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Biomedical subjects

C M Oliveira

Publications and source records attributed to C M Oliveira.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Adolescent pregnancy 1 year later: the effects of abortion vs. motherhood in Northeast Brazil.

PURPOSE: To determine social and behavioral consequences of pregnancy and how these differed according to the pregnancy outcome (live birth or abortion) 1 year after the event. METHODS: This was a prospective study of two groups of young women aged 12-18 years, one attending prenatal services and the other admitted for abortion complications at the same hospital in northeast Brazil. Adolescents who gave birth were subsequently classified as having intended or unintended pregnancies, and those who aborted were divided between those who terminated their pregnancies and those who miscarried. Baseline data were collected between 1995 and 1997 from all teens who met the eligibility criteria. Information was collected through one-on-one interviews using a questionnaire that was structured and precoded. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify characteristics that predicted outcomes at 1 year. RESULTS: Teens who terminated their pregnancies were the most likely to be in school or working 1 year later. They also showed the greatest increase in self-esteem. The young mothers, however, had the highest self-esteem but perceived the impact of pregnancy on their lives as being more negative than they did initially. Group affiliation was not associated with the quality of partner relationships, which tended to deteriorate over time. The young mothers used contraception at 1 year at higher rates and had experienced fewer subsequent pregnancies than the two abortion groups. CONCLUSIONS: The experience of adolescent pregnancy for this group of teens produced mixed findings, some more negative than others. Interventions to decrease the adolescent's desire to have a baby will have to be tailored differently from those designed to prevent an unintended pregnancy, but both are needed.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed2001

Impact of a 26-month Bacillus sphaericus trial on the preimaginal density of Culex quinquefasciatus in an urban area of Recife, Brazil.

A field trial using the entomopathogen Bacillus sphaericus against Culex quinquefasciatus was conducted in a district of Recife, Brazil, an area with a high prevalence of lymphatic filariasis. In this urban area more than 2,500 Cx. quinquefasciatus breeding sites within a 1.2-km2 area were found and subsequently submitted to a long-term treatment with B. sphaericus. To evaluate the impact of treatment on the densities of Cx. quinquefasciatus preimaginal forms, 26 breeding sites, representative of the major site types found in that area, were monitored for 3 years. Parameters such as mean and maximum densities of larval population as well as the frequency of infested sites were recorded before, during, and after the trial. The level of each parameter was greatly reduced during the treatment period, particularly in the 2nd treatment year. A low density of Cx. quinquefasciatus was also maintained throughout the last year, in the absence of treatment. Analysis of the data reported here confirms B. sphaericus as a very effective larvicide against Cx. quinquefasciatus despite the optimal environmental conditions for mosquito proliferation in the urban area of Recife.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

[Poikilodermis].

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Proteolytic activation of canatoxin, a plant toxic protein, by insect cathepsin-like enzymes.

Canatoxin is a protein isolated from jackbean (Canavalia ensiformis), seeds. Injected intraperitoneally, the toxin is lethal to mice but it is inactive if given orally. Canatoxin is also lethal when fed to insects with cathepsin-based digestion while insects with trypsin-based digestion are not affected. The hypothesis that canatoxin is proteolytically activated by cathepsins was investigated. Experiments were performed with 4(th) instar and adult Rhodnius prolixus fed meals containing canatoxin (2.5 microg/mg weight body). While 100% of nymphs died, no effect was observed in adults. Hemolymph taken from nymphs and adults showed the presence of canatoxin's proteolytic fragments. Reduced lethality was seen in R. prolixus 4(th) instars fed meals containing canatoxin and inhibitors of cathepsin enzymes, E-64 (2.0 microM) or Pepstatin-A (2. 0 microM). In another approach, canatoxin was digested in vitro with enzymes from the bruchid, Callosobruchus maculatus, and the resulting peptides were tested in R. prolixus. Three groups of toxic peptides (8,000-12,000 kD range) were separated by gel-filtration. When these peptides were fed to the insects simultaneously with the cathepsin inhibitors, no protective effect was seen. These results confirm the proteolytic activation of canatoxin by insect cathepsin-like enzymes to produce entomotoxic peptide(s). Furthermore, our data point towards overlooked differences in the digestive physiology of distinct life stages of R. prolixus. Arch.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Antifungal activity of volatile constituents of Eugenia dysenterica leaf oil.

The essential oil from the hydrodistillation of Eugenia dysenterica leaves consisted mainly of beta-caryophyllene and alpha-humulene as the major sesquiterpene, while limonene and alpha-thujene were the major monoterpene hydrocarbons. The main oxygenated mono and sesquiterpene constituents were alpha-terpineol and beta-caryophyllene oxide, respectively. The oil was investigated against eight strains of Candida albicans, 35 strains of Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans, and two C. neoformans var. gattii isolated from HIV-infected individuals with candidosis or cryptococcal meningitis using the agar dilution method. Based on the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values, the most significant results were obtained against Cryptococcus strains. It was observed that 22 strains were inhibited at a concentration of 250 microg/ml, whereas four exhibited potent inhibition with MIC values below 125 microg/ml against 10(6) UFC/ml organisms. We found MICs > or = 3.12 microg/ml for 91.6, 50 and 30% of all Cryptococcus strains in relation of amphotericin B, fluconazole and itraconazole, respectively.

