Publications by authors named "Marcela Simoes"

Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the role of the mitochondrial protein NNT in obesity-related metabolic issues, using a specific mouse model lacking NNT genetic material.
  • Unlike previous studies, this research utilized a high-fat diet (45% calories from fat) that better represents typical fat-rich diets compared to the usual 60%.
  • Results show that mice without NNT gained less weight on a high-fat diet but had poorer glucose tolerance, while also revealing an increase in brown adipose tissue mass and inflammatory markers in the hypothalamus associated with diet-induced inflammation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Human mutations in neuropeptide Y (NPY) have been linked to high body mass index but not altered dietary patterns. Here we uncover the mechanism by which NPY in sympathetic neurons protects from obesity. Imaging of cleared mouse brown and white adipose tissue (BAT and WAT, respectively) established that NPY sympathetic axons are a smaller subset that mostly maps to the perivasculature; analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing datasets identified mural cells as the main NPY-responsive cells in adipose tissues.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of multiple-target therapy for treating posttransplant focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, as there is no agreed-upon treatment strategy.
  • Thirteen patients underwent the therapy, with only 15.4% achieving complete or partial remission, while 38% faced graft loss within a year.
  • High rates of treatment discontinuation (77%) were noted, primarily due to infections, with cytomegalovirus being the most common complication, indicating that the therapy's effectiveness was limited.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The consumption of large amounts of dietary fats and pregnancy are independent factors that can promote changes in gut permeability and the gut microbiome landscape. However, there is limited evidence regarding the impact of pregnancy on the regulation of such parameters in females fed a high-fat diet. Here, gut permeability and microbiome landscape were evaluated in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity in pregnancy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell carcinoma (HLRCC) is a rare, autosomal dominant tumor predisposition syndrome characterized by variable development of multiple skin and uterus leiomyomas and aggressive forms of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Mutations in fumarate hydratase (FH), one of the proteins in homologous recombination repair, precede the development of HLRCC with high penetrance. Considering the risk of early metastasis of RCC, FH has been included in mutation screening panels.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

GPR139 is an orphan G-protein-coupled receptor that is expressed in restricted areas of the nervous system, including the hypothalamus. In this study, we hypothesized that GPR139 could be involved in the regulation of energy balance and metabolism. In the first part of the study, we confirmed that GPR139 is expressed in the hypothalamus and particularly in proopiomelanocortin and agouti-related peptide neurons of the mediobasal hypothalamus.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To evaluate the impact of pre-eclampsia on cesarean delivery by using the Robson classification.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study including all women who delivered in a referral maternity hospital in southeast Brazil from January 2017 to February 2018. Women were classified into 1 of 10 Robson groups and then further subdivided into pre-eclampsia (PE) and non-PE (NPE) groups.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In a time when the incidence of severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is increasing in low- to middle-income countries (LMICs), it is important to understand the behavior of predictive variables in an LMIC's population. There are few previous attempts to generate prediction models for TBI outcomes from local data in LMICs. Our study aim is to design and compare a series of predictive models for mortality on a new cohort in TBI patients in Brazil using Machine Learning.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Psoriasis correlates with metabolic disorders, early atheromatosis and increased cardiovascular risk.

Objectives: To assess markers of cardiovascular disease in psoriatic patients.

Methods: Cross-sectional, observational study involving 11 psoriatic participants and 33 controls.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF