Cardiovascular risk and mannose binding lectin in patients with rheumatoid arthritis from southern Brazil.

Background: Mannose binding lectin (MBL) appears to be involved in susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis (RA), in the inflammatory process and in the genesis of atherosclerotic disease.

Objective: To study the association of MBL serum levels and its genotypic variation with carotid arteries intimal thickness (IMT) in RA patients from Southern Brazil.

Methods: MBL serum levels, genotyping and IMT were investigated in 90 RA patients along with their demographic, clinical and laboratory profile.

Ventral abdominal wall defect correction in rats with contaminated meshes.

Purpose:: To investigate whether there is a difference between Marlex(r) and Dynamesh PP-light Marlex(r) meshes, in the abdominal wall defect correction, on rats in contaminated surgical site.

Methods:: Twenty-eight Wistar rats were divided into two groups of 14, and four subgroups of seven animals. All subgroups underwent similar surgical procedure.

CONVENTIONAL VIDEOENDOSCOPY CAN IDENTIFY HELICOBACTER PYLORI GASTRITIS?

Background: Studies with latest technologies such as endoscopy with magnification and chromoendoscopy showed that various endoscopic aspects are clearly related to infection by Helicobacter pylori (HP). The description of different patterns of erythema in gastric body under magnification of images revived interest in identifying these patterns by standard endoscopy.

Aim: To validate the morphologic features of gastric mucosa related to H.

Serum pentraxin 3 levels are negatively associated with carotid intima media thickness in non-obese rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Background: Pentraxin-3 (PTX3) is a long pentraxin that is supposed to participate in the inflammatory process and in atherosclerosis.

Aim: To study PTX3 serum levels in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients to know if its serum levels may reflect disease activity and/or subclinical atherosclerosis.

Methods: PTX3 and carotid intima media thickness (IMT) were studied in 85 RA patients (83.

ON VASCULAR STENOSIS, RESTENOSIS AND MANNOSE BINDING LECTIN.

Mannose binding lectin is a lectin instrumental in the innate immunity. It recognizes carbohydrate patterns found on the surface of a large number of pathogenic micro-organisms, activating the complement system. However, this protein seems to increase the tissue damage after ischemia.