Bioinformatics and molecular biology tools for diagnosis, prevention, treatment and prognosis of COVID-19.

Since December 2019, a new form of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) has emerged worldwide, caused by SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This disease was called COVID-19 and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020. Symptoms can vary from a common cold to severe pneumonia, hypoxemia, respiratory distress, and death.

Adherence to mediterranean diet and aromatic plants intake are related with gustatory function: A case-study from a Portuguese region.

The Mediterranean Diet has been recognized as one of the healthiest and most sustainable dietary patterns and is flavor rich due to the use of different seasonings, such as aromatic plants, in dish confection. Based on the hypotheses that: 1) gustatory function will affect food choices; 2) seasoning flavors may be differently accepted according to individuals' gustatory functions; the aim of the present study was to assess the association between taste sensitivity and/or preference with Mediterranean Diet adherence and seasoning consumption. A total of 383 adults (18-59 years old; 198 female, 185 male) from North Alentejo region of Portugal were enrolled in this study, with 291 (145 female and 146 male) also evaluated for gustatory function.

Systematization of perioperative nursing care in robotic surgery: instrument validation.

Objective: To develop and validate an instrument to assist in the systematization of perioperative nursing care in robotic surgery.

Methods: Methodological study developed in four phases: content survey; textual elaboration; content validation by the group of expert judges and target audience; and elaboration of the electronic instrument layout.

Results: Eleven expert judges and seven evaluators of the target audience participated.

Prognostic Factors and Markers in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Recent Progress and Future Challenges.

Lung cancer is a highly aggressive neoplasm and, despite the development of recent therapies, tumor progression and recurrence following the initial response remains unsolved. Several questions remain unanswered about non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): (1) Which patients will actually benefit from therapy? (2) What are the predictive factors of response to MAbs and TKIs? (3) What are the best combination strategies with conventional treatments or new antineoplastic drugs? To answer these questions, an integrative literature review was carried out, searching articles in PUBMED, NCBI-PMC, Google Academic, and others. Here, we will examine the molecular genetics of lung cancer, emphasizing NSCLC, and delineate the primary categories of inhibitors based on their molecular targets, alongside the main treatment alternatives depending on the type of acquired resistance.

The Influence of (Poly)phenol Intake in Saliva Proteome: Short- and Medium-Term Effects of Apple.

The relationship between salivary proteome and dietary habits was studied in previous works, where a relationship between salivary proteins like cystatins and polyphenol/tannin levels in diet was observed. However, it remains to be elucidated if this association results from an effect of polyphenol-rich food ingestion on saliva composition. The aim of this work was to test the effects of apple intake on the saliva proteome, both in the short and medium term (after 4 days of continuous intake).

Computational Biology Helps Understand How Polyploid Giant Cancer Cells Drive Tumor Success.

Precision and organization govern the cell cycle, ensuring normal proliferation. However, some cells may undergo abnormal cell divisions (neosis) or variations of mitotic cycles (endopolyploidy). Consequently, the formation of polyploid giant cancer cells (PGCCs), critical for tumor survival, resistance, and immortalization, can occur.

Translational Bioinformatics Applied to the Study of Complex Diseases.

Translational Bioinformatics (TBI) is defined as the union of translational medicine and bioinformatics. It emerges as a major advance in science and technology by covering everything, from the most basic database discoveries, to the development of algorithms for molecular and cellular analysis, as well as their clinical applications. This technology makes it possible to access the knowledge of scientific evidence and apply it to clinical practice.

How Individual Variations in the Perception of Basic Tastes and Astringency Relate with Dietary Intake and Preferences for Fruits and Vegetables.

: Oral food perception plays a major role in food acceptance, although the way it relates with food preferences and final choices in adults is still debatable. The objective of the present study was to assess the relationship between gustatory function, dietary habits and fruit and vegetable preferences. : Recognition thresholds, suprathreshold and hedonics were accessed for sweet, bitter, sour, salty and astringency in 291 adult participants.

Salivary Protein Profile and Food Intake: A Dietary Pattern Analysis.

Saliva research has gained interest due to its potential as a source of biomarkers. One of the factors inducing changes in saliva, in the short term, is food intake, and evidence exist about changes in salivary proteome induced by some food components. Since this topic of research is in its early stages, it was hypothesized that saliva protein composition could be associated with different levels of adherence to dietary patterns that contain higher amounts of plant products.

