Clinical outcomes of a cohort of patients with central nervous system metastases from thyroid cancer.

Introduction: Metastases to central nervous system (M-CNS) are rarely reported in thyroid cancer (TC) patients. We aimed to characterize patients with M-CNS from TC followed in our department.

Methods: Review of the medical records of 27 patients with TC-related M-CNS.

Multiplex PCR designed to differentiate species within the Candida glabrata complex.

Background: No phenotypic methods are available to unequivocally differentiate species within the Candida glabrata complex.

Aims: To develop a new multiplex PCR method to differentiate between the three species of the C. glabrata species complex, as well as using it to study a C.

Polyphenols Beyond Barriers: A Glimpse into the Brain.

Background: Ageing can be simply defined as the process of becoming older, which is genetically determined but also environmentally modulated. With the continuous increase of life expectancy, quality of life during ageing has become one of the biggest challenges of developed countries. The quest for a healthy ageing has led to the extensive study of plant polyphenols with the aim to prevent age-associated deterioration and diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases.

Antidepressants, antimicrobials or both? Gut microbiota dysbiosis in depression and possible implications of the antimicrobial effects of antidepressant drugs for antidepressant effectiveness.

Objectives: The first drug repurposed for the treatment of depression was the tuberculostatic iproniazid. At present, drugs belonging to new classes of antidepressants still have antimicrobial effects. Dysbiosis of gut microbiota was implicated in the development or exacerbation of mental disorders, such as major depressive disorder (MDD).

Reversal of schizophrenia-like symptoms and immune alterations in mice by immunomodulatory drugs.

Immune dysregulation observed in schizophrenia alters tryptophan metabolism. Tryptophan metabolism is triggered by indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) and tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO). Tryptophan is converted to quinolinic acid, a potent neurotoxin, and to kynurenic acid, an NMDA antagonist.

Analysis of Protein Oligomeric Species by Sucrose Gradients.

Protein misfolding, aggregation, and accumulation are a common hallmark in various neurodegenerative diseases. Invariably, the process of protein aggregation is associated with both a loss of the normal biological function of the protein and a gain of toxic function that ultimately leads to cell death. The precise origin of protein cytotoxicity is presently unclear but the predominant theory posits that smaller oligomeric species are more toxic than larger aggregated forms.

Low frequency of LRV1 in Leishmania braziliensis strains isolated from typical and atypical lesions in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

The double stranded RNA (dsRNA) virus Leishmaniavirus (Totiviridae) was first described in Leishmania guyanensis and L. braziliensis (LRV1), and more recently from L. major and L.

Time Course of Central Precocious Puberty Development Caused by an MKRN3 Gene Mutation: A Prismatic Case.

Background: Loss-of-function mutations in the imprinted gene MKRN3 represent the most common known genetic defects associated with central precocious puberty (CPP).

Methods: We report the first case of a girl carrying an MKRN3 mutation detected in childhood and followed until the development of pubertal signs.

Results: The girl was screened at the age of 4 years because of a positive family history; her sister had developed CPP at 6 years of age and was found to harbor the MKRN3 p.

Aspergillus fumigatus Intrinsic Fluconazole Resistance Is Due to the Naturally Occurring T301I Substitution in Cyp51Ap.

Aspergillus fumigatus intrinsic fluconazole resistance has been demonstrated to be linked to the CYP51A gene, although the precise molecular mechanism has not been elucidated yet. Comparisons between A. fumigatus Cyp51Ap and Candida albicans Erg11p sequences showed differences in amino acid residues already associated with fluconazole resistance in C.

Extended pelvic resections for the treatment of locally advanced and recurrent anal canal and colorectal cancer: technical aspects and morbimortality predictors aftet 24 consecutive cases.

Objective: to evaluate the profile of morbidity and mortality and its predictors related to extensive pelvic resections, including pelvic exenteration, to optimize the selection of patients and achieve better surgical results.

Methods: we performed 24 major resections for anorectal pelvic malignancy from 2008 to 2015 in the Instituto do Câncer do Ceará. The factors analyzed included age, weight loss, resected organs, total versus posterior exenteration, angiolymphatic and perineural invasion, lymph node metastasis and overall and disease-free survival.

High Frequency of MKRN3 Mutations in Male Central Precocious Puberty Previously Classified as Idiopathic.

Background/aims: Recently, loss-of-function mutations in the MKRN3 gene have been implicated in the etiology of familial central precocious puberty (CPP) in both sexes. We aimed to analyze the frequency of MKRN3 mutations in boys with CPP and to compare the clinical and hormonal features of boys with and without MKRN3 mutations.

Methods: This was a retrospective review of clinical, hormonal and genetic features of 20 male patients with idiopathic CPP evaluated at an academic medical center.

The prognostic role of RANK SNP rs34945627 in breast cancer patients with bone metastases.

Receptor activator of NF-kB (RANK) pathway regulates bone remodeling and is involved in breast cancer (BC) progression. Genetic polymorphisms affecting RANK-ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) have been previously associated with BC risk and bone metastasis (BM)-free survival, respectively. In this study we conducted a retrospective analysis of the association of five missense RANK SNPs with clinical characteristics and outcomes in BC patients with BM.

