ABSTRACT
The pulmonary surfactant is a lipoproteic complex that serves to lower surface tension at the air-liquid interface in the pulmonary alveoli. Approximately 2 to 4% of the pulmonary surfactant is constituted by the protein A (SP-A). The objective of the study was to determine the effects that maternal protein calorie malnutrition has on the fetal pulmonary growth and the production of SP-A messenger RNA in fetal rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pregnant Sprague Dawley rats were divided into two groups, which received a diet with either 8% or 21% of proteins from gestational day 1 until the day 20. In this last day 11 fetuses were extracted by caesarean section and their lungs were removed to quantify the mRNA of the SP-A. First the mRNA was boosted using the technique of reverse transcriptase and polimerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and then its concentration was determined by means of fluorodensitometry. RESULTS: There was a reduction in body weight and in wet lung weights of malnourished fetuses in comparison with the normal fetuses (5.03 +/- 0.20 g vs. 4.32 +/- 0.32 g, p < 0.05 and 79.0 +/- 3.8 mg vs. 146.0 +/- 3.4 mg, p < 0.05, respectively). The densitometric analysis of the SP-A mRNA concentration demonstrated a reduction of 32% in the malnourished fetuses (0.52 +/- 0.11 vs. 0.77 +/- 0.07, p < 0.05) compared with the normal fetuses. CONCLUSIONS: The maternal protein calorie malnutrition affected the pulmonary development and the synthesis of the SP-A mRNA. These data suggest that a defect occurrs at pre-transcriptional level that results in a diminution of the concentration of mRNA of SP-A in the neumocytes type II
Subject(s)
Animals , Female , Pregnancy , Rats , Pregnancy Complications , Protein-Energy Malnutrition , Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A/genetics , Lung/embryology , RNA, Messenger/analysis , Pulmonary Surfactants/chemistry , Rats, Sprague-DawleyABSTRACT
A via de acesso de Cincinnati foi utilizada em 111 pacientes (164 pés) portadores de pé torto eqüinovaro congênito (PTC) no período de 1985 a 1994. Os autores descrevem a técnica cirúrgica empregada e as facilidades que envolvem a abordagem das regiöes medial, posterior e lateral através dessa via de acesso. Os resultados säo analisados por um sistema de avaliaçäo funcional que permite, por meio de exame clínico e radiográfico, classificá-los em excelentes, bons, regulares e ruins. Os autores, entretanto, sugerem que os resultados excelentes e bons sejam denominados satisfatórios e os regulares e ruins, insatisfatórios. A análise comparativa entre duas faixas etárias é submetida ao estudo estatístico. Dessa forma, foi possível concluir que a idade influenciou significantemente os resultados obtidos.