Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2001"
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- Cefalea racimos en una niña de 3 añosPublication . Garrido, C.; Tuna, A.; Ramo, S.; Temudo, T.Summary. Introduction. Cluster headache is a rare disorder in childhood. We identified, in the literature, 64 cases of cluster headache starting at or before 18 years (only 17 of them began before 10 years old). All patients met the criteria of the International Headache Society. Russell et al demonstrated recently that the cluster headache is an inherited disorder in some families. They conclude that the gene is present in 3 to 4% of males and 7 to 10% of females with cluster headache and that it has an autossomal dominant transmission. Clinical case. The authors report the clinical case of a five-year-old child with cluster headache starting at three years. This paper reviews the differential diagnosis and the treatment of cluster headache
- Recessive ataxia with ocular apraxia: review of 22 Portuguese patients.Publication . Barbot, C.; Coutinho, P.; Chorão, R.; Ferreira, C.; Barros, J.; Fineza, I.; Dias, K.; Monteiro, J.; Guimarães, A.; Mendonça, P.; Moreira, M.; Sequeiros, J.Abstract BACKGROUND: The recessive ataxias are a heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative disorders characterized by cerebellar ataxia associated with a number of different neurologic, ophthalmologic, or general signs. They are often difficult to classify in clinical terms, except for Friedreich ataxia, ataxia-telangiectasia, and a relatively small group of rare conditions for which the molecular basis has already been defined. OBJECTIVES: To study the clinical presentation and to define diagnostic criteria in a group of Portuguese patients with ataxia and ocular apraxia, an autosomal recessive form without the essential clinical and laboratory features of ataxia-telangiectasia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We reviewed 22 patients in 11 kindreds, identified through a systematic survey of hereditary ataxias being conducted in Portugal. RESULTS: Age at onset ranged from 1 to 15 years, with a mean of 4.7 years. The duration of symptoms at the time of last examination varied from 5 to 58 years. All patients presented with progressive cerebellar ataxia, the characteristic ocular apraxia, and a peripheral neuropathy. Associated neurologic signs included dystonia, scoliosis, and pes cavus. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 16 patients, all of whom showed cerebellar atrophy. CONCLUSIONS: Ataxia with ocular apraxia may be more frequent than postulated before, and may be identified clinically using the following criteria: (1) autosomal recessive transmission; (2) early onset (for most patients in early childhood); (3) combination of cerebellar ataxia, ocular apraxia, and early areflexia, with later appearance of the full picture of peripheral neuropathy; (4) absence of mental retardation, telangiectasia, and immunodeficiency; and (5) the possibility of a long survival, although with severe motor handicap.
- Homozygosity mapping of Portuguese and Japanese forms of ataxia-oculomotor apraxia to 9p13, and evidence for genetic heterogeneity.Publication . Moreira, M.; Barbot, C.; Tachi, N.; Kozuka, N.; Mendonça, P.; Barros, J.; Coutinho, P.; Sequeiros, J.; Koenig, M.Abstract Ataxia with oculomotor apraxia (AOA) is characterized by early-onset cerebellar ataxia, ocular apraxia, early areflexia, late peripheral neuropathy, slow progression, severe motor handicap, and absence of both telangiectasias and immunodeficiency. We studied 13 Portuguese families with AOA and found that the two largest families show linkage to 9p, with LOD scores of 4.13 and 3.82, respectively, at a recombination fraction of 0. These and three smaller families, all from northern Portugal, showed homozygosity and haplotype sharing over a 2-cM region on 9p13, demonstrating the existence of both a founding event and linkage to this locus, AOA1, in the five families. Three other families were excluded from this locus, demonstrating nonallelic heterogeneity in AOA. Early-onset cerebellar ataxia with hypoalbuminemia (EOCA-HA), so far described only in Japan, is characterized by marked cerebellar atrophy, peripheral neuropathy, mental retardation, and, occasionally, oculomotor apraxia. Two unrelated Japanese families with EOCA-HA were analyzed and appeared to show linkage to the AOA1 locus. Subsequently, hypoalbuminemia was found in all five Portuguese patients with AOA1 with a long disease duration, suggesting that AOA1 and EOCA-HA correspond to the same entity that accounts for a significant proportion of all recessive ataxias. The narrow localization of AOA1 should prompt the identification of the defective gene.
