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Biomedical subjects

E Jauregui

Publications and source records attributed to E Jauregui.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Anatomic study of the pelvis in carcinoma of the uterine cervix as related to the box technique.

PURPOSE: To review the radiation therapy "box" technique for cancer of the cervix by means of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), lymphangiography, and anatomic studies on cadavers. METHODS AND MATERIALS: From 1993 to 1996, the anatomic borders of the "box" technique used at our Radiation Oncology Department-the superior border of the AP-PA fields at the inferior edge of L4; the inferior border at the inferior edge of the ischium; the lateral borders placed 2.5 cm outside of the bony pelvis rim; the anterior border of the lateral fields over the anterior edge of the pubic symphysis; and the posterior at the S2-S3 interspace-were reviewed in 35 sagittal MRI and 10 lymphangiographies of patients with FIGO IB (6), IIA (6), IIB (19), IIIB (3), and IVA (1). An anatomic revision was conducted on 30 cadavers to identify aortic bifurcation, lymphatic nodes, and uterus flexion. RESULTS: In 50% of the patients with FIGO IB, the posterior border of the lateral field was inadequate to encompass the planning target volume (PTV), and in 67% with Stage IIA. In IIB, the anterior border was inadequate in 1 patient, and the posterior in 8 (42%). In IIB and IVA patients, the PTV was not encompassed. When correlating the anterior and posterior borders of the lateral field and the treatment volume in the 35 sagittal MRIs, the posterior border of the lateral field was inadequate in 49%, and the anterior border in 9% of the cases. According to the lymphangiography, the portals encompassed the external iliac nodes. Dissected female pelvises revealed that the aortic bifurcation occurred at the level of the inferior L4 edge in 80% of the cadavers. There was no correlation between uterus flexion in MRIs and in cadavers. CONCLUSION: The design of the lateral fields of the four-field technique for the irradiation of the uterine cervix based on anatomic bone references failed to encompass the planning-target volume in a significant number of patients.

Cadaver↗
PubMed1995

Antigonorrhoeal activity of plants used in Guatemala for the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.

Plants popularly used in Guatemala for the treatment of gonorrhoea were macerated in 50% alcohol and the tincture tested for in vitro activity against Neisseria gonorrhoeae using strains isolated from symptomatic patients and confirmed by standard bacteriological procedures. From 46 plants investigated, 13 (28.3%) showed evident inhibition zones (> 9 mm), seven (15.2%) showed small activity (6.1-8.9 mm) and 26 (56.5%) showed no activity; nine of these plants inhibited five strains of N. gonorrhoea freshly isolated. The most active plants of American origin were: bark of Bixa orellana fruits of Parmentiera edulis, leaf of Diphysa robinioides, Eupatorium odoratum, Gliricidia sepium, Physalis angulata, Piper aduncum and Prosopis juliflora, root of Casimiroa edulis, and whole Clematis dioica.

Drug Evaluation, Preclinical↗
PubMed1993

Urban bioclimatology in developing countries.

A brief review of the literature on urban human bioclimatology in the tropics is undertaken. Attempts to chart human bioclimatic conditions on the regional/local scale have been made in several developing countries. The effective temperature scheme (with all its limitations) is the one that has been most frequently applied. The possibilities of application of bioclimatic models based on human heat balance for the tropical urban environment are discussed.

Climate↗
PubMed1991

The human climate of tropical cities: an overview.

A review of physioclimatic maps at global, regional, and local scales is made of the tropical environment. At the global scale the highest heat load is located seasonally in arid subtropical cities. High sultry conditions (heat and humidity) prevail during the whole year in equatorial cities. In most inner areas of the tropics, urban areas with wet/dry seasons and days are seasonally hot or sultry while nights may be cool or tolerably warm. In some mountain tropical climates (altitudes between 1600 and 1900 m above sea-level) the stress due to either heat or cold is minimal. From the point of view of human comfort the bioclimate in these cities would approach the ideal (in the shade). One has to keep in mind, however, that even in these climates for a person walking on a street at noon, comfort is reduced drastically by the high radiation levels.

Acclimatization↗
PubMed1991

Cytokine production in vitro and the lymphoproliferative defect of natural measles virus infection.

