Assuntos
Técnicas de Cultura/métodos , Leishmaniose Cutânea/diagnóstico , Leishmaniose Cutânea/epidemiologia , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase em Tempo Real/métodos , Biópsia por Agulha , Estudos de Casos e Controles , Meios de Cultivo Condicionados , Doenças Endêmicas , Humanos , Imuno-Histoquímica , Sensibilidade e Especificidade , Manejo de EspécimesRESUMO
OBJECTIVES: Superficial swab sampling of American tegumentary leishmaniasis (ATL) lesions shows higher amounts of Leishmania than those from biopsy. Subcutaneous involvement is also important in ATL, but parasite quantification according to lesion depth has not been evaluated. We aim to present the best depth at which sampling should be performed for molecular exams of ATL. METHODS: Patients with a clinical presentation compatible with ATL were allocated to ATL and control groups. Qualitative and quantitative qPCR assays were performed using SYBR Green and primers amplifying the kDNA minicircle of Leishmania spp. in different skin layers, including the epidermis, the superior dermis, the inferior dermis, and the hypodermis. RESULTS: Fifty-nine patients were included in this study, including 40 who had been diagnosed with ATL and 19 controls. The number of parasites was greater in samples of the epidermis and superior dermis (159.1 × 106, range 4.0-781.7, and 75.4 × 106, range 8.0-244.5, mean Leishmania parasite equivalents per µg of tissue DNA, respectively) than those in samples of the inferior dermis and hypodermis (54.6, range 8.0-256.6, and 16.8 × 106, range 8.0-24.1, mean Leishmania parasite equivalents per µg of tissue DNA, respectively). The best diagnostic accuracy was achieved in the superior dermis (77.9%) and was significantly greater than that in the hypodermis (63.3%; p 0.039). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that superficial sampling can retrieve a greater quantity of parasites. Future studies of the role of transepidermal elimination as a mechanism of host defence in ATL must be performed as there is a considerable quantity of Leishmania kDNA in the epidermis.
Assuntos
DNA de Cinetoplasto/genética , Leishmania/genética , Leishmaniose Cutânea/parasitologia , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase/métodos , Pele/parasitologia , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-IdadeRESUMO
Serotonin 2C receptors (5HT2C) are involved in serotonin-driven dynamic equilibrium adjustments responsible for homeostatic stability in brain structures that modulate behavior and emotions. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from the serotonin 2C receptor gene (HTR2C) have been associated with several neurological and mental disorders, including abnormalities in cognitive and emotional processes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the rs6318 SNP of the HTR2C gene and behavioral characteristics exhibited by children and adolescents based on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL/6-18) inventory. Eighty-five psychiatric outpatients between 8 and 18 years of age underwent genotyping of the rs6318 SNP. The CBCL/6-18 scale was administered to their caregivers. The chi-squared test was used to assess differences in the frequency of C and G alleles of the rs6318 SNP relative to the grouped CBCL/6-18 scores; significance level was 5%. The presence of the G allele of rs6318 was found to be associated with characteristics of aggressive behavior and social problems, and aggressive behavior was found to be associated with heterozygosis in females. These findings contribute to the identification of mental and behavioral phenotypes associated with gene expression.
Assuntos
Transtornos do Comportamento Infantil/genética , Transtornos Mentais/genética , Receptor 5-HT2C de Serotonina/genética , Adolescente , Alelos , Lista de Checagem , Distribuição de Qui-Quadrado , Criança , Transtornos do Comportamento Infantil/diagnóstico , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Frequência do Gene/genética , Interação Gene-Ambiente , Genótipo , Humanos , Masculino , Transtornos Mentais/diagnóstico , Polimorfismo de Nucleotídeo Único/genética , Escalas de Graduação Psiquiátrica , Fatores Sexuais , Inquéritos e QuestionáriosRESUMO
Serotonin 2C receptors (5HT2C) are involved in serotonin-driven dynamic equilibrium adjustments responsible for homeostatic stability in brain structures that modulate behavior and emotions. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from the serotonin 2C receptor gene (HTR2C) have been associated with several neurological and mental disorders, including abnormalities in cognitive and emotional processes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the rs6318 SNP of the HTR2C gene and behavioral characteristics exhibited by children and adolescents based on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL/6-18) inventory. Eighty-five psychiatric outpatients between 8 and 18 years of age underwent genotyping of the rs6318 SNP. The CBCL/6-18 scale was administered to their caregivers. The chi-squared test was used to assess differences in the frequency of C and G alleles of the rs6318 SNP relative to the grouped CBCL/6-18 scores; significance level was 5%. The presence of the G allele of rs6318 was found to be associated with characteristics of aggressive behavior and social problems, and aggressive behavior was found to be associated with heterozygosis in females. These findings contribute to the identification of mental and behavioral phenotypes associated with gene expression.
Assuntos
Humanos , Masculino , Feminino , Criança , Adolescente , Transtornos do Comportamento Infantil/genética , Receptor 5-HT2C de Serotonina/genética , Transtornos Mentais/genética , Escalas de Graduação Psiquiátrica , Distribuição de Qui-Quadrado , Transtornos do Comportamento Infantil/diagnóstico , Estudos Transversais , Inquéritos e Questionários , Polimorfismo de Nucleotídeo Único/genética , Alelos , Lista de Checagem , Interação Gene-Ambiente , Frequência do Gene/genética , Genótipo , Transtornos Mentais/diagnósticoRESUMO
Vero cells were cultured without foetal calf serum (FCS), with 10% FCS, 10% FCS plus dexamethasone (DEX) or 20% FCS for 48, 120 or 240 h. The cells were analysed by a growth curve, cytochemical and immunocytochemical (anti-cellular fibronectin or anti-collagen IV) methods. In 48 h Vero cells produced fibronectin and collagen IV. All samples showed basophilic cytoplasm indicating high protein synthesis. The growth of metachromatic multicellular masses was induced by DEX. The Vero cells produced collagen IV with 10 and 20% FCS, and also cells which did not have this activity (without FCS or with 10% FCS + DEX). The multicellular masses induced by DEX were rich in fibronectin. DEX induced differentiation and the expression of collagen IV and fibronectin in Vero cells. This work was carried out to evaluate the possible therapeutic effects of glucocorticoids as inducers of cell differentiation.
