Improving body image at scale among Brazilian adolescents: study protocol for the co-creation and randomised trial evaluation of a chatbot intervention.

BACKGROUND: Body image concerns are prevalent among Brazilian adolescents and can lead to poor psychological and physical health. Yet, there is a scarcity of culturally-appropriate, evidence-based interventions that have been evaluated and made widely available. Chatbot technology (i.e., software that mimics written or spoken human speech) offers an innovative method to increase the scalability of mental health interventions for adolescents. The present protocol outlines the co-creation and evaluation of a body image chatbot for Brazilian adolescents via a partnership between academics, industry organisations and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). METHODS: A two-armed fully remote randomised controlled trial will evaluate the chatbot's effectiveness at improving body image and well-being. Adolescent girls and boys (N = 2800) aged 13-18 years recruited online will be randomly allocated (1:1) into either: 1) a body image chatbot or 2) an assessment-only control condition. Adolescents will engage with the chatbot over a 72-hour period on Facebook Messenger. Primary outcomes will assess the immediate and short-term impact of the chatbot on state- and trait-based body image, respectively. Secondary outcomes will include state- and trait-based affect, trait self-efficacy and treatment adherence. DISCUSSION: This research is the first to develop an evidence-informed body image chatbot for Brazilian adolescents, with the proposed efficacy trial aiming to provide support for accessible, scalable and cost-effective interventions that address disparities in body image prevalence and readily available resources. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04825184 , registered 30th March 2021.

Reaching a Vapor Sensitivity of 0.01 Parts Per Quadrillion in the Screening of Large Volume Freight.

The feasibility of detecting explosives in the atmosphere at concentrations as low as 0.01 ppq hinges on the poorly known question of what interfering species exist at these or higher concentrations. To clarify the issue, hundreds of samples of ambient air, either clean or loaded with explosives (from lightly contaminated environments) have been collected in fiberglass/stainless steel filters coated with Tenax-GR, thermally desorbed at variable temperature, and ionized with Cl- via secondary electrospray (SESI). They are analyzed with a narrow-band mobility filter (SEADM's P5 DMA) and a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (Sciex's 5500), configured in series to transmit precursor and fragment ions of the explosives Nitroglycerin, PETN, RDX, and TNT. Blanks were sampled outdoors at a rural site (Boecillo, Valladolid, Spain), and loads were sampled at diverse locations. For RDX and TNT, atmospheric background inhibits detection below 1 part/trillion (ppt) without mobility filtering. This interference was drastically reduced by the DMA, allowing detection up to 1 part/quadrillion (ppq). Further sensitivity increase was achieved by scanning over a mobility region several percent around that of the target explosive, to separate various isobaric compounds by Gaussian deconvolution. (i) All four MS/MS channels analyzed exhibit several background peaks within the narrow mobility intervals investigated. At least one of these interferents is much stronger than the instrument background at the explosive's mobility, making DMA separation most helpful. (ii) For Nitroglycerin and PETN the combined filtering techniques have not lowered ambient chemical noise down to 0.01 ppq. (iii) Interferents are greatly reduced for TNT and RDX, resulting in minimal chemical noise: 322 blank tests for RDX yielded mean signal of 0.0012 ppq and standard deviation σ = 0.0035 ppq (mean + 3σ detection limit of 0.01 ppq).

