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BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) comprise major causes of death worldwide, leading to extensive burden on populations and societies. Alterations in normal lipid profiles, i.e., dyslipidemia, comprise important risk factors for CVDs. However, there is lack of comprehensive evidence on the genetic contribution to dyslipidemia in highly admixed populations. The identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) linked to blood lipid traits in the Brazilian population was based on genome-wide associations using data from the São Paulo Health Survey with Focus on Nutrition (ISA-Nutrition). METHODS: A total of 667 unrelated individuals had genetic information on 330,656 SNPs available, and were genotyped with Axiom™ 2.0 Precision Medicine Research Array. Genetic associations were tested at the 10- 5 significance level for the following phenotypes: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-c), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), HDL-c/LDL-c ratio, triglycerides (TGL), total cholesterol, and non-HDL-c. RESULTS: There were 19 significantly different SNPs associated with lipid traits, the majority of which corresponding to intron variants, especially in the genes FAM81A, ZFHX3, PTPRD, and POMC. Three variants (rs1562012, rs16972039, and rs73401081) and two variants (rs8025871 and rs2161683) were associated with two and three phenotypes, respectively. Among the subtypes, non-HDL-c had the highest proportion of associated variants. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present genome-wide association study offer new insights into the genetic structure underlying lipid traits in underrepresented populations with high ancestry admixture. The associations were robust across multiple lipid phenotypes, and some of the phenotypes were associated with two or three variants. In addition, some variants were present in genes that encode ncRNAs, raising important questions regarding their role in lipid metabolism.

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The Parnaíba River is the main river in the Parnaíba Delta basin, the largest delta in the Americas. About 18 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were identified and the environmental risk associated with the sediments was evaluated. The study found that PAHs levels ranged from 5.92 to 1521.17 ng g-1, which was classified as low to high pollution, and that there were multiple sources of pollution along the river, with pyrolytic sources predominating, mainly from urban activity such as trucking, although the influence of rural activity cannot be ruled out. PAHs correlated with black carbon and organic matter and showed high correlation with acenaphthylene, phenanthrene, pyrene, benzo(a)anthracene, chrysene, benzo(ghi)perylene, and ∑PAHs. The benzo(a)pyrene levels were classified as a risk to aquatic life because the threshold effect level and the probable effect level were exceeded. In addition, the sediments were classified as slightly contaminated with a benzo(a)pyrene toxicity equivalent value of 108.43 ng g-1. Thus, the priority level PAH exhibited carcinogenic and mutagenic activity that posed a potential risk to human health.

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Microorganisms that inhabit the cold Antarctic environment can produce ligninolytic enzymes potentially useful in bioremediation. Our study focused on characterizing Antarctic bacteria and fungi from marine sediment samples of King George and Deception Islands, maritime Antarctica, potentially affected by hydrocarbon influence, able to produce enzymes for use in bioremediation processes in environments impacted with petroleum derivatives. A total of 168 microorganism isolates were obtained: 56 from sediments of King George Island and 112 from Deception Island. Among them, five bacterial isolates were tolerant to cell growth in the presence of diesel oil and gasoline and seven fungal were able to discolor RBBR dye. In addition, 16 isolates (15 bacterial and one fungal) displayed enzymatic emulsifying activities. Two isolates were characterized taxonomically by showing better biotechnological results. Psychrobacter sp. BAD17 and Cladosporium sp. FAR18 showed pyrene tolerance (cell growth of 0.03 g mL-1 and 0.2 g mL-1) and laccase enzymatic activity (0.006 UL-1 and 0.10 UL-1), respectively. Our results indicate that bacteria and fungi living in sediments under potential effect of hydrocarbon pollution may represent a promising alternative to bioremediate cold environments contaminated with polluting compounds derived from petroleum such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and dyes.

