Mateus Castro - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Mateus Castro
Research, Society and Development
A Leishmaniose Tegumentar Americana (LTA) é uma doença infecciosa, não contagiosa, causada por pr... more A Leishmaniose Tegumentar Americana (LTA) é uma doença infecciosa, não contagiosa, causada por protozoários do gênero Leishmania. Ela é considerada uma doença negligenciada e que afeta, principalmente, populações vulneráveis do ponto de vista socioeconômico. Com base nisso, a pesquisa teve como objetivo verificar o perfil sociodemográfico e clínico dos casos de Leishmaniose Tegumentar Americana no estado do Pará. Trata-se de um estudo retrospectivo, descritivo e transversal com abordagem quantitativa dos casos de Leishmaniose Tegumentar Americana no estado do Pará entre os anos de 2010 e 2019. Os dados foram obtidos através do Sistema Nacional de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN), no Departamento de Informática do Sistema Único de Saúde (DATASUS). Dessa forma, foram notificados, dentre o período estipulado, 32.412 casos de LTA no Pará. Entre os indivíduos mais acometidos estão os do sexo masculino (80,95%; n=26.238), idade de 20 - 39 anos (49,69%) e ensino fundamental incompleto (54,27...
O trabalho objetiva analisar aspectos teorico-metodologicos da Educacao Interprofissional (EIP) n... more O trabalho objetiva analisar aspectos teorico-metodologicos da Educacao Interprofissional (EIP) na formacao em saude. Trata-se de uma Revisao Integrativa de artigos indexados nas bases de dados da Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciencias da Saude (LILACS), Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) e no portal da Biblioteca Virtual em Saude (BVS), com os descritores “Educacao Interprofissional”, “Ensino” e “Curriculo”, resultando em 22 publicacoes para sua elaboracao. Observou-se a limitacao de evidencias nacionais acerca da insercao da EIP nas Instituicoes de Ensino Superior, revelando sua carencia nos curriculos de graduacao em saude. Destacou-se tambem os desafios e possibilidades da implementacao curricular dessa metodologia, alem de salientar suas contribuicoes para o desenvolvimento profissional e do Sistema de Saude.
Anais Estendidos do Simpósio de Realidade Virtual e Aumentada (SVR Estendido 2020), 2020
Este artigo descreve a criação de um sistema de baixo custo que permite a interação de um usuário... more Este artigo descreve a criação de um sistema de baixo custo que permite a interação de um usuário com ambientes virtuais modelados em Unity e visualizados através do Google Card Board - a interação testada se baseia no uso das mãos para mover objetos em uma tarefa de pick and place. O sistema proposto divide o processamento em uma arquitetura cliente-servidor na qual o ambiente virtual é executado no cliente, ao mesmo tempo que este envia fotos do celular do Card Board para o servidor. Este processa e retorna a pose da mão presente na imagem e envia de volta para o cliente, o qual renderiza e processa interações.
Brain Research Bulletin, 2020
After peripheral axotomy, there is a selective retraction of synaptic terminals in contact with i... more After peripheral axotomy, there is a selective retraction of synaptic terminals in contact with injured motoneurons. This process, which actively involves glial cells, is influenced by the expression of immune-related molecules. Since toll-like receptors (TLRs) are upregulated by astrocytes and microglia following lesions, they might be involved in synaptic plasticity processes. Therefore, we administered lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to enhance TLR4 expression in mice and studied retrograde changes in the spinal cord ventral horn following sciatic nerve crush. To this end, adult C57BL/6 J male mice were subjected to unilateral sciatic nerve crush at the mid-thigh level and, after a survival time of seven and forty days (acute and chronic phases, respectively), the spinal cords were paraformaldehyde-fixed and dissected out for immunolabeling for synaptophysin, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 (Iba1). The results show that TLR4 upregulation leads to synaptophysin downregulation close to spinal motoneuron cell bodies, indicating increased synaptic elimination. LPS exposure also further increases astrogliosis and microglial reactions in the both ventral and dorsal horns, especially ipsilateral to nerve axotomy, compared to those in untreated mice. Notably, LPS administration to TLR4-/- mice produces results similar to those observed in untreated wild-type counterparts, reinforcing the role of this receptor in the glial response to injury. Therefore, our results suggest that the overexpression of the TLR4 receptor results in augmented astrogliosis/microglial reactions and the excessive loss of synapses postinjury, which may, in turn, affect the motoneuronal regenerative response and functionality. Additionally, treatment with LPS increases the expression of β2-microglobulin, a subcomponent of MHC I. Importantly, the absence of TLR4 results in imbalanced axonal regeneration, inducing subsequent improvements and setbacks. In conclusion, our results show the involvement of TLR4 in the process of synaptic remodeling, indicating a new target for future research aimed at developing therapies for CNS and SNP repair.
