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da Silva Júnior OC, Moreira A, Amorim W, Porto F. [Psychiatric nursing and modern nursing in Rio de Janeiro: a history lesson]. Rev Bras Enferm 2001; 54:229-36. [PMID: 12235773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The present study is the result of an essay written for the discipline Research Laboratory of Nursing History. It refers to the interest and struggle of the Brazilian Association of Nursing (ABEN), in the 1940s, in Rio de Janeiro, to make professionals of this area aware of the need of the inclusion of nursing in the psychiatric field in Rio de Janeiro. Our objective is to present the difficulties of this insertion, although the beginnings and the regulation of the nursing profession in Brazil started in a school of nursing, in the Psychiatric Hospital of Rio de Janeiro. In order to present the difficulties for this inclusion, we analyzed the documents that prescribed the regulation of the nursing profession, in the psychiatric area of the hospital mentioned above. Results indicate that standards established by Anna Nery Nursing School were broken, since psychiatric assistance was denied by this school until 1949, while the Nursing School Alfredo Pinto provided this kind of care since 1890. It is important to point out the strategic and historical role of ABEn as the coordinator and motivator of discussions regarding the course of the nursing profession.
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Oliver SJ, Moreira A, Kaplan G. Immune stimulation in scleroderma patients treated with thalidomide. Clin Immunol 2000; 97:109-20. [PMID: 11027451 DOI: 10.1006/clim.2000.4920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Scleroderma (SSc) is a fibrosing connective tissue disease that is poorly responsive to any treatment, including immune suppression. SSc shares many characteristics with chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Because the immunomodulatory drug thalidomide has proven beneficial in chronic GVHD, we studied the immune response and clinical effects of thalidomide in SSc patients. We treated 11 SSc patients with thalidomide in an open label, dose escalating, 12 week study. Histologic comparison of skin biopsies showed changes in skin fibrosis and an increase in epidermal and dermal infiltrating CD8(+) T cells with thalidomide treatment. In thalidomide-treated SSc patients, plasma levels of IL-12 and TNF-alpha increased, while plasma IL-5 and IL-10 levels remained unchanged. These changes were associated with clinical effects, including dry skin, dermal edema, transient rashes, decreased gastroesophageal reflux symptoms, and healing of digital ulcers. When SSc PBMCs activated by anti-CD3 mAb were exposed to thalidomide, increases in both production of IL-2, IL-3, GM-CSF, and IFN-gamma and T cell expression of CD40L were observed. Thalidomide therefore appears to induce immune stimulation in SSc patients in association with clinical changes. However, it remains to be shown whether long-term enhancement of immune responses in SSc patients is clinically beneficial.
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203
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Ferreira MI, Petrenko H, Lobo DJ, Rodrigues GS, Moreira A, Saldiva PH. In situ monitoring of the mutagenic effects of the gaseous emissions of a solid waste incinerator in metropolitan São Paulo, Brazil, using the Tradescantia stamen-hair assay. JOURNAL OF THE AIR & WASTE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION (1995) 2000; 50:1852-1856. [PMID: 11288313 DOI: 10.1080/10473289.2000.10464217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The present work was designed to determine the potential genotoxicity at the vicinity of a solid waste incinerator in the metropolitan area of São Paulo, using the Tradescantia stamen-hair bioassay. Experiments were carried out between December 1998 and April 1999 in four regions (40 pots of plants per site) selected on the basis of their pollution levels predicted by theoretical modeling of the dispersion of the incinerator's plume. The exposure sites were defined as follows: highest level (incinerator); a high level (museum) located 1.5 km from the emission point; a moderate level (school, at a distance of 3.5 km from the incinerator); and a control (at Jaguariúna countryside). The difference in genotoxicity among the groups was statistically significant (p < 0.001). The frequency of mutations observed in the countryside was significantly lower [2.25 +/- 1.55, mean +/- SD (standard deviation)] than that of the sites close to the incinerator. The frequency of mutations measured at the school (3.70 +/- 1.36) was significantly lower than that measured at both the museum (4.89 +/- 1.12) and the incinerator (5.69 +/- 1.34). In conclusion, we found a positive correlation between the spatial distribution of the emissions of the incinerator located in an urban area and the mutagenic events measured by the Tradescantia stamen-hair assay. The in situ approach employed in this study was simple, efficient, and of low cost. No air or chemical extraction of pollutants was necessary for genotoxicity testing as required by other assays.
