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Biomedical subjects

E Crespo

Publications and source records attributed to E Crespo.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Metacarpal radiogrammetry by computed radiography in postmenopausal women with Colles' fracture and vertebral crush fracture syndrome.

Based on the hypothesis that the underlying osteoporotic mechanism of Colles' fracture in postmenopausal women is similar to that of other osteoporotic fractures, that is, cortical bone resorption as opposed to cancellous bone resorption, the rate of corticoendosteal bone loss was compared in 40 normal postmenopausal women [average age 68.4 +/- 7.1 years; 20 +/- 4 years since menopause (YSM)], in 35 postmenopausal women with Colles' fracture (age 69.4 +/- 7.5 years, 22 +/- 8 YSM), in 35 normal postmenopausal women with vertebral crush fracture (age 69.4 +/- 7.5 years, 22 +/- 8 YSM, and in 35 normal premenopausal women (age 36.1 +/- 7.9 years). Radiogrammetry by digital radiography of the second metacarpal was used to measure external (ED) and internal (ID) diameter, cortical thickness (CCT), cortical area (CA), and the ratio of cortical area to total area (CA/TA). The ID values of the groups of postmenopausal women were subtracted from the ID value of the premenopausal women and the result was divided by YSM to obtain the rate of corticoendosteal resorption/year (DeltaC), CA resorption year (DeltaCA) and CA/TA resorption/year (DeltaCA/TA). ID, DeltaC, DeltaCA, and DeltaCA/TA all were larger in the postmenopausal women with Colles' and vertebral crush fractures than in the normal postmenopausal women (ANOVA: all P < 0.0001). ID, CCT, DeltaC, CA, DeltaCA, and DeltaCA/TA did not differ between the two groups of postmenopausal women with fractures. DeltaC was 87% greater in postmenopausal women with vertebral crush fracture and 116% greater in women with Colles' fracture than in normal postmenopausal women. These results indicate that the loss of cortical bone is an important factor in Colles' fracture in postmenopausal women.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Stimulation of transforming growth factor beta1 by enteric bacteria in the pathogenesis of rat intestinal fibrosis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Bacteria and their products stimulate inflammatory responses. Certain mediators, such as transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1), induce collagen synthesis. Excess collagen deposition results in bowel strictures. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of bacteria and TGF-beta1 in the pathogenesis of intestinal fibrosis. METHODS: In rats with colitis, the effects of bowel decontamination with antibiotics on TGF-beta1, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), and collagen content in colonic tissue were studied. In normal rats, bacteria of the predominant flora were inoculated into the colonic wall. The effect of neutralizing antibody to TGF-beta1 on tissue collagen deposition was studied. RESULTS: Rats with chronic colitis showed increased levels of TGF-beta1, TNF-alpha, and collagen in the tissue and a high rate of bowel strictures. Antibiotic treatment significantly prevented the increase in TGF-beta1 and collagen and the formation of strictures. Inoculation of bacterial suspensions into the colonic wall increased tissue TGF-beta1 and collagen content. Neutralizing antibody to TGF-beta1 prevented collagen deposition. Colonic wall inoculations with single anaerobic strains (Clostridium ramosum, Bacteroides fragilis, and Bacteroides uniformis), but not with aerobes, induced collagen deposition. CONCLUSIONS: Certain strains of the common flora stimulate TGF-beta1 and induce deposition of collagen in the colonic wall.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Modification of nitric oxide synthase activity and neuronal response in rat striatum by melatonin and kynurenine derivatives.

