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Biomedical subjects

A Meana

Publications and source records attributed to A Meana.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Cancellous bone homograft storage with aluminium-polyethylene bags.

In order to transport and cryopreserve human tissues, it is essential to have an easy-to-use recipient where tissues can be kept in sterile conditions. Here we show the results obtained by using Macopharma's tissue freezing bags, an aluminium-polyethylene multilayer bag, in our tissue bank of the Centro Comunitario de Sangre y Tejidos de Asturias. Five hundred and twenty-seven cancellous bone homografts were obtained from hospitals located 120 km around our Bank. The homografts were submitted to bacteriological controls and sent to our bank in these bags. They were stored at -70 degrees C and sent in dry ice to about 50 hospitals, where the tissue was bacteriologically controlled and grafted. Furthermore, the behaviour of these bags at -140 degrees C (vapour nitrogen) or -196 degrees C (liquid nitrogen) was tested. Our results indicate that Macopharma aluminium-polyethylene bags are suitable for the transporting and cryopreserving of cancellous bone homografts. These bags could also be used for keeping tissues in nitrogen containers.

Aluminum↗
PubMed2006

The Toll-like receptor 4 (Asp299Gly) polymorphism is a risk factor for Gram-negative and haematogenous osteomyelitis.

Osteomyelitis is a bone infection caused mostly by Staphylococcus aureus but also by Gram-negative bacteria. Toll-like receptors (TLRs), after recognizing microbial products, induce a signal in neutrophils, leading to NF-kappaB activation and transcription of pro-inflammatory genes. Polymorphisms in TLR2 (Arg753Gln) and TLR4 (Asp299Gly, Thr399Ile) genes are associated with bacterial infections, we therefore studied these polymorphisms in osteomyelitis patients. Homozygotes for the TLR4 (Asp299Gly) polymorphism were significantly more frequent among the 80 osteomyelitis patients than in the 155 healthy controls (3/80, 3.8%versus 0/155, 0%; P = 0.038). Carriers of one or two G alleles of this tlr4 polymorphism were more likely to have Gram-negative, haematogenous and/or chronic osteomyelitis than those without this mutation (P < 0.031). Patients with the TLR4 (Thr399Ile) mutant, which cosegregates with the TLR4 (Asp299Gly), were also carriers of this second polymorphism. No differences for the TLR2 (Arg753Gln) genotypes were found between patients and controls. Neutrophils of patients homozygous for the TLR4 (Asp299Gly) polymorphism showed lower LPS-induced apoptosis reduction, phosphorylation of the inhibitor of NF-kappaB, and lower IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels (P < 0.05). We report here for the first time an association between this TLR4 polymorphism and susceptibility to Gram-negative bacteria and haematogenous osteomyelitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

A cutaneous gene therapy approach to human leptin deficiencies: correction of the murine ob/ob phenotype using leptin-targeted keratinocyte grafts.

Leptin deficiency produces a phenotype of obesity, diabetes, and infertility in the ob/ob mouse. In humans, leptin deficiency occurs in some cases of congenital obesity and in lipodystrophic disorders characterized by reduced adipose tissue and insulin resistance. Cutaneous gene therapy is considered an attractive potential method to correct circulating protein deficiencies, since gene-transferred human keratinocytes can produce and secrete gene products with systemic action. However, no studies showing correction of a systemic defect have been reported. We report the successful correction of leptin deficiency using cutaneous gene therapy in the ob/ob mouse model. As a feasibility approach, skin explants from transgenic mice overexpressing leptin were grafted on immunodeficient ob/ob mice. One month later, recipient mice reached body weight values of lean animals. Other biochemical and clinical parameters were also normalized. In a second human gene therapy approach, a retroviral vector encoding both leptin and EGFP cDNAs was used to transduce HK and, epithelial grafts enriched in high leptin-producing HK were transplanted to immunosuppressed ob/ob mice. HK-derived leptin induced body weight reduction after a drop in blood glucose and food intake. Leptin replacement through genetically engineered HK grafts provides a valuable therapeutic alternative for permanent treatment of human leptin deficiency conditions.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Nonviral transfer of genes to pig primary keratinocytes. Induction of angiogenesis by composite grafts of modified keratinocytes overexpressing VEGF driven by a keratin promoter.

Cultured epithelial grafts have proven to be life-saving in the treatment of large skin losses. It has become apparent that one of the main difficulties of this technology is the overall poor take of the grafts as a consequence of severely damaged dermal beds. Skin substitutes providing both cultured keratinocytes, as an epidermal layer, and a dermal analogous offer a more suitable material for skin repair. Ex vivo transfer of stroma regeneration-promoting genes to keratinocytes appears to be an attractive strategy for improving the therapeutic action of these grafts. The use of epidermal-specific promoters as expression drivers of exogenous genes results in both high expression levels and stratum specificity, as shown in transgenic mice studies. Most current gene transfer protocols to primary keratinocytes involve transduction of epidermal cells with retroviral vectors. However, transfer of gene constructs harboring these long DNA fragment promoters cannot be achieved through viral transduction. In this paper, we describe a protocol consisting of lipid-mediated transfection, G418 selection and an enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP)-based enrichment step for obtaining high levels of transgene-expressing primary keratinocytes. Using this protocol, the cDNA for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a potent endothelial cell mitogen driven by the 5.2 kb bovine keratin K5 promoter, was stably transfected into pig primary keratinocytes. Genetically modified keratinocytes, expanded on live fibroblast-containing fibrin gels and transplanted to nude mice as a composite material, elicited a strong angiogenic response in the host stroma as determined by fresh tissue examination and CD31 immunostaining. Since the formation of a well-vascularized wound bed is a crucial step for permanent wound closure, the use of an 'angiogenic' composite material may improve wound bed preparation and coverage with cultured keratinocyte grafts.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Pathological alterations caused by Anoplocephala perfoliata infection in the ileocaecal junction of equids.

