PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

E Cano

Publications and source records attributed to E Cano.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Pyridazines. XIII. Synthesis of 6-aryl-5-oxygenated substituted-3(2H)-pyridazinones and evaluation as platelet aggregation inhibitors.

Several 6-aryl-5-oxygenated substituted pyridazinones have been synthesized and evaluated in vitro for inhibition of platelet aggregation induced by adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP), thrombin and collagen. All the tested compounds (except 8 and 9) inhibited platelet aggregation in a dose-dependent manner. The IC50 of the most active substance, compound 2b, was around 60 microM against ADP and collagen as inducers. The inhibition of platelet aggregation caused by test compounds was dependent on the level of oxidation of the function at the 5-position, with the order of IC50 values being R-OH (2a, b, 5) < R-CHO (6, 7) < < R-COOH (8, 9). None of the tested compounds increased the intracellular levels of cAMP, indicating a lack of inhibitory activity on cAMP phosphodiesterase (PDE III) in intact cells. These results suggest that the group present at the 5 position of 6-aryl-5-substituted pyridazinones determines the platelet aggregation-inhibitory activity, and that a mechanism other than PDE inhibition is responsible for this effect.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗
PubMed1996

p38/RK is essential for stress-induced nuclear responses: JNK/SAPKs and c-Jun/ATF-2 phosphorylation are insufficient.

The ERK, JNK/SAPK and p38/RK MAP kinase subtypes (reviewed in [1]) are differentially activated in mammalian cells by various stimuli, which elicit induction of immediate-early (IE) genes, such as c-fos and c-jun (reviewed in [1-3]), as well as phosphorylation of histone H3 [4] and HMG-14 [5]. Anisomycin and UV radiation have been suggested to induce c-fos and c-jun transcription via JNK/SAPK-mediated phosphorylation of TCF (ternary complex factor), for c-fos induction [6-8], and c-Jun and/or ATF-2 for c-jun induction [9-11] [12,13]. We report here that anisomycin and ultraviolet radiation (UV) activate MAP kinase kinase-6 (MKK6) [14,15], p38/RK [16] [17,18] and MAPKAP kinase-2 (MAPKAP K-2) [17-19]. By using the p38/RK inhibitor SB 203580 [20,21], we show that activation of p38/RK and/or its downstream effectors are essential for anisomycin- and UV-stimulated c-fos/c-jun induction and histone H3/HMG-14 phosphorylation, whereas JNK/SAPK activation and phosphorylation of c-Jun and ATF-2 are insufficient for these responses.

Activating Transcription Factor 2↗
PubMed1996

Identification of anisomycin-activated kinases p45 and p55 in murine cells as MAPKAP kinase-2.

We recently showed that EGF and anisomycin activate two kinases, p45 and p55, whose distinguishing feature is that their detection in in-gel kinase assays is enhanced by copolymerised poly-Glu/Tyr or poly-Glu/Phe (Cano E, Hazzalin CA and Mahadevan LC, Mol. Cell. Biol., 20:117-121). Their activation characteristics and sizes are strikingly similar to those of JNK/SAPKs, which are also strongly activated by anisomycin. However, we show here that p45 and p55 are not JNK/SAPKs but murine forms of MAPKAP kinase-2 because: (i) Detection of immunoprecipitated JNK/SAPKs is completely dependent on the presence of c-Jun as substrate in the in-gel kinase assays, whereas detection of p45 and p55 is not. (ii) Detection of p45 and p55 activity is enhanced by the presence of poly-Glu/Tyr or poly-Glu/Phe, whereas JNK/SAPKs are not detectable under these conditions. (iii) Although the sizes of the murine JNK/SAPKs and MAPKAP K-2 are similar, human JNK/SAPKs migrate at 45 and 55 kDa whereas human MAPKAP K-2 migrates at 50 kDa; the poly-Glu/Tyr-enhanced activity in human cells migrates at 50 KDa. (iv) Purified rabbit muscle MAPKAP K-2 is detectable as two bands of activity on in-gel kinase assays and their detection is enhanced by poly-Glu/Tyr. (v) Finally, the anisomycin-activated poly-Glu/Tyr-enhanced p45 and p55 kinases can be immunoprecipitated from murine cells using an anti-MAPKAP K-2 antibody. Thus, EGF- and anisomycin-activated p45 and p55 are not JNK/SAPKs but MAPKAP K-2, implying that both these agents activate the p38/RK MAP kinase cascade.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Antioxidants, Helicobacter pylori and stomach cancer in Venezuela.

