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Biomedical subjects

A Domínguez

Publications and source records attributed to A Domínguez.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Multicenter randomized, controlled study of intramuscular administration of interferon-beta for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C.

The intramuscular administration of interferon-beta (IFN-beta) at a dosage of 6 million units three times per week for 6 months has been evaluated in 90 patients included in a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Transaminase levels were significantly reduced in IFN-beta-treated patients (p = 0.015) and were significantly lower with respect to those of the untreated controls (p = 0.040 at 6 months). Four treated (8%) and one untreated (2.5%) patients had normal transaminase values after 6 months. At study end (12 months), three quarters of the IFN-beta-treated patients had sustained transaminase normalization, whereas the untreated case had relapsed. Hepatitis C viremia was cleared in 6 (12%) treated patients but in none of the untreated controls (p = 0.058). Side effects of IFN-beta were infrequent (a mild flu-like syndrome in < 10%, asthenia in 16%, anorexia in 8%, headaches and weight loss in 8%, and hair loss in 4%). Leukocyte and platelet counts decreased during IFN-beta treatment, but no dose modifications were necessary. Such decreases were not statistically significant when compared with the levels in the untreated controls. Intramuscular IFN-beta at the dosage used has little efficacy in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Because of IFN-beta tolerance, higher doses and alternate routes of injection might prove beneficial for the treatment of this disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Rates of movement of transposable elements in Drosophila melanogaster.

Mobilization rates of nine families of transposable elements (P, hobo, FB, gypsy, 412, copia, blood, 297, and jockey) were estimated by using 182 lines. Lines were started from a completely isogenic population of Drosophila melanogaster, carrying the marker sepia as an indicator of possible contamination, and have been accumulating spontaneous mutations independently for 80 generations of brother-sister (or two double-first-cousin) matings. Transposable element movements have been analyzed in complete genomes by the Southern technique. Mobilization was a rare event, with an average rate of 10(-5) per site per generation. The most active element was FB. In contrast, the retroelements gypsy and blood did not move at all. Most changes in restriction patterns were consistent with rearrangements rather than with true transposition. The euchromatic or heterochromatic location of elements was tested by comparing insertion patterns from adults and salivary glands. Certain putative rearrangements involved heterochromatic copies of the retroelements 412, copia or 297. Clustering of movement across families was observed, suggesting that movement of different families may be non-independent. As association between modified insertion patterns and mutant effects on quantitative traits shows that spontaneous transposition events cause continuous variation.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Community outbreak of acute respiratory infection by Mycoplasma pneumoniae.

We present the results of the investigation of an epidemic outbreak of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection which affected 95 schoolchildren from certain village in Catalonia. The investigation took an epidemiological, clinical and microbiological approach, detecting by capture enzyme-immunoassay technique the presence of IgM antibodies against M. pneumoniae. All cases occurred over a 9 week period. The attack rate in children under five was 18% and 8.2% in those from 5-14 years. The age mean and standard deviation of the cases was 5.2 +/- 3.5 years, the range being from 9 months to 14 years. Cough was the most common clinical manifestation (87.4%), followed by fever (67.4%), asthenia (21.1%), abdominal pain (18.9%), vomiting (13.7%), earache (8.4%) and sore throat (6.3%). There was no significant difference in the distribution of symptoms according to age groups. IgM anti M. pneumoniae was positive in 36 (37.9%) of the samples analysed. Treatment chosen in most cases (90) was eritromicin and there was a correct evolution in all cases except for two clinical and radiological recurrences. Hospitalization was only necessary in 5 cases. The present findings are important to emphasize the high incidence of M. pneumoniae respiratory disease in children under 5, and suggests that with respiratory processes affecting very young children, a possible Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection should also be considered and the necessary action taken in the form of early and appropriate treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Cigarette smoking as a risk factor for tuberculosis in young adults: a case-control study.

