Human leukocyte antigen-G expression after kidney transplantation is associated with a reduced incidence of rejection

HLA-G is a non-classic Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA-G) Class I of low polymorphism and restricted tissue distribution that displays tolerogenic functions. In heart transplantation and in combined liver/renal allograft transplantation, the expression of HLA-G has been associated with a lower incidence of acute graft rejection episodes and absence of chronic dysfunction. Since the expression of HLA-G in renal biopsies has been investigated only in few patients who received a combined kidney and liver transplant, in this study we performed a cross-sectional study, systematically comparing the expression of HLA-G in post-transplanted renal grafts, stratifying patients according to the presence or absence of rejection.Patients and Methods: Seventy-three renal specimens (10 with acute rejection and 13 with chronic allograft nephropathy, and 50 with no signs of rejection) were immunohistochemically evaluated for HLA-G expression.Results: In the group as a whole, HLA-G molecules were detected in 40 cases (54.8%). Among specimens that presented HLA-G expression, 2 out of 40 (5%) exhibited acute rejection, 2 (5%) exhibited chronic allograft nephropathy, and the remaining 36 (90%) exhibited no signs of rejection. The comparison between patients with rejection and those without rejection showed that the expression of HLA-G was significantly increased in specimens exhibiting no signs of rejection (p<0.0001). Considering only patients with acute rejection, 8 out of 10 patients showed no HLA-G expression in their kidney biopsies when compared to patients exhibiting no signs of rejection and absence of HLA-G was observed in 14 out of 50 (p=0.0032). Similarly, considering only patients with chronic allograft nephropathy, absence of HLA-G expression was observed in I I out of 13 specimens, whereas in patients without rejection absence of HLA-G was observed in 14 out of 50 (p=0.003). Therapy with tacrolimus was significantly associated with the expression of HLA-G and a better graft prognosis. Conclusions: Our results suggest that HLA-G expression in the kidney allograft and the use of tacrolimus are associated with a lower frequency of acute renal rejection and chronic allograft nephropathy. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluating quality of life in mercury intoxicated people in urban-industrial environments through short-form 36 application

Context and objective: Records of contact with mercury (Hg) exist for more than 3500 years and several problems related to the use of this element can be noticed. Considering inexistence of current reports about it, quality of life perception evaluation was studied in people chronically intoxicated by mercury in an industrial environment. Design and setting: This is a cross-sectional descriptive observational study. Information from 47 urban-industrial workers from lamps manufacturing in São Paulo, clinically diagnosed as intoxicated by mercury and currently followed by the Occupational Health Service of Faculdade de Medicine da Universidade de São Paulo, with average age of 41.7 years old, was considered. Methods: SF36 questionnaire application was performed, with inferences tested by χ-square proof, by Spearman linear correlation and Mann-Whitney non-parametric test, adopting p < 0.05 as significant level. Results: In the eight domains, observed medians are 40% for physical functioning; 0 for physical function; 30% for body pain; 30% for general health; 22.2% for vitality; 50% for social functioning; 0 for emotional role and 36% for mental health. Correlation between age and SF36 domains does not reveal statistical significance, except for physical functioning, indicating that lower scores presented by older people in this domain are not followed by changes on other ones. Conclusions: Values obtained in people chronically intoxicated by mercury are actually lower, in the motor and mental scope components. Some instruments domains are higher for men than for women. Older ages are inversely associated to good performance in physical function domain. © Copyright Moreira Jr. Editora. Todos os direitos reservados.

Impact of chronic disease on quality of life among the elderly in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil: A population-based study

Objectives. To assess the impact of chronic disease and the number of diseases on the various aspects of health-related quality of life (HROOL) among the elderly in Såo Paulo, Brazil. Methods. The SF-36® Health Survey was used to assess the impact of the most prevalent chronic diseases on HRQOL. A cross-sectional and population-based study was carried out with two-stage stratified cluster sampling. Data were obtained from a multicenter health survey administered through household interviews in several municipalities in the state of São Paulo. The study evaluated seven diseases - arthritis, back-pain, depression/anxiety, diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis, and stroke - and their effects on quality of life. Results. Among the 1 958 elderly individuals (60 years of age or older), 13.6% reported not having any of the illnesses, whereas 45.7% presented three or more chronic conditions. The presence of any of the seven chronic illnesses studied had a significant effect on the scores of nearly all the SF-36® scales. HROOL achieved lower scores when related to depression/ anxiety, osteoporosis, and stroke. The higher the number of diseases, the greater the negative effect on the SF-36® dimensions. The presence of three or more diseases significantly affected HROOL in all areas. The bodily pain, general health, and vitality scales were the most affected by diseases. Conclusions. The study detected a high prevalence of chronic diseases among the elderly population and found that the degree of impact on HROOL depends on the type of disease. The results highlight the importance of preventing and controlling chronic diseases in order to reduce the number of comorbidities and lessen their impact on HROOL among the elderly.