A randomized chemoprevention trial on precancerous lesions of the stomach is being conducted in Tachira State, Venezuela. The aims of the study are to evaluate the efficacy of vitamin supplementation in preventing the progression rate of precancerous lesions. Here we report on the pilot phase of the study in which two antioxidant preparations were evaluated on their ability to raise antioxidant levels in plasma and in gastric juice. The study aimed also to determine the antibiotic sensitivity profiles of Helicobacter pylori isolates prevalent in the area. Forty-three subjects with precancerous lesions (chronic gastritis, chronic atrophic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia and dysplasia) of the stomach were randomized to one of two antioxidant treatments. Treatment 1 (250 mg of standard vitamin C, 200 mg of vitamin E and 6 mg of beta-carotene three times a day) or treatment 2 (150 mg of standard vitamin C, 500 mg of slow release vitamin C, 75 mg of vitamin E and 15 mg of beta-carotene once a day) for 7 days. Blood levels of total vitamin C, beta-carotene and alpha-tocopherol and gastric juice levels of ascorbic acid and total vitamin C were measured before and after treatment on day 8. Both treatments increased the plasma levels of total vitamin C, beta-carotene and alpha-tocopherol/cholesterol but not those of ascorbic acid or total vitamin C in gastric juice. Treatment 1 was the best choice and resulted in a greater increase in the plasma levels of beta-carotene and alpha-tocopherol. H. pylori was cultured from 90% of the gastric biopsies; 35 isolates were identified which were highly resistant to metronidazole, a front-line antibiotic recommended against H. pylori in other settings.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

[Delegated prescription by specialists in primary care].

OBJECTIVES: To describe the qualitative-quantitative features of Primary Care prescriptions originated by specialists. DESIGN: A crossover descriptive study. SETTING: Txantrea Health Centre (Pamplona). PATIENTS AND OTHER PARTICIPANTS: All the prescriptions originated by out-clinic or hospital specialists over a two-month period, in three Health Centre clinics. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The number of prescriptions passed on to Primary Care was 3,009, costing 5,303,071 pesetas, which was 31.61% of the drugs prescribed and 38.08% of the pharmaceutical expenditure of the three clinics during the period under study. 65.88% of the prescriptions corresponded to out-clinic specialists and 34.11% to hospital specialists. They were not accompanied by a clinical note, the treatment and the length of treatment in 33.46%, 36.55% and 45.39% of cases, respectively. The group and sub-group with most prescriptions passed on were Cardiovascular Apparatus and Calcium antagonists. The commonest active principal was acetylsalicylic acid. 79.89% were taken orally, 88.20% were single drugs and 73.28% of the medicines had high intrinsic value. CONCLUSIONS: An important proportion of Primary Care's pharmaceutical expenditure was identified as originating with specialists. There was scant information given for following up the patients. Improvement of communication between different care levels on the basis of common procedures and objectives would be a useful step towards better quality of care.

Drug Prescriptions↗
PubMed1995

Parallel signal processing among mammalian MAPKs.

The intracellular signalling field is dominated by the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade and its control, which involves the small GTPase Ras and sequential kinase activation. Until recently, ERK1 and ERK2 were the only cloned and well-characterized mammalian MAPKs; diverse ligand-stimulated, proline-directed protein phosphorylation events were attributed to these kinases. The recent discovery of two other MAPK subtypes, the JNK/SAPK subfamily and p38/RK (mammalian equivalents of HOG1 in yeast), reveals extreme complexity within the family and, most intriguingly, the existence in mammalian cells of parallel MAPK cascades that can be activated simultaneously.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

In-vitro platelet responses to arachidonic acid in the rat.

