RESUMO
The aim of this paper was to evaluate the immune reconstitution of HIV-1 patients subjected to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for two years or more according to CD45RA and CD45RO cell count; determination of IL-2, IFN-gamma, IL-4, IL-10 and TNF-alpha serum levels; CD4+ T and CD8+ T lymphocyte count; and plasma viral load (VL) determination. For this purpose, a cross sectional study was carried out in the Tropical Diseases Area, Botucatu School of Medicine, São Paulo State University, UNESP, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil. Between June 2001 and April 2002, 37 HIV-1 infected patients were evaluated, 13 with treatment indication but untreated (G1), 9 subjected to HAART for 5-7 months (G2), and 15 treated for two years or more (G3); both treated groups used medication regularly and without failure. Forty-nine normal individuals were studied as controls (GC-1 and GC-2). There was a tendency (p<0.10) for the predominance of two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) associated with one non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) regimen in G2; and two NRTI associated with a protease inhibitor (PI) in G3. Statistical differences between groups were seen for CD45RA (G1<[G3=GC-2]; p<0.05) and CD45RO (G1
Assuntos
Adulto , Humanos , Masculino , Feminino , Fármacos Anti-HIV , Terapia Antirretroviral de Alta Atividade , Citocinas , HIV , Sistema Imunitário , /uso terapêutico , Imunidade , BiomarcadoresRESUMO
The venom of Lonomia obliqua caterpillar may induce a hemorrhagic syndrome in humans, and blood incoagulability by afibrinogenemia when intravenously injected in laboratory animals. The possible antithrombotic and thrombolytic activities of L. obliqua caterpillar bristle extract (LOCBE) were evaluated in this study. The minimal intravenous dose of the extract necessary to induce afibrinogenemia and anticoagulation was 3.0 and 10.0 microg protein/kg body weight for rabbits and rats, respectively. In rabbits, this dose induced total blood incoagulability for at least 10 h and did not reduce the weight of preformed venous thrombi, in contrast to streptokinase (30,000 IU/kg). In rats, pretreatment with 5.0 and 10.0 microg/kg LOCBE prevented the formation of thrombi induced by venous stasis or by injury to the venous endothelium. The dose of 5.0 microg/kg LOCBE did not modify blood coagulation assay parameters but increased bleeding time and decreased plasma factor XIII concentration. When the extract was administered to rats at the dose of 10.0 microg/kg, the blood was totally incoagulable for 6 h. These data show that LOCBE was effective in preventing experimental venous thrombosis in rats, justifying further studies using purified fractions of the extract to clarify the mechanisms of this effect.
Assuntos
Anticoagulantes/farmacologia , Venenos de Artrópodes/farmacologia , Coagulação Sanguínea/efeitos dos fármacos , Fibrinolíticos/farmacologia , Trombose Venosa/prevenção & controle , Animais , Anticoagulantes/uso terapêutico , Venenos de Artrópodes/uso terapêutico , Tempo de Sangramento , Fator XIII/análise , Fibrinolíticos/uso terapêutico , Veias Jugulares/efeitos dos fármacos , Masculino , Coelhos , Ratos , Ratos Wistar , Veias Cavas/efeitos dos fármacosRESUMO
The venom of Lonomia obliqua caterpillar may induce a hemorrhagic syndrome in humans, and blood incoagulability by afibrinogenemia when intravenously injected in laboratory animals. The possible antithrombotic and thrombolytic activities of L. obliqua caterpillar bristle extract (LOCBE) were evaluated in this study. The minimal intravenous dose of the extract necessary to induce afibrinogenemia and anticoagulation was 3.0 and 10.0 æg protein/kg body weight for rabbits and rats, respectively. In rabbits, this dose induced total blood incoagulability for at least 10 h and did not reduce the weight of preformed venous thrombi, in contrast to streptokinase (30,000 IU/kg). In rats, pretreatment with 5.0 and 10.0 æg/kg LOCBE prevented the formation of thrombi induced by venous stasis or by injury to the venous endothelium. The dose of 5.0 æg/kg LOCBE did not modify blood coagulation assay parameters but increased bleeding time and decreased plasma factor XIII concentration. When the extract was administered to rats at the dose of 10.0 æg/kg, the blood was totally incoagulable for 6 h. These data show that LOCBE was effective in preventing experimental venous thrombosis in rats, justifying further studies using purified fractions of the extract to clarify the mechanisms of this effect
Assuntos
Animais , Ratos , Coelhos , Masculino , Anticoagulantes , Venenos de Artrópodes , Coagulação Sanguínea , Fibrinolíticos , Trombose Venosa , Anticoagulantes , Venenos de Artrópodes , Tempo de Sangramento , Fator XIII , Fibrinolíticos , Veias Jugulares , Ratos Wistar , Veias CavasRESUMO
Histochemical, ultrastructural and morphometric methods were used to study growth patterns of red, pink and white muscle fibres and their relation to body weight and total length in the fast-growing freshwater fish Piaractus mesopotamicus Holmberg. The correlations amongst body weight, body length and diameter of red, pink and white fibres were low. From 10-15 to 40-50 cm, body weight increased 102.7 times, while the diameter of each type of fibre increased by factors of 0.94, 0.74 and 0.70, respectively. Muscle fibres revealed different morphological and histochemical stages of maturation. The frequencies of < 20 microns fibres of red, pink and white muscle tissue in the youngest and oldest classes were 64.5 and 11.0, 38.2 and 7.7 and 24.0 and 1.4%, respectively. In 30-40 cm fish, the frequency of < 20 microns fibres in the red and pink tissue was 24.5 and 25.5%, while in the white tissue it was 11.5%. During sexual maturity (40-50 cm), the recruitment of < 20 microns fibres in white muscle was 1.4%. Muscle fibres of this species showed continuous growth by both hyperplastic and hypertrophic mechanisms, and hyperplasia was particularly active in the juvenile phase.
