ABSTRACT
We have explored the relationship between possible hemostatic changes and clinical manifestation of the systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) as a function of greater or lesser disease activity according to Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index-2000 (SLEDAI-2K) criteria. Endothelial injury and hypercoagulability were investigated in patients with SLE by measuring thrombomodulin (TM), D-dimer (DDi) and thrombin generation (TG) potential. A total of 90 participants were distributed into three groups: 1) women with SLE presenting with low disease activity (laSLE) (SLEDAI-2K ≤ 4), 2) women with SLE presenting with moderate to high disease activity (mhaSLE) (SLEDAI-2K > 4), and 3) a control group comprising healthy women. Levels of TM and DDi were higher both in the laSLE and mhaSLE groups compared to controls and in mhaSLE compared to the laSLE group. With respect to TG assay, lagtime and endogen thrombin potential, low concentrations of tissue factor provided the best results for discrimination among groups. Analysis of these data allow us to conclude that TM, DDi and TG are potentially useful markers for discriminating patients with very active from those with lower active disease. Higher SLE activity may cause endothelial injury, resulting in higher TG and consequently a hypercoagulability state underlying the picture of thrombosis common in this inflammatory disease.
Subject(s)
Endothelium, Vascular/pathology , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/blood , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/pathology , Thrombophilia/pathology , Adult , Biomarkers/blood , Case-Control Studies , Cross-Sectional Studies , Endothelium, Vascular/physiopathology , Female , Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products/analysis , Humans , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/physiopathology , Male , Middle Aged , Severity of Illness Index , Thrombomodulin/blood , Thrombophilia/physiopathology , Thromboplastin/analysis , Young AdultABSTRACT
Pincer nail is a transverse overcurvature of the nail plate that may appear in association with a variable number of diseases. We present a case report of a 28-year-old woman with pincer nail deformity associated with systemic lupus erythematosus. A renal biopsy confirmed class V lupus nephritis and treatment had included systemic steroids and cyclophosphamide. After 6 months there was a marked improvement of nail deformities.
Subject(s)
Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications , Lupus Nephritis/complications , Nails, Malformed/etiology , Adult , Biopsy , Cyclophosphamide/therapeutic use , Female , Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use , Humans , Immunosuppressive Agents/therapeutic use , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/drug therapy , Lupus Nephritis/diagnosis , Lupus Nephritis/drug therapy , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Infection with Chlamydia trachomatis usually involves the cervix uteri, causing no symptoms, and may easily be unrecognised and untreated until troublesome symptoms arise, such as pelvic inflammatory disease, which can affect fertility and reproductive life. Therapies include the macrolide antibiotics, and in this class rokitamycin offers marked lipophilia, excellent intracellular penetration, and bactericidal activity at concentrations close to the MIC. The present study was therefore designed to establish the frequency of intracervical infection with Chlamydia trachomatis in women applying for termination of pregnancy, and to assess the efficacy and safety of this drug in this indication. METHODS: Women aged 18-40 years were admitted for termination of pregnancy, with a positive cervical swab for Chlamydia trachomatis. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and amendments. Patients were given one oral tablet of 400 mg rokitamycin in the morning, and one in the evening, for two weeks. Treatment started ten days before the termination, within 48 h of taking the swab. Partners were to receive the same treatment. RESULTS: 292 women requiring termination of pregnancy, on average at the 9th week of pregnancy, were assessed. Of these, 24 (8.2%), mean (+/- SD) age 27.1 +/- 6.1 years, range 18-39, with a positive cervical swab for Chlamydia trachomatis, were treated with rokitamycin; 22 of their partners were treated too. Forty days after the start of treatment 22 patients (92%) gave negative results; these were all the cases whose partners had received treatment. No adverse events were reported and the acceptability of the treatment was considered good or excellent in 91% and fair in 9% of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: The findings confirm that rokitamycin is one of the most useful and effective macrolides for the treatment of infections caused by intracellular microorganisms; it is extremely well tolerated and has marked microbiological efficacy.
