Physical activity and long COVID: findings from the Prospective Study About Mental and Physical Health in Adults cohort.

OBJECTIVES: The study investigated the longitudinal association between physical activity and the risk of long COVID in patients who recovered from COVID-19 infection. STUDY DESIGN: We analyzed longitudinal data of the Prospective Study About Mental and Physical Health cohort, a prospective cohort study with adults living in Southern Brazil. METHODS: Participants responded to an online, self-administered questionnaire in June 2020 (wave 1) and June 2022 (wave 4). Only participants who self-reported a positive test for COVID-19 were included. Physical activity was assessed before (wave 1, retrospectively) and during the pandemic (wave 1). Long COVID was assessed in wave 4 and defined as any post-COVID-19 symptoms that persisted for at least 3 months after infection. RESULTS: A total of 237 participants (75.1% women; mean age [standard deviation]: 37.1 [12.3]) were included in this study. The prevalence of physical inactivity in baseline was 71.7%, whereas 76.4% were classified with long COVID in wave 4. In the multivariate analysis, physical activity during the pandemic was associated with a reduced likelihood of long COVID (prevalence ratio [PR]: 0.83; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.69-0.99) and a reduced duration of long COVID symptoms (odds ratio: 0.44; 95% CI: 0.26-0.75). Participants who remained physically active from before to during the pandemic were less likely to report long COVID (PR: 0.74; 95% CI: 0.58-0.95), fatigue (PR: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.32-0.76), neurological complications (PR: 0.47; 95% CI: 0.27-0.80), cough (PR: 0.40; 95% CI: 0.22-0.71), and loss of sense of smell or taste (PR: 0.43; 95% CI: 0.21-0.87) as symptom-specific long COVID. CONCLUSION: Physical activity practice was associated with reduced risk of long COVID in adults.

Vitamin A deficiency in patients with hepatitis C virus-related chronic liver disease.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with oxidative stress and vitamin A possesses antioxidant activity. The objective of the present study was to investigate vitamin A nutritional status in chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), according to biochemical, functional and dietetic indicators correlating these findings with liver function, liver damage and death. Vitamin A nutritional status was analysed by serum retinol levels, dietetic indicators and functional indicators. A total of 140 patients with HCV-related liver disease were enrolled. Vitamin A deficiency was detected in 54·3 % of all patients, and there was a progressive drop in serum retinol levels from chronic hepatitis C patients towards cirrhosis and HCC patients. Increased total bilirubin, liver transaminases and prothrombin time, presence of hepatic encephalopathy and ascites were related to reduced serum retinol levels, and values ≤ 0·78 µmol/l of serum retinol were associated with liver-related death. A high prevalence of inadequate intake of vitamin A was observed in all stages of chronic liver disease. The functional indicator was not an adequate parameter for evaluating the vitamin A nutritional status. Therefore, serum retinol concentration is related to severity of the disease, liver complications and mortality. The effectiveness of nutritional counselling and measures of intervention in this group in improving vitamin A nutritional status should be examined further in a controlled study.

Advanced cancer of the extremities treated by cryosurgery.

AIM: Cryosurgery with liquid nitrogen (LN) is a safe and effective method to treat skin cancer. With the correct protocol, its efficacy is extended to advanced and inoperable tumors. The aim of this study was to report the author's experience in the treatment of advanced squamous-cell carcinomas of the extremities. METHODS: Forty-eight patients (31 women and 17 men; mean age of 79 years) with 50 advanced squamous-cell carcinomas (SCC) of the extremities were treated with open and thick LN spray--two freeze-thaw cycles--reaching a temperature around -50 ºC inside the tumor, but not less than -20 ºC in the tumor limits and the underlying structures. Temperature monitoring was made by thermocouples. All cases in this series were treated by the author. RESULTS: The overall cure rate was 88%, with follow-up between 1 and 8 years (mean of 2.64 years). CONCLUSION: This cryosurgical method is an effective treatment for advanced cancers of the extremities, yielding a high cure rate and, in many cases, preventing amputation.

