Conselho Nacional De Desenvolvimento Cientifico Research Articles

Stability in Mental Health Among Medical Students During COVID-19 Quarantine: A 3-Year Prospective Study

Background: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Brazil's government implemented quarantine in March 2020, leading to the closure of schools. This has caused changes in daily routines, such as social distancing and distance learning, which could impact mental health. This study aims to prospectively evaluate mental health in medical students in 2018, 2019, and 2020, during the COVID-19 quarantine.Methods: Students from Jundiai Medical School were invited to participate in this study in the years of 2018, 2019, and 2020 (from March to June, during COVID-19 quarantine). The Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20), created by the World Health Organization to investigate nonpsychotic psychiatric symptoms, was used as a measure to evaluate mental distress. The questionnaire was made available online and contained two different sections: sociodemographic information and SRQ-20.Outcomes: In the years 2018, 2019 and 2020 a total of 860 SRQ-20 questionnaires were completed. Overall, SRQ-20 mean scores were 8·2±4·6 and SRQ-20≥7 frequency - above cut-off - was 60·5%. When comparing the years 2018, 2019 and 2020, no differences were found for both SRQ-20 scores (8·4±4·7, 8·2±4·6, and 7·8±4·4, respectively; p=0·351) and SRQ-20≥7 frequency (62·2%, 60·9%, and 59·2%, respectively; p=0·762).Interpretations: Along the three studied years, there was no indication of changes in prevalence of nonpsychotic psychiatric disorders as measured by SRQ-20. The maintenance of daily routines through remote learning for students attending first to fourth-year classes in 2020, and the continuation of adapted internship activities for students attending fifth or sixth-year classes in 2020 could have contributed to these results. Funding: Funding was provided by CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico)Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.Ethics Approval Statement: This research has Ethics committee approval.

Safety and Immunogenicity of CoronaVac in People Living with HIV

Background: People living with HIV (PLWH) may have a poor or delayed response to vaccines, mainly when CD4+ T cell counts are low. There are limited data concerning the safety and immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines in PLWH.Methods: This prospective controlled study evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of the SARS-CoV-2 inactivated vaccine CoronaVac in PLWH compared with controls with no known immunosuppression. Immunogenicity was assessed with SARS-CoV-2 IgG seroconversion (SC), neutralizing antibodies (NAb) activity, and factor increase in IgG geometric mean titers (FI-GMT). We also investigated if levels of CD4+ T cell counts (3) were associated with CoronaVac immunogenicity.Findings: 511 participants (215 PLWH and 296 controls) were eligible for the immunogenicity analysis. At vaccine completion (D69), although the percentage of participants with SC and NAb positivity was high for both PLWH and controls, it was somewhat lower in PLWH. CD4+ T cell was identified as a relevant factor for immunogenicity, with lower SC and NAb positivity in PLWH with CD4+ counts 3 compared to those with ≥500 cells/mm3. In a multivariable logistic regression model for NAb positivity after a complete two-dose regimen adjusted for age and sex, compared with PLWH with a CD4+ T cell count 3, those with CD4+ counts ≥500/mm3 had 2·26 times the odds of having positivity in NAb activity (95% CI 1·18-4·32; p=0·014), whereas controls had 3·21 times the odds of this outcome. No serious adverse reactions were reported during the study.Interpretation: Immunogenicity following CoronaVac in PLWH seems robust but reduced compared with controls; PLWH with CD4+ counts Funding: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP); Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq); and B3 - Bolsa de Valores do Brasil.Declaration of Interest: EGK is the Principal Investigator for the CoronaVac phase 3 clinical trial at University of Sao Paulo. VIAS is the Principal Investigator for the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine phase 3 clinical trial at University of Sao Paulo. INCOMPLETE, MISSING SOME AUTHORS FROM DOIEthical Approval: The national and local ethics committees approved the study.

