New crystal forms of Diocleinae lectins in the presence of different dimannosides

Studying the interactions between lectins and sugars is important in order to explain the differences observed in the biological activities presented by the highly similar proteins of the Diocleinae subtribe. Here, the crystallization and preliminary X--ray data of Canavalia gladiata lectin (CGL) and C. maritima lectin (CML) complexed with Man(alpha 1-2)Man(alpha 1)OMe, Man(alpha 1-3)Man(alpha 1)OMe and Man(alpha 1-4)Man(alpha 1)OMe in two crystal forms [the complexes with Man(alpha 1-3)Man(alpha 1)OMe and Man(alpha 1-4)Man(alpha 1)OMe crystallized in space group P3(2) and those with Man(alpha 1-2)Man(alpha 1)OMe crystallized in space group I222], which differed from those of the native proteins (P2(1)2(1)2 for CML and C222 for CGL), are reported. The crystal complexes of ConA-like lectins with Man(alpha 1-4)Man(alpha 1)OMe are reported here for the first time.

Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) in the clinical forms of leprosy

Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) are autoantibodies against enzymes present in primary granules of neutrophils and lysosomes of monocytes detected in systemic vasculitis and in other diseases, including infections, ANCA are markers of active Wegener granulomatosis, which presents some anatomo-pathologic and immune response features similar to those of leprosy. Thus, we raised the hypothesis that ANCA may be present in leprosy as markers specifically linked to the presence of vasculitis. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of ANCA in leprosy and its correlation with the clinical forms of the disease. Sera from 60 normal individuals and from 59 patients with different clinical forms of leprosy were studied. The patients were also allocated into reactional and nonreactional groups. By indirect immunofluorescence, ANCA were positive, an atypical pattern A-ANCA, in 28.8% of the patient sera. A-ANCA predominated, although not significantly (p >0,05), in the reactional groups (37.9% vs 20.0%), and in those at the lepromatous pole (41.6% vs 20.0%). There was no correlation between ANCA positivity and either disease duration, disease activity, or therapeutic regimen (p >0.05), An interesting finding was the correlation between ANCA and gender: 94.1% of ANCA-positive patients were males (p <0.01), a feature that so far has not been reported in ANCA-related diseases and for which there is no explanation at the moment. By ELISA, the sera of the lepromatous leprosy patients did not show activity against either PR3, MPO, HLE, the most common ANCA antigens. Because A-ANCA are nonspecific, this finding requires further investigation for the determination of the responsible antigen(s), in conclusion, A-ANCA are present in 28.8% of leprosy patients but are not related to vasculitis in the erythema nodosum leprosum reaction and are not a marker of a specific clinical form.

Mineralogy and forms of potassium in red yellow latosol of a guava (Psidium guajava) tree orchard

A trial was conducted during 1994-95 to study the effect of potassium fertilization on a guava (Psidium guajava L.) culture for 3 years. The control plots (without K) showed fruit production and potassium exportation that did not agree with the levels obtained by chemical analysis of the soil. Physical, chemical, mineralogic and morphologic analyses were performed on the red yellow latosol to identify minerals able to supply potassium, with emphasis on the fact that guava trees have a considerably widespread root system. The results obtained confirmed the presence of minerals in this soil that can supply potassium to the trees through weathering. Feldspars were identified in the silt fraction and micas in the clay fraction by X-ray diffractometry. The determination of total potassium revealed that the silt fraction of the soil had the largest absolute amounts of potassium, followed by clay. However, in view of its greater content, clay was the fraction that contributed most to the total amounts of potassium detected.

Occurrence of severe and moderate traumatic brain injury in patients attended in a Brazilian teaching hospital - Epidemiology and dosage of alcoholemy

This study aimed at observing aspects of epidemiology in order to investigate the use of alcohol in patients older than 18 with severe and moderate traumatic brain injury, which were attended in the Clinics Hospital of the University of Uberlandia. Positive alcoholemy was found in 39.3% of the patients. of the 33 positive exams alcoholemy was found higher than 60 mg/dL in 28 (84.6%). There was not significant relation between alcoholemy levels and trauma severity. The major prevalence occurred on Saturdays nights. The most frequent types of external causes were transportation accidents (64.74) followed by accidental falls (17.27%) and physical aggression (16.55%). 93.9% of the patients with positive alcoholemy were men aged 20-29. 24.2% of the ones with positive alcoholemy died yet no significant difference was found in the study of the ones with negative alcoholemy (n=51) (p=0.93); RR= 0.9; IC95%=0.40-2.08.

