RESUMO
In order to determine whether there is an association between the presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and mycosis fungoides (MF) disease progression, PCR was performed to detect the EBV status of 20 MF patients; six EBV-positive patients were found. EBV variants may differ in their biological properties, such as their ability to transform cells; therefore, the ability of these variants to immortalize B cells in vitro was analysed. Six continuously growing cell lines were obtained from prolonged cultures of unstimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells that were taken from the six EBV-positive patients with MF. In order to characterize the EBV strains, EBNA-2 and LMP-1/LMP-2 gene polymorphisms in the six cell lines were also analysed. All patients were followed up for 10 years and it was noticed that EBV-positive patients had a poor prognosis with rapid disease progression and high mortality rates, compared to EBV-negative patients. EBV may therefore constitute a co-factor that accelerates the progression of disease.
Assuntos
Linfócitos B/virologia , Herpesvirus Humano 4/genética , Micose Fungoide/virologia , Polimorfismo Genético , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Linhagem Celular Transformada , Transformação Celular Viral , Células Cultivadas , Cisteína Endopeptidases/química , Cisteína Endopeptidases/genética , Cisteína Endopeptidases/metabolismo , Antígenos Nucleares do Vírus Epstein-Barr/genética , Antígenos Nucleares do Vírus Epstein-Barr/metabolismo , Feminino , Herpesvirus Humano 4/classificação , Herpesvirus Humano 4/isolamento & purificação , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Micose Fungoide/fisiopatologia , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase , Proteínas da Matriz Viral/química , Proteínas da Matriz Viral/genética , Proteínas da Matriz Viral/metabolismo , Proteínas ViraisAssuntos
Infecções por Chlamydia/diagnóstico , Chlamydia trachomatis/isolamento & purificação , Doenças Urogenitais Femininas/microbiologia , Técnicas Imunoenzimáticas , Doenças Urogenitais Masculinas , Adolescente , Adulto , Técnicas Bacteriológicas , Feminino , Doenças Urogenitais Femininas/diagnóstico , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Técnicas de Amplificação de Ácido Nucleico , Valor Preditivo dos Testes , Kit de Reagentes para Diagnóstico , Sensibilidade e EspecificidadeRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection has been linked to chronic heart disease. The mechanism of CMV dissemination to the heart remains unknown. CMV antigens and nucleic acid sequences have been detected in endothelial cells (ECs) in vivo, and ECs are fully permissive hosts to CMV replication in vitro. This report examines the characteristics of CMV replication in primary cultures of human heart microvascular ECs (HHMECs). METHODS: Capillary ECs were isolated from heart tissue biopsies of six patients at the time of heart surgery. HHMECs were infected with CMV and viral antigens were detected by immunofluorescence assay using monoclonal antibodies as specific reagents. Cytokine and chemokine release in the supernatant of sham- and CMV-infected cells was quantitated by ELISA. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to analyse expression of mRNA for adhesion molecules. RESULTS: CMV was found to productively infect HHMECs without cytolytic effects. Infected cultures released high levels of pro-inflammatory chemokines and enhanced their adhesion molecule expression. CONCLUSIONS: Our data provide new insights into the mechanism of CMV dissemination to the heart, signalling the need for further investigation of the pathogenetic role of this virus in cardiac disorders.
Assuntos
Infecções por Citomegalovirus/virologia , Citomegalovirus/fisiologia , Endotélio Vascular/virologia , Replicação Viral , Adulto , Idoso , Antígenos Virais/análise , Células Cultivadas , Quimiocina CCL2/metabolismo , Citomegalovirus/imunologia , Infecções por Citomegalovirus/imunologia , Selectina E/metabolismo , Endotélio Vascular/imunologia , Humanos , Molécula 1 de Adesão Intercelular/metabolismo , Interleucina-6/metabolismo , Interleucina-8/metabolismo , Microcirculação , Microscopia de Fluorescência , Microscopia de Contraste de Fase , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase/métodos , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase Via Transcriptase Reversa , Molécula 1 de Adesão de Célula Vascular/metabolismoRESUMO
Mycoplasma have been suggested as co-factors in the pathogenesis of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). The prevalence of urethral infection by Mycoplasma genitalium was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with urethral swabs from 35 HIV-infected patients at different stages of the disease (all of them were heterosexual men). M genitalium was detected in 2 out of 19 non-AIDS (stage A and B) patients and in a similar proportion (1 out of 14; 7.1%) of samples from healthy individuals. A dramatic increase in the frequency of M. genitalium detection was observed in samples of AIDS (stage C) patients. In fact, 9 out of 16 (56.2%) specimens tested positive by PCR. We found no association in AIDS patients between M. genitalium infection and CD4 count, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) p24 antigenemia or opportunistic infection.
