Although dapsone (4,4'-diaminodiphenylsulfone) has been described as a neuroprotective agent in occlusive focal ischemia in rats, its mechanism of action is still unknown. To explore this mechanism, oxidative, inflammatory and apoptotic processes were evaluated in the striatum of adult rats using a model of ischemia-reperfusion (I/R), either with or without dapsone treatment. Male Wistar rats were submitted to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion for 2 hr, followed by reperfusion. Rats were dosed either with dapsone (12.5 mg/kg i.p.) or vehicle 30 min before or 30 min after the ischemia onset. Lipid peroxidation (LP) and nitrotyrosine contents were measured 22 hr after reperfusion, and myeloperoxidase activity was evaluated 46 hr after I/R. Different markers for apoptosis and necrosis were also evaluated both at 24 and 72 hr after I/R experimental procedure. LP increased by 37% in ischemic animals vs controls, and this effect was reversed by dapsone treatments. A similar effect was observed regarding nitrotyrosine striatal contents. Myeloperoxidase activity, a marker of inflammatory response, increased 3.7-fold in ischemic animals vs. control rats, and dapsone treatment antagonized that effect. Although apoptosis was increased by the effect of ischemia at both evaluation times, dapsone antagonized that effect only at 72 hr after surgery. Dapsone antagonized all of the I/R end points measured, showing a remarkable ability to decrease markers of damage through antioxidant, antiinflammatory, and anti-apoptotic effects.

Thyroid antibodies were found significantly more often in insulin-dependent diabetics than in their spouses or in non-insulin-dependent diabetics. The poor correlation between presence of thyroid autoimmunity and duration of disease and the significantly increased prevalence of thyroid antibodies in first-degree relatives of insulin-dependent probands are interpreted to suggest that thyroid autoimmunity in probands with insulin-dependent diabetes is not secondary to diabetes. Since married couples in which both members had thyroid antibodies were not found more frequently than predicted by chance alone, acquired environmental factors are not the sole determinants of familial thyroid autoimmunity in diabetes; it is likely that inherited predisposition is of major importance. Relatives of probands with thyroid antibodies have significantly higher frequency of these antibodies than do relatives of negative probands. This finding suggests that there are several kinds of insulin-dependent diabetes, one of which may be an "autoimmune" disease.

Insulin resistance is a prevalent condition commonly associated with unhealthy lifestyles. It affects several metabolic pathways, increasing risk of abnormalities at different organ levels. Thus, diverse medical specialties should be involved in its diagnosis and treatment. With the purpose of unifying criteria about this condition, a scientific-based consensus was elaborated. A questionnaire including the most important topics such as cardio-metabolic risk, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and polycystic ovary syndrome, was designed and sent to national experts. When no agreement among them was achieved, the Delphi methodology was applied. The main conclusions reached are that clinical findings are critical for the diagnosis of insulin resistance, not being necessary blood testing. Acquisition of a healthy lifestyle is the most important therapeutic tool. Insulin-sensitizing drugs should be prescribed to individuals at high risk of disease according to clinically validated outcomes. There are specific recommendations for pregnant women, children, adolescents and older people.

The milk drinking capacity of 200 adults was determined experimentally and the results correlated with their milk drinking habits and intestinal lactase activity as judged by a lactose tolerance test. Of the group 65.5% were found to have deficient lactase activity and 5.3% experienced severe gastrointestinal symptoms with 250 ml of milk; 28.2% with 500 ml; 26.0% with 750 ml; 15.3% with 1000 ml and 25.2% tolerated the latter amount without difficulty. Of the normal individuals, 92.7% tolerated 1000 ml without symptoms. Intestinal lactase activity seemed to be important in determining the extremes of milk ingestion: four or more glasses per day or no milk ingestion, but had little effect in the intermediate pattern of milk consumption. It is concluded that intestinal lactase deficiency has clinical relevance and should be considered when nutritional supplementation with milk is contemplated.

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In a study of 41 patients with chronic myelocytic leukemia, two were found to have the 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase heterozygous phenotype A-B, and two had the phenotype characteristic of Pd(B) homozygosity. Since one of the two with Pd(B) homozygosity was the mother of two children with the A phenotype, it was presumed that she carried a Pd(A) gene not expressed in her blood cells. his was confirmed by electrophoretic analysis of her fibroblasts, which had the A-B phenotypic pattern. Gene deletion is considered to be the most likely explanation.

South American camelids have several biological, morphological and behavioural adaptations that allow them to live in geographical areas dominated by high altitudes. The liver has hematopoietic functions during the prenatal life, which could be modified in response to the unfavorable habitat. However, there are no previous data on the prenatal development of the liver in these species. In the present work, a study on the macroscopic and microscopic morphology of the liver of the alpaca during ontogeny was performed. Forty-one animals ranging in age from 20 days of embryonic development to adults were studied. Macroscopic and microscopic observations were performed on samples subjected to different techniques. Less than 7-g specimens were studied with stereoscopic magnifying glass. The general characteristics of the prenatal liver are similar to those of other mammals, and the structures related to hematopoietic function follow an ontogenic pattern similar to that of previously studied precocial species. However, there are differences in morphology when compared to descriptions for the Old World camelids, including the absence of relation between the caudate lobe and the right kidney and the lack of interlobular connective tissue.