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Biomedical subjects

F Mota

Publications and source records attributed to F Mota.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Patients with locally advanced cervical cancer should not undergo routine pretreatment surgical staging.

The current FIGO staging system for locally advanced cervical cancer (Stages IIB to IVA) is considerably inaccurate, especially because lymph node metastases are ignored. Surgical staging has been used to overcome this insufficiency, allowing individualisation of therapy. However, this approach is controversial and should not be routinely undertaken considering the feasibility, adequacy and morbidity involved with the surgical procedure. Moreover, the survival benefit of surgical staging has yet to be proven and accurate non-invasive imaging alternatives, such as position emission tomography (PET) scanning, have become available. The management of patients with locally advanced cervical cancer based on PET and computed tomography (CT) imaging is proposed and discussed.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2004

Plasma cell cheilitis.

Plasma cell cheilitis is a rare inflammatory disorder of the lip with a characteristic band-like infiltrate of plasma cells in the upper dermis. Differential diagnosis should consider allergic/irritant contact cheilitis, candidiasis, syphilis, Queyrat's erythroplasia, granulomatous cheilitis, plasmoacanthoma, plasmacytoma, squamous cell carcinoma and exfoliative or factitious cheilitis. We observed plasma cell cheilitis in a 60-year-old Caucasian female who had a partial response to topical steroids and oral griseofulvin.

Antifungal Agents↗
PubMed2001

Acral necrosis by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia.

BACKGROUND: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (SM) has been considered a nosocomial pathogen. Nevertheless, community acquired infection may occur more frequently than usually recognized. CASE: We describe distal necrosis of the fingers by SM in a farmer, contracted in the community and successfully treated with a combination of cotrimoxazole and ciprofloxacin. The patient was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia 6 months later. CONCLUSIONS: This unusual presentation shows that infection with SM should be included in the differential diagnosis of the skin and soft tissue infection, even in apparently healthy patients.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Interanionic (-)O-H...O(-) interactions: a solid-state and computational study of the ring and chain motifs.

The (-)O-H...O(-) interaction formed by the anions HCO3-, HCO4, HC4O4 and HC5O5- (HA-), obtained upon monodeprotonation of the corresponding carbonic, oxalic, squaric and croconic acids (H2A), has been investigated theoretically and experimentally. The ring (RING) and chain (CHAIN) hydrogen bond motifs established between these anions have been analysed in terms of geometry and energy and their occurrence in crystalline salts investigated by searching the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) and the Inorganic Chemistry Structural Database (ICSD). It has been shown that hydrogen carbonates form RINGs, with the notable exception of NaHCO3, while only CHAINs are known for hydrogen oxalates. Hydrogen squarates and hydrogen croconates can form both RINGs and CHAINs. The structures of Rb- and Cs- hydrogen croconates, which present the two alternative motifs, have been discussed together with that of the hydrated salt NaHC5O5.H2O. The relationship between RING and CHAIN has been examined in the light of ab initio calculations. A rigorous quantum chemical study of the nature of the interanionic (-)O-H...O(-) interaction in both vacuum and condensed phase has shown that the interaction energy is dominated by the electrostatic component which becomes attractive at short O...O distances (less than 2.5 A) if the net ionic charge on the anion is delocalised away from the -OH group. It has been demonstrated that the RING motif is slightly metastable with respect to dissociation in the gas phase, but becomes stable in the crystal owing to the influence of the Madelung field. However, the CHAIN motif is unstable both in the gas phase and in the crystal. It is argued that interanionic (-)O-H...O(-) interactions ought to be regarded as stabilising bonding interactions rather than proper intermolecular hydrogen bonds because the RING and CHAIN aggregates are not energetically stable on an absolute scale of bonding energy (i.e., in the absence of counterions). The presence of very short non-hydrogen-bridged O...O contacts resulting from charge compression of polyatomic anions bridged by alkali cations is also discussed.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1999

The antigen-presenting environment in normal and human papillomavirus (HPV)-related premalignant cervical epithelium.

The activation of HPV-specific T cells within the cervical microenvironment is likely to play an important part in the natural history of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). The extent and the type of T cell activation will depend critically on the expression of MHC, costimulatory cell surface molecules and cytokines by keratinocytes and Langerhans cells within the cervical lesion. Expression of MHC class II (HLA-A-DR and -DQ), costimulatory/adhesion molecules (CD11a/18, CD50, CD54, CD58 and CD86) and cytokines (tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and IL-10) was therefore investigated by immunohistochemistry in normal squamous epithelium (n = 12), low-grade (n = 23) and high-grade (n = 18) squamous intraepithelial lesions of the cervix. CIN progression was associated with de novo expression of HLA-DR and CD54, and increased expression of CD58 by keratinocytes. However, significantly, there was no expression of any adhesion/costimulation molecule by epithelial Langerhans cells in any cervical biopsy studied. Furthermore, TNF-alpha, a potent activator of Langerhans cells, was expressed constitutively by basal keratinocytes in normal cervix (12+/12). but expression of this cytokine was absent in a number of CIN samples (20+/23 for low-grade, 12+/18 for high-grade CIN). Conversely, the suppressive cytokine IL-10 was absent in normal epithelium (0+/12), but was up-regulated in a number of CIN lesions (12+/23 for low-grade; 8+/18 for high-grade CIN). The restricted expression of costimulation/adhesion molecules and the nature of the cytokine microenvironment within the epithelium may act to limit effective immune responses in some CIN lesions.

Antigen Presentation↗
PubMed1999

Characterization of soluble factors from cultures of premalignant cervical epithelium.

