Multimarker Analysis of Circulating Tumor Cells in Peripheral Blood of Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients: A Step Forward in Personalized Medicine.

AIM: To develop an immunomagnetic assay for the isolation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) followed by the analysis of a multimarker panel, which will enable the characterization of these malignant cells with high accuracy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Peripheral blood (PB) was collected from 32 metastatic breast cancer patients and 42 negative controls. The antibodies BM7 and VU1D9 were used for immunomagnetic tumor cell enrichment.

Occurrence of asthma symptoms and of airflow obstruction in amateur swimmers between 8 and 17 years of age.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of asthma symptoms and of airflow obstruction in amateur swimmers between 8 and 17 years of age, as well as to assess the awareness of asthma and asthma management among these swimmers, their parents, and their coaches.

Methods: Our sample comprised 1,116 amateur swimmers who completed a modified version of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood written questionnaire, to which questions regarding the reasons to initiate swimming and regarding asthma management had been added. In addition, the participants underwent spirometry prior to a swimming competition.

Nitrogen removal from landfill leachate in constructed wetlands with reed and willow: redox potential in the root zone.

This study investigated the effects of reed and willow on bioremediation of landfill leachate in comparison with an unplanted control by measuring redox potential levels in the rhizosphere of microcosm systems in a greenhouse. Plants had a significant influence on redox potential relative to the plant-less system. Redox potential in the reed rhizosphere was anoxic (mean -102±85 mV), but it was the least negative, being significantly higher than in the willow (mean -286±118 mV), which had the lowest Eh.

Multimarker gene analysis of circulating tumor cells in pancreatic cancer patients: a feasibility study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop an immunomagnetic/real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay and assess its clinical value for the molecular detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in peripheral blood of pancreatic cancer patients.

Methods: The presence of CTCs was evaluated in 34 pancreatic cancer patients before systemic therapy and in 40 healthy controls, through immunomagnetic enrichment, using the antibodies BM7 and VU1D9 [targeting mucin 1 and epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), respectively], followed by real-time RT-PCR analysis of the genes KRT19, MUC1, EPCAM, CEACAM5 and BIRC5.

Results: The developed assay showed high specificity, as none of the healthy controls were found to be positive for the multimarker gene panel.

Essential oil of Croton zehntneri and its major constituent anethole display gastroprotective effect by increasing the surface mucous layer.

Croton zehntneri, a plant native to northeastern Brazil, is widely used in folk medicine to treat gastrointestinal problems and has rich essential oil content. The effects of the essential oil of Croton zehntneri (EOCZ) and its main constituent anethole on several models of gastric lesions were studied in mice and rats. Oral treatment with EOCZ and anethole, both at doses of 30-300 mg/kg, caused similar and dose-dependent gastroprotection against ethanol- and indomethacin-induced gastric damage, but did not change cold-restraint stress-induced ulcers in rats.

Characterization of novel Leishmania infantum recombinant proteins encoded by genes from five families with distinct capacities for serodiagnosis of canine and human visceral leishmaniasis.

To expand the available panel of recombinant proteins that can be useful for identifying Leishmania-infected dogs and for diagnosing human visceral leishmaniasis (VL), we selected recombinant antigens from L. infantum, cDNA, and genomic libraries by using pools of serum samples from infected dogs and humans. The selected DNA fragments encoded homologs of a cytoplasmic heat-shock protein 70, a kinesin, a polyubiquitin, and two novel hypothetical proteins.

Absence of arteriosclerosis in intramyocardial coronary arteries: a mystery to be solved?

Several studies show that portions of intramyocardial coronary arteries are spared of arteriosclerosis, involving morphological, embryological, biochemical and pathophysiological aspects. Endothelial function is significantly affected in the segment of transition, as estimated by the vasoactive response to Ach. These findings suggest that myocardial bridge can provide protection against arteriosclerosis by counteracting the negative effects of endothelial dysfunction.

Methylene blue administration in the compound 48/80-induced anaphylactic shock: hemodynamic study in pigs.

Purpose: To verify if the methylene blue (MB) administration prevents and/or reverses the compound 48/80 (C48/80)-induced anaphylactic shock in pigs.

Methods: Female Dalland pigs were anesthetized and had the hemodynamic parameters recorded during the necessary time to administer some drugs and observe their effect. The animals were randomly assigned to one of the five groups: 1) control; 2) MB: the animals received a bolus injection of MB (2 mg/kg) followed by continuous infusion of MB (2.

