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Biomedical subjects

A Caro-Patón

Publications and source records attributed to A Caro-Patón.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

[Symptomatic hepatic arterioportal shunt resolved through conservative treatment].

Arterioportal shunt in the liver is a rare vascular disorder that may be due to congenital vascular malformation (hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia), trauma, iatrogenic causes (after a hepatic biopsy) or neoplasm. Initial treatment consists of transcatheter arterial embolization with different kinds of materials. We present the case of a 64-year-old woman with signs of portal hypertension and severe diarrhea. Doppler ultrasonography, computed tomography and angiography revealed arterioportal fistulae between the hepatic artery and right portal vein. Transcatheter arterial embolization with n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate surgical glue (Glubran) was successfully performed. After 2 years of follow-up, the patient remains asymptomatic. Transcatheter arterial embolization with Glubran should be considered as a therapeutic option in arterioportal shunts and could be a definitive therapy.

Arteriovenous Fistula↗

[Familial hepatic hemangiomas].

Cavernous hemangioma is the most frequent benign hepatic tumor. These tumors are usually small, solitary or multiple, and asymptomatic but they can be large. In the majority of cases, these tumors are sporadic. We describe a family in which six members from three successive generations presented cavernous hepatic hemangiomas. One of the women, who was taking oral contraceptives, presented a giant cavernous hemangioma causing pain in the right hypochondriac region and biochemical abnormalities while the remaining cases were asymptomatic. We found only one study in the literature that reports familial cavernous hepatic hemangioma; a further two studies describe hepatic hemangiomas in members of families with angiomas in other sites. We believe that description of a new family with this disease is of interest. The findings could support autosomal dominant inheritance as the mode of transmission of these tumors, as well as the existence of proliferative factors in these tumors.

Adult↗

Pulmonary injuries and cytokine levels after the intraperitoneal administration of pancreatic homogenates in rats.

INTRODUCTION: Our objective was to investigate the effects of the administration of pancreatic homogenates, with or without enzymatic activation, to healthy animals regarding cytokine serum levels and the development of pulmonary distress. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 106 male Wistar rats, divided into three groups, were studied: group A, intraperitoneal administration of homogenates activated with enterokinase; group B, homogenates without enterokinase; and group C, control group with administration of physiological saline solution. Each group was divided into 4 subgroups according to the time of sacrifice: 0, 2, 6 and 24 hours. We studied the pulmonary and pancreatic histology, serum parameters of renal and hepatic function, and serum levels of IL-1beta, IL-6 and TNFalpha. RESULTS: There was no mortality in any group. Pancreatic disorders in A and B groups were noted at 24 hours. These two groups had statistically significant higher transaminase serum levels than those of the control group, as well as statistically significant higher creatinine levels in group A. IL-1beta showed a statistically significant higher level at 6 h in both groups, A and B, but was higher in group A, which also exhibited significant pulmonary histologic damage with respect to controls at 6 h. CONCLUSIONS: The higher IL-1beta level in group A may result from production by peritoneal macrophages under the influence of homogenate enzymatic activation. This may be the reason for lung damage.

Animals↗

[Effects of oxytetracycline on rat liver].

OBJECTIVES: This experimental project was designed to evaluate: a) the capacity of oxytetracycline to induce microvesicle steatosis in rat liver when administered over long time periods; b) whether female rats are more susceptible to this substance, and c) the possible ultrastructural alterations and their relation to the mechanisms of steatosis. METHODS: Sixty-two Wistar rats (31 males and 31 females) were distributed into six groups, two control groups and four experimental groups. The experiment lasted three months. Blood and hepatic tissue samples were extracted under anesthesia for morphologic study (optical and electron microscopy). RESULTS: Steatosis was of the microvesicular type with mainly periportal distribution. Steatosis developed in the treated groups and the degree was significantly greater in the females (p = 0.004). No relationship was found with dose. Ultrastructural study revealed microsome dilation in all experimental groups, with no differences according to sex. Despite the steatosis, no proliferation of peroxisomes or mitochondrial alterations were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Oxytetracycline produced predominantly periportal microvesicular hepatic steatosis, appearing mostly in the females. As a possible mechanism for tetracycline-induced steatosis, we postulate a decrease in mitochondrial, peroxisome and microsome function as a result of protein synthesis inhibition in these cell compartments.

Animals↗

Lung changes and cytokine levels in a model of experimental acute pancreatitis.

