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Biomedical subjects

M Braga

Publications and source records attributed to M Braga.

173 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

A survey of sensitivity to anticoccidial drugs in 60 isolates of coccidia from broiler chickens in Brazil and Argentina.

Coccidia were isolated from 90 broiler farms in 15 poultry-producing areas in Brazil and Argentina. Sixty isolates were tested for sensitivity to 7 anticoccidial drugs. The common species were: a) Eimeria tenella, 47 isolates; b) E. maxima, 49 isolates; c) E. acervulina, 44 isolates; d) E. mitis, 26 isolates; and e) E. brunetti, 12 isolates. Isolates were considered sensitive to drugs if intestinal lesion scores of medicated broilers were reduced by at least 50% compared with unmedicated infected broilers or if weight gain was at least 75% of that of uninfected birds in a 6-day laboratory test. According to lesion scores, there was evidence of resistance or seriously reduced sensitivity to monensin in 20 isolates, narasin in 29, salinomycin in 11, maduramicin in 1, clopidol in 36, amprolium in 40, and nicarbazin in 1. According to broiler weight gain, there was resistance to monensin in 36 isolates, narasin in 32, salinomycin in 28, maduramicin in 2, clopidol in 28, amprolium in 50, and nicarbazin in 4. These results suggested incomplete cross resistance of coccidia to polyether ionophorous drugs. The degree of resistance might be explained by previous patterns of use of these drugs.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Lack of improvement of prognostic performance of weight loss when combined with other parameters.

This prospective study was designed to evaluate the ability of single and combined prognostic parameters in predicting postoperative infections in cancer surgical patients. The evaluation was based on multiple logistic analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The Younden's index (YI) was used to select threshold values of the parameters. This analysis was applied in 398 patients undergoing curative elective surgery for gastric, colorectal, or pancreatic cancer. At admission, the percentage of body weight loss, serum albumin, total lymphocyte count, total iron-binding capacity, and serum cholinesterase activity were evaluated. In all patients, the type and rate of postoperative infection were recorded. Multiple logistic analysis showed weight loss as the most predictive variable (p = 0.02), when taken individually. Its best cutoff value was 10% (YI = 1.27, p = 0.00001, ROC area = 0.62). When serum albumin was added as the second-best variable, with a threshold of 35 g/L, the combined YI was 1.27, and the ROC area was 0.65 (p NS vs. weight loss). Total lymphocyte count dichotomized at 2200 million/L was the third variable added to weight loss and serum albumin (YI = 1.31, ROC area = 0.59). In conclusion, weight loss split at 10% appears as the only index with a moderate prognostic performance that is worth evaluating in the preoperative nutrition assessment. A nonsignificant improvement of predictive ability was obtained by the combination of serum albumin, total lymphocyte count, total iron-binding capacity, or serum cholinesterase activity.

Cholinesterases↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Off-treatment course of cisplatin-induced dorsal root ganglia neuronopathy in rats.

As yet little is known about the off-treatment course of cisplatin (CDDP) neurotoxicity. In this study we evaluated in the rat how the pathological changes in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons and the electrophysiological alterations in peripheral nerves induced by chronic CDDP administration evolved after drug withdrawal. Twelve female Wistar rats were treated with CDDP and 3 of them were sacrificed 1, 5, 10 and 20 weeks after treatment. The results of the experiment indicated that: 1) the damage induced by sub-lethal doses of CDDP in the DRG neurons is reversible, 2) the first structures to be damaged are the DRG neurons (mostly their nucleoli) and 3) both damage and recovery in the follow-up period involve first the DRG neurons and subsequently the peripheral nerves.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Thymopentin increases the survival of mice after allogeneic blood transfusion, bacterial gavage, and burn injury.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of blood transfusion on mortality and the incidence of bacterial translocation in mice subjected to thermal burn or bacterial gavage, or both, and to assess the influence of thymopentin on mortality. DESIGN: Randomly controlled experiments. SETTING: University departments of surgery, immunology and nuclear medicine. MATERIAL: 235 Balb/c (H-2d) and C3H/HeJ (H-2k) mice. INTERVENTIONS: 8 groups of 20 mice each received: saline infusion (controls), blood transfusion (BT) alone, 20% burn alone, gavage with 1 x 10(10) Escherichia coli alone, BT and gavage, BT and burn, burn and gavage, or BT, burn, and gavage. A further 3 groups of 10 mice were all gavaged with 111In-biotin labelled E coli and randomised to additional BT and burn, BT alone, or burn alone. 98 mice that had had BT, burn, and gavage, were then randomised to receive thymopentin 0, 0.1, 1, or 5 mg/kg/day for 15 days. The impact of the pretreatment with thymopentin on PGE2 concentration was also evaluated in a separate group of 45 mice that received BT, burn, and gavage; or burn and gavage. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Survival, degree of translocation. RESULTS: The highest mortality (75%) was in the BT, burn, and gavage group. BT alone significantly reduced survival in burned mice, whereas BT alone or associated with gavage had no effect. Thermal injury had the most influence on bacterial translocation, whereas BT did not increase it. Thymopentin significantly improved survival, particularly in the higher doses. The pretreatment with thymopentin significantly reduced PGE2 concentration after BT, burn and gavage. CONCLUSION: Burn injury significantly increased mortality in the presence of immune deficiency caused by BT. Thymopentin reduced mortality, possibly by immunomodulation.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The Italian version of the Functional Disability Index of the Health Assessment Questionnaire. A reliable instrument for multicenter studies on rheumatoid arthritis.

