Galectina-3 Associada a Formas Graves e Mortalidade em Longo Prazo em Pacientes com Doença de Chagas

Background The histopathological characteristics of Chagas disease (ChD) are: presence of myocarditis, destruction of heart fibers, and myocardial fibrosis. Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a biomarker involved in the mechanism of fibrosis and inflammation that may be useful for risk stratification of individuals with ChD.Objectives We sought to evaluate whether high Gal-3 levels are associated with severe forms of Chagas cardiomyopathy (CC) and whether they are predictive of mortality.Methods We studied anti-T. cruzi positive blood donors (BD): Non-CC-BD (187 BD without CC with normal electrocardiogram [ECG] and left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF]); CC-Non-Dys-BD (46 BD with CC with abnormal ECG but normal LVEF); and 153 matched serum-negative controls. This cohort was composed of 97 patients with severe CC (CC-Dys). We used Kruskall-Wallis and Spearman’s correlation to test hypothesis of associations, assuming a two-tailed p<0.05 as significant.Results The Gal-3 level was 12.3 ng/mL for Non-CC-BD, 12.0 ng/mL for CC-Non-Dys-BD, 13.8 ng/mL for controls, and 15.4 ng/mL for CC-Dys. LVEF<50 was associated with higher Gal-3 levels (p=0.0001). In our linear regression adjusted model, we found association between Gal-3 levels and echocardiogram parameters in T. cruzi-seropositive subjects. In CC-Dys patients, we found a significant association of higher Gal-3 levels (≥15.3 ng/mL) and subsequent death or heart transplantation in a 5-year follow-up (Hazard ratio – HR 3.11; 95%CI 1.21–8.04; p=0.019).Conclusions In ChD patients, higher Gal-3 levels were significantly associated with severe forms of the disease and more long-term mortality, which means it may be a useful means to identify high-risk patients. (Arq Bras Cardiol. 2021; 116(2):248-256)     

Psychometric methods for diagnosing and monitoring minimal hepatic encephalopathy —current validation level and practical use

Metabolic Brain Disease - Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is cerebral dysfunction caused by liver failure and inflicts 30-40% of patients with liver cirrhosis during their disease course. Clinically...     

Melatonin suppresses NO-induced apoptosis via induction of Bcl-2 expression in PGT-beta immortalized pineal cells

In the present study, we investigated whether melatonin would prevent nitric oxide (NO)-induced apoptotic death of PGT-beta immortalized pineal cells. To examine the protective effect of melatonin, cytotoxicity assay, DNA fragmentation analysis, caspase-3 activity assay, and Western blotting for caspase-3 and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) were performed. Treatment of cells with S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), an NO donor, was shown to induce apoptotic cell death in a dose-dependent manner, and pretreatment with melatonin (0.1 mm) attenuated the occurrence of NO-induced apoptotic cell death. DNA fragmentation in response to NO was also arrested by melatonin. Caspase-3 activity induced by NO was decreased with melatonin treatment. Furthermore, the active fragments of caspase-3 and PARP were almost completely absent following exposure to melatonin. To elucidate the protective mechanisms of action of melatonin, Western blot analyses for Bcl-2 expression and cytochrome c release were carried out. Pretreatment with melatonin (0.1 mm) induced the expression of Bcl-2 and suppressed the release of cytochrome c into the cytosol, thereby arresting NO-induced apoptotic cell death. These results suggest that the antiapoptotic effect of melatonin is associated with induction of Bcl-2 expression in PGT-beta cells, which in turn blocks caspase-3 activation and inhibits cytochrome c release into the cytosol.     

The effectiveness of interventions to reduce the household economic burden of illness and injury: a systematic review

Objective

To determine the nature, scope and effectiveness of interventions to reduce the household economic burden of illness or injury.

Methods

We systematically reviewed reports published on or before 31 January 2014 that we found in the CENTRAL, CINAHL, Econlit, Embase, MEDLINE, PreMEDLINE and PsycINFO databases. We extracted data from prospective controlled trials and assessed the risk of bias. We narratively synthesized evidence.

Findings

Nine of the 4330 studies checked met our inclusion criteria – seven had evaluated changes to existing health-insurance programmes and two had evaluated different modes of delivering information. The only interventions found to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure significantly were those that eliminated or substantially reduced co-payments for a given patient population. However, the reductions only represented marginal changes in the total expenditures of patients. We found no studies that had been effective in addressing broader household economic impacts – such as catastrophic health expenditure – in the disease populations investigated.

Conclusion

In general, interventions designed to reduce the complex household economic burden of illness and injury appear to have had little impact on household economies. We only found a few relevant studies using rigorous study designs that were conducted in defined patient populations. The studies were limited in the range of interventions tested and they evaluated only a narrow range of household economic outcomes. There is a need for method development to advance the measurement of the household economic consequences of illness and injury and facilitate the development of innovative interventions to supplement the strategies based on health insurance.     