Blucher Medical Proceedings, 2019
BACKGROUND To Analyze the positive impacts of the performance of strength trains in patients with... more BACKGROUND To Analyze the positive impacts of the performance of strength trains in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. MATERIALS AND METHODS Research in the "PUBMED" database, using the "strength training" and "rheumatoid arthritis" descriptors, in the "advanced" SEARCH STRATEGY, opting for the "and" connective between the two descriptors. 31 articles have been found after the search. Subsequently, the articles were organized in order of "best match", being selected the first 8 articles. RESULTS Patients with rheumatoid arthritis suffer loss of muscle mass, resulting in reduced strength and muscular endurance. High-intensity strength training has been an effective and well-tolerated method to increase or maintain muscle strength in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Training methods that required activity against resistance and counterweights in patients with ARTHRITIS RHEUMATOID with varying levels of disease activity and joint damage provided a significant effect that led to improvements in pain and function with additive benefits for patients. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis, both early and long, improved the characteristics of their body composition profile, reducing fat percentage and increasing muscle mass, using a strength TRAINING protocol.
Blucher Medical Proceedings, 2019
The journal of venomous animals and toxins including tropical diseases, 2018
Peripheral nerve injury is a worldwide clinical problem, and the preferred surgical method for tr... more Peripheral nerve injury is a worldwide clinical problem, and the preferred surgical method for treating it is the end-to-end neurorrhaphy. When it is not possible due to a large nerve gap, autologous nerve grafting is used. However, these surgical techniques result in nerve regeneration at highly variable degrees. It is thus very important to seek complementary techniques to improve motor and sensory recovery. One promising approach could be cell therapy. Transplantation therapy with human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) is appealing because these cells are pluripotent and can differentiate into specialized cell types and have self-renewal ability. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to find conditions under which functional recovery is improved after sciatic nerve neurorrhaphy. We assumed that hESC, either alone or in combination with heterologous fibrin sealant scaffold, could be used to support regeneration in a mouse model of sciatic nerve injury and repair via autograf...
The journal of venomous animals and toxins including tropical diseases, 2017
Lesions to the nervous system often produce hemorrhage and tissue loss that are difficult, if not... more Lesions to the nervous system often produce hemorrhage and tissue loss that are difficult, if not impossible, to repair. Therefore, scar formation, inflammation and cavitation take place, expanding the lesion epicenter. This significantly worsens the patient conditions and impairment, increasing neuronal loss and glial reaction, which in turn further decreases the chances of a positive outcome. The possibility of using hemostatic substances that also function as a scaffold, such as the fibrin sealant, reduces surgical time and improve postoperative recovery. To date, several studies have demonstrated that human blood derived fibrin sealant produces positive effects in different interventions, becoming an efficient alternative to suturing. To provide an alternative to homologous fibrin sealants, the Center for the Study of Venoms and Venomous Animals (CEVAP, Brazil) has proposed a new bioproduct composed of certified animal components, including a thrombin-like enzyme obtained from s...
Experimental neurology, Aug 24, 2017
Ventral root avulsion (VRA) triggers a strong glial reaction which contributes to neuronal loss, ... more Ventral root avulsion (VRA) triggers a strong glial reaction which contributes to neuronal loss, as well as to synaptic detachment. To overcome the degenerative effects of VRA, treatments with neurotrophic factors and stem cells have been proposed. Thus, we investigated neuroprotection elicited by human embryonic stem cells (hESC), modified to overexpress a human fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2), on motoneurons subjected to VRA. Lewis rats were submitted to VRA (L4-L6) and hESCs/FGF-2 were applied to the injury site using a fibrin scaffold. The spinal cords were processed to evaluate neuronal survival, synaptic stability, and glial reactivity two weeks post lesion. Then, qRT-PCR was used to assess gene expression of β2-microglobulin (β2μ), TNFα, IL1β, IL6 and IL10 in the spinal cord in vivo and FGF2 mRNA levels in hESC in vitro. The results indicate that hESC overexpressing FGF2 significantly rescued avulsed motoneurons, preserving synaptic covering and reducing astroglial reactiv...
