Borneol reduces sympathetic vasomotor hyperactivity and restores depressed baroreflex sensitivity in rats with renovascular hypertension.

Borneol is a bicyclic monoterpene that has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine to increase blood-brain barrier permeability and has shown promising cardiovascular effects. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of borneol on vascular tone, blood pressure, autonomic function, and baroreflex sensitivity in normotensive and hypertensive rats. A combination of in vitro and in vivo assays was performed in 2-kidneys-1-clip hypertensive rats (2K1C) and their controls (sham). We assessed the in vivo effect of oral treatment with borneol on blood pressure, heart rate, autonomic function, and baroreflex sensitivity in sham and 2K1C rats. Additionally, the vasorelaxant effect of borneol in the superior mesenteric artery isolated from rats and its mechanism of action were evaluated. Oral administration of borneol (125 mg/kg/day) reduced blood pressure, sympathetic vasomotor hyperactivity, and serum oxidative stress and improved baroreflex sensitivity in 2K1C rats. In vessel preparations, borneol induced endothelium-independent vasodilatation after precontraction with phenylephrine or KCl (60 mM). There was no difference in the vascular effect induced by borneol in either the 2K1C or the sham group. In addition, borneol antagonized the contractions induced by CaCl2 and reversed (S)-(-)-Bay K 8644-induced contraction. These data suggest that borneol presents antihypertensive effects in 2K1C rats, which is associated with its ability to improve autonomic impairment and baroreflex dysfunction. The borneol-induced relaxation in the superior mesenteric artery involves L-type Ca2+ channel blockade. This vascular action associated with the antioxidant effect induced by borneol may be responsible, at least in part, for the in vivo effects induced by this monoterpene.

Toxoplasma gondii Mechanisms of Entry Into Host Cells.

Toxoplasma gondii, the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite. Toxoplasma can invade and multiply inside any nucleated cell of a wide range of homeothermic hosts. The canonical process of internalization involves several steps: an initial recognition of the host cell surface and a sequential secretion of proteins from micronemes followed by rhoptries that assemble a macromolecular complex constituting a specialized and transient moving junction. The parasite is then internalized via an endocytic process with the establishment of a parasitophorous vacuole (PV), that does not fuse with lysosomes, where the parasites survive and multiply. This process of host cell invasion is usually referred to active penetration. Using different cell types and inhibitors of distinct endocytic pathways, we show that treatment of host cells with compounds that interfere with clathrin-mediated endocytosis (hypertonic sucrose medium, chlorpromazine hydrochloride, and pitstop 2 inhibited the internalization of tachyzoites). In addition, treatments that interfere with macropinocytosis, such as incubation with amiloride or IPA-3, increased parasite attachment to the host cell surface but significantly blocked parasite internalization. Immunofluorescence microscopy showed that markers of macropinocytosis, such as the Rab5 effector rabankyrin 5 and Pak1, are associated with parasite-containing cytoplasmic vacuoles. These results indicate that entrance of T. gondii into mammalian cells can take place both by the well-characterized interaction of parasite and host cell endocytic machinery and other processes, such as the clathrin-mediated endocytosis, and macropinocytosis.

Avaliação geriátrica ampla como preditor de morbimortalidade nos pacientes oncológicos vulneráveis submetidos ao tratamento quimioterápico / Comprehensive geriatric assessment as a morbimortality predictor in patients vulnerable to the chemotherapy treatment

Objetivos: O objetivo desse estudo foi determinar o valor preditivo da Avaliação Geriátrica Ampla (AGA) em relação à toxicidade e mortalidade nos pacientes oncológicos idosos classificados como vulneráveis, submetidos à quimioterapia. Método: Foi realizado um estudo de coorte prospectivo com coleta de informações extraídas de banco de dados já construído do projeto ÂNCORA e disponível online. Foram construídas tabelas de distribuição de frequência das variáveis estudadas e na análise univariada foi usado o chi-quadrado e Teste de Fisher, quando indicado. Por fim, considerou-se o nível de significância de 5% e todos os testes foram aplicados com 95% de confiança. Resultados: Em uma amostra total de 254 pacientes, o percentual de mortalidade foi de 37% e de intercorrências foi de 46,5%, sendo infecção a mais frequente. Houve associação entre o déficit nutricional e o aumento da mortalidade (p=0,003). Conclusão: Observou-se associação estatística entre o aumento da mortalidade em pacientes vulneráveis que realizaram quimioterapia (p=0,046), quando comparados aos pacientes saudáveis. Os resultados deste estudo reforçam constatações da literatura como o uso da AGA pode ajudar oncologistas e geriatras em suas tomadas de decisão.