Prognostic Indicators and Outcomes of Hospitalised COVID-19 Patients with Neurological Disease: A Systematic Review and Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis

Background: Neurological COVID-19 disease has been reported widely, but often without using standard case definitions or detailed diagnostic work up. Several meta-analyses, based on such reports, describe the neurological diagnoses but give little information on outcomes and risk factors.Methods: We conducted an individual patient data meta-analysis of hospitalised patients with neurological COVID-19 disease, using standard case definitions. We invited authors of studies from the first pandemic wave, plus clinicians in the Global COVID-Neuro Network with unpublished data, to contribute, and extracted aggregate data from published reports. We analysed features associated with poor outcome (moderate to severe sequelae or death, 3-6, on the modified Rankin scale) using multivariable models. Findings: We identified 381 studies (31 unpublished) describing 4443 patients with COVID-19 and neurological disease: 83 of these provided IPD for 1979 (45%) patients. Encephalopathy (978 [49%]) and cerebrovascular events (506 [26%]), were the most common diagnoses in the IPD database and aggregate data. Respiratory and systemic symptoms preceded neurological features in 93% of patients; one third developed neurological disease after hospital admission. A poor outcome was more common in patients with cerebrovascular events (76% [95% CI 67-82]), than encephalopathy (54% [42-65]). Intensive care use was high (38% [35-41] overall), and also greater in the cerebrovascular patients. In the cerebrovascular, but not encephalopathic patients, risk factors for poor outcome included breathlessness on admission and elevated D-Dimer. Overall, 30-day mortality was 30% (27-32). The hazard of death was reduced for patients in the WHO European region, but increased in low- and lower-middle-income countries. Interpretation: Neurological COVID-19 disease poses a considerable burden in terms of disease outcomes and use of hospital resources. The different risk factors for encephalopathy and stroke suggest different disease mechanisms which may be amenable to intervention, especially in those who develop neurological symptoms after hospital admission. Funding This study was funded by the UK Medical Research Council’s Global Effort on COVID-19 Programme (MR/V033441/1); UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)-funded Global Health Research Group on Acute Brain Infections (17/63/110); and the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections (NIHR200907), at University of Liverpool in partnership with Public Health England (PHE), in collaboration with Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the University of Oxford (Grant Nos. IS-HPU-1112-10117 and NIHR200907).Declaration of Interests: BS reports a grant from UKRI/DHSC Global Effort on COVID-19 Research (Medical Research Council) and non-financial support from UK National Institute for Health Research Global Health Research Group on Brain Infections. SL and TS are supported by a grant from the EU Zika Preparedness Latin American Network consortium (ZikaPLAN). ZikaPLAN has received funding from the EU's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement number 734584. LCG reports non-financial support from Pfizer, non-financial support from Gilead. LB reports grants from GlaxoSmithKline, Research England and Wellcome Trust. AMBM reports grants from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico CNPq/Brazil, and São Paulo Research Foundation FAPESP/Brazil. AP reports personal fees from ZAMBON, UCB , BIOMARIN, and ABBvie pharma. TS was an adviser to the GlaxoSmithKline Ebola Vaccine programme, chaired a Siemens Diagnostics clinical advisory board, and advises the WHO Brain Health Unit Forum on Neurology and COVID-19; TS has also previously filed a patent for a test for bacterial meningitis based on a blood test (GB 1606537.7, April 14, 2016), and has grants from the UK Medical Research Council and National Institute for Health Research. All other authors declare no conflict of interest

Trends in Pneumoconiosis in Brazil - 1979-2019

Background: Pneumoconiosis is a set of lung diseases related to exposure to dust in the workplace. This study evaluated the temporal and spatial distribution of mortality rates (1979-2019), and hospital admissions (1995-2019) for pneumoconiosis in Brazil to investigate the main multiple causes reported in deaths from pneumoconiosis (2006-2019) and to identify the records of pneumoconiosis in workers through the history of work accidents (1999-2018). Methods: The outcomes of this study were hospitalizations and deaths due to pneumoconiosis. 500-506 according to the ICD-9 and J60-J66 according to the ICD-10 were used. Data from this retrospective ecological study were collected from Brazilian Ministry of Health (DATASUS) and Ministry of Economy (AEAT) databases. Findings: Over the years, hospitalizations for pneumoconiosis have decreased in all regions of Brazil. Hospitalizations were predominant in men over 40 years. Regarding the data on pneumoconiosis recorded as work accidents, pneumoconiosis caused by silica dust predominated in 25 of the 27 Brazilian states. Death rates registered a temporal increase in all regions. Deaths were predominant men over 50 years. The multiple causes associated with deaths from pneumoconiosis were: septicemias (963), essential hypertension (682), heart failure (274) and diabetes mellitus (265). Interpretation: These findings reveal a disparity between the temporal behavior of hospitalization (reduction) and death (increase) rates from pneumoconiosis in Brazil and show groups more vulnerable: men, aged over 50 years and with chronic non-communicable diseases or previous infections. Funding: This study was financed in part by the Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior - Brasil (CAPES) - Finance Code 001 and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico – Grant 310856/2020-5. Declaration of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

