Assuntos
Tratamento Farmacológico da COVID-19 , Coinfecção/etiologia , Pacientes Internados , Inibidores da Bomba de Prótons/efeitos adversos , SARS-CoV-2 , Idoso , COVID-19/epidemiologia , Coinfecção/epidemiologia , Feminino , Saúde Global , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Pandemias , Inibidores da Bomba de Prótons/uso terapêutico , Fatores de RiscoRESUMO
The reported IgG seroprevalence against hepatitis E virus (HEV) in German blood donations is 6.8%, and HEV RNA detected in 0.08%, but documented evidence for HEV transmission is lacking. We identified two donations from a single donor containing 120 IU HEV RNA/mL plasma and 490 IU/mL. An infectious dose of 7,056 IU HEV RNA was transmitted via apheresis platelets to an immunosuppressed patient who developed chronic HEV. Further, transmission was probable in an immunocompetent child.
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Vírus da Hepatite E/isolamento & purificação , Hepatite E/sangue , RNA Viral/sangue , Reação Transfusional , Adulto , Anticorpos Antivirais/sangue , Doadores de Sangue , Criança , Busca de Comunicante , Alemanha , Anticorpos Anti-Hepatite/sangue , Hepatite E/transmissão , Hepatite E/virologia , Vírus da Hepatite E/genética , Vírus da Hepatite E/imunologia , Humanos , Imunoglobulina G/sangue , RNA Viral/genética , Estudos Retrospectivos , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase Via Transcriptase ReversaRESUMO
OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to assess whether patients with undetectable viraemia [a negative polymerase chain reaction result (PCR(neg) )] and those with plasma viral load (PVL) < 40 HIV-1 RNA copies/mL but a detectable (positive) PCR signal (PCR(pos) ) had different outcomes in terms of the development of blips and virological failure (VF). METHODS: A multicentre observational database analysis was carried out. Data for patients whose highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) regime had been unchanged for ≥ 6 months by 1 January 2008, whose first two PVL measurements of 2008 were < 40 copies/mL and who had at least five PVL measurements between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2010 were extracted from a multicentre observational database of 4928 patients receiving HAART. PVL assays used during this period had a detection threshold of 20 or 40 copies/mL. Undetectable PVL at baseline (BL PCR(neg) ) was defined as PCR(neg) at the first two PVL determinations of 2008. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was performed to investigate factors associated with the occurrence of blips and VF, defined as two consecutive PVL measurements > 40 copies/mL. RESULTS: Of the 1957 patients included in the study (mean age 47 years; median antiretroviral exposure 10.3 years), 1312 had BL PCR(neg) . Outcome events included 322 blips and 139 VFs, with incidence rates being significantly lower in patients with BL PCR(neg) than in those with BL PCR(pos) [13.0% vs. 23.4% (P < 0.0001) and 5.1% vs. 11.2% (P < 0.0001), respectively]. In multivariable analysis, BL PCR(neg) was associated with a reduced risk of blips [hazard ratio (HR) 0.58; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.47-0.73; P < 0.0001] and VF (HR 0.44; 95% CI 0.31-0.62; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with PCR(neg) had better virological outcomes than those with PVL < 40 copies/mL but detectable viraemia. This suggests that the 'no-signal' information provided by currently commercially available HIV RNA quantification assays should be used routinely.
Assuntos
Terapia Antirretroviral de Alta Atividade , Soropositividade para HIV/virologia , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase , RNA Viral/análise , Carga Viral , Adulto , Feminino , França/epidemiologia , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Plasma/virologia , RNA Viral/sangueRESUMO
123I-ioflupane (DaTSCAN®, GE) is a well-known ready-to-use radiopharmaceutical employed as a visualizing tool of the brain dopamine transporter receptor distribution. According to the Summary of Product Characteristics recommendations, we evaluated the stability of the DaTSCAN® after a 0.9% sodium chloride solution dilution. No significant increase in free 123I-iodide was revealed between diluted and undiluted samples over a 1-h timeframe. This stability in sodium chloride can compensate for potential dilution error and offers a suitable alternative method for syringing DaTSCAN®.
