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Halder AK, Moura AS, Cordeiro MNDS. Predicting the ecotoxicity of endocrine disruptive chemicals: Multitasking in silico approaches towards global models. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 889:164337. [PMID: 37211130 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Manufactured substances known as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) released in the environment, through the use of cosmetic products or pesticides, can cause severe eco and cytotoxicity that may induce trans-generational as well as long-term deleterious effects on several biological species at relatively low doses, unlike other classical toxins. As the need for effective, affordable and fast EDCs environmental risk assessment has become increasingly pressing, the present work introduces the first moving average-based multitasking quantitative structure-toxicity relationship (MA-mtk QSTR) modeling specifically developed for predicting the ecotoxicity of EDCs against 170 biological species belonging to six groups. Based on 2301 data-points with high structural and experimental diversity, as well as on the usage of various advanced machine learning methods, the novel most predictive QSTR models display overall accuracies > 87 % in both training and prediction sets. However, maximum external predictivity was achieved when a new multitasking consensus modeling approach was applied to these models. Additionally, the developed linear model provided means to investigate the determining factors for eliciting higher ecotoxicity by the EDCs towards different biological species, identifying several factors such as solvation, molecular mass and surface area as well as the number of specific molecular fragments (e.g.: aromatic hydroxy and aliphatic aldehyde). The resource to non-commercial open-access tools to develop the models is a useful step towards library screening to speed up regulatory decision on discovery of safe alternatives to reduce the hazards of EDCs.
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Halder AK, Moura AS, Cordeiro MNDS. Moving Average-Based Multitasking In Silico Classification Modeling: Where Do We Stand and What Is Next? Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23094937. [PMID: 35563327 PMCID: PMC9099502 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23094937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Conventional in silico modeling is often viewed as 'one-target' or 'single-task' computer-aided modeling since it mainly relies on forecasting an endpoint of interest from similar input data. Multitasking or multitarget in silico modeling, in contrast, embraces a set of computational techniques that efficiently integrate multiple types of input data for setting up unique in silico models able to predict the outcome(s) relating to various experimental and/or theoretical conditions. The latter, specifically, based upon the Box-Jenkins moving average approach, has been applied in the last decade to several research fields including drug and materials design, environmental sciences, and nanotechnology. The present review discusses the current status of multitasking computer-aided modeling efforts, meanwhile describing both the existing challenges and future opportunities of its underlying techniques. Some important applications are also discussed to exemplify the ability of multitasking modeling in deriving holistic and reliable in silico classification-based models as well as in designing new chemical entities, either through fragment-based design or virtual screening. Focus will also be given to some software recently developed to automate and accelerate such types of modeling. Overall, this review may serve as a guideline for researchers to grasp the scope of multitasking computer-aided modeling as a promising in silico tool.
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Silva DL, Lima CM, Magalhães VCR, Baltazar LM, Peres NTA, Caligiorne RB, Moura AS, Fereguetti T, Martins JC, Rabelo LF, Lyon AC, Johann S, Santos DA. Down syndrome and COVID-19, a combination with a poor prognosis. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis 2022; 26:77-79. [PMID: 34969435 DOI: 10.5588/ijtld.21.0605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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Fajín JLC, Moura AS, Cordeiro MNDS. First-principles-based kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of CO oxidation on catalytic Au(110) and Ag(110) surfaces. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:14037-14050. [PMID: 34151916 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp00729g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
At the core of the development of more efficient and reliable fuel cells (FCs), there are several essential chemical reactions, namely carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation. This reaction is a keystone in the cleaning of hydrogen fuel used in fuel cells due to strong poisoning by this species of the platinum catalyst used in these devices. The present work aims to provide insight regarding the activation of CO oxidation by gold or silver microfacets possessing low coordinated atoms. To achieve this, density functional theory (DFT) quantum calculations, which determined two competing reaction pathways for CO oxidation, i.e., by molecularly adsorbed oxygen, and by dissociated oxygen, are combined with first-principles kinetic Monte Carlo (1p-kMC) simulations, which employed the resulting DFT parameters in order to address the effect of temperature and partial pressures and the interplay of the elementary reaction events. The use of 1p-kMC is a step further from available works regarding the CO oxidation on gold- and silver-based catalysts for cleansing of hydrogen that is used as a fuel in FCs. Indeed, this research contributes to the conclusion that CO oxidation should preferentially occur on silver microfacets, while the obtained turnover frequencies (TOFs) reinforced such a conclusion.
