Does Oil Rich in Alpha-Linolenic Fatty Acid Cause the Same Immune Modulation as Fish Oil in Walker 256 Tumor-Bearing Rats?

Objective: Polyunsaturated fatty acids n-3 (PUFA n-3) have shown effects in reducing tumor growth, in particular eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) abundantly present in fish oil (FO). When these fatty acids are provided in the diet, they alter the functions of the cells, particularly in tumor and immune cells. However, the effects of α-linolenic fatty acid (ALA), which is the precursor of EPA and DHA, are controversial. Thus, our objective was to test the effect of this parental fatty acid. Methods: Non-tumor-bearing and tumor-bearing Wistar rats (70 days) were supplemented with 1 g/kg body weight of FO or Oro Inca® (OI) oil (rich in ALA). Immune cells function, proliferation, cytokine production, and subpopulation profile were evaluated. Results: We have shown that innate immune cells enhanced phagocytosis capacity, and increased processing and elimination of antigens. Moreover, there was a decrease in production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6)) by macrophages. Lymphocytes showed decreased proliferation capacity, increased cluster of differentiation 8 (CD8⁺) subpopulation, and increased TNF-α production. Conclusions: Oil rich in ALA caused similar immune modulation in cancer when compared with FO.     

Pathways in the association between sugar sweetened beverages and child asthma traits in the 2nd year of life: Findings from the BRISA cohort

Studies on the exposure of children to sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) at an early age may contribute to better understand the common causes and the temporal order of the relationships between obesity and asthma in early childhood. The objective of this study was to estimate the association between SSB and child asthma traits in the 2nd year of life, modeling direct and indirect pathways mediated by the highest BMI-z of the child and allergic inflammation. Data from the BRISA cohort, São Luís-MA, Brazil (n = 1140), were obtained from the baseline and from the follow-up performed at the 2nd year of life. The main explanatory variable was the calories from added sugars in SSBs as a percentage of the total daily energy intake. The outcome child asthma traits was a latent variable deduced from four indicators: medical diagnosis of asthma, wheezing, emergency visit due to intense wheezing, and medical diagnosis of rhinitis. A high percentage of daily calories from sugars added to SSBs was directly associated with higher values of child asthma traits (standardized coefficient (SC = 0.073; P = .030)). High levels of eosinophils were also directly associated with child asthma traits (SC = 0.118; P = .049). No mediation pathways were observed via greater BMI-z or eosinophil counts. Therefore, early exposure of children to SSB may contribute to increased risk of childhood asthma, preceding the link between sugar consumption and overweight/obesity, not yet evident in children in the first 2 years of life.     

Determinants of left ventricular systolic function recovery after an acute coronary syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: Ischemic heart disease is a major cause of heart failure in western societies. However, the factors that may influence left ventricular function (LVF) recovery after an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are still unclear. OBJECTIVE: To identify variables that may influence LVF evolution one year after ACS. METHODS: 104 patients hospitalized with ACS between 7/1/2001 and 12/31/2002 and with systolic dysfunction--defined as an echocardiographic ejection fraction (EF) < or = 45%--were randomly allocated to a planned coronary follow-up program (FUP) or a general cardiology clinic (GC); patients from both groups were also randomly referred to a structured cardiac rehabilitation program (CRP). EF was re-assessed at one year. We compared differences between patients who recovered left ventricular function (EF > 45%; group 1) and those who did not (group 2). RESULTS: One year after discharge, 44.2% of the patients had recovered function. There were no significant differences between the groups in gender (77.7 vs. 76.5% male), age (56 vs. 59 years), hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, smoking habits or family history. A previous history of cardiovascular events was more frequent in group 2 (11.1% vs. 35.3%, p = 0.03). Cardiac catheterization was performed before discharge in 88.8% and 88.2% in groups 1 and 2 respectively (p = NS); no differences were found in coronary anatomy between the two groups. Angioplasty was performed in 54.2% in group 1 and 50% in group 2 (p = NS). There were no differences in the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (83.3% vs. 87.5%), beta-blockers (87.5% vs. 87.5%), nitrates (37.5% vs. 33.3%), aspirin (95.8% vs. 95.8%), statins (79.1% vs. 75%) or diuretics (20.8% vs. 45.8%). There was no significant difference in LVF recovery between patients randomized to FUP or GC (38.5% vs. 54.5%). 87.5% of patients who completed the CRP had normal EF at one year compared to 32.7% of patients not referred to the program (p = 0.009). Although EF improved in both groups, this improvement was greater in patients who completed a CRP (EF 8% vs. 5%, p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: A previous cardiovascular event and completion of a CRP were the only variables that influenced LVF recovery. Thus, enrollment in a CRP, in addition to standard therapy, could be an important therapeutic measure in patients with systolic dysfunction after ACS; our data suggest that these programs should be more widely used.     

Detection of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Porphyromonas endodontalis, Prevotella intermedia, and Prevotella nigrescens in chronic endodontic infection.

Black-pigmented anaerobic rods such as Prevotella spp. and Porphyromonas spp. are involved in the etiology and perpetuation of endodontic infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of these species in chronic endodontic infections by using culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques. Samples of 100 patients with root canals displaying chronic endodontic infections were obtained by sterilized paper points. Bacterial identification was performed by using culture and PCR techniques. By culture, in 33% of the samples, P. intermedia-P. nigrescens (75.8%), P. gingivalis (27.3%), and P. endodontalis (9.1%) were identified, and by PCR 60% of the samples harbored P. nigrescens (43.3%), P. gingivalis (43.3%), P. intermedia (31.7%), and P. endodontalis (23.3%). The presence of these black-pigmented anaerobic rods alone or in association in chronic endodontic infections seems to be frequent. PCR is a very sensitive technique for detecting DNA from bacterial cells. Culturing is only able to reveal living bacteria and is less sensitive for the identification of low numbers of bacterial cells.     

Distinct mechanisms of splicing regulation in vivo by the Drosophila protein Sex-lethal

The protein Sex-lethal (SXL) controls pre-mRNA splicing of two genes involved in Drosophila sex determination: transformer (tra) and the Sxl gene itself. Previous in vitro results indicated that SXL antagonizes the general splicing factor U2AF⁶⁵ to regulate splicing of tra. In this report, we have used transgenic flies expressing chimeric proteins between SXL and the effector domain of U2AF⁶⁵ to study the mechanisms of splicing regulation by SXL in vivo. Conferring U2AF activity to SXL relieves its inhibitory activity on tra splicing but not on Sxl splicing. Therefore, antagonizing U2AF⁶⁵ can explain tra splicing regulation both in vitro and in vivo, but this mechanism cannot explain splicing regulation of Sxl pre-mRNA. These results are a direct proof that Sxl, the master regulatory gene in sex determination, has multiple and separable activities in the regulation of pre-mRNA splicing.     

Cementoblastoma related to a primary tooth: a case report

Cementoblastomas are benign lesions of the odontogenic ectomesenchyme that rarely occur related to the primary dentition, especially on the left side of the mandible. This study describes a case of a true cementoblastoma related to the left second primary mandibular molar in a 7-year-old child (the largest one seen in the left side of the mandible). Additionally, the radiographic and histologic findings of the lesion are described in details.