RESUMO
Treatment with retinoic acid (RA) is effective to restore radioactive iodine uptake in metastases of a small fraction of thyroid cancer patients. In order to find predictive markers of response, we took advantage of two thyroid cancer cell lines, FTC133 and FTC238, with low RA-receptor (RAR)beta expression but differing in their response to RA. We report that in both cell lines, RA signalling pathways are functional, as transactivation of an exogenous RARbeta2 promoter is effective in the presence of pharmacological concentrations of all-trans RA, and enhanced in RA-resistant FTC238 cells after ectopical expression of RARbeta, suggesting a defective endogenous RARbeta2 promoter in these cells. Further analyses show that whereas the RARbeta2 promoter is in an unmethylated permissive status in both FTC133 and FTC238 cells, it failed to be associated with acetylated forms of histones H3 or H4 in FTC238 cells upon RA treatment. Incubation with a histone deacetylase inhibitor, alone or in combination with RA, restored histone acetylation levels and reactivated RARbeta and differentiation marker Na+/I- symporter gene expression. Thus, histone modification patterns may explain RA-refractoriness in differentiated thyroid cancer patients and suggest a potential benefit of combined transcriptional and differentiation therapies.
Assuntos
Resistencia a Medicamentos Antineoplásicos , Regiões Promotoras Genéticas/genética , Receptores do Ácido Retinoico/genética , Tretinoína/farmacologia , Acetilação/efeitos dos fármacos , Antineoplásicos/farmacologia , Western Blotting , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Metilação de DNA , Epigênese Genética , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão Gênica/efeitos dos fármacos , Inibidores de Histona Desacetilases , Histonas/metabolismo , Humanos , Ácidos Hidroxâmicos/farmacologia , RNA Mensageiro/genética , RNA Mensageiro/metabolismo , Receptores do Ácido Retinoico/metabolismo , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase Via Transcriptase Reversa , Neoplasias da Glândula Tireoide/genética , Neoplasias da Glândula Tireoide/metabolismo , Neoplasias da Glândula Tireoide/patologia , Ativação Transcricional/efeitos dos fármacosRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Proton pump inhibitors (PPI) are often used in patients with gastro-esophageal reflux and peptic ulcer disease. A higher risk for infectious diseases and for pyogenic liver abscess has been reported in patients with prolonged PPI intake. Although many patients have ongoing PPI treatment after diagnosis of liver abscess, there are no data available that focus on the prognostic impact of PPI treatment in these patients. AIM: To analyse the effect of PPI treatment on mortality in patients with pyogenic liver abscesses. METHODS: Between January 2005 and March 2017, one hundred and eighty-one patients with pyogenic liver abscess were retrospectively included in this analysis. Medical records including PPI treatment, microbiological and imaging data were reviewed. The primary endpoint was index mortality and predictive factors were analysed using uni- and multivariate logistic regression models. RESULTS: One hundred patients with pyogenic liver abscess (55.2%) were treated with PPI compared to 81 patients (44.8%) without PPI treatment. In both patient cohorts, enterococcus spp. and streptococcus of the anginous group were the most common pathogens identified. Patients with PPI treatment had significantly higher index mortality compared to patients without PPI treatment (30.0% vs 11.1%, P = 0.003). After adjusting for comorbidities PPI remained an independent predictive factor with an OR of 2.56 (1.01-6.46, P = 0.036). CONCLUSIONS: PPI treatment is associated with higher index mortality in patients with pyogenic liver abscess. Therefore, critical evaluation of the indication for PPI treatment is particularly important in patients at high risk for pyogenic liver abscess.
