Effects of aerobic exercise on the blood pressure, oxidative stress and eNOS gene polymorphism in pre-hypertensive older people

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

Women with TT genotype for eNOS gene are more responsive in lowering blood pressure in response to exercise

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

RESPONSES of HEMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERS and AEROBIC PERFORMANCE of ELITE MEN and WOMEN SWIMMERS DURING A 14-WEEK TRAINING PROGRAM

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

A comparison between overweight cutoff points for detection of high blood pressure in adolescents

Objectives: To evaluate the accuracy of three different cutoff points for the detection of high blood pressure in adolescents, given the strong relationship between overweight and high blood pressure levels.Methods: A total of 1,021 adolescents of both sexes were enrolled in the study, selected at random from public and private schools in Londrina, Brazil. Their body weight was measured using a digital balance, and their height with a portable stadiometer with a maximum extension of 2 meters. Arterial blood pressure was measured using an automatic apparatus. The capacity of body mass index to detect high blood pressure was gauged using ROC curves and their parameters (sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve).Results: The cutoff points proposed in a Brazilian standard exhibited greater accuracy (males: 0.636 +/- 0.038; females: 0.585 +/- 0.043) than the cutoff points proposed in an international (males: 0.594 +/- 0.040; females: 0.570 +/- 0.044) and a North-American standard (males: 0.612 +/- 0.039; females: 0.578 +/- 0.044).Conclusions: The Brazilian proposal offered greatest accuracy for indicating high blood pressure levels.

Seasonal changes in blood oxygen transport and acid-base status in the tegu lizard, Tupinambis merianae

Oxygen-binding properties, blood gases, and acid-base parameters were studied in tegu lizards, Tupinambis merianae, at different seasons and temperatures. Independent of temperature and pH, blood oxygen affinity was higher in dormant lizards than in those active during the summer. Haematocrit (Hct) and hemoglobin content ([Hb]) were greater in active lizards resulting in a higher oxygen-carrying capacity. Nucleoside triphosphate content ([NTP]) was reduced during dormancy, but the ratio between [NTP] and [Hb] remained unchanged. Dormancy was accompanied by an increase in plasma bicarbonate ([HCO(3)(-)]PI) and an elevation of arterial CO(2) partial pressure (P(aCO2)) and CO(2) content in the plasma (C(PlCO2)). These changes in acid-base parameters persist over a broad range of body temperatures. In vivo, arterial O(2) partial pressure (Pa(O2)) and O(2) content (Ca(O2)) were not affected by season and tended to increase with temperature. Arterial pH (pH(a)) of dormant animals is reduced compared to active lizards at body temperatures below 15 degreesC, while no significant difference was noticed at higher temperatures. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Morphological, morphometrical and ultrastructural characterization of Phrynops geoffroanus' (Testudines: Chelidae) blood cells, in different environments

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Cardiovascular Disease Parameters in Periodontitis

Background: Recently, there has been an increasing in the impact of oral health on atherosclerosis and subsequent cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between chronic periodontitis and cardiovascular risk markers.Methods: Forty patients with periodontitis and 40 healthy gender-, body mass index-, and age-matched individuals were compared by measuring total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, levels of cytokines, antibodies against oxidized low-density lipoprotein, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, total and differential white blood cell counts, and the non-linear index of refraction.Results: The levels of triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein in periodontitis patients were significantly higher and lower, respectively (P=0.002 and P=0.0126), compared to controls. Total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and lipid peroxide levels were the same in both groups (P = 0.2943, P = 0.1284, and P = 0.067, respectively). Interleukin (IL)-6 and -8, antibodies against oxidized low-density lipoprotein, and leukocyte and neutrophil counts were significantly higher in periodontitis patients (P<0.05). The value of the non-linear index of refraction of low-density lipoprotein solutions was higher in the controls (P = 0.015) compared to individuals with periodontitis.Conclusion: Our results confirmed and further strengthened the suggested association between coronary artery disease and periodontitis. J Periodontol 2009;80:378-388.

Hematological parameters in Nile Tilápia, Oreochromis niloticus exposed to sub-letal concentrations of mercury

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

Evaluation of the haematological parameters in Piaractus mesopotamicus Holmberg (Osteichthyes, Characidae) with Argulus sp. (Crustacea, Branchiura) infestation and treatment with organophosphate

Haematological parameters as erythrocytes, leukocytes and plasma glucose in Piaractus mesopotamicus Holmberg, 1887 were analyzed. Fish were parasitized with Argulus sp. (Crustacea, Branchiura) and treated with 0.4 mg of thriclorphon 500/L water. The effects of parasitism and the action of the treatment were evaluated. Parasitized fish showed greater number of monocytes (P>0.05) and special granulocitic cells (P<0.01) in the peripheric blood than the unparasitized (control) fish. Parasitized fish showed lower number of thrombocytes (P>0.05). Organophosphate treatment presented significantly reduction (P>0.05) in red blood cells (RBC) and hemoglobin.

