Anabela Mota-Pinto

Recommendations for assessing patient-reported outcomes and health-related quality of life in patients with urticaria: a GA2LEN taskforce position paper

To cite this article: Baiardini I, Braido F, Bindslev‐Jensen C, Bousquet PJ, Brzoza Z, Canonica GW, Compalati E, Fiocchi A, Fokkens W, Gerth van Wijk R, Giménez‐Arnau A, Godse K, Grattan C, Grob JJ, La Grutta S, Kalogeromitros D, Kocatürk E, Lombardi C, Mota‐Pinto A, Ridolo E, Saini SS, Sanchez‐Borges M, Senna GE, Terreehorst I, Todo Bom A, Toubi E, Bousquet J, Zuberbier T, Maurer M. Recommendations for assessing patient‐reported outcomes and health‐related quality of life in patients with urticaria: a GA2LEN taskforce position paper. Allergy 2011; 66: 840–844.

FoxP3, GATA-3 and T-bet expression in elderly asthma

Cite this as: S. Vale‐Pereira, A. Todo‐Bom, L. Geraldes, C. Schmidt‐Weber, C. A. Akdis and A. Mota‐Pinto, Clinical & Experimental Allergy, 2011 (41) 490–496.

Combined effect of sodium selenite and docetaxel on PC3 metastatic prostate cancer cell line

Docetaxel and sodium selenite are well known for their anticancer properties. While resistance to docetaxel remains an obstacle in prostate cancer chemotherapy, sodium selenite, has been exploited as a new therapeutic approach. Currently, development of therapies affecting a multitude of cell targets, have been proposed as a strategy to overcome drug resistance. This association may reduce systemic toxicity counteracting a wide range of side effects. Here we report the effect of docetaxel and sodium selenite combination on the PC3 prostate cancer cell line, derived from bone metastasis. Therefore we evaluate cell growth, cell cycle progression, viability, mitochondria membrane potential, cytochrome C, Bax/Bcl2 ratio, caspase-3 expression and reactive oxygen species production. Our results suggest that sodium selenite and docetaxel combination have a synergistic effect on cell growth inhibition (67%) compared with docetaxel (22%) and sodium selenite (24%) alone. This combination also significantly induced cell death, mainly by late apoptosis vs necrosis, which is correlated with mitochondria membrane potential depletion. On the other hand, cytochrome C, Bax/Bcl2 ratio and caspase-3, known as proapoptotic factors, significantly increased in the presence of sodium selenite alone, but not in the presence of docetaxel in monotherapy or in combination with sodium selenite. These findings suggest that docetaxel and sodium selenite combination may be more effective on prostate cancer treatment than docetaxel alone warranting further evaluation of this combination in prostate cancer therapeutic approach.

The association of asthma, nasal allergies, and positive skin prick tests with obesity, leptin, and adiponectin

Cross‐sectional and longitudinal reports show that obese adults have more asthma than non‐obese adults. A proposed mechanism is via effects of adipokines (leptin and adiponectin) on the immune system.

Oxidative stress adaptation in aggressive prostate cancer may be counteracted by the reduction of glutathione reductase

PC3 shows higher ROS production but also the highest GSH levels and Gl‐Red activity, possibly contributing to oxidative stress resistance. This is also associated with higher mitochondrial membrane potential, TAS and lower lipid peroxidation. On the other hand, we identified Gl‐Red activity reduction as a new strategy in overcoming oxidative stress resistance, by inducing H2O2 cytotoxicity. Therefore these results suggest Gl‐Red activity reduction as a new potential therapeutic approach, in prostate cancer.

NEOPTERIN IN TUBERCULOUS AND NEOPLASTIC PLEURAL FLUIDS

Neopterin is derived from guanosine-triphosphate, produced by stimulated macrophages under the influence of gamma interferon of lymphocyte origin. It has been suggested as an excellent marker for activation of the monocyte/macrophage axis in some clinical situations. We evaluated its concentration in the pleural effusions of 25 individuals (10 tuberculous and 15 neoplastic) as well as in the blood of 22 of them (8 tuberculous and 14 neoplastic), comparing these levels with those of a control group in 99 normal individuals. The concentration of neopterin was determined by radioimmunologic assay. This showed a significant increase (p < 0.001) of neopterin levels in the tuberculous pleural fluid, compared to the neoplastic group (42 ± 23/17 ± nmol/L).In the blood, values were nearly identical to the pleural fluid (41.3 ±25/15.8 ± 6.9 nmol/L), although with significant differences between them and in relation to the control group (p < 0.001), which had a normal serum value (5.11 ± 1.92 nmol/L).We emphasize the influence of the neopterin levels in the pleural fluid on the diagnosis of causes of pleurisy and its importance as a marker of immunologic cellular activity.

