Liver deiodinase activity is increased in adult rats whose mothers were submitted to malnutrition during lactation.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M C Passos.
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The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of hyperleptinemia during the first ten days of life on thyroid function in adulthood. After birth, pups were separated into two groups: L8 - receiving daily injections of recombinant mouse leptin (8 microg/100 g body weight, sc) and control (C) - receiving the same volume of saline. Both groups were treated for the first 10 days of lactation. The animals were sacrificed at 150 days of age, and the blood was collected for leptin, TSH, total triiodothyronine (TT 3 ) and total thyroxin (TT 4 ) serum concentration determinations by radioimmunoassay. The thyroid gland was excised to determine thyroid iodine uptake. Leptin, TT 3 and TT 4 serum concentrations in L8 group were significantly (108 %, 47 % and 32 %; p < 0.05) higher than that of controls. There was no significant difference between the groups related to thyroid iodine uptake and TSH serum concentration. These data suggest that the first half of lactation period is important in determining thyroid function in adulthood, and that it can be programmed by serum leptin concentration.
Some studies have shown that the mother's nutritional condition may influence offspring's endocrine function through metabolic imprinting. Recently, we showed that the kind of maternal malnutrition during lactation affects adult body weight of the offspring and it is related to milk composition. We studied lactating rats fed an 8 % protein-restricted diet (PR), a control 23 % protein diet (C), and an energy-restricted diet group (ER). After weaning, all animals received a normal diet until they were 180 days of age. At this time, the animals received a single i. p. injection of (131)I and were sacrificed 2 h after the injection. Total triiodothyronine (TT3) and total thyroxin (TT4) serum concentrations were measured by enzyme immunoassay. The PR group had significantly a higher thyroid (131)I uptake, TT3 serum concentration and in TT4 serum concentration, compared to the controls. The ER group had only significantly higher TT3 serum concentration. These results showed that thyroid function regulation in adulthood may depend on maternal nutritional condition during lactation. Probably, PR group had a high thyroid function, whereas the ER group only had an increase in the deiodination of T4. The hyperthyroidism in the PR group could explain the low body weight observed in those animals.
Lactating rats were fed with free access to an 8% protein-restricted diet (PR); the control group was fed a 23% protein diet (C). An energy-restricted (pair-fed) group was given the same food as the animals in the control group, but the amounts of food consumed by both PF and PR were about the same. The body weight and serum albumin concentration of PR and PF dams were significantly (P < 0. 05) lower than that of the controls. The PR group had a significant increase in serum-free triiodothyronine (FT3) concentration, 24-hr mammary gland and milk radioiodine (I131) uptake (67%, 278%, and 200%, respectively) as compared with the controls. On the other hand, those animals had a significantly lower serum-free thyroxine (FT4) concentration and 2- and 24-hr thyroid I131 uptake (67%, 64%, and 74%, respectively). Protein malnutrition during lactation did not alter thyroid or liver 5'-deiodinase activity significantly. However, PF dams had a significantly lower (25%) thyroid 5'-deiodinase activity. These data suggest that protein-restricted lactating dams had an adaptive change in the thyroid function, which could be important to increase the transference of iodine or triiodothyronine through the milk to their pups and prevent sequelae of neonatal hypothyroidism.
The effect of malnutrition on the biodistribution of radiopharmaceuticals is not known. We studied the biodistribution of 99Tcm-labelled sodium pertechnetate (Na99TcmO4) in two rat models of malnutrition. Three groups of 2-month-old rats were separated according to their diets: (1) control diet, 23% protein (C); (2) protein-restricted, receiving 8% protein (PR), both ad libitum; and (3) energy-restricted, receiving 60% of control diet (ER). After 21 days of the diet, 99Tcm was injected and the animals were killed after 30 min. The organs were isolated, their weight determined and the absolute per cent (%ID) and the per cent per gram injected dose (%ID x g(-1)) calculated. The %ID and %ID x g(-1) had a similar pattern, increasing in stomach and brain and decreasing in the thyroid, but did not change significantly in kidney, lung, liver, bone or testis in PR rats, except in the heart where the increase was only observed in the %ID x g(-1). In the ER group the %ID x g(-1) was decreased in the bone only, and did not change in the other organs. It is suggested that when using Na99TcmO4 scintigraphy in malnourished patients, the different patterns of distribution must be kept in mind.
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OBJECTIVE: To identify the frequency and median duration of breast-feeding in children aged 0-24 months in the city of Ouro Preto, Brazil. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out to identify the median duration of breastfeeding in children aged 0-24 months. A sample of 229 children from 1800 households was drawn by clusters at three different occasions and stratified according to the area (urban or rural). The frequency and median duration of breast-feeding were calculated using the life table technique. RESULTS: A median duration of 198 days was found for breast-feeding as a whole: 71 days for the group of exclusive plus mainly breastfeeding and 17 days for exclusive breastfeeding. CONCLUSION: The current pattern of breast-feeding is of a short-term practice. This evidence suggests the need for intervention programs to promote breast-feeding for longer periods and delay the introduction of food supplementation, preventing the early weaning.
