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B Cabrer

Publications and source records attributed to B Cabrer.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Rapid identification of Salmonella typhimurium, S. enteritidis and S. virchow isolates by polymerase chain reaction based fingerprinting methods.

In this study we used and evaluated three rapid molecular typing methods for the identification of three frequent, clinically significant Salmonella serovars on the basis of the ease, simplicity and reproducibility of the chosen methods. We determined the genetic diversity among several isolates of Salmonella enteritidis, S. typhimiurium and S. virchow, and compared them with other enterobacteria by using the repetitive extragenic palindromic (REP) sequences, the enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) sequences, and the 16S-23S rDNA intergenic spacer region (ITS 1). The objective was to evaluate their potential application to discriminate among members of the species Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica using the genetic diversity of the group found by genomic fingerprinting. The three different serovars of Salmonella studied gave reproducible and distinguishable profiles using whichever of the above mentioned polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods assayed. The conserved patterns in each serovar allowed for easy differentiation from other serovars of Salmonella.

Bacterial Typing Techniques↗

Normal level of thyroglobulin messenger ribonucleic acid in a human congenital goiter with thyroglobulin deficiency.

Two siblings with congenital goiter were investigated from clinical, biochemical, and molecular biology standpoints. The association of clinical and biological hypothyroidism with undetectable levels of serum thyroglobulin (Tg) and the presence of iodohistidines in the urine suggested the diagnosis of defective Tg gene expression. This conclusion was confirmed by analysis of proteins present in goiter extracts. Only minute amounts of Tg-related material was detected by RIA (0.28 and 0.17 mg/g tissue compared to 80-100 mg/g in normal thyroid tissue), by Sepharose 6B chromatography, and by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. Surprisingly, the goiters contained normal amounts of Tg mRNA. The size of the mRNA and the sequence organization of its first five exons also were normal. We conclude that no gross alteration of structure or transcription of the Tg gene was present in these patients. The results are compatible with a lesion affecting the mRNA sequence (point mutation, splicing error etc.), leading to defective translation or abnormal routing of the translation product through the membrane system of the cell. This latter hypothesis is supported by the extreme distension of the goiter endoplasmic reticulum found on electron microscopy.

Adolescent↗

An unusually long poly(purine)-poly(pyrimidine) sequence is located upstream from the human thyroglobulin gene.

A region of human genomic DNA encompassing the 5' end of the thyroglobulin gene has been sequenced and the position of the transcriptional start site has been determined. The 5' non-translated portion of the mRNA displays a quasi-palindromic sequence which could allow this region to adopt a hairpin structure. The first exon of the gene encodes a 19 amino-acids signal peptide and the 3 first amino acids of the mature protein. Apart from the canonical TATA-Box and from a CAAT-Box homology, the promoter region contains a 209 bp-long poly(purine)-poly (pyrimidine) sequence located between positions-512 and -304 relative to the transcription start. When contained in a supercoiled plasmid, this sequence exhibits sensitivity to S1 nuclease at two distinct positions. A precise mapping of the borders of the sensitive regions was achieved by extending primers from both ends of the sequence after digestion by the enzyme. The resulting data can be explained by a model involving the formation of a triple helix structure.

Base Sequence↗

Structural organization of the 5' region of the human thyroglobulin gene.

Sequence analyses of bovine and human thyroglobulin (Tg) cDNA have demonstrated that the 5' region of the mRNA encodes a domain responsible for thyroid hormone synthesis and exhibits striking internal repetition. Knowledge of the organization of the corresponding chromosomal DNA region would provide insight as to how such a structure has evolved. A human genomic DNA library was screened by hybridization in situ, using a bovine Tg cDNA probe corresponding to 2.8 X 10(3) base pairs at the 5' end of the mRNA. Out of 3 X 10(5) phage plaques, four were scored as positive and yielded three different phages containing thyroglobulin sequences. Selected human Tg cDNA probes were used to order the phages and to identify overlapping regions. Electron microscopy of hybrids between human Tg mRNA and the phage DNA was performed to determine the intron/exon organization of this region. The following conclusions were reached. (a) About 4 X 10(4) base pairs corresponding to the 5' region of the gene have been isolated as three overlapping recombinant phages. (b) The three phages cover altogether 2.9 X 10(3) base pairs of exonic sequence at the 5' end of the mRNA. (c) Out of the 11 exons identified in this region, 9 were of a size similar to that of the 3' exons characterized previously (less than or equal to 200 base pairs); exons 9 (1.12 X 10(3) base pairs) and 10 (0.56 X 10(3) base pairs) were exceptions to this rule. (d) The phage nearest the 5' end contains about 9 X 10(3) base pairs of sequence located upstream from the gene. The availability of clones covering the region upstream from the thyroglobulin gene will provide the basis for the identification of sequences involved in its transcriptional control by thyroid-stimulating hormone (thyrotropin).

Bacteriophage lambda↗

[Value of the measurement of gases in the diagnosis of pleural effusion (author's transl)].