Objectives: to determine the predictive value of the Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) regarding toxicity and mortality in elderly cancer patients classified as vulnerable who were submitted to chemotherapy. Method: A prospective cohort study was performed with data gathered from the database already built by the anchor project and available online. Tables of the frequency of distribution of the studied variables were created. The chi-square test was used in the univariate analysis, and the Fisher test when indicated. The level of significance of 5% were considered and all the tests were applied with a confidence of 95%. Results: The frequency of patients classified as vulnerable by CGA was 40.2%, and the mortality rate in the total number of patients was 37%. The association between nutritional status and mortality (p=0.003) was observed, where most of the denuded patients (51.4%) died during follow-up, and most patients (46.5%) had some type of complication. Conclusion: There was an association between the increase in mortality in patients vulnerable to chemotherapy (p=0,046), when compared to healthy patients. The results of this study follow the literature on the use of CGA can help oncologists and geriatricians in their decision making.

Trichuris trichiura in a post-Colonial Brazilian mummy.

Trichuris trichiura is a soil-transmitted helminth which is prevalent in warm, moist, tropical and subtropical regions of the world with poor sanitation. Heavy whipworm can result either in Trichuris dysenteric syndrome - especially in children - or in a chronic colitis. In heavy infections, worms can spread proximally and may cause ileitis. Here we provide first microscopic evidence for a T. trichiura adult worm embedded in the rectum of a post-Colonial Brazilian adult mummy. During Colonial and post-Colonial times, many European chroniclers described a parasitic disease named Maculo whose symptomatology coincides with heavy helminthiasis. Based on our findings and on comparison of ancient textual evidence with modern description of heavy whipworm, we feel confident in considering that the two syndromes are expressions of the same pathological condition.

Trichuris trichiura in a post-Colonial Brazilian mummy

Trichuris trichiura is a soil-transmitted helminth which is prevalent in warm, moist, tropical and subtropical regions of the world with poor sanitation. Heavy whipworm can result either in Trichuris dysenteric syndrome - especially in children - or in a chronic colitis. In heavy infections, worms can spread proximally and may cause ileitis. Here we provide first microscopic evidence for a T. trichiura adult worm embedded in the rectum of a post-Colonial Brazilian adult mummy. During Colonial and post-Colonial times, many European chroniclers described a parasitic disease named Maculo whose symptomatology coincides with heavy helminthiasis. Based on our findings and on comparison of ancient textual evidence with modern description of heavy whipworm, we feel confident in considering that the two syndromes are expressions of the same pathological condition.

Videolaringoscopia e atividade de pepsina na saliva em voluntários com sintomas sugestivos de refluxo laringofaríngeo / Videolaringoscopy and pepsin activity in salive of volunteers with laryngopharyngeal reflux symptoms

O refluxo laringofaríngeo (RLF) é uma variação clínica da doença do refluxo gastroesofágico (DRGE), manifestando-se com queixas otorrinolaringológicas como rouquidão, pigarro, tosse, globus faríngeo, odinofagia, estridor lagingeo, e disfagia...

The laryngopharyngeal reflux is a clinical variation of the gastroesophageal disease, presenting with otolaryngologic complaints as: hoarseness, throat clearing, couhg, , globus pharingeus, odinopharia, laryngeal stridor and dysphagia...

Sinais e sintomas associados à otalgia na disfunção temporomandibular / Signs and symptoms associated to otalgia in temporomandibular disorder

A otalgia pode ocorrer de causas otológicas, como otite externa, otite média, mastoidite, assim como de causas não otológicas. Especula-se que as disfunções temporomandibulares (DTM) sejam uma das causas mais comuns...

Otalgia is a symptom that can be caused by otological diseases, such as external otitis, otitis media, mastoiditis, as well as by non otological factors. It is speculated that the temporomandibular disorders (TMD) is one of the most common causes of non otological otalgia...