Biomedical subjects

M M Nascimento

Publications and source records attributed to M M Nascimento.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Effect of hepatitis C serology on C-reactive protein in a cohort of Brazilian hemodialysis patients.

Hepatitis C (HCV) is not an uncommon feature in hemodialysis (HD) patients and may be a cause of systemic inflammation. Plasma cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) is mainly produced by circulating and peripheral cells and induces the hepatic synthesis of C-reactive protein (CRP), which is the main acute phase reactant. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of HCV on two markers of systemic inflammation, serum CRP and IL-6, in HD patients. The study included 118 HD patients (47% males, age 47 +/- 13 years, 9% diabetics) who had been treated by standard HD for at least 6 months. The patients were divided into two groups depending on the presence (HCV+) or absence (HCV-) of serum antibodies against HCV. Serum albumin (S-Alb), plasma high sensitivity CRP (hsCRP), IL-6, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were measured and the values were compared with those for 22 healthy controls. Median hsCRP and IL-6 values and hsCRP/IL-6 ratio were: 3.5 vs 2.1 mg/l, P < 0.05; 4.3 vs 0.9 pg/ml, P < 0.0001, and 0.8 vs 2.7, P < 0.0001, for patients and controls, respectively. Age, gender, S-Alb, IL-6 and hsCRP did not differ between the HCV+ and HCV- patients. However, HCV+ patients had higher ALT (29 +/- 21 vs 21 +/- 25 IU/l) and had been on HD for a longer time (6.1 +/- 3.0 vs 4.0 +/- 2.0 years, P < 0.0001). Moreover, HCV+ patients had a significantly lower median hsCRP/IL-6 ratio (0.7 vs 0.9, P < 0.05) compared to the HCV- group. The lower hsCRP/IL-6 ratio in HCV+ patients than in HCV- patients suggests that hsCRP may be a less useful marker of inflammation in HCV+ patients and that a different cut-off value for hsCRP for this population of patients on HD may be required to define inflammation.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Six years of treatment with the HELP system of a patient with familial hypercholesterolemia.

The purpose of the present report is to demonstrate the long-term efficacy and safety of heparin-induced extracorporeal lipoprotein precipitation (HELP) of LDL-c and fibrinogen in the management of familial hypercholesterolemia. From June 1992 to June 1998 a 22-year-old young male patient with familial hypercholesterolemia (double heterozygote for C660X and S305C) resistant to medication and diet and with symptomatic coronary artery disease (angina) was treated weekly with 90-min sessions of the HELP system. The patient had also been previously submitted to right coronary artery angioplasty. The efficacy of the method was evaluated by comparing the reduction of total cholesterol, LDL-c and fibrinogen before and after the sessions and before and after initiation of the study (data are reported as averages for each year). During the study, angina episodes disappeared and there were no detectable adverse effects of the treatment. Total cholesterol (TC), fibrinogen, and LDL-c decreased significantly after each session by 59.6, 66.1 and 64%, respectively. HDL-c showed a nonsignificant reduction of 20.4%. Comparative mean values pre- and post-treatment values in the study showed significant differences: TC (488 vs 188 mg/dl), LDL-c (416.4 vs 145 mg/dl), and fibrinogen (144.2 vs 57.4 mg/dl). There was no significant change in HDL-c level: 29.4 vs 23 mg/dl. These data show that the HELP system, even for a long period of time, is a safe and efficient mode of treatment of familial hypercholesterolemia and is associated with disappearance of angina symptoms.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Streptococcus mutans genotypes isolated from root and coronal caries.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the colonization profile and clonal distribution of Streptococcus mutans isolated from oral cavities that presented coronal and root caries lesions. The isolation and biochemical identification of mutans streptococci were carried out by using saliva samples, dental plaque, and tissue from the caries lesions. In order to confirm their molecular identity, S. mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus were submitted to the PCR method, using specific primers for portions of the glucosyltransferase genes (gtfB and gtfI, respectively). The AP-PCR method was used to detect the genetic polymorphism of S. mutans strains. Among the isolated and identified species, S. mutans showed a significantly greater frequency of isolation (59.2%) than the other mutans streptococci. Each of the subjects harbored two to ten genotypes of S. mutans, randomly distributed in different sites. S. mutans genotypes showed no evidence of variability in colonizing noncarious and carious surfaces within the same individual, nor evidence of etiologic differences between coronal and root caries. This study showed that no particular genotype of S. mutans is uniquely associated with the initiation and progression of caries, and that root and coronal caries can emerge in the presence of a broad spectrum of S. mutans clones.

Aged↗