Biomedical subjects

A P Fernandes

Publications and source records attributed to A P Fernandes.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1997

Immunosuppressive treatment in severe connective tissue diseases: effects of low dose intravenous cyclophosphamide.

OBJECTIVE: To review our experience with low dose intravenous pulse cyclophosphamide in the treatment of patients with severe connective tissue diseases. PATIENTS: Ninety patients (68F:22M) with severe connective tissue diseases received a total of 883 cyclophosphamide pulses with 78 of 90 patients initially having weekly 500 mg pulses for a median of three (2-10) weeks. Diagnoses included: systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (n = 43); systemic vasculitides (n = 42); idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (n = 4); mixed essential cryoglobulinaemic vasculitis (n = 1). The median age was 48 (range 22-76) years with a median disease duration of 94 (18-250) months. RESULTS: Complete or partial remission was noted in 68 of 90 patients (75.5%) after a median follow up of 56 (5-213) months. At follow up significant median changes were noted in SLE patients: erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) from 44 to 22 mm 1st hour; anti-dsDNA antibody concentrations from 81 to 48 IU/ml; proteinuria from 2.5 to 1.5 g/day; serum albumin from 36 to 40 g/l; complement C3 from 0.88 to 0.90 g/l, and C4 from 0.18 to 0.22 g/l. In the vasculitis patients significant median changes were seen in: ESR from 44 to 15 mm 1st hour; C reactive protein (CRP) from 16 to 5 g/dl; neutrophils from 8.55 to 4.3 x 10(9)/l; platelets from 340 to 261 x 10(3)/l, and haemoglobin from 12.6 to 13.2 g/dl. Patients with Churg-Strauss syndrome, Wegener's granulomatosis, and neuropsychiatric lupus showed the best initial response but 58% of Wegener's patients relapsed. Median corticosteroid doses were significantly reduced from 15 (5-60) mg to 10 (3-35) mg daily. Adverse events: infections (7 patients), neutropenia (5), lymphopenia (18), and haemorrhagic cystitis (1 intravenous and 2 oral cyclophosphamide), allergies to mesna (2). None of the women at risk had prolonged amenorrhoea. Five patients doubled their serum creatinine and five died from sepsis (2) or severe disease (3). CONCLUSION: Treatment of severe connective tissue diseases with 'low dose' intravenous cyclophosphamide pulses compares in efficacy with the higher monthly doses previously advocated. Treatment was well tolerated with fewer adverse effects and most significantly, there were no cases of premature ovarian failure.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Leishmania (V.) guyanensis: isolation and characterization of glucantime-resistant cell lines.

A glucantime sensitive Leishmania (V.) guyanensis strain was used to obtain in vitro resistant cell lines, by increments in glucantime concentrations employing both one step and stepwise protocols. Whereas the effective concentration of drug that inhibited the growth of wild type cells by 50% (EC50 value) was 0.20 mg Sb(v)/mL, the resistant cells were able to grow in glucantime concentrations greater than 8.0 mg/mL. The resistant cell lines were partially characterized by their in vitro response to glucantime, the stability of resistance phenotype, cross resistance to a range of drugs, and also by the analysis of total DNA fragments generated by restriction endonucleases and blot hybridization. Amplified DNA sequence similar to a P-glycoprotein analog from Leishmania tarentolae (ltpgpA gene) was observed in all the resistant cell lines obtained through the one-step protocol. These cell lines showed cross resistance to heavy metals but were sensitive to puromycin, vinblastine, and pentostam.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Mem↗

PubMed1993

Evolution of nuclear ribosomal RNAs in kinetoplastid protozoa: perspectives on the age and origins of parasitism.

Molecular evolutionary relationships within the protozoan order Kinetoplastida were deduced from comparisons of the nuclear small and large subunit ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequences. These studies show that relationships among the trypanosomatid protozoans differ from those previously proposed from studies of organismal characteristics or mitochondrial rRNAs. The genera Leishmania, Endotrypanum, Leptomonas, and Crithidia form a closely related group, which shows progressively more distant relationships to Phytomonas and Blastocrithidia, Trypanosoma cruzi, and lastly Trypanosoma brucei. The rooting of the trypanosomatid tree was accomplished by using Bodo caudatus (family Bodonidae) as an outgroup, a status confirmed by molecular comparisons with other eukaryotes. The nuclear rRNA tree agrees well with data obtained from comparisons of other nuclear genes. Differences with the proposed mitochondrial rRNA tree probably reflect the lack of a suitable outgroup for this tree, as the topologies are otherwise similar. Small subunit rRNA divergences within the trypanosomatids are large, approaching those among plants and animals, which underscores the evolutionary antiquity of the group. Analysis of the distribution of different parasitic life-styles of these species in conjunction with a probable timing of evolutionary divergences suggests that vertebrate parasitism arose multiple times in the trypanosomatids.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

[Emphysematous pyelonephritis].

