than those considered relevant for environmental risk to the benthic habitats. Higher median concentrations of aliphatic hydrocarbons (8.

Disease-specific oligodendrocyte lineage cells arise in multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by an immune system attack targeting myelin, which is produced by oligodendrocytes (OLs). We performed single-cell transcriptomic analysis of OL lineage cells from the spinal cord of mice induced with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), which mimics several aspects of MS. We found unique OLs and OL precursor cells (OPCs) in EAE and uncovered several genes specifically alternatively spliced in these cells.

Key Aging-Associated Alterations in Primary Microglia Response to Beta-Amyloid Stimulation.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by a progressive cognitive decline and believed to be driven by the self-aggregation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide into oligomers and fibrils that accumulate as senile plaques. It is widely accepted that microglia-mediated inflammation is a significant contributor to disease pathogenesis; however, different microglia phenotypes were identified along AD progression and excessive Aβ production was shown to dysregulate cell function. As so, the contribution of microglia to AD pathogenesis remains to be elucidated.

The role played by gender and age on poor sleep quality among institutionalized adolescents.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence and association between sleep quality with gender and age and to examine the relation between age and the components of the PSQI in institutionalized adolescents.

Methods: High school internal students of both genders, aged between 14 and 19 years old, were analyzed. After a full clinical evaluation, the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index Score was obtained from all participants.

Dipeptidyl Vinyl Sulfone as a Novel Chemical Tool to Inhibit HMGB1/NLRP3-Inflammasome and Inflamma-miRs in Aβ-Mediated Microglial Inflammation.

Rapid microglial activation and associated inflammatory pathways contribute to immune-defense and tissue repair in the central nervous system (CNS). However, persistent activation of these cells will ultimately result in vast production of pro-inflammatory mediators and other neurotoxic factors, which may induce neuronal damage and contribute to chronic neurodegenerative diseases, as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Therefore, small molecules with immunomodulatory effects on microglia may be considered as potential tools to counteract their proinflammatory phenotype and neuroimmune dysregulation in such disorders.