Effect of the phospholipase A inhibitor Varespladib, and its synergism with crotalic antivenom, on the neuromuscular blockade induced by Crotalus durissus terrificus venom (with and without crotamine) in mouse neuromuscular preparations.

The venom of the South American rattlesnake Crotalus durissus terrificus causes an irreversible neuromuscular blockade in isolated preparations due to action of the presynaptically-acting heterodimeric phospholipase A (PLA) crotoxin. Some populations of this subspecies contain, in addition to crotoxin, the toxin crotamine, which acts directly on muscle fibers. In this study we used C.

Transdermal Permeation Assays of Curcumin Aided by CAGE-IL: In Vivo Control of Psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a clinically heterogeneous skin disease with an important genetic component, whose pathophysiology is not yet fully understood and for which there is still no cure. Hence, alternative therapies have been evaluated, using plant species such as turmeric ( Linn.) in topical preparations.

Design and validity of an instrument to assess healthcare professionals' perceptions, behaviour, self-efficacy and attitudes towards evidence-based health practice: I-SABE.

Objectives: To develop and validate an instrument to measure Brazilian healthcare professionals' perceptions, behaviour, self-efficacy and attitudes towards evidence-based health practice.

Design: Validation of an instrument using the Delphi method to ensure content validity and data from a cross-sectional survey to evaluate psychometric characteristics (psychometric sensitivity, factorial validity and reliability).

Setting: National Register of Health Establishments database.

Applying biochemical and structural characterization of hydroxycinnamate catabolic enzymes from soil metagenome for lignin valorization strategies.

The biocatalytic production of fuels and chemicals from plant biomass represents an attractive alternative to fossil fuel-based refineries. In this context, the mining and characterization of novel biocatalysts can promote disruptive innovation opportunities in the field of lignocellulose conversion and valorization. In the present work, we conducted the biochemical and structural characterization of two novel hydroxycinnamic acid catabolic enzymes, isolated from a lignin-degrading microbial consortium, a feruloyl-CoA synthetase, and a feruloyl-CoA hydratase-lyase, named LM-FCS2 and LM-FCHL2, respectively.

Physicochemical and biopharmaceutical aspects influencing skin permeation and role of SLN and NLC for skin drug delivery.

The skin is a complex and multifunctional organ, in which the static versus dynamic balance is responsible for its constant adaptation to variations in the external environment that is continuously exposed. One of the most important functions of the skin is its ability to act as a protective barrier, against the entry of foreign substances and against the excessive loss of endogenous material. Human skin imposes physical, chemical and biological limitations on all types of permeating agents that can cross the epithelial barrier.

Oral motor function in obesity.

Background: Obese individuals may have impaired oral sensory functioning and abnormal oral motor function, a consequence of fat deposition in muscles.

Objective: To evaluate the oral motor function in obese individuals.

Material And Methods: Three observational cross-sectional studies were performed.

Evaluation of Protection by Caffeic Acid, Chlorogenic Acid, Quercetin and Tannic Acid against the In Vitro Neurotoxicity and In Vivo Lethality of (South American Rattlesnake) Venom.

Systemic envenomation by (South American rattlesnake) can cause coagulopathy, rabdomyolysis, acute kidney injury, and peripheral neuromuscular blockade, the latter resulting in flaccid paralysis. Previous studies have shown that plant products such as tannic acid and theaflavin can protect against the neuromuscular blockade caused by venom in vitro. In this work, we used mouse-isolated phrenic nerve-diaphragm preparations to examine the ability of caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, and quercetin to protect against venom-induced neuromuscular blockade in vitro.

Efficacy and safety of repellents marketed in Brazil against bites from Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus: A systematic review.

Background: Dengue, Zika and Chikungunya viruses represent a serious public health problem. No evidence is available on the efficacy of repellents commercially available in Brazil. This systematic review assessed the efficacy and safety of products containing repellents commercially available in Brazil for protection against bites from Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.

Royal Sun Culinary-Medicinal Mushroom Agaricus brasiliensis (Agaricomycetes) as a Functional Food in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Before and After Fetus Implantation.