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Fornereto APN, Furlan PG, Ferigato SH, Moura AS, Faria CB, Giovannetti G, Cruz MCC. Professional education in curricular internships of occupational therapists in Primary Health Care. Eur J Public Health 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckaa166.658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
This study regards the experience of implementing a professional internship intended to students of Occupational Therapy in Primary Health Care in a Federal University located in São Paulo State, Brazil. Occupational therapist profession in Brazil was inserted in this level of care to offer specialised support to teams, mainly concerning qualification of care to vulnerable and invisible populations (community, family and cultural aspects), health promotion, encouragement of team work, humanisation in health. Such curricular internship occurs since 2017 to students of the 4th and 5th years of undergraduate course, completing 240 hours. How is the practice programme in Primary Health Care organised in the pedagogic project? Which are the strengths and fragilities of this field, as far as education is concerned? Among the practice scenarios, there are Basic Health Unit, Family Health Strategy teams, Family Health Support Centre, Street Clinic and University Basic Health Unit, with tutors who establish the collaboration. The interns follow individual and group cases, take part in team meetings and actions for team qualification and are also supervised weekly by a professor. Among their strengths, we can list a diversified education, based on the most recent public policies for the level of care that represents the stepping stone to the health system. As well as the access to the occupational therapy professional in this first contact, if the team identifies such necessity. Regarding challenges, there is unawareness about professional practice, difficulty to access work instruments and resources, as well as physical space. We hope this experience can help other educational institutions to implement their practice programmes in and for the health system. Egresses report that enables learning to work in a team in different scenarios. Such strategy aims to form a generalist professional, with criticality regarding challenges and potentialities of Brazilian public health.
Key messages
This study reports the experience of a professional internship of Occupational Therapy in Primary Health Care, understanding the health system as a scenario for practice, teaching and learning. Educating occupational therapists to this level of care is necessary, in agreement with the attributes of Primary Care.
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Halder AK, Moura AS, Cordeiro MNDS. QSAR modelling: a therapeutic patent review 2010-present. Expert Opin Ther Pat 2018; 28:467-476. [DOI: 10.1080/13543776.2018.1475560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Lopes TS, Luiz RR, Hoffman DJ, Ferriolli E, Pfrimer K, Moura AS, Sichieri R, Pereira RA. Erratum: Misreport of energy intake assessed with food records and 24-h recalls compared with total energy expenditure estimated with DLW. Eur J Clin Nutr 2017; 71:680. [DOI: 10.1038/ejcn.2017.33] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Vieira AKG, Soares VM, Bernardo AF, Neves FA, Mattos ABM, Guedes RM, Cortez E, Andrade DC, Lacerda-Miranda G, Garcia-Souza EP, Moura AS. Overnourishment during lactation induces metabolic and haemodynamic heart impairment during adulthood. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 2015; 25:1062-1069. [PMID: 26315623 DOI: 10.1016/j.numecd.2015.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2015] [Revised: 06/02/2015] [Accepted: 07/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
AIM In this study, the effects of postnatal overfeeding on heart energy homoeostasis and cardiac haemodynamics in adult male Swiss mice were examined. METHODS AND RESULTS During the suckling period, the mice were divided into four groups of control or overfed pups in combination with baseline or ischaemia/reperfusion treatments (control group baseline, CGBL; overfed group baseline, OGBL; control group ischaemia/reperfusion, CGIR; and overfed group ischaemia/reperfusion, OGIR). End diastolic pressure (EDP), heart contraction speed (Max dP/dt), relaxation speed (Min dP/dt), isovolumetric relaxation time (Tau) and frequency by beats per minute (BPM) were measured. During baseline and ischaemia/reperfusion, key proteins such as AKT1, AKT2, AKT3, pAKT, adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), pAMPK, insulin receptor beta (IRβ), protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1), fatty acid binding protein (FABP), CD36, phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC1α) were studied. The expression of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1) and uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3) was studied as a marker of cardiac hypertrophy and energetic metabolism. Cardiac fibrosis was analyzed by quantifying collagen deposition, which is increased in the OGBL and OGIR groups compared with the control groups. CONCLUSIONS The OGBL group showed reduced EDP compared with the CGBL group and high Max dP/dt compared with the OGBL group. Ischaemia/reperfusion increased EDP and Min dP/dt in the intragroup comparison. By contrast, Tau and frequency were not significantly different among groups. The OGIR mice showed significant alterations in heart metabolism proteins, including AKT2, pAKT/AKT1, pAKT/AKT2, AMPK, pAMPK/AMPK, PTP1B, IRS1, FABP and CD36. Furthermore, alterations in ANP, BNP, CPT1 and UCP3 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression indicated hypertrophy and reduction in their efficiency, such that exclusive overnutrition in childhood induces a long-term effect on haemodynamics, metabolism and heart remodelling.