A case of emphysematous pyelonephritis to E. coli, in a 63-year-old female diabetic patient is presented herein. Imaging techniques (plain abdomen X-Ray, ultra-sonography and computed tomography) allowed the authors to make the diagnosis. Percutaneous nephrostomy, combined with medical therapeutics, contributed to a favourable clinical evolution of the patient.

Diabetes Complications↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Oviposition by Schistosoma mansoni during in vitro cultivation.

Observation of Schistosoma mansoni oviposition during in vitro culture of adult worms for a maximum period of 10 days showed three well distinct phases in the kinetics of oviposition: an initial phase with low egg production, a period of maximum oviposition and finally a progressive reduction in the number of eggs during the late phases of culture. The kinetics of oviposition and the number of eggs laid by the parasites are influenced by the number of worm pairs per amount of RPMI 1640 medium, time of parasite development in the vertebrate host and type of serum utilized in the culture medium.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Immune responses induced by a Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis recombinant antigen in mice and lymphocytes from vaccinated subjects.

In the search for Leishmania recombinant antigens that can be used as a vaccine against American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, we identified a Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis recombinant protein of 33 kD (Larp33) which is recognized by antibodies and peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) from subjects vaccinated with Leishvacin, Larp33 was expressed in Escherichia coli after cloning of a 2.2 kb Sau3 digested genomic fragment of L. (L.) amazonensis into the pDS56-6 His vector. Immunoblotting analysis indicated that Larp33 corresponds to an approximately 40-kD native protein expressed in promastigotes of L. (L.) amazonensis and L. (Viannia) braziliensis. Northern blots of total RNA also demonstrated that the gene coding for this protein is expressed in promastigotes of the major lineages of Leishmania causing American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis. Larp33 induced partial protection in susceptible mouse strains (BALB/c and C57BL/10) against L. (L.) amazonensis after vaccination using Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) as adjuvant. In vitro stimulation of splenocytes from BALB/c protected mice with Larp33 elicited the secretion of IL-2 and IFN-gamma, suggesting that a Th1 cell-mediated protective response is associated with the resistance observed in these mice. As revealed by its immunogenic and antigenic properties, this novel recombinant antigen is a suitable candidate to compose a vaccine against cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of goyazensolide during in vitro cultivation of Schistosoma mansoni.

Goyazensolide, a component extracted of Eremanthus goyazensis showed a significant inhibitory effect on egg-laying of Schistosoma mansoni during in vitro cultivation of this parasite. Motility of the worms was also reduced under treatment with goyazensolide and 90% of mortality was reached with concentrations up to 4 micrograms/ml. It has found that separated worms were more susceptible than worms pairing during drug exposition and female alone was significantly more susceptible than male worm in the same conditions of in vitro cultivation. Natural products isolated from plants represent potential sources for the identification of structures useful for the design of alternative molecules to be used as new drug substances against several infectious diseases.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Staphylococcus cohnii: a case report on an unusual pathogen.

Coagulase-negative staphylococci have become increasingly important causes of infection in predisposed hosts. such as patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy and broad-spectrum antimicrobial drugs, patients who have prosthetic devices, or those who have prolonged hospital or intensive care unit stays. However, human infections caused by Staphylococcus cohnii rarely have been reported in the literature. In this report, we review the current literature and describe a 38 year-old immunosuppressed woman who developed catheter-related S. cohnii bacteremia. The case illustrates why microbiology laboratories under certain circumstances should identify coagulase-negative staphylococci to the species level. This information may be critical because it may allow clinicians to identify the source of the infecting organism and to choose appropriate antibiotics. Yet in this era of cost containment many laboratories may decrease costs by decreasing services, including species identification.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

An ultrastructural study of sperm of the genus Bufo (Amphibia, Anura, Bufonidae).

The sperm ultrastructure of Bufo schineideri and B. granulosus consists of entwined seminiferous tubules formed by groups of germ cells and Sertoli cells. The spermatozoa of B. schineideri and B. granulosus measure about 66.7 microm and 85.4 microm in length, respectively. The head measures approximately 24.8 microm in B. schineideri and 17.7 microm in B. granulosus and consists of a single vesicle acrosomal, subacrosomal cone and nucleus. The midpiece measures approximately 3.8 microm in B. schineideri and 2.5 microm in B. granulosus and presents a mitochondrial collar around the tail. The tail consists of a typical axoneme, 9 + 2 microtubules, paraxonemal rod, axial sheath and axial fiber. The axial fiber extends through an electrondense structure that supports the undulating membrane. The structure and ultrastructure of the spermatozoa of the species here described are similar to the majority of sperm found in the other bufonids and may be a contribution for future phylogenetic analysis.

Acrosome↗