Drug use patterns and health problems among people who use drugs in Guinea-Bissau (2022): A cross-sectional survey using respondent-driven sampling.

Background: Little data exists on the use of cocaine, methamphetamine, tramadol and heroin or related health conditions in Guinea Bissau. We aimed to estimate drug use practices and the prevalence of selected blood-borne infections, depression and population size estimates of people who use injectable drugs in Guinea-Bissau.

Methods: We used respondent-driven sampling to recruit adults who use injectable drugs in this cross sectional survey in three cities (Bissau, Bafatá and Gabú) between July and September 2022.

Intervention diversity predicts social rehabilitation indicators at discharge in Therapeutic Communities.

Introduction: The Therapeutic Community Model narrows the gap in substance use disorder's network of assistance in Brazil by offering residential treatment to socially vulnerable populations. Due to a historical lack of evidence-based approaches, the government has established treatment guidelines and has been trying to implement training and monitoring methods.

Method: This study analysed real-world data from the monitoring system implemented in the largest network of institutions receiving public funds in the State of Sao Paulo.

Mobility and HIV vulnerabilities among female sex workers in Guinea-Bissau: findings from an integrated bio-behavioral survey.

Background: Mobility is an important risk determinant for HIV given the potential for intermittent access to HIV services. Mobility may be particularly relevant among female sex workers, (FSW) who have been shown to be at high risk for HIV in settings around the world. Data regarding the role mobility plays in exacerbating HIV risks among FSW across Sub-Saharan Africa remains limited, and data on FSW in Guinea-Bissau is sparse.

Resveratrol prevents oxidative damage and loss of sperm motility induced by long-term treatment with valproic acid in Wistar rats.

Valproic acid (VPA) is a drug widely use for the treatment of epilepsy in both children and adults. Evidence suggests that long-term use of VPA may lead to an impairment in the male reproductive function. Oxidative stress is considered to play a major role in VPA associated toxicity.

Protective effect of vitamin E on sperm motility and oxidative stress in valproic acid treated rats.

Long-term administration of valproic acid (VPA) is known to promote reproductive impairment mediated by increase in testicular oxidative stress. Vitamin E (VitE) is a lipophilic antioxidant known to be essential for mammalian spermatogenesis. However, the capacity of this vitamin to abrogate the VPA-mediated oxidative stress has not yet been assessed.

[Functional ability of elderly with chronic diseases living in Long-Stay Institutions].

The study aimed to describe the functional performance and the presence of chronic diseases in 164 elderly residents in long-stay institutions in Recife-PE, Brazil .A socio-demographic questionnaire, the Functional Independence Measurement, Lawton's scale and the Mini-Mental test were applied. Analysis of variance was used to assess differences in performance.

Resveratrol protects against a model of vacuous chewing movements induced by reserpine in mice.

Reserpine treatment is a putative animal model of orofacial dyskinesia, tremor, and Parkinsonism. Here, we examined the effects of resveratrol, a polyphenol with neuroprotective properties primarily contained in red grapes and red wine, in an animal model of vacuous chewing movements (VCMs) induced by treatment with reserpine. Mice were treated with reserpine (1 mg/kg, subcutaneously on days 1 and 3) and/or resveratrol (5 mg/kg, intraperitoneally 3 consecutive days).

Propylthiouracil-induced congenital hypothyroidism upregulates vimentin phosphorylation and depletes antioxidant defenses in immature rat testis.

Congenital hypothyroidism was induced in rats by adding 0.05% 6-propyl-2-thiouracil in the drinking water from day 9 of gestation, and continually up to postnatal day 15. Structural alterations observed by light microscopy of seminiferous tubules and by transmission electron microscopy of Sertoli cells of treated animals were consistent with hypothyroid condition.

Hyperthyroidism in the developing rat testis is associated with oxidative stress and hyperphosphorylated vimentin accumulation.

Hyperthyroidism was induced in rats and somatic indices and metabolic parameters were analyzed in testis. In addition, the morphological analysis evidenced testes maturation and intense protein synthesis and processing, supporting the enhancement in vimentin synthesis in hyperthyroid testis. Furthermore, vimentin phosphorylation was increased, indicating an accumulation of phosphorylated vimentin associated to the cytoskeleton, which could be a consequence of the extracellular-regulated kinase (ERK) activation regulating the cytoskeleton.

Ionic involvement and kinase activity on the mechanism of nongenomic action of thyroid hormones on 45Ca2+ uptake in cerebral cortex from young rats.

Thyroid hormones (TH) play important roles in brain development. Although most of the nongenomic actions of TH are known to be calcium-dependent, the effects of 3,5,3'-triiodo-L-thyronine (T(3)) or thyroxine (T(4)) on calcium influx in cerebral cortex of rats are not clear. In this study we investigate some mechanisms involved in the effect of T(3) and T(4) on Ca(2+) uptake in slices of cerebral cortex from 10-day-old male rats.

Involvement of K+ channels and calcium-dependent pathways in the action of T3 on amino acid accumulation and membrane potential in Sertoli cells of immature rat testis.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the involvement of calcium in K+ currents and its effects on amino acid accumulation and on the membrane potential regulated by tri-iodo-L-thyronine (T3) in Sertoli cells. Immature rat testes were pre-incubated for 30 min in Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate buffer and incubated for 60 min in the presence of [14C]methylaminoisobutyric acid with and without T3 or T4 (dose-response curve). Specific channel blockers or chelating agents were added at different concentrations during pre-incubation and incubation periods to study the basal amino acid accumulation and a selected concentration of each drug was chosen to analyze the influence on the stimulatory hormone action.