- Homozygosity mapping of Portuguese and Japanese forms of ataxia-oculomotor apraxia to 9p13, and evidence for genetic heterogeneity.Publication . Moreira, M.C.; Barbot, C.; Tachi, N.; Kozuka, N.; Mendonça, P.; Barros, J.; Coutinho, P.; Sequeiros, J.; Koenig, M.Am J Hum Genet. 2001 Feb;68(2):501-8. Epub 2001 Jan 22. Homozygosity mapping of Portuguese and Japanese forms of ataxia-oculomotor apraxia to 9p13, and evidence for genetic heterogeneity. Moreira MC, Barbot C, Tachi N, Kozuka N, Mendonça P, Barros J, Coutinho P, Sequeiros J, Koenig M. Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, CNRS/INSERM/Université Louis-Pasteur, Illkirch, C.U. de Strasbourg, France. Abstract Ataxia with oculomotor apraxia (AOA) is characterized by early-onset cerebellar ataxia, ocular apraxia, early areflexia, late peripheral neuropathy, slow progression, severe motor handicap, and absence of both telangiectasias and immunodeficiency. We studied 13 Portuguese families with AOA and found that the two largest families show linkage to 9p, with LOD scores of 4.13 and 3.82, respectively, at a recombination fraction of 0. These and three smaller families, all from northern Portugal, showed homozygosity and haplotype sharing over a 2-cM region on 9p13, demonstrating the existence of both a founding event and linkage to this locus, AOA1, in the five families. Three other families were excluded from this locus, demonstrating nonallelic heterogeneity in AOA. Early-onset cerebellar ataxia with hypoalbuminemia (EOCA-HA), so far described only in Japan, is characterized by marked cerebellar atrophy, peripheral neuropathy, mental retardation, and, occasionally, oculomotor apraxia. Two unrelated Japanese families with EOCA-HA were analyzed and appeared to show linkage to the AOA1 locus. Subsequently, hypoalbuminemia was found in all five Portuguese patients with AOA1 with a long disease duration, suggesting that AOA1 and EOCA-HA correspond to the same entity that accounts for a significant proportion of all recessive ataxias. The narrow localization of AOA1 should prompt the identification of the defective gene. PMID: 11170899 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]PMCID: PMC1235299Free PMC Article Images from this publication.See all images (3) Free text Figure 1Simplified pedigrees of the families with AOA that show linkage to 9p13, and of family AOAP9. Markers are shown, from top to bottom, in their pter-qter order (from GeneMap'99). Haplotypes linked to the disease are boxed, and homozygosity in patients is shaded in gray. Distance (cM) to the previous m...Homozygosity Mapping of Portuguese and Japanese Forms of Ataxia-Oculomotor Apraxia to 9p13, and Evidence for Genetic HeterogeneityAm J Hum Genet. 2001 February;68(2):501-508.Figure 2Haplotypes in families AOAP1, -P4, -P5, -P7, -P11, and -P9 and in AOAJ1 and -J2. Homozygous alleles are indicated only once per family. Alleles homozygous by descent are in boldface. The shared haplotypes are boxed and shaded in gray. Alleles that might belong to the founding haplotypes are boxed wi...Homozygosity Mapping of Portuguese and Japanese Forms of Ataxia-Oculomotor Apraxia to 9p13, and Evidence for Genetic HeterogeneityAm J Hum Genet. 2001 February;68(2):501-508.Figure 3Geographical distribution, on the Portuguese mainland, of families with AOA. Districts where the survey is already completed are shaded in gray. Family AOAP13 is not represented, because of its African (Cabo Verde) origin. The three families in the Braga region that show linkage to 9p are AOAP4, -P7...Homozygosity Mapping of Portuguese and Japanese Forms of Ataxia-Oculomotor Apraxia to 9p13, and Evidence for Genetic HeterogeneityAm J Hum Genet. 2001 February;68(2):501-508.
