Monitoring plasma protein aggregation during aging using conformation-specific antibodies and FTIR spectroscopy.

The loss of proteostasis during aging has been well described using different models, however little is known with respect to protein aggregation levels in biofluids with aging. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the pattern of age-related protein aggregation in human plasma using two distinct approaches: analysis with conformation-specific antibodies and FTIR spectroscopy. The latter has been widely used in biomedical research to study protein conformational changes in health and disease.

Survey of Trypanosoma (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) Infection in Monte Negro Municipality, State of Rondônia, Western Amazon, with First Record of T. evansi in the state.

Introduction: Trypanosomes can infect humans and animals. This is the first record of the occurrence of Trypanosoma evansi in Rondônia.

Methods: Blood samples were collected from 7 dogs and 22 humans.

Box-Behnken Design for Extraction Optimization Followed by High Performance Countercurrent Chromatography: Production of a Flavonoid-enriched Fraction from Achyrocline Satureioides.

The biological properties of have been mostly ascribed to its major flavonoids quercetin (QCT), luteolin (LUT), and 3--methylquercetin (3MQ). The present study aimed to optimize the extraction by dynamic maceration of the major phenolic compounds in order to obtain in a subsequent step a flavonoid-enriched fraction (FEF) using high performance countercurrent chromatography (HPCCC). A 3-level Box-Behnken design (BBD) was applied to maximize the extraction of the substances, using the plant : solvent ratio ( ), extraction time ( ), and ethanol concentration ( ) as factors.

Blueberry extract decreases oxidative stress and improves functional parameters in lungs from rats with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Objectives: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a condition characterized by an increased resistance of pulmonary vasculature, culminating in an increase in pulmonary pressure. This process involves disturbances in lung redox homeostasis, causing progressive right heart failure. In this context, the use of natural antioxidants, such as those found in blueberries, may represent a therapeutic approach.

Edition of Portuguese health journals and its relationship with their visibility: a quantitative analysis.

Background: Scientific journals play a fundamental role in the field of health sciences, contributing not only to the dissemination of scientific results but also to the progress of medicine and the training of researchers. The visibility of scientific production in the health area is fundamental to the development of medicine. This study aimed to find the relationship between the editorial quality of a sample of Portuguese scientific health journals and their national and international visibility.

The genus Leucotabanus Lutz (Diptera: Tabanidae) in the Amazon region, with the description of a new species.

The Leucotabanus species with records in the Amazon are reviewed. Seven species are included: L. albovarius, L.

Chalcone derivatives targeting mitosis: synthesis, evaluation of antitumor activity and lipophilicity.

This study describes the synthesis of a series of chalcones, including pyrazole and α,β-epoxide derivatives, and evaluation of their cell growth inhibitory activity in three human tumor cell lines, as well as their lipophilicity using liposomes as a biomimetic membrane model. Structure-activity and structure-lipophilicity relationships were established for the synthetized chalcones. From this work, nine chalcones (3, 5, 9, 11, 15-19) showing suitable drug-like lipophilicity with potent growth inhibitory activity were identified, being the growth inhibitory effect of compounds 15-17 associated with a pronounced antimitotic effect.

Resistance Training Modulates the Humoral Inflammatory (but Not the DNA Methylation) Profile of Diabetic Older Adults Using Metformin.

Background And Aim: Inflammatory and methylation imbalances occur in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The aim of the present study was to analyze the effect of acute resistance exercise on the inflammatory profile and on DNA methylation of elderly patients with T2DM using metformin.

Methods: For this purpose, we enrolled 22 male and female older adults (68.

Obesity-related knowledge and body mass index: a national survey in Portugal.

Purpose: Obesity-related knowledge predicts weight control but previous studies only comprise individuals with excessive weight and assess very specific aspects of knowledge. This study aims to evaluate several domains of obesity-related knowledge according to the body mass index (BMI) in a representative sample of Portuguese-speaking dwellers in mainland Portugal.