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Refluxo Gastroesofágico/tratamento farmacológico , Refluxo Gastroesofágico/epidemiologia , Abscesso Hepático Piogênico/mortalidade , Inibidores da Bomba de Prótons/uso terapêutico , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Comorbidade , Farmacorresistência Bacteriana Múltipla , Feminino , Refluxo Gastroesofágico/complicações , Humanos , Abscesso Hepático Piogênico/complicações , Abscesso Hepático Piogênico/diagnóstico , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Prognóstico , Estudos RetrospectivosRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Drug development in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is limited by disease heterogeneity, with hepatic reserve being a major source of variation in survival outcomes. The albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade is a validated index of liver function in patients with HCC. AIM: To test the accuracy of the ALBI grade in predicting post-sorafenib overall survival (PSOS) in patients who permanently discontinued treatment. METHODS: From a prospectively maintained international database of 447 consecutive referrals, we derived 386 eligible patients treated with sorafenib within Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer C stage (62%), 75% of whom were of Child class A at initiation. Clinical variables at sorafenib discontinuation were analysed for their impact on post-sorafenib overall survival using uni- and multivariable analyses. RESULTS: Median post-sorafenib overall survival of the 386 eligible patients was 3.4 months and median sorafenib duration was 2.9 months, with commonest causes of cessation being disease progression (68%) and toxicity (24%). At discontinuation, 92 patients (24%) progressed to terminal stage, due to worsening Child class to C in 40 (10%). Median post-sorafenib overall survival in patients eligible for second-line therapies (n = 294) was 17.5, 7.5 and 1.9 months according respectively to ALBI grade 1, 2 and 3 (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The ALBI grade at sorafenib discontinuation identifies a subset of patients with prolonged stability of hepatic reserve and superior survival. This may allow improved patient selection for second-line therapies in advanced HCC.
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Antineoplásicos/administração & dosagem , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/tratamento farmacológico , Neoplasias Hepáticas/tratamento farmacológico , Niacinamida/análogos & derivados , Compostos de Fenilureia/administração & dosagem , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Albuminas/metabolismo , Antineoplásicos/uso terapêutico , Bilirrubina/metabolismo , Bases de Dados Factuais , Progressão da Doença , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Niacinamida/administração & dosagem , Seleção de Pacientes , Estudos Prospectivos , SorafenibeRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and has high mortality despite treatment. While sorafenib has a survival benefit for patients with advanced HCC, clinical response is highly variable. AIM: To determine whether development of sorafenib toxicity is a prognostic marker of survival in HCC. METHODS: In this prospective multicentre cohort study, patients with advanced-stage HCC receiving sorafenib were recruited from five international specialist centres. Demographic and clinical data including development and grade of sorafenib toxicity during treatment, radiological response to sorafenib and survival time (months) were recorded prospectively. RESULTS: A total of 634 patients with advanced-stage HCC receiving sorafenib were recruited to the study, with a median follow-up of 6692.3 person-months at risk. The majority of patients were male (81%) with Child-Pugh A stage liver disease (74%) and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage C HCC (64%). Median survival time was 8.1 months (IQR 3.8-18.6 months). 94% experienced at least one sorafenib-related toxicity: 34% diarrhoea, 16% hypertension and 37% hand-foot syndrome (HFS). Twenty-one per cent ceased sorafenib due to toxicity and 59% ceased treatment due to progressive disease or death. On multivariate analysis, sorafenib-related diarrhoea (HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.61-0.95, P = 0.017), hypertension (HR 0.531, 95% CI 0.37-0.76, P < 0.0001) and HFS (HR 0.65, 95% CI 0.51-0.81, P < 0.0001) were all significant independent predictors of overall survival after adjusting for age, severity of liver disease, tumour stage and sorafenib dose. CONCLUSION: Development of sorafenib-related toxicity including diarrhoea, hypertension and hand-foot syndrome is associated with prolonged overall survival in patients with advanced-stage HCC on sorafenib.