Neuroscience Letters, 2017
HIGHLIGHTS MHC-I expression knocking-down decreases astrogliosis β2-microglobulin silenced as... more HIGHLIGHTS MHC-I expression knocking-down decreases astrogliosis β2-microglobulin silenced astrocytes decrease gene expression of proinflammatory cytokines β2-microglobulin silencing results in astrocyte atrophy by decreased expression of GFAP 2
Neuroscience letters, Jan 14, 2016
Astrocytes are multifunctional glial cells that actively participate in synaptic plasticity in he... more Astrocytes are multifunctional glial cells that actively participate in synaptic plasticity in health and disease. Little is known about molecular interactions between neurons and glial cells that result in synaptic stability or elimination. In this sense, the main histocompatibility complex of class I (MHC I) has been shown to play a role in the synaptic plasticity process during development and after lesion of the CNS. MHC I levels in neurons appear to be influenced by astrocyte secreted molecules, which may generate endoplasmic reticulum stress. In vitro studies are of relevance since cell contact can be avoided by the use of astrocyte conditioned medium, allowing investigation of soluble factors isolated from cell direct interaction. Thus, we investigated synaptic preservation by synaptophysin and MHC I immunolabeling in PC12 neuron-like cells exposed to NG97 astroglioma conditioned medium (CM). For that, PC12 cells were cultured and differentiated into neuron-like profile with ...
Revista Brasileira De Agroecologia, Dec 31, 2009
Resumo Na região do Cerrado há carência de estudos sobre viabilidade e sustentabilidade da produç... more Resumo Na região do Cerrado há carência de estudos sobre viabilidade e sustentabilidade da produção orgânica. O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar a evolução de uma propriedade familiar em sistema orgânico de produção, considerando aspectos econômicos, tecnológicos e sociais. Os dados foram coletados em planilhas simplificadas preenchidas pelo agricultor e lançados no software RuralPro 2005. Esta metodologia foi realizada em 2004 e repetida em 2008, comparando-se os resultados. Ficou evidenciada a viabilidade econômica da atividade. O saldo médio de caixa aumentou mais de 7 vezes de 2004 para 2008, a receita bruta média aumentou quase 3 vezes e os custos variáveis reduziram de 40% para 14% da receita bruta. A família avançou na aplicação dos princípios agroecológicos, acarretando em redução de custos. Com recursos próprios da atividade, foi possível melhorias e aumento no número de residências no sítio, investimentos em bens móveis, maior gasto em lazer e convivência familiar.
Journal de Mycologie Médicale / Journal of Medical Mycology, 2008
Objective.-To study the antimicrobial activity of fungi isolated from Brazilian cerrado soil. Mat... more Objective.-To study the antimicrobial activity of fungi isolated from Brazilian cerrado soil. Material and methods.-A total of 200 fungal strains were isolated from soil samples collected from Serra do Cipó National Park in Brazil. Antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli,
PloS one, 2014
The present work compared the local injection of mononuclear cells to the spinal cord lateral fun... more The present work compared the local injection of mononuclear cells to the spinal cord lateral funiculus with the alternative approach of local delivery with fibrin sealant after ventral root avulsion (VRA) and reimplantation. For that, female adult Lewis rats were divided into the following groups: avulsion only, reimplantation with fibrin sealant; root repair with fibrin sealant associated with mononuclear cells; and repair with fibrin sealant and injected mononuclear cells. Cell therapy resulted in greater survival of spinal motoneurons up to four weeks post-surgery, especially when mononuclear cells were added to the fibrin glue. Injection of mononuclear cells to the lateral funiculus yield similar results to the reimplantation alone. Additionally, mononuclear cells added to the fibrin glue increased neurotrophic factor gene transcript levels in the spinal cord ventral horn. Regarding the motor recovery, evaluated by the functional peroneal index, as well as the paw print pressur...
