Abstract Background: Currently, there is no uniform and official terminology in Portuguese for reflectance confocal microscopy analysis, despite the increasing number of Brazilian dermatologists using this new tool. Objective: To present the terminology in Brazilian Portuguese for the description of reflectance confocal microscopy and establish the first Brazilian consensus on terms related to normal skin and cutaneous tumors. Methods: 10 Brazilian specialists from different institutions and states of Brazil were selected to evaluate the best corresponding terms in Portuguese for normal skin, melanocytic and non-melanocytic tumors. The terms used were translated from international consensuses in the English language. The modified Delphi method was used to create the consensus in 3 steps. Results: The terms considered the most appropriate in the Portuguese language to describe the findings of normal skin, melanocytic and non-melanocytic lesions in the reflectance confocal microscopy analysis were presented. Study limitations: The limitations of the present study include the number of participants and limited regional representation (only two of the five Brazilian regions were represented). Conclusion: This Brazilian consensus represents an opportunity for dermatologists and physicians specializing in cutaneous oncology to become familiar with reflectance confocal microscopy, propagating the technique in clinical and research environments to stimulate national and international publications on this subject. Background Currently tool Objective tumors Methods 1 nonmelanocytic non steps Results presented only represented. represented . represented) Conclusion subject

Abstract The number of deaths associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) increases every year, leading to an intense search for new compounds that may be employed as anticoagulants. One of the classes of bioprospected molecules comprises sulfated polysaccharides (SP) from seaweed, as heparin displays many adverse effects associated with its use. The present study aimed to characterize and evaluate the anticoagulant potential of SP extracted from the green algae Halimeda opuntia. Four PS-rich fractions, F23, F44, F60 and F75, were obtained by proteolytic digestion in papain followed by ethanol precipitation. The presence of SP was confirmed by agarose gel electrophoresis, revealing different populations in each fraction. The F44 fraction is noteworthy compared to the other fractions, presenting a 5% yield compared to the initial algae weight and anticoagulant activity revealed by the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) assay (intrinsic/common coagulation pathway). Surprisingly, F44 purification (SP peak P1F44) resulted in prothrombin time (PT) activity (extrinsic coagulation pathway) at a 160 µg/mL, in addition to enhanced APTT activity. The P1F44 anticoagulant activity mechanism was shown to be dependent on two coagulations factors, IIa and Xa, more potent via IIa. Future assessments will be performed to assess this fraction in the medical clinic. CVD (CVD year anticoagulants seaweed use opuntia PSrich PS rich fractions F23 F F6 F75 precipitation electrophoresis F4 5 (APTT intrinsic/common intrinsiccommon intrinsic common pathway. pathway . Surprisingly PF P PT (PT extrinsic 16 µgmL µg mL µg/mL P1F4 factors Xa clinic F2 F7 1 P1F

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the expression levels of surface markers of activation (CD38 and HLA-DR), inhibition (PD-1, TIGIT and CD57) and co-stimulation (CD28 and CD127) on CD4+ T cells of children/adolescents with vertical HIV infection (HI patients) and HIV-uninfected (HU) controls vaccinated with the meningococcal C conjugate vaccine (MCC). METHODS: HI patients (n=12), aged 8-17 years, were immunized with two MCC injections, while HU controls (n=9), aged 5.3-10.7 years, received a single MCC dose (as per national recommendation at the time of this study, a single MCC vaccine dose should be given for healthy children and youth aged 1-18 years). The HI patients were categorized according to the combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) treatment. Blood samples were obtained before vaccination, after priming, and after the administration of a booster dose of vaccine to determine the serum bactericidal antibody (SBA) titers and the expression levels of surface markers on CD4+ T cells by flow cytometry. The levels of serum cytokines, IL-4 and CXCL-13 were also measured using Luminex kits. RESULTS: The co-expression of the TIGIT-HLA-DR-CD38 molecules increased in the CD4+ T cells of HI patients/no-cART who also showed a lower frequency of CD127+CD28+ CD4+ T cells than HI patients/cART and HU group subjects. There were significant negative correlations between the frequency of exhausted CD4+ T cells and the SBA response. IL-4 levels were higher in HI patients/cART and positively correlated with SBA titers but negatively associated with the expression of exhaustion markers. Moreover, the CXCL-13 levels were positively correlated with the exhausted CD4+ T cells. CONCLUSION: The results of our study suggest that the co-expression of exhaustion markers and/or loss of co-stimulatory molecules influence the SBA response in HI patients.