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Mendes-da-Silva P, Moreira A, Duro-da-Costa J, Matias D, Monteiro C. Frequent loss of heterozygosity on chromosome 5 in non-small cell lung carcinoma. Mol Pathol 2000; 53:184-7. [PMID: 11040940 PMCID: PMC1186967 DOI: 10.1136/mp.53.4.184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
AIMS Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at specific chromosomal regions strongly suggests the existence of tumour suppressor genes at the relevant segment. Frequent LOH on chromosome 5q has been reported in a wide variety of human tumours, including those of the lung. The aim of this study was to screen for LOH and to clarify the location of putative tumour suppressor genes on chromosome 5 implicated in the genesis and/or development of non-small cell lung carcinoma. METHODS Thirty three patients with advanced non-small cell lung carcinoma were screened for LOH with a panel of 21 microsatellite DNA markers spanning the entire chromosome 5, using semi-automated fluorochrome based methodology. RESULTS Twenty of the non-small cell lung carcinoma samples displayed LOH for one or more informative locus. LOH involving only 5q was found in 10 of 14 of the informative samples. Deletions involving 5p only were not present in the samples under study. There was no evidence of microsatellite instability in any of the analysed loci. These results indicate the presence of five distinct segments displaying high frequencies of deletion on chromosome 5, namely: 5q11.2-q12.2, 5q15 (D5S644 locus), 5q22.3-q23.1, 5q31.1, and 5q35.3. Eight of 14 samples had simultaneous interstitial deletions in at least two different regions. Moreover, concomitant deletion of three and four distinct regions was displayed in three of 14 and two of 14, respectively, of the informative samples. CONCLUSION Allelic deletion on chromosome 5 is a frequent event in patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma. These results suggest the involvement of these five regions, either independently or simultaneously, in both lung squamous cell carcinoma and lung adenocarcinoma.
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Moreira A, Martins G, Monteiro MJ, Alves M, Dias J, da Costa JD, Melo MJ, Matias D, Costa A, Cristóvão M, Rueff J, Monteiro C. Glutathione S-transferase mu polymorphism and susceptibility to lung cancer in the Portuguese population. TERATOGENESIS, CARCINOGENESIS, AND MUTAGENESIS 2000; 16:269-74. [PMID: 9122892 DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1520-6866(1996)16:5<269::aid-tcm3>3.0.co;2-g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Epidemiological studies have led to the suggestion that a genetic basis may exist in the individual variation in predisposition to cancer. Interindividual differences in human toxicological response to carcinogenic exposure have been attributed to heritable polymorphisms in metabolism, namely glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) coding for enzymes that are known to be detoxifiers of carcinogens. Within the human GST mu class, there is a specific isozyme that is frequently lacking. To check whether or not this association exists in the Portuguese population with lung cancer, we used polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based genotyping to examine GSTM1 polymorphism (nulled and non-nulled) in 84 individuals as a control healthy population and a group of 98 lung cancer patients. In this study we were able to find a frequency of the GSTM1 phenotype among our healthy control subjects consistent with earlier genotyping studies in other Caucasoid populations. For the group of individuals with lung cancer as a whole, or in subsets of histological subtypes, our data for the Portuguese population did not show a positive correlation between the null allele and this neoplasm. In contrast, we found a slight increase in the frequency of the wild-type allele in our lung cancer group.
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206
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Silva RC, Cardoso JE, Silva GA, Moreira A, Alves JB. Histological and histoquantitative study of the rat parotid gland after Trypanosoma cruzi infection. Parasite 2000; 7:109-13. [PMID: 10887657 DOI: 10.1051/parasite/2000072109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study deals with the morphology of the rat parotid gland and its changes after Trypanosoma cruzi infection. The glands of control and infected animals were analyzed by histologic and histoquantitative methods. After 18 days of infection with T. cruzi, a significant reduction of the density of the volume of the acini and duct system, as well as a significant increase in the amount of connective tissue was noted. In addition, these animals displayed an increase in the number of cells undergoing mitosis. In the 45 day infected rats, there was return to the normal pattern. It is suggested that in the infected animals the decrease in body weight could be responsible for retarded sexual maturity, leading to the lower level of testosterone. It can be assumed that decreased levels of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and neural growth factor (NGF) caused by the lack of testosterone in infected animals also contribute to the atrophy of the parotid gland and to the proliferation of the connective tissue.
