Therapeutical Potential of T3 as Adjuvant Therapy in Male Alloxan-induced Diabetic Rats.

Alloxan-induced diabetic rats present with hypothyroidism. When treated with triiodothyronine (T3), glycemia and proinflammatory cytokine expression are downregulated, improving insulin sensitivity. The effectiveness of associating T3 with insulin (replacement dose [6 U] and [3 U]) in controlling glycemia was investigated in this experimental model. Male Wistar rats were made diabetic by alloxan injection and sorted into groups treated or not with insulin (3 or 6 U) associated or not with T3 (1.5 µg 100 g-1 BW) for 28 days. Nondiabetic rats constituted the control group. Fasting glycemia, glucose decay rate, and thyrotropin (TSH) were measured in the blood/serum of all animals. Immunoblotting was used to assess total GLUT4 expression in skeletal muscles and epididymal white adipose tissue. Cytokine and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) expression were measured in these tissues and liver. Diabetic rats presented with increased fasting glycemia, inflammatory cytokines, and NF-κB expression, TSH levels, and insulin resistance. In diabetic rats treated with T3 and/or insulin, these parameters were decreased, whereas GLUT4 and anti-inflammatory cytokine expression were increased. T3 combined with 3-U insulin restored the parameters to values of the control group and was more effective at controlling glycemia than 6-U insulin. Thus, a combination of T3 and insulin might represent a promising strategy for diabetes management since it reduces the insulin requirement by half and improves glycemic control of diabetic rats, which could postpone insulin resistance that develops with chronic insulin administration. These findings open a perspective for using thyroid analogues that provide tissue-specific effects, which might result in a potentially more effective treatment of diabetes.

Evaluation of pedometer use in men with lower urinary tract symptoms: a randomized clinical trial.

PURPOSE: To assess the effect of a pedometer use in men aged between 50 and 59 years presenting lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). METHODS: A single-center, not blind clinical trial with two parallel groups and equal randomization was performed with 38 men aged 50-59 years with LUTS. All patients received guidance and encouragement to physical activity practice. Only the intervention group received a Pedometer with a goal of 10,000 steps/day. After a period of 12 weeks, the groups were compared through the following variables: number of steps/day, IPSS score, flexibility, anthropometric values and Maximum Oxygen Consumption (VO2max). RESULTS: The number of steps per day in the intervention group was 9753 ± 1549 compared to 6212 ± 1152 in the control group (p = 0.004). Pedometer use efficacy was a 50% risk reduction of not achieve the goal of 10,000 steps per day. Regarding IPSS score, the intervention group achieved lower scores (6.95 ± 2.85 vs. 10.16 ± 3.23, p = 0.007). Pedometer use efficacy was a 94% risk reduction of not achieve more than 30% reduction in IPSS score. In VO2max, the intervention group performed better than the control group (34.84 ± 3.25 vs. 32.58 ± 6.89; p = 0.011). There was no difference in flexibility and anthropometric values between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: The use of pedometer in LUTS patients provided an increase in the number of steps/day, a decrease in LUTS score and an improvement in VO2max measure. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Trial url: www.ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/rg/RBR-4vynk5/ . Register Number: RBR-4vynk5 .

Evaluation of reference genes for gene expression analysis by real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) in three stingless bee species (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini).

Stingless bees are generalist pollinators distributed through the pantropical region. There is growing evidence that their wild populations are experiencing substantial decline in response to habitat degradation and pesticides. Policies for conservation of endangered species will benefit from studies focusing on genetic and molecular aspects of their development and behavior. The most common method for looking at gene expression is real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction preceded by reverse transcription (RT-qPCR) of the mRNA of interest. This method requires the identification of reliable reference genes to correctly estimate fluctuations in transcript levels. To contribute to molecular studies on stingless bees, we used Frieseomelitta varia, Melipona quadrifasciata, and Scaptotrigona bipunctata species to test the expression stability of eight reference genes (act, ef1-α, gapdh, rpl32, rps5, rps18, tbp, and tbp-af) in RT-qPCR procedures in five physiological and experimental conditions (development, sex, tissues, bacteria injection, and pesticide exposure). In general, the rpl32, rps5 and rps18 ribosomal protein genes and tpb-af gene showed the highest stability, thus being identified as suitable reference genes for the three stingless bee species and defined conditions. Our results also emphasized the need to evaluate the stability of candidate genes for any designed experimental condition and stingless bee species.

