The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is widely expressed in immune and non-immune cells of the gut and its activation has been correlated to the outcome of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). In ...ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, there is an excessive chronic inflammation with massive accumulation of leukocytes in the gut, in an attempt to constrain the invasion of pathogenic microorganisms on the damaged organ. Accordingly, it is known that dietary components, xenobiotics, and some chemicals or metabolites can activate AHR and induce the modulation of inflammatory responses. In fact, the AHR triggering by specific ligands during inflammatory conditions results in decreased IFNγ, IL-6, IL-12, TNF, IL-7, and IL-17, along with reduced microbial translocation and fibrosis in the gut. Moreover, upon AHR activation, there are increased regulatory mechanisms such as IL-10, IL-22, prostaglandin E
2
, and Foxp3, besides the production of anti-microbial peptides and epithelial repair. Most interestingly, commensal bacteria or their metabolites may also activate this receptor, thus contributing to the restoration of gut normobiosis and homeostasis. In line with that,
Lactobacillus reuteri
,
Lactobacillus bulgaricus
, or microbial products such as tryptophan metabolites, indole-3-pyruvic acid, urolithin A, short-chain fatty acids, dihydroxyquinoline, and others may regulate the inflammation by mechanisms dependent on AHR activation. Hence, here we discussed the potential modulatory role of AHR on intestinal inflammation, focused on the reestablishment of homeostasis through the receptor triggering by microbial metabolites. Finally, the development of AHR-based therapies derived from bacteria products could represent an important future alternative for controlling IBD.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Legado tem a ver com tudo o que se constrói e transmite aos outros, e que pela sua importância se mantém atual o que vai permitir que, de geração em geração ao longo do tempo, se perpetue e que possa ...vir a transformar outras vidas, outros contextos, outras realidades, com um propósito que pode ser útil para outros. Vasco António de Jesus Maria nasceu em Pombal a 1 de maio de 1955 e o seu percurso de vida como homem e como médico deixa essência, valor e visão que se eterniza.
Recent discoveries on the neurobiology of the immunocompetent cells of the central nervous system (CNS), microglia, have been recognized as a growing field of investigation on the interactions ...between the brain and the immune system. Several environmental contexts such as stress, lesions, infectious diseases, and nutritional and hormonal disorders can interfere with CNS homeostasis, directly impacting microglial physiology. Despite many encouraging discoveries in this field, there are still some controversies that raise issues to be discussed, especially regarding the relationship between the microglial phenotype assumed in distinct contexts and respective consequences in different neurobiological processes, such as disorders of brain development and neuroplasticity. Also, there is an increasing interest in discussing microglial-immune system cross-talk in health and in pathological conditions. In this review, we discuss recent literature concerning microglial function during development and homeostasis. In addition, we explore the contribution of microglia to synaptic disorders mediated by different neuroinflammatory outcomes during pre- and postnatal development, with long-term consequences impacting on the risk and vulnerability to the emergence of neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative, and neuropsychiatric disorders.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), to date, SARS-CoV-2 has already ...infected more than 91.8 million people worldwide with 1,986,871 deaths. This virus affects mainly the respiratory system, but the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is also a target, meanwhile SARS-CoV-2 was already detected in oesophagus, stomach, duodenum, rectum, and in fecal samples from COVID-19 patients. Prolonged GIT manifestations in COVID-19, mainly the diarrhea, were correlated with decreased richness and diversity of the gut microbiota, immune deregulation and delayed SARS-CoV-2 clearance. So, the bidirectional interactions between the respiratory mucosa and the gut microbiota, known as gut-lung axis, are supposed to be involved in the healthy or pathologic immune responses to SARS-CoV-2. In accordance, the intestinal dysbiosis is associated with increased mortality in other respiratory infections, due to an exacerbated inflammation and decreased regulatory or anti-inflammatory mechanisms in the lungs and in the gut, pointing to this important relationship between both mucosal compartments. Therefore, since the mucous membranes from the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts are affected, in addition to dysbiosis and inflammation, it