Involvement of cholinergic and adenosinergic systems on the branchial immune response of experimentally infected silver catfish with Streptococcus agalactiae.

It has been recognized that the cholinergic and adenosinergic systems have an essential role in immune and inflammatory responses during bacterial fish pathogens, such as the enzymes acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and adenosine deaminase (ADA), which are responsible for catalysis of the anti-inflammatory molecules acetylcholine (ACh) and adenosine (Ado) respectively. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the involvement of the cholinergic and adenosinergic systems on the immune response and inflammatory process in gills of experimentally infected Rhamdia quelen with Streptococcus agalactiae. Acetylcholinesterase activity decreased, while ACh levels increased in gills of infected animals compared to uninfected animals. On the other hand, a significant increase in ADA activity with a concomitant decrease in Ado levels was observed in infected animals compared to uninfected animals. Based on this evidence, we concluded that infection by S. agalactiae in silver catfish alters the cholinergic and adenosinergic systems, suggesting the involvement of AChE and ADA activities on immune and inflammatory responses, regulating the ACh and Ado levels. In summary, the downregulation of AChE activity exerts an anti-inflammatory profile in an attempt to reduce or prevent the tissue damage, while the upregulation of ADA activity exerts a pro-inflammatory profile, contributing to disease pathophysiology.

Aeromonas caviae inhibits hepatic enzymes of the phosphotransfer network in experimentally infected silver catfish: Impairment on bioenergetics.

Several studies have been demonstrated that phosphotransfer network, through the adenylate kinase (AK) and pyruvate kinase (PK) activities, allows for new perspectives leading to understanding of disease conditions associated with disturbances in energy metabolism, metabolic monitoring and signalling. In this sense, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether experimental infection by Aeromonas caviae alters hepatic AK and PK activities of silver catfish Rhamdia quelen. Hepatic AK and PK activities decreased in infected animals compared to uninfected animals, as well as the hepatic adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels. Also, a severe hepatic damage was observed in the infected animals due to the presence of dilation and congestion of vessels, degeneration of hepatocytes and loss of liver parenchyma architecture and sinusoidal structure. Therefore, we have demonstrated, for the first time, that experimental infection by A. caviae inhibits key enzymes linked to the communication between sites of ATP generation and ATP utilization. Moreover, the absence of a reciprocal compensatory mechanism between these enzymes contributes directly to hepatic damage and for a severe energetic imbalance, which may contribute to disease pathophysiology.

Trypanocidal activity of free and nanoencapsulated curcumin on Trypanosoma evansi.

This study aimed to evaluate in vitro and in vivo trypanocidal activity of free and nanoencapsulated curcumin against Trypanosoma evansi. In vitro efficacy of free curcumin (CURC) and curcumin-loaded in lipid-core nanocapsules (C-LNCs) was evaluated to verify their lethal effect on T. evansi. To perform the in vivo tests, T. evansi-infected animals were treated with CURC (10 and 100 mg kg(-1), intraperitoneally [i.p.]) and C-LNCs (10 mg kg(-1), i.p.) during 6 days, with the results showing that these treatments significantly attenuated the parasitaemia. Infected untreated rats showed protein peroxidation and an increase of nitrites/nitrates, whereas animals treated with curcumin showed a reduction on these variables. As a result, the activity of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and catalase) differs between groups (P<0.05). Infected animals and treated with CURC exhibited a reduction in the levels of alanine aminotransferase and creatinine, when compared with the positive control group. The use of curcumin in vitro resulted in a better parasitaemia control, an antioxidant activity and a protective effect on liver and kidney functions of T. evansi-infected adult male Wistar rats.

A role of Na+, K+ -ATPase in spatial memory deficits and inflammatory/oxidative stress after recurrent concussion in adolescent rats.

