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Biomedical subjects

B Ramírez

Publications and source records attributed to B Ramírez.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Malaria in a liver transplant recipient: a case report.

Malaria is an exotic complication in liver transplants patients. It can be acquired either by transfusion of blood products or through the transplanted organ. Infections caused by Plasmodium spp are unusual in liver transplants; to date, only four cases have been reported in the literature. Herein we have presented a case of Plasmodium vivax in a liver transplant patient. This diagnosis must be excluded in febrile transplant patients in endemic areas, especially during the first 2 months. An epidemiological history relevant for malaria both in the donor and in the recipient must be routinely included with screening tests.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

[Mastoid osteoma].

The osteomas of the mastoids are slow growing benign tumors, made predominantly of mature bone. Clinically these tumors are asymptomatic, except for cosmetic deformities, and they are usually casual radiological findings. Surgical treatment is indicated for symptomatic osteomas. In Spain only sixteen cases of extracanalicular osteoma have been described in the literature. Two new cases are reported and a review of the literature is presented.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

[Stenon's or Stensen's duct carcinoma].

Carcinomas arising from the Stensen's duct are extremely rare, and only 28 cases have been reported since 1927. Only two cases of the whole were adenoid cystic carcinoma like our case. A 83-year-old man with painless tumour of the left cheek is reported. The tumour was removed without facial nerve injury via extended parotidectomy incision and after superficial lobectomy.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

[Local sclerosing treatment with etoxiesclerol in ORL disease: Rendu-Osler disease, granuloma, angioma...].

In a previous report, we showed the efficacy of the submucous sclerosant therapy with Etoxiesclerol (Polidocanol) in two patients with Rendu-Osler-Weber disease. We confirm, in this present study, the advantages of Etoxiesclerol in the treatment of the epistaxis in the Rendu-Osler disease, in six patients, 3 males and 3 females and likewise in two patients with non-specific granuloma of nasal septum and another patient with cavernous hemangioma of soft palate.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Transfusing methylene blue-photoinactivated plasma instead of FFP is associated with an increased demand for plasma and cryoprecipitate.

BACKGROUND: Photodynamic virus inactivation of plasma with methylene blue significantly decreases the recovery of fibrinogen and coagulation factors V and VIII. Because an adequate supply of fibrinogen is essential for the therapeutic efficacy of transfused plasma in many clinical settings, it was plausible that transfusing photoinactivated plasma (PIP) instead of FFP would result in an increased demand for plasma and cryoprecipitate. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The study involved a retrospective analysis of the use of plasma at a university hospital (Barcelona, Spain) over three 1-year periods: one before the implementation of PIP therapy and two after. Blood components transfused to plasma recipients were listed by broad diagnostic categories based on the Diagnosis-Related Group classification. RESULTS: During the period under study, 2,967 patients were given plasma in this hospital. They received 27,434 units of plasma, 1,660 of cryoprecipitate, 10,079 of platelets, and 24,607 of packed RBCs. Patients undergoing surgical procedures accounted for 74 percent of all transfused plasma. In 71 percent of patient admissions, packed RBCs were transfused in addition to plasma. Diagnostic categories with the greatest requirement for plasma were cardiac valve surgery, liver transplant, wounds and traumatic injuries, and bowel surgery. The use of PIP was associated with a 56-percent increase in the aggregated demand for plasma, whereas the transfusion of non-virus-inactivated cryoprecipitate increased twofold the first year and threefold the second year. The growth in the use of plasma took place in all the diagnostic categories. In those categories that include patients with liver disease, a partial substitution of PIP for cryoprecipitate was observed during the second year after PIP therapy implementation. CONCLUSION: The use of PIP was associated with a marked increase in the demand for plasma and cryoprecipitate, which probably was due to the low hemostatic quality of the new component. It is possible that such an increase overrode the potential health benefits derived from transfusing virus-inactivated plasma.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

[Peroxide metabolism on respiratory muscles: effect of growth, maturation and aging].

