The relationship between training status, blood pressure and uric acid in adults and elderly

Background: Hypertension can be generated by a great number of mechanisms including elevated uric acid (UA) that contribute to the anion superoxide production. However, physical exercise is recommended to prevent and/or control high blood pressure (BP). The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between BP and UA and whether this relationship may be mediated by the functional fitness index.Methods: All participants (n = 123) performed the following tests: indirect maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), AAHPERD Functional Fitness Battery Test to determine the general fitness functional index (GFFI), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP), body mass index (BMI) and blood sample collection to evaluate the total-cholesterol (CHOL), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-c), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-c), triglycerides (TG), uric acid (UA), nitrite (NO2) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (T-BARS). After the physical, hemodynamic and metabolic evaluations, all participants were allocated into three groups according to their GFFI: G1 (regular), G2 (good) and G3 (very good).Results: Baseline blood pressure was higher in G1 when compared to G3 (+12% and +11%, for SBP and DBP, respectively, p<0.05) and the subjects who had higher values of BP also presented higher values of UA. Although UA was not different among GFFI groups, it presented a significant correlation with GFFI and VO2max. Also, nitrite concentration was elevated in G3 compared to G1 (140±29 μM vs 111± 29 μM, for G3 and G1, respectively, p<0.0001). As far as the lipid profile, participants in G3 presented better values of CHOL and TG when compared to those in G1.Conclusions: Taking together the findings that subjects with higher BP had elevated values of UA and lower values of nitrite, it can be suggested that the relationship between blood pressure and the oxidative stress produced by acid uric may be mediated by training status. © 2013 Trapé et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Effects of dietary clinoptilolite and calcium levels on uric acid and calcium blood concentrations and bone quality of commercial layers

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Comparison between the six-minute walk test and the six-minute step test in post stroke patients

Background: The Stroke remains one of the major chronic diseases worldwide, and is considered a major cause of disability, which results not only in persistent neurological deficits, but also in the high physical deconditioning, nevertheless there are not many forms of assessing functional capacity in this population. We aimed to investigate the feasibility of the Six Minute Walk Teste and the Six-Minute Step Test (6MST) in post-stroke patients and compare the behavior of physiological variables during the 6MST and the Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), by correlating the functional performance obtained in both tests. Method. The 6MWT was carried out according to the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and the 6MST was performed in six minutes in order to compare it to the 6MWT in a 20 cm step. Was included post-stroke individuals able to walk without aid. All of them did the 6MWT and the 6MST. Results: 12 patients participated in the study. There was no statistical difference in the parameters analyzed when tests were compared. There was poor correlation between the functional performance in both tests. Conclusion: The 6MWT and the 6MST is feasible for post-stroke patients and physiological responses are equal during the performance of both tests. However, there was no correlation with respect to functional performance, which was assessed by the distance walked in the 6MWT and by the number of steps climbed in the 6MST. © 2013 da Silva et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Serum activity of creatine kinase and aminotransferase aspartate enzymes of horses submitted to muscle biopsy and incremental jump test

The objective was to evaluate serum activity of the enzymes creatine kinase (CK) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), which are leakage enzymes responsive to muscle injury, of athletic horses that underwent muscle biopsy and incremental jump test (IJT) involving incremental jumps. The animals were grouped as follows: the first group, horses with history of superior performance (SP); the second, with a history of inferior performance (IP); and lastly, a control group (CG). All groups underwent biopsy of the gluteus medius muscle, while groups SP and IP were also submitted to the incremental jump test (IJT) 24 hours after biopsy. The IJT consisted of three stages with 40 jumps each, where jump height increased progressively, from 40 to 60 and last, 80cm. Blood samples were drawn before biopsy, and 6 and 24 hours after the exercise as well. The levels of CK serum activity increased 6 hours after exercise and decreased 24 hours later in all groups, including CG. AST activity did not increase after biopsy and exercise. There was no increase of both enzyme activities that could be attributed to the exercise, possibly due to exercise short duration and/or low intensity. We conclude that the muscle biopsy was able to show that there was enough stimulus to cause CK enzyme leakage into the plasma, and consequent detection of increased serum activity, while the incremental jump test did not.

Insensibilização de frangos de corte em atmosfera controlada na promoção do bem estar animal: Diego Augusto Bitencourt. -

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Sexual abuse and alcohol use among women in metropolitan Sao Paulo, Brazil: a general population study

OBJECTIVE:The present study aimed at estimating the prevalence of lifetime sexual abuse among women and at investigating its association with alcohol consumption.METHOD:Population-based survey conducted through a representative and stratified cluster sample of metropolitan São Paulo. GENACIS questionnaire was used. Sample unit was the home, and all residents aged 18 years and over were interviewed. The outcome was lifetime sexual abuse. The univariate statistical analysis used the Rao-Scott test. Logistic regression was used for the multivariate analysis.RESULTS:The final sample totalized 1,216 women aged 18 years and over; the response rate was 75.0%. Most women were married (56.6%) and had less than 12 years of formal education (59.0%); 46.2% were aged between 25 and 44 years, and 44.4% had a low income. Of the respondents, 7.5% reported having suffered lifetime sexual abuse. Multiple logistic regression model showed an association between lifetime sexual abuse and being a heavy drinker (OR = 4.97) and being a former drinker (OR = 2.04).CONCLUSIONS:There are few population studies in Brazil investigating sexual abuse and its relation to alcohol use. Although the prevalence of lifetime sexual abuse in the present study was smaller than that observed in other studies, it is a highly expressive percentage on account of its social and economic impact, as well as its potential effect on the health system.

