Vitamin D deficiency has been described in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). BsmI VDR (vitamin D receptor) gene polymorphism was associated with SLE in Asian patients. Studies in Brazilian populations have not been realized. A case-control study with 195 SLE patients and 201 healthy controls was conducted to investigate the influence of BsmI and FokI VDR gene polymorphisms on susceptibility to SLE. In addition, 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] was measured in SLE patients to evaluate possible associations with VDR polymorphic variants and clinical and laboratory expressions of disease. Genotyping was performed by RFLP-PCR. The measurement of 25(OH)D was performed by chemiluminescence. There was no statistically significant difference in genotype and allelic frequencies of BsmI and FokI polymorphisms between European-derived cases and controls. The mean serum levels of 25(OH)D were 25.51 ± 11.43 ng/ml in SLE patients. According to genotype distribution, 25(OH)D concentrations were significantly higher in patients carrying the FokI f/f genotype compared with patients carrying the F/F genotype (31.6 ± 14.1 ng/ml versus 23.0 ± 9.2 ng/ml, p = 0.004), reinforcing its role in the functional activity of VDR. This feature may be considered in future clinical and experimental studies involving vitamin D measurements. Therefore, genetic-specific definitions of ideal levels of vitamin D in SLE need to be established in future studies.

Introduction Outcome after cardiac arrest is mostly determined by the degree of hypoxic brain damage. Patients recovering from cardiopulmonary resuscitation are at great risk of subsequent death or severe neurological damage, including persistent vegetative state. The early definition of prognosis for these patients has ethical and economic implications. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of serum neuron-specific enolase (NSE) in predicting outcomes in patients early after in-hospital cardiac arrest.

Betacellulin (BTC), a ligand of the epidermal growth factor receptor, has been shown to promote growth and differentiation of pancreatic b-cells and to improve glucose metabolism in experimental diabetic rodent models. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been already proved to be multipotent. Recent work has attributed to rat and human MSCs the potential to differentiate into insulin-secreting cells. Our goal was to transfect rat MSCs with a plasmid containing BTC cDNA to guide MSC differentiation into insulin-producing cells. Prior to induction of cell MSC transfection, MSCs were characterized by flow cytometry and the ability to in vitro differentiate into mesoderm cell types was evaluated. After rat MSC characterization, these cells were electroporated with a plasmid containing BTC cDNA. Transfected cells were cultivated in Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium high glucose (H-DMEM) with 10 mM nicotinamide. Then, the capability of MSC-BTC to produce insulin in vitro and in vivo was evaluated. It was possible to demonstrate by radioimmunoassay analysis that 10 4 MSC-BTC cells produced up to 0.4 ng=mL of insulin, whereas MSCs transfected with the empty vector (negative control) produced no detectable insulin levels. Moreover, MSC-BTC were positive for insulin in immunohistochemistry assay. In parallel, the expression of pancreatic marker genes was demonstrated by molecular analysis of MSC-BTC. Further, when MSC-BTC were transplanted to streptozotocin diabetic rats, BTC-transfected cells ameliorated hyperglycemia from over 500 to about 200 mg=dL at 35 days post-cell transplantation. In this way, our results clearly demonstrate that BTC overabundance enhances glucose-induced insulin secretion in MSCs in vitro as well as in vivo.

HD and SHP are highly prevalent in elders living in old-age homes. No associations were established between common risk factors and low serum levels of 25(OH)D levels; however, SHP was independently related with age, 25(OH)D, GFR, and hydrochlorothiazide use.

Introduction: There are several complications of the cardiovascular system caused by acromegaly, especially hypertension. Objectives: To evaluate hypertension characteristics in patients with cured/controlled acromegaly and with the active disease. Patients and methods: Cross-sectional study of the follow-up of forty-four patients with acromegaly submitted to clinical evaluation, laboratory tests and cardiac ultrasound. Patients with cured and controlled disease were evaluated as one group, and individuals with active disease as second one. Results: Forty-seven percent of the patients had active acromegaly, and these patients were younger and had lower blood pressure levels than subjects with controlled/cured disease. Hypertension was detected in 50% of patients. Subjects with active disease showed a positive correlation between IGF-1 and systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels (r = 0.48, p = 0.03; and r = 0.42, p = 0.07, respectively), and a positive correlation between IGF-1 and urinary albumin excretion (UAE) rates. In patients with active disease, IGF-1 was a predictor of systolic blood pressure, although it was not independent of UAE rate. For individuals with cured/controlled disease, waist circumference and triglycerides were the predictors associated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that blood pressure levels in patients with active acromegaly are very similar, and depend on excess GH. However, once the disease becomes controlled and IGF-1 levels decrease, their blood pressure levels will depend on the other cardiovascular risk factors. Arq Bras Endocrinol Metab. 2011;55(7):468-74