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2014
We recently proposed a new surgical approach to treat ventral root avulsion, resulting in motoneu... more We recently proposed a new surgical approach to treat ventral root avulsion, resulting in motoneuron protection. The present work combined such a surgical approach with bone marrow mononuclear cells (MC) therapy. Therefore, MC were added to the site of reimplantation. Female Lewis rats (seven weeks old) were subjected to unilateral ventral root avulsion (VRA) at L4, L5 and L6 levels and divided into the following groups (n = 5 for each group): Avulsion, sealant reimplanted roots and sealant reimplanted roots plus MC. After four weeks and 12 weeks post-surgery, the lumbar intumescences were processed by transmission electron microscopy, to analyze synaptic inputs to the repaired α motoneurons. Also, the ipsi and contralateral sciatic nerves were processed for axon counting and morphometry. The ultrastructural results indicated a significant preservation of inhibitory pre-synaptic boutons in the groups repaired with sealant alone and associated with MC therapy. Moreover, the average number of axons was higher in treated groups when
PLoS ONE, 2013
Background: Ventral root avulsion is an experimental model of proximal axonal injury at the centr... more Background: Ventral root avulsion is an experimental model of proximal axonal injury at the central/peripheral nervous system interface that results in paralysis and poor clinical outcome after restorative surgery. Root reimplantation may decrease neuronal degeneration in such cases. We describe the use of a snake venom-derived fibrin sealant during surgical reconnection of avulsed roots at the spinal cord surface. The present work investigates the effects of this fibrin sealant on functional recovery, neuronal survival, synaptic plasticity, and glial reaction in the spinal motoneuron microenvironment after ventral root reimplantation. Methodology/Principal Findings: Female Lewis rats (7 weeks old) were subjected to VRA and root replantation. The animals were divided into two groups: 1) avulsion only and 2) replanted roots with fibrin sealant derived from snake venom. Post-surgical motor performance was evaluated using the CatWalk system twice a week for 12 weeks. The rats were sacrificed 12 weeks after surgery, and their lumbar intumescences were processed for motoneuron counting and immunohistochemistry (GFAP, Iba-1 and synaptophysin antisera). Array based qRT-PCR was used to evaluate gene regulation of several neurotrophic factors and receptors as well as inflammatory related molecules. The results indicated that the root reimplantation with fibrin sealant enhanced motor recovery, preserved the synaptic covering of the motoneurons and improved neuronal survival. The replanted group did not show significant changes in microglial response compared to VRA-only. However, the astroglial reaction was significantly reduced in this group. Conclusions/Significance: In conclusion, the present data suggest that the repair of avulsed roots with snake venom fibrin glue at the exact point of detachment results in neuroprotection and preservation of the synaptic network at the microenvironment of the lesioned motoneurons. Also such procedure reduced the astroglial reaction and increased mRNA levels to neurotrophins and anti-inflammatory cytokines that may in turn, contribute to improving recovery of motor function.
ChemPhysChem, 2010
Different site energy distribution functions based on the condensation approximation method are p... more Different site energy distribution functions based on the condensation approximation method are proposed for the liquid-phase or gas-phase adsorption equilibrium data following the Fritz-Schlüender isotherm. Energy distribution functions for the four limiting cases of the Fritz-Schlüender isotherm are also discussed. The proposed models are successfully applied to the experimental equilibrium data of nitrogen molecules at 77 K on a pitch-based activated carbon (PA) and a pitch-based activated carbon containing boron (PBA). An energy distribution function based on FS isotherm containing five parameters suggest a unimodal distribution of binding sites for carbon PA, the binding site energies being distributed as exponential or unimodal, depending on the pressure, in the case of carbon PBA. The advantages of the proposed models are discussed.
Carbon, 2010
Different activated carbons with large micropore volume (0.780.99 cm3/g) have been prepared by K... more Different activated carbons with large micropore volume (0.780.99 cm3/g) have been prepared by KOH activation of mesophase pitch obtained by co-pyrolysis of a petroleum residue and small amounts of different compounds, triphenylsilane, borane pyridine ...
Brazilian Journal of Microbiology, 2007
As a part of a research program that aims to identify antibacterial and antifungal substances fro... more As a part of a research program that aims to identify antibacterial and antifungal substances from fungus specimen of Brazilian's cerrado soil samples, Penicillium sclerotiorum was identified as a source of secondary metabolites possessing antibiotic activities. This microorganism was cultured in a liquid medium rich in glucose for fifteen days. The resulting ethyl acetate extract was chemically fractionated leading to the isolation of three metabolites-pencolide, sclerotiorin and isochromophilone VI. The antimicrobial disc assay activity of these substances towards Candida albicans, Streptomyces pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli was performed. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the compounds was determined. All compounds showed distinguished antimicrobial activities.
Psicologia & Sociedade, 2002
Este é um projeto de Pesquisa-intervenção vinculado à Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM). Enq... more Este é um projeto de Pesquisa-intervenção vinculado à Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM). Enquanto projeto de Pesquisa-intervenção (Thiollent, 1981 e Brandão, 1981 e 1984) pressupõe a práxis como o lócus da produção do conhecimento e critério de verdade. A população com a qual interagimos é atendida pelo Núcleo Social Papa João XXIII, localizado na periferia de Maringá/PR/Brasil. A nossa inserção neste agrupamento humano está sustentada na premissa-denúncia de Martín-Baró (1987 e 1989) de que vivemos sobre o "império da desvalorização da vida humana", forjado pelo autoritarismo socioeconômico do capitalismo e da sociedade de consumo de massas por ele engendrada (Caniato, 1997; Martin & Schumann, 1999 e Beinstein, 1999). Seus reflexos excludentes são escamoteados pelos discursos demagógicos e ideológicos dos regimes políticos democráticos atuais. Partimos dos ensinamentos de Theodor Adorno (1965) em A Personalidade Autoritária de que tendências preconceituosas, nem semp...
