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Biomedical subjects

A Latorre

Publications and source records attributed to A Latorre.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

[Fosfomycin: an underrated antibiotic for urinary tract infections due to Escherichia coli].

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the sensitivity patterns of Escherichia coli isolates obtained from urine specimens from patients with community-acquired urinary tract infections, with a special emphasis on fosfomycin trometamol for the treatment of UTI. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of the sensitivity pattern of 16,227 E. coli isolates recovered from urine cultures performed at the Microbiology Laboratory of Madrid Area 11 from 1997 to 2000. The antimicrobial agents tested included ampicillin, amoxycillin-clavulanate, cephalotin, cefuroxime, trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazol, fosfomycin trometamol, nitrofurantoin, and ciprofloxacin. Antibiotic sensitivity testing was performed with the Vitek automatic microdilution system (bioMèrieux, France). RESULTS: E. coli represented 80.1% of all uropathogens recovered. The percentages of sensitive strains to ampicillin, amoxycillin-clavulanate, cephalotin, cefuroxime, trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazol, nitrofurantoin, and ciprofloxacin were 42.25%, 81.5%, 58.75%, 87.5%, 70%, 94.75%, and 84.75%, respectively. Fosfomycin trometamol was the antibiotic with the highest activity against E. coli, with 95.5% of sensitive isolates. CONCLUSIONS: Fosfomycin trometamol (single dose) is a good alternative that should be considered for the treatment of non-complicated lower urinary tract infections.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed2001

Paclitaxel, cisplatin and lonidamine in advanced ovarian cancer. A phase II study.

A potential way to improve the results obtained with the standard carboplatin/cisplatin (CDDP)-paclitaxel treatment regimen in advanced ovarian cancer is to incorporate a modulating agent such as lonidamine (LND). In fact, LND has been shown to revert the resistance to cisplatin and to potentiate cisplatin activity experimental models and in clinical studies. 35 consecutive patients with advanced ovarian cancer, not previously treated with chemotherapy were treated with paclitaxel at a dose of 135 mg/m(2) intravenously (i.v.) on day 1 (in a 3 h infusion) and cisplatin at a dose of 75 mg/m(2) iv on day 2 plus LND orally (p.o.) at a dose of 450 mg/die for 6 consecutive days starting two days before chemotherapy, every 3 weeks for six cycles. Complete plus partial responses were observed in 8 (80%) out of the 10 women with measurable disease. In the 25 patients with evaluable disease, only four clinical progressions were observed (16%). Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 28.5 (95% confidence interval (CI) 22.2-34.8) and 46.5 (95% CI 32.4-60.00) months respectively. Grade 3-4 neutropenia was observed in 9 (26%) patients. Alopecia, nausea and vomiting (Grade 3) were observed in 33 (94%) and 5 (14%) patients, respectively. In conclusion, the combination of CDDP/paclitaxel plus LND is active and tolerable in the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

The phylogenetic analysis of variable-length sequence data: elongation factor-1alpha introns in European populations of the parasitoid wasp genus Pauesia (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae).

Elongation factor-1alpha (EF-1alpha) is a highly conserved nuclear coding gene that can be used to investigate recent divergences due to the presence of rapidly evolving introns. However, a universal feature of intron sequences is that even closely related species exhibit insertion and deletion events, which cause variation in the lengths of the sequences. Indels are frequently rich in evolutionary information, but most investigators ignore sites that fall within these variable regions, largely because the analytical tools and theory are not well developed. We examined this problem in the taxonomically problematic parasitoid wasp genus Pauesia (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) using congruence as a criterion for assessing a range of methods for aligning such variable-length EF-1alpha intron sequences. These methods included distance- and parsimony-based multiple-alignment programs (CLUSTAL W and MALIGN), direct optimization (POY), and two "by eye" alignment strategies. Furthermore, with one method (CLUSTAL W) we explored in detail the robustness of results to changes in the gap cost parameters. Phenetic-based alignments ("by eye" and CLUSTAL W) appeared, under our criterion, to perform as well as more readily defensible, but computationally more demanding, methods. In general, all of our alignment and tree-building strategies recovered the same basic topological structure, which means that an underlying phylogenetic signal remained regardless of the strategy chosen. However, several relationships between clades were sensitive both to alignment and to tree-building protocol. Further alignments, considering only sequences belonging to the same group, allowed us to infer a range of phylogenetic relationships that were highly robust to tree-building protocol. By comparing these topologies with those obtained by varying the CLUSTAL parameters, we generated the distribution area of congruence and taxonomic compatibility. Finally, we present the first robust estimate of the European Pauesia phylogeny by using two EF-1alpha introns and 38 taxa (plus 3 outgroups). This estimate conflicts markedly with the traditional subgeneric classification. We recommend that this classification be abandoned, and we propose a series of monophyletic species groups.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Immunohistochemical localization of taurine in the rat ovary, oviduct, and uterus.

