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Biomedical subjects

Fernando Pérez

Publications and source records attributed to Fernando Pérez.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Population pharmacokinetics of gentamicin in premature newborns.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the pharmacokinetic parameters of gentamicin in a population of 200 premature newborns and to investigate the influence of several clinical and physiopathological covariates on the pharmacokinetics of the drug. To validate the pharmacokinetic analysis performed in another population of 50 premature newborns. METHODS: A total of 200 premature newborns were evaluated at the neonatal intensive care unit of Severo Ochoa Hospital (Madrid, Spain). Four hundred and seventeen serum drug concentrations were included. Mean gestational age (GA) was 32.19+/-2.97 weeks, mean postnatal age (PNA) was 5.49+/-5.41 days and mean body weight (BW) was 1.68+/-0.63 kg. Fifty additional newborns were studied for validation (mean GA 32.62+/-3.07 weeks, mean PNA 5.17+/-3.77 days and mean BW 1.80+/-0.67 kg). Dosing, serum gentamicin concentrations and 15 covariates were collected. Data analysis was performed with NONMEM. One- and two-compartment open models were evaluated. Four parameters were analysed with the two-compartment open model: clearance (CL), central volume (Vc), peripheral volume (Vp) and intercompartmental clearance (Q). RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The two-compartment open model was found to significantly better describe gentamicin pharmacokinetics in the neonate. More than PNA or GA, creatinine clearance (CLCR) plays an important role in the elimination of gentamicin in premature newborns. Creatinine clearance is also related to GA. The appropriate dosing regimens given in accordance with the characteristics of the patients are 5 mg/kg/48 h and 4 mg/kg/24 or 36 h for neonates<32 weeks and >or=32 weeks of GA, respectively.

Age Factors↗

Differential subcellular distribution of glucose transporters GLUT1-6 and GLUT9 in human cancer: ultrastructural localization of GLUT1 and GLUT5 in breast tumor tissues.

It has been proposed that the enhanced metabolic activity of tumor cells is accompanied by an increased expression of facilitative hexose transporters (GLUTs). However, a previous immunohistochemical analysis of GLUT1 expression in 154 malignant human neoplasms failed to detect the GLUT1 isoform in 87 tumors. We used 146 normal human tissues and 215 tumor samples to reassess GLUT1 expression. A similar number of samples were used to compare the expression of GLUT2-6 and 9. The classical expression of GLUT1-5 in different normal human tissues was confirmed, however, we were unable to detect GLUT2 in human pancreatic islet cells. GLUT6 was principally detected in testis germinal cells and GLUT9 was localized in kidney, liver, heart, and adrenal. In tumor samples, GLUT1, 2, and 5 were the main transporters detected. GLUT1 was the most widely expressed transporter, however, 42% of the samples had very low-to-negative expression levels. GLUT2 was detected in 31% of the samples, being mainly expressed in breast, colon, and liver carcinoma. GLUT5 was detected in 27% of breast and colon adenocarcinoma, liver carcinoma, lymphomas, and testis seminoma samples. In situ RT-PCR and ultrastructural immunohistochemistry confirmed GLUT5 expression in breast cancer. GLUT6 and 9 are not clearly over-expressed in human cancer. The extensive expression of GLUT2 and 5 (glucose/fructose and fructose transporters, respectively) in malignant human tissues indicates that fructose may be a good energy substrate in tumor cells. Our functional data obtained in vitro in different tumor cells support this hypothesis. Additionally, these results suggest that fructose uptake could be used for positron emission tomography imaging and, may possibly represent a novel target for the development of therapeutic agents in different human cancers.

Animals↗

Structural, antigenetic and transcriptional characteristics in peripheral blood CD34+ progenitor cells from polycythemia vera patients: evidence for delayed determination.