Using both the turbidimetric and the conductive methods to study aggregation of platelets, we found that arachidonic acid stimulated rat washed platelets in a dose-dependent manner (40 microM-0.5 mM). Although a high concentration of arachidonic acid (0.5 mM) produced an increase in light transmission both in the presence of 2 mM CaCl2 and EGTA (45.8 +/- 2.8 and 50.4 +/- 0.8% respectively) no changes in impedance were detected. Lysis caused by this concentration of arachidonic acid was very high at all the concentrations of calcium used (mean of 81.3%). In addition, the turbidimetric response induced by 0.5 mM arachidonic acid implied an initial decrease in light transmission but did not correlate with a real shape change. Forty micromolar arachidonic acid induced a calcium-dependent aggregation measured both by aggregometry and impedance. Morphology of aggregates induced by both concentrations was also studied. These results suggest that the optimal concentration for studying rat platelet activation by arachidonic acid is 40 microM; high concentrations (0.5 mM) cause aspecific effects not correlated to a physiological activation response.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Neither ERK nor JNK/SAPK MAP kinase subtypes are essential for histone H3/HMG-14 phosphorylation or c-fos and c-jun induction.

The effects of EGF, TPA, UV radiation, okadaic acid and anisomycin on ERK and JNK/SAPK MAP kinase cascades have been compared with their ability to elicit histone H3/HMG-14 phosphorylation and induce c-fos and c-jun in C3H 10T1/2 cells. EGF and UV radiation activate both ERKs and JNK/SAPKs but to markedly different extents; EGF activates ERKs more strongly than JNK/SAPKs, whereas UV radiation activates JNK/SAPKs much more strongly than ERKs. Anisomycin and okadaic acid activate JNK/SAPKs but not ERKs, and conversely, TPA activates ERKs but not JNK/SAPKs. Nevertheless, all these agents elicit phosphorylation of ribosomal and pre-ribosomal S6, histone H3 and HMG-14, and the induction of c-fos and c-jun, showing that neither cascade is absolutely essential for these responses. We then analysed the relationship between ERKs, JNK/SAPKs and the transcription factors Elk-1 and c-Jun, implicated in controlling c-fos and c-jun, respectively. JNK/SAPKs bind to GST-cJun1-79, and ERKs, particularly ERK-2, to GST-Elk1(307-428); there is no cross-specificity of binding. Further, GST-Elk1(307-428) binds preferentially to active rather than inactive ERK-2. In vitro, JNK/SAPKs phosphorylate both GST-cJun1-79 and GST-Elk1(307-428), whereas ERKs phosphorylate GST-Elk1(307-428) but not GST-cJun1-79. Thus, neither ERKs nor JNK/SAPKs are absolutely essential for nuclear signalling and c-fos and c-jun induction. The data suggest either that activation of a single MAP kinase subtype is sufficient to elicit a complete nuclear response, or that other uncharacterised routes exist.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1994

Mitogen-stimulated phosphorylation of histone H3 is targeted to a small hyperacetylation-sensitive fraction.

Diverse agents, including growth factors and phorbol esters, induce rapid transcriptional activation of a subset of immediate-early (IE) genes that include the protooncogenes c-fos and c-jun. Among the earliest nuclear signaling events concomitant with IE gene activation is the phosphorylation of nucleosomal histone H3 in its basically charged N-terminal tail. This highly conserved domain is also subject to reversible posttranslational acetylation at specific lysine residues, a process implicated in transcriptional regulation. We show here that H3 phosphorylation associated with G0-G1 transition affects only a small fraction of this histone in the nucleus. Moreover, this fraction is biochemically distinct from bulk H3 in being extremely sensitive to sodium butyrate-induced hyperacetylation. However, acetylation itself does not predispose H3 to phosphorylation, nor does phosphorylation predispose H3 to enhanced acetylation. Further, selectivity is not based on preferential modification of particular histone H3 subtypes. Thus, the mitogen-regulated kinase that phosphorylates histone H3 is restricted to a small subset of nucleosomes that is especially susceptible to hyperacetylation.

Acetylation↗
PubMed1994

Difficulty in eradicating Helicobacter pylori in a population at high risk for stomach cancer in Venezuela.