The distribution of the amino acid taurine in the female reproductive organs has not been previously analyzed in detail. The aim of this study was to determine taurine localization in the rat ovary, oviduct, and uterus by immunohistochemical methods. Taurine was localized in the ovarian surface epithelium. The granulosa cells and oocytes of primordial follicles were immunonegative. In primary and antral follicles, taurine was found mainly in theca cells and oocytes, whereas the zona pellucida, antrum, and most granulosa cells were unstained. However, taurine immunoreactivity in theca cells and oocytes decreased during follicular atresia. During corpora lutea development, the number of immunopositive theca lutein cells increased as these cells invaded the granulosa-derived region. Therefore, most luteal cells from the mature corpora lutea were stained. In the regressing corpora lutea, however, taurine staining in luteal cells decreased. In the fimbriae, infundibulum, and uterotubal junction, taurine was localized in most epithelial cells. In the ampullar and isthmic segments, taurine was found in the cilia of most ciliated cells and in the apical cytoplasm of some non-ciliated cells. In the uterus, most epithelial cells were immunopositive during diestrus and metestrus, whereas most of them were immunonegative during estrus and proestrus. Moreover, taurine immunoreactivity in the oviduct and uterus decreased with pregnancy. (J Histochem Cytochem 49:1133-1142, 2001)

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Postsymbiotic plasmid acquisition and evolution of the repA1-replicon in Buchnera aphidicola.

Buchnera aphidicola is an obligate, strictly vertically transmitted, bacterial symbiont of aphids. It supplies its host with essential amino acids, nutrients required by aphids but deficient in their diet of plant phloem sap. Several lineages of Buchnera show adaptation to their nutritional role in the form of plasmid-mediated amplification of key-genes involved in the biosynthesis of tryptophan (trpEG) and leucine (leuABCD). Phylogenetic analyses of these plasmid-encoded functions have thus far suggested the absence of horizontal plasmid exchange among lineages of Buchnera. Here, we describe three new Buchnera plasmids, obtained from species of the aphid host families Lachnidae and Pemphigidae. All three plasmids belong to the repA1 family of Buchnera plasmids, which is characterized by the presence of a repA1-replicon responsible for replication initiation. A comprehensive analysis of this family of plasmids unexpectedly revealed significantly incongruent phylogenies for different plasmid and chromosomally encoded loci. We infer from these incongruencies a case of horizontal plasmid transfer in Buchnera. This process may have been mediated by secondary endosymbionts, which occasionally undergo horizontal transmission in aphids.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed2000

An 18S rDNA-based molecular phylogeny of aphidiinae (Hymenoptera: braconidae).

We have obtained a molecular phylogeny of the subfamily Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) by sequencing the 18S rDNA in 37 aphidiine taxa. Approximately 1857 nucleotides were sequenced in each species. Evolutionary relationships were established by comparing the results of maximum-parsimony, maximum-likelihood, and distance analyses. The most variable region of this gene, V4 (approx 403 nucleotides), was employed to establish the basality of the tribe Ephedrini within this subfamily. All phylogenetic reconstructions yielded trees with very similar topologies that confirmed the existence of two of the four traditionally accepted tribes, Ephedrini and Praini, but questioned the existence of Trioxini and Aphidiini. To better ascertain the status of some groups, the same analyses were repeated with a reduced taxonomic sample in which some species that produced systematic errors in the former phylogenetic reconstructions had been removed. The results from this second analysis favor either the three-tribes hypothesis (Ephedrini, Praini, and Aphidiini) or a new classification with at least five tribes (Ephedrini, Praini, Monoctonini, Trioxini, and Aphidiini). The 18S rDNA gene is a useful marker to recover relationships not only at the tribe but also at the subtribe and genus levels in this group. The natural status of some traditionally accepted clusters is also corroborated with the present data whereas the placement of other clusters is questioned or remains unresolved.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Molecular characterization of the leucine plasmid from Buchnera aphidicola, primary endosymbiont of the aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum.

