Participation of TLR2 and TLR4 in Cytokines Production by Patients with Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Chronic Chagas Disease

Chagas disease (CD), caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, is a serious public health issue. Its evolution involves an acute stage, characterized by no specific symptoms, and the chronic stage during most individuals are asymptomatic, but about 30–40% of them become symptomatic presenting the cardiac or digestive disease. Host immune response mechanisms involved in symptomatic or asymptomatic chronic disease are not fully understood. The pro‐inflammatory cytokines are crucial in host resistance. However, a fine control of this inflammatory process, by action of anti‐inflammatory cytokines, is necessary to avoid tissue injury. This control was found to be responsible for no clinical manifestations in asymptomatic individuals. Toll‐like receptors (TLRs) are extremely important in defining the cytokine profile released in response to a micro‐organism. We found that patients with the cardiac form predominantly released the pro‐inflammatory cytokines: IFN‐γ, TNF‐α and IL‐17 with the involvement of both, TLR2 and TLR4. In contrast, patients with asymptomatic disease release predominantly the anti‐inflammatory cytokines IL‐10 and TGF‐β, but also with TLR2 and TLR4 participation. The mechanisms by which stimulation of the same TLRs results in release of different pattern of cytokines, depending on the patients group that is being evaluated, are discussed.     

The effect of high-fat diet on rat’s mood,feeding behavior and response to stress

An association between obesity and depression has been indicated in studies addressing common physical (metabolic) and psychological (anxiety, low self-esteem) outcomes. Of consideration in both obesity and depression are chronic mild stressors to which individuals are exposed to on a daily basis. However, the response to stress is remarkably variable depending on numerous factors, such as the physical health and the mental state at the time of exposure. Here a chronic mild stress (CMS) protocol was used to assess the effect of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity on response to stress in a rat model. In addition to the development of metabolic complications, such as glucose intolerance, diet-induced obesity caused behavioral alterations. Specifically, animals fed on HFD displayed depressive- and anxious-like behaviors that were only present in the normal diet (ND) group upon exposure to CMS. Of notice, these mood impairments were not further aggravated when the HFD animals were exposed to CMS, which suggest a ceiling effect. Moreover, although there was a sudden drop of food consumption in the first 3 weeks of the CMS protocol in both ND and HFD groups, only the CMS-HFD displayed an overall noticeable decrease in total food intake during the 6 weeks of the CMS protocol. Altogether, the study suggests that HFD impacts on the response to CMS, which should be considered when addressing the consequences of obesity in behavior.     

Doppler Ultrasound: A Powerful Tool for Vascular Access Surveillance

National Kidney Foundation Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (NKF KDOQI) guidelines recommend Doppler ultrasound (DU) for surveillance of vascular access (VA), but trials have not been unanimous about its benefit on VA patency. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of DU for patency, as well as to highlight additional data provided by this method. A transversal study was conducted to evaluate DU method in correlation with BTM using paired t‐test and Pearson test. Ultrasonography evaluation was performed with a Siemens Acuson X150 Ultrasound device and BTM‐Qa with the Blood Temperature Monitor BTM^®. Access blood flow (Qa) values were correlated with several factors by nonparametric tests. Fifty hemodialysis patients were included, with mean age of 64.5 ± 13.7 years; durations of hemodialysis and VA were 51.4 ± 47.3 and 47.6 ± 42.1 months, respectively. The mean difference between DU and BTM flows was 20.5 ml/minute (p 0.624). Pearson correlation was 0.851 (p < 0.001). DU‐Qa values varied significantly with several factors: type of VA, reason for DU referral, the presence of artery stenosis, and the location and number of stenosis. BTM‐Qa values only varied significantly with the presence and number of stenosis. Various silent abnormalities were detected with DU. DU provides accurate anatomic and hemodynamic data to further knowledge regarding the etiology of stenosis and other abnormalities that compromise VA well functioning.     

Thiazolidine-2,4-dione derivative exhibits antitumoral effect and reverts behavioral and metabolic changes in a model of glioblastoma

Metabolic Brain Disease - The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anti-glioma activity of 3-(4-fluorobenzyl)-5-(4-methoxybenzylidene)thiazolidine-2,4-dione (AV23) in a preclinical model of...     

Reactive oxygen species and TNF-α: the interplay between obstructive sleep apnea and Behçet’s disease

Sleep and Breathing -