Luciana Rodrigues Belo

Interleukin (IL)-22, IL-17, IL-23, IL-8, vascular endothelial growth factor and tumour necrosis factor-α levels in patients with psoriasis before, during and after psoralen-ultraviolet A and narrowband ultraviolet B therapy.

Background  Several cross‐sectional studies have shown that different cytokines and growth factors are enhanced in psoriasis.

C-reactive protein and leucocyte activation in psoriasis vulgaris according to severity and therapy

Background  Psoriasis vulgaris is a chronic recurrent inflammatory skin disease and psoriatic lesions have shown leucocyte infiltration.

Circulating adipokine levels in Portuguese patients with psoriasis vulgaris according to body mass index, severity and therapy

Background  Psoriasis vulgaris is associated with overweight/obesity and with increased C‐reactive protein (CRP), tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, interleukin (IL)‐6, leptin and resistin levels and decreased adiponectin levels.

Eletromiografia de superfície da musculatura supra-hióidea durante a deglutição de idosos sem doenças neurológicas e idosos com Parkinson

PURPOSE: to investigate differences between electromyographic samples of right and left suprahyoid muscles during deglutition of thickened liquids and liquid consistencies by elderly people with Parkinson disease and elderly people without any neurological disease. METHODS: 30 subjects, from both genders, took part in this study. Fifteen were elderly without neurological disease whereas the others showed Parkinson disease. All of them were submitted to a clinical evaluation protocol and surface electromyography. RESULTS: significant amplitude difference was found between subjects (f=14.4 and p=0.000) and between sides (t=4,4 and p=0.0037). As for muscular contraction time, the differences were just significant between the consistencies (f=8.2 and p=0.005). CONCLUSION: the electromyographic amplitude was shorter for subjects with Parkinson disease and this amplitude was higher in both groups at the right side. The duration of the muscular contraction did not display significant difference between the subjects with Parkinson disease and elderly without neurological disease. This duration was shorter during the deglutition of liquid consistencies.

Protective effect of C. sativa leaf extract against UV mediated-DNA damage in a human keratinocyte cell line.

Toxic effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on skin include protein and lipid oxidation, and DNA damage. The latter is known to play a major role in photocarcinogenesis and photoaging. Many plant extracts and natural compounds are emerging as photoprotective agents. Castanea sativa leaf extract is able to scavenge several reactive species that have been associated to UV-induced oxidative stress. The aim of this work was to analyze the protective effect of C. sativa extract (ECS) at different concentrations (0.001, 0.01, 0.05 and 0.1 μg/mL) against the UV mediated-DNA damage in a human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT). For this purpose, the cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay was used. Elucidation of the protective mechanism was undertaken regarding UV absorption, influence on (1)O₂ mediated effects or NRF2 activation. ECS presented a concentration-dependent protective effect against UV-mediated DNA damage in HaCaT cells. The maximum protection afforded (66.4%) was achieved with the concentration of 0.1 μg/mL. This effect was found to be related to a direct antioxidant effect (involving (1)O₂) rather than activation of the endogenous antioxidant response coordinated by NRF2. Electrochemical studies showed that the good antioxidant capacity of the ECS can be ascribed to the presence of a pool of different phenolic antioxidants. No genotoxic or phototoxic effects were observed after incubation of HaCaT cells with ECS (up to 0.1 μg/mL). Taken together these results reinforce the putative application of this plant extract in the prevention/minimization of UV deleterious effects on skin.

Quality of Life Related to Swallowing in Parkinson’s Disease

Swallowing difficulties in Parkinson’s disease can result in decreased quality of life. The swallowing quality of life questionnaire (SWAL-QOL) is an instrument for specifically assessing quality of life with respect to swallowing, which has been little explored in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). The goal of this study was to evaluate the quality of life with respect to swallowing in persons with PD compared to controls and at several stages of the disease using the SWAL-QOL. The experimental group was composed of 62 persons with PD at stages 1–4. Forty-one age-matched healthy subjects constituted the control group. The SWAL-QOL scores were significantly lower for the patients with PD than for the controls in all SWAL-QOL domains. Eating duration had the largest difference in score between persons with PD and the controls and the lowest mean score, followed by communication, fatigue, fear, sleep, and food selection. The scores of most domains were lower at later stages of the disease. The scores for eating duration, symptom frequency, and sleep were significantly lower at stage 4 than stages 1 and 2. In conclusion, patients with PD have significantly lower scores in all domains of the SWAL-QOL than normal controls. This means swallowing difficulties occurring in patients with PD negatively affect their QOL. Progression of the disease worsens swallowing QOL, more specifically in the domains of eating duration, symptom frequency, and sleep. This occurs mostly at later stages of the disease.

