Association of TNFA (-308G/A), IFNG (+874 A/T) and IL-10 (-819 C/T) polymorphisms with protection and susceptibility to dengue in Brazilian population.

Objective: To evaluate gene polymorphisms and their association with susceptibility to dengue.

Methods: A retrospective case-control study was performed with 262 subjects, comprising 78 dengue fever (DF) patients, 49 dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) patients and 135 healthy controls. Genotypic and allelic profiles were identified using polymerase chain reaction based in real time and amplification-refractory mutation system.

Lepromatous leprosy simulating rheumatoid arthritis - Report of a neglected disease.

Brazil has the second largest number of leprosy cases in the world; nevertheless, late diagnosis is common. We report the case of a male patient with pain and numbness in both hands and feet for six years with positive rheumatoid factor and anticardiolipin under rheumatoid arthritis treatment for five years. Examination revealed diffuse cutaneous infiltration and leonine facies, characteristic features of lepromatous leprosy.

Evidence of genotoxicity and cytotoxicity of X-rays in the oral mucosa epithelium of adults subjected to cone beam CT.

Objectives: To assess cytological evidence of genotoxicity and cytotoxicity of X-rays in oral exfoliated cells of adults subjected to partial and total cone beam CT (CBCT) (stitching module) by means of micronuclei frequency, associated with counting of degenerative nuclear alterations (pyknosis, karyolysis, karyorrhexis, buds and broken eggs), besides comparing the partial and total CBCT (stitching module) in search of possible differences in the nature and/or intensity of the effects.

Methods: 29 adults who were referred to total or partial CBCT were selected. All CBCT were performed with a Carestream CS 9000 3D scanner (Carestream Health Inc.

Impact of social separation during pregnancy on the manifestation of defensive behaviors related to generalized anxiety and panic throughout offspring development.

The multiple insecurities, anatomical, physiological and psychological changes arising from the gestational period can generate an overload of stress in the mother and cause disturbances in the offspring, affecting it throughout its development. The existing analysis linking prenatal stress and offspring's anxiety have divergent results, being limited as to gestational week, type of stressor and age of progeny's assessment. Social separation has been described as a stressor that causes increase in anxiety.

Cardiovascular Activity of the Chemical Constituents of Essential Oils.

Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of death in developed and developing countries and decrease the quality of life, which has enormous social and economic consequences for the population. Recent studies on essential oils have attracted attention and encouraged continued research of this group of natural products because of their effects on the cardiovascular system. The pharmacological data indicate a therapeutic potential for essential oils for use in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Cell Viability by CellProfiler Software as Equivalent to MTT Assay.

Objective: This study evaluated cell viability by the colorimetric MTT stands for 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) (3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay compared to image analysis by CellProfiler software.

Materials And Methods: Hepatoma (Hepa-1c1c7) and fibroblast (L929) cells were exposed to isolated substances, camptothecin, lycorine, tazettine, albomaculine, 3-epimacronine, trispheridine, galanthine and , sp. methanolic extract, and Ravenna ethyl acetate in different concentrations.

Cardiac Amyloidosis and its New Clinical Phenotype: Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is now an emerging cardiovascular epidemic, being identified as the main phenotype observed in clinical practice. It is more associated with female gender, advanced age and comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity and chronic kidney disease. Amyloidosis is a clinical disorder characterized by the deposition of aggregates of insoluble fibrils originating from proteins that exhibit anomalous folding.

Variants in SNCA Gene Are Associated with Parkinson's Disease Risk and Cognitive Symptoms in a Brazilian Sample.

Genetic susceptibility contributes to the etiology of sporadic Parkinson's Disease (PD) and worldwide studies have found positive associations of polymorphisms in the alpha-synuclein gene (SNCA) with the risk for PD. However, little is known about the influence of variants of SNCA in individual traits or phenotypical aspects of PD. Further, there is a lack of studies with Latin-American samples.

Skin changes in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Diabetes can cause serious health complications, which can affect every organ of the body, including the skin. The molecular etiology has not yet been clarified for all diabetic skin conditions. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the changes of diabetes in skin compared to non-diabetic skin in rats.

Interaction between estradiol and 5-HT receptors in the median raphe nucleus on acquisition of aversive information and association to the context in ovariectomized rats.

The median raphe nucleus (MRN) is related to stress resistance and defensive responses, a crucial source of serotonergic neurons that project to prosencephalic structures related to stress and anxiety. Estrogen receptors were identified in this mesencephalic structure. It is possible that the estrogen action is related to serotonin effect on somatodendritic 5-HT receptors, inhibiting the function of serotonergic neurons and thus preventing of the stress effect and inducing anxiolysis.

Evaluation of the antibacterial and modulatory potential of α-bisabolol, β-cyclodextrin and α-bisabolol/β-cyclodextrin complex.

The present study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial and modulatory potential of α-bisabolol, β-cyclodextrin and α-bisabolol/β-cyclodextrin complex. The minimum inhibitory concentration was determined through the broth microdilution technique using the bacterial strains: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The drugs norfloxacin, imipenem and gentamicin were used in the tests, and the compounds α-bisabolol and β-cyclodextrin; all the compounds were diluted in DMSO.

The selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) raloxifene and tamoxifen improve ANP levels and decrease nuclear translocation of NF-kB in estrogen-deficient rats.

Background: The selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) raloxifene and tamoxifen are used for the treatment of osteoporosis and cancer, respectively, in women. The impairment of both the Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP) cell signaling system and the translocation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB) to the cell nucleus are associated with detrimental cardiovascular effects and inflammation. The effects of SERMs on these parameters in the cardiac tissue of estrogen-deficient rats has not been reported.

