No abstract

The literature has reported a higher prevalence of negative clinical outcomes due to Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) in obese individuals. This can be explained by the cytokine storm, result from the cytokine production from both obesity and viral infection. Gamma-oryzanol (γOz) is a compound with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. However, little is known about the γOz action as a possible agonist of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ). The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that γOz attenuates the cytokine storm by stimulating PPAR-γ in the adipose tissue. Methods Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three experimental groups and fed ad libitum for 30 weeks with control diet (C, n = 6), high sugar- fat diet (HSF, n = 6) or high sugar- fat diet + γOz (HSF + γOz, n = 6). HSF groups also received water + sucrose (25%). The γOz dose was 0.5% in the chow. Evaluation in animals included caloric intake, body weight, adiposity index, plasma triglycerides, and HOMA-IR. In adipose tissue was evaluated: PPAR-γ gene and protein expression, inflammatory and oxidative stress parameters, and histological analysis. Results Adipose tissue dysfunction was observed in HSF group, which presented remarkable PPAR-γ underexpression and increased levels of cytokines, other inflammatory markers and oxidative stress. The γOz treatment prevented adipose tissue dysfunction and promoted PPAR-γ overexpression. Conclusion Natural compounds as γOz can be considered a coadjutant therapy to prevent the cytokine storm in COVID-19 patients with obesity conditions.

Este trabalho tem como intuito mostrar como a cultura digital (por meio dos jogos digitais) pode atuar como elemento transformador da abordagem pedagógica no ensino básico. Pretendemos discutir como os jogos digitais podem auxiliar na construção de uma abordagem atualizada para a Educação, uma vez que o Ensino e os jogos digitais podem ser integrados de várias maneiras, explorando o ato de jogar, ou até mesmo o desenvolvimento de jogos, por parte dos educandos. Da mesma forma, os jogos digitais podem ser explorados tanto na construção do conhecimento em domínios específicos como no desenvolvimento de habilidades necessárias para a vida na sociedade atual, como colaboração e pensamento crítico. Ainda assim, destacamos que os jogos digitais não devem ser encarados como uma solução mágica para a Educação: é necessário compreender as especificidades dos dois campos, tanto do processo educacional quanto dos videogames para que essa relação seja estabelecida de forma proveitosa.

Background Breast cancer outcomes among patients who use safety-net hospitals in the highly populated Harris County, Texas and Southeast Brazil are poor. It is unknown whether treatment delay contributes to these outcomes. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of patients with non-metastatic breast cancer diagnosed between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2011 at Harris Health Texas and Unicamp’s Women’s Hospital, Barretos Hospital, and Brazilian National Institute of Cancer, Brazil. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to evaluate association of time to treatment and risk of recurrence (ROR) or death. Results One thousand one hundred ninety-one patients were included. Women in Brazil were more frequently diagnosed with stage III disease (32.3% vs. 21.1% Texas; P = .002). Majority of patients in both populations had symptom-detected disease (63% in Brazil vs. 59% in Texas). Recurrence within 5 years from diagnosis was similar 21% versus 23%. Median time from diagnosis to first treatment defined as either systemic therapy (chemotherapy or endocrine therapy) or surgery, were comparable, 9.9 weeks versus 9.4 weeks. Treatment delay was not associated with increased ROR or death. Higher stage at diagnosis was associated with both increased ROR and death. Conclusion Time from symptoms to treatment was considerably long in both populations. Treatment delay did not affect outcomes. Impact Access to timely screening and diagnosis of breast cancer are priorities in these populations.