A Streptomyces sp. (BRA-384) was selected among nine strains of bacteria isolated from the zoanthids Palythoa caribaeorum due to the high cytotoxic activity presented by its EtOAc extract (inhibitory concentration mean (IC50) of 2 ng mL-1) against colon cancer cell line. From the EtOAc extract of BRA-384 three new chemical entities (A6, A7 and A8) and one dextrorotatory chromomycin (A5), a promising class of anticancer compounds, were identified. The cytotoxicity of chromomycins A5 to A8 was tested against five tumor cell lines (HCT 116 (human colon adenocarcinoma), MCF-7 (human breast carcinoma), PC-3M (human metastatic prostate cancer), 501-mel (human metastatic melanoma) and MM200 (metastatic melanoma)). All chromomycins were highly potent showing IC50 values from 0.2 to 133 nM. Chromomycin A5 was consistently the most potent over all tested cells (IC50 values from 0.2 in MM200 to 7.9 nM in PC-3M), inclusive when compared to the standard chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin, that presented IC50 values ranging from 147 to 568 nM against MM200 and MCF-7, respectively.

ABSTRACT Objective: To verify the physiological action of triiodothyronine T3 on the expression of transforming growth factor α (TGFA) mRNA in MCF7 cells by inhibition of RNA Polymerase II and the MAPK/ERK pathway Materials and methods: The cell line was treated with T3 at a physiological dose (10−9M) for 10 minutes, 1 and 4 hour (h) in the presence or absence of the inhibitors, α-amanitin (RNA polymerase II inhibitor) and PD98059 (MAPK/ERK pathway inhibitor). TGFA mRNA expression was analyzed by RT-PCR. For data analysis, we used ANOVA, complemented with the Tukey test and Student t-test, with a minimum significance of 5%. Results: T3 increases the expression of TGFA mRNA in MCF7 cells in 4 h of treatment. Inhibition of RNA polymerase II modulates the effect of T3 treatment on the expression of TGFA in MCF7 cells. Activation of the MAPK/ERK pathway is not required for T3 to affect the expression of TGFA mRNA. Conclusion: Treatment with a physiological concentration of T3 after RNA polymerase II inhibition altered the expression of TGFA. Inhibition of the MAPK/ERK pathway after T3 treatment does not interfere with the TGFA gene expression in a breast adenocarcinoma cell line.

ABSTRACT N2O emissions from wastewater treatment plants have become an important issue, since this compound is a significant greenhouse gas that affects the sustainability of sewage treatment. This work aimed to investigate and to reduce N2O emission from a pilot-scale aerobic granular sludge sequencing batch reactor (AGS-SBR) operated for carbon and nitrogen removal from domestic wastewater under subtropical climate condition. Three operational strategies (S-I, S-II and S-III) with different anoxic phase durations were compared regarding treatment efficiency and N2O emission. For all the studied strategies, volatile suspended solids (VSS) was between 1.0 and 1.2 g/L. S-III, with the longest anoxic phase, obtained the highest biological oxygen demand (BOD) and NH4+-N removal efficiencies (86% and 84%, respectively), the lowest N2O emission factor (16.99 gN2O-N/person·year) and the lowest total nitrogen (TN) to N2O conversion ratio (0.47%). The results indicated that the extension of the anoxic phase was an effective way to significantly reduce N2O emission and to improve treatment efficiency.

