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Biomedical subjects

S Monteiro

Publications and source records attributed to S Monteiro.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Endogenous Msx1 antisense transcript: in vivo and in vitro evidences, structure, and potential involvement in skeleton development in mammals.

Msx1 is a key factor for the development of tooth and craniofacial skeleton and has been proposed to play a pivotal role in terminal cell differentiation. In this paper, we demonstrated the presence of an endogenous Msx1 antisense RNA (Msx1-AS RNA) in mice, rats, and humans. In situ analysis revealed that this RNA is expressed only in differentiated dental and bone cells with an inverse correlation with Msx1 protein. These in vivo data and overexpression of Msx1 sense and AS RNA in an odontoblastic cell line (MO6-G3) showed that the balance between the levels of the two Msx1 RNAs is related to the expression of Msx1 protein. To analyze the impact of this balance in the Msx-Dlx homeoprotein pathway, we analyzed the effect of Msx1, Msx2, and Dlx5 overexpression on proteins involved in skeletal differentiation. We showed that the Msx1-AS RNA is involved in crosstalk between the Msx-Dlx pathways because its expression was abolished by Dlx5. Msx1 was shown to down-regulate a master gene of skeletal cells differentiation, Cbfa1. All these data strongly suggest that the ratio between Msx1 sense and antisense RNAs is a very important factor in the control of skeletal terminal differentiation. Finally, the initiation site for Msx1-AS RNA transcription was located by primer extension in both mouse and human in an identical region, including a consensus TATA box, suggesting an evolutionary conservation of the AS RNA-mediated regulation of Msx1 gene expression.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2001

The wide diversity of structurally similar wine proteins.

In the present work, single grape variety wines, Moscatel and Arinto, were used. Analysis by denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the wine proteins revealed the presence of only a few polypeptides ranging in molecular mass from 15 to 30 kDa. However, a more detailed examination of the whole protein fraction, by a combination of techniques, showed that these wines contain a very large number (many tens and, possibly, many more) of distinct polypeptides, exhibiting similar molecular masses but different electrical charges. The results obtained using highly specific antibodies and N-terminal sequencing indicate that there is structural similarity among most of the wine polypeptides. These observations can be explained by the existence of a common precursor to most or all of the wine proteins, which could generate all of the detected polypeptides by limited proteolysis. Comparison of the N-terminal sequences of the polypeptides isolated from Moscatel wine with proteins from other sources revealed a high degree of homology to pathogenesis-related proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2000

Class 1 integron-borne, multiple-antibiotic resistance encoded by a 150-kilobase conjugative plasmid in epidemic vibrio cholerae O1 strains isolated in Guinea-Bissau.

In the 1996-1997 cholera epidemic in Guinea-Bissau, surveillance for antimicrobial resistance showed the emergence of a multidrug-resistant strain of Vibrio cholerae O1 during the course of the epidemic. The strain was resistant to ampicillin, erythromycin, tetracycline, furazolidone, aminoglycosides, trimethoprim, and sulfamethoxazole. Concomitant with the emergence of this strain, we observed a resurgence in the number of registered cholera cases as well as an increase in the case fatality rate from 1.0% before the emergence of the multiple-drug-resistant strain to 5.3% after the emergence of the strain. Our study shows that the strain contained a 150-kb conjugative multiple-antibiotic resistance plasmid with class 1 integron-borne gene cassettes encoding resistance to trimethoprim (dhfrXII) and aminoglycosides [ant(3")-1a]). The finding of transferable resistance to almost all of the antibiotics commonly used to treat cholera is of great public health concern. Studies should be carried out to determine to what extent the strain or its resistance genes have been spread to other areas where cholera is endemic.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1999

Evaluation of the ZIG-ZAIDS game: a playful-educative resource for HIV/AIDS prevention.

This article presents the evaluation process for the ZIG-ZAIDS game, investigating the material's applicability in formal and informal educational contexts, i.e., how the game has been used by health professionals, parents, and the target population (pre-adolescents, or children over 9 years old). The study involved evaluation questionnaires sent to a list of schools and institutions using the game, plus interviews and visits to places where the game was used and tested with groups of students. It also includes an analysis of evaluation previously sent by the authors to people who had requested the game. The results showed that the population's level of information is more relevant than age in relation to the game's impact. Another important aspect relates to ZIG-ZAIDS' applicability to different situations: training of health and teaching professionals; activities with street children; municipal institutions and events, schools, companies, communities, and health care centers. In summary, ZIG-ZAIDS was found to be an entertaining, creative, and innovative alternative for providing information on AIDS and sexuality.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1995

Nonvital tooth bleaching: guidelines for the clinician.

