A Atualidade da Teoria de Thomas Humphrey Marshall: Efetividade da Cidadania, Políticas Públicas e Limites do Controle Judicial

The article seeks to demonstrate the relevance of the theory of Thomas Humphrey Marshall to address the distinction between the various dimensions of citizenship , which involves the achievement of civil, political and social , possible only when it ensures education. Plot a historical overview of citizenship in Brazil and its effectiveness on the binding force of constitutional requirements , considering that many of the rights inherent to it depend on the State acting through the public policy implement that when non-existent or inadequate, they may suffer limited control of the judiciary. This work was built from bibliographic studies.O artigo busca demonstrar a atualidade da Teoria de Thomas Humphrey Marshall ao tratar sobre a distinção entre as várias dimensões da cidadania, que passa pela conquista dos direitos civis, políticos e sociais, possíveis apenas quando se garante a educação. Traça-se um panorama histórico da cidadania no Brasil e a sua efetividade diante da força vinculante das normas constitucionais, considerando que muitos dos direitos a ela inerentes dependem da atuação Estatal, mediante o implemento de políticas públicas que, quando inexistentes ou insuficientes, podem sofrer um controle limitado do Judiciário. O presente trabalho foi construído a partir de estudos bibliográficos

Biomarkers of oxidative stress and its nexus with haemoglobin variants and adverse foeto-maternal outcome among women with preeclampsia in a Ghanaian population: A multi-centre prospective study

Introduction Haemoglobin variants and preeclampsia (PE) are associated with adverse fatal events of which oxidative stress may be an underlying factor. Oxidative stress (OS) among preeclamptic women with haemoglobin variants has been well established. It is, however, unclear whether haemoglobin variants induce OS to aggravate the risk of adverse foeto-maternal outcomes in pregnant women with preeclampsia. We measured the levels of OS biomarkers and determined the association between haemoglobin variants, and adverse foeto-maternal outcomes among pregnant women with PE. Methods This multi-centre prospective study recruited 150 PE women from three major health facilities in both Bono and Bono east regions of Ghana from April to December 2019. Haemoglobin variants; HbAS, HbSS, HbSC, HbCC, and HbAC were determined by haemoglobin electrophoresis. OS biomarkers such as malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), vitamin C, and uric acid (UA) along with haematological and biochemical parameters were estimated using standard protocol. Adverse pregnancy complications (APCs) such as post-partum haemorrhage (PPH), HELLP (Haemolysis, Elevated liver enzymes, Low platelet count) syndrome, preterm delivery, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission, and neonatal jaundice were recorded. Results Of the 150 pregnant women with preeclampsia, the distribution of haemoglobin AA, AS, AC, CC, SS and SC phenotypes were 66.0%, 13.3%, 12.7%, 3.3%, 3.3% and 1.3%, respectively. The most prevalent foeto-maternal outcomes among PE women were NICU admission (32.0%) followed by PPH (24.0%), preterm delivery (21.3%), HELLP syndrome (18.7%), and neonatal jaundice (18.0%). Except for vitamin C level which was significantly higher in patients with at least a copy of Haemoglobin S variant than those with at least a copy of Haemoglobin C variant (5.52 vs 4.55; p = 0.014), levels of MDA, CAT, and UA were not statistically significantly different across the various haemoglobin variants. Multivariate logistic regression model showed that participants with HbAS, HbAC, having at least a copy of S or C and participants with HbCC, SC, SS had significantly higher odds of neonatal jaundice, NICU admission, PPH and HELLP syndrome compared to participants with HbAA. Conclusion Reduced levels of vitamin C are common among preeclamptics with at least one copy of the HbC variant. Haemoglobin variants in preeclampsia contribute to adverse foeto-maternal outcomes with Haemoglobin S variants being the most influencing factor for PPH, HELLP, preterm labour, NICU admission, and neonatal jaundice

Serum Soluble Transferrin Receptor and Transferrin Levels among Regular Blood Donors

