The family Dendrophylliidae comprises a genus of azooxanthellate corals, Tubastraea (also known as ‘sun corals’ or ‘cup corals’), native from the Indo-Pacific and introduced into the Atlantic Ocean in the early 1940s. In Brazil, Tubastraea colonies were first registered on oil platforms on the northern coast of Rio de Janeiro state (22°S) in the late 1980s. Two decades later, these corals were for the first time identified in the Todos-os-Santos Bay (Bahia state, 13°S), a warmer environment with diverse marine ecosystems including estuaries, mangroves, and coral reefs. Intending to describe the biological cycle of exotic dendrophylliids from the Brazilian northeastern coast, histological analyses revealed three new reproductive structures for Scleractinia: (1) a mucin layer composed of acid glycoproteins surrounding immature sun coral oocytes, (2) trophonema or specialized cells connecting the oocyte to the adjacent gastrodermis, and (3) nucleolini, small condensations in nucleoli.

Marathon runners, subjected to intense training regimens and prolonged, exhaustive exercises, often experience a compromised immune response. Probiotic supplementation has emerged as a potential remedy to mitigate the impact of prolonged exercise on athletes. Consequently, this study sought to assess the influence of probiotic supplementation on monocyte functionality both before and after the official marathon race. Twenty-seven runners were randomly and double-blindly assigned to two groups: placebo (n 13) and probiotic (PRO) (n 14). Over 30 d, both groups received supplements – placebo sachets containing maltodextrin (5 g/d) and PRO sachets containing 1 × 1010 colony-forming unit Lactobacillus acidophilus and 1 × 1010 colony-forming unit Bifidobacterium bifidum subsp. lactis. Blood samples were collected, and immunological assays, including phagocytosis, hydrogen peroxide production, cytokine levels and monocyte immunophenotyping, were conducted at four different intervals: baseline (start of supplementation/30 d pre-marathon), 24 h-before (1 d pre-marathon), 1 h-after (1 h post-marathon) and 5 d-after (5 d post-marathon). Monocyte populations remained consistent throughout the study. A notable increase in phagocytosis was observed in the PRO group after 30 d of supplementation. Upon lipopolysaccharide stimulation, both PRO and placebo groups exhibited decreased IL-8 production. However, after the marathon race, IL-15 stimulation demonstrated increased levels of 5 d-after, while IL-1-β, IL-8, IL-10, IL-15 and TNF-α varied across different intervals, specifically within the PRO group. Probiotic supplementation notably enhanced the phagocytic capacity of monocytes. However, these effects were not sustained post-marathon.

Plant-derived products rely heavily on the availability of phosphorus (P) in the soil. With reserves of P-rocks being limited, there is a growing demand to enhance the efficiency of P utilization by crops. Eucalypts, an important economic crop in many countries, is a source of timber, coal, essence oils, and cellulose. After identifying low P tolerant and susceptible species in a previous study, we explored the various physiological and biochemical responses of these same species to low P availability. The aim was to expand our understanding of how different P-nutrition responses might impact eucalypt wood production and traits related to its quality. Our results indicate that low soil P minimally affects physiological wood parameters in the young trees of Eucalyptus acmenoides, Corymbia maculata, E. grandis, E. globulus, and E. tereticornis. Decreases in cellulose contents and increases in lignin content and syringyl and guaiacyl (S/G) ratios were observed under low P and only in E. acmenoides plants. Wood density remained unaffected in all species. Additionally, bark, stem, and root P concentrations increased under sufficient P conditions in E. globulus, E. grandis, and E. tereticornis. These findings suggest that these plant parts may act as reserve pools of this nutrient.

Haemogregarine (Apicomplexa: Adeleorina) parasites are considered to be the most common and widespread haemoparasites in reptiles. The genus Hepatozoon (Apicomplexa: Adeleorina: Hepatozoidae) can be found parasitizing a broad range of species and, in reptiles, they infect mainly peripheral blood erythrocytes. The present study detected and characterized a haemogregarine isolated from the lizard species, Ameiva ameiva, collected from the municipality of Capanema, Pará state, north Brazil. Blood smears and imprints from lungs, brain, heart, kidney, liver, bone marrow and spleen were observed using light microscopy and the parasite was genetically identified by molecular analysis. Morphological, morphometric and molecular data were obtained. Parasite gamonts were found in 49.5% (55/111) of the blood smears from A. ameiva, and were characterized as oval, averaging 12.0 ± 0.8 × 5.9 ± 0.6 μm2 in size, which displaced the nuclei of parasitized monocytes laterally. Parasite forms resembling immature gamonts were observed in the spleen and bone marrow of the lizards. Furthermore, phylogenetic analyses of 18S rRNA sequences did not reveal gene similarity with other Hepatozoon spp. sequences from reptiles. Thus, morphological and molecular analyses have identified a new species of Hepatozoon parasite, Hepatozoon lainsoni sp. nov., which infects monocytes of the A. ameiva lizard.

