Desenvolvimento de equipamento multifuncional portátil de baixo custo para determinações fotométricas, turbidimétricas, nefelométricas e fluorimétricas

Pós-graduação em Química - IQ

Increased IgE serum levels are unrelated to allergic and parasitic diseases in patients with juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the IgE serum levels in juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus patients and to evaluate possible associations with clinical and laboratory features, disease activity and tissue damage. METHODS: The IgE serum concentrations in 69 consecutive juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus patients were determined by nephelometry. IgG, IgM and IgA concentrations were measured by immunoturbidimetry. All patients were negative for intestinal parasites. Statistical analysis methods included the Mann-Whitney, chi-square and Fisher's exact tests, as well as the Spearman rank correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Increased IgE concentrations above 100 IU/mL were observed in 31/69 (45%) juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus patients. The mean IgE concentration was 442.0 +/- 163.4 IU/ml (range 3.5- 9936.0 IU/ml). Fifteen of the 69 patients had atopic disease, nine patients had severe sepsis and 56 patients presented with nephritis. The mean IgE level in 54 juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus patients without atopic manifestations was 271.6 +/- 699.5 IU/ml, and only nine of the 31 (29%) patients with high IgE levels had atopic disease. The IgE levels did not statistically differ with respect to the presence of atopic disease, severe sepsis, nephritis, disease activity, or tissue damage. Interestingly, IgE concentrations were inversely correlated with C4 levels ( r = -0.25, p = 0.03) and with the SLICC/ACR-DI score (r = -0.34, p = 0.005). The IgE concentration was also found to be directly correlated with IgA levels (r = 0.52, p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated for the first time that juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus patients have increased IgE serum levels. This increase in IgE levels was not related to allergic or parasitic diseases. Our results are in line with the hypothesis that high IgE levels can be considered a marker of immune dysregulation.

Plasma levels of complement proteins from the alternative pathway in patients with age-related macular degeneration are independent of Complement Factor H Tyr(402)His polymorphism

Purpose: To investigate the influence of the Factor H (CFH) Tyr(402)His polymorphism on the plasma levels of the alternative pathway proteins CFH, C3, Factor B (FB), Factor D (FD), and Factor I (FI) and the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP) in 119 patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and 152 unrelated control individuals. Methods: Patients with AMD and the control group were separated according to CFH polymorphism, age, and gender. Plasma complement proteins and CRP concentrations were determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunodiffusion, or nephelometry. Results: Significant differences in the concentrations of FD and FI were observed between the patients with AMD and the control individuals. We observed significantly reduced FD plasma levels in patients with AMD. We also identified a significant decrease in CFH plasma levels in female patients with AMD in relation to female controls. Plasma FI levels were significantly increased in patients with AMD compared to the control group. Regarding gender, a significant increase in FI plasma levels was observed in male patients. Finally, we found no significant correlation between the CFH Tyr(402)His polymorphism and the CFH, C3, FB, FD, FI, and CRP plasma levels. Conclusions: Patients with AMD present altered levels of FD and FI in a manner independent of this CFH polymorphism, and gender apparently contributes to the plasma levels of these two proteins in patients with AMD and control individuals.

Intravenous immunoglobulin contains a broad repertoire of anticarbohydrate antibodies that is not restricted to the IgG2 subclass

BACKGROUND: Specificities for carbohydrate IgG antibodies, thought to be predominantly of the IgG2 subclass, have never been broadly examined in healthy human subjects. OBJECTIVE: To examine commercial intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) preparations for their ability to recognize a wide range of glycans and to determine the contribution of IgG2 to the binding pattern observed. METHODS: We used a glycan microarray to evaluate IVIG preparations and a control mix of similar proportions of human myeloma IgG1 and IgG2 for binding to 377 glycans, courtesy of the Consortium for Functional Glycomics Core H. Glycans recognized were categorized using public databases for their likely cellular sources. IgG2 was depleted from IVIG by using immunoaffinity chromatography, and depletion was confirmed by using nephelometry and surface plasmon resonance. RESULTS: Nearly half of the glycans bound IgG. Some of the glycans with the greatest antibody binding can be found in structures of human pathogenic bacteria (eg, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Vibrio cholera) and nonpathogenic bacteria, including LPS and lipoteichoic acid, capsular polysaccharides, and exopolysaccharides. Surprisingly, depletion of IgG2 had only a modest effect on anticarbohydrate recognition patterns compared with the starting IVIG preparation. Little to no binding activity was detected to human endogenous glycans, including tumor-associated antigens. CONCLUSIONS: This novel, comprehensive analysis provides evidence that IVIG contains a much wider range than previously appreciated of anticarbohydrate IgG antibodies, including those recognizing both pathogenic and non-pathogen-associated prokaryotic glycans.

(Table 2) Concentration of suspended matter and dissolved Mn in water samples above the Mid-Atlantic Ridge rift zone near 29°N

Data on nephelometry, CTD probing, and dissolved manganese obtained during Cruise 34 of R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh showed that a multiplume was found over the Mid-Atlantic Ridge rift zone near 29°N. This multiplume comprises plumes of several hydrothermal vents and is separate from the plume of the Broken Spur hydrothermal field. Approximate coordinates were estimated for three vents.