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207
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Moreira A, Louro F, Martins M, Duarte AP. [Kikuchi and Fujimoto disease]. ACTA MEDICA PORT 2000; 13:43-7. [PMID: 11059054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/18/2023]
Abstract
We present a case of Kikuchi and Fujimoto's disease (KFD), revealed by malar rash, fever, arthritis and lymphadenopathy, suggesting Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). The relation between KFD and SLE is not yet completely understood and remains complex. There are few cases with a lupus-like presentation and the histopathologic features may be insufficient to confirm the KFD diagnosis definitively. The clinical presentation, the IgM deposits at the dermal-epidermal transition in the Lupus Band Test, and the presence of anticardiolipin antibody emphasises the relationship between these two entities and does not exclude the possibility of evolution to SLE, which makes the prognosis doubtful.
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208
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Sá Pinto P, Machado R, Pereira MS, Almeida R, Tavares J, Rodrigues G, Matos A, Moreira A, Mendonça M, Pereira MC. [Iatrogenic vascular injuries]. ACTA MEDICA PORT 2000; 13:39-42. [PMID: 11059053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/18/2023]
Abstract
Iatrogenic vascular injuries include an extremely broad group of lesions with multiple etiology and polymorphic manifestations. We present a series of 44 patients with iatrogenic vascular lesions that result from arterial and venous catheterizations and surgical interventions. The arterial catheterization for coronariography and arteriography and orthopaedic surgery were the agents that most frequently caused vascular injury. Arterial and venous reconstructive surgery were the predominant treatment procedures. In our series, morbidity and mortality were 4.6% and 2.3%, respectively.
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209
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Rocha JL, Friedman E, Boson W, Moreira A, Figueiredo B, Liberman B, de Lacerda L, Sandrini R, Graf H, Martins S, Puñales MK, De Marco L. Molecular analyses of the vasopressin type 2 receptor and aquaporin-2 genes in Brazilian kindreds with nephrogenic diabetes insipidus. Hum Mutat 1999; 14:233-9. [PMID: 10477431 DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1098-1004(1999)14:3<233::aid-humu6>3.0.co;2-o] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) is associated with germline mutations in two genes: vasopressin receptor type 2 (V2(R)) in X-linked NDI, and the water channel aquaporin-2, in autosomal-recessive disease. Genetic heterogeneity is further emphasized by reports of phenotypically abnormal individuals with normal structural genes. We analyzed both genes in five Brazilian families and the aquaporin-2 gene in two Swedish families with clinical and laboratory diagnosis of NDI, by a combination of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and direct DNA sequencing. A novel polymorphism in the aquaporin-2 gene (S167S), but no disease-associated mutations in any tested individual from all seven families, was detected. In two Brazilian families, frameshift mutations were detected in the V2(R) gene: one leading to a premature stop after codon 36 and the other to a longer peptide (462 aa instead of the 373 aa wild-type protein). In two other Brazilian families, probable disease-associated missense mutations were detected: an alanine to proline at codon 163 (A163P) and an asparagine to aspartic acid at codon 85 (D85N). In one Brazilian family, both genes were structurally normal and the aquaporin-2 gene was also normal in the two Swedish kindreds. This report further extends the mutational spectrum of NDI and suggests that there are other mutational or epigenetic events inactivating the two known genes or even novel genes that underlie NDI.
