RESUMEN
The Lippia alba (Mill.) N.E. Brown (Verbenaceae) species popularly known as lemon balm has sedative, analgesic and spasmolytic properties. This study aimed to evaluate the vasorelaxant effect of the L. alba essential oil (EOLa) and its major constituent, citral, rat on aorta. Isometric muscle contraction were induced by potassium (K 60 mM) or phenylephrine (PHE, 0.1 µM) in isolated aortic rings. EOLa and citral promoted a smooth muscle relaxant action, which was potentiated by the presence of the endothelium; PHE-induced contractions (0.1 µM) in aorta with endothelium, had EC50 values of 352.73 ± 19.39 µg/mL and 99.34 ± 7.2 µg/mL for EOLa and citral, respectively. In the presence of a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, L-NAME, the EC50 values were 654.19 ± 10.46 µg/mL and 601.66 ± 10.922 µg/mL for EOLa and citral, respectively. EOLa and citral dose-dependently relaxed contractions induced by BAY-K 8644, a calcium channel agonist, and by Phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate an activator of protein kinase C. EOLa and citral produced a vasorelaxant effect in isolated aorta which was potentiated by the presence of endothelium. In summary, EOLa and citral, probably using several mechanisms of action, relaxed aortic smooth muscle with maximal pharmacologic efficacy.
Asunto(s)
Aorta Torácica/efectos de los fármacos , Lippia/química , Monoterpenos/farmacología , Aceites Volátiles/farmacología , Vasodilatación/efectos de los fármacos , Vasodilatadores/farmacología , Monoterpenos Acíclicos , Animales , Endotelio Vascular/efectos de los fármacos , Masculino , Contracción Muscular/efectos de los fármacos , Músculo Liso Vascular/efectos de los fármacos , Fenilefrina/farmacología , Ratas , Ratas WistarRESUMEN
Bone marrow adipose tissue has not been studied in patients with inactive inflammatory bowel disease. We found that these patients have preserved marrow adiposity even with low bone mass. Factors involved in bone loss in active disease may have long-lasting effects but do not seem to affect bone marrow adiposity. INTRODUCTION: Reduced bone mass is known to occur at varying prevalence in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) because of inflammation, malnutrition, and steroid therapy. Osteoporosis may develop in these patients as the result of an imbalanced relationship between osteoblasts and adipocytes in bone marrow. This study aimed to evaluate for the first time bone mass and bone marrow adipose tissue (BMAT) in a particular subgroup of IBD patients characterized by long-term, steroid-free remission. METHODS: Patients with Crohn's disease (CD; N = 21) and ulcerative colitis (UC; N = 15) and controls (C; N = 65) underwent dual X-ray energy absorptiometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the L3 lumbar vertebra for BMAT assessment. RESULTS: Both the CD and UC subgroups showed significantly higher proportions of patients than controls with Z-score ≤-2.0 at L1-L4 (C 1.54%; CD 19.05%; UC 20%; p = 0.02), but not at other sites. The proportions of CD patients with a T-score Ë-1.0 at the femoral neck (C 18.46%; CD 47.62%; p = 0.02) and total hip (C 16.92%; CD 42.86%; p = 0.03) were significantly higher than among controls. There were no statistically significant differences between IBD patients and controls regarding BMAT at L3 (C 28.62 ± 8.15%; CD 29.81 ± 6.90%; UC 27.35 ± 9.80%; p = 0.67). CONCLUSIONS: IBD patients in long-term, steroid-free remission may have a low bone mass in spite of preserved BMAT. These findings confirm the heterogeneity of bone disorders in IBD and may indicate that factors involved in bone loss in active disease may have long-lasting effects on these patients.
Asunto(s)
Tejido Adiposo/patología , Médula Ósea/patología , Enfermedades Inflamatorias del Intestino/complicaciones , Osteoporosis/etiología , Absorciometría de Fotón/métodos , Adulto , Densidad Ósea/fisiología , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Colitis Ulcerosa/complicaciones , Colitis Ulcerosa/patología , Colitis Ulcerosa/fisiopatología , Enfermedad de Crohn/complicaciones , Enfermedad de Crohn/patología , Enfermedad de Crohn/fisiopatología , Femenino , Cuello Femoral/fisiopatología , Articulación de la Cadera/fisiopatología , Humanos , Enfermedades Inflamatorias del Intestino/patología , Enfermedades Inflamatorias del Intestino/fisiopatología , Vértebras Lumbares/fisiopatología , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética/métodos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Osteoporosis/patología , Osteoporosis/fisiopatología , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
The expression of sarcoplasmic reticulum SERCA1a Ca2+-ATPase wild-type and D351E mutants was optimized in yeast under the control of a galactose promoter. Fully active wild-type enzyme was recovered in yeast microsomal membrane fractions in sufficient amounts to permit a rapid and practical assay of ATP hydrolysis and phosphoenzyme formation from ATP or Pi. Mutant and wild-type Ca2+-ATPase were assayed for phosphorylation by Pi under conditions that are known to facilitate this reaction in the wild-type enzyme, including pH 6.0 or 7.0 at 25°C in the presence of dimethylsulfoxide. Although glutamyl (E) and aspartyl (D) residue side chains differ by only one methylene group, no phosphoenzyme could be detected in the D351E mutant, even upon the addition of 40 percent dimethylsulfoxide and 1 mM 32Pi in the presence of 10 mM EGTA and 5 mM MgCl2. These results show that in the D351E mutant, increasing hydrophobicity of the site with inorganic solvent was not a sufficient factor for the required abstraction of water in the reaction of E351 with Pi to form a glutamylphosphate (P-E351) phosphoenzyme moiety. Mutation D351E may disrupt the proposed alignment of the reactive water molecule with the aspartylphosphate (P-D351) moiety in the phosphorylation site, which may be an essential alignment both in the forward reaction (hydrolysis of aspartylphosphate) and in the reverse reaction (abstraction of water upon formation of an aspartylphosphate intermediate).
