Cardiorespiratory fitness, pulmonary function and C-reactive protein levels in nonsmoking individuals with diabetes

The objective of this study was to evaluate cardiorespiratory fitness and pulmonary function and the relationship with metabolic variables and C-reactive protein (CRP) plasma levels in individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM). Nineteen men with diabetes and 19 age- and gender-matched control subjects were studied. All individuals were given incremental cardiopulmonary exercise and pulmonary function tests. In the exercise test, maximal workload (158.3±22.3vs 135.1±25.2, P=0.005), peak heart rate (HRpeak: 149±12 vs 139±10, P=0.009), peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak: 24.2±3.2 vs18.9±2.8, P<0.001), and anaerobic threshold (VO2VT: 14.1±3.4 vs 12.2±2.2, P=0.04) were significantly lower in individuals with diabetes than in control subjects. Pulmonary function test parameters, blood pressure, lipid profile (triglycerides, HDL, LDL, and total cholesterol), and CRP plasma levels were not different in control subjects and individuals with DM. No correlations were observed between hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c), CRP and pulmonary function test and cardiopulmonary exercise test performance. In conclusion, the results demonstrate that nonsmoking individuals with DM have decreased cardiorespiratory fitness that is not correlated with resting pulmonary function parameters, HbA1c, and CRP plasma levels.

The superoxide anion donor, potassium superoxide, induces pain and inflammation in mice through production of reactive oxygen species and cyclooxygenase-2

It is currently accepted that superoxide anion (O2•−) is an important mediator in pain and inflammation. The role of superoxide anion in pain and inflammation has been mainly determined indirectly by modulating its production and inactivation. Direct evidence using potassium superoxide (KO2), a superoxide anion donor, demonstrated that it induced thermal hyperalgesia, as assessed by the Hargreaves method. However, it remains to be determined whether KO2 is capable of inducing other inflammatory and nociceptive responses attributed to superoxide anion. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the nociceptive and inflammatory effects of KO2. The KO2-induced inflammatory responses evaluated in mice were: mechanical hyperalgesia (electronic version of von Frey filaments), thermal hyperalgesia (hot plate), edema (caliper rule), myeloperoxidase activity (colorimetric assay), overt pain-like behaviors (flinches, time spent licking and writhing score), leukocyte recruitment, oxidative stress, and cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA expression (quantitative PCR). Administration of KO2 induced mechanical hyperalgesia, thermal hyperalgesia, paw edema, leukocyte recruitment, the writhing response, paw flinching, and paw licking in a dose-dependent manner. KO2 also induced time-dependent cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA expression in the paw skin. The nociceptive, inflammatory, and oxidative stress components of KO2-induced responses were responsive to morphine (analgesic opioid), quercetin (antioxidant flavonoid), and/or celecoxib (anti-inflammatory cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor) treatment. In conclusion, the well-established superoxide anion donor KO2 is a valuable tool for studying the mechanisms and pharmacological susceptibilities of superoxide anion-triggered nociceptive and inflammatory responses ranging from mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia to overt pain-like behaviors, edema, and leukocyte recruitment.

Correlation, by multivariate statistical analysis, between the scavenging capacity against reactive oxygen species and the bioactive compounds from frozen fruit pulps

The contents of total phenolic compounds (TPC), total flavonoids (TF), and ascorbic acid (AA) of 18 frozen fruit pulps and their scavenging capacities against peroxyl radical (ROO•), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and hydroxyl radical (•OH) were determined. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed that TPC (total phenolic compounds) and AA (ascorbic acid) presented positive correlation with the scavenging capacity against ROO•, and TF (total flavonoids) showed positive correlation with the scavenging capacity against •OH and ROO• However, the scavenging capacity against H2O2 presented low correlation with TF (total flavonoids), TPC (total phenolic compounds), and AA (ascorbic acid). The Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) allowed the classification of the fruit pulps into three groups: one group was formed by the açai pulp with high TF, total flavonoids, content (134.02 mg CE/100 g pulp) and the highest scavenging capacity against ROO•, •OH and H2O2; the second group was formed by the acerola pulp with high TPC, total phenolic compounds, (658.40 mg GAE/100 g pulp) and AA , ascorbic acid, (506.27 mg/100 g pulp) contents; and the third group was formed by pineapple, cacao, caja, cashew-apple, coconut, cupuaçu, guava, orange, lemon, mango, passion fruit, watermelon, pitanga, tamarind, tangerine, and umbu pulps, which could not be separated considering only the contents of bioactive compounds and the scavenging properties.

5th Food Safety and Security Symposium: food and health

Abstract The 5º Simpósio de Segurança Alimentar (5th Food Safety and Security Symposium) was held in May, 2015, in Bento Gonçalves, RS, Brazil with the objective of discussing the interrelation between food and health, in various perspectives. This paper reviews the state of the art regarding all the issues discussed during the Symposium, connecting them with the lectures presented at the conference. As final remarks, it was perceived that the interrelation between food and health is growing stronger and cannot be discussed without involving the different areas involved.