Tryptophan is mainly metabolized in the brain through methoxyindole and kynurenine pathways. The methoxyindole pathway produces (among other compounds) melatonin, which displays inhibitory effects on human and animal central nervous systems, including a significant attenuation of excitatory, glutamate-mediated responses. The kynurenine pathway produces kynurenines that interact with brain glutamate-mediated responses. Nitric oxide (NO) increases glutamate release, and melatonin and kynurenines may act via modification of NO synthesis. In the present study, the effects of melatonin and four synthetic kynurenines were studied on the activity of rat striatal nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and on the response of rat striatal neurons to sensorimotor cortex (SMCx) stimulation, a glutamate-mediated response. Melatonin inhibited both NOS activity and the striatal glutamate response, and these effects were dose-related. Compound A (2-acetamide-4-(3-methoxyphenyl)-4-oxobutyric acid) did not inhibit NOS activity but inhibited the striatal response similarly to melatonin. Compound B (2-acetamide-4-(2-amino-5-methoxyphenyl)-4-oxobutyric acid) was more potent than melatonin in inhibiting both NOS activity and the striatal response. Compound C (2-butyramide-4-(3-methoxyphenyl)-4-oxobutyric acid) did not change NOS activity, but increased the striatal response. Compound D (2-butyramide-4-(2-amino-5-methoxyphenyl)-4-oxobutyric acid) showed potent inhibitory effects on both NOS activity and striatal glutamate-mediated response. A structure-related effect of the kynurenine derivatives was observed, and those with an amino group in position 2 of the benzenic ring had more potent effects than melatonin itself in inhibiting striatal NOS activity and the response of striatal neurons to SMCx.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Complementary medical treatment for Colles' fracture: a comparative, randomized, longitudinal study.

In 45 women with Colles' fracture, two types of complementary medical treatment (calcitonin with calcium [SCT+Ca] and calcium alone [Ca]) were compared with placebo. Consecutive patients were assigned randomly to one of the three study groups at the time of inclusion in the study: 15 women (68.6 +/- 5.7 years) were given 100 IU/day I.M. of SCT plus 1200 mg of elemental Ca for 10 successive days each month; 15 women (71.7 +/- 6.1 years) were given only 1200 mg of elemental Ca for 10 days each month; and 15 women (66.9 +/- 7. 9 years) were treated with placebo. Biochemical and radiogrammetric studies were made at baseline and after 1 year of treatment. In the SCT+Ca group tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase decreased (Wilcoxon test, P = 0.014) and the metacarpal index and the cortical and total area (CA/TA) ratio increased (both P = 0.001). In the group treated with Ca alone, no changes were observed. In the placebo group, the metacarpal index and CA/TA decreased (P = 0.015 and P = 0.007, respectively). Ca alone, at the dosage used here, inhibited bone loss after Colles' fracture. The addition of SCT to Ca administration not only impeded bone loss but significantly increased cortical bone mass.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Rutoside as mucosal protective in acetic acid-induced rat colitis.

The effect of the flavonoid rutoside on acetic acid-induced rat colitis was studied. Rats were pretreated orally with different doses of the flavonoid (10, 25, and 100 mg/kg) 48, 24, and 1 hour prior to colitis induction and examined for colonic damage 24 hours later. Colonic inflammation was characterized by gross and microscopical injury, bowel wall thickening, abolition of fluid absorption, glutathione depletion, enhanced leukotriene B4 synthesis, and increased levels of myeloperoxidase and alkaline phosphatase activities. Rutoside treatment (25 and 100 mg/kg) reduced histologic injury and prevented the increase in alkaline phosphatase activity, but it had no effect on myeloperoxidase levels or leukotriene B4 synthesis. In addition, glutathione depletion was effectively counteracted at the dose of 25 mg/kg, whereas fluid absorption was achieved at the highest dose assayed. It is concluded that rutoside has an acute anti-inflammatory activity in this model which may be related to a putative direct protective effect on intestinal cells, mainly enterocytes, in which the antioxidative properties of the flavonoid may play a role.

Acetic Acid↗
PubMed1997

Treatment of experimental pneumonia due to penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae in immunocompetent rats.