Sports-related concussions are particularly common during adolescence, and there is insufficient knowledge about how recurrent concussions in this phase of life alter the metabolism of essential structures for memory in adulthood. In this sense, our experimental data revealed that seven recurrent concussions (RC) in 35-day-old rats decreased short-term and long-term memory in the object recognition test (ORT) 30 days after injury. The RC protocol did not alter motor and anxious behavior and the immunoreactivity of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the cerebral cortex. Recurrent concussions induced the inflammatory/oxidative stress characterized here by increased glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), interleukin 1ß (IL 1ß), 4-hydroxynonenal (4 HNE), protein carbonyl immunoreactivity, and 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate oxidation (DCFH) levels and lower total antioxidant capacity (TAC). Inhibited Na+,K+-ATPase activity (specifically isoform α2/3) followed by Km (Michaelis-Menten constant) for increased ATP levels and decreased immunodetection of alpha subunit of this enzyme, suggesting that cognitive impairment after RC is caused by the inability of surviving neurons to maintain ionic gradients in selected targets to inflammatory/oxidative damage, such as Na,K-ATPase activity.

Lipid-mediated growth of SrCO3/CaCO3 hybrid films as bioactive coatings for Ti surfaces.

SrCO3 is frequently used as Sr2+ source in ceramic cements, but its application as bioactive coating for metallic implants has not been explored yet. Aiming at rapid osteointegration and because of the well-known Sr2+ effects on bone metabolism, researchers have sought to design Sr2+-containing biomaterials. In this context, developing simple techniques to prepare Sr2+-based coatings is a must nowadays. Here, we describe the use of a bioinspired lipid-mediated approach to grow SrCO3 hybrid films on Ti surfaces at room temperature. To obtain these coatings, we applied the Langmuir-Blodgett technique to deposit phospholipid films with high degree of organization on Ti. In this way, we expected that controlled SrCO3 crystal growth could be templated by the array of nucleation points arising from electrostatic interaction between Sr2+ and the phospholipid polar heads. To control surface composition and the amount of Sr2+ released from the coatings, we also promoted CaCO3 co-precipitation in the hybrid films. We characterized the hybrid coatings in terms of morphology, chemical structure, wettability, and ability to release Sr2+ upon immersion in biological medium. In vitro osteoblast culture on mixed SrCO3/CaCO3 films revealed that the osteogenic response depended on surface composition, as indicated by alkaline phosphatase activity overexpression, which is an early indicator of osteoblast differentiation. Results showed that the mixed SrCO3/CaCO3 hybrid film created a synergic environment for osteoblasts, and that proper Sr2+ release associated with a Ca2+-rich environment might have optimized the Sr2+ anabolic effect. In conclusion, we have proposed a bioinspired and versatile technique to grow hybrid films that can control surface composition and Sr2+ release. Our results open an opportunity to explore the use of SrCO3-based coatings for rapid metallic implant osteointegration.

Thyroid hormones modulate the endocrine and autocrine/paracrine actions of leptin on thyrotropin secretion.

We investigated the influence of hypo- and hyperthyroidism on the ability of leptin to modulate TSH secretion. Two hours after receiving leptin (8 mug leptin/100 g BW; s.c.), hyperthyroid rats (10 mug thyroxine (T4)/100 g body weight (BW) for 5 days) showed a 1.7-fold increase in serum TSH (P<0.05); in hypothyroid rats, leptin had no effect. Hemi-pituitaries of hyperthyroid rats incubated with 10(-9) and 10(-7)M leptin showed reductions in TSH release of 40 and 50% respectively (P<0.05); incubation with 1:2000 and 1:500 dilutions of antiserum against leptin resulted in 3- and 4-fold higher TSH release (P<0.05 and P<0.001 respectively). However, in hypothyroid pituitaries leptin or the antiserum had no effect. The results suggest that the in vivo and in vitro responsiveness of TSH to leptin is abolished in hypothyroidism and is preserved in short-term hyperthyroidism, in comparison to previous reports in euthyroidism. In addition, the inhibitory action of pituitary leptin is enhanced in hyperthyroid glands, which may suggest a role for locally produced leptin in the suppression of TSH release associated with hyperthyroidism.

The sulci of the cuneus of the human cerebrum.