Research, Society and Development
A Leishmaniose Tegumentar Americana (LTA) é uma doença infecciosa, não contagiosa, causada por pr... more A Leishmaniose Tegumentar Americana (LTA) é uma doença infecciosa, não contagiosa, causada por protozoários do gênero Leishmania. Ela é considerada uma doença negligenciada e que afeta, principalmente, populações vulneráveis do ponto de vista socioeconômico. Com base nisso, a pesquisa teve como objetivo verificar o perfil sociodemográfico e clínico dos casos de Leishmaniose Tegumentar Americana no estado do Pará. Trata-se de um estudo retrospectivo, descritivo e transversal com abordagem quantitativa dos casos de Leishmaniose Tegumentar Americana no estado do Pará entre os anos de 2010 e 2019. Os dados foram obtidos através do Sistema Nacional de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN), no Departamento de Informática do Sistema Único de Saúde (DATASUS). Dessa forma, foram notificados, dentre o período estipulado, 32.412 casos de LTA no Pará. Entre os indivíduos mais acometidos estão os do sexo masculino (80,95%; n=26.238), idade de 20 - 39 anos (49,69%) e ensino fundamental incompleto (54,27...
O trabalho objetiva analisar aspectos teorico-metodologicos da Educacao Interprofissional (EIP) n... more O trabalho objetiva analisar aspectos teorico-metodologicos da Educacao Interprofissional (EIP) na formacao em saude. Trata-se de uma Revisao Integrativa de artigos indexados nas bases de dados da Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciencias da Saude (LILACS), Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) e no portal da Biblioteca Virtual em Saude (BVS), com os descritores “Educacao Interprofissional”, “Ensino” e “Curriculo”, resultando em 22 publicacoes para sua elaboracao. Observou-se a limitacao de evidencias nacionais acerca da insercao da EIP nas Instituicoes de Ensino Superior, revelando sua carencia nos curriculos de graduacao em saude. Destacou-se tambem os desafios e possibilidades da implementacao curricular dessa metodologia, alem de salientar suas contribuicoes para o desenvolvimento profissional e do Sistema de Saude.
Anais Estendidos do Simpósio de Realidade Virtual e Aumentada (SVR Estendido 2020), 2020
Este artigo descreve a criação de um sistema de baixo custo que permite a interação de um usuário... more Este artigo descreve a criação de um sistema de baixo custo que permite a interação de um usuário com ambientes virtuais modelados em Unity e visualizados através do Google Card Board - a interação testada se baseia no uso das mãos para mover objetos em uma tarefa de pick and place. O sistema proposto divide o processamento em uma arquitetura cliente-servidor na qual o ambiente virtual é executado no cliente, ao mesmo tempo que este envia fotos do celular do Card Board para o servidor. Este processa e retorna a pose da mão presente na imagem e envia de volta para o cliente, o qual renderiza e processa interações.
Brain Research Bulletin, 2020
After peripheral axotomy, there is a selective retraction of synaptic terminals in contact with i... more After peripheral axotomy, there is a selective retraction of synaptic terminals in contact with injured motoneurons. This process, which actively involves glial cells, is influenced by the expression of immune-related molecules. Since toll-like receptors (TLRs) are upregulated by astrocytes and microglia following lesions, they might be involved in synaptic plasticity processes. Therefore, we administered lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to enhance TLR4 expression in mice and studied retrograde changes in the spinal cord ventral horn following sciatic nerve crush. To this end, adult C57BL/6 J male mice were subjected to unilateral sciatic nerve crush at the mid-thigh level and, after a survival time of seven and forty days (acute and chronic phases, respectively), the spinal cords were paraformaldehyde-fixed and dissected out for immunolabeling for synaptophysin, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 (Iba1). The results show that TLR4 upregulation leads to synaptophysin downregulation close to spinal motoneuron cell bodies, indicating increased synaptic elimination. LPS exposure also further increases astrogliosis and microglial reactions in the both ventral and dorsal horns, especially ipsilateral to nerve axotomy, compared to those in untreated mice. Notably, LPS administration to TLR4-/- mice produces results similar to those observed in untreated wild-type counterparts, reinforcing the role of this receptor in the glial response to injury. Therefore, our results suggest that the overexpression of the TLR4 receptor results in augmented astrogliosis/microglial reactions and the excessive loss of synapses postinjury, which may, in turn, affect the motoneuronal regenerative response and functionality. Additionally, treatment with LPS increases the expression of β2-microglobulin, a subcomponent of MHC I. Importantly, the absence of TLR4 results in imbalanced axonal regeneration, inducing subsequent improvements and setbacks. In conclusion, our results show the involvement of TLR4 in the process of synaptic remodeling, indicating a new target for future research aimed at developing therapies for CNS and SNP repair.