AIM: Prognosis of acute pancreatitis is related mainly to systemic involvement. The establishment of this systemic inflammation is mediated by proinflammatory cytokines. Our aim is to study serum levels of some proinflammatory cytokines and the associated damage of the lung in a model of experimental acute pancreatitis. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Eighty seven male Wistar rats were divided into two groups: group A (control) with saline solution administration; group B with acute pancreatitis induced by intraperitoneal caerulein (50 mg/kg every hour, 4 doses). The animals were killed at 0, 2, 6 and 24 hours of the last dose of caerulein or saline solution. Pancreatic and pulmonary histology were examined, and serum levels of IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha and IL-6 were evaluated, as well as some laboratory parameters as indicators of systemic involvement. RESULTS: The administration of caerulein induced an acute edematous pancreatitis without mortality and with a trend towards resolution in 24 hours. IL-1 beta in animals with acute pancreatitis showed significantly higher levels than in the control group at 6 hours. Serum transaminases, urea and creatinine were also significantly higher at 2 and 6 h. The group with acute pancreatitis showed histological lung damage all over the study. CONCLUSIONS: In our model of acute pancreatitis we observed systemic involvement as judged by alterations of serum transaminases and parameters of renal function, as well as histological lung damage, that correlated with an increase in serum levels of IL-1b.

Acute Disease↗

Effects of oxytetracycline on the rat exocrine pancreas.

OBJECTIVES: Given the appearance of pancreatitis attributed to tetracycline, as described in the literature, we have investigated its effect on the enzymatic content of pancreas and duodenal fluid and on pancreatic ultrastructure. We have evaluated possible differences between sexes and the relation of our findings with those described in the initial phases of acute pancreatitis, in the context of the acinar hypothesis. METHODS: With 128 Wistar rats (63 male and 65 female), 3 groups were established: control (group I) experimental animals treated with oxytetracycline intramuscularly, 15 and 30 mg/kg/d (groups II and III, respectively). Before sacrifice, half of the rats in each group were stimulated with cholecystokinin. Blood, pancreatic tissue (for enzyme dosage and morphological study), and duodenal fluid were extracted following anesthesia. RESULTS: The stimulated males of group III presented lower amylase levels in pancreatic tissue and duodenal fluid (P < 0.003). Just the opposite occurred in female rats. A similar tendency was observed with other enzymes (lipase and trypsin). Zymogen granule counts, appearance of immature granules, and dilation of ergastoplasm were more frequent in the stimulated animals. CONCLUSIONS: Oxytetracycline seems to induce morphofunctional changes in rat pancreas, which differ according to sex. In the female, enzyme accumulation that could predispose intracellular activation seems to exist, as well as the ultrastructural findings described in initial phases of acute experimental pancreatitis. This agrees with the greater frequency of pancreatitis in women undergoing tetracycline treatment described in the literature. In contrast, for males the findings were more compatible with decrease of protein synthesis. This would make them less susceptible to crinophagy phenomena and, thus, to acute pancreatitis in the context of the acinar or lysosome hypothesis.

Amylases↗

Carcinoma of the extrahepatic biliary tree: analysis of 15 cases.

AIM: to analyze the epidemiology, prognosis and treatment of those diagnosed as having cholangiocarcinoma of the extrahepatic biliary tree. METHODS: a prospective study including all cases diagnosed over a period of 26 months. Fifteen patients with primary bile duct carcinoma were included. RESULTS: the incidence rate was 3.23 cases/10(4). The tumor locations were: 40% proximal bile duct, 33% distal bile duct, and 27% mid-duct. The treatments used were: curative resection in 1 case (7%); palliative surgery in 3 cases (20%); internal drainage through a prosthetic biliary stent by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in 6 cases (40%) and by percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography in 2 cases (13%); external bile drainage in case (7%), and in the remaining 2 patients (13%) no treatment was possible. The 1-month, 6-month and 10-month survival rates were 67%, 40% and 33% respectively. Factors associated with a worse survival in this study were age over 70 years and female sex. The worst prognostic location was the mid-duct compared to the distal and proximal thirds. CONCLUSIONS: the incidence of the primary bile duct carcinoma is high in our population. The commonest location is the proximal bile duct. Curative surgical resection is possible in only a few cases, and thus the overall prognosis is very bad.

Aged↗

[Primary intestinal T lymphoma].

Primary gastrointestinal lymphoma comprises a group of distinctive clinicopathological entities. They may be of B or T-cell type. Intestinal T-cell lymphomas are much less common and include the entity: lymphomas T enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma, the most common, and T-cell lymphoma without features of enteropathy. The morphologic and immunologic findings suggest that derived from mucosal T lymphocytes population. Clinically, the patients were usually males with constitutional symptoms and acute perforation and/or obstruction of the small bowel. Their prognosis are very poor and tumor are very aggressive.