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Marcelino AA, Moura AS, Barradas PC, Tenório F. Hypothalamic Nuclei Nitric Oxide Synthase Expression in Rats Malnourished During Early Lactation Period. Nutr Neurosci 2013; 7:177-84. [PMID: 15526992 DOI: 10.1080/10284150412331279809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
In humans and other animals, it has been shown that protein malnutrition during the prenatal period leads to permanent changes, which in adulthood may cause chronic diseases. Molecules involved in the control of energy metabolism could be targets to alterations caused by nutritional status. Some hypothalamic nuclei as the paraventricular (PVN), ventro-medial and arcuate are related to energy metabolism regulation. Orexigenic and anorexigenic molecules are involved in this regulation. Some studies have showed that these nuclei present nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and that it is increased in obese rats. Recently it had been shown that rats malnourished during the lactation period presented metabolic alterations that persist in adulthood. The aim of this work was to study the expression of NOS in hypothalamic nuclei of rats submitted to malnutrition during the early lactation period. Rats from post-natal day (P10) to P90 were used. Control dams were fed with regular chow pellets and diet dams were fed with protein-free chow pellets during the first 10 days of lactation. NADPH-diaphorase or immunostaining techniques were used to access NOS expression in hypothalamic nuclei. Our results show a delay in NOS expression in the PVN and VMH of malnourished rats. It may affect the development of the hypothalamic circuitry, leading to a metabolic imprinting.
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Moura AS, Carmo RA, Teixeira AL, Leite VHR, Rocha MOC. Soluble inflammatory markers as predictors of liver histological changes in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2010; 29:1153-61. [PMID: 20559676 DOI: 10.1007/s10096-010-0981-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2009] [Accepted: 05/22/2010] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Host immune response seems to be mainly responsible for the progression of liver disease among patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Immune activation involves the release of cytokines and their receptors that can be measured in plasma samples. The study aimed to evaluate the association between plasma levels of chemokines and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors (sTNFR) and liver histological changes among patients with chronic HCV infection. Seventy-one treatment-naive patients were included. Plasma levels of CCL2, CCL3, CCL11, CCL24, CXCL9, CXCL10, sTNFR1, and sTNFR2 were measured and liver histological findings were reviewed. Plasma levels of CXCL9, sTNFR1, and sTNFR2 were significantly associated with liver fibrosis, with higher median levels found among patients with moderate/severe fibrosis (F >or= 2) if compared to those with no or mild fibrosis (p = 0.014; p = 0.012; p = 0.009, respectively). Plasma sTNFR2 levels were significantly associated with necroinflammatory activity, with higher median levels among patients with moderate/severe activity (A >or= 2) if compared to those with no or mild activity (2.34 ng/mL vs. 1.99 ng/mL; p = 0.019). In conclusion, plasma levels of CXCL9, sTNFR1, and sTNFR2 were independently associated with liver histological changes, suggesting a role of TNF activation and Th1-type cell-mediated immune response in the pathogenesis of HCV infection.
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Lima SS, Lima dos Santos MC, Sinder MP, Moura AS, Barradas PC, Tenório F. Glycogen stores are impaired in hypothalamic nuclei of rats malnourished during early life. Nutr Neurosci 2010; 13:21-8. [PMID: 20132651 DOI: 10.1179/147683010x12611460763805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
Perinatal nutrition has persistent influences on neural development and cognition. In humans and other animals, protein malnutrition during the perinatal period causes permanent changes, inducing to adulthood metabolic syndrome. Feeding is mainly modulated by neural and hormonal inputs to the hypothalamus. Hypothalamic glycogen stores are a source of glucose in high energetic demands, as during development of neural circuits. As some hypothalamic circuits are formed during lactation, we studied the effects of malnutrition, during the first 10 days of lactation, on glycogen stores in hypothalamic nuclei involved in the control of energy metabolism. Female pregnant rats were fed ad libitum with a normal protein diet (22% protein). After delivery, each dam was kept with 6 male pups. During the first 10 days of lactation, dams from the experimental group received a protein-free diet and the control group a normoprotein diet. By post-natal day 10 (P10), glycogen stores were very high in the arcuate nucleus and median eminence of control group. Glycogen stores decreased during development. In P20 control animals, glycogen stores were lower when compared to P10 control animals. Animals submitted to malnutrition presented a staining even lower than control ones. After P45, it was difficult to determine differences between control and diet groups because glycogen stores were reduced. We also showed that tanycytes were the cells presenting glycogen stores. Our data reinforce the concept that maternal nutritional state during lactation may be critical for neurodevelopment since it resulted in a low hypothalamic glycogen store, which may be critical for establishment of neuronal circuitry.