SETTING: The association between smoking and pulmonary tuberculosis has not often been studied. OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of cigarette smoking on the development of active pulmonary tuberculosis in young people who were close contacts of new cases of smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis. DESIGN: A case-control study in which 46 'cases' (patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis: isolation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis or clinical and/or radiographic evidence of current pulmonary tuberculosis, with a positive tuberculin skin test) and 46 'controls' (persons with positive tuberculin reaction, negative bacteriological test and without clinical and/or radiological evidence of pulmonary tuberculosis) were included. Smoking habits were investigated by questionnaire. Univariate and multivariate analysis was performed, and odds ratio (OR) was adjusted for age, gender and socio-economic status. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were found in active smokers (occasional and daily smokers) (OR: 3.65; 95% CI, 1.46 and 9.21; P < 0.01), daily smokers (OR: 3.53; 95% CI, 1.34 and 9.26; P < 0.05), and individuals who were both passive and active smokers (OR: 5.10; 95% CI, 1.97 and 13.22; P < 0.01) and passive and daily smokers (OR: 5.59; 95% CI, 2.07 and 15.10; P < 0.001). There was a dose-response relationship between the number of cigarettes smoked daily and the risk of active pulmonary tuberculosis. CONCLUSIONS: The data studied show that cigarette smoking is a risk factor for pulmonary tuberculosis in young people, with a dose-response relationship with the number of cigarettes consumed daily.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Monitoring mortality as an indicator of influenza in Catalonia, Spain.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the behaviour of two indicators of influenza activity in the area of Barcelona and to evaluate the usefulness of modelling them to improve the detection of influenza epidemics. DESIGN: Descriptive time series study using the number of deaths due to all causes registered by funeral services and reported cases of influenza-like illness. The study concentrated on five influenza seasons, from week 45 of 1988 to week 44 of 1993. The weekly number of deaths and cases of influenza-like illness registered were processed using identification of a time series ARIMA model. SETTING: Six large towns in the Barcelona province which have more than 60,000 inhabitants and funeral services in all of them. MAIN RESULTS: For mortality, the proposed model was an autoregressive one of order 2 (ARIMA (2,0,0)) and for morbidity it was one of order 3 (ARIMA (3,0,0)). Finally, the two time series were analysed together to facilitate the detection of possible implications between them. The joint study of the two series shows that the mortality series can be modelled separately from the reported morbidity series, but the morbidity series is influenced as much by the number of previous cases of influenza reported as by the previous mortality registered. CONCLUSIONS: The model based on general mortality is useful for detecting epidemic activity of influenza. However, because there is not an absolute gold standard that allows definition of the beginning of the epidemic, the final decision of when it is considered an epidemic and control measures recommended should be taken after evaluating all the indicators included in the influenza surveillance programme.

Disease Outbreaks↗
PubMed1996

Application of DNA fingerprinting to population study of chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra).

Hypervariable minisatellite DNA probes 33.15 and 33.6, originally developed for studies in human populations, were used to study genetic variation in chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra). The mean number of bands per individual was 25 for probe 33.15 and 15 for probe 33.6. The average band frequency was 0.33 for both probes. The mean similarity was 0.44, greater than that reported for human and natural populations and close to values found in domestic populations of mammals. This lack of variability could be related to the bottleneck suffered by the population due to large-scale hunting after the Spanish Civil War. Levels of variability are high compared with variability at the level of protein markers, so the use of minisatellite DNA is recommended for future population studies in this species. We did not find large genetic differences between subpopulations, indicating that the population is genetically homogeneous.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

[A multicenter clinical trial. Zinc acexamate versus famotidine in the treatment of acute duodenal ulcer. Study Group of Zinc acexamate (new UP doses)].

A multicentric double-blind trial comparing 600 mg/d of Zinc Acexamate (ACZ) and 40 mg/d of Famotidine (FMT) in the short term treatment of acute duodenal ulcer included 199 patients, diagnosed by endoscopy. One-hundred and five patients received ACZ and 94 FMT, during four weeks. A clinical control took place at two weeks and a second clinical and endoscopic control at the end of the treatment (4 weeks). Complete cicatrization of the ulcer was observed in 56.5% of patients on ACZ and in 69.5% of patients of FMT (N.S.). A reduction of more than 50% of the ulcer diameter was recorded in 78.8% of the ACZ group and in 79.9% of the FMT group. Alcohol and smoking did not influence the results. Both treatments were equally effective in the disappearance of symptoms. The incidence of adverse reactions was very low in both groups (< 5%) and no patient dropped from the trial for this reason. In conclusion, a dosage of 600 mg/d of ACZ has shown to be as effective as 40 mg/d of FMT in the healing of duodenal ulcer.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1995

Cloning and sequencing of the URA5 gene from the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica.