A working group of ten rheumatology institutes (UNIREUM) was formed in Italy to promote multicenter therapeutic studies on rheumatoid arthritis. The Functional Disability Index (FDI) of the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) was chosen as a measure of disability. This paper reports the results of a multicenter study to validate an Italian translation of the instrument and to assess its reliability and validity. Two questions were modified to achieve cross-cultural equivalence. Back-translation into English showed agreement with the American instrument. Reproducibility was high: the test-retest correlation coefficient was 0.989 and ranged from 0.81 to 0.99 for the centers taken separately. Validity was confirmed by a correlation coefficient of 0.95 between the patient self-attributed and the physician-attributed FDI scores. We conclude that our Italian version of the HAQ FDI is a reliable and valid self-administered instrument.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Surgical treatment of gastric adenocarcinoma: impact on survival and quality of life. A prospective ten year study.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The objective of this prospective study was to compare the results of total (TG) versus subtotal (SG) gastrectomy in patients with adenocarcinoma of the lower two-thirds of the stomach. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-seven patients underwent curative operation. Preoperative nutritional assessment, postoperative tumor stage, postoperative morbidity/mortality, five-year survival, postgastrectomy dietary intake and nutritional sequelae were recorded in all patients. RESULTS: Postoperative mortality rate was 2.8% in the TG group and 1.1% in the SG group. The number of reoperations, anastomotic dehiscence rate and the length of postoperative stay were higher in the TG group. Five-year survival was closely related to lymph node involvement and gastric wall invasion. The extent of gastric resection did not influence survival when patients were matched for cancer stage. In the SG group, no recurrence in the gastric stump was observed. SG group showed a higher dietary energy intake than the TG group (p < 0.01). This might explain the ability of the SG group to increase body weight more than the TG group (p < 0.01). Only the TG group needed a monthly parenteral vitamin B12 supplements starting 36 months after surgery. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that SG should be considered the treatment of choice of the gastric adenocarcinoma when a cancer-free proximal resection margin can be guaranteed.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[One-stage curative treatment of neoplastic colonic obstruction: long-term results, comparison with elective surgery and therapeutic implications].

Over a period of ten years (1980-1989) 528 patients with colon cancer were treated at one institution. One hundred seventy nine (33.9%) were obstructed (O) and underwent emergency surgery, while 349 received elective (E) treatment; of these 363 had one-stage curative treatment. Operative mortality was 10.3% (O) and 3.5% (E) respectively (p < .0.5). Three hundred forty three patients survived surgery and entered follow-up: 96 were O (M:F, 54:42) and 247 E (M:F, 119:128, p = N.S.). Their mean age was 69.5 and 64.4 (p < .001), respectively. Dukes' stage and histological grading were evenly distributed within the two groups, but sites of the primary were not (p < .001). During the follow-up local recurrence occurred in 40 patients (13 O, 27 E, p = N.S.) and metastatic disease in 78 (28 O, 50 E, p < .05, Life Table Analysis) including liver recurrence in 17 O and 30 E (p = .063). Five year crude survival (51%) was significantly worse in obstructed patients. Multivariate analysis showed that Dukes' stage and obstruction were the only prognostic factors of recurrent disease, while survival was affected by the same variables and age over 70. When recurrent disease was introduced in the model survival depended on Dukes' stage, site of the primary and age over 70 and the variable obstruction disappeared as prognostic factor. Right sided tumours showed a better and those at the splenic flexure a worse prognosis. Despite one-stage curative treatment obstruction carries a significantly higher risk of developing metastatic disease, suggesting that obstruction enhances cancer cell dissemination. These patients might benefit from per-operative intra-portal and post-operative systemic adjuvant chemotherapy.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Erythropoietic response induced by recombinant human erythropoietin in anemic cancer patients candidate to major abdominal surgery.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This trial was designed to quantify the production of new red blood cells (RBCs) after treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin (r-HuEPO). MATERIALS AND METHOD: Twenty anemic patients with gastric or colorectal cancer were prospectively studied. The control group (n = 10) underwent surgery without delay. The experimental group (n = 10) received treatment with 500 U/kg of r-HuEPO divided in three doses which were administrated as follows: 300 U/kg 12 days before surgery and 100 U/kg 4 and 8 days later. RESULTS: RBC gain was 210 +/- 75 mL in the experimental group which received treatment. The erythropoietic response was similar after 300 U/kg (59 +/- 36 mL) or 100 U/kg 75 +/- 24 mL). No correlation was found between RBC gain and age (r = 0.18) or baseline levels of erythropoietin (r = 0.08), hemoglobin (r = 0.06), erythrocytes (r = 0.01), reticulocytes (r = 0.01), iron (r = 0.28) and ferritin (r = 0.08). One treated patient in the experimental group was transfused with allogeneic blood (2 units) versus 5 control patients (overall 13 units) (p = 0.06). CONCLUSION: Preoperative treatment with r-HuEPO improved erythropoiesis and reduced allogeneic transfusions in anemic cancer patients. No significant difference in RBC gains was noted between r-HuEPO administration at 300 U/kg and r-HuEPO administration at 100 U/kg. This result suggests a possible dose reduction for future trials.

Adult↗