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Sichieri R, Moura AS, Godoy JL, Niero N, Matsumoto FN. [Nutritional status of children and occupational categories of the family in a rural community of Paraná, Brazil]. CAD SAUDE PUBLICA 2004; 9 Suppl 1:28-35. [PMID: 15448818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The relationship between the occupational category of the family and the nutritional status of children was studied. Participants were 340 children up to 11 years of age, living in a small town of a rural area in Paraná, Brazil. The nutritional status of the children, as measured in 1983, was related to the principal occupational categories of the family in the period 1972- 1983. Occupation of the family was categorized as: migrant farmworkers (bóias-frias) throughout the entire period; renters or sharecroppers that were converted to migrant farmworkers; those who never worked as migrant farmworkers; and salaried urban workers that were converted to migrant farmworkers. Other variables included age and sex of the children, condition of birth (home or hospital), number of children up to 11 years of age in the family, birthweight and school enrollment of the children 5 years old or over. The prevalence of wasting was greatest among children belonging to salaried urban workers that were converted to migrant farmworkers. In contrast, this category showed the lowest prevalence of stunting. Compared with migrant farmworkers during the entire period, the odds ratio of wasting in this category was 2.7 with a 95% confidence interval of 1.3-5.7. Wasting and stunting were also independently associated with the number of children (p<0.05). The larger the family, the lower the risk of wasting, whereas for stunting, the larger the family, the higher the risk. These findings suggest an important role for the occupational category in the determination of the nutritional status in children and indicate that wasting and stunting may have differential risk factors.
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Barja-Fidalgo C, Souza EPG, Silva SV, Rodrigues AL, Anjos-Valotta EA, Sannomyia P, DeFreitas MS, Moura AS. Impairment of inflammatory response in adult rats submitted to maternal undernutrition during early lactation: Role of insulin and glucocorticoid. Inflamm Res 2003; 52:470-6. [PMID: 14652681 DOI: 10.1007/s00011-003-1207-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Early nutritional environment may program permanent metabolic alterations, predisposing to later diseases. We have investigated the interference of maternal malnutrition during lactation with the development of acute inflammation in adult rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS Adult rats, offspring of dams fed with either protein-free diet (UN group) or 22% protein diet (C group) during the first 10 days of lactation, were submitted to pleurisy with carrageenan (500 microg/cavity). Pleural edema, neutrophil migration and ICAM expression, were evaluated 4 h after and correlated with alterations in plasma insulin and corticosterone. Leukocyte-endothelium interactions were evaluated by intravital microscopy 1 h after inflammation. RESULTS Compared to controls, UN rats showed a decrease in pleural edema formation (50%), neutrophil migration (50%), endothelial ICAM-1 expression on pulmonary tissue, and impairment in leukocyte adhesion (50%) and migration (80%) through endothelium. Circulating insulin was lower (42%) and corticosterone was higher (34%) in UN, compared to controls. Pre-treatment of UN with insulin (5 IU/day) or RU486 (20 mg/kg/day), inhibitor of glucocorticoid receptor, restored leukocyte functions and ICAM-1 expression. CONCLUSION Postnatal maternal malnutrition, programming for permanent alterations in insulin and glucocorticoid secretion in progeny, that were unable to properly mount an inflammatory response, probably predisposes to chronic diseases in adult life.
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Sichieri R, Silva CVC, Moura AS. Combined effect of short stature and socioeconomic status on body mass index and weight gain during reproductive age in Brazilian women. Braz J Med Biol Res 2003; 36:1319-25. [PMID: 14502363 DOI: 10.1590/s0100-879x2003001000007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Short stature, a marker for undernutrition early in life, has been associated with obesity in Brazilian women, but not in men. We tested the hypothesis that weight gain during the reproductive years could explain this gender difference. A national two-stage household survey of mothers with one or more children under five years of age was conducted in Brazil in 1996. The subjects were women aged 20 to 45 years (N = 2297), with last delivery seven months or more prior to the interview. The regions of the country were divided into rural, North/Northeast (urban underdeveloped) and South/Southeast/Midwest (urban developed). The dependent variables were current body mass index (BMI) measured, BMI prior to childbearing (reported), and BMI change. Socioeconomic variables included mother's years of education and family purchasing power score. A secondary analysis was restricted to primiparous women. The prevalence of current overweight and overweight prior to childbearing (BMI > or = 25 kg/m2) was higher among shorter women (<1.50 m) compared to normal stature women only in the urban developed region (P < 0.05). After adjustment for socioeconomic variables, age, parity, BMI prior to childbearing, and age at first birth, current BMI was 2.39 units higher (P = 0.008) for short stature women living in the urban developed area compared with short stature women living in the urban underdeveloped area. For both multiparous and primiparous women, BMI gain compared to the value prior to childbearing was significantly higher among short stature women living in the urban developed region (P <= 0.04). These results provide clear evidence that short stature was associated with a higher BMI and with an increased risk of weight gain/retention with pregnancy in the developed areas of Brazil, but not in the underdeveloped ones.
