Correlation Between The Friedman Staging System And The Upper Airway Volume In Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

This study was designed to evaluate the correlation between computed tomography findings and data from the physical examination and the Friedman Staging System (FSS) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). We performed a retrospective evaluation by reviewing the medical records of 33 patients (19 male and 14 female patients) with a mean body mass index of 30.38 kg/m(2) and mean age of 49.35 years. Among these patients, 14 presented with severe OSA, 7 had moderate OSA, 7 had mild OSA, and 5 were healthy. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the FSS: Group A comprised patients with FSS stage I or II, and group B comprised patients with FSS stage III. By use of the Fisher exact test, a positive relationship between the FSS stage and apnea-hypopnea index (P = .011) and between the FSS stage and body mass index (P = .012) was found. There was no correlation between age (P = .55) and gender (P = .53) with the FSS stage. The analysis of variance test comparing the upper airway volume between the 2 groups showed P = .018. In this sample the FSS and upper airway volume showed an inverse correlation and were useful in analyzing the mechanisms of airway collapse in patients with OSA.

Androgen Therapy Reverses Injuries Caused By Ethanol Consumption In The Prostate: Testosterone As A Possible Target To Ethanol-related Disorders.

Chronic ethanol consumption leads to reproductive damages, since it can act directly in the tissues or indirectly, causing a hormonal imbalance. Prostate is a hormone-dependent gland and, consequently, susceptible to ethanol. The potential of testosterone therapy in the ethanol-related disorders was investigated in the prostate microenvironment. UChB rats aged 90 days were divided into 2 experimental groups (n=20): C: drinking water only and EtOH: drinking 10% (v/v) ethanol at >2 g/kg body weight/day+water. At 150 days old, 10 rats from each group received subcutaneous injections of testosterone cypionate (5 mg/kg body weight) diluted in corn oil every other day for 4 weeks, constituting T and EtOH+T, while the remaining animals received corn oil as vehicle. Animals were euthanized at 180 days old, by decapitation. Blood was collected to obtain hormone concentrations and ventral prostate was dissected and processed for light microscope and molecular analyses. Ventral prostate weight, plasma testosterone and DHT and intraprostatic testosterone concentrations were increased after testosterone treatment. Plasma estradiol level was reduced in the EtOH+T. Inflammatory foci, metaplasia and epithelial atrophy were constantly found in the prostate of EtOH and were not observed after hormonal therapy. No differences were found in the expression of AR, ERβ and DACH-1. Additionally, testosterone treatment down-regulated ERα and increased the e-cadherin and α-actinin immunoreactivities. Testosterone was able to reverse damages caused by ethanol consumption in the prostate microenvironment and becomes a possible target to be investigated to ethanol-related disorders.

Bile And Liver Metallothionein Behavior In Copper-exposed Fish.

The present study analyzed metallothionein (MT) excretion from liver to bile in Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) exposed to sub-lethal copper concentrations (2mgL(-1)) in a laboratory setting. MTs in liver and bile were quantified by spectrophotometry after thermal incubation and MT metal-binding profiles were characterized by size exclusion high performance liquid chromatography coupled to ICP-MS (SEC-HPLC-ICP-MS). Results show that liver MT is present in approximately 250-fold higher concentrations than bile MT in non-exposed fish. Differences between the MT profiles from the control and exposed group were observed for both matrices, indicating differential metal-binding behavior when comparing liver and bile MT. This is novel data regarding intra-organ MT comparisons, since differences between organs are usually present only with regard to quantification, not metal-binding behavior. Bile MT showed statistically significant differences between the control and exposed group, while the same did not occur with liver MT. This indicates that MTs synthesized in the liver accumulate more slowly than MTs excreted from liver to bile, since the same fish presented significantly higher MT levels in liver when compared to bile. We postulate that bile, although excreted in the intestine and partially reabsorbed by the same returning to the liver, may also release MT-bound metals more rapidly and efficiently, which may indicate an efficient detoxification route. Thus, we propose that the analysis of bile MTs to observe recent metal exposure may be more adequate than the analysis of liver MTs, since organism responses to metals are more quickly observed in bile, although further studies are necessary.

Deregulation Of Adipokines Related To Target Organ Damage On Resistant Hypertension.

