Nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems for treatment of hyperproliferative skin diseases - a review

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Effects of Cigarette Smoking Intensity on the Mucociliary Clearance of Active Smokers

Background: Smoking impairs mucociliary clearance and increases respiratory infection frequency and severity in subjects with and without smoking-related chronic lung diseases. Objective: This study evaluated the effects of smoking intensity on mucociliary clearance in active smokers. Methods: Seventy-five active smokers were grouped into light (1-10 cigarettes/day; n = 14), moderate (11-20 cigarettes/day; n = 34) and heavy smokers (≥21 cigarettes/day; n = 27) before starting a smoking cessation programme. Smoking behaviour, nicotine dependence, pulmonary function, carbon monoxide in exhaled air (exCO), carboxyhaemoglobin (COHb) and mucociliary clearance measured by the saccharin transit time (STT) test were all evaluated. An age-matched non-smoker group (n = 24) was assessed using the same tests. Results: Moderate (49 ± 7 years) and heavy smokers (46 ± 8 years) had higher STT (p = 0.0001), exCO (p < 0.0001) and COHb (p < 0.0001) levels compared with light smokers (51 ± 15 years) and non-smokers (50 ± 11 years). A positive correlation was observed between STT and exCO (r = 0.4; p < 0.0001), STT and cigarettes/day (r = 0.3, p = 0.02) and exCO and cigarettes/day (r = 0.3, p < 0.01). Conclusion: Smoking impairs mucociliary clearance and is associated with cigarette smoking intensity. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Treatment of adriamycin-induced nephropathy with erythropoietin and G-CSF

Background: Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and Erythropoietin (EPO) are known to stimulate the growth and differentiation of progenitor cells to prevent acute renal injury. This study aimed to assess the use of growth factors to mobilize stem cell in a mouse model of adriamycin-induced chronic kidney disease. Methods: All animals were injected with adriamycin for kidney injury and allocated into three treatment groups (G-CSF, EPO and G-CSF + EPO), and a control group (adriamycin alone). Results: Number of atrophic sites, glomerulosclerosis rate and interstitial fibrosis severity score were assessed in all groups. In all treatment groups, histologic parameters did not significantly differ, but were lower than in the control group (P<.001). Scal and CD34 expressions among treatment groups showed no statistically significant difference, but were higher than in the control group (P<.0001). CD105 expression was higher in EPO and G+EPO as compared to G-CSF and the control group (P<.0001), with no statistically significant difference between the latter two groups (P = NS). Conclusion: G-CSF and EPO had a histologic protective effect, while treatment with EPO + G-CSF had no additive effects in a model of adriamycin-induced chronic kidney disease. © 2013 Societá Italiana di Nefrologia.

Correlation between hand/wrist and panoramic radiographs in severe secondary hyperparathyroidism

Objectives: Hand/wrist and dental radiographs are important for osteoporosis analysis in secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT). This study evaluated whether a correlation exists between the effects of the disease on the hands and jaws, and investigated the association between osteoporosis progression in the hands and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Materials and methods: Four panoramic radiographic parameters (mental index, mandibular cortical index, trabecular bone pattern, and calcification/resorption) and four corresponding hand/wrist radiographic parameters (metacarpal cortical thickness, phalangeal cortical index, trabecular bone pattern, and calcification/resorption) were applied to investigate possible correlation between the effects of SHPT on the jaws and hands/wrists, by Spearman's correlation coefficient. PTH levels and the hand/wrist radiographic parameters were also tested by spearman's correlation coefficient (p < 0.05). The presence of brown tumors, vascular calcifications, and acroosteolysis on the hands was also evaluated. Results: Mandibular cortical index was strongly correlated with the phalangeal cortical index (p = 0.000). Phalangeal cortical index and trabecular bone pattern of hand/wrist correlated with PTH levels (0.002 and 0.000, respectively). Brown tumors occurred in four CKD patients, while both vascular calcifications and acroosteolysis were observed in 19 patients. Conclusion: There is a significant correlation between the morphological changes caused by secondary hyperparathyroidism in hand and jaw bones. The morphological status can be assessed using the mandibular cortical index, besides the phalangeal cortical index. The latter correlates well with parathyroid hormone levels of advanced chronic kidney disease. Clinical relevance: Panoramic images reveal morphological changes in the jaw bone, indicating likewise changes in the hand/wrist in severe secondary hyperparathyroidism. The severity of the bone changes may be a reflection of the parathyroid hormone levels in advanced chronic kidney disease. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.

