Expression of cytokines and chemokines and microvasculature alterations of the tongue from patients with chronic Chagas' disease.

Chagas' disease is caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi and continues to be a significant public health problem, since 10 million people are still infected in Latin America. The purpose of this study was to analyze the microvasculature alterations as well the expression of cytokines and chemokines in the tongues from patients with chronic Chagas' disease (CC; n = 18), comparatively with a non-chagasic group (NC; n = 22). We observed several vascular alterations in the tongue of CC such as a greater vascular diameter, increased vascular wall area, high density of the blood vessels, and increased thickening of the capillary basement membrane. The expression of cytokines interferon gamma and tumor necrosis factor alpha and chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein 1alpha were significantly down-regulated in the tongue of CC group. These results demonstrated that, in the tongue of chagasic patients, a microvascular abnormality and immunological impairment occurs, probably due to chronic inflammation evoked by T. cruzi antigens.

Early modulation of inflammation by mesenchymal stem cell after acute kidney injury.

Therapy with stem cells has showed to be promising for acute kidney injury (AKI), although how it works is still controversial. Modulation of the inflammatory response is one possible mechanism. Most of published data relies on early time and whether the protection is still maintained after that is not known. Here, we analyzed whether immune modulation continues after 24 h of reperfusion. MSC were obtained from male Wistar rats. After 3-5 passages, cells were screened for CD73, CD90, CD44, CD45, CD29 and CD 31. In addition, MSC were submitted to differentiation in adipocyte and in osteocyte. AKI was induced by bilaterally clamping of renal pedicles for 60 min. Six hours after injury, MSC (2 x 10(5) cells) were administered intravenously. MSC-treated animals presented the lowest serum creatinine compared to non-treated animals (24 h: 1.3+/-0.21 vs. 3.23+/-0.89 mg/dl, p<0.05). The improvement in renal function was followed by a lower expression of IL-1b, IL-6 and TNF-alpha and higher expression of IL-4 and IL-10. However, 48 h after reperfusion, this cytokine profile has changed. The decrease in Th1 cytokines was less evident and IL-6 was markedly up regulated. PCNA analysis showed that regeneration occurs faster in kidney tissues of MSC-treated animals than in controls at 24 h. And also ratio of Bcl-2/Bad was higher at treated animals after 24 and 48 h. Our data demonstrated that the immunomodulatory effects of MSC occur at very early time point, changing the inflammation profile toward a Th2 profile.

Dehydroepiandrosterone increases beta-cell mass and improves the glucose-induced insulin secretion by pancreatic islets from aged rats.

The effect of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on pancreatic islet function of aged rats, an animal model with impaired glucose-induced insulin secretion, was investigated. The following parameters were examined: morphological analysis of endocrine pancreata by immunohistochemistry; protein levels of insulin receptor, IRS-1, IRS-2, PI 3-kinase, Akt-1, and Akt-2; and static insulin secretion in isolated pancreatic islets. Pancreatic islets from DHEA-treated rats showed an increased beta-cell mass accompanied by increased Akt-1 protein level but reduced IR, IRS-1, and IRS-2 protein levels and enhanced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. The present results suggest that DHEA may be a promising drug to prevent diabetes during aging.

Budd-chiari syndrome and unsuspected gastric adenocarcinoma

The Budd-Chiari syndrome has not been described in young patients with gastric cancer. A case of Budd-Chiari syndrome and carcinomatous Iymphangitis is reported in a 28 years-old white man with unsuspected gastric cancer, presenting jaundice, hematemesis and dyspnea. Autopsy disciosed gastric adenocarcinoma invading vessels of the submucous and serous layers, with gastric and intestinal bleeding, liver and lung metastases. Multiple mixed (fibrin, platelets and tumor cells) microthrombi were observed in small pulmonary blood vessels, and both subpleural Iymph vessels and lung interstitium contained metastatic tumor cells.

Descricão das lesões microscópicas das pregas vestibulares de adultos autopsiados e sua relacão com as causas de óbito e doenca de base / Description of microscopic lesions of vestibular folds of autopsied adults and their relationship with cause of death and underlying disease