In natural measles virus infection, evidence of intense immune system activation is present simultaneously with clinically relevant immune suppression. While evidence of activation is most prominent early in the disease, skin test responses and in vitro lymphoproliferation are depressed for weeks after the onset of the rash. It is not known whether the prolonged period of reduced immune responsiveness results from a single defect or a succession of different abnormalities. To gain further insight into measles-induced immune suppression we studied the production of soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), IL-1 beta, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF alpha) by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) isolated from measles patients at various times after the onset of the rash. Studies included addition of supplemental recombinant IL-1 beta (rIL-1 beta) or recombinant IL-2 (rIL-2) or suppression of prostaglandin synthesis by indomethacin (IM). Proliferation in response to phytohemagglutin (PHA) was abnormal at all stages of disease. During the acute phase (first week after the onset of the rash) spontaneous production of sIL-2R was increased (76 +/- 54 vs. controls 4 +/- 4; P less than 0.03), suggesting in vivo T cell activation while PHA-induced sIL-2R was decreased (228 +/- 43 vs. control 582 +/- 127; P less than 0.002), suggesting that the capacity to produce IL-2 in response to mitogen was limited. Supplementation of PHA-stimulated cultures with rIL-2 improved but did not normalize both proliferation (58,600 +/- 4900 to 70,700 +/- 4400 vs. control 97,700 +/- 15,500; P less than 0.03) and sIL-2R levels (114 +/- 58 to 309 +/- 87 vs. control 582 +/- 127; P less than 0.003). Both spontaneous (25 +/- 18 vs. control 237 +/- 92; P less than 0.002) and PHA-induced (20 +/- 20 vs. control 604 +/- 129; P less than 0.004) TNF alpha levels were subnormal and were not improved with rIL-2, rIL-1 beta, or IM, suggesting a block in monocyte TNF alpha production. Spontaneous and PHA-induced IFN-gamma and IL-1 beta levels were normal. During the convalescent phase (greater than 2 weeks after the onset of the rash), spontaneous levels of sIL-2R were normal and PHA-induced levels were completely normalized with supplemental rIL-2 but proliferation remained below normal.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

CD4-CD8 Ratio↗
PubMed1990

Spontaneous proliferation of peripheral mononuclear cells in natural measles virus infection: identification of dividing cells and correlation with mitogen responsiveness.

Spontaneous proliferation of peripheral mononuclear cells is pronounced following measles virus infection at a time when patients mount effective humoral and cell-mediated immune responses and manifest a range of poorly understood immunologic abnormalities. We found spontaneous activity (measles 8000 +/- 1200 cpm vs control 1900 +/- 350 cpm; P less than 0.05) to wax and wane abruptly during the first week after the rash in parallel with expression of the lymphocyte activation marker OKT10. At peak activity, approximately 10% of circulating mononuclear cells were actively synthesizing DNA. Double labeling of individual mononuclear cells with autoradiography and immunoperoxidase demonstrated that B and T lymphocytes as well as monocytes participate in the spontaneous activity. Proliferative activity was increased 3- to 20-fold over control levels in all PBMC subsets such that close to one-third of circulating B cells and monocytes and 5-10% of CD4- and CD8-positive T cells were preparing to divide. Mitogen responsiveness was generally decreased in measles patients (58,800 +/- 4600 cpm vs control 97,700 +/- 15,500 cpm; P less than 0.002). Neither spontaneous proliferation nor mitogen responsiveness was correlated with age, sex, or the presence of complications. Patients with the lowest mitogen responses, however, had the greatest increases in B cell (P less than 0.03) and CD8-positive T cell (P less than 0.05) proliferation. These data demonstrate that all major immunologic cell types proliferate in response to measles virus infection. Mechanisms by which spontaneous proliferative activity in individual mononuclear subsets could contribute to depressed mitogen responsiveness are discussed.

Antibody Formation↗
PubMed1990

Immune activation during measles: interferon-gamma and neopterin in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid in complicated and uncomplicated disease.

