Exposure to pesticides, individually or in a mixture, in drinking water is one of the main sources of human contamination, which causes adverse effects on the reproductive system. Our study aimed to investigate, the effects of a 90-day exposure to low concentrations of glyphosate (GLY), atrazine (ATZ), and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), in commercial formulations, on morphological, molecular, and hormonal parameters of the ventral prostate of gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus). The animals were exposed via drinking water to individual concentrations of GLY: 700 μg/L, ATZ: 3 μg/L, and 2,4-D: 70 μg/L, as well as to their mixture (MIX).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To compare functional and anatomical outcomes between posterior drainage of residual fluid using a 41G cannula, fluid tolerance (R-SRF), and conventional complete drainage methods, including removal through peripheral retinal breaks (PRB), perfluorocarbon liquid (PFCL), and posterior retinotomy (PR).
Methods: In this retrospective, multicenter study, we evaluated cases for visual acuity (VA) at 3 months of follow-up. Secondary outcomes included surgical success, postoperative metamorphopsia, shifts, full-thickness folds (FTF), optical coherence tomography (OCT) parameters, and safety.
Acta Histochem
December 2024
The elastic system is one of the most developed interstitial elements in connective tissue. With diverse functions, pre-elastic and elastic fibers contribute to the distensibility and malleability of several organs. Also, microanalyses of the elastic system were obtained by different histological techniques that were employed over years to describe normal and pathological conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPost-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) syndrome or condition (PCS) is defined as new onset symptoms for at least three months following COVID-19 infection that has persisted for at least two months. Given the global sequelae of COVID-19, there is an urgent need for effective PCS interventions. The aim of this study was to systematically review all interventions for PCS tested in randomized controlled trials.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTemperature is a primary factor influencing organismal development, and the fluctuating daily and seasonal thermal regimes of temperate climates may challenge the ability of viviparous reptiles to optimize body temperatures during gestation. Testing how viviparous reptiles navigate highly variable thermal conditions (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFParadoxical sleep deprivation (PSD) presents different effects on metabolism and neurological functions. In addition, over long duration, sleep restriction (SR) can promote permanent changes. The prostate is an endocrine-dependent organ with homeostatic regulation directly related to hormone levels.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe study aimed to investigate the repercussions of androgen modulation on the adrenal cortex of male gerbils, focusing on the morphophysiology, proliferation, and cell death, as well as the expression of hormone receptors and steroidogenic enzymes. Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) were divided into three experimental groups: Control (C), Testosterone (T), animals received injections of testosterone cypionate and Castrated (Ct), animals underwent orchiectomy. The results showed that castration increased the zona fasciculata and promoted cell hypertrophy in all zones.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrevious evidence has shown that pseudowords made up of real morphemes take more time to process and generate more errors than pseudowords without morphemes in a lexical decision task. The explanation for these results is controversial because two possible arguments may be posited; the first is related to the morphological composition of the stimuli, and the second is related to the larger semantic interpretability of pseudowords with morphemes in comparison with pseudowords without morphemes (a semantic-based explanation). To disentangle this issue, we conducted an experiment with 92 children and 42 adults.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTraditional neuroimaging methods have identified alterations in brain activity patterns following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), particularly during rest, complex tasks, and normal vision. However, studies using graph theory to examine brain network changes in mTBI have produced varied results, influenced by the specific networks and task demands analyzed. In our study, we employed functional MRI to observe 17 mTBI patients and 54 healthy individuals as they viewed a simple, non-narrative underwater film, simulating everyday visual tasks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhether the endocrine pancreas exhibits structural features to couple with dietary patterns is not fully explored. Considering the lack of data comparing endocrine pancreas and islet cell distribution among different bat species in the same study, we considered this an opportunity to explore the topic, including five species within three different predominant diets. For this, we applied morphometric techniques to compare the islets of frugivorous Artibeus lituratus and Carollia perspicillata, insectivorous Molossus molossus and Myotis nigricans, and nectarivorous Glossophaga soricina bats.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfective endocarditis (IE), a disease of the endocardial surface of the heart, is usually of bacterial origin and disproportionally affects individuals with underlying structural heart disease. Although IE is typically associated with Gram-positive bacteria, a minority of cases are caused by a group of Gram-negative species referred to as the HACEK group. These species, classically associated with the oral cavity, consist of bacteria from the genera (excluding ), , , , and .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnder the effect of global change, management of cyanobacterial proliferation becomes increasingly pressing. Given the importance of interactions within microbial communities in aquatic ecosystems, a handful of studies explored the potential relations between cyanobacteria and their associated bacterial community (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeurodegenerative disease is a debilitating and incurable condition that affects millions of people around the world. The loss of functions or malfunctions of neural cells are the causes of mortality. A proteosome inhibitor, MG132, is well known to cause neurodegeneration in vitro when model neuronal-derived cell lines are exposed to it.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHeavy metals are elements found into the environment mainly due to anthropogenic activities. Naturally occurring and higher released doses cause disorders in the prostate, which depends on appropriate hormonal regulation, and exposure to heavy metals may impair prostate homeostasis. The current work highlighted the main mechanisms of toxicity of different environmental heavy metal contaminants, such as aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, and nickel, and their impacts found in the prostate morphophysiology of murine models.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVirtual reality seems to be a promising tool to improve the study of anatomy; however, its efficacy compared to traditional methods remains unclear. This randomized experimental study included 42 first-semester medical students enrolled in a Morphology discipline, divided into two groups. Each group was interchangeably assigned to use virtual reality plus traditional methods or traditional methods alone in a four-section crossover design.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe female prostate is associated with the urogenital system and presents homology in morphological terms with the male prostate. Due to its responsiveness to endogenous hormones, this gland is under a constant risk of developing prostatic pathologies and neoplasia when exposed to certain exogenous compounds. Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disruptor found in different plastic and resin products.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: To evaluate the efficacy of an advance closed-loop (AHCL) system in restoring awareness of hypoglycemia in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D).
