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Biomedical subjects

F García

Publications and source records attributed to F García.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Prevalence and incidence of gallstones in liver cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND: Our aim was to assess the prevalence and incidence of gallstone disease in patients with liver cirrhosis and to identify risk factors for cholecystolithiasis. METHODS: We studied a cohort of 313 patients with liver cirrhosis confirmed by histology and/or laparoscopy and 357 patients free of liver disease, who had been referred for ultrasonographic examination of the upper abdomen. Hepatobiliary ultrasonography was performed when liver cirrhosis was diagnosed and every 6 months thereafter. Risk factors for cholelithiasis (age, gender, diet, pregnancy, diabetes, family history of cholelithiasis, etiology of cirrhosis, decompensated disease) were assessed. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of gallstones in cirrhotic patients was 23.3%. In controls, the overall prevalence of cholecystolithiasis was 16.8%. After a median follow-up period of 65 months, 30 patients developed gallstones. The calculated annual incidence was 3.4%. CONCLUSIONS: Given that the prevalence of gallstone disease is higher in cirrhotics than in noncirrhotic patients, cirrhosis of the liver may be considered a risk factor for cholecystolithiasis.

Cholelithiasis↗
PubMed1997

Trypanosoma evansi in capybara from Venezuela.

During the slaughtering season of February and March 1991, 559 capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) were tested for Trypanosoma evansi in two areas in Venezuela: El Frio Ranch and El Cedral Ranch. Blood and serum samples were evaluated for T. evansi. Forty-eight (9%) of 559 capybaras had T. evansi using the microcentrifugation technique. Further, 279 (50%) of the 559 capybaras had antibodies against T. evansi immunofluorescence test in both ranches. Thus, capybaras may be important in the epizootiology of T. evansi in this enzootic area.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

[Risk factors associated with prevalence of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus in Lejona (Vizcaya)].

BACKGROUND: The aim of study was to define risk factors (age, body mass index, height, weight, systolic and diastolic blood pressure) associated to non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and abnormal glucose tolerance (AGT). PATIENTS, MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was carried out in people > or = 30 years old in Lejona (Vizcaya) by randomized sampling of population, stratified by pyramids of age and sex (N = 862), with a low rate of non-responders (12.6%). An oral glucose tolerance test was done following the criteria recommended by the Committee of Experts of the World Health Organization (WHO). A multivariate analysis was performed, with presence/absence of NIDDM and/or AGT, as dependent variable in several models of logistic regression. RESULTS: The prevalence of NIDDM was 6.4% (56% previously unknown). Strong association of NIDDM with age, BMI, and systolic blood pressure (SBP) was observed both in univariate, as well as multivariate analysis. However, SBP lost its value in the multivariate study. Multivariate analysis showed that NIDDM was 8.2 fold more frequent in the population > or = 60 years than in the < or = 45 years old group. NIDDM was 8.3 fold more frequent when BMI > or = 30 kg/m2 compared to < or = 25. NIDDM was 3.8 fold more frequent in the population with SBP > or = 140 mmHg than in the group with SBP < or = 120 mmHg. The prevalence of AGT in women is almost double than in men (13.4% vs 7.3%). Risk factors were also associated with AGT. CONCLUSIONS: Weight and SBP are important risk factors for NIDDM and AGT prediction. The possibility of modifying these factors could possibly allow interventions in order to decrease the prevalence of NIDDM and AGT.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Threonine 80 on HLA-B27 confers protection against lysis by a group of natural killer clones.

Recognition of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules on target cells by natural killer (NK) cells inhibits NK cell-mediated lysis. Although it is known that this inhibitory effect is regulated by MHC polymorphism, the precise structural determinants remain undefined. Based on the capacity of different HLA-C and HLA-B motifs specifically to inhibit cytotoxicity of some NK clones, three different NK cell specificities (NK1, NK2 and NK3) have been described. In this study, the recognition of HLA-B27 by NK clones has been analyzed using C1R cells transfected with different HLA-B27 subtypes as target cells. Cytotoxicity was inhibited by the HLA-B*2705, -B*2701 -B*2703, -B*2704 and -B*2706 alleles, but not by -B*2702. This subtype is distinguished from the other B27 subtypes by the presence of isoleucine instead of threonine at position 80. Direct involvement of this residue was assessed by showing that site-directed mutagenesis of Thr80 to Ile80 in HLA-B*2705 reverted the NK protective effect of HLA-B*2705. Based on these data, we suggest that Thr80 could act as a single residue conferring target cell protection from lysis by a group of NK clones, tentatively designated NK4.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Relationship between viral genotype and viral load in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

To determine the distribution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes and to related genotype to viral load, genotyping and quantification of viral RNA were carried out in 35 patients with chronic hepatitis C. Subtype 1a was most prevalent (43%), followed by subtypes 1b (23%) and 3a (14%). Mean viral load (log HCV-RNA copies/ml) for subtypes 1b, 1a and 3a was 7.1 +/- 1, 5.6 +/- 1.1 and 4.1 +/- 2.4, respectively. The presence of immunoglobulin M was related to the duration of hepatitis and genotype 1 to a more severe hepatic injury and higher viral load. Differences observed in viral load for a single HCV subtype justify the need to quantify HCV-RNA prior to establishing antiviral therapy.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1996

[Tonsillar hamartoma].

