Cigarrillo electrónico y pipas de agua: conocimientos y uso entre estudiantes de Medicina, Uruguay, 2015 / Electronic cigarette and waterpipe: knowledge and use among medical students, Uruguay, 2015

RESUMEN Introducción. El uso de cigarrillo electrónico (CE) y la pipa de agua (PA) se ha difundido ampliamente como alternativa al consumo del tabaco, y el primero se ha invocado como herramienta para la cesación. Objetivo. Determinar conocimientos, actitudes y prácticas sobre el CE y PA en los estudiantes de 5º de la Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Uruguay, año 2015. Métodos. Estudio de corte transversal, descriptivo. Se aplicó cuestionario de conocimientos, actitudes y prácticas sobre CE y PA, en estudiantes de medicina, en Julio y Agosto 2015. Los resultados se analizaron en frecuencias absolutas y relativas; se utilizó test de Chi². Resultados. 241 estudiantes respondieron el cuestionario; 54,6% de la población objetivo. El 21,1% de los estudiantes eran tabaquistas. 72,2% de los encuestados conoce el CE y 69,7% la PA. Un 7,5% han utilizado CE y 31,5% PA. El 41,5% cree que los CE son dañinos mientras que 44,4% no sabe. Hubo diferencias significativas entre fumadores y no fumadores con respecto conocimientos y prácticas. Conclusiones. La mayoría de los estudiantes afirma conocer el CE y PA; es poco frecuente la experimentación de CE, la de PA asciende a un tercio de los encuestados. Menos de la mitad conocen que el CE provoca daños a la salud. Los estudiantes tienen escasa información sobre los riesgos del uso de estos dispositivos. Existe necesidad de abordar este tema en la formación médica.

ABSTRACT Introduction. The use of electronic cigarette (CE) and hookah (PA) has spread widely as an alternative to the consumption of snuff, and the first has been invoked as a tool for cessation. Objective. Determine knowledge, attitudes and practices on CE and PA in 5th students of the Faculty of Medicine, University of the Republic, Uruguay, 2015. Methods. Cross-sectional study, descriptive court. survey of knowledge, attitudes and practices EC and PA, medical students in July and August 2015. The results were analyzed in absolute and relative frequencies were applied; Chi2 test was used. Results. 241 students answered the questionnaire; 54.6% of the target population. 21.1% of students were smokers. 72.2% of respondents know the EC and 69.7% BP. 7.5% have used EC and 31.5% PA. 41.5% believe that the EC are harmful while 44.4% do not know. There were significant differences between smokers and non-smokers with respect knowledge and practices. Conclusions. Most students say they know the EC and PA; is rare experimentation EC, the PA amounts to a third of respondents. Less than half know that the EC causes damage to health. Students have little information about the risks of using these devices. There is need to address this issue in medical training.

Total and allergen-specific IgE levels during and after pregnancy in relation to maternal allergy.

Type 2 T-helper cell (Th2)-skewed immunity is associated with successful pregnancy and the ability to easily direct immune responses to a Th2-polarised profile may be an evolutionary benefit. The Th2-like immunity associated with allergic disease might generate favourable effects for the maintenance of pregnancy, but could also promote development of Th2-like immune responses and allergic disease in the offspring. The aim of this study was to explore, by using IgE as a stable proxy for Th2, the Th1/Th2 balance in allergic and non-allergic women by measuring allergen-specific and total IgE antibody levels in plasma during pregnancy and after delivery. Specific and total IgE antibody levels were determined by ImmunoCAP technology at five occasions during pregnancy (gestational weeks 10-12, 15-16, 25, 35 and 39), as well as at 2 and 12 months after delivery. Thirty-six women without and 20 women with allergic symptoms were included, of whom 13 were sensitised with allergic symptoms and 30 were non-sensitised without allergic symptoms. The levels of total IgE, but not allergen-specific IgE, were increased during early pregnancy when compared to 12 months after delivery in the sensitised women with allergic symptoms, but not in the non-sensitised women without allergic symptoms (p<0.01). This increase in total IgE levels during early pregnancy only in the sensitised women with allergic symptoms indicates that allergy is associated with an enhanced Th2 deviation during pregnancy.

Cord blood cytokines and chemokines and development of allergic disease.

