Papers by Fabiana Albuquerque
Biotechnology Advances, 2001
Journal of Autoimmunity, 2001
One-third of all Trypanosoma cruzi-infected patients eventually develop chronic Chagas' disease c... more One-third of all Trypanosoma cruzi-infected patients eventually develop chronic Chagas' disease cardiomyopathy (CCC), a particularly lethal inflammatory dilated cardiomyopathy, where parasites are scarce and heart-infiltrating mononuclear cells seem to be the effectors of tissue damage. Since T. cruzi is a major inducer of interleukin-12 production, the role of inflammatory cytokines in the pathogenesis of CCC was investigated. We assayed cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from CCC and asymptomatic T. cruzi-infected (ASY) individuals, as well as by T cell lines from endomyocardial biopsies from CCC patients. PBMC from CCC and ASY patients produced higher IFN-levels than normal (N) individuals in response to B13 protein and phytohaemagglutinin PHA; IFN-high responders (≥1 ng/ml) were 2-3 fold more frequent among CCC patients than ASY individuals. Conversely, IL-4 production in response to the same stimuli was suppressed among T. cruzi-infected patients. The frequency of PHA-induced IFNproducing cells on PBMC was significantly higher among CCC than ASY and N individuals. IFN-and TNF-were produced by ten out of ten PHAstimulated T cell lines from CCC patients; IL-2 and IL-10 were produced by four out of ten and one out of ten lines, respectively; IL-4, IL-1 , IL-1 , IL-6 and IL-12 were undetectable. Our results suggest that CCC and ASY patients may respond differentially to the IFN--inducing stimulus provided by T. cruzi infection. Given the T 1 -type cytokine profile of heart-infiltrating T cell lines from CCC patients, the ability to mount a vigorous IFN-response may play a role on the differential susceptibility to CCC development.
British Journal of Nutrition, 2015
The present study aimed to investigate the possible changes in anthropometric and biochemical par... more The present study aimed to investigate the possible changes in anthropometric and biochemical parameters in low-income women living in the outskirts of Maceió (northeast Brazil), and to explore the possible role of dietary intake and physical activity in these changes. A prospective longitudinal study was conducted in a cohort of mothers of malnourished children who attended the Center for Nutritional Recovery and Education, an outreach programme of the Federal University of Alagoas. Socio-economic, anthropometric, biochemical and dietary intake data were assessed at baseline and after a follow-up period of 4 years. Energy expenditure (using doubly labelled water) and physical activity (using triaxial accelerometers) were assessed only in a subgroup of women after 4 years. A total of eighty-five women were assessed. Participants showed an altered biochemical profile, increased systolic blood pressure, decreased thyroid hormone levels, and body-weight gain. However, dietary intakes of the participants did not include large quantities of highly processed and high-glycaemic index foods. The energy intake of the participants did not differ from their total energy expenditure (7990·3 (7173·7 -8806·8) v. 8798·1 (8169·0-9432·4) kJ, respectively; P¼ 0·084). Multivariate analyses showed a significant effect of time spent watching television (b ¼ 0·639 (0·003 to 1·275); P¼ 0·048) and dietary diversity score (b ¼ 21·039 (2 2·010 to 2 0·067); P¼ 0·036) on weight gain. The present study indicates that poor women, who are mothers of malnourished children and have a reasonably balanced dietary intake, exhibit weight gain and are at risk of developing chronic diseases.
PloS one, 2015
Perinatal undernutrition may lead to important metabolic adaptations in adult life, short stature... more Perinatal undernutrition may lead to important metabolic adaptations in adult life, short stature being the most visible. The present study aimed to evaluate the association between stature and total energy expenditure of low-income women. Women aged 19-45 years from low-income communities in Maceió-AL were recruited. A sample of 67 volunteers was selected and divided into either short stature (≤152.4 cm; n = 34) or non-short stature (≥158.7 cm; n = 33) group. Data on socioeconomic status, anthropometric variables, and hormonal profiles was collected. Total energy expenditure and body composition were assessed by the doubly labeled water technique with multiple points over 14 days. In addition, physical activity levels were measured with triaxial accelerometers and dietary intake data were collected using three 24-hour food records. The mean subject age was 30.94 years. Women of short stature had lower body weight and lean body mass compared to non-short women, but there were no dif...
Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research, 1998
The hallmark of chronic Chagas disease cardiomyopathy (CCC) is the finding of a T cell-rich infla... more The hallmark of chronic Chagas disease cardiomyopathy (CCC) is the finding of a T cell-rich inflammatory mononuclear cell infiltrate in the presence of extremely few parasites in the heart lesions. The scarcity of parasites in affected heart tissue casts doubt on the direct participation of Trypanosoma cruzi in CCC heart tissue lesions, and suggests the possible involvement of autoimmunity. The cells in the infiltrate are presumably the ultimate effectors of tissue damage, and there is evidence that such cells recognize cardiac myosin in molecular mimicry with T. cruzi proteins rather than primary reactivity to T. cruzi antigens ) Journal of Clinical Investigation, 98: 1709-1712. Recently, we have studied heart-infiltrating T cells at the functional level. In this short review we summarize the studies about the role of cytokines in human and experimental T. cruzi infection, along with our data on heart-infiltrating T cells in human Chagas cardiomyopathy. The bulk of evidence points to a significant production of IFN-γ and TNF-α which may be linked to T.
Journal of Autoimmunity, 2001
One-third of all Trypanosoma cruzi-infected patients eventually develop chronic Chagas' disease c... more One-third of all Trypanosoma cruzi-infected patients eventually develop chronic Chagas' disease cardiomyopathy (CCC), a particularly lethal inflammatory dilated cardiomyopathy, where parasites are scarce and heart-infiltrating mononuclear cells seem to be the effectors of tissue damage. Since T. cruzi is a major inducer of interleukin-12 production, the role of inflammatory cytokines in the pathogenesis of CCC was investigated. We assayed cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from CCC and asymptomatic T. cruzi-infected (ASY) individuals, as well as by T cell lines from endomyocardial biopsies from CCC patients. PBMC from CCC and ASY patients produced higher IFN-levels than normal (N) individuals in response to B13 protein and phytohaemagglutinin PHA; IFN-high responders (≥1 ng/ml) were 2-3 fold more frequent among CCC patients than ASY individuals. Conversely, IL-4 production in response to the same stimuli was suppressed among T. cruzi-infected patients. The frequency of PHA-induced IFNproducing cells on PBMC was significantly higher among CCC than ASY and N individuals. IFN-and TNF-were produced by ten out of ten PHAstimulated T cell lines from CCC patients; IL-2 and IL-10 were produced by four out of ten and one out of ten lines, respectively; IL-4, IL-1 , IL-1 , IL-6 and IL-12 were undetectable. Our results suggest that CCC and ASY patients may respond differentially to the IFN--inducing stimulus provided by T. cruzi infection. Given the T 1 -type cytokine profile of heart-infiltrating T cell lines from CCC patients, the ability to mount a vigorous IFN-response may play a role on the differential susceptibility to CCC development.
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Papers by Fabiana Albuquerque