The Effect of Taurine on Hepatic Steatosis Induced by Thioacetamide in Zebrafish (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Danio rerio</Emphasis>)

Background  

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is one of the most prevalent forms of chronic liver disease in the Western world. Taurine is a conditionally essential amino acid in humans that may be a promising therapy for treating this disease.     

Clinical diagnosis of hyposalivation in hospitalized patients

Objective

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of clinical criteria for the diagnosis of hyposalivation in hospitalized patients.

Material and Methods

A clinical study was carried out on 145 subjects (48 males; 97 females; aged 20 to 90 years). Each subject was clinically examined, in the morning and in the afternoon, along 1 day. A focused anamnesis allowed identifying symptoms of hyposalivation, like xerostomia complaints (considered as a reference symptom), chewing difficulty, dysphagia and increased frequency of liquid intake. Afterwards, dryness of the mucosa of the cheecks and floor of the mouth, as well as salivary secretion during parotid gland stimulation were assessed during oral examination.

Results

Results obtained with Chi-square tests showed that 71 patients (48.9%) presented xerostomia complaints, with a significant correlation with all hyposalivation symptoms (p<0.05). Furthermore, xerostomia was also significantly correlated with all data obtained during oral examination in both periods of evaluation (p<0.05).

Conclusion

Clinical diagnosis of hyposalivation in hospitalized patients is feasible and can provide an immediate and appropriate therapy avoiding further problems and improving their quality of life.     

Influence of HLA-DRB-1 alleles on the production of antibody against CSP, MSP-1, AMA-1, and DBP in Brazilian individuals naturally infected with Plasmodium vivax

We evaluated the influence of allelic frequency of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) -DRB1 on the acquisition of antibody response against malaria sporozoite and merozoite peptides in patients with Plasmodium vivax malaria acquired in endemic areas of Brazil. IgG antibodies were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay against four peptides of circumsporozoite protein (CSP) (amino, carboxyl, and VK210 and VK247 repeats) and peptides of merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP-1), apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA-1), and Duffy-binding protein (DBP). We found an association between HLA-DR3 and HLA-DR5 alleles and lack of antibody response to CSP amino terminal, as well as an association between HLA-DR3 and the highest antibody response to MSP1 (Pv200L). In conclusion, we suggest a potential regulatory role of the HLA-DRB1 alleles in the production of antibodies to a conserved region of P. vivax CSP and MSP1 in Brazilian population exposed to malaria.     

Severe Thrombotic Events Associated with Dengue Fever,Brazil

Dengue fever has been a major problem in hospital settings in Brazil for the past 15 years. The main concern has been the severe forms, i.e., dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome. Hemorrhagic events of different degrees have also been a major concern. We report five cases of large vein thrombotic events associated with the acute phase of dengue fever, including a previously non-reported case of mesenteric vein thrombosis. Complications such as these could have been overlooked in the diagnosis of dengue fever, given that the major concern is the hemorrhagic event.Dengue fever frequently affects Brazil, where thousands of cases have been diagnosed annually and all four dengue virus serotypes (DENV-1 through DENV-4) have been reported, sometimes concurrently in the same region.^1,2 Hemorrhagic events of different degrees have often been described in dengue, but thrombotic events have not been extensively reported, despite the wide range of increased procoagulant activity during illness.^1,3–8 During a recent outbreak, several cases of thrombotic events affected large veins in dengue fever patients. We report cases of unusual and overlooked complication of dengue fever.From January 2011 through March 2011 during a local outbreak of dengue fever caused by DENV-1 and DENV-2 according to local health officials, five patients were given diagnoses by imaging techniques (pulmonary computed tomography angiography, cholangio-magnetic resonance imaging, and Doppler ultrasound of lower extremities) as having large vessel thrombosis. These patients were part of 92 serologically confirmed (by immunochromatographic strip test or IgM antigen-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) patients with dengue (60% women and 40% men, median age = 39 years, age range = 10–99 years) admitted to Monte Sinai Hospital (200 beds) in Juiz de Fora, (population = 500,000), Minas Gerais, Brazil. This study was approved by the Ethical Committee of Monte Sinai Hospital.Twenty-three patients (25%) were classified as having dengue shock syndrome or dengue hemorrhagic fever and 4 deaths were recorded (case-fatality rate = 4.3%). These thrombotic patients represented 5.4% of all dengue inpatients. All thrombotic events were identified within the first five days of illness, and all patients had symptoms compatible with the reported thrombotic event at hospital admission. No thrombotic events were identified among the remaining patients during hospitalization, and none of the patients them received drugs for thrombosis prophylaxis, which is contraindicated in dengue.The demographic and clinical characteristics of the five patients are summarized in Figure 1), which was associated with jaundice and severe sepsis by Escherichia coli demonstrated by blood culture. Known risk factors for thrombotic events such as smoking, use of oral contraceptives, and being overweight were absent in all patients and none had had any similar diagnosis or symptoms.Open in a separate windowFigure 1.T1-weighted cholangio-magnetic resonance image with contrast of dengue patient 5 showing the superior mesenteric vein (SMV) with a large thrombus (arrow) occupying the vein lumen. SMA = superior mesenteric artery; IVC = inferior vena cava; Ao = aorta.

Table 1

Demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics of five dengue fever patients with thrombotic events, Brazil^*

A new genetic abnormality leading to TP53 gene deletion in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

The analysis of chromosomal abnormalities provides significant prognostic information in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), a disease with a highly heterogeneous clinical course. Chromosomal abnormalities commonly found are trisomy 12, del(13)(q14), del(11)(q22-23), del(17)(p13) and del(6)(q21). Translocations are present in some patients and affect regions recurrently involved in CLL. This report describes the clinical and pathological characteristics of four CLL patients showing a new recurrent chromosomal abnormality dic(8;17)(p11;p11), that implied loss of the TP53 gene in all cases. In addition, TP53 gene was mutated in three out of four patients. Mechanically, Low Copy Repeats (LCR) in 17p12 and 8p11 may explain the origin of the translocation by non-allelic homologous recombination (NAHR). Isolated dic(8;17)(p11;p11) in patients with mutated IGHV genes status may not have the same prognostic impact as other mutations or deletions affecting the TP53 gene. Larger series are needed to better evaluate the clinical impact of this chromosomal aberration during the course of the disease.