ABSTRACT Purpose: To investigate whether renal modifications occur following treatment with dutasteride or finasteride. Methods: Twenty-four male rats were divided into three groups: control (that received distilled water), dutasteride (0.5 mg/kg/day), and finasteride (5 mg/kg/day) groups. All administrations were given by gavage for 40 consecutive days. After inducing euthanasia, blood was collected for urea and creatinine analyses, and both the kidneys were collected for stereological analyses of kidney morphology. Results: Serum urea and creatinine levels were increased in both the finasteride and the dutasteride groups compared with those in the control group. In addition, kidney weight, kidney volume, cortical volume, glomerular volumetric density, and mean glomerular volume were reduced in both treatment groups. Finally, the number of glomeruli per kidney was reduced by 26.8% in the finasteride group and by 51.6% in the dutasteride group compared with that in the control group. Conclusions: The 5-ARIs finasteride and dutasteride promoted morphological and functional damages in rat kidneys. In addition, rats in the dutasteride group showed more severe renal modifications than those in the finasteride group.

ABSTRACT High-fat diet-induced obesity is associated with metabolic disorders. The Brazil nut has bioactive substances and has been used to control the damage caused by obesity in several organs. The work intended to show the damage caused by high-fat diet in the bladder wall and if the Brazil nut oil added to the diet could ameliorate or reverse this effect. Sixty-day-old rats were divided into two groups: C (control, n = 30) and HF (high-fat, n = 30) diets. At 90 days, 10 animals of each group were sacrificed. The others were divided into 4 groups: C and HF (animals that maintained their previous diet, n = 10 for each group) and C / Bno and HF / Bno (animals whose control or high-fat diet was supplemented by Brazil nut oil, n = 10 for each group). Sacrifice occurred at 120 days, and the bladders were removed and analyzed. Epithelial height was increased in the HF compared to the C group. In contrast, the C / Bno had a lower epithelial height compared to the others. The percentage of collagen between the detrusor muscle fibers was significantly greater in C / Bno, HF and HF / Bno than in control group. The HF had a larger muscle fiber diameter than the C group, while the C / Bno presented lower values than the HF and HF / Bno groups. HF diets induced bladder wall damage. These changes in the rat's bladder wall were partially reversed by the Bno.

Objetivo: Apresentar um projeto piloto de inserção do ensino médio em programas de pós-graduação (PPG) e discutir os mecanismos para a formação de líderes em ciência. Métodos: Realizou-se um estudo de revisão e apresentação de piloto. A busca bibliográfica ocorreu nos sites da CAPES, MEC, Scielo e biblioteca de livros virtuais, de janeiro/2014 a fevereiro/2015. O piloto ocorre nos PPG-Medicina III em Cirurgia Translacional/UNIFESP e Fisiopatologia e Ciências Cirúrgicas/UERJ. Os alunos de iniciação científica júnior (ICj) são oriundos de escola pública e desenvolvem atividades científicas: participação em reuniões científicas, graduação e inserção nos projetos de pesquisa. A avaliação ocorrerá ao final de um ano, com redações dos resultados, relatórios e participações em eventos científicos. Resultados: No Brasil, um dos principais desafios da educação é a alta média de anos de estudo. O PNPG (2011-2020) apresenta a inserção da educação básica em todos os PPG. Na Fisiopatologia e Ciências Cirúrgicas/UERJ há atualmente 11 alunos do ensino médio, que já acompanharam as reuniões científicas e preparam-se para a inserção em projetos de pesquisa. Houve 30% de desistência, devido à alta carga horária escolar. Esse resultado e a experiência vivenciada permite criar alternativas futuras para aprimorar o projeto de inserção. Conclusão: A liderança em ciências é formada a partir de uma complexa relação entre educação básica e investimentos na pesquisa. Cursos de PPG-Medicina III seguem na vanguarda com iniciativas focadas no desenvolvimento científico e tecnológico. Assim, projetos envolvendo alunos da educação básica representam modelo e ambiente promotor de líderes.

Objective: To present a high school insertion pilot project in post graduate programs (PPG) and discuss the mechanisms for the formation of leaders in science. Methods: This study presents a review and pilot project. Bibliographic search occurred in sites of CAPES, MEC, SciELO and library of virtual books from January/ 2014 to February/2015. The pilot is in PPG-Medicine III Translational Surgery/UNIFESP and Pathophysiology and Surgical Sciences / UERJ. The junior undergraduate students (ICj) came from public school and develop scientific activities: scientific meetings, graduation and inclusion in research projects. The evaluation will occur at the end of one year, with the results essays, reports and participation in scientific events. Results: In Brazil, one of the main challenges of education is the high average years of study. The PNPG (2011-2020) shows the insertion of basic education in all PPG. In the Pathophysiology and Surgical Sciences/UERJ there are currently 11 high school students who have followed the scientific meetings and are being prepared for the inclusion in research projects. There was 30% of absence, owing to the high school hours. This result and the experience allow creating future alternatives to enhance the integration project. Conclusion: The leadership in science is formed from a complex relationship between basic education and investment in research. PPG-Medicine III courses follow the vanguard with initiatives focused on scientific and technological development. Thus, projects involving basic education students represent promoter model and environment leaders.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of dietary lipid quantity and/or quality on penis morphology in adult rats. METHODS: Thirty-eight male Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups: normal lipid diet (NL), high-fat diet rich in saturated fatty acids (HF-S), high-fat diet rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (HF-P), and high-fat diet rich in saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids (HF-SP). Blood samples were collected and the penises were removed for histomorphometrical and immunohistochemical analysis. RESULTS: All high-fat diets promoted an increase in the body mass (p<0.0001). The HF-S and HF-SP groups presented hyperglycemia (p=0.0060), hyperinsulinemia (p=0.0030), and hypercholesterolemia (p=0.0020). Concerning the penis, the high-fat diets led to an increase in the collagen fibers (p<0.0001) and smooth muscle cell density area (p=0.0027), and a decline in the sinusoidal space density area (p<0.0001) and corpus cavernosum cell proliferation (p=0.0003). CONCLUSION: Diets rich in saturated and/or polyunsaturated fatty acids promoted overweight and induced penile changes in rodent models, which may lead to the development of erectile dysfunction.

PURPOSE: To analyze Pten and Smad4 gene expression in the urogenital system of Wistar rats in differents ages. METHODS: Pten and Smad4 mRNA expression was assessed in the bladder, ventral prostate, testis, ovaries, and uterus by real-time PCR. Statistical analysis using the ANOVA (p<0.05). RESULTS: Pten levels showed a progressive age-dependent increase in the bladder (male and female) and prostate and were elevated in the ovaries of the middle-aged. In the uterus, no statistically significant differences were observed; in the testis, increased and decreased levels were seen in young adult and middle-aged rats, respectively. Smad4 expression was downregulated in the ovaries of the pubertal group but increased in the middle age group. In the uterus, Smad4 expression in the oldest group was higher than the others groups. In the testis, Smad4 expression steadily declined with age; in the prostate, it was higher in middle-aged rats than in younger rats. A similar trend was observed in the bladder of male and female middle-aged rats, compared with the pubertal group. CONCLUSION: The changes in phosphatase tensin homologue and Smad4 mRNA expression in Wistar rats appear to be associated with hormonal modifications in puberty and may be related to early follicular and testicular development.