Adipokines, metabolic dysfunction and illness course in bipolar disorder.

Replicated evidence indicates that individuals with BD are differentially affected by metabolic comorbidities and that its occurrence is a critical mediator and/or moderator of BD outcomes. This study aimed to explore the role of adipokines on bipolar disorder (BD) course and its relationship with metabolic comorbidities (i.e.

Early stages of bipolar disorder: characterization and strategies for early intervention.

Objective: To characterize the early stages of bipolar disorder (BD), defined as the clinical prodrome/subsyndromal stage and first-episode phase, and strategies for their respective treatment.

Methods: A selective literature search of the PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, and ISI databases from inception until March 2014 was performed. Included in this review were articles that a) characterized prodromal and first-episode stages of BD or b) detailed efficacy and safety/tolerability of interventions in patients considered prodromal for BD or those with only one episode of mania/hypomania.

Detection of Toxoplasma gondii DNA in peripheral blood and aqueous humor of patients with Toxoplasmic active focal necrotizing retinochoroiditis using real-time PCR.

Purpose: To evaluate the ability of real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) for detectingToxoplasma gondii DNA in the peripheral blood and aqueous humor of patients with toxoplasmic active focal necrotizing retinochoroiditis.

Methods: Fifty-five patients with infectious uveitis seen from 2009 to 2013 at the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences of the Federal University of São Paulo were enrolled in this study. Forty-three patients had toxoplasmic active focal necrotizing retinochoroiditis, and the remaining 12 had non-toxoplasmic infectious uveitis and served as controls.

Customized Fetal Growth Charts for Parents' Characteristics, Race, and Parity by Quantile Regression Analysis: A Cross-sectional Multicenter Italian Study.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to construct fetal biometric charts between 16 and 40 weeks' gestation that were customized for parental characteristics, race, and parity, using quantile regression analysis.

Methods: In a multicenter cross-sectional study, 8070 sonographic examinations from low-risk pregnancies between 16 and 40 weeks' gestation were analyzed. The fetal measurements obtained were biparietal diameter, head circumference, abdominal circumference, and femur diaphysis length.

Micro-computed tomography (μCT) as a novel method in ecotoxicology--determination of morphometric and somatic data in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

Fish are important sentinel organisms for the assessment of water quality and play a central role in ecotoxicological research. Of particular importance to the assessment of health and fitness of fish stocks in response to environmental conditions or pollution are morphometric (e.g.

Cytokine Dosage in Fresh and Preserved Human Amniotic Membrane.

Purpose: To evaluate cytokine concentrations in amniotic membrane (AM) preserved in different preservation media, temperatures, and times and to compare them with those in fresh AM.

Methods: Placentas were harvested from 8 women undergoing cesarean delivery, with each then divided into 17 pieces for the following preservation methods: at 2 different temperatures (-80 and 0°C), in 2 different preservation media (dimethyl sulfoxide and enriched TC199; Ophthalmos), and for different time periods (for 1, 7, 60, and 180 days). Nonpreserved fresh AM was used as a control.

The role of oxidative and nitrosative stress in accelerated aging and major depressive disorder.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) affects millions of individuals and is highly comorbid with many age associated diseases such as diabetes mellitus, immune-inflammatory dysregulation and cardiovascular diseases. Oxidative/nitrosative stress plays a fundamental role in aging, as well as in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative/neuropsychiatric disorders including MDD. In this review, we critically review the evidence for an involvement of oxidative/nitrosative stress in acceleration of aging process in MDD.

New Players in the Same Old Game: Disturbance of Group 2 Innate Lymphoid Cells in HIV-1 and Mycobacterium leprae Co-infected Patients.

Leprosy control is achieved through a fine-tuning of TH1 and TH2 immune response pattern balance. Given the increasing epidemiological overlay of HIV and M. leprae infections, immune response in co-infected patients consists in an important contemporary issue.

Angiotensin converting enzyme activity is positively associated with IL-17a levels in patients with schizophrenia.