Liver HLA-G expression is associated with multiple clinical and histopathological forms of chronic hepatitis B virus infection

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Serology of paracoccidioidomycosis. II. Correlation between class-specific antibodies and clinical forms of the disease

Untreated and previously treated patients with paracoccidioidomycosis were studied for: (i) serum levels of total IgG, IgM and IgA immunoglobulins, by radial immunodiffusion and Paracoccidioides brasiliensis (Pb) antibodies, by indirect immunofluorescence; (ii) correlation between their levels with the clinical forms of the disease; (iii) correlation between the serum titres obtained by tube precipitin with those of anti-Pb IgG, IgM and IgA. In the untreated group, serum IgG levels were significantly increased in patients with the more systemic forms of the disease, especially the acute progressive form. Serum IgA levels were significantly increased in all patients with no statistical difference between clinical forms. Serum IgM levels were normal in all patients. Anti-Pb IgG, IgA and IgM were detected in 97·5%, 32·5% and 45·0% of all cases, respectively. There was a sharp tendency towards higher levels of anti-Pb IgG among those with the acute progressive form (83·4%) in relation to the chronic, more localized forms, mixed form (68·0%) and isolated organic form (55·5%). In the untreated and previously treated group sera, there was positive correlation between the level of anti-Pb IgG and positivity for the tube precipitin test, suggesting that the precipitin-type antibodies are of the IgG class. Broadly, the present data demonstrate a polyclonal activation of the humoral immune system in paracoccidioidomycosis, with a positive relationship between serological results and severity of the disease. © 1984.

Correlation between cell-mediated immunity and clinical forms of paracoccidioidomycosis

Cellular immune response to specific and non-specific stimulants was investigated, both in vivo and in vitro, in 29 healthy controls and in 53 previously untreated patients with the chronic isolated organic form (CIOF), the chronic mixed form (CMF) and the acute progressive form (APF) of paracoccidioidomycosis. The study included skin tests to Paracoccidioides brasiliensis antigen (PbAg) and phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), DNCB sensitization, determination of T lymphocytes and complement rosette-forming cells, lymphocyte transformation and leucocyte migration inhibition tests using PbAg and PHA. Patients displayed staggered cutaneous response to PHA and to PbAg, with marked decrease in intensity in the APF group. DNCB sensitization test and proliferative response of lymphocytes to PHA and PbAg were severely depressed in most of the patients. Leucocyte migration inhibition indices to PbAg were highly positive, while response to PHA was slightly decreased regardless of the clinical form. The number of T lymphocytes was reduced in most of patients and in them the number of complement-rosette forming cells was normal. The distribution of patients according to a suppression index, based in the results of the tests employed, revealed a tendency towards an increased degree of cellular immunosuppression from the least severe (CIOF) to the most severe (APF) clinical form of the disease. On the whole, the present study demonstrated a gamut of immunological reactivity in paracoccidioidomycosis. © 1985.

Classical and quantal aspects of resonant normal forms

The Birkhoff-Gustavson normal form is employed to study separately chaos and resonances in a system with two degrees of freedom. In the integrable regime, tunnelling effects are appreciable when the nearest level spacings show oscillations. Tunnelling among states in the libration and rotation tori regions is also observed. The regularity of avoided crossings due to tunnelling indicates a collective effect and is associated with an isolated resonance. The spectral fluctuations also show a strong level correlation. The Husimi distribution, on the other hand, is insensitive to avoided crossings. An integrable approximation to the overlap of resonances is obtained and a theoretical description is given for an isolated cubic resonance plus a complex orbit. In the non-integrable regime chaos is stronger after overlapping and preferentially at low energies.

Severe forms of neurocysticercosis: Treatment with albeimdazole

Study of 22 patients with the severe form of neurocysticercosis treated with albendazole (ABZ) administered in 6 different schedules ranging from 15 to 30 mg/kg/day for 21 to 60 days. Dextrochloropheniramine and ketoprofen were the adjuvant drugs Multiple symptoms were observed in 90 9% of patients. Intracranial hypertension was manifested in 90.9%. Hydrocephaly occurred in 86.4%. Evolution was satisfactory in 10 patients, 8 died and 4 had sequelae. Tomographic studies showed the appearance of an isolated IVth ventricle in 9 patients, after ventriculoperitoneal shunt, before ABZ treatment in 3 of them, during in 5 and after treatment in one. Median clinical follow-up duration was 10 months for the patients who died and 3-4 years for survivors. In 3 patients there was an increase in cyst size during the administration of the 15 mg/kg/day ABZ dose, which was not observed in any patient when the 30 mg/kg/day dose was used.