Summary
Rabies is an endemic disease in Brazil, where it is considered a serious public health problem. Although the number of human and dog‐transmitted cases has declined in recent decades, rabies ...in wildlife has emerged considerably. Among the sylvatic animals, wild canids have been considered important hosts of the rabies virus. We performed a retrospective study of reported cases of rabies in wild canids and human victims in Ceará state (Northeast Brazil) during 2003 to 2013. Information was provided by governmental laboratories involved in rabies detection and by the Ministry of Health. From January 2003 to December 2013, a total of 11 931 animal samples were examined for rabies. Positivity were detected in 438 samples (3.67%), of which 229 (52.28%) were domestic animals, 105 (23.97%) wild canids and 104 (23.74%) other wild animals (bats, marmosets and raccoons). Approximately 33% of wild canids surveyed (n = 317) were positive for rabies. During the studied period, a total of 1923 attacks on humans by wild canids were registered. Males (n = 1405) were more affected than females (n = 520; 72.98% versus 27.01%), and the median age of all cases was 36.5 years. Injuries to individuals up to 19 years old corresponded to approximately 30% (n = 565) of all cases. Most of the victims lived in rural areas (72.46%; n = 1395), and the majority showed bites (81.13%; n = 1677) or scratches (12.23%; n = 253). Injuries were considered profound (52.1%; n = 1003), superficial (40.91; n = 788) or multiple with severe laceration (6.98%; n = 134). Only 1300 (67.53%) victims were enrolled for the complete rabies post‐exposure prophylaxis scheme. Data from the present study confirm that wild canids are important hosts of rabies virus in northeastern Brazil and jeopardize rabies control in this area. Local authorities should focus their efforts in education of health professionals. In addition, strategies should be formulated to preserve wildlife.
Despite the breakthrough in the development of anticancer therapies, plant-derived chemotherapeutics continue to be the basis of treatment for most types of cancers. Fridericia platyphylla is a shrub ...found in Brazilian cerrado biome which has cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the antiproliferative potential of the crude hydroethanolic extract, subfraction (containing 59.3% of unusual dimeric flavonoids Brachydin E and 40.7% Brachydin F), as well as Brachydin E and Brachydin F isolated from F. platyphylla roots. The cytotoxic activity was evaluated in glioblastoma, lung, prostate, and colorectal human tumor cell lines. The crude hydroethanolic extract did not present cytotoxic activity, but its subfraction presented lower IC50 values for glioblastoma (U-251) and prostate adenocarcinoma (PC-3) cell lines. Brachydins E and F significantly reduced cell viability, proliferation, and clonogenic potential of PC-3, inducing them to the process of regulated cell death. In silico studies have indicated nuclear receptors as targets for Brachydins E and F, and molecular docking has pointed out their binding into glucocorticoid receptor (GR) ligand pocket. Targeting GR pathway has been described as a therapeutic strategy, especially for prostate cancer. These results suggest that Brachydin E and Brachydin F are promising compounds to be further explored for their antitumor effects.
•Sodium and flavor enhancers addition probiotic Prato Cheese processing.•No effect on the probiotic count and gastrointestinal resistance.•Increased proteolysis, ACE-values, firmness, elasticity and ...lower relaxation times (T2).•Increased antioxidant activity in probiotic Prato cheese added of arginine and oregano extract.•Different effects in monounsaturated fatty acids and short-chain fatty acids levels.
Cheese is a suitable matrix to deliver probiotic strains but it contains a high amount of sodium. The effect of partial substitution of NaCl by KCl and the addition of flavor enhancers (l-arginine, yeast and oregano extract) on probiotic Prato cheese was investigated after 1, 30, and 60 d of refrigerated storage (immediately after manufacturing, and during ripening and storage). Microbiological (lactic acid bacteria and probiotic Lactobacillus casei 01 counts and survival under gastrointestinal conditions), physicochemical (pH, proteolysis, fatty acids), bioactivity (antioxidant effect and angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory activity), rheological, and water mobility by means of time domain low-field nuclear magnetic resonance were investigated. Significant changes in probiotic survival were observed; however, the sodium reduction and the addition of flavor enhancers did not constitute an obstacle to L. casei 01 (>108 CFU/g) during storage. Slight changes were observed in proteolysis, bioactivity, water mobility, texture profile, and fatty acids of the cheeses as a function of the flavor enhancer added. The sodium reduction and the supplementation of Prato cheese with probiotic cultures may be an effective alternative to the production of a potentially functional cheese.