Through preclinical tests, this study evaluated the effects of Agaricus brasiliensis consumption in rats with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and considered its potential as a functional food. The perinatal period was evaluated considering the daily exposure to A. brasiliensis before and after GDM induction (Abb and Aba, respectively).

GLP-1 and GIP receptor agonists in the treatment of Parkinson's disease: Translational systematic review and meta-analysis protocol of clinical and preclinical studies.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive multifactorial neurodegenerative condition. Epidemiological studies have shown that patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM2) are at increased risk for developing PD, indicating a possible insulin-modulating role in this latter condition. We hypothesized that drugs similar to glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP), used in the treatment of T2DM2, may play a role in PD.

Effects of Shiitake Culinary-Medicinal Mushroom, Lentinus edodes (Agaricomycetes), Bars on Lipid and Antioxidant Profiles in Individuals with Borderline High Cholesterol: A Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial.

Shiitake (Lentinus edodes) is a culinary-medicinal mushroom that has low lipid content and is rich in protein, fiber, minerals, vitamins, antioxidant compounds, and β-glucans. We assessed the effects of L. edodes bars on cholesterolemia and oxidative stress levels in individuals with borderline high cholesterol through a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

In Situ Effects of Doxycycline on Neuromuscular Junction in Mice.

Background: The antibacterial mechanism of doxycycline is known, but its effects on the nerve-muscle system are still not unclear.

Objective: The aim of the study was to combine molecular targets of the neuromuscular machinery using the in situ neuronal blocker effect of doxycycline, a semisynthetic second-generation tetracycline derivative, on mice neuromuscular preparations.

Methods: The effects of doxycycline were assessed on presynaptic, synaptic cleft, and postsynaptic neurotransmission, along with the muscle fiber, using the traditional myographic technique.

Manual Therapy with Neural Mobilization: Immediate Effect on the Vocal Quality of Women with Dysphonia.

Objective: To evaluate the immediate effect of neural mobilization on the voice quality, self-perceived phonatory effort, and laryngeal muscles of women with behavioral dysphonia.

Method: This is an intrasubject comparative study. The research included 21 women aged 18 to 59 years with vocal complaints.

The Influence of Silver Nanoparticles Against Toxic Effects of Venom.

Purpose: A silver nanoparticle obtained by reducing salts with solid dispersion of curcumin (130 nm, 0.081 mg mL) was used to counteract against the toxic - edematogenic, myotoxic, and neurotoxic - effects of venom.

Methods: The edematogenic effect was evaluated by plasma extravasation in rat dorsal skin after injection of 50 µg per site of venom alone or preincubated with 1, 10, and 100 µL of AgNPs; the myotoxicity was evaluated by measuring the creatine kinase released into the organ-bath before the treatment and at the end of each experiment; and neurotoxicity was evaluated in chick biventer cervicis using the conventional myographic technique, face to the exogenous acetylcholine (ACh) and potassium chloride (KCl) added into the bath before the treatment and after each experiment.

Zein based-nanoparticles loaded botanical pesticides in pest control: An enzyme stimuli-responsive approach aiming sustainable agriculture.

Nanoencapsulation of biopesticides is an important strategy to increase the efficiency of these compounds, reducing losses and adverse effects on non-target organisms. This study describes the preparation and characterisation of zein nanoparticles containing the botanical compounds limonene and carvacrol, responsive to proteolytic enzymes present in the insects guts. The spherical nanoparticles, prepared by the anti-solvent precipitation method, presented in the nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) a concentration of 4.

Risks of Adverse Neonatal Outcomes in Early Adolescent Pregnancy Using Group Prenatal Care as a Strategy for Public Health Policies: A Retrospective Cohort Study in Brazil.

Adolescent pregnancy is a public health concern and many studies have evaluated neonatal outcomes, but few have compared younger adolescents with older using adequate prenatal care. To compare the risks of adverse neonatal outcomes in younger pregnant adolescents who are properly followed through group prenatal care (GPC) delivered by specialized public services. This retrospective cohort study followed pregnant adolescents (aged 10-17 years) who received GPC from specialized public services in Brazil from 2009 to 2014.

