Publications by authors named "Helker Albuquerque da Silva"

The pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is complex, with several susceptibility genes and environmental factors involved in its development and clinical manifestation. Currently, there is a great amount of interest in the identification of biomarkers, as cytokines, that can quantify the susceptibility of SLE, the risk of future organ involvement, and association of their changes with disease activity. To investigate the associations between polymorphisms in the gene of Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and in the promoter of the Interleukin-10 (IL-10) gene and SLE.

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To investigate the association of the IL-6 gene promoter polymorphism (-174 G/C) with SLE susceptibility and disease features in Brazilian patients, a case-control study of 80 lupus cases and 60 volunteer healthy women was performed. Genotyping was carried out by polymerase chain reaction and PCR product was digested by HSP92II restriction enzyme, being after visualized in polyacrylamide gel. There were significant differences in the distribution of the IL-6 gene C/C polymorphism between the SLE and control groups (χ(2) = 8.

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Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by the production of antibodies to components of the cell nucleus in association with a diverse array of clinical manifestations. Polymorphisms in cytokines genes may play an important role in the development and clinical manifestation. Due to this, there is a great interest in the identification of biomarkers that which could quantify the susceptibility and disease activity.

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Introduction: The present study shows a descriptive analysis of triatomine occurrence and its natural Trypanosoma infection rates in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, between 2006 and 2007.

Methods: Entomological data for the species, such as specimens captured in both intra and peridomiciles and natural infection index, were obtained via domiciliary capture in 147 municipalities from 11 Regional Managements of Health. The database was obtained from a sample of insects (100% infected and 20% non-infected) sent to the Central Laboratory of Pernambuco.

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Increasing research findings argue for a link between brain cholesterol turnover and Alzheimer's disease (AD). High cerebral levels of this lipid increase Ass load. The elimination of cerebral cholesterol involves two mechanisms, dependent of apolipoprotein E and cholesterol 24-hydroxylase (CYP46).

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Background: Polymorphism of the gene for apolipoprotein E (APOE) is an important risk factor for the development of Alzheimer's disease. The epsilon4 allele of the APOE gene has been linked with a number of neuropsychiatric illnesses, and also with stress and depression among geriatric populations.

Objective: To identify APOE-epsilon4 polymorphism and correlate this with cognitive deficit among the elderly population of the island of Fernando de Noronha.

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