The surface acidic properties of pillared clays (PILCs) with Al or Zr oxide pillars (prepared from a natural Portuguese smectite and a synthetic Laponite), and of a protonic NaHY zeolite, were studied by two methods: pyridine adsorption followed by infrared (IR) spectroscopy, and the catalytic transformation of 1-butene. The results of the pyridine adsorption revealed that all the pillared clays studied have mainly Lewis-type acidity, the exception being the clay pillared with Zr oxide, obtained from natural smectite, which also presents a significant number of Brönsted acid sites. The results of 1-butene transformation showed that the pillared clays exhibit catalytic properties similar to those of the protonic Y zeolite. The acid character of the solids was confirmed by the values of the cis/trans 2-butene isomers ratio. At short reaction times, product distribution showed that the main reaction is oligomerization, followed by cracking. After 15 min the products are mainly the linear isomers, cis and trans-2-butene, showing that the majority of the catalytic active sites, are already poisoned after 15 min of reaction. The particular behaviour of Laponite intercalated with Al oxide pillars is discussed. The IR spectra of the pyridine adsorbed on the fresh samples and after the catalytic assays, revealed that Lewis acid sites behave as active sites for 1-butene catalytic transformation. The consistency between the results of the two complementary techniques used for the characterization of the acidity of the solids was proved.

Accumulating evidence suggests that maternal overnutrition can result in a higher development risk of obesity and renal disease in the offspring’s adulthood. The present study tested different lipid levels in the maternal diet during pregnancy and lactation and its repercussions on the offspring of Wistar rats. Offspring of 1, 7, 30 and 90-d-old were divided into the following groups: Control (CNT) – offspring of dams that consumed a standard chow diet (3.5% of lipids); Experimental 1 (EXP1) – offspring of dams exposed to a high-fat diet (HFD) (28% of lipids); and Experimental 2 (EXP2) – offspring of dams exposed to a HFD (40% of lipids). Regarding maternal data, there was a decrease in the amount of diet ingested by EXP2. Daily caloric intake was higher in EXP1, while protein and carbohydrate intakes were lower in EXP2. While lipid intake was higher in the experimental groups, EXP1 consumed more lipids than EXP2, despite the body weight gain being higher in EXP2. Adult offspring from EXP1 presented higher blood glucose. Regarding morphometric analysis, in both experimental groups, there was an increase in the glomerular tuft and renal corpuscle areas, but an increase in the capsular space area only in EXP1. There was a decrease in the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in EXP1, in contrast to an increase in GFR of EXP2, along with an increase in urinary protein excretion. In conclusion, the maternal HFDs caused significant kidney damage in offspring, but had different repercussions on the type and magnitude of recorded change.

The crosstalk between maternal stress exposure and fetal development may be mediated by epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation (DNAm). To address this matter, we collect 32 cord blood samples from low-income Brazilian pregnant adolescents participants of a pilot randomized clinical intervention study (ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier: NCT02807818). We hypothesized that the association between the intervention and infant neurodevelopmental outcomes at 12 months of age would be mediated by DNAm. First, we searched genome methylation differences between cases and controls using different approaches, as well as differences in age acceleration (AA), represented by the difference of methylation age and birth age. According to an adjusted p-value ≤ 0.05 we identified 3090 differentially methylated positions- CpG sites (DMPs), 21 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) and one comethylated module weakly preserved between groups. The intervention group presented a smaller AA compared to the control group (p = 0.025). A logistic regression controlled by sex and with gestational age indicated a coefficient of −0.35 towards intervention group (p = 0.016) considering AA. A higher cognitive domain score from Bayley III scale was observed in the intervention group at 12 months of age. Then, we performed a potential causal mediation analysis selecting only DMPs highly associated with the cognitive domain (adj. R2 > 0.4), DMRs and CpGs of hub genes from the weakly preserved comethylated module and epigenetic clock as raw values. DMPs in STXBP6, and PF4 DMR, mediated the association between the maternal intervention and the cognitive domain at 12 months of age. In conclusion, DNAm in different sites and regions mediated the association between intervention and cognitive outcome.

