IgG Subclass Analysis in Patients with Chagas Disease 4 Years After Benznidazole Treatment.

Background: In humans, Trypanosoma cruzi infection is controlled by a complex immune response. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) is important for opsonizing blood trypomastigotes, activating the classic complement pathway, and reducing parasitemia. The trypanocidal activity of benznidazole is recognized, but its effects on the prevention and progression of Chagas disease is not well understood OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the levels of total IgG and cross-specific IgG subclasses in patients with chronic Chagas disease of different clinical forms before and after 4 years of benznidazole treatment.

Effects of the laying on of hands on anxiety, stress and autonomic response of employees in a hospital: A double-blind randomized controlled trial.

Unlabelled: Mental and behavioral disorders result in increased absenteeism and abandonment of work. The objective of this study was to evaluate the anxiety, stress, depression, negative and positive affects, and hematological and autonomic responses of employees in a public hospital exposed to laying on of hands with (LHS) or without Spiritual connection (control-LHW).

Methodology: Eighty-four employees with anxiety/stress were enrolled and randomly allocated into two groups of intervention LHS by Spiritist "passe" and control-LHW by volunteers with healing intent.

T-Cell Immunophenotyping and Cytokine Production Analysis in Patients with Chagas Disease 4 Years after Benznidazole Treatment.

The major problem with Chagas disease is evolution of the chronic indeterminate form to a progressive cardiac disease. Treatment diminishes parasitemia but not clinical progression, and the immunological features involved are unclear. Here, we studied the clinical course and the immune response in patients with chronic-phase Chagas disease at 48 months after benznidazole treatment.

Effectiveness of Spiritist "passe" (Spiritual healing) for anxiety levels, depression, pain, muscle tension, well-being, and physiological parameters in cardiovascular inpatients: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Biofield therapies, such as laying on of hands, are used in association with Conventional Medicine as Spiritist "passe", among others. The aim of this study was to evaluate anxiety, depression, pain, muscle tension and well-being, as well as physiological parameters in cardiovascular inpatients submitted to the Spiritist "passe", sham, and no intervention.

Methods: In the total, 41 cardiovascular inpatients submitted to the Spiritist "passe", sham, and no intervention during a 10-min period on 3 consecutive days.

Research of multiarterial atherosclerotic disease in hypertensive patients with renal artery stenosis.

Introduction: The detection of the renal artery stenosis in hypertensive patients can be a signal of systemic arterial atherosclerosis.

Aims: To identify and characterize clinical-epidemiologically the hypertensive patients with renal artery stenosis, evaluating factors of cardiovascular risk and presence of symptomatic multiarterial atherosclerotic.

Method: Were selected the hypertensive patients who were assisted at the Nephrological Clinic of Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro (UFTM) between 2000-2010, with diagnosis of renal artery stenosis of atherosclerotic etiology.

Cardiac autonomic function in chagasic elderly patients in an endemic area: A time and frequency domain analysis approach.

Chagas' disease is a common cause of cardiac autonomic impairment. In an endemic area there is a predominance of the indeterminate form and the number of elderly individuals committed by the disease is increasing. This study aimed to investigate the profile of heart rate variability (HRV) in elderly chagasic patients.