Espectroscopia Atômica Identifica Diferenças nos Parâmetros de Elementos Traço na Saliva de Pacientes Portadores de Fibrose Cística / Atomic Spectroscopy Identifies Differences in Trace Element Parameters in the Saliva of Patients with Cystic Fibrosis

Objetivo: Determinar elementos traço na saliva de indivíduos com fibrose cística.Métodos: Trinta e cinco indivíduos com fibrose cística e trinta e nove indivíduos saudáveis participaram deste estudo. A distribuição de 24 elementos traço na saliva total estimulada foi avaliada por espectrometria de massa com plasma de argônio acoplado indutivamente (ICP-MS), espectrometria de emissão óptica com plasma de argônio acoplado indutivamente (ICP-OES) e espectrometria de absorção atômica (AAS).Resultados: Verificou-se uma diferença significativa na distribuição de elementos traço na saliva de indivíduos com fibrose cística quando comparado a indivíduos sem a doença. Sódio; Potássio; Vanádio; Cromo; Arsênio e Selênio apresentaram valores estatisticamente diferentes entre os grupos, enquanto Alumínio, Boro, Bário, Cadmo, Cobre, Ferro, Mercúrio, Magnésio, Manganês, Níquel, Titânio, Estrôncio e Zinco não apresentaram diferenças significativas entre os grupos. As análises estatísticas indicaram que os elementos Sódio e Potássio apresentaram maiores teores, enquanto que os elementos traço Vanádio, Cromo, Selênio e Arsênio apresentaram menores teores nos indivíduos com fibrose cística.Conclusões: A espectroscopia atômica mostrou um potencial considerável no desenvolvimento de metodologia destinada a detectar a fibrose cística neonatal. A saliva deve ser considerada como material biológico para análise de diagnóstico

Objective: To determine trace elements in the saliva of individuals with cystic fibrosis.Method: Thirty-five individuals with cystic fibrosis and thirty-nine healthy individuals participated in this study. The distribution of 24 trace elements in stimulated whole saliva was evaluated by inductivelycoupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS).Results: There was a statistically significant difference in the distribution of trace elements in the saliva of individuals with cystic fibrosis compared with individuals without the disease. Sodium, potassium, vanadium, chromium, arsenic and selenium presented significantly different values between the groups, while no significant differences was found between the groups for aluminum, boron, barium, cadmium, copper, iron, mercury, magnesium, manganese, nickel, titanium, strontium and zinc. Statistical analyses indicated higher contents of the trace elements sodium and potassium and lower contents of the trace elements vanadium, chromium, selenium and arsenic in the individuals with cystic fibrosis.Conclusion: Atomic spectroscopy showed a considerable potential in the development of a methodology to detect a neonatal cystic fibrosis. The saliva should be considered as biological material for diagnostic analysis

Six-year follow-up survey of sexually transmitted diseases in Brasilia, the Capital of Brazil

The notification of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) is a prime component of well-designed public health policy. However, peculiar aspects of STD must be taken into account for the correct management of surveillance activities. Here, we describe the distribution of the most common sexually transmitted diseases among patients attended by the gynecological clinics of the principal public hospitals of Brasilia and the Federal District, Brazilian capital, during six years. A total of 142,158 patients had their cervicovaginal samples collected for Papanicolaou preparations and eventual biopsies. Diagnosis was made according to cytological and histological alterations, distinguishing among vaginal infections, and pre-cancerous and cancerous cervical lesions. We also looked at the annual prevalence of the various types of infections and alterations. There was a high prevalence of bacterial vaginosis, trichomoniasis and candidiasis, with suggestive changes over the years. Pre-cancerous and cancerous lesions increased 2.2 fold during the six years. A large proportion of the cases involved late stages of cervical cancer, indicating the necessity of prompt attendance of the population in a routine gynecological prevention program.

Proteínas recombinantes da saliva de triatoma infestans / Recombinant proteins of the saliva in triatoma infestans

Insetos hematófagos transmitem doenças ao contaminar a presa durante o repasto. Acredita-se que um longo processo de evolução teria feito com que tais insetos acumulassem na secreção salivar uma gama de compostos que facilitariam a obtenção do sangue...