Antifungal Agents↗
PubMed1996

Effect of different experimental parameters on the potentiometric evaluation of blood electrolytes using K+ as a test cation.

Potentiometric evaluation of ionic concentrations in physiological media has been reported to be significantly affected by the albumin containing matrix. Previous studies have attempted to clarify the origin of different patterns of variation of E versus albumin concentration at a constant 0.01 mol dm-3 KCl, depending on the experimental methodologies. This paper reports on measurements of K+ in albumin (BSA) containing KCl solutions, which have been pursued following different methodologies concerning the sequence of measurements, i.e., starting either from the most concentrated solution (100 g dm-3) (A) or from the most dilute solution (20 g dm-3) (B), and solution preparation, (a) dilution of an initial 100 g dm-3 albumin solution by successive addition of 0.01 mol dm-3 KCl, (b) concentration of an initial 20 g dm-3 albumin solution by addition of solid substance, (c) independent preparation of each albumin solution (20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 g dm-3) or (d) preparation of each albumin solution from direct dilution of a 100 g dm-3 stock solution with 0.01 mol dm-3 KCl. Convenient calculations were made and showed a significant contribution of albumin to the liquid-liquid junction potential. The variation of potential with albumin concentration is smaller for hypertonic than for isotonic bridge solutions, both for the dilution series (A,a and A,d) and for the concentration series (B,c and B,d). When the method for increasing the concentration is performed by addition of a solid substance to an initially diluted albumin (B,b), the slope of the E versus albumin concentration plot is larger for hypertonic than for isotonic reference electrolytes. This latter finding is in agreement with Payne's results when ultrafiltration was used to concentrate a protein solution. These observations are a clear indication that the method of preparation of concentrated protein solutions may significantly affect the results.

Electrodes↗
PubMed1993

Prophylactic and persistent efficacy of doramectin against Cochliomyia hominivorax in cattle.

Two prophylactic studies and one persistent efficacy study were conducted in Brazil to evaluate one injection of doramectin at a dose rate of 200 micrograms kg-1 against induced infestations of the New World screwworm, Cochliomyia hominivorax. In each prophylactic study, 12 calves were allocated to two groups of six animals. Six calves were treated with doramectin and six with saline. Two hours after treatment, animals were anesthetized and received two incisions, one in the shoulder and one in the rump. Each incision was then infested with 50 first instar larvae. In the persistent efficacy study, 24 calves were allocated to six groups (T1-T6) of four animals each. On the day of treatment, three groups (T1, T3 and T5) were treated with saline and three groups (T2, T4 and T6) with doramectin. All animals were anesthetized and received four incisions, one in the shoulder and one in the rump of each side. Each incision was then infested with 30 first instar larvae of C. hominivorax with the following schedule: T1 and T2 at Day 3, T3 and T4 at Day 7, and T5 and T6 at Day 14 post-treatment. Calves were observed daily and incisions evaluated for 8 days post-infection. Larvae that completed development and exited the wounds were collected and incubated to evaluate viability. In all experiments, doramectin was 100% efficacious in preventing screwworm infestation caused by field isolates of C. hominivorax. First instar larvae were eliminated from the incisions of doramectin-treated calves between 24 and 48 h post-treatment, and no third instar were recovered at any time. As a consequence, healing started at 24 h and was completed at 96-120 h post-infection. Screwworm infestations and viable third-instar larvae developed in all the incisions in non-treated calves, and healing did not begin until larvae had completed their normal life cycle and exited the wounds. The persistent efficacy of a single injection of doramectin extended beyond 14 days.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Expression of blood clotting factor VIII:C gene in capillary endothelial cells.

The essential role of Factor VIII:C (FVIII:C, anti-hemophilia factor A) as a cofactor for Factor IXa-dependent activation of Factor X has been established. In this paper, we describe that capillary endothelial cells from bovine adrenal medulla express active FVIII:C gene. Accumulation of FVIII:C in conditioned media from an 8-day-old culture is approximately twice as high as that stored in the cell when immunoprecipitated FVIII:C was analyzed for its ability to convert Factor X to Factor Xa. Analysis of [35S]methionine-labeled and immunoprecipitated FVIII:C from cells or conditioned media on SDS-PAGE under fully denatured conditions indicated that the newly synthesized FVIII:C consists of heavy chain of M(r) 200,000 and light chain of M(r) 46,000. The secreted FVIII:C in the non-reduced condition however, has a molecular weight of 270,000 which suggests that in native protein, the heavy and light chains are held together by S-S bonds. Furthermore, susceptibility of the immunoprecipitated FVIII:C to N-glycanase digestion establishes that the endothelial cells derived FVIII:C contains asparagine-linked carbohydrate side chains.