Assuntos
Antineoplásicos/efeitos adversos , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/tratamento farmacológico , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/mortalidade , Neoplasias Hepáticas/tratamento farmacológico , Neoplasias Hepáticas/mortalidade , Niacinamida/análogos & derivados , Compostos de Fenilureia/efeitos adversos , Adulto , Idoso , Antineoplásicos/administração & dosagem , Diarreia/induzido quimicamente , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Niacinamida/administração & dosagem , Niacinamida/efeitos adversos , Compostos de Fenilureia/administração & dosagem , Estudos Retrospectivos , Sorafenibe , Análise de SobrevidaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: The implantation of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPSS) is a complex angiographic procedure performed in patients with end-stage liver disease. Numerous case reports and narrative reviews have been published so far; however, studies systematically investigating procedural and shunt-related complications are lacking. AIM: To systematically investigate complications and mortality occurring during the index hospital stay and the early (4-week) period after TIPSS implantation. METHODS: The study includes 389 patients who received a TIPSS implantation between 2004 and 2014. Data were obtained from the clinical records and technical reports of the TIPSS implantation. RESULTS: During the index hospital stay, procedure-related complications occurred in 42 patients (10.8%) with intraperitoneal bleeding in 8 patients (2.1%) and infections in 14 patients (3.6%). Shunt- and disease-related complications consisted of hepatic encephalopathy (1-year incidence 29%), non-procedural infections (8.7%) and acute hepatic decompensation (4.1%). Nine patients (2.3%) died during the index hospital stay from procedure-related (two patients, 0.5%), shunt-related (four patients, 1%) or disease-related causes (three patients, 0.8%). 23 patients (5.9%) died during 4 weeks after TIPSS implantation. The 1-year probability of survival was 67.7% and was negatively associated with severe hepatic encephalopathy and acute hepatic decompensation. CONCLUSIONS: Except hepatic encephalopathy, severe procedure- and shunt-related complications are rare and early mortality is low.
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Doença Hepática Terminal/cirurgia , Encefalopatia Hepática/etiologia , Derivação Portossistêmica Transjugular Intra-Hepática/efeitos adversos , Idoso , Feminino , Humanos , Tempo de Internação , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Derivação Portossistêmica Transjugular Intra-Hepática/métodos , Resultado do TratamentoRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Portal hypertension and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are major complications of advanced liver cirrhosis. Thus, patients are often affected by both complications. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPSS) is an effective treatment for portal hypertension and its complications. However, no established guidelines for the treatment of symptomatic portal hypertension in HCC patients are currently available. In addition, only limited information exists about the consequence of TIPSS implantation in patients with HCC. AIM: To evaluate the efficacy, safety and overall survival in HCC patients who underwent TIPSS implantation. METHODS: Forty HCC patients with portal hypertension who were treated with TIPSS between 1995 and 2012 were included in the analysis. Medical records and imaging studies were analysed. The indication for TIPSS implantation, procedure-related complications, treatment success and overall survival were assessed. RESULTS: TIPSS implantation was performed in 23 patients (57.5%) due to treatment refractory ascites, in 14 patients (35.0%) due to recurrent variceal bleeding and in three patients (7.5%) due to ascites and variceal bleeding. Primary technical success was assessed in all patients. After TIPSS implantation, no variceal bleeding reoccurred and ascites was controlled in 74.1%. No severe procedure-related complications and no deterioration of liver function were observed. Post-TIPSS hepatic encephalopathy occurred in 40.0% of all patients. 30-day, 90-day-, 1-year- and 5-year survival rates were 97.5%, 75.0%, 42.5% and 7.5%, respectively. Median overall survival after TIPSS implantation was 180 days. CONCLUSION: Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt implantation is an effective and safe treatment for portal hypertension in patients with HCC.
