Outcomes of the First 54 Pediatric Patients on Long-Term Home Parenteral Nutrition from a Single Brazilian Center.

Objectives: Data on multidisciplinary programs dedicated to home parenteral nutrition (HPN) in Latin America are limited. This study describes the results of the first multidisciplinary pediatric intestinal rehabilitation program for HPN at a public tertiary hospital in Brazil.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients aged 0-18 years with intestinal failure (IF) who required parenteral nutrition (PN) for >60 days between January/2014 and December/2020.

Brazilians' level of knowledge, attitudes and practices towards COVID-19: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Brazil is facing increasing cycles of numbers of infected people and deaths resulting from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This situation involves a series of factors, including the behavior of the population, that can be decisive for controlling the disease.

Objective: To determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices of the Brazilian population regarding COVID-19.

Streptococcus agalactiae carriage among pregnant women living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, over a period of eight years.

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) carriage by pregnant women is the primary risk factor for early-onset GBS neonatal sepsis. Intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) can prevent this transmission route, and two main approaches are recommended to base the selection of pregnant women to be submitted to IAP: the risk-based and the culture-based strategies. In Brazil, compliance to such recommendations is poor, and not much is known about GBS carriage.

The Brazilian version of the 20-item rapid estimate of adult literacy in medicine and dentistry.

Background: The misunderstanding of specific vocabulary may hamper the patient-health provider communication. The 20-item Rapid Estimate Adult Literacy in Medicine and Dentistry (REALMD-20) was constructed to screen patients by their ability in reading medical/dental terminologies in a simple and rapid way. This study aimed to perform the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of this instrument for its application in Brazilian dental patients.

Factors associated with maternal death in an intensive care unit.

Objective:: To identify factors associated with maternal death in patients admitted to an intensive care unit.

Methods:: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a maternal intensive care unit. All medical records of patients admitted from January 2012 to December 2014 were reviewed.

Lack of association among TNF-α gene expression, -308 polymorphism (G > A) and virulence markers of Helicobacter pylori.

Background: Tumor necrosis factor plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of gastric diseases such as gastric cancer, and an abnormal inflammatory response has frequently been observed in dyspeptic patients. Helicobacter pylori infection can induce a gastric mucosal inflammatory response that may be influenced by -308 (G > A) polymorphisms and gene expression of the TNF-α gene.

Methods: One hundred and thirty-four gastric biopsy samples were collected from patients of both genders (61♂ and 73♀, mean age 40.

Management of Severe Gastrointestinal Tuberculosis with Injectable Antituberculous Drugs.

Abdominal tuberculosis (TB) is generally responsive to medical treatment, and early diagnosis and management can prevent unnecessary surgical intervention. However, intravenous therapy is needed for severe forms of tuberculosis with extensive gastrointestinal involvement. The authors report an immunocompetent patient with gastrointestinal TB who was successfully managed with a combination of surgical intervention and anti-TB medications, and discuss the importance of injectable anti-TB medications in the management of severe gastrointestinal TB.

Melatonin decreases breast cancer metastasis by modulating Rho-associated kinase protein-1 expression.

The occurrence of metastasis, an important breast cancer prognostic factor, depends on cell migration/invasion mechanisms, which can be controlled by regulatory and effector molecules such as Rho-associated kinase protein (ROCK-1). Increased expression of this protein promotes tumor growth and metastasis, which can be restricted by ROCK-1 inhibitors. Melatonin has shown oncostatic, antimetastatic, and anti-angiogenic effects and can modulate ROCK-1 expression.

TLR2 and TLR4 polymorphisms influence mRNA and protein expression in colorectal cancer.

Aim: To evaluate the effect of promoter region polymorphisms of toll-like receptor (TLR)2-196 to -174del and TLR4-1607T/C (rs10759932) on mRNA and protein expression in tumor tissue and of TLR4+896A/G (rs4986790) on colorectal cancer (CRC) risk.

Methods: The TLR2-196 to -174del polymorphism was investigated using allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the TLR4-1607T/C and TLR4+896A/G by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). We genotyped 434 DNA samples from 194 CRC patients and 240 healthy individuals.

Influence of functional polymorphisms in TNF-α, IL-8, and IL-10 cytokine genes on mRNA expression levels and risk of gastric cancer.

Functional polymorphisms in promoter regions can produce changes in the affinity of transcription factors, thus altering the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression levels of inflammatory cytokines associated with the risk of cancer development. The goal of this study was to evaluate the influence that polymorphisms in the cytokine genes known as TNF-α-308 G/A (rs1800629), TNF-α-857 C/T (rs1799724), IL-8-251 T/A (rs4073), IL-8-845 T/C (rs2227532), and IL-10-592 C/A (rs1800872) have on changes to mRNA expression levels and on the risks of chronic gastritis (CG) and gastric cancer (GC). A sample of 723 individuals was genotyped using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique.