Reporting the case of a young woman, 25, with long lasting dysphagia. At examination a pediculated polypoid formation in the lower pole of the left amygdala is verified (3 x 2 cms). After removal, under local anesthesia, is diagnosed as an hamartomatous tonsillar polyp. Review of the literature, analysis of several etiopathogenical theories and differential diagnosis with other resembling amygdaline conditions.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

[Utilization of antibiotics in a hospital emergency department. Quality of prescription].

OBJECTIVES: To know the frequency of antibiotic prescription, the conditions that motivate their usage, and to evaluate the quality of such therapies in a hospital emergency department (HED). METHODS: Retrospective study of 2,677 patients attended at a HED for a one-month period including those who had antibiotics prescribed in the discharge report. The parameters used to evaluate the therapeutic quality included the condition amenable to antibiotic therapy, appropriate antibiotic, dosage, interval of administration, and duration. Each parameter had a score which was used to quantitate the quality in a 0 to 100 scale. RESULTS: A total of 288 patients (10.7%) had antibiotics prescribed for treatment of respiratory tract infections (53.8%) and urinary tract infections (19.4%). The antibiotic group that accounted for most prescriptions was broad-spectrum penicillins (45%), followed by quinolones (12.8%), and urinary antiseptics (11.4%). Only 100 (50.3%) treatments were considered correct for all parameters analyzed. The most inadequate parameters were: non-appropriate antibiotic in 17.1% of cases and incorrect length of administration in 39.9%. The average quality according to scale was 89.6 (SD = 20.3). A lower quality was observed for treatments prescribed when on duty compared with normal working time (p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: Antibiotics are drugs frequently prescribed in HED. Errors were detected in choosing antibiotic therapies and antibiotic course duration in our department, which makes the adoption of intervention measures for its correction necessary.

Drug Prescriptions↗
PubMed1996

[Diagnosis and therapeutic management of gastric lymphomas].

PURPOSE: The optimal management of primary gastric non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (PGL) remains controversial. The purpose of this paper is to describe the histopathology, clinical behavior and management of 15 patients with PGL. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients were diagnosed of PGL in our Center from January 1985 to September 1995. Resection specimens were reexamined and cases were reclassified according to the concept of MALT-derived lymphoma. Age, sex, symptoms, localization, stage, treatment, complications and response were reported. RESULTS: 9 patients had low-grade B-cell lymphoma of MALT type, 5 had high-grade B-cell lymphoma (one with evidence of low-grade lymphoma of MALT type) and 1 had centroblastic-centrocytic B-cell lymphoma. Seven cases were diagnosed by endoscopy biopsies, 8 through laparatomy specimens. Stage was I in 3 cases, II1 in 5, II2 in 5, III in 0 and IV in 2. 13 patients had undergone primary gastric resection: 10 received additional chemotherapy and 1 radiotherapy. The two cases with stage IV have died: one died after surgery and one relapsed immediately after chemotherapy. After a median follow-up of 40 months, 13 patients are alive: 11 in complete response and 2 in relapse. Minor surgical complications occurred in 12 patients and major complications in 6 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Gastric resection still plays an important role in the management of early-stage PGL. Chemotherapy can be an effective therapeutic procedure in unresected or surgical high-risk patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Brain distribution of c-fos expression as a result of prolonged rapid eye movement (REM) sleep period duration.

Auditory stimulation (AS) or recovery from sleep deprivation (SD) has been shown to increase REM sleep periods in rats, cats and humans. This increment in REM has been credited to an amplified level of excitability in a widely distributed neuronal network throughout the brain. Fos-like immunostaining (FLI) has been useful in constructing maps of post-synaptic neuronal activity with single cell resolution, and has been proposed to be tightly related with progressing neuronal activation. This study utilized FLI as a marker to determine the number of neurons and structures which express c-fos in broadly distributed areas of the brain in animals with REM periods prolonged by either AS or SD. The results indicated that the brain stem and diencephalon present FLI increases in a variety of structures that possibly share various functional aspects of the REM sleep mechanism. These results are discussed in terms of the possibility that REM maintenance is related to an increase in the recruitment of REM-on neurons.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1995

Modulation of peptide binding by HLA-B27 polymorphism in pockets A and B, and peptide specificity of B*2703.

