Sleep habits and complaints of adults in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, in 1987 and 1995

This study compares the prevalence of complaints of insomnia, excessive diurnal sleepiness, parasomnias, and sleep habits of the adult population in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, estimated in surveys carried out in 1987 and 1995. Representative samples of 1000 adult residents per survey were interviewed using a validated structured sleep questionnaire, the "UNIFESP Sleep Questionnaire". Difficulty maintaining sleep, difficulty initiating sleep and early morning awakening, occurring at least three times a week, were reported in 1987 and 1995, by 15.8/27.6, 13.9/19.1, and 10.6/14.2 percent of the interviewees, respectively, significantly increasing throughout time. These sleep problems were more often found among women. Frequencies of excessive diurnal sleepiness and sleep attacks were unchanged comparing 1987 with 1995 (4.5 vs 3.8 and 3.1 vs 3.0 percent, respectively). Parasomnia complaints remained unchanged, with the exception of leg cramps, which doubled in prevalence from 1987 to 1995 (2.6 to 5.8 percent). Snoring was the most common parasomnia (21.5 percent in 1995), reported more often by men than by women, and somnambulism was the least common (approximately 1 percent). Besides sleeping slightly less, interviewees went to bed and woke up later in 1995. Approximately 12 percent of the subjects in both surveys had consulted a physician due to sleep problems and 3.0 percent reported habitual use of sleep-promoting substances in 1995. Overall, there was a significant increase in insomnia complaints from 1987 to 1995 in the general population of the city of São Paulo. This major change over a little under a decade should be considered as an important public health issue.

Arachidonic acid triggers an oxidative burst in leukocytes

The change in cellular reducing potential, most likely reflecting an oxidative burst, was investigated in arachidonic acid- (AA) stimulated leukocytes. The cells studied included the human leukemia cell lines HL-60 (undifferentiated and differentiated into macrophage-like and polymorphonuclear-like cells), Jurkat and Raji, and thymocytes and macrophages from rat primary cultures. The oxidative burst was assessed by nitroblue tetrazolium reduction. AA increased the oxidative burst until an optimum AA concentration was reached and the burst decreased thereafter. In the leukemia cell lines, optimum concentration ranged from 200 to 400 æM (up to 16-fold), whereas in rat cells it varied from 10 to 20 æM. Initial rates of superoxide generation were high, decreasing steadily and ceasing about 2 h post-treatment. The continuous presence of AA was not needed to stimulate superoxide generation. It seems that the NADPH oxidase system participates in AA-stimulated superoxide production in these cells since the oxidative burst was stimulated by NADPH and inhibited by N-ethylmaleimide, diphenyleneiodonium and superoxide dismutase. Some of the effects of AA on the oxidative burst may be due to its detergent action. There apparently was no contribution of other superoxide-generating systems such as xanthine-xanthine oxidase, cytochromes P-450 and mitochondrial electron transport chain, as assessed by the use of inhibitors. Eicosanoids and nitric oxide also do not seem to interfere with the AA-stimulated oxidative burst since there was no systematic effect of cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenase or nitric oxide synthase inhibitors, but lipid peroxides may play a role, as indicated by the inhibition of nitroblue tetrazolium reduction promoted by tocopherol.

Arachidonic acid triggers an oxidative burst in leukocytes.