To study T cell and macrophage activity during measles, levels of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and neopterin in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were measured. Plasma levels of IFN-gamma were elevated in measles (1.17 +/- 0.27) compared with healthy adults (0.13 +/- 0.06, P less than .05) and children (0.14 +/- 0.06, P less than .01). Plasma levels of neopterin were elevated in measles (32.5 +/- 2.7) compared with healthy adults (5.3 +/- 2.9, P less than .0001), healthy children (12.1 +/- 4.0, P less than .001), and children with other infectious diseases (20.6 +/- 4.0, P less than .02). IFN-gamma was increased in measles primarily during rash; neopterin remained elevated for several weeks. Levels of neopterin showed a significant positive correlation with plasma levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor and soluble CD8, two other parameters of T cell activation. Children with measles complicated by pneumonia had higher levels of neopterin in serum than those with uncomplicated disease. Children with measles complicated by autoimmune encephalomyelitis had higher levels of neopterin in CSF than those with noninflammatory neurologic disease but lower than those with central nervous system infections. Thus, IFN-gamma seems to be produced in vivo during acute measles virus infection; deficiency of this lymphokine does not appear to correlate with increased susceptibility to secondary infections.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Natural killer cell activity during measles.

Natural killer cells are postulated to play an important role in host anti-viral defences. We measured natural killer cell activity in 30 individuals with acute measles (73 +/- 21 lytic units (LU)/10(7) cells) and 16 individuals with other infectious diseases (149 +/- 95 LU) and found it reduced compared with values for adults (375 +/- 70 LU; P less than 0.001) or children (300 +/- 73 LU, P less than 0.01) without infection. Reduced natural killer cell activity was found in measles patients with (84 +/- 30 LU) and without (55 +/- 18 LU) complications and was present for at least 3 weeks after the onset of the rash. Activity was increased by in vitro exposure of cells to interleukin-2. Depressed natural killer cell activity parallels in time the suppression of other parameters of cell-mediated immunity that occurs during measles.

Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte↗
PubMed1989

Immune activation in measles.

Measles is associated with alterations in immune regulation that sometimes lead to secondary infections or autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Simultaneously, an effective measles virus-specific immune response develops. To relate immune activation to measles and its complications, we studied the spontaneous proliferation of blood mononuclear cells and circulating levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor and CD8 T-cell antigens in 126 patients with complicated or uncomplicated measles at various stages of the disease. Spontaneous proliferation of mononuclear cells, which was present through the first week of the rash, was greater in cells from patients with measles (8787 +/- 1403 cpm) than in those from healthy children (1529 +/- 237 cpm, P less than 0.0001). Levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor (3385 +/- 195 units per milliliter) and CD8 (4145 +/- 437 units per milliliter) were higher in patients with measles than in those with other infectious diseases (2377 +/- 440, P = 0.003; 2399 +/- 771, P = 0.0374) or in healthy children (865 +/- 138, P less than 0.0001; 1026 +/- 169, P less than 0.0001). Levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor were elevated before the onset of the rash and remained elevated for several weeks. In contrast, levels of soluble CD8 increased only when the rash appeared, and subsided quickly. Spontaneous proliferation of mononuclear cells and levels of soluble CD8 were similar in patients with uncomplicated disease, pneumonia, or encephalomyelitis, but soluble interleukin-2 receptor levels were lower in patients with encephalomyelitis (2312 +/- 314 vs. 3455 +/- 247 units per milliliter in uncomplicated measles; P = 0.01). In patients with encephalomyelitis, cerebrospinal fluid levels of soluble CD8 (686 +/- 350 units per milliliter), but not interleukin-2 receptor (9 +/- 8.3 units per milliliter), were increased. We conclude that the proliferative phase of the immune response, as measured by the release of soluble interleukin-2 receptor, begins before the rash appears, continues for several weeks in those without complications, but does not occur within the nervous system. In contrast, the effector phase of the immune response, as measured by the release of soluble CD8, coincides with the appearance and disappearance of the rash and occurs within the nervous system during encephalomyelitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

In vitro studies of the role of monocytes in the immunosuppression associated with natural measles virus infections.

Measles is associated with suppression of mitogen-induced proliferative responses. The role of monocytes in depressed responses to phytohemagglutinin during measles was assessed. Depleting peripheral blood mononuclear cells of adherent cells decreased, increased, and did not change proliferative responses in essentially equal numbers of individuals. Inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis by indomethacin significantly increased proliferation (P = 0.009) but often not to normal values. Addition of supplemental interleukin 1 had little effect. Addition of supplemental natural interleukin 2 significantly increased proliferation (P = 0.002) even in patients with very low responses. These data suggest that monocyte function is abnormal in some individuals with measles, that the abnormality is variable, and that lymphocyte response to monocyte signals is probably suboptimal as well.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