Cardiovascular diseases may play a negative role in the prognosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Only a few studies have considered the role of comorbidities in the prognosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and have provided conflicting results. METHODS: Our multicentre, retrospective study included patients diagnosed from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2013 in 13 referral centres for ALS located in 10 Italian regions. Neurologists at these centres collected a detailed phenotypic profile and follow-up data until death in an electronic database. Comorbidities at diagnosis were recorded by main categories and single medical diagnosis, with the aim of investigating their role in ALS prognosis. RESULTS: A total of 2354 incident cases were collected, with a median survival time from onset to death/tracheostomy of 43 months. According to univariate analysis, together with well-known clinical prognostic factors (age at onset, diagnostic delay, site of onset, phenotype, Revised El Escorial Criteria and body mass index at diagnosis), the presence of dementia, hypertension, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, haematological and psychiatric diseases was associated with worse survival. In multivariate analysis, age at onset, diagnostic delay, phenotypes, body mass index at diagnosis, Revised El Escorial Criteria, dementia, hypertension, heart diseases (atrial fibrillation and heart failure) and haematological diseases (disorders of thrombosis and haemostasis) were independent prognostic factors of survival in ALS. CONCLUSIONS: Our large, multicentre study demonstrated that, together with the known clinical factors that are known to be prognostic for ALS survival, hypertension and heart diseases (i.e. atrial fibrillation and heart failure) as well as haematological diseases are independently associated with a shorter survival. Our findings suggest some mechanisms that are possibly involved in disease progression, giving new interesting clues that may be of value for clinical practice and ALS comorbidity management.

Non-motor involvement in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: new insight from nerve and vessel analysis in skin biopsy.

AIMS: To assess cutaneous sensory and autonomic nerves and the vascular bed in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). METHODS: We enrolled 41 patients (M = 20, aged 63.5 ± 11.8 years), and 41 age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers (M = 20, aged 63.5 ± 11.8 years). Disease severity and sensory and autonomic symptoms were scored using dedicated rating scales. Skin biopsies obtained from thigh, leg and fingertip were processed using indirect immunofluorescence. Intraepidermal nerve fibres, Meissner corpuscles (MCs), intrapapillary myelinated endings, cholinergic and noradrenergic pilomotor nerves and dermal vessels were quantified on confocal images. Intraepidermal nerve fibres, pilomotor nerves and vessels were also assessed on distal leg skin samples of 10 spinal cord injury patients to compare our findings with those of a chronic hypomobility condition. RESULTS: Compared to healthy controls skin biopsies showed: (i) non-length-dependent loss of intraepidermal nerve fibres (P < 0.01) and loss of MCs (P < 0.01); (ii) reduced (P < 0.01) density of pilomotor nerves involving cholinergic and noradrenergic fibres and (iii) a reduced (P < 0.01) vascular bed. Autonomic nerve and dermal vessel densities were higher in patients with higher disease progression rate (P < 0.01). Moreover, we observed signs of nerve regeneration coexisting with nerve degeneration and increased complexity of the dermal vessels. In patients with posttraumatic spinal cord injury, the density of intraepidermal nerve fibres, pilomotor nerves and of the vascular bed did not differ from controls (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated a cutaneous sensory and autonomic denervation in ALS and a previously undescribed relationship between autonomic and vascular involvement that appeared to be linked to the disease progression rate.

[Longitudinal perception of the educational environment in two medical schools with traditional curricula in Chile and Spain]. / Percepción del ambiente educacional en dos escuelas de medicina con currículo tradicional: Estudio longitudinal.

BACKGROUND: To establish an educational environment that ensures the quality of the teaching-learning process is a challenge for any educational institution. The questionnaire DREEM (Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure) is used to identify strengths and weaknesses of an educational environment and to compare different medical schools. AIM: To evaluate the changes in the perception of educational environment by students of the Schools of Medicine of the University of Zaragoza, UZar (Spain) and the University of Chile, UCh (Chile) at two points in their curricula. MATERIAL AND METHODS: DREEM questionnaire was answered by 90 students from the UZar and 87 students of the UCh, when they were in the first year (2009) and in the fourth year of their career (2012). RESULTS: At both universities the overall mean scores of DREAM were significantly higher in students in their first year than those obtained in the fourth year (137.5/118.3 for UZar and 128.6/118.8 for UCh). Items with worse perception in the fourth year were observed in subscales Learning Perception and Atmosphere Perception. Items with good evaluation (≥ 3.0) were the subscales Perception of teachers, academic self-perception, perception of Environment and Social Self-perception. CONCLUSIONS: The perception of Chilean and Spanish students about their educational environments indicates that the stage of their medical training is more important than the geographical context or educational institution.

