Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

H Falcão

Publications and source records attributed to H Falcão.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Food hypersensitivity in Portuguese adults.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the frequency and epidemiological features of self-reported food hypersensitivity in Portuguese adults. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Participants were selected by random digit dialing among residents of Porto. SUBJECTS: In total, 659 individuals over 39 y were asked to recall the occurrence of food hypersensitivity, and to describe the most serious episode. The adoption of eviction diets and previous medical diagnosis of food allergy were recorded, and recent dietary intake was evaluated using a validated food frequency questionnaire. RESULTS: Self-reported food allergy was more frequent in women than men (7.3 vs 1.9%, P<0.01) and decreased with age. Age- and sex-standardized (European population > or =40 y) prevalence of food hypersensitivity was 4.8% (95% CI 3.4-6.9%). Most subjects (67.6%) referred allergy to a single food, fresh fruits being the more frequently incriminated (25%). Approximately 90% that reported food allergy declared the adoption of eviction diets, although 53% in fact ingested the incriminated foods during the previous year. CONCLUSIONS: The adult prevalence of food hypersensitivity in Porto is one of the lowest observed worldwide, probably reflecting specificities of the genetic make-up and dietary patterns of our population.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Fas ligand triggers pulmonary silicosis.

We investigated the role of Fas ligand in murine silicosis. Wild-type mice instilled with silica developed severe pulmonary inflammation, with local production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, and interstitial neutrophil and macrophage infiltration in the lungs. Strikingly, Fas ligand-deficient generalized lymphoproliferative disease mutant (gld) mice did not develop silicosis. The gld mice had markedly reduced neutrophil extravasation into bronchoalveolar space, and did not show increased TNF-alpha production, nor pulmonary inflammation. Bone marrow chimeras and local adoptive transfer demonstrated that wild-type, but not Fas ligand-deficient lung macrophages recruit neutrophils and initiate silicosis. Silica induced Fas ligand expression in lung macrophages in vitro and in vivo, and promoted Fas ligand-dependent macrophage apoptosis. Administration of neutralizing anti-Fas ligand antibody in vivo blocked induction of silicosis. Thus, Fas ligand plays a central role in induction of pulmonary silicosis.

Adoptive Transfer↗
PubMed2001

Respiratory mechanics and lung histology in normal rats anesthetized with sevoflurane.

Respiratory system, lung, and chest wall mechanical properties were subdivided into their resistive, elastic, and viscoelastic/inhomogeneous components in normal rats, to define the sites of action of sevoflurane. In addition, we aimed to determine the extent to which pretreatment with atropine modified these parameters. Twenty-four rats were divided into four groups of six animals each: in the P group, rats were sedated (diazepam) and anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium; in the S group, sevoflurane was administered; in the AP and AS groups, atropine was injected 20 min before sedation/anesthesia with pentobarbital and sevoflurane, respectively. Sevoflurane increased lung viscoelastic/inhomogeneous pressures and static elastance compared with rats belonging to the P group. In AS rats, lung static elastance increased in relation to the AP group. In conclusion, sevoflurane anesthesia acted not at the airway level but at the lung periphery, stiffening lung tissues and increasing mechanical inhomogeneities. These findings were supported by the histological demonstration of increased areas of alveolar collapse and hyperinflation. The pretreatment with atropine reduced central and peripheral airway secretion, thus lessening lung inhomogeneities.

Anesthesia, Inhalation↗
PubMed1994

Unilateral adrenal hyperplasia.

A case of unilateral primary adrenal hyperplasia, without concomitant hypokalemia, is presented. After surgical removal of the gland, a complete remission occurred. This rare condition may, in fact, be more frequent than thought as it can coexist with normokalemia. We postulate that it is probably a new phase of the transformation between hyperplasia and adenomas that can also occur in the adrenal cortex similar to such transformations in other endocrine organs.

Adenoma↗