Revisão das Propriedades Medicinais de Cajanus cajanna Doença Falciforme / Review of Medicinal Cajanus cajan of properties in Sickle Cell Disease

RESUMO Este artigo descreve a ocorrência, características botânicas, fitoquímicas e a composição nutricional do feijão guandu [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp], e sua relação no processo de inibição da falcização na doença falciforme, um distúrbio genético que acomete as hemácias, gerando hemólise e anemia crônica. Dois constituintes químicos estariam mais relacionados aos efeitos inibitórios na falcização de células falciformes: L-fenilalanina e o ácido p-hidroxibenzóico. Estudos químico-biológicos detalhados com o feijão guandu no Brasil poderão esclarecer melhor os mecanismos pelos quais ocorre a inibição da falcização das hemácias e a diminuição do estresse oxidativo, ajudando no tratamento de pessoas com DF.

ABSTRACT This article describes the occurrence, botanical characteristics, phytochemical and nutritional composition of pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp], and their relationship in the process inhibition of sickling in sickle cell disease (SCD), a genetic disorder that affects red blood cells, causing hemolysis and chronic anemia. Two chemical components would be related to the inhibitory effect on sickling of sickle cells: the L-phenylalanine and the p- hydroxybenzoic acid. In Brazil, detailed studies with pigeonpea chemical-biological may clarify the mechanisms by which the inhibition of sickling of red blood cells occurs, reducing oxidative stress and thus helping treating people affected by this disease.

Use of bactec 460 TB system in the diagnosis of tuberculosis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate, the efficacy of BACTEC 460 TB system for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in a tertiary care hospital in Mumbai, India. METHODS: We compared 12,726 clinical specimens using BACTEC 460 TB system and conventional method for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis over a period of six years. Result: The overall recovery rate was 39% by BACTEC technique and 29% using Lowenstein-Jensen (LJ) medium. An average detection time for B actec0 460 TB system was found to be 13.3 days and 15.3 days as against 31.2 days and 35.3 days by LJ method for respiratory and nonrespiratory specimens respectively. The average reporting time for drug susceptibility results ranged from 6-10 days for the BACTEC 460 TB system. CONCLUSIONS: The BACTEC system is a good system for level II laboratories, especially in the diagnosis of extrapulmonary and smear negative tuberculosis.

Incidence of type 1 diabetes mellitus in Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil

To establish the incidence of type 1 diabetes among children (infants to 14 years of age) in the city of Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (population under 15 years = 50,098), during the period of January to December 1996, a retrospective and prospective population-based registry was established, using physician reports of newly diagnosed patients under 15 years of age with type 1 diabetes as the primary source of case identification. Primary and nursery schools and a general call through the media (newspapers, radio and television) was the secondary source. Data were calculated according to the methods recommended by the WHO (1990). Six new cases were identified. Case ascertainment was estimated at 100 percent. The incidence of type 1 diabetes in the year 1996 was 12/100,000 inhabitants. These data indicate that the incidence of childhood type 1 diabetes in a subtropical region in the Southern part of Brazil was similar to that observed in developed countries throughout the world. The inability to demonstrate the North-South gradient is probably due to the European origin of inhabitants of the city