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Haslett PA, Klausner JD, Makonkawkeyoon S, Moreira A, Metatratip P, Boyle B, Kunachiwa W, Maneekarn N, Vongchan P, Corral LG, Elbeik T, Shen Z, Kaplan G. Thalidomide stimulates T cell responses and interleukin 12 production in HIV-infected patients. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 1999; 15:1169-79. [PMID: 10480630 DOI: 10.1089/088922299310269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022] Open
Abstract
We performed a placebo-controlled study to evaluate the effects of immunomodulatory treatment with thalidomide on HIV levels, TNF-alpha levels, and immune status of 31 HIV-infected individuals, after temporary suppression of viral replication with antiretroviral drugs. Treatment with a combination of zidovudine and lamivudine (ZDV/LMV) for 14 days resulted in a median decline in plasma viremia of 1.94 log10 RNA equivalents/ml. After discontinuation of ZDV/LMV, thalidomide therapy (200 mg/day for 4 weeks) did not retard the prompt return of HIV titers to the pretreatment levels, and had no effect on plasma levels of TNF-alpha. In contrast, thalidomide treatment resulted in significant immune stimulation. We observed increased levels of plasma soluble IL-2 receptor, soluble CD8 antigen, and IL-12 (p < 0.01 for all parameters), as well as increased cutaneous delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions to recall antigens (p < 0.01) in thalidomide-treated patients. These changes were associated with a median increase in HIV titer of 0.2 log10 RNA equivalents/ml in the thalidomide-treated group (p < 0.05), which resolved after stopping the drug. Further studies were performed in vitro to elucidate the mechanism of thalidomide-induced immune stimulation. When purified T cells from HIV-infected individuals were stimulated by immobilized anti-CD3 in the presence of thalidomide, a costimulatory effect of the drug was observed, resulting in increased production of IL-2 and IFN-gamma, and increased T cell-proliferative responses. Further experiments showed that thalidomide increased IL-12 production by antigen-presenting cells in a T cell-dependent manner. Our findings suggest a potential application for thalidomide as a novel immune adjuvant in HIV disease.
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211
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Fabien N, Moreira A, Lavergne JP, Desbos A, Surgey P, Alves de Olivera C, Gonzalo P, Venot A, Bienvenu J, Perrier H, Reboud JP, Monier JC. Autoantibodies directed against the ribosomal P proteins are not only directed against a common epitope of the P0, P1 and P2 proteins. J Autoimmun 1999; 13:103-10. [PMID: 10441174 DOI: 10.1006/jaut.1999.0291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The autoantibodies (aAbs) directed against the ribosomal P proteins (RPP aAbs) are known to react mainly against epitopes localized within the common C-terminal sequence of the three acidic ribosomal P proteins, P0, P1 and P2. In order to investigate the opportunity to select short recombinant peptides of this common C-terminal sequence to detect the RPP-aAbs, the location of the epitopes recognized by ribosomal proteins (RP) aAb(+)sera of systemic lupus erythematosus patients (SLE) was investigated. Immunoblotting and ELISA techniques using extracted or recombinant, entire or cleaved RPP showed that 55% of the RP aAbs were directed against the three ribosomal P0, P1, and P2 proteins. The epitopes recognized by the RPP aAbs are located not only within the C-terminal sequence common to the three proteins but also within the N-terminal sequence of the P2 or P1 protein. The other RP aAbs sera (45%) did not react with all three proteins but with some of them, and showed the following pattern: P0(+)P1(+); P1(+); P2(+); P0(+)and P1(+). They recognized epitopes located in the region of the C-terminal sequence of the protein but not common to the three proteins. In addition two out of the six monoclonal Abs produced by immunization of mice using the P1 protein did not react with the peptide N-65 or N-71 of the P2 protein or with the C-terminal sequence of the three proteins. In conclusion, this study showed that the RPP aAb in SLE patients are not only directed against epitopes within the C-terminal sequence shared by the three acidic ribosomal P proteins. In view of these data it seems necessary to be cautious in using only a C-terminal peptide of ribosomal P proteins in tests performed to detect RPP aAb in human sera.
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212
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Sameiro-Barreirinho M, Costa E, Moreira A, Barbot J, Barbot C, Santos M. [Brain stem ischemia in a boy with resistance to C activated protein and elevated lipoprotein A]. Rev Neurol 1999; 28:1061-4. [PMID: 10390775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/13/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Activated protein C resistance is the most common hereditary coagulation abnormality. In the majority of cases it results from a point mutation Arg506-->Gln of the factor V gene, and characterized by a poor anticoagulant response to activated protein C. CLINICAL CASE We report the clinical case of a 6-year-old obese boy, who presented with acute hemiparesis. A cerebral MRI revealed an area of infarction in the left hemiprotuberance. Further investigation identified activated protein C resistance (heterozygosity for factor V Leiden) and elevation in lipoprotein (a). His mother also had factor V Leiden mutation. Prophylaxis with acetylsalicylic acid was instituted with favorable evolution. CONCLUSIONS This mutation, isolated, is usually asymptomatic, unless other risk factors coexist. Although venous thromboembolism seems to be the main clinical manifestation, recent reports consider that activated protein C resistance is also a risk factor for arterial thrombosis and stroke in children. We reinforce the need for systematic and thorough evaluation of etiology and risk factors in cases of stroke in children.