A model of pneumonia due to Streptococcus pneumoniae resistant to penicillin was developed in immunocompetent Wistar rats and was used to evaluate the efficacies of different doses of penicillin, cefotaxime, cefpirome, and vancomycin. Adult Wistar rats were challenged by intratracheal inoculation with 3 x 10(9) CFU of one strain of S. pneumoniae resistant to penicillin (MICs of penicillin, cefotaxime, cefpirome, and vancomycin, 2, 1, 0.5, and 0.5 microg/ml, respectively) suspended in brain heart broth supplemented with 0.7% agar. The rats experienced a fatal pneumonia, dying within 5 days and with peak mortality (70 to 80%) occurring 48 to 72 h after infection, and the bacterial counts in the lungs persisted from 8.87 +/- 0.3 log10 CFU/g of lung at 24 h of the infection to 9.1 +/- 0.3 log10 CFU/g at 72 h. Four hours after infection the animals were randomized into the following treatment groups: (i) control without treatment, (ii) penicillin G at 100,000 IU/kg of body weight every 2 h, (iii) penicillin G at 250,000 IU/kg every 2 h, (iv) cefotaxime at 100 mg/kg every 2 h, (v) cefpirome at 200 mg/kg every 2 h, and (vi) vancomycin at 50 mg/kg every 8 h. Two different protocols were used for the therapeutic efficacy studies: four doses of beta-lactams and one dose of vancomycin or eight doses of beta-lactams and two doses of vancomycin. Results of the therapy for experimental pneumonia caused by penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae showed that initially, all the antimicrobial agents tested had similar efficacies, but when we prolonged the treatment, higher doses of penicillin, cefotaxime, and cefpirome were more effective than penicillin at lower doses in decreasing the residual bacterial titers in the lungs. Also, when we extended the treatment, vancomycin was more efficacious than penicillin at lower doses but was less efficacious than higher doses of penicillin or cefpirome. The model that we have developed is simple and amenable for inducing pneumonia in immunocompetent rats and could be used to explore the pathophysiology and to evaluate optimal therapy of this infection in the immunocompetent host.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Incrimination of anaerobic bacteria in the induction of experimental colitis.

Commensal bacteria may participate in the pathogenesis of bowel inflammation. We studied the role of bacteria from the rat colonic flora on transmural inflammation induced by 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS). First, bacterial translocation to the colonic wall after induction of colitis was assessed by microbiological and histological methods. Second, rats with a colonic segment excluded from fecal transit were prepared for recolonization with preselected bacteria and used to test the effects of different species on inflammation (eicosanoid release, tissue myeloperoxidase) and damage (histology). Six strains (three aerobes and three anaerobes) were identified in colonic tissue 24 h after induction of colitis. Acridine staining showed bacteria in necrotic areas of the mucosa and invading the submucosa. Rats with excluded colon and sterile culture of luminal washings showed mild inflammation and low mucosal damage in response to TNBS. Rats colonized with anaerobes showed significantly higher eicosanoid release than rats colonized with aerobes only. Moreover, submucosal-lesions were mostly observed in rats with anaerobes. Our findings suggest that colonic anaerobes play a key role in transmural inflammation.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Megestrol acetate therapy for anorexia and weight loss in children with malignant solid tumours.

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is very frequent in childhood cancer. Its main cause is inadequate intake for energy demands owing to lack of appetite. Megestrol acetate is a synthetic progestin that has been used for reversing anorexia in adult cancer. OBJECTIVE: To assess megestrol acetate efficacy and side-effects in treating anorexia in childhood cancer. METHODS: Thirty-five children with solid tumours were receiving antitumour therapy. Nutritional assessment was by anthropometry. Megestrol acetate efficacy was assessed by evaluating grade of appetite, energy intake and well-being. Side-effects were evaluated by means of clinical history, physical examination, lipid profile, coagulation tests and cortisol rhythm. RESULTS: When compared to baseline all the anthropometric measurements increased (P < 0.05) from the first month of megestrol acetate therapy, as well as appetite and energy intake. No significant side-effects were found. CONCLUSION: Megestrol acetate therapy is a powerful appetite stimulant which led to weight gain, composed of both fat mass and fat-free mass. Megestrol acetate is well tolerated, with few and mild side-effects. If megestrol acetate therapy is started at the onset of anorexia, the use of more expensive, invasive and complicated techniques of nutritional support may be avoided.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Treatment of experimental endocarditis due to Enterococcus faecalis using once-daily dosing regimen of gentamicin plus simulated profiles of ampicillin in human serum.

We compared the efficacy of ampicillin, both alone and in combination with gentamicin given once a day (q.d.) or three times a day (t.i.d.), in the treatment of experimental enterococcal endocarditis. Ampicillin was administered by using humanlike pharmacokinetics that simulated the profiles of this drug in human serum. An open one-compartment mathematical model developed in this study was used to estimate the decreasing doses administered with a computer-controlled infusion pump that simulated in rabbits the human serum pharmacokinetics after intravenous administration of 2 g of ampicillin every 4 h. Animals with catheter-induced endocarditis were infected intravenously with 10(8) CFU of Enterococcus faecalis J4 (MICs and MBCs of ampicillin and gentamicin, 2 and 128 and 16 and 64 micrograms/ml, respectively) and were treated for 3 days with ampicillin alone or in combination with gentamicin at 2 mg/kg of body weight subcutaneously t.i.d. or at 6 mg/kg subcutaneously q.d. The serum ampicillin levels and pharmacokinetic parameters of the humanlike pharmacokinetics of ampicillin in rabbits were similar to those found in humans treated with 2 g of ampicillin intravenously. The results of therapy for experimental endocarditis caused by E. faecalis J4 showed that the residual bacterial concentration in aortic valve vegetation was significantly lower in the animals treated with combinations of ampicillin plus gentamicin given q.d. or t.i.d. than in those treated with ampicillin alone (P < 0.01). The dosing interval of gentamicin did not significantly affect (q.d. versus t.i.d.; P = 0.673) the therapeutic efficacy of the combination of ampicillin plus gentamicin.

