Browsing by Author "Pacheco-Figueiredo, L"
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- Endothelial function in patients with metabolic syndrome and erectile dysfunction: a question of angiopoietin imbalance?Publication . Tomada, N; Tomada, I; Botelho, F; Pacheco-Figueiredo, L; Lopes, T; Negrão, R; Pestana, M; Cruz, FErectile dysfunction (ED) is a highly prevalent disease whose aetiology is mostly vasculogenic. It is nowadays considered a marker of future cardiovascular events reflecting the underlying endothelial dysfunction, the common link with the metabolic syndrome (MetS). The recent association between MetS, endothelial dysfunction and peripheral artery disease, but not with coronary artery disease (CAD), suggests that the pathophysiologies of CAD and peripheral artery disease may be distinct. Moreover, several recent studies support an emerging role for an imbalance of angiogenic growth factor levels like Angiopoietin 1 and 2 in cardiovascular disease, considering its intimate association with chronic low-grade inflammation. We aim to find a correlation between Angiopoietins levels and systemic and local endothelial function in MetS and ED patients. Forty-five MetS patients with ED were enrolled. ED severity was assessed by International Index of Erectile Function questionnaire (IIEF5) and penile duplex Doppler ultrasound (PDDU). Endothelial function was assessed by Peripheral arterial tonometry (PAT), and serum asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), Ang1 and Ang2 levels. Obesity and hypertension were the most frequent MetS parameters (91.1 and 88.9% respectively). Severe ED was present in 35.6% of patients. Penile haemodynamic was impaired in 77.5%. Endothelial dysfunction (PAT criteria) was present in 40.9% of patients. Ang2 levels were significantly higher in men with abdominal obesity. We observed an inverse correlation between Ang1 and peak systolic velocity, and in patients with penile arterial dysfunction, Ang1 levels were significantly higher and Ang2/Ang1 ratio significantly lower, than patients with normal arterial function. Neither ADMA nor PAT parameters were correlated with ED severity evaluated by IIEF5 or PDDU exam. In conclusion, there is an imbalance of angiopoietins in MetS and ED patients. The absence of correlation with PAT or ADMA levels suggests that angiopoietins may be early markers of endothelial dysfunction in this population of higher cardiovascular risk.
- Metabolic syndrome and erectile dysfunction: Assessing the clinical and hemodynamic parametersPublication . Pacheco-Figueiredo, L; Neves, E; Coutinho, P; Botelho, F; Tomada, I; Tomada, NObjetivos Calcular a prevalência de fatores de risco cardiovascular, incluindo a síndrome metabólica (SM), numa série de doentes portugueses com disfunção erétil (DE) e quantificar o impacto individual e agregado dos mesmos, nos parâmetros hemodinâmicos e no grau de severidade reportada. Material e métodos Estudo de uma série de 408 doentes com DE seguidos em consulta de Urologia, no período 2008-2010. A SM foi definida pelos critérios propostos pela National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III), tendo sido quantificadas as variáveis hipertensão arterial (HTA), intolerância a glicose (IG), hipertrigliceridemia (HTG), diminuição de HDL e obesidade central, sob a forma dicotómica. O estudo hemodinâmico foi efetuado por eco-doppler peniano dinâmico (D-PCDU) e a avaliação da severidade da DE recorrendo ao questionário International Index of Erectile Function 5-questions (IIEF-5). Resultados Verificou-se uma prevalência elevada de HTA (46,3%), IG (36,0%), HTG (24,8%), diminuição de HDL (22,3%) e obesidade central (41,2%). A prevalência de SM foi de 26,5%. O IIEF-5 e o pico de velocidade sistólica (PSV) apresentaram medianas de 12,0 e 34,0 cm/s, respetivamente. As análises multivariadas revelaram a HTA e a IG como fatores independentes influenciando negativamente o valor do PSV (p = 0,002) e o score do IEEF-5 (p = 0,010), respetivamente. Conclusão Enfatiza-se a elevada prevalência de fatores de risco cardiovascular numa população de doentes com DE, assim como a forte associação independente da HTA ao agravamento dos parâmetros hemodinâmicos da função erétil.
- TP53 codon 72 polymorphism in susceptibility, overall survival, and adjuvant therapy response of gliomas.Publication . Lima-Ramos, V; Pacheco-Figueiredo, L; Costa, S; Pardal, F; Silva, A; Amorim, J; Lopes, JM; Reis, RMTP53 is a key tumor suppressor gene that encodes a transcriptional factor involved in several cellular mechanisms, including growth arrest, DNA repair, and induction of apoptosis. In addition to TP53 gene mutations, a common polymorphism, Arg72Pro, has been involved in the carcinogenesis process. The Pro72 variant has been associated with a slower induction of apoptosis and may influence the risk of cancer development. The role of Arg72Pro polymorphism in glioma susceptibility is poorly characterized. With the objective of analyzing the role of the TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism in glioma risk, overall survival, and patient therapy response in a Portuguese population, we conducted a retrospective case-control study, including 171 patients with gliomas and 526 cancer-free individuals. The Arg72Pro genotype was assessed by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. No statistically significant differences were observed in the genotypic and allelic frequencies between glioma and control groups, and no statistically significant differences were observed with stratification of gliomas into distinct histological subtypes: astrocytic (n = 115), glioblastoma (n = 75), and oligodendroglial (n = 54) tumors. No significant association was observed between TP53 Arg72Pro and patient overall survival, but Kaplan-Meier analysis of glioma patients harboring the Pro72 allele showed a significantly longer survival with adjuvant therapy. In this first assessment of the role of TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism in a large series of Portuguese glioma tumors, no association was observed with glioma susceptibility or overall survival, except for patients submitted to adjuvant therapy.