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OBJECTIVE: To determine whether Bifidobacterium animalis subspecies lactis HN019 (B. lactis HN019) can reduce the sequelae of experimental periodontitis (EP) in rats modulating systemic parameters. BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the effects of probiotic therapy (PROB) in the prevention of local and systemic damage resulting from EP. METHODS: Forty-eight rats were allocated into four groups: C (control), PROB, EP, and EP-PROB. PROB (1 × 1010 CFU/mL) administration lasted 8 weeks and PE was induced on the 7th week by placing ligature on the animals' lower first molars. All animals were euthanized in the 9th week of the experiment. Biomolecular analyses, RT-PCR, and histomorphometric analyses were performed. The data obtained were analyzed statistically (ANOVA, Tukey, p < .05). RESULTS: The EP group had higher dyslipidemia when compared to the C group, as well as higher levels of insulin resistance, proteinuria levels, percentages of systolic blood pressure, percentage of fatty hepatocytes in the liver, and expression of adipokines was up-regulated (LEPR, NAMPT, and FABP4). All these parameters (except insulin resistance, systolic blood pressure, LEPR and FABP4 gene expression) were reduced in the EP-PROB group when compared to the EP group. The EP group had lower villus height and crypt depth, as well as a greater reduction in Bacteroidetes and a greater increase in Firmicutes when compared to the EP-PROB group. Greater alveolar bone loss was observed in the EP group when compared to the EP-PROB group. CONCLUSION: Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 can reduce the sequelae of EP in rats modulating intestinal parameters, attenuating expression of lipogenic genes and hepatic steatosis.

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BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the systemic (intestine and adipose tissue) and local (periodontal tissues) impact of probiotic therapy in rats with metabolic syndrome (MS) associated or not with periodontitis (PE). METHODS: Forty-eight rats received a high-fat diet for induction of MS for 16 weeks. They were subdivided into groups with (+) and without (-) PE, receiving (*) or not (**) receiving probiotics (PROB): MS (-**), MSP (-*), MSPE (+**), and MSPEP (+*). PROB administration (Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis HN019) started on the 8th week of the study and PE was induced on the 14th week by placing ligature on the animals' lower first molars. Euthanasia occurred in the 16th week. Biomolecular, immunoenzymatic assays, and histomorphometric analyses were performed. The data obtained were statistically analyzed (ANOVA, Tukey, p < 0.05). RESULTS: The MSPEP group exhibited reduced alveolar bone loss when compared with the MSPE group, as well as lower levels of hepatic steatosis and proteinuria (p < 0.05). In the intestinal environment, the MSPE group exhibited significantly lower villus height and crypt depth, as well as a greater increase in Bacillota when compared with the MSPEP group (p < 0.05). The MSPEP group showed lower adipokine gene expression (LEPR, NAMPT, and FABP4) in adipose tissue than the MSPE group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The probiotic B. lactis HN019 reduced the severity of experimental periodontitis and modulated the expression of lipogenic genes and intestinal morphological and microbiological parameters in rats with MS.

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The aim of this study was to evaluate the bone response to two different implant surfaces on sinus lift procedures in rabbits. Bilateral sinus lifting with inorganic bovine bone associated with collagen membrane and immediate implantation were performed in 16 rabbits. Custom mini-implants were randomly installed in the prepared sites: one side received a double acid-etched (DAE) surface and the other a nano-hydroxyapatite (NHA) surface. The animals were euthanized 30 and 60 days after surgery, and biopsies were collected for microtomographic and histomorphometric analysis. After 30 days, no intra- and inter-group statistical differences were observed in microtomographic analysis, while at 60 days, bone analysis showed statistically significant differences between groups (p < 0.05) for all the evaluated parameters. Histomorphometric analysis showed, after 30 days, mean % of Bone-to-Implant Contact (BIC) for DAE and NHA of 31.70 ± 10.42% vs. 40.60 ± 10.22% (p > 0.05), respectively; for % of Bone Area Fraction Occupancy (BAFO), mean values were 45.43 ± 3.597% for DAE and 57.04 ± 5.537% for NHA (p < 0.05). After 60 days, mean %BIC and %BAFO for DAE and NHA implants were statistically significant (p < 0.05). The NHA surface showed superior biological features compared to the DAE treatment, promoting higher bone formation around the implants in an experimental model of bone repair in a grafted area.