Resistant hypertension (RHTN) includes patients with controlled blood pressure (BP) (CRHTN) and uncontrolled BP (UCRHTN). In fact, RHTN patients are more likely to have target organ damage (TOD), and resistin, leptin and adiponectin may affect BP control in these subjects. We assessed the relationship between adipokines levels and arterial stiffness, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and microalbuminuria (MA). This cross-sectional study included CRHTN (n=51) and UCRHTN (n=38) patients for evaluating body mass index, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, plasma adiponectin, leptin and resistin concentrations, pulse wave velocity (PWV), MA and echocardiography. Leptin and resistin levels were higher in UCRHTN, whereas adiponectin levels were lower in this same subgroup. Similarly, arterial stiffness, LVH and MA were higher in UCRHTN subgroup. Adiponectin levels negatively correlated with PWV (r=-0.42, P<0.01), and MA (r=-0.48, P<0.01) only in UCRHTN. Leptin was positively correlated with PWV (r=0.37, P=0.02) in UCRHTN subgroup, whereas resistin was not correlated with TOD in both subgroups. Adiponectin is associated with arterial stiffness and renal injury in UCRHTN patients, whereas leptin is associated with arterial stiffness in the same subgroup. Taken together, our results showed that those adipokines may contribute to vascular and renal damage in UCRHTN patients.

Hypothalamic Inflammation And The Central Nervous System Control Of Energy Homeostasis.

The control of energy homeostasis relies on robust neuronal circuits that regulate food intake and energy expenditure. Although the physiology of these circuits is well understood, the molecular and cellular response of this program to chronic diseases is still largely unclear. Hypothalamic inflammation has emerged as a major driver of energy homeostasis dysfunction in both obesity and anorexia. Importantly, this inflammation disrupts the action of metabolic signals promoting anabolism or supporting catabolism. In this review, we address the evidence that favors hypothalamic inflammation as a factor that resets energy homeostasis in pathological states.

Chitosan/tripolyphosphate Nanoparticles Loaded With Paraquat Herbicide: An Environmentally Safer Alternative For Weed Control.

Paraquat is a fast acting nonselective contact herbicide that is extensively used worldwide. However, the aqueous solubility and soil sorption of this compound can cause problems of toxicity in nontarget organisms. This work investigates the preparation and characterization of nanoparticles composed of chitosan and sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) to produce an efficient herbicidal formulation that was less toxic and could be used for safer control of weeds in agriculture. The toxicities of the formulations were evaluated using cell culture viability assays and the Allium cepa chromosome aberration test. The herbicidal activity was investigated in cultivations of maize (Zea mays) and mustard (Brassica sp.), and soil sorption of the nanoencapsulated herbicide was measured. The efficiency association of paraquat with the nanoparticles was 62.6 ± 0.7%. Encapsulation of the herbicide resulted in changes in its diffusion and release as well as its sorption by soil. Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity assays showed that the nanoencapsulated herbicide was less toxic than the pure compound, indicating its potential to control weeds while at the same time reducing environmental impacts. Measurements of herbicidal activity showed that the effectiveness of paraquat was preserved after encapsulation. It was concluded that the encapsulation of paraquat in nanoparticles can provide a useful means of reducing adverse impacts on human health and the environment, and that the formulation therefore has potential for use in agriculture.

Influence Of Gastric Emptying On The Control Of Postprandial Glycemia: Physiology And Therapeutic Implications.

The maintenance of glucose homeostasis is complex and involves, besides the secretion and action of insulin and glucagon, a hormonal and neural mechanism, regulating the rate of gastric emptying. This mechanism depends on extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Glucagon-like peptide-1 secretion regulates the speed of gastric emptying, contributing to the control of postprandial glycemia. The pharmacodynamic characteristics of various agents of this class can explain the effects more relevant in fasting or postprandial glucose, and can thus guide the individualized treatment, according to the clinical and pathophysiological features of each patient.

Quantum Dots As Biophotonics Tools.

