Effects of whey protein supplement in the elderly submitted to resistance training: systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM: We performed a systematic review to map the evidence and analyze the effect of whey protein supplementation in the elderly submitted to resistance training. METHODS: A comprehensive search on Medline, LILACS, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library for relevant publications was conducted until August 2015. The terms used in the search were: "Resistance training"; "Whey protein"; "Elderly". RESULTS: A total of 632 studies were screened. Five studies were included composing a sample of 391 patients. The supplement whey protein was associated with higher total protein ingestion 9.40 (95% CI: 4.03-14.78), and with an average change in plasma leucine concentration. The supplementation was also associated with increased mixed muscle protein synthesis 1.26 (95% CI: 0.46-2.07) compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: We observed an increase in total protein intake, resulting in increased concentration of leucine and mixed muscle protein fractional synthesis rate.

Long-term administration of soft drink causes memory impairment and oxidative damage in adult and middle-aged rats.

INTRODUCTION: The consumption of soft drinks has increased considerably in recent decades, mainly cola soft drinks. Excessive consumption of cola-based soft drinks is associated with several diseases and cognitive decline, particularly memory impairment. Furthermore, diets with high sugar can promote insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and dyslipidemia. AIM: Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of cola soft drink intake on behavioral alterations and oxidative damage in 2-, 8- and 14- month-old male Wistar rats. METHODS: The soft drink groups drank soft drink and/or water ad libitum during 67 days, the control groups ingested only water. Radial-arm maze and Y-maze were used to evaluate spatial memory, open-field to evaluate the habituation memory, and inhibitory avoidance to evaluate aversive memory. The behavioral tests started at the day 57 and finished at day 67 of treatment. At 68th day, the rats were killed; frontal cortex and hippocampus were dissected to the analysis of antioxidants enzymes catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD); and the oxidative markers thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and dichloro-dihydro-fluorescein diacetate (DCFH) were measured in the hippocampus. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The cola-based soft drink intake caused memory impairment in the radial-arm maze, Y-maze task, and open-field in the 2- and 8-month-old rat, but not in the 14-month-old. There were no difference among groups in the inhibitory avoidance test. In the frontal cortex, soft drink intake reduced CAT activity in the 8-month-old rats and SOD activity in the 8- and 14-month-old rats. In the hippocampus, the soft drink increased CAT activity in 2- and 8-month-old rats, increased DCFH levels at all ages, and increased TBARS levels in 2-month-rats. Therefore, the results show that long-term soft drink intake leads to memory impairment and oxidative stress. The younger seems to be more susceptible to the soft drink alterations on behavior; however, soft drink caused alterations in the oxidative system at all ages evaluated.

Evaluation of the dopaminergic system with positron-emission tomography in alcohol abuse: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: Performed a systematic review to evaluated the dopaminergic system in alcohol abuse in a systematic review in humans. METHOD: A search of the electronic databases was proceeded, on MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Insight and Gray literature (Google Scholar and the British Library) for studies published until August 2018. A search strategy was developed using the terms: "dopamine" and "ethanol" or ""alcohol"," and "positron-emission tomography" as text words and Medical Subject Headings (i.e., MeSH and EMTREE) and searched. RESULTS: We found 293 studies. After reading titles and abstracts 235 were considered irrelevant, as they did not meet the inclusion criteria. For the reading of the full text, 50 studies were analyzed. Of these 41 were excluded with reasons by study design, patient population, intervention and outcomes. Nine studies were included in our qualitative synthesis. Four studies have resulted in a reduction in availability only at the D2 receptor in different brain regions. Concerning the D3 receptor alone only one study reported this finding and four studies reported a decrease in both receptors. CONCLUSION: Changes in D2 receptors in several brain regions in human alcoholics were found in a systematic review.

Weekly ethanol exposure alters dopaminergic parameters in zebrafish brain.

Binge drinking is defined as the infrequent consumption of excessive doses of alcohol in a short period of time. Zebrafish is a reliable model to investigate ethanol consumption impact on the CNS, including reward signaling like dopaminergic neurotransmission system. The aim of this study was to evaluate zebrafish brain dopaminergic parameters after intermittent weekly ethanol exposure (WEE), which mimics binge drinking. Thus, adult zebrafish were exposed to ethanol (1.4% v/v) for 30 min, once a week for three consecutive weeks. The groups were divided according to different time points after the third exposure and name as follow: immediately (WEEI), two days (WEE-2), and nine days (WEE-9) after last exposure to ethanol. Brain dopaminergic function was assessed by the activity of the dopamine transporters (DAT); monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity; dopamine and noradrenaline levels by chromatography. The WEE-I and WEE-2 groups presented a significant increase in DAT activity. The MAO activity was decreased for WEE-2 and WEE-9 groups. The WEE-2 and WEE-9 groups presented an increase in brain dopamine levels, while noradrenaline levels were not affected. Therefore, dopaminergic parameters are still altered two and nine days after the last ethanol exposure in this binge experimental model, resulting in a modulatory event in this neurotransmission pathway.