Relationship between Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Saliva Composition.

Dietary polyphenol exposure is known to change protein saliva composition in rodents, but less is known in humans. The present study aimed to assess the relationship between saliva protein composition and adherence to Mediterranean Diet (MD) and polyphenol intake levels. Participants were assessed for their dietary habits, which were converted in Mediterranean adherence level, according to Mediterranean Diet Adherence Score (MEDAS) score.

Burden of SARS-CoV-2 infection among nursing professionals in Brazil.

Objective: Estimate the burden of SARS-CoV-2 infection among nursing professionals in Brazil.

Method: Ecological study using data from the Nursing Observatory. The weight attributed to diseases was based on the Global Disease Burden Study 2017, considering the lower respiratory infection as moderate.

Comfort of the child in intensive pediatric therapy: perception of nursing professionals.

Objectives: o analyze the concept of comfort in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit from the perspective of nursing professionals.

Methods: descriptive research, with qualitative-quantitative approach, conducted in an Intensive Care Unit. Data collection occurred between January and May 2017; 40 nursing professionals participated in the study.

Clinical Alarms in intensive care: implications of alarm fatigue for the safety of patients.

Objectives: to identify the number of electro-medical pieces of equipment in a coronary care unit, characterize their types, and analyze implications for the safety of patients from the perspective of alarm fatigue.

Method: this quantitative, observational, descriptive, non-participatory study was conducted in a coronary care unit of a cardiology hospital with 170 beds.

Results: a total of 426 alarms were recorded in 40 hours of observation: 227 were triggered by multi-parametric monitors and 199 were triggered by other equipment (infusion pumps, dialysis pumps, mechanical ventilators, and intra-aortic balloons); that is an average of 10.

Glucagon secretion after metabolic surgery in diabetic rodents.

Excessive or inadequate glucagon secretion promoting hepatic gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis is believed to contribute to hyperglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes. Currently, metabolic surgery is an accepted treatment for obese patients with type 2 diabetes and has been shown to improve glycemic control in Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats, a lean animal model for type 2 diabetes. However, the effects of surgery on glucagon secretion are not yet well established.

Insulin resistance and beta cell function before and after sleeve gastrectomy in obese patients with impaired fasting glucose or type 2 diabetes.

Background: Pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes (T2D) includes insulin resistance (IR) and insufficient insulin secretion. Remission in obese patients can be achieved through surgically induced weight loss. Sleeve gastrectomy is a novel technique for the treatment of morbid obesity, and its effects on the metabolic syndrome and T2D have not yet been fully understood.

Amelioration of glycemic control by sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass in a lean animal model of type 2 diabetes: restoration of gut hormone profile.

Background: In obese diabetic patients, bariatric surgery has been shown to induce remission of type 2 diabetes. Along with weight loss itself, changes in gut hormone profiles after surgery play an important role in the amelioration of glycemic control. However, the potential of gastrointestinal surgery regarding diabetes remission in non-severely obese diabetic patients has yet to be defined.

Effects of atorvastatin and insulin in vascular dysfunction associated with type 2 diabetes.

Atorvastatin and insulin have distinct mechanisms of action to improve endothelial function. Therefore, we hypothesized that atorvastatin and insulin therapies alone or in combination could have beneficial effects on endothelium-dependent vascular reactivity, oxidative stress, inflammation and metabolic parameters in Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats, a model of type 2 diabetes fed with atherogenic diet (GKAD). In parallel with the development of diabetes and lipid profile, the generation of oxidative stress was determined by measurement of lipid peroxides and oxidized proteins and the presence of inflammation was evaluated by assessing C-reactive protein (CRP).

Dietary restriction improves systemic and muscular oxidative stress in type 2 diabetic Goto-Kakizaki rats.

Type 2 diabetes is a heterogeneous metabolic disease characterized by insulin resistance and β-cell dysfunction leading to hyperglycaemia and dyslipidaemia. Dietary intervention seems to improve some of these cellular complications, namely insulin resistance. Our aim was to evaluate the effects of dietary restriction on systemic and skeletal muscle oxidative stress and insulin resistance in normal Wistar rats and Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats, a non-obese type 2 diabetic animal model.

Metformin restores endothelial function in aorta of diabetic rats.