Membrane progesterone receptors in human regulatory T cells: a reality in pregnancy

To provide evidence of the existence of membrane progesterone receptor alpha (mPRα) on regulatory T cells (Treg) in peripheral blood during pregnancy, postulating a possible explanation for the effect of progesterone on preterm birth.

A socio-demographic study of aging in the Portuguese Population - The EPEPP study

The increase in life expectancy (LE) observed in Western societies, has resulted in a steep rise of older population. This stresses the importance of the research on aging, to better adequate health and social care organization and improve the quality of life (QoL). The aim of the EPEPP-1 (abbreviated from the Portuguese name: Estudo do Perfil de Envelhecimento da População Portuguesa) study was to characterize the socio-demographic components of the elderly Portuguese population in order to disclose factors that could play a role in the aging process and in the elderly QoL. This observational descriptive study, was performed in 2672 individuals older than 54 years taking into account gender and the residence area (rural vs. urban). A questionnaire about social network (marital status, living alone, the hours spent alone, confidents), and social status (education, occupation) was applied. Social network score revealed significant age and gender trends, women and older people performing worst, but with no difference according to residence area. Almost a third was unmarried and spent eight or more hours per day alone, and a fifth lived alone. Social status revealed that being older female and resident in a rural area quoted worst in the prevalence of illiteracy and undifferentiated occupation. The authors concluded that social isolation, illiteracy and undifferentiated occupation are prevalent in Portuguese older population. Identification of further determinants of isolation, adjustment of procedures to be included in social networks and development of actions directed to education are important fields of intervention influencing the elderly QoL.

MIA PaCa-2 and PANC-1 – pancreas ductal adenocarcinoma cell lines with neuroendocrine differentiation and somatostatin receptors

Studies using cell lines should always characterize these cells to ensure that the results are not distorted by unexpected morphological or genetic changes possibly due to culture time or passage number. Thus, the aim of this study was to describe those MIA PaCa-2 and PANC-1 cell line phenotype and genotype characteristics that may play a crucial role in pancreatic cancer therapeutic assays, namely neuroendocrine chemotherapy and peptide receptor radionuclide therapy. Epithelial, mesenchymal, endocrine and stem cell marker characterization was performed by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry, and genotyping by PCR, gene sequencing and capillary electrophoresis. MIA PaCa-2 (polymorphism) expresses CK5.6, AE1/AE3, E-cadherin, vimentin, chromogranin A, synaptophysin, SSTR2 and NTR1 but not CD56. PANC-1 (pleomorphism) expresses CK5.6, MNF-116, vimentin, chromogranin A, CD56 and SSTR2 but not E-cadherin, synaptophysin or NTR1. MIA PaCA-1 is CD24−, CD44+/++, CD326−/+ and CD133/1−, while PANC-1 is CD24−/+, CD44+, CD326−/+ and CD133/1−. Both cell lines have KRAS and TP53 mutations and homozygous deletions including the first 3 exons of CDKN2A/p16INK4A, but no SMAD4/DPC4 mutations or microsatellite instability. Both have neuroendocrine differentiation and SSTR2 receptors, precisely the features making them suitable for the therapies we propose to assay in future studies.

Can membrane progesterone receptor α on T regulatory cells explain the ensuing human labour

Progesterone acts as an immunosteroid by contributing to the establishment of a pregnancy-protective milieu. It seems that it is the responsibility of progesterone to evade the inflammatory events that lead to parturition. T regulatory lymphocytes (Treg cells) could further explain the inhibition of the inflammatory mechanisms that lead to labour through the rapid action of progesterone on this cell subset. We investigated Treg cells and the membrane progesterone receptor α (mPRα) in these immune cells with in relationship to human parturition. This pilot cohort study was conducted in a single-centre tertiary obstetrical unit with 20 normal pregnant women. Variation in the absolute and relative frequency of CD4(+) T cells, Treg cells, and of mPR(α+) Treg cells was calculated by flow cytometry on three occasions (second and third trimesters; delivery day). Our results show that during normal pregnancy there is a generalised increase in Treg cells and mPR(α+) Treg cells, from the second to the third trimesters (23.4% vs. 52.3% and 4.3% vs. 8.3%, respectively). On the contrary, on delivery day, compared with the values in the third trimester, there is a sudden decrease in both Treg cells (52.3% vs. 17.4%) and mPR(α+) Treg cells (8.3% vs. 6.1%). Our findings suggest that human labour may develop as a consequence of a decline in mPR(α+) Treg cells, which reduces progesterone anti-inflammatory action through Treg cells.