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Carcinoma Hepatocelular/complicações , Hipertensão Portal/cirurgia , Neoplasias Hepáticas/complicações , Derivação Portossistêmica Transjugular Intra-Hepática/métodos , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Ascite/prevenção & controle , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/mortalidade , Varizes Esofágicas e Gástricas/etiologia , Feminino , Hemorragia Gastrointestinal/etiologia , Humanos , Hipertensão Portal/complicações , Hipertensão Portal/etiologia , Neoplasias Hepáticas/mortalidade , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Recidiva Local de Neoplasia , Derivação Portossistêmica Transjugular Intra-Hepática/efeitos adversos , Taxa de Sobrevida , Resultado do TratamentoRESUMO
BACKGROUND: The NS5A protein of the hepatitis C virus has been shown to be involved in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. OBJECTIVES: In a French multicenter study, we investigated the clinical and epidemiological features of a new HCV genotype 1b strain bearing a wide insertion into the V3 domain. STUDY DESIGN: We studied NS5A gene sequences in 821 French patients infected with genotype 1b HCV. RESULTS: We identified an uncharacterized V3 insertion without ORF disruption in 3.05% of the HCV sequences. The insertion comprised 31 amino-acids for the majority of patients; 3 patients had 27 amino-acids insertions and 1 had a 12 amino-acids insertion. Sequence identity between the 31 amino-acids insertions and the V3 domain ranged from 48 to 96% with E-values above 4e(-5), thus illustrating sequence homology and a partial gene duplication event that to our knowledge has never been reported in HCV. Moreover we showed the presence of the duplication at the time of infection and its persistence at least during 12 years in the entire quasispecies. No association was found with extrahepatic diseases. Conversely, patients with cirrhosis were two times more likely to have HCV with this genetic characteristic (p=0.04). Moreover, its prevalence increased with liver disease severity (from 3.0% in patients without cirrhosis to 9.4% in patients with both cirrhosis and HCC, p for trend=0.045). CONCLUSIONS: We identified a duplicated V3 domain in the HCV-1b NS5A protein for the first time. The duplication may be associated with unfavorable evolution of liver disease including a possible involvement in liver carcinogenesis.
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Carcinoma Hepatocelular/virologia , Hepacivirus/genética , Cirrose Hepática/virologia , Neoplasias Hepáticas/virologia , Mutagênese Insercional , Proteínas não Estruturais Virais/genética , Adulto , Idoso , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , França , Duplicação Gênica , Hepatite C Crônica/virologia , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Prevalência , Estrutura Terciária de Proteína , RNA Viral/análise , Análise de Sequência de RNA , Proteínas não Estruturais Virais/químicaRESUMO
To assess the presence and the cellular distribution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in the liver of 11 patients with confirmed HCV infection, a direct in situ reverse transcriptase-linked polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method was performed on formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded biopsies. The oligonucleotide primers used were specific to the 5' non coding region. An unlabelled downstream oligonucleotide served as a primer for reverse transcription as well as PCR. The upstream oligonucleotide serving as a primer for PCR was biotinylated, allowing a direct enzymatic detection of PCR products. HCV infected cells revealed cytoplasmic staining mainly concentrated towards the interface of the nucleus and cytoplasm. Most of the stained cells were hepatocytes and sometimes Kupffer cells. The results were compared with those obtained by RT-PCR of RNA extracted from the corresponding tissue block. Extracted HCV RNA could be detected in liver tissues of nine out of 11 (82%) infected patients. The detection rate using in situ RT-PCR was 7/11 (63%). The use of labelled primers improved specificity of direct in situ methods, by preventing non-specific incorporation of labelled dNTPs into fragmented DNA. Further studies are however required in order to increase detection sensitivity of HCV infection by in situ molecular methods.
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Hepacivirus/genética , Hepatite C/virologia , Fígado/virologia , RNA Viral , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase Via Transcriptase Reversa/métodos , Biotina , Primers do DNA , Hepatite C/patologia , Humanos , Fígado/patologiaRESUMO
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical use of the Hybrid Capture (HC)-II system for the detection of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA to identify women at risk of progression to high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HGSIL) and carcinomas by differentiating low risk (LR) HPV types (6, 11, 42, 43, 44) and high/intermediate risk (HR) HPV types (16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 68). Five hundred and ninety-six women were enrolled in the study. Among them, 466 attended the hospital for routine cytologic screening and 130 were referred for colposcopy because of an abnormal Pap smear. The presence of HPV DNA was tested in cervical samples collected with the Digene Cervical Sampler in Digene Specimen Transport Medium (Digene Corporation, Silver Spring, MD, U.S.A.) using the HC-II assay. Results were compared with those obtained by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the MY09-MY11 primers followed by several hybridizations with specific probes. The overall HPV positivity was 32.9% by HC-II and 37.8% by PCR. Among cytologically normal smears, 19.5% were positive by HC-II (14.3% HR) and 25.1% by PCR. Of the atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance samples, 52.9% were positive by HC-II (41.1% HR) and 55.9% by PCR. Of the low grade SIL, 64.5% were positive by HC-II (59.4% HR) and 68.7% by PCR. The HPV positivity rate was found identical by both techniques in high grade smears (81.6%) and squamous cervical carcinomas (100%). By using PCR as the reference method, the sensitivity of HC-II was higher among women with abnormal cytology than with normal cytology (87.3% vs. 70%). Specificity was 80.8% and 97.5%, respectively. In summary, these results indicate that the HC-II method and MY-PCR identified nearly equivalent prevalences of HPV in cervical smear specimens.
