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Abnormalities found with anuscopy under colposcopic vision, anal cytology and anal biopsy were evaluated in 21 men with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) at the Federal University of Pernambuco Hospital in Brazil. Mean age was 38.4 +/- 6.0 years, and mean time of HIV infection was 8.3 +/- 5.1 years; 95.2% of the patients had been on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for an average of 6.6 +/- 4.5 years. Mean CD4+ cell count was 482.2 +/- 173.75 cells/mm(3), and 80.9% presented a HIV viral load of < 5,000 copies/mL. Reported sexual preference was 52.4% homosexuals, 28.6% bisexuals, and 19.0%heterosexuals; 81% reported having had receptive anal intercourse and 61.9% reported more than 10 sexual partners of the same sex. Results of anuscopy under colposcopic vision revealed 17 (81.0%) low-grade lesions and/or condylomata or micropapillae and four (19.0%) high-grade lesions with or without condylomata. Among the 21 anal cytology examinations, seven (33.3%) revealed low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL); three (14.3%) presented atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) and 11 (52.4%) were normal. Seventeen patients were submitted to anal biopsy with the following findings: three patients (17.6%) with normal epithelium, one (5.9%) with infection by HPV, three (17.6%) with condylomatas, two (11.8%) with AIN 1, four (23.6%) with AIN 2, three (17.6%) with AIN 3, and one (5.9%) with PAIN 2. Anuscopy under colposcopic vision was found to be useful for detecting anal lesions and for guiding anal biopsies. Anal cytology was less useful, as it underestimated the frequency of lesions.

In developing retina, the nucleus of the elongated neuroepithelial cells undergoes interkinetic nuclear migration (INM), that is it migrates back and forth across the proliferative layer during the cell cycle. S-phase occurs at the basal side, while M-phase occurs at the apical margin of the retinal progenitors. G1 and G2-phases occur along the nuclear migration pathway. We tested whether this feature of the retinal cell cycle is controlled by CK2, which, among its many substrates, phosphorylates both molecular motors and cytoskeletal components. Double immunolabeling showed that CK2 is contained in BrdU-labeled retinal progenitors. INM was examined after pulse labeling the retina of newborn rats with BrdU, by plotting nuclear movement from basal to apical sides of the retinal progenitors during G2. The CK2 specific inhibitor 4,5,6,7-tetrabromobenzotriazole inhibited the activity of rat retinal CK2, and blocked nuclear movement proper in a dose-dependent way. No apoptosis was detected, and total numbers of BrdU-labeled nuclei remained constant following treatment. Immunohistochemistry showed that, following inhibition of CK2, the tubulin cytoskeleton is disorganized, with reduced acetylated and increased tyrosinated tubulin. This indicates a reduction in stable microtubules, with accumulation of free tubulin dimers. The results show that CK2 activity is required for INM in retinal progenitor cells.

An important antitumour effect of SYD-1 (3-[4-chloro-3-nitrophenyl]-1,2,3-oxadiazolium-5-olate) has been shown. We now report the effects of this mesoionic compound on mitochondrial metabolism. SYD-1 (1.5 micromol mg(-1) protein) dose-dependently inhibited the respiratory rate by 65% and 40% in state 3 using sodium glutamate and succinate, respectively, as substrates. Phosphorylation efficiency was depressed by SYD-1, as evidenced by stimulation of the state 4 respiratory rate, which was more accentuated with glutamate ( approximately 180%) than with succinate ( approximately 40%), with 1.5 micromol mg(-1) protein of SYD-1. As a consequence of the effects on states 3 and 4, the RCC and ADP/O ratios were lowered by SYD-1 using both substrates, although this effect was stronger with glutamate. The formation of membrane electrical potential was inhibited by approximately 50% (1.5 micromol SYD-1mg(-1) protein). SYD-1 interfered with the permeability of the inner mitochondrial membrane, as demonstrated by assays of mitochondrial swelling in the presence of sodium acetate and valinomycin +K(+). SYD-1 (1.5 micromol mg(-1) protein) inhibited glutamate completely and succinate energized-mitochondrial swelling by 80% in preparations containing sodium acetate. The swelling of de-energized mitochondria induced by K(+) and valinomycin was inhibited by 20% at all concentrations of SYD-1. An analysis of the segments of the respiratory chain suggested that the SYD-1 inhibition site goes beyond the complex I and includes complexes III and IV. Glutamate dehydrogenase was inhibited by 20% with SYD-1 (1.5 micromol mg(-1) protein). The hydrolytic activity of complex F(1)F(o) ATPase in intact mitochondria was greatly increased ( approximately 450%) in the presence of SYD-1. Our results show that SYD-1 depresses the efficiency of electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation, suggesting that these effects may be involved in its antitumoural effect.

