Adenosine deaminase inorganic effectors in normal and abnormal cerebrospinal fluid

Adenosine deaminase [ADA] is one of the key enzymes in purine nucleotide degradation. This enzyme exists in most of the human tissues, its activity is high in lymphatic tissues, especially in T lymphocytes. To determine the effect of divalent elements on ADA activity in normal and abnormal cerebrospinal fluid. ADA activity in C.S.F was estimated by Galanti and Guisti coloremetric method, read at 628 nm. and the effect of divalent elements on ADA activity in normal and abnormal C.S.F was studied, by using 0.015 M of each solution of [Mg[2+], Co[2+], Cu[2+], Zn[2+], Mn[2+], Fe[2+], Ca[2+]]. All elements, except Mg[2+], have an inhibitory effects ranging from slight inhibition caused by Ca[2+], which gave 95.24% activity after inhibition, till the strong inhibition caused by Cu[2+] which gave 32.31% activity. Although Mg[2+] was found to have an activating effect. In addition, the activity percentage of ADA after inhibition was decreased simultaneously with the increasing of Cu[2+] concentration.The inhibitory effect of Cu[2+] on ADA activity in abnormal C.S.F was higher than that in normal C.S.F. The same resuls was shown in the effect of Co[2+]. ADA activity in normal C.S.F was inhibited by the effect of several divalent elements, the inhibitary effect of Co[2+] and Cu[2+] on ADA activity in abnormal C.S.F was than in normal

Desempenho do teste ELISA - "conta" na rotina laboratorial para o diagnóstico da neurocisticercose humana / Performance of ELISA - \"bead\" test for human cysticercosis diagnosis in laboratoryal routine

O teste ELISA-"conta" foi empregado em 1.141 amostras de líquido cefalorraquiano. Do total dessas amostras, 1.061 eram oriundos de pacientes com quadro clínico e/ou imagem tomográfica sugestivos de neurocisticercose e 80 amostras-controle, de pacientes com quadros clínico-neurológicos diversos, sendo afastada a possibilidade de possuírem neurocisticercose. Em 205 dessas amostras, foram aplicadas duas metodologias imunoenzimáticas. A primeira utilizando "contas" de poliestireno como suporte (ELISA-"conta") e a Segunda utilizando o antígeno adsorvido em microplaca (ELISA). Observou-se correlaçäo de 94,6 porcento entre os dois testes. Os autores salientam que as vantagens do ELISA-"conta" como o menor custo do suporte, e a possibilidade de dispensar o uso de um aparelho leitor de microplacas, geralmente de alto custo, tornam este método atraente para laboratórios de pequeno porte

Comparative values of CSF-LDH isoenzymes in neurological disorders.

The present study was carried out to evaluate the usefulness of Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) isoenzymes in the diagnosis in tuberculous meningitis (TBM), pyogenic meningitis (PM), viral encephalitis (VE) and hydrocephalus (HC). A characteristic dominance of isoenzymes in cerebrospinal fluid was observed: LDH4 in TBM while LDH3 in PM. However, in VE and HC, LDH2 and LDH1 were dominant respectively. The control subjects revealed the presence of isoenzymes LDH1 and LDH2 in very low concentrations. Pattern of LDH isoenzymes in CSF may serve as a diagnostic tool to differentiate these neurological disorders.

Non increased neuron-specific enolase concentration in cerebrospinal fluid during first febrile seizures and year follow-up in pediatric patients

Febrile seizures are the commonest acute neurological disorder of early childhood. Studies suggested that febrile seizures are previous acute events from a more serious neurological problem. Due to neuron-specific enolase is generally accepted as a marker for neuropathological processes in the brain, 16 pediatric patients were studied during their first seizures and a year after it. Neuron-specific enolase in cerebrospinal fluid and blood were analysed by an immune enzyme assay. Non pathological neuron-specific enolase values were obtained in both periods in the group of patients. There no significative differences when paired series statistics test was performed with 95 per cent of confidence. Neuron-specific enolase appears not to be a marker for febrile seizures because its concentration not be increased in cerebrospinal fluid in this group of patients.

A reaçäo imunoenzimática para neurocisticercose no líquido cefalorraquidiano: correlaçäo com a reaçäo de Weinberg e imunofluorescência indireta / The immunoenzimatic assay to neurocysticercosis in the cerebrospinal fluid: correlation with Weinberg's reaction and indirect immunofluorescence