Methods: We conducted a prospective study including 46 subjects with T1D flash glucose monitoring (FGM) or continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) switching to a Minimed 780G® system. Patients were classified in three groups according to the therapy used before switching to Minimed® 780G: multiple dose insulin (MDI) therapy + FGM (n = 6), continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion + FGM (n = 21), and sensor-augmented pump with predictive low-glucose suspend (n = 19).
Inflammation in the established tumor microenvironment (TME) is often associated with a poor prognosis of breast cancer. Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine-disrupting chemical that acts as inflammatory promoter and tumoral facilitator in mammary tissue. Previous studies demonstrated the onset of mammary carcinogenesis at aging when BPA exposure occurred in windows of development/susceptibility.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe ovaries regulate fertility and hormonal control in females, and aging is a crucial factor in this process, when ovarian function is drastically impacted. Exogenous endocrine disruptors may accelerate this process, acting as the main agents in decreased female fertility and hormonal imbalance, since they impact different features related to reproduction. In the present study, we demonstrate the implications of exposure of adult mothers to the endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA) during pregnancy and lactation on their ovarian function during the transition to later in life (aging).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLake Villarrica, one of Chile's main freshwater water bodies, was recently declared a nutrient-saturated lake due to increased phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) levels. Although a decontamination plan based on environmental parameters is being established, it does not consider microbial parameters. Here, we conducted high-throughput DNA sequencing and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analyses to reveal the structure and functional properties of bacterial communities in surface sediments collected from sites with contrasting anthropogenic pressures in Lake Villarrica.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUltimately, the Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) have acquired a relevant role in biological and biomedical experiments alongside other rodents. The use of gerbils in research has been mainly oriented to physiological and pharmacological studies, with special attention to nervous, digestive, and auditory systems as well as microbiology and parasitology. Ultimately, gerbils have also been applied for studying carcinogenesis in different organs and systems, since these animals show a natural propensity to develop spontaneous proliferative lesions, especially in steroid-responsive organs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe human oral pathobiont Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans expresses multiple virulence factors, including the trimeric, extracellular matrix protein adhesin A (EmaA). The posttranslational modification of EmaA is proposed to be dependent on the sugars and enzymes associated with -polysaccharide (O-PS) synthesis of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS). This modification is important for the structure and function of this adhesin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFish Shellfish Immunol Rep
December 2022
The use of Poly (lactic acid) (PLA) as a slow-release vehicle for vaccines has attracted the attention of researchers, since its insertion improves the uptake of them, and reduces side effects or by stimulating recruited defense cells, assisting immunity without the need for booster vaccine doses. Seeking to develop new strategies for the administration of drugs and vaccines in aquaculture, we evaluated the biocompatibility and biodegradation of polymeric PLA devices and PLA plus vitamin E devices, implanted through subcutaneous (SC) and intraperitoneal (IP) routes in Nile tilapia. To carry out this study, 84 male tilapia (initial 243.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: We aimed to analyze changes in retinal microvascularization with intensive reduction of glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in patients with poorly controlled diabetes using quantitative optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) metrics. Method: This was a retrospective observational study in patients with uncontrolled diabetes admitted to the hospital for glycemic control. A second set of 15 healthy volunteers was included to serve as a control group.
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