À luz da Ciência na Educação Infantil: Desafiando a imaginação infantil a desvendar fenômenos ópticos

Este trabalho apresenta uma análise da visitação de crianças de 4 a 6 anos à exposição À Luz da Ciência na Educação Infantil, promovida pela Universidade Federal do Pampa, a partir de uma proposta de divulgação e popularização da ciência sobre a temática Luz. A proposta fez parte das comemorações do Ano Internacional da Luz (2015), tendo recebido fomento do Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) para sua realização em dois campi: Bagé (em 2016) e Caçapava do Sul (em 2017). Descrevemos neste trabalho as treze estações do circuito da exposição, analisando, em seguida, como as crianças, acompanhadas por suas professoras e monitores da universidade, interagiram com os experimentos e artefatos, bem como sua capacidade de expressar conceitos científicos relacionados à temática, tais como: reflexão, refração, energia luminosa, luz e sombra e outros. Como, na época, as crianças ainda não dominavam a escrita e a leitura, os dados sobre a experiência de visitação foram reunidos por meio de desenhos e comentários feitos por elas após terem percorrido todo o circuito da exposição. O encantamento e a alegria durante a visita à exposição deixaram a certeza de que é possível tornar o conhecimento científico acessível para crianças dessa faixa etária e que a curiosidade é o elemento mais importante a ser explorado durante uma exposição interativa, pois elas se mantêm atentas e receptivas ao que lhes desafia a imaginação.

Alfabetização e letramento na educação de jovens e adultos: mapeamento da produção acadêmica em periódicos no Brasil

O presente artigo tem por base uma investigação mais ampla, que envolve pesquisadores luso-brasileiros, financiada pelo Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq 2017-2020), que tem por objetivo compreender os principais fundamentos, termos/conceitos e autores recorrentes no campo da Educação de Jovens e Adultos no Brasil, levantados nos seguintes âmbitos: da política educacional e do direito à educação, dos elementos teóricos e do contexto da prática pedagógica. Este artigo visa mapear temáticas, categorias, objetos de análise e autores principais que fundamentam os estudos sobre alfabetização e letramento na Educação de Jovens e Adultos (EJA), tendo como campo empírico um conjunto de publicações das pesquisas socializadas em periódicos (Qualis A e B – 2001 a 2018). O estudo assume uma abordagem quanti-qualitativa (CRESWELL, 2010) e se assenta em uma pesquisa bibliográfica (LIMA; MIOTO, 2007), recorrendo à análise documental (GIL, 2002). Os resultados apresentaram, entre outros, a existência de uma multiplicidade de objetos de estudo e que, dentro dessa multiplicidade, existe uma predominância sobre as análises das práticas de alfabetização e letramento. Constatou-se também que as produções refletem investigações que têm por base empírica contextos formais de educação-formação e a existência de um entrelaçamento entre alfabetização e letramento, demonstrando a complexidade intrínseca aos sentidos e aos modos como os termos têm vindo a ser ressignificados.

Increased Particle Size of Triglyceride Remnant Lipoproteins, but not Their Plasma Concentration or Lipid Content, Augment Risk Prediction of Incident Type 2 Diabetes: Prospective Results from ELSA-Brasil