Com o objetivo de correlacionar as metodologias empregadas no imunodiagnóstico de neurocisticercose (NNC), os autores realizaram as reaçöes de Fixaçäo de Complemento (FC), imunofluorescência indireta (IFI), e enzimaimunoensaio (ELISA) em 1547 amostras de líquido cefalorraquidiano (LCR provenientes de pacientes com suspeita de NCC atendidos no Hospital Universitário Regional do Norte do Paraná (HURNP), no período de fevereiro de 1991 a fevereiro de 1993. As reaçöes imunológicas no LCR foram realizadas no Setor de Imunologia Clínica do HURNP, empregando para a reaçäo de FC a técnica quantitativa de Kolmer com extrato alcóolico de Cysticercus cellulosae como antígeno (Lio Serum); IFI com lâminas contendo fragmentos de parasitas fixados (Lio Serum), conjugado fluorescente anti-IgG humano (Biolab Merieux) e a reaçäo de ELISA, empregando extrato salino do antígeno de Cysticercus cellulosae, segundo padronizaçäo descrita na literatura, e demais reagentes (conjugado enzimático peroxidase, substrato OPD, H2SO4 1 N) da Abbott Laboratories. Como grupo controle utilizou-se de 50 amostras de LCR normais, provenientes de pacientes atendidos em outros serviços do HURNP. Os resultados permitiram classificar as amostras em 2 grupos I - 1281 (82,81 porcento) näo apresentaram nenhuma reaçäo reagente para NCC e II - 263 (17,0 porcento) apresentaram, pelo menos, uma reaçäo imunológica reagente para NCC...

Cerebro-spinal fluid enzymatic changes in patients of acute cerebral infarctions

C.S.F. enzymes [CK, LDH and AST] were determined in 30 patients suffering from acute cereebral infarction [22 patients thrombotic and 8 patients embolic], 18 males and 12 females with age ranged from 19 to 70 years on the 1st, 3rd and 10 the days of occurance of the stroke, as well as in 10 healthy control persons of matched age and sex. There was significant elevation of C.S.F. CK on the 1st and 3 rd days while non significant mc-crease was observed on the tenth day as compared to control group. Meanwhile CSF LDH showed a non significant elevation in the three occations. As regards C.S.F. AST, it was increased insignificantly on the 1st and 10th days and significantly on the 3 rd day as compared to the control group. Also non significant difference was observed between the thrombotic and Embolic groups

Cerebrospinal dehydrogenases in central nervous system infections.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dehydrogenases were studied in 42 controls, 23 children with pyogenic meningitis, 22 with tuberculous meningitis and 19 with encephalitis to assess their usefulness in differentiating between the different central nervous system infections. CSF-LDH and ICD activity was increased in CNS infections (p less than 0.0001), LDH being significantly higher (p less than 0.001) in pyogenic meningitis than in tuberculous meningitis or encephalitis. However, ICD activity was significantly different in each of these conditions (p less than 0.001). The dehydrogenase activity declined with subsequent clinical improvement, in all children with meningitis. A significant direct relationship was found between the enzyme activity and CSF protein content as well as total cell count. The 95% confidence interval confirms the utility of assaying CSF dehydrogenase activity to differentiate various CNS infections, thus improving the diagnostic ability.

Importancia de la ecosonografía craneal en el diagnóstico diferencial entre hemorragia intraventricular y meningitis en recién nacidos. Pretérmino / Importance of the craneal echosography in the differential diagnosis between intra-ventricular hemorrhage and meningitis in preterm newborn infant

Se presentan 4 casos de recién nacidos pretérminos, referidos a la consulta de ecosonografía de la Maternidad Concepción Palacios, para examen craneal con diagnósticos clínicos sospechosos de meningitis bacteriana por el examen del líquido cefalorraquídeo. Los hallazgos ecosonográficos revelaron signos evidentes de hemorragia intraventricular, desde grado I al III. Se continuó con controles hasta el egreso y luego por consulta externa. Se describen los hallazgos en cada caso. Se concluye que en los pretérmino, sobre todo los de bajo peso, en los cuales la clínica y el estudio del líquido cefalorraquídeo pueden confundir el diagnóstico entre una meningitis y una hemorragia y ante la elevada frecuencia de ésta en este grupo de niños, el ultrasonido es el método mas confiable, y al alcance de muchas instituciones para el diagnóstico definitivo y seguimiento de las complicaciones

La actividad de la enzima convertidora se encuentra incrementada en el líquido cefalorraquídeo de las ratas espontáneamente hipertensas (SHR) / The activity of converting enzyme is increased in cerebrospinal fluid in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR)

Se determinó la actividad de la enzima convertidora (EC,Kinasa II) del líquido cefalorraquídeo de ratas de 4 y 16 semanas de edad, espontáneamente hipertensas (SHR) y sus correspondientes controles normotensos Wistar Kyoto (WKY). Las ratas SHR adultas mostraron una mayor actividad EC ene el liquído cefalorraquídeo que las normotensas WKY (32.5+/- 5 y 19.6 +/- 1.01 nmol/hr/ml respectivamente, P<0.025. Por el contrario, no se observaron cambios significativos en la actividad enzimatica del LCR de los animales jóvenes. Nuestros resultados soportan la hipótesis de que el sistema renina-angiotensina central se encuentra sobreactivado en las ratas genéticamente hipertensas y sugieren que la medición de la actividad EC del LCR podría constituir un indice de los cambios fisiopatológicos que ocurren en el sistema renina-angiotensina central durante el desarrolllo y mantenimiento de la hipertensión

Deshidrogenasa lactica en meningitis aguda / Lactate dehydrogenase in acute meningitis

Los autores analizan la utilidad de la determinacion de la deshidrogenasa lactica en el liquido cefaloraquideo para la diferenciacion entre meningitis bacteriana y viral