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Moreira A, Takagaki Y, Brackenridge S, Wollerton M, Manley JL, Proudfoot NJ. The upstream sequence element of the C2 complement poly(A) signal activates mRNA 3' end formation by two distinct mechanisms. Genes Dev 1998; 12:2522-34. [PMID: 9716405 PMCID: PMC317083 DOI: 10.1101/gad.12.16.2522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/1998] [Accepted: 07/01/1998] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The poly(A) signal of the C2 complement gene is unusual in that it possesses an upstream sequence element (USE) required for full activity in vivo. We describe here in vitro experiments demonstrating that this USE enhances both the cleavage and poly(A) addition reactions. We also show that the C2 USE can be cross-linked efficiently to a 55-kD protein that we identify as the polypyrimidine tract-binding protein (PTB), implicated previously in modulation of pre-mRNA splicing. Mutation of the PTB-binding site significantly reduces the efficiency of the C2 poly(A) site both in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, addition of PTB to reconstituted processing reactions enhances cleavage at the C2 poly(A) site, indicating that PTB has a direct role in recognition of this signal. The C2 USE, however, also increases the affinity of general polyadenylation factors independently for the C2 poly(A) signal as detected by enhanced binding of cleavage-stimulaton factor (CstF). Strikingly, this leads to a novel CstF-dependant enhancement of the poly(A) synthesis phase of the reaction. These studies both emphasize the interconnection between splicing and polyadenylation and indicate an unexpected flexibility in the organization of mammalian poly(A) sites.
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214
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Qiu L, Moreira A, Kaplan G, Levitz R, Wang JY, Xu C, Drlica K. Degradation of hammerhead ribozymes by human ribonucleases. MOLECULAR & GENERAL GENETICS : MGG 1998; 258:352-62. [PMID: 9648739 DOI: 10.1007/s004380050741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Hammerhead ribozymes were used as substrates to examine endoribonucleolytic activities in cell extracts and cultured human cells. Primer-extension analyses showed that ribozymes directed against tumor necrosis factor-alpha mRNA and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 tat mRNA were cleaved at UA and CA dinucleotides by extracts. Preferred cleavage sites were similar to those observed following digestion with RNase A, and cleavage was blocked by RNasin, an inhibitor of pyrimidine-specific ribonucleases. Removal of UA and CA dinucleotides rendered ribozymes more stable when incubated in cell extracts that were not significantly contaminated by extracellular nucleases. Placement of UA dinucleotides adjacent to a ribozyme in mRNA led to excision of the ribozyme from long transcripts during incubation in extracts. UA dinucleotides also made mRNA more labile than a control RNA when expressed from an endogenous plasmid gene in the human myeloid cell line U937. Similarly, UA and CA dinucleotides caused ribozymes to have a shorter half-life when delivered to U937 cells by lipofectin-mediated transformation. Taken together, these data indicate that one or more members of the pyrimidine-specific ribonuclease family is involved in the intracellular degradation of RNA, and they explain the paucity of UA dinucleotides in eukaryotic mRNA. Judicious manipulation of preferred target sequences of pyrimidine-specific ribonucleases may be useful in designing effective hammerhead ribozymes.
