Impact of the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic on climacteric women's health: Websurvey.

OBJECTIVE: The menopausal transition is an important milestone in female reproductive life. Many studies have been conducted to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women, but few of them focus on the climacteric population. This study aimed to investigate changes in the health and health care of climacteric women aged 40-70 years residing in Brazil during the pandemic period. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was carried out using an electronic form with questions related to sociodemographic, clinical and gynecological data, treatments, access to health services and changes in behavior. RESULTS: A total of 419 women answered the questionnaire. Sixty percent reported weight gain and 50.8% reported reduced physical activity practice. More than 80% reported worsening mental health and 66.1% had a change in their sleep pattern. More than half reported having difficulty accessing gynecological consultations and routine examinations. Women living in capital cities reported a greater change in alcohol consumption (p = 0.002). Income change was associated with a higher prevalence of weight gain (p = 0.033) and changes in sleep quality (p = 0.018). CONCLUSION: We observed an important reduction in the health care of climacteric women during the pandemic period, such as a decrease in medical consultations and preventive examinations, worsening of life habits and deterioration in mental health.

Early decrease in lean mass and bone mass in postmenopausal women: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: The effect of menopause transition in body composition was evaluated in a cross-sectional study. METHOD: The study was carried out in an outpatient clinic of Brazil enrolling premenopausal (n = 64) and postmenopausal (n = 42) women aged between 44 and 52 years, with weight stability (±2 kg) for at least 6 months before evaluation. Participants answered a sociodemographic semi-structured questionnaire, the Menopause Rating Scale, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, 24-h dietary recall and a visual analogue scale of appetite. Blood biochemical, anthropometry and densitometry measurements were used for body composition estimation. RESULTS: Most participants were overweight (31.4%) or obese (45.7%) and categorized as 'high active' in physical activity (65.7%). Lean mass and bone mass decreased in the first few years of menopause. A metabolic turn to an increase of lipids was observed, represented by greater total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Menopause transition did not alter body fat distribution. Total body fat, android fat and gynoid fat were positively related to smoking habit, and android fat was also positively related to waist circumference. CONCLUSION: Taken together, early postmenopause can be considered a time window of opportunity for preventing ailments such as atherogenic profile, obesity, increased cardiovascular risk and osteoporosis.

Effectiveness of Trichoderma strains isolated from the rhizosphere of citrus tree to control Alternaria alternata, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Penicillium digitatum A21 resistant to pyrimethanil in post-harvest oranges (Citrus sinensis L. (Osbeck)).

AIMS: Penicillium digitatum, Alternaria alternata and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides are pathogens responsible for large decays and production losses of citrus. They are commonly controlled by fungicides, whose excessive applications have led to the emergence of resistant P. digitatum strains. Alternative approaches are imperative for sustainable and environmental harmless citrus production, being biological control a promising strategy. The objective was to evaluate the potential of Trichoderma strains native from the rhizosphere of citrus trees to control these pathogens. METHODS AND RESULTS: Seven strains were isolated and identified as Trichoderma harzianum, T. guizhouense, T. atroviride and T. koningiopsis through morphological and molecular analyses. Five of them showed effective antagonist performance in vitro against the pathogens. The strain T. harzianum IC-30 was the best biological control agent in vivo, obtaining a reduction of rot percentage around 80% after 3 weeks of infection of oranges with P. digitatum A21 (resistant to pyrimethanil). This strain also showed the highest chitinase and glucanase activities. CONCLUSIONS: Trichoderma harzianum IC-30 is an optimal antagonist for the control of green mould spreading and other pathogens in post-harvest citrus fruits. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The strain combined with supplementary practices could lead to sustainable management of citrus fungal diseases, dispensing with synthetic fungicides.

Silver nanoparticles coated with dodecanethiol used as fillers in non-cytotoxic and antifungal PBAT surface based on nanocomposites.

In the present study, we report the preparation of antifungal and non-cytotoxic polymer nanocomposites with potential application in biomedical materials. Dodecanethiol-protected silver nanoparticles (AgNPs-DDT) were synthesized by a reduction/precipitation method and dispersed in chloroform to obtain stable colloidal dispersions. PBAT-based nanocomposites containing 0.25, 0.5 and 2 wt% AgNPs-DDT were prepared by casting method. The incorporation of AgNPs-DDT in PBAT matrix resulted in nanocomposites which combine improved mechanical performance and antifungal properties with a non-cytotoxic characteristic.

Cratylia argentea seed lectin, a possible defensive protein against plant-eating organisms: effects on rat metabolism and gut histology.