Assuntos
Carcinoma de Células Escamosas/patologia , Papillomaviridae , Infecções por Papillomavirus/patologia , Infecções Tumorais por Vírus/patologia , Neoplasias do Colo do Útero/patologia , Adolescente , Adulto , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas/virologia , Colposcopia , DNA Viral/análise , Feminino , Humanos , Programas de Rastreamento , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Hibridização de Ácido Nucleico/métodos , Teste de Papanicolaou , Papillomaviridae/genética , Papillomaviridae/isolamento & purificação , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase/métodos , Valores de Referência , Análise de Regressão , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Neoplasias do Colo do Útero/virologia , Esfregaço VaginalRESUMO
An in situ polymerase chain reaction was developed to amplify immediate early genes of human cytomegalovirus in cells cultured in a 96 well plate and infected with leukocytes. The technical parameters enabling optimal detection of the DNA sequences were defined. The key to this method is the fixation of cells, which facilitates the access of the PCR mixture into the cell nuclei and preserves cell morphology. Such a technique could have wide application for the detection and identification of other infectious viruses in cultured cells very early after inoculation of clinical samples.
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Infecções por Citomegalovirus/diagnóstico , Citomegalovirus/genética , Citomegalovirus/isolamento & purificação , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase/métodos , Sequência de Bases , Linhagem Celular , Infecções por Citomegalovirus/virologia , Primers do DNA/genética , DNA Viral/sangue , DNA Viral/genética , Estudos de Avaliação como Assunto , Humanos , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Virologia/métodosRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The natural history of mild chronic hepatitis C is not well-known and the benefit of treating this form of the disease is not well-defined. We conducted a pilot study to answer this question. DESIGN: Mild chronic hepatitis C was defined by positivity for anti-HCV antibodies, detectable serum HCV RNA by PCR, and a Knodell score < or = 5 on a liver biopsy performed within the previous 6 months. Eighty patients from six centres were randomized into two groups receiving interferon alpha-2b, 3 MU three times a week for 6 months (group 1, n = 39) or no treatment (group 2, n = 41). Sustained response was defined by the loss of detectable serum HCV RNA at 6 months after therapy. RESULTS: The two groups were not different at entry with respect to age, sex ratio, source of infection, disease duration, genotype, viral load and Knodell score. One patient (group 1) was excluded from the study, while two patients in group 1 (5%) and seven in group 2 (17.1 %) did not complete the trial. A sustained response was observed in seven patients (18%) in group 1 versus none in group 2 (P < 0.01). The difference in mean Knodell score remained non-statistically significant between the two groups at the end of the study. Reduction or interruption of interferon was necessary in eight patients (24.2%). CONCLUSIONS: This first randomized controlled study in mild chronic hepatitis C shows a proportion of sustained responders to interferon alpha-2b similar to that observed in active chronic hepatitis C.
