Peptidomics Strategies to Evaluate Cancer Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Treatment.

Peptides have potential bioactive functions, and the peptidomics landscape has been broadly investigated for various diseases, including cancer. In this chapter, we reviewed the past four years of literature available and selected 16 peer-reviewed publications exploring peptidomics in diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment in cancer research. We highlighted their main aims, mass spectrometry-based peptidomics, multi-omics, data-driven and in silico strategies, functional assays, and clinical applications. Moreover, we underscored several levels of difficulties in translating the peptidomics findings to clinical practice, aiming to learn with the accumulated knowledge and guide upcoming studies. Finally, this review reinforces the peptidomics robustness in discovering potential candidates for monitoring the several stages of cancer disease and therapeutic treatment, leveraging the management of cancer patients in the future.

Quality assurance in gerontological and geriatric training programs: the European case.

Quality assurance (QA) in gerontological and geriatric education programs is regarded as essential to maintain standards, strengthen accountability, improve readability of qualifications, and facilitate professional mobility. In this article the authors present a summary of international developments in QA and elaborate four international trends, including the pros and cons of QA. Furthermore, the authors focus on accreditation and credit transfer opportunities in vocational and academic education programs for primary care practitioners, including nurses, home care workers, social workers, physiotherapists, and family doctors involved in the care of older people in nine European countries and highlight changes that have occurred over the last decade. Vocational education and professional training in elderly care at the basic and postgraduate specialization level remains extremely diversified, reflecting the lack of standardization for programs outside the higher education sector. The situation is ripe for the implementation of the European Qualifications Framework, which is intended to promote transparency, comparability and portability of qualifications at different levels and the introduction of a credit transfer system for vocational education to be established in 2012.

Antiproliferative and Pro-Oxidant Effect of Polyphenols in Aqueous Leaf Extract of Passiflora alata Curtis on Activated T Lymphocytes from Non-Obese Diabetic (NOD SHILT/J) Mice.

The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative properties of Passiflora alata Curtis are due to the presence of polyphenols in its composition. Our previous work showed that non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice undergoing treatment with aqueous leaf extract of P. alata present reduced insulitis in the pancreas, possibly due to its anti-inflammatory properties. However, depending on the concentration and their ability to interact with other molecules, these phenolic compounds may promote oxidation reactions in some cellular components, such as proteins and lipids, thus presenting a pro-oxidant effect. The present work aimed to evaluate the in vitro effects of aqueous leaf extract of P. alata and its polyphenols (vitexin, isoorientin, rutin and catechin) on lymphocyte proliferation and viability, the cell cycle and oxidative stress. Our results showed that T lymphocytes stimulated with concanavalin A mitogen (ConA) and in the presence of IC50 concentrations of P. alata extract and polyphenols undergo cell injury via inhibition of proliferation, with these effects being more pronounced concerning CD4+ T cells (P. alata, 3.54 ± 0.34%; isoorientin, 57.07 ± 6.4%; vitexin, 16.95 ± 1.11%; catechin, 37.9 ± 4.2% and rutin, 40.14 ± 4.5%), compared to the non-treated group (77.17 ± 6.29) (p < 0.0001 for all comparisons). This process includes late apoptosis/necrosis induction (P. alata, 77.5 ± 0.7%; vitexin, 83 ± 3.3%; isoorientin, 83.8 ± 1.4%; catechin, 83 ± 1.9% and rutin, 74.9 ± 3.2, while the control presented 53.6% ± 3.1 (p < 0.0001 for all comparisons)) and mitochondrial depolarization leading to cell-death induction. Furthermore, an in vitro model of a mixed culture of NOD mice T cells with a mouse pancreatic beta-cell line (MIN6) showed increased intracellular nitric oxide and lipid peroxidation in NOD T cells submitted to P. alata extract (46.41 ± 3.08) compared to the untreated control group (33.57 ± 1.99, p = 0.01315). These results suggest that aqueous leaf extract of P. alata and the polyphenols in these leaves represent a target for translational research showing the plant's benefits for developing new drugs with immunomodulatory properties against inflammatory diseases such as diabetes mellitus.

Complexation of whey protein with caffeic acid or (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate as a strategy to induce oral tolerance to whey allergenic proteins.

Proteins and phenolic compounds can interact and form soluble and insoluble complexes. In this study, the complexation of whey protein isolate (WPI) with caffeic acid (CA) or (-)­epigallocatechin­3­gallate (EGCG) is investigated as a strategy to attenuate oral sensitization in C3H/HeJ mice against WPI. Treatment with WPI-CA reduced the levels of IgE, IgG1, IgG2a and mMCP-1 in serum of mice measured by ELISA. This might be related to CD4+LAP+Foxp3+ T and IL-17A+CD4+ T (Th17) cell activation, evidenced by flow cytometry of splenocytes. Treatment with WPI-EGCG, in turn, decreased the levels of IgG2a and mMCP-1 in serum of mice, possibly by the modulation of Th1/Th2 response and the increase of CD4+ Foxp3+ LAP- T and IL-17A+CD4+ T (Th17) cell populations. In conclusion, WPI-CA and WPI-EGCG attenuated oral sensitization in C3H/HeJ mice through different mechanisms. We consider that the complexation of whey proteins with CA and EGCG could be a promising strategy to induce oral tolerance.