Wildlife reservoirs of brucellosis: Brucella in aquatic environments.

Neurobrucellosis and osteomyelitis are common pathologies of humans and cetaceans infected with Brucella ceti or B. pinnipedialis. Currently, 53 species of marine mammal are known to show seropositivity for brucellae, and B. ceti or B. pinnipedialis have been isolated or identified in polymerase chain reaction assays in 18 of these species. Brucellae have also been isolated from fish and identified in lungworm parasites of pinnipeds and cetaceans. Despite these circumstances, there are no local or global requirements for monitoring brucellosis in marine mammals handled for multiple purposes such as capture, therapy, rehabilitation, investigation, slaughter or consumption. Since brucellosis is a zoonosis and may be a source of infection to other animals, international standards for Brucella in potentially infected marine mammals are necessary.

Structural and molecular diversification of the Anguimorpha lizard mandibular venom gland system in the arboreal species Abronia graminea.

In the past, toxinological research on reptiles has focused principally on clinically important species. As a result, our understanding of the evolution of the reptile venom system is limited. Here, for the first time, we describe the structural and molecular evolutionary features of the mandibular toxin-secreting gland of Abronia graminea, a representative of one of the poorly known and entirely arboreal lineages of anguimorph lizards. We show that the mandibular gland is robust and serous, characters consistent with those expected of a toxin-secreting gland in active use. A wide array of transcripts were recovered that were homologous to those encoded by the indisputably venomous helodermatid lizards. We show that some of these toxin transcripts are evolving under active selection and show evidence of rapid diversification. Helokinestatin peptides in particular are revealed to have accumulated residues that have undergone episodic diversifying selections. Conversely, the natriuretic peptides have evolved under tremendous evolutionary constraints despite being encoded in tandem with helokinestatins by the same gene precursor. Of particular note is the sequencing for the first time of kunitz peptides from a lizard toxin-secreting gland. Not only are kunitz peptides shown to be an ancestral toxicoferan toxin, the ancestral state of this peptide is revealed to be a dual domain encoding precursor. This research provides insight into the evolutionary history of the ancient toxicoferan reptile venom system. In addition, it shows that even 'clinically irrelevant' species can be a rich source of novel venom components, worthy of investigation for drug design and biomedical research.

Identification of signalling pathways triggered by changes in the mechanical environment in rat chondrocytes.

AIM: The aim of this work was to determine the pathways implicated in the mechanosensing of chondrocytes. METHODS: Rat chondrocytes were cultured in collagen hydrogels of different stiffness (2-20 Pa) in normoxia and hypoxia, in monolayer and embedded inside hydrogels. First, chondrocyte were cultured on hydrogels in the presence of antibodies to block integrins. Second, custom RT-PCR array plates and western blot were used to detect changes in expression of genes implicated in downstream signalling pathways. RESULTS: The results allowed us to demonstrate the mechanosensing of chondrocytes for changes in stiffness in the range of Pascals. We also identified Non-Muscle Myosin II (NMMII) and integrins α1, ß1 and ß3 as participants in the mechanosensing, since their blockade inhibits the sensing of the stiffness, and they are up-regulated in the process. RT-PCR arrays and western blot detected up-regulation of Paxillin, RhoA, Fos, Jun and Sox9. We detected no expression of Src in the monolayer cultures, but we found a role for this protein in 3D. The expression of HIF-1α was not modified under normoxia but was found to participate under hypoxia. Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK), showed a direct relationship with the expression of Aggrecan in hypoxia and an inverse one in normoxia. Finally, immunofluorescence analysis located the expression of factors AP-1, Sox-9 and HIF-1α inside the cell nuclei and RhoA, Src, Paxillin and FAK close to the cytoplasmic membrane. CONCLUSIONS: We determined here some of the genes that are up-regulated during the process of chondrocyte mechanosensing.

Has Pandemic Threat Stoked Xenophobia? How COVID-19 Influences California Voters' Attitudes toward Diversity and Immigration.