Exposure to ubiquitous allergens early in life, even before birth, may influence the incidence of allergic diseases later in life. During pregnancy, the fetomaternal interface is surrounded by high levels of T-helper (Th)2-like cytokines, possibly favouring the development of Th2-like immune responses in the offspring. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relation between cord blood (CB) IgE antibodies, Th1- and Th2-like cytokines and chemokines, maternal allergy and development of allergic disease during the first 2 yr of life in the offspring. The CB cytokine and chemokine levels from children of 20 allergic and 36 non-allergic women were determined by a multiplexed Luminex assay and ELISA. Total CB and maternal IgE antibody concentrations were quantified using ImmunoCAP technology. The maternal IgE levels during and after pregnancy correlated with CB IgE and Th2-associated macrophage-derived chemokine [MDC (CCL22)] levels. Development of allergic disease and sensitization was associated with increased CB IgE and MDC (CCL22) levels, as well as high ratios of MDC (CCL22) to Th1-associated interferon-gamma inducible protein 10 [IP-10 (CXCL10)] and interferon-gamma inducible T-cell alpha-chemoattractant [I-TAC (CXCL11) (n = 7 allergic vs. n = 25 non-allergic)]. The correlations between maternal IgE and CB IgE and MDC (CCL22) levels possibly indicate that the maternal immunity can affect the Th1/Th2 profile in the neonate. Development of allergic disease is associated with a more marked Th2-like deviation already at birth, shown as increased levels of CB IgE and MDC (CCL22) and higher ratios of MDC (CCL22) to IP-10 (CXCL10) and I-TAC (CXCL11).

Increased circulating paternal antigen-specific IFN-gamma- and IL-4-secreting cells during pregnancy in allergic and non-allergic women.

INTRODUCTION: Allergic women have been reported to give birth to more children than non-allergic women, speculatively explained by the former's predisposition for Th2 polarization, possibly favoring pregnancy. AIM: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that allergy is associated with more Th2-deviated responses to paternal antigens throughout pregnancy. METHODS: Blood samples were collected on six occasions during pregnancy and two occasions postpartum (pp). Of the 86 women initially included, 54 women had a normal pregnancy and completed the sampling procedures. Eleven women fulfilled the strict criteria for allergy (allergic symptoms and circulating IgE antibodies to inhalant allergens) and 23 were strictly non-allergic (non-sensitized without symptoms). The numbers of blood mononuclear cells secreting IFN-gamma and IL-4, spontaneously and in response to paternal alloantigens, were compared between the groups. RESULTS: The numbers of spontaneously as well as paternal antigen-induced IFN-gamma- and IL-4-secreting cells were similar in allergic and non-allergic pregnant women on all occasions. A similar increase in the numbers of both IFN-gamma- and IL-4-secreting cells were found in allergic and non-allergic women during pregnancy, both regarding spontaneous and paternal antigen-induced secretion. CONCLUSIONS: This study does not support the hypothesis of a more pronounced Th2-deviation to paternal antigens in allergic pregnant women compared with non-allergic pregnant women, as measured by number of cytokine-secreting cells. The observed increase of both IFN-gamma- and IL-4-secreting cells during normal pregnancy may be interpreted as a Th2-situation, since the effects of IL-4 predominate over the effects of IFN-gamma.

The fellowship of the RING: the RING-B-box linker region interacts with the RING in TRIM21/Ro52, contains a native autoantigenic epitope in Sjögren syndrome, and is an integral and conserved region in TRIM proteins.

Ro52 is a major autoantigen that is targeted in the autoimmune disease Sjögren syndrome and belongs to the tripartite motif (TRIM) protein family. Disease-related antigenic epitopes are mainly found in the coiled-coil domain of Ro52, but one such epitope is located in the Zn(2+)-binding region, which comprises an N-terminal RING followed by a B-box, separated by a approximately 40-residue linker peptide. In the present study, we extend the structural, biophysical, and immunological knowledge of this RING-B-box linker (RBL) by employing an array of methods. Our bioinformatic investigations show that the RBL sequence motif is unique to TRIM proteins and can be classified into three distinct subtypes. The RBL regions of all three subtypes are as conserved as their known flanking domains, and all are predicted to comprise an amphipathic helix. This helix formation is confirmed by circular dichroism spectroscopy and is dependent on the presence of the RING. Immunological studies show that the RBL is part of a conformation-dependent epitope, and its antigenicity is likewise dependent on a structured RING domain. Recombinant Ro52 RING-RBL exists as a monomer in vitro, and binding of two Zn(2+) increases its stability. Regions stabilized by Zn(2+) binding are identified by limited proteolysis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry. Furthermore, the residues of the RING and linker that interact with each other are identified by analysis of protection patterns, which, together with bioinformatic and biophysical data, enabled us to propose a structural model of the RING-RBL based on modeling and docking experiments. Sequence similarities and evolutionary sequence patterns suggest that the results obtained from Ro52 are extendable to the entire TRIM protein family.