Abstract Bauhinia L. and Schnella (Raddi.) Wund. are popularly known in Brazil as "mororó". The leaves and stem bark are used in folk medicine for various purposes, especially against diabetes. Morphoanatomical studies of the leaves of Bauhinia cheilantha (Bong.) Steud., B. pentandra (Bong.) Steud., B. ungulata L. and Schnella outimouta (Aublet) Wund., tribe Cercidae, subtribe Bauhiniinae (Benth.) Walp., were carried out as subsidies to the quality control of their etnodrugs and their derivatives, as well as an additional support to their taxonomy. The morphological and anatomical studies employed traditional techniques of stereo- and light microscopy. All species showed bifoliate leaves, a dorsiventral mesophyll, epidermis with a papillose abaxial surface, anomocytic stomata at the level of the epidermis, and tector trichomes. Schnella outimouta showed leaf characters distinctive from the three species of Bauhinia: indument puberulous on the abaxial surface, leaves hypostomatic, midrib with two collateral bundles, and a cylindrical petiole. The species of Bauhinia have a sericeous-pubescent indument, amphistomatic leaves with boat-shaped glands, midrib with a single bundle, and a canaliculate petiole with lateral projections. Our results provide leaf morphological and anatomical parameters, useful to distinguish the four species studied, which support the quality control of its ethnodrugs.

ABSTRACT Purpose: To evaluate if late hormonal replacement is able to recover the prostatic tissue modified by androgenic deprivation. Materials and Methods: 24 rats were assigned into a Sham group; an androgen deficient group, submitted to bilateral orchiectomy (Orch); and a group submitted to bilateral orchiectomy followed by testosterone replacement therapy (Orch+T). After 60 days from surgery blood was collected for determination of testosterone levels and the ventral prostate was collected for quantitative and qualitative microscopic analysis. The acinar epithelium height, the number of mast cells per field, and the densities of collagen fibers and acinar lumen were analyzed by stereological methods under light microscopy. The muscle fibers and types of collagen fibers were qualitatively assessed by scanning electron microscopy and polarization microscopy. Results: Hormone depletion (in group Orch) and return to normal levels (in group Orch+T) were effective as verified by serum testosterone analysis. The androgen deprivation promoted several alterations in the prostate: the acinar epithelium height diminished from 16.58±0.47 to 11.48±0.29μm; the number of mast cells per field presented increased from 0.45±0.07 to 2.83±0.25; collagen fibers density increased from 5.83±0.92 to 24.70±1.56%; and acinar lumen density decreased from 36.78±2.14 to 16.47±1.31%. Smooth muscle was also increased in Orch animals, and type I collagen fibers became more predominant in these animals. With the exception of the densities of collagen fibers and acinar lumen, in animals receiving testosterone replacement therapy all parameters became statistically similar to Sham. Collagen fibers density became lower and acinar lumen density became higher in Orch+T animals, when compared to Sham. This is the first study to demonstrate a relation between mast cells and testosterone levels in the prostate. This cells have been implicated in prostatic cancer and benign hyperplasia, although its specific role is not understood. Conclusion: Testosterone deprivation promotes major changes in the prostate of rats. The hormonal replacement therapy was effective in reversing these alterations.