Abstract Chelating therapy has been reported as a useful approach for counteracting mercurial toxicity. Moreover, 2,3-dimercapto-1-propanesulfonic acid (DMPS), a tissue-permeable metal chelator, was ...found to increase urinary mercury excretion and decrease mercury content in rat brain after methylmercury (MeHg) exposure. We evaluated the capability of DMPS to reduce MeHg-induced motor impairment and cerebellar toxicity in adult mice. Animals were exposed to MeHg (40 mg/L in drinking water, ad libitum ) during 17 days. In the last 3 days of exposure (days 15–17), animals received DMPS injections (150 mg/kg, i.p.; once a day) in order to reverse MeHg-induced neurotoxicity. Twenty-four hours after the last injection (day 18), behavioral tests related to the motor function (open field and rotarod tasks) and biochemical analyses on oxidative stress-related parameters (cerebellar glutathione, protein thiol and malondyaldehyde levels, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase activities) were carried out. Histological analyses for quantifying cellular damage and mercury deposition in the cerebellum were also performed. MeHg exposure induced a significant motor deficit, observed as decreased locomotor activity in the open field and decreased falling latency in the rotarod apparatus. DMPS treatment displayed an ameliorative effect toward such behavioral parameters. Cerebellar glutathione and protein thiol levels were not changed by MeHg or DMPS treatment. Conversely, the levels of cerebellar thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), a marker for lipid peroxidation, were increased in MeHg-exposed mice and DMPS administration minimized such phenomenon. Cerebellar glutathione peroxidase activity was decreased in the MeHg-exposed animals, but DMPS treatment did not prevent such event. Histological analyses showed a reduced number of cerebellar Purkinje cells in MeHg-treated mice and this phenomenon was completely reversed by DMPS treatment. A marked mercury deposition in the cerebellar cortex was observed in MeHg-exposed animals (granular layer > Purkinje cells > molecular layer) and DMPS treatment displayed a significant ameliorative effect toward these phenomena. These findings indicate that DMPS displays beneficial effects on reversing MeHg-induced motor deficits and cerebellar damage in mice. Histological analyses indicate that these phenomena are related to its capability of removing mercury from cerebellar cortex.
Early life inadequate nutrition triggers developmental adaptations and adult chronic disease. Maternal high-fat (HF) diet promotes visceral obesity and hypothalamic leptin resistance in male rat ...offspring at weaning and adulthood. Obesity is related to over active endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS consists mainly of endogenous ligands, cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2), and the enzymes fatty acid anandamide hydrolase (FAAH) and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL). We hypothesized that perinatal maternal HF diet would regulate offspring ECS in hypothalamus and brown adipose tissue (BAT) at birth, prior to visceral obesity development, and program food preference and energy expenditure of adult offspring. Female rats received control diet (C, 9% fat) or isocaloric high-fat diet (HF, 28% fat) for 8 weeks before mating, and throughout gestation and lactation. We evaluated C and HF offspring at birth and adulthood. At birth, maternal HF diet decreased leptinemia and increased hypothalamic CB1, orexin-A, and proopiomelanocortin while it decreased thyrotropin-releasing hormone (Trh) in male pups. Differentially, maternal HF diet increased hypothalamic CB2 in female pups. In BAT, maternal HF diet decreased CB1 and increased CB2 in male and female pups, respectively. Besides presenting different molecular ECS profile at birth, HF adult offspring developed overweight, higher adiposity and high-fat diet preference, independently of the sex, but only males presented hyperleptinemia and higher energy expenditure. In conclusion, maternal HF diet alters ECS components and energy metabolism targets in hypothalamus and BAT of offspring at birth, in a sex-specific manner, which may contribute for hyperphagia, food preference and higher adiposity later in life.
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In this study, we investigated the effect of diphenyl ditelluride (PhTe)
2
administration (10 and 50 μmol/kg) on adult mouse behavioral performance as well as several parameters of oxidative stress ...in the brain and liver. Adult mice were injected with (PhTe)
2
or canola oil subcutaneously (s.c.) daily for 7 days. Results demonstrated that (PhTe)
2
induced prominent signs of toxicity (body weight loss), behavioral alterations and increased in lipid peroxidation in brain. 50 μmol/kg (PhTe)
2
inhibited blood δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (δ-ALA-D), a redox sensitive enzyme. (PhTe)
2
caused an increase in cerebral non-protein thiol (NPSH) and protein thiol (PSH) groups. In the liver, 50 μmol/kg (PhTe)
2
decreased NPSH, but did not alter the content of protein thiol groups. (PhTe)
2
decreased cerebral antioxidant enzymes (catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and thioredoxin reductase (TrxR). In liver, (PhTe)
2
increase SOD and GR and decreased GPx activity. Results obtained herein suggest that the brain was more susceptible to oxidative stress induced by (PhTe)
2
than the liver. Furthermore, we have demonstrated for the first time that TrxR is an in vivo target for (PhTe)
2.
Combined, these results highlight a novel molecular mechanism involved in the toxicity of (PhTe)
2
. In particular the inhibition of important selenoenzymes (TrxR and GPx) seems to be involved in the neurotoxicity associated with (PhTe)
2
exposure in adult mice.
In this work, titanium surfaces were treated by plasma assisted thermochemical treatments in a plasma atmosphere containing Ar–N2 – O2 mixtures. Different N2/O2 ratios were used to investigate their ...effects on the physicochemical and biocompatibility properties of titanium. The crystalline and topographic phases of the surfaces by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were performed. The sessile drop test to measurements of contacts angles of both distilled water and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) was used to evaluate the wettability. Platelet adhesion was determined by the distance and platelet aspect ratio, in addition to the visual aspect of the formed platelet clusters by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and AFM. In general, higher concentrations of nitrogen in the plasma showed greater platelet adhesion, indicating a biocompatible surface potential application in different areas such as in dental and orthopedic implants. On the other hand, samples treated with higher concentration of oxygen in the plasma showed low platelet adhesion, indicating that they are appropriate for application in devices such as stents, in which the maintenance of the blood flow pattern is essential.
•Surfaces treated with higher N/O ratio caused higher platelet activation and aggregation.•Surfaces treated with a lower N/O ratio caused less platelet aggregation, suggesting an anti-thrombotic effect.•By adjusting the N/O ratio, extreme platelet adhesion properties can be obtained.
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