- An unusual acute myeloid leukemia associated with hyper IgE: another case of AML‐M5c?Publication . LIMA, M.; ORFAO, A.; COUTINHO, J.; FERREIRA, G.; FREITAS, I.; SILVESTRE, F; JUSTICA, B.Haematologica. 2001 Feb;86(2):216-7. An unusual acute myeloid leukemia associated with hyper IgE: another case of AML-M5c? Lima M, Orfão A, Coutinho J, Ferreira G, Freitas I, Silvestre F, Justiça B. PMID: 11224498 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
- CMV infection of liver transplant recipients: comparison of antigenemia and molecular biology assays.Publication . Amorim, M.; Cabeda, J.; Seca, R.; Mendes, A.; Castro, A.; Amorim, J.Abstract BACKGROUND: CMV is a major clinical problem in transplant recipients. Thus, it is important to use sensitive and specific diagnostic techniques to rapidly and accurately detect CMV infection and identify patients at risk of developing CMV disease. In the present study, CMV infection after liver transplantation was monitored retrospectively by two molecular biology assays - a quantitative PCR assay and a qualitative NASBA assay. The results were compared with those obtained by prospective pp65 antigenemia determinations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 87 consecutive samples from 10 liver transplanted patients were tested for CMV by pp65 antigenemia, and CMV monitor and NASBA pp67 mRNA assay. RESULTS: CMV infection was detected in all patients by antigenemia and CMV monitor, whereas NASBA assay identified only 8/10 patients with viremia. Furthermore, CMV infection was never detected earlier by molecular biology assays than by antigenemia. Only 5/10 patients with CMV infection developed CMV disease. Using a cut off value of 8 cells/50,000, antigenemia was found to be the assay that better identified patients at risk of developing CMV disease. However, the kinetics of the onset of infection detected by NASBA and CMV monitor seemed to have better identified patients at risk of developing CMV disease. Furthermore, before onset of disease, CMV pp67 mRNA was found to have similar or better negative and positive predictive values for the development of CMV disease. CONCLUSIONS: The present data, suggests that the concomitant use of antigenemia and pp67 mRNA assay gives the best identification of patients at risk of developing CMV disease.
- Acral necrosis by Stenotrophomonas maltophiliaPublication . PEREIRA, O.; VELHO, G.C.; LOPES, V.; MOTA, F.; SANTOS, C.; MASSA, A.Keywords:necrosis;skin and soft tissue infection;Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Abstract Background Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (SM) has been considered a nosocomial pathogen. Nevertheless, community acquired infection may occur more frequently than usually recognized. Case We describe distal necrosis of the fingers by SM in a farmer, contracted in the community and successfully treated with a combination of cotrimoxazole and ciprofloxacin. The patient was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia 6 months later. Conclusions This unusual presentation shows that infection with SM should be included in the differential diagnosis of the skin and soft tissue infection, even in apparently healthy patients.
- Immunophenotypic characterization of normal blood CD56+lo versus CD56+hi NK‐cell subsets and its impact on the understanding of their tissue distribution and functional propertiesPublication . LIMA, M.; TEIXEIRA, M.A.; QUEIROS, M.L.; LEITE, M.; SANTOS, A.H.; JUSTICA, B.; ORFAO, A.Blood Cells Mol Dis. 2001 Jul-Aug;27(4):731-43. Immunophenotypic characterization of normal blood CD56+lo versus CD56+hi NK-cell subsets and its impact on the understanding of their tissue distribution and functional properties. Lima M, Teixeira MA, Queirós ML, Leite M, Santos AH, Justiça B, Orfão A. Service of Clinical Hematology, Unit of Cytometry, Hospital Geral de Santo António, Porto, Portugal. mmc.lima@clix.pt Abstract In the present study we have compared the immunophenotypic characteristics of the CD56+lo and CD56+hi NK-cell subsets in a group of normal healthy adults. Our results show that CD56+hi NK-cells display greater light-scatter properties than CD56+lo NK-cells at the same time they have higher levels of CD25 and CD122 IL-2 chains, together with a higher reactivity for HLA-DR and CD45RO and lower levels of CD45RA, supporting that, as opposed to the majority of the CD56+lo population, CD56+hi NK-cells might correspond to a subset of activated circulating NK-lymphocytes. Higher expression of the CD2 and CD7 costimulatory molecules found for the CD56+hi NK-cells would support their greater ability to respond to various stimuli. In addition, CD56+hi NK-cells expressed higher levels of several adhesion molecules such as CD2, CD11c, CD44, CD56, and CD62L compared to CD56+lo NK-cells, supporting a particular ability of these cells to migrate from blood to tissues and/or a potential advantage to form conjugates with target cells. Interestingly, CD56+lo and CD56+hi NK-cells showed a different pattern of expression of killer receptors that might determine different activation requirements for each of these NK-cell subsets. For instance, absence or low levels of CD16 expression might explain the lower antibody-dependent cytotoxicity activity of CD56+hi NK-cells. On the other hand, the virtual absence of expression of the CD158a and NKB1 immunoglobulin-like and the greater reactivity for the CD94 lectin-like killer receptors on CD56+hi in comparison to CD56+lo NK-cells might determine different MHC-class I specificities for both NK-cell subsets, a possibility that deserves further studies to be confirmed. PMID: 11778657 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