Previous studies of our group showed increased plasmatic Angiotensin-I Converting Enzyme (ACE) activity in schizophrenia (SCZ) patients compared to healthy controls, which was also associated to poor cognitive functioning. The ACE main product angiotensin II (Ang-II) has pro-inflammatory properties. Activated immune-inflammatory responses in SCZ and their association with disease progression and cognitive impairments are also well-described.

Cross-Contamination of Residual Emerging Contaminants and Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria in Lettuce Crops and Soil Irrigated with Wastewater Treated by Sunlight/H2O2.

The sunlight/H2O2 process has recently been considered as a sustainable alternative option compared to other solar driven advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) in advanced treatment of municipal wastewater (WW) to be reused for crop irrigation. Accordingly, in this study sunlight/H2O2 was used as disinfection/oxidation treatment for urban WW treatment plant effluent in a compound parabolic collector photoreactor to assess subsequent cross-contamination of lettuce and soil by contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) (determined by QuEChERS extraction and LC-QqLIT-MS/MS analysis) and antibiotic resistant (AR) bacteria after irrigation with treated WW. Three CECs (carbamazepine (CBZ), flumequine (FLU), and thiabendazole (TBZ) at 100 μg L(-1)) and two AR bacterial strains (E.

Inflammation, neurotrophism and oxidative stress and childhood psychopathology in a large community sample.

Objective: To investigate the association between peripheral biomarkers and child psychopathology in a large community sample.

Method: A total of 625 aged 6- to 13-year old subjects were recruited from a community school-based study. Psychopathology was assessed using the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL).

Development of Guidelines for Health Impact Assessment in Southern Italy.

Health impact assessment (HIA) is a multidisciplinary method aimed at assessing the health effects of policies, plans, and projects using quantitative, qualitative, and participatory techniques. In many European countries, such as in Italy, there is a lack of implementation of HIA procedures and it would be necessary to develop instruments and protocols in order to improve the specific skills of professionals involved in the assessment process. This article aims to describe the development and implementation of HIA guidelines, promoted by the Italian National Agency for Regional Health Services (AGENAS), in 4 Southern Italian regions.

Profile of cystic fibrosis in two reference centers in southern Brazil.

Objective: to compare the characteristics of cystic fibrosis patients treated in two reference centers in southern Brazil in order to observe trends in the treatment and clinical outcomes that may produce changes in clinical conduct.

Methods: cross-sectional, retrospective study with 83 patients diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, aged one month to eighteen years. The variables analyzed were obtained through review of medical records, including: demographic and clinical characteristics, socioeconomic status, pulmonary function test, bacterial colonization profile, medication and physiotherapy.

Image-guided drug delivery: preclinical applications and clinical translation.

Image-guided drug delivery refers to the combination of drug targeting and imaging. Preclinically, image-guided drug delivery can be used for several different purposes, including for monitoring biodistribution, target site accumulation, off-target localization, drug release and drug efficacy. Clinically, it holds significant potential for preselecting patients.

Inactivation and regrowth of multidrug resistant bacteria in urban wastewater after disinfection by solar-driven and chlorination processes.

Solar disinfection and solar-driven advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) (namely H2O2/sunlight, TiO2/sunlight, H2O2/TiO2/sunlight, solar photo-Fenton) were evaluated in the inactivation of indigenous antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) in real urban wastewater. A multidrug resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli strain isolated from the effluent of the biological process of an urban wastewater treatment plant was the target ARB. The higher inactivation rates (residual density under detection limit, 2 CFUm L(-1)) were achieved with H2O2/TiO2/sunlight (cumulative energy per unit of volume (QUV) in the range 3-5 kJ L(-1), depending on H2O2/TiO2 ratio) and H2O2/sunlight (QUV of 8 kJ L(-1)) processes.

Association between participation and compliance with Continuing Medical Education and care production by physicians: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: Physician participation in Continuing Medical Education programs may be influenced by a number of factors. To evaluate the factors associated with compliance with the Continuing Medical Education requirements at a private hospital, we investigated whether physicians' activity, measured by volumes of admissions and procedures, was associated with obtaining 40 Continuing Medical Education credits (40 hours of activities) in a 12-month cycle.

