RESUMO

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular protozoan infecting birds and mammals. Acute infection is asymptomatic in immune competent people. For immune deficient patients (acquired immune deficiency syndrome, lymphoma patients or those under steroids to prevent organ transplantation rejection) infection may be lethal. We describe an uncommon case of testicular toxoplasmosis in patient under steroids after organ transplantation with no positive serum test for HIV and/or systemic toxoplasmosis.

Assuntos

RESUMO

INTRODUCTION: Approximately 85% of patients who die from prostate cancer present the spread of bone metastases. Even though the radiological appearance of such metastases is osteoblastic, it is now known that these lesions coexist in their microenvironment with blastic and lytic lesions. The process always begins with bone lysis by osteoclast proliferation, paralleling nearby bone deposition. The treatment options are palliative and have poor clinical response with short-lived improvement. We have studied the clinical effect of bisphosphonates (clodronate) in the treatment of skeletal complications from prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In an open prospective study, 58 patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer with bone metastases were assessed from November 2000 to September 2003. The mean age was 70.3 y (range: 51-87 y). Bone scintigraphy, plain X-ray, assaying of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and biochemical tests were requested before and following treatment. Patients were previously and subsequently assessed using the visual pain scale (0-10) and Karnofsky's index after the first and second intravenous (i.v.) infusions (administration of i.v. clodronate every 28 days) and every 4-6 months thereafter. Student's t-test was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: A total of 53 patients (91.4%) showed improvement after the first and/or second cycle, which persisted for at least 4 months (average 6.3 months). The averages on the visual pain scale improved from 7.4 (range: 2-8) to 2.4 (0-7) and on Karnofsky's index from 43 (32-58) to 73 (50-82). The radiological appearance of the metastases improved in 27 patients (46.5%) and there were few relapses (six patients; 10.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Clodronate was effective in the treatment of skeletal complications from prostate cancer. There was an objective response in 91.4% of treated patients, with a marked improvement in the subjective visual pain scale evaluation as well as on Karnofsky's index, with low side effects.

Assuntos

RESUMO

CONTEXT: Multiple genetic and epigenetic factors have been implicated in the oncogenesis and progression of prostate cancer. The major difficulty is in that the clinical management stems from the reality that reliable and accurate prognostic biomarkers are not available and that effective treatment regimens forming hormone-resistant prostate cancers are yet to be developed. Among the most important regulators of apoptosis and programmed cell death is the bcl-2 gene and its related proteins. Elevated levels of bcl-2 protein may contribute to the progression of prostate cancers to a metastatic and hormone-insensitive state characterized by poor responses to chemotherapy. OBJECTIVE: To characterize the expression of bcl-2 proteins as a prognostic factor in humans. DESIGN: A retrospective approach. SETTING: Urology section, Federal University of São Paulo. DIAGNOSTIC TEST USED: Immunohistochemical analysis using bcl-2 protein antibody and normal staining by hematoxylin-eosin. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: Prognostic relations and protein expression were evaluated considering the total sample (28) divided into two groups, high (8 to 10) and low (2 to 4), separated according to the histological differentiation grade (Gleason score) with 10 and 18 samples, respectively. RESULTS: The differentiation of grade into two groups separated according to the Gleason score in low and high types presented different bcl-2 expression (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The higher frequency of bcl-2 immunostaining in tumor samples was observed in association with more advanced Gleason scores and suggests that an increase in the ratio of this anti-apoptotic protein often occurs during progression of prostate cancers.

Assuntos

Assuntos

RESUMO

In order to study the effects of the pH and the urine infected by Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis on chromic catgut, polyglycolic acid (PGA) and polyglactin 910 (P910), we divided the experiment into three steps. In the first step, the behavior of suture material immersed in sterile urine, urine infected by E. coli and urine infected by P. mirabilis and in culture environment infected by P. mirabilis was studied. The physical features were observed continuously up to the 6th day. In the second step, every element of the urea-splitting reaction was isolatedly studied , without the presence of bacterial agents. And in the last step, that reaction was mimetized in sterile environments and in environments with acid and alkaline pH. While the chromic catgut was kept integral in all the environments, the PGA and the P910 dissolved in urine infected by Proteus, which was caused by the ammonia resulting from the urea-splitting reaction. This dissolution was also observed in sterile environment (mimetization of the urea-splitting reaction by urease, with no Proteus). The destruction of the sutures was not influenced by the pH variance.

Assuntos