Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

I Gomes

Publications and source records attributed to I Gomes.

65 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1976

Serological and immunological relationships among type A foot-and-mouth disease strains in South America.

Field strains of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus which differ immunogenically from vaccine strains appear from time to time and may present serious problems for FMD campaigns. In order that appropriate measures can be taken it is important to determine the degree of differences between the vaccine strain and the variant strain soon after its appearance. With the A strains studied it was observed that a serological relationship by complement fixation test of greater than or equal to 0.40 would indicate sufficient protection of the vaccine strain for the field strain. With a lower relationship, however, the vaccine strains usually do not fully protect against the field strain. The mouse protection test can be used to determine how serious the lack of protection may be. With this test routine it is possible to issue alerts for intensified epidemiological surveillance within 2-3 weeks after the field strain is received at the Center.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

G-protein-coupled receptor dimerization: modulation of receptor function.

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) comprise the largest family of transmembrane receptors in the human genome that respond to a plethora of signals, including neurotransmitters, peptide hormones, and odorants, to name a few. They couple to second messenger signaling cascade mechanisms via heterotrimeric G-proteins. Recently, many studies have revealed that GPCRs exist as dimers, which may be present as homo- or heterodimers/oligomers. These recent findings have been met with skepticism, since they are contradictory to the dogma that GPCRs function as monomers. Although the existence of GPCR dimers/oligomers was predicted from early pharmacological and biochemical studies, further studies to critically evaluate this phenomenon were impeded by the lack of appropriate reagents. The availability of cDNAs for GPCRs, of highly selective ligands and of antibodies for these receptors has made it possible to visualize and investigate the functional effects of GPCR oligomers. Pharmacological studies, along with biochemical techniques, such as cross-linking and immunoprecipitation with differentially epitope-tagged receptors, have been employed to demonstrate the oligomerization of a number of GPCRs. Moreover, recent biophysical techniques, such as bioluminescence and fluorescence resonance energy transfer, now make it possible to examine GPCR dimerization/oligomerization in living cells. In this review, we provide a brief overview of some of the techniques employed to describe GPCR dimers, and we discuss their respective limitations. We also examine the implications of dimerization/oligomerization on GPCR function. In addition, we discuss domains of the receptors that are thought to facilitate dimerization/oligomerization. Finally, we consider recent evidence for the subcellular localization of the dimer/oligomer assembly.

Dimerization↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Tubercular meningoencephalitis: evaluation of 231 cases].

This study assessed 231 cases of tuberculous meningitis of which 62 (26.8%) had diagnostic confirmation against 169 (73.2%) with only clinical picture and laboratorial indication for this diagnosis. Fifty-five percent of the sample was male; ages ranged from one month to 68 years, 42% comprising children below four years. Clinical, demographic and liquoric characteristics were investigated and compared amongst those with likely and confirmed diagnosis. In conclusion, attention is drawn to the severity of this disease with high rates of lethality mainly within the age-range of 0-4 years, and to the possibility of misdiagnosis in the presentation of acute forms and predominance of neutrophils in the liquor.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The clinical laboratory characteristics of 104 cases of cryptococcal meningoencephalitis].

With the purpose of describing the clinical and laboratory characteristics of cryptococcus meningoencephalitis, we reviewed the records of 104 patients admitted with this diagnosis at Couto Maia Hospital, reference for patients with infectious diseases in Salvador-BA Northeastern Brazil, from 1972 to 1996. The patients' age varied from 8 months to 79 years. Sixty-four (61.5%) patients were male. The duration of the disease varied from 2 to 150 days, average 27.7 days. The most common signs and symptoms were headache (92.7%), fever (84.4%) and neck stiffness (83.2%). The cell number in cerebrospinal fluid was greater than 4/mm > or = in 95.8% of the patients with lymphocyte predominance in 86.3% of the cases. The lethality rate was 42.7%.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Aspirin: a neuroprotective agent at high doses?

Aspirin, acetylsalicylic acid, is routinely used in clinics as an analgesic, antipyretic and in the secondary prevention of stroke. These effects are caused by low doses of the drug (0.3-3.6 g/day) through the inhibition of cyclo-oxygenase, the enzyme responsible for prostaglandin synthesis. Higher doses of aspirin (4-6 g/day) are used in the treatment of inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and recent laboratory findings suggest that it could play a role in neuroprotection against glutamate excitotoxicity. This article reviews the possible mechanisms of action of high-dose aspirin in neuroprotection.

Animals↗