Subepithelial infiltrates associated to viral keratoconjunctivitis following photorefractive keratectomy.

PURPOSE: To report three cases of adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis in patients who have undergone photorefractive keratectomy and that just developed subepithelial infiltrates. METHODS: Description of patients that developed postoperative adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis after photorefractive keratectomy without influence in the final visual outcome. RESULTS: All patients presented adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis 2-3 months after refractive surgery. They developed multiple pinpoint subepithelial infiltrates in six eyes, without haze development. The final uncorrected visual acuity was better or equal to 20/30. CONCLUSION: Although patients undergoing photorefractive keratectomy might develop severe corneal scarring following ocular infections, such events may follow their natural evolution.

Biocatalytic chlorination of aromatic hydrocarbons by chloroperoxidase of Caldariomyces fumago.

Chloroperoxidase from Caldariomyces fumago was able to chlorinate 17 of 20 aromatic hydrocarbons assayed in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and chloride ions. Reaction rates varied from 0.6 min(-1) for naphthalene to 758 min(-1) for 9-methylanthracene. Mono-, di- and tri-chlorinated compounds were obtained from the chloroperoxidase-mediated reaction on aromatic compounds. Dichloroacenaphthene, trichloroacenaphthene, 9,10-dichloroanthracene, chloropyrene, dichloropyrene, dichlorobiphenylene and trichlorobiphenylene were identified by mass spectral analyses as products from acenaphthene, anthracene, pyrene and biophenylene respectively. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with 5 and 6 aromatic rings were also substrates for the chloroperoxidase reaction. The importance of the microbial chlorination of aromatic pollutants and its potential environmental impact are discussed.

Bilateral endogenous endophthalmitis associated with infective endocarditis: case report.

Bilateral endogenous endophthalmitis is a rare condition initiated by infection by microbes in the bloodstream, such as those arising from a foci of infective endocarditis. We report a case and discuss the diagnostic aspects and the clinical outcome of a patient with characteristic findings of the disease. The patient was a 49 year old white male who had a metallic aortic valve implanted 7 months previously, and who presented to the hospital with 10 days of fever, cough and dyspnea, then diarrhea and mental confusion. On the second day of hospitalization, he experienced sudden loss of vision in both eyes. A Gram-positive coccobacillus was isolated from the bloodstream, he was treated with fluoroquinolone with disappearance of fever, decreased ocular inflammation, and improvement in his vision to light perception. He later underwent valve replacement surgery but died during the procedure. We review the occurrence of ocular signs and symptoms and their importance in patients with endocarditis.

Androgens and dry eye in Sjögren's syndrome.

Sjögren's syndrome is an extremely complex and currently incurable autoimmune disorder, which occurs primarily in females, and is associated with lacrimal gland inflammation, meibomian gland dysfunction, and severe dry eye. We hypothesize that androgen deficiency, which reportedly occurs in primary and secondary Sjögren's syndrome (e.g., systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis), is a critical etiologic factor in the pathogenesis of dry eye syndromes. We further hypothesize that androgen treatment to the ocular surface will promote both lacrimal and meibomian gland function and alleviate both "aqueous-deficient" and "evaporative" dry eye. Our results demonstrate that androgens regulate both lacrimal and meibomian gland function, and suggest that topical androgen administration may serve as a safe and effective therapy for the treatment of dry eye in Sjögren's syndrome.

[Production of biomass and ligninolytic enzymes by Pleurotus ostreatus in submerged culture.]. / Producción de biomasa y enzimas ligninolíticas por Pleurotus ostreatus en cultivo sumergido.