Prevalence of infection with cagA-positive Helicobacter pylori strains among children and adolescents in southern Brazil.

Context: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has a worldwide distribution, but the prevalence of infection, virulence factors, and clinical presentation vary widely according to the studied population. In Brazil, a continental country composed of several ethnicities and cultural habits, the behavior of infection also appears to vary, as many other studies have shown.

Expression of glutathione, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione S-transferase pi in canine mammary tumors.

Background: Glutathione (GSH) is one of the most important agents of the antioxidant defense system of the cell because, in conjunction with the enzymes glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and glutathione S transferase pi (GSTpi), it plays a central role in the detoxification and biotransformation of chemotherapeutic drugs. This study evaluated the expression of GSH and the GSH-Px and GSTpi enzymes by immunohistochemistry in 30 canine mammary tumors, relating the clinicopathological parameters, clinical outcome and survival of the bitches. In an in vitro study, the expression of the genes glutamate cysteine ligase (GCLC) and glutathione synthetase (GSS) that synthesize GSH and GSH-Px gene were verified by qPCR and subjected to treatment with doxorubicin, to check the resistance of cancer cells to chemotherapy.

Expression of annexin-A1 and galectin-1 anti-inflammatory proteins and mRNA in chronic gastritis and gastric cancer.

Objective: The anti-inflammatory proteins annexin-A1 and galectin-1 have been associated with tumor progression. This scenario prompted us to investigate the relationship between the gene and protein expression of annexin-A1 (ANXA1/AnxA1) and galectin-1 (LGALS1/Gal-1) in an inflammatory gastric lesion as chronic gastritis (CG) and gastric adenocarcinoma (GA) and its association with H. pylori infection.

Profiles of gene polymorphisms in cytokines and Toll-like receptors with higher risk for gastric cancer.

Background: Chronic inflammation and gastric carcinogenesis show a close association, so gene polymorphisms that modify the intensity of the inflammatory response may contribute to variations in gastric cancer risk.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to investigate the combined effect of the pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and toll-like receptors polymorphisms on the chronic gastritis and gastric cancer risk in a Brazilian population sample.

Methods: We evaluated 669 DNA samples (200 of gastric cancer [GC], 229 of chronic gastritis [CG], and 240 of healthy individuals [C]).

Polymorphisms of the TLR2 and TLR4 genes are associated with risk of gastric cancer in a Brazilian population.

Aim: To investigate toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) -196 to -174 del, and TLR4 (+896A/G rs4986790 and +1196C/T rs4986791) polymorphisms at risk of chronic gastritis and gastric cancer in a Brazilian population and association of gastric lesions with risk factors such as smoking, alcohol intake and Helicobacter pylori infection.

Methods: In this case-control study, polymorphism at TLR2 -196 to -174 del was investigated by using the allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method, while the PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique was carried out to identify the TLR4 (rs4986790 and rs4986791) genotypes in 607 Brazilian individuals (208 with chronic gastritis-CG, 174 with gastric cancer-GC and 225 controls -C).

Results: The single nucleotide polymorphisms TLR4+1196C/T was not associated with risk of chronic gastritis or gastric cancer and the homozygous genotypes TLR4+896GG and TLR4+1196TT were absent in the studied population.

Expression of human recombinant antibody fragments capable of partially inhibiting the phospholypase activity of Crotalus durissus terrificus venom.

Crotoxin is the main toxic component of the South American rattlesnake Crotalus durissus terrificus venom. It is composed of two different subunits: CA, crotapotin, and CB (basic subunit of cortoxin isolated from C. d.

Toxoplasma gondii and mast cell interactions in vivo and in vitro: experimental infection approaches in Calomys callosus (Rodentia, Cricetidae).

In the present work, we studied some qualitative and quantitative characteristics of mast cells located in the peritoneal cavity, submandibular and dorsal lymph nodes and ileum of Calomys callosus experimentally infected by Toxoplasma gondii. In uninfected animals, the majority of mast cells had similar ultra-structural characteristics, including several cytoplasmic granules with homogeneous and electron dense contents. However, after 1 h of infection, a significant influx of mast cells into peritoneal cavity was observed.

[Informed consent in research: a new approach].

Introduction: The Informed Consent allows the person invited to participate of a research project to understand the procedures, risks, discomforts, benefits and rights involved; determining an autonomic decision. We want to verify in the informed consent process the adequacy of given information to research subjects in a collective way.

Methods: A research project was chosen from the gynecologic area.