Biomedical subjects

Félix Bermejo

Publications and source records attributed to Félix Bermejo.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

The cyclopentenone 15-deoxy-delta(12,14)-prostaglandin J2 inhibits G1/S transition and retinoblastoma protein phosphorylation in immortalized lymphocytes from Alzheimer's disease patients.

Epidemiologic studies indicated that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) might prevent or delay the clinical features of Alzheimer disease (AD). The pharmacological activity of NSAIDs is generally attributed to inhibition of cyclooxygenase and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) activation. Based on the antineoplastic and apoptotic effects of PPARgamma activation in a number of cell types, we hypothesized that NSAIDs could protect neurons by controlling the regulation of cell cycle. Recent work suggests that uncoordinated expression of cell cycle molecules and perturbation of cell cycle checkpoints may be one of the mechanisms by which post-mitotic neurons die. Since cell cycle dysfunction is not restricted to neurons in AD, we found it interesting to study the role of PPARgamma activation on cell proliferation in immortalized lymphocytes from AD patients. We report here that 15-deoxy-delta(12,14)-prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2), but not NSAIDs or thiazolidinediones inhibited the serum-mediated enhancement of cell proliferation in AD by blocking the events critical for G1/S transition. The cyclopentenone induced a partial inhibition of retinoblastoma protein phosphorylation and increased levels of the CDK inhibitor p27kip1.

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PubMed2004

[Stroke in young adults].

Stroke in young adults (15-45 years) is a rare condition. Up to 10% of patients with a first stroke admitted to the hospital belong in this age group. Stroke in the young patient is different from stroke in the elderly in several aspects such as etiology and prognosis. Usually, the management of stroke in young adults warrants an exhaustive etiological work-up. In this article, we review the most relevant issues in the study of young adults who suffer from stroke.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent modulation of cell cycle elements pRb and p27kip1 involved in the enhanced proliferation of lymphoblasts from patients with Alzheimer dementia.

Failure of cell cycle regulation in neurons might be critically involved in the process of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We present here evidence to support the hypothesis that cell cycle alterations occur in cells other than neurons in AD sufferers. Lymphocytes from AD patients immortalized with Epstein-Barr virus showed an enhanced rate of proliferation and increased phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma protein (pRb) and other members of the family of pocket proteins compared with cell lines derived from normal age-matched controls. The calmodulin antagonist calmidazolium, as well as W-7 and W-13, abrogated the enhanced activity of AD cells without altering the normal basal rate of proliferation. The effect of calmidazolium was accompanied by partially dephosphorylation of pRb. No changes were found in the expression levels of the G1 cyclin/Cdks complexes. However, lymphoblasts derived from AD patients showed reduced levels of the Cdk inhibitor p27(kip1), which were restored after anti-calmodulin treatment of the cultures. These observations suggest that in AD cells the enhanced rates of cell proliferation and phosphorylation of pRb and the intracellular content of p27(kip1) may be interrelated events controlled by a mechanism dependent on the Ca(2+)/calmodulin signaling pathway. The distinct functional features of lymphoblastoid cells from AD patients offer an invaluable, noninvasive tool to investigate the etiopathogenesis, and eventually, for the early diagnosis and prognosis of this devastating disease.

Aged↗