A inflamação é uma resposta natural do organismo que ocorre em diversos quadros patológicos, desde os mais simples até os mais graves. Dentre os métodos laboratoriais rotineiros, os mais utilizados para triagem e detecção de processos inflamatórios são a velocidade de hemossedimentação (VHS) e a dosagem da proteína C-reativa (PCR), respectivamente. No entanto, cada vez mais se tem comparado e debatido o valor diagnóstico e prognóstico destes testes. Nesse contexto, o objetivo do trabalho foi comparar e correlacionar os dados de VHS e PCR de pacientes atendidos em laboratório da região metropolitana de Porto Alegre. Os valores obtidos mostraram resultados acima dos indicados pelos valores de referência, havendo correlação entre sexo e idade. Tais dados mostram o perfil geral de uma população aos procedimentos empregados, além de sugerirem os testes mais adequados a serem usados de acordo com as características dos pacientes.
Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced by species of filamentous fungi widely found as a contaminant in food and with high toxic potential. Studies have shown that this toxin cause kidney and liver damage, however, data on the effects of exposure to OTA on the central nervous system are still scarce. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a teleost often used in translational research due to its physiological, genetic, and behavioral homology with mammals, in addition to being useful as an environmental bioindicator. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effects of exposure to OTA on behavioral and neurochemical parameters in adult zebrafish. The animals were treated with different doses of OTA (1.38, 2.77, and 5.53 mg/kg) and submitted to behavioral evaluations in the open tank and social interaction tests. Subsequently, they were euthanized, and the brains were used to assess markers associated with oxidative status. In the open tank test OTA induced changes in distance, absolute turn angle, mean speed, and time-freezing. However, no significant effects were observed in the social interaction test. Moreover, OTA also induced alterations in neurochemical parameters with changes in non-protein thiols (NPSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and glutathione reductase (GR). This study showed that OTA can affect neurobiological aspects in zebrafish even at low doses.
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