Female↗

A comparison between two induction regimes for the interferon treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Response related factors.

Treatment of chronic hepatitis C with alfa interferon for 6 months achieves sustained responses in 15-25% of the patients. The initial induction with higher doses and the prolongation of treatment can improve the results. A randomized, prospective study was carried out to compare the efficacy of a short term induction schedule of interferon alfa-2b (group A) versus a long term one (group B). 106 patients with chronic hepatitis C were included: 54 received 5 megaunits tiw for 8 weeks and 52 for 16 weeks; afterwards, interferon was reduced to 3 megaunits up to 9 months. The percentage of sustained responses, transient responses and non responses were 18.5%, 24% and 57.4% in group A and 23.1%, 28.8% and 48.1% in group B (NS). The following factors were related to a poor response in the univariate analysis: an increase of serum iron levels, ferritin, Gamma-GT and bilirubin, anti-nuclear antibody positivity, presumed non-parenteral infection, an AST/ALT ratio greater than 0.75, a higher Knodell's index and a greater necrosis and fibrosis score. The multivariate analysis revealed that elevated serum iron and ferritin and anti-nuclear antibody positivity had an independent predictive value related to a non response. Our results appear to suggest that an induction with higher doses and the treatment over nine months are more efficient than the classic schedule. The prolongation of the induction period does not provide additional advantages.

Adolescent↗

Infection by hepatitis B and C virus in non-intravenous drug using female prostitutes in Spain.

We have studied the prevalence of hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) serologic markers in female blood donors and in female prostitutes and the relationship of antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) and of antibodies to HCV (anti-HCV) with the presence of treponemal antibodies (FTA-ABS) in non-intravenous drug using female prostitutes. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was found in 1.0% of the female blood donors, anti-HBc in 15.6% and anti-HCV in 0.7%. In the prostitutes, the prevalence of HBsAg was 6.1%, anti-HBc was positive in 29.0% and anti-HCV in 8.8%. No significant statistical association between the prevalence of anti-HBc or anti-HCV and the age of prostitutes (p = 0.9111 and p = 0.8254 respectively) or the length of time as prostitutes (p = 0.3583 and p = 0.5770) was found. FTA-ABS positive prostitutes had a significantly higher prevalence of anti-HCV than FTA-ABS negative prostitutes (p < 0.001). No statistical association was found between anti-HBc antibodies and positive FTA-ABS prostitutes (p = 0.336).

Adolescent↗

Side-effects of sodium valproate, mainly related to its hepatic and pancreatic toxicity.

A study was made of 134 patients (67 males and 67 females) treated with sodium valproate, with ages from 1.5 to 70 years (50 on monotherapy and 84 on multitherapy), to detect side-effects of this treatment. To meet this goal, a clinical questionnaire was used with special emphasis on biological parameters to detect hepatic and pancreatic toxicity. 71.6% developed side-effects, without differences either between groups of sex or age, or patients on monotherapy and multitherapy, or the duration of the treatment, longer or shorter than six months. The side-effects were mild and transient, and without relationship with doses or plasma levels of the drug. The most noticeable side-effects in the study were the increase in amylase values, mainly in urine (23.9%), eosinophilia (30% in the monotherapy group), increase in gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (20.2% in the polytherapy group) and weight gain in 25% of adult women on polytherapy. Only a 4.7% developed mild and transient elevation of transaminases, that did not differ from the control population. The relevance of using a clinical questionnaire and biological parameters to evaluate the side-effects of a drug is emphasized.

Adolescent↗

Histological, ultrastructural and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation studies in liver of rats chronically treated with oral valproic acid.

The effects of oral administration of valproic acid (VPA) have been studied on the liver of female adult Wistar rats, at doses of 60 and 120 mg/kg/day during 4 and 18 weeks (periods I and II). Other groups received the same doses of VPA with phenobarbital (PB). The animals developed periportal steatosis, more intense at the end of period II and in groups non-induced by PB, and also some degree of mitochondrial swelling. An uncoupling of the oxidative phosphorylation was also evident with both doses in the non-induced groups, and only with the high dose of VPA in the induced group. An in vitro study on isolated liver mitochondria showed uncoupling only with very high concentration of VPA (10 mM). We comment on these findings and propose a chronic model of experimental hepatotoxicity of oral VPA in the rat.

Administration, Oral↗