Background: The study evaluated the effects of regular blood donation on serum transferrin and soluble transferrin receptor levels at Wenchi Methodist Hospital. Methods: This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study conducted at the Medical Laboratory Department of the Wenchi Methodist Hospital in the Bono Region of Ghana. A total of eighty-nine (89) venous blood samples from apparently healthy blood donors were analyzed. Complete blood count parameters were analyzed using an automated haematology analyzer and serum transferrin and transferrin receptor using ELISA. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 22.0. Results: Haemoglobin (p<0.001) and HCT (p=0.004) were significantly lower among the regular blood donors compared with the first-time donors. Regular blood donors had relatively higher serum transferrin (p<0.001) and soluble transferrin receptor levels (p<0.001). A negative correlation was observed between Hb and serum transferrin (r=-0.552, p<0.001), as well as Hb and serum soluble transferrin receptor (r=-0.552, p<0.001). Remunerated donors had lower Hb (p=0.001) and HCT% (p=0.001) but a higher transferrin receptor (p=0.041) than non-remunerated donors. Conclusion: Regular blood donors had relatively lower erythrocyte parameters but higher serum transferrin and soluble transferrin receptors, indicating a possible reduction in serum iron and iron stores. Moderate negative correlations exist between Hb and both transferrin and soluble transferrin receptors. Again, remunerated donors had lower erythrocyte parameters but higher transferrin and soluble transferrin receptors than non-remunerated donors. Periodic assessment of iron parameters among regular blood donors is recommended. A future longitudinal study to assess the entire iron profile of regular blood donors is recommended.   Doi: 10.28991/SciMedJ-2022-04-03-01 Full Text: PD

Circulating Naturally-Occurring Anticoagulants before Treatment and after Recovery from SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Ghana

Background: Disturbance in naturally-occurring anticoagulants may contribute to the hypercoagulable state in COVID-19. This study determined the plasma antigen levels of protein C (PC), protein S (PS), antithrombin-III (AT-III), and thrombomodulin (TM) before treatment and after recovery from COVID-19. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study, conducted from February to August 2022 at Kumasi South Hospital, recruited sixty-five RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 participants. A venous blood sample was taken for full blood count (FBC) analysis using a 3-part fully automated haematology analyzer, and PC, PS, AT-III, and TM antigen levels measured using ELISA. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 26.0. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Severe COVID-19 participants had relatively lower haemoglobin (p<0.001), RBC (p<0.001), HCT% (p<0.001) and platelets (p<0.001), but higher RDW-CV% (p=0.013), WBC (p<0.001), and absolute lymphocyte counts (p<0.001) compared to those with the non-severe form of the disease. The overall prevalence of anaemia among the participants was 58.5%, and 32 (84.2%) and 6 (15.8%) of the anaemic participants had mild and moderate anaemia respectively. Protein C (p<0.001), PS (p<0.001) and ATIII (p<0.001) levels were lower among the severe COVID-19 participants than in the non-severe group. But severe COVID-19 group had higher TM levels (p<0.001) than the non-severe group. Again, participants had higher haemoglobin (p<0.001), RBC (p<0.001), HCT% (p=0.049), absolute neutrophil count (p<0.001) and platelets (p<0.001) after recovery from COVID-19 than the values on admission. Additionally, after recovery, participants had higher levels of PC (p<0.001), PS (p<0.001), and ATIII (p<0.001), but reduced TM (p<0.001). Conclusion: Severe COVID-19 patients had higher PC, PS, and AT-III, but lower TM levels. The changes in circulating anticoagulants may contribute to the hypercoagulable state of COVID-19. Blood cell indices are negatively affected during COVID-19. Complete recovery from the SARS-CoV-2 infection normalised the haematological indices. Assessment of naturally-occurring anticoagulants and the provision of anticoagulants are recommended in the management of COVID-19.   Doi: 10.28991/SciMedJ-2022-04-04-01 Full Text: PD

Examining DNA Structures with In-droplet Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry

Capillary vibrating sharp-edge spray ionization (cVSSI) combined with hydrogen/deuterium exchange-mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) has been utilized to characterize different solution-phase DNA conformers including DNA G-quadruplex topologies as well as triplex DNA and duplex DNA. In general, G-quadruplex DNA shows a wide range of protection of hydrogens extending from ~12% to ~21% deuterium incorporation. Additionally, the DNA sequences selected to represent parallel, antiparallel, and hybrid G-quadruplex topologies exhibit slight differences in deuterium uptake levels which appear to loosely relate to overall conformer stability. Notably, the exchange level for one of the hybrid sequence sub topologies of G-quadruplex DNA (24 TTG) is significantly different (compared with the others studied here) despite the DNA sequences being highly comparable. For the quadruplex-forming sequences, correlation analysis suggests protection of base hydrogens involved in tetrad hydrogen bonding. For duplex DNA ~19% deuterium incorporation is observed while only ~16% is observed for triplex DNA. This increased protection of hydrogens may be due to the added backbone scaffolding and Hoogsteen base pairing of the latter species. These experiments lay the groundwork for future studies aimed at determining the structural source of this protection as well as the applicability of the approach for ascertaining different oligonucleotide folds, co-existing conformations, and/or overall conformer flexibility