The bacterium Helicobacter pylori (HP) has been implicated in the etiology of precancerous lesions of the stomach and there is evidence suggesting that it may influence the efficacy of chemoprevention of gastric cancer with vitamin C. Eradication seldom has been attempted in populations from developing countries, with a high prevalence of HP frequently resistant to metronidazole. A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of colloidal bismuth subcitrate (120 mg q.i.d.) and amoxycillin (500 mg q.i.d.) in eradicating HP was conducted in 220 subjects drawn from a population with a high prevalence of metronidazole-resistant HP in Tachira state, Venezuela. One month after completion of two weeks' treatment, eradication rates of 6.5 percent in the treatment group and two percent in the placebo group were estimated on the basis of HP diagnosis in biopsies, and of 13.9 percent compared with 3.9 percent on the basis of a 14C-urea breath test, although the negative predictive value of the breath test was very low compared with HP diagnosis in biopsies. In the treatment group, particularly among males, a significant decrease in bacterial load was detected. Reasons for failure of treatment in high HP-prevalence areas are discussed, and it is suggested that primary prevention of HP infection may be the optimal approach to reducing levels of stomach cancer in these high-risk groups.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interferon-gamma, and interleukin-6 but not TNF-beta induce differentiation of neuroblastoma cells: the role of nitric oxide.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), but not TNF-beta, can induce the in vitro differentiation of the neuroblastoma cell line N103 in a dose-dependent manner. Differentiation of N103 was accompanied by the arrest of cell growth and neurite formation. The induction of neuroblastoma cell differentiation by TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma can be specifically inhibited by a nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor, L-NG-monomethylarginine. In contrast, the differentiation of N103 cells by IL-6 was not affected by L-NG-monomethylarginine. These results indicate that TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma, but not IL-6, induce the differentiation of neuroblastoma cells via NO. This is confirmed by the finding that the culture supernatants of N103 cells induced by TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma, but not that by IL-6, contained high levels of NO2-, the production of which was inhibited by L-NG-monomethylarginine. Furthermore, the differentiation of N103 cells can be induced directly in a dose-dependent manner by the addition of nitroprusside, a generator of NO, into the culture medium. These data therefore indicate that NO may be an important mediator in the induction of neuronal cell differentiation by certain cytokines such as TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma and that neuronal cells, in addition to the macrophage-like brain cells, can be induced by immunological stimuli to produce large quantities of NO.

Amino Acid Oxidoreductases↗
PubMed1994

Anisomycin-activated protein kinases p45 and p55 but not mitogen-activated protein kinases ERK-1 and -2 are implicated in the induction of c-fos and c-jun.

Independent of its ability to block translation, anisomycin intrinsically initiates intracellular signals and immediate-early gene induction [L. C. Mahadevan and D. R. Edwards, Nature (London) 349:747-749, 1991]. Here, we characterize further its action as a potent, selective signalling agonist. In-gel kinase assays show that epidermal growth factor (EGF) transiently activates five kinases: the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases ERK-1 and -2, and three others, p45, p55, and p80. Anisomycin, at inhibitory and subinhibitory concentrations, does not activate ERK-1 and -2 but elicits strong sustained activation of p45 and p55, which are unique in being serine kinases whose detection is enhanced with poly-Glu/Tyr or poly-Glu/Phe copolymerized in these gels. Translational arrest using emetine or puromycin does not activate p45 and p55 but does prolong EGF-stimulated ERK-1 and -2 activation. Rapamycin, which blocks anisomycin-stimulated p70/85S6k activation without affecting nuclear responses, has no effect on p45 or p55 kinase. p45 and p55 are activable by okadaic acid or UV irradiation, and both kinases phosphorylate the c-Jun NH2-terminal peptide 1-79, putatively placing them within c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase/stress-activated protein kinase (JNK/SAPK) subfamily of MAP kinases. Thus, the EGF- and anisomycin-activated kinases p45 and p55 are strongly implicated in signalling to c-fos and c-jun, whereas the MAP kinases ERK-1 and -2 are not essential for this process.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Surgical resection followed by brachytherapy for malignancies involving the base of the skull.

Between January 1990 and July 1991, 14 patients were referred to the University of Pittsburgh for cranial base surgery following diagnosis of end-stage primary or recurrent neoplasms of the base of the skull. The treatment approach consisted of resection of the tumor along with placement of afterloading nylon catheters for iridium-192 implantation in areas where remaining tumor was believed to be present. A median dose of 3600 cGy (range, 2500 to 6000) was delivered to the tumor bed 1 to 14 days following surgery. with a median follow-up of 9 months, three patients remain alive without disease at 18, 19 and 36 months, and two are alive with disease at 5 and 31 months. Six patients died of disease at 3, 3, 3, 7, 16, and 17 months and three patients died of intercurrent disease at 1, 5, and 11 months. Cranial base surgery followed by brachytherapy appears to be a viable alternative in patients who otherwise have exhausted other methods of treatment. Careful attention to preoperative evaluation, surgery, and postoperative recovery should be given in order to prevent major complications.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1992

Functional implications of tyrosine protein phosphorylation in platelets. Simultaneous studies with different agonists and inhibitors.