Sociological theory and historical precedent suggest that pandemics engender scapegoating of outgroups, but fail to specify how the ethnoracial boundaries defining outgroups are drawn. Using a survey experiment that primed half of the respondents (California registered voters) with questions about COVID-19 during April 2020, we ask how the pandemic influenced attitudes toward immigration, diversity and affect toward Asian Americans. In the aggregate, the COVID prime did not affect attitudes toward immigrants, but did reduce support for policies opening a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and reduced appreciation of California's diversity. Respondents reported rarely feeling anger or fear toward Asian Americans, and rates were unaffected by the COVID prime. A non-experimental comparison between attitudes toward immigrants in September 2019 and April 2020 found a positive change, driven by change among Asian-American and Latino respondents. The results provide selective support for the proposition that pandemics engender xenophobia. At least in April 2020 in California, increased bias crimes against Asian Americans more likely reflected politicians' authorization of scapegoating than broad-based racial antagonism.

Being parent is associated with suicidal history in people with serious mental illness enrolled in psychiatric rehabilitation.

Parenting is a central life experience that could promote recovery in people with Serious Mental Illness (SMI). It could also be challenging for parents with SMI and result in poor recovery-related outcomes. Parenting is often overlooked in psychiatric rehabilitation. The objectives of the present study were to identify the characteristics and needs for care of mothers and fathers with SMI enrolled in a multicentric non-selected psychiatric rehabilitation SMI sample. We consecutively recruited 1436 outpatients from the French National Centers of Reference for Psychiatric Rehabilitation cohort (REHABase). The evaluation included standardized scales for clinical severity, psychosocial function, quality of life and satisfaction with life, wellbeing, personal recovery and a broad cognitive battery. We found that parenting was associated to suicidal history in mothers and fathers with SMI. In the multivariate analysis, being mother was best explained by insight (p < 0.015, adjusted OR = 0.76 [0.59-0.90]), current age (p < 0.001, aOR = 1.13 [1.07-1.21]), education level (p = 0.008; aOR = 0.12 [0.02-0.53]) and family accommodation (p = 0.046, aOR = 0.19 [0.03-0.84]). Being father was best explained by suicidal history (p = 0.005, aOR = 3.85 [1.51-10.10]), marital status (in relationship, p < 0.001; aOR = 7.81 [2.73-23.84]), satisfaction with family relationships (p = 0.032, aOR = 1.22 [1.02-1.47]) and current age (p < 0.001, aOR = 1.16 [1.10-1.23]). In short, parenting was associated to increased history of suicide attempt in mothers and fathers with SMI. Mothers and fathers with SMI may have unique treatment needs relating to parenting and recovery-related outcomes. The implementation of interventions supporting the needs of parents with SMI in psychiatric rehabilitation services could improve parent and children outcomes.

Tracheostomy in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a 10-year population-based study in Italy.

We evaluated the clinical characteristics and outcome of tracheostomy in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using data from the Piemonte and Valle d'Aosta Register for ALS, a prospective epidemiological register collecting all ALS incident cases in two Italian regions. Among the 1260 patients incident in the period 1995-2004, 134 (10.6%) underwent tracheostomy. Young male patients were more likely to be tracheostomised. Site of onset (bulbar vs spinal) and period of diagnosis (1995-1999 vs 2000-2004) did not influence the likelihood of being tracheostomised. The mean duration of hospital stay was 52.0 days (SD 60.5). Overall, 27 patients died while still in hospital (20.1%). Sixty-five patients (48.5%) were discharged to home, whereas 42 (31.3%) were admitted to long-term care facilities. The median survival time after tracheostomy was 253 days. In the Cox multivariable model, the factors independently related to a longer survival were enteral nutrition, age, marital status and ALS centre follow-up. In conclusion, in an epidemiological setting, ALS survival after tracheostomy was <1 year. Sociocultural factors influence the probability of choice to be tracheostomised, even in a highly socialized health system as Italian one.

