Publications by authors named "Monica Gomes"

Alcohol intake at different developmental stages can lead to the development of alcohol-induced fatty liver disease (AFLD). Zingerone (ZO) possess hepato-protective properties; thus, when administered neonatally, it could render protection against AFLD. This study aimed to evaluate the potential long-term protective effect of ZO against the development of AFLD.

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Background: Whether systolic blood pressure (SBP) control in sustained volume-dependent primary hypertension is associated with blunted ANP (atrial natriuretic peptide) relationships with indexes of volume load is unknown.

Methods: Systemic hemodynamics (central pressure, echocardiographic aortic velocity and diameter measurements in the outflow tract), circulating ANP concentrations (ELISA assays) and glomerular and tubular function (24-hour urine collections [n=519]) were determined in a community of African ancestry (n=772).

Results: As compared with those with a controlled SBP, those with an uncontrolled SBP (n=198) showed lower ANP concentrations (<0.

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The aim of the present study was to investigate orofacial pain in individuals with Down syndrome (DS) and determine possible associations with masticatory muscle hypotonia (MMH), maximum mouth opening (MMO), and sleep disorders. Twenty-three individuals with DS underwent a standardized clinical examination using Axis I of the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders, for the diagnosis of pain in the masseter and temporal muscles and temporomandibular joint (TMJ). MMH was investigated using electromyography of the temporal and masseter muscles and the measurement of maximum bite force (MBF).

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Photobiomodulation therapy (PBM) appears to induce osteogenesis and stimulate fracture repair; because of its capacity, it is considered a promising treatment, but the characteristics of response to different radiation doses must be investigated through studies to establish their safety and effectiveness. Thus, this paper aims to analyze the effects of the PBM at different doses on the repair of critical bone defects through histological and histomorphometric analyses. Sixty 90-day-old adult rats (, , Wistar) weighing approximately 300 g were used.

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Cancer patients, including breast cancer patients, live in a hypercoagulable state. Chemo- and hormone- therapy used in the treatment of breast cancer increases the risk of thrombosis. Due to differences in health care services between developed and developing countries, the survival rate of women with breast cancer in developing countries is low.

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In this study, a combination therapy of several natural products was evaluated in vivo in the Giardia duodenalis infection model. G. duodenalis infected mice were treated as follows: distilled water (infected control C+), BIOintestil® (BIO; natural products of Cymbopogon martinii and Zingiber officinale), MicrobiomeX® (MBX; extract of Citrus sinensis and Citrus paradisi), MBX + BIO, Camellia sinensis tea (CPR; black tea).

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Strains of Trypanosoma cruzi, etiological agent of Chagas disease, are classified into different discrete typing units that may present distinct dynamics of infection and susceptibility to benznidazole (BZ) treatment. Mice that were orally inoculated with T. cruzi IV strains exhibited a more intense course of infection compared with intraperitoneally inoculated mice, reflected by higher parasite loads.

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In order to improve the diagnosis of giardiasis, fecal samples (high/medium/low concentration of cysts) were processed by the parasitological methods used in the routine: Faust, Lutz e Ritchie modified (replacement of formaldehyde by distilled water). The cysts were quantified; the DNA was extracted and amplified by semi-nested PCR (GDH gene). Fifteen clinical samples were analyzed to validate the study by PCR-RFLP.

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Purpose: Our goal was to analyze the outcome of infection and response to benznidazole (BZ) treatment in mice intragastrically inoculated with trypomastigotes forms of Trypanosoma cruzi from different origins.

Methods: Twenty-four Swiss mice were divided in two groups and inoculated, by gavage, with 1 × 10 blood trypomastigotes (BT) or insect-derived metacyclic trypomastigotes (IT) of AM14 strain (T. cruzi IV).

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to explore how aortic stiffness affects atherosclerosis and small vessel damage, focusing on whether this influence is linked to increased central arterial pressures from resistance to blood flow.
  • Involving 1021 participants, researchers measured central arterial health using methods like SphygmoCor for pressure and echocardiography for flow and diameter, finding key relationships among stiffness measures, blood flow, and indicators of organ health.
  • The results indicated that both characteristic impedance (Zc) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) are independently related to health markers like carotid thickness and kidney function, underlining that the effects of aortic stiffness on vascular damage extend beyond just traditional blood pressure metrics.*
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Background: Intestinal constipation (IC) in patients with the digestive form of Chagas disease is one of the main reasons for seeking medical care. Population data indicate that the practice of physical activity improves gastrointestinal motility.

Objective: This study evaluated the bowel frequency and symptoms of constipation and their relationship with the level of physical activity in patients with and without Chagas disease.

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Objective: To evaluate the phenotypic features of the masticatory biomechanics in atypical subjects with Down syndrome (DS). Its influence was analysed on sleep disorders, body adiposity and its risks, and some physicochemical properties of saliva.

Methods: Seventy subjects were enrolled to assess masticatory biomechanical function and divided into two groups: DS and control groups.

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The aim of the present study was to evaluate intra-day (test) and inter-day (re-test) reliability of surface electromyography (sEMG) signals of the masseter and temporal muscles in patients with Down syndrome (DS). We determined the reliability of sEMG variables in 33 patients with DS. EMG signals were recorded at rest as well as during maximum voluntary clenching and maximum habitual intercuspation (MHI).