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215
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Muller GW, Corral LG, Shire MG, Wang H, Moreira A, Kaplan G, Stirling DI. Structural modifications of thalidomide produce analogs with enhanced tumor necrosis factor inhibitory activity. J Med Chem 1996; 39:3238-40. [PMID: 8765505 DOI: 10.1021/jm9603328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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216
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Moreira A, Wollerton M, Monks J, Proudfoot NJ. Upstream sequence elements enhance poly(A) site efficiency of the C2 complement gene and are phylogenetically conserved. EMBO J 1995; 14:3809-19. [PMID: 7641699 PMCID: PMC394455 DOI: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1995.tb00050.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Poly(A) signals of mammalian pre-mRNA have been defined as an AAUAAA sequence 10-30 nt upstream of the cleavage/poly(A) site followed by a GU/U-rich element immediately downstream. However, a number of viral poly(A) signals have been shown to possess additional signals upstream of AAUAAA that increase poly(A) site efficiency. We describe the first non-viral example of such an upstream sequence element (USE) for the poly(A) site of the human C2 complement gene. As this gene is very closely spaced to the related Factor B gene [the C2 poly(A) site is only 421 bp from the transcription start site of Factor B] we have isolated this same intergenic sequence from four other mammals (mouse, cat, rabbit and cow). We show that the USE of the C2 poly(A) site is highly conserved between these five different mammals. Furthermore, extensive mutagenesis of the human USE indicates that most of the 53 nt sequence is required for full activity. The human C2 poly(A) site does not possess any obvious downstream GU/U-rich sequences, although sequences immediately 3' to AAUAAA as well as 13 nt of sequence following the cleavage site are both required for full activity. Interestingly the other mammalian C2 poly(A) sites do possess significant downstream GU/U-rich sequences. Finally we show that all five mammalian C2 poly(A) signals are immediately followed by conserved signals for transcriptional termination, consistent with the close proximity of the downstream Factor B gene.
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Legastelois S, Thomas V, Quash G, Métais MP, Tebib J, Moreira A, Monier JC. Naturally occurring antibodies reacting with lipoic acid: screening method, characterization and biochemical interest. J Immunol Methods 1994; 171:111-9. [PMID: 8176232 DOI: 10.1016/0022-1759(94)90234-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The development of a covalent enzyme-linked immunoassay (CELIA) using lipoic acid covalently bound to modified polystyrene microplates has permitted the detection, in the sera of normal BALB/c mice, of natural antibodies reacting with lipoic acid (LA). Hybridomas producing monoclonal anti-LA antibodies were obtained from splenocytes of non-immune BALB/c mice. Two of them, of IgM isotype, recognized LA but failed to react with dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA, the reduced form of LA), suggesting that the integrity of the dithiolane ring was of importance for antibody recognition. They did not give positive reactions with other disulfide linked biological molecules such as oxidized glutathione or cystine. Anti-LA antibodies, coated on polystyrene microplates, were used for the detection of free LA in a competitive assay based on peroxidase-LA conjugate.
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Muñoz-López F, Martín Mateos A, Moreira A, Martínez Marín F. [Topical nasal immunotherapy with Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus extract]. Allergol Immunopathol (Madr) 1994; 22:132-4. [PMID: 7976962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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219
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Gandra L, Barros H, Moreira A, Calheiros F, Magalhães N. [The risk factors for breast cancer: a case-control study]. ACTA MEDICA PORT 1993; 6:129-33. [PMID: 8317231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
In western countries, female breast cancer is a major cause of death. Many risk factors for breast cancer have been identified, but the magnitude of the risks is clearly different between high and low risk areas. In this hospital-based case-control study we evaluated risk factors for female breast cancer in 158 women with breast cancer and 131 controls. Cases presented a later age at first birth and a lower median number of pregnancies. The risk of breast cancer increased with increasing age at first birth, particularly for women with lower parity. After controlling for other variables the risk significantly decreased with abortion history (OR = 0.5, 95% CI: 0.3-0.7) and oral contraception (OR = 0.5, 95% CI: 0.3-0.9). Premenopausal and postmenopausal women presented different risk factors. Among premenopausal cases the risk was lower for parous women (OR = 0.1, 95% CI: 0.0-0.7) and higher for those with a positive family history (OR = 4.5, 95% CI: 1.3-16). Compared to controls, postmenopausal cases only presented a significantly lower rate of abortions (OR = 0.2, 95% CI: 0.1-0.4). The present study shows that these women can be regarded as belonging to an intermediate risk population.
