ABSTRACT
A comparison of some components of the venoms of two Costa Rican tarantulas, Aphonopelma seemanni (Cambridge) and Sphaerobothria hoffmanni (Karsch) by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis shows patterns similar to those of Dugesiella hentzi (Girard), a North American tarantula. The digestive secretions have proteins that do not enter the 15% gels; thus no bands are observed. The method used by the tarantulas to consume their prey involves the action of both the venom and the digestive secretions. The percent protein, pH, proteolytic activity and hemolytic activity of venom and digestive secretions of both species were determined, and a high proteolytic activity for digestive secretions was found.
Subject(s)
Arthropod Venoms/analysis , Intestinal Secretions/analysis , Spider Venoms/analysis , Animals , Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel , Female , Intestinal Secretions/physiology , Spider Venoms/physiologySubject(s)
Chagas Disease/physiopathology , Duodenum , Intestinal Secretions/analysis , Pancreas/physiopathology , Adult , Amylases/analysis , Bicarbonates/analysis , Ceruletide , Chronic Disease , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Phenylalanine , SecretinABSTRACT
A comparison of some components of the venoms of two Costa Rican tarantulas, Aphonopelma seeamanni (Cambridge) and Sphaerobothria hoffmanni (Karsch) by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis shows patterns similar to those of Dugesiella hentzi (Girard), a North American tarantula. The digestive secretions have proteins that do not enter the 15% gels; thus no bands are obsorved. The method used by the tarantulas to consume their prey involves the action of both the venom and the digestive secretions. The percent protein, pH, proteolytic activity and hemolytic activity of venom and digestive secretions of both species were determined, and a high proteolytic activity for digestive secretions was found.
Subject(s)
Female , Animals , Arthropod Venoms/analysis , Intestinal Secretions/analysis , Spider Venoms/analysis , Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel , Intestinal Secretions/physiology , Spider Venoms/physiologyABSTRACT
Quatorze pacientes com idade entre 9 meses e 5 anos, com diarréia crônica e giardíase, foram estudados. Dez eram eutróficos e quatro eram subnutridos. O diagnóstico parasitológico foi feito pelo exame de fezes, aspirado duodenal e no muco aderente à mucosa de biopsia intestinal. Estudos da funçäo absortiva, determinaçäo de IgA e imunofluorescência foram feitos. Após os testes, foi administrada suspensäo de tinidazol com 60 a 70 mg/Kg em dose única, via oral. Os pacientes foram reavaliados clínica e laboratorialmente após 30 dias. O propósito do trabalho foi o de avaliar alteraçöes laboratoriais e a eficácia da dose única. Nove pacientes tiveram bons resultados clínicos, dois foram regulares e três näo foram avaliados devido à doença celíaca. Todos tiveram exame parasitológico negativo. Näo houve relaçäo entre o número de protozoários e severidade dos sintomas, nem entre gordura fecal e d-xilose antes e após o tratamento. Houve melhora significativa (p < 0,05) na absorçäo de dissacarídeos, após o tratamento. A determinaçäo de IgA secretora foi baixa, antes e após o tratamento (p < 0,01). A imunofluorescência mostrou células produtoras de IgA em todos os casos. A melhora histológica da mucosa foi observada em seis pacientes
Subject(s)
Infant , Child, Preschool , Humans , Male , Female , Diarrhea/parasitology , Giardiasis/drug therapy , Intestine, Small/physiopathology , Tinidazole/administration & dosage , Clinical Trials as Topic , Immunoglobulin A, Secretory/analysis , Nutritional Status , Intestinal Secretions/analysisABSTRACT
Fourteen patients between the ages of 9 months and 5 years with chronic diarrhea and giardiasis were studied. Ten were eutrophic and 4 undernourished. The parasitological diagnosis was based on stool examination, a trophozoite search in duodenal aspiration, mucus adhered to mucosa and parasite identification in the intestinal biopsy material. Functional intestinal absorption studies, IgA determination in intestinal secretions and immunofluorescence studies were made. After the tests, tinidazole in suspension was administered at 60-70 mg/kg in one single oral dose. Patients were clinically re-evaluated and tests were done again after 30 days. The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the changes in the functional morphologic and immunologic studies and the therapeutic efficacy of the drug in a single dose. Nine patients had good clinical results, 2 fair and 3 were not evaluated due to celiac disease. All had negative results on the parasitological tests after treatment. There was no relationship between the number of parasites and the severity of symptoms. There was no significant difference between stool fat and d-xylose at the time of diagnosis and 30 days after the administration of tinidazole. The lactose tolerance test presented a significant difference (p less than 0.05) in the disaccharide absorption after treatment. The secretory IgA revealed significantly lower value (p less than 0.01) with respect to the normal values. The immunofluorescence showed productive IgA cells in all cases. The histologic changes were: mild enteropathy (grade I) in 6 patients; moderate (grade II) in 5; and severe (grade III-IV) in 3. Improvement of the mucosa was seen in 6 patients.
Subject(s)
Diarrhea/parasitology , Giardiasis/drug therapy , Nitroimidazoles/administration & dosage , Tinidazole/administration & dosage , Administration, Oral , Child, Preschool , Clinical Trials as Topic , Diarrhea/physiopathology , Diarrhea, Infantile/parasitology , Female , Giardiasis/physiopathology , Humans , Immunoglobulin A, Secretory/analysis , Infant , Intestinal Absorption , Intestinal Secretions/analysis , Intestine, Small/pathology , Lactose/metabolism , Male , Nutritional StatusABSTRACT
Thirty percent of alcoholic patients without clinical evidence of pancreatic or hepatic disease showed hypersecretion of pancreatic bicarbonate in all three test periods after stimulation with secretin and secretin-cholecystokinin, and an increased amount of protein in the duodenal aspirate of the first test period, probably due to ductal wash-out. This hypersecretion must be taken into account when the secretion or secretin-cholecystokinin tests of alcoholics are interpreted, and, indeed, may be useful in identifying possible early pancreatic dysfunction that precedes insufficiency and clinical symptoms.
Subject(s)
Alcoholism/physiopathology , Pancreas/metabolism , Adult , Bicarbonates/metabolism , Brazil , Cholecystokinin , Chronic Disease , Female , Humans , Intestinal Secretions/analysis , Male , Pancreatic Function Tests , Pancreatitis/physiopathology , Proteins/metabolism , SecretinABSTRACT
The authors studied three groups of rats with had their stomachs exposed to lecithin, lisolecithin and salt solution action. They noticed through histopathologic methods and DNA dosages of the studied stomachs that lisolecithin can promote gastric inflammatory lesions as well the research method chosen has promoted acute erosive gastritis in various animals. They have also noticed, with gastric DNA dosages, a higher cell desquamation with the lisolecithin group. The authors have considered this method efficient to demonstrate precocious gastric lesions. The authors arise the question if lisolecithin present in duodenal juices (formed by the action of A phospholipase of the pancreatic juice with bilious lecithin) and the biliary salts constitute a substance of great importance to the gastric lesions produced by the alkaline reflux to the stomach.