Hydroethanolic extract of Pyrostegia venusta (Ker Gawl.) Miers flowers improves inflammatory and metabolic dysfunction induced by high-refined carbohydrate diet

Ethnopharmacological relevance

Pyrostegia venusta is used in traditional Brazilian medicine as a general tonic to treat any inflammatory disease. Several studies have demonstrated that medicinal plants constitute a therapeutic approach for the treatment of obesity-related metabolic and inflammatory disarrangement. Accordingly, we investigated the effects of hydroethanolic extract of Pyrostegia venusta flowers (PvHE) supplementation for the treatment of inflammatory and metabolic dysfunction induced by high-refined-carbohydrate (HC) diet.

Material and methods

The BALB/c mice were fed chow or HC diet for 8 weeks. Part of these animals was fed with HC diet supplemented with PvHE on the 9th week until the 12th week. At the end of the dietary intervention, animals were sacrificed.

Results

We observed that PvHE decreased adiposity and adipocyte area; improved glucose intolerance; reduced serum triacylglycerol levels and systemic inflammatory cells; and also reduced some inflammatory mediators levels in adipose tissue and liver.

Conclusion

The results showed that PvHE has beneficial effects and may treat inflammatory and metabolic dysfunction induced by HC diet, that are associated to a negative modulation of the inflammatory process at systemic and local levels.     

Whole-brain voxel-based morphometry in Kallmann syndrome associated with mirror movements

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There are 2 main hypotheses concerning the cause of mirror movements (MM) in Kallmann syndrome (KS): abnormal development of the primary motor system, involving the ipsilateral corticospinal tract; and lack of contralateral motor cortex inhibitory mechanisms, mainly through the corpus callosum. The purpose of our study was to determine white and gray matter volume changes in a KS population by using optimized voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and to investigate the relationship between the abnormalities and the presence of MM, addressing the 2 mentioned hypotheses.MATERIALS AND METHODS: T1-weighted volumetric images from 21 patients with KS and 16 matched control subjects were analyzed with optimized VBM. Images were segmented and spatially normalized, and these deformation parameters were then applied to the original images before the second segmentation. Patients were divided into groups with and without MM, and a t test statistic was then applied on a voxel-by-voxel basis between the groups and controls to evaluate significant differences.RESULTS: When considering our hypothesis a priori, we found that 2 areas of increased gray matter volume, in the left primary motor and sensorimotor cortex, were demonstrated only in patients with MM, when compared with healthy controls. Regarding white matter alterations, no areas of altered volume involving the corpus callosum or the projection of the corticospinal tract were demonstrated.CONCLUSION: The VBM study did not show significant white matter changes in patients with KS but showed gray matter alterations in keeping with a hypertrophic response to a deficient pyramidal decussation in patients with MM. In addition, gray matter alterations were observed in patients without MM, which can represent more complex mechanisms determining the presence or absence of this symptom.

Kallmann syndrome (KS), first described by the pathologist Maestre de San Juan, is defined by the association of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism with complete (anosmia) or incomplete (hyposmia) olfaction disturbance. Prevalence has been estimated to be from 1:8,000 to 1:10,000 men.¹ It is caused by a neuronal migration arrest that involves both the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and the olfactory neurons, which have a common embryonic origin.^2,3 The first gene described, KAL1, encodes a protein named “anosmin,” which shows a strong homology to axonal adhesion molecules involved in neuronal migration and axonal pathfinding.⁴ Recently, other gene mutations have been described in association with the disease.^5,6Various phenotypic abnormalities have been described in KS, including unilateral renal agenesis and specific neurologic disorders, such as bimanual synkinesia or mirror movements (MM).⁷ Currently, these characteristics are considered typical, but not exclusive, in the X-linked KS form of inheritance.^8,9 MM consists of the involuntary movement of a body segment in reply to voluntary movement of the similar contralateral segment, more often seen in the hands. It can be observed in children and adolescents, decreasing gradually with age,¹⁰ but its presence in adults, if significant and sustained, is considered pathologic.¹¹ On the basis of neuroimaging and electrophysiologic studies, 2 main hypotheses were elaborated concerning the cause of MM: abnormal development of the primary motor system, involving the ipsilateral corticospinal tract; and lack of contralateral motor cortex inhibitory mechanisms, mainly through the corpus callosum.^12-14Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) is a relatively recent method for morphometric evaluation, based on statistical analysis of pooled data,^15,16 which showed pathologic changes of gray matter in various neurologic and psychiatric conditions, including Alzheimer disease, schizophrenia, and medial temporal lobe epilepsy.^17-21 A previous study used conventional VBM to compare only the white matter attenuation of the brains of patients with the X-linked form of KS (exhibiting MM) and those of patients with autosomal inherited KS (no MM) and suggested a bilateral corticospinal tract hypertrophy involved in the MM etiology.²² Therefore, the purpose of our study was to use optimized VBM to determine white and gray matter volume changes in a KS population with a well-established genotypic and phenotypic status and to investigate the relationship between the abnormalities and the presence of MM, addressing the 2 mentioned hypotheses.     

Sexual function and dysfunction in Brazilian patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and social anxiety disorder

We compared the history, the profile, and the severity of sexual symptoms of 31 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) to those of 26 patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD) by means of the Sexual Inventory of the Institute of Psychiatry of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, the Clinical Interview for the Diagnosis of DSM-IV Sexual Disorders, the Female Sexual Function Index, the International Index of Erectile Function, the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale, and the Sexual Behavior Inventory. Patients with OCD reported more difficulties to reach orgasm (p = 0.009), less frequent effective erections (p = 0.05), and a positive history of sexual abuse (p = 0.006) significantly more often than patients with SAD. Male patients with SAD reported not using contraceptive methods significantly more frequently than male patients with OCD (p = 0.007). Patients with OCD and patients with SAD exhibit different profiles of sexual behavior.     

Ex vivo analysis of the debris remaining in flattened root canals of vital and nonvital teeth after biomechanical preparation with Ni-Ti rotary instruments

The purpose of this study was to assess the presence of apical debris remaining in the apical third of flattened root canals of vital and nonvital teeth after biomechanical preparation with Ni-Ti rotary instruments. Fresh-extracted human mandibular incisors were used in this study. The teeth had clinical indication for extraction and were submitted to cold pulp vitality testing and radiographic examination. Eighteen teeth were selected and randomly assigned to two groups (n=9), according to the clinical diagnosis, i.e., pulp vitality or pulp necrosis. The canals were instrumented with the ProTaper NiTi rotary system in the following sequence: S1--up to the middle third; SX--at the cervical third; S2--up to the apical third; and S1, F1, F2, F3--at the working length. The canals were irrigated with 1% sodium hypochlorite, dried and were submitted to the histological processing. Sections from the apical third were analyzed by an optical microscope (X40) that was coupled to a computer where the images were captured and analyzed using specific softwares. A grid was placed over these images to assess the total canal area and the areas with debris. Mann-Whitney U-test showed no statistically significant difference (p>0.05) between the teeth with pulp vitality (6.49 +/- 3.39) and those with pulp necrosis (5.95 +/- 2.22). It may be concluded that the clinical condition of pulp tissue did not interfere with the amount of debris remaining in the apical third of flattened root canals prepared with Ni-Ti rotary instruments.