Asunto(s)
Animales , Conejos , Mutación/genética , Fosfatos/metabolismo , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genética , ATPasas Transportadoras de Calcio del Retículo Sarcoplásmico/genética , Retículo Sarcoplasmático/enzimología , Regulación Fúngica de la Expresión Génica , Vectores Genéticos , Fosforilación , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolismo , ATPasas Transportadoras de Calcio del Retículo Sarcoplásmico/metabolismoRESUMEN
The expression of sarcoplasmic reticulum SERCA1a Ca2+-ATPase wild-type and D351E mutants was optimized in yeast under the control of a galactose promoter. Fully active wild-type enzyme was recovered in yeast microsomal membrane fractions in sufficient amounts to permit a rapid and practical assay of ATP hydrolysis and phosphoenzyme formation from ATP or Pi. Mutant and wild-type Ca2+-ATPase were assayed for phosphorylation by Pi under conditions that are known to facilitate this reaction in the wild-type enzyme, including pH 6.0 or 7.0 at 25 degrees C in the presence of dimethylsulfoxide. Although glutamyl (E) and aspartyl (D) residue side chains differ by only one methylene group, no phosphoenzyme could be detected in the D351E mutant, even upon the addition of 40% dimethylsulfoxide and 1 mM 32Pi in the presence of 10 mM EGTA and 5 mM MgCl2. These results show that in the D351E mutant, increasing hydrophobicity of the site with inorganic solvent was not a sufficient factor for the required abstraction of water in the reaction of E351 with Pi to form a glutamylphosphate (P-E351) phosphoenzyme moiety. Mutation D351E may disrupt the proposed alignment of the reactive water molecule with the aspartylphosphate (P-D351) moiety in the phosphorylation site, which may be an essential alignment both in the forward reaction (hydrolysis of aspartylphosphate) and in the reverse reaction (abstraction of water upon formation of an aspartylphosphate intermediate).
Asunto(s)
Mutación/genética , Fosfatos/metabolismo , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genética , ATPasas Transportadoras de Calcio del Retículo Sarcoplásmico/genética , Retículo Sarcoplasmático/enzimología , Animales , Regulación Fúngica de la Expresión Génica , Vectores Genéticos , Fosforilación , Conejos , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolismo , ATPasas Transportadoras de Calcio del Retículo Sarcoplásmico/metabolismoRESUMEN
Lifetime exposure to benzene is associated to a variety of blood disorders, and except for the risk of cancer, almost nothing is known concerning health impairment in individuals who are no longer exposed. In Brazil, this exposure is one of the serious problems in workplaces, and many workers have been laid off their jobs due to this intoxication, particularly in the State of Bahia, the largest producer of benzene in Latin America, which is the area of this study. From a larger study to describe health effects and genetic polymorphisms among workers with chronic benzene poisoning (CBP), this previous specific investigation analyzes the association between CBP and the pattern of sub-populations of lymphocytes. The study was performed with a CBP group (n=24) and a control group with other occupational diseases (n=24); both were selected at the Workers Health Study Center in the State of Bahia, Brazil. Clinical and epidemiologic variables were collected from medical records and from a detailed questionnaire. The average age was similar in the two groups (51.1 and 50.7, respectively). Analyzing the mean proportions of the sub-populations of lymphocytes, statistically significant differences were found for T cytotoxic cells (TCD8) (27.9; 19.4; p=0.002) and T helper memory cell (CD4CD45RO) (31.2; 37.0; p=0.015), respectively, for the CBP group and control group. These results should be viewed with caution because of the small sample size, but they strengthen a previous impression that workers exposed to benzene have their immune system impaired, even in the long term, which may contribute to some disorders and carcinogenesis process. These workers must be strictly followed up in a medical surveillance program. Although this problem has been known for a long time, this is the first attempt to study these specific effects in Brazil.
Asunto(s)
Benceno/efectos adversos , Subgrupos Linfocitarios/inmunología , Subgrupos Linfocitarios/metabolismo , Enfermedades Profesionales/inmunología , Enfermedades Profesionales/patología , Adulto , Anciano , Brasil/epidemiología , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Enfermedad Crónica , Femenino , Humanos , Recuento de Leucocitos , Subgrupos Linfocitarios/efectos de los fármacos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Enfermedades Profesionales/inducido químicamente , Enfermedades Profesionales/epidemiología , FenotipoRESUMEN
Apresentam os autores a experiencia de dois casos de aneurismas de arteria esplenica agudos no servico de cirurgia do HECC. Fazem revisao da literatura enfatizando o exame fisico e radiologico simples do abdomen dados fundamentais para o diagnostico em que o sinal do "anel de sinete" devera ser sempre pesquisado. Referem ainda os magnificos resultados obtidos com a aneurismectomia e esplenectomia
Asunto(s)
Persona de Mediana Edad , Humanos , Masculino , Femenino , Aneurisma , Arteria EsplénicaRESUMEN
Determina os parametros hematologicos: hemacias, hemoglobulina, hematocrito, indices hematimetricos, reticulocitos e hemossedimentacao, em 200 individuos adultos normais, residentes em Fortaleza, Ceara.Os valores encontrados foram submetidos a analise estatisca e os resultados comparados com os da literatura