Semen quality is affected by HLA class I alleles together with sexually transmitted diseases.

BACKGROUND: The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) locus includes several genes with key roles in antigen presentation and immune response, some of them inclusively found to be associated with non-obstructive azoospermia. Still, HLA connections to other infertility phenotypes such as semen hyperviscosity (SHV), asthenozoospermia (AST), and oligozoospermia (OLI) have been often neglected. OBJECTIVES: In this work, we aimed to evaluate the association of HLA class I and II genes with SHV, AST, and OLI phenotypes while exploring a possible role in an adaptive immune response to sexually transmitted diseases (STD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Whole-exome sequencing was performed in a Portuguese cohort of 71 infertility cases and 68 controls, followed by HLA typing using a specific software-HLA*PRG:LA tool. Molecular screenings of seven STD were carried out in a subset of 72 samples (30 cases and 42 controls). RESULTS: Statistical tests uncovered three protective alleles: HLA-A*11:01, associated with all forms of male infertility (p = 0.0006); HLA-DQB1*03:02 with SHV and OLI (PSHV  = 0.0303, POLI  = 0.0153); and HLA-A*29:02 with OLI (p = 0.0355), which was found to interfere in sperm number together with HPV (p = 0.0313). Five risk alleles were also identified: two linked with SHV (HLA-B*50:01, p = 0.0278; and HLA-C*06:02, p = 0.0461), another one with both SHV and OLI (HLA-DQA1*05:01, PSHV  = 0.0444 and POLI =0.0265), and two with OLI (HLA-C*03:03, p = 0.0480; and HLA-DQB1*03:01, p = 0.0499). Here, HLA-C*03:03 carriers tend to be HPV infected. CONCLUSIONS: The application of HLA*PRG:LA tool to the study of male infertility provided novel insights for an HLA correlation with semen quality, namely among SHV and OLI phenotypes. The discovery of an HLA-A*29:02/HPV crosstalk, together with former reports of HLA alleles conferring resistance-susceptibility to diverse human pathogens, raises the hypothesis of a mechanistic link between male infertility, HLA polymorphism, and host response to STD.

Peptides isolated from animal venom as a platform for new therapeutics for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that deeply affects patients, their family and society. Although scientists have made intense efforts in seeking the cure for AD, no drug available today is able to stop AD progression. In this context, compounds isolated from animal venom are potentially successful drugs for neuroprotection, since they selectively bind to nervous system targets. In this review, we presented different studies using peptides isolated from animal venom for the treatment of AD. This is a growing field that will be very helpful in understanding and even curing neurodegenerative diseases, especially AD.

Tracing metabolic routes of feed ingredients in tissues of broiler chickens using stable isotopes.

The present study aimed to quantify the proportion of 13C from energy and protein feed ingredients that follow the metabolic routing of the liver and muscle in broiler chickens. A stable isotope of carbon technique was used that is based on the isotopic discrimination that occurs in the plants during the photosynthesis process. One-day-old male chicks were subjected to treatments based on free choice of energy and protein sources. Rice bran (R) and soybean meal (S), C3 plants, have higher isotopic ratios than corn (C), a C4 plant, and corn gluten meal (G). Choices were R+S, C+G, R+G, C+S, or R+C+G+S. A complete feed (CF) was a sixth treatment. Feed intake and BW were measured at 30 d of age, when liver and breast muscle were collected for isotopic analysis. Treatments affected the amount of feed intake and the choices of energy or protein sources. Complete feed had the largest intake, differing from the other treatments that had free-choice feeding. Final BW was a direct reflection of consumption by these birds in all treatments. The isotopic results indicated that the 13C/12C ratio was generally higher in breast muscle than in liver, probably because of higher protein content. Moreover, in the liver, the proportion of 13C retained from the energy ingredient was greater than the proportion from the protein ingredient. That is in contrast to muscle, where the proportion of 13C retained from the protein ingredient was greater than from the energy ingredient that was self-selected.

