New Trends to Treat Muscular Atrophy: A Systematic Review of Epicatechin.

Epicatechin is a polyphenol compound that promotes skeletal muscle differentiation and counteracts the pathways that participate in the degradation of proteins. Several studies present contradictory results of treatment protocols and therapeutic effects. Therefore, the objective of this systematic review was to investigate the current literature showing the molecular mechanism and clinical protocol of epicatechin in muscle atrophy in humans, animals, and myoblast cell-line. The search was conducted in Embase, PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. The qualitative analysis demonstrated that there is a commonness of epicatechin inhibitory action in myostatin expression and atrogenes MAFbx, FOXO, and MuRF1. Epicatechin showed positive effects on follistatin and on the stimulation of factors related to the myogenic actions (MyoD, Myf5, and myogenin). Furthermore, the literature also showed that epicatechin can interfere with mitochondrias' biosynthesis in muscle fibers, stimulation of the signaling pathways of AKT/mTOR protein production, and amelioration of skeletal musculature performance, particularly when combined with physical exercise. Epicatechin can, for these reasons, exhibit clinical applicability due to the beneficial results under conditions that negatively affect the skeletal musculature. However, there is no protocol standardization or enough clinical evidence to draw more specific conclusions on its therapeutic implementation.

Adipokines, Myokines, and Hepatokines: Crosstalk and Metabolic Repercussions.

Adipose, skeletal, and hepatic muscle tissues are the main endocrine organs that produce adipokines, myokines, and hepatokines. These biomarkers can be harmful or beneficial to an organism and still perform crosstalk, acting through the endocrine, paracrine, and autocrine pathways. This study aims to review the crosstalk between adipokines, myokines, and hepatokines. Far beyond understanding the actions of each biomarker alone, it is important to underline that these cytokines act together in the body, resulting in a complex network of actions in different tissues, which may have beneficial or non-beneficial effects on the genesis of various physiological disorders and their respective outcomes, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2), obesity, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Overweight individuals secrete more pro-inflammatory adipokines than those of a healthy weight, leading to an impaired immune response and greater susceptibility to inflammatory and infectious diseases. Myostatin is elevated in pro-inflammatory environments, sharing space with pro-inflammatory organokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 (IL-1), resistin, and chemerin. Fibroblast growth factor FGF21 acts as a beta-oxidation regulator and decreases lipogenesis in the liver. The crosstalk mentioned above can interfere with homeostatic disorders and can play a role as a potential therapeutic target that can assist in the methods of diagnosing metabolic syndrome and CVD.

Physical Exercise and Myokines: Relationships with Sarcopenia and Cardiovascular Complications.

Skeletal muscle is capable of secreting different factors in order to communicate with other tissues. These mediators, the myokines, show potentially far-reaching effects on non-muscle tissues and can provide a molecular interaction between muscle and body physiology. Sarcopenia is a chronic degenerative neuromuscular disease closely related to cardiomyopathy and chronic heart failure, which influences the production and release of myokines. Our objective was to explore the relationship between myokines, sarcopenia, and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine actions of myokines include regulation of energy expenditure, insulin sensitivity, lipolysis, free fatty acid oxidation, adipocyte browning, glycogenolysis, glycogenesis, and general metabolism. A sedentary lifestyle accelerates the aging process and is a risk factor for developing sarcopenia, metabolic syndrome, and CVD. Increased adipose tissue resulting from the decrease in muscle mass in patients with sarcopenia may also be involved in the pathology of CVD. Myokines are protagonists in the complex condition of sarcopenia, which is associated with adverse clinical outcomes in patients with CVD. The discovery of new pathways and the link between myokines and CVD remain a cornerstone toward multifaceted interventions and perhaps the minimization of the damage resulting from muscle loss induced by factors such as atherosclerosis.

Estado nutricional e consumo de frutas e hortaliças por alunos de escolas pública e particular / Nutritional status and consumption of fruits and vegetables for students in private and public school

