Increased oxidative stress and inflammatory markers contrasting with the activation of the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway in patients with metabolic syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a disorder that is closely associated with risk factors that increase the chance of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. We demonstrate the presence of inflammation and oxidative stress in patients with MetS through levels of antioxidants and oxidative and inflammatory markers, in order to determine influential variables in therapy. METHODS: In this study, lipid peroxidation, carbonylated protein content and enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants were evaluated in samples obtained from 30 patients with MetS and 30 control patients. In addition, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, C-reactive protein (CRP) and uric acid (UA) levels were determined to investigate the inflammatory process in patients with MetS. RESULTS: Our results demonstrated an increase in the levels of oxidative markers, such as substances reactive to thiobarbituric acid (TBARS) and carbonyl protein. In addition, a decrease in the defense of non-enzymatic antioxidants, such as levels of vitamin C and glutathione (GSH) in patients with MetS. As for inflammatory markers, CRP and UA were increased in patients with MetS. Finally, activation of the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway was observed due to decreased AchE activity in patients with MetS. CONCLUSION: The analyzes indicated oxidative stress, together with a reduction in the levels of antioxidant enzymes, corroborating the high consumption of these proteins. In addition, inflammation and activation of the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway was observed by the AChE analysis. Thus, the activation of this pathway can be studied as a possible route to a potential therapy. In addition, the markers AChE, CRP and UA may be used as a focus for the treatment of MetS.

Physical activity and academic performance in high school students / Atividade física e desempenho acadêmico em estudantes de ensino médio

There are still doubts about the real benefits of physical activity on the academic performance of adolescents. The aim of this study was to determine whether the physical activity (PA) interferes in the academic performance of high school students. The study included 348 adolescents from one federal public school. For information regarding PA, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ short-version) was used. For PAL classification the adolecents who had 300 minutes/week or more of physical activity were considered as active. The information related to the participation in sports schools was obtained through a question inserted in IPAQ. For the academic performance, the average grades of the first semester of 2015 were used, within the three major Knowledge Areas, as defined by the National Curriculum Standards. There was no significant correlation between academic performance and PA (r= 0.06; p= 0.28). Higher minimum scores were found among active high school students and higher average school for areas 1 ­ Languages, Codes and its Technologies (7.2±0.8) and 2 ­ Natural Sciences, Mathematics and its Technologies (6.6±1.3) among participants in sports schools, with statistical significance (p= 0.017; p= 0.014). In conclusion, PAL did not relate to the academic performance of pupils in this study and participants of sports schools achieved better academic performance demonstrating that sports activities can cause beneficial effects in their cognitive performances.

Ainda existem dúvidas sobre os reais benefícios da atividade física no desempenho acadêmico de adolescentes. O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar se a atividade física (AF) se relaciona ao desempenho acadêmico de alunos do ensino médio. O estudo incluiu 348 adolescentes de uma escola pública federal. Para obter informações sobre AF, utilizou-se o Questionário Internacional de Atividade Física (versão curta IPAQ). Para a classificação do NAF os estudantes com mais de 300 minutos/semana de atividade física e insuficientemente ativos, os estudantes com menos de 300 minutos/semana de atividade física. A informação relacionada à participação em escolas esportivas foi obtida através de uma pergunta inserida no IPAQ. Para o desempenho acadêmico foi utilizada a média das notas do primeiro semestre de 2015, dentro das três grandes Áreas de Conhecimento, definidas pelos Parâmetros Curriculares Nacionais. Não houve correlação significativa entre o desempenho acadêmico e AF (r= 0.06; p= 0.28). Notas mínimas superiores foram encontrados entre os escolares ativos e maiores médias para as áreas 1 ­ Linguagens, Códigos e suas Tecnologias (7.2±0.8) e 2 ­ Ciências Naturais, Matemática e suas Tecnologias (6.6±1.3) entre participantes em escolas esportivas, com significância estatística (p= 0.017; p= 0.014). Em conclusão, o NAF não se associou negativamente no desempenho acadêmico dos escolares desse estudo e os participantes de escolas esportivas alcançaram melhor desempenho acadêmico, demonstrando que a prática esportiva pode ocasionar efeitos benéficos no desempenho cognitivo.

Clustering of risk factors for noncommunicable diseases in Brazilian adolescents: prevalence and correlates.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have investigated the prevalence and correlates of risk factors for noncommunicable diseases among Brazilian adolescents. We evaluated the clustering of risk factors and their associations with sociodemographic variables. METHODS: We used a cross-sectional study carried out in 2011 comprising 1132 students aged 14-19 years from Santa Maria, Brazil. The cluster index was created as the sum of the risk factors. For the correlates analysis, a multinomial logistic regression was used. Furthermore, the observed/expected ratio was calculated. RESULTS: Prevalence of individual risk factors studied was as follows: 85.8% unhealthy diets, 53.5% physical inactivity, 31.3% elevated blood pressure, 23.9% overweight, 22.3% excessive drinking alcohol, and 8.6% smoking. Only 2.8% of the adolescents did not present any risk factor, while 21.7%, 40.9%, 23.1%, and 11.5% presented 1, 2, 3, and 4 or more risk factors, respectively. The most prevalent combination was between unhealthy diets and physical inactivity (observed/expected ratio =1.32; 95% CI: 1.16-1.49). Clustering of risk factors was directly associated with age and inversely associated with socioeconomic status. CONCLUSIONS: Clustering of risk factors for noncommunicable diseases is high in Brazilian adolescents. Preventive strategies are more likely to be successful if focusing on multiple risk factors, instead of a single one.