The production of biomass and ligninolytic enzymes by Pleurotus ostreatus was analysed in synthetic medium with yeast extract and different glucose concentrations (0.5 - 20 g/l), at different pH (3.5-6.5) and incubation temperatures (23-32 degrees C). The best culture condition were: initial glucose concentration of 5 g/l, initial pH between 5.5-6.5 and incubation temperature between 26-29 degrees C. The saturation constant for glucose (Ks) was 1.75 g/l. The biomass concentration reached 8.6 g/l with a glucose addition of 20.0 g/l to the culture medium. The control of pH allowed an increment of 0.5 g/l of biomass concentration. The birreactor produced pellets with a homogeneous distribution of diameter size of 3.4 -/+ 0.2 mm. Approximately, 307 U/l of laccase and 0.41 U/l of manganese peroxidase were obtained in extracellular liquid medium and 0.015 U/g of laccase and 0.809 U/g of manganese peroxidase were obtained in solid substrate. Lignin peroxidase activity was not detected at any condition.

Immunocytochemical location and hormonal control of androgen receptors in lacrimal tissues of the female MRL/Mp-lpr/lpr mouse model of Sjögren's syndrome.

Androgen therapy suppresses lymphocyte infiltration in, and improves the functional activity of, lacrimal glands in a female mouse model (MRL/Mp-lpr/lpr [MRL/lpr]) of Sjögren's syndrome. To extend these findings, the current investigation was designed to identify the cellular target(s) within lacrimal tissue that may mediate this androgen effect. In addition, we explored the endocrine regulation of androgen receptors in autoimmune lacrimal glands. Adult, female MRL/lpr mice were exposed systemically to vehicle, steroid hormones or immunosuppressive agents for varying time intervals after the onset of disease. Immediately before or after treatment, lacrimal glands were obtained and processed to determine the cellular distribution and nuclear density of androgen receptors by immunoperoxidase and image analysis techniques. Our findings demonstrated that: (1) androgen receptors exist almost exclusively within nuclei of acinar and ductal epithelial cells in lacrimal tissue of MRL/lpr mice; (2) androgen receptors are not detectable in the extensive lymphocytic populations that infiltrate the gland; (3) testosterone administration induces a significant increase in the number of androgen receptor-containing cells in, as well as the density of androgen receptors in epithelial cell nuclei of, lacrimal tissue; (4) hormone action is steroid-specific: administration of androgen analogues, but not estrogens, glucocorticoids or cyclophosphamide, stimulate the accumulation of androgen receptors; and (5) androgen receptor density is significantly reduced following the withdrawal of androgen therapy. These results show that epithelial cells, but not lymphocytes, are the androgen target cells in lacrimal tissue, and suggest that these cells may mediate the androgen-related immunosuppression and functional enhancement in lacrimal glands of autoimmune female mice. Our findings also demonstrate that androgens increase the expression of their own receptors in MRL/lpr lacrimal tissue.

Influence of gender and the endocrine environment on the distribution of androgen receptors in the lacrimal gland.

Androgens are known to regulate both the structure and function of lacrimal tissue in a variety of species. To explore the endocrine basis for this hormone action, the following study was designed to: (1) determine the cellular distribution of androgen receptors in the lacrimal gland; and (2) examine the influence of gender and the endocrine environment on the glandular content of these binding sites. Lacrimal glands were obtained from intact, castrated, hypophysectomized, diabetic or sham-operated male or female adult rats, mice or hamsters, as well as from orchiectomized rats exposed to placebo compounds or physiological levels of testosterone. The cellular location of androgen receptors was evaluated by utilizing an immunoperoxidase protocol, in which a purified rabbit polyclonal antibody to the rat androgen receptor was used as the first antibody. Our findings with lacrimal glands showed that: (1) androgen receptors are located almost exclusively in nuclei of epithelial cells; (2) the cellular distribution or intranuclear density of these binding sites is far more extensive in glands of males, as compared to females; (3) orchiectomy or hypophysectomy, but not sham-surgery or diabetes, lead to a dramatic reduction in the immunocytochemical expression of androgen receptors; and (4) testosterone administration to orchiectomized rats induces a marked increase in androgen receptor content, relative to that in placebo-exposed glands. Our results also reveal that a 10 kb androgen receptor mRNA exists in the rat lacrimal gland. Overall, these findings demonstrate that gender and the endocrine system may significantly influence the distribution of androgen binding sites in rat lacrimal tissue. Moreover, our results show that androgens up-regulate their own lacrimal gland receptors.