Adrenal Medulla↗
PubMed1990

Role of extracellular signaling on endothelial cell proliferation and protein N-glycosylation.

In vitro studies of angiogenic phenomenon have been limited due to nonavailability of a simple and biologically relevant model of the capillary wall. Recent development of a capillary endothelial cell line from the vascular bed of bovine adrenal medulla made us to study the effect of heparin, thrombin, thyroxine, glucagon, insulin, and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) on the proliferative and metabolic activities such as glycosylation of asparagine-linked glycoproteins of these cells in culture. Out of six different agents studied here, only heparin, thrombin, and thyroxine reduced the doubling time of these cells by 24 hr with no observed morphological abnormality. Glucagon, showed marginal reduction in the cell doubling time. By contrast, insulin and PMA enhanced the doubling time. Insulin treatment though induced the S phase of cell cycle but it blocked the cells entry into the G2 + M phase. PMA arrested the cells in G0/G1 phase. The cellular response to protein N-glycosylation is increased in the presence of thyroxine, insulin, and thrombin and the effect is dose dependent. Further analysis on SDS-PAGE indicated that glycosylation of 80-120 kDa and 43 kDa glycoprotein species are enhanced when these cells are treated with insulin and thrombin. Glycopeptide generated from these glycoproteins suggested that they all carry "high mannose" and "complex" type oligosaccharide chains attached to their protein core.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Hyaluronidase activity of group B streptococci.

Extracellular hyaluronidase produced by the clinical isolates of various serotypes of group B streptococci was studied using a sensitive spectrophotometric micromethod. Enzyme activity, up to 4.6 units per optical (Klett) density unit of the bacterial suspension was present in the culture supernatants of 38 of the 39 strains tested. There was no association between high levels of hyaluronidase activity and specific serotypes or clinical sources of strains.

Female↗
PubMed1980

Evaluation of the El Kholy technique for grouping beta-hemolytic streptococci.

One hundred and eleven strains of beta-hemolytic streptococci of human origin were grouped by the new nitrous acid procedure described by El Kholy et al. The results were comparable to the grouping obtained by the classical Lancefield hot-hydrochloric acid method. The El Kholy technique is simple and economic and is shown to be as sensitive and specific as the Lancefield procedure. We recommend the new method for routine use in the clinical laboratory and in studies on the prevalence of Streptococcus pyogenes in a developing country such as Brazil.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Efficacy of Bacillus sphaericus in control of the filariasis vector Culex quinquefasciatus in an urban area of Olinda, Brazil.

The efficacy of Bacillus sphaericus 2362 against Culex quinquefasciatus was tested in 1991-94 in a major Brazilian endemic zone for bancroftian filariasis. Continuous selection pressure against the mosquito population was sustained for 18 months through treatment of 2500 potential breeding sites occurring within a 5.7-km2 urban area in the Metropolitan Region of Recife. The impact of this control intervention was evaluated by comparing entomological indices with those from an untreated area. Application of the larvicide kept the Cx. quinquefasciatus population density significantly lower when compared to the untreated area, despite some operational difficulties. Adult densities remained lower for at least 5 months after spraying ceased. Pre-trial microfilaria rates from the untreated and operational area were 13.1% and 7.2%, respectively. A 60% reduction in human exposure to infective bites was recorded as a consequence of this vector population control.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Glomus tumour in the digit of a dog.

The gross and microscopical features of a glomus tumour in the digit of a 9-year-old dog are described. The tumour consisted of a red nodule near the nail of the third digit of the right forelimb and appeared painful. The tumour cells, which had round to oval hyperchromatic nuclei and scant cytoplasm, were arranged in sheets around blood vessels, or in nests or duct-like structures. This pattern has not been described previously in canine glomus tumours. Mitotic figures were seen only occasionally. Tumour cells were strongly immunolabelled for vimentin and some expressed smooth-muscle actin and desmin. They were negative for cytokeratins, neuron-specific enolase and CD34. Silver impregnation (reticulin method) stained the reticulum around blood vessels, nests of tumour cells and duct-like structures, and a delicate reticulum was seen around each tumour cell. The morphological, immunohistochemical and histochemical patterns helped in the diagnosis of this glomus tumour.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Management of primary headache in emergency services of Santos and surrounding towns.

OBJECTIVES: Primary headaches are often seen by Clinicians on duty at Emergency Services. We have investigated the treatment of such patients by 43 medical doctors who have been working at Emergency Services in the city of Santos and surrounding towns for many years. RESULTS: We confirmed the high prevalence of primary headaches in Emergency Services. There seem to be diagnosis difficulties concerning differentiating attacks of migraine and tension type headache. We also observed that IV dipirone was the most frequently prescribed treatment for patients with primary headaches in this study. There is no protocol in the literature which recommends IV dipirone for the treatment of migraine attacks or other primary headaches. CONCLUSION: It would be advisable to perform controlled double blind studies in order to verify the advantages of IV dipirone in the treatment of intense attacks primary headaches. We concluded that headache management recycling programs could be of interest for doctors who regularly work at Emergency Services.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal↗