The complete sequence of the leucine plasmid of Buchnera aphidicola from the aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum (pLeu-BAp) is reported. Its gene organization was concordant with those of other leucine plasmids of Buchnera from aphids of the Aphidini and Macrosiphini tribes. Three inverted repeats are present in pLeu-BAp. Two of them are also present in pLeu from the family Aphididae: (i) SIR1, located downstream the leucine operon, resembles a rho-independent terminator of transcription, and (ii) LIR1, located upstream of the leucine operon, is suggested to be involved in transcription termination or messenger stability. The third, located near the putative ATGC repeats involved in the origin of replication, is specific in aphids of the Macrosiphini tribe. Phylogenetic analyses based on sequences of leuA, leuB, leuC, leuD, repA1 and ORF1 showed a closer relationship between Buchnera (A. pisum) and Buchnera (Diuraphis noxia). However, tree topologies indicate that the split between both aphid species took place soon after the formation of the Macrosiphini lineage.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

High efficacy of paclitaxel and doxorubicin as first-line therapy in advanced breast cancer: a phase I-II study.

The aim of this study was to define the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of paclitaxel (TAX) in combination with doxorubicin (ADM). To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of this combination, TAX was administered in escalating doses of 30 mg/m2, starting from 120 mg/m2, by 1 hour continuous infusion, per group of three patients; ADM was administered at a fixed dose of 50 mg/m2, 24 hours before administering TAX (phase 1). The combination was recycled every 3 weeks. In phase II, TAX was administered at the MTD defined in phase I. Thirty-six women were enrolled. The MTD of TAX was 220 mg/m2. Objective responses were observed in 28/34 (82%) assessable patients. The median progression-free survival was 11.8 months and overall survival 27.8 months. The main clinical toxicity was neutropenia (grade III-IV) of short duration (94%). Two patients developed cardiac toxicity. The combination TAX+ADM is very effective in advanced breast cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

The origin of Lecithodesmus (Digenea: Campulidae) based on ND3 gene comparison.

Species of Lecithodesmus (Campulidae) occur almost exclusively in baleen whales throughout a wide geographical distribution. Other campulids occur only in odontocetes and, secondarily, in pinnipeds and the sea otter. Therefore, the ancestor of Lecithodesmus might have either cospeciated with mysticetes during the early divergence of mysticete and odontocete cetaceans or originated later via host switching. We evaluate both possibilities based on a phylogenetic analysis. The ND3 mitochondrial gene sequence of a species of Lecithodesmus was included in a previous partial molecular phylogeny of the Campulidae. Fasciola hepatica and Dicrocoelium dendriticum were used as outgroups. Maximum parsimony, neighbor-joining, and maximum likelihood methods indicated a nonbasal position of Lecithodesmus sp. in the tree, suggesting that the ancestor of Lecithodesmus colonized mysticetes from campulids of odontocetes. This result emphasizes the importance of host-switching processes in the development of the helminth fauna of marine vertebrates, as previously suggested.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Relationship between patient practice-oriented knowledge and metabolic control in intensively treated Type 1 diabetic patients: results of the validation of the Knowledge and Practices Diabetes Questionnaire.