Forced mild physical training-induced effects on cognitive and locomotory behavior in old mice.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of mild forced physical training on cognitive and locomotory behavior in old (26 mo.) mice. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled study. SETTING: Open-field in the behavioral laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: Sixteen old sedentary male mice randomly assigned to one of two groups, exercise (E) or rest (R). INTERVENTION: group E underwent treadmill running for one month at moderate intensity (belt speed=8 m/min, 45 min, five days a week), group R was only allowed spontaneous locomotor activity. MEASUREMENTS: exploratory and locomotor behavior were evaluated in an enriched environment (Ethovision recording). RESULTS: motor patterns were significantly reduced (chi2 test, p<0.05) in the E vs R group after one month of training; exploratory patterns were not different, both groups showing modest exploratory activity. CONCLUSIONS: mild forced physical training initiated at old age may have detrimental effect on motor behavior in male mice without improving cognitive parameters.

Improving diabetes care among patients with severe mental illness: A systematic review of the effect of interventions.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) who suffer from type 2 diabetes (T2DM) are likely to be sub-optimally treated for their physical condition. This study aimed to review the effect of interventions in this population. METHODS: A systematic search in five databases was conducted in July 2017. RESULTS: Seven studies on multi-faced interventions were included. These comprised nutrition and exercise counselling, behavioural modelling and increased disease awareness aiming to reduce HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose, body mass index and weight. CONCLUSION: Non-pharmacologic interventions in individuals with SMI and T2DM could possibly improve measures of diabetes care, although with limited clinical impact.

Isolation and genetic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii from striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) from Costa Rica.

Toxoplasma gondii infection in marine mammals is of interest because of mortality and mode of transmission. It has been suggested that marine mammals become infected with T. gondii oocysts washed from land to the sea. We report the isolation and genetic characterization of viable T. gondii from a striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), the first time from this host. An adult female dolphin was found stranded on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, and the animal died the next day. The dolphin had a high (1:6400) antibody titer to T. gondii in the modified agglutination test. Severe nonsuppurative meningoencephalomyelitis was found in its brain and spinal cord, but T. gondii was not found in histological sections of the dolphin. Portions of its brain and the heart were bioassayed in mice for the isolation of T. gondii. Viable T. gondii was isolated from the brain, but not from the heart, of the dolphin. A cat fed mice infected with the dolphin isolate (designated TgSdCol) shed oocysts. Genomic DNA from tachyzoites of this isolate was used for genotyping at 10 genetic loci, including SAG1, SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1, and Apico, and this TgSdCo1 isolate was found to be Type II.

Positive effects of tertiary centres for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis on outcome and use of hospital facilities.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of tertiary centres for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) on ALS outcome and the use of hospital facilities. METHODS: The study was based on the data of an epidemiological, prospective, population-based register on ALS (Piemonte and Valle d'Aosta Register for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, PARALS). The 221 patients recruited between 1995 and 1996 were prospectively followed up for outcome and use of hospital-based services. RESULTS: In all, 97 patients were followed up by tertiary ALS centres and 124 by general neurological clinics. Patients followed up by tertiary ALS centres were found to be 4 years younger and underwent percutaneous endoscopic gastronomy and non-invasive positive-pressure ventilation more often. Patients followed up by tertiary ALS centres were found to have a considerably longer median survival time (1080 v 775 days), even when stratifying by age, site of onset and respiratory function at diagnosis. In Cox multivariate analysis, attending a tertiary ALS centre was observed to be an independent positive prognostic factor. Moreover, patients attending a tertiary ALS centre were admitted to hospital less often (1.2 v 3.3) and were more frequently admitted for planned interventions. Conversely, patients followed up by general neurological clinics were more frequently admitted for acute events. Also, the hospital stay was considerably shorter for patients attending tertiary ALS centres (5.8 v 12.4 days). CONCLUSIONS: Improved survival was seen in patients with ALS attending tertiary ALS centres, independently from all other known prognostic factors, possibly through a better implementation of supportive treatments. Moreover, because of these centres, the hospitalisation rate was markedly reduced, thus offering a cost-effective service to patients with ALS and to the community as a whole.