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Background: High-grade inflammation may play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. Evidence to support a role of systemic inflammation in mediating impaired LV function in experimental models of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains limited. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of high-grade systemic inflammation on LV diastolic and systolic function in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA).

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Objectives: To determine the extent to which metabolic and inflammatory changes are associated with renal damage beyond conventional risk factors in a community sample with a high prevalence of obesity in urban South Africa.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional, community-based study in 1 010 ( = 872 without diabetes mellitus, DM) randomly selected participants over 16 years of age in an urban, developing community (Soweto, Johannesburg) with a high prevalence of obesity (41.8%).

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The aim of this study was twofold: i) to compare the rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and the frequencies of technical actions per minute in different small-sided games (SSGs) between under-14 and under-16 age groups, and ii) to compare the RPE and the frequencies of technical actions per minute between 1 x 1, 2 x 2, 3 x 3, 4 x 4 and 5 x 5 formats within age groups. Twenty young male basketball players from the same club (N = 10, from under-14; N = 10, from under-16) competing at the national level voluntarily participated in this study. Five different SSGs (1 x 1, 2 x 2, 3 x 3, 4 x 4 and 5 x 5) were played twice on courts of the same relative area and were compared in terms of the RPE and technical actions.

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Background: Although, in-part through an impact on left ventricular mass (LVM), resistin (an adipokine) may contribute to heart failure, whether this is explained by the adverse effects of resistin on aortic stiffness and renal function is unknown.

Methods: Relationships between circulating resistin concentrations and LVM index (LVMI), and LVM beyond that predicted by stroke work (inappropriate LVM [LVM]) (echocardiography) were determined in 647 randomly selected community participants, and in regression analysis, the extent to which these relations could be explained by aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) or estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was evaluated.

Results: Independent of confounders, resistin concentrations were independently associated with LVMI, LVM, LV hypertrophy (LVH), PWV and eGFR.

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Molecular detection of Giardia duodenalis by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is difficult in faecal samples due to inhibitors that contaminate DNA preparations, or due to low cyst concentrations. In order to eliminate inhibitors, improve cyst recovery and molecular detection of G. duodenalis, different types of water, distillates (MDs), deionized (MDz), injection (MI) or Milli-Q (MM) were used instead of formaldehyde (F) in the laboratory routine method (Ritchie).

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We determined the role of high-grade inflammation on endothelial function and its association with biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction in collagen-induced arthritis. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into a control (n = 12) or collagen-induced arthritis (CIA; n = 21) group. To induce arthritis, Bovine-type-II collagen emulsified in incomplete Freund's adjuvant was injected at the base of the tail.

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National border areas are special places for the spread of (MTB). These regions concentrate vulnerable populations and constant population movements. Understanding the dynamics of the transmission of MTB is fundamental to propose control measures and to monitor drug resistance.

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is a parasitic protozoan that infects a diversity of hosts constituting the cycle of enzootic transmission in wild environments and causing disease in humans (Chagas disease) and domestic animals. Wild mammals constitute natural reservoirs of this parasite, which is transmitted by hematophagous kissing bugs of the family Reduviidae. is genetically subdivided into six discrete typing units (DTUs), (Tc)I to TcVI.

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Purpose: The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of cigarette smoke inhalation on an autogenous onlay bone graft area, either covered with a collagen membrane or not, in healthy and estrogen-deficient rats through histomorphometry and immunohistochemistry.

Materials And Methods: Sixty female rats (Wistar), weighing 250-300 g, were randomly divided and allocated into groups (either exposed to cigarette smoke inhalation or not, ovariectomized and SHAM). After 15 days, the test group underwent cigarette smoke inhalation.

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Background: There are many comorbidities associated with Down syndrome (DS), including obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and masticatory muscle alteration. Muscular hypotonia, in particular, of the masticatory and oropharyngeal muscles is one of the main characteristics of individuals with DS, resulting in impairments of speech, swallowing, and mastication in these individuals. In addition, total or partial obstruction of the airways during sleep can occur due to pharyngeal hypotonia, leading to snoring and to OSA.

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Background: Although obesity-associated metabolic abnormalities (insulin resistance-IR) may not play as marked a role in determining left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction (DD) as hypertension, the impact of combinations of these risk factors on DD is unknown.

Hypothesis: We hypothesized that IR influences the impact of hypertension on DD.

Methods: In 704 randomly selected participants from a community sample with a high prevalence of hypertension (50.

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The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationships between anthropometric (height and weight), fitness status (aerobic capacity, Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test - level 1, YYIRT-L1; countermovement jump performance, CMJ) and perceived exertion (RPE) of twenty youth (under-14 and under-16) male basketball players and their technical actions (attacking balls-AB, shots-S, received balls-RB, rebounds-R, conquered balls-CB, lost balls-LB) during five small-sided games (SSGs) formats (from 1v1 to 5v5). Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficients tested the relationships between the anthropometric and fitness variables and the technical actions and perceived exertion during SSGs. The results of this study revealed that both anthropometry and fitness variables are associated with technical performance during SSGs.

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