Pulmonary and hepatic lesions caused by the dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloid-producing plants Crotalaria juncea and Crotalaria retusa in donkeys

The effects and susceptibility of donkeys to Crotalaria juncea and Crotalaria retusa poisoning were determined at high and low doses. Seeds of C. juncea containing 0.074% of dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloids (DHPAs) (isohemijunceines 0.05%, trichodesmine 0.016%, and junceine 0.008%) were administered to three donkeys at 0.3, 0.6 and 1g/kg body weight (g/kg) daily for 365 days. No clinical signs were observed and, on liver and lung biopsies, the only lesion was a mild liver megalocytosis in the donkeys ingesting 0.6 and 1g/kg/day. Two other donkeys that received daily doses of 3 and 5g seed/kg showed initial respiratory signs 70 and 40 days after the start of the administration, respectively. The donkeys were euthanized following severe respiratory signs and the main lung lesions were proliferation of Clara cells and interstitial fibrosis. Three donkeys ingested seeds of C. retusa containing 5.99% of monocrotaline at daily doses of 0.025, 0.05 and 0.1g/kg for 365 days. No clinical signs were observed and, on liver and lung biopsies, the only lesion was moderate liver megalocytosis in each of the three donkeys. One donkey that received a single dose of 5g/kg of C. retusa seeds and another that received 1g/kg daily for 7 days both showed severe clinical signs and died with diffuse centrilobular liver necrosis. No lung lesions were observed. Another donkey that received a single dose of 2.5g/kg of C. retusa seeds showed no clinical signs. The hepatic and pneumotoxic effects observed are consistent with an etiology involving DHPAs. Furthermore, the occurrence of lung or liver lesions correlates with the type of DHPAs contained in the seeds. Similarly as has been reported for horses, the data herein suggest that in donkeys some DHPAs are metabolized in the liver causing liver disease, whereas others are metabolized in the lung by Clara cells causing lung disease. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Leprosy treatment dropout: A sistematic review

Background: Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease endemic in some undeveloped areas, and still represents a public health problem in Brazil. Therefore, the control of this endemic disease depends necessarily on the institution of correct treatment and containment of treatment dropout. This study aims to conduct a systematic review of published studies on treatment dropout of leprosy. Methods. We conducted a systematic review of articles on treatment dropout of leprosy, published between january 2005 and april 2013, on MEDLINE and SciELO databases. The search was performed using the MeSH terms: leprosy; patients dropouts and the keywords: leprosy, treatment and noncompliance, leprosy in association, beside the equivalents in Portuguese. Results: There were originally 196 references. After analyzing the titles and abstracts of articles, 20 articles were obtained and included in the final sample. Discussion. Leprosy is a notifiable disease known as its disfiguring capability and the high rate of non-compliance to treatment. The low adhesion is responsible for the remaining potential sources of infection, irreversible complications, incomplete cure and, additionally, may lead to resistance to multiple drugs. Many factors are responsible for the interruption or dropout treatment: socioeconomic factors, education level, knowledge about the disease, lack of efficiency of health services, demographics, side effects of drugs, alcoholism, among others. Conclusion: The recent scientific literature about the subject diverge regarding the factors that most affect the dropout problem in treating leprosy patients. However, better integration between professionals and users, and greater commitment of the patient, are common points among the authors of the studies. © 2013 Girão et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Early endosome antigen 1 (EEA1) decreases in macrophages infected with Paracoccidioides brasiliensis

Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is a chronic granulomatous disease caused by the dimorphic fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, endemic in Latin America. P. brasiliensis has been observed in epithelial cells in vivo and in vitro, as well as within the macrophages. The identification of the mechanism by which it survives within the host cell is fertile ground for the discovery of its pathogenesis since this organism has the ability to induce its own endocytosis in epithelial cells and most likely in macrophages. The study of the expression of endocytic proteins pathway and co-localization of microorganisms enable detection of the mechanism by which microorganisms survive within the host cell. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of the endocytic protein EEA1 (early endosome antigen 1) in macrophages infected with P. brasiliensis. For detection of EEA1, three different techniques were employed: immunofluorescence, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunoblotting. In the present study, decreased expression of EEA1 as well as the rearrangement of the actin was observed when the fungus was internalized, confirming that the input mechanism of the fungus in macrophages occurs through phagocytosis. © 2013 ISHAM.

Avaliação dos indicadores nutricionais e da composição corporal em hepatopatas crônicos e a relação com a etiologia e gravidade da doença

Pós-graduação em Bases Gerais da Cirurgia - FMB

Potenciais evocados auditivos de tronco encefálico e emissões otoacústicas evocadas transientes: achados em pacientes com doença renal crônica

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Tabagismo e mecanismos de defesa: resposta imune e transporte mucociliar

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Estrutura populacional de Lutzomya longipalpis através da amplificação e sequenciamento do segmento ribossomal 12S de DNA mitocondrial

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Efeito dos solutos urêmicos sobre espécies reativas de oxigênio em sistemas-modelo in vitro

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Variabilidade da protease NS3 do vírus da hepatite C e avaliação das mutações de resistência em pacientes não tratados com inibidores de protease

Pós-graduação em Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento (Biotecnologia Médica) - FMB

Avaliação da função miocárdia de ratos obesos

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)