Cistatina C : um marcador de função renal promissor em doentes com lúpus eritematoso sistémico?

Trabalho Final do Curso de Mestrado Integrado em Medicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 2014

Effect of periodontal treatment on the C-reactive protein and proinflammatory cytokine levels in Japanese periodontitis patients

Background: Recent epidemiological studies have shown that individuals with periodontitis have a significantly increased risk of developing coronary heart disease. In addition to conventional risk factors, chronic infection and subsequent production of systemic inflammatory markers may be associated with this increased risk. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to determine whether the presence of chronic periodontitis and subsequent periodontal treatment could influence the serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in a Japanese population. Methods: Sera were obtained from 24 patients with moderate to advanced periodontitis at the baseline examination and at reassessment after completion of treatment. As a control, sera were also obtained from 21 subjects without periodontitis. High-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) was measured using nephelometry with a latex particle-enhanced immunoassay and interleukin-6 and TNF-alpha were determined by sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: The levels of hs-CRP and interleukin-6 in the sera of this Japanese population seemed to be much lower than those reported in other populations. TNF-alpha on the other hand, demonstrated similar levels between this Japanese and other populations. Periodontal status demonstrated a significant improvement in all patients following treatment. There was a trend toward higher hs-CRP levels in patients at baseline compared with control subjects. Hs-CRP level tended to decrease with improvement of the periodontal condition following treatment and approached that of control subjects, although this decline was not statistically significant. interleukin-6 and TNF-alpha levels did not change following periodontal treatment. Furthermore, there was no difference in the serum levels of these inflammatory cytokines between patients either at baseline or at reassessment and control subjects. Conclusions: In this pilot study, we were unable to show that periodontal disease significantly affects the serum levels of systemic inflammatory markers. However, this does not necessarily mean that periodontitis does not contribute to the total burden of inflammation as there was a tendency for hs-CRP to decrease following successful periodontal treatment. Large-scale studies are clearly needed to determine the impact of periodontal disease on systemic inflammation.

The short-term effects of air pollution on hospital admissions in four Australian cities

Background. This paper examines the short-term health effects of air pollution on daily hospital admissions in Australian cities (those considered comprise more than 50% of the Australian population) for the period 1996-99. Methods: The study used a similar protocol to overseas studies and derived single city and pooled estimates using different statistical approaches to assess the accuracy of the results. Results: There was little difference between the results derived from the different statistical approaches for cardiovascular admissions, while in those for respiratory admissions there were differences. For three of the four cities (for the other the results were positive but not significant), fine particles (measured by nephelometry - bsp) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) have a significant impact on cardiovascular admissions (for total cardiac admissions, RR=1.0856 for a one-unit increase in bsp (10(-4). m(-1)), RR=1.0023 for a 1 ppb increase in NO2). For three of the four cities (for the other, the results were negative and significant), fine particles, NO2 and ozone have a significant impact on respiratory admissions (for total elderly respiratory admissions, RR=1.0552 per 1 unit (10(-4).m(-1)) increase in bsp, RR=1.0027 per 1ppb increase in NO2, RR=10014 per 1 ppb increase in ozone for elderly asthma and COPD admissions). In all analyses the particle and NO2 impacts appear to be related. Conclusions: Similar to overseas studies, air pollution has an impact on hospital admissions in Australian cities, but there can be significant differences between cities.

Infección por virus sincitial respiratorio y su relación con valores de IGG en niños críticos

Antecedente: La infección por el virus sincitial respiratorio (VSR) representa una elevada morbimortalidad, y en algunos casos necesidad de manejo en unidades de cuidado intensivo pediátrico (UCIP). La respuesta inmunológica influye de manera directa en la expresión de la severidad y pronóstico de los pacientes con infección respiratoria. Metodología: Estudio de una cohorte retrospectiva de pacientes con infección respiratoria grave secundaria a VSR, sin historia de inmunodeficiencia, atendidos en la UCIP del Hospital Universitario Clínica San Rafael. Se realizó análisis descriptivoglobaly de acuerdo a la categorización de las prueba de IgG. Resultados: De 188 pacientes que ingresaron a la UCIP, 13% presentaron infección por VSR (24), con una edad promedio de 7,3 (DE=3,6) meses. Pertenecían al sexo masculino79,83%. Se encontró que 12,5% tenían un valor de IgGbajo para su edad, 58,33% tenían valores en límite inferior y el 29,17% dentro de rangos normales para su edad. En los pacientes con IgG baja, fue mayor la presentación de choque séptico que no responde a líquidos (100 vs 92 vs 86%), la mediana de días de ventilación mecánica fue mayor (8 vs 6 vs 5 respectivamente), así como la mortalidad (67 vs 7,1 vs 0%). Conclusión: Nuestra serie encontró que aquellos pacientes con niveles bajos o valores en el límite inferior de IgG sérica tuvieron mayor compromiso sistémico, mayor duración de ventilación mecánica y mayor mortalidad. Se necesitan estudios prospectivos que relaciones niveles bajos de IgG con severidad y pronostico en estos pacientes con infección grave por VSR.