Mesenteric Cyst: Incidental Finding

Os quistos do mesentério são tumores intra-abdominais benignos raros. Podem manifestar-se em qualquer faixa etária, no entanto, cerca de 33% manifestam-se em crianças com menos de 15 anos. Na maioria dos casos são assintomáticos e o seu diagnóstico, frequentemente, é um achado incidental. Embora a etiologia dos quistos seja desconhecida, várias são as teorias propostas para explicar a sua formação. O tratamento é cirúrgico e consiste na excisão completa do quisto. O prognóstico é bom e a taxa de recidiva é baixa. Os autores reportam o caso de um doente portador de um quisto do mesentério ressecado por laparotomia.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Onde há fumaça há fogo. Tabagismo entre escolares de Volta Redonda, um problema de enfermagem

A indústria do tabaco tem concentrado suas estratégias de marketing sobre crianças e adolescentes. Estudos do Cebrid/Unifesp apontam a relação entre diminuição na experimentação com o aumento de informação, maior inclusão e crescente envolvimento das escolas. O Programa Saber Saúde, do Ministério da Saúde, propõe educação para a saúde objetivando, entre outros, a formação de cidadãos capazes de decidir sobre a adoção de estilos de vidas saudáveis. Neste trabalho avaliamos os fatores condicionantes ao uso do tabaco e a importância da educação na prevenção/conscientização sobre o uso, entre os estudantes de escolas públicas (entre 10 e 19 anos) do município de Volta Redonda. Através da aplicação de questionários e com a abrangência de 23 bairros do município, observamos que a idade média de experimentação para o grupo estudado foi de 11,7 ± 2,8 anos, sendo maior a frequência dentro do grupo masculino (33,3%) do que no grupo feminino (16%). Os fumantes de maior influência entre os entrevistados foram: “amigo ou namorado (a)”, “parentes (primos, tios, avós, etc)” e “irmão” com respectivamente; 75; 12,5 e 12,5%. Analisando os dados de convívio, o grupo que experimentou o cigarro apresentava valores superiores no percentual de familiares e amigos fumantes, quando comparados ao grupo que não o experimentou; 6,5 e 2 vezes maior respectivamente. Sessenta e um por cento dos entrevistados não obtiveram informação sobre tabaco na escola. O enfermeiro é um profissional apto e competente para organizar atividades que visem o empoderamento social sobre a saúde por meio da educação. A abordagem sobre tabaco no âmbito escolar otimiza os resultados desta atividade, sendo a prevenção primária não exercida somente na Unidade Básica ou Programa Saúde da Família, que não sempre consegue lançar atrativos para a participação dos adolescentes em ações de educação em saúde. A educação é a única forma de apagar o fogo alimentado pela indústria tabagista que encanta os adolescentes e lhes priva da verdade que há por traz da fumaça

Purification, characterization and evaluation of the antitumoral activity of a phospholipase A2 from the snake Bothrops moojeni.

Nature presents a wide range of biomolecules with pharmacological potential, including venomous animal proteins. Among the protein components from snake venoms, phospholipases (PLA2) are of great importance for the development of new anticancer compounds. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the PLA2 anticancer properties from Bothrops moojeni venom. The crude venom was purified through three chromatographic steps, monitored by enzymatic activity and SDS-PAGE (12%). The purified PLA2 denominated BmPLA2 had its molecular mass and N-terminal sequence identified by mass spectrometry and Edman degradation, respectively. BmPLA2 was assayed against human epithelial colorectal adenocarcinoma cells (Caco-2), human rhabdomyosarcoma cells (RD) and mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the lung (NCI-H292), using human fibroblast cells (MRC-5) and microglia cells (BV-2) as a cytotoxicity control. BmPLA2 presented 13,836 Da and a 24 amino acid-residue homologue with snake PLA2, which showed a 90% similarity with other Bothrops moojeni PLA2. BmPLA2 displayed an IC50 of 0.6 M against Caco-2, and demonstrated a selectivity index of 1.85 (compared to MRC-5) and 6.33 (compared to BV-2), supporting its selectivity for cancer cells. In conclusion, we describe a new acidic phospholipase, which showed antitumor activity and is a potential candidate in the development of new biotechnological tools.Na publicação: Newton Verbisck

The biological in vitro effect and selectivity of aromatic dicationic compounds on Trypanosoma cruzi