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220
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Fabien NH, Auger C, Moreira A, Monier JC. Effects of cyclosporin A on mouse thymus: immunochemical and ultrastructural studies. THYMUS 1992; 20:153-62. [PMID: 1462361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The in vivo effect of cyclosporin A (CsA) on the murine thymus was investigated by studying the ultrastructural cellular alterations, which are described for the first time, and the immunohistochemical modifications of thymocytes and thymic reticulo-epithelial cells (TREC). A marked reduction of the thymus size became apparent after 6 days of CsA treatment (10 mg/kg/day). Light microscopy studies using polyclonal antibodies (Ab) or monoclonal Ab specific to lymphoid sub-populations (anti-CD4, anti-CD5, anti-CD8), and specific to epithelial cells (anti-keratin: AKs, K8), to cortical TREC (TR4) and to subcapsular/medullary TREC (TR5, 3H9) showed that the number of CD4- 8+ or CD4+ 8- medullary thymocytes dramatically decreased and that the cortical TREC are affected, after 10 days of CsA treatment. These observations were confirmed by electron microscopy studies demonstrated that the medullary lymphoid population disappeared almost entirely. TREC, principally cortical type, presented signs of cellular lysis. A few cortical thymocytes showed some damage. At day 8 the medullary thymic tissue was disorganized, but no change was noted in the subcapsular area right up to the final day (day 10) of CsA treatment. These results suggest that CsA has a harmful effect on cortical TREC, which affects the development of immature thymocytes.
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Abstract
Postnephrectomy renal arteriovenous fistulas are rare. An arteriovenous fistula of the right renal pedicle was discovered in a 37-year-old woman who had undergone nephrectomy for renal tuberculosis nine months previously, after she had complained of dyspnea and pain in the right flank. The fistula was confirmed on arteriograms. Proximal ligation of the artery and distal ligation of the vein were followed by an uneventful recovery. Twelve months later, the patient was asymptomatic. Even though complete excision of the fistula represents the ideal treatment of this type of lesion, simple ligation can provide good results when the size of the fistula contraindicates embolization.
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Abstract
We present clinical data from 11 children with generalised joint laxity complicated by signs of pyramidal dysfunction confined to the lower limbs. Gait abnormalities were observed at the time they started walking or soon afterwards. In some, there was delay in locomotor development but all except one were mentally normal. The neurological component of the condition was non-progressive, and sensory impairment with sphincter involvement was observed in only one case in whom there was radiological evidence of myelomalacia. Whilst co-existing ligamentous laxity and pyramidal dysfunction in the lower limbs may be coincidental, it is also possible that joint laxity is a pre-condition for developing neurological abnormality in the legs because of hypermobility of the vertebral column which thereby damages the spinal cord.
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Llamazares S, Moreira A, Tavares A, Girdham C, Spruce BA, Gonzalez C, Karess RE, Glover DM, Sunkel CE. polo encodes a protein kinase homolog required for mitosis in Drosophila. Genes Dev 1991; 5:2153-65. [PMID: 1660828 DOI: 10.1101/gad.5.12a.2153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 313] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
We show that mutation in polo leads to a variety of abnormal mitoses in Drosophila larval neuroblasts. These include otherwise normal looking mitotic spindles upon which chromosomes appear overcondensed; normal bipolar spindles with polyploid complements of chromosomes; bipolar spindles in which one pole can be unusually broad; and monopolar spindles. We have cloned the polo gene from a mutant allele carrying a P-element transposon and sequenced cDNAs corresponding to transcripts of the wild-type locus. The sequence shows that polo encodes a 577-amino-acid protein with an amino-terminal domain homologous to a serine-threonine protein kinase. polo transcripts are abundant in tissues and developmental stages in which there is extensive mitotic activity. The transcripts show no obvious spatial pattern of distribution in relation to the mitotic domains of cellularized embryos but are specifically concentrated in dividing cells in larval discs and brains. In the cell cycles of both syncytial and cellularized embryos, the polo kinase undergoes cell cycle-dependent changes in its distribution: It is predominantly cytoplasmic during interphase; it becomes associated with condensed chromosomes toward the end of prophase; and it remains associated with chromosomes until telophase, whereupon it becomes cytoplasmic.
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Glover DM, Llamazares S, Girdham C, Maldonado-Codina G, Moreira A, Tavares A, Sunkel CE, Gonzalez C. Cyclical changes in the subcellular distribution of proteins essential for mitosis during embryogenesis in Drosophila. COLD SPRING HARBOR SYMPOSIA ON QUANTITATIVE BIOLOGY 1991; 56:709-17. [PMID: 1840268 DOI: 10.1101/sqb.1991.056.01.080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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225
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Monteiro P, Rosas MJ, Moreira A. Migraine and Traumatic Internal Carotid Aneurysm. Cephalalgia 1989. [DOI: 10.1177/0333102489009s10151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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