Multi-omics analysis provides insights into lignocellulosic biomass degradation by Laetiporus sulphureus ATCC 52600.

Background: Wood-decay basidiomycetes are effective for the degradation of highly lignified and recalcitrant plant substrates. The degradation of lignocellulosic materials by brown-rot strains is carried out by carbohydrate-active enzymes and non-enzymatic Fenton mechanism. Differences in the lignocellulose catabolism among closely related brown rots are not completely understood.

Perspectives and Challenges in the Fight Against COVID-19: The Role of Genetic Variability.

In the last year, the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic brought a new consideration for the multidisciplinary sciences. The unknown mechanisms of infection used by SARS-CoV-2 and the absence of effective antiviral pharmacological therapy, diagnosis methods, and vaccines evoked scientific efforts on the COVID-19 outcome. In general, COVID-19 clinical features are a result of local and systemic inflammatory processes that are enhanced by some preexistent comorbidities, such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular, and pulmonary diseases, and biological factors, like gender and age.

Are Silver Nanoparticles Useful for Treating Second-Degree Burns? An Experimental Study in Rats.

In this work, the potential usefulness of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for treating burn wounds was examined. Second-degree burns were induced in male Wistar rats by touching the skin with a heated (70°C) metallic device for 10 s, after which the animals were randomly allocated to one of two groups: control (n=8, treated with sterile saline) and experimental (n=8, treated with AgNPs, 0.081 mg/mL; 50 µL applied to the burn surface).

Hypopressive exercise in normotensive young women: A case series.

Hypopressive exercise (HE) has been contraindicated for people with cardiovascular disease because it involves isometric postures performed with low-pulmonary volume breath-holds, which are thought to increase blood pressure. The objective of this study was to analyze the hemodynamic responses to HE performed in the seated posture on systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) in normotensive females. Ten women (age = 31.

Isokinetic strength of shoulder rotator muscles in powerlifters: correlation between isometric and concentric muscle actions.

Background: Isokinetic strength has been useful to assess muscle function related to sports and prevent injuries. The present study measured the isokinetic isometric and concentric shoulder rotators strength, agonist/antagonist ratio, and examined the relationships between isometric and concentric peak torque, and agonist/antagonist ratio in powerlifters compared to a control group.

Methods: The participants were divided into two groups: powerlifters group (N.

Shiitake Culinary-Medicinal Mushroom, Lentinus edodes (Agaricomycetes): Absence of Changes in Maternal Reproductive Performance and Embryofetal Development In Vivo.

The shiitake culinary-medicinal mushroom Lentinus edodes (=Lentinula edodes) has been used as a nutritional complement. This study evaluated, through reprotox tests, the consumption of L. edodes in pregnant rats, considering it as a functional food.

Factors associated with thrombocytopenia in patients with dengue fever: a retrospective cohort study.

Objective: Some patients with dengue fever tend to develop thrombocytopenia during the course of infection and are thus vulnerable to haemorrhagic manifestations and other complications. However, the factors associated with the development of thrombocytopenia are unknown. We aimed to identify factors associated with an increased risk of thrombocytopenia and haematological changes in patients with confirmed dengue fever.

Varespladib (LY315920) inhibits neuromuscular blockade induced by Oxyuranus scutellatus venom in a nerve-muscle preparation.

The phospholipase A (PLA) inhibitors varespladib (LY315920) and its orally available derivative methyl-varespladib (LY333013) have been proposed as potential therapies for the treatment of snakebite envenomings in which toxicity depends on the action of PLAs. In this study, the ability of LY315920 to abrogate the effect of the potent neurotoxic venom of Oxyuranus scutellatus (taipan) was assessed using the mouse phrenic nerve-diaphragm preparation. LY315920 inhibited the venom when (a) incubated with venom before addition to the medium; (b) added to the medium before addition of venom, and; (c) added to the medium within 30 min after addition of venom, and even after the onset of decline in twitch response.