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Biomedical subjects

M C Silva

Publications and source records attributed to M C Silva.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Spirituality and prayer research: a select annotated bibliography.

As the world has become more complex, so too have our ethical conceptualizations about it. In the 1970s, ethical theories and principle-based bioethics dominated. Then clinicians and scholars began to experience the limitations of these two approaches when used alone. In the 1980s, women's voices began to be heard through both feminist ethics and the ethic of care. In addition, virtue ethics and casuistry again gained recognition. During the 1990s and as we are about to enter the 21st century, ethics has expanded to capture the concepts of narrative ethics and spirituality. This select annotated bibliography focuses on spirituality and on prayer research.

Ethics, Nursing↗
PubMed1998

Developmental exposure to methamphetamine: a neonatal model in the rat.

Taking into account that methamphetamine (MA) is a popular recreational drug among young adult women, i.e., in gestational age, the present model aims to assess the effects of its exposure during development. In this experimental model, MA effects are assessed in the rat during the first month of life, regarding both general growth parameters, and gross morphological effects in the retina as part of the evaluation of sensory systems. Experimental animals were obtained from 60-day-old nulliparous females. Litters were culled to 8 pups (4 males and 4 females, whenever possible), individually marked and weighed every two days. Experimental groups received 10 mg (+)methamphetamine hydrochloride kg body weight/day, subcutaneously, twice daily, from postnatal day (PND) 1 to the day before sacrifice; control groups received isovolumetric doses of saline, in the same protocol. Pups were weaned on PND 21. Groups were sacrificed on PND 5, 7 and 30. Animals exposed to MA presented increased percentage of retinal hemorrhages (18, 7 and 11% on PND 5, 7 and 30, respectively) compound to control groups (2% on PND 7, 0% on PND 5 and 30). On PND 30, the mean body weight of males exposed to MA was 75% of the mean weight of male controls, whereas for females, mean body weights were 70% of those of female controls. These findings support the view that developmental parameters in the rat are deleteriously affected by early exposure to MA.

Aging↗
PubMed1998

Differences in the frequency of cytokine-producing cells in antigenemic and nonantigenemic individuals with bancroftian filariasis.

Individuals with clinical manifestations of lymphatic filariasis may be currently infected or not. Twenty-five individuals from a Wuchereria bancrofti-endemic area of Brazil were classified as being asymptomatic microfilaremic individuals, antigenemic individuals with clinical filariasis, or nonantigenemic individuals with clinical filariasis. Intracellular cytokine staining of mitogen-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) showed that the frequency of either gamma interferon (IFN-gamma)- or interleukin-4 (IL-4)-producing cells was higher in the nonantigenemic individuals with clinical filariasis than in the asymptomatic microfilaremic individuals (geometric means, 22.1 versus 10.7% [P = 0.02] and 2.9 versus 1.4% [P = 0.01], respectively). When the asymptomatic microfilaremic individuals and antigenemic individuals with clinical filariasis were grouped together to constitute all actively infected individuals, the frequency of IFN-gamma-producing cells was also lower than in the nonantigenemic individuals with clinical filariasis (P = 0.04). Likewise, the frequency of IL-4-producing cells in the actively infected individuals was also lower than in the nonantigenemic individuals with clinical filariasis (P = 0.02). No differences in the frequency of IFN-gamma-, IL-4-, or IL-5-producing cells in purified CD4 T lymphocytes were found among the groups. These findings suggest that the presence of antigenemia, which is an indicator of current active infection, is closely associated with the frequency of IFN-gamma- and IL-4-producing cells in lymphatic filariasis. The differences found in the frequency of cytokine-producing cells among the three groups appear to be due to a subset of cells other than CD4 T cells.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

delta-Aminolevulinate dehydratase inhibition by ascorbic acid is mediated by an oxidation system existing in the hepatic supernatant.

