Autoimmune hepatitis in 828 Brazilian children and adolescents: clinical and laboratory findings, histological profile, treatments, and outcomes

In this large clinical series of Brazilian children and adolescents, autoimmunehepatitis-1 was more frequent, and patients with autoimmune hepatitis-2 exhibited higherdisease remission rates with earlier response to treatment. Patients with autoimmune hepatitis-1 had a higher risk of death.sentation, laboratory findings, histological profile, treatments, and outcomes of children andadolescents with autoimmune hepatitis.Methods: The medical records of 828 children and adolescents with autoimmune hepatitiswere reviewed. A questionnaire was used to collect anonymous data on clinical presentation,biochemical and histological findings, and treatments.Results: Of all patients, 89.6% had autoimmune hepatitis-1 and 10.4% had autoimmunehepatitis-2. The female sex was predominant in both groups. The median age at symptomonset was 111.5 (6; 210) and 53.5 (8; 165) months in the patients with autoimmune hepatitis1 and autoimmune hepatitis-2, respectively. Acute clinical onset was observed in 56.1% and58.8% and insidious symptoms in 43.9% and 41.2% of the patients with autoimmune hepatitis-1and autoimmune hepatitis-2, respectively. The risk of hepatic failure was 1.6-fold higher forautoimmune hepatitis-2. Fulminant hepatic failure occurred in 3.6% and 10.6% of the patientswith autoimmune hepatitis-1 and autoimmune hepatitis-2, respectively; the risk was 3.1-foldhigher for autoimmune hepatitis-2. The gamma globulin and immunoglobulin G levels were sig-nificantly higher in autoimmune hepatitis-1, while the immunoglobulin A and C3 levels werelower in autoimmune hepatitis-2. Cirrhosis was observed in 22.4% of the patients; biochem-ical remission was achieved in 76.2%. The actuarial survival rate was 93.0%. A total of 4.6%underwent liver transplantation, and 6.9% died (autoimmune hepatitis-1: 7.5%; autoimmunehepatitis-2: 2.4%).Conclusions: In this large clinical series of Brazilian children and adolescents, autoimmunehepatitis-1 was more frequent, and patients with autoimmune hepatitis-2 exhibited higherdisease remission rates with earlier response to treatment. Patients with autoimmune hepatitis-1 had a higher risk of death.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Reprogramming energy metabolism and inducing angiogenesis : co-expression of monocarboxylate transporters with VEGF family members in cervical adenocarcinomas

Background: Deregulation of cellular energetic metabolism was recently pointed out as a hallmark of cancer cells. This deregulation involves a metabolic reprogramming that leads to a high production of lactate. Lactate efflux, besides contributing for the glycolytic flux, also acts in the extracellular matrix, contributing for cancer malignancy, by, among other effects, induction of angiogenesis. However, studies on the interplay between cancer metabolism and angiogenesis are scarce. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the metabolic and vascular molecular profiles of cervical adenocarcinomas, their co-expression, and their relation to the clinical and pathological behavior. Methods: The immunohistochemical expression of metabolism-related proteins (MCT1, MCT4, CD147, GLUT1 and CAIX) as well as VEGF family members (VEGF-A, VEGF-C, VEGF-D, VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2 and VEGFR-3) was assessed in a series of 232 cervical adenocarcinomas. The co-expression among proteins was assessed and the expression profiles were associated with patients’ clinicopathological parameters. Results: Among the metabolism-related proteins, MCT4 and CAIX were the most frequently expressed in cervical adenocarcinomas while CD147 was the less frequently expressed protein. Overall, VEGF family members showed a strong and extended expression with VEGF-C and VEGFR-2 as the most frequently expressed and VEGFR-1 as the less expressed member. Co-expression of MCT isoforms with VEGF family members was demonstrated. Finally, MCT4 was associated with parametrial invasion and HPV18 infection, CD147 and GLUT1 with distant metastasis, CAIX with tumor size and HPV18 infection, and VEGFR-1 with local and lymphnode metastasis. Conclusions: The results herein presented provide additional evidence for a crosstalk between deregulating cellular energetics and inducing angiogenesis. Also, the metabolic remodeling and angiogenic switch are relevant to cancer progression and aggressiveness in adenocarcinomas.CP received a post-doctoral fellowship (SFRH/BPD/69479/2010) and FM-S received a doctoral fellowship (SFRH/BD/87139/2012) from FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology). This work was supported by the FCT grant ref. PTDC/SAU-FCF/104347/2008, under the scope of "Programa Operacional Tematico Factores de Competitividade" (COMPETE) of "Quadro Comunitario de Apoio III" and co-financed by Fundo Comunitario Europeu FEDER, and also by FAPESP 2008/03232-1