is plausible to assume that adjunctive therapies based on the modulation of the gut microbiota and re-establishment of eubiosis conditions could be an important therapeutic approach for constraining the harmful consequences of COVID-19. Then, in this review, we summarized studies showing the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in the gastrointestinal system and the related digestive COVID-19 manifestations, in addition to the literature demonstrating nasopharyngeal, pulmonary and intestinal dysbiosis in COVID-19 patients. Lastly, we showed the potential beneficial role of probiotic administration in other respiratory infections, and discuss the possible role of probiotics as an adjunctive therapy in SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Evidences in the last years have showed the effects of oleic acid (OA) in human health and disease. Olive oil, rich in oleic acid, is supposed to present modulatory effects in a wide physiological ...functions, while some studies also suggest a beneficial effect on cancer, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, besides its ability to facilitate wound healing. Although the OA role in immune responses are still controversial, the administration of olive oil containing diets may improve the immune response associated to a more successful elimination of pathogens such as bacteria and fungi, by interfering in many components of this system such as macrophages, lymphocytes and neutrophils. Then, novel putative therapies for inflammatory and infectious diseases could be developed based on the characteristics presented by unsaturated fatty acids like OA. Finally, the purpose of this work was to review some of the modulatory effects of OA on inflammatory diseases and health, aiming at high lightening its potential role on the future establishment of novel therapeutic approaches for infections, inflammatory, immune, cardiovascular diseases or skin repair based on this fatty acid mainly found in the Mediterranean diet.
Strontium (Sr) has been described as having beneficial influence in bone strength and architecture. However, negative systemic effects have been reported on oral administration of Sr ranelate, ...leading to strict restrictions in clinical application. We hypothesized that local delivery of Sr improves osteogenesis without eliciting detrimental side effects. Therefore, the in vivo response to an injectable Sr-hybrid system composed of RGD-alginate hydrogel cross-linked in situ with Sr and reinforced with Sr-doped hydroxyapatite microspheres, was investigated. The system was injected in a critical-sized bone defect model and compared to a similar Sr-free material. Micro-CT results show a trend towards higher new bone formed in Sr-hybrid group and major histological differences were observed between groups. Higher cell invasion was detected at the center of the defect of Sr-hybrid group after 15 days with earlier bone formation. Higher material degradation with increase of collagen fibers and bone formation in the center of the defect after 60 days was observed as opposed to bone formation restricted to the periphery of the defect in the control. These histological findings support the evidence of an improved response with the Sr enriched material. Importantly, no alterations were observed in the Sr levels in systemic organs or serum.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Epidemiological data from oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is mostly derived from North American, European and East Asian populations.
The aim of this study was to report the demographic and ...clinicopathological features from OSCC diagnosed in an Oral Pathology service in southeastern Brazil in an 8-year period.
All OSCC diagnosed from 2005 to 2012 were reviewed, including histological analysis of all hematoxylin and eosin stained slides and review of all demographic and clinical information from the laboratory records.
A total of 346 OSCC was retrieved and males represented 67% of the sample. Mean age of the patients was 62.3 years-old and females were affected a decade older than males (p<0.001). Mean time of complaint with the tumors was 10 months and site distribution showed that the border of the tongue (37%), alveolar mucosa/gingiva (20%) and floor of mouth/ventral tongue (19%) were the most common affected sites. Mean size of the tumors was 3.4 cm, with no differences for males and females (p=0.091) and males reported both tobacco and alcohol consumption more frequently than females. Histological grade of the tumors revealed that 27%, 40% and 21% of the tumors were, respectively, classified as well-, moderately- and poorly-differentiated OSCC, 26 cases (7.5%) were microinvasive OSCC and 17 cases were OSCC variants. OSCC in males mostly affected the border of tongue, floor of mouth/ventral tongue and alveolar mucosa/gingival, while they were more frequent on the border of tongue, alveolar mucosa/gingival and buccal mucosa/buccal sulcus in females (p=0.004).