Importance: Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) prevention requires accurate identification of those at high risk. Plasma triglycerides are predictive for T2DM, but triglyceride remnant lipoproteins (TRL) more accurately reflect pathophysiological changes that underlie progression to T2DM, such as pancreatic steatosis and inflammation. We hypothesized that TRL-related factors could improve risk prediction for development of T2DM. Methods: We included individuals aged 35-74 years from the ELSA-Brasil cohort who had HbA1c and an oral glucose tolerance test at baseline. Regression models were used to predict incident T2DM, starting with medical history and metabolic syndrome traits, followed by TRL-related measurements (plasma concentration, particle size, cholesterol and triglyceride content). TRL features were measured by NMR spectroscopy. Discrimination was assessed with area under receiver operator curves (AUROCs) and net reclassification improvement (NRI). Results: Among 4,466 individuals at-risk, there were 368 new cases of T2DM after 3.7 (SD=0.6) years follow-up. We derived a 14-variable model with AUROC 0.849 (95%CI: 0.842-0.875). Overall TRL-related markers did not improve predictive capacity for T2DM. However, TRL particle diameter (TRLZ) increased AUROC, particularly in individuals with Hba1c<5.7% (n=3,300 and 174 cases of incident T2DM). In this subgroup, AUROC increased from 0.74 (95%CI: 0.72-0.76 – Baseline-model) to 0.80 (95%CI: 0.77-0.84 – Baseline-model + TRLZ) (p-value=0.0002) and NRI by 21.49% (95%CI: 0.5-34.5, p=0.0103). TRLZ was highly correlated with obesity, insulin resistance and inflammation in those with pre-diabetes at baseline, but less so in those with Hba1c<5.7%. Conclusions: TRL particle diameter improves prediction of T2DM, particularly in subjects with no glycemic abnormalities at baseline. Trial Registration: This study is registered with clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02320461. Funding Statement: This study was funded by the Brazilian Ministry of Health (Science and Technology Department) and the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos [Finep] and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico [CNPq]). Grant numbers: 01 06 0010.00 and 01.10.0643.03 (RS); 01 06 0212.00 and 01.10.0742-00 (BA); 01 06 0300.00 and 01.12.0284.00 (ES); 01 06 0278.00 and 01 10 0746 00 (MG); 01 06 0115.00 and 01.10.0773-00 (SP); and 01 06 0071.00 and 01.11·0093.01 (RJ). LSFC and RDS are recipients of scholarships from the CNPq grants # 437413/2018-7 and # 303734/2018-3, respectivelly. ACS is a recipient of a scholarship from the CNPq grant # 301465/2017-7 and the Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (Fapesp) grant # 13/07607-8. This study was funded in part by the Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (Capes) and the CNPq. Declaration of Interests: RDS has received honoraria related to consulting, research and or speaker activities from: Amgen, Ache, Astra Zeneca, Esperion, Kowa, Merck, Novo-Nordisk, PTC, Pfizer, and Sanofi/Regeneron. The other authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: De-identified data was used, and the research protocol was approved by the ethics committee at each institution in Brazil and by the National Research Ethics Committee.

Cognitive Impairment and Physical Activity in Old Age: The Impact on All-Cause Mortality in a 15-Year Follow-Up of the Bambuí Cohort Study of Aging

Background: Cognitive impairment increases while physical activity decreases the mortality risk in the elderly. In this study, hypothesize that physical activity among the elderly with cognitive impairment is associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality. Methods: We included a total of 147 community‐dwelling older adults with cognitive impairment from the baseline of the Bambui Cohort Study of Aging and followed‐up for a median of 9.6 years. We evaluated the physical activity by a self-reported question, which considers how many times participants either walk to exercise, or do gymnastics, or practice sports for at least 20-30 min in the previous 90 days. The date of death was computed by reviewing death certificates. We used Cox's proportional hazards models to evaluate the risk of mortality in those participants. Findings: Participants with cognitive impairment and non-physical activity had a higher risk for mortality in the unadjusted analysis (HR: 2.34; 95% CI: 1.02– 5.39), and the association remained in the final model (HR: 3.21; 95% CI: 1.29-7.99). Interpretation: This study found lower mortality risk among subjects with cognitive impairment but physically active as compared to non-active participants. Funding Statement: The funding is provided by Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos (FINEP), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologicos (CNPq), and Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG). Prof. Blay, Prof. Firmo, Prof. Lima‐Costa, and Prof. Laks received grants from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq; Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico—305274/2014‐ 7). Prof. Castro-Costa currently receives research support from the Medical Research Council (MR/T037423/1). Declaration of Interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: The project was approved by the Ethical Committee of the Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Brazil.

A comunidade científica de Alagoas: um olhar a partir dos seus grupos de pesquisa

Resumo No contexto da expansão e diversificação do Ensino Superior brasileiro, o presente texto busca aproximar-se de um tema parcamente explorado na literatura nacional: a relação entre a dilatação deste grau de ensino e a construção e o fortalecimento das comunidades científicas nos estados da federação. O caso alagoano é tomado à análise, com vistas a compreender o desenvolvimento de sua comunidade científica nas duas últimas décadas. Trabalhamos, para tanto, com dados compilados e difundidos pelo Diretório de Grupos de Pesquisa do Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, com os quais elaboramos uma caracterização capaz de oferecer suporte para a objetivação da prática da pesquisa e da formação de novos pesquisadores. A experiência alagoana expressa, pois, questões nacionais e locais de forma concomitante, de maneira que seu estudo implica um olhar relacional sobre as reconfigurações recentes do desenvolvimento da ciência no país.

