RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: The rheumatoid factor (RF) is the most common antibody found in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. It is an inflammatory chronic disease characterized by articular involvement, inflammation of synovial fluid, tissue infiltration by leucocytes and joint destruction, which ultimately determine articular deformities. The rheumatoid factor is found in 70%-80% of the adult population and in 10% of the young population. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research was to compare immunoturbidimetric and latex agglutination methods for the detection of RF in serum. RESULTS: The immunoturbidimetric method displayed sensitivity (95.2%), specificity (89.4%) and high positive correlation (R² = 0,8077) with the latex agglutination method in positive serum samples. CONCLUSION: The study allowed to demonstrate that both immunoturbidimetric and latex agglutination methods equally discriminate between negative and positive serum samples for RF.
INTRODUÇÃO: O fator reumatoide (FR) é o autoanticorpo mais comum encontrado em pacientes com artrite reumatoide, uma doença crônica inflamatória caracterizada pelo envolvimento articular com inflamação do líquido sinovial, infiltração de tecido por leucócitos e destruição das articulações, que acaba por determinar deformidades articulares. O FR é encontrado em 70%-80% da população adulta e em 10% da população juvenil. OBJETIVO: Comparar os métodos de imunoturbidimetria e aglutinação (prova do látex) para a determinação de FR em soro. RESULTADO: Foi possível observar que o método imunoturbidimétrico apresenta sensibilidade (95,2%), especificidade (89,4%) e correlação positiva elevada (R² = 0,8077) com o método de aglutinação pelo látex em amostras de soro positivas. CONCLUSÃO: O estudo permitiu demonstrar que o método imunoturbidimétrico e o método de aglutinação pelo látex são igualmente capazes de discriminar amostras negativas e positivas para FR.
Assuntos
Humanos , Fator Reumatoide/análise , Nefelometria e Turbidimetria/métodos , Sensibilidade e Especificidade , Testes de Fixação do Látex/métodosRESUMO
INTRODUÇÃO: A dengue é causa de preocupação em países como o Brasil. OBJETIVO: Verificar a soropositividade dos pacientes do ambulatório de especialidades do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) para anticorpos antidengue, relacionando os resultados com os dados sociodemográficos. METODOLOGIA: Foram respondidos 184 questionários de avaliação sociodemográfica e de conhecimento sobre a transmissão da dengue. Foi utilizado o método de imunoensaio enzimático (ELISA) para pesquisar imunoglobulina da classe M (IgM) e da classe G (IgG) contra os vírus. RESULTADOS: Quinze por cento dos pacientes apresentaram IgG contra o vírus, sem a presença de IgM. CONCLUSÃO: Os pacientes demonstraram conhecimento sobre a doença e sua prevenção, independentemente da classe econômica. A infecção assintomática deve ser avaliada, principalmente nos casos de doença febril.
INTRODUCTION: Dengue is a public health problem in Brazil and worldwide. OBJECTIVE: To determine dengue seropositivity of patients from SUS specialty laboratory by correlating the results with socio-demographic data. METHODS: One hundred and eighty-four questionnaires on socio-demographic assessment and dengue transmission awareness were filled out. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method was performed for the detection of IgM and IgG antibodies against dengue virus. RESULTS: Fifteen percent of patients had IgG against dengue virus without the presence of IgM. CONCLUSION: All patients showed disease and prevention awareness regardless of their socio-economic background. The asymptomatic infection must be evaluated mainly in cases of disease with fever.
RESUMO
Heparanase is an endo-beta-glucuronidase that is capable of degrading heparan sulfate chains of proteoglycans, generating a variety of bioactive molecules such as growth factors and chemotactic and angiogenic agents. The expression of heparanase was investigated in the peripheral blood mononuclear cell fraction (PBMC) of 30 patients with breast cancer and 20 healthy control women by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunocytochemistry. PBMC samples from all breast cancer patients at study entry showed the expression of heparanase, whereas no expression was observed for healthy women. Immunocytochemistry analysis demonstrated that heparanase was expressed in lymphocytes of breast cancer PBMC. Throughout follow-up, heparanase expression by RTPCR decreased significantly after surgery in patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (P = .002) and after tamoxifen treatment (P = .040), whereas it increased significantly with the advent of systemic metastasis (P = .027). In vitro, either serum from breast cancer patients or a medium originated from coculture experiments of MCF-7 cells and lymphocytes from healthy women stimulated heparanase expression in normal lymphocytes. The results suggest that there is a tumor-inducing effect on heparanase expression by lymphocytes present in the PBMCs of breast cancer patients, which depends, in turn, on the interaction between a tumor and normal lymphocytes.