The combination of intracoronal and extracoronal bleaching represents a conservative treatment to restore esthetics to darkened or stained nonvital teeth. Notwithstanding the eventual risks and difficulties accompanying such technique, nonvital teeth often can be successfully lightened. This article presents a few guidelines for bleaching nonvital teeth as well as a clinical case to illustrate the indications and clinical protocol for the technique.

Clinical Protocols↗
PubMed1994

Adhesive restorations with amalgam: guidelines for the clinician.

The adhesive amalgam restoration technique combines the good properties of amalgam with the principles of tooth structure preservation and marginal seal inherent to adhesive materials. In spite of lack of longitudinal data, results of early clinical and laboratory tests are encouraging. If the present research is substantiated by clinical confirmation of their results, bonded amalgam restorations will become routine. The purpose of this article is to present a brief literature review on adhesive amalgam restoration and to introduce guidelines for its use.

Dental Amalgam↗
PubMed1992

Identification of the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve during thyroidectomy.

Seventy-six patients underwent preoperative vocal evaluation and were randomized into 3 groups: (1) those with the superior thyroid pole dissected by the first author, with the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve (EBSLN) identified by means of a nerve stimulator; (2) those patients whose dissection was executed by a resident, with no nerve search; and (3) those whose dissection was undertaken by the first author, without any nerve search. Postoperative analysis consisted of voice evaluation and electromyography of the cricothyroid muscle. No lesion occurred in patients in group 1. Twenty-eight percent of patients in group 2 and 12% in group 3 experienced a complete lesion of the EBSLN (p = 0.0123). When the patients in group 1 were compared with the patients with 62 nerves corresponding to nonoperated thyroid lobes, patients in group 1 exhibited no increased risk, whereas a significantly increased hazard was evident in both groups 2 (p = 0.0002776) and 3 (p = 0.0346393). In this study, effective prevention of iatrogenic EBSLN lesions during thyroidectomies was achieved only by the intraoperative identification of the nerve with the nerve stimulator.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Evaluation of materials and techniques for restoration of erosion areas.

The data indicate that the two dentin bonding agents, used in conjunction with enamel acid etching, provided a superior seal of the cavity compared to the respective resins alone or with either the dentin bond agent or acid etching used alone. The seal of resin restorations placed with the total system (acid etch and dentin bond agent) were comparable to the seal of the glass ionomer cement restorations. Compared with the 2-week specimens, there was no increase in leakage of the 6-month resin restorations when inserted with dentin bond agents and acid etch. The sealing ability of the resin restorations in conservatively prepared cavities was superior to comparable resin restorations in cavities that had not been prepared. This did not appear to be true for glass ionomer cement restorations. Data obtained to compare the bond strength of resins as used in the study with that of glass ionomer cements do not indicate a precise correlation between bond strength and sealing ability. The exact role of dentin bonding agents await further evaluation of their stability over a prolonged period of time, particularly in clinical investigations.

Acid Etching, Dental↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Social anxiety in college students.

Individuals with social phobia often hold erroneous beliefs about the extent to which others experience symptoms of social anxiety and the ways in which others evaluate people who appear to be anxious. The purpose of this study was to: (a) provide normative data on the frequency with which individuals in a nonclinical sample experience particular symptoms of social anxiety (e.g., sweating, shaking, etc.); (b) to examine how the perception of anxiety in others influences participants' immediate impressions of various personal characteristics (e.g., intelligence, attractiveness, etc); and, (c) investigate the relationship between social anxiety and perceptions regarding others who appear to be anxious. Eighty-one undergraduate students completed self-report measures of social anxiety and social desirability, and then rated the degree to which their impressions of various personal characteristics were influenced when another individual was perceived to be anxious. Results suggested that the vast majority of individuals experience symptoms of anxiety in social situations from time to time. In addition, individuals who themselves reported elevated social anxiety were more likely than individuals less socially anxious to judge others who appear anxious to have less strength of character and to be less attractive and more compassionate compared to others who do not appear anxious. Clinical implications of these results are discussed.

Adult↗