BACKGROUND: Glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx) and catalase are two important cellular antioxidant enzymes involved in H2O2 and lipid-peroxide metabolism. AIM: To study the effects of growth, maturation and aging on the activity of these enzymes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: GSHPx and catalase specific activities were measured in samples of diaphragm and intercostal muscle of male Sprague-Dawley rats of different ages (21, 50, 70, 180 and 365 days), anesthetised with chloral hydrate (45 mg/100 g i.p.). RESULTS: The diaphragm and intercostal muscles did not differ in GSHPx activity at 21 days. After that, GSHPx activity increased progressively with age, but following a different pattern, in each muscle, suggesting an increase in enzyme substrates with age. In one year old animals, GSHPx activity was 5 times higher for the diaphragm and 3 times higher for the intercostal muscles, when compared with values observed at 21 days of age. Catalase activity also increased with age in the diaphragm but not in the intercostal muscles. CONCLUSIONS: GSHPx activity increases progressively with age in rat respiratory muscles, with a time course that is specific of each muscle. Catalase activity increases with age only in the diaphragm. These results support the hypothesis that antioxidants in respiratory muscles undergo specific regulatory changes with age.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1999

[Cemented fibroma of the maxillary sinus].

Cementifying fibroma is a benign fibro-osseous lesion with dental origin. We describe a case of cementifying fibroma of the maxillary sinus, an unusual location for this tumor.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

[Experimental pulmonary emphysema in rats. Inflammatory phenomena and progression of lung damage].

BACKGROUND: Although the hamster model of elastase induced emphysema is well characterized, the rat model has received less attention. AIM: To evaluate the effect of a single intratracheal elastase dose on lung pathological changes of Sprague-Dawley rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Rats were injected with a single intratracheal elastase dose of 28 U/100 g body weight or saline and studied 7, 15, 30 and 365 days after injection. RESULTS: Forty percent of rats died in the first 48 hours after injection, six were sacrificed at 7 days, 6 at 15 days, 7 at 30 days and 12 at 365 days. Progressive centroacinar emphysema was found from day 7 after elastase, with a persistent inflammatory reaction in the vicinity of emphysematous areas. CONCLUSIONS: Present findings differ from the panacinar emphysema described in the hamster using a similar elastase dose.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Acute myelocytic leukaemia associated with Kaposi's sarcoma in a patient without serum antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus type 1.

We report a 35-year-old man with acute myelocytic leukaemia and Kaposi's sarcoma, whose serum was non-reactive for antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus type-1 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, Western blot and immunofluorescence. Complete remission of both the acute leukaemia and the Kaposi's sarcoma followed treatment with mitoxantrone and cytosine arabinoside. We speculate that the rapid regression of the lesions of Kaposi's sarcoma might be related to mitoxantrone and to the return to normal of his peripheral helper and suppressor T-cell counts.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Knowledge and attitudes of practice of health workers in Bizkaia health centers toward diet and cholesterol].

OBJECTIVE: Analyze the extent to which criteria and practice of the Sanitary Personnel approximate the recommendations of the Consensus on the Control of Hypercholesterolemia in Spain, find out how extensive their dietary knowledge in and how skillful they are to interview and counsel a patient with hyperlipidemia. DESIGN: Transversal study with simple aleatory sampling using a questionnaire. PARTICIPANTS AND LOCATION: 101 physicians and 95 nurses working in Primary Health Care Teams in Bizkaia, during the monthly of June 1991; deputies for periods inferior to 3 months were excluded. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: 82% of physicians (P) counselled dietetic treatment for cholesterolemic levels coinciding with those set in the Consensus and 70% demanded excessive analytical controls for hypercholesterolemic patients under treatment already normalized; 37% (P) and 12% of nurses (N) knew that the polyunsaturated/saturated fat ratio is the main dietetic factor; various errors were detected in questions relating to olive oil, unsaturated fat in fish and fibre values of legume; accurate responses between 13-54% (N) and 23-77% (P). CONCLUSIONS: The "mediterranean diet" is not sufficiently known; our ability for the dietetic interview and personalized counsel needs to be improved. In the light of the above and taking into accounted the gaps and deviations existing between our practice and the Consensus and its applications, we consider a better diffusion of the cited document is necessary among Primary Health Care Teams.

