Oral Treatment with the Pectin Fibre Obtained from Yellow Passion Fruit Peels Worsens Sepsis Outcome in Mice by Affecting the Intestinal Barrier.

The biological activities of plant-derived soluble dietary fibres (SDFs) have been widely investigated. Pectin from yellow passion fruit (YPF-peSDF) peels was suggested as a protective macromolecule in ulcers and colitis due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Sepsis has high mortality and morbidity and is characterised by inflammatory and oxidative stress imbalances. Evidence suggests that pectins may aid sepsis treatment; however, the effects of YPF-peSDF on sepsis remain unclear. Herein, polymicrobial sepsis was induced by cecal-ligation and puncture in mice treated with YPF-peSDF (1 and 10 mg/kg; gavage). YPF-peSDF accelerated mortality, reaching 100% in 24 h. Inflammation was present in the colons and small intestines (SI) of both vehicle- and fibre-treated mice. Although crypt depth and width, and villus height were preserved in the SI of septic mice administered YPF-peSDF, they exhibited exacerbated muscle layer atrophy and mucosa and submucosa hypertrophy, along with shortened enterocytes. Larger crypts and shorter enterocytes were noted in their colons in comparison with vehicle-controls. YPF-peSDF also reduced inflammatory cell numbers and exacerbated IL-6 levels in peritoneal lavage fluid (PELF) samples. YPF-peSDF modulated SI but not colon cytokines. Lipoperoxidation and antioxidant capacity levels were attenuated in PELF samples. Overall, in contrast to previous evidence, YPF-peSDF worsened polymicrobial sepsis outcomes in mice.

Ocular Manifestations of Chikungunya Infection: A Systematic Review.

The Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) can cause long lasting symptoms and manifestations. However, there is little information on which ocular ones are most frequent following infection. We performed a systematic review (registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews; no CRD42020171928) to establish the most frequent ocular manifestations of CHIKV infection and their associations with gender and age. Articles published until September 2020 were selected from PubMed, Scielo, Cochrane and Scopus databases. Only studies with CHIKV-infected patients and eye alterations were included. Reviews, descriptive studies, or those not investigating the human ocular manifestations of CHIKV, those with patients with other diseases and infections, abstracts and studies without relevant data were excluded. Twenty-five studies were selected for inclusion. Their risk of bias was evaluated by a modified Newcastle-Ottawa scale. The most frequent ocular symptoms of CHIKV infection included ocular pain, inflammation and reduced visual acuity, whilst conjunctivitis and optic neuritis were the most common manifestations of the disease. These occurred mostly in individuals of 42 ± 9.5 years of age and woman. The few available reports on CHIKV-induced eye manifestations highlight the need for further research in the field to gather more substantial evidence linking CHIKV infection, the eye and age/gender. Nonetheless, the data emphasizes that ocular alterations are meaningful occurrences of CHIKV infection which can substantially affect quality of life.