Background: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may have nutritional impairment.In RA, muscle loss is associated with an increase in fat tissue, and the patients may not have body mass index (BMI) alterations. Aim:To study the nutritional status in a sample of patients with RA in Brazil through mini nutritional assessment (MNA) and electric bioimpedance and its relationship to BMI, functionality, disease activity, and treatment.Methods: Seventy-one RA females were included. Chart review was used to obtain epidemiological, clinical, and treatment data. Patients answered the MNA and were submitted to electrical bioimpedance and anthropometric measurements. Disease activity was assessed through simple disease activity index (SDAI), clinical disease activity index (CDAI), and function, through health assessment questionnaire (HAQ).Results: According to MNA, 23 (32.4%) patients were at risk for malnutrition and 1(1.4%) was malnourished. MNA were associated with disease activity and function impairment (SDAI P = .02; CDAI P = .02, and HAQ P = .002) but not with used medications. According to BMI, 76% were overweight or obese. An increased percentage of body fat was found in 98.7% and a lower percentage of lean mass in 95.7%. Disease activity and function were not associated with the percentage of body fat of any used medications, with a lower percentage of body fat in those using abatacept (P = .01). Conclusion:Almost one-third of patients had nutritional impairment according to MNA which was associated with disease activity and loss of function. Almost the whole sample had an increased percentage of fat mass and a diminished percentage of muscle mass that could not be linked with disease activity, function or used medications. K E Y W O R D Snutrition, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease with profound repercussions on the patient's quality of life. Chronic pain, stiffness, fatigue, and disability bring isolation, unemployment, and economic losses, are some of the consequences of a long-term disease. 1 Furthermore, RA patients' survival may be reduced due to lung impairment, 2,3 infections, and cardiovascular diseases associated with accelerated atherosclerosis. 4 The nutrition of these patients is also affected, which may make the disease even more dangerous and kill more people. 1,5 Cachexia in RA or rheumatoid cachexia is different from classic cachexia found in neoplastic diseases or in severe cardiac conditions. It is due to inadequate dietary consumption and is associated with weight loss. In RA, the muscle loss is somewhat compensated by an increase in body fat, so the body mass index (BMI) remains unaltered or even higher than before and it is called obese cachexia.It is thought to affect two-thirds of these patients 6 and has been linked to high inflammatory activity. 7 Increased production of proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α, and the presence of high levels of inflammatory biomarkers such as C-reactive...

The long-term electrocardiographic recording with retrospective evaluation (Holter system) has been widely used not only in cardiology, but also in other disciplines of internal medicine and in pharmaceutical research. The Holter system can be used in mini-pig, sheep, dog, cat, rabbit, ferret, and rat. In this paper hardware, software, and anesthesia requirements are summarized with respect to the experimental work with various species. As the Holter systems work in bipolar mode, the use of bipolar leads in sagittal and transversal planes has been proved to be the most appropriate because of large amplitude of QRS complex and uncomplicated consequent automatic analysis of the record. In conclusion, Holter electrocardiography represents a simple and applicable method for monitoring the electrical activity of the heart in small animals’ experimental studies.

Purpose: To evaluate fibrosis formation and number of macrophages in capsules formed around textured implants without and with mesh coverage. Methods: Fibrosis was analyzed through transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) immunomarker expression and the number of macrophages through CD68 percentage of cells in magnified field. Sixty female Wistar rats were distributed into two groups of 30 rats (unmeshed and meshed). Each group was then subdivided into two subgroups for postoperative evaluation after 30 and 90 days. The p value was adjusted by Bonferroni lower than 0.012. Results: No difference was observed in fibrosis between meshed and unmeshed groups (30 days p = 0.436; 90 days p = 0.079) and from 30 to 90 days in the unmeshed group (p = 0.426). The meshed group showed higher fibrosis on the 90th day (p = 0.001). The number of macrophages was similar between groups without and with mesh coverage (30 days p = 0.218; 90 days p = 0.044), and similar between subgroups 30 and 90 days (unmeshed p = 0.085; meshed p = 0.059). Conclusions: In the meshed group, fibrosis formation was higher at 90 days and the mesh-covered implants produced capsules similar to microtextured ones when analyzing macrophages. Due to these characteristics, mesh coating did not seem to significantly affect the local fibrosis formation.

Introdução: Atualmente, o uso dos aminoácidos de cadeia ramificada em dietas ergogênicas é indicado pelo seu potencial de aumentar o ganho de massa muscular em atletas e frequentadores de academias, estimular a secreção de insulina, reduzir a fadiga pós-exercício e diminuir o grau de lesão muscular. Objetivos: Avaliar os efeitos morfológicos e funcionais renais decorrentes do seu uso em ratos. Método: Foram estudados 24 ratos Wistar machos, distribuídos em grupo controle (n=12), que recebeu uma dose diária de 1 ml de água, e grupo estudo (n=12), que recebeu uma dose diária de 1 ml de solução em água contendo aminoácidos de cadeia ramificada. O experimento teve duração de 120 dias, sendo avaliada a função renal a cada 60 dias por meio da dosagem sérica de creatinina e ureia. Ao final do estudo, os animais foram submetidos à eutanásia e seus rins coletados para análise histopatológica. Resultados: Não foram observadas diferenças (p<0,05) entre os grupos com relação aos parâmetros bioquímicos, como também não foram visualizadas alterações morfológicas ao exame histopatológico. Conclusão: O uso de aminoácidos de cadeia ramificada na dose de 154 mg/kg/dia, durante 4 meses, não provocou alterações morfológicas e funcionais renais em ratos saudáveis.

BACKGROUNDIn rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patient's survival may be decreased due to lung impairment, infections, and cardiovascular diseases associated with accelerated atherosclerosis. Nutrition is also impacted in these individuals and may further aggravate the disease's morbidity and mortality. Cachexia in RA is different from classic cachexia due to inadequate dietary consumption and associated with weight loss. In RA, the muscle loss is compensated by an increase in body fat, so the body mass index (BMI) remains unaltered or even higher than previously and it is called obese cachexia. The aim of this study was to study the nutritional profile in RA female patients and its association with disease activity, function, clinical and treatment parameters. METHODSData on disease activity (SDAI and CDAI), function (HAQ), epidemiological, clinical and treatment were obtained from 71 females with RA. Mini-nutritional assessment (MNA) and electrical bioimpedance to study body composition were also obtained. RESULTSBy the MNA, 24/71 (33.8%) patients were undernourished or at malnutrition risk. An impaired nutritional state associated with SDAI (p = 0.02), CDAI (p = 0.02) and HAQ (p = 0.002). No associations of MNA with medications, age and disease duration were found (p = ns). By bioimpedance, 98.5% of patients had the percentage of body fat above normal and 95.7% had lean mass under normal. Bioimpedance results did not associate with disease activity or HAQ but the percentage of body fat was lower in those using abatacept (p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONAlmost 1/3 of RA patients from this sample were undernourished or at risk for it, mainly those with high disease activity and low function. Body fat was above normal in almost the whole sample and associate negatively with abatacept use.