Bloqueio atrioventricular total por lúpus eritematoso neonatal / Complete atrioventricular block by neonatal lupus erythematosus

Os autores relatam o caso de uma criança, cuja mãe era portadora de Lupus Eritematoso Sistêmico. Já no oitavo mês de gestação, o obstetra detectou uma importante bradicardia fetal. No nono mês, a criança nasceu com bloqueio atrioventricular total (BAV) e baixo débito, tendo sido necessário o implante de marcapasso definitivo endocárdico, no mesmo dia do nascimento. Em decorrência do surgimento de endocardite, aquele marcapasso foi substituído por um epimiocárdico. Os autores chamam a atenção para os casos de bloqueio atrioventricular total (BAV) congênito associado à miocardite por Lúpus Eritematoso Neonatal, os quais, se não tratados precocemente, são fatores causais de alta mortalidade perinatal

The relationship of host immune cells, cytokine and nitric oxide production to tumor cells in ovarian carcinoma

This brief review focuses on the current understanding of the complex relationship of tumor-associated mononuclear cells (TAMs) with neoplastic cells, summarizing their immunological efficiency, cytokine profile and production of nutric oxide (NO) in the tumor microenvironment, with current insights on how this might affect tumor growth. Data source: Data eas obtained through Medline from articles indexed during the last 10 years. The main key words used in the research were: cancer, ovarian cancer, cytokine, nitric oxide (NO), mononuclear cell, lymphocyte, macrophage. Selection of studies and data collection: 30 studies were reviewed, which contained data regarding the production of cytokines and NO by TAMs or malignant cells, and tried to establish a correlation between these mediators and tumor growth, especially in ovarian carcinoma. Data summary: TAMs consist mainly of macrophages and T lymphocytes which present lower proliferative indices and cytotoxicity compared to autologous blood monocytes, although they are able to release various cytokines. The profile of cytokine expression could help to explain both the immunological impairment observed in patients with advanced carcinoma diseases and the potential of TAMs to exert antitumor activity, which makes these cells an attractive target for therapeutic intervention. NO is also produced in the tumor microenvironment. Several reports in animals suggest a tumoricidad role for NO, but in human tumors its role has not been well-established and may change during tumor progression.