Electrical burns in times of economic crisis: A new epidemiologic profile.

Electrical injuries and especially those of high voltage still remain a source of high morbidity. Over the past few years, a change in the epidemiologic profile of these lesions was noticed at the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital Burn Unit, corresponding to an increase in cases out of the legal framework. It is our aim to describe this particular subset, to determine the extent of their injuries and to understand the reason for their increased incidence. We think this was favoured by the rise in the unemployment rate, along with higher copper prices.

TLR7/8/9 polymorphisms and their associations in systemic lupus erythematosus patients from southern Brazil.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease and can affect several organs and systems. It is characterized by high production of autoantibodies against nuclear compounds. TLR7/8/9 are responsible for nucleic acid recognition and they trigger proinflammatory responses through activation of NK-kappaB and Type I IFN production, making a bridge between the innate and the adaptative immune systems. We analyzed the frequency of TLR7 rs179008, TLR8 rs3764880, TLR9 rs5743836 and rs352140 in 370 patients with SLE and 415 healthy controls from southern Brazil. All analyses were conducted with regard to gender and ethnicity. Genotypic and allelic frequencies were different for TLR7 rs179008 (0.253 vs. 0.163, p = 0.020 and p = 0.003, OR for T allele: 1.74 CI 95% 1.12-2.70) and TLR9 rs5743836 (0.174 vs. 0.112, p = 0.045 and p = 0.017, OR for C allele: 1.59, CI 95% 0.99-2.57) between European-derived female groups. A higher frequency was observed for the presence of Anti-SSa/Ro for TRL9 rs5743836 C allele carriers (0.228 vs 0.126, Bonferroni corrected p = 0.06). No statistical differences were found for TLR9 haplotypic analyses. We suggest that TLR7 rs179008 and TLR9 rs5743836 can be considered SLE susceptibility factors for women of European descent in our population.

Mannose-binding lectin gene polymorphisms in Brazilian patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

The mannose-binding lectin gene (MBL-2) has emerged as a candidate for systemic lupus erythematosus susceptibility, but studies in Brazilian population have not been conducted. To examine potential associations of mannose-binding lectin alleles G57E, G54D, IVSnt5, R52C and R52H with susceptibility to and clinical expression of systemic lupus erythematosus in southern Brazilian patients, we conducted a case-control study with 327 consecutive patients with diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus and 345 healthy controls. Genotyping was performed by restriction fragment length polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction assay. A statistically significant difference in the frequencies of allele R52C was observed in European-derived systemic lupus erythematosus patients when compared with controls (9.6% vs. 3.3%, p < 0.001, odds ratio: 3.15, 95% confidence interval: 1.76-5.62, p < 0.05). The frequencies of alleles G54D and G57E were not different between European-derived systemic lupus erythematosus patients and controls. There were no differences between clinical and laboratory features in systemic lupus erythematosus patients according to the presence or absence of mannose-binding lectin allelic variants. These results support an increased risk of systemic lupus erythematosus in European-derived individuals carrying allele R52C. Patients carrying this allele have an approximately three-fold higher odds ratio of developing systemic lupus erythematosus when compared with controls. Our data do not support associations between the mannose-binding lectin allelic variants studied and clinical expression of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Sex differences of normal dogs in lipid mobilization and blood glucose levels after glucose or insulin infusion.

The influence of sex hormones on carbohydrate and lipid homeostasis was studied by comparing the response to glucose or insulin infusion in male and female dogs. The levels of blood glucose, serum immunoreactive insulin (IRI) and plasma free fatty acids (FFA) were determined. The hyperglycemia induced by glucose infusion (10 mg min-1 kg-1) for 60 min in summer was significantly higher in male than in female dogs. This sex difference in the response was confirmed in experiments performed in winter, when blood glucose levels of both sexes in response to the infusion reached higher values than those found in summer. The increase of serum IRI in response to glucose infusion was similar in both sexes in the summer experiment, while in winter the increase was significantly reduced and delayed in males. Glucose infusion into male and female dogs induced no significant changes in plasma FFA concentration in experiments carried out in winter or summer. Insulin infusion (16.6 mU min-1 kg-1) caused hypoglycemia in both sexes, which was of earlier onset in the females. The antilipolytic effect of insulin occurred in both sexes and was also stronger in females. The data show sexual and seasonal differences in response by dogs to glucose infusion and emphasize the participation of sex hormones in the homeostasis of energy substrates.