OBJETIVO: Os sorotipos (Ia, Ib e II ao IX) do estreptococo do grupo B (GBS) são classificados baseado nas variações em seus polissacarídeos capsulares; sua prevalência difere entre diferentes áreas geográficas. Nós examinamos a prevalência de todos os sorotipos do estreptococo do grupo B em amostras de swabs vaginal e retal obtidas de 363 mulheres seguidas em um centro de referência brasileiro, o Hospital da Mulher Professor Doutor José Aristodemo Pinotti; a susceptibilidade bacteriana a antibióticos foi também determinada. MÉTODO A prevalência de estreptococo do grupo B positivo foi avaliada por aglutinação em látex e através de análise por multiplex PCR; susceptibilidade bacteriana a antibióticos, tais como clindamicina, eritromicina, levofloxacin, linezolide, penicilina e tetraciclina foi determinada pelo método de disco difusão. RESULTADOS: (a) Tanto a cultura padrão para estreptococo do grupo B quanto a análise por multiplex PCR testaram positivos para 83 swabs. A prevalência para colonização por GBS foi 20%. O sorotipo Ia foi o mais prevalente (n= 43/83; 52%), seguido pelo sorotipo V (n= 14/83; 17%); De acordo com a origem anatômica, o sorotipo Ia positivou 27/59 (46%) e 16/24 (67%) das amostras vaginais e retais, respectivamente; o teste de PCR também identificou os sorotipos Ib, II, III, VI. O sorotipo VI é raramente descrito e não reportado no Brasil ou na América Latina até esta data. (b) O teste de aglutinação em látex somente identificou 44 amostras positivas, todas das quais foram sorotipadas: 34 destas amostras (77%) tiveram os sorotipos coincidindo com aqueles identificados pela multiplex PCR. (c) Somente uma amostra (sorotipo Ia) mostrou resistência a eritromicina e clindamicina. CONCLUSÃO: Estudos regionais sobre a prevalência dos sorotipos do estreptococo do grupo B são essenciais para guiar medidas imunoprofiláticas (vacinas) e a implementação de adequada antibiótico profilaxia. Neste estudo, a incidência do sorotipo VI foi descrita pela primeira vez na população Brasileira, um novo e raro sorotipo do estreptococo do grupo B.

OBJECTIVE: Group B Streptococcus (GBS) serotypes (Ia, Ib and II to IX) are classified based on variations in their capsular polysaccharide; their prevalence differs between different geographic areas. We examined the prevalence of all GBS serotypes in rectal and vaginal swab samples obtained from 363 pregnant women followed at a Brazilian referral center (Hospital da Mulher Professor Doutor José Aristodemo Pinotti); bacterial susceptibility to antibiotics was further determined. METHOD: Prevalence of positive GBS was evaluated by latex agglutination and by multiplex PCR analysis; bacterial susceptibility to antibiotics, such as clindamycin, erythromycin, levofloxacin, linezolid, penicillin and tetracycline was determined by the disk diffusion method. RESULTS: (a) standard GBS culture and the multiplex PCR analysis tested positive for 83 swabs, collected from 72 women (prevalence of GBS colonization: 72/363; 20%); the most prevalent Serotype was Ia (n=43/83; 52%), followed by serotype V (n=14/83; 17%); according to anatomical origin, serotype Ia accounted for 27/59 (46%) and 16/24 (67%) of the vaginal and rectal samples, respectively; PCR also identified serotypes Ib, II, III and VI. Serotype VI is rarely described and had not been previously reported in Brazil or in Latin America. (b) The latex agglutination test only identified 44 positive samples, all of which were serotyped: 34 of these samples (77%) had serotypes matching those identified by multiplex PCR. (c) Only one sample (serotype Ia) showed resistance to erythromycin and clindamycin. CONCLUSION: Regional studies on GBS serotypes prevalence are essential to guide immunoprophylactic interventions (vaccines) and the implementation of adequate antibiotic prophylaxis or treatment. In this study, the incidence of the serotype VI, a new and rare serotype of GBS was described for the first time in a Brazilian population.

Resumo Introdução: O transexualismo (CID-10) é uma condição caracterizada por forte e persistente dissociação com o gênero atribuído. A cirurgia de redesignação sexual (CRS) e a terapia hormonal (TH) permitem que indivíduos transexuais se sintam mais congruentes com seu gênero e, por isso, têm desempenhado papel importante nos últimos 70 anos. O fator neurotrófico derivado do cérebro (BDNF) parece desempenhar um papel fundamental na recuperação do trauma cirúrgico agudo e vulnerabilidade ambiental à psicopatologia. Nós hipotetizamos que o BDNF pode ser um biomarcador de alívio do sofrimento de incongruência de gênero pós-CRS. Objetivos: Mensurar os níveis séricos de BDNF no pré e pós-operatório em indivíduos transexuais como biomarcador de alívio de estresse relacionado à incongruência de gênero após a CRS. Métodos: Trinta e duas pessoas transexuais masculino para feminino submetidas a cirurgia e tratamento hormonal foram selecionadas de nossa amostra inicial. O nível sérico de BDNF foi avaliado antes e depois da CRS pela técnica ELISA. O tempo decorrido entre as coletas de sangue pré e pós-CRS foi medido. Resultados: Não houve diferença significativa nos níveis de BDNF pré e pós-CRS ou em relação ao tempo decorrido entre a CRS e a coleta. Conclusão: O alívio do sofrimento relacionado à incongruência de gênero pós-CRS não pode ser avaliado apenas pelo BDNF. Soluções cirúrgicas podem não fornecer uma solução rápida para o sofrimento associado ao transexualismo, e a CRS pode servir como um passo em direção à, em vez de conclusão da, construção da identidade de gênero de uma pessoa.

