Daily intake of household-produced milk kefir on Salmonella Typhimurium infection in C57BL/6 mice: mortality, microbiota modulation, and immunological implications.

Aims: Salmonellosis, a major global cause of diarrheal diseases, significantly impacts the intestinal microbiome. Probiotic-rich beverages, such as kefir, are increasingly utilized as alternative health-promoting beverages associated with various microbiota benefits. This study investigated the repercussions of daily consumption of household-produced milk kefir on Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium infection in C57BL-6 mice.

Effect of vaccination against Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae on divergent pig genetic groups.

The bacterium Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (Mhp) causes a chronic infectious respiratory disease in pigs, leading to important economic losses. This study aimed to compare the immune response of the local Piau breed and a commercial line to Mhp vaccination. For this, two phases were carried out.

Exposure to the herbicide tebuthiuron affects behavior, enzymatic activity, morphology and physiology of the midgut of the stingless bee Partamona helleri.

Partamona helleri is an important pollinator in the Neotropics. However, this bee faces an increased risk of pesticide exposure, potentially affecting both individual bees and entire colonies. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of the herbicide tebuthiuron on behavior, antioxidant activity, midgut morphology, and signaling pathways related to cell death, cell proliferation and differentiation in P.

Short communication: Goat mastitis and the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs).

Mastitis, an inflammation of the mammary gland affecting milk production and quality in dairy herds, is often associated with Staphylococcus spp. in goats. Neutrophils are crucial in combating infections by migrating into milk and deploying various defense strategies, including the release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) composed of DNA, histones, and bactericidal proteins.

Increased calcium intake from skimmed milk in energy-restricted diets reduces glycation markers in adults with type 2 diabetes and overweight: A secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial.

The effect of calcium (Ca) on glycation markers is unknown. We hypothesized that increased Ca intake from skimmed milk associated with an energy-restricted diet intake will reduce glycation markers. This reduction will be associated with a greater improvement in markers of metabolic control in adults with type 2 diabetes, overweight, and low habitual Ca intake (<600 mg/d).

Development of a new assay for quantification of parasite load of intracellular Leishmania sp. in macrophages using flow cytometry.

Finding novel methodologies that enhance the precision, agility, and standardization of drug discovery is crucial for studying leishmaniasis. The slide count is the technique most used to assess the leishmanicidal effect of a given drug in vitro. Despite being consolidated in the scientific environment, it presents several difficulties in its execution, assessment, and results.

Effect of antibiotics and low-crude protein diets on growth performance, health, immune response, and fecal microbiota of growing pigs.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of diets with and without antibiotics supplementation and diets with 18.5% and 13.0% crude protein (CP) on growth performance, carcass characteristics, disease incidence, fecal microbiota, immune response, and antioxidant capacity of growing pigs.

Consumption of yacon flour and energy-restricted diet increased the relative abundance of intestinal bacteria in obese adults.

Prebiotics can alter the gastrointestinal environment, favoring the growth of health-promoting bacteria. Although yacon is a functional food, with prebiotic properties (fructooligosaccharides), its effects on the intestinal microbiota have not been investigated yet. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of yacon flour consumption and energy-restricted diet in the intestinal microbiota in adults with excess body weight.

Bioavailability of Li-enriched mushrooms and protection against oxidative stress in pigs: First study in vivo.

Mycelia and mushrooms are able to bioaccumulate minerals. Lithium is the active principle of drugs used in the treatment of psychiatric diseases. However, a dietary source of Li can reduce the side effects of these drugs.

Hemocyte morphology of worker subcastes of the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens rubropilosa (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).

Hemocytes are cells present in the hemolymph of insects that play a role in combating invasive pathogens, ensuring defense by the immune system in these organisms. While the types of hemocytes are well known in some insect representatives, data on these cells in Hymenoptera are limited to certain bees and wasps, with little information available for ants. Among ants, the genus Atta has environmental and economic importance, forming highly organized colonies consisting of the queen and workers, with the latter subdivided into subcastes: gardeners, waste removers, foragers, and soldiers, which are exposed to different pathogens.

Toxicology of arsenate, arsenite, cadmium, lead, chromium, and nickel in testes of adult Swiss mice after chronic exposure by intraperitoneal route.

Background: Some residues such as the heavy metals cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr VI), nickel (Ni), and arsenic (As), this last one in its oxidized forms + 5 (arsenate) and + 3 (arsenite), can cause injuries to human health, so they are currently considered environmental health emergencies. In the testis, heavy metals can cause morphological and functional damage due to constant exposure acting chronically in individuals. Thus, we aimed to determine the toxicological mechanism of As, As, Cd, Cr VI, and Ni that leads to testicular damage and establish for the first time an order of toxicity among these studied heavy metals.

Impact of Early Arsenic Exposure on the Mineral Content and Oxidative Status of the Liver and Kidney of Pubescent and Adult Rats.

This study evaluated the effect of prepubertal arsenic exposure in the liver and kidney of pubescent rats and their reversibility 30 days after arsenic withdrawal. Male pups of Wistar rats (21 days old) were divided into two groups (n = 20/group): control animals received filtered water, and exposed rats received 10 mg L arsenic from postnatal day (PND) 21 to PND 51. The liver and kidney of 52 days old rats (n = 10/group) were examined to investigate the effects of arsenic on micromineral content, antioxidant enzyme activity, histology, and biochemistry parameters.

Circulating oxidative stress and acute phase protein levels in horses infested with ticks.