Desigualdade de gênero, internacionalização e trajetórias acadêmicas na Ciência Política: evidências no Brasil e no Uruguai

Estudos dedicados a analisar a história e a configuração atual da Ciência Política têm crescido significativamente na região. Contudo, um aspecto permanece pouco explorado: a igualdade de gênero no campo disciplinar. Pretende-se aqui identificar a existência de diferenças nas trajetórias acadêmicas dos cientistas políticos devido ao seu gênero, em dois países: Brasil e Uruguai. O principal indicador utilizado é o grau de internacionalização das carreiras acadêmicas. A internacionalização será medida em duas dimensões: formação acadêmica no exterior e publicação de artigos em periódicos estrangeiros. A análise baseia-se em dados primários, coletados junto aos Curriculum Vitae dos docentes e publicados nos respectivos sistemas nacionais de investigação de cada país: Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq-Lattes) (Brasil) e Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovación (ANII-SNI) (Uruguai). A evidência encontrada indica que, em ambos, as mulheres estão sub representadas no quadro de docentes (constituindo-se em 30% do universo) e publicam menos artigos (nacionais e internacionais) que seus colegas homens. Contudo, as evidências não indicam diferenças entre os gêneros em relação aos principais destinos da formação acadêmica e da produção de artigos.

Erratum: Supergranular turbulence in the quiet Sun: Lagrangian coherent structures

SSAS acknowledges financial support from agency Coordenacao de aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de nivel Superior (CAPES 88882.316962/2019-01, Brazil). ELR acknowledges financial support from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq, Brazil), partial financial support from CAPES (Brazil) and from Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa de Sao Paulo (FAPESP, Brazil). LBR acknowledges financial support from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades through grant RTI2018-096886-B-C51, including a percentage from European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), and through the 'Center of Excellence Severo Ochoa' award to the Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia (SEV-2017-0709).

Contribution to Neotropical data of Geastrum section Corollina (Basidiomycota): Two new earth-stars from Caatinga vegetation, Brazil

The first author would like to thank Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES, Brazilian agency) for four months of doctorate international scholarship in Madrid–Spain; the second author thanks the Universidade de Pernambuco (Programa de Fortalecimento Academico/PFA), Maria Batista de Freitas (D. Carminha) and family (sitio Jenipapeiro, Triunfo, PB), for the logistical support and assistance during fieldwork. Authors are grateful to the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq—Brazil, Projeto Pesquisador Visitante Especial PVE/407474/2013–7) for providing the financial support; and also to Prof. Marian Glenn for English revision.

Septoglomus nigrum, a new arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus from France, Germany and Switzerland

This study has been supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation within the SNSF projects 315230_130764/1, IZ73Z0_152740 and IZ76Z0_173895. We are also grateful to Urs Zihlmann (Agroscope in Zurich-Reckenholz) and our collaborators Claudia Maurer, Andres Chervet and Wolfgang Sturny at the Bodenschutzfachstelle of the Kanton Bern for the excellent support at the lowland sampling sites. G.A Silva thanks the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq) for the Fellowship granted (Proc. 312186/2016-9).

Multi-Cancer V-ATPase Molecular Signatures: A Distinctive Balance of Subunit C Isoforms in Esophageal Carcinoma

Background: V-ATPases are hetero-oligomeric enzymes consisting of 13 subunits and playing key roles in ion homeostasis and signaling. Differential expressions of these proton pumps have been implicated in carcinogenesis and metastasis. To elucidate putative molecular signatures underlying these phenomena, we evaluated the V-ATPase genes expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and extended the analysis to other cancers. Methods: Expression of all V-ATPase genes were analyzed in ESCC by a microarray data and in different types of tumors available from public databases. Expression of C isoforms was validated by qRT-PCR in paired ESCC samples. Findings: A differential expression pattern of V-ATPase genes was found in different tumors, with combinations in up- and down-regulation leading to an imbalance in the expression ratios of their isoforms. Particularly, a high C1 and low C2 expression pattern accurately discriminated ESCC from normal tissues. Structural modeling of C2a isoform uncovered motifs for oncogenic kinases in an additional peptide stretch, and an actin-biding domain downstream to this sequence. Interpretation: Altogether these data revealed that the expression ratios of subunits/isoforms could form a conformational code that controls the pump regulation and interactions related to tumorigenesis. This study establishes a paradigm change by uncovering multi-cancer molecular signatures present in the V-ATPase structure, from which future studies must address the complexity of the onco-related V-ATPase assemblies as a whole, rather than targeting changes in single subunit/isoforms moved by standard cutoffs. Funding Statement: This work was supported by grants from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq) and Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ, Brazil). This study was financed in part by the Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior - Brasil (CAPES) - Finance Code 001 (PhD fellowship to JCVCS and Post-doctoral fellowship to EPC). JCVCS received Postdoctoral fellowship from Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro (UENF) and FFF received a PhD fellowship from FAPERJ. Declaration of Interests: The authors state that they have no conflicts of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: Human subjects: The use of the human samples was approved by the Ethic Committee of the institution (INCA - 116/11). All patients, who kindly agreed to participate in the study, signed an informed consent form prior to study enrollment.

"CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND THERMAL COMFORT PROPERTIES OF COTTON FINISHED WITH PHASE CHANGE MATERIALS AND ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS"

- The authors acknowledge CNPq-Brazil (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico Brasil/National Council of Scientific and Technological Development - Brazil) for the doctoral scholarship (233550/2014-3). This work has been also financed by Project UID/CTM/00264/2019 of 2C2T - Centro de Ciencia e Tecnologia Textil, funded by National Founds through FCT/MCTES.

Leucine‐rich diet changes tumor metabolism, reducing glucose consumption and metastasis in Walker 256 tumor‐bearing rats

Leucine stimulates muscle protein synthesis and is begin used as a potential treatment for muscle wasting conditions, such as cancer cachexia. However, the effects of leucine in the tumor tissue are still unknown. We aimed to describe the effects of a leucine‐rich diet on the Walker 256 tumor tissue. For this purpose, tumor‐bearing Wistar rats were randomly distributed into a control group (normoprotein diet) and leucine group (leucine‐rich diet (18% protein + 3% leucine)). After 20 days of tumor inoculation, the animals underwent to 18F‐FDG PET‐CT and after being euthanized, fresh tumor biopsies were collected to measure the oxygen consumption rate and fixed for electron microscopy analysis. Our results showed that the leucine‐rich diet leads to a lower tumor glucose (18F‐FDG) uptake by tumor and reduced number of metastases sites. Furthermore, leucine‐rich diet changed the mitochondrial morphology and function (from a glycolytic to an oxidative phenotype), associated with a higher gene expression of oxidative phosphorylation components. In addition, tumor tissue from leucine group showed a higher number of apoptotic nuclei with an increased oxidative stress. In conclusion, leucine‐enriched diet was associated with considerable metabolic activity reduction of malignant tissue associated with mitochondrial morphology and function changes in Walker 256 tumor tissue.Support or Funding InformationThe authors are grateful for financial support from CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior), CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnológico #302863/2013‐3; #302425/2016‐9), and FAPESP [grant number #2012/06955‐0; #2014/13334‐7; #2015/21890‐0; #2017/02739‐4].This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Cognitive Development Chart to Pediatric Care: Reliability and Utility of a Computerized Tool to Predict Multiple Outcomes in Children and Adolescents

Background: While tracking major physical-health indicators in children is routine, fewer aspects of cognitive health can be efficiently tracked and used for mental-health monitoring. The current study aims evaluates the reliability and predictive utility of a time-efficient cognitive development chart. This chart seeks to identify children and adolescents with high risk for multiple outcomes such as mental health problems, substance-use, and educational difficulties. Methods: We analyzed data from the Brazilian High-Risk Cohort for Psychiatric Disorders (HRC), a longitudinal school-based study conducted from 2010-2011 to 2013-2014. Participants were 2,239 children and adolescents, 6 to 17 years of age, who completed the cognitive assessment at baseline. The task used to track cognitive development was the Two Choice Reaction Time task (2C-RT, <3 minutes of duration, computer-based), which assesses accuracy and speed of perceptual decision-making. Mental health, substance-use, and educational outcomes were assessed by validated standardized methods. Key variables were measured at baseline and 3-year follow-up. Predictive utility was assessed using static (deviations from age-expected performance at baseline) and dynamic (deviations from age-expected change in performance over time) indicators. Findings: The reliability of the task parameter was high (intra-class correlation coefficient = 0*8). Static indicators of cognitive development significantly predicted concurrent mental, intellectual and educational difficulties, as well as incident and persistent educational difficulties and substance use in the 3-year follow-up. Dynamic indicators predicted persistent mental health problems. Interpretation: Primary-care physicians and pediatricians need a time-efficient tool for tracking deviations from age-expected cognitive development, which predict multiple unwanted outcomes at the same time. The current tool shows promise. If replicated, future results could support the generation of tools for tracking risk for mental-health, substance-use, and educational difficulties. Funding Statement: Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo and Conselho Nacional de Desen-volvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico. Declaration of Interests: ARS, DSP, JRS, JS, AG, JJM and RPF declare no potential conflict of interest. PMP received PhD scholarship from CNPq and receives post-doctoral grant from FAPESP. GAS received research grants from national funding agencies: FAPERGS, CAPES and CNPq. ECM and RAB received research grants from national funding agencies: FAPESP, CAPES, CNPq. RAB also received research grants from Janssen Cilag, Novartis, Roche in the last 5 years. RAB has participated in speaker bureaus for Ache, Janssen, Lundbeck and Novartis and has been a consultant for Janssen, Novartis and Roche. LAR was on speakers’ bureau and/or acted as consultant for Eli-Lilly, Janssen-Cilag, Medice, Novartis, receives authorship royalties from Oxford Press and ArtMed, and has received unrestricted educational and research support from Eli-Lilly, Janssen-Cilag, Shire and Novartis. MSH and JJM declare no potential conflicts of interest concerning this work. Ethics Approval Statement: The Ethics Committee of the Universidade de Sao Paulo and Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul approved the study.