Com o aumento dos métodos invasivos que são utilizados para o diagnóstico de doencas do trato respiratório é de se esperar que as alteracões das pregas vestibulares (PV) sejam mais freqüentes. Além disso, recentemente tem sido discutida a importância das PV na protecão do organismo contra agentes infecciosos e pouco se sabe sobre as lesões microscópicas em pacientes autopsiados, pois o estudo das cordas vocais não é rotina no exame post mortem. OBJETIVO: O objetivo deste estudo foi descrever as alteracões microscópicas das pregas vestibulares e realizar a sua relacão com as causas de óbito e doenca de base de adultos autopsiados. FORMA DE ESTUDO: coorte transversal. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Foram estudadas microscopicamente 82 laringes coletadas de adultos autopsiados sendo realizada a coloracão da Hematoxilina-eosina para visualizar as alteracões morfológicas microscópicas das PV. RESULTADOS: Das 82 PV analisadas, observamos que 42 (51 por cento) apresentaram reacão inflamatória, sendo esta a única lesão encontrada. Quinze (18,3 por cento) casos apresentaram hiperplasia dos folículos linfóides, onze (13,4 por cento) casos infiltrado inflamatório difuso intenso e 16 (19,5 por cento), reacão inflamatória aguda. As doencas de base mais freqüentemente encontradas foram as do grupo de doencas do aparelho circulatório 31 (37,8 por cento) e nestas 20 (67,8 por cento) apresentavam reacão inflamatória das PV. As doencas infecciosas foram a causa de morte mais freqüente nos pacientes com reacão inflamatória das pregas vestibulares. CONCLUSAO: Além da funcão anatômica as PV parecem possuir uma funcão imunológica em relacão à infecccão das vias aéreas inferiores. Nosso estudo demonstrou a presenca de reacão inflamatória nas cordas vocais em pacientes com doencas infecciosas como causa de morte, podendo este achado estar relacionado com o processo séptico generalizado que levou o indivíduo à morte ou ser uma das formas do organismo prevenir a penetracão de agentes infecciosos.

Colchicine attenuates left ventricular hypertrophy but preserves cardiac function of aortic-constricted rats.

To investigate the effects of colchicine on left ventricular (LV) function and hypertrophy (LVH) of rats subjected to constriction of transverse aorta (TAoC), we evaluated SO (sham operated, vehicle; n = 25), SO-T (sham operated, colchicine 0.4 mg/kg body wt ip daily; n = 38), TAoC (vehicle; n = 37), and TAoC-T (TAoC, colchicine; n = 34) on the 2nd, 6th, and 15th day after surgery. Colchicine attenuated LVH of TAoC-T compared with TAoC rats, as evaluated by ratio between LV mass (LV(M)) and right ventricular mass, LV wall thickness, and average diameter of cardiac myocytes. Systolic gradient across TAoC ( approximately 45 mmHg), LV systolic pressure, LV end-diastolic pressure, and rate of LV pressure increase (+dP/dt) were comparable in TAoC-T and TAoC rats. However, the baseline and increases of LV systolic pressure-to-LV(M) and +dP/dt-to-LV(M) ratios induced by phenylephrine infusion were greater in TAoC-T and SO-T compared with SO rats. Baseline and increases of +dP/dt-to-LV(M) ratio were reduced in TAoC compared with SO rats. TAoC rats increased polymerized fraction of tubulin compared with SO, SO-T, and TAoC-T rats. Our results indicate that colchicine treatment reduced LVH to pressure overload but preserved LV function.

Ocorrência de cisticercose (Cysticercus cellulosae) encefálica e cardíaca em necropsias / Occurrence of encephalic and cardiac cysticercosis (Cysticercus cellulosae) in necropsy

Objetivo: Realizar estudo retrospectivo ao achado de lesöes de cisticercose e às localizaçöes mais comumente atingidas em exames usuais de necropsias. Métodos: Foram revistos, retrospectivamente, 1.596 protocolos de necropsias em Uberaba, MG, Brasil, no período de 1974 a 1997, registrando-se: a idade, o sexo, a cor, o índice de massa corporal (IMC) e a localizaçäo do cisticerco. Resultados: Encontraram-se relatos de cisticercose em 53 (3,3 por cento) protocolos. A média das idades foi de 50 + ou - 15,4 anos (variando de 15 a 86 anos), 62,3 por cento eram homens, 64,1 por cento brancos. As localizaçöes encontradas foram: encefálica (79,2 por cento), cardíaca (22,6 por cento), muscular esquelética (11,3 por cento) e outras (5,7 por cento). Näo houve diferença estatística das variáveis entre os grupos positivos ou negativos para o diagnóstico de cisticercose. Observaram-se dois casos de neurocisticercose localizados no núcleo ventromedial do hipotálamo. Conclusäo: A ocorrência de cisticercose, bem como a localizaçäo cardíaca foram mais freqüentemente encontradas em relaçäo a outros estudos da regiäo. Em dois casos de cisticercose hipotalâmica havia associaçäo com obesidade