Ampicillin↗
PubMed1995

Effect of gentamicin dosing interval on therapy of viridans streptococcal experimental endocarditis with gentamicin plus penicillin.

This study compares the effects of a total daily dose of gentamicin given once a day (q.d.) or three times a day (t.i.d.) in the therapy of experimental endocarditis in rabbits caused by penicillin-susceptible, penicillin-tolerant, or penicillin-resistant viridans streptococci. Four isolates were used in vivo: one penicillin susceptible (MIC < or = 0.03 microgram/ml), one penicillin tolerant (MBC/MIC, < or = 0.03/ > 32 micrograms/ml), and two penicillin resistant (MICs = 0.5 and 2 micrograms/ml). Animals were infected with one of the four isolates and assigned to one of the following treatment regimens: no treatment, procaine penicillin at 1.2 million IU intramuscularly (i.m.) t.i.d., procaine penicillin plus gentamicin at 1 mg/kg of body weight i.m. t.i.d., procaine penicillin plus gentamicin at 3 mg/kg i.m. q.d., or procaine penicillin plus gentamicin at 1 mg/kg i.m. q.d. (only animals infected with the penicillin-susceptible isolate). Serum drug concentrations measured 30 min after administration of 1.2 million IU of penicillin and 1 or 3 mg of gentamicin per kg were 22.6, 3.8, and 8.5 micrograms/ml, respectively. The reduced total daily dose of gentamicin was ineffective among animals infected with penicillin-susceptible viridans streptococci; treatment with 1 mg of gentamicin per kg per day plus penicillin was less effective (P < 0.05) than was treatment with 3 mg of gentamicin per kg per day plus penicillin. The 1-mg/kg/day gentamicin treatment regimen was not further studied. The gentamicin dosing interval did not significantly affect (q.d. versus t.i.d., P > 0.05) the relative efficacy of penicillin plus gentamicin for treatment of experimental endocarditis among animals infected with each of the four isolates tested.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Adhesive capsulitis. Is it possible in childhood?

Adhesive capsulitis affecting shoulders has been extensively studied by orthopedic surgeons, but few reports have been published on this condition when it affects other joints (hips, ankles). To our knowledge no pediatric cases have been reported. As its treatment requires prolonged physiotherapy and sometimes manipulation, a correct diagnosis is essential. We would like to emphasize the importance of having this condition in mind when one is regarding a differential diagnosis, also in children.

Bursitis↗
PubMed1994

Role of intestinal microflora in chronic inflammation and ulceration of the rat colon.

Bacteria and their products stimulate inflammatory responses. The effects of different antimicrobial regimens (amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, tobramycin, imipenem, vancomycin, metronidazole) were investigated on the course of experimental colitis induced by trinitrobenzenesulphonic acid (TNB) in the rat. On day 7 and 21 after the induction of colitis, matched groups of control and antibiotic treated rats were subjected to colonic dialysis to measure eicosanoid release, and killed for morphological assessment of the colonic lesions (macro and microscopic scores). Stool samples were cultured. Selective antibiotic treatment against Gram positive, Gram negative or anaerobic bacteria had no effect on colonic lesion scores. By contrast, certain broad spectrum antibiotics (amoxicillin/clavulanic acid or the association of imipenem plus vancomycin) significantly reduced macro and microscopic scores. Rats receiving these antibiotics did not develop chronic colitis as shown by the virtual absence of colonic strictures, adhesions, fibrosis, and granulomas. On day 21 after TNB, the intracolonic release of prostaglandin E2, thromboxane B2, and leukotriene B4 was significantly higher in control than in antibiotic treated rats. Control stool cultures showed abundant colony forming units of both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and imipenem plus vancomycin induced appreciable reductions in luminal bacteria. In conclusion, certain broad spectrum antibiotics prevent chronic colitis. The normal colonic flora seems to play an important pathogenetic part in the progression of inflammatory colonic lesions to chronicity.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

[Isolation of Haemophilus spp. from samples of pleural fluid: 11 years' review].