The limiting and internal sulci of the cuneus of the occipital lobe of 80 cerebri of Brazilians of either sex (24 females and 56 males) were studied and findings were correlated with each hemisphere and the sex of the individuals. The distribution of the material was 39 Caucasians (11 females and 18 males) and 41 non-Caucasians (13 females and 28 males). The limiting sulci, namely parieto-occipital and calcarine, were found in all cases. The internal sulci were classified in horizontal, oblique, vertical and cuneolingual. The cuneus of the right cerebral hemisphere had more sulci than that of the left. The cuneus had also more sulci in males than in females.

Aspectos epidemiológicos del cáncer no melanoma de piel en un servicio de dermatología de la ciudad de Santa Fe - Argentina 2007 / Epidemiologic aspects to the skin cancer non melanoma in a dermatologic office of the Santa Fe city - Argentine 2007

Antecedentes: la incidencia del cáncer no melanoma de piel (CNMP), principalmente en países tropicales ha aumentado en grandes proporciones. La identificación de lesiones sospechosas y aquellas relacionadas directamente con el cáncer de piel es efectuada en ocasiones por colegas de muchas especialidades médicas. Objetivos: estudiar las características de la frecuencia del CNMP en relación con ciertos factores de riesgo en el Hospital José María Cullen, de la ciudad de Santa Fe, capital de la provincia del mismo nombre, Argentina. Materiales y métodos: estudio retrospectivo, no experimental, descriptivo y de corte transversal. La muestra quedó conformada por 61 pacientes de ambos sexos y de 1 a 83 años. Se confeccionó una historia clínica completa de los pacientes candidatos a la toma de biopsia, que luego fue analizada por el Servicio de Anatomía Patológica. Se realizó un análisis descriptivo utilizando el programa SPSS 11.5, mediante el cual se usó la prueba de Chi cuadrado y tablas de contingencia para relacionar las variables y comparar los datos. Se estableció una asociación estadísticamente significativa cuando se halló un valor de p<0,05. Resultados: Se observó que la frecuencia del CNMP fue del 29,5%, afectando mayormente al sexo masculino (72,2%). Se halló diferencia estadísticamente significativa (p=0,008), con respecto al género femenino. Los pacientes entre 61 y 70 años fueron los más afectados con el 38,9% de frecuencia entre las demás edades (p=0,001). El tipo más frecuente de CNMP fue el carcinoma basocelular (77,8%), y la localización más frecuente fue en cabeza y cuello (61,1%). El factor de riesgo encontrado con mayor frecuencia (94,4 %) fue la foto-exposición solar (p=0,00) y el fototipo de piel más afectado fue el II (61,1%). Conclusión: la frecuencia del cáncer no melanoma de piel es alta.

Background: The incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), mainly in tropical countries has increased in large proportions. The identification of suspicious lesions and those directly related to the skin cancer is made by colleagues of many medical specialities. Objectives: Study the characteristics of the frequency of NMSC and their relation with certain risk factors in the Hospital José María Cullen, city of Santa Fe, capital of the province of the same name, Argentina. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective, not experimental, descriptive and transversal cut study. The sample was composed by 61 patients of both sexs and from 1 to 83 years old. A complete clinical history of patients with suspected lesions were developed. After the biopsy collection, the Department of Pathology analyze them. A descriptive analysis was performed using SPSS 11.5 program; Chi-square test and contingency tables were used to relate variables and compare data. It stablished a statistically significant association when it founded a value of p<0,05. Results: We observed that the frequency of NMSC was 29.5%, affecting mostly male (72.2%). Statistically significant difference were found (p=0,008), with respect to the female gender. Patients between 61 and 70 years were the most afected age group with a frequency of 38.9% (p=0,001).The most common type of NMSC was basal cell carcinoma (77.8%) and the most frequent location was head and neck (61.1%). The risk factor found most frequently (94.4%) was the photoexposure (p=0,00) and the skin phototype most affected was the type II (61.1%). Conclusion: The incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer is high.