Methods: A sample of 1624 participants aged 16-79 years was analyzed.

First Direct Measurement of Isotopic Fission-Fragment Yields of ^{239}U.

A direct and complete measurement of isotopic fission-fragment yields of ^{239}U has been performed for the first time. The ^{239}U fissioning system was produced with an average excitation energy of 8.3 MeV in one-neutron transfer reactions between a ^{238}U beam and a ^{9}Be target at Coulomb barrier energies.

Evidence for a contribution of the APOE (but not the ACE) gene to the sleep profile of non-demented elderly adults.

This study aims to investigate alleles of the human apolipoprotein E (APOE) and of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) genes as risk factors for poor quality of sleep in elderly individuals with no major cognitive decline. This cross-sectional, analytical study was conducted with 163 participants aged 75 years in average and 85% female. Sociodemographic, anthropometric and clinical data were gathered, and sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Epworth scale, with patient followed for years prior to these evaluations to rule out onset of major mental disorders.

Ambroxol Hydrochloride Improves Motor Functions and Extends Survival in a Mouse Model of Familial Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a multifactorial and fatal neurodegenerative disease. Growing evidence connects sphingolipid metabolism to the pathophysiology of ALS. In particular, levels of ceramides, glucosylceramides, and gangliosides are dysregulated in the central nervous system and at the neuromuscular junctions of both animal models and patients.

Glioprotective Effect of Chitosan-Coated Rosmarinic Acid Nanoemulsions Against Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Rat Astrocyte Primary Cultures.

Rosmarinic acid (RA) is a natural polyphenolic compound with a well-documented neuroprotective effect mainly associated with its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Recently, our research group developed and optimized chitosan-coated RA nanoemulsions (RA CNE) intended to be used for nasal delivery as a new potential neuroprotective therapy. In this sense, the present study aimed to evaluate the protective and/or therapeutic potential of RA CNE in inflammation/oxidative stress induced by LPS (1 μg mL) in rat astrocyte primary cultures.

Aromatase (CYP19) inhibition by biflavonoids obtained from the branches of Garcinia gardneriana (Clusiaceae).

Overexpression of aromatase in breast cancer cells may substantially influence its progression and maintenance. In this sense, the inhibition of aromatase is a key target for the treatment of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Although several flavonoids had already demonstrated the capacity of inhibiting aromatase activity, the role of biflavonoids as aromatase inhibitors is poorly studied.

From Root to Tips: Sporulation Evolution and Specialization in Bacillus subtilis and the Intestinal Pathogen Clostridioides difficile.

Bacteria of the Firmicutes phylum are able to enter a developmental pathway that culminates with the formation of highly resistant, dormant endospores. Endospores allow environmental persistence, dissemination and for pathogens, are also infection vehicles. In both the model Bacillus subtilis, an aerobic organism, and in the intestinal pathogen Clostridioides difficile, an obligate anaerobe, sporulation mobilizes hundreds of genes.

Development of a Complex Intervention to Improve Adherence to Antidiabetic Medication in Older People Using an Anthropomorphic Virtual Assistant Software.

Improving adherence to antidiabetic medication is crucial, resulting in improved health outcomes, cost reduction, and minimization of waste. A lack of underlying theory in existing interventions may explain the limited success in sustaining behavior change. This paper describes the development of a theory and evidence-based complex intervention to improve adherence to oral antidiabetics in older people a software prototype with an anthropomorphic virtual assistant.

[Socioeconomic position and self-rated oral health in Brazil: results of the Brazilian National Health Survey].

The study analyzed self-rated oral health in the Brazilian adult population according to socioeconomic status (region of residence, schooling, income, and social class), exploring the variables with the greatest sensitivity to measure the association. The study sample included 59,758 individuals 18 years or older who participated in the Brazilian National Health Survey in 2013, a population-based household survey. Self-rated oral health (teeth and gums) was analyzed as positive, fair, or negative.