Depressive symptoms and harmful alcohol use in hepatitis C patients: prevalence and correlates

Introduction It is important to understand the characteristics and vulnerabilities of people who have hepatitis C because this disease is currently an important public health problem. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of depressive symptoms and harmful alcohol use in patients with hepatitis C and to study the association between these outcomes and demographic, psychosocial and clinical variables. Methods This cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study involved 82 hepatitis C patients who were being treated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin at a public university hospital. The primary assessments used in the study were the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and the Beck Depression Inventory. Bivariate analyses were followed by logistic regression. Results The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 30.5% (n=25), and that of harmful alcohol use was 34.2% (n=28). Logistic regression analysis showed that individuals who were dissatisfied with their social support (OR=4.41; CI=1.00-19.33) and were unemployed (OR=6.31; CI=1.44-27.70) were at a higher risk for depressive symptoms, whereas harmful alcohol use was associated with the male sex (OR=6.78; CI=1.38-33.19) and the use of illicit substances (OR=7.42; CI=1.12-49.00). Conclusions High prevalence rates of depressive symptoms and harmful alcohol use were verified, indicating vulnerabilities that must be properly monitored and treated to reduce emotional suffering in this population.

Alcohol and Quality of Life Among Social Groups for the Elderly in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil

This study aims to investigate alcohol consumption within social groups for the elderly in So Jos, dos Campos-Brazil, and to check for a correlation between alcohol consumption and quality of life. A sample of 500 individuals participating on social groups for the elderly were interviewed by using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) to verify alcohol consumption; the Medical Outcomes Study 36 Item Short Form (SF-36), for evaluating quality of life; and the Oral Health Impact Profile short form (OHIP-14), for evaluating oral health-related quality of life. The average alcohol consumption was very low (1.48), being higher in men (2.23) than women (1.09). The SF-36 average score for the domain of physical function was 70.5; for role-physical function 64.9; for bodily pain,68.3; for general health 73.8; for vitality,72.4; for social function 82.8; for role-emotional function 72.3 and for mental health 75.0. The OHIP-14 average score was 3.87. AUDIT did not correlate with SF-36 domains, or with OHIP-14. However, there was a negative correlation between OHIP 14 and all SF-36 domains. This elderly sample has a very low consumption of alcohol, and no correlation was found between alcohol consumption and oral and medical quality of life.

Serology, isolation, and molecular detection of Leptospira spp. from the tissues and blood of rats captured in a wild animal preservation centre in Brazil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Phagocytes From Patients With Chronic Periodontitis Are Primed for Osteoclast Formation

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Effects of alcohol intake in periodontitis progression in female rats: a histometric study

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Blood clot stabilization on root dentin conditioned by the combination of tetracycline and EDTA

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Phenotypic and functional evaluations of peripheral blood monocytes from chronic-form paracoccidioidomycosis patients before and after treatment

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

A simple method based on ICP-MS for estimation of background levels of arsenic, cadmium, copper, manganese, nickel, lead, and selenium in blood of the Brazillian population

Throughout the world, biomonitoring has become the standard for assessing exposure of individuals to toxic elements as well as for responding to serious environmental public health problems. However, extensive biomonitoring surveys require rapid and simple analytical methods. Thus, a simple and high-throughput method is proposed for the determination of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and selenium (Se) in blood samples by using inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICPMS). Prior to analysis, 200 ml of blood samples was mixed with 500 ml of 10% v/v tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) solution, incubated for 10 min, and subsequently diluted to 10 ml with a solution containing 0.05% w/v ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) + 0.005% v/v Triton X-100. After that, samples were directly analyzed by ICP-MS (ELAN DRC II). Rhodium was selected as an internal standard with matrix-matching calibration. Method detection limits were 0.08, 0.04, 0.5, 0.09, 0.12, 0.04, and 0.1 mg//L for As, Cd, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Se, respectively. Validation data are provided based on the analysis of blood samples from the trace elements inter-\comparison program operated by the Institut National de Santé Publique du Quebec, Canada. Additional validation was provided by the analysis of human blood samples by the proposed method and by using electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). The method was subsequently applied for the estimation of background metal blood values in the Brazilian population. In general, the mean concentrations of As, Cd, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Se in blood were 1.1, 0.4, 890, 9.6, 2.1, 65.4, and 89.3 mg/L, respectively, and are in agreement with other global populations. Influences of age, gender, smoking habits, alcohol consumption, and geographical variation on the values were also considered. Smoking habits influenced the levels of Cd in blood. The levels of Cu, Mn, and Pb were significantly correlated with gender, whereas Cu and Pb were significantly correlated with age. There were also interesting differences in Mn and Se levels in the population living in the north of Brazil compared to the south.

High sodium intake during postnatal phases induces an increase in arterial blood pressure in adult rats

Coordenadoria de Aperfeiçoamento em Pesquisa (CAPES)