Assuntos
Peixes/anatomia & histologia , Músculos/anatomia & histologia , Animais , Constituição Corporal , Peso Corporal , Brasil , Peixes/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Larva/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Fibras Musculares Esqueléticas/ultraestruturaRESUMO
Using the laboratory mice, Fuenzalida-Palacios mouse brain human rabies vaccine was administered in groups of animals previously inoculated with rabies virus and then submitted to treatments with the immunomodulators onco-BCG, avridine and Propionibacterium acnes. Humoral and cellular immune responses were evaluated through the macrophage inhibition factor (MIF), intra-pad inoculation (IPI) and serum neutralization (SN) tests and by the detection of gamma-interferon (IFN-gamma). The IPI test was not effective in detecting the response of delayed-type hypersensitivity, contrary to MIF, which showed the immune cellular response. Higher levels of IFN-gamma were observed in the groups of mice vaccinated and treated with avridine and P. acnes. Although immunomodulating activities have been detected, the use of adjuvants with the Fuenzalida-Palacios type vaccine in mice did not reveal any encouraging results.
Assuntos
Adjuvantes Imunológicos/uso terapêutico , Vacina BCG/imunologia , Diaminas/imunologia , Propionibacterium acnes/imunologia , Vacina Antirrábica/imunologia , Raiva/imunologia , Animais , Anticorpos Antivirais/biossíntese , Antivirais/imunologia , Encéfalo/virologia , Feminino , Humanos , Injeções Intramusculares , Indutores de Interferon/imunologia , Camundongos , Testes de Neutralização , Raiva/prevenção & controleRESUMO
The cellular and humoral immune responses of mice inoculated with rabies virus and treated with the Bacillus of Calmette-Guérin, Avridine and Propionibacterium acnes were evaluated in this paper. There was a higher percentage of surviving mice in groups submitted to P. acnes treatment. Lower levels of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) were found in infected mice. The intra-pad inoculation test (IPI) was not effective to detect cellular immune response, contrary to the results found in MIF reaction. The survival of mice did not present correlation with the levels of antirabies serum neutralizing (SN) antibodies titers, IFN-gamma concentration and MIF response.
