This is the first study which shows that subcutaneous particulate Beta-1-3-glucan increases serum IL-10 levels in asthmatics. The possibility of glucan being able to modulate allergic sensitisation and having a beneficial action in restoring Th2 function should be assessed by means of properly planned controlled clinical trials, as it may represent a new therapeutic strategy.

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There is a lack of medical awareness concerning PIDs, even among paediatricians, who have been targeted with PID educational programmes in recent years in Brazil. An increase in awareness with regard to these disorders within the medical community is an important step towards improving recognition and treatment of PIDs.

BackgroundMetabolic syndrome (MetS) is an aggregation of risk factors associated with increased incidence of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and all-cause mortality. Information on MetS prevalence is scarce in the northeast region, Brazil. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of MetS according to different diagnostic criteria in a community sample of men during the November Blue Campaign living in the metropolitan area of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study on 500 men aged 40 years or older invited by the Blue November Campaign of 2015, an awareness program aimed at the prevention of male diseases. The evaluation included blood pressure, anthropometric measurements (weight, height, and waist circumference), fasting blood glucose, and blood lipid profile. The diagnosis of MetS was made according to the criteria of International Diabetes Federation (IDF)/American Heart Association (AHA)/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), IDF, and National Cholesterol Education Program’s Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATPIII).ResultsThe prevalence was high by considering the following three criteria: IDF/AHA/NHLBI (66.8%), IDF (60.0%), and NCEP-ATPIII (46.4%). Concordance between diagnostic criteria measured by the kappa statistic (k) was excellent between IDF/AHA/NHLBI and IDF (k=0.85, P<0.0001) and moderate between IDF/AHA/NHLBI and NCEP-ATPIII (k=0.59) and IDF and NCEP-ATPIII (k=0.54).ConclusionPrevalence of MetS in the male population was high using the three diagnostic criteria. IDF/AHA/NHLBI and IDF criteria have a high level of agreement, but NCEP-ATPIII criteria identify a lower number of MetS cases.

Background Despite the advances in the cure rate for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a considerable number of patients die from the disease due to the occurrence of multidrug resistance (MDR). Overexpression of the transporter proteins, such as P‐glycoprotein (Pgp) and multidrug resistance‐associated protein (MRP), confers resistance to the treatment of these leukemias. Methods To analyze the expression of the Pgp and MRP1 in patients with AML and determine their correlation between expression and demographic, clinical, and laboratorial variables, bone marrow and peripheral blood samples from 346 patients with a diagnosis of AML were assessed for the expression of Pgp and MRP1 by flow cytometry. Results The expression of Pgp and MRP1 was found in 111 (32.1%) and 133 (38.4%) patients, respectively, with greater prevalence in older patients and lower in children, while also observing a high incidence in patients with refractory, recurrence, and secondary disease in comparison with the cases of de novo AML. Regarding the laboratory findings, we observed an association between the expression of Pgp and MRP1 and CD34, CD7, and also M7, M5a, and M2‐AML of French‐American‐British classification. Conclusions The results showed that the detection of MDR phenotype by flow cytometry can be a molecular marker for prognosis of patients with AML.

Due to the high prevalence of hemochromatosis, its genetic diagnosis has become a challenge, especially in the high-risk group.

AimThe aim of this study was to evaluate the acute effects of different inspiratory resistance devices and intensity of loads via nasal airway on the breathing pattern and activity of respiratory muscles in children with mouth breathing syndrome.MethodsChildren with mouth breathing syndrome (MBS) were randomized into two groups based on inspiratory load intensity (20% and 40% of the Maximal Inspiratory Pressure). These subjects were assessed during quiet breathing, breathing against inspiratory load via nasal airway and recovery. The measurements were repeated using two different devices (pressure threshold (PT) and flow resistance (FR)). Chest wall volumes and respiratory muscle activity were evaluated by optoelectronic plethysmography and surface electromyography, respectively.ResultsDuring the application of inspiratory load, there was a significant reduction in respiratory rate (p<0.04) and an increase in inspiratory time (p<0.02), total time of respiratory cycle (p<0.02), minute volume (p<0.03), tidal volume (p<0.01) and scalene and sternocleidomastoid muscles activity (RMS values, p<0.01) when compared to quiet spontaneous breathing and recovery, regardless of load level or device applied. The application of inspiratory load using the FR device showed an increase in the tidal volume (p<0.02) and end-inspiratory volume (p<0.02).ConclusionFor both devices, the addition of inspiratory loads using a nasal interface had a positive effect on the breathing pattern. However, the FR device was more effective in generating volume and, therefore, has advantages compared to PT.

The authors conducted a flow cytometry immunophenotyping study in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) from Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The patients (n = 126) were newly diagnosed using a panel of monoclonal antibodies: CD1a, CD2, CD3, CD4, CD7, CD8, CD10, CD13, CD33, CD14, CD19, CD22, CD79a, CD117, CD34, anti-IgM, anti-TdT, anti-HLA-Dr, and anti-human kappa and lambda light chains. Additional data, such as patients' age and gender, clinical and laboratory findings such as presence of tumor masses, lymphadenopathy, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, leukemic infiltration in the central nervous system (CNS) were also investigated. Results showed that 56.7% of the cases were B-lineage ALL and 55% were T-cell ALL. Also, we found that males were more affected by the disease, regardless of immunological classification. The correlation between age and immunological subtypes showed that the B-lineage ALL occurred more frequently in patients aged under 15 while the T-cell ALL subtype was more frequent in adults. Immunophenotypic profiles and morphological subtypes showed a direct correlation between L3 subtype and B-lineage ALL, while L1 and L2 subtypes correlated more often with B-cell lineage and T-cell ALL, respectively. Correlation analysis between immunophenotypic and clinical profiles showed that T-cell ALL was more associated with a higher incidence of lymphadenopathy, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly and CNS leukemic infiltration, also showing a greater blast cell count in peripheral blood than the other subgroups. The presented data suggest that immunophenotyping is an important method in the diagnosis, monitoring and prognostic assessment in determining the pathological mechanisms of evolution of ALL.