HIV Prevalence, Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Among Polydrug Users in Brazil: A Biological Survey Using Respondent Driven Sampling.

Brazil has a concentrated HIV epidemic among key populations. In 2009, the Ministry of Health conducted a survey in 10 Brazilian cities aiming to estimate HIV prevalence, knowledge, and associated risk behaviors of polysubstance users (PSU). Using Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS), 3449 PSU were recruited, answered an Audio-Computer Self Assisted Interview (ACASI) and were tested for HIV and syphilis.

Hidradenitis suppurativa: epidemiological study of cases diagnosed at a dermatological reference center in the city of Bauru, in the Brazilian southeast State of São Paulo, between 2005 and 2015.

Background:: Hidradenitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the hair follicles. A treatment is necessary due to chronicity and psychological changes that patient present.

Objective:: To investigate epidemiological aspects and elaborate a risk group profile, promote early diagnosis and contribute to the knowledge about the disease.

Chronic administration of antioxidant resin from Virola oleifera attenuates atherogenesis in LDLr mice.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Virola oleifera (Schott) A. C. Smith, Myristicaceae has been largely used in traditional folk medicine in Brazil as an anti-inflammatory agent and our previous data indicated the antioxidant properties in other oxidative stress-related models.

Chronic administration of the soluble, nonbacterial fraction of kefir attenuates lipid deposition in LDLr mice.

Objectives: Kefir is obtained by the action of acidic bacteria and yeasts that exist in symbiotic association in kefir grains. Recently, this fermented milk drink has been recommended for the treatment of several clinical conditions, such as inflammatory, gastrointestinal, or cardiovascular-related diseases, or a combination of these diseases. However, its effects on atherosclerosis are not yet clear.

Physico-chemical characterization and antibacterial activity of inclusion complexes of Hyptis martiusii Benth essential oil in β-cyclodextrin.

Cyclodextrins (CDs) have been used as important pharmaceutical excipients for improve the physicochemical properties of the drugs of low solubility as the essential oil of Hyptis martiusii. This oil is important therapeutically, but the low solubility and bioavailability compromises your use. Therein, the aim of this study was to obtain and to characterize physico-chemically the samples obtained by physical mixture (PM), paste complexation (PC) and slurry complexation (SC) of the essential oil Hyptis martiusii (EOHM) in β-CD, and to compare the antibacterial and modulatory-antibiotic activity of products obtained and oil free.

Trichotillomania: a case report with clinical and dermatoscopic differential diagnosis with alopecia areata.

Trichotillomania is a psychodermatologic disorder characterized by uncontrollable urge to pull one's own hair. Differential diagnoses include the most common forms of alopecia such as alopecia areata. It is usually associated with depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Automatic detection of hypoxia in renal tissue stained with HIF-1alpha.

Objective: The objective of this study was the identification of the stain HIF-alpha using the Image Cytometry, and to help to count the positive cells (with HIF-alpha) and the negative cells (without HIF-alpha) from the same sample.

Method: 17 images of renal tissues from male rats of Winstar lineage; overall, there were 12.587 objects (cells) in the images for analysis.

Long-term treatment with Nandrolone Decanoate impairs mesenteric vascular relaxation in both sedentary and exercised female rats.

Nandrolone Decanoate (ND) is an Anabolic Androgenic Steroid (AAS) that under abusive regimen can lead to multiple physiological adverse effects. Studies of AAS-mediated cardiovascular (CV) alterations were mostly taken from male subjects, even though women are also susceptible to the effects of AAS and gender-specific differences in susceptibility to vascular diseases exist. Here we investigate ND-induced vascular reactivity alterations in both sedentary and exercised female rats and whether these alterations depend on endothelium-derived factors.

In Vitro and In Vivo Anti-inflammatory Effects of Struthanthus vulgaris.

is probably the most common medicinal mistletoe plant in Brazil, and has been used in folk medicine as an anti-inflammatory agent and for cleaning skin wounds. Our proposal was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of ethanol leaf extract and provide further insights of how this biological action could be explained using and assays. anti-inflammatory activity was preliminarily investigated in lipopolysaccharide/interferon gamma-stimulated macrophages based on their ability to inhibit nitric oxide production and tumor necrosis factor-alpha.

The Beneficial Effects of Physical Activity: Is It Down to Your Genes? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Twin and Family Studies.

Background: There is evidence for considerable heterogeneity in the responsiveness to regular physical activity (PA) which might reflect the influence of genetic factors. The aim of this systematic review was to assess whether the response to a PA intervention for measures of body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness is (i) correlated within twin pairs and/or families and (ii) more correlated in monozygotic twins (MZ) compared to dizygotic twins (DZ), which would be consistent with genetic effects.

Methods: We performed electronic database searches, combining key words relating to "physical activity" and "genetics", in MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, SPORTS Discuss, AMED, PsycINFO, WEB OF SCIENCE, and SCOPUS from the earliest records to March 2016.

Objective detection of apoptosis in rat renal tissue sections using light microscopy and free image analysis software with subsequent machine learning: Detection of apoptosis in renal tissue.

Objective: The current study proposes an automated machine learning approach for the quantification of cells in cell death pathways according to DNA fragmentation.

Methods: A total of 17 images of kidney histological slide samples from male Wistar rats were used. The slides were photographed using an Axio Zeiss Vert.