Universidade Federal de Roraima

Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) are widely used by resistance-trained athletes, but their effects on cardiac structure and function remain uncertain.

To assess the impact of AAS on cardiac structure and function using echocardiography.

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effects of AAS on echocardiographic parameters in athletes, using a random-effects model and Review Manager 5.4.1.

We included 35 studies with 2000 male individuals (834 resistance-trained athletes using AAS vs 754 resistance-trained non-users vs 412 sedentary controls; mean age 32 years). Compared with non-users of AAS, AAS users was associated with a decrease in left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (MD -2.25 %; 95 % CI -3.41 to -1.09; p < 0.01), and global longitudinal strain (GLS) (MD 3.34 %; 95 % CI 2.93 to 3.76; p < 0.01). Athletes who used AAS also had an increased septal wall thickness (MD 1.24 mm; 95 % CI 0.79 to 1.69; p < 0.01), posterior wall thickness (MD 1.09 mm; 95 % CI 0.70 to 1.48; p < 0.01) and LV mass (MD 13.29 g; 95 % CI 6.25 to 20.33; p < 0.01). LV end-diastolic diameter was also higher among AAS users (MD 1.09 mm; 95 % CI 0.44 to 1.73; p < 0.01).

Among athletes, AAS was associated with a significant decrease in LV ejection fraction and GLS, alongside with increased septal and posterior wall thickness, LV mass, and end-diastolic diameter compared with athletes who do not use AAS. These findings suggest adverse cardiac remodeling in AAS users, highlighting the potential harmful cardiovascular effects of steroid use in athletes.

The use of electronic cigarettes has increased markedly over the past decade, particularly among young adults, representing a growing public health concern. Pharmacological interventions for the cessation of vaping are thus limited. This meta-analysis assessed the efficacy and safety of varenicline compared with that of placebo in vaping cessation.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted following the Cochrane Collaboration and PRISMA guidelines. The PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched until April 2025. The outcomes included continuous abstinence, seven-day point prevalence abstinence at the end of treatment and follow-up, and adverse events, including nausea and vivid dreams.

Three RCTs comprising 355 participants were included. Varenicline significantly increased seven-day point-prevalence abstinence at the end of treatment (RR, 2.30; 95 % CI, 1.64-3.24) and at follow-up (RR, 2.14; 95 % CI, 1.47-3.10) and improved continuous abstinence rates (RR, 2.71; 95 % CI, 1.48-4.99). The overall incidence of adverse events did not differ significantly between the groups (RR: 1.49; 95 % CI: 0.68-3.25). However, nausea (RR: 2.35; 95 % CI 1.77-3.13) and vivid dreams (RR: 2.56; 95 % CI 1.59-4.11) were more frequent among patients receiving varenicline treatment CONCLUSION: Varenicline improved vaping cessation rates compared to placebo and was generally well tolerated, despite a higher incidence of nausea and vivid dreams.

Human-wildlife conflicts (HWC henceforth) currently pose a significant threat to the conservation of species around the world. Here, we performed a systematic review related to HWC with a focus on wild mammals and used phylogenetic comparative methods to test: (1) if species traits influence the probability of species to be related in conflict; (2) whether closely-related species tend to be related in similar conflict categories; and (3) which and how socio-environmental variables influence research about human-wild mammal conflict around the world. Overall, at least 713 species were involved in HWC, including 160 threatened species (78 Vulnerable, 67 Endangered, and 15 Critically Endangered). Species of large-bodied size and widely distributed species are more likely to be involved in HWC around the world. Closely related species share similar conflict categories. The research effort related to human-wild mammal conflict is biased to specific mammal orders and species traits. Moreover, human-wild mammal conflicts were recorded in 125 countries, mainly in Europe, Africa and Asia. Overall, our results show high species richness involved in HWC, and emphasise the influence of species traits on conflict situations with people. These results call attention for more research towards clades/orders with low attention, since missing information is critical to design or improve mitigation and conservations measures. Furthermore, identify the species traits that are more associated with HWC is crucial for improving the effectiveness of measures aimed at mitigating or reducing the damage of HWC situations.