Browsing by Author "Marques, O"
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- A Common Variant in the CDK8 Gene Is Associated with Sporadic Pituitary Adenomas in the Portuguese Population: a Case-Control StudyPublication . Gaspar, L; Gonçalves, C; Fonseca, F; Carvalho, D; Cortez, L; Palha, A; Barros, I; Nobre, E; Duarte, J; Amaral, C; Bugalho, MJ; Marques, O; Pereira, B; Lemos, MThe majority of pituitary adenomas occur in a sporadic context, and in the absence of known genetic predisposition. Three common variants at the NEBL (rs2359536), PCDH15 (rs10763170) and CDK8 (rs17083838) loci were previously associated with sporadic pituitary adenomas in the Han Chinese population, but these findings have not yet been replicated in any other population. The aim of this case-control study was to assess if these variants are associated with susceptibility to sporadic pituitary adenomas in the Portuguese population. Genotype and allele frequencies were determined in 570 cases and in 546 controls. The CDK8 rs17083838 minor allele (A allele) was significantly associated with sporadic pituitary adenomas, under an additive (odds ratio (OR) 1.73, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.19-2.50, p = 0.004) and dominant (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.24-2.68, p = 0.002) inheritance model. The NEBL rs2359536 and PCDH15 rs10763170 variants were not associated with the overall risk for the disease, although a borderline significant association was observed between the PCDH15 rs10763170 minor allele (T allele) and somatotrophinomas (dominant model, OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.02-2.35, p = 0.035). These findings suggest that the CDK8 rs17083838 variant, and possibly the PCDH15 rs10763170 variant, may increase susceptibility to sporadic pituitary adenomas in the Portuguese population.
- Estudo Comparativo, Aleatorizado, em Dupla Ocultação, de Orlistat Versus Placebo, de Eficácia e Segurança, em Doentes Obesos com Hipercolesterolemia Ligeira a ModeradaPublication . Castro, JJ; Dias, T; Chambel, P; Carvalheiro, M; Correia, LG; Guerreiro, L; Marques, O; Medina, JL; Nobre, E; Silva Nunes, J; Pereira, MC; Polónia, J; Portugal, J; Raimundo, A; Ruas, A; Marques da Silva, P; Vasconcelos, C; Lima Reis, J; Galvão Teles, AINTRODUCTION: Obesity is a chronic disease and a serious health problem that leads to increased prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia and gallbladder disease. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of orlistat for weight loss and improved lipid profile compared to placebo in obese patients with hypercholesterolemia, treated over a period of 6 months. METHODOLOGY: In a 6-month, multicenter (10 centers in Portugal), double-blind, parallel, placebo-controlled study, 166 patients, aged 18-65 years, body mass index (BMI) > or = 27 kg/m2, LDL cholesterol > 155 mg/dl, were randomized to a reduced calorie diet (600 kcal/day deficit) plus orlistat three times a day or placebo. Exclusion criteria included triglycerides > 400 mg/dl, severe cardiovascular disease, uncontrolled hypertension, type 1 or 2 diabetes under pharmacological treatment, and gastrointestinal or pancreatic disease. RESULTS: The mean difference in weight from baseline was 5.9% (5.6 kg) in the orlistat group vs. 2.3% (2.2 kg) in the placebo group. In the orlistat group 49% of patients achieved 5-10% weight loss and 8.8% achieved > 10%. The orlistat group showed a significant reduction in total and LDL cholesterol, with similar changes for HDL in both treatment groups. The frequency of gastrointestinal adverse events was slightly higher in the orlistat group than in the placebo group, leading to discontinuation in 7 patients. CONCLUSION: Treatment with orlistat plus a reduced calorie diet for 6 months achieved significant reductions in weight, BMI and lipid parameters.
- Two Separate Effects Contribute to Regulatory T Cell Defect in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients and Their Unaffected RelativesPublication . Costa, N; Marques, O; Godinho, SI; Carvalho, C; Leal, B; Figueiredo, AM; Vasconcelos, C; Marinho, A; Moraes-Fontes, MF; Gomes da Costa, A; Ponte, C; Campanilho-Marques, R; Cóias, T; Martins, AR; Viana, JF; Lima, M; Martins, B; Fesel, CForkhead box P3 (FoxP3)+ regulatory T cells (Tregs ) are functionally deficient in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), characterized by reduced surface CD25 [the interleukin (IL)-2 receptor alpha chain]. Low-dose IL-2 therapy is a promising current approach to correct this defect. To elucidate the origins of the SLE Treg phenotype, we studied its role through developmentally defined regulatory T cell (Treg ) subsets in 45 SLE patients, 103 SLE-unaffected first-degree relatives and 61 unrelated healthy control subjects, and genetic association with the CD25-encoding IL2RA locus. We identified two separate, uncorrelated effects contributing to Treg CD25. (1) SLE patients and unaffected relatives remarkably shared CD25 reduction versus controls, particularly in the developmentally earliest CD4+ FoxP3+ CD45RO- CD31+ recent thymic emigrant Tregs . This first component effect influenced the proportions of circulating CD4+ FoxP3high CD45RO+ activated Tregs . (2) In contrast, patients and unaffected relatives differed sharply in their activated Treg CD25 state: while relatives as control subjects up-regulated CD25 strongly in these cells during differentiation from naive Tregs , SLE patients specifically failed to do so. This CD25 up-regulation depended upon IL2RA genetic variation and was related functionally to the proliferation of activated Tregs , but not to their circulating numbers. Both effects were found related to T cell IL-2 production. Our results point to (1) a heritable, intrathymic mechanism responsible for reduced CD25 on early Tregs and decreased activation capacity in an extended risk population, which can be compensated by (2) functionally independent CD25 up-regulation upon peripheral Treg activation that is selectively deficient in patients. We expect that Treg -directed therapies can be monitored more effectively when taking this distinction into account.