Glyceridic esters of p-methoxycinnamic acid. A new sunscreen of the cinnamate class.

The aim of this work was to investigate whether a 1,3-diacylglycerol moiety can act as enhancer of the photoprotecting action of a new sunscreen of the cinnamate class, owing to its affinity with skin constituents and lower susceptibility to hydrolysis at C-2. The sun protection factors (SPF) for 1,2,3-propanetriol 1,3-dipalmitate-2-p-methoxycinnamate and 1,2,3-propanetriol 1,3-dioctanoate-2-p-methoxy-cinnamate (2.0, 4.5 and 7.5%) were determined. The sunscreen preparations presented SPF values between 4.7 and 16. The results show that although glyceridic esters present higher lipophilicity and are more stable towards enzymatic hydrolysis in vitro, the synthesized triacylglycerols and the standard sunscreen 2-ethylhexyl p-methoxycinnamoyl (EHPM) showed equivalent SPF values for both methods.

[Squamous cell carcinoma of the face: therapeutic approach]. / Carcinoma espinho celular da face. Abordagem terapêutica.

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma is the most common metastatic skin cancer. The importance of early recognition and thorough treatment of premalignant lesions as well as the recognition of risk factors of the neoplasms that are most likely to metastasize must also be emphasized. A retrospective study of 126 patients, treated for primary squamous cell carcinoma of the face, was undertaken over a 7-year period. An attempt is made to define the major therapeutic modalities chosen, taking into consideration the specific anatomic location.

Influence of diet on assimilation and turnover of 13C in the tissues of broiler chickens.

The 13C turnover rates of the liver and thoracic pectoral muscle of growing broilers were determined by feeding diets with varying 13C content. Male chicks (1-d-old) were subjected to treatments based on free choice of 5 different mixes of energy and protein sources from plants with C3 and C4 photosynthetic pathways that had differing 13C content. Rice bran (R) and soybean meal (S) were the C3 sources, while maize (C) and maize gluten meal (G) were the C4 sources. Choices were R + S, C + G, R + G, C + S or R + C + G + S. The 6th treatment was a complete feed (CF) that was similar to a commercial broiler feed. The isotopic composition of the birds' tissues was representative of the isotopic composition of the diets. The assimilation was faster for C3, in both liver and muscle, than for C4 diets, and give the delta per mil difference between the diet and tissues. The liver is the most active metabolic tissue and gave more rapid isotope turnover than in muscle.

Fractional cryosurgery. A new technique for basal cell carcinoma of the eyelids and periorbital area.

BACKGROUND: Cryosurgery is an established method to treat malignant tumors of the eyelids and periorbital area. Nevertheless, it has been abandoned for tumors greater than 10 mm, because it gives irregular esthetic results and, in some cases, lagophthalmos. OBJECTIVE: To devise a new method for the treatment of such tumors. METHOD: Fractional cryosurgery is performed in stages: the center of the lesion is frozen, resulting in a reduction of the tumor; this procedure is repeated, as necessary, until the lesion's diameter is smaller than 10 mm; the standard cryosurgical procedure is then carried out. RESULTS: The treatment of the first 20 basal cell carcinomas with diameters between 10 and 24 mm is described, with excellent clinical and cosmetic results. CONCLUSION: With fractional cryosurgery, the final scar bears no relation to the size of the original tumor but, instead, corresponds to the size of the lesion preceding the final cryosurgical procedure.

5-Fluorouracil in the treatment of common warts of the hands. A double-blind study.

A double-blind study was carried out to compare the action of 5-fluorouracil and 10% salicylic acid varnish with that of a 10% salicylic acid varnish on common warts. Fifty per cent of the lesions disappeared with the combined preparation and only 4% with the varnish containing salicylic acid alone. The presence of warts on the hands of 45.8% of the female workers of a fowl slaughterhouse is described.