The present data reflect the epidemiological characteristics of OSCC diagnosed in a public Oral Pathology laboratory in southeastern Brazil and have highlighted several differences in clinicopathological features when comparing male and female OSCC-affected patients.
Dementia is the term used to describe a group of cognitive disorders characterized by a decline in memory, thinking, and reasoning abilities that interfere with daily life activities. Examples of ...dementia include Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Vascular dementia (VaD) and Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). AD is the most common form of dementia. The hallmark pathology of AD includes formation of β-amyloid (Aβ) oligomers and tau hyperphosphorylation in the brain, which induces neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, synaptic dysfunction, and neuronal apoptosis. Emerging studies have associated long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) with the pathogenesis and progression of the neurodegenerative diseases. LncRNAs are defined as RNAs longer than 200 nucleotides that lack the ability to encode functional proteins. LncRNAs play crucial roles in numerous biological functions for their ability to interact with different molecules, such as proteins and microRNAs, and subsequently regulate the expression of their target genes at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. In this narrative review, we report the function and mechanisms of action of lncRNAs found to be deregulated in different types of dementia, with the focus on AD. Finally, we discuss the emerging role of lncRNAs as biomarkers of dementias.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
An outbreak of infections affecting 311 patients who had undergone different invasive procedures occurred in 2004 and 2005 in the city of Belém, in the northern region of Brazil. Sixty-seven isolates ...were studied; 58 were from patients who had undergone laparoscopic surgeries, 1 was from a patient with a postinjection abscess, and 8 were from patients who had undergone mesotherapy. All isolates were rapidly growing nonpigmented mycobacteria and presented a pattern by PCR-restriction enzyme analysis of the hsp65 gene with BstEII of bands of 235 and 210 bp and with HaeIII of bands of 200, 70, 60, and 50 bp, which is common to Mycobacterium abscessus type 2, Mycobacterium bolletii, and Mycobacterium massiliense. hsp65 and rpoB gene sequencing of a subset of 20 isolates was used to discriminate between these three species. hsp65 and rpoB sequences chosen at random from 11 of the 58 isolates from surgical patients and the postinjection abscess isolate presented the highest degrees of similarity with the corresponding sequences of M. massiliense. In the same way, the eight mesotherapy isolates were identified as M. bolletii. Molecular typing by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) grouped all 58 surgical isolates, while the mesotherapy isolates presented three different PFGE patterns and the postinjection abscess isolate showed a unique PFGE pattern. In conclusion, molecular techniques for identification and typing were essential for the discrimination of two concomitant outbreaks and one case, the postinjection abscess, not related to either outbreak, all of which were originally attributed to a single strain of M. abscessus.
•A method for determination of 9 fluoroquinolones in bovine, swine, poultry and fish is reported.•Sample preparation is performed in 3 simple steps, without the need of complex process/equipment.•Low ...temperature clean up was used to perform the purification of extracts.•LC–MS/MS was used to carry out quantitative and confirmatory analysis.•The proposed method is simple, easy, and adequate for routine analysis.
This work describes the development and validation of a quantitative and confirmatory method to determination of nine fluoroquinolones residues in poultry, bovine, swine and fish muscle using LC–MS/MS. Sample preparation was based in a fast solvent extraction with acetonitrile with 1% of formic acid followed by a low-temperature clean up procedure and centrifugation, without further steps. The recoveries ranged between 79% and 115%. The concentration work range was 0–200μgkg−1. The LOD and LOQ were 5 and 10μgkg−1, respectively. This high-throughput method was reliable for identification and confirmation of nine relevant compounds in food-producing animal tissues. Validation procedure was performed according the Directive 2002/657/EC criteria and the method showed fitness to purpose in terms of precision and reproducibility as well as for the other performance parameters.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
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