- Clinical and genetic heterogeneity in hereditary haemochromatosis: association between lymphocyte counts and expression of iron overloadPublication . Porto, Graça; CARDOSO, C.S.; GORDEUK, V.; CRUZ, E.; FRAGA, J.; AREIAS, J.; OLIVEIRA, J.C.; BRAVO, F.; GANGAIDZO, I.T.; MACPHAIL, A.P.; GOMO, Z.A.; MOYO, V.M.; MELO, G.; SILVA, C.; JUSTICA, B.; DE SOUSA, M.Eur J Haematol. 2001 Aug;67(2):110-8. Clinical and genetic heterogeneity in hereditary haemochromatosis: association between lymphocyte counts and expression of iron overload. Porto G, Cardoso CS, Gordeuk V, Cruz E, Fraga J, Areias J, Oliveira JC, Bravo F, Gangaidzo IT, MacPhail AP, Gomo ZA, Moyo VM, Melo G, Silva C, Justiça B, de Sousa M. Haematology, Santo António General Hospital, Porto, Portugal. gporto@ibmc.up.pt Abstract To identify a new marker of expression of disease, independent of HFE genotype in patients with hereditary haemochromatosis (HHC), the total peripheral blood lymphocyte counts were analysed according to iron status in two groups of subjects with HFE mutations. The groups consisted of 38 homozygotes for C282Y, and 107 heterozygotes for the C282Y or compound heterozygotes for C282Y and H63D. For control purposes, total lymphocyte counts and iron status were also examined in 20 index patients with African dietary iron overload, a condition not associated with HFE mutations, and in 144 members of their families and communities. Mean lymphocyte numbers were lower in C282Y homozygous HHC index subjects with cirrhosis and higher iron stores than in those without cirrhosis and with lower iron burdens [(1.65 +/- 0.43) x 10(6)/mL vs. (2.27 +/- 0.49) x 10(6)/mL; p = 0.008]. Similarly, mean lymphocyte counts were significantly lower in C282Y heterozygotes and C282Y/H63D compound heterozygotes with iron overload and increased serum ferritin concentrations compared to those with normal serum ferritin concentrations (p < 0.05). Statistically significant negative correlations were found, in males, between lymphocyte counts and the total body iron stores, either in C282Y homozygous HHC patients (p = 0.031 in a multiple regression model dependent on age) and in C282Y heterozygotes or C282Y/H63D compound heterozygotes with iron overload (p = 0.029 in a simple linear model). In contrast, lymphocyte counts increased with increasing serum ferritin concentrations among the index subjects with African iron overload (r = 0.324, not statistically significant) and among the members of their families and communities (r = 0.170, p = 0.042). These results suggest that a lower peripheral blood lymphocyte count is associated with a greater degree of iron loading in HFE haemochromatosis but not in African iron overload, and they support the notion that the lymphocyte count may serve as a marker of a non-HFE gene that influences the clinical expression of HFE haemochromatosis.
- Neoplasia renal con extensión a la vena cavaPublication . Barradas, D.; Araújo, D.; Pimenta, A.La neoplasia renal con extensión a la vena cava es relativamente rara (4-10%). Cualquiera que sea la terapia coadjuvante (radioterapia, hormonal, quimioterapia e inmunoterapia), la exéresis completa del trombo tumoral de la vena cava continúa siendo la mejor forma de tratamiento. El valor pronóstico de la extensión cefálica de un trombo tumoral en la vena cava inferior en enfermos con carcinoma de células renales es controvertido. Es posible conseguir una larga supervivencia después del tratamiento quirúrgico en enfermos con carcinoma de células renales localizado (supervivencia de 50% en 5 años). Los autores describen un caso de carcinoma de células renales con extensión a la vena cava en un enfermo del sexo masculino, de 70 años de edad. El enfermo presentaba una historia de lumbalgia derecha y edema del miembro inferior homolateral. La resonancia magnética demostró la presencia y el nivel del trombo tumoral. El enfermo fue sometido a nefrectomía radical derecha y exéresis completa del trombo tumoral de la vena cava. Renal cancer with vena cava tumour thrombus is relatively rare (4 to 10%). Because of the poor results obtained with any kind of alternative therapy (e.g. radiation, hormonal, chemotherapy and immunotherapy) operation with complete removal of the vena cava tumour thrombus continues to be the better method of treatment. The prognostic significance of the cephalic extent of an inferior vena caval tumor thrombus associated with renal cell carcinoma is controversial. Long-term survival after surgical treatment is possible in patients with localized renal cell carcinoma (survival 50% at five years). The authors report a case of vena caval extension of renal cell carcinoma in a 70-years-old man. The patient presented with a history of right lombar pain and pedal edema. Magnetic Ressonance demonstrated the presence and the level of tumoral thrombus. The patient was submitted to a radical nefrectomy and complete removal of tumor thrombus from vena caval.