Ticks have saliva rich in immunoregulatory molecules that interfere with the host's physiology in order to feed. This study aimed to evaluate the concentration of acute phase proteins and circulating oxidative stress in response to infestation by Amblyomma sculptum and Dermacentor nitens in two breed horses, Mangalarga Marchador and Breton Postier, to define resistance or susceptibility to ticks. Among the oxidative stress markers, we observed lower malondialdehyde and nitric oxide in horses with tick infestation, consequently not altering the antioxidant enzymes.

Associations of adiposity and adipokine concentrations with anti- and oxidative markers in Brazilian children.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of body fat, anti- and inflammatory adipokines with anti- and oxidative markers.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study with 378 schoolchildren ages 8 to 9 y in Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil. We obtained information on sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics via questionnaires, measured height and weight, and estimated body fat by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry.

LG-G12 Restores Gut Microbiota and Intestinal Health in Obesity Mice on Ceftriaxone Therapy.

Gut microbiota imbalance is associated with the occurrence of metabolic diseases such as obesity. Thus, its modulation is a promising strategy to restore gut microbiota and improve intestinal health in the obese. This paper examines the role of probiotics, antimicrobials, and diet in modulating gut microbiota and improving intestinal health.

Long-term reproductive effects in male rats prenatally exposed to sodium arsenite.

Arsenic is an environmental toxicant known to be a carcinogen and endocrine disruptor. Maternal exposure to arsenic has been associated with fetus malformation and reproductive disorders in male offspring. However, it is unclear the extent to which those effects remain during postnatal development and adulthood.

Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of curcumin transdermal gel in an IL-10 knockout mouse model of inflammatory bowel disease.

Inflammatory bowel diseases are a group of inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. Their prevalence is still low in Brazil, but the incidence is increasing annually. A variety of compounds present in Curcuma longa L.

Morphophysiological alterations in fruit-eating bats after oral exposure to deltamethrin.

Deltamethrin (DTM) is a synthetic pyrethroid widely used in the cultivation and management of several crops due to its insecticidal action. Application to crops of pyrethroids such as DTM can result in the exposure of water and fruit consumed by fruit bats having a high pyrethroid content which may be harmful. Therefore the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of short-term oral exposure of the fruit-eating bats (Artibeus lituratus) to two concentrations of DTM (0.

Protective immunity triggered by ectonucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase-based biopharmaceuticals attenuates cardiac parasitism and prevents mortality in Trypanosoma cruzi infection.

Chagas disease is a potentially fatal infection in 21 endemic Latin America countries for which the effectiveness of reference antiparasitic chemotherapy is limited. Thus, we developed three biopharmaceuticals and evaluated the effectiveness of different immunization strategies (recombinant protein NTPDase-1 [rNTPDase-1], DNA plasmid encoding Trypanosoma cruzi NTPDase-1 [TcNTPDase-1] and DNA-NTPDase-1 prime/rNTPDase-1 boost [Prime-boost]) based on the surface ecto-nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase (ecto-NTPDase) enzyme of T. cruzi in animals challenged with a virulent strain (Y) of this parasite.

Immunomodulatory activity of trifluoromethyl arylamides derived from the SRPK inhibitor SRPIN340 and their potential use as vaccine adjuvant.

The serine/arginine-rich protein kinases (SRPK) specifically phosphorylate their substrates at RS-rich dipeptides, which are abundantly found in SR splicing factors. SRPK are classically known for their ability to affect the splicing and expression of gene isoforms commonly implicated in cancer and diseases associated with infectious processes. Non-splicing functions have also been attributed to SRPK, which highlight their functional plasticity and relevance as therapeutic targets for pharmacological intervention.

Association between cytokine levels and anthropometric measurements: a population-based study.

Obesity is currently considered a public health problem with pandemic proportions and is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation, which can predispose to the development of several chronic diseases and metabolic complications. This cross-sectional population-based study, conducted with 743 Brazilian adults, aimed to evaluate the association between inflammatory cytokines with anthropometric measurements. Socio-demographic, anthropometric, behavioural and biochemical variables were collected.

The SRPK inhibitor N-(2-(piperidin-1-yl)-5-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl) isonicotinamide (SRPIN340) increases the immune response against metastatic melanoma in mice.

Cancers have a strong relationship with immune cells in their microenvironment, which significantly influences tumor proliferation and progression. Thus, pharmacological strategies that stimulate the immune system to combat tumor cells are promising for better therapeutic efficacy. Deregulated expression of the splicing regulatory serine arginine protein kinases (mostly SRPK1 and SRPK2) has been found in different cancer types, leading to the expression of isoforms related to tumor growth and metastasis.

Hibiscus ( L.) supplementation increases butyrate synthesis and reduces inflammatory cells, attenuating the formation of aberrant crypt foci in BALB/c mice induced to pre-neoplastic lesions.

The development of colorectal cancer involves some morphological changes, and in the initial stage, pre-neoplastic lesions called aberrant crypt foci (ACF) appear. Thus, an intervention with sources of bioactive compounds such as Hibiscus sabdariffa L., rich in phenolic compounds and anthocyanins, could attenuate the risk of developing these lesions due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative properties.

Synthesis of cinnamic acid ester derivatives with antiproliferative and antimetastatic activities on murine melanoma cells.

Melanoma is the most aggressive skin cancer, and its incidence has continued to rise during the past decades. Conventional treatments present severe side effects in cancer patients, and melanoma can be refractory to commonly used anticancer drugs, which justify the efforts to find new potential anti-melanoma drugs. An alternative to promote the discovery of new pharmacological substances would be modifying chemical groups from a bioactive compound.