Postnatal maturation of esophageal musculature involves proximal-to-distal replacement of smooth muscle with skeletal muscle by elusive mechanisms. We report that this process is impaired in mice lacking the cell surface receptor Cdo and identify the underlying developmental mechanism. A myogenic transition zone containing proliferative skeletal muscle precursor cells migrated in a proximal-dis...

INTRODUCTION: Trypanosoma cruzi is the etiologic agent of Chagas disease in humans, mainly in Latin America. Trypanosome stocks were isolated by hemoculture from patients followed at Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases (FIOCRUZ) and studied using different approaches. METHODS: For species and genotype identification, the stocks were analyzed by parasitological techniques,...

Chagas' disease is an endemic infectious disease caused by a trypanosome prevalent in South America. An acute illness occurs in childhood (1) and, if the patient survives, an enlarged heart , dilated colon and megaesophagus (2) may develop 30 to 40 years later as manifestations of chronic Chagas' disease. The majority of those infected will always have a positive complement fixation test for tr...

Achalasia is an esophageal motility disorder of unknown cause, characterised by aperistalsis of the esophageal body and impaired lower esophageal sphincter relaxation. Patients present at all ages, primarily with dysphagia for solids/liquids and bland regurgitation. The diagnosis is suggested by barium esophagram or endoscopy and confirmed by esophageal manometry. Achalasia cannot be cured. Ins...

BACKGROUND The present study aimed to evaluate apoptosis and cell proliferation alterations in esophageal benign lesions in comparison to esophageal carcinomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS Immunohistochemistry was performed for caspase-3 protein (CPP32) and Ki-67 antigen expression in the esophageal mucosa from patients with Chagas disease (CD) with and without megaesophagus (CM), chronic esophagit...

The present work had as objective to verify the genetic diversity among strains of Trypanosoma cruzi isolated in chronic chagasic patients in the Paraná state. Fifty patients with compatible clinical symptoms were selected (cardiopathy, megacolon and/or megaesophagus) and that presented positive serological reaction to T. cruzi. Six strains of the protozoan were isolated in hemoculture and iden...

BACKGROUND Acquired myasthenia gravis (MG) in cats most commonly causes generalized weakness without megaesophagus and is more often associated with a cranial mediastinal mass, compared to dogs. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES To extend the clinical findings described in the report of 2000 on MG in cats (J Am Vet Med Assoc 215:55-57). ANIMALS Two hundred and thirty-five cats with MG. METHODS Retros...

Chagas' disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is an excellent model for autoimmune disease induced by an infectious agent. Transfer of T cells, directed against crossreactive antigens of T. cruzi and nervous tissue, have been shown to reproduce pathology found in chronic Chagas' disease. We used recombinant DNA technology to characterize one of these crossreactive antigens (Fl-160). We have clo...