Abstract Introduction: Transsexualism (ICD-10) is a condition characterized by a strong and persistent dissociation with one's assigned gender. Sex reassignment surgery (SRS) and hormone therapy provide a means of allowing transsexual individuals to feel more congruent with their gender and have played a major role in treatment over the past 70 years. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) appears to play a key role in recovery from acute surgical trauma and environmentally mediated vulnerability to psychopathology. We hypothesize that BDNF may be a biomarker of alleviation of gender incongruence suffering. Objectives: To measure preoperative and postoperative serum BDNF levels in transsexual individuals as a biomarker of alleviation of stress related to gender incongruence after SRS. Methods: Thirty-two male-to-female transsexual people who underwent both surgery and hormonal treatment were selected from our initial sample. BDNF serum levels were assessed before and after SRS with sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The time elapsed between the pre-SRS and post-SRS blood collections was also measured. Results: No significant difference was found in pre-SRS or post-SRS BDNF levels or with relation to the time elapsed after SRS when BDNF levels were measured. Conclusion: Alleviation of the suffering related to gender incongruence after SRS cannot be assessed by BDNF alone. Surgical solutions may not provide a quick fix for psychological distress associated with transsexualism and SRS may serve as one step toward, rather than as the conclusion of, construction of a person's gender identity.

ABSTRACT Background Ear Acupuncture (EA) is a form of acupuncture in which needles are applied to the external ear and has been used in multiple painful conditions. Low back pain (LBP) is highly prevalent in active individuals and causes high economic burden to health systems worldwide. LBP affects the person’s ability to keep balance, especially in challenging conditions. Objective The aim of the study was to examine the effects of a single session of EA on pain intensity and body sway during postural tasks. Method Eighty adults with LBP and pain intensity equal to or greater than 4 (0-10 scale) were randomly allocated (1:1) to EA group (EAG) or placebo group (PG). Initially, the level of pain intensity was assessed. Next, participants stood still on a force plate either with feet in parallel or in semi-tandem and with eyes open or closed. Then, the EAG was treated with EA for 20 min and the PG was treated with detuned ultrasound. After the treatment, pain intensity was assessed again and the postural test was repeated. Pain intensity was the primary outcome and center of pressure sway area and speed were the secondary outcomes measured. Results Results revealed that pain intensity decreased in both groups after treatment, but decreased more in the EAG. For postural control, no effect of treatment and no interaction between treatment and postural condition on body sway were found. Conclusion Those findings indicate that EA is better than placebo to reduce pain, but neither treatment has any effect on postural control.

ABSTRACT Objectives To investigate the protective effect of L-Glutamine in animals undergone to ventral radiation when the target organ is not the prostate. Materials and Methods Wistar rats were divided into groups of 10 animals each: Controls (C), maintained under standard conditions and not exposed to radiation, Radiated group (R) undergone to abdominal radiation only and Radiated plus supplemented by L-glutamine group (R+G). The animals of group R+G were supplemented with L-glutamine at the beginning of the experiment until death in the 22nd day. The ventral prostate was dissected and processed for morphometrical analysis. The epithelial height, collagen density and acinar area were objectively assessed in histological sections. Results Epithelial height was significantly reduced in R group in comparison to C group (p= 0.005). However, there was no statistical difference between the C and R+G groups. Collagen surface density in the C and R groups were not statistically different, but a significant difference was observed when comparing groups R+G and R (p= 0.040). The R+G group values did not differ significantly from C group. The acinar prostate area of group R was similar to that of C (p= 0.971), but in R+G it was significantly reduced when compared with the C (p= 0.038) and R (p= 0.001) groups. Conclusions Pelvic radiation promotes structural modifications in ventral prostate of rats, which can be reduced by L-Glutamine.

