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Abstract Introduction Ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamin), a hallucinogenic amphetamine, is often used by young people, especially at 'raves'. This illicit drug can cause many metabolic changes and its use, when associated with prolonged exercise, may exacerbate ketoacidosis in type 1 diabetic patients. Case presentation This is a case of ketoacidosis complicated by the use of ecstasy in a 19-year-old insulin-dependent diabetic Caucasian woman. Conclusion The use of ecstasy may trigger diabetic ketoacidosis in patients with a preexisting metabolic disorder

Purpose: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the leading cause of death among men in 48 countries. Genetic alterations play a significant role in PCa carcinogenesis. For the hypothesis of this research, five unique polymorphisms (SNP) were investigated in different genes that showed to be associated in different ways with PCa: rs4430796, rs2735839, rs4792311, rs12329760, and rs28931588, respectively for the genes HNF1B, KLK3, ELAC2, TMPRSS2-ERG, and CTNNB1., Patients and Methods: Blood samples from 426 subjects were evaluated: 290 controls (161 females and 129 males) and 136 PCa patients. SNP were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. TaqMan SNP genotyping assay. In the control samples, the SNPs were defined in association with the self-reported ethnicity, and in 218 control samples with markers with ancestry indicators. The genes were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. One hundred and seventy control samples were matched by ethnicity for comparison with the PCa samples., Results: The G allele at rs28931588 was monomorphic in both patients and controls studied. Significant differences were observed in allelic and genotypic frequencies between the control and Pca samples in rs2735839 (KLK3; p = 0.002 and χ 2  = 8.73 and p = 0.01, respectively), by the global frequency and in the dominant model rs2735839_GG (odds ratio [OR] = 0.51, p = 0.02). AA and GA genotypes at rs4792311 (ELAC2) were more frequent in patients with Gleason 7(4 + 3), 8, and 9 (n = 37%-59.7%) compared to patients with Gleason 6 and 7(3 + 4) (n = 26%-40.0%) conferring a protective effect on the GG genotype (OR = 0.45, p = 0.02). The same genotype showed an OR = 2.71 (p = 0.01) for patients with low severity. The HNF1B-KLK3-ELAC2-TMPRSS2-ERG haplotypes: GAAT, AAAT, GAGT, and AAGT were more frequent in patients with Pca with OR ranging from 4.65 to 2.48., Conclusions: Higher frequencies of risk alleles were confirmed in the SNPs, KLK3 rs2735839_A, ELAC2 rs4792311_A, and TMPRSS2 rs12329760_T in patients with Pca. Rs2735839_A was associated with risk of Pca and rs4792311_A with severity and Gleason score of 7(4 + 3) or greater. There is a need for careful observation of rs2735839 and rs4792311 in association with the prostatic biopsy due to the increased risk of Pca., (© 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Since starts the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic identified the presence of genomic fragments of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in various environmental matrices: domestic sewage, surface waters, and contaminated freshwater. Environmental monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 is a tool for evaluating trend curves over the months, compared to several clinical cases of the disease. The objective of this study was to monitor the SARS-CoV-2 in environmental samples collected in different sites in a metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil. During 10 months from 2020 to 2021, 300 samples were collected weekly and biweekly from nine points located in 3 cities: one point from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in São Leopoldo (fortnightly collection), two points in Dilúvio Stream in Porto Alegre (fortnightly collection), two points in Pampa and Luiz Rau Streams (weekly collection), and two points in public fountains (fortnightly collection) in Novo Hamburgo. After collection, samples were concentrated by ultracentrifugation, and viral nucleic acids were extracted using MagMax® Core Nucleic Acid Purifications kits and submitted to RT-qPCR, using E, N1, and N2 gene targets of SARS-CoV-2. Only 7% (3/41) samples from public fountains were positive, with a mean viral load (VL) of SARS-CoV-2 RNA of 5.02 × 10 1 gc/l (2.41~8.59 × 10 1 gc/l), while the streams had average VL of 7.43 × 10 5 gc/l (Pampa), 7.06 × 10 5 gc/l (Luiz Rau), 2.01 × 10 5 gc/l (Dilúvio), and 4.46 × 10 5 cg/l (WWTP). The results showed varying levels of viral presence in different sample types, with a demonstrated correlation between environmental viral load and clinical COVID-19 cases. These findings contribute to understanding virus persistence and transmission pathways in the environment. Continuous monitoring, especially in less developed regions, is crucial for early detection of vaccine resistance, new variants, and potential COVID-19 resurgence., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The present study was conducted to determine the possible antioxidant protection of pequi oil (PO) against cyclic heat stress in broiler chickens and to highlight the application of PO as a promising additive in broiler feed. A total of 400 one-day-old male broiler chicks (Cobb 500) were randomly assigned to 2 × 5 factorially arranged treatments: two temperature-controlled rooms (thermoneutral-TN or heat stress-HS for 8 h/day) and five dietary PO levels (0, 1.5, 3.0, 4.5, or 6.0 g/kg diet) for 42 days. Each treatment consisted of eight replicates of five birds. The results showed that HS increased glucose ( p = 0.006), triglycerides ( p < 0.001), and HDL ( p = 0.042) at 21 days and reduced ( p = 0.005) serum total cholesterol at 42 days. The results also showed that HS increased the contents of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). In contrast, PO linearly decreased AST ( p = 0.048) and ALT ( p = 0.020) at 21 and 42 days, respectively. The heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in the birds under HS was higher than in those in the TN environment ( p = 0.046). Heat stress decreased ( p = 0.032) the relative weight of their livers at 21 days. The superoxide dismutase activity increased ( p = 0.010) in the HS treatments in comparison to the TN treatments, while the glutathione peroxidase activity in the liver decreased ( p < 0.001) at 42 days; however, the activity of catalase had no significant effects. Meanwhile, increasing the dietary PO levels linearly decreased plasma malondialdehyde ( p < 0.001) in the birds in the HS environment. In addition, PO reduced ( p = 0.027) the expression of Hsp 70 in the liver by 92% when compared to the TN treatment without PO, mainly at the 6.0 g/kg diet level. The expression of Nrf2 was upregulated by 37% ( p = 0.049) in response to PO with the 6.0 g/kg diet compared to the HS treatment without PO. In conclusion, PO supplementation alleviated the adverse effects of HS on broilers due to its antioxidant action and modulation of the genes related to oxidative stress, providing insights into its application as a potential feed additive in broiler production.