Methods: In an exclusive and non-mandatory Continuing Medical Education program, we collected physicians' numbers of hospital admissions and numbers of surgical procedures performed.

MHC structure and function – antigen presentation. Part 1.

The setting for the occurrence of an immune response is that of the need to cope with a vast array of different antigens from both pathogenic and non-pathogenic sources. When the first barriers against infection and innate defense fail, adaptive immune response enters the stage for recognition of the antigens by means of extremely variable molecules, namely immunoglobulins and T-cell receptors. The latter recognize the antigen exposed on cell surfaces, in the form of peptides presented by the HLA molecule.

MHC structure and function - antigen presentation. Part 2.

The second part of this review deals with the molecules and processes involved in the processing and presentation of the antigenic fragments to the T-cell receptor. Though the nature of the antigens presented varies, the most significant class of antigens is proteins, processed within the cell to be then recognized in the form of peptides, a mechanism that confers an extraordinary degree of precision to this mode of immune response. The efficiency and accuracy of this system is also the result of the myriad of mechanisms involved in the processing of proteins and production of peptides, in addition to the capture and recycling of alternative sources aiming to generate further diversity in the presentation to T-cells.

Plerixafor on demand in ten healthy family donors as a rescue strategy to achieve an adequate graft for stem cell transplantation.

Background: In allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation, the collection of an appropriate number of HSCs while maintaining a high level of safety for healthy donors is fundamental. Inadequate HSC mobilization can be seen with the standard use of granulocyte-colony-stimulating (G-CSF). Plerixafor (PL) is a chemokine receptor CXC Type 4-stromal-derived factor 1 inhibitor; its HSC-mobilizing properties are synergistic with G-CSF in poor mobilizing patients.

Effects of depression on the cytokine profile in drug naïve first-episode psychosis.

Schizophrenia is accompanied by alterations in immuno-inflammatory pathways, including abnormalities in cytokine profile. The immune assessment of patients in a first episode of psychosis (FEP) and particularly in drug naïve patients is very important to further elucidate this association. The objectives of this study are to delineate the cytokine profile (IL-2, IL-10, IL-4, IL-6, IFNγ, TNFα and IL-17) in FEP patients (n=55) versus healthy controls (n=57) and to examine whether the presence of depressive symptoms in FEP is accompanied by a specific cytokine profile.

Liposomal delivery of dexamethasone attenuates prostate cancer bone metastatic tumor growth in vivo.

Background: The inflammatory tumor microenvironment, and more specifically the tumor-associated macrophages, plays an essential role in the development and progression of prostate cancer towards metastatic bone disease. Tumors are often characterized by a leaky vasculature, which - combined with the prolonged circulation kinetics of liposomes - leads to efficient tumor localization of these drug carriers, via the so-called enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) -effect. In this study, we evaluated the utility of targeted, liposomal drug delivery of the glucocorticoid dexamethasone in a model of prostate cancer bone metastases.

Hybrid treatment for thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms in patients with Marfan syndrome.

Marfan syndrome is a heritable disorder of connective tissue leading to aortic aneurysms and other cardiovascular complications associated with reduced life expectancy. Although contemporary management of ascending aortic disease requires open surgical reconstruction, the combined retrograde visceral revascularization and endovascular exclusion (hybrid procedure) of entire thoracoabdominal aorta has been introduced for the management of descending thoracic and abdominal aortic pathology. The present experience reports 2 cases of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms, in Marfan patients, previously submitted to major cardiovascular surgical procedures, through a hybrid approach.

Nitric oxide-releasing indomethacin enhances susceptibility to Trypanosoma cruzi infection acting in the cell invasion and oxidative stress associated with anemia.

Trypanosoma cruzi is the causative agent of Chagas disease. Approximately 8 million people are thought to be affected with this disease worldwide. T.