The pathological alterations caused by Anoplocephala perfoliata in the ileocaecal junction of 28 equids slaughtered in an abattoir in Madrid (Central Spain) are described. The lesions were scored in grades based on the intensity of the damage and were related to the tapeworm number observed. The first grade (grade I) of alterations consisted of a slight enteritis associated with focal erosions observed in 43% of parasitized animals with low parasitic burden (1-26 tapeworms). The second grade (grade II) was a focal pseudomembranous enteritis, present in the ileocaecal junctions of 36% infected animals with moderate to high burden (23-188 tapeworms), and the third grade (grade III) was a regional necrotizing enteritis, present in the animals (21%) with the highest burden (72-248 tapeworms). The possible role of the lesions caused by this parasite in the aetiology of colic is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Reliability of coprological diagnosis of Anoplocephala perfoliata infection.

Three coprological methods were tested to establish the reliability of in vivo diagnosis of Anoplocephala perfoliata. A total of 107 faecal samples were analyzed, and the presence of tapeworms were confirmed postmortem in 24 animals with burdens that ranged from 1 to 248 worms; most of them (71%) with less than 100 parasites. Best results were obtained with a combination of two sedimentation/flotation methods, detecting only half the parasitized animals (54% sensitivity). No relationship could be established between tapeworm burden and egg detection, but results indicate that coprological methods have a lower likelihood of diagnosing cestode infection when horses have less than 100 tapeworms.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Large surface of cultured human epithelium obtained on a dermal matrix based on live fibroblast-containing fibrin gels.

The aim of this study was to develop a new keratinocyte culture system on a dermal equivalent suitable for skin wound closure. Our dermal matrix is based on a fibrin gel from plasma cryoprecipitate containing live human fibroblast (from human foreskin). Keratinocytes obtained from primary culture according to the Rheinwald and Green method, were seeded on the gel at different seeding ratios. In all cases, the keratinocytes plated on the dermal equivalent grew to confluence and stratified epithelium was obtained within 10-15 days in culture. Early expression of basal membrane proteins was detected by immunostaining with laminin and type IV collagen antibodies. Cell proliferation was detected both in the epidermal layer and in the fibroblast embedded in the gel as assessed by BrdU incorporation. Detachment of composite cultures from dishes or flasks is a simple and quick procedure without the need for dispase treatment. Grafting of composite cultures to nude mice gave rise to an orderly stratified, orthokeratinized epithelium resembling human epidermis. A number of advantages including a large expansion factor without the need of 3T3 feeder layer, the availability of fibrin/plasma cryoprecipitate from blood banks and the versatile manipulation of composite cultures suggest that this system could be suitable for the definitive coverage of severely burned patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Anthelmintic resistance in nematode parasites from goats in Spain.

In a flock of cashmere goats sited in Asturias (NW, Spain) diminished efficacy was observed following treatment with netobimin and consequently a study to demonstrate the existence of anthelmintic resistance and the species of nematode involved was conducted. Results from faecal egg count reduction tests before and after treatment with netobimin or ivermectin showed efficacies of 89.4 (81.8-94.8) and 99.7% (93.9-99.9%), respectively. Teladorsagia circumcincta was found to be the dominant species involved in netobimin resistance. Effective dose (ED50) values in the egg hatch assay of 0.22 microgram thiabendazole ml-1 confirmed the existence of benzimidazole carbamate resistant nematodes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the existence of anthelmintic resistant nematodes from ruminants in Spain.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Interaction among alfaxalone, pregnenolone sulfate, and two GABAA agonists on hippocampal slices.

GABAA agonists do not respond to the same degree to allosteric modulators of the GABAA receptor complex such as benzodiazepines. We report there the effects of two steroids (alfaxalone and pregnenolone sulfate) on the inhibition induced by two GABAA agonists, 3-amino propane sulphonic acid (3-APS) and muscimol, on the extracellular evoked potentials obtained in CA1 of mice hippocampi. Alfaxalone (1 microM) potentiates the effects of both agonists, although incubation times longer than 15 minutes are required to potentiate the inhibitory effect of muscimol. Lower doses of pregnenolone sulfate at shorter incubation periods are able to inhibit the effects produced by single doses of 3-APS as compared to muscimol (15 microM during 5 min vs 30 microM during 5 min). Our results confirm the possibility that there might be differences in the interaction between GABAA agonists and modulatory steroids.