[Gastric volvulus]. / Vólvulo gástrico. Presentación de un caso.

Gastric volvulus is a rare condition in pediatric population in which there is an abnormal rotation of one part of the stomach around itself. It's a surgical emergency. We report a six year old female admitted in the emergency due to upper abdominal distention, nausea without vomiting, physical exam revealed upper abdominal distention and abdominal tenderness, no bowel sounds. Laparotomy was performed and a gastric volvulus with occlusive vascular involvement was found. In the post operative period she required a second laparotomy due to adhesions in small bowel.

Lose to win: marT pseudogenization in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi contributed to the surV-dependent survival to H2O2, and inside human macrophage-like cells.

The difference in host range between Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi) can be partially attributed to the gain of functions, to the loss of functions (i.e. pseudogenization), or to a combination of both processes. As previously reported, the loss of functions by pseudogenization may play a role in bacterial evolution, especially in host-restricted pathogens such as S. Typhi. The marT-fidL operon, located at the SPI-3, encodes the MarT transcriptional regulator and a hypothetical protein (i.e. FidL) with no significant similarities to known proteins, respectively. Even though predicted S. Typhimurium FidL exhibit 99.4% identity with S. Typhi FidL, marT has been annotated as a pseudogene in S. Typhi. In this work, we found that S. Typhi expressing S. Typhimurium marT-fidL exhibited an increased accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to a decreased survival in presence of H2O2. Moreover, we found that that the presence of a functional copy of S. Typhimurium marT-fidL in S. Typhi resulted in a repression of surV (STY4039), an ORF found in the S. Typhi SPI-3 but absent from S. Typhimurium SPI-3, that contribute to the resistance to H2O2 by decreasing the accumulation of ROS. Finally, we observed that the presence of S. Typhimurium marT-fidL in S. Typhi negatively affected the survival inside macrophage-like cells, but not in epithelial cells, after 24h post infection. Therefore, this work provides evidence arguing that marT pseudogenization in Salmonella Typhi contributed to the surV-dependent survival against H2O2, and inside human macrophage-like cells. This is a good example of how the loss of functions (marT pseudogenization) and the gain of functions (presence of surV) might contribute to phenotypic changes improving virulence.

Terapia descompresiva en el manejo no quirúrgico de lesiones perirradiculares de gran tamaño / Decompressive therapy in the non-surgical management of large periradicular lesions

Introducción: La periodontitis apical asintomática es de los diagnósticos endodónticos más comunes que se presentan en la población mundial. Consiste en la afectación del tejido periapical como resultado de la activación de mecanismos de inflamación, los que incluyen lisis y reabsorción de tejidos de soporte como cemento, ligamento y hueso alveolar. El signo patognomónico de la periodontitis apical es la presencia de radiolucidez periapical, resultado de la destrucción de los tejidos periapicales. Su principal tratamiento abarca el manejo endodóntico convencional cuyo objetivo es la eliminación de los irritantes locales dentro del conducto radicular. Sin embargo, cuando se desarrollan lesiones de gran tamaño es necesario complementar con terapias que aceleren la reparación, una de ellas la descompresión, la cual a partir de la reducción de la presión intralesión e intraósea con lo que favorece la formación de tejido fibroso, conectivo y óseo. Objetivo: Describir la técnica de descompresión intraconducto en el manejo de lesiones periapicales de gran tamaño. Presentación del caso: Paciente de 33 años de edad, con diagnóstico de periodontitis apical asintomática y evaluación tomográfica de lesión periapical de gran tamaño (67,5 UH) manejado con terapia endodóntica convencional y descomprensión intraconducto como terapia coadyuvante. Posterior a la restauración se realizaron controles clínicos y radiográficos. A los 24 meses se evidenció reparación de los tejidos involucrados con restauración del espacio del ligamento periodontal. Conclusiones: En este caso, la terapia descomprensiva fue una alternativa en el manejo de una lesión periapical de gran tamaño, que permitió regular la presión intraósea y facilitar la regeneración del tejido óseo, evitando la intervención quirúrgica siendo así más confortante para el paciente(AU)