Phytochemistry in medicinal species of Solanum L. (Solanaceae)

Background: The genus Solanum L. is the largest of the family Solanaceae; it has used in food, ornamentation, and medicinal. Objective: This work had as objective to perform the phytochemical screening secondary metabolites: saponins, alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, and anthraquinones by means of colorimetric and precipitation analyzes of root bark, stem, leaf, and epicarp of the following species of Solanum genus: Solanum agrarium, Solanum lycocarpum, Solanum palinacanthum, Solanum paniculatum, and Solanum stipulaceum. The species are found in areas of the Cerrado Biome of Northern Minas Gerais state for initial evaluation of the possibility of cultivation for medicinal use. Materials and Methods: The following qualitative tests were performed: Liebermann–Burchard reaction for steroids/triterpenoids; foam persistence test for saponins; Bertrand and Dragendorff reagents for alkaloids; reactions with lead neutral acetate at 10% and ferric chloride at 2% for tannins; reactions with ferric chloride at 2% and Shinoda reaction for flavonoids; reaction of Borntraeger and reaction with sodium hydroxide at 0.5% for anthraquinones. Results: Plants of the Solanum L. genus, occurring in Cerrado areas in the city of Montes Claros, have considerable amounts of secondary metabolites, varying between the different species and in different structures analyzed. Conclusion: It is important to continue the study evaluating whether in species from planting occurs production of the secondary metabolites identified in wild plants. Abbreviations Used: FAPEMIG: Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais, CNPq: Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico, BHCB: Herbarium of the Department of Botany, from Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais.

Spermatogonial behavior in marmoset: a new generation, their kinetics and niche.

Could a more detailed evaluation of marmoset spermatogonial morphology, kinetics and niches using high-resolution light microscopy (HRLM) lead to new findings? Three subtypes of marmoset undifferentiated spermatogonia, which were not evenly distributed in terms of number and position along the basal membrane, and an extra premeiotic cell division not present in humans were identified using HRLM. The seminiferous epithelium cycle (SEC) of marmosets is divided into nine stages when based on the acrosome system, and several spermatogenic stages can usually be recognized within the same tubular cross-section. Three spermatogonial generations have been previously described in marmosets: types Adark, Apale and B spermatogonia. Testes from five adult Callithrix penicillata were fixed by glutaraldehyde perfusion via the cardiac route and embedded in Araldite plastic resin for HRLM evaluation. Semi-thin sections (1 μm) were analyzed morphologically and morphometrically to evaluate spermatogonial morphology and kinetics (number, mitosis and apoptosis), spermatogenesis efficiency and the spermatogonial niche. Shape and nuclear diameter, the presence and distribution of heterochromatin, the granularity of the euchromatin, as well as the number, morphology and degree of nucleolar compaction were observed for morphological characterization. Kinetics analyses were performed for all spermatogonial subtypes and preleptotene spermatocytes, and their mitosis and apoptosis indexes determined across all SEC stages. Spermatogenesis parameters (mitotic, meiotic, Sertoli cell workload and general spermatogenesis efficiency) were determined through the counting of Adark and Apale spermatogonia, preleptotene and pachytene primary spermatocytes, round spermatids, and Sertoli cells at stage IV of the SEC. This is the first time that a study in marmosets demonstrates: the existence of a new spermatogonial generation (B2); the presence of two subtypes of Adark spermatogonia with (AdVac) and without (AdNoVac) nuclear rarefaction zones; the peculiar behavior of AdVac spermatogonia across the stages of the SEC, suggesting that they are quiescent stem spermatogonia; and that AdVac spermatogonia are located close to areas in which blood vessels, Leydig cells and macrophages are concentrated, suggesting a niche area for these cells. Not applicable. The C. penicillata spermatogonial kinetics evaluated here consider spermatogonial number across the SEC and their mitotic and apoptotic figures identified in HRLM sections. Therefore, caution is required when comparing absolute values between species. Although morphometric evaluation has suggested that AdVac spermatogonia are stem cells, a functional proof of this is still missing. It is known that parameters of the spermatogenic process in C. penicillata have similarities with those of the common marmoset C. jacchus, however, a detailed study of spermatogonial morphology, kinetics and niche has not yet been performed in C. jacchus, and a full comparison of the two species is not possible. Our findings in C. penicillata contribute to a better understanding of the spermatogonial behavior and spermatogenesis efficiency in non-human primates. Given the phylogenetic closeness of the marmoset to the human species, similar processes might occur in humans. Therefore, marmosets may be an excellent model for studies regarding human testicular biology, fertility and related disorders. Experiments were partially supported by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnológico (CNPq). The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