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Antivirais/uso terapêutico , Hepatite C Crônica/tratamento farmacológico , Interferon-alfa/uso terapêutico , Adulto , Idoso , Método Duplo-Cego , Feminino , Hepacivirus/genética , Hepacivirus/imunologia , Anticorpos Anti-Hepatite C/sangue , Hepatite C Crônica/diagnóstico , Humanos , Interferon alfa-2 , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Projetos Piloto , RNA Viral/sangue , Proteínas Recombinantes , Carga ViralRESUMO
High risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) have emerged as risk factors for anal carcinoma, of which incidence is higher in HIV-positive patients than in the general population. The aim of our study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors for anal HPV infections in HIV-positive patients with or without history of anal intercourse. Fifty HIV 1-infected patients (36 men and 14 women) were tested at entry and followed-up every 3 months for one year for the presence of anal HPV DNA by the Hybrid Capture II trade mark assay. A series of 50 HIV-negative subjects matched for age and sex served as controls. At enrollment, anal HPV DNA was present in 29/50 HIV-positive patients (58 %) and in 3/50 control subjects (6 %). High risk (HR) HPV genotypes were detected in 20/50 HIV-positive patients (40 %) with no difference in homosexual men and other HIV-positive patients. Risk factors for HPV infection were CD4 + cell counts less than 500/microL (RR: 2.13 [95 % CI: 1.0-4.7]) and history of anogenital warts (RR: 2.36 [95 % CI: 1.2-4.6]). The HPV load was higher in patients with CD4+ < or = 500/microL than in patients with CD4 + > 500/microL (p < 0.04). During the follow-up, anal HR HPV DNA was repeatedly identified at high levels in 5 HIV-positive patients. There is some convincing evidence that HIV-positive patients with low CD4+ cells, whatever the routes of HIV transmission, have a high rate of anal HPV infection and might be at increased risk of developing anal neoplastic lesions. Identifying HR HPV infection might be warranted in immunosuppressed patients.
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Doenças do Ânus/epidemiologia , DNA Viral/análise , Infecções por HIV , Papillomaviridae/genética , Infecções por Papillomavirus/epidemiologia , Comportamento Sexual , Infecções Tumorais por Vírus/epidemiologia , Adulto , Doenças do Ânus/etiologia , Contagem de Linfócito CD4 , Estudos de Casos e Controles , Feminino , França/epidemiologia , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Papillomaviridae/isolamento & purificação , Infecções por Papillomavirus/etiologia , Prevalência , Fatores de Risco , Infecções Tumorais por Vírus/etiologiaRESUMO
Keloids are characterized by an overabundant deposition of collagen, and they recur frequently following excision. Fibroblasts isolated from keloid tissue and maintained in cell culture continue to express an increased capacity to produce collagen. In an effort to define the mechanisms responsible for keloid formation, the potential of exogenous transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) to differentially affect DNA synthesis and collagen expression in cultured human fibroblasts derived from keloid or normal dermis was investigated. In this study, TGF-beta 1 at a concentration of 5.0 ng/ml was found to stimulate DNA synthesis of keloid-derived fibroblasts to a greater extent than fibroblasts derived from normal dermis. With a microassay to measure levels of collagenase-digestible radiolabeled proteins, TGF-beta 1 was found to elicit a greater increase in absolute collagen synthesis in keloid-derived fibroblasts compared with fibroblasts derived from normal dermis. Examination of tRNA(pro) pool-specific activities indicated that these observed differences in rates of collagen synthesis were not the result of unequal rates of proline transport or pool size. Likewise, TGF-beta 1 did not alter the uptake of vitamin C, an essential cofactor and mediator needed for maximal collagen expression. The increase in collagen synthesis by keloid-derived fibroblasts treated with TGF-beta 1 was accompanied by a corresponding increase in procollagen type I mRNA levels, indicating that the differential response of keloid and normal dermal fibroblasts to this growth factor is occurring primarily at a pretranslational level. These results suggest a unique sensitivity of keloid fibroblasts to TGF-beta 1 and thus a possible role for this mediator in keloid pathogenesis.