The change in cellular reducing potential, most likely reflecting an oxidative burst, was investigated in arachidonic acid- (AA) stimulated leukocytes. The cells studied included the human leukemia cell lines HL-60 (undifferentiated and differentiated into macrophage-like and polymorphonuclear-like cells), Jurkat and Raji, and thymocytes and macrophages from rat primary cultures. The oxidative burst was assessed by nitroblue tetrazolium reduction. AA increased the oxidative burst until an optimum AA concentration was reached and the burst decreased thereafter. In the leukemia cell lines, optimum concentration ranged from 200 to 400 microM (up to 16-fold), whereas in rat cells it varied from 10 to 20 microM. Initial rates of superoxide generation were high, decreasing steadily and ceasing about 2 h post-treatment. The continuous presence of AA was not needed to stimulate superoxide generation. It seems that the NADPH oxidase system participates in AA-stimulated superoxide production in these cells since the oxidative burst was stimulated by NADPH and inhibited by N-ethylmaleimide, diphenyleneiodonium and superoxide dismutase. Some of the effects of AA on the oxidative burst may be due to its detergent action. There apparently was no contribution of other superoxide-generating systems such as xanthine-xanthine oxidase, cytochromes p-450 and mitochondrial electron transport chain, as assessed by the use of inhibitors. Eicosanoids and nitric oxide also do not seem to interfere with the AA-stimulated oxidative burst since there was no systematic effect of cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenase or nitric oxide synthase inhibitors, but lipid peroxides may play a role, as indicated by the inhibition of nitroblue tetrazolium reduction promoted by tocopherol.

Ranking the toxicity of fatty acids on Jurkat and Raji cells by flow cytometric analysis.

The fatty acids have an important role in the control of leukocyte metabolism and function. Higher concentrations of certain fatty acids, particularly polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and volatile fatty acids, can cause cell death via apoptosis or, when concentrations are greater, necrosis. In this study, we determined the highest concentrations of various fatty acids that are non-toxic to two human leukemic cell lines, Jurkat (T-lymphocyte) and Raji (B-lymphocyte). Toxicity was evaluated by either loss of membrane integrity and/or DNA fragmentation using flow cytometric analysis. There were no remarkable differences for the toxicity of the fatty acids between B and T cell lines. The cytotoxicity of the fatty acids was related to the carbon chain length and number of double bonds: docosahexaenoic acid=eicosapentaenoic acid=arachidonic acid=gamma-linolenic acid=stearic acid=palmitic acid > linoleic acid=palmitoleic acid > vacenic acid=lauric acid > oleic acid > elaidic acid > capric acid > butyric acid > caprylic acid=caproic acid=propionic acid. The proportion of cells undergoing apoptosis or necrosis, induced by the fatty acids tested, remains to be investigated.

Antiapoptotic effect of dipyrone on HL-60, Jurkat and Raji cell lines submitted to UV irradiation, arachidonic acid and cycloheximide treatments.

The effect of dipyrone (metamizol) on cell viability was evaluated in human leukocyte cell lines upon different apoptotic treatments: arachidonic acid (AA), cycloheximide (CHX), tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. Dipyrone had a dual effect: at high concentrations (beyond 300 microM), it was cytotoxic, leading to apoptosis, whereas at lower concentrations (37.5-300 microM), it was cytoprotective, delaying the loss of membrane integrity triggered by arachidonic acid (100-200 microM) and UV irradiation and the cytotoxicity of cycloheximide (25-50 microM). No effect of dipyrone was found on TNF-induced cytotoxicity (250 ng/ml). The cytoprotective effect of dipyrone is associated with a decrease in DNA fragmentation, as assessed by electrophoresis of genomic DNA and by flow cytometry; a reduction in the percentage of condensed nuclei, as evaluated by DNA staining with Hoescht 33342 and a decrease in poly(ADP)-ribose polymerase (PARP) cleavage, as assessed by Western blotting. The cytoprotective effect of dipyrone on leukocyte apoptosis occurs at concentrations usually found for the main active metabolite of the drug and may have implications on the therapeutic and side effects caused by this agent.

Walker-256 tumor growth causes oxidative stress in rat brain.

The elevated rate of oxygen consumption and high amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids make the central nervous system vulnerable to oxidative stress. The effect of Walker-256 tumor growth on oxi-reduction indexes in the hypothalamus (HT), cortex (CT), hippocampus (HC) and cerebellum (CB) of male Wistar rats was investigated. The presence of the tumor caused an increase in thiobarbituric acid reactant substances (TBARs) in the HT, CB and HC. Due to tumor growth, the activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase increased in the HT and CB, whereas citrate synthase activity was reduced in the HT, CT and CB. Therefore, the potential for generation of reducing power is increased in the cytosol and decreased in the mitochondria of various brain regions of Walker-256 tumor-bearing rats. These changes occurred concomitantly with an unbalance in the brain enzymatic antioxidant system. The tumor decreased the activities of catalase in the HT and CB and of glutathione peroxidase in the HT, CB and HC, and raised the CuZn-superoxide dismutase activity in the HT, CB and HC. These combined findings indicate that Walker-256 tumor growth causes oxidative stress in the brain.