Urinary EN-2 to predict prostate cancer: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Prostate cancer is the second type of cancer diagnosed and the fifth cause of death in men worldwide. Early diagnosis helps to control disease progression. Currently, prostate specific antigen is the standard biomarker, as it has a broad scope of identification and, thus, new and more specific biomarkers must be studied. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy of engrailed-2 protein (EN2) in urine as a prostate cancer biomarker. METHOD: A comprehensive search was conducted in the period from January 2005 to July 2016 using the following electronic databases: Medline (PubMed), Embase, Cochrane Library and Lilacs. The keywords used in the databases were: "engrailed-2," "EN2," "prostatic neoplasms." The search was limited to humans and there was no language restriction. Critical appraisal of the included studies was performed according to Quadas-2. Statistical analysis was performed using Meta-DiSc® and RevMan 5.3 softwares. RESULTS: A total of 248 studies were identified. After title and abstract screening, 231 studies were removed. A total of 17 studies were read in full and two studies were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity was 66% (95CI 0.56-0.75) and specificity was 89% (95CI 0.86-0.92). The DOR was 15.08 (95CI 8.43-26.97). CONCLUSION: The EN2 test showed high specificity (89%) and low sensitivity (66%).

Urinary EN-2 to predict prostate cancer: Systematic review and meta-analysis / Proteína EN2 urinária no diagnóstico do câncer de próstata: revisão sistemática e metanálise

Summary Introduction: Prostate cancer is the second type of cancer diagnosed and the fifth cause of death in men worldwide. Early diagnosis helps to control disease progression. Currently, prostate specific antigen is the standard biomarker, as it has a broad scope of identification and, thus, new and more specific biomarkers must be studied. Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of engrailed-2 protein (EN2) in urine as a prostate cancer biomarker. Method: A comprehensive search was conducted in the period from January 2005 to July 2016 using the following electronic databases: Medline (PubMed), Embase, Cochrane Library and Lilacs. The keywords used in the databases were: "engrailed-2," "EN2," "prostatic neoplasms." The search was limited to humans and there was no language restriction. Critical appraisal of the included studies was performed according to Quadas-2. Statistical analysis was performed using Meta-DiSc® and RevMan 5.3 softwares. Results: A total of 248 studies were identified. After title and abstract screening, 231 studies were removed. A total of 17 studies were read in full and two studies were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity was 66% (95CI 0.56-0.75) and specificity was 89% (95CI 0.86-0.92). The DOR was 15.08 (95CI 8.43-26.97). Conclusion: The EN2 test showed high specificity (89%) and low sensitivity (66%).

Resumo Introdução: O câncer de próstata é o segundo tipo de câncer diagnosticado e a quinta causa de morte em homens em todo o mundo. O diagnóstico precoce é fundamental para o prognóstico da doença. Atualmente, o antígeno específico da próstata (PSA) é o biomarcador mais utilizado; porém, biomarcadores mais específicos devem ser estudados. Objetivo: Avaliar a acurácia da proteína engrenada-2 (EN2) na urina como biomarcador de câncer de próstata. Método: Foi realizada uma busca abrangente no período de janeiro de 2005 a julho de 2016, utilizando as seguintes bases de dados eletrônicas: Medline (PubMed), Embase, Cochrane Library e Lilacs. As palavras-chave utilizadas foram: "engrailed-2", "EN2", "prostatic neoplasms". A busca foi limitada a humanos e não houve restrição de idioma. A avaliação da qualidade dos estudos incluídos foi realizada de acordo com Quadas-2. A análise estatística foi realizada usando o software Meta-DiSc® e RevMan 5.3. Resultados: Foram identificados 248 estudos. Após a triagem dos títulos e resumos, foram excluídos 231. Um total de 17 foram lidos na íntegra e dois, incluídos na metanálise. A sensibilidade combinada foi de 66% (IC95% 0,56-0,75). A especificidade foi de 89% (IC95% 0,86-0,92). O DOR foi de 15,08 (IC95% 8,43-26,97). Conclusão: O teste EN2 mostrou alta especificidade (89%) e baixa sensibilidade (66%).