Diet↗
PubMed1993

Colchicine alters apamin receptors, electrical activity, and skeletal muscle relaxation.

A low conductance calcium-activated K+ channel is thought to regulate the rate of firing of several excitable cells. In skeletal muscle the expression of this channel is under nerve control. Previously, we reported that axonal flow blockade of rat nerves, induced by colchicine, caused a transient increase in muscle apamin receptors, determined by 125I-apamin binding to membrane fractions. The increase in apamin receptors was correlated with repetitive discharges resembling myotonic potentials in the electromyogram, that were blockable by apamin. Here we show that the increase in muscle apamin receptors and the alteration of the electromyogram are followed closely by a slowing of the twitch relaxation, that in turn, is decreased by apamin. Furthermore, the presence of myotonic-like alterations in the electromyogram and a slowing of muscle relaxation when muscle apamin receptors are increased suggests that these channels may participate, among other factors, in the generation of some kinds of myotonia.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Evaluation of the lytic response of prostaglandin F2 alpha in Zebu cattle based on serum progesterone.

To evaluate by means of blood progesterone levels and estrous expression the effect of the injection of 25 mg of PGF2alpha in Zebu cows, 17 Indobrazil cows with a palpable corpus luteum (CL) were injected with PGF2alpha and blood samples taken every 6 h in Experiment I. In Experiment II, 15 cows from the previous experiment at the same stage of diestrus were injected with PGF2alpha and bled every 4 h for 5 d. Progesterone levels had declined by 50% 6 h after injection in all cows and dropped to below 1 ng/ml by 30 h. Estrus was observed in 47% of the animals in Experiment I and 60% in Experiment II. Ovulation was detected accurately in 29% of the animals at 33.6 +/- 11.6 h after the onset of estrus. The correlation between finding a CL by rectal palpation and levels of progesterone higher than 1 ng/ml of blood was 86 and 93% in Experiments I and II, respectively. These studies indicate that the injection of 25 mg of PGF2alpha is sufficient to produce luteolysis in Zebu cattle, although estrous expression is poor.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1985

Oestrous cycles, oestrus and ovulation of the zebu in the Mexican tropics.

The length of the oestrous cycle, oestrus and the time of ovulation were assessed in 20 adult, non-lactating zebu cows over 53 consecutive days of observation. Oestrus was detected at 30-minute observation periods daily. Peripheral blood samples were collected twice weekly for progesterone determination. To measure the length of the synchronised oestrous period, 10 cows with a palpable corpus luteum were injected with prostaglandin F2 alpha and continuously observed for 96 hours. Two cows at a time were exposed to a bull with a deviated penis for five minutes every three hours during this period. To measure the length of the natural oestrus, eight of the 10 cows from the previous experiment were continuously observed from day 21 after prostaglandin injection. They were kept during the daytime in a field with two teaser bulls and at night in a cattle pen where they were exposed to a teaser bull every three hours. Oestrus was considered to occur when the cow stood to be mounted. Ovulation was detected by rectal palpation every three hours in five cows starting six hours after receptivity commenced until ovulation took place. The length of the oestrous cycle was 20.1 +/- 1.9 days; 20 per cent of the animals did not show oestrus although their progesterone levels demonstrated that they were cycling. Two cows showed oestrus following prostaglandin F2 alpha injection although they were cycling as revealed by serum progesterone. Five animals showed behavioural oestrus around 118 hours after injection and following their release. Oestrus duration was 15.3 +/- 6.0 hours and ovulation occurred 28.2 +/- 5.0 hours after the start of the period of sexual receptivity.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Progesterone levels and relationship with the diagnosis of a corpus luteum by rectal palpation during the estrous cycle in Zebu cows.

