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Biomedical subjects

G Porto

Publications and source records attributed to G Porto.

26 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

The gel test: some problems and solutions.

The gel centrifugation test (GT) is a method of transfusion serology, based on the fact that, after centrifugation, unagglutinated red blood cells (RBC) pass easily through a gel, while agglutinated RBC do not. The introduction of the GT to our blood bank transfusion routine [strictly following the manufacturer's instructions (DiaMed ID Micro Typing System)] resulted in problems with the interpretation of the results. These were overcome after the introduction of modifications, which included: (1) the systematic use of 1% RBC suspensions; (2) the use of 50 microliters of 1% RBC suspensions and 25 microliters of serum in all tests; (3) the control of all negative indirect antiglobulin tests (IAT) and direct antiglobulin tests (DAT) by the addition of 50 microliters of a 1% IgG coated RBC suspension followed by centrifugation; and (4) the systematic use of saline-suspended RBC for ABO typing in patients with positive DAT.

Blood Group Antigens↗
PubMed1992

Importance of establishing appropriate local reference values for the screening of hemochromatosis: a study of three different control populations and 136 hemochromatosis family members. Hemochromatosis Clinical and Research Group.

Hemochromatosis is a human leukocyte antigen-linked (HLA-linked), potentially lethal disorder of iron metabolism with a high prevalence in white populations albeit an autosomal recessive mode of transmission. The diagnosis and treatment at early stages of the disease are critical to the prevention of the morbidity and mortality caused by the iron overload. After the identification of the first cases of hemochromatosis in Portugal, a screening program was started with a systematic search for the disease among family members of the patients, as well as in subjects from the normal population. In this study we analyze the results obtained with a total of 136 family members from 15 different families and 353 control subjects from three different villages, two in the north and one in the south of Portugal. We establish reference values for the biochemical tests used in the screening for iron overload and analyze the factors that affect those results. Besides sex-related differences, factors that were found to influence biochemical parameters most significantly included age and levels of daily alcohol intake. In addition, differences in iron status were identified between the populations from the regions in the north and the south of the country. We estimate, by HLA typing and family studies, a gene frequency for hemochromatosis of 0.14 that corresponds to a frequency of homozygotes and heterozygotes of 0.019 and 0.24, respectively.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Stability of CD4/CD8 ratios in man: new correlation between CD4/CD8 profiles and iron overload in idiopathic haemochromatosis patients.

The proportions of CD4+, CD8+ cells were determined in peripheral blood samples obtained from 27 patients with idiopathic haemochromatosis and 67 healthy controls. Samples from the patients were obtained at the start of therapy and at intervals during intensive phlebotomy treatment in which 400 ml of blood are removed each week for 6 months to 2 years. Patients varied in their CD4/CD8 ratios from 0.8 to 4.2. An individual's CD4/CD8 ratio, however, remained unaffected by the repeated removal of large volumes of blood by phlebotomy confirming the existence of a homeostatic regulation of the relative numbers of the two major peripheral T cell pools in man. Follow-up of iron reentry into the transferrin pool at the end of the intensive phlebotomy treatment indicates that the relative proportion of circulating CD4/CD8 cells is critically related to the regulation of iron absorption.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Method for establishing serum ferritin reference values depending on sex and age.

A method is described for the establishment of reference values for serum ferritin depending on sex and age. The results obtained in a stratified random sample of 353 healthy individuals from the Portuguese population revealed that 23% of the variation observed on serum ferritin values was related to sex differences and 6% of the variation was explained by age differences. Furthermore, the effect of age was different in both sexes: serum ferritin values increase with age in females over 40 years and in males under 40. The minimum and maximum reference values were established for the different subgroups of subjects as follows: for females under 40 years and males over 40, reference values were considered as the 2.5 and 97.5 percentiles from the adjusted lognormal distribution; for females over 40 years and males under 40, reference values were considered as the exponential transformation of the upper and lower limits of the 95% prediction intervals for the log of serum ferritin for each particular age point.

Adolescent↗