A Survival Analysis of Living Donor Kidney Transplant.

Background: Superior patient and graft survival rates have been attributed to living donor kidney transplant (LDKT) when compared to deceased donor transplantation. The aim of this study was to assess graft survival in a population of LDKT in the last 14 years and the potential impact of some clinical features.

Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted, reviewing the records of all patients undergoing LDKT in one center from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2017.

Frequency and prognostic impact of and other genetic variants in indolent systemic mastocytosis.

Indolent systemic mastocytosis (ISM) patients have a normal life expectancy, except in the 5% to 10% of cases that progress to more advanced SM (advSM), which has a significantly poorer outcome. Mutations in genes other than frequently found in myeloid neoplasms have been associated with a poorer outcome among advSM, whereas limited information exists about their frequency and prognostic impact in ISM. We investigated the frequency and prognostic impact of variants in 18 genes, found to be altered in advSM, in 322 ISM patients (median follow-up, 5.

Development, physico-chemical characterization and in-vitro studies of hydrogels containing rosmarinic acid-loaded nanoemulsion for topical application.

Objectives: Natural sources with antioxidant activity, such as rosmarinic acid (RA), have been considered as an interesting approach for the development of new anti-ageing skin products. In this context, this study aimed to develop hydrogels containing RA-loaded nanoemulsions and evaluate the effect of the addition of Tween 80 (a nonionic cosurfactant) in formulations intended to be used for topical application.

Methods: Physico-chemical characterization, in-vitro release and skin retention/permeation from hydrogels of RA-loaded nanoemulsions (containing or not Tween 80) were evaluated.

Necrosis, apoptosis, necroptosis, three modes of action of dopaminergic neuron neurotoxins.

Most of the Parkinson's disease (PD) cases are sporadic, although several genes are directly related to PD. Several pathways are central in PD pathogenesis: protein aggregation linked to proteasomal impairments, mitochondrial dysfunctions and impairment in dopamine (DA) release. Here we studied the close crossing of mitochondrial dysfunction and aggregation of α-synuclein (α-syn) and in the extension in the dopaminergic neuronal death.

Temporal and spatial regulation of protein cross-linking by the pre-assembled substrates of a Bacillus subtilis spore coat transglutaminase.

In many cases protein assemblies are stabilized by covalent bonds, one example of which is the formation of intra- or intermolecular ε-(γ-glutamyl)lysil cross-links catalyzed by transglutaminases (TGases). Because of the potential for unwanted cross-linking reactions, the activities of many TGases have been shown to be tightly controlled. Bacterial endospores are highly resilient cells in part because they are surrounded by a complex protein coat.

Bioactive Dimeric Acylphloroglucinols from the Mexican Fern Elaphoglossum paleaceum.

Two new prenylated acylphloroglucinols, paleacenins A (1) and B (2), were isolated from the rhizome n-hexane and chloroform extracts of the fern Elaphoglossum paleaceum. Both compounds were found to possess the same geranylated filicinic acid moiety but have a different phloroglucinol ring substituent. Their structures were determined using H and C NMR spectroscopic, HRMS, and ECD analysis.

Refractory ascites and graft dysfunction in early renal transplantation.

The occurrence of ascites after Renal Transplant (RT) is infrequent, and may be a consequence of surgical or medical complications. Case report: 61 year-old, male, history of arterial hypertension, tongue carcinoma and alcoholic habits 12-20g/day. He had chronic kidney disease secondary to autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, without hepatic polycystic disease.

Taxonomy of Tabanus trivittatus species-group (Diptera: Tabanidae), with description of five new species.

The group of species related to Tabanus trivittatus include horse flies with striped abdomens and partially bare, inflated, subcallus. Herein we describe five new species and raise the number of valid species from 15 to 20, four of which occur in Brazil: T. albocapilus sp.