To assess the accuracy of rectal palpation for detecting functional luteal tissue during the estrous cycle in Zebu cattle, 20 mature non-lactating Indobrazil cows were palpated twice weekly for 7 1/2 weeks. Blood samples were drawn for progesterone analyses at each palpation. Circulating serum progesterone levels were below 0.5 ng/ml from days 0-4 (Day 0 = day of estrus); they increased thereafter, reaching maximum levels of 3.1 ng/ml on days 9 and 10. Values declined sharply to less than 0.5 ng/ml on day 18. Regardless of the stage of the estrous cycle in 71.3% of the cases (117 out of a total of 164 observations) the circulating progesterone levels corresponded to the results of rectal examination. The criteria to assess this relationship were that the presence of CL as determined by rectal palpation would be accompanied by levels of progesterone higher than 0.5 ng/ml, whereas absence of CL would be accompanied by levels less than 0.5 ng/ml. The correlation was significantly higher (P<0.05) on days 5-17 (77.9%) than on days 0-4 (57.5%) and 18-20 (65%). To assess the correlation of both rectal examination and progesterone levels with the stage of the estrous cycle, we expected that on days 0-4 and 18-20 no palpable CL and progesterone levels less than 0.5 ng/ml would occur, whereas on days 5-17 palpable CL and progesterone levels higher than 0.5 ng/ml would be found. On this basis, a correlation of 45% (18 out of 40 observations) between expected and observed values was found on days 0-4, 76% (79 out of 104) on days 5-17 and 60% (12 out of 20) on days 18-20 of the estrous cycle. Of the total of 55 observations which fell outside the expected values, 71% was due to a wrong diagnosis of CL; 14.5% was due to progesterone levels higher or lower than the expected values, and 14.5% to both laboratory and rectal palpation findings.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1976

Effect of hypocalcic media on chemical sensitivity of toad sartorius muscle.

Membrane potential and spike activity were recorded through intracellular electrodes from toad sartorius muscles superfused in Krebs solution. When this was replaced by a hypocalcic medium (1/20 of normal Krebs Ca2+ concentration), muscles showed extrajunctional sensitivity to acetylcholine, histamine and noradrenaline applied iontophoretically. Normal sensitivity was restored when muscles were bathed in normal calcium media. Changes in chemical excitability of the fibers immersed in hypocalcic solution were related to decreased input membrane resistance. These observations emphasize the role played by Ca2+ on electrical stability and chemical sensitivity of skeletal muscle membrane.

Animals↗
PubMed1973

Two malic enzymes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Cell-free extract supernatant fluids of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were shown to lack malic dehydrogenase but possess a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)- or NAD phosphate (NADP)-dependent enzymatic activity, with properties suggesting a malic enzyme (malate + NAD (NADP) --> pyruvate + reduced NAD (NADH) (reduced NADP [NADPH] + CO(2)), in agreement with earlier findings. This was confirmed by determining the nature and stoichiometry of the reaction products. Differences in heat stability and partial purification of these activities demonstrated the existence of two malic enzymes, one specific for NAD and the other for NADP. Both enzymes require bivalent metal cations for activity, Mn(2+) being more effective than Mg(2+). The NADP-dependent enzyme is activated by K(+) and low concentrations of NH(4) (+). Both reactions are reversible, as shown by incubation with pyruvate, CO(2), NADH, or NADPH and Mn(2+). The molecular weights of the enzymes were estimated by gel filtration (270,000 for the NAD enzyme and 68,000 for the NADP enzyme) and by sucrose density gradient centrifugation (about 200,000 and 90,000, respectively).

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