Abstract Purpose To evaluate the neuroprotective effect of L-alanyl-glutamine in a gerbil model of brain ischemia-reperfusion injury based on immunohistochemical quantification of pro-inflammatory and cell activation biomarkers (TNF-α, NF-κB, IL-6 and HO-1). Methods Male gerbils weighing 100-180 g were pretreated with either 0.75 g/kg L-Ala-Gln (n=18) or 2.0 mL saline (n=18) administered i.v. 30 minutes before the bilateral ligation of the common carotid artery during 15 min and then the ligation was removed. Under anesthesia with urethane, brain tissue was harvested at 0 min (T0), 30 min (T30) and 60 min (T60) after reperfusion. The tissue was embedded in 10% formalin overnight and 4-μm sections were prepared for immunostaining with monoclonal antibodies. Immunostained cells were counted by optical microscopy. The statistical analysis used mean values based on 4 sections. Results The pretreatment with L-Ala-Gln animal group 1 demonstrated significantly lower levels of TNF-α, NF-κB and IL-6. On the other hand, the levels of HO-1 were significantly higher, suggesting a protective role in model of brain ischemia-reperfusion injury. Conclusion These findings suggest a protective effect of L-Ala-Gln by decreasing levels of TNF-alpha, IL-6 and NF-κB and Increasing levels of HO-1.

Abstract Background: Several studies have demonstrated that platelet counts in Helicobacter pylori-positive patients with chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura improved significantly after successful eradication of the infection. However, depending of the geographical region of the study the results have been highly divergent. Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of H. pylori eradication therapy on platelet count in a cohort of chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura patients from northeastern Brazil. Method: H. pylori status was determined in 28 chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura patients using the rapid urease test and histology. H. pylori-positive patients received standard triple therapy for one week. The effect of the eradication therapy was evaluated using the 13C-urea breath test two to three months after treatment. Results: The prevalence of H. pylori infection was similar to that found in the general population. Twenty-two patients (78.5%) were H. pylori-positive. Fifteen were treated, 13 (86%) of whom successfully. At six months, 4/13 (30%) displayed increased platelet counts, which remained throughout follow-up (12 months). Platelet response was not associated to mean baseline platelet count, duration of chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, gender, age, previous use of medication, or splenectomy. Conclusions: H. pylori eradication therapy showed relatively low platelet recovery rates, comparable with previous studies from southeastern Brazil. The effect of H. pylori eradication on platelet counts remained after one year of follow-up suggesting that treating H. pylori infection might be worthwhile in a subset of chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura patients.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of preconditioning with oils mixes containing ω3/ω6/ω9 associated with micro-currents on skin repair in rats. METHODS: One-hundred and eight Wistar rats randomized into G-1, G-2 and G-3 groups were treated with saline (0.9%), mix 1 (corn+soybean oils) and mix 2 (olive+canola+flaxseed oils), respectively, in a single dose (0.01ml/g) by gavage. Next, each group was subdivided into sham and stimulated subgroups. Pulsed-wave microcurrents (0.5 µA, 0.5 Hz) were applied to stimulated subgroups for 20 min. One hour later anesthetized rats were subjected to surgery. A dorsal incision (6 cm long) was carried out and closed with interrupted nylon sutures. Samples (1cm2) were harvested from the mid-portion of the incision on the 7, 14, 21 post-operative (P.O.) days. Variables were analyzed using Mann-Whitney/Dunn tests Significance level was set to 5 % (p<0.05). RESULTS: Micro-currents promoted increase of exudate and reduction of epithelialization on day 7 in G1 rats. Mixes 1/2 reduced vascularization on 7/14th days P.O. Both 1/2 mixes reduced fibrosis on day 14. Preconditioning with mix 1 led to increased expression of NF-kB on the 7th day. CONCLUSION: Preconditioning with microcurrents has pro-inflammatory effects while oil mixes 1 and 2 decrease fibrosis and vascularization in the proliferative phase of cicatrization.

Helicobacter pylori infection is one of the most common infections worldwide and is associated with gastric diseases. Virulence factors such as VacA and CagA have been shown to increase the risk of these diseases. Studies have suggested a causal role of CagA EPIYA-C in gastric carcinogenesis and this factor has been shown to be geographically diverse. We investigated the number of CagA EPIYA motifs and the vacA i genotypes in H. pylori strains from asymptomatic children. We included samples from 40 infected children (18 females and 22 males), extracted DNA directly from the gastric mucus/juice (obtained using the string procedure) and analysed the DNA using polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing. The vacA i1 genotype was present in 30 (75%) samples, the i2 allele was present in nine (22.5%) samples and both alleles were present in one (2.5%) sample. The cagA-positive samples showed distinct patterns in the 3&#8217; variable region of cagA and 18 of the 30 (60%) strains contained 1 EPIYA-C motif, whereas 12 (40%) strains contained two EPIYA-C motifs. We confirmed that the studied population was colonised early by the most virulent H. pylori strains, as demonstrated by the high frequency of the vacA i1 allele and the high number of EPIYA-C motifs. Therefore, asymptomatic children from an urban community in Fortaleza in northeastern Brazil are frequently colonised with the most virulent H. pylori strains.

Helicobacter pylori causes chronic gastric inflammation and significantly increases the risk of duodenal and gastric ulcer disease and distal gastric carcinoma. In this study, we evaluated the Helicobacter pylori vacA and cagA genotypes in patients from a Brazilian region where there is a high prevalence of gastric cancer. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to investigate vacA mosaicism and cagA status in the gastric mucosa of 134 H. pylori-positive patients, including 76 with gastritis: 28 with peptic ulcer disease and 30 with gastric cancer. The s1m1 variant was the predominant vacA genotype observed, whereas the s1 allele was more frequently observed in patients with more severe diseases associated with H. pylori infection [p = 0.03, odds ratio (OR) = 5.72, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.15-38.60]. Furthermore, all of the s1 alleles were s1b. Mixed vacA m1/m2 strains were found more frequently in patients with gastric cancer and a cagA-positive status was significantly associated with gastric cancer (p = 0.016, OR = 10.36, 95% CI = 1.35-217.31). Patients with gastric cancer (21/21, 100%, p = 0.006) or peptic ulcers (20/21, 95%, p = 0.02) were more frequently colonised by more virulent H. pylori strains compared to gastritis patients (41/61, 67.2%). In conclusion, in the northeastern of Brazil, which is one of the regions with the highest prevalence of gastric cancer in the country, infection with the most virulent H. pylori strains, carrying the cagA gene and s1m1 vacA alleles, predominates and is correlated with more severe H. pylori-associated diseases.