Identification and Antioxidant Activity of the Extracts of Eugenia uniflora Leaves. Characterization of the Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Aqueous Extract on Diabetes Expression in an Experimental Model of Spontaneous Type 1 Diabetes (NOD Mice).

Medical and folklore reports suggest that Eugenia uniflora (E. uniflora) is a functional food that contains numerous compounds in its composition, with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-diabetic effects. In the present study, we investigated the best solvents (water, ethanol and methanol/acetone) for extracting bioactive compounds of E. uniflora leaves, assessing total phenols and the antioxidant activity of the extracts by 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP), 2,2'-Azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) assays, identifying hydrolysable tannins and three phenolic compounds (ellagic acid, gallic acid and rutin) present in the leaves. In addition, we evaluated the incidence of diabetes, degree of insulitis, serum insulin, hepatic glutathione and tolerance test glucose in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. Our results suggest that the aqueous extract presents antioxidant activity and high total phenols, which were used as a type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM-1) treatment in NOD mice. We verified that the chronic consumption of aqueous extract reduces the inflammatory infiltrate index in pancreatic islets, maintaining serum insulin levels and hepatic glutathione, and reducing serum lipid peroxidation as well as the risk for diabetes.

Promoção da saúde articulada aos determinantes sociais: possibilidade para a equidade / Health promotion to social determinants: possibility for equity

Objetivo: conhecer as práticas de promoção da saúde articuladas aos determinantes sociais e desenvolvidas por profissionais da Atenção Primária à Saúde. Método: trata-se de estudo qualitativo, descritivo, exploratório. Realizaram-se 19 entrevistas semiestruturadas com profissionais de saúde inseridos em duas Unidades Básicas de Saúde. Avaliaram-se os dados a partir da técnica de Análise de Conteúdo na modalidade Análise Temática. Resultados: desenvolvem-se as práticas de Promoção da Saúde, em sua maioria, em grupos de educação em saúde, com orientações sobre mudança de estilo de vida durante as consultas agendadas. Apontaram-se, como potencialidades, o adequado processo de trabalho das equipes de saúde, o apoio e o incentivo da gestão atual e o vínculo com a comunidade. Citaram-se, como principais desafios, a demanda excessiva de usuários para consultas individuais e a falta de recursos humanos, apontando algumas fragilidades da gestão. Conclusão: ressalta-se a pertinência da Promoção da Saúde na Atenção Primária como forma de cuidado e autonomia do indivíduo e da comunidade, considerando os determinantes sociais, mas requerendo investimentos na educação permanente frente aos desafios apontados.(AU)

Objective: to know the practices of health promotion articulated to social determinants and developed by Primary Health Care professionals. Method: this is a qualitative, descriptive, exploratory study. Nineteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with health professionals enrolled in two Basic Health Units. Data were evaluated using the Content Analysis technique in the Thematic Analysis modality. Results: health promotion practices are developed, mostly in health education groups, with orientations on lifestyle changes during the scheduled consultations. As potentialities, the adequate work process of the health teams, the support and the incentive of the current management and the bond with the community were pointed out. The main challenges were the excessive user demand for individual consultations and the lack of human resources, pointing out some management weaknesses. Conclusion: the relevance of Health Promotion in Primary Care as a form of care and autonomy of the individual and of the community, considering the social determinants, but requiring investments in the permanent education facing the challenges pointed out.(AU)

Objetivo: conocer las prácticas de promoción de la salud articuladas a los determinantes sociales y desarrolladas por profesionales de la Atención Primaria a la Salud. Método: se trata de un estudio cualitativo, descriptivo, exploratorio. Se realizaron 19 entrevistas semiestructuradas con profesionales de salud insertados en dos Unidades Básicas de Salud. Se evaluaron los datos a partir de la técnica de Análisis de Contenido en la modalidad Análisis Temático. Resultados: se desarrollan las prácticas de Promoción de la Salud, en su mayoría, en grupos de educación en salud, con orientaciones sobre cambio de estilo de vida durante las consultas programadas. Se señalaron, como potencialidades, el adecuado proceso de trabajo de los equipos de salud, el apoyo y el incentivo de la gestión actual y el vínculo con la comunidad. Se citaron, como principales desafíos, la demanda excesiva de usuarios para consultas individuales y la falta de recursos humanos, apuntando algunas debilidades de la gestión. Conclusión: se resalta la pertinencia de la Promoción de la Salud en la Atención Primaria como forma de cuidado y autonomía del individuo y de la comunidad, considerando los determinantes sociales, pero requiriendo inversiones en la educación permanente frente a los desafíos señalados.(AU)