Trypanosoma cruzi is a parasite that causes Chagas disease, which affects millions of individuals in endemic areas of Latin America. One hundred years after the discovery of Chagas disease, it is still considered a neglected illness because the available drugs are unsatisfactory. Aromatic compounds represent an important class of DNA minor groove-binding ligands that exhibit potent antimicrobial activity. This study focused on the in vitro activity of 10 aromatic dicationic compounds against bloodstream trypomastigotes and intracellular forms of T. cruzi. Our data demonstrated that these compounds display trypanocidal effects against both forms of the parasite and that seven out of the 10 compounds presented higher anti-parasitic activity against intracellular parasites compared with the bloodstream forms. Additional assays to determine the potential toxicity to mammalian cells showed that the majority of the dicationic compounds did not considerably decrease cellular viability. Fluorescent microscopy analysis demonstrated that although all compounds were localised to a greater extent within the kinetoplast than the nucleus, no correlation could be found between compound activity and kDNA accumulation. The present results stimulate further investigations of this class of compounds for the rational design of new chemotherapeutic agents for Chagas disease

The Toronto General Hospital Transitional Pain Service: development and implementation of a multidisciplinary program to prevent chronic postsurgical pain

Chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP), an often unanticipated result of necessary and even life-saving procedures, develops in 5–10% of patients one-year after major surgery. Substantial advances have been made in identifying patients at elevated risk of developing CPSP based on perioperative pain, opioid use, and negative affect, including depression, anxiety, pain catastrophizing, and posttraumatic stress disorder-like symptoms. The Transitional Pain Service (TPS) at Toronto General Hospital (TGH) is the first to comprehensively address the problem of CPSP at three stages: 1) preoperatively, 2) postoperatively in hospital, and 3) postoperatively in an outpatient setting for up to 6 months after surgery. Patients at high risk for CPSP are identified early and offered coordinated and comprehensive care by the multidisciplinary team consisting of pain physicians, advanced practice nurses, psychologists, and physiotherapists. Access to expert intervention through the Transitional Pain Service bypasses typically long wait times for surgical patients to be referred and seen in chronic pain clinics. This affords the opportunity to impact patients’ pain trajectories, preventing the transition from acute to chronic pain, and reducing suffering, disability, and health care costs. In this report, we describe the workings of the Transitional Pain Service at Toronto General Hospital, including the clinical algorithm used to identify patients, and clinical services offered to patients as they transition through the stages of surgical recovery. We describe the role of the psychological treatment, which draws on innovations in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy that allow for brief and effective behavioral interventions to be applied transdiagnostically and preventatively. Finally, we describe our vision for future growth.Joel Katz is supported by Canadian Institutes of Health Research Canada Research Chair in Health Psychology at York University. Hance Clarke is supported by a Merit Award from the Department of Anesthesia, University of Toronto and received funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, Medically Complex Patients Demonstration Project Program for a project entitled “The Transitional Pain Service Demonstration Project”

In Vitro and In Vivo Efficacy of Ether Lipid Edelfosine against Leishmania spp. and SbV-Resistant Parasites

Leishmaniasis represents a major international health problem, has a high morbidity and mortality rate, and is classified as an emerging and uncontrolled disease by the World Health Organization. The migration of population from endemic to nonendemic areas, and tourist activities in endemic regions are spreading the disease to new areas. Unfortunately, treatment of leishmaniasis is far from satisfactory, with only a few drugs available that show significant side-effects. Here, we show in vitro and in vivo evidence for the antileishmanial activity of the ether phospholipid edelfosine, being effective against a wide number of Leishmania spp. causing cutaneous, mucocutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis. Our experimental mouse and hamster models demonstrated not only a significant antileishmanial activity of edelfosine oral administration against different wild-type Leishmania spp., but also against parasites resistant to pentavalent antimonials, which constitute the first line of treatment worldwide. In addition, edelfosine exerted a higher antileishmanial activity and a lower proneness to generate drug resistance than miltefosine, the first drug against leishmaniasis that can be administered orally. These data, together with our previous findings, showing an anti-inflammatory action and a very low toxicity profile, suggest that edelfosine is a promising orally administered drug for leishmaniasis, thus warranting clinical evaluation

Impact of protozoan cell death on parasite-host interactions and pathogenesis

PCD in protozoan parasites has emerged as a fascinating field of parasite biology. This not only relates to the underlying mechanisms and their evolutionary implications but also to the impact on the parasite-host interactions within mammalian hosts and arthropod vectors. During recent years, common functions of apoptosis and autophagy in protozoa and during parasitic infections have emerged. Here, we review how distinct cell death pathways in Trypanosoma, Leishmania, Plasmodium or Toxoplasma may contribute to regulation of parasite cell densities in vectors and mammalian hosts, to differentiation of parasites, to stress responses, and to modulation of the host immunity. The examples provided indicate crucial roles of PCD in parasite biology. The existence of PCD pathways in these organisms and the identification as being critical for parasite biology and parasite-host interactions could serve as a basis for developing new anti-parasitic drugs that take advantage of these pathways