Background Few studies compared populations with similar genetic and culture background on different continents with standardized methods. Objective To describe methodological issues of the Study of Health in Pomerode - SHIP-Brazil and some characteristics of the participants of the baseline examination. Design and Setting Prospective, population-based cohort study of a representative sample of residents (aged 20 to 79 years) of Pomerode, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Methods Data for the baseline survey (from 2014 to 2018) were collected through interviews and medical examinations, including socio-demographic and lifestyle information, clinical and subclinical conditions, oral and mental health, among others. Biosamples (blood, urine, stool, and saliva) were collected and stored. Methods of data collection and quality control are described. Preliminary descriptive statistics were performed. Results The response rate was 67.6% (n=2,488 individuals). The Kappa test-retest of some variables varied from 0.54 to 1.0. German culture participants are older (46.5 vs 38.7 years), self-declared white (97.3% vs 82.1%), more frequently never smokers (71.4% vs 66.9%) but had higher risk of consuming alcohol (16.9% vs 13.4%) compared to participants with non-German background. Germans were taller (169 cm vs 166 cm), had greater abdominal circumference among men (101.9 cm vs 97.3 cm). Furthermore, they reported more multimorbidity (56.7% vs 43.6%) , had more arterial hypertension (30.7% vs 18.5%), but less depression (15.4% vs 19,1%) than non-Germans. Conclusions The interaction of genetic and social/environmental issues should be examined to understand the role of risk factors on clinical conditions observed.

Introdução Poucos estudos compararam populações com histórico genético e cultural semelhante em diferentes continentes com métodos padronizados. Objetivos Descrever questões metodológicas do estudo de “Vida e Saúde em Pomerode - SHIP-Brazil” e algumas características dos participantes do exame inicial do estudo. Desenho de estudo e local Estudo de coorte prospectivo de base populacional em amostra representativa de moradores (20 a 79 anos) de Pomerode, Santa Catarina. Métodos As informações para a linha de base (de 2014 a 2018) foram coletadas por meio de entrevistas e exames médicos, incluindo dados sociodemográficos, de estilo de vida, condições clínicas e subclínicas, saúde bucal e mental, entre outros. Amostras biológicas (sangue, urina, fezes e saliva) foram coletadas e armazenadas. A coleta de dados e o controle de qualidade foram descritos. Foram realizadas análises descritivas preliminares. Resultados A taxa de resposta foi de 67,6% (n=2.488 indivíduos). O Kappa teste-reteste de algumas variáveis variou  de 0,54 a 1,0. Os participantes de cultura alemã são mais velhos (46,5 vs 38,7 anos ), autodeclarados brancos (97,3% vs 82,1%), com menor número de fumantes (71,4% vs 66,9%), mas tiveram maior risco de consumir álcool (16,9% vs 13,4%), eram mais altos (169 cm vs 166 cm), tinham maior circunferência abdominal entre os homens (101,9 cm vs 97,3 cm) em comparação com participantes “não-alemães”. Pessoas de cultura alemã relataram mais multimorbidade (56,7% vs 43,6%), apresentavam mais hipertensão arterial (30,7% vs 18,5%), mas menos depressão (15,4% vs 19,1%). Conclusões A interação genética e social/ambiental devem ser examinadas para melhor entender o papel desses fatores de risco nas condições clínicas observadas.

Abstract Inflammation and pain are consequences of injuries or diseases that affect a large number of people. This study aims to evaluate the effect of acupuncture and laserpuncture on nociception and inflammation in mice compared to the effects of morphine and dexamethasone. 140 male Swiss mice were used. Treatment with acupuncture and laserpuncture were performed at the acupoints LI11, ST36, GB34, and BL60 in mice. To evaluate the effect of acupuncture and laserpuncture on nociception, the hot plate test and intraplantar formalin injection were used. The effect of acupuncture and laserpuncture on the inflammation was evaluated through carrageenan-induced paw edema. Thermographic analysis was also applied to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects. An antinociceptive effect (≈57%) was observed in treatments with acupuncture and laserpuncture, equivalent to the effect of morphine. Laserpuncture and acupuncture decreased paw edema by ≈25%. Acupuncture had an effect equivalent to dexamethason, basides reducing the neurogenic phase by 35% and the inflammatory phase in formalin-induced nociception by 40%, equivalent to the effects of morphine. In thermographic analysis, acupuncture, laserpuncture, morphine, and negative control had paw temperature of ≈27 °C, while formalin treatment was 31°C. Acupuncture and laserpuncture proved to be effective therapies for the treatment of inflammatory and painful processes.

Um procedimento de isolamento de mitocôndrias funcionalmente intactas de calos embriogênicos de Araucaria angustifolia foi desenvolvido pela primeira vez em nosso laboratório. Mitocôndrias isoladas por este método são metabolicamente ativas, capazes de sustentar fosforilação oxidativa como mostrado pelo controle respiratório de aproximadamente 2,4, respirando na presença de succinato como substrato. Através de experimentos de consumo de oxigênio com mitocôndrias rompidas em nitrogênio líquido foi demonstrada a presença de NAD(P)H desidrogenases alternativas, insensíveis à rotenona e estimuladas por Ca2+. O isolamento de mitocôndrias de A. angustifolia é um novo e importante instrumento para estudar plantas, permitindo a execução de múltiplas investigações a respeito da bioenergética mitocondrial e fisiologia vegetal.

A method for the isolation of coupled mitochondria from the callus of Araucaria angustifolia is described for the first time. Mitochondria were isolated from embryogenic callus of A. angustifolia. They were metabolically active, able to sustain oxidative phosphorylation as shown by respiratory control ratio values, which were about 2.4 when respiring on succinate as substrate. Oxygen uptake experiments, using freeze-thawed disrupted mitochondria, showed the presence of alternative rotenone-insensitive NAD(P)H dehydrogenases, which were stimulated by Ca2+. The procedure now described for the isolation of A. angustifolia mitochondria is an important new tool, allowing the investigation of mitochondrial bioenergetics and metabolism and physiology of plants.