Práticas artísticas no ensino básico e secundário

As técnicas de expressão são processos de expansão. A humanidade alargou o seu perímetro de retenção de ideias, de impressão ritual, de invocação memorial, através dos primeiros materiais plásticos, incisões, manchas, escarificações, desenhos. Assim o homem cresceu, dentro da sua mente, e a sua mente cresceu fora do homem: a linguagem sobrevive-nos, permite a transmissão de aquisições, veicula a cultura de geração em geração, está na base da civilização. A expansão humana consolida-se pelas técnicas de reprodução, mas com um preço: o da emancipação das coisas em relação aos homens. A linguagem pensa-nos. Os artefactos que produzimos exercem sobre nós estranhos poderes, as mercadorias são valorizadas tanto ou mais que as pessoas, o humano é desvalorizado na razão inversa. As pessoas querem parecer-se com imagens, mapas de bits que encantam. As tecnologias, essas expansões, sabem para onde se dirigem, sem olhar aos humanos: o vivo é dispensado, em benefício de um algoritmo de computação, de um bot, de um ser sem corpo e por isso sem necessidades. Um ser que ganha sempre. A interrogação sobre os conteúdos é hoje a interrogação sobre um real digitalizado, transformado em código. Este é um dos espaços que merece uma atenção particular na Educação Artística: pode-se pensar do outro lado do código?info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Proteômica e sepse: novas perspectivas para o diagnóstico Proteomics and sepsis: new perspectives for diagnosis

JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS: O diagnóstico e o tratamento da sepse continuam a desafiar a todos; e desenvolver formas mais precisas de abordagem são absolutamente necessárias. O objetivo deste estudo foi empregar técnicas proteômicas, eletroforese bidimensional e espectrometria de massa, para verificar a expressão diferencial de proteínas, em soro de pacientes com sepse comparado com controles saudáveis. MÉTODO: Amostras de soro de 30 pacientes com sepse, causada por vários tipos de microorganismos e de 30 controles saudáveis foram obtidas para análise. A seguir, foram submetidas a 2D-SDS-PAGE, comparação entre géis, seleção de spots para excisão e digestão com tripsina, sendo os peptídeos analisados por MALDI TOF-TOF. Os espectros obtidos foram processados (Mascot-matrixscience) para identificação de proteínas no NCBInr Data Bank. RESULTADOS: A análise das imagens mostrou vários spots com expressão diferencial nos géis dos pacientes com sepse em relação aos controles. A identificação de proteínas em alguns destes spots encontrou: precursor Orosomucoide 1, Apolipoproteína A-IV, precursor Apolipoproteína A-IV, precursor Haptoglobina, Haptoglobina, proteína Zinc finger, Amilóide sérico A-1, Transtiretina, Nebulin, Complemento C4, Alfa1-Antitripsina, produto protéico não nominado e outros. CONCLUSÕES: Soros de pacientes com diferentes tipos de sepse expressam padrão protéico característico por 2D-SDS-PAGE comparado com controles. A maior expressão foi de proteínas de fase aguda e lipoproteínas. É possível que no futuro, com a proteômica, criar painel diagnóstico de proteínas, encontrar novos biomarcadores e alvos para intervenção terapêutica na sepse. Esta é a primeira descrição, com a proteômica, das alterações na expressão protéica, no soro de pacientes com sepse.<br>BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The diagnostic and treatment of sepsis continue to challenger all, and, more specific forms to approach are absolutely necessary. The objective of this study was to use proteomics techniques, two-dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectrometry, to verify the differential protein expression between serum of patients with sepsis and health controls. METHODS: Samples of serum the 30 patients with sepsis, caused for different types of microorganisms and serum of 30 health controls were obtained for analysis. Next, were submitted to 2D-SDS-PAGE, gels compared, selection of spots for excision and digestion with trypsin, being the peptides analyzed for MALDI TOF-TOF. The obtained spectrums were processed (Mascot-matrix science) for protein identification in NCBInr Data Bank. RESULTS: Image analyses showed several spots with differential expressions in the gels of the patients with sepsis in relation to the controls. The protein identification of some of these spots founded: Orosomucoid 1 precursor, Apolipoprotein A-IV, Apolipoprotein A-IV precursor, Haptoglobin protein precursor, Haptoglobin, Zinc finger protein, Serum amyloid A-1, Transthyretin, Nebulin, Complement C4, Alpha1-Antitrypsin, Unnamed protein product and others. CONCLUSIONS: Serum of the patients with different types of sepsis express characteristic protein profiles by 2D-SDS-PAGE compared with controls. The most expressed were from acute phase proteins and lipoproteins. It is possible in the future, with proteomics, create diagnostic panel of proteins, finding news biomarkers and targets for therapeutic interventions in sepsis. This is a first description, with proteomics, of the alterations in protein expression, in serum of the patients with sepsis