The effect of ascorbic acid (AA) on hepatic delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALA-D) activity was studied. AA decreased enzyme activity by reducing maximum velocity and tended to increase the Michaelis constant. ALA-D inactivation by AA occurred similarly both in air and argonium atmosphere incubation. DTT reduced considerably the inhibitory effect of AA on ALA-D, but glutathione was ineffective in reversing inactivation. These data indicate that inhibition occurs mainly due to an acceleration of the oxidation rate mediated by the hepatic supernatant utilizing AA in sulfhydryl groups of cysteine residues present at the ALA-D active site. AA probably acts on cysteine from the ALA-D B site since cucumber and radish leaves ALA-D was not inhibited by AA (up to 16 mM). The addition of free radical scavengers to the medium did not alter ALA-D inactivation caused by AA, indicating that active oxygen species formed during AA oxidation were not directly related to -SH oxidation. The chelation of zinc ions from the enzyme by EDTA turned ALA-D more susceptible to the inhibitory effect of AA. This effect seems to involve mainly ZnB, which is known to bind to four cysteines. The present data suggest that AA may participate in the regulation of the heme biosynthesis pathway by promoting a reversible inactivation of ALA-D.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Learning in the Africanized honey bee: Apis mellifera L.

Several series of experiments are reported that investigate learning in the Africanized honey bee. In the first series, classical conditioning of proboscis extension was studied by confining bees to small metal tubes where they received pairings of an odor with a 3-s feeding of sucrose. After a number of odor-sucrose pairings, the bees began to extend their proboscis to the odor. Controls include Unpaired, Discrimination, and Pseudoconditioning Groups. This technique was used to look at conditioning to a light CS, and to the odors of beeswax, geraniol, citral, and hexanal. The results indicate that acquisition was best when sucrose was paired with the odor of beeswax. Conditioning to the remaining odors was roughly similar, but acquisition did not occur using a light. In a second series of experiments, odors were no longer followed by sucrose feedings and the conditioned response slowly disappeared. With the exception of geraniol as a CS, this extinction effect did not occur if the animals continued to be fed on an unpaired schedule. In a third series of experiments, conditioned inhibition was demonstrated when geraniol was used as conditioned stimuli, but no effect was found when the odors of hexanal, citral and wax were used. In a fourth series of experiments, unrestrained bees flew back and forth from the laboratory to the hive, where they were taught to distinguish targets based on color and odor. With this technique, color and odor discrimination in the Africanized bees was demonstrated. In addition, it was found that more intruder bees visited the experimental station when the stimuli used were olfactory rather than visual.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Synovial sarcoma: immunohistochemical expression of P-glycoprotein and glutathione S transferase-pi and clinical drug resistance.

Our purpose was to study the role of the expression of P-glycoprotein (Pgp) and glutathione S transferase-pi (GST-pi) in predicting the response to chemotherapy, relapse-free interval, and survival of patients with synovial sarcoma (SS). Thirty-seven cases of primary SS, without regional lymph node or distant metastases, were studied. There were 17 females and 20 males, ranging in age from 7 to 81 years (median, 31 years) with tumors located in the lower extremity (n = 24) upper extremity (n = 5) and trunchus (n = 8). The cases were retrospectively studied without knowledge of clinical course to compare the immunohistochemical expression of Pgp and GST-pi, flow cytometry parameters (ploidy and % of cells in S+G2 phases), and PCNA and Ki-67 labeling of primary tumors before any therapy, with that observed in local recurrences and metastases after chemotherapy. The relationship of the aforementioned parameters with clinicopathological features (gender, age, and histo-blood group of the patients, size, location, histological subtype. TNM stage, and clinical response to chemotherapy of the tumors) was also evaluated. Results revealed that Pgp and GST-pi were expressed in 29.7% and 40.5% of the cases, respectively. In 48.6% of the tumors there was expression of a least one of the drug resistance markers. The markers were coexpressed in 25.0% of the tumors. The prevalence of Pgp expression was lower, but not significantly, in stage I-II (17.6%) than in stage III (40.0%) tumors, and also in cases without clinical progression (16.7%), than in cases with (36.0%). No such differences were observed for GST-pi expression. Pgp and GST-pi expressions were significantly associated with biphasic SS and were particularly noticeable in solid/glandular areas of biphasic SS. The expression of the drug resistance markers was not significantly associated with gender, age, and histo-blood group of the patients, dimension, location, and proliferative activity of the tumors; it was also not significantly related to relapse-free interval and survival of the patients. The expression of Pgp and GST-pi was not significantly associated either to response to chemotherapy or influenced by chemotherapy. We conclude that Pgp and GST-pi expressions are not good predictors response to of the chemotherapy in patients with localized SS. Other drug resistance mechanisms may be active in SS.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Mem↗
PubMed1997

Hereditary ataxias and spastic paraplegias: methodological aspects of a prevalence study in Portugal.