Assuntos
Adjuvantes Imunológicos/farmacologia , Vacina BCG/farmacologia , Diaminas/farmacologia , Propionibacterium acnes/imunologia , Raiva/imunologia , Animais , Formação de Anticorpos , Vacina BCG/imunologia , Diaminas/imunologia , Ensaio de Imunoadsorção Enzimática , Feminino , Interferon gama/análise , Camundongos , Fatores de TempoRESUMO
Avaliou-se a resposta imune celular e humoral de camundongos inoculados com virus rabico de rua e submetidos aos imunomoduladores Onco-BCG, avridina e Propionibacterium acnes. Os animais submetidos ao tratamento com P. acnes apresentaram um maior percentual de sobrevivencia quando comparados aos dos demais tratamentos. Foram observados menores niveis de IFN-gama nos animais infectados, sugerindo imunossupressao viral. O teste do Coxim Plantar nao foi eficaz para a deteccao da resposta de hipersensibilidade retardada na metodologia utilizada, contrariamente ao MIF. A sobrevivencia dos animais nao apresentou correlacao com os niveis de anticorpos soroneutralizantes, concentracao de IFN-gama e resposta ao MIF
Assuntos
Animais , Camundongos , Feminino , Propionibacterium acnes/isolamento & purificação , Raiva/terapia , Adjuvantes Imunológicos/uso terapêutico , Vacina Antirrábica/uso terapêutico , Interferons/uso terapêutico , Hipersensibilidade Tardia , Imunidade Celular , Mycobacterium bovis/efeitos dos fármacos , Formação de Anticorpos , Testes de NeutralizaçãoRESUMO
The extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and soleus (SOL) muscle fibres from albino rats submitted to experimental chronic alcoholism were evaluated in accordance with their metabolic and morphometric profiles. Twenty-seven male animals aged 4 months and weighing approximately 400 g were used. The animals were divided into three groups: control, isocaloric and alcoholic and sacrifices were carried out after 5, 10 and 15 months. The muscles were dissected, removed, cross-sectioned in a cryostat and submitted to the NADH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) reaction. The SO (slow-twitch-oxidative), FG (fast-twitch-glycolytic) and FOG (fast-twitch-oxidative-glycolytic) muscle fibre types exhibited a polygonal, triangular or rounded shape and did not present noteworthy modifications in either muscles during the study. The cross-sectional areas of the fibres from the studied muscles did not present significant differences during the observations. Fibre area behaved similarly in the alcoholic animals up to the 10th month, i.e. it was decreased, as also observed in the other groups. At 15 months, however, all fibres were increased, with a predominance of FG fibres in the SOL muscle. Changes in fibre population were observed mainly in the SOL muscle of alcoholic animals: SO fibres were initially increased in number but decreased after the 10th month, and the opposite was observed for the population of FG fibres. FOG fibres increased linearly in number throughout the experiment. The statistical analysis showed nevertheless that the fibre population and cross-sectional area changes were not significant. In the alcoholic animals quantitative variations of muscle fibres were more evident in the SOL muscle, suggesting that the SOL muscle is more sensitive to the toxic action of ethanol. The results concerning the increased fibre diameter in alcoholic animals would be associated with muscle oedema induced directly or indirectly by the ethanol.
Assuntos
Alcoolismo/patologia , Músculo Esquelético/patologia , Alcoolismo/metabolismo , Animais , Di-Hidrolipoamida Desidrogenase/análise , Glicólise , Masculino , Fibras Musculares de Contração Rápida/patologia , Fibras Musculares de Contração Lenta/patologia , Músculo Esquelético/citologia , Músculo Esquelético/metabolismo , Ratos , Valores de ReferênciaRESUMO
Responses of vaccination and treatment to immunomodulators against rabies in mice were evaluated through macrophage inhibition factor (MIF), intra-pad inoculation (IPI) and serum neutralization (SN) tests and by the detection of gamma-interferon (IFN-gamma). Onco-BCG, Avridine and Propionibacterium acnes were administered to groups of mice. Higher survival rates were found in animals treated with P. acnes. Lower levels of IFN-gamma were observed in the groups of infected and vaccinated mice. The IPI was not effective on detecting the response of delayed-type hypersensitivity. Vaccine induced in the infected animals a more intense response to MIF reaction.
Assuntos
Adjuvantes Imunológicos/administração & dosagem , Vacina BCG/administração & dosagem , Diaminas/administração & dosagem , Propionibacterium acnes/imunologia , Raiva/prevenção & controle , Animais , Vacina BCG/imunologia , Diaminas/imunologia , Feminino , Interferon gama/metabolismo , Fatores Inibidores da Migração de Macrófagos/metabolismo , Camundongos , Testes de Neutralização , Raiva/imunologia , Vacina Antirrábica/administração & dosagem , Vacina Antirrábica/imunologia , VacinaçãoRESUMO
The authors studied the Mitsuda reaction in 37 leprosy patients (18 reactional tuberculoid, 19 reactional borderline cases) and compared the results with clinical findings, histopathology and bacilloscopy. Evaluation of the Mitsuda reaction was carried out on days 30, 60, 90 and 120. Most of the reactional tuberculoid patients showed a Mitsuda reaction of +3 in opposition to the reactional borderline patients who showed only +. Bacilloscopic analysis revealed that in 75% of the reactional tuberculoid cases there were rare or no bacilli; bacilli were present in 95% of the reactional borderline cases. The authors conclude that reactional tuberculoid cases have a greater ability to clear bacilli than reactional borderline cases, and that the Mitsuda reaction is a useful tool for the differentiation between these two types of leprosy.