AIMS: To validate a newly developed questionnaire for the measurement of patients' knowledge and practices, with particular attention to its ability in predicting HbA1c levels. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The Knowledge and Practices Diabetes Questionnaire (KPDQ) is a questionnaire composed of two scales, investigating patient knowledge and practices. Twenty-two questions, 12 dealing with patients' knowledge and 10 relative to patients' practices, were initially identified. Factor analysis and reliability analysis were used to validate the questionnaire. The ability of the two scales in predicting metabolic control was then evaluated. The questionnaire was administered to a population of Type 1 diabetic subjects intensively treated and regularly attending the diabetes outpatient clinic of Pescara General Hospital. The mean of all HbA1c measurements performed after patients were taken in charge by the clinic was used as an indicator of metabolic control. RESULTS: Out of 133 Type 1 patients identified, 77 (58 %) filled in the questionnaire. Respondents had a mean age (+/- SD) of 37 +/- 13 years and a mean diabetes duration of 13 +/- 9 years. The application of factor and reliability analyses led to the definition of two final scales composed of 10 (Knowledge Score, KS) and 5 items (Practice Score, PS), respectively. Item-scale correlation was > or = 0.40 for all the items investigated. Cronbach's alpha coefficient exceeded the value of 0.70 for both scales. The mean number of HbA1c determinations during a median period of observation of 4 years was of 11 +/- 5. The mean HbA1c value for the whole population was of 7.0% +/- 1.4, while the proportion of patients with values < or = 7.0% was of 57%. After adjusting for clinical and patient-related characteristics, the KS was the only independent predictor of metabolic control. Patients in the lowest quartile of the KS showed a more than 20-fold increased risk of having mean HbA1c values > or = 7.0% as opposed to those in the highest quartile (odds ratio, OR=23.3;p=0.009). No association emerged between metabolic control and PS. CONCLUSIONS: The KPDQ presents excellent psychometric properties. The KS also shows a very impressive association with the mean HbA1c values over a period of 4 years. These findings are particularly remarkable in that many studies have failed in documenting such a relationship. The KS can thus be considered as a quick and efficient screening tool to be used in an ambulatory setting to monitor the level of practice-oriented knowledge of patients with Type 1 diabetes as well as to identify those subjects who need individualized educational interventions.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Molecular markers linked to breeding system differences in segregating and natural populations of the cereal aphid Rhopalosiphum padi L.

The aphid Rhopalosiphum padi shows coexistence of sexual and asexual populations, providing an opportunity to study the evolution of breeding system variation in the context of theories on the origin and maintenance of sex. However, assessments of the distribution of sexual and asexual lineages of this aphid are complicated by the difficulties in rapidly characterizing their breeding system. To facilitate this task and to gain insight into the genetic relatedness between sexual and asexual genotypes, molecular markers linked to breeding system differences were recently developed. In this study, we have successfully converted a random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) marker associated with life-cycle variation in R. padi into a codominant sequences-characterized amplified region (SCAR). Segregating and natural populations of known breeding systems were examined to evaluate the life cycle-SCAR marker association. Complete linkage was found in segregating populations while the association averaged 94% in field populations. Detailed analysis of allelic distribution and sequence divergence of the SCAR locus among sexual and asexual populations provides further evidence for a unique and apparently ancient loss of sexuality in this aphid. It also suggests that occasional gene flow occurs between populations differing in their breeding system, mediated by males produced by 'asexual' lineages. This system provides the possibility for the recurrent emergence of new asexual lineages, ensuring the longer persistence of asexuality, and would have important implications for the assessment of costs and benefits of sex in aphids.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Genetic differentiation in the striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba from European waters according to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) restriction analysis.

We used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) restriction analysis to study genetic variation in 98 striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) stranded on coasts from different European countries and from animals caught by fisheries. A total of 63 different restriction sites was mapped after digestion of mtDNA with 15 restriction endonucleases that yielded a total of 27 haplotypes. No haplotype was shared between Mediterranean and Atlantic areas. All the analyses indicate the existence of two different populations with a very limited gene flow across the Strait of Gibraltar.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Plasmid-encoded anthranilate synthase (TrpEG) in Buchnera aphidicola from aphids of the family pemphigidae.

Buchnera aphidicola is an obligate intracellular symbiont of aphids. One of its proposed functions is the synthesis of essential amino acids, nutrients required by aphids but deficient in their diet of plant phloem sap. The genetic organization of the tryptophan pathway in Buchnera from proliferous aphids of the family Aphididae has previously been shown to reflect a capacity to overproduce this essential amino acid (C.-Y. Lai, L. Baumann, and P. Baumann, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 91:3819-3823, 1994). This involved amplification of the genes for the first enzyme in the pathway, anthranilate synthase (TrpEG), on a low-copy-number plasmid. Here we report on the finding and molecular characterization of TrpEG-encoding plasmids in Buchnera from aphids of the distantly related family Pemphigidae. Buchnera from Tetraneura caerulescens contained a 3.0-kb plasmid (pBTc2) that carried a single copy of trpEG and resembled trpEG plasmids of Buchnera from the Aphididae. The second plasmid (pBPs2), isolated from Buchnera of Pemphigus spyrothecae, contained a different replicon. It consisted of a putative origin of replication containing iterons and an open reading frame, designated repAC, which showed a high similarity to the gene encoding the replication initiation protein RepA of the RepA/C replicon from the broad-host-range IncA/C group of plasmids. The plasmid population was heterogeneous with respect to the number of tandem repeats of a 1.8-kb unit carrying repAC1, trpG, and remnants of trpE. The two principal forms consisted of either five or six copies of this repeat and a single-copy region carrying repAC2, the putative origin of replication, and trpE. The unexpected finding of elements of the RepA/C replicon in previously characterized trpEG plasmids from Buchnera of the Aphididae suggests that a replacement of replicons has occurred during the evolution of these plasmids, which may point to a common ancestry for all Buchnera trpEG amplifications.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Accelerated evolution in bacterial endosymbionts of aphids.