Cardiac antiapoptotic and proproliferative effect of recombinant human erythropoietin in a moderate stage of chronic renal failure in the rat

Objective: Recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) therapy under circumstances of moderate chronic renal failure (CRF), with yet lower kidney and heart lesion, may have a protective cardiac effect beyond the correction of anemia, whose mechanism deserves better elucidation, namely by clarifying the impact on gene expression profile of markers of apoptosis, inflammation, proliferation, angiogenesis, and lesion/stress in the heart. Materials and Methods: Four groups of rats were studied over a period of 15 weeks (n=7 each): control—without surgery and without drug treatment; rhEPO—treated with 50 IU/kg/week of rhEPO—beta; CRF—submitted to partial nephrectomy (3/4); CRF + rhEPO—CRF with rhEPO treatment after the 3rd week of surgery. The heart was collected in order to evaluate the gene expression, by real-time qPCR, of markers of apoptotic machinery, inflammation/immunology, proliferation/angiogenesis, and lesion/stress. Results: The main findings obtained were (a) CRF rats have demonstrated overexpression of EPO-R in the heart without changes on EPO expression, together with overexpression of Bax/Bcl2 ratio, PCNA, and IL-2; (b) rhEPO therapy on the heart of the rats with CRF induced by partial 3/4 nephrectomy promoted nonhematopoietic protection, demonstrated by the apoptosis prevention, viewed by the Bax/Bcl2 balance, by the promotion of proliferation, due to PCNA increment, and by the immunomodulatory action, expressed by a trend to prevent the IL-2 increment. Conclusion: In this model of moderate CRF, rhEPO treatment showed important cardiac nonhematopoietic effects, expressed mainly by the antiapoptotic and the proproliferative action, suggesting that early rhEPO therapy in moderate stages of CRF might have further therapeutic benefits.

Monitorando a deglutição através da eletromiografia de superfície

OBJETIVO: descrever o metodo de registro da eletromiografia de superficie atraves da utilizacao de um protocolo desenvolvido para o estudo da degluticao e demonstrar a degluticao de um paciente com doenca de Parkinson e de um sujeito normal atraves do registro da eletromiografia de superficie (EMGs). METODOS: para ilustrar os parâmetros eletrofisiologicos registrados apos execucao do protocolo foram utilizados dois voluntarios do sexo feminino, sendo um sem doenca e outro apresentando doenca de Parkinson (DP) no estagio III de acordo com a escala de Hoehn e Yahr. Os parâmetros analisados pelo foram: a duracao da atividade eletrica durante a degluticao, a amplitude (rms) e o limite de disfagia. RESULTADOS: os resultados mostram diferencas entre os eletromiogramas ilustrativos. CONCLUSAO: a EMGs pode ser utilizada como metodo de avaliacao e monitorizacao da degluticao de sujeitos sem doenca e com DP.

Characterization of a rat model of moderate chronic renal failure--focus on hematological, biochemical, and cardio-renal profiles.

The pathophysiological modifications underlying chronic renal failure seems to be dependent on the insufficiency degree, which will determine the moment to start therapy. As there is yet limited information about animal models of moderate chronic renal failure, we intended to perform a complete characterization of the hematological and cardio-renal alterations induced by partial nephrectomy. Blood samples from control and chronic renal failure rats were collected at 0, 3, 9, and 15 weeks in order to evaluate renal function, hematological parameters, iron metabolism, blood lipids, peripheral sympathetic nervous system, and inflammatory and redox status markers. BP, tissues trophy indexes, and kidney histomorphology were also assessed. Our data are consistent with a sustained moderate degree of chronic renal failure with a quickly compensated modest anaemia, though presenting iron metabolism disturbances. Despite the reasonable degree of functionality of the remnant kidney, as suggested by the anaemia correction and by the kidney hypertrophy and moderate lesions, several important cardiovascular modifications were developed. Our model presented hypertension, dyslipidemia, erythropoietic disturbances, sympathetic activation, and oxidative stress. This model might be a good tool to study the cellular/molecular mechanisms underlying moderate stages of chronic renal failure and to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy for prevention and treatment/correction of cardio-renal anaemia syndromes and complications in early stages.

Valores referenciais da eletromiografia de músculos envolvidos na deglutição: uma revisão sistemática

BACKGROUND: normal surface electromyography (sEMG) of muscles involved in swallowing. PURPOSE: to investigate if the literature indicates normal parameters for duration, amplitude and characteristics of the electromyograms of the muscles involved in swallowing (orbicularis oris, masseter, muscles of the suprahyoid muscles and the infra-hyoid region covered by the platysma muscle). CONCLUSION: the search resulted in 33 references, of which only five were within the inclusion criteria. Only one reference was classified with good level of quality by the Jadad scale with modifications. The selected articles cannot point reliable reference values mainly for EMG amplitude and morphology, because they used a inappropriate sampling rate for the EMG recordings that maximizes the achievement of distorted data for the muscle activity. Literature suggests the normalization of techniques for the electromyographic signal due to the variability between and among subjects.