This chapter provides a short review of quantum dots (QDs) physics, applications, and perspectives. The main advantage of QDs over bulk semiconductors is the fact that the size became a control parameter to tailor the optical properties of new materials. Size changes the confinement energy which alters the optical properties of the material, such as absorption, refractive index, and emission bands. Therefore, by using QDs one can make several kinds of optical devices. One of these devices transforms electrons into photons to apply them as active optical components in illumination and displays. Other devices enable the transformation of photons into electrons to produce QDs solar cells or photodetectors. At the biomedical interface, the application of QDs, which is the most important aspect in this book, is based on fluorescence, which essentially transforms photons into photons of different wavelengths. This chapter introduces important parameters for QDs' biophotonic applications such as photostability, excitation and emission profiles, and quantum efficiency. We also present the perspectives for the use of QDs in fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) and Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), so useful in modern microscopy, and how to take advantage of the usually unwanted blinking effect to perform super-resolution microscopy.

Interplay Between Cell Growth And Cell Cycle In Plants.

The growth of organs and whole plants depends on both cell growth and cell-cycle progression, but the interaction between both processes is poorly understood. In plants, the balance between growth and cell-cycle progression requires coordinated regulation of four different processes: macromolecular synthesis (cytoplasmic growth), turgor-driven cell-wall extension, mitotic cycle, and endocycle. Potential feedbacks between these processes include a cell-size checkpoint operating before DNA synthesis and a link between DNA contents and maximum cell size. In addition, key intercellular signals and growth regulatory genes appear to target at the same time cell-cycle and cell-growth functions. For example, auxin, gibberellin, and brassinosteroid all have parallel links to cell-cycle progression (through S-phase Cyclin D-CDK and the anaphase-promoting complex) and cell-wall functions (through cell-wall extensibility or microtubule dynamics). Another intercellular signal mediated by microtubule dynamics is the mechanical stress caused by growth of interconnected cells. Superimposed on developmental controls, sugar signalling through the TOR pathway has recently emerged as a central control point linking cytoplasmic growth, cell-cycle and cell-wall functions. Recent progress in quantitative imaging and computational modelling will facilitate analysis of the multiple interconnections between plant cell growth and cell cycle and ultimately will be required for the predictive manipulation of plant growth.

Self-reported Diabetes In Older People: Comparison Of Prevalences And Control Measures.

The objective of this study was to analyze the prevalence of diabetes in older people and the adopted control measures. Data regarding older diabetic individuals who participated in the Health Surveys conducted in the Municipality of Sao Paulo, SP, ISA-Capital, in 2003 and 2008, which were cross-sectional studies, were analyzed. Prevalences and confidence intervals were compared between 2003 and 2008, according to sociodemographic variables. The combination of the databases was performed when the confidence intervals overlapped. The Chi-square (level of significance of 5%) and the Pearson's Chi-square (Rao-Scott) tests were performed. The variables without overlap between the confidence intervals were not tested. The age of the older adults was 60-69 years. The majority were women, Caucasian, with an income of between > 0.5 and 2.5 times the minimum salary and low levels of schooling. The prevalence of diabetes was 17.6% (95%CI 14.9;20.6) in 2003 and 20.1% (95%CI 17.3;23.1) in 2008, which indicates a growth over this period (p at the limit of significance). The most prevalent measure adopted by the older adults to control diabetes was hypoglycemic agents, followed by diet. Physical activity was not frequent, despite the significant differences observed between 2003 and 2008 results. The use of public health services to control diabetes was significantly higher in older individuals with lower income and lower levels of education. Diabetes is a complex and challenging disease for patients and the health systems. Measures that encourage health promotion practices are necessary because they presented a smaller proportion than the use of hypoglycemic agents. Public health policies should be implemented, and aimed mainly at older individuals with low income and schooling levels. These changes are essential to improve the health condition of older diabetic patients.

Incidence Of Basilar Invagination In Patients With Tonsillar Herniation? A Case Control Craniometrical Study.

A retrospective case-control study based on craniometrical evaluation was performed to evaluate the incidence of basilar invagination (BI). Patients with symptomatic tonsillar herniation treated surgically had craniometrical parameters evaluated based on CT scan reconstructions before surgery. BI was diagnosed when the tip of the odontoid trespassed the Chamberlain's line in three different thresholds found in the literature: 2, 5 or 6.6 mm. In the surgical group (SU), the mean distance of the tip of the odontoid process above the Chamberlain's line was 12 mm versus 1.2 mm in the control (CO) group (p<0.0001). The number of patients with BI according to the threshold used (2, 5 or 6.6 mm) in the SU group was respectively 19 (95%), 16 (80%) and 15 (75%) and in the CO group it was 15 (37%), 4 (10%) and 2 (5%).