A project for studying the prevalence of hereditary ataxias (HA) and familial spastic paraplegias (FSP) in Portugal was set up in 1993. The ascertainment of patients in previous prevalence studies relied mainly on the information of hospital admissions and out-patient contacts with the neurology and other related departments at central hospitals covering the whole region surveyed. Many patients might be overlooked if large populations were studied using this method, since registers at central hospitals are very incomplete and for most part not yet computerized. On the other hand HA and FSP are rare diseases appearing in family clusters, and it would be unreasonable to undertake a sample survey based upon a suitable frame of the Portuguese population. Therefore we decided to carry out a two-phase prevalence survey at district level, involving the collaboration of all physicians working in the district health institutions and the population, in the screening of eligible subjects in phase 1. All subjects screened as positive were examined by a neurologist in phase 2. This method provided a direct estimate of false positives and false negatives were all patients also examined in phase 2, who came to our knowledge using other sources of information. The prevalence of hereditary ataxias and spastic paraplegias in the pilot district was 6.4 per 100,000 inhabitants. The sensitivity of the screening procedure was 81.2% and the predictive value of a positive screening was 25%. Considering the geographically circumscribed district nature of the populations to be studied, the comprehensive sources of case identification used and the high adherence of the health professionals involved, we believe that this method can be widely used, particularly in countries with similar health care services.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[Prognostic factors in intraparenchymatous cerebral hemorrhages. An analysis of a hospitalization series].

We studied 76 patients, with the diagnosis of spontaneous intracerebral haematoma confirmed by CT scan, admitted to the Internal Medicine Department of S. Pedro Hospital, Vila Real, from 1991 to 93. Neurologic examination, radiological characteristics, previous diseases, clinical evolution and treatment were analysed to select prognostic factors in relation to length of stay, functional status and mortality. Length of stay varied between 1 and 63 days and it is estimated that 50% of these patients have a length of stay of less than 22 days. In what concerns length of stay, the localisation of haematoma (p < 0.001) and presence/absence of systemic infections (p < 0.001) were the most significant prognostic factors. The haematomas localised in the brain stem or cerebral deep massive and the occurrence of systemic complications were associated to a longer hospital stay. None of the parameters analysed were related to functional status (Rankin scale), despite the fact that functional impairment was present in 57.1% of the patients whose hemorrhage had ventricular blood, compared with 27.5% whose hemorrhage had no ventricular blood. In this series, the mortality rate was 29.2% and the presence/absence of ventricular blood was the most important prognostic factor (p < 0.001). The mortality rate in patients whose haematoma presented ventricular blood was five times higher than in the remainder.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Differential effects of prenatal exposure to cocaine and amphetamine on growth parameters and morphometry of the prefrontal cortex in the rat.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differential effects of prenatal exposure to psychostimulants, e.g., cocaine or amphetamine, on basic growth parameters and morphometry of the medial prefrontal cortex of the rat. A group of pregnant Wistar rats was given 60 mg/kg body weight/day of cocaine hydrochloride and another group 10 mg/kg body weight/day of d-amphetamine sulfate, subcutaneously, from gestational days 8 to 22. Control groups of pregnant rats were pair-fed; litters were culled to eight pups (4 males and 4 females) weighed every other day until postnatal day 30 and every week until day 90. The body weight growth patterns modelled by a Gompertz curve were different in rats prenatally exposed to the two psychostimulants. Rats exposed to amphetamine had on average a slower growth than those exposed to cocaine, reaching an identical estimated adult weight. Allometric relationships between forebrain and body weight and cerebellum and body weight were described by two distinct postnatal growth phases that are different among the experimental groups. In the comparison of the two psychostimulants the relative cerebellum/body growth is lower in the offspring of the cocaine group than in the amphetamine group between PND14-PND30; between PND30-PND90 the relative growth rate is considerably higher in the offspring of the cocaine dams compared to that of the amphetamine dams. Groups of perfused animals were selected at postnatal days 14 and 30 to analyze the morphometric organization of the medial prefrontal cortex. In serial celloidin sections the volumes of the prefrontal cortex were determined; the number of neurons per unit volume of reference area was calculated using the stereological technique of the disector. The changes found in the morphometric parameters show a catch-up at postnatal day 30 of the "increased" density of neurons of the medial prefrontal cortex found at postnatal day 14. These data show differential growth patterns of offspring from cocaine- and amphetamine-exposed rats; a delayed development in the achievement of normal morphometric parameters of neurons in the prelimbic subarea of the medial prefrontal cortex occurs in the prenatally amphetamine-exposed offspring at early ages, and a catch-up is found after the first month of life. Complementary studies are needed to assess whether these changes have functional implications in the rats exposed prenatally to psychostimulants.