Treatment of solar keratoses with a 5-fluorouracil and salicylic acid varnish.

In an attempt to avoid the side-effects of treating solar keratoses with 5% 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) ointment, a new pharmacological varnish containing 5% 5-FU and 5-10% salicylic acid to collodium was tried. Twenty patients with such lesions were treated. A drop of the varnish was applied on each lesion every 3 weeks. Only one to five applications on facial lesions were necessary to obtain apparent cure in all patients. Lesions reappeared in four patients, but were cured after a second and similar treatment. The keratoses of the hands were more resistant and needed seven applications in one patient and nine in the other.

Debulking of skin cancers with radio frequency before cryosurgery.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of prior debulking of skin cancers, by curettage, is to prepare the lesion for cryosurgical treatment. The main inconveniences of that procedure are the nearly always inevitable hemorrhage and the time necessary to control it. METHODS: We performed a study consisting of debulking skin tumors with radiosurgery, prior to cryosurgery, on a series of 38 patients (31 basal cell carcinomas, six squamous cell carcinomas, and one Bowen's disease), meeting the classical indications for cryotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: The advantages of the latter procedure over the traditional debulking by curettage are: the time needed to perform a biopsy, with easy and fast control of the bleeding, is considerably shortened; the whole procedure can be easily performed in one single session; the required surgical material also is greatly reduced; and the treatment can be performed on an out-patient regimen.

The corpus cavernous electromyography in the erectile dysfunction diagnosis.

The single potential analysis of cavernous electric activity (CC-EMG), registration bands were studied in 144 patients with erectile dysfunction followed from November 1992 to March 1993. We attempted to correlate abnormal electromyographic records with reduction of the cavernous bodies and albuginea expansibility, as measured by cavernosometry/rigidometry. In this selected group of patients, with venous leak of different flow, the main associated causes of the erectile dysfunction were cavernous neuromyopathy (91), diabetes mellitus (20), disturbances of the arterial influx (7), endocrinological factors (4), Peyronie's disease (3). Some patients (15) presented with a penile bend. A history of alcohol and tobacco use was obtained: 38 patients smoked 15 to 60 cigarettes/day and 43 patients drank moderate to heavy. The coexistence of other pathologies, has been investigated, showed many other associated diseases. The study attempts to determine if some electromyographic standards in patients with erectile dysfunction, could, by themselves, be a formal indication to penile implant, for a PGE1 self-injection program or for use of a vacuum device. Our results suggest that at least in some cases CC-EMG studies may be clinically relevant and allow choice of optimal therapy.

Tolerable dietary lipid content that does not alter insulin secretion.

Lipids, either as membrane components or as fuel, are important nutrients that can affect insulin secretion. The aim of this study was to establish the maximum tolerable amount of fat present in the diet, which does not induce significant alteration in the process of insulin secretion. For that, just-weaned male albino rats (70-90 g body weight) were fed during 6 weeks with diets for growing rodents containing 7% fat (A Group) as recommended by the American Institute of Nutrition-AIN. Two other groups in which the fat content of the diet was increased to reach 10% (B Group) or 13% (C Group) were also included. Insulin release, 86Rb+ and 45Ca2+ Fractional Outflow Rate (FOR) during the process of glucose-induced insulin secretion was determined in perfused islets isolated from these animals. No statistical differences in these parameters were detected between A and B rats. However, in the C group, a lower 86Rb+ FOR was found during the whole experiment and a poor insulin secretory response to glucose stimulus was observed. These results led us to postulate that the maximal limiting amount of total lipids present in the diet that does not impair the process of glucose-induced insulin secretion is 10%. These findings authorize future studies on the interference of different dietary lipid sources, in a content 43% more elevated than that recommended (10% against 7%), on the mechanisms of insulin secretion.