Phasing out the pre-transplant cytotoxicity crossmatch: Are we missing something?

Introduction: The anti-human globulin-enhanced complement-dependent cytotoxicity crossmatch (AHG-CDCXM) assay has been used to assess the presence of donor-specific antibodies (DSA) in recipient's serum before kidney transplantation. The flow cytometric crossmatch (FCXM) assay was first introduced as an additional test. The aim of this study was to clinically validate the single use of the FCXM assay.

Erratum: CHEK2 1100DELC germline mutation: a frequency study in hereditary breast and colon cancer Brazilian families.

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1590/S0004-28032012000400008.

CHEK2 1100DELC germline mutation: a frequency study in hereditary breast and colon cancer Brazilian families.

Context: CHEK2 encodes a cell cycle checkpoint kinase that plays an important role in the DNA damage repair pathway, activated mainly by ATM (Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated) in response to double-stranded DNA breaks. A germline mutation in CHEK2, 1100delC, has been described as a low penetrance allele in a significant number of families with breast and colorectal cancer in certain countries and is also associated with increased risk of contralateral breast cancer in women previously affected by the disease. About 5%-10% of all breast and colorectal cancers are associated with hereditary predisposition and its recognition is of great importance for genetic counseling and cancer risk management.

Identification of patients at-risk for Lynch syndrome in a hospital-based colorectal surgery clinic.

Aim: To determine the prevalence of a family history suggestive of Lynch syndrome (LS) among patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) followed in a coloproctology outpatient clinic in Southern Brazil.

Methods: A consecutive sample of patients with CRC were interviewed regarding personal and family histories of cancer. Clinical data and pathology features of the tumor were obtained from chart review.

In vivo quinolinic acid increases synaptosomal glutamate release in rats: reversal by guanosine.

Glutamate, the main excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS), plays important role in brain physiological and pathological events. Quinolinic acid (QA) is a glutamatergic agent that induces seizures and is involved in the etiology of epilepsy. Guanine-based purines (GBPs) (guanosine and GMP) have been shown to exert neuroprotective effects against glutamatergic excitotoxic events.