Background And Purpose: The effects of metformin, an antidiabetic agent that improves insulin sensitivity, on endothelial function have not been fully elucidated. This study was designed to assess the effect of metformin on impaired endothelial function, oxidative stress, inflammation and advanced glycation end products formation in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Experimental Approach: Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats, an animal model of nonobese type 2 diabetes, fed with normal and high-fat diet during 4 months were treated with metformin for 4 weeks before evaluation.

Metformin and atorvastatin combination further protect the liver in type 2 diabetes with hyperlipidaemia.

Background: non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and type 2 diabetes are associated with dyslipidaemia, inflammation and oxidative stress. However, the pathophysiology of NAFLD in type 2 diabetes with hyperlipidaemia is not fully known, as well as the utility of the commonly prescribed anti-diabetic and lipid-lowering drugs in ameliorating liver injury markers.

Methods: hepatic complications of type 2 diabetes with hyperlipidaemia and the effects of atorvastatin and metformin, isolated and in association, in systemic and hepatic inflammatory and oxidative stress markers were tested using genetic type 2 diabetic Goto-Kakizaki rats fed with a high-fat diet.

Insulin and metformin may prevent renal injury in young type 2 diabetic Goto-Kakizaki rats.

Type 2 diabetes is increasing at epidemic proportions throughout the world, and diabetic nephropathy is the principal cause of end stage renal failure. Approximately 40% of patients with type 2 diabetes may progress to nephropathy and a good metabolic control can prevent the development of diabetic renal injury. The aim of our study was to evaluate, in young type 2 diabetic Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats fed with atherogenic diet, the effects of the anti-diabetic compounds insulin, metformin and gliclazide on renal damage.

Beneficial effects of dietary restriction in type 2 diabetic rats: the role of adipokines on inflammation and insulin resistance.

Inflammation plays an important role in diabetes mellitus and its complications. In this context, the negative cross-talk between adipose tissue and skeletal muscle leads to disturbances in muscle cell insulin signalling and induces insulin resistance. Because several studies have shown that energy restriction brings some benefits to diabetes, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of dietary restriction on systemic and skeletal muscle inflammatory biomarkers, such C-reactive protein, adipokines and cytokines, and in insulin resistance in Goto-Kakizaki rats.

Food deprivation promotes oxidative imbalance in rat brain.

The present study was aimed to evaluate the effect of food deprivation in brain oxidative status of Wistar and Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats. For this purpose, we evaluated several oxidative stress parameters: lipid peroxidation (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances [TBARS]) and protein oxidation markers, hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) levels, nonenzymatic (reduced [GSH] and oxidized glutathione [GSSG] and vitamin E) and enzymatic (glutathione peroxidase [GPx], glutathione reductase [GRed], and manganese superoxide dismutase [MnSOD]) antioxidant defenses. Four-mo-old Wistar and GK rats were divided into 2 groups.

A role for atorvastatin and insulin combination in protecting from liver injury in a model of type 2 diabetes with hyperlipidemia.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major complication linked with the metabolic syndrome associated with dyslipidemia, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Impact of type 2 diabetes with hyperlipidemia in NAFLD has to be established, as well as the utility of commonly prescribed anti-diabetic and lipid-lowering agents in improving liver injury markers. Genetic type 2 diabetic Goto-Kakizaki rats were fed with a high-fat diet to test hepatic effects of type 2 diabetes with hyperlipidemia and the effect of atorvastatin and insulin, individually and in combination, in systemic and hepatic inflammatory and oxidative stress markers.

Therapeutic association of atorvastatin and insulin in cardiac ischemia: study in a model of type 2 diabetes with hyperlipidemia.

Unlabelled: Combination therapy recently emerged as a potential therapeutic option in order to improve cardiovascular risk in diabetics, since therapies commonly used in monotherapy failed in significantly optimizing this risk.

Methods: A type 2 diabetes animal model was used to test the effects of a high-fat diet, atorvastatin and insulin (isolated or in association), in glycemic, lipid and inflammatory profiles, oxidative stress markers and cardiac mitochondrial function in ischemia-reperfusion conditions.

Results: High-fat diets significantly worsened fasting glycemia and lipid profile; it also increased C-reactive protein (CRP) and oxidative stress and compromised mitochondrial response to ischemia.