Biomedical subjects

M C Mota

Publications and source records attributed to M C Mota.

22 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Role of glycation in human lens protein structure change.

PURPOSE: Protein glycation may be involved in cataract development, by altering protein structure, particularly amino acid composition, and formation of fluorophores through a Maillard reaction. This study was designed to evaluate major changes in early and advanced (fluorescent) glycation products, with special emphasis on glycation-induced changes in amino acid composition of lens proteins. METHODS: We analyzed 50 human cataractous lenses (25 diabetic and 25 non-diabetic). Glycated proteins were isolated by affinity chromatography. Glycated and non-glycated proteins were separated by molecular sieve chromatography and further analyzed by RP-HPLC to establish the amino acid content. Early glycation levels were determined as furosine content and advanced glycation products were quantified by the characteristic fluorescence. RESULTS: Specific lens fractions (HMW and LMW) present significant differences in fluorescence levels between glycated and non-glycated proteins, specially in cataractous lenses from diabetic patients in which all proteins analyzed presented higher glycation levels than in non-diabetic patients. The amino and analysis of glycated proteins also revealed some important differences in specific basic residues (namely Lys, Arg and His) compared to the non-glycated fraction. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that protein glycation may be involved in changes in amino acid composition and fluorophore formation. This process may well account for the increased risk factor that diabetes represents for cataract development.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Functional evaluation of the corneal endothelium using anterior segment fluorophotometry].

The AA have studied the permeability of the corneal endothelium by anterior segment fluorophotometry using instillation of fluorescein. The Fluorotron Master TM has been modified with the introduction of a new slit (58.4 microns) and of the voltage output (6.5 v) has also been increased. The resolution has been improved from 2.39 mm to 0.59 mm. Of this study, we have examined 20 patients submitted to extracapsular cataract extraction with intraocular lens implantation (ECCE + IOL). The patients have been divided in two groups, according to the surgical technic used: "can-open" and intracapsular. Each patient have been submitted before surgery and 1 week after to an ophthalmologic examination, paquimetry and anterior segment fluorophotometry. The permeability coefficient (PAC) increases with the duration of surgery and when using "can-opener" instead of endocapsular.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Use of aminoglycoside antibiotics in a general hospital: kinetics consequences in those patients whose blood levels are not monitored].

A surprise monitoring of plasma aminoglycoside level was carried out in our Hospital in 55 patients. Basal samples and samples one hour after i.m. or i.v. administration were obtained. A protocol sheet with personal, clinical and therapeutic data was filled for each patient. The FPIA analysis technique (CV less than 5%) was used. Only the data related to gentamicin were evaluated, because the number of patients receiving other aminoglycosides was very low (5 cases). The most usual dose and interval were 80 mg (91%) and 12 hours (69%), respectively. The administration routes were i.v. (52%) and i.m. (48%). Blood urea and/or creatinine levels were not measured in 22% of patients. The baseline gentamicin levels were subtherapeutic in 30%, therapeutical in 57%, and toxic in 13%, and 50%, 46% and 4%, respectively, for the levels after one hour. In patients with abnormal renal function a good correlation could be demonstrated (r = 0.96; p less than 0.001) between creatinine level and gentamicin 1/2 time. This correlation was absent in patients with normal renal function. When the dose of the antibiotic was adjusted to the weight of the patient, the frequency of therapeutic levels was higher (47%; p less than 0.03); in these cases, the most common administration interval was 8 hours (p less than 0.01). We emphasize the lack of control of the renal function in 22% of patients, stressing that the lack of monitoring systematically results in potentially subtherapeutic levels in more than one half of the investigated patients (57%).

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Incidence of rotavirus in the Menino Jesus Pediatric Hospital (SP): ELISA--a practical and efficient method for its detection].

Seventy infants and children with age from 2 months to 4 years old were admitted to "Hospital Infantil Menino Jesus", in São Paulo, Brazil, in the period from March 1983 to June 1984 with acute diarrhea. Feces from these patients were analysed in the search of rotavirus and enteropathogenic bacteria (Shigella, Salmonella and E. coli), for the purpose of defining the role of rotavirus as an agent of acute diarrhea in infants and young children in this country. ELISA (Enzyme-linked Immuno Sorbent Assay) was the method of choice for the search of rotavirus, because of its simplicity of management and the high sensitivity of the results. Rotavirus alone was imputed as the cause of acute diarrhea in 12 patients (17.7%), with ages from 2 months to 3 years old and in 2 patients in association with Shigella. All but one of the patients with rotavirus were undernourished and none of the infants had been breast fed before the disease.

Brazil↗