Telomere length in subjects with schizophrenia, their unaffected siblings and healthy controls: Evidence of accelerated aging.

Schizophrenia (SZ) is associated with broad burden. The clinical manifestations of SZ are related to pathophysiological alterations similar to what is seen in normal aging. Our aim was to evaluate the differences in telomere length (TL), a biomarker of cellular aging, in subjects with SZ (n=36), unaffected siblings (SB, n=36) and healthy controls (HC, n=47).

Recommendations for the treatment of migraine attacks - a Brazilian consensus.

In this article, a group of experts in headache management of the Brazilian Headache Society developed through a consensus strategic measurements to treat a migraine attack in both the child and the adult. Particular emphasis was laid on the treatment of migraine in women, including at pregnancy, lactation and perimenstrual period.

Spatial variations in fish assemblage structure in a southeastern Brazilian reservoir.

We assessed the fish assemblage structure and composition of Nova Ponte Reservoir (Araguari River, Upper Paraná Basin, Brazil). We observed significant differences in abundance (p = 0.0003), richness (p = 0.

Antidepressant, antioxidant and neurotrophic properties of the standardized extract of Cocos nucifera husk fiber in mice.

The plant Cocos nucifera and its derivatives have shown antidepressant-like effects, although its hydroalcoholic extract has not been studied with this end in mind. Therefore, we decided to determine the antidepressant-like effects of the standardized hydroalcoholic extract of Cocos nucifera husk fiber (HECN) as well as oxidative alterations in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), hippocampus (HC) and striatum (ST), and the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the HC of mice. The extract was characterized based on the content of total polyphenols as well as two phenol compounds-catechin and chlorogenic acid-by HPLC-PDA.

N-acetylcysteine attenuates nicotine-induced kindling in female periadolescent rats.

Kindling is a form of behavioral sensitization that is related to the progression of several neuropsychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder. We recently demonstrated that female periadolescent rats are more vulnerable to nicotine (NIC)-induced kindling than their male counterparts. Furthermore, we evidenced that decreases in brain antioxidative defenses may contribute to this gender difference.

Sexual Precocity--Genetic Bases of Central Precocious Puberty and Autonomous Gonadal Activation.

Precocious puberty has been classically defined as the onset of sexual secondary characteristics in girls younger than 8 years and in boys younger than 9 years. The discovery of potential factors which trigger human puberty is one of the central mysteries of reproductive biology. Several approaches, including mutational analysis of candidate genes, large-scale genome-wide association studies, and (more recently) whole-exome sequencing, have been performed in attempt to identify novel genetic factors that modulate the human hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, resulting in premature sexual development.

Antimitotic activity of the pyrimidinone derivative py-09 on sea urchin embryonic development.

Chemotherapy is the main cancer treatment and consists of drug administration that interferes with several metabolic pathways, leading to tumor cell death. Antimitotic drugs have a relevant role in chemotherapy. This study aimed to investigate the effect of a pyrimidinone derivative (6-(p-Anisyl)-2-(p-chlorophenyl)-4-oxo-3,4-dihydropyrimidine-5-carbonitrile, Py-09) on sea urchin embryonic development model.

Treatment of Cancer Pain by Targeting Cytokines.

Inflammation is one of the most important causes of the majority of cancer symptoms, including pain, fatigue, cachexia, and anorexia. Cancer pain affects 17 million people worldwide and can be caused by different mediators which act in primary efferent neurons directly or indirectly. Cytokines can be aberrantly produced by cancer and immune system cells and are of particular relevance in pain.

Experimental white piedra: a robust approach to ultrastructural analysis, scanning electron microscopy and etiological discoveries.

White piedra is a fungal infection characterized by nodules comprised of Trichosporon species and restricted to the extrafollicular portion of the hair shaft. The diagnosis is based on clinical and mycological characteristics, and must be confirmed with a precise identification of the etiological agent. This research aimed to develop an in vitro infection model of white piedra and analyze its morphological and ultra-structural aspects.

Prevention of Nausea and Vomiting in Patients Undergoing Oral Anticancer Therapies for Solid Tumors.

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is still a common and debilitating side effect despite recent advances in its prevention and treatment. The intrinsic emetogenicity of chemotherapy agents allowed grouping into four risk groups (high, moderate, low, and minimal risk of emetogenicity). The prevention of acute and delayed CINV for intravenous agents and one day regimens is well studied, although, there are few data about management of CINV induced by oral cytotoxic agents and targeted therapies, usually administered in extended regimens of daily oral use.

Cryptococcus laurentii fungaemia in a cervical cancer patient.

Infections caused by emerging Cryptococcus non-neoformans species are being reported with increasingly frequency. Here, we present a case of fungaemia by Cryptococcus laurentii in a woman receiving aggressive immunosuppressive therapy for cervical neoplasia. Three venous blood samples were aseptically collected on consecutive days and C.

Reversal of corticosterone-induced BDNF alterations by the natural antioxidant alpha-lipoic acid alone and combined with desvenlafaxine: Emphasis on the neurotrophic hypothesis of depression.

Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is linked to the pathophysiology of depression. We hypothesized that BDNF is one of the neurobiological pathways related to the augmentation effect of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) when associated with antidepressants. Female mice were administered vehicle or CORT 20mg/kg during 14 days.