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COVID-19 can range from a mild to severe acute respiratory syndrome and also could result in multisystemic damage. Additionally, many people develop post-acute symptoms associated with immune and metabolic disturbances in response to viral infection, requiring longitudinal and multisystem studies to understand the complexity of COVID-19 pathophysiology. Here, we conducted a 1H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance metabolomics in saliva of symptomatic subjects presenting mild and moderate respiratory symptoms to investigate prospective changes in the metabolism induced after acute-phase SARS-CoV-2 infection. Saliva from 119 donors presenting non-COVID and COVID-19 respiratory symptoms were evaluated in the acute phase (T1) and the post-acute phase (T2). We found two clusters of metabolite fluctuation in the COVID-19 group. Cluster 1, metabolites such as glucose, (CH3)3 choline-related metabolites, 2-hydroxybutyrate, BCAA, and taurine increased in T2 relative to T1, and in cluster 2, acetate, creatine/creatinine, phenylalanine, histidine, and lysine decreased in T2 relative to T1. Metabolic fluctuations in the COVID-19 group were associated with overweight/obesity, vaccination status, higher viral load, and viral clearance of the respiratory tract. Our data unveil metabolic signatures associated with the transition to the post-acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection that may reflect tissue damage, inflammatory process, and activation of tissue repair cascade. Thus, they contribute to describing alterations in host metabolism that may be associated with prolonged symptoms of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulating evidence suggests that interactions between the brain and gut microbiota significantly impact brain function and mental health. In the present study, we aimed to investigate whether young, healthy adults without psychiatric diagnoses exhibit differences in metabolic stool and microbiota profiles based on depression/anxiety scores and heart rate variability (HRV) parameters. Untargeted nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolomics was used to identify fecal metabolic profiles. Results were subjected to multivariate analysis through principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and the metabolites were identified through VIP score. Metabolites separating asymptomatic and symptomatic groups were acetate, valine, and glutamate, followed by sugar regions, glutamine, acetone, valerate, and acetoacetate. The main metabolites identified in high vagal tone (HVT) and low vagal tone (LVT) groups were acetate, valerate, and glutamate, followed by propionate and butyrate. In addition to the metabolites identified by the PLS-DA test, significant differences in aspartate, sarcosine, malate, and methionine were observed between the groups. Levels of acetoacetate were higher in both symptomatic and LVT groups. Valerate levels were significantly increased in the symptomatic group, while isovalerate, propionate, glutamate, and acetone levels were significantly increased in the LVT group. Furthermore, distinct abundance between groups was only confirmed for the Firmicutes phylum. Differences between participants with high and low vagal tone suggest that certain metabolites are involved in communication between the vagus nerve and the brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Modern pentathlon is a multidisciplinary sport that involves exhaustive training which can cause tissue damage and metabolic changes. However, few studies have evaluated the metabolic changes that occur in pentathletes. Accordingly, we aimed to evaluate the metabolomic profile of pentathletes during a 3-week training period before competition using nuclear magnetic resonance. Methods: Blood samples from 6 members of a Brazilian modern pentathlon team were collected at the beginning (Pre1, Pre2, and Pre3) and end (Post1, Post2, and Post3) of each week. Low molecular-weight metabolite profiles were analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and biochemical markers were assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Data were assessed using partial least-squares discriminant analysis and univariate statistical model. Results: Metabolic changes were observed between pre- and postdata of each week and over the 3 weeks before the competition in the partial least-squares discriminant analysis. Creatine kinase concentration increased in the first 2 weeks (P =.045 and P =.039), but there was no difference in the last week (P >.05). Lactate levels increased significantly after training in each week (P <.001). Cortisol levels at Post3 were different from all other time points (P <.05) and the concentrations of peroxides increased over the weeks (P <.05). Among all metabolites, sarcosine showed the greatest differences (P =.004) in the pretraining and posttraining periods of the 3 weeks. Conclusion: Serum analysis of athletes using nuclear magnetic resonance showed metabolic changes depending on the intensity of the training performed each week. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To assess the periapical alveolar bone pattern and the serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines, biochemical markers and metabolites in rats subjected to chronic alcohol and nicotine consumption and induced apical periodontitis. Methodology: Twenty‐eight male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: Control, Alcohol, Nicotine and Alcohol+Nicotine. The alcohol groups were exposed to self‐administration of a 25% alcohol solution, while the other groups were given only filtered water. The nicotine groups received daily intraperitoneal injections of a nicotine solution (0.19 μL of nicotine/mL), whereas the other groups received saline solution. Periapical lesions were induced by exposing the pulps of the left mandibular first molars for 28 days. After euthanasia, the mandibles were removed and the percentage bone volume, bone mineral density, trabecular thickness, trabecular separation and trabecular number of the periapical bone were measured using micro‐computed tomography images. Serum samples were collected for analysis of proinflammatory cytokines (IL‐1β, IL‐4, IL‐6 and TNF‐α), biochemical and metabolomic analysis. Statistical analysis was performed with a significance level of 5%. Nonparametric data were analysed using the Kruskal‐Wallis test followed by Dunn's test, while one‐way anova followed by Tukey's test was performed for parametric data. Results: The groups exposed to alcohol or nicotine consumption exhibited an altered bone pattern indicating lower bone density and higher levels of IL‐1β, IL‐6 and TNF‐α compared to the Control group (p <.05). Significant differences were observed among the groups in the levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase, cholesterol, triglycerides, urea, creatinine, albumin, uric acid, bilirubin and calcium. Metabolomic analysis revealed significant differences in glycine, phosphocholine, lysine, lactate, valine, pyruvate and lipids (CH2CH2CO), n(CH2) and n(CH3). Most of these parameters were even more altered in the simultaneous consumption of both substances compared to single consumption. Conclusion: Alcohol and nicotine chronic consumption altered several metabolic markers, impaired liver and kidney function, increased the production of systemic proinflammatory mediators and harmed the periapical bone microarchitecture in the presence of apical periodontitis. The simultaneous consumption of alcohol and nicotine intensified these detrimental effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To identify the salivary metabolites profile of Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) types I, II, IV, and VI patients. Material and Methods: The participants were asked to refrain from eating and drinking for one hour before sampling, performed between 7:30 and 9:00 a.m. Samples were centrifuged at 10.000 × g for 60 min at 4ºC, and the supernatants (500µl) were stored at -80ºC until NMR analysis. The salivary proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectra were acquired in a 500 MHz spectrometer, and TOCSY experiments were used to confirm and assign metabolites. Data were analyzed descriptively. Results: Differences in salivary metabolites were found among MPS types and the control, such as lactate, propionate, alanine, and N-acetyl sugar. Understanding these metabolite changes may contribute to precision medicine and early detection of mucopolysaccharidosis and its monitoring. Conclusion: The composition of low molecular weight salivary metabolites of mucopolysaccharidosis subjects may present specific features compared to healthy controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brazil has the second-highest COVID-19 death rate worldwide, and Rio de Janeiro is among the states with the highest rate in the country. Although vaccine coverage has been achieved, it is anticipated that COVID-19 will transition into an endemic disease. It is concerning that the molecular mechanisms underlying clinical evolution from mild to severe disease, as well as the mechanisms leading to long COVID-19, are not yet fully understood. NMR and MS-based metabolomics were used to identify metabolites associated with COVID-19 pathophysiology and disease outcome. Severe COVID-19 cases (n = 35) were enrolled in two reference centers in Rio de Janeiro within 72 h of ICU admission, alongside 12 non-infected control subjects. COVID-19 patients were grouped into survivors (n = 18) and non-survivors (n = 17). Choline-related metabolites, serine, glycine, and betaine, were reduced in severe COVID-19, indicating dysregulation in methyl donors. Non-survivors had higher levels of creatine/creatinine, 4-hydroxyproline, gluconic acid, and N-acetylserine, indicating liver and kidney dysfunction. Several changes were greater in women; thus, patients' sex should be considered in pandemic surveillance to achieve better disease stratification and improve outcomes. These metabolic alterations may be useful to monitor organ (dys) function and to understand the pathophysiology of acute and possibly post-acute COVID-19 syndromes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed the implementation of Brazil’s National Oral Health Policy during the period 2018-2021, covering institutional actions, implementation of public dental services, results achieved, and federal funding. We conducted a retrospective descriptive study using documentary analysis and secondary data obtained from institutional websites, government information systems, and reports published by dental organizations. The findings show a significant reduction in funding between 2020 and 2021 and declining performance against indicators since 2018, such as coverage of first dental appointments and group supervised tooth brushing, which stood at 1.8% and 0.02%, respectively, in 2021. Federal funding dropped in 2018 and 2019 (8.45%), followed by an increase in 2020 (59.53%) and decrease in 2021 (-5.18%). The study period was marked by economic and political crises aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This context influenced the functioning of health services in Brazil. There was a sharp reduction in performance against oral health indicators, while performance in primary health care and specialized care services remained stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]