Amphetamine↗
PubMed1996

The effects of prenatal exposure to cocaine on the dopaminergic cells in the rat retina. An immunocytochemical and neurochemical study.

There is a growing consensus that the development of the eye is affected by prenatal exposure to cocaine. Considering that the retina is affected by prenatal cocaine exposure, that this drug affects the dopaminergic systems, that the dopaminergic cells in the retina show a well-defined pattern of development and that they can be specifically stained in wholemounts by the antibody anti-tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), this study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of in utero cocaine exposure on the dopaminergic cells of the rat retina. Pregnant Wistar rats were given 60 mg (kg body weight)-1 day-1 of cocaine hydrochloride, subcutaneously, from gestational days 8 to 22. Control groups of pregnant rats were pair-fed. At PND14, 30 and 90, male offspring from different litters were perfused with fixative and the retinas processed as wholemounts and immunostained with the antibody anti-TH. Rats from other groups were decapitated at the same post-natal ages, the retinas dissected and processed by neurochemical techniques to measure the concentrations of dopamine, its metabolites and the turnover of dopamine. There was a significant increase of the retina surface area between PND14-30 in the control group, which was not found in the cocaine group. The density of the immunostained small TH cells was lower in the cocaine groups. No drug-effects were detected in the density of the large TH cells. The densities of the total large and small cells in the superior, inferior and nasal hemiretinas were similar to those found in the whole retinas; however, in the temporal hemiretinas of the cocaine groups, the density of the large TH cells was higher and of the small TH cells was lower than in controls, resulting in an absence of effects on the total density of TH-cells in this hemiretina. A transient increase in the level of dopamine metabolite (DOPAC) and of the turnover of dopamine at PND14 was detected in the cocaine groups. All quantitative parameters reached normal values, in all groups, at PND90. These results show that, during the critical periods in which catecholamines can influence the development of neurons, cocaine transiently affects the pattern of dopaminergic neurons in the retina. This may have functional importance due to the role of this neurotransmitter as a regulatory and/or trophic factor in developing neuronal circuitries.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid↗
PubMed1996

Effects of prenatal exposure to amphetamine in the medial prefrontal cortex of the rat.

This study was designed to investigate the effects of prenatal exposure to amphetamine in the organization of the medial prefrontal cortex of the rat, by an evaluation of growth, morphometric and neurochemical parameters. Pregnant Wistar rats were given 10 mg/kg body weight/day of D-amphetamine sulfate, subcutaneously, from gestational days 8 to 22. Control groups of pregnant rats were injected with saline, pair-fed or non-manipulated; litters were culled to eight pups (four males and four females), weighed every other day until postnatal day 30 and every week until day 90. The Gompertz model was used to study body weight evolution and the estimated growth parameters were not significantly different in the experimental groups. At postnatal days 14 and 30, the volumes of the prefrontal cortex, the fraction of neuropile occupied by neurons and the number of neurons per unit surface are were determined. The number of neurons per unit volume of reference area was calculated using the stereological technique of the dissector. For neurochemical analysis, the medial prefrontal cortex was dissected to measure the concentration of dopamine, serotonin and their metabolites. The allometric relationship of forebrain/body growth pointed to a mechanism of sparing and compensatory growth in the amphetamine exposed group. The changes found in the number of neurons per unit volume at postnatal day 14 show a catch-up at postnatal day 30. A decrease in serotonin levels was found in the amphetamine group compared with the pair-fed control, which was reflected in the ratio of serotonin to its metabolite, 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid. These changes, whether permanent or transitory, raise the possibility that some of the effects of prenatal exposure to amphetamine may be due to modifications in the neurotransmitter levels of serotonin.

Amphetamine↗