Chagas' disease is a common cause of cardiac autonomic impairment. In an endemic area there is a predominance of the indeterminate form and the number of elderly individuals committed by the disease is increasing. This study aimed to investigate the profile of heart rate variability (HRV) in elderly chagasic patients. 28 aged chagasic (CH), 28 non-chagasic (NC) aged individuals and 28 adults between 20 and 40 years old (YG) were studied. R-R intervals were assessed in time and frequency domains applying an autoregressive algorithm. There was no difference regarding temporal and spectral indices among the elderly groups in baseline. The values of the variance in CH, NC and YG individuals were 891.80, 283.60, 2557.00, showing a reduction of the total HRV in the aged groups when compared to the young control (p < 0.001). During the cold face test, the pNN50 response was significantly different only in the young group (p < 0.001). The temporal and spectral indices were not different among the elderly groups. The percentile changes of the R-R intervals induced by the tilt test in CH, NC and YG were respectively -7.04%, -9.35%, -15.81%, being significantly higher in the young individuals (p < 0.001). There was no difference regarding the percentile changes of the temporal and spectral indices between CH and NC elderly patients. The cardiac autonomic function assessed by HRV parameters presented no differences among the elderly individuals (CH and NC) living in an endemic area.

Purpose: To evaluate the results of the treatment of patients with isolated meniscal injuries of different etiologies., Materials and Methods: 435 patients of both sexes and different age groups underwent meniscectomy after their isolated meniscal injuries were clinically diagnosed and confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance imaging., Results: Most patients achieved good results and were able to return to the activities they had practiced prior to surgery without major limitations., Conclusions: Meniscectomy for the treatment of traumatic meniscal injury provides better results than meniscectomy for the treatment of degenerative meniscal injury. The results of meniscectomy for the treatment of meniscal injury due to fatigue are similar to those of meniscectomy for the treatment of traumatic meniscal injury, although the risk of osteonecrosis development is higher.

Data on presentation, aetiology, and prognostic indicators of childhood pneumonia, which can help design strategies for controlling the disease, are generally scarce in developing countries. In this paper, the distribution of aetiologic agents, clinical presentation, and evolution of pneumonia cases are described, and the factors associated with duration of pneumonia episode and of hospital admission examined. During June 1994-June 1995, 472 children, aged 6-59 months, with clinical diagnosis of pneumonia, who were admitted to hospital or treated as outpatients, were investigated in Recife, Northeast Brazil. Pneumonia, in most cases, was confirmed by radiology. A combination of methods was used for investigating the aetiology of pneumonia. Data obtained on a large number of clinical, socioeconomic and biological variables were analyzed to determine the prognostic factors for the severity and outcome of pneumonia. Bacteria were identified in 26.7% of the cases, while viruses and mixed infections accounted for 8.4% and 2.7% respectively. Haemophilus influenzae (18.9%), Streptococcus pneumoniae (6.4%), and respiratory syncytial virus (5.0%) were most often identified. The pneumonia case-fatality rate was 0.8%. The best clinical predictors of severity were: lung complications at baseline, tachypnoea (for duration of episode), and chest indrawing (for duration of hospital admission). Young age, low birth-weight, and prolonged fever prior to admission to the study also predicted a more prolonged illness, and under-nutrition was a predictor of longer hospital stay. While the development of new vaccines is an important measure for reducing morbidity and mortality due to pneumonia, emphasis on appropriate case management needs to be maintained, with particular attention to children who show the identified risk factors for a poor prognosis.

Whipple's Disease is a rare multisystemic disease caused by Gram-positive bacillus, Tropheryma whippelii, family of Actinobacterias and group of Actinomycetes. Because the disease is rare and has different forms of presentation the diagnosis comes frequently late. The authors present the case of a white man, 50 years old, admitted with a clinical picture characterized by weight loss, abdominal pain, ascites, diarrhea. He suffered of arthralgias for four years. The diagnosis was made by biopsy of mesenteric adenopathies and liver, during the laparotomy. The biopsy specimens showed numerous aggregates of foamy macrophages containing granular periodic acid-shiff (PAS)--positive material, diastase resistant. Afterwards, the bacillus was identified by electronic microscopy. The patient was treated with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Symptoms disappeared and biological values returned to normal. The authors present the case and discuss auxiliary exams, differential diagnosis, follow-up, treatment and review the main characteristics of the disease.