Scientists are working to identify prevention/treatment methods and clinical outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Nutritional status and diet have a major impact on the COVID-19 disease process, mainly because of the bidirectional interaction between gut microbiota and lung, that is, the gut–lung axis. Individuals with inadequate nutritional status have a pre-existing imbalance in the gut microbiota and immunity as seen in obesity, diabetes, hypertension and other chronic diseases. Communication between the gut microbiota and lungs or other organs and systems may trigger worse clinical outcomes in viral respiratory infections. Thus, this review addresses new insights into the use of probiotics and prebiotics as a preventive nutritional strategy in managing respiratory infections such as COVID-19 and highlighting their anti-inflammatory effects against the main signs and symptoms associated with COVID-19. Literature search was performed through PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus and Web of Science databases; relevant clinical articles were included. Significant randomised clinical trials suggest that specific probiotics and/or prebiotics reduce diarrhoea, abdominal pain, vomiting, headache, cough, sore throat, fever, and viral infection complications such as acute respiratory distress syndrome. These beneficial effects are linked with modulation of the microbiota, products of microbial metabolism with antiviral activity, and immune-regulatory properties of specific probiotics and prebiotics through Treg cell production and function. There is a need to conduct clinical and pre-clinical trials to assess the combined effect of consuming these components and undergoing current therapies for COVID-19.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) and restrained eating behaviour (REB) are characterised by reduced food intake to achieve body weight loss. This scope review aimed to describe the existing evidence on the association between AN, restrictive eating behaviour and food consumption. Studies with children and adolescents of both sexes of all races and ethnicities were included. Experimental and observational studies, systematic reviews, meta-analysis, case reports or series, conference abstracts, dissertations and theses were also included. The search was conducted in ten electronic databases and grey literature without language restriction on 14 November 2020. Twenty-four studies met the inclusion criteria. Most studies included girls and identified lower intake of energy content, fat and certain micronutrients. There was also a higher intake of caffeine, fibre, vegetables, legumes and fruits and a lower intake of low-quality snack, fast food, sweets and foods with high carbohydrate and fat contents. The need to improve the quality of the diet among study participants was also identified. Thus, it is recommended that the evaluation of food consumption be careful to develop effective prevention strategies for the development of AN/REB and minimise nutritional deficiencies in these individuals.

Cardiovascular diseases are among the main causes of death in Brazil and worldwide. The literature indicates the hypertriglyceridemic waist phenotype (HTWP) as an accessible alternative for the identification of cardiovascular and metabolic risk. The present study aimed to identify the prevalence and factors associated with HTWP in individuals diagnosed with arterial hypertension (AH) and/or diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2). A cross-sectional study was conducted with individuals diagnosed with AH and/or DM2. The study data were collected through semi-structured interviews containing socio-demographic information, lifestyle, health care, in addition to anthropometric assessment, blood pressure measurement and biochemical blood tests. The prevalence of HTWP was estimated and bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the factors associated with HTWP. Of the 788 individuals analysed, 21⋅5 % had the HTWP. In the adjusted model, the following variables remained associated with a greater chance of presenting HTWP: sex, age, body mass index (BMI) and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL). Being female increased the chance of HTWP by 7⋅7 times (OR 7⋅7; 95 % CI 3⋅9, 15⋅2). The one-year increase in age increased the chance of HTWP by 4 % (OR 1⋅04; 95 % CI 1⋅02, 1⋅06). The addition of 1 mg/dl of VLDL-c increased the chance of HTWP by 15 % (odds ratio (OR) 1⋅15; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1⋅12, 1⋅18), as well as the increase of 1 kg/m2 in the BMI increased the chance of this condition by 20 % (OR 1⋅20; 95 % CI 1⋅15, 1⋅27). The prevalence of HTWP was associated with females, older age, higher BMI, higher VLDL-c and risk waist/height ratio.