Nutritional status, physical activity level, waist circumference, and flexibility in brazilian boys

This study examined the relationships between nutritional status, physical activity, waist circumference, andflexibility in boys. The sample comprised 74 boys (11,8 years old, SD= 1,6). The following were measured: body weight, height, waist circumference, physical activity, body fat (bioelectrical impedance) and flexibility. Body fat percentage was calculated, and the children were classifi ed as well nourished (G1), overweight (G2), or obese (G3) according to the ageand sex adjusted cutoffs described by Taylor et al.18. The statistical procedures adopted were: mean, standard deviation, analysis of variance, chi-square test, linear correlation and binary logistic regression. The level of signifi cance was set at p < 0.05. There was a statistical difference between G3 and G1 in flexibility scores (p = 0.048). Obese and inactive boys were more than twice as likely to exhibit a poor fl exibility score than well nourished and active boys, respectively (odds ratio= 2.9; p = 0.046, and 5.1; p = 0.047, respectively). This study identifi ed the existence of relationship and association between obesity, physical inactivity and poor performance in flexibility test...

Este estudo examinou o relacionamento entre estado nutricional atividade física, circunferência de cintura e flexibilidade em meninos. A amostra compreendeu 74 meninos (11,8±1,6 anos). Foram medidos o peso corporal, a estatura,a circunferência de cintura, atividade física, gordura corporal (impedância bioelétrica) e flexibilidade. O percentual de gordura corporal foi calculado e os sujeitos foram classificados como eutróficos (G1), com sobrepeso (G2) ou obesos (G3) de acordo com a tabela específi ca para sexo e idade proposta por Taylor et al.18. Os procedimentos estatísticos adotados foram: média, desvio-padrão, análise de variância, teste qui-quadrado, correlação linear e regressão logística binária. O nível de significância foi estabelecido em p < 0.05. Houve diferenças entre G3 e G1 nos escores de flexibilidade (p =0,048). Garotos inativos e ou obesos, quando comparados a garotos ativos e ou eutróficos, possuíam mais do que duas vezes mais chances de apresentar um escore baixo de flexibilidade (razão de chance= 2,9; p = 0,046, e 5,1; p = 0,047, respectivamente). Este estudo identificou a existência de relação e associação entre obesidade, inatividade física e fraca performance no teste de flexibilidade...

Prevalência de sobrepeso e obesidade em alunos de escolas privadas do município de Presidente Prudente - SP / Prevalence of overweight and obesity among students at private schools in Presidente Prudente, SP, Brasil

O objetivo do estudo foi descrever a prevalência de sobrepeso e obesidade entre escolares da rede privada deensino do município de Presidente Prudente - SP. A amostra foi composta por 1215 jovens de ambos os sexos e idade entre 10 e 17 anos. Foram coletados valores referentes à massa corporal e estatura. Para indicação do estado nutricional, foi calculado o Índice de Massa Corporal e utilizada a tabela internacional de referência proposta por Cole et al.12. Os dados são apresentados em valores de média, desvio padrão e freqüência. Foram utilizados os testes Qui-quadrado e “t” de Student para comparação entre freqüências e médias, respectivamente. Valores de p inferiores a 5% foram considerados estatisticamente signifi cantes e todo o tratamento estatístico foi realizado no software específi co SPSS 10.0. Verifi cou-se que a prevalência de sobrepeso e obesidade foi de 35,7% para o sexo masculino, 20% para o feminino e 28,6% para aamostra total, sendo a prevalência no sexo masculino superior a observada no feminino (p = 0,001). Assim, conclui-seque os altos valores de sobrepeso e obesidade observados entre os escolares de Presidente Prudente, principalmente entre os indivíduos do sexo masculino, servem como forma de alerta e indicam a necessidade de intervenção por parte de profissionais da área da saúde em meio escolar

The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence of overweight and obesity among schoolchildrenattending private schools in the town of Presidente Prudente, SP, Brazil. The sample comprised 1,215 male and female students with an age range of 10 to 17 years. Body mass and height measurements were evaluated. Nutritional status was identifi ed by means of Body Mass Index and the international table of reference values proposed by Cole et al.12 Dataare represented in the form of means, standard deviations and frequencies. The Chi-square test was used to comparefrequencies and Student’s t test was applied to and means. P values below 5% were considered statistically signifi cant and all statistical analysis were performed using SPSS 10.0 dedicated software. The observed prevalence rate of overweight and obesity was 35.7% for males, 20% for females (p = 0.001) and 28.6% for the whole sample. Therefore, this study concludes that the high overweight and obesity rates observed among students from the town of Presidente Prudente, particularly among the male sex, should be seen as a warning and indicate the need for interventions by health professionalin the school environment