The effect of a short-term creatine supplementation on hindlimb suspension (HS)-induced muscle atrophy was investigated. Creatine monohydrate (5 g/kg b.w. per day) or placebo, divided in 2 daily doses, was given by oral gavage for 5 days. Rats were maintained in HS with dietary supplementation concomitantly for 5 days. Body weight, soleus and EDL muscle masses, and cross-sectional areas (CSA) of the muscle fibers were measured. Signaling pathways associated with skeletal muscle mass regulation (FST, MSTN, FAK, IGF-1, MGF, Akt, mTOR, atrogin-1, and MuRF1 expressions, and Akt, S6, GSK3B, and 4EBP1 proteins) were evaluated in the muscles. Soleus muscle exhibited more atrophy than the EDL muscle due to HS. Creatine supplementation attenuated the decrease of wet weight and increased p-4EBP1 protein in the EDL muscle of HS rats. Also, creatine increased mTOR and atrogin-1 expressions in the same muscle and condition. In the absence of HS, creatine supplementation increased FAK and decreased MGF expressions in the EDL muscle. Creatine attenuated the increase in FST expression due to HS in the soleus muscle. MuRF1 expression increased in the soleus muscle due to creatine supplementation in HS animals whereas atrogin-1 expression increased still further in this group compared with untreated HS rats. In conclusion, short-term creatine supplementation changed protein metabolism signaling in soleus and EDL muscles. However, creatine supplementation only slightly attenuated the mass loss of both muscles and did not prevent the CSA reduction and muscle strength decrease induced by HS for 5 days.

A detecção do DNA do Vírus da Hepatite B pela Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase (PCR) foi comparada com os outros marcadores sorológicos virais (AgHBs, AgHBe e anti-HBe) numa série de 49 pacientes com hepatite crônica B, incluindo 12 que apresentaram clareamento espontâneo do AgHBs. Nenhum caso AgHBs negativo foi PCR positivo, mas 33/37 (89,2%) dos casos AgHBs positivos foram PCR positivos (p < 0,0001). Entre as amostras AgHBs positivas, 9 foram AgHBc positivas e anti-HBe negativas, todas elas PCR positivas. Outros 3 pacientes foram AgHBe e anti-HBe positivos, todos também PCR positivos. Um terceiro grupo incluía 21 pacientes anti-HBe positivos e anti-HBe negativos: 19 foram PCR positivos e 2 PCR negativos. Os últimos 4 casos foram AgHBe e anti-HBe negativos, sendo 2 destes PCR positivos. A detecção de casos virêmicos anti-HBe positivos sugere que as variantes preC do VHB podem também estar presentes em nosso país. Em conclusão, a "fase de integração viral" da hepatite crônica B parece ser muito menos frequente do que se imaginava previamente, quando apenas se dispunha das técnicas de detecção de AgHBe e DNA por hibridização. O novo termo "fase de baixa replicação baixa" parece ser melhor que o anterior "fase de integração viral" .

Detection of HBV-DNA by PCR was compared with other serological markers (HBsAg, HBeAg and anti-HBe) in a series of49 Chronic Hepatitis B patients, including 12 with a spontaneous clearance of HBsAg. None of these HBsAg negative cases were PCR positive, but 33/37 (89.2%) HBsAg positive cases were PCR positive (p < 0.0001). Among HBsAg positive samples, nine cases were HBeAg positive and anti-HBe negative, all of them PCR positive. Other 3 patients were HBeAg and anti-HBe positive and these cases were also found PCR positive. A third group included 21 patients anti-HBe positive and HBeAg negative: 19 of them were PCR positive and 2 were PCR negative. The last 4 cases were HBeAg and anti-HBe negative, two of them were PCR positive. The detection of anti-HBe viremic cases in the present series suggest that preC variants could occur in our country. In conclusion, the integrated phase o f chronic hepatitis B seems to be less frequent than it was assumed, when only HBeAg or dot blot hybridization techniques were used. The new term "low replication phase" might favorably replace the former "integrated phase".

RESUMO O hipoparatireodismo, condição em que há produção insuficiente de hormônio paratireóideo (PTH), provoca distúrbio metabólico caracterizado por hipocalcemia e hiperfosfatemia e suas conseqüentes manifestações clínicas. A manifestação ocular principal do hipoparatireodismo constitui a formação da catarata. A gênese da catarata no hipoparatireoidismo parece estar ligada, ao desequilíbrio iônico no cristalino causado pela hipocalcemia. Apresentamos um caso de catarata bilateral, secundária a hipoparatireoidismo pós-cirúrgico, em paciente de 61 anos.

SUMMARY Hypoparathyroidism, a condition caused by insufficient production of parathyroid hormone (PTH), leads to a metabolic disturbance characterized by hypocalcemia and hiperphos-phatemia, and their consequent clinical manifestations. The main ocular manifestation of hypoparathyroidism is cataract formation. The genesis of cataract in hypoparathyroidism seems to be linked to a disturbance of the ionic equilibrium in the lens caused by hypocalcemia. We herein report a case of bilateral cataract secondary to surgically induced hypoparathyroidism in a 61-year-old patient.