Literacy affects many aspects of language and cognition, including the shift from a more holistic mode of processing to a more analytical part-based mode of processing. Here we examined whether this shift impacts the ability of preschool and primary school children to learn the rules underlying a finite-state grammar using an artificial grammar learning (AGL) paradigm implemented with either linguistic (letters) or non-linguistic (colors) materials to further examine if children’s AGL performance was modulated by type of stimuli. Both tasks involved a training phase in which half of the preschool children and half of the primary school children were exposed to a set of either letter or color strings without any information about the rules underlying the construction of those strings. Later, in the test phase, they were asked to decide whether a new set of letter or color strings conformed to those rules to test grammar learning. Results showed that only primary school children showed evidence of learning, and, importantly, only with colors. These findings seem to support the view that learning to read promotes reliance on smaller linguistic units that might hinder the ability of first-graders to learn the rules underlying finite-state grammars implemented with linguistic materials.

CHD may, at times, occur in the framework of other rare pathologies. These, having similar clinical manifestations, present a diagnostic dilemma for the clinician.

The authors present the case of an infant with non-syndromic complete atrioventricular septal defect, whose post-operative period was surprisingly complicated by progressive pulmonary hypertension. Despite intensive care, the infant ultimately died. The diagnosis of unilateral primary pulmonary lymphangiectasia was only possible post mortem.

The benefits of consuming soy and its protein have been reported in many studies. However, its phytoestrogen content raises concerns about consumption during lactation and gestation We therefore examined the effects of soybean or soy protein isolate on the parameters-related cardiovascular pathophysiology in lactating mothers and their offsprings at weaning and adulthood. Lactating rats were divided: casein control (C); soy protein isolate (SPI); and soybean (S). At weaning, half of the litter received commercial ration up to 150 days. The levels of 17-β-estradiol and superoxide dismutase were low in the S mothers. For the SPI mothers, we observed a reduction of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). At weaning, atherogenic indices [1 = total cholesterol (TC)/HDL; 2 = LDL/HDL; 3 = TC-HDL/HDL)] decreased in the S and SPI offsprings compared to the casein control group; TBARS and antioxidant enzymes increased in the S offspring, while reduced/oxidized glutathione ratio increased in the SPI offspring, indicating lower oxidative stress. In adulthood, the SPI offspring showed an increase in liver cholesterol and atherogenic index 1 and 3 (vs. C and S) and 2 (vs. S). In addition, we found a decrease in catecholamines in the adrenal medulla and an increase in caffeine-stimulated secretion, but tyrosine hydroxylase expression remained constant. Maternal consumption of SPI during lactation worsened atherogenic indices of the offsprings in adulthood, which was associated with increased liver cholesterol and decreased catecholamines in the adrenal medulla. Soy consumption had no consistent long-term effects on the evaluated parameters compared to casein consumption. The data suggest that the consumption of SPI during lactation should be done with caution.

The global COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic has become a complex problem that overlaps with a growing public health problem, obesity. Obesity alters different components of the innate and adaptive immune responses, creating a chronic and low-grade state of inflammation. Nutritional status is closely related to a better or worse prognosis of viral infections. Excess weight has been recognised as a risk factor for COVID-19 complications. In addition to the direct risk, obesity triggers other diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, increasing the risk of severe COVID-19. The present review explains the diets that induce obesity and the importance of different foods in this process. We also review tissue disruption in obesity, leading to impaired immune responses and the possible mechanisms by which obesity and its co-morbidities increase COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. Nutritional strategies that support the immune system in patients with obesity and with COVID-19 are also discussed in light of the available data, considering the severity of the infection. The discussions held may contribute to combating this global emergency and planning specific public health policy.

COVID-19, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was recognised by the WHO as a pandemic in 2020. Host preparation to combat the virus is an important strategy to avoid COVID-19 severity. Thus, the relationship between eating habits, nutritional status and their effects on the immune response and further implications in viral respiratory infections is an important topic discussed in this review. Malnutrition causes the most diverse alterations in the immune system, suppressing of the immune response and increasing the susceptibility to infections such as SARS-CoV-2. On the other hand, obesity induces low-grade chronic inflammation caused by excess adiposity, which increases angiotensin-converting enzyme 2. It decreases the immune response favouring SARS-CoV-2 virulence and promoting respiratory distress syndrome. The present review highlights the importance of food choices considering their inflammatory effects, consequently increasing the viral susceptibility observed in malnutrition and obesity. Healthy eating habits, micronutrients, bioactive compounds and probiotics are strategies for COVID-19 prevention. Therefore, a diversified and balanced diet can contribute to the improvement of the immune response to viral infections such as COVID-19.