Browsing by Author "Cymbron, Teresa"
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- Aterosclerose e doença cardiovascular : o problema do colesterol elevadoPublication . Cymbron, TeresaA aterosclerose é a principal causa de patologia cardiovascular. A Hipercolesterolemia Familiar é uma doença genética, e um factor de risco para a aterosclerose.
- Cross-sectional study of risk factors for atherosclerosis in the Azorean populationPublication . Cymbron, Teresa; Raposo, Mafalda; Kazachkova, Nadia; Bettencourt, Conceição; Silva, Francisca; Santos, Cristina; Dahmani, Yahya; Lourenço, Paula C.; Ferin, Rita; Pavão, Maria Leonor; Lima, ManuelaBackground: Atherosclerosis -a major cause of vascular disease, including ischemic heart disease (IHD), is a pathology that has a two-fold higher mortality rate in the Azorean Islands compared to mainland Portugal. Aim: This cross-sectional study investigated the role of genetic variation in the prevalence of atherosclerosis in this population. Subjects and methods: A total of 305 individuals were characterized for polymorphisms in eight susceptibility genes for atherosclerosis: ACE, PAI1, NOS3, LTA, FGB, ITGB3, PON1 and APOE. Data were analysed with respect to phenotypic characteristics such as blood pressure, lipid profile, life-style risk factors and familial history of myocardial infarction. Results: In the total sample, frequencies for hypercholestrolemic, hypertensive and obese individuals were 63.6%, 39.3% and 23.3%, respectively. The genetic profile was similar to that observed in other European populations, namely in mainland Portugal. No over-representation of risk alleles was evidenced in this sample. Conclusions: One has to consider the possibility of an important non-genetic influence on the high cholesterolemia present in the Azorean population. Since diet is the most important life-style risk factor for dyslipidemia, studies aiming to evaluate the dietary characteristics of this population and its impact on serum lipid levels will be of major importance.
- Relationship of the APOE polymorphism and lipid profile: A population-based study in the Azores Islands (Portugal)Publication . Raposo, Mafalda; Dahmani, Yahya; Silva, Francisca; Tavares, M.; Cymbron, Teresa; Santos, Cristina; Bettencourt, Conceição; Ferin, Rita; Correia, Cristina; Pavão, Maria Leonor; Lima, ManuelaThe factors leading to a two-fold mortality rate from coronary artery disease (CAD) in the Azores, as compared to Mainland Portugal, have not been elucidated. Previous studies reported a population tendency for hypercholesterolemia, one of the main factors contributing to the development of atherosclerosis (AT), considered the primary cause of CAD. Apolipoprotein E has a key role in plasma lipid metabolism, given its function as a ligand for cell-surface receptor mediated uptake of lipoproteins. Polymorphism in the apolipoprotein gene (APOE) results in three major isoforms encoded by three codominant alleles (E2, E3 and E4). With the purpose of establishing the pattern of variation at the APOE locus and determining its association with lipid profile, we studied a random sample of 298 unrelated, apparently healthy individuals of Azorean origin. In nearly 50% of the sample total cholesterol (TC) was above 200mg/dl; in 25% of the individuals LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) was higher than 130 mg/dl. Allele frequencies were 0.0833, 0.8317 and 0.0850 for E2, E3 and E4, respectively. Genotype frequencies were higher for E3*E3 genotype (66.1%); genotype distribution displayed conformity with Hardy-Weinberg expectations. No differences in allelic frequencies were found in comparison with other Caucasian populations, namely with mainland Portugal. E3*E4 individuals presented the highest cholesterol levels. Analysis of variance performed with the most represented genotypes (E2*E3, E3*E3 and E3*E4) revealed a clear association between the genotypic composition and TC, as well as LDL-C, thus confirming in this population, the role of APOE as one of the genetic determinants of AT.
- Trace metals and over-expression of metallothioneins in bladder tumoral lesions: a case-control studyPublication . Amaral, André; Cymbron, Teresa; Gärtner, Fátima; Lima, Manuela; Rodrigues, ArmindoBackground: Previous studies have provided some evidence of a possible association between cancer and metallothioneins. Whether this relates to an exposure to carcinogenic metals remains unclear. Methods: In order to examine the association between the expression of metallothioneins and bladder tumors, and to compare the levels of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead and nickel in animals with bladder tumors and animals without bladder tumors, 37 cases of bovine bladder tumors and 17 controls were collected. The detection and quantification of metallothioneins in bladder tissue of both cases and controls was performed by immunohistochemistry. And the quantification of metals in tissue and hair was assessed by inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry. Results: Increased expression of metallothioneins was associated with bladder tumors when compared with non-tumoral bladder tissue (OR = 9.3, 95% CI: 1.0 – 480). The concentrations of cadmium, chromium, lead and nickel in hair of cases were significantly higher than those of controls. However, as for the concentration of metals in bladder tissue, the differences were not significant. Conclusion: Though the sample size was small, the present study shows an association between bladder tumors and metallothioneins. Moreover, it shows that concentrations of metals such as cadmium, chromium, lead and nickel in hair may be used as a biomarker of exposure.