Impact of the length of vitamin D deficiency on cardiac remodeling.

BACKGROUND: This study was aimed to evaluate the influence of vitamin D (VD) deficiency on cardiac metabolism, morphology, and function. Thus, we investigated the relationship of these changes with the length of the nutrient restriction. METHODS AND RESULTS: Male weanling Wistar rats were allocated into 4 groups: C2 (n=24), animals were fed an AIN-93G diet with 1000 IU VD/kg of chow and were kept under fluorescent light for 2 months; D2 (n=22), animals were fed a VD-deficient AIN-93G diet and were kept under incandescent light for 2 months; C4 (n=21) animals were kept in the same conditions of C2 for 4 months; and D4 (n=23) animals were kept in the same conditions of D2 for 4 months. Biochemical analyses showed lower ß-hydroxyacyl coenzyme-A dehydrogenase activity and higher lactate dehydrogenase activity in VD-deficient animals. Furthermore, VD deficiency was related to increased cytokines release, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and fibrosis. Echocardiographic data showed left ventricular hypertrophy and lower fractional shortening and ejection fraction in VD-deficient animals. Difference became evident in the lactate dehydrogenase activity, left ventricular weight, right ventricle weight, and left ventricular mass after 4 months of VD deficiency. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that VD deficiency is associated with energetic metabolic changes, cardiac inflammation, oxidative stress, fibrosis and apoptosis, cardiac hypertrophy, left chambers alterations, and systolic dysfunction. Furthermore, length of the restriction influenced these cardiac changes.

Influência da taurina na remodelação ventricular após o infarto do miocárdio / Influence of taurine on ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction

O objetivo do nosso estudo foi de avaliar a influência da administração de taurina sobre a remodelação após o infarto em ratos, por meio de análise de sobrevida e de variáveis morfológicas, funcionais, bioquímicas, celulares e intersticiais cardíacas. Foram utilizados ratos wistar, machos, entre 200 – 250g foram submetidos ao infarto experimental. Após 48hs do procedimento, os animais sobreviventes foram alocados em dois grupos aleatoriamente: grupo IAM (n=31), o qual recebeu água potável e grupo IAM-T (n=30), que recebeu 3% de taurina diluída na água. O grupo controle (n=10) foi composto por animais não infartados e recebeu água potável. Após 3 meses de acompanhamento foi realizado estudo morfológico e funcional pelos seguintes métodos: coração isolado, ecocardiograma, morfometria e histologia. O estudo bioquímico foi realizado por HPLC (para determinar as concentrações e taurina no plasma e no tecido cardíaco). A imunohistoquímica foi utilizada para avaliar a conexina 43 e apoptose. Por meio da zimografia avaliou-se as metaloproteases, por espectrofotometria foram avaliados estresse oxidativo e metabolismo energético e por western blot avaliou-se a resposta antioxidante. A análise estatística foi realizada pelo teste de ANOVA de uma via, t de Student, curva de Kaplan Méier e long – rank. O nível de significância adotado foi de 5%. A concentração de taurina plasmática (C = 49 (38 – 54,2) (μmol/L); IAM = 74,6 (58,7 – 83) (μmol/L); IAM-T = 363 (157 - 477,4) (μmol/L); p = 0,004) e no tecido cardíaco (C = 0,100 ± 0,04 (μmol/g); IAM = 0,175 ± 0,07 (μmol/g); IAM-T = 0,419± 0,187 (μmol/g); p = 0,022) foi maior no grupo IAM-T quando comparado com controle e IAM...

The aim of our study was to evaluate the influence of taurine administration on cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction in rats by survival analysis and morphological, functional, biochemical, cellular and interstitial evalluation. Methods: Wistar male rats, weighting 200 - 250g were subjected to experimental myocardial infarction. 48 hours after the procedure, the surviving animals were randomly allocated into two groups: IAM group (n = 31), who received drinking tap water and T-IAM group (n = 30), who received 3% of taurine diluted in tap water. The control group (n = 10) was composed of non infarcted animals, who received drinking tap water. After 3 months of follow-up, morphological and functional study was conducted by the following. Isolated heart, echocardiography, histology and morphometry. Biochemical analysis was performed by HPLC (to determine the concentrations of taurine in plasma and heart tissue). Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate connexin 43 and apoptosis. Metalloproteases was evaluated by zymography, oxidative stress and energy metabolism were evaluated by spectrophotometry and the antioxidant response, by western blot. Statistical analysis was performed by oneway ANOVA, Student t test, Kaplan Meier and long – rank tests. The level of significance was set at 5%...

Clinical and nutritional profile of individuals with Chagas disease.

Chagas disease (CD), caused by the protozoan Trypanossoma cruzi, affects approximately 18 million individuals in the Americas, 5 million of which live in Brazil. Most chronic sufferers have either the indeterminate form of the disease, without organic compromise, or the cardiac or digestive forms. Despite the importance of this disease, there is no information on the effect of nutrition on CD evolution. We evaluated the clinical-nutritional profile of individuals with CD treated at the Tropical Diseases Nutrition Out-Patient Clinic of the Botucatu School of Medicine, UNESP. A retrospective cohort study was performed between 2002 and 2006, on 66 patients with serum and parasitological diagnosis of CD. Epidemiological, clinical, nutritional, and biochemical data were collected, including gender, age, skin color, smoking, alcoholism, physical activity, weight, stature, body mass index, abdominal circumference, glycemia, and lipid profile. Fifty-three percent were male and 47% female; 96% were white skinned. Mean age was 49.6 +/- 6.36 years. The predominant form was indeterminate in 71%; smoking and drinking were recorded in 23% and 17%, respectively. Sedentariness predominated in 83%, and 55% presented increased abdominal circumference. Most, 94%, were overweight or obese. The biochemical exams revealed hyperglycemia in 12% and dyslipidemia in 74%. These findings suggest that the Chagas population presents co-morbidities and risk factors for developing chronic non-transmissible diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, making CD evolution even worse.

Clinical and nutritional profile of individuals with chagas disease

Chagas disease (CD), caused by the protozoan Trypanossoma cruzi, affects approximately 18 million individuals in the Americas, 5 million of which live in Brazil. Most chronic sufferers have either the indeterminate form of the disease, without organic compromise, or the cardiac or digestive forms. Despite the importance of this disease, there is no information on the effect of nutrition on CD evolution. We evaluated the clinical-nutritional profile of individuals with CD treated at the Tropical Diseases Nutrition Out-Patient Clinic of the Botucatu School of Medicine, UNESP. A retrospective cohort study was performed between 2002 and 2006, on 66 patients with serum and parasitological diagnosis of CD. Epidemiological, clinical, nutritional, and biochemical data were collected, including gender, age, skin color, smoking, alcoholism, physical activity, weight, stature, body mass index, abdominal circumference, glycemia, and lipid profile. Fifty-three percent were male and 47 percent female; 96 percent were white skinned. Mean age was 49.6±6.36 years. The predominant form was indeterminate in 71 percent; smoking and drinking were recorded in 23 percent and 17 percent, respectively. Sedentariness predominated in 83 percent, and 55 percent presented increased abdominal circumference. Most, 94 percent, were overweight or obese. The biochemical exams revealed hyperglycemia in 12 percent and dyslipidemia in 74 percent. These findings suggest that the Chagas population presents co-morbidities and risk factors for developing chronic non-transmissible diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, making CD evolution even worse.