Effect of fatty acids on leukocyte function

Fatty acids have various effects on immune and inflammatory responses, acting as intracellular and intercellular mediators. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) of the omega-3 family have overall suppressive effects, inhibiting lymphocyte proliferation, antibody and cytokine production, adhesion molecule expression, natural killer cell activity and triggering cell death. The omega-6 PUFAs have both inhibitory and stimulatory effects. The most studied of these is arachidonic acid that can be oxidized to eicosanoids, such as prostaglandins, leukotrienes and thromboxanes, all of which are potent mediators of inflammation. Nevertheless, it has been found that many of the effects of PUFA on immune and inflammatory responses are not dependent on eicosanoid generation. Fatty acids have also been found to modulate phagocytosis, reactive oxygen species production, cytokine production and leukocyte migration, also interfering with antigen presentation by macrophages. The importance of fatty acids in immune function has been corroborated by many clinical trials in which patients show improvement when submitted to fatty acid supplementation. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain fatty acid modulation of immune response, such as changes in membrane fluidity and signal transduction pathways, regulation of gene transcription, protein acylation, and calcium release. In this review, evidence is presented to support the proposition that changes in cell metabolism also play an important role in the effect of fatty acids on leukocyte functioning, as fatty acids regulate glucose and glutamine metabolism and mitochondrial depolarization

Effect of fatty acids on leukocyte function.

Fatty acids have various effects on immune and inflammatory responses, acting as intracellular and intercellular mediators. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) of the omega-3 family have overall suppressive effects, inhibiting lymphocyte proliferation, antibody and cytokine production, adhesion molecule expression, natural killer cell activity and triggering cell death. The omega-6 PUFAs have both inhibitory and stimulatory effects. The most studied of these is arachidonic acid that can be oxidized to eicosanoids, such as prostaglandins, leukotrienes and thromboxanes, all of which are potent mediators of inflammation. Nevertheless, it has been found that many of the effects of PUFA on immune and inflammatory responses are not dependent on eicosanoid generation. Fatty acids have also been found to modulate phagocytosis, reactive oxygen species production, cytokine production and leukocyte migration, also interfering with antigen presentation by macrophages. The importance of fatty acids in immune function has been corroborated by many clinical trials in which patients show improvement when submitted to fatty acid supplementation. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain fatty acid modulation of immune response, such as changes in membrane fluidity and signal transduction pathways, regulation of gene transcription, protein acylation, and calcium release. In this review, evidence is presented to support the proposition that changes in cell metabolism also play an important role in the effect of fatty acids on leukocyte functioning, as fatty acids regulate glucose and glutamine metabolism and mitochondrial depolarization.

Use of pEX and pGEX bacterial heterologous protein expression systems for recombinant oncoprotein production and antisera generation.

In order to study the role played by known and novel genes in growth control and neoplasia, we here compare the pEX and pGEX bacterial expression systems for recombinant oncoprotein production and for generation of specific antisera. The results of five pEX (MS2-c-Fos, MS2-Fra-1, MS2-JunD, bgal-c-Jun and bgal-JunB) and two pGEX [glutathione S-transferase (GSH)-JE/MCP-1 and GST-JunD] fusion-protein productions are presented. Higher (15-43-fold) yields are obtained with the pEX system, but only the pGEX system allows separation of the protein of interest from the fusion moiety by digestion with specific proteases. The degree of fusion-protein purification, as assessed by SDS/PAGE, is similar for both systems. Proteins produced by both systems were successfully used in the generation of specific antisera. The choice between the pEX and pGEX systems is dependent upon the specific recombinant protein produced.