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The age-induced deterioration of the organism results in detrimental and ultimately lethal pathologies. The process of aging itself involves a plethora of different mechanisms that should be subverted concurrently to delay and/or prevent age- related maladies. We have identified a natural compound, 4,4ʹ-dimethoxychalcone (DMC), which promotes longevity in yeast, worms and flies, and protects mice from heart injury and liver toxicity. Interestingly, both the DMC-mediated lifespan extension and the cardioprotection depend on macroautophagy/autophagy whereas hepatoprotection does not. DMC induces autophagy by inhibiting specific GATA transcription factors (TFs), independently of the TORC1 kinase pathway. The autophagy-independent beneficial effects of DMC might involve its antioxidative properties. DMC treatment results in a phylogenetically conserved, systemic impact on the metabolome, which is most prominently characterized by changes in cellular amino acid composition. Altogether, DMC exerts multiple, geroprotective effects by igniting distinct pathways, and thus represents a potential pharmacological agent that delays aging through multipronged effects.

Loss of cardiac macroautophagy/autophagy impairs heart function, and evidence accumulates that an increased autophagic flux may protect against cardiovascular disease. We therefore tested the protective capacity of the natural autophagy inducer spermidine in animal models of aging and hypertension, which both represent major risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease. Dietary spermidine elicits cardioprotective effects in aged mice through enhancing cardiac autophagy and mitophagy. In salt-sensitive rats, spermidine supplementation also delays the development of hypertensive heart disease, coinciding with reduced arterial blood pressure. The high blood pressure-lowering effect likely results from improved global arginine bioavailability and protection from hypertension-associated renal damage. The polyamine spermidine is naturally present in human diets, though to a varying amount depending on food type and preparation. In humans, high dietary spermidine intake correlates with reduced blood pressure and decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and related death. Altogether, spermidine represents a cardio- and vascular-protective autophagy inducer that can be readily integrated in common diets.

Case summary: A 10-year-old male neutered British Shorthair cat was presented with a 6 month history of lethargy, weight loss and alopecia. Clinical examination revealed widespread alopecia of the ventral abdomen and hindlimbs. The skin in these areas was smooth and shiny and hairs could be easily epilated. Spontaneous pruritus was observed. Cytological examination of superficial impression smears showed a severe Malassezia species dermatitis and pyoderma. Ectoparasites could not be detected and no sign of dermatophytosis was visible in trichograms and Wood s lamp analysis. Abdominal ultrasound found a focally thickened wall of the large intestine and multiple nodules in the liver. Fine-needle aspirates from lymph nodes, liver and altered colonic wall were consistent with an undifferentiated malignant neoplasia. The cat was euthanased at the owners request, owing to potential neoplasia with metastatic spread. At necropsy a metastasising carcinoma of the colonic wall was found, as well as a paraneoplastic alopecia.Relevance and novel information: Feline paraneoplastic alopecia has been reported in association with pancreatic carcinoma, bile duct carcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma, as well as with neuroendocrine pancreatic carcinoma and hepatosplenic plasma cell tumour. This is the first reported case of feline paraneoplastic alopecia associated with a colon carcinoma.

Defeitos de desenvolvimento dos ductos de Müller ocorrem em 5-6% das mulheres e têm diferentes apresentações. A associação entre essas anormalidades e malformações do trato urinário é bem estabelecida e, possivelmente, tem sua explicação na origem embrionária mesodérmica comum dos dois sistemas. O útero didelfo (dois corpos, dois colos e duas vaginas) pode se apresentar com septo vaginal completo e agenesia renal. Essa anomalia mülleriana rara, usualmente se apresenta após a menarca com dor abdominal cíclica, leucorréia ou massa paravaginal. Tende a não ser reconhecida prontamente, pois a hemivagina patente permite menstruações regulares e intercurso sexual, sendo necessário um alto grau de suspeita para um pronto diagnóstico. Relatamos o caso de uma paciente de 18 anos com dor pélvica cíclica, secreção vaginal e história de quatro cirurgias prévias, sem diagnóstico definitivo e sem resolução dos sintomas. O diagnóstico inicial da malformação mülleriana foi confirmado por ressonância nuclear magnética. A paciente foi tratada com ressecção do septo vaginal longitudinal, que expôs o outro colo uterino, ampliou a vagina e resolveu os sintomas da paciente.

Preeclampsia is an illness of the gestation that involves fetal growth restriction, prematurity and, in more severe cases, death of mother and fetus. It is characterized by maternal hypertension, significant proteinuria (? 0,3g/24 h), edema, vasoconstriction of maternal blood vessels and consequent increase in vascular resistance. Many studies discuss risk factors, pathogenesis and diagnostic criteria of preeclampsia; however, there are large variations in presentation and clinical course of this illness, which make interpretation of fre-quently conflicting results difficult. Diagnostic standardization and research of genetic and molecular bases can bring a better understand-ing of this pathology in a near future. In this paper, we present a review of the literature, stressing the relation between preeclampsia and insulin resistance. A pré-eclâmpsia é uma doença da gestação que pode determinar restrição no crescimento fetal, prematuridade e, em casos mais graves, morte da mãe e do feto. Caracteriza-se por hipertensão arterial materna, proteinúria significativa (? 0,3g/24h), edema, vaso-constrição do leito vascular materno e conseqüente aumento da resistência vascular. Muitos estudos discutem fatores de risco, patogê-nese e critérios para o diagnóstico da pré-eclampsia, porém as variações na forma de apresentação e de evolução clínica dessa doença dificultam o entendimento dos resultados obtidos, freqüentemente conflitantes. A padronização diagnóstica e as pesquisas de base genética e molecular podem trazer, em um futuro próximo, maior compreensão dessa patologia. Neste artigo apresentamos uma revisão da literatura, com destaque para a relação entre pré-eclâmpsia e resistência à insulina.

A pré-eclâmpsia é uma doença da gestação que pode determinar restrição no crescimento fetal, prematuridade e, em casos mais graves, morte da mãe e do feto. Caracteriza-se por hipertensão arterial materna, proteinúria significativa ( 0,3 g/24h), edema, vasoconstrição do leito vascular materno e conseqüente aumento da resistência vascular. Muitos estudos discutem fatores de risco, patogênese e critérios para o diagnóstico da pré-eclampsia, porém as variações na forma de apresentação e de evolução clínica dessa doença dificultam o entendimento dos resultados obtidos, freqüentemente conflitantes. A padronização diagnóstica e as pesquisas de base genética e molecular podem trazer, em um futuro próximo, maior compreensão dessa patologia. Neste artigo apresentamos uma revisão da literatura, com destaque para a relação entre pré-eclâmpsia e resistência à insulina. Preeclampsia is an illness of the gestation that involves fetal growth restriction, prematurity and, in more severe cases, death of mother and fetus. It is characterized by maternal hypertension, significant proteinuria ( 0,3 g/24h), edema, vasoconstriction of maternal blood vessels and consequent increase in vascular resistance. Many studies discuss risk factors, pathogenesis and diagnostic criteria of preeclampsia; however, there are large variations in presentation and clinical course of this illness, which make interpretation of frequently conflicting results difficult. Diagnostic standardization and research of genetic and molecular bases can bring a better understanding of this pathology in a near future. In this paper, we present a review of the literature, stressing the relation between preeclampsia and insulin resistance.