Ductal cysts of the accessory lacrimal glands of Wolfring are rare clinical entities. They typically present as mobile and translucent lesions on the superior or inferior tarsal borders. Here, the authors describe a 7-year-old male child presenting with giant bilateral cysts of Wolfring. Management of such cysts is primarily surgical and the preferred route for excision is transconjunctival. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of a bilateral Wolfring dacryops affecting a child.Cysts of the accessory lacrimal glands of Wolfring are rare clinical entities. To the authors' knowledge, here the authors describe the first report of a bilateral Wolfring dacryops affecting a child.

Objective: To determine perinatal outcome and epidemiologic, clinical, and obstetric characteristics among pregnant women infected with the H1N1 virus admitted to a Brazilian university hospital., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted of pregnant women infected with H1N1 who were admitted to the University Hospital at the School of Medicine, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Brazil, during the 2009 pandemic. Data were obtained via a questionnaire, which was administered during the hospital evaluation of patients' medical records., Results: Thirty-one patients were included in the study. Antiviral therapy was initiated within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms in 64.5% of cases. Infection with the H1N1 virus was associated with severe clinical complications in 22.6% of patients and adverse perinatal outcomes in 41.9% of cases. The rate of maternal and perinatal mortality was 9.7%. There was a statistically significant association between late treatment with oseltamivir and increase in systemic complications in pregnancy (odds ratio 22.80 [95% confidence interval, 2.20-235.65]; P=0.007)., Conclusion: Early treatment with oseltamivir may prevent serious complications associated with H1N1 infection in pregnant women but it does not affect perinatal outcome., (Copyright © 2011 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The basement membrane matrix of skeletal muscle has a tubular configuration resembling that of peripheral nerves. Grafts made of autogenous skeletal muscle denatured by freezing and thawing were used to repair the ulnar nerve in marmosets. By six months, normal hand function had returned and the grafts were shown to transmit normal compound extracellular action potentials in both directions. Morphological examination of the grafts and distal nerves revealed normal axon numbers and axon maturity. Myelination in the graft was found to take place more slowly than in the distal nerve segment. It is suggested that such grafts might be of use in the repair of human peripheral nerves.

The failure of reinnervation after cardiac transplantation is probably a consequence of scar formation at the suture lines. However, it must be established whether there are any intrinsic properties of the muscle that prevent reinnervation. This is examined in experimental peripheral nerve implants using cardiac muscle isografts. The results show extensive growth of regenerating axons into the implanted cardiac muscle. It is therefore unlikely that the failure of reinnervation depends upon the physical or chemical properties of the muscle itself.