GPER Agonist G1, but Not Other Specific ERs Improves Diastolic Function and Attenuates Cardiac RAS Activation in Estrogen‐deficient SHR

IntroductionLeft ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) increases the risk of developing heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), the predominant type of heart failure seen in women. Emerging epidemiologic evidence suggests that early menopause is positively associated with incident HF, which suggests potential protective roles of estrogens in LVDD development and progression. There are three estrogen receptors (ER) expressed in the heart, ER‐α, ER‐β, and G‐protein coupled ER (GPER). We previously found that GPER plays greater protective roles in cultured myocyte and mast cell lines than ER‐α or ER‐β, by inhibiting Ang II‐induced cell hypertrophy and serum‐induced cell proliferation, respectively. Moreover, estrogen loss‐induced LVDD in the hypertensive mRen2. Lewis rat was linked to increases in cardiac mast cell number, chymase, and Ang II. The aim of this study was to investigate how different specific agonists of estrogen receptors (ER‐α agonist PPT; ER‐β agonist DPN; and GPER agonist G‐1) influence diastolic function and cardiac renin angiotensin system (RAS) components.MethodsTwenty‐four SHR females underwent bilateral ovariectomy (OVX) at 12 weeks of age; 8 weeks post‐surgery, rats were randomized (n=6/group) to receive equipotent, daily treatments (0.24 μMol/kg/day, s.c.) of one of the above ER agonists (PPT‐ 94 μg/kg; DPN‐ 58 μg/kg; G‐1‐100 μg/kg), or vehicle (peanut oil). Following four weeks of treatment, rats were anesthetized (isoflurane) for direct blood pressure and Doppler echo measures of diastolic function, defined by e′ and E/e′. LV tissue for RAS activity and expression were evaluated. Data were analyzed by one‐way ANOVA. P&lt;0.05 was significant.ResultsAs expected, the doses chosen for the specific ER agonists did not overtly affect blood pressure. Of the ER agonists, G‐1 had the most profound and significant impact on diastolic function, increasing myocardial relaxation (e′) and decreasing Doppler‐derived LV filling pressures (E/e′) by 53% and 24% versus control, respectively. Neither DPN nor PPT modified the altered cardiac function induced by OVX. GPER activation by G‐1 had a significant inhibitory effect on cardiac ACE activity when compared to vehicle, while the other Ang II‐forming pathway in the heart, Ang‐1–12/chymase, was not overtly altered by ER activation. All three agonists suppressed cardiac ACE2 activity. AT1R gene expression was increased in OVX‐vehicle by 47 to 61% when compared to hearts from OVX‐ERs (P=0.051) (Figure).ConclusionThese data imply that of the three estrogen receptors, GPER has a unique role in the preservation of diastolic function and modulation of the cardiac RAS, which would contribute to the protection in LVDD disease progression after estrogen loss, if pharmacologically activated.Support or Funding InformationNIH AG033727 (LG) and NIH HL 051952 (CMF and LG) INCT‐INOFAR ‐ Proc. 465249/2014‐0 (GZS and RTS) Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) (JS) Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnológico (CNPq) (GZS and RTS)This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.