[Association of obesity in adults with allergic asthma]. / Asociación de obesidad y asma alérgica en adultos.

BACKGROUND: Obesity and asthma are diseases of high prevalence around the world. The increment in their incidence constitutes a challenge to public health. Asthma can be worse in patients with obesity. OBJECTIVE: To know the prevalence of obesity in a group of Mexican allergic asthmatic adults. METHODS: A study about the prevalence of obesity in 158 adult asthmatic allergic patients in the years 2010 and 2011 was performed, according to the body mass index (BMI) obtained from their clinical files. In addition, skin tests with allergens were done and the total serum level of IgE was determined in each one of the individuals. RESULTS: According to the BMI, 112 (70.9%) patients had a weight above normal; 76 (67.9%) were women and 36 (32.1%) were men. The highest number of patients with weight above normal corresponded to the overweight group. Mild persistent asthma presented in two-thirds of the patients with overweight and obesity. Women with overweight and obesity showed a higher severity of asthma than men. Women had more positive skin tests than men. Half of the patients had IgE levels above normal. CONCLUSIONS: We found an increased prevalence of asthmatic adults with associated obesity. Asthmatic women presented more overweight and obesity than men, as well as increased severity of asthma and more positive skin tests with allergens.

Effect of zinc-treated Entamoeba histolytica on the human polymorphonuclear respiratory burst.

One of the mechanisms that Entamoeba histolytica uses to evade host immune response is inhibition of the polymorphonuclear (PMN) leukocyte respiratory burst. In studies previously conducted in a model used in our laboratory, we observed that when treating trophozoites with different zinc concentrations certain amebic functions are inhibited while significantly limiting development of hepatic abscess in golden hamsters (Mesocricetus aureatus). We carried out an in vitro study using a chemoluminescent method to assess the effect zinc-treated amebic trophozoites exercise on respiratory burst in human PMNs. We measured response of PMNs incubated with E. histolytica trophozoites from cultures with TYI-S33 medium alone and with zinc. Zinc concentrations between 0.1 and 1.0 mM did not affect amebic trophozoite viability, and PMNs in contact with these in a zinc-free medium had an oxidative response similar to that obtained with zymosan and significantly greater (p <0.05) than that generated by cells co-incubated with amebas cultured in TYI-S33 medium alone. These results suggest that zinc alters the amebic mechanism that inhibits the oxidative function of human polymorphonuclear leukocyte.

Patients with hepatic cirrhosis: altered lymphocyte response to mitogens and its relation with plasmatic zinc, albumin and transferrin

Patients with alchoholic hepatic cirrhosis have a higher predisposition to acquiring infections than healthy individuals, suggesting an alteration in the immune system. They also exhibit an important decrease in certain plasmatic constituents such as zinc, albumin, and transferrin which are involved in the normal immune response. The blastoid transformation of lymphocites stimulated in vitro with phytohemaglutinin M and P in patients with alcoholic hepatic cirrhosis was studied and the results were correlated with the plasmatic constitutents aforementioned. The rate of blastoid transformation was significantly lower (p<.001) in these patients when compared to the control group, but did not correlate directly with the concentration of zinc, albumin, transferrin or circulating globulins. Patients' plasma significantly inhibited the response of normal cells to stimulation with phytohemaglutinin and Concanavalin A; nevertheless, the blastoid transformation of lymphocytes in these patients was not restored to normal levels when incubated with control plasma