Going Beyond Seizure Control: Can Pharmacotherapy Help To Restore Cognitive Network Function?

83

Control Of The Properties Of Porous Chitosan-alginate Membranes Through The Addition Of Different Proportions Of Pluronic F68.

This work addresses the development and characterization of porous chitosan-alginate based polyelectrolyte complexes, obtained by using two different proportions of the biocompatible surfactant Pluronic F68. These biomaterials are proposed for applications as biodegradable and biocompatible wound dressing and/or scaffolds. The results indicate that thickness, roughness, porosity and liquid uptake of the membranes increase with the amount of surfactant used, while their mechanical properties and stability in aqueous media decrease. Other important properties such as color and surface hydrophilicity (water contact angle) are not significantly altered or did not present a clear tendency of variation with the increase of the amount of surfactant added to the polyelectrolyte complexes, such as real density, average pore diameter, total pore volume and surface area. The prepared biomaterials were not cytotoxic to L929 cells. In conclusion, it is possible to tune the physicochemical properties of chitosan-alginate polyelectrolyte complexes, through the variation of the proportion of surfactant (Pluronic F68) added to the mixture, so as to enable the desired application of these biomaterials.

Mesenchymal Stromal Cells From Adipose Tissue Attached To Suture Material Enhance The Closure Of Enterocutaneous Fistulas In A Rat Model.

Surgical treatment for enterocutaneous fistulas (EF) frequently fails. Cell therapy may represent a new approach to treatment. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have high proliferative and differentiation capacity. This study aimed to investigate whether MSCs could adhere to suture filament (SF), promoting better EF healing. MSCs, 1 × 10(6), from adipose tissue (ATMSCs) were adhered to a Polyvicryl SF by adding a specific fibrin glue formulation. Adhesion was confirmed by confocal and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A cecal fistula was created in 22 Wistar rats by incising the cecum and suturing the opening to the surgical wound subcutaneously with four separate stitches. The animals were randomly allocated to three groups: control (CG)-five animals, EF performed; injection (IG)-eight animals 1 × 10(6) ATMSCs injected around EF borders; and suture filament (SG): nine animals, sutured with 1 × 10(6) ATMSCs attached to the filaments with fibrin glue. Fistulas were photographed on the operation day and every 3 days until the 21st day and analyzed by two observers using ImageJ Software. Confocal and SEM results demonstrated ATMSCs adhered to SF (ATMSCs-SF). The average reduction size of the fistula area at 21st day was greater for the SG group (90.34%, P < 0.05) than the IG (71.80%) and CG (46.54%) groups. ATMSCs adhered to SF maintain viability and proliferative capacity. EF submitted to ATMSCs-SF procedure showed greater recovery and healing. This approach might be a new and effective tool for EF treatment.

Sci1 Is A Component Of The Auxin-dependent Control Of Cell Proliferation In Arabidopsis Upper Pistil.

To characterize the recently described SCI1 (stigma/style cell cycle inhibitor 1) gene relationship with the auxin pathway, we have taken the advantage of the Arabidopsis model system and its available tools. At first, we have analyzed the At1g79200 T-DNA insertion mutants and constructed various transgenic plants. The loss- and gain-of-function plants displayed cell number alterations in upper pistils that were controlled by the amino-terminal domain of the protein. These data also confirmed that this locus holds the functional homolog (AtSCI1) of the Nicotiana tabacum SCI1 gene. Then, we have provided some evidences the auxin synthesis/signaling pathways are required for downstream proper AtSCI1 control of cell number: (a) its expression is downregulated in yuc2yuc6 and npy1 auxin-deficient mutants, (b) triple (yuc2yuc6sci1) and double (npy1sci1) mutants mimicked the auxin-deficient phenotypes, with no synergistic interactions, and (c) the increased upper pistil phenotype in these last mutants, which is a consequence of an increased cell number, was able to be complemented by AtSCI1 overexpression. Taken together, our data strongly suggests SCI1 as a component of the auxin signaling transduction pathway to control cell proliferation/differentiation in stigma/style, representing a molecular effector of this hormone on pistil development.