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Disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) can be considered a risk to human health representing a great environmental problem in several countries. MSW landfills are a significant source of toxic elements in the environment. Microorganisms able to thriving in leachate wastewater may exhibit metabolic machinery to synthesize a wide range of enzymes able to degrade and/or discolor toxic compounds from leachate. The use of non-pathogenic microbial cells for human health, recovered from leachate for biotechnological application, can be considered a promising approach in bioremediation processes of toxic compounds found in these environments. The present work aimed to the isolation, antibiotic resistance evaluation and leachate discoloration by microorganisms isolated from landfill leachate of Foz do Iguaçu. Forty bacteria and fifteen filamentous fungi were isolated. From these, six bacterial showed resistance at least one tested antibiotic, while six fungal isolates showed resistance to the antimycotic nystatin. CCMIBA_4L (unidentified bacteria) and Paecilomyces sp. CCMIBA_5N, were able to discolor 19.15% and 25.26% of the leachate, respectively. The results of the present work encourage future studies to characterize the enzymes involved in the discoloration and degradation of the leachate. The findings demonstrated the potential for the use of microorganisms from landfill leachate as bioremediation tools.

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The inappropriate disposal of toxic compounds generated by industrial activity has considerably impacted the environment. Microbial communities inhabiting contaminated sites may represent ecological alternatives for the decontamination of environments. The present work aimed to search the potential of fungi isolated from wastewater treatment plant of a textile industry for bioremediation processes. Twenty-three fungi previously isolated from textile effluent were evaluated for their abilities to degrade pollutants using heavy metal and hydrocarbon tolerance assays. One isolate was subjected to pyrene degradation due its ability to tolerate hydrocarbon. The majority of isolates were resistant to at least two metals tested, i.e. chrome, copper, lead and aluminum. Isolates Penicillium sp. ITF 2, Penicillium rubens ITF 4, Penicillium sp. ITF 12 and ITF 20 (not identified) showed tolerance to tested heavy metals in all concentrations. ITF 12 and ITF 20 were able to tolerate benzene, toluene and hexane, separately. ITF 12 was able to degrade 24.9% of pyrene after 5 days of cultivation. The results encourage future studies to optimize the tolerance and degradation assay using the isolates that showed the best results, as well as studies on the treatment of environments contaminated with heavy metals and hydrocarbons, including industrial textile effluents.

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The inappropriate disposal of toxic compounds generated by industrial activity has considerably impacted the environment. Microbial communities inhabiting contaminated sites may represent ecological alternatives for the decontamination of environments. The present work aimed to search the potential of fungi isolated from wastewater treatment plant of a textile industry for bioremediation processes. Twenty-three fungi previously isolated from textile effluent were evaluated for their abilities to degrade pollutants using heavy metal and hydrocarbon tolerance assays. One isolate was subjected to pyrene degradation due its ability to tolerate hydrocarbon. The majority of isolates were resistant to at least two metals tested, i.e. chrome, copper, lead and aluminum. Isolates Penicillium sp. ITF 2, Penicillium rubens ITF 4, Penicillium sp. ITF 12 and ITF 20 (not identified) showed tolerance to tested heavy metals in all concentrations. ITF 12 and ITF 20 were able to tolerate benzene, toluene and hexane, separately. ITF 12 was able to degrade 24.9% of pyrene after 5 days of cultivation. The results encourage future studies to optimize the tolerance and degradation assay using the isolates that showed the best results, as well as studies on the treatment of environments contaminated with heavy metals and hydrocarbons, including industrial textile effluents.

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