Subject(s)
Abortion, Therapeutic , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Chlamydia Infections/epidemiology , Miocamycin/analogs & derivatives , Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/epidemiology , Adolescent , Adult , Chlamydia trachomatis , Female , Humans , Italy/epidemiology , Miocamycin/therapeutic use , PregnancyABSTRACT
Ethanol extracts of 83 plants species belonging to the Asteraceae (Compositae) family, collected in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, were tested for larvicidal activity against the mosquito Aedes fluviatilis--Diptera: Culicidae). The extract from Tagetes minuta was the most active with a LC90 of 1.5 mg/l and LC50 of 1.0 mg/l. This plant has been the object of several studies by other groups and its active components have already been identified as thiophene derivatives, a class of compounds present in many Asteraceae species. The extract of Eclipta paniculata was also significantly active, with a LC90 of 17.2 mg/l and LC50 of 3.3 mg/l and no previous studies on its larvicidal activity or chemical composition could be found in the literature. Extracts of Achryrocline satureoides, Gnaphalium spicatum, Senecio brasiliensis, Trixis vauthieri, Tagetes patula and Vernonia ammophila were less active, killing more than 50% of the larvae only at the higher dose tested (100 mg/l).
Subject(s)
Aedes/drug effects , Larva/drug effects , Mosquito Control/methods , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , AnimalsABSTRACT
The influence of environmental and biological factors on the efficacy of Bacillus thuringiensis serovar israelensis and B. sphaericus as mosquito larvicides are reviewed. The importance of strain dependence, cultivating media/methods, mosquito species/specificity, formulations and their relation to mosquito feeding habits, as well as temperature, solar exposure, larval density and concomitant presence of other aquatic organisms are addressed with reference to the present status of knowledge in Brazil.
Subject(s)
Animals , Bacillus thuringiensis , Culicidae , Mosquito Control , BrazilABSTRACT
The influence of environmental and biological factors on the efficacy of Bacillus thuringiensis serovar israelensis and B. sphaericus as mosquito larvicides are reviewed. The importance of strain dependence, cultivating media/methods, mosquito species/specificity, formulations and their relation to mosquito feeding habits, as well as temperature, solar exposure, larval density and concomitant presence of other aquatic organisms are addressed with reference to the present status of knowledge in Brazil.
Subject(s)
Bacillus thuringiensis/physiology , Culicidae/microbiology , Mosquito Control/methods , Animals , BrazilABSTRACT
Two fish species, Astronotus ocellatus (Cichlidae) and Macropodus opercularis (Anabatidae) were tested for predacious behavior toward immature mosquitoes (Aedes fluviatilis, Diptera:Culicidae) and schistosomiasis snail hosts (Biomphalaria glabrata, Mollusca:Planorbidae), in the presence or absence of non-living food and in laboratory conditions. A. ocellatus, a species indigenous to Brazil, was a very efficient predator of both organisms (alpha = 0.05); M. opercularis, an exotic species, preyed well on immature mosquitoes, but small snails and snail egg-masses were ingested only irregularly. Both fish species seemed to prefer live to non-living food.
Subject(s)
Aedes , Biomphalaria , Fishes , Pest Control, Biological/methods , Animals , Mosquito Control/methodsABSTRACT
Nineteen consecutive patients with advanced or recurrent cervical cancer were treated with cisplatin 20 mg/m2 plus 5-fluorouracil 200 mg/m2 on days 1-5 every 3 weeks. Toxicity was acceptable and manageable, with most patients treated on an outpatient basis. The most important side effect was dose-cumulative neurotoxicity. In 18 evaluable patients a 61% objective response rate (1 complete and 10 partial) was achieved. In recurrent disease the regimen was effective both in irradiated lesions and in non-irradiated ones. Two out of five patients not previously treated with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy responded to the treatment but tumor regression was insufficient for the disease to be controlled radically by subsequent surgery or radiotherapy. The median duration of response was 11 months (3-23) and the actuarial survival rate after 36 months follow-up was 43.3%.
Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/drug therapy , Adult , Aged , Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/adverse effects , Cisplatin/administration & dosage , Drug Evaluation , Female , Fluorouracil/administration & dosage , Humans , Middle Aged , Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/drug therapy , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/mortality , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/pathologyABSTRACT
The larvicidal properties of 34 plant extracts were tested against Aedes fluviatilis (Lutz) (Diptera: Culicidae) larvae, at 100, 10 and 1 ppm concentrations; 26.6% of the extracts enhanced larval mortality (alpha = 0.05) at 100 ppm (Anacardium occidentale, Agave americana, Allium sativum, Coriandrum sativum, Nerium oleander, Spatodea campanulata, Tibouchina scrobiculata and Vernonia salzmanni). Anacardic acid (A. occidentale) was effective at 10 ppm and A. sativum (crude extract) at 1 ppm.
Subject(s)
Aedes , Insecticides , Plant Extracts , AnimalsSubject(s)
Biomphalaria , Leeches , Pest Control, Biological , Animals , Biomphalaria/physiology , Female , OvipositionABSTRACT
O potencial de predacao de Helobdella triserialis lineata sobre desovas e exemplares de Biomphalaria straminea e Biomphalaria tenagophila foi estudado em laboratorio visando, por um lado, verificar a influencia desta predacao sobre criacoes destes moluscos em laboratorio e, por outro, avaliar a possivel utilizacao deste hirudineo no controle de populacoes de planorbineos hospedeiros intermediarios da esquistossomose mansoni em condicoes naturais. Nas condicoes experimentais exemplares recem-eclodidos,jovens e adultos de B.straminea e B. tenagophila, foram predados por H: t. lienata que nao predou as desovas dos planorbineos. Observou-se uma ligeira aceleracao no crescimento e uma discreta reducao na oviposicao dos planorbineos mantidos juntos com os hirudineos
Subject(s)
Animals , Biomphalaria , Leeches , Pest Control, BiologicalSubject(s)
Aedes , Culex , Leeches/physiology , Pest Control, Biological , Aedes/growth & development , Animals , Culex/growth & development , Female , OvipositionABSTRACT
Foi avaliada a atividade predatoria, em laboratorio, de Helobdella triserialis lineata (Hirudinea: Glossiphonidae) sobre ovos, larvas e pupas de Aedes fluviatilis e Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae), bem como a influencia da presenca desses hirudineos sobre o comportamento de oviposicao das femeas das duas especies de mosquitos. Experimentos adicionais foram feitos testando a influencia da profundidade da agua e da sua salinidade sobre a capacidade predatoria dos hirudineos. Nas condicoes do experimento, foi observada predacao de larvas e pupas, porem nao de ovos das duas especies de dipteros. Numero estatisticamente menor de desovas foi depositado por femeas de Cx. quinquefasciatus em recipientes que continham hirudineos, nao ocorrendo o mesmo com femeas de Ae. fluviatilis. As diferentes profundidades de agua testadas nao interferiram na atividade predatoria de H. t. lineata e somente em concentracoes acima de 3% de NaC1 essa atividade mostrou-se bastante diminuida
Subject(s)
Female , Animals , Aedes , Culex , Leeches , Pest Control, BiologicalABSTRACT
A predacao de Helobdella triserialis lineata Blanchard, 1849 sobre desovas e exemplares de Biomphalaria glabrata Say, 1818, foi acompanhada visando por um lado verificar a extensao desta predacao sobre criacoes deste molusco em laboratorio e, por outro, avaliar a possivel utilizacao desta sanguessuga no controle biologico de planorbineos hospedeiros intermediarios da esquistossomose mansoni em condicoes naturais. Nas condicoes do experimento, H. t.lineata mostrou-se eficaz predadora de exemplares de B. glabrata recem-eclodidos, jovens e adultos com diametro de ate 10 mm Nao ocorreu predacao sobre desovas. Observou-se uma aceleracao do crescimento e uma reducao na oviposicao dos planorbineos mantidos juntos com os hirudineos.Foram feitas algumas observacoes sobre a biologia de H. t. lineata e sugeridas medidas de controle deste hirudineo em criacoes de planorbineos de laboratorio
