BackgroundCardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the main cause of death and disability in developed countries. In most cases, the progress of CVD is influenced by environmental factors and multifactorial inheritance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between APOE genotypes, cardiovascular risk factors, and a non-invasive measure of arterial stiffness in the Brazilian population.MethodsA total of 1493 urban Brazilian individuals were randomly selected from the general population of the Vitoria City Metropolitan area. Genetic analysis of the APOE polymorphism was conducted by PCR-RFLP and pulse wave velocity analyzed with a noninvasive automatic device.ResultsAge, gender, body mass index, triglycerides, creatinine, uric acid, blood glucose, blood pressure phenotypes were no different between ε2, ε3 and ε4 alleles. The ε4 allele was associated with higher total-cholesterol (p < 0.001), LDL-C (p < 0.001), total-cholesterol/HDL-C ratio (p < 0.001), LDL/HDL-C ratio (p < 0.001), lower HDL-C values (p < 0.001) and higher risk to obesity (OR = 1.358, 95% CI = 1.019-1.811) and hyperuricemia (OR = 1.748, 95% CI = 1.170-2.611). Nevertheless, pulse wave velocity (p = 0.66) measures were no different between genotypes. The significant association between APOE genotypes and lipid levels persisted after a 5-year follow-up interval, but no interaction between time and genotype was observed for lipids longitudinal behavior.ConclusionThe ε4 allele of the APOE gene is associated with a worse lipid profile in the Brazilian urban population. In our relatively young sample, the observed effect of APOE genotype on lipid levels was not translated into significant effects in arterial wall stiffness.

Background: The alpha1A-adrenergic receptor (α 1A -AR) regulates the cardiac and peripheral vascular system through sympathetic activation. Due to its important role in the regulation of vascular tone and blood pressure, we aimed to investigate the association between the Arg347Cys polymorphism in the α 1A -AR gene and blood pressure phenotypes, in a large sample of Brazilians from an urban population.

Essential hypertension is a disease multifactorially triggered by genetic and environmental factors. The contribution of genetic polymorphisms of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and clinical risk factors to the development of resistant hypertension was evaluated in 90 hypertensive patients and in 115 normotensive controls living in Southwestern Brazil. Genotyping for insertion/deletion of angiotensin-converting enzyme, angiotensinogen M235T, angiotensin II type 1 receptor A1166C, aldosterone synthase C344T, and mineralocorticoid receptor A4582C polymorphisms was performed by PCR, with further restriction analysis when required. The influence of genetic polymorphisms on blood pressure variation was assessed by analysis of the odds ratio, while clinical risk factors were evaluated by logistic regression. Our analysis indicated that individuals who carry alleles 235-T, 1166-A, 344-T, or 4582-C had a significant risk of developing resistant hypertension (P < 0.05). Surprisingly, when we tested individuals who carried the presumed risk genotypes A1166C, C344T, and A4582C we found that these genotypes were not associated with resistant hypertension. However, a gradual increase in the risk to develop resistant hypertension was detected when the 235-MT and TT genotypes were combined with one, two or three of the supposedly more vulnerable genotypes -A1166C (AC/AA), C344T (TC/TT) and A4582C (AC/CC). Analysis of clinical parameters indicated that age, body mass index and gender contribute to blood pressure increase (P < 0.05). These results suggest that unfavorable genetic renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system patterns and clinical risk variables may contribute to increasing the risk for the development of resistant hypertension in a sample of the Brazilian population. Correspondence

ARTIGOBiota Amazônia ISSN 2179-5746 RESUMO. Os modelos didáticos possuem um papel de destaque no ensino de química e física. Entretanto, o emprego dessa ferramenta ainda é pouco explorado no ensino de Ciências. Neste artigo, apresentamos uma proposta didática baseada no uso de modelos didáticos representacionais para complementar o ensino da anatomia celular. A metodologia foi testada e avaliada por alunos do sétimo ano do ensino fundamental de uma escola pública em Tefé, Amazonas. Questionários estruturados foram utilizados para verificar a percepção em relação ao conhecimento sobre anatomia celular, as dificuldades em entender os conceitos, e a importância da utilização de modelos didáticos para a aprendizagem. A porcentagem de respostas corretas no pré-teste variou de 15% a 54%, enquanto que no pós-teste, esse índice foi bem superior, entre 77% a 100%. Os percentuais de respostas inadequadas no pré-teste demonstram que as atividades tradicionais de ensino não são eficientes para a promoção do conhecimento de longo prazo. Em contrapartida, os índices elevados de acertos no pós-teste sugerem que a incorporação da atividade lúdica -capazes de despertar a curiosidade, o interesse e a participação ativa dos alunos -complementa de forma eficaz o ensino da Anatomia Celular. Com essa atividade observamos que o modelo didático é uma estratégia factível para compreensão efetiva dos aspectos citológicos das células animal e vegetal. Palavra-chave: Métodos alternativos, Ensino Fundamental, anatomia celular.ABSTRACT. The didactic models have a prominent role in the chemical and physical education. However, the use of this tool is still little explored in science teaching. In this article, we present a didactic proposal based on the use of representational didactic models to complement the teaching of cellular anatomy. The methodology was tested and evaluated by students of the seventh grade of elementary school in a public school in Tefe, Amazonas. Structured questionnaires were used to assess the perception of knowledge about cellular anatomy, difficulties in understanding the concepts and the importance of using didactic models for learning. The percentage of correct answers in the pre-test ranged from 15% to 54%, while the post-test, this rate was much higher, between 77% to 100%. The percentage of inadequate responses in the pretest demonstrates that traditional teaching activities are not efficient for the promotion of long-term knowledge. In contrast, high levels of correct answers in the post-test suggest that the incorporation of leisure activity -able to arouse curiosity, interest and active participation of students -complements effectively the teaching of anatomy Mobile. With this activity we observed that the educational model is a feasible strategy for effective understanding of the cytological aspects of plant and animal cells.

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This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of major cardiometabolic diseases according to the sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle in the riverine communities of the municipalities of Tefé and Santa Isabel do Rio Negro, State of Amazonas, Brazil. Descriptive tests and logistic regression models were used to estimate the effect of age, gender, marital status, education, smoking, alcohol consumption and sedentary lifestyle on the prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases in 552 adults aged from 18 to 78 years. The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes and obesity in Tefé and Santa Isabel do Rio Negro were respectively 28 / 30.7%; 28.2/ 8.9%; and 22.3 / 42%. In Tefé, married men, aged over 35 years, were more susceptible to the cardiometabolic diseases. In Santa Isabel do Rio Negro, smoking men aged over 35 with low education level were more prone to diabetes and hypertension. Such data reinforce the need to monitor the risk indicators as a preventive measure and early detection of some cardiometabolic diseases.

SummaryObjective: In the present study, we evaluated the contribution of six genetic polymorphisms of the Renin-AngiotensisAldosterone system (RAAS) and clinical risk factors in the development of essential hypertension in a Brazilian rural population in the Amazon region. Methods