Abstract
Objective
To describe caffeine consumption during pregnancy and its association with low birth weight (LBW) and preterm birth in the birth cohort of Ribeirão Preto, state of São Paulo, ...Brazil, in 2010.
Methods
Cohort study, with descriptive and analytical approach. Data included 7,607 women and their newborns in Ribeirão Preto, state of São Paulo, Brazil. The women answered standardized questionnaires about reproductive health, prenatal care, life habits, sociodemographic conditions, and information about coffee intake. The independent variable was high caffeine consumption (≥300 mg/day) from coffee during pregnancy, and the dependent variables were LBW (birth weight < 2,500 g) and preterm birth (< 37 weeks of gestational age). Four adjusted polytomous logistic regression models, relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were fitted: biological and sociodemographic conditions; obstetric history; current gestational conditions; and all variables included in the previous models.
Results
A total of 4,908 (64.5%) mothers consumed caffeine, 143 (2.9%) of whom reported high consumption. High caffeine intake was significantly associated with reduced education and with the occupation of the head of the family, nonwhite skin color, not having a partner, higher parity, previous abortion and preterm birth, urinary tract infection, threatened abortion, alcohol consumption and smoking. No association was found between high caffeine consumption and LBW or preterm birth in both unadjusted (RR = 1.45; 95% CI: 0.91–2.32; and RR = 1.16; 95% CI: 0.77–1.75, respectively) and adjusted analyses (RR = 1.42; 95% CI: 0.85–2.38; and RR = 1.03; 95% CI: 0.65–1.63, respectively).
Conclusion
In this cohort, high caffeine intake was lower than in other studies and no association with LBW or preterm birth was found.
Introdução/Objetivo: A síndrome respiratória aguda (SRA) é uma das principais causas de morbi/mortalidade nos primeiros anos de vida, onde a etiologia viral predomina. A partir de março de 2020, com ...a pandemia do SARS-COV2, um novo agente etiológico surgiu num cenário onde antes o vírus sincicial respiratório (VSR) se destacava. O objetivo deste estudo é diferenciar a infecção pelo SARS-COV2 e VSR em crianças admitidas por SRA em hospital de referência comparando as características clínicas e epidemiológicas em uma coorte de indivíduos de até 48 meses de vida. Métodos: Crianças de até 48 meses de vida, admitidas em hospital pediátrico terciário com diagnóstico de SRA, entre abril/2020 e abril/2021, foram convidadas a participar deste estudo de coorte. Foi coletada amostra de secreção respiratória entre 2-5 dias de internação e realizados testes de antígeno/PCR para etiologias virais. Nesta análise, foram selecionados os pacientes que apresentaram isolamento de SARS-COV2 e/ou VSR, e comparadas as suas características clínicas e epidemiológicas através de regressão logística. Resultados: Foram isolados, dentre os 369 participantes, SARS-COV2 em 15% (55), VSR em 16% (59), e em 1% (5) foram isolados os dois vírus. A idade média da coorte foi de 12 meses (0-48 meses), sendo 47 indivíduos do sexo feminino. As características significativamente mais frequentes em pacientes com VSR, comparados àqueles com COVID-19, foram: menor idade (OR = 0,95, IC95% = 0,91-0,99), febre mais frequente (OR = 7,21, IC95% = 1,67-31,18), menos sintomas respiratórios como coriza (OR = 0,16, IC95% = 0,04-0,56) e taquipneia (OR = 0,09, IC95% = 0,02-0,44) e menor proteína C reativa (OR = 0,98, IC95% = 0,97-1,00). Conclusão: As crianças com SRA por VSR eram mais novas, apresentavam febre à admissão, mas menor frequência de sinais de infecção de vias aéreas superiores e inflamação sistêmica, quando comparadas às crianças internadas por COVID-19, durante o primeiro ano de pandemia. Não foi possível diferenciar o agente etiológico baseado na análise de dados clínicos e laboratoriais inespecíficos visto que suas manifestações são muito semelhantes. É fundamental, portanto, realizar exames específicos como pesquisa de antígeno/PCR para identificação do agente etiológico.
IntroductionDespite the increasing number of drugs and various guidelines on the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), several patients continue with the disease uncontrolled. There are ...several non-pharmacological treatments available for managing T2DM, but various of them have never been compared directly to determine the best strategies.ObjectiveThis study will evaluate the comparative effects of non-pharmacological strategies in the management of T2DM in primary care or community settings.Methods and analysisWe will perform a systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA), and will include randomised controlled trials if one of the following interventions were applied in adult patients with T2DM: nutritional therapy, physical activity, psychological interventions, social interventions, multidisciplinary lifestyle interventions, diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES), technology-enabled DSMES, interventions delivered only either by pharmacists or by nurses, self-blood glucose monitoring in non-insulin-treated T2DM, health coaching, benchmarking and usual care. The primary outcome will be glycaemic control (glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) (%)), and the secondary outcomes will be weight loss, quality of life, patient satisfaction, frequency of cardiovascular events and deaths, number of patients in each group with HbA1c <7, adverse events and medication adherence. We have developed search strategies for Embase, Medline, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Trip database, Scopus, Web of Science, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature Australasian Medical Index and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database. Four reviewers will assess the studies for their eligibility and their risk of bias in pairs and independently. An NMA will be performed using a Bayesian hierarchical model, and the treatment hierarchy will be obtained using the surface under the cumulative ranking curve. To determine our confidence in an overall treatment ranking from the NMA, we will follow the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach.Ethics and disseminationAs no primary data collection will be undertaken, no formal ethical assessment is required. We plan to present the results of this systematic review in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, conferences and the popular press.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42019127856.
