Changes in the cation balance cause hydration and initiate the process of lens opacification. Such alterations were studied in human cataractous lenses and during the development of alloxan-induced diabetic cataract in rats by biochemical and histochemical techniques. The development of alloxan-induced cataract in rats was examined in vivo which showed cortical opacities beginning after 32 days. These opacities did progress to maturity after 64 days and finally the lenses were completely opacified after 96 days of alloxan treatment. The histochemical localization of sodium-potassium-activated adenosine triphosphatase using three different methods provided information on the possible role of this enzyme in normal and cataractous lenses. In human cataractous lenses, sodium-potassium adenosine triphosphatase activity was found to be considerably decreased, whereas no activity of this enzyme was localized in human diabetic cataractous lenses. An animal model provided evidence that an apparent decrease of sodium-potassium adenosine triphosphatase may be involved in the initiation of alloxan-induced diabetic cataract in rats.

objeCtives: To study the efficacy and safety of a specific first line antiretroviral (ART) regimen composed of tenofovir (TDF), lamivudine (3TC) and efavirenz (EFV), which was used until recently as the preferred first line treatment for adults in Brazil and is still amongst the recommended by the World Health Organization. Methods: In April, 2017, we conducted a systematic search of the literature in MEDLINE via Pubmed, Cochrane CENTRAL, EMBASE and Lilacs for cohorts that reported on toxicity or CD4 lymphocyte count or viral load among HIV-1 infected adults on first line ART. Only reports on naïve patients were considered. One arm of treatment must have consisted of TDF+3TC+EFV. Results: Our search yielded 441 abstracts, of which 36 registries were read in full, resulting in 5 papers that met all eligibility criterion. The cohorts included comprised 7275 patients mostly from African countries. The most frequent backbone comparators were zidovudine+lamivudine and stavudine+lamivudine, and as for 3º agents, nevirapine and ritonavir boosted lopinavir were most common. The average follow-up was 1 year from the start of treatment. The median age at treatment initiation was 43.6 years and the median CD4 count at baseline was 179.6 cells/mm3. Only one study disclosed effects on viral load, just as only another one reported on CD4 final count. Regarding toxicity, adverse events associated to efavirenz were reported in 4 of 5 studies, mainly associated to the central nervous system and rash. Zidovudine based regimens appear to be safer compared to tenofovir based treatment. ConClusions: Recently, the preferred first line regimen in Brazil traded the 3º agent efavirenz to dolutegravir, which appears to be wise, considering the adverse events associated to the former. Nonetheless, efavirenz is still widely used. It is difficult to study the efficacy and safety of one regimen specifically, however, it is of importance in order to optimize therapy. PIN6 SyStematIc revIew of HerPeS ZoSter ePIdemIoLogy: avaILabLe evIdeNce IN SPaIN reLated to SPecIfIc Sub-PoPuLatIoNSobjeCtives: To review available scientific evidence on incidence of herpes zoster (HZ) in the general population and in specific sub-populations in Spain. Methods: A systematic review of the literature (up to October 31, 2016) was carried out, using the Medline (PubMed) and Embase databases, combining the following search terms: "herpes zoster", "diabetes mellitus", "chronic obstructive pulmonary disease", "chronic heart failure", "mental disorders" and "immunocompromised". Supplements for local scientific congresses, non-indexed Spanish journals and official regional epidemiological reports, potentially HZ-related, were also manually searched. Inclusion criteria were: reporting incidence of HZ in the Spanish general population and/or specific sub-populations; English or Spanish language. No restrictions were applied on study design or population age. Results: Among 264 references retrieved (48 PubMed, 148 Embase and 68 manual searching), 30 were finally included. I...