BACKGROUND: The incidence and significance of Haemophilus spp. in plural fluid were retrospectively studied over a period of 11 years. METHODS: Gram staining and culture in aerobic and anaerobic media was performed in 7517 pleural fluids. Haemophilus spp. was identified with the AMS-Vitek and/or conventional systems. The presence of beta-lactamase was assessed by this method or by the acidometric method. RESULTS: Haemophilus spp. was identified in 72 samples (0.9%) corresponding to 37 patients. The medical records of 22 were reviewed. The most common species isolated was H. influenzae. Gram stain exam was positive on 28 occasions (38.8%), with gram-negative bacilli being observed in 78.5%. A pure culture was obtained in 43 samples with anaerobic bacteria associated in 18% of the cases. Only 10 strains (16.4%) produced beta-lactamase. No predominance of any determined biotype was observed. Most of the patients were male with a mean age of 59.2 years (range: 2-82). Seventeen patients presented with community-acquired pneumonia, as well as tuberculous sequelae, pneumonectomy and pulmonary and/or upper GI truct neoplasms. All were treated with antibiotics, beta-lactam drugs alone or with aminoglycosides. Half of them also required surgical drainage. Four patients died in relation with the underlying disease. CONCLUSIONS: Haemophilus spp. was isolated in 7.7% of 7517 samples of pleural fluid. This finding may indicate the coexistence of an underlying thoracic disease of neoplastic origin.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Value of differential quantitative blood cultures in the diagnosis of catheter-related sepsis.

A prospective study was performed to assess the value of differential quantitative blood cultures in the diagnosis of catheter-related sepsis when this condition is suspected on clinical grounds and to establish a reliable discriminative value for application without removal of the inserted catheter. A total of 107 central venous catheters from 64 patients were used for the study. Blood was obtained simultaneously through the suspected infected device and from a peripheral venipuncture. The catheter was removed and its tip cultured semiquantitatively. Catheter-related sepsis occurred in 17 patients. Using as cut-off value a colony count fourfold higher in blood drawn through the catheter than in simultaneously drawn peripheral blood, a sensitivity of 94%, specificity of 100% and positive predictive value of 100% were obtained. A single bacterial count greater than 100 cfu/ml in the quantitative culture of the catheter blood specimen in the presence of a positive qualitative peripheral blood culture of the same organism was also highly suggestive of catheter-related sepsis. Differential quantitative blood culture is a reliable method for the diagnosis of catheter-associated sepsis without catheter removal.

Bacteremia↗
PubMed1991

[The isolation and identification of Mobiluncus curtisii and Mobiluncus mulieris in genital specimens].

Amongst 1.202 genital samples studied, the microscopic exam revealed in 179 (14.8%) cases flora compatible with bacterial vaginitis. Of these 179 samples, Mobiluncus SP was observed in 35 (19.6%) using Gram staining and in 18 (10.1%) this microorganism was isolated in agar RLK and anaerobic atmosphere. Using biochemical characterization M. curtisii species was found more frequently (15 isolations) than M. mulieris (3 isolations). Chromatographic characterization permitted the diagnosis of the genus but not the differentiation of the species. Out of the 35 cases of Mobiluncus observed microscopically, 11 (31.4%) were afterwards isolated while in 7 occasions Mobiluncus growth was obtained without having been previously visualized using Gram staining. The percentage of Mobiluncus observed was different according to the species since 2 of the 3 M. mulieris while only 9 out of the 15 M. mulieris were visualized.

Bacteria, Anaerobic↗
PubMed1990

Computer program for the reservoir model of metabolic crossroads.

A program containing 344 sentences, written in BASIC and adapted to run in personal computers (PC) has been developed to simulate the reservoir model of metabolic crossroads. The program draws the holes of the reservoir with shapes reflecting the Vmax, Km (S0.5) and cooperativity coefficients (n) of the enzymes and calculates both the actual velocities and the percentage of contribution of every enzyme to the overall removal of their common substrate.

Computer Simulation↗