Silver as internal standard for simultaneous determination of Cd and Pb in whole blood by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

The use of internal standardization for simultaneous atomic absorption spectrometry (SIMAAS) was investigated for Cd and Pb determination in whole blood. The comparison of thermochemical and physicochemical parameters allowed the selection of Ag, Bi, and Tl as internal standard candidates. Correlation graphs, plotted from the normalized absorbance signals (n = 20) of internal standard (axis y) versus analyte ( axis x), precision and accuracy were used to select Ag as the most appropriate internal standard. Blood samples were diluted (1 + 9) with 0.11% (m/v) Triton X-100 + 1.1% (v/v) HNO3 + 0.28% (m/v) NH4H2PO4 + 10 mug L-1 Ag+. Pyrolysis and atomization temperatures for the optimized heating program were 550 and 1700 degreesC, respectively. Characteristic masses based on integrated absorbance were 1.68 +/- 0.01 pg for Cd and 30.3 +/- 0.1 pg for Pb. The detection limits (DL) were 0.095 +/- 0.001 mug L-1 and 0.86 +/- 0.01 mug L-1 for Cd and Pb, respectively. The mean RSD for all determinations was the same for Cd (13 +/- 9%) with or without Ag as internal standard ( IS). on the other hand, the use of Ag as IS improved the RSD for Pb from 3.6 +/- 4.0% to 2.2 +/- 2.0%. An effective contribution of the internal standard Ag was verified in the recoveries of spiked samples (0.5 mug L-1 Cd2+ and 5.0 mug L-1 Pb2+). The mean recoveries were 81 +/- 8% and 91 +/- 4% for Cd, and 80 +/- 11% and 93 +/- 6% for Pb without and with IS correction, respectively. This is the first application of IS for a simultaneous determination by SIMAAS.

The STATFLUX code: a statistical method for calculation of flow and set of parameters, based on the Multiple-Compartment Biokinetical Model

The code STATFLUX, implementing a new and simple statistical procedure for the calculation of transfer coefficients in radionuclide transport to animals and plants, is proposed. The method is based on the general multiple-compartment model, which uses a system of linear equations involving geometrical volume considerations. Flow parameters were estimated by employing two different least-squares procedures: Derivative and Gauss-Marquardt methods, with the available experimental data of radionuclide concentrations as the input functions of time. The solution of the inverse problem, which relates a given set of flow parameter with the time evolution of concentration functions, is achieved via a Monte Carlo Simulation procedure.Program summaryTitle of program: STATFLUXCatalogue identifier: ADYS_v1_0Program summary URL: http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/ADYS_v1_0Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University of Belfast, N. IrelandLicensing provisions: noneComputer for which the program is designed and others on which it has been tested: Micro-computer with Intel Pentium III, 3.0 GHzInstallation: Laboratory of Linear Accelerator, Department of Experimental Physics, University of São Paulo, BrazilOperating system: Windows 2000 and Windows XPProgramming language used: Fortran-77 as implemented in Microsoft Fortran 4.0. NOTE: Microsoft Fortran includes non-standard features which are used in this program. Standard Fortran compilers such as, g77, f77, ifort and NAG95, are not able to compile the code and therefore it has not been possible for the CPC Program Library to test the program.Memory, required to execute with typical data: 8 Mbytes of RAM memory and 100 MB of Hard disk memoryNo. of bits in a word: 16No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 6912No. of bytes in distributed Program, including test data, etc.: 229 541Distribution format: tar.gzNature of the physical problem: the investigation of transport mechanisms for radioactive substances, through environmental pathways, is very important for radiological protection of populations. One such pathway, associated with the food chain, is the grass-animal-man sequence. The distribution of trace elements in humans and laboratory animals has been intensively studied over the past 60 years [R.C. Pendlenton, C.W. Mays, R.D. Lloyd, A.L. Brooks, Differential accumulation of iodine-131 from local fallout in people and milk, Health Phys. 9 (1963) 1253-1262]. In addition, investigations on the incidence of cancer in humans, and a possible causal relationship to radioactive fallout, have been undertaken [E.S. Weiss, M.L. Rallison, W.T. London, W.T. Carlyle Thompson, Thyroid nodularity in southwestern Utah school children exposed to fallout radiation, Amer. J. Public Health 61 (1971) 241-249; M.L. Rallison, B.M. Dobyns, F.R. Keating, J.E. Rall, F.H. Tyler, Thyroid diseases in children, Amer. J. Med. 56 (1974) 457-463; J.L. Lyon, M.R. Klauber, J.W. Gardner, K.S. Udall, Childhood leukemia associated with fallout from nuclear testing, N. Engl. J. Med. 300 (1979) 397-402]. From the pathways of entry of radionuclides in the human (or animal) body, ingestion is the most important because it is closely related to life-long alimentary (or dietary) habits. Those radionuclides which are able to enter the living cells by either metabolic or other processes give rise to localized doses which can be very high. The evaluation of these internally localized doses is of paramount importance for the assessment of radiobiological risks and radiological protection. The time behavior of trace concentration in organs is the principal input for prediction of internal doses after acute or chronic exposure. The General Multiple-Compartment Model (GMCM) is the powerful and more accepted method for biokinetical studies, which allows the calculation of concentration of trace elements in organs as a function of time, when the flow parameters of the model are known. However, few biokinetics data exist in the literature, and the determination of flow and transfer parameters by statistical fitting for each system is an open problem.Restriction on the complexity of the problem: This version of the code works with the constant volume approximation, which is valid for many situations where the biological half-live of a trace is lower than the volume rise time. Another restriction is related to the central flux model. The model considered in the code assumes that exist one central compartment (e.g., blood), that connect the flow with all compartments, and the flow between other compartments is not included.Typical running time: Depends on the choice for calculations. Using the Derivative Method the time is very short (a few minutes) for any number of compartments considered. When the Gauss-Marquardt iterative method is used the calculation time can be approximately 5-6 hours when similar to 15 compartments are considered. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of total abdominal hysterectomy on ovarian blood supply in women of reproductive age

