Oxandrolone use in adult burn patients. Systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE: This study is a systematic literature review and meta-analysis concerning the use of a testosterone synthetic analog, oxandrolone, and its use in severe adult burns. METHODS: Randomized prospective clinical studies, in English, Portuguese or Spanish, were sought on the following databases: MEDLINE, COCHRANE, EMBASE and LILACS. There was no restriction in relation to the publication date. RESULTS: This search produced 24 studies on MEDLINE and twelve articles were presented on the COCHRANE database .Sixteen were excluded due to the title not being related to this search or by including children. Of the eigth residual studies, after adaptation to the inclusion criteria, only four were selected. After analyzing the results, two were discarded since they did not present adequate patient characterization and the facts on these articles were analyzed differently from the others, hindering the meta-analysis. CONCLUSION: The analysis of the available data demonstrated significant benefits (p<0.05) considering lesser loss of corporal mass, lesser nitrogen loss, and shorter donor area healing time, when Oxandrolone was used, comparatively with the control group (placebo or not). .

Catabolismo muscular nos pacientes com infarto agudo do moicárdio / Muscular catabolism in patients with acute myocardial infarction

Introdução: O trauma e a sepse apresentam demanda metabólica aumentada devido à tríplice liberação hormonal com consequente aumento do catabolismo muscular. O infarto agudo do miocárdio(IAM) também pode ser considerado um trauma por apresentar as alterações hormonais características da fase aguda do estresse.Objetivo: Avaliar o grau de catabolismo muscular, quantificado pela excreção urinária de nitrogênio uréico em urina de 24 horas, nos pacientes admitidos com IAM.Métodos: Analisados prospectivamente 22 pacientes internados com IAM, sendo 12 de parede inferior e 10 de anterior, caracterizados elétrica e bioquimicamente com injúria e necrose transmural. A área do infarto foi diagnosticada pelo eletrocardiograma e confirmada pelas alterações no ecocardiograma. Foram excluídos os pacientes com insuficiência renal, IAM não transmural(ausência da onda Q evolutiva) e aqueles com mais de 48 horas de IAM. A coleta de urina de 24 horas foi realizada no 1º, 3º e 5º dias de internação para a quantificação da uréia excretada. O nitrogênio urinário foi calculado a partir da uréia, considerando-se um percentual nitrogendo de 46.66 por cento na molécula uréica. A avaliação estatística foi realizada pela análise de variância two way e pelo teste de Tukey, com nível de significância de 5 po cento.Resultados: O IAM, tanto anterior como inferior, apresenta catabolismo muscular evolutivo(terceiro dia) caracterizado como moderado(N2Dia3/Dia1, p igual 0,001). O catabolismo muscular foi idêntico mo IAM anterior e inferior (p igual 0,49). O catabolismo muscular é revertido no quinto dia.Conclusão: Os pacientes com IAM apresentaram um aumento reversível do catabolismo muscular

Possible roles of nitric oxide and peroxynitrite in murine leishmaniasis

Activated macrophages simultaneously synthesize nitric oxide and superoxide anion which can react with each other producing peroxynitrite. Consequently, it has been difficult to assess the precise contribution of each of the formed reactive oxygen- and nitrogenderived species to the microbicidal activities of macrophages, particularly in vivo. To explore this problem, we are examining the formation and potential roles of nitrogen-derived intermediates in Leishmania amazonensis murine infection. Thus far, our results have demonstrated that peroxynitrite is a potent leishmanicidal agent in vitro and that both nitric oxide and peroxynitrite are formed during infection of susceptible BALB/c mouse strain. Nitric oxide was detected as the nitrosyl-hemoglobin complex by electron paramagnetic resonance analysis of blood drawn from mice at different times of infection, and it was shown to increase with the evolution of the disease. These results will be discussed in the context of the dual physiological role of nitric oxide either as a signaling molecule or as a deleterious agent.

factorial study of the interaction of nitrogen and carbon sources, pH and temperature with time regarding antibiotic production by streptomyces parvulus using three test bacteria

Interaction of nitrogen and carbon sources, pH and temperature [NaNO3, starch, pH and temperature, respectively] with incubation time regarding antibiotic production by Streptomyces parvulus isolated from Burg El-Arab, East Alexandria City, Egypt was performed. Antibiotic production was evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus, Sarcina lutea and Escherichia coli strains. Experiments were carried out using a factorial interaction design consisting of sixteen trials at five different incubation times. Responses of the three test bacteria to the antibiotic components produced by Streptomyces parvulus were found to differ with differences in the level of each of the four studied factors [variables] in addition to differences in the incubation period of time. Anti-Staphylococcus aureus of the culture filtrates of the producer was found to be highly sensitive to variations in trials constructions in case of incubation for only 3 days followed by 6 then 9 days less in 12 days period and finally it showed no significant responses after 15 days incubation. Anti-Sarcina lutea responses to differences in different trials were recorded to show two maxima at 9 and 15 days of incubation. Anti-E. coli responses were considerable after 3 days of incubation followed by 15 days. The most effective combination suitable for production of the antibiotic component whatever the incubation period and the test bacteria was the factor of temperature [T] at its raised level which is [30C]. Other combinations exhibited variable effects depending on time and test organism