The CREST syndrome initially described as a limited, more indolent form of diffuse scleroderma, is characterized by calcinosis, Raynaud's phenomenon, esophageal dysfunction, sclerodactyly, and telangiectasias. Subsequent studies showed that visceral abnormalities were not uncommon. Pulmonary abnormalities are frequent especially pulmonary hypertension, this one being a major cause of this syndrome's mortality. The authors present the case of white woman, 61 years old , with dyspnoea, cyanosis and peripheral edema with 12 months of evolution. She was admitted for pulmonary thromboembolism suspicion. After investigation the diagnosis of CREST syndrome was made, associated with severe pulmonary hypertension. The patient was treated with varfarina, nicorandil, nifedipine, furosemide and home oxygen. She died 3 months after. The authors discuss the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up.

The genetic variability of 19 Toxoplasma gondii strains isolated from humans and animals in Brazil was detected by both random amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR) and simple sequence repeat anchored-PCR (SSR-PCR) for the first time. Two reference strains, RH (highly virulent) and ME49 (avirulent), were submitted to both assays. Besnoitia sp., Plasmodium falciparum and Babesia bigemina were used as outgroups. RAPD-PCR and SSR-PCR profiles were used for building phenetic trees by unweighted pair group method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA). Phenograms built with TREECONW software showed great similarity in the topology of the trees. Both phenograms presented two major clusters that grouped T. gondii strains according to their murine virulence. The strains AS28, BV and N, which are highly virulent for BALB/c mice, were clustered with the reference strain RH, the highly virulent strain of T. gondii that has been most commonly studied. The group formed by the cystogenic strains showed that the strains which presented a level of virulence more similar to that of ME49 strain (avirulent) also presented a closer genetic relationship. Genetic variation within each lineage was significantly lower (P < 0.05) than that between the lineages. Regarding outgroups, Besnoitia sp. presented the closest relationship to T. gondii while P. falciparum was the most distant. The results presented here demonstrate that intraspecific genetic variability separates Brazilian T. gondii strains into two groups which correlate with murine virulence phenotype.

With the aim of evaluating the cardiac autonomic function in elderly chagasic patients living in an endemic area, we evaluated, by using computadorized heart rate variability, 28 elderly chagasic with the indeterminate form, 28 elderly non chagasic and 28 young healthy control. In all patients we performed conventional electrocardiogram, radiological investigation of thorax, and with contrast of esophagus and colons and echodopplercardiogram. Non chagasic patients did not perform only the exams with contrast. The systolic ventricular function was preserved in all subjects. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups with regard to mean duration of RR intervals. Considering the variance, standard deviation, variation coefficient and pNN50 there was statistically significant difference between the young and elderly groups but no difference was found when the analysis was performed in each one separately for these temporal indexes. We conclude that, in basal condition, the groups of elderly chagasic and no chagasic subjects did not differ as much as the cardiac autonomic modulation in time domain.

Bioassay techniques are not sufficiently sensitive to measure plasma growth hormone nor are they entirely specific for the growth hormone molecule. All these requirements are fulfilled by the radioimmunoassay technique. Successful performance of the GH radioimmunoassay technique is dependent upon the good quality of the protein reagents (antibodies) used and the great care taken in handling both the reagents and the labelled hormone. The described method is based on displacement of the radioiodinated (125I) hormone bound to the first antibody (Ab1 = monkey serum anti-rat's GH) by the sample hormone. The hormone Ab1 complex is precipitated by the Ab2 (rabbit serum anti-monkey gammaglobulin). The radiation of the insoluble precipitate is then counted and the hormone quantitated through a standard curve. In the present paper we dealt with Ab2 obtention, hormone radiolabelling, and the purification of the radioiodinated hormone. The accomplished specific tests showed values of 70% for the hormonal radioiodination efficiency, with 88.7% of the processed hormone being recovered in the pure state. The highest precipitability value of the system was 84.6% whereas using optimal dilutions of the labelled-hormone (1:250) and Ab1 (1:4x10(4)) this value achieved 26.9%. These results are very much in agreement with those notified in the literature. Applying the present protocol to the analysis of plasma-and anterior-pituitary-gland-GH content from young-adult Wistar male rats kept on normal feeding schedule and rest conditions the values obtained were 82 +/- 28 ng/ml (plasma) and 63 +/- 15 ng/mg (pituitary), respectively.

During histological and physiological investigations of black vultures (Coragyps atratus) dissection revealed the presence of an "organ", the supracloacal chromolipoid body, which has no counterpart among other warm blooded animals. The organ occurs in both sexes and in birds of different ages. It is located in the median sagittal plane dorsal to the cloaca. It is enveloped by a smooth muscle-connective tissue capsule and has a rich blood supply. The supracloacal body is yellow-brown in color being composed chiefly of islands of pigment cells.Histochemically, the pigment is a chromolipoid as defined by Ciaccio.