Objetivo ­ Descrever o perfil antropométrico e o consumo de frutas e hortaliças por escolares do primeiro ano do ensino fundamental de uma escola particular e outra pública da cidade de Marília-SP e realizar a comparação entre ambas. Métodos ­ Foram coletadas as medidas de peso e estatura, a partir dos quais foi determinado o IMC/l (Índice de massa corpórea para idade), adotando-se os pontos de corte apontados pela Organização Mundial da Saúde. Foi aferida também a medida da circunferência abdominal que foi classificada segundo o sexo e a idade, sendo considerada elevada quando a medida situou-se acima do percentil 75. A investigação do consumo de frutas e hortaliças foi realizada por meio do Questionário de Frequência de Consumo de frutas e hortaliças (QFCFH) o qual foi elaborado com base no instrumento de Slater et al. (2010). Resultados ­ Com base no IMC/l foi observado prevalência de eutrofia em ambas redes de ensino, enquanto que cerca de 45% delas apresentava excesso de peso em seus diferentes níveis. Não foi encontrado diagnóstico de magreza entre os participantes. Não houve diferença significativa nos valores de Escore-z do IMC/l comparando as duas redes de ensino. Com relação à circunferência abdominal, 74% e 79% das crianças das escolas pública e particular, respectivamente, apresentaram esta medida elevada. No parâmetro alimentar, foi observado que a frequência diária de consumo das frutas de hortaliças investigadas foi maior entre as crianças da escola pública. Conclusão ­ Dos apontamentos presentes nesta publicação emergem a necessidade de maiores investimentos no tocante ao hábito alimentar.

Objective ­ To describe the anthropometric profile and consumption of fruits and vegetables for students of the first year of elementary level to a private and a public school in the town of Marilia/SP and to make a comparison between them. Methods ­ The weight and height measurements were collected, from which was determined the BMI / A (body massa index por age), adopting the cut off points raised by de World Health Organization. Abdominal circunference measure was also assessed and was classified according to sex and age, considered high when the measure was above the 75 percentile. The study on consumption of fruits and vegetables was carried out through the Questionanaire of Fruit and Vegetable Consuption Frequency (QFVCF), which based on the instrument Slater et al. (2010). Results ­ Based on BMI / A was observed prevalence of normal weight in both school systems, while about 45% of them had excess weight at different levels. It was found diagnosis of thinness among participants. There was no significant difference in score z values of BMI / I compared the two school systems. Regarding the abdominal circumference, 74% and 79% of children of public and private schools, respectively, presented this high measure. In the food parameter, it was observed that the daily frequency of consumption of fruits and vegetables investigated was greater among children in public school. Conclusions ­ From the notes presented in this publication emerge the need for greater investment in regard to eating habits.

Consumo de sal em universitários de um curso de nutrição / Salt consumption of students from the nutrition course

Objetivo ­ Avaliar o consumo de sal dos alunos do curso de nutrição de uma universidade particular do interior do Estado de São Paulo a partir do exame de urina de 24 horas e identificar a frequência de consumo dos alimentos ricos em sódio, bem como correlacionar estas duas variáveis. Métodos ­ Para avaliar o consumo de sal foi utilizado o exame da excreção urinária de sódio das 24 horas. Para identificar a frequência de consumo dos alimentos ricos em sódio foi utilizado um questionário de frequência alimentar autoaplicável elaborado pelas pesquisadoras. Resultados ­ Fizeram parte deste estudo 30 alunos. O exame de excreção urinária de sódio das 24 horas indicou um consumo de sal médio de 7,65 ± 3,5g/dia, sem diferença significativa entre os seguimentos do curso (p=0,1048). A aplicação do questionário de frequência alimentar apontou um escore individual médio de 29 ± 10,6, sendo o valor mínimo de 8 e o máximo de 50, numa amplitude de variação entre 0 a 126. Os alunos que com menor escore de consumo de alimentos ricos em sódio apresentaram consumo de sal significativamente menor (p<0,0001) em relação ao que tiveram escores superiores. A correlação entre o escore individual do consumo de alimentos ricos em sódio e a ingestão de sal mostrou-se positiva e sem significância (r=0,1622, p=0,3918). Conclusões ­ Acumulam-se evidências que apontam para a necessidade de programas educacionais que atuem na motivação para agir, visto que conhecimento por si só não gera melhor consumo alimentar.

Objective ­ Evaluate the course of students' salt intake nutrition from a private university in the state of Sao Paulo from the urine test 24 hours and identify the frequency of consumption of foods high in sodium as well as correlate these two variables. Methods ­ To evaluate the consumption of salt was used an examination of urinary sodium excretion of 24 hours. To identify the frequency of high sodium consumption was used a food frequency survey developed by the researchers. Results ­ This study included 30 students. The examination of urinary sodium excretion of 24 hours indicated an average consumption of salt 7.65 ± 3.5g/day, with no significant difference between the segments of the course (p=0.1048). The application of the survey showed an average score of 29 ± 10.6, with a minimum value of 8 and a maximum of 50, in a range of variation between 0 and 126. Students with low scores of high sodium consumption showed a salt consumption significantly lower (p<0.0001) compared to those higher scores. The correlation between the individual score of consumption of high sodium foods was positive and not statistically significant (r=0.1622, p=0.3918). Conclusions ­ There are evidences pointing to the need for educational programs that operate on the motivation to act, because knowledge alone does not generate better food consumption.