Blucher Medical Proceedings, 2019
BACKGROUND To Analyze the positive impacts of the performance of strength trains in patients with... more BACKGROUND To Analyze the positive impacts of the performance of strength trains in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. MATERIALS AND METHODS Research in the "PUBMED" database, using the "strength training" and "rheumatoid arthritis" descriptors, in the "advanced" SEARCH STRATEGY, opting for the "and" connective between the two descriptors. 31 articles have been found after the search. Subsequently, the articles were organized in order of "best match", being selected the first 8 articles. RESULTS Patients with rheumatoid arthritis suffer loss of muscle mass, resulting in reduced strength and muscular endurance. High-intensity strength training has been an effective and well-tolerated method to increase or maintain muscle strength in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Training methods that required activity against resistance and counterweights in patients with ARTHRITIS RHEUMATOID with varying levels of disease activity and joint damage provided a significant effect that led to improvements in pain and function with additive benefits for patients. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis, both early and long, improved the characteristics of their body composition profile, reducing fat percentage and increasing muscle mass, using a strength TRAINING protocol.
Blucher Medical Proceedings, 2019
The journal of venomous animals and toxins including tropical diseases, 2018
Peripheral nerve injury is a worldwide clinical problem, and the preferred surgical method for tr... more Peripheral nerve injury is a worldwide clinical problem, and the preferred surgical method for treating it is the end-to-end neurorrhaphy. When it is not possible due to a large nerve gap, autologous nerve grafting is used. However, these surgical techniques result in nerve regeneration at highly variable degrees. It is thus very important to seek complementary techniques to improve motor and sensory recovery. One promising approach could be cell therapy. Transplantation therapy with human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) is appealing because these cells are pluripotent and can differentiate into specialized cell types and have self-renewal ability. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to find conditions under which functional recovery is improved after sciatic nerve neurorrhaphy. We assumed that hESC, either alone or in combination with heterologous fibrin sealant scaffold, could be used to support regeneration in a mouse model of sciatic nerve injury and repair via autograf...
The journal of venomous animals and toxins including tropical diseases, 2017
Lesions to the nervous system often produce hemorrhage and tissue loss that are difficult, if not... more Lesions to the nervous system often produce hemorrhage and tissue loss that are difficult, if not impossible, to repair. Therefore, scar formation, inflammation and cavitation take place, expanding the lesion epicenter. This significantly worsens the patient conditions and impairment, increasing neuronal loss and glial reaction, which in turn further decreases the chances of a positive outcome. The possibility of using hemostatic substances that also function as a scaffold, such as the fibrin sealant, reduces surgical time and improve postoperative recovery. To date, several studies have demonstrated that human blood derived fibrin sealant produces positive effects in different interventions, becoming an efficient alternative to suturing. To provide an alternative to homologous fibrin sealants, the Center for the Study of Venoms and Venomous Animals (CEVAP, Brazil) has proposed a new bioproduct composed of certified animal components, including a thrombin-like enzyme obtained from s...
Experimental neurology, Aug 24, 2017
Ventral root avulsion (VRA) triggers a strong glial reaction which contributes to neuronal loss, ... more Ventral root avulsion (VRA) triggers a strong glial reaction which contributes to neuronal loss, as well as to synaptic detachment. To overcome the degenerative effects of VRA, treatments with neurotrophic factors and stem cells have been proposed. Thus, we investigated neuroprotection elicited by human embryonic stem cells (hESC), modified to overexpress a human fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2), on motoneurons subjected to VRA. Lewis rats were submitted to VRA (L4-L6) and hESCs/FGF-2 were applied to the injury site using a fibrin scaffold. The spinal cords were processed to evaluate neuronal survival, synaptic stability, and glial reactivity two weeks post lesion. Then, qRT-PCR was used to assess gene expression of β2-microglobulin (β2μ), TNFα, IL1β, IL6 and IL10 in the spinal cord in vivo and FGF2 mRNA levels in hESC in vitro. The results indicate that hESC overexpressing FGF2 significantly rescued avulsed motoneurons, preserving synaptic covering and reducing astroglial reactiv...