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de Souza Caldeira Filho J, Moura AS. Undernutrition during early lactation period induces metabolic imprinting leading to glucose homeostasis alteration in aged rats. RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS IN MOLECULAR PATHOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY 2002; 108:213-26. [PMID: 11913713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
This study examines the effects of early postnatal undernutrition on the glucose homeostasis of rats at one year of age, comparing the effects of a free protein diet (FPD) and a normal diet containing 25% of protein (NPD) supplied during the first 10 days of lactation. The insulin secretion and the insulin sensitivity, using the glucose clamp technique, were studied in these rats. The analysis of the integrated area of insulin secreted by isolated islets stimulated with 16.7 mM glucose was reduced in the FPD group when compared with the NPD (FPD = 5.07 +/- 1.6 ng/ml/50 min.; NPD = 35.8 +/- 12 ng/ml/50 min., p < or = 0.001). Using the glucose clamp technique the plasma glucose concentration was raised by continuous glucose stimulation with 10 mg/Kg(-1) x min(-1). After 30 minutes the NPD displayed a lower level of plasma glucose concentration (FPD = 220.8 +/- 8 mg/dl.; NPD = 185 +/- 3 mg/dl., p < or = 0.01). Afterwards, the hyperglycemia of the NPD increased and in both groups was, subsequently, similarly maintained and, after 90 minutes of continuously glucose infusion, there was no difference between the groups (FPD = 191.6 +/- 8 mg/dl.; NPD = 189.3 +/- 17 mg/dl). In order to test the peripheral sensitivity to glucose, insulin 1.67 mU x Kg(-1) min(-1) was administered together with glucose 10 mg x kg(-1) x min(-1) (50 minutes after the beginning of the clamping). The glycemia after the insulin administration compared to glycemia 90 minutes of FPD was significantly reduced and the NPD maintained the same glycemic level ( FPD from 220.7 +/- 8 mg/dl to 170.6 +/- 5 mg/dl, p < or = 0.001; NPD from 195.3 +/- 10 mg/dl to 185.2 +/- 6 mg/dl.). Also, after the insulin administration the plasmatic insulin was raised but after 90 minutes the FPD group displayed a lower insulin concentration when compared to the same point of time for the NPD group (FPD = 0.8 +/- 0.01 ng/ml; NPD = 1.8 +/- 0.03 ng/ml., p < or = 0.01). The data suggest that undernutrition during early postnatal may cause a metabolic imprinting which leads to a decreasing action of the insulin secretory apparatus and increased insulin sensitivity as an adaptive response.
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Moura AS, Franco de Sá CCN, Cruz HG, Costa CL. Malnutrition during lactation as a metabolic imprinting factor inducing the feeding pattern of offspring rats when adults. The role of insulin and leptin. Braz J Med Biol Res 2002; 35:617-22. [PMID: 12011949 DOI: 10.1590/s0100-879x2002000500016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to determine the impact of malnutrition during early postnatal life and the feeding pattern of rat offspring when adults (2 months and 1 year old). In comparison with rats normally fed during lactation, we observed that adult offspring displayed a faster process of feeding reduction when a protein-free diet was offered. In addition, we studied the concentration of insulin and leptin in the lactating pups (10 days) and when these offspring became adult after the onset of a new feeding pattern induced by the protein-free diet. When the diet was changed at 60 days, the offspring malnourished during lactation displayed, after 3 days, a food intake reduction around 41.4 vs 14.2% of the control group. At 10 days of life, plasma leptin and insulin were higher in the malnourished pups when compared with normally fed rats (leptin: 4.6 +/- 0.8 vs 2.25 ng/ml; insulin: 0.73 +/- 0.12 vs 0.22 +/- 0.03 ng/ml) while at 60 days they showed reduction of both hormones when compared with the control group (leptin: 1.03 +/- 0.25 vs 1.43 +/- 0.5 ng/ml; insulin: 0.54 +/- 0.3 vs 0.61 +/- 0.4 ng/ml). Despite the different food intake reductions, the malnourished and control rats displayed a similar reduction of insulin and leptin after 3 days of protein-free diet (from 60 to 63 days). The data suggest that the high concentration of insulin and leptin found at 10 days in the malnourished pups may elicit a sustained long-term and unique feeding pattern.
