Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A Teixeira

Publications and source records attributed to A Teixeira.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

[Febrile pseudotumor lesion of the arm. Atypical presentation of Shulman syndrome]].

INTRODUCTION: The diagnostic approach when confronted with a pseudo-tumoral lesion and fever is difficult since it evokes an infectious, rheumatismal inflammatory or even systemic disease. OBSERVATION: A 39 year-old Vietnamese man was hospitalised for polyarthralgia if the arm and fever (39 degrees C). He was treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, which were only partially effective. Biological examinations revealed a severe inflammatory syndrome and cytolysis three-fold higher than normal. Since the infectious, rheumatismal and immunological explorations were negative and in view of the appearance of a pseudo-tumoral inflammatory lesion of the left arm concomitant to infiltration of the underlying muscle revealed on MRI, a muscle biopsy was performed showing eosinophilic fasciitis. Diagnosis of Shulman's syndrome was made and the affection rapidly improved with corticosteroids. COMMENTS: The presentation of our patient was atypical for several reasons: his Vietnamese origin, the initial fever peak at 39 degrees C, the unilateral involvement, the severe inflammatory syndrome, the initial absence of hypereosinophilia, the visceral involvement and notably myositis are all uncommon in Shulman's syndrome. Hence, it is important to rule out its differential diagnosis from local edematous scleroderma, which does not share the same prognosis.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

[Myopericarditis during Horton disease].

INTRODUCTION: Myopericarditis is an rare form of Horton disease. We report two new cases. METHOD: Two patients, more than 60-years-old, had developed global cardiac insufficiency with predominant left insufficiency, with physical alteration and biological inflammation. Echocardiography revealed a myopericarditis. Bacteriological explorations were all negative. In the two cases, temporal artery biopsy revealed giant cell arteritis. Treatment with oral corticosteroids improved biological and clinical symptoms. CONCLUSION: Myopericarditis is a rare form of Horton disease. Classical clinical presentation is rarely associated. Temporal artery biopsy is essential in confirming and proposing a specific therapy, in order to prevent cardiovascular ischemic complications.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed2002

Results and long-term followup of intravenous immunoglobulin infusions in chronic, refractory polymyositis: an open study with thirty-five adult patients.

OBJECTIVE: Polymyositis is a rare inflammatory muscular disease of unknown cause. Corticosteroids and immunosuppressive drugs are the first choice of therapy but are not always effective and may cause serious side effects. Many studies have shown that polyvalent intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) may be of interest for the treatment of dermatomyositis. We carried out an open, prospective study to evaluate the efficacy of IVIG in subjects with polymyositis that was refractory to traditional treatments, and we evaluated the benefits of this therapy over a long-term period of followup. METHODS: Thirty-five adult white patients (20 female, 15 male, mean age 43.5 years [SD 16.8]) with chronic, refractory polymyositis were treated with high doses of IVIG, after the patients had received the following traditional treatments: prednisone (n = 35), methotrexate (n = 24), azathioprine (n = 13), cyclophosphamide (n = 4), cyclosporine (n = 7), chlorambucil (n = 1), plasmapheresis (n = 8), lymphopheresis (n = 1), and total body irradiation (n = 1). There had been no changes in the patients' treatment in the 2 months before the initiation of IVIG therapy, and doses were not increased during IVIG treatment. We used preparations of polyvalent human IVIG with increased concentrations of intact IgG. The patients received 1 gm/kg/day for 2 consecutive days per month. The mean course of treatment was 4-6 months. The clinical assessment involved the evaluation of proximal muscle power, muscle disability scale score, and esophageal disorders. The biochemical evaluations carried out before each treatment period were compared by Student's t-test and nonparametric Wilcoxon test. Results were considered to be significant at P = 0.05. RESULTS: In the short-term, significant clinical improvement was noted in 25 of the 35 patients (71.4%). Mean muscle power was estimated before and after IVIG therapy and was found to be significantly improved (P < 0.01). All patients had a significant biochemical response. Mean creatine kinase levels during IVIG therapy decreased significantly before the fourth IVIG perfusion (P < 0.01). Side effects, usually minor, were noted in 6 patients. This benefit allowed the initial prednisone dose to be reduced by >50% in all patients. The mean (+/- SD) followup time for the 25 patients who responded favorably to IVIG treatment was 51.4 +/- 13.1 months. Twelve of these 25 patients remained in full remission following their initial course of IVIG, resulting in complete stoppage of medication in 5 patients or low doses of steroids in 7 patients. The condition of 6 patients remained improved and no other drugs were prescribed, but the patients remained dependent on IVIG infusions. Seven of the 25 patients who responded well to IVIG treatment relapsed at an average of 17.1 months (range 4-23 months) after the discontinuation of IVIG. CONCLUSION: IVIG is an interesting therapy for the treatment of polymyositis, with results showing that the condition of approximately 70% of the patients tested improved. After the discontinuation of the IVIG therapy, the efficacy remained stable in 50% of the patients, with a followup of over 3 years.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

The use of DODT as a non-malodorous scavenger in Fmoc-based peptide synthesis.

We have synthesized a random group of peptides and performed cleavages using various cleavage cocktails including 3,6-dioxa-1,8-octanedithiol (DODT). Purity of the peptides was compared to that obtained with standard protocols for cleavage using RP-HPLC and Maldi-Tof mass spectrometry. We show that stinking thiols can be replaced by the almost odourless (DODT) without negatively affecting the purity of the end product.

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↗
PubMed2001

[Pre-operative period of the heart surgical patient: nursing approach making a difference].