Neuroscience Letters, 2017
HIGHLIGHTS MHC-I expression knocking-down decreases astrogliosis β2-microglobulin silenced as... more HIGHLIGHTS MHC-I expression knocking-down decreases astrogliosis β2-microglobulin silenced astrocytes decrease gene expression of proinflammatory cytokines β2-microglobulin silencing results in astrocyte atrophy by decreased expression of GFAP 2
Neuroscience letters, Jan 14, 2016
Astrocytes are multifunctional glial cells that actively participate in synaptic plasticity in he... more Astrocytes are multifunctional glial cells that actively participate in synaptic plasticity in health and disease. Little is known about molecular interactions between neurons and glial cells that result in synaptic stability or elimination. In this sense, the main histocompatibility complex of class I (MHC I) has been shown to play a role in the synaptic plasticity process during development and after lesion of the CNS. MHC I levels in neurons appear to be influenced by astrocyte secreted molecules, which may generate endoplasmic reticulum stress. In vitro studies are of relevance since cell contact can be avoided by the use of astrocyte conditioned medium, allowing investigation of soluble factors isolated from cell direct interaction. Thus, we investigated synaptic preservation by synaptophysin and MHC I immunolabeling in PC12 neuron-like cells exposed to NG97 astroglioma conditioned medium (CM). For that, PC12 cells were cultured and differentiated into neuron-like profile with ...
Revista Brasileira De Agroecologia, Dec 31, 2009
Resumo Na região do Cerrado há carência de estudos sobre viabilidade e sustentabilidade da produç... more Resumo Na região do Cerrado há carência de estudos sobre viabilidade e sustentabilidade da produção orgânica. O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar a evolução de uma propriedade familiar em sistema orgânico de produção, considerando aspectos econômicos, tecnológicos e sociais. Os dados foram coletados em planilhas simplificadas preenchidas pelo agricultor e lançados no software RuralPro 2005. Esta metodologia foi realizada em 2004 e repetida em 2008, comparando-se os resultados. Ficou evidenciada a viabilidade econômica da atividade. O saldo médio de caixa aumentou mais de 7 vezes de 2004 para 2008, a receita bruta média aumentou quase 3 vezes e os custos variáveis reduziram de 40% para 14% da receita bruta. A família avançou na aplicação dos princípios agroecológicos, acarretando em redução de custos. Com recursos próprios da atividade, foi possível melhorias e aumento no número de residências no sítio, investimentos em bens móveis, maior gasto em lazer e convivência familiar.
Journal de Mycologie Médicale / Journal of Medical Mycology, 2008
Objective.-To study the antimicrobial activity of fungi isolated from Brazilian cerrado soil. Mat... more Objective.-To study the antimicrobial activity of fungi isolated from Brazilian cerrado soil. Material and methods.-A total of 200 fungal strains were isolated from soil samples collected from Serra do Cipó National Park in Brazil. Antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli,
PloS one, 2014
The present work compared the local injection of mononuclear cells to the spinal cord lateral fun... more The present work compared the local injection of mononuclear cells to the spinal cord lateral funiculus with the alternative approach of local delivery with fibrin sealant after ventral root avulsion (VRA) and reimplantation. For that, female adult Lewis rats were divided into the following groups: avulsion only, reimplantation with fibrin sealant; root repair with fibrin sealant associated with mononuclear cells; and repair with fibrin sealant and injected mononuclear cells. Cell therapy resulted in greater survival of spinal motoneurons up to four weeks post-surgery, especially when mononuclear cells were added to the fibrin glue. Injection of mononuclear cells to the lateral funiculus yield similar results to the reimplantation alone. Additionally, mononuclear cells added to the fibrin glue increased neurotrophic factor gene transcript levels in the spinal cord ventral horn. Regarding the motor recovery, evaluated by the functional peroneal index, as well as the paw print pressur...