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Carmo RA, Moura AS, Christo PP, Morandi AC, Oliveira MS. Syphilitic meningitis in HIV-patients with meningeal syndrome: report of two cases and review. Braz J Infect Dis 2001; 5:280-7. [PMID: 11779455 DOI: 10.1590/s1413-86702001000500007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Few patients with symptomatic neurosyphilis present with signs and symptoms of acute meningitis. Here we report two cases of syphilitic meningitis diagnosed in HIV patients with meningeal syndrome. The first case, a 30-year-old black bisexual male, had concurrent meningeal and ocular syphilis with persistent unusually low CSF glucose levels. He responded well to 21 days of intravenous penicillin therapy. The second case was a 55-year-old female with epilepsy, depression, behavioral disorder and confusion. The diagnosis of HIV infection was made after onset of the syphilitic meningitis. She was treated with 21 days i.v. penicillin with improvement in her clinical condition. The clinical aspects of combined neurosyphilis and HIV infection, plus special features of diagnosis and treatment are discussed.
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Moura AS. Bradykinin enhances membrane electrical activity of pancreatic beta cells in the presence of low glucose concentrations. Braz J Med Biol Res 2000; 33:1089-92. [PMID: 10973143 DOI: 10.1590/s0100-879x2000000900016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In most of cells bradykinin (BK) induces intracellular calcium mobilization. In pancreatic beta cells intracellular calcium is a major signal for insulin secretion. In these cells, glucose metabolism yields intracellular ATP which blocks membrane potassium channels. The membrane depolarizes, voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels are activated and the intracellular calcium load allows insulin secretion. Repolarization occurs due to activation of the Ca2+-dependent K+ channel. The insulin secretion depends on the integrity of this oscillatory process (bursts). Therefore, we decided to determine whether BK (100 nM) induces bursts in the presence of a non-stimulatory glucose concentration (5.6 mM). During continuous membrane voltage recording, our results showed that bursts were obtained with 11 mM glucose, blocked with 5.6 mM glucose and recovered with 5.6 mM glucose plus 100 nM BK. Thus, the stimulatory process obtained in the presence of BK and of a non-stimulatory concentration of glucose in the present study suggests that BK may facilitate the action of glucose on beta cell secretion.
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Sichieri R, Siqueira KS, Moura AS. Obesity and abdominal fatness associated with undernutrition early in life in a survey in Rio de Janeiro. Int J Obes (Lond) 2000; 24:614-8. [PMID: 10849584 DOI: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0801205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Undernutrition early in life has been associated with chronic diseases and obesity among adults. Our study tested the hypothesis by examining the association between low stature, a marker of early poor nutrition, with obesity and abdominal fatness among adults. METHODS A population-based survey was conducted in 1996, among 2040 households, with a non-response rate of 11.2%. Weight, height, waist and hip circumference, and skinfolds were measured at home. RESULTS Age-adjusted prevalence of body mass index (BMI) greater than 25 kg/m2 was 32% more frequent among adult men, and 60% more frequent among adult women, comparing the first to the fourth quintile of height. A J-shaped curve describes the association between weight and the sum of skinfolds with stature after adjusting for confounding by age, energy intake, physical activity, smoking, age at menarche, and race. The adjusted odds ratio of obesity (BMI>30 kg/m2) for short stature, compared to normal stature, was 1.57 with a 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.90-2.71 among men and 1.84 with a 95% CI=1.10-3.06 among women. Short stature was associated with the risk of abdominal fatness only among women, with an odds ratio=1.77; 95% CI=1.10-2.83. CONCLUSIONS Increased risk of obesity and abdominal fatness among women of short stature, a marker for undernutrition early in life, was not explained by racial and socio-economic conditions, energy intake or age at menarche.