This is a study that was developed in a Cardiology Unit of a University Hospital in the country area of Rio Grande do Sul. Its aim was to identify the perception of the cardiac surgical patient about the pre-surgical orientations given by the nursing staff. The population was of male and female adult patients who were submitted to any cardiac surgical process. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to grasp the perception of the patient about the given information. The following themes emerged: tranquilizing awakening; stressful environment; nursing: being with and humanization; privileged feeling; technology in orientation; and orientation: meaning of clarifying, tranquility and courage.

Cardiac Surgical Procedures↗
PubMed2000

Differential regulation of cyclin D1 and D3 expression in the control of astrocyte proliferation induced by endothelin-1.

We have previously shown that the mitogenic effect of endothelin-1 (ET-1) in primary astrocytes is dependent on activation of both extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)- and cytoskeleton (CSK)-dependent pathways. In this study, we evaluated the contribution of each of these pathways to the expression and activation of proteins mediating cell cycle progression. Our results suggest that ET-1-induced expression of cyclins D1 and D3 is dependent on the ERK- and CSK-dependent pathways, respectively; moreover, a decrease in the levels of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (CKI) p27 was observed as a consequence of ERK activation. Expression of both cyclins D1 and D3 together with a decrease in the p27 levels are essential for retinoblastoma protein (pRB) phosphorylation and cyclin A expression. Furthermore, the molecular events responsible for cell-cell contact inhibition of astrocyte proliferation were found to be independent of the mitogenic pathways leading to D-type cyclin expression. Cell growth arrest in confluent astrocytes was found to be correlated with increased expression of CKI p21, resulting in inhibition of D-type cyclin-associated pRB phosphorylation and cyclin A expression. Taken together, these results indicate that cyclins D1 and D3, which constitute the key mediators of the proliferative response of primary astrocytes to ET-1, are regulated by distinct signaling pathways.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

CD8+ cell lines isolated from HIV-1-infected children have potent soluble HIV-1 inhibitory activity that differs from beta-chemokines.

CD8+ cells from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infected individuals have been shown to suppress HIV-1 replication both through a major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-restricted cytolytic pathway as well as through a noncytolytic pathway mediated through soluble factors. To characterize this soluble activity and its potential role in disease progression further, we studied the HIV-1 inhibition by supernatants derived from herpesvirus saimiri-transformed CD8+ cells isolated from infected children. Three of the six CD8+ cell lines derived had a phenotype consistent with an unusual natural killer (NK) cells phenotype with low CD3, high CD56, and low CD16. Supernatants from some of the cell lines derived from children with rapid progression as well as long-term nonprogressors exhibited broad HIV-1-inhibitory activity in primary CD4+ cells as well as in primary macrophages. In contrast to a cocktail of beta-chemokines, the supernatants inhibited T-tropic as well as M-tropic viruses, efficiently inhibited infection in primary macrophages, and inhibited HIV-1 activation in the chronically infected U1 cell line. The HIV-1-inhibitory activity was heat stable and active over a broad pH range. Fractionation of the supernatant by size and ion exchange chromatography demonstrated activity in the complete absence of RANTES as well as interferons-alpha, beta, and gamma and in a size range of less than 10 kD and greater than 3 kD. CD8+ cell supernatants contain additional unidentified factors that have anti-HIV activity to account for this broad phenomenon.

CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes↗
PubMed2000

DNA release by line-1 (L1) retrotransposon. Could it be possible?

We have verified the presence of line-1 retrotransposon (L1) in plasma DNA in 15/17 brain tumor (glioma) patients and in 6/6 healthy people by applying PCR amplification of part of the L1 5' end. The same samples were separately amplified for K-ras. Results suggested that L1 sequences are circulating throughout the body. We hypothesized the participation of transposable elements such as L1 in a putative DNA release mechanism.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Requirement of caveolae microdomains in extracellular signal-regulated kinase and focal adhesion kinase activation induced by endothelin-1 in primary astrocytes.

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) mitogenic activity in astrocytes is mediated by the activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway together with the Rho-dependent activation of the focal adhesion kinase (FAK) pathway. To clarify the mechanisms responsible for the coordinate activation of both pathways in the ET-1 signal propagation, the involvement of caveolae microdomains, suggested to play a role in signal transduction, was evaluated. In this study, it is reported that caveolae of primary astrocytes are enriched in endothelin receptor (ETB-R). Furthermore, signaling molecules such as the adaptor proteins Shc and Grb2, and the small G protein Rho, also reside within these microdomains. Selective disassembly of caveolae by filipin III impairs the ET-1-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins including ERK and FAK. In agreement with these observations, astrocytes pretreated with filipin III also failed to form stress fibers and focal adhesions and did not undergo the associated morphological changes in response to ET-1. This study reveals that structural integrity of caveolae is necessary for the adhesion-dependent mitogenic signals induced by ET-1 in astrocytes, through compartmentation of ETB-R with the upstream signaling molecules of the ERK and FAK pathways.

Actins↗
PubMed1999

The role of transjugular liver biopsy in a liver transplant center.

Transjugular liver biopsy is a particularly useful procedure in overcoming the classic limitations of percutaneous biopsy, such as hemorrhagic diathesis or tense ascites. The authors evaluated the impact that this technique had in their liver transplant program, considering performance and safety in 160 procedures. Histologic characterization was accomplished in 75% of cirrhotic patients and in 96% of patients with acute liver disease. Confirmation of a presumptive diagnosis was made in 76% of patients and a previously unsuspected diagnosis was raised in 11%. Hemochromatosis, Wilson's disease, and acute alcoholic hepatitis were the most challenging diagnoses and, together with patients with liver failure, had the most relevant implications in transplant decisions. The availability of transjugular liver biopsy provided decisive information regarding patient selection and the best timing to proceed with transplantation.

Adolescent↗