During activation of platelets by agonists, a number of proteins become phosphorylated at tyrosine residues. Using immunoblotting with a monoclonal anti-phosphotyrosine antibody, we have compared the different phosphotyrosine-protein (PTP) profiles of platelets stimulated with thrombin, collagen, ADP, arachidonic acid, phorbol myristate acetate and P256, an anti-glycoprotein-IIb-IIIa (GPIIb-IIIa) monoclonal antibody (mAb). Only a few PTPs were observed in resting platelets, of molecular masses 130, 64, 56-60 and 36 kDa. After stimulation by different agonists these proteins were more intensely phosphorylated and additional PTPs appeared with molecular masses of 170, 150, 140, 120, 105/97 (doublet), 85, 80, 75 and 45 kDa. The kinetics of phosphorylation differed from one agonist to another, but no significant differences in the overall patterns were detected, except in presence of ADP and P256-F(ab')2, which induced only the additional tyrosine phosphorylation of the 64 kDa protein and to a lesser extent that of a 75 kDa protein. The use of various agonists and the inhibitors (staurosporine, ajoene and RGDS) permitted a better characterization of the relationship between the different steps of activation and phosphorylation on tyrosine residues. The studies suggest the following conclusions: (i) stimulation of tyrosine phosphorylation occurs after activation of protein kinase C; (ii) there is a relationship between ligand binding to GPIIb-IIIa and the tyrosine phosphorylation of the 64 kDa protein; and (iii) there is a close relationship between PTP formation and the intensity of platelet activation and aggregation.

Blood Platelets↗
PubMed1992

Regulation of interleukin-2 responses by phosphatidic acid.

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) plays a central role in the immune system by regulating the proliferation and differentiation of T lymphocytes. However, the molecular mechanism of the signal transduction through the IL-2 receptor is poorly understood. We have studied the role of phosphatidic acid (PA) on IL-2 signal transduction using cloned T lymphocytes. IL-2 stimulated a transient increase in the PA concentration in resting CTLL-2 cells prelabeled with [3H]palmitic acid. This effect was detected as early as 1 min after IL-2 addition and peaked at 5 min. IL-2 similarly increased phospholipase D activity in intact CTLL-2 cells, as inferred by phosphatidylethanol production. By contrast, IL-2 did not affect [3H]palmitic acid-labeled diacylglycerol levels. Furthermore, exogenous addition of several natural or synthetic PA to T cells mimicked IL-2 activity. Thus, PA were able to induce DNA synthesis on CTLL-2 cells, although this effect was only 10%-20% of that observed with IL-2. PA showed a synergistic effect with low doses of IL-2. In addition, PA was able to induce c-myc RNA transcription in CTLL-2 cells as well as IL-2 receptor (CD25) expression on the cell membrane with equal potency as saturating doses of IL-2. It is likely that IL-2-induced PA accumulation is a consequence of phospholipase D activation. This hypothesis is further supported by the fact that the addition of exogenous phospholipase D but not phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C also reproduced the IL-2 or PA effects mentioned above. In summary, our results suggest a role of phospholipase D activation and PA formation as second messengers of IL-2 activity.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

The effect of postoperative radiation therapy on pharyngoesophageal reconstruction with free jejunal interposition.

Free tissue transfer of a jejunal segment was undertaken for laryngopharyngoesophageal reconstruction in 20 patients who received postoperative irradiation therapy. Treatment consisted of 1.8- to 2-Gy-fractions, the average total dose was 55.57 Gy (range, 40 to 66 Gy). Anastomotic strictures (six) were encountered early in the series and associated with stapled anastomoses. Hand-sewing the jejunoesophagostomy eliminated the problem. Enteric cutaneous fistula, bowel necrosis, and hemorrhagic enteritis were not observed. We conclude that the application of postoperative irradiation therapy to patients requiring jejunal interposition grafts is feasible.

Adolescent↗