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Colágeno/biossíntese , Fibroblastos/efeitos dos fármacos , Queloide/patologia , Fator de Crescimento Transformador beta/farmacologia , Divisão Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Células Cultivadas , Fibroblastos/fisiologia , Humanos , Queloide/fisiopatologiaRESUMO
Classical in situ hybridization (ISH) with biotinylated probes makes it possible to detect and localize human papillomavirus (HPV) nucleic acid sequences in cytological and histological materials. This method is however of limited value in the detection of a few copies of the virus. Moreover the specificity of such a technique is not always convincing when ISH signals are small and/or of low intensity. Recently, much attention has been focused on the utility of the in vitro polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and especially on PCR-single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) to amplify small amounts of viral DNA with accurate hybrid specificity. But the latter method requires nucleic acid extraction and tissue destruction. Thus, correlation between the PCR results and histological findings is not possible. Hence, the aim of our current study was to apply to HeLa cells and cervical formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded biopsies, a novel procedure of ISH signal amplification, the catalyzed signal amplification (CSA). Such a procedure is based on the deposition of streptavidin-horseradish peroxidase catalyzing the deposition of biotinylated tyramide molecules on the location of the probed target. The biotin accumulation is then detected with streptavidin peroxidase and diaminobenzidine. The results were compared with those obtained by direct and indirect in situ PCR. The catalysed signal amplification successfully increased the sensitivity and efficiency of ISH for the detection of rare sequences in HPV infected cells and histological materials. Such a method was found simpler and faster than in situ PCR and tissue morphology was better preserved.
Assuntos
Hibridização In Situ/métodos , Papillomaviridae/genética , Papillomaviridae/isolamento & purificação , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase/métodos , Biotina/análogos & derivados , Feminino , Células HeLa/virologia , Humanos , Sensibilidade e Especificidade , Células Tumorais Cultivadas , Tiramina/análogos & derivados , Displasia do Colo do Útero/patologia , Displasia do Colo do Útero/virologiaRESUMO
The minimal acute inflammatory response to tissue injury is one of the most dramatic differences between fetal and adult wound healing. Considering the prominent role of inflammation in adult tissue repair, this study tested the hypothesis that the minimal fetal inflammatory response to tissue injury plays a central role in the "scarless" fetal repair process. Sponge implants were treated with lethally irradiated or live bacteria and placed subcutaneously in fetal rabbits to test the ability of the fetus to mount an acute inflammatory response to bacterial antigens present at the wound site and to analyze the effects of this inflammatory response on fetal fibroplasia and neovascularization. After harvest, these implants were examined histologically for inflammation, fibroblast infiltration, collagen deposition, and neovascularization, and collagen deposition was measured using hydroxyproline quantitation by high-performance liquid chromatography. Bacteria-treated implants showed dose-dependent acute inflammatory responses and significant increases in collagen deposition compared with control sponges. Implants containing live bacteria demonstrated maximal fibroplasia and neovascularization. These findings suggest that, despite neutropenia and immaturity of the fetal immune system, the fetus is capable of mounting an acute inflammatory response to avirulent bacteria present at the wound site. Fetal inflammatory cells which respond to this bacterial stimulus appear capable of initiating an adult-like healing response. Thus, by failing to provide a bacterial stimulus for leukocyte recruitment at the site of tissue injury, the sterile fetal environment appears to play a role in effecting "scarless" fetal wound healing.
Assuntos
Reação de Fase Aguda/microbiologia , Reação de Fase Aguda/fisiopatologia , Infecções por Corynebacterium , Feto/fisiologia , Infecções Estafilocócicas , Infecção da Ferida Cirúrgica/microbiologia , Cicatrização/fisiologia , Reação de Fase Aguda/patologia , Envelhecimento , Animais , Feminino , Feto/metabolismo , Feto/patologia , Seguimentos , Gravidez , Coelhos , Infecção da Ferida Cirúrgica/patologia , Infecção da Ferida Cirúrgica/fisiopatologiaRESUMO
Choosing the most appropriate wound dressing is of importance in optimizing healing and minimizing pain. Recent reports have suggested an improvement in wound healing with calcium alginate. To clinically evaluate this new dressing, 12 paired wounds were covered with either calcium alginate or scarlet red in seven patients with burns undergoing skin grafting. The rate of reepithelialization was assessed by optical planimetry for the calcium alginate and by time for sloughing of the scarlet red. This comparison failed to demonstrate objectively any difference in the rate of wound healing between these dressings; however, calcium alginate did significantly reduce the pain severity and was favored by the nursing personnel because of its ease of care. Thus calcium alginate does appear to have clinical advantages as a dressing for skin graft donor sites.