Consumption of a multi-deficient diet causes dynamic changes in the intestinal morphofunctional barrier, body composition and impaired physical development in post-weaning mice.

Few studies have focused on nutrient-deficient diets and associated pathobiological dynamics of body composition and intestinal barrier function. This study evaluated the impact of a nutrient-deficient diet on physical development and intestinal morphofunctional barrier in mice. C57BL/6 (21 days of age) mice were fed a Northeastern Brazil regional basic diet (RBD) or a control diet for 21 d. The animals were subjected to bioimpedance analysis, lactulose test, morphometric analysis and quantitative reverse transcription-PCR to evaluate tight junctions and intestinal transporters. RBD feeding significantly reduced weight (P < 0·05) from day 5, weight gain from day 3 and tail length from day 14. The intake of RBD reduced total body water, extracellular fluid, fat mass and fat-free mass from day 7 (P < 0·05). RBD induced changes in the jejunum, with an increase in the villus:crypt ratio on day 7, followed by reduction on days 14 and 21 (P < 0·05). Lactulose:mannitol ratio increased on day 14 (P < 0·05). Changes in intestinal barrier function on day 14 were associated with reductions in claudin-1 and occludin, and on day 21, there was a reduction in the levels of claudin-2 and occludin. SGLT-1 levels decreased on day 21. RBD compromises body composition and physical development with dynamic changes in intestinal barrier morphofunctional. RBD is associated with damage to intestinal permeability, reduced levels of claudin-1 and occludin transcripts and return of bowel function in a chronic period.

Influência do distanciamento social no nível de atividade física durante a pandemia do COVID-19 / Influence of social distancing on the physical activity level during the COVID-19 pandemic

Este estudo investigou como as medidas de distanciamento social para o combate ao COVID-19 tem influenciado o nível de atividade física. Um questionário estruturado sobre as práticas de atividade física antes e durante o período de distanciamento social foi disponibilizado on-line para coleta das informações dos 2004 adultos (18 anos ou mais de idade) residentes em municípios das cinco regiões brasileiras. Utilizou-se teste Qui-quadrado para avaliar associações entre o nível de atividade física anterior e durante o período da pandemia. Associações entre variáveis intervenientes foram verificadas através do odds ratio. Os participantes reduziram o nível de atividade física após a adoção das medidas de distanciamento social. O maior nível de atividade física durante a pandemia está associado ao sexo masculino, residir em região metropolitana e não pertencer a grupos de risco. Embora estes fatores já influenciassem o nível de atividade física antes da pandemia, os resultados do odds ratio indicaram que no período da pandemia os fatores sexo, região e risco apresentaram reduções no seu poder de predição. Questões levantadas neste estudo podem auxiliar o planejamento de ações voltadas ao incentivo da prática de atividade física em períodos de crise

This study investigated how measures of social distancing to mitigate COVID-19 influences physical activity level. A structured questionnaire with questions related to the practice of physical activities before and during the period of social distancing was provided online to collect informations of the 2004 adults (aged >18 years) who lived in municipalities from all five regions in Brazil. A Chi-square test was used to assess associations between physical activity level previous and during the pandemic period. Associations between intervening variables were verified using odds ratio. The participants reduced the level of physical activity after the adoption of social distancing measures. The highest level of physical activity during the pandemic is associated with male sex, living in the metropolitan region and not being a higher-risk group. Although these factors already influenced physical activity level before the pandemic, odds ratio results indicated that in the pandemic period the sex, region and risk factors showed reductions in their predictive power. Questions raised in this study can help to plan actions aimed at encouraging the practice of physical activities in times of crisis

Biological effects of a sulfated-polysaccharide isolated from the marine red algae Champia feldmannii.

Sulfated-polysaccharides are exploited as antithrombotic and anticoagulant agents and suggested to be immunostimulants. The sulfated-polysaccharide isolated from the red-marine-algae Champia feldmannii (Cf-PLS) was purified by ion exchange chromatography and tested in experimental protocols of coagulation, inflammation (in Wistar rats) and nociception (in Swiss mice). Cf-PLS was tested i.v. for its anti-inflammatory activity in the paw-edema induced by classical inflammatory stimuli and s.c. for its pro-inflammatory activity in the paw-edema and peritonitis models. The anticoagulant activity was evaluated by the test of partial thromboplastin activation time (aPTT) and the antinociceptive effect in the writhing-test. Cf-PLS was not anti-inflammatory, but rather induced maximal edematogenic activity at 0.9 mg/kg (1.01+/-0.030 x 0.06+/-0.03 ml) compared to controls (0.06+/-0.03 ml), increased vascular-permeability (38.44+/-12.63 x 11.29+/-3.91 microg/g) and stimulated neutrophil migration (3.348+/-295 x 307+/-99 cells/microl) 1 h after injection. Cf-PLS was also antinociceptive (6.6+/-1.28 x 33+/-1.44 writhes) and extended human plasma coagulation time by 3 times. Our data suggest that this molecule may be an important immunostimulant.