Research Center in Physical Activity , Health and Leisure

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Publications

Tracking prostate carcinogenesis over time through urine proteome profiling in an animal model: an exploratory approach

Publication . Moreira-Pais, Alexandra; Nogueira-Ferreira, Rita; Reis, Stephanie; Aveiro, Susana; Barros, António; Melo, Tânia; Matos, Bárbara; Duarte, José Alberto; Seixas, Fernanda; Domingues, Pedro; Amado, Francisco; Fardilha, Margarida; Oliveira, Paula A.; Ferreira, Rita; Vitorino, Rui

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most lethal diseases in men, which justifies the search for new diagnostic tools. The aim of the present study was to gain new insights into the progression of prostate carcinogenesis by analyzing the urine proteome. To this end, urine from healthy animals and animals with prostate adenocarcinoma was analyzed at two time points: 27 and 54 weeks. After 54 weeks, the incidence of pre-neoplastic and neoplastic lesions in the PCa animals was 100%. GeLC-MS/MS and subsequent bioinformatics analyses revealed several proteins involved in prostate carcinogenesis. Increased levels of retinol-binding protein 4 and decreased levels of cadherin-2 appear to be characteristic of early stages of the disease, whereas increased levels of enolase-1 and T-kininogen 2 and decreased levels of isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 describe more advanced stages. With increasing age, urinary levels of clusterin and corticosteroid-binding globulin increased and neprilysin levels decreased, all of which appear to play a role in prostate hyperplasia or carcinogenesis. The present exploratory analysis can be considered as a starting point for studies targeting specific human urine proteins for early detection of age-related maladaptive changes in the prostate that may lead to cancer.

2022-07-08Journal article

Open Access

Exercise training decreases the load and changes the content of circulating SDS-resistant protein aggregates in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction

Publication . Gouveia, Marisol; Schmidt, Cristine; Basilio, Priscilla Gois; Aveiro, Susana; Domingues, Pedro; Xia, Ke; Colón, Wilfredo; Vitorino, Rui; Ferreira, Rita; Santos, Mário; Vieira, Sandra I.; Ribeiro, Fernando

BackgroundHeart failure (HF) often disrupts the protein quality control (PQC) system leading to protein aggregate accumulation. Evidence from tissue biopsies showed that exercise restores PQC system in HF; however, little is known about its effects on plasma proteostasis.AimTo determine the effects of exercise training on the load and composition of plasma SDS-resistant protein aggregates (SRA) in patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).MethodsEighteen patients with HFrEF (age: 63.4 +/- 6.5 years; LVEF: 33.4 +/- 11.6%) participated in a 12-week combined (aerobic plus resistance) exercise program (60 min/session, twice per week). The load and content of circulating SRA were assessed using D2D SDS-PAGE and mass spectrometry. Cardiorespiratory fitness, quality of life, and circulating levels of high-sensitive C-reactive protein, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), haptoglobin and ficolin-3, were also evaluated at baseline and after the exercise program.ResultsThe exercise program decreased the plasma SRA load (% SRA/total protein: 38.0 +/- 8.9 to 36.1 +/- 9.7%, p = 0.018; % SRA/soluble fraction: 64.3 +/- 27.1 to 59.8 +/- 27.7%, p = 0.003). Plasma SRA of HFrEF patients comprised 31 proteins, with alpha-2-macroglobulin and haptoglobin as the most abundant ones. The exercise training significantly increased haptoglobin plasma levels (1.03 +/- 0.40 to 1.11 +/- 0.46, p = 0.031), while decreasing its abundance in SRA (1.83 +/- 0.54 x 1011 to 1.51 +/- 0.59 x 1011, p = 0.049). Cardiorespiratory fitness [16.4(5.9) to 19.0(5.2) ml/kg/min, p = 0.002], quality of life, and circulating NT-proBNP [720.0(850.0) to 587.0(847.3) pg/mL, p = 0.048] levels, also improved after the exercise program.ConclusionExercise training reduced the plasma SRA load and enhanced PQC, potentially via haptoglobin-mediated action, while improving cardiorespiratory fitness and quality of life of patients with HFrEF.

2023-10Journal article

Open Access

Sleep quality and falls in middle-aged and older adults: ELSI-Brazil study middleaged middle aged adults ELSIBrazil

Publication . Santos, André Pereira dos; Cordeiro, Jéssica Fernanda Correa; Abdalla, Pedro Pugliesi; Bohn, Lucimere; Sebastião, Emerson; Silva, Leonardo Santos Lopes da; Tasinafo Júnior, Márcio Fernando; Venturini, Ana Cláudia Rossini; Andaki, Alynne Christian Ribeiro; Mendes, Edmar Lacerda; Marcos-Pardo, Pablo Jorge; Mota, Jorge; Machado, Dalmo Roberto Lopes; Lopes Machado, Dalmo Roberto

Objective: To verify the association between low self-reported sleep quality (LSQ) and fall in middle-aged and older adults every half-decade of life. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the first wave (2015–2016) of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil), which is nationally representative. The sample consisted of 8,950 participants who were allocated into eight age groups: 50–54, 55–59, 60–64, 65–69, 70–74, 75–79, 80–84, and ≥ 85 years. The questionnaires used included self-reported sleep quality and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire short version. Fisher’s exact test followed by binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the odds ratio of sleep quality for fall occurrence, controlled for confounding variables. Results: Individuals aged 50–105 years (63.6 ± 10.2 years), 57.0% females and 43.0% males, participated in this study. Overall, 21.5% of participants experienced at least one fall. The relative frequency of participants classified as having high or LSQ remained constant across each half-decade of life. The LSQ exhibited a statistically significant OR (p < 0.05) for falls across age groups up to 84, even after accounting for confounding variables. Conclusion: LSQ is significantly associated with an increased occurrence of fall in adults aged >50 years, but not for ≥ 85 years regardless of sex and physical activity level.

2024Journal article

Open Access

Low handgrip strength is associated with falls after the age of 50: findings from the Brazilian longitudinal study of aging (ELSI-Brazil)

Publication . Santos, André Pereira dos; Cordeiro, Jéssica Fernanda Correa; Abdalla, Pedro Pugliesi; Bohn, Lucimere; Sebastião, Emerson; Silva, Leonardo Santos Lopes da; Tasinafo-Júnior, Márcio Fernando; Venturini, Ana Cláudia Rossini; Andaki, Alynne Christian Ribeiro; Mendes, Edmar Lacerda; Marcos-Pardo, Pablo Jorge; Mota, Jorge; Dalmo Roberto Lopes Machado; Lopes Machado, Dalmo Roberto

Aim This study examined the association of low handgrip strength (HGS) for falls in middle-aged adults and older adults every half-decade of life. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted using the public data from the first wave of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil). The participants were allocated into seven age groups 50–54, 55–59, 60–64, 65–69, 70–74, 75–79, and ≥ 80 years. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the odds ratio (OR) of low HGS to the falls regardless of confounding variables such as sex, balance, gait speed, and total number of health conditions. Results A total of 8,112 participants aged 50–105 years (median = 62.0 years): 3,490 males (median = 60.0 years) and 4,622 females (median = 63.0 years) attended the study. Altogether, 21.5% of participants experienced at least one fall. HGS gradually decreases over each half-decade of life. In addition, low HGS presented a significative OR (p < 0.05) for falls for age groups, until 80 s, even when considering confounding variables. Conclusions Low HGS is associated with falls in middle-aged adults over their 50 s and remained a strong measure of falls across each subsequent half-decade of life, until 80 s.

2024-10-01Journal article

Open Access