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Biomedical subjects

S Ferreira

Publications and source records attributed to S Ferreira.

26 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Blood pressure disturbance in diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Arterial hypertension and, less often, postural hypotension are frequently associated with diabetes mellitus, and with diabetic complications and death. AIM: To review data on the relationship between hypertension and nephropathy in diabetes mellitus. METHODS: We reviewed data on both retinopathy and nephropathy in hypertensive diabetic patients. Data suggesting that vasopressin levels might affect blood pressure in upright patients with postural hypotension due to cardiocirculatory diabetic neuropathy were also examined. Antihypertensive treatment during different phases of diabetic nephropathy in insulin-dependent diabetes was reviewed. RESULTS: The data showed that hydrochlorothiazide and nitrendipine reduce urinary protein excretion in parallel with a reduction in blood pressure. However, the decreases in urinary protein excretion induced by captopril are not correlated with a reduction in blood pressure and may be related to decreases in intraglomerular pressure found in patients with mild renal failure taking furosemide. Domperidone, a peripherally acting dopaminergic antagonist is an additional therapeutic option for the treatment of diabetic postural hypotension.

Antihypertensive Agents↗
PubMed1988

Photoperiodic adjustments in hypothalamic amines, gonadotropin-releasing hormone, and beta-endorphin in the white-footed mouse.

This study was undertaken to examine short photoperiod (SD; 8 h of light, 16 h of darkness)-induced alterations in reproductive endocrine and neuroendocrine parameters in the male white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus. Exposure to SD for 8 weeks caused dramatic reductions in testis and seminal vesicle weights, decreased circulating LH and testosterone levels, and lowered the content of LH in the pituitary gland relative to those in mice under long photoperiod (LD; 16 h of light, 8 h of darkness). These changes were associated with significant increases in content of radioimmunoassayable GnRH in the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) and anterior hypothalamus at two time points in the light/dark cycle: 2100 h (dark phase) and 0900 h (light phase), respectively. Exposure to SD also caused an increase in radioimmunoassayable beta-endorphin in the MBH and preoptic area of the hypothalamus (POA) at 2100 h, but not at 0900 h. Mice exposed to SD also had a significantly higher metabolism of serotonin in the MBH at 0900 and 2100 h compared to mice under LD. The concentration of noradrenaline in the hypothalamus was unaffected by exposure to SD. However, the metabolism of dopamine (DA) in the POA at 0900 h was significantly increased relative to that in mice maintained under LD at this time. This increase in DA metabolism was associated with enhanced immunocytochemical staining for tyrosine hydroxylase in nerve fibers of the POA. Conversely, staining for tyrosine hydroxylase in tuberoinfundibular DA cell bodies of the arcuate nucleus was less intense under SD exposure. From these data it is concluded that exposure to SD caused regional and time-dependent alterations in the activities of hypothalamic amines (serotonin and DA) and neuropeptides (beta-endorphin and GnRH). These changes may be part of the neuroendocrine mechanism for SD-induced seasonal adaptations.

Amines↗
PubMed1979

Surgical treatment of Ebstein's anomaly. Early and late results in twenty patients subjected to valve replacement.

Twenty patients with Ebstein's anomaly underwent corrective operations between 1965 and 1978. Sixteen were in Functional Class III or IV (N.Y.H.A.) and four were in Class II but were having episodes of anoxia, syncope, or a rapid increase in cardiac size. In the first 10 cases (1965 to 1972) the tricuspid valve was replaced with a Starr-Edwards prosthesis, and in the second group (1972 to 1978) a dura mater valve was used. Five patients also underwent plication of a very large atrialized right ventricular segment. The atrial septal defect was closed totally in four cases, partially in eleven cases, and left open in five cases; one patient also underwent closure of the ventricular septal defect. Four patients died in the immediate postoperative period, three of whom were in the first group. There were three late postoperative deaths in the remaining 16 patients, all of them in the first group. All 13 of the surviving patients are in Functional Class I, except for one patient who is in Class II.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prevalence of HIV-2 infection in a family planning clinic in Lisbon.

A significant proportion (10%) of notified AIDS cases in Portugal are due to HIV-2 infection as a result of the close connections of Portugal with Western African Countries (ex-Portuguese colonies) where there is a high HIV-2 seroprevalence. We conducted a seroepidemiological study of HIV-1 and HIV-2 infection in 1400 women attending family planning and antenatal clinics in a health centre in Lisbon with the objective of analysing whether there was evidence of HIV-2 spread in this population. The seroprevalence for HIV, as determined by ELISA and confirmed by Western Blot, was 0.42% (6 cases) and 50% of these were of HIV-2 infection. Analysis of the epidemiological inquiries reveals that out of the 6 seropositive cases, only one was a drug addict (HIV-1) and another a western African black woman (HIV-2). The other 4 cases (2 HIV-2 and 2 HIV-1) were white Portuguese women with no history of travelling to Africa or previous blood transfusions, and the only risk factor was a history of multiple sexual partners (in 3 out of 4).

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy: a report of 3 cases]

OBJECTIVE: To drive pediatrician's attention to a syndrome wwich has as its typical clinical presentation a thoracic cage abnormality which evolves to respiratory distress and death during the first two years of life.METHODS: We describe three cases of patients with clinical and radiographic findings characteristic of asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy (Jeune's Syndrome): short and narrow thoracic cage and abnormal development of the ribs. A brief review of the literature on the subject is also included.RESULTS: The three patients are older then two years of age. They did not present life threatening pulmonary complication nor respiratory distress, in contrast to most of the cases reported in the literature.CONCLUSIONS: Even though the number of occurrences of this syndrome is quite low, it must be consider when conducting a differential diagnostic related to thoracic cage abnormalities. It is important to emphasize the degree of variability of the pulmonary lesions and the progress of the disease. However, most articles on the subject point to a grim outcome.

Journal Article↗