PURPOSE: Immune responses within the cervical microenvironment are likely to play an important role in the natural history of premalignant lesions but the pattern of this response and how it is regulated has not been documented in detail. METHODS: Explants of premalignant cervical epithelium were cultured in vitro for 24 hours. The culture supernatants were assayed for the presence of IL-1alpha, IL-10, IL-12 and TNF-alpha by ELISA. Aliquots of each supernatant were also added to a CD3-dependent T cell proliferation assay. RESULTS: The pattern of cytokines found in different samples was heterogeneous and no significant correlation was observed between the various cytokines examined. The functional effects observed were also diverse, with some supernatants showing strong inhibitory T cell activity, while others were stimulatory. CONCLUSION: Our results document the heterogeneity of the local cytokine microenvironment of premalignant cervical lesions, which may play a role in regulating the immune response associated with such lesions and hence influence clinical outcome.

CD3 Complex↗
PubMed1998

Serotype specificity of the neutralizing-antibody response induced by the individual surface proteins of rotavirus in natural infections of young children.

The relative contribution of the rotavirus surface proteins, VP4 and VP7, to the induction of homotypic as well as heterotypic neutralizing antibodies (NtAbs) in natural infections was studied. The NtAb titers of paired sera from 70 infants with serologically defined primary rotavirus infections were determined with a panel of rotavirus reassortants having one surface protein from a human rotavirus (serotypes G1 to G4 for VP7 and P1A and P1B for VP4) and the other surface protein from a heterologous animal rotavirus strain. A subset of 37 children were evaluated for epitope-specific antibodies to the two proteins by an epitope-blocking assay. The infants were found to seroconvert more frequently to VP4 than to VP7 by both methods, although the titers of the seroconverters were higher to VP7 than to VP4. Both proteins induced homotypic as well as heterotypic NtAbs. G1 VP7 frequently induced a response to both G1 and G3 VP7s, while G3 VP7 and P1A VP4 induced mostly homotypic responses.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1998

Antigenic and genomic diversity of human rotavirus VP4 in two consecutive epidemic seasons in Mexico.

In the present investigation we characterized the antigenic diversity of the VP4 and VP7 proteins in 309 and 261 human rotavirus strains isolated during two consecutive epidemic seasons, respectively, in three different regions of Mexico. G3 was found to be the prevalent VP7 serotype during the first year, being superseded by serotype G1 strains during the second season. To antigenically characterize the VP4 protein of the strains isolated, we used five neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) which showed specificity for VP4 serotypes P1A, P1B, and P2 in earlier studies. Eight different patterns of reactivity with these MAbs were found, and the prevalence of three of these patterns varied from one season to the next. The P genotype of a subset of 52 samples was determined by PCR. Among the strains characterized as genotype P[4] and P[8] there were three and five different VP4 MAb reactivity patterns, respectively, indicating that the diversity of neutralization epitopes in VP4 is greater than that previously appreciated by the genomic typing methods.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1997

Cathepsin E expression by normal and premalignant cervical epithelium.

We have investigated the expression of the aspartic proteinase cathepsin E and HLA-DR and the presence of HPV16 in normal squamous epithelium (n = 8) and low-grade (n = 21) and high-grade (n = 14) intraepithelial squamous lesions of the uterine cervix. Immunohistochemistry of cervical biopsies revealed that up-regulation of cathepsin E expression was related to increasing severity of the cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Up-regulation of protein was associated with increased message as assessed by in situ hybridization. Langerhans cells and the majority of koilocytes did not express detectable cathepsin E levels. Although there was also an up-regulation of HLA-DR expression by cervical keratinocytes in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia lesions, as determined by immunohistochemistry, no significant correlation was found between HLA-DR and cathepsin E expression in these lesions; neither was expression of cathepsin E correlated to the presence of HPV16, detected by polymerase chain reaction. The expression of cathepsin E, an aspartic proteinase that is reported to play a role in antigen processing for presentation by class II major histocompatibility complex molecules, is associated with cellular dedifferentiation in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Regulation of cathepsin E expression during human B cell differentiation in vitro.

Cathepsin E is an aspartic proteinase which has been implicated in antigen processing in the class II major histocompatibility complex pathway. In this study we show that cathepsin E, measured at both the protein and message level, is up-regulated late in human B cell activation. The implications of this observation in terms of cathepsin E function are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

[Control of diarrheal diseases in Mexico and Latin America].

Oral rehydration therapy (ORT), has been considered the major advance in the treatment of the diarrheal diseases, and has been the single most important factor in the decrease of mortality and decreased morbidity in childhood diarrheal. ORT, is not limited to the administration of oral rehydration solution; it also includes feeding techniques and community education and participation. In order to promote ORT, national programs have been developed and promoted in educational centers in strategic areas of the Latin America countries, where medical and paramedical staff attend. In México there have been two national surveys to evaluate the ORT program. This policy has allowed for participating countries to reduce the cost of treatment of diarrheal disease.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1975

[Phagocytosis in patients with splenectomy].

Phagocytosis was evaluated in nine patients with splenctomy undergoing renal transplant, eight renal transplanted patients without splenectomy, three immunodepressed patients with terminal renal failure, four patients with splenectomy and six healthy volunteers. For phagocytosis evaluation, neutrophils adhered to glass were used. They were cover with 4% latex and albumin containing culture medium with or without phagocytosis stimulating tetrapeptide extracted from IgG in each case. Phagocytosis was decreased in all groups studied. Immunodepressed patients showed the highest diminishment of phagocytosis and patients with splenectomy and immunodepression the lesser. It was speculated that such a finding is due to a decrease of tetrapeptide in serum.

Acute Kidney Injury↗