Serum cytokine/chemokine profiles in patients with dengue fever (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (FHD) by using protein array.

BACKGROUND: DENV infection can induce different clinical manifestations varying from mild forms to dengue fever (DF) or the severe hemorrhagic fever (DHF). Several factors are involved in the progression from DF to DHF. No marker is available to predict this progression. Such biomarker could allow a suitable medical care at the beginning of the infection, improving patient prognosis. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the serum expression levels of acute phase proteins in a well-established cohort of dengue fever (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) patients, in order to individuate a prognostic marker of diseases severity. STUDY DESIGN: The serum levels of 36 cytokines, chemokines and acute phase proteins were determined in DF and DHF patients and compared to healthy volunteers using a multiplex protein array and near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence detection. Serum levels of IL-1ra, IL-23, MIF, sCD40 ligand, IP-10 and GRO-α were also determined by ELISA. RESULTS: At the early stages of infection, GRO-α and IP-10 expression levels were different in DF compared to DHF patients. Besides, GRO-α was positively correlated with platelet counts and IP-10 was negatively correlated with total protein levels. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that high levels of GRO-α during acute DENV infection may be associated with a good prognosis, while high levels of IP-10 may be a warning sign of infection severity.

Primary dengue haemorrhagic fever in patients from northeast of Brazil is associated with high levels of interferon-β during acute phase

Dengue is an acute febrile disease caused by the mosquito-borne dengue virus (DENV) that according to clinical manifestations can be classified as asymptomatic, mild or severe dengue. Severe dengue cases have been associated with an unbalanced immune response characterised by an over secretion of inflammatory cytokines. In the present study we measured type I interferon (IFN-I) transcript and circulating levels in primary and secondary DENV infected patients. We observed that dengue fever (DF) and dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) patients express IFN-I differently. While DF and DHF patients express interferon-α similarly (52,71 ± 7,40 and 49,05 ± 7,70, respectively), IFN- β were associated with primary DHF patients. On the other hand, secondary DHF patients were not able to secrete large amounts of IFN- β which in turn may have influenced the high-level of viraemia. Our results suggest that, in patients from our cohort, infection by DENV serotype 3 elicits an innate response characterised by higher levels of IFN- β in the DHF patients with primary infection, which could contribute to control infection evidenced by the low-level of viraemia in these patients. The present findings may contribute to shed light in the role of innate immune response in dengue pathogenesis.

Alteraçöes hematológicas em crianças fazendo uso de sulfametoxazol trimetoprim / Hematologic changes in children using trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole

Verificou-se a freqüência de anemia, neutropenia e trombocitopenia em 48 crianças após o uso da associaçäo sulfametoxazol-trimetoprim. Anemia e leucopenia näo foram observados. Em 3 casos (7,5%), detectou-se plaquetopenia

Alteraçoës hematológicas em crianças fazendo uso de sulfametoxazol-trimetoprim / Hematologic changes in children using sulfamethoxazole trimethoprim

Verificou-se a freqüência de anemia, leucopenia e trombocitopenia em 48 crianças após o uso da associaçäo sulgametoxazol-trimetoprim. Anemia e leucopenia näo foram observadas. Em três casos (7,50%), detectou-se plaquetopenia

Sobrepeso em crianças atendidas em um consultório pediátrico privado do Recife / Overweight in children attended in a private pediatric clinic in Recife

Da clientela de um consultório pediátrico privado do Recife, selecionaram-se 833 crianças, dos dois sexos, de famílias de alta renda, para verificaçäo da freqüência de sobrepeso no quarto ou quinto mês de vida e/ou no quarto ou no quinto ano de vida. O critério diagnóstico de sobrepeso foi índice > ou = 111. O índice foi calculado dividindo-se o valor númerico obtido na fraçäo peso (Kg) da criança estudada na idade atual, comprimento ou estatura (cm) da criança estudada na idade atual pelo valor numérico obtido numa fraçäo semelhante em que os dados säo os referenciais médios do estudo de Santo André para o mesmo sexo e idade, para a classe social IV. As freqüências de sobrepeso nas 511 crianças estudadas no quarto ou no quinto mês de vida foram 27,3% e 31,3% nos sexos masculino e feminino respectivamente. Nas 322 crianças no quarto ou no quinto ano de vida essas freqüências foram de 12,8% e 14,7%. Nas 128 crianças avaliadas nos dois momentos etários verificou-se que caso houvesse sobrepeso no quarto ou no quinto mês da vida o risco relativo de persistir a mesma situaçäo no quarto ou no quinto ano de vida era de 3,5 no sexo masculino e 2,1 no feminino