Objective. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of total abdominal hysterectomy on ovarian blood supply using transvaginal color Doppler ultrasonography in women of reproductive age. Methods. This prospective study included 61 women aged 40 years or younger who were divided into 2 groups: group 1, comprising 31 patients who underwent total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH), and group 2, comprising 30 women with no abnormalities. Inclusion criteria included normal ovarian function at baseline, with basal follicle-stimulating hormone levels of less than 15 mUI/mL, normal body weight, no tobacco use, and no history of laparotomy or ovarian disease. Ovarian arterial blood supply by determination of the pulsatility index (PI) on Doppler analysis and ovarian volume on transvaginal ultrasonography were assessed at baseline and at 6 and 12 postoperative months. The Student t test, profile analysis, and Friedman and Mann-Whitney tests were used in the statistical analysis of data. Results. Statistical analysis of baseline data revealed that both groups were homogeneous. At months 6 and 12, greater ovarian volumes and lower PI values were observed in patients who underwent TAH (P < .05). By the end of the study, in 8 of the 31 patients who underwent TAH (25.5%), benign ovarian cysts were observed. in the control group, all the parameters studied remained unchanged. Conclusions. The reduced PI values observed on Doppler ultrasonography suggested a decrease in the resistance flow in the ovarian arteries in women of reproductive age who underwent TAH.

Effect of thermal stress on physiological parameters, feed intake and plasma thyroid hormones concentration in Alentejana, Mertolenga, Frisian and Limousine cattle breeds

The aim of the present study was to assess the heat tolerance of animals of two Portuguese (Alentejana and Mertolenga) and two exotic (Frisian and Limousine) cattle breeds, through the monitoring of physiological acclimatization reactions in different thermal situations characterized by alternate periods of thermoneutrality and heat stress simulated in climatic chambers. In the experiment, six heifers of the Alentejana, Frisian and Mertolenga breeds and four heifers of the Limousine breed were used. The increase in chamber temperatures had different consequences on the animals of each breed. When submitted to heat stress, the Frisian animals developed high thermal polypnea (more than 105 breath movements per minute), which did not prevent an increase in the rectal temperature (from 38.7 degrees C to 40.0 degrees C). However, only a slight depression in food intake and in blood thyroid hormone concentrations was observed under thermal stressful conditions. Under the thermal stressful conditions, Limousine animals decreased food intake by 11.4% and blood triiodothyronine (T3) hormone concentration decreased to 76% of the level observed in thermoneutral conditions. Alentejana animals had similar reactions. The Mertolenga cattle exhibited the highest capacity for maintaining homeothermy: under heat stressful conditions, the mean thermal polypnea increased twofold, but mean rectal temperature did not increase. Mean food intake decreased by only 2% and mean T3 blood concentration was lowered to 85,6% of the concentration observed under thermoneutral conditions. These results lead to the conclusion that the Frisian animals had more difficulty in tolerating high temperatures, the Limousine and Alentejana ones had an intermediate difficulty, and the Mertolenga animals were by far the most heat tolerant.

Hematological parameters and anaerobic threshold in Brazilian soccer players throughout a training program

We assessed the responses of hematological parameters and their relationship to the anaerobic threshold of Brazilian soccer players during a training program. Twelve athletes were evaluated at the beginning (week 0, T1), in the middle (week 6, T2), and at the end (week 12, T3) of the soccer training program. on the first day at 7:30 AM, before collecting the blood sample at rest for the determination of the hematological parameters, the athletes were conducted to the anthropometric evaluation. on the second day at 8:30 AM, the athletes had their anaerobic threshold measured. Analysis of variance with Newman-Keuls'post hoc was used for statistical comparisons between the parameters measured during the soccer training program. Correlations between the parameters analyzed were determined using the Pearson's correlation coefficient. Erythrocytes concentration, hemoglobin, and hematocrit were significantly increased from T1 to T2. The specific soccer training program led to a rise in erythrocytes, hemoglobin, and hematocrit from T1 to T2. We assumed that these results occurred due to the plasma volume reduction and may be explained by the soccer training program characteristics. Furthermore, we did not observe any correlation between the anaerobic threshold and the hematological parameters.

EFFECTS of 14-WEEK SWIMMING TRAINING PROGRAM on THE PSYCHOLOGICAL, HORMONAL, and PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS of ELITE WOMEN ATHLETES

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)