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2014
We recently proposed a new surgical approach to treat ventral root avulsion, resulting in motoneu... more We recently proposed a new surgical approach to treat ventral root avulsion, resulting in motoneuron protection. The present work combined such a surgical approach with bone marrow mononuclear cells (MC) therapy. Therefore, MC were added to the site of reimplantation. Female Lewis rats (seven weeks old) were subjected to unilateral ventral root avulsion (VRA) at L4, L5 and L6 levels and divided into the following groups (n = 5 for each group): Avulsion, sealant reimplanted roots and sealant reimplanted roots plus MC. After four weeks and 12 weeks post-surgery, the lumbar intumescences were processed by transmission electron microscopy, to analyze synaptic inputs to the repaired α motoneurons. Also, the ipsi and contralateral sciatic nerves were processed for axon counting and morphometry. The ultrastructural results indicated a significant preservation of inhibitory pre-synaptic boutons in the groups repaired with sealant alone and associated with MC therapy. Moreover, the average number of axons was higher in treated groups when
PLoS ONE, 2013
Background: Ventral root avulsion is an experimental model of proximal axonal injury at the centr... more Background: Ventral root avulsion is an experimental model of proximal axonal injury at the central/peripheral nervous system interface that results in paralysis and poor clinical outcome after restorative surgery. Root reimplantation may decrease neuronal degeneration in such cases. We describe the use of a snake venom-derived fibrin sealant during surgical reconnection of avulsed roots at the spinal cord surface. The present work investigates the effects of this fibrin sealant on functional recovery, neuronal survival, synaptic plasticity, and glial reaction in the spinal motoneuron microenvironment after ventral root reimplantation. Methodology/Principal Findings: Female Lewis rats (7 weeks old) were subjected to VRA and root replantation. The animals were divided into two groups: 1) avulsion only and 2) replanted roots with fibrin sealant derived from snake venom. Post-surgical motor performance was evaluated using the CatWalk system twice a week for 12 weeks. The rats were sacrificed 12 weeks after surgery, and their lumbar intumescences were processed for motoneuron counting and immunohistochemistry (GFAP, Iba-1 and synaptophysin antisera). Array based qRT-PCR was used to evaluate gene regulation of several neurotrophic factors and receptors as well as inflammatory related molecules. The results indicated that the root reimplantation with fibrin sealant enhanced motor recovery, preserved the synaptic covering of the motoneurons and improved neuronal survival. The replanted group did not show significant changes in microglial response compared to VRA-only. However, the astroglial reaction was significantly reduced in this group. Conclusions/Significance: In conclusion, the present data suggest that the repair of avulsed roots with snake venom fibrin glue at the exact point of detachment results in neuroprotection and preservation of the synaptic network at the microenvironment of the lesioned motoneurons. Also such procedure reduced the astroglial reaction and increased mRNA levels to neurotrophins and anti-inflammatory cytokines that may in turn, contribute to improving recovery of motor function.
ChemPhysChem, 2010
Different site energy distribution functions based on the condensation approximation method are p... more Different site energy distribution functions based on the condensation approximation method are proposed for the liquid-phase or gas-phase adsorption equilibrium data following the Fritz-Schlüender isotherm. Energy distribution functions for the four limiting cases of the Fritz-Schlüender isotherm are also discussed. The proposed models are successfully applied to the experimental equilibrium data of nitrogen molecules at 77 K on a pitch-based activated carbon (PA) and a pitch-based activated carbon containing boron (PBA). An energy distribution function based on FS isotherm containing five parameters suggest a unimodal distribution of binding sites for carbon PA, the binding site energies being distributed as exponential or unimodal, depending on the pressure, in the case of carbon PBA. The advantages of the proposed models are discussed.
Carbon, 2010
Different activated carbons with large micropore volume (0.780.99 cm3/g) have been prepared by K... more Different activated carbons with large micropore volume (0.780.99 cm3/g) have been prepared by KOH activation of mesophase pitch obtained by co-pyrolysis of a petroleum residue and small amounts of different compounds, triphenylsilane, borane pyridine ...
Brazilian Journal of Microbiology, 2007
As a part of a research program that aims to identify antibacterial and antifungal substances fro... more As a part of a research program that aims to identify antibacterial and antifungal substances from fungus specimen of Brazilian's cerrado soil samples, Penicillium sclerotiorum was identified as a source of secondary metabolites possessing antibiotic activities. This microorganism was cultured in a liquid medium rich in glucose for fifteen days. The resulting ethyl acetate extract was chemically fractionated leading to the isolation of three metabolites-pencolide, sclerotiorin and isochromophilone VI. The antimicrobial disc assay activity of these substances towards Candida albicans, Streptomyces pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli was performed. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the compounds was determined. All compounds showed distinguished antimicrobial activities.
Psicologia & Sociedade, 2002
Este é um projeto de Pesquisa-intervenção vinculado à Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM). Enq... more Este é um projeto de Pesquisa-intervenção vinculado à Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM). Enquanto projeto de Pesquisa-intervenção (Thiollent, 1981 e Brandão, 1981 e 1984) pressupõe a práxis como o lócus da produção do conhecimento e critério de verdade. A população com a qual interagimos é atendida pelo Núcleo Social Papa João XXIII, localizado na periferia de Maringá/PR/Brasil. A nossa inserção neste agrupamento humano está sustentada na premissa-denúncia de Martín-Baró (1987 e 1989) de que vivemos sobre o "império da desvalorização da vida humana", forjado pelo autoritarismo socioeconômico do capitalismo e da sociedade de consumo de massas por ele engendrada (Caniato, 1997; Martin & Schumann, 1999 e Beinstein, 1999). Seus reflexos excludentes são escamoteados pelos discursos demagógicos e ideológicos dos regimes políticos democráticos atuais. Partimos dos ensinamentos de Theodor Adorno (1965) em A Personalidade Autoritária de que tendências preconceituosas, nem semp...