Perceived quality of life and physical activity in Brazilian older adults

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between self-perceived quality of life and physical activity in Brazilian older adults. We investigated 199 individuals (117 men and 82 women) aged between 60 to 70 years old, employees of a public university. Physical activity was estimated by the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Self-perceived quality of life was assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-Bref) questionnaire composed of four domains: physical, psychological, social relationship and environment. There was no difference in self-perceived quality of life between men and women. In contrast, quality of life was associated with physical activity even after adjustment for gender, schooling and income. The physical domain presented the strongest association with physical inactivity (Odds Ratio = 2.70, 95% CI 1.87-3.52). Only the environment domain evaluated by WHOQOL-Bref was not associated to physical inactivity. Among the older, improved self-perceived quality of life is positively associated to physical activity. © FTCD/FIP-MOC.

A Pilot Study Addressing the Impact of Religious Practice on Quality of Life of Breast Cancer Patients During Chemotherapy

The aim of this preliminary study was to investigate whether religious practice can modify quality of life (QoL) in BC patients during chemotherapy. QoL and religion practice questionnaire (RPQ) scores were evaluated in a sample of BC patients in different moments. Before chemotherapy initiation, women with lower physical and social functional scores displayed higher RPQ scores. On the other hand, low RPQ patients worsened some QoL scores over time. Body image acceptance was positively correlated with religious practice and specifically praying activity. This preliminary study suggests the importance of religion in coping with cancer chemotherapy. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

Health-related quality of life and depression in patients with dentofacial deformity

Introduction: Patients with dentofacial deformities present difficulties at work and in social adaptation. At the same time, they often appear depressed, and as a consequence, the psychosocial aspects of surgery play an important role. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects that depression causes in the quality of life of patients with dentofacial deformity. Material and methods: Filthy patients were recruited 1 year before undergoing orthognathic surgery and correlated oral and general health with the presence and absence of depression. In order to accomplish this, these patients received an adapted questionnaires of quality of life and Beck Depression Inventory to fill out. Fisher's test was applied, with a significance level of 5 %. Intercooled Stata version 9.0 was used to analyze data. Results: Among the eight domains of quality of life, there were three associated with depression status: vitality (p < 0.001), social aspects (p = 0.011), and mental health (p = 0.008). Discussion: There is growing interest in the impact of dentofacial deformity conditions on patients' quality of life. The scientific literature has discussed the social aspects of these deformities and showed that untreated patients had low self-esteem and suffered social restrictions before making the orthodontic and surgical treatments. This study concluded that the depression interferes significantly in vitality, social aspects of the individual, and mental health and, at the same time, emphasizes that the orthognathic surgery aims to not only restore esthetics and function to the patient but also improve the quality of life. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.

Quality of life: a compendium of social statistics of five Caribbean countries (1995-2001)

Includes bibliography

Population ageing in the Caribbean: longevity and quality of life

Includes bibliography

Metropolitanization in Latin America and the Caribbean: quality of life and urban poverty

Includes bibliography

Quality of life in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A

Avaliou-se o comprometimento funcional de pacientes com Charcot-Marie-Tooth provenientes da duplicação 17p11.2-p12 (CMT1A), utilizando o SF-36, que é um questionário para medir a qualidade de vida. Vinte e cinco pacientes de ambos os sexos com idades ≥10 anos e diagnóstico molecular de CMT1A foram selecionados. Idade, sexo, condições sociodemográficas e profissionais foram pareados com o Grupo Controle (sem histórico familiar de neuropatia). Os resultados mostraram que o maior impacto da CMT1A na qualidade de vida ocorreu nos domínios social e emocional dos pacientes avaliados. A capacidade funcional também tende a ser significativamente afetada, enquanto outros indicadores de deficiência física foram preservados. Por fim, os aspectos sociais e emocionais dos pacientes acometidos por CMT1A costumam ser negligenciados na assistência médica prestada aos pacientes brasileiros, e devem ser melhor compreendidos a fim de oferecer uma assistência global à saúde, resultando em adequada qualidade de vida.