This present work was undertaken to answer two basic questions (a) is C. argentea lectin part of the general defensive strategy of the plant against predation by animals? (b) if so, how does it act on them? To achieve these goals the lectin from C. argentea seeds was purified to homogeneity and included at a 2% level in a diet containing 10% total protein and given to growing rats for 10 days. In vivo it was noted that the lectin from C. argentea is resistant to gut proteolysis, binds to the cells lining the small intestine and induces enlargement in the small intestine, caecum and colon, kidneys and pancreas compared to control rats exposed to the egg-white diet (EW). As the diet containing the purified C. argentea lectin has the same basic composition and protein content of EW diet, the small intestine, kidney and pancreas enlargements are clearly lectin-specific effects. Moreover the animals exposed to the lectin-containing diet presented a significant reduction in the growth rate and lower values of digestibility, NPU and biological value compared to animals fed on a control lectin-free diet. Thus the data from this present study and the report that the C. argentea lectin has insecticidal activity upon Callosobruchus maculatus larvae which attacks cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) seeds reinforce the hypothesis that lectins take part in the mechanisms against herbivory.

Bone marrow fibrosis (pseudo-myelofibrosis) in human kala-azar.

Thirty cases of human kala-azar were diagnosed by iliac crest biopsy and myeloculture. Histological analysis of 12 patients showed diffuse thickening of reticulin fibers. To the best of our knowledge, this is the third report describing secondary bone marrow fibrosis (myelofibrosis-like) associated with kala-azar. Patients with positive bone marrow fibrosis (pbmf = 12) were compared to patients without detectable bone marrow fibrosis (wbmf = 18). There were no significant differences in clinical and blood parameters following treatment. All patients showed regression of hepatosplenomegaly. Our findings suggest that associated bone marrow fibrosis is transient and did not interfere in the evolution of treated patients.

CD99/MIC-2 surface protein expression in breast carcinomas.

AIM: To evaluate the expression of CD99/MIC-2 surface protein in invasive breast carcinomas and demonstrate whether or not there is a relationship with tumour phenotype. METHODS AND RESULTS: Thirty-five invasive breast carcinomas, including five metaplastic carcinomas, were stained with CD99 primary antibodies using standard protocols based on streptavidin-biotin-peroxidase method. Four out of five metaplastic carcinomas expressed CD99/MIC-2 protein, three of them were matrix-producing carcinomas. From the other 30 cases, only an invasive apocrine carcinoma was positive. There was no statistical correlation between CD99 expression and the parameters analysed (histological typing and grading, proliferative index and nodal status). CONCLUSIONS: CD99/MIC-2 is expressed in breast carcinomas, especially in the matrix-producing variant of metaplastic carcinomas, which impairs its use as a marker to differentiate metaplastic carcinomas from primary and metastatic sarcomas of the breast. It seems to have no prognostic implications. However, phenotype similarities with other chondromyxoid tumours that also express the protein, like mesenchymal chondrosarcomas, suggest a relationship between MIC-2 reactivity and morphological differentiation.

Pain measurement in TMD patients: evaluation of precision and sensitivity of different scales.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the precision and sensitivity of four different pain rating scales in 59 temporomandibular disorders (TMD) patients. The capacity of describing changes in symptoms during treatment was also addressed. All patients were asked to answer four pain scales: Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Numerical Scale (NS), Behaviour Rating Scale (BRS) and Verbal Scale (VS). Two measurements were taken before any treatment. After beginning it, follow-ups and repeated measurements were taken 1 week, 15 days, and every month for 6 months. Statistical analysis showed significant differences (P < 0.05) for all scales, but the NS (P > 0.05), when the two initial measurements were analysed. Regarding the sensitivity, all pain scales demonstrated general symptom improvement of 30-50%, when initial and final figures were compared (P < 0.01). Also, the most significant improvement occurred in the first 2 months after beginning the management programme. Authors concluded that the NS was more accurate to measure reproducibility of pain. As for the capacity of expressing changes during the treatment, all scales demonstrated symptom decrease of 30-50% in a period of 6 months. Caution when analysing the results is recommended because of the subjective aspect of pain measurement, the absence of a 'gold standard' for comparison and the natural fluctuation of TMD symptoms.

Antinociceptive and antiedematogenic effects of the hydroalcoholic extract and coumarin from Torresea cearensis Fr. All.

This work studied the antinociceptive and antiedematogenic effects of the hydroalcoholic extract (HAE) and coumarin (Coum) from T. cearensis in experimental models of nociception in mice, and carrageenan- and dextran-induced paw edema in rats. HAE (100 and 200 mg/kg, p.o.) and Coum (5-20 mg/kg, p.o.) reduced in a dose - dependent manner the nociception produced by acetic acid and formalin. In the hot plate test, HAE (100-400 mg/kg, p.o.) and Coum (5 and 10 mg/kg, p.o.) increased the latency time to the thermal stimulus 90 min after administration. While naloxone partially reversed the antinociceptive effect of the HAE but not that of Coum, L-arginine reversed the antinociceptive effect of Coum in the formalin test. HAE (200 mg/kg, p.o.) and Coum (10 and 20 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly inhibited the carrageenan-induced edemas in rats but not the dextran-induced edema. This antiedematogenic effect on the carrageenan model was supported by histological studies performed in sections of the rat paw. In conclusion, the antinociceptive effects of HAE and Coum occur by a mechanism at least in part dependent on the opioid system. The nitric oxide system possibly has also a role in the Coum nociception. In addition, the antiedematogenic activity is manifested in inflammatory processes dependent on polimorphonuclear cells.