Marital correlation for anthropometric characteristics in Brazilian Indians.

A total of 336 couples from 10 villages of three Brazilian Indian tribes was studied in relation to 15 anthropometric characteristics. Correlation coefficients between husband and wife were generally positive, none of the negative ones reaching a probability level of 1% or less. Thirteen correlations attained this level, but none of the traits behaved similarly in the three tribes. Height adjustment taking into consideration the correlation between mates for age did not much alter the correlation coefficients, but a larger influence was observed after allowance for temporal effects. A significant pair of canonical variables was obtained considering sitting height and leg length, but factors related to facial and bone form, extracted through principal-components analysis, yielded correlations insignificantly different from zero.

Chromosome variation and genetic counselign: 20 years of experience in Brazil

Forneceu-se informaçäo sobre os cariótipos de 552 indivíduos, que foi comparada com dados similares coletados previamente em 1.380 pessoas. Os resultados foram examinados de acordo com o tipo de averiquaçäo, e consideraram-se com mais detalhe os derivados de indicaçöes clínicas. Dois períodos de tempo foram comparados (1965-1979 e 1980-1985), e observaram-se algumas diferenças entre eles nas prevalências de anormalidades dos cromossomos sexuais, bem como de certos tipos de trissomia e rearranjos estruturais autossômicos. Foram descritas em detalhe quatro translocaçöes (1;3, 1;18, 9;11, 5;X) que podem ter condicionado problemas reprodutivos em seus portadores

Who seeks genetic counseling and why: a Brazilian evaluation

É feita uma revisäo de 662 casos encaminhados ao Departamento de Genética do Instituto de Biociências da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul e examinados entre novembro de 1978 e julho de 1982. Cerca de um terço deles foram enviados por pediatras, e um quarto por endocrinologistas. Os diagnósticos provisórios feitos por esses e outros médicos estavam corretos em 86% dos casos para síndrome de Down, mas em apenas 50% para outras doenças genéticas. Três tipos de pacientes ocorreram mais comumente: (a) Aqueles com aberraçöes cromossômicas (24); (b) Com cromossomos normais mas apresentando diversas malformaçöes (21%); e (c) Com doenças gênicas (12%). Uma nova análise dos indivíduos do grupo b indicou dois possíveis fatores etiológicos ambientais (paridade e nível socioeconômico baixo) e um genético (consangüinidade). Dois probandos deste grupo com pertubaçöes no desenvolvimento sexual que, com alta probabilidade, devem ser causadas por genes autossômicos recessivos, foram descritos em detalhe

Principal-components analysis of Brazilian Indian anthropometric data.

Analysis of nine characteristics on 1,205 males and 932 females from 12 tribes or groups of tribes indicated a poor relationship between morphology and language, as well as moderate agreement with the variability expected considering geography only. Two samples in the Xingu area studied during an interval of half a century (1897-1947) showed remarkable similarity. The conformity of the Caingang morphology with those of other tribes and the distinctiveness of the Xavante and Tenetehara has been amply confirmed.

Detection of beta-thalassemia heterozygotes among caucasians from Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.

A alta frequencia de beta-talassemia em italianos e a participacao dos mesmos na formacao etnica do Rio Grande do Sul conduziram-nos a determinacao da frequencia desta condicao em uma amostra de 704 caucasoides da populacao de Porto Alegre. Empregando alguns criterios hematologicos para a triagem dos individuos e posterior estudo dos niveis de HbA2 e HbF das suas amostras sanguineas, obtivemos uma frequencia de 1,1% heterozigotos para a betatalassemia, sendo que 62% desses individuos eram de origem italiana e os demais descendentes de sirios, espanhois e libaneses