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Biomedical subjects

A Coelho

Publications and source records attributed to A Coelho.

58 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

The Amazonia variant of Vibrio cholerae: molecular identification and study of virulence genes.

The pathogenic O1 Amazonia variant of Vibrio cholerae has been shown previously to have a cytotoxin acting on cultured Vero and Y-1 cells, and to lack important virulence factors such as the cholera toxin (Coelho et al. 1995a). This study extends the molecular analysis of the Amazonia strains, detecting the presence of the toxR gene, with a very similar sequence to that of the E1 Tor and classical biotypes. The outer membrane proteins are analyzed, detecting a variation among the group of Amazonia strains, with three different patterns found. As a by-product of this work a polymerase chain reaction fragment was sequenced, reading part of the sequence of the Lon protease of the Amazonia strains. This gene was not previously described in V. cholerae, but its sequence is present in the TIGR database specific for this species.

ATP-Dependent Proteases↗

[Humoral immunity and the argon-laser].

We have done two argon-laser iridotomies 24 and 72 hours before cataract surgery, to study ocular inflammation. We have taken aqueous samples to study IgA, IgG, C3 and AAT by laser immunonephelometry. All the proteins raised in the first 24 hours (P less than or equal to 0.01) except IgA in aqueous humor, taken with control levels, but only AAT (P less than or equal to 0.05), albumine at 72 hours (P less than or equal to 0.01) in aqueous humor. We tried to understand the observed gap by immunomodulation of released mediators.

Antibody Formation↗

[Foreign bodies in the tracheobronchial tree. 12 years' experience].

During a period of twelve years--January 1983 to December 1994, 371 children suspected of foreign body inhalation were admitted in Hospital Pediatric of Coimbra. The diagnosis was confirmed in 200 of them (54%), and this group was analysed. The incidence has increased until 1989 and stabilized in the last 5 years with a median of 18 cases/year. Two third of the children were boys and 84% were under three years old. A history of choking was obtained in 87% of the patients but only 39% of the cases had an early diagnosis (within 24 hours). The most frequent clinical findings were abnormal auscultation, sternal retraction, cough, wheezing and fever. Sixty percent of them were asymptomatic. The chest radiology findings were air trapping in 45%, consolidation in 21% and in 17% there were no abnormalities. Radiopaque foreign bodies were found in 9%. Organic bodies were the most frequent (74%) and among these, peanuts, lupines and beans. Food aspiration in one case took to cardiorespiratory arrest and in another with a late diagnosis bronchial stenosis needed a surgical treatment. Complications of foreign bodies extraction had no consequences.

Adolescent↗