The results in this study address three aspects of peptide binding to the disease-associated antigen HLA-B27 and its modulation by polymorphism: the contribution of major anchor residues 2 and 9, the role of pocket B polymorphism in modulating peptide specificity, and the binding properties of B*2703, a subtype not found to be associated with spondyloarthropathy. Synthetic analogs of peptides naturally presented by B*2705 were used to demonstrate that residue 2 is essential, since Ala2 analogs bound marginally to B*2705, but the specificity of B*2705 for Arg2 is not absolute, and show that the contribution of basic residue 9 to binding was significant, but less than Arg2. The effect of single mutations in the B pocket was to decrease or--with the Glu > Met-45 mutation--totally shift pocket B specificity for Arg2 towards other residues at this position. This was shown by quantitating the relative binding of Gln2 and Ala2 analogs, and by pool-sequencing of the peptides bound in vivo to these mutants. Peptides naturally presented by B*2705 apparently bound with a lower affinity to pocket A variants with altered hydrogen bonding to the peptide N terminus, including B*2703. Binding of peptide analogs with changes at positions 2 or 9 suggested that in B*2703 pocket A, interactions are weaker and pocket B interactions are stronger than in B*2705. This can be explained by the effect of the unique His59 change in B*2703 in both pockets. Thus, B*2703 is probably the HLA-B27 sub-type with the most stringent specificity for the Arg2 peptide motif.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Human immunodeficiency virus type-1 can be detected in monocytes by polymerase chain reaction.

Lymphocytes and monocytes from 25 patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1)--13 asymptomatic, seven with the AIDS-related complex (ARC) and five with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)--were lysed and subjected to PCR with three primer pairs: SK38/SK39 (gag), SK68/SK69 (env) and SK29/SK30 (LTR). Amplified DNA was solution-hybridised with 32P-labelled probes (SK19, SK70 and SK31, respectively) and detected by PAGE-autoradiography. HIV-1 DNA was detected as follows. Asymptomatic patients: monocytes--gag 61.5%, env 100%, LTR 0%; lymphocytes--gag 100%, env 92.3%, LTR 53.84%. ARC patients: monocytes--gag 71.4%, env 57.1%, LTR 0%; lymphocytes--gag 100%, env 71.4%, LTR 71.4%. AIDS patients: monocytes--gag 80.0%, env 100%, LTR 0%; lymphocytes--gag 100%, env 60%, LTR 60%. The presence of HIV-1 DNA was confirmed in the monocyte fraction. In this cell subset, the env gene-directed primers were the most effective for amplification, whereas the LTR gene-directed primers failed to amplify HIV-1 DNA. The different pattern of amplification found in monocytes may suggest that these cells could be infected by a genetic variant of the virus.

AIDS-Related Complex↗
PubMed1995

Cephalosporin binding sites to human serum albumin and the relation with the N-B transition of this protein.

The binding of some cephalosporins to human serum albumin was studied using probes for the so-called I, II, bilirubin and fatty acids binding sites. The results showed that cephradine and cefsulodin bind to site II, cefaclor, cefamandole, cefsulodin, cephaloglycin and cefadroxil bind to the bilirubin binding site, while cefaclor does it to the fatty acid binding site. No binding of these cephalosporins to site I of albumin was found. The binding produced a perturbation on the N-B equilibrium of albumin, stabilizing the N conformational form, which suggests that the N form of albumin has more affinity with the cephalosporins than the B form. This finding gives support to the assumption that the binding of cephalosporins to site II, bilirubin and fatty acids binding sites affects the N-B transition of albumin.

Bilirubin↗
PubMed1995

[Spondylodiscitis caused by Enterococcus: an unusual entity].

BACKGROUND: Spondylodiscitis by enterococcus is a very infrequent disease with only 2 cases caused exclusively by this microorganism having been reported in the literature. METHODS: Two clinical cases of spondylodiscitis by enterococcus diagnosed in the authors' department are presented with the clinical, radiologic and evolutive features of both. RESULTS: In the first case the spondylodiscitis was secondary to endocarditis with lumbosacral involvement and formation of an anterior epidural inflammatory mass. The second case was the consequence of an infection of urinary origin with lumbosacral involvement. Both patients responded favorably with only antibiotic treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Spondylodiscitis by enterococci is an unusual disease with no therapeutic experience. The authors report 2 cases which were treated exclusively with antibiotics.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

An unknown hydrolase activity of human serum albumin: beta-lactamase activity.

The interaction of a chromogenic cephalosporin, 3-(2, 4 dinitrostyryl)-(6 R, 7 R) -7(2 thienylacetamido)-ceph 3-em-5-carboxylic acid) (nitrocefin) with human serum albumin was studied. Purified human albumin was showed to have a hydrolase activity, catalyzing the decomposition of the chromogenic cephalosporin. The dimeric and trimeric form of albumin also showed this hydrolase activity. The presence of the following amino acid residues at the catalytic site of albumin was demonstrated: tyrosyls 199 and 411, tryptophan 214, lysyls 195, 225 and 240, histidyl 146, also some argynyls were involucrated.

Arginine↗