The aim of this work was to compare the performance of isotope-selective non-dispersive infrared spectrometry (IRIS) for the 13C-urea breath test with the combination of the 14C-urea breath test (14C-UBT), urease test and histologic examination for the diagnosis of H. pylori (HP) infection. Fifty-three duodenal ulcer patients were studied. All patients were submitted to gastroscopy to detect HP by the urease test, histologic examination and 14C-UBT. To be included in the study the results of the 3 tests had to be concordant. Within one month after admission to the study the patients were submitted to IRIS with breath samples collected before and 30 min after the ingestion of 75 mg 13C-urea dissolved in 200 ml of orange juice. The samples were mailed and analyzed 11.5 (4-21) days after collection. Data were analyzed statistically by the chi-square and Mann-Whitney test and by the Spearman correlation coefficient. Twenty-six patients were HP positive and 27 negative. There was 100% agreement between the IRIS results and the HP status determined by the other three methods. Using a cutoff value of delta-over-baseline (DOB) above 4.0 the IRIS showed a mean value of 19.38 (minimum = 4.2, maximum = 41.3, SD = 10.9) for HP-positive patients and a mean value of 0.88 (minimum = 0.10, maximum = 2.5, SD = 0.71) for negative patients. Using a cutoff value corresponding to 0.800% CO2/weight (kg), the 14C-UBT showed a mean value of 2.78 (minimum = 0.89, maximum = 5.22, SD = 1.18) in HP-positive patients. HP-negative patients showed a mean value of 0.37 (minimum = 0.13, maximum = 0.77, SD = 0.17). IRIS is a low-cost, easy to manage, highly sensitive and specific test for H. pylori detection. Storing and mailing the samples did not interfere with the performance of the test.
The density of antral gastrin (G)- and somatostatin (D)-immunoreactive cells and the contents of antral gastrin and somatostatin were investigated in endoscopic antral biopsy specimens from patients with duodenal ulcer before and after eradication of Helicobacter pylori. After H. pylori eradication both antral somatostatin concentration (p = 0.0002) and antral D-cell density (p = 0.01) increased significantly. Conversely, although the number of G-cells was unchanged, antral (p = 0.0002) and serum (p = 0.001) gastrin contents decreased significantly. The number of oxyntic D-cells did not change significantly. These results strongly suggest that the hypergastrinaemia observed in H. pylori-positive patients may be due to a deficiency in antral somatostatin, which normally inhibits the synthesis and release of gastrin.
1. Helicobacter pylori status and the histology of the antral and oxyntic mucosa were evaluated in 25 patients with duodenal ulcer treated with a triple schedule of furazolidone, metronidazole and amoxicillin, and in 16 patients treated only with cimetidine. 2. Before treatment, H. pylori was detected in all patients. One month after treatment with the antimicrobial agents, H. pylori was not found in 18 (72.0%) of 25 patients treated with the triple schedule. In the patients treated with cimetidine (N = 16) the H. pylori tests continued to be positive after treatment. 3. Inflammatory activity and intensity of gastritis were significantly reduced in patients treated with the antimicrobial agents but not in cimetidine-treated patients. Three patients who had negative cultures and improvement of gastritis 1 month after treatment became H. pylori positive again within 2 months, with concomitant reappearance of gastritis. 4. This study provides additional evidence that histological gastritis observed in H. pylori-positive patients with duodenal ulcer is due to the presence of the microorganism.
The sensitivity and specificity of the preformed urease test and of carbolfuchsin-stained smears for the diagnosis of the presence of Helicobacter pylori in gastric mucosa were evaluated before and after antimicrobial treatment. The results obtained by culture were used as the reference point. We studied 41 patients with endoscopically diagnosed duodenal ulcer. Twenty-five of these were treated with furazolidone (100 mg t.i.d.), amoxicillin (500 mg t.i.d.) and metronidazole (250 mg t.i.d.) for 5 days and then with only furazolidone (100 mg t.i.d.) for an additional 25 days. The 16 control patients were treated with cimetidine (800 mg, 4 times a day). The sensitivity of the urease test and of direct smear examination was 100% before treatment and 84.6% and 92.3%, respectively, after treatment. We conclude that the urease test and carbolfuchsin-stained smears, which are highly sensitive for H. pylori diagnosis, present reduced sensitivity when they are employed for the follow-up of patients treated with antimicrobials.