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Kaps M, Moura AS, Safranski TJ, Lamberson WR. Components of growth in mice hemizygous for a MT/bGH transgene. J Anim Sci 1999; 77:1148-54. [PMID: 10340581 DOI: 10.2527/1999.7751148x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine the effects of a metallothionein/bovine GH transgene on duration and rate of growth of lean and fat in mice. Mice were produced by mating hemizygous transgenic males to nontransgenic females. Ten weights and six measurements of total body electrical conductivity to estimate body composition were taken on 147 progeny between birth and 84 d of age. Growth traits for fat-free mass (FFM) and body fat mass (FM) were obtained by fitting FFM and FM to a logistic curve y = A/(1 + exp(k(b - t))), where y is FFM or FM, A is asymptotic mass, k and b are curve parameters, and t is time in days. The function and its first, second, and third derivatives for FFM and FM were used to model growth. A mixed model was used with animal and litter as random effects and trans-genotype, sex, and transgenotype x sex as fixed effects in analyses of growth traits. Estimates of transgeno-type and transgenotype x sex interaction were tested by using their corresponding standard errors. Males had greater response to the transgene than females in final FFM and growth rate during the entire growth period. Transgenic males and females had greater duration of lean growth than nontransgenics. Transgenic males began to accumulate fat later, but they eventually gained more fat than transgenic females.
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Moura AS, Spiers DE, Lamberson WR. Thermogenic activity of growth hormone transgenic mice. GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT, AND AGING : GDA 1999; 62:149-59. [PMID: 10219705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
The objective was to determine the effect of a mouse metallothionein/bovine growth hormone transgene on resting metabolic rate (RMR), cold-induced thermogenesis, and beta-agonist stimulated nonshivering thermogenesis in mice. Non-transgenic littermates were used as controls. Open-circuit indirect calorimetry was used to assess RMR and cold-induced thermogenesis in 64 mice. Air temperature in the chamber was set at 31 degrees C for RMR and was decreased to 28, 25, 21, or 17 degrees C to determine cold-induced thermogenesis. Response to the beta-agonist isoproterenol was evaluated by monitoring changes in colonic temperature of 34 mice upon injection of the drug or saline. Despite the fact that RMR tended to be lower in transgenics than in nontransgenics, at 31 degrees C transgenic mice were able to regulate colonic temperature at the same level as nontransgenics, but colonic temperature decreased in transgenics relative to nontransgenics as air temperature was reduced. For each degree decrease in air temperature between 31 and 17 degrees C, nontransgenic mice increased heat production by 1.03 +/- .10 watt/kg, whereas transgenic mice increased it by only .56 +/- .08 watt/kg, indicating that the thermogenic response of transgenics to cold was inferior. The magnitude of the maximal increase in colonic temperature after isoproterenol injection was similar for both groups, but the response was slower in transgenics. We suggest that lean body mass and substrate availability for shivering thermogenesis are reduced in transgenics relative to total body weight, and that they allow colonic temperature to decrease to conserve energy.
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Holder RB, Moura AS, Lamberson WR. Direct and correlated responses to selection for efficiency of lean gain in mice. J Anim Sci 1999; 77:575-81. [PMID: 10229352 DOI: 10.2527/1999.773575x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Improvement in feed efficiency when selection is based on gain:feed ratio has often been accompanied by a reduction in feed intake. The following four criteria were used in mass selection for improved lean gain efficiency in mice with an objective of evaluating changes in lean gain and intake: 1) gain deviation, animals selected had the greatest gain in fat-free mass (FFM) after adjustment to a constant intake; 2) intake deviation, mice selected had the least feed intake after adjustment to a constant gain in FFM; 3) intrinsic efficiency, similar to the second criterion except that adjustment was also made for average weight maintained during the period; and 4) a positive control that used the ratio of gain in FFM: feed intake as the selection criterion. A fifth line, in which a male and a female were selected at random from each litter, served as a negative control. Experimental animals were outbred mice of the CF1 strain. Two replicates of the five lines were included in the study. Twelve males and females were pair-mated within each line-replicate combination each generation. Feed disappearance was measured from 25 to 42 d. Mice were scanned to obtain an electrical conductivity measurement for prediction of FFM. After six generations of selection, realized heritabilities for gain:feed, gain deviation, intake deviation, and intrinsic efficiency were .00 +/- .04, .04 +/- .29, .35 +/- .08, and .28 +/- .06, respectively. There were no differences among lines for gain:feed ratio. The correlated response in feed intake reduction was significant in the intake deviation and intrinsic efficiency lines (-.17 +/- .05 and -.21 +/- .04 g x d(-1) x generation(-1), respectively). The realized genetic correlations between the ratio and gain deviation, intake deviation, and intrinsic efficiency were .83 +/- .15, .01 +/- .04, and .21 +/- .12, respectively. Litter size was depressed in all selected lines.