Grandisin caused morphological changes larval and toxicity on Aedes aegypti

Dengue is a tropical disease caused by an arbovirus transmitted by Aedes aegypti. Since no effective vaccine is available for treating dengue, the present study focused on population vector control through investigating the use of the lignan grandisin, isolated from Piper solmsianum C. DC., Piperaceae, against the larvae of A. aegypti. Grandisin caused larval (L3) mortality at LC50 150 µg/mL. Histological analysis on A. aegypti larvae treated with grandisin (LC50 50 µg/mL) showed changes in the anterior-middle midgut, with intense tissue destruction and cell disorganization

Avaliação da contratilidade da vesícula biliar com leite materno e leite de vaca em lactentes Gallbladder contractility after breast milk and cow's milk meals in infants

As múltiplas características distintas do leite materno e do leite de vaca fazem com que o esvaziamento gástrico seja mais rápido após ingestão do primeiro. Esta rapidez do esvaziamento gástrico pode estar associada ao esvaziamento da vesícula biliar, também mais rápido. O objetivo do trabalho foi determinar se há diferença na velocidade de esvaziamento da vesícula biliar, por método ultra-sonográfico, após ingestão de leite materno e leite de vaca. Estudamos 47 crianças menores de dois anos, 22 após uma refeição com leite materno e 25 após uma refeição com leite de vaca. A vesícula biliar foi medida após um período de quatro a seis horas de jejum e uma hora após uma refeição (leite materno ou leite de vaca), e a contração da vesícula biliar foi avaliada, em porcentagem, pela diferença de volume da vesícula biliar entre as duas medidas e expressa em porcentagem do volume inicial. As medianas das porcentagens do volume inicial para as crianças alimentadas com leite materno e leite de vaca foram, respectivamente, 92,25% e 53,8%, diferença estatisticamente significativa. Portanto, a contração da vesícula biliar após uma refeição com leite de vaca é muito mais lenta do que aquela após uma refeição com leite materno.<br>Breast milk and cow's milk differ in multiple characteristics that account for a faster gastric emptying time after breast feeding. This faster gastric emptying may be associated with a faster gallbladder emptying. Our aim was to compare gallbladder contraction after breast milk meal and cow's milk meal using ultrasound examination. We studied 22 infants after a breast milk meal and 25 infants after a cow's milk meal. Gallbladder volume was measured after a 4-6 hours fasting and one hour after the meal (breast milk or cow's milk). Gallbladder contractility was calculated by determining the difference between gallbladder volume one hour after the meal and the fasting volume, and expressed as a percentage of the fasting volume. The gallbladder contractility medians for breast milk and cow's milk were 92.25% and 53.8%, respectively (p < 0.001). We concluded that gallbladder contraction after a breast milk meal is much faster than that after cow's milk meal

In vivo proteomeanalysis of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris in the interactionwith the host plant Brassica oleracea

The genus Xanthomonas is composed of several species that cause severe crop losses around the world. In Latin America, one of the most relevant species is Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris, which is responsible for black rot in cruciferous plants. This pathogen causes yield losses in several cultures, including cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli. Although the complete structural genome of X. campestris pv. campestris has been elucidated, little is known about the protein expression of this pathogen in close interaction with the host plant. Recently, a method for in vivo analysis of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri was developed. In the present study, this technique was employed for the characterization of the protein expression of X. campestris pv. campestris in close interaction with the host plant Brassica oleracea. The bacterium was infiltrated into leaves of the susceptible cultivar and later recovered for proteome analysis. Recovered cells were used for protein extraction and separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis. Proteins were analysed by peptide mass fingerprinting or de novo sequencing and identified by searches in public databases. The approach used in this study may be extremely useful in further analyses in order to develop novel strategies to control this important plant pathogen