High prevalence and lack of diversity of Wolbachia pipientis in Aedes albopictus populations from Northeast Brazil.

The use of Wolbachia as a tool to control insect vectors has recently been suggested. In this context, studies on the prevalence and diversity of this bacterium in wild populations are relevant. Here, we evaluated the diversity of two Wolbachiagenes (ftsZ and wsp) and the prevalence of this endosymbiont in wild Aedes albopictus.

Serological survey of Neospora caninum in small ruminants from Pernambuco State, Brazil.

Neospora caninum infection is an important cause of bovine abortion as well as neonatal mortality in goats and sheep. A serological survey for antibodies against N. caninum in goats and sheep was carried out in the municipality of Ibimirim, PE, Northeastern Brazil.

[Percutaneous intervention in left main coronary disease: medium and long term clinical outcomes in a high risk population].

Purpose: Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) remains the standard therapy for left main coronary artery (LMCA) disease.However, in recent years, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has shown good results and is being used in an increasing number of patients. We aimed to assess mid and long term clinical outcomes of patients undergoing LMCA PCI in a hospital with cardiac surgery.

Metastatic cutaneous Crohn's disease of the face: a case report and review of the literature.

Metastatic cutaneous Crohn's disease is one of the most uncommon cutaneous extraintestinal manifestations. The face is the rarest location, with only eight cases described in the literature. We report a rare case of a young man with Crohn's disease and two granulomatous lesions on the face in a nodular form.

Memory and naive-like regulatory CD4+ T cells expand during HIV-2 infection in direct association with CD4+ T-cell depletion irrespectively of viremia.

Objective: The dynamics of CD4(+) regulatory T cells (Treg) during HIV-1 infection remains unclear. To further investigate Treg in this context, we characterized, for the first time, this population in HIV-2-positive individuals. Although both HIV infections are associated with hyperimmune activation and CD4(+) T-cell lymphopenia, most HIV-2-positive individuals display slower disease progression and low-to-undetectable viremia.

Liver abscess of the caudate lobe due to Staphylococcus aureus in an ulcerative colitis patient: First case report.

Liver abscesses are very rare complications of ulcerative colitis, with only nine cases described in the literature, to our knowledge. We report a case where a recurrence of liver abscess occurred in an ulcerative colitis patient, in two different hepatic lobes, which has not been previously described. The recurrence was in the caudate lobe having the cultures yielded Staphylococcus aureus.

Endoscopic treatment of esthesioneuroblastoma.

Unlabelled: Esthesioneuroblastoma is an uncommon malignant tumor of the nasal vault. Treatment consists of craniofacial resection. As endoscopic techniques have advanced, this approach has been recommended to avoid morbidity and to reduce costs.

Omeprazole, but not pantoprazole, reduces the antiplatelet effect of clopidogrel: a randomized clinical crossover trial in patients after myocardial infarction evaluating the clopidogrel-PPIs drug interaction.

Background: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are usually prescribed to patients undergoing dual antiplatelet therapy to decrease the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. Recent studies have raised concerns that PPIs could reduce clopidogrel's efficacy by competitive inhibition of cytochrome P450 2C19 isoenzyme. All PPIs are metabolized by cytochrome P450 2C19, although to varying degrees, and according to in-vitro studies, pantoprazole is the weakest inhibitor of this isoenzyme.

Percutaneous aortic valve implantation.

Introduction: Percutaneous aortic valve implantation is an emerging procedure for the treatment of patients with severe aortic stenosis.

Methods: The procedure was performed in patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis, who had been refused for aortic valve replacement surgery. A self-expanding bioprosthesis within a nitinol frame delivered by an 18F catheter was used.

Dysplasia surveillance in an ulcerative colitis patient: successful detection with narrow band imaging and magnification.

One of the contemporary challenges gastroenterologists face is cancer screening and surveillance in long-term colitis patients. The search for a consensually practical and effective method to routinely detect dysplastic mucosa persists. In recent years, publications demonstrating the applicability of narrow band imaging (NBI) in this setting have sparked further research.

[Clopidogrel--proton pump inhibitors drug interaction: implications to clinical practice].

Recent studies have raised the concern that proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) could potentially interfere with clopidogrel antiplatelet effect. This association is frequent in clinical practice and is recommended by recent consensus guidelines in patients taking dual antiplatelet therapy to prevent gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. Clopidogrel is a pro-drug which needs to be metabolized into its active metabolite, by cytochrome P450, especially by CYP2C19 isoenzyme.