Allosteric Regulation↗
PubMed1996

Coccidial infection in mouflon, Ovis musimon, in central Spain.

From February to September 1993, ten adult female mouflons (Ovis musimon) and their five offspring from central Spain were examined weekly for coccidial infection. All adult mouflons had Eimeria spp. infections with mean (+/- SD) intensity of 1,869 (+/- 1,264) oocysts per gram of feces the day of capture, increasing progressively during the first two months in captivity and later returning to the initial values (1,869 +/- 1,547). The mean (+/- SD) oocyst shedding in young animals was 16,800 (+/- 966) oocysts per gram at 1 mo and 18,796 (+/- 1,220) at 1.5 mo of age and more than 40,000 (40,250 to 52,000) at 3 mo of age; this high intensity was associated with a transient diarrhea. The species involved, in order of frequency, were E. bakuensis (syn. Eimeria ovina), E. ovinoidalis, E. crandallis, E. caprovina, E. parva, E. faurei, E. granulosa and E. intricata, and one more not previously described and recorded as Eimeria sp.. The predominant species for both age groups was E. bakuensis.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Natural infection by gastrointestinal and bronchopulmonary nematodes in mouflons (Ovis musimon) and their response to netobimin treatment.

Gastrointestinal and bronchopulmonary nematode infections and the efficacy of netobimin (Hapasil) were analyzed by way of fecal examination in 10 female mouflons (Ovis musimon), in central Spain, February 1993. Before treatment all 10 mouflons had Trichostrongylus axei, Teladorsagia circumcincta and Marshallagia spp.; sic had Nematodirus spp., two had Trichuris sp., one had Capillaria sp., seven had bronchopulmonary Dictyocaulus filaria and 10 mouflons had protostrongylid lungworms (Muellerius capillaris, Protostrongylus rufescens, Cystocaulus ocreatus or Neostrongylus linearis). Netobimin (7.5 mg/kg) was 100% effective against T. axei, T. circumcincta, Marshallagia spp., and D. filaria infections whereas one animal continued eliminating Nematodirus spp. eggs. The drug also was effective against Capillaria spp. but not against Trichuris spp. or protostrongylid infections.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

[Fever evolution after treatment in patients with tuberculosis and HIV infection].

OBJECTIVES: To compare the fever course after starting therapy in patients diagnosed of active tuberculosis with and without HIV infection and evaluate the usefulness of empiric antituberculous therapy in diagnosing the disease. METHODS: Review of clinical records from all patients meeting the following criteria for three years: recovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from any clinical sample, knowledge of serological status to HIV, initial therapy of tuberculosis, absence of ther causes of fever identified, and not being treated with drugs which potentially could interfere with the course of fever during their hospital stay. RESULTS: At admission HIV-positive patients with tuberculosis were afebrile in a significantly lower proportion than HIV-negative patients (17% vs. 54%, respectively; p < 0.001). After initiating antituberculous therapy, the median time to fever resolution was similar in both HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients (6 and 4 days, respectively). After two weeks of therapy, 25% of HIV-positive patients and 23% HIV-negative patients still had fever. No factor was identified which could predict the delay in resolution of fever. CONCLUSIONS: The course of fever was similar in both HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients after initiating antituberculous therapy. This empirical therapy may be useful in diagnosing tuberculosis, as fever resolved in the first two weeks of therapy in most patients.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1993

[Infantile asthma within a health area: the population affected and its characteristics].

OBJECTIVE: To discover the prevalence and the characteristics of the population group affected by infantile asthma and attended at a Health Centre. DESIGN: Descriptive crossover study, conducted throughout 1991. SETTING: Primary Care. PATIENTS: Patients between 2 and 14 attending the Health Centre. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We identified 349 children suffering from asthma (9.6% of the child population). 206 (59%) were male and 143 (41%), female. 45% of these children had shown symptoms suggesting asthma before their first birthday; 74% before they were 3; and 90% before 7. Family histories of asthma existed in 72%, of allergic rhinitis in 45% and atopic dermatitis in 17%. Out of the asthmatic children, 58% had allergic rhinitis and 20% atopic dermatitis. As to severity, 55% suffered light asthma, 31% moderate asthma and the remaining 14%, severe asthma. 79% had follow-up control of their asthma at the Health Centre. The rest were controlled by professionals outside the Centre (allergologists, pneumologists, hospital paediatricians etc.). 70% of the asthmatic children were passive smokers. CONCLUSIONS: Infantile asthma has 9.6% prevalence among the children attending our Health Centre. These patients are generally cared for in Primary Care. Usually their symptoms have started in very early infancy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

[Pathology of the phagocytic mononuclear system. Apropos of 4 cases].

Four patients, with disorders belonging to mononuclear phagocyte system diseases are described: a case of malignant histiocytosis; one of Weber-Christians disease and two siblings affected by familiar erythrophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. An attempt is made to update classification of this group of diseases previously known as reticulosis, reticulohistiocytosis, reticuloendotheliosis, etcetera.

Child↗