Chronic hyperhomocysteinemia induces oxidative damage in the rat lung.

Tissue accumulation of homocysteine occurs in classical homocystinuria, a metabolic disease characterized biochemically by cystathionine ß-synthase deficiency. Vascular manifestations such as myocardial infarction, cerebral thrombosis, hepatic steatosis, and pulmonary embolism are common in this disease and poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effect of chronic hyperhomocysteinemia on some parameters of oxidative stress (thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, protein carbonyl content, 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein fluorescence assay, and total radical-trapping antioxidant potent) and activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase) in the rat lung. Reduced glutathione content and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity, as well as nitrite levels, were also evaluated. Wistar rats received daily subcutaneous injections of Hcy (0.3-0.6 µmol/g body weight) from the 6th to the 28th days-of-age and the control group received saline. One and 12 h after the last injection, rats were killed and the lungs collected. Hyperhomocysteinemia increased lipid peroxidation and oxidative damage to protein, and disrupted antioxidant defenses (enzymatic and non-enzymatic) in the lung of rats, characterizing a reliable oxidative stress. In contrast, this amino acid did not alter nitrite levels. Our findings showed a consistent profile of oxidative stress in the lung of rats, elicited by homocysteine, which could explain, at least in part, the mechanisms involved in the lung damage that is present in some homocystinuric patients.

Correlação entre infecções genitais e alterações citopatológicas cervicais em pacientes atendidas no sistema de saúde pública de Porto Alegre / Correlation between genital infections and cervical cytopathological changes in patients assisted in Porto Alegre public health system

Introdução: o câncer cervical tem sido apontado como a segunda neoplasia mais comum entre as mulheres, sendo muitas vezes associado a agentes infecciosos (AI) relacionados a doenças sexualmente transmissíveis (DST) ou oportunistas do trato genitourinário. Objetivo: avaliar diferentes variáveis epidemiológicas, assim como a prevalência dos AI encontrados no exame citológico preventivo e correlacioná-las às alterações citológicas cervicais benignas e malignas. Métodos: análise retrospectiva dos laudos de exames citológicos emitidos entre os anos de 2004 e 2009 de pacientes atendidas em 33 Unidades Básicas de Saúde de Porto Alegre. Foram selecionados 850 laudos de diferentes pacientes e analisadas as variáveis: faixa etária, grau de instrução,AI e alterações celulares. Resultados: cerca de 70% das pacientes situam-se na faixa etária entre 14 e 45 anos, predominando o 1o grau incompleto (38,4%).O agente infeccioso que apresentou maior prevalência foi a Gardnerella vaginalis, com 15,6%, seguida de Candida sp. (2,3%) e Trichomonas vaginalis(2,2%). Dentre as alterações celulares cervicais benignas, a que apresentou maior prevalência foi o epitélio inflamatório (67%), sendo a maioria observada na faixa etária mais jovem. Obteve-se correlação estatisticamente significativa entre as alterações celulares cervicais benignas com os agentes infecciosose com a idade, sendo que dos 275 casos de inflamação, 161 (58,5%) apresentavam também algum AI. Em relação às alterações celulares malignas, poucos casos foram detectados, não sendo possível obter qualquer correlação. Conclusão: os resultados observados em nosso estudo sugerem que há correlação dealterações cérvico-vaginais benignas com casos de infecções microbianas concomitantes ou pregressas nas pacientes avaliadas neste estudo.

Introduction: cervical cancer has been considered the second most common malignancy among women, and is often associated with infectious agents (AI) related to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or opportunistic of genitourinary tract. Objective: to evaluate the epidemiological variables and correlate them with cytological benign and malignant cervical changes, as well as the prevalence of AI found in cytology preventive exam. Methods: retrospective analysis of cytological reports issued between 2004 and 2009 of patients treated in 33 Basic Health Care Units in Porto Alegre. A total of 850 reports were selected from different patients and the following variables were analyzed: age, education, AI and cellular changes. Results: approximately 70% of women are at the age between 14 and 45 years old, mainly with incomplete primary school (38.4%). The infectious agent that had the highest prevalence wasGardnerella vaginalis with 15.6% followed by Candida sp. (2.3%) and Trichomonas vaginalis (2.2%). Among the benign cervical cell changes with the highest prevalence was inflammatory epithelium (67%), mostly observed in the youngest age group. A statistically significant correlation between the benign cervical cell changes with infectious agents and with age was obtained, and of 275 cases of inflammation, 161 (58.5%) had also some AI. Regarding tomalignant cell changes, few cases were detected; it is not possible to obtain any correlation. Conclusion: the results observed in this study suggest that there is a correlation of cytological changes in cervical-vaginal benign cases with previous or concomitant microbial infections in women evaluated in this study.