The URA5 gene of Yarrowia lipolytica encoding the orotate phosphoribosyl transferase (OPRTase, EC2.4.2.10) was isolated by target integration in a mutant strain originally named ura2.21. The nucleotide sequence of the gene predicts a protein with high similarities with the OPRTases from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Podospora anserina and Escherichia coli and to a lesser extent with that of Dictyostelium discoideum. The transcription start point has been mapped by primer extension analysis and indicates the existence of a long leader sequence in the corresponding mRNA. Northern-blot hybridization revealed the URA5 transcript to be approximately 0.94 kb. Deletion of the URA5 gene in Y. lipolytica produced a leaky phenotype similar to the one described for the ura5 mutation in S. cerevisiae. The URA5 gene of Y. lipolytica was able to complement functionally the ura5 mutation of S. cerevisiae.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Selective inhibition of cytosine-DNA methylases by polyamines.

We have advanced the hypothesis that polyamines affect DNA methylation and thus promote the expression of developmentally controlled genes. We demonstrate that the activity of cytosine-DNA methyltransferases HpaII, HhaI, HaeIII and SssI is inhibited by physiological concentrations of polyamines. On the other hand, activity of the adenine-DNA methyltransferase EcoRI, and restriction enzymes HpaII, HhaI, HaeIII and EcoRI, is insensitive to polyamine concentrations up to 40 mM. Our results indicate that the effect of polyamines on cytosine-DNA methyltransferases is rather selective and suggest a possible mode of action in vivo.

DNA↗
PubMed1995

Green hair.

Green hair is an unusual dermatologic condition usually due to the deposition of copper from exogenous sources. We report the cases of two patients who presented to our clinic with green discoloration of their hair. This pigmentation of hair has generally been reported in patients with blond hair as a consequence of increased concentrations of copper in domestic or swimming pool water. Although an increased copper content of the affected hair seems to be a prerequisite, other predisposing factors have to be present for this situation to occur. These include previous hair damage (mechanical, sun exposure, bleaching, dyeing, waving), frequent contact with chlorinated water, or use of alkaline shampoos. Several options for treatment have been described for this problem, including application of hot vegetable oil, hydrogen peroxide, edetic acid- or D-penicillamine-containing shampoos, or hydroxyethyl diphosphonic acid.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

[Hepatitis E].

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

[Seroepidemiology of hepatitis C virus infection in pregnant women in Catalonia].

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in a population of pregnant women in Catalonia and the sociodemographic variables and risk factors associated to this prevalence. METHODS: A representative sample of the pregnant women in Catalonia (n = 4,551) randomly selected by clusters (hospitals with maternity clinics) was studied. Detection of antiHCV antibodies was performed by the third generation ELISA test. Reactive cases were confirmed with RIBA 3 and MATRIX. RESULTS: The prevalence of antiHCV was found to be 1% and was not significantly associated with any of the sociodemographic variables studied (age, social and cultural level, origin and residence). A history of blood transfusion, intravenous drug consumption and hepatitis in the sexual partner were the only risk factors associated with the prevalence of infection found on univariate analysis although these were only present in 47% of the antiHCV positive cases detected. The association between the positivity of antiHCV and the history of hepatitis in the partner was lost on stratification of the cases according to the possible existence of history of drug addiction. CONCLUSIONS: A high proportion of young asymptomatic people (1%) were found to have hepatitis C virus infection with the possible mode of infection not being detected in approximately half of these subjects. In the other half of these cases the infection was found to have been acquired by an intravenous mechanism: blood transfusion or drug use.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

[Chronic eosinophilic pneumonia. An analysis of 4 cases].

Chronic eosinophilic pneumonia (CEP) is characterized by non-specific clinical presentation, interstitial radiological signs, peripheral acini and pulmonary infiltration by eosinophils, accompanied or not by peripheral eosinophilia. Response to treatment with steroids is spectacular. We describe 4 patients with CEP, one diagnosed by response to treatment and the others by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). No patient had asthma; 1 also had peripheral eosinophilia. All received long-term treatment with steroids, and there were no relapses. Response to treatment was slow in 2 patients, but obliterans bronchiolitis with or without organizing pneumonia could not be demonstrated. We emphasize the safety and efficiency of BAL for diagnosis of CEP.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Inversion polymorphism and accumulation of lethals in selected lines of Drosophila melanogaster.

Five long-term selected lines of Drosophila melanogaster were monitored for the presence of lethals and inversions on the third chromosome for a period of nearly 100 generations after the cessation of selection. The results provide an example of the action of inversions as a trap for genes with homozygous detrimental effects in small populations. Lines polymorphic for cosmopolitan inversions In(3R)C and In(3L)P maintain linked lethal and detrimental genes in a near-balanced system. Consideration of the high selection response attained despite inversion polymorphism leads to the conclusion that extreme responses to selection can be obtained without exploiting the potential from large genomic regions.

Animals↗