CaMKIIδ and cardiomyocyte Ca2+ signalling new perspectives on splice variant targeting

Control of cardiomyocyte cytosolic Ca²⁺ levels is crucial in determining inotropic status and ischemia/reperfusion stress response. Responsive to fluctuations in cellular Ca²⁺, Ca²⁺/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is a serine/threonine kinase integral to the processes regulating cardiomyocyte Ca²⁺ channels/transporters. CaMKII is primarily expressed either in the δ_B or δ_C splice variant forms, which may mediate differential influences on cardiomyocyte function and pathological response mechanisms. Increases in myocyte Ca²⁺ levels promote the binding of a Ca²⁺/calmodulin complex to CaMKII, to activate the kinase. Activity is also maintained through a series of post‐translational modifications within a critical region of the regulatory domain of the protein. Recent data indicate that the post‐translational modification status of CaMKIIδ_B/δ_C variants may have an important influence on reperfusion outcomes. This study provided the first evidence that the specific type of CaMKII post‐translational modification has a role in determining target selectivity of downstream Ca²⁺ transporters. The study was also able to demonstrate that the phosphorylated form of CaMKII closely co‐localizes with CaMKIIδ_B in the nuclear/myofilament fraction, contrasting with a co‐enrichment of oxidized CaMKII in the membrane fraction with CaMKIIδ_C. It has also been possible to conclude that a hyper‐phosphorylation of CaMKII (Thr287) in reperfused hearts represents a hyper‐activation of the CaMKIIδ_B, which exerts anti‐arrhythmic actions through an enhanced capacity to selectively increase sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺ uptake and maintain cytosolic Ca²⁺ levels. This suggests that suppression of global CaMKIIδ may not be an efficacious approach to developing optimal pharmacological interventions for the vulnerable heart.     

Laypersons' views of material incentives for enhancing colorectal cancer screening

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC) early detection improves health outcomes; screening programmes invest efforts in initiating invitations to target populations to be tested. Enhanced adherence is essential for reduction of morbidity and mortality. Participation rates in Israel are still relatively low.

Objective

To explore lay views regarding the concept of receiving material incentives in exchange for enhanced adherence to CRC screening.

Research design

Qualitative study. Between November 2009 and February 2010 six focus group discussions were carried out in two urban, middle and low socio‐economic status primary care clinics in a Northern city in Israel. Participants were eligible individuals for CRC screening, aged 50–68 (N = 24). Data analysis followed the principles of grounded theory, supported by qualitative software.

Results

Participants found administering incentives in exchange for CRC screening inappropriate on rational and moral grounds. They valued their relations with the medical team and the health system more than the potential gain expected. Individuals eligible for CRC screening perceived themselves as responsible for their health, admitting difficulties in realizing this responsibility. Incentives were reported unsuitable for solving reported screening difficulties and a potential harm to the doctor–patient relationship.

Conclusions

Focus group participants expressed an unconventional voice towards the use of material incentives. They pointed to the need for focused support of health behaviour change and valued their autonomy. While a proportion of the invitees in the target population see the importance of screening and appreciate the HMO''s initiative to invite them for testing, they also expressed their need for support from the HMO in realizing the recommended health behaviour.     

Serotonin Transporter and Tryptophan Hydroxylase Gene Variations Mediate Working Memory Deficits of Cocaine Users

Cocaine users consistently develop working memory (WM) impairments but the mediating molecular mechanisms are unknown so far. Recent evidence suggests that the serotonin (5-HT) system is altered by chronic cocaine use, while also being involved in WM processing. Thus, we investigated the effects of genetic variations impacting 5-HT activity and of peripheral 5-HT transporter (5-HTT) mRNA expression on WM performance in cocaine users and stimulant naive controls. Two hundred twenty participants (126 cocaine users, 94 controls) were assessed with visuospatial, spatial, and verbal WM tasks, genotyped for the length polymorphism in the promoter region of the 5-HTT (5-HTTLPR), the variable number of tandem repeats in the second intron of the 5-HTT (VNTR In2), two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (rs4570625 and rs1386497) in the tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (TPH2) gene and quantified for peripheral 5-HTT mRNA expression in whole-blood samples. Several significant gene × environment interactions between 5-HT genotypes and cocaine use on WM emerged: in cocaine users, the long/long (5-HTTLPR), 9+10/9+10 (VNTR In2) and C/C (TPH2 rs1386497) genotypes were risk alleles for WM impairments, whereas in healthy controls these polymorphisms were associated with improved WM performance. Analogously, high 5-HTT mRNA levels were associated with worse executive WM performance in cocaine users but with increased performance in controls. These gene × environment interactions suggest that the 5-HT system has an important role in the development of cognitive deficits in chronic cocaine users. Hence, pharmacological compounds targeting 5-HT neurotransmission might be promising for the treatment of cognitive deficits in cocaine dependence.     

Residual HBV DNA and pgRNA viraemia is associated with hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis B patients on antiviral therapy

Journal of Gastroenterology - We aimed to assess whether residual hepatitis B virus (HBV) viraemia is associated with HCC development. This is a case–control study of 104 patients [52 HCC and...