When compared with free living bacteria, it is proposed that there are at least two endosymbiotic processes in aphids based on the A + T content as well as the increased evolutionary rate of the beta-subunit of the F-ATPase complex in different endosymbiotic bacteria. The first well established process corresponds to the integration of Buchnera aphidicola more than 150 million years ago. The other is postulated to correspond to new endosymbiotic processes in which the bacteria involved contain less A + T and show a lower increase of evolutionary rates when compared with B. aphidicola. It is proposed, therefore, that endosymbioses are active processes in aphid evolution.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Structure and evolution of the leucine plasmids carried by the endosymbiont (Buchnera aphidicola) from aphids of the family Aphididae.

In all examined species of the family Aphididae, the bacterial endosymbiont Buchnera aphidicola carries a plasmid encoding the genes leuABCD (involved in leucine biosynthesis) along with repA1, repA2 and ORF1. The gene organisation of the leucine plasmids was conserved, except in Buchnera isolated from Pterocomma populeum, where ORF1 was located in a different position. An inverted repeat (LIR1) located between repA2 and leuA is found in all of the Buchnera leucine plasmids examined. The predicted secondary structure of the LIR1 transcript conforms to a long hairpin loop, suggesting an involvement in transcription termination or messenger stability. Phylogenetic reconstruction based on repA2 sequences suggests that horizontal transfer of Buchnera leucine plasmids has not occurred.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Experimental model of multidirectional disc hernia in rats.

We have carried out an experimental investigation of lesions of the intervertebral disc produced by flexion, lateral bending and rotational forces in an attempt to produce disc herniations. Adult Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups: control and posterior, lateral and rotational herniation. There were 10 rats in each group. The tail between the 5th and 8th vertebral segments was used. A Kirschner wire was inserted into each of 2 adjacent vertebrae and the movement produced had an apex which was anterior or lateral depending on the group involved. Variables such as rupture of the annulus, the cellularity of the nucleus pulposus and the site of the lesion in the disc were studied histologically. The height of the disc, the protrusion, the thickness, and the surfaces of the annulus fibrosus and the nucleus pulposus were measured. In every case we found a nuclear displacement which did not become a protrusion. The surface parameters and the cellularity of the nucleus pulposus are most useful indicators and should be included in any study examining the disc after the injection of substances for treatment.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Molecular phylogeny of the families Campulidae and Nasitrematidae (Trematoda) based on mtDNA sequence comparison.

Historically, the systematic arrangement of the genera within the family Campulidae, and its relationship with its allied family Nasitrematidae have been rather confused, particularly because only adult morphology has been available to classical taxonomic analysis. In this paper we provide a partial phylogeny of the genera of these families based on mtDNA from five campulid species: Campula oblonga, Zalophotrema atlanticum, Hadwenius tursionis, Oschmarinella rochebruni and Orthosplanchnus fraterculus; and one nasitrematid, Nasitrema globicephalae. Fasciola hepatica and Dicrocoelium dendriticum were used as outgroups. Maximum parsimony and neighbour-joining methods were applied. Both methods produced similar trees where H. tursionis appeared as the basal campulid, with a sequential divergence of Z. atlanticum, N. globicephalae, C. oblonga, O. rochebruni and O. fraterculus. Results suggest that Nasitrematidae as defined should loose its familial status and the current subfamilial division of the family Campulidae is at least partly artificial and should not be maintained.

Amino Acid Sequence↗