Methylation of and Gene Promoters in Brazilian Patients With Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Presenting or Not Psychiatric Comorbidities.

The relationship between epilepsy and psychiatric comorbidities has been recognized for centuries, but its pathophysiological mechanisms are still misunderstood. It is biologically plausible that genetic or epigenetic variations in genes that codify important neurotransmitters involved in epilepsy as well as in psychiatric disorders may influence the development of the latter in patients with epilepsy. However, this possibility remains poorly investigated.

Delivery Mode and the Transition of Pioneering Gut-Microbiota Structure, Composition and Predicted Metabolic Function.

Cesarean (C-section) delivery, recently shown to cause excess weight gain in mice, perturbs human neonatal gut microbiota development due to the lack of natural mother-to-newborn transfer of microbes. Neonates excrete first the in-utero intestinal content (referred to as meconium) hours after birth, followed by intestinal contents reflective of extra-uterine exposure (referred to as transition stool) 2 to 3 days after birth. It is not clear when the effect of C-section on the neonatal gut microbiota emerges.

Birth mode-dependent association between pre-pregnancy maternal weight status and the neonatal intestinal microbiome.

The intestinal microbiome is a unique ecosystem that influences metabolism in humans. Experimental evidence indicates that intestinal microbiota can transfer an obese phenotype from humans to mice. Since mothers transmit intestinal microbiota to their offspring during labor, we hypothesized that among vaginal deliveries, maternal body mass index is associated with neonatal gut microbiota composition.

Serum proinflammatory cytokines and nutritional status in pediatric chronic liver disease.

Aim: To evaluate the nutritional status and its association with proinflammatory cytokines in children with chronic liver disease.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study with 43 children and adolescents, aged 0 to 17 years, diagnosed with chronic liver disease. All patients regularly attended the Pediatric Hepatology Unit and were under nutritional follow up.

Acid and Weakly Acidic Gastroesophageal Reflux and Pepsin Isoforms (A and C) in Tracheal Secretions of Critically Ill Children.

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) and pulmonary aspiration are frequent in patients in the ICU. The presence of pepsin in airways seems to be the link between them. However, pepsin isoforms A (gastric specific) and C (pneumocyte potentially derived) need to be distinguished.

Early life stress is associated with anxiety, increased stress responsivity and preference for "comfort foods" in adult female rats.

Chronic stress increases anxiety and encourages intake of palatable foods as "comfort foods". This effect seems to be mediated by altered function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. In the current study, litters of Wistar rats were subjected to limited access to nesting material (Early-Life Stress group - ELS) or standard care (Control group) from postnatal day 2 to 9.

Molecular cloning and transgenic expression of a synthetic human erythropoietin gene in tobacco.

Erythropoietin (EPO) is a hormone belonging to a group of hematopoietic growth factors that control the proliferation and differentiation of bone marrow cells. It induces the production of erythrocytes, thereby increasing the amount of circulating hemoglobin and oxygen. Previous attempts to transgenically express human EPO in plants failed to succeed because the plants exhibited abnormal morphology and infertility.