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Moura AS, Kaps M, Vogt DW, Lamberson WR. Two-way selection for daily gain and feed conversion in a composite rabbit population. J Anim Sci 1997; 75:2344-9. [PMID: 9303451 DOI: 10.2527/1997.7592344x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
We conducted a two-way selection experiment in a composite rabbit population to investigate the responses to selection for postweaning ADG and feed conversion (FC). Two generations of crossing, followed by four generations of random pair matings, preceded three generations of selection. Selection was practiced within four lines: high-feed conversion (HFC), low-feed conversion (LFC), high gain (HG), and low gain (LG). Data on 1,446 rabbits from the random mating and selection generations were fitted to an animal model to estimate heritabilities of and the genetic correlation between ADG and FC. The two-trait model included rabbit and common litter random effects and line, generation, and sex fixed effects. Estimates of heritability of ADG and FC were .48 and .29, respectively, and the genetic correlation between them was -.82. Common litter environmental effects accounted for a proportion of .11 and .13 of the phenotypic variation of the two traits, respectively. For ADG (in g/d) the regressions of mean breeding values on generation number during the selection period were 1.23 +/- .12 (P < .01) in the HG line and -.86 +/- .12 (P < .01) in the LG line; the regressions for FC (in g feed/g gain) were -.07 +/- .01 (P < .01) in the HFC line and .03 +/- .01 (P < .05) in the LFC line. Selection for ADG was effective in improving ADG and FC.
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Moura AS, Caldeira Filho JS, de Freitas Mathias PC, de Sá CC. Insulin secretion impairment and insulin sensitivity improvement in adult rats undernourished during early lactation. RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS IN MOLECULAR PATHOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY 1997; 96:179-92. [PMID: 9226752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
In order to study the effect of undernutrition on the onset of disturbances in insulin secretion and insulin resistance, we compared the effects of a low protein diet containing 4% of protein (LPD) and a normal diet containing 25% of protein (NPD) supplied to the dams during the first 10 days of lactation when the pups turn into adults (90 days). We studies, in these rats, the insulin secretion, the glucose tolerance test (GTT) and, using the glucose clamp technique, the insulin resistance. The GTT showed a delay of the response of LPD group to the glucose challenge (1 mg/kg body weight) at 10 minutes (NPD = 450 +/- 27 mg/dl; LPD = 650 +/- 32 mg/dl, p < 0.01). The insulin secretion, four minutes after stimulation was found reduced in the LPD group (LPD = 1.1 +/- 0.08 microU/islet/min; NPD = 1.85 +/- 0.02 microU/islet/min, p < 0.01). Using the glucose clamp technique the plasma glucose concentration was raised during the first 20 minutes after the glucose stimulation with 10 mg/Kg-1.min-1 (NPD = 200 +/- 32 mg/dl and; LPD = 160 +/- 14 mg/dl., p < 0.01). Afterwards, the hyperglycemia was subsequently maintained (NPD = 154 +/- 9 mg/dl; LPD = 149 +/- 12 mg/dl) and the insulinemia was unchanged by infusion of glucose in the LPD group. In a similar experiment, the administration of glucose (10 mg/Kg-1. min-1) plus insulin (1.67 mU/Kg-1. min-1), the LPD group when compared with the NPD group, displayed an accentuated decreasing of glucose concentration level (LPD = 90 +/- 7 mg/dl; NPD = 130 +/- mg/dl., p < 0.01), 30 minutes after the infusion. The data suggest that undernutrition induces an adaptive process of insulin sensitivity which occurs together with an insulin secretion first phase blockage.
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Moura AS, Carpinelli AR, Barbosa FB, Gravena C, Mathias PC. Undernutrition during early lactation as an alternative model to study the onset of diabetes mellitus type II. RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS IN MOLECULAR PATHOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY 1996; 92:73-84. [PMID: 8733829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
In order to characterize an alternative animal model for the study of diabetes mellitus type II onset, we compared the effects of a diet containing 8% of protein (LPD) and a normal diet containing 25% of protein supplied to the dams during the first 12 days of lactation. We studied in the pups the growth evolution and, when they develop into adults (60 days), the glucose tolerance test (GTT) and the insulin secretion, in response to stimulatory concentrations of glucose. The weight of the two groups were significantly different at 60 days of age (LPD = 179 +/- 19 g; NPD = 186 +/- 18 g). The GTT ten minutes after iv glucose administration showed a significant increase of blood glucose concentration of the LPD group (LPD = 550 +/- 17 mg/dl; NPD = 425 +/- 13 mg/dl, p < 0.001). The insulin secretion, four minutes after stimulation was found reduced in the LPD group (LPD = 1.1 +/- 0.08 muU/islet/min; NPD = 1.85 +/- 0.2 muU/islet/min.). The present study indicates insulin secretory and/or resistance impairment due to early undernutrition. Also, the data taken together suggest that undernutrition during early lactation can be used as an alternative model to study particular characteristics of the onset of diabetes mellitus type II.
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