The histamine concentration of the oxyntic mucosa was determined in Helicobacter pylori-positive patients with duodenal ulcer before and after antimicrobial therapy and in H. pylori-negative subjects. Determination of serum gastrin was also performed in duodenal ulcer patients before and after H. pylori eradication. The histamine content of the oxyntic mucosa was lower in patients with duodenal ulcer than in H. pylori-negative subjects, but it increased after H. pylori eradication. Conversely, in patients in whom therapy failed to eradicate the microorganism, the histamine content remained unchanged. Serum gastrin levels fell after microorganism eradication, and the percentage of this fall was correlated with the percentage of increase in gastric histamine. In conclusion, our findings suggest that abnormalities of histamine store present in duodenal ulcer patients might be a feature of H. pylori infection.
Forty-eight patients with endoscopically proven duodenal ulcer (DU) and Helicobacter pylori infection detected by 14C-urea breath test (BT) were assigned to 5 days of treatment with furazolidone, metronidazole, and amoxicillin in addition to eventual classical anti-ulcer agents if necessary. Clinical evaluation and BT were repeated at 2, 6, and 18 months after therapy to determine H. pylori eradication or reinfection. Endoscopy was also repeated at 6 and 18 months after treatment to detect DU relapse. In 29 (60%) patients H. pylori had been eradicated at 2 months after therapy, and in 19 (40%) infection persisted. After successful eradication, 6 of 29 (20.7%) were reinfected. All 24 patients who were negative at the 18-month evaluation were asymptomatic, free of anti-ulcer drugs, and with healed ulcers, whereas among the 19 positive patients followed up, 11 (57%) continued to be symptomatic and still using anti-ulcer agents (p less than 0.010), and 10 (53%) showed active ulcers at endoscopy (p less than 0.010). H. pylori eradication is clearly followed by long-term remission of DU. Reinfection may be an additional problem in treating DU patients in developing countries.
Previous studies have demonstrated that the eradication of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is associated with a significant reduction of the rate of duodenal ulcer (DU) relapse. The aim of this study was to assess the long-term effect of a bismuth-free triple therapy on the eradication of H. pylori and reduction of DU relapse. After informed consent, 61 patients with endoscopically proven DU and H. pylori infection detected on 14C-urea breath test (BT) were included in the study. All patients received a combination of furazolidone, amoxicillin, and metronidazole, three times a day, for 5 days, in addition to eventual classical antiulcer agents prescribed by their attending physicians. BT was repeated after an interval of at least 60 days to evaluate H. pylori eradication. Endoscopy and another BT were performed again at 6.5 months after therapy to detect possible recurrences. Forty-eight patients completed the trial: 26 (54%) patients were negative for H. pylori at 6.5 months after the end of treatment, and 22 (46%) persisted H. pylori positive. Ninety-two percent of the patients in whom the bacteria were eradicated showed endoscopically healed ulcers and were asymptomatic, and two that were symptomatic presented only occasional pain not requiring therapy. Among the 22 patients who persisted H. pylori positive, six (27%) showed endoscopically active ulcers (p = 0.012) and eight (36%) patients continued to be symptomatic (p less than 0.01), and were still using antiulcer drugs (p = 0.002) 6.5 months after treatment. It is concluded that combined treatment with furazolidone, amoxicillin, and metronidazole for 5 days represents a well-tolerated, inexpensive, and effective therapeutic regime for the eradication of H. pylori and abolition of DU relapse in more than 50% of the patients during a follow-up period of 6.5 months.
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), ex-Campylobacter pylori, is now considered to be the causative agent of active chronic gastritis in humans and may be diagnosed by histology, gram-stain, culture, urease test or noninvasively by 14C-urea breath test. The aim of this study was to determine the sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility of the breath test as compared with the microbiological (culture) "gold standard". Forty-one subjects were studied. Gastroscopy was performed in all participants and 2 antral mucosa biopsy specimens were taken for urease test and microbiological (gram-stain and culture) studies. The breath test was performed within one week after the gastroscopy. After fasting overnight, a control breath sample was obtained and a standard meal was offered to delay gastric emptying. Then, the participants drank 5 microCi of 14C-urea in 20 ml of water and breath samples were collected at 10, 15, 30 and 60 min in a hyamine-ethanol solution with a p-H indicator. A repeat test was performed in 9 subjects to assess test reproducibility. Twenty-nine subjects (71 percent) were Hp positive and 12 (29 percent) H. pylori negative. A highly significant difference (p less than 0.0001) was observed in 14CO2 exhalation in colonized and non-colonized subjects in samples collected at all times studied. As compared with culture we found that the breath test was 97 percent sensitive and 100 percent specific. We conclude that 14C-urea breath test is a simple, inexpensive, sensitive, and reliable method to detect H. pylori colonization. It is a useful test to epidemiologic and therapeutic trials.
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