There is substantial evidence that chronic renal and cardiovascular diseases are associated with coagulation disorders, endothelial dysfunction, inflammation and fibrosis. Angiotensin-Converting ...Enzyme Insertion/Deletion polymorphism (ACE I/D polymorphism) has also be linked to cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, this study aimed to compare plasma levels of ultrassensible C-reactive protein (usCRP), PAI-1, D-dimer and TGF-β1 in patients undergoing HD with different ACE I/D polymorphisms.
The study was performed in 138 patients at ESRD under hemodialysis therapy for more than six months. The patients were divided into three groups according to the genotype. Genomic DNA was extracted from blood cells (leukocytes). ACE I/D polymorphism was investigated by single polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Plasma levels of D-dimer, PAI-1 and TGF-β1 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the determination of plasma levels of usCRP was performed by immunonephelometry. Data were analyzed by the software SigmaStat 2.03.
Clinical characteristics were similar in patients with these three ACE I/D polymorphisms, except for interdialytic weight gain. I allele could be associated with higher interdialytic weight gain (P = 0.017). Patients genotyped as DD and as ID had significantly higher levels of PAI-1 than those with II genotype. Other laboratory parameters did not significantly differ among the three subgroups (P = 0.033). Despite not reaching statistical significance, plasma levels of usCRP were higher in patients carrying the D allele.
ACE I/D polymorphisms could be associated with changes in the regulation of sodium, fibrinolytic system, and possibly, inflammation. Our data showed that high levels of PAI-1 are detected when D allele is present, whereas greater interdialytic gain is associated with the presence of I allele. However, further studies with different experimental designs are necessary to elucidate the mechanisms involved in these associations.
The present study compared the production and the catalytic properties of amylolytic enzymes obtained from the fungi Lichtheimia ramosa (mesophilic) and Thermoascus aurantiacus (thermophilic). The ...highest amylase production in both fungi was observed in wheat bran supplemented with nutrient solution (pH 4.0) after 96 hours of cultivation, reaching 417.2 U/g of dry substrate (or 41.72 U/mL) and 144.5 U/g of dry substrate (or 14.45 U/mL) for L. ramosa and T. aurantiacus, respectively. The enzymes showed higher catalytic activity at pH 6.0 at 60°C. The amylases produced by L. ramosa and T. aurantiacus were stable between pH 3.5–10.5 and pH 4.5–9.5, respectively. The amylase of L. ramosa was stable at 55°C after 1 hour of incubation, whereas that of T. aurantiacus maintained 60% of its original activity under the same conditions. Both enzymes were active in the presence of ethanol. The enzymes hydrolyzed starch from different sources, with the best results obtained with corn starch. The enzymatic complex produced by L. ramosa showed dextrinizing and saccharifying potential. The enzymatic extract produced by the fungus T. aurantiacus presented only saccharifying potential, releasing glucose monomers as the main hydrolysis product.
Nitrocatechols are the standard pharmacophore to develop potent tight-binding inhibitors of catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT), which can be used as coadjuvant drugs to manage Parkinson’s disease. ...Tolcapone is the most potent drug of this class, but it has raised safety concerns due to its potential to induce liver damage. Tolcapone-induced hepatotoxicity has been attributed to the nitrocatechol moiety; however, other nitrocatechol-based COMT inhibitors, such as entacapone, are safe and do not damage the liver. There is a knowledge gap concerning which mechanisms and chemical properties govern the toxicity of nitrocatechol-based COMT inhibitors. Using a vast array of cell-based assays, we found that tolcapone-induced toxicity is caused by direct interference with mitochondria that does not depend on bioactivation by P450. Our findings also suggest that (a) lipophilicity is a key property in the toxic potential of nitrocatechols; (b) the presence of a carbonyl group directly attached to the nitrocatechol ring seems to increase the reactivity of the molecule, and (c) the presence of cyano moiety in double bond stabilizes the reactivity decreasing the cytotoxicity. Altogether, the fine balance between lipophilicity and the chemical nature of the C1 substituents of the nitrocatechol ring may explain the difference in the toxicological behavior observed between tolcapone and entacapone.
Low‐level laser therapy (LLLT) has been extensively employed to improve epithelial wound healing, though the exact response of epithelium maturation and stratification after LLLT is unknown. Thus, ...this study aimed to assess the in vitro growth and differentiation of keratinocytes (KCs) and in vivo wound healing response when treated with LLLT. Human KCs (HaCaT cells) showed an enhanced proliferation with all the employed laser energy densities (3, 6 and 12 J/cm2, 660 nm, 100 mW), together with an increased expression of Cyclin D1. Moreover, the immunoexpression of proteins related to epithelial proliferation and maturation (p63, CK10, CK14) all indicated a faster maturation of the migrating KCs in the LLLT‐treated wounds. In that way, an improved epithelial healing was promoted by LLLT with the employed parameters; this improvement was confirmed by changes in the expression of several proteins related to epithelial proliferation and maturation.
Immunofluorescent expression of cytokeratin 10 (red) and Cyclin D1 (green) in (A) Control keratinocytes and (B) Low‐level laser irradiated cells. Blue color illustrates the nuclei of the cells (DAPI staining).
Low‐level laser therapy accelerates the epithelium maturation during wound healing; this picture illustrates how the immunohistochemical expression of cytokeratin 10, a terminal differentiation biomarker, is significantly augmented in the keratinocytes of the laser‐irradiated lesion if compared to the control group. The center of the wound (CW) shows complete re‐epithelialization; the covering epithelium over the connective tissue (CT) notably expresses cytokeratin 10.
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