Determination of pH and measurement of pCO2 and pO2 have been systematically included in the study of 183 patients with pleural effusion. According to selective etiologic criteria the effusions were divided into four categories: those of cardiac origin (42), non-specific infectious (14), tuberculous (22) and neoplastic (20). A pH inferior to 6.30 seemed to be characteristic of non-tuberculous pleural effusion, and in these circumstances an associated pCO2 greater than 135 mm Hg and pO2 less than 21 mm Hg were noticed. Results in tuberculous and neoplastic cases were similar, pO2 being the only differential datum (pO2 less than 49 mm Hg and pO2 greater than 52 mm Hg, respectively). Overall results are compared to those obtained in the subgroup of pleural effusions of cardiac origin. Determination of pH, pO2 and pCO2 in pleural effusions may help to identified the etiology of this condition, specially when associated to analysis of other parameters of the aspirated fluid.

Carbon Dioxide↗

[Congenital hepatorenal polycystic disease with unusual long survival (author's transl)].

The authors report a case of hepatorenal polycystic disease discovered in the course of a routine physical examination. The patient was asymptomatic and the progression of the disease was extremely low. The existence of the disorder, however, was confirmed in the autopsy. Although hepatorenal polycystic disease is a relatively common clinical finding, the rareness of this condition in patients of advanced age and its occasionally asymptomatic form are pointed out. Clinical and prognostic characteristics of the two types of the disease (infantile and adult) are mentioned too. Physical examination and pyelography are the most import exploratory methods; other procedures such as echography, scanning and peritoneoscopy are complementary techniques. Lastly, the need to establish an early diagnosis in order to avoid unappropiated surgical maneuvers is stressed.

Aged↗

[Tuberculous pleural effusion and pleural effusion secondary to non-specific bacterial infection: biochemical differential diagnosis (author's transl)].

The authors study 14 different analytical parameters in the pleural fluid in order to recognize differential biological criteria, helping to establish an etiologic diagnosis in patients with suggestive clinical symptoms and biological data of an infectious process. In a group of 38 patients with bacterial exudative pleural effusion (22 of tuberculous origin and 16 secondary to non-specific bacterial infection), the following parameters were analyzed: total proteins, acid glucoprotein, X1, antytripsin, CDH, acid phosphatase, amylase, cholinest, copper, iron, pCO2, pO2 pH, glucose, and cholesterol. The results of amylase, copper, pCO2, pO2 and pH determinations in the pleural fluid show statistical significant differences between the tuberculous cases and the patients with non-specific infections. Lastly, the authors mention the minimal biological criteria necessary to confirm the tuberculous or non-specific bacterial etiology of a pleural fluid, stressing the value of the levels of cholinesterase, copper, pO2 and pH as differential data.

Copper↗

Structural characteristics of interferons from mouse Ehrlich ascites tumor cells.

An improved procedure for the isolation of interferons produced by mouse Ehrlich ascites tumor cells infected with Newcastle disease virus provides interferons of three size classes (33,000, 26,000, and 20,000 daltons) with specific activities between 2 and 3 x 10(9) units/mg of protein and a yield of 11 to 20%. The tryptic peptide maps of the two larger species are very similar; that of the smallest species is different, at least in part. The amino acid compositions of the three species are very close. Their NH2-terminal amino acids are identical and so are the amino acids released by carboxypeptidase A treatment. These data are consistent with the possibility that the differences in size between the three species may be due, at least in part, to unequal glycosylation.

Amino Acids↗

[Liver disease associated with hypernephroma. A case report (author's transl)].

The observation of a non-metastatic reactive hepatopathy associated with a hypernephroma in a 39-year-old man who had had fever for 4 months led to a review of the literature and an analysis of basically three aspects of the disorder: a) The various manifestations of carcinoma of the kidney, which include a large number of paraneoplastic clinical symptoms (polycythemia, anemia, prolonged fever, hypercalcemia, hypertension, nefropathy, loss of salt, peripheral neuropathy, and amyloidosis); b) an alteracion of hepatic function known since 1961 which is characterized by an abnormal retention of sulfobromophthalein, increase of alkaline phosphatase, prothrombin decrease, dysproteinemia with hypoalbuminemia, and alpha2-globulin increase. It may or may not be accompanied by enlargement of the liver. c) Criteria of operability of the primary tumor.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Purification of interferon from mouse Ehrlich ascites tumor cells.

Interferon production was induced in mouse Ehrlich ascites tumor cells by infection with Newcastle disease virus. The interferon produced was purified by precipitation with ammonium sulfate, chromatography on carboxymethyl-Sephadex, treatment with blue dextran and polyethylene glycol, gel filtration on Bio-Gel P-60 and Bio-Gel P-200, chromatography on phosphocellulose, isoelectric focusing, and chromatography on octyl-Sepharose. The specific activity of the product was 1.6 x 10(9) NIH mouse interferon reference standard units/mg of protein. Electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate indicated that the apparent molecular weight of the interferon-active material ranged from 25,000 to 35,000. As revealed by staining the gels with Coomassie brilliant blue, the interferon activity co-migrated with the major, broad protein band. Minor, stainable bands of proteins were free of interferon activity and their apparent molecular weight was smaller than 12,000.

Animals↗