Drug trafficking and the introduction of new drugs onto the illicit market are one of the main challenges of the forensic community. In this study, the chemical profile of a new designer drug, 2-(4-iodine-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-n-[(2-methoxyphenyl)methyl]etamine or 25I-NBOMe was explored using thin layer chromatography (TLC), ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry (UV-Vis), attenuated total reflection with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(ATR-FTIR), gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI-FT-ICR MS). First, the TLC technique was effective for identifying spots related to 25C-, 25B- and 25I-NBOMe compounds, all with the same retention factor, Rf ≈ 0.50. No spot was detected for 2,5-dimethoxy-4-bromoamphetamine, 2,5-Dimethoxy-4-chloroamphetamine or lysergic acid diethylamide compounds. ATR-FTIR preserved the physical-chemical properties of the material, whereas GC-MS and ESI-MS showed better analytical selectivity. ESI(+)FT-ICR MS was used to identify the exact mass (m/z428.1706 for the [M + H]+ ion), molecular formula (M = C18H22INO3), degree of unsaturation (DBE = 8) and the chemical structure (from collision induced dissociation, CID, experiments) of the 25I-NBOMe compound. Furthermore, the ATR-FTIR and CID results suggested the presence of isomers, where a second structure is proposed as an isomer of the 25I-NBOMe molecule.

<title>ABSTRACT</title><sec><title>Purpose:</title><p>To evaluate the effects of different high-fat diets on body mass, carbohydrate metabolism and testicular morphology in rats seven months old.</p></sec><sec><title>Materials and Methods:</title><p>Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: SC (standard chow), HF-S (high fat diet rich in saturated fatty acids), HF-P (high fat diet rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids), HF-SP (high fat diet rich in saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids). The rats were fed for 16 weeks. Blood samples, testes and genital fat deposits were collected for analysis. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc test, considering p<0.05 as statistically significant.</p></sec><sec><title>Results:</title><p>Different high-fat diets promoted an increase in the body mass (p<0.0001). The genital fat deposits were higher in the high-fat groups (HF-S, HF-P, HF-SP) (p=0.0004). Regarding serum parameters, the animals in the HF-S and HF-SP groups presented hyperglycemia (p=0.0060), hyperinsulinemia (p=0.0030) and hypercholesterolemia (p=0.0021). All of the hyperlipidemic groups showed hyperleptinemia (p=0.0019). Concerning the testis, the HF-S group showed a reduction on the seminiferous epithelium height (p=0.0003) and cell proliferation (p=0.0450). Seminiferous tubule diameter was lower in the HF-SP than in the SC group (p=0.0010).</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusions:</title><p>The high fat diet administration, independent of the lipid quality, promotes overweight. Diet rich in saturated fatty acids (lard) alters the carbohydrate metabolism and the testicular morphology with reductions of seminiferous epithelium height, seminiferous tubule diameter and cell proliferation which could be related to a disturbance of spermatogenesis.</p></sec>

Himatanthus articulatus (Vahl) Woodson is a tree found in the northern Amazon savannahs (common name: sucuba) that is used in local Amerindian medicine. Leaf, bark and branch wood methanol extracts, sequentially obtained hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts and latex were evaluated for antifungal and antibacterial activities against American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) and local clinical strains using the disc diffusion method. Methanol extracts and latex inhibited Candida albicans, leaf methanol extracts inhibited Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis and bark methanol extracts inhibited B. subtilis. Active extracts inhibited the ATCC and clinical strains. Polar antifungal and antibacterial principles in latex and extracts are thought to be responsible for the inhibition.