Introduction: Asymptomatic apical periodontitis is one of the most common endodontic disorders diagnosed in the world population. It consists in damage to the periapical tissue due to activation of inflammation mechanisms, including lysis and resorption of support tissues like cementum, ligament and alveolar bone. The pathognomonic sign of apical periodontitis is the presence of periapical radiolucency due to the destruction of periapical tissue. Its main treatment includes conventional endodontic management aimed at removing local irritants from the root canal. However, when large lesions develop, it is necessary to complement the conventional treatment with therapies speeding up the repair process, such as decompression, which reduces intralesion and intraosseous pressure, fostering the formation of fibrous, connective and bone tissue. Objective: Describe the use of intracanal decompression technique in the management of large periapical lesions. Case presentation: A case is presented of a 33-year-old patient diagnosed with asymptomatic apical periodontitis and a tomographic evaluation of a large periapical lesion (67.5 UH) treated with conventional endodontic therapy and intracanal decompression as adjuvant therapy. Restoration was followed by clinical and radiographic controls. At 24 months it was observed that the tissues involved had been repaired and the periodontal ligament space restored. Conclusions: The use of decompressive therapy as an alternative in the management of a large periapical lesion, made it possible to regulate intraosseous pressure and facilitate bone tissue regeneration, relieving the patient from the discomforts of a surgical intervention(AU)

Effects of steroidal and non-steroidal antiandrogens on the androgen binding properties of the rat ventral prostate androgen receptor.

Steroidal (cyproterone acetate) and non-steroidal (RU23908 and hydroxyflutamide) antiandrogens are able to block testosterone-induced increases in nuclear androgen receptor (AR) in the prostate of 1-day orchidectomized rats, but when given alone, RU23908 and hydroxyflutamide increase nuclear AR (RU23908 greater than hydroxyflutamide) in the same animal model. The increases in nuclear AR induced by antiandrogen alone or with testosterone alone are blocked by cycloheximide 1 h after administration, suggesting that androgen or antiandrogens induce de novo AR synthesis. Concomitant to nuclear AR accumulation, testosterone is able to induce depletion of cytosol and microsomal AR. Blockade of testosterone-induced depletion of microsomal AR, but not of cytosol AR, occurs in the presence of antiandrogens. Cyproterone acetate has a higher relative binding affinity (RBA) for microsomal AR and cytosol AR than RU23908 or hydroxyflutamide. This phenomenon is in good agreement with the degree of inhibition by these compounds of the association rate of androgen for the microsomal AR. This correlation between RBA and inhibition of the initial rate of hormone binding to the receptor is not found for cytosol AR. The results show that antiandrogens are not 'pure' antagonists of androgen action and they are potent agonists in the absence of testosterone. Furthermore, testosterone alone or antiandrogens per se regulate AR levels acutely by protein-synthesis dependent mechanisms of action, in rat ventral prostate.

Anti-HIV activity of dibenzylbutyrolactone-type lignans from Phenax species endemic in Costa Rica.

Previously, we isolated two new dibenzylbutyrolactone-type lignans, named phenaxolactones and, from the leaves of Phenax angustifolius Wedd. (Urticaceae). In this investigation three new dibenzylbutyrolactone lignans (phenaxolactones), together with phenaxolactone, and flavones vitexin, isovitexin, were isolated from Phenax rugosus Wedd. leaves collected in Santa Ana, Costa Rica. The structures were elucidated using 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy as well as mass spectrometry. Phenaxolactones and flavones and were evaluated for their inhibitory activity against HIV-1MN in infected C8166 cells. The most promising compound was phenaxolactone with an EC50 value of 3.0 microM, no cytotoxicity at 112 microM and a therapeutic index value of 37.3.