Polycythemia vera (PV) is a clonal disorder characterized by trilinear hematopoietic proliferation. PV progenitors are hypersensitive to several growth factors although their receptor expression is reduced or absent. In this study selected CD34+ peripheral blood (PB) cells from PV patients, PB healthy donors and patients with secondary polycythemia (SP) were investigated and compared concerning frequency, morphology, antigen expression, transcription of differentiation markers and proliferation as well as apoptosis rate following short-term culture. The highest amount of CD34+ cells was found in the SP group while the frequency was slightly lower but more variable in PV. Native PV CD34+ cells varied in shape and form and developed intracytoplasmatic organelles like mitochondria and a more extended Golgi apparatus while in the other groups they constituted a uniform phenotype. However, no premature transcripts for glycophorin A (GypA) and CD41b, both markers for advanced erythropoiesis and megakaryopoiesis, could be detected in sorted PV progenitors. Also, coexpression for early acting hematopoietic cytokine receptors IL-3Ralpha and c-Kit and for initial erythropoiesis (GypC) or megakaryopoiesis (CD61) was similar in the different groups. Performing 96 h cocultures with bone marrow (BM) fibroblasts the frequency of CD34+ cells was elevated, downregulation of IL-3Ralpha delayed, coexpression of GypC reduced and proliferative activity higher in the PV group. Our results suggest that primitive hematopoiesis is altered in PV because PB CD34+ cells in this disease are characterized by a maturation dissociation with increased activation in untreated populations and a delayed differentiation in short-term cultures.

Adult↗

Mixed chimerism of the resident macrophage population after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for chronic myeloid leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Bone marrow macrophages have been recognized to play a crucial role in the functional network that constitutes the microenvironment. In chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), neoplastic macrophages are presumably responsible for the expansion of the leukemic cell clone. So far, no information is available about a persistence of host-type macrophages after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) implicating a lineage-specific mixed chimerism. METHODS: Bone marrow trephine biopsies were investigated in eight male and five female patients with CML after BMT after a sex-mismatched host/donor constellation. Techniques included immunophenotyping (CD68) for identification of resident macrophages and a simultaneous genotyping with X- and Y-chromosome-specific DNA-probes (fluorescence in situ hybridization). Normal bone marrow and specimens of CML patients before BMT served as controls. RESULTS: Contrasting an almost 100% congruence with the genotyping in the controls, a mixed chimerism of the CD68+ macrophages and the other host myeloid cells was found. Until 3 months after BMT, incidence of host-type macrophages ranged from 8% to 10%. This feature was also identifiable in the peculiar subset of pseudo-Gaucher cells (PGCs). The number of host-type macrophages failed to decline significantly during the early posttransplant period, because after almost 4 months these were still detectable. On the other hand, in patients showing an initial-to-manifest leukemic relapse, an insidious conversion of up to 50% from the donor to host-type macrophages and myeloid cells occurred. CONCLUSIONS: The CD68+ resident bone marrow macrophage population including PGCs are involved in the lineage-specific chimerism and minimal residual disease after BMT in CML.

Biopsy, Needle↗

Ca2+-ions and pattern control in Hydra.

The fresh water polyp Hydraforms buds which develop a foot at their base and separate from the parent. In the strain H. vulgaris (Zürich), various compounds including phorbolesters, diacylglycerols, cantharidin and Li+-ions were found to prevent foot formation at the bud's base. Therewith, the bud transforms into a branch which persists at the parent. Other strains were found to be unaffected by such treatments. Here we show that a reduced Ca2+-ion concentration of the culture medium causes branch formation in the H. vulgaris (Zürich) strain but not in the other strains tested. However, all strains tested transformed their buds into branches when the medium was enriched with Ba2+ and Sr2+ ions. We suggest that the various treatments either reduce the internal concentration of Ca2+-ions by stimulating Ca2+-ion export or compete with Ca2+-ions at theirtarget. H. vulgaris (Zürich) isthe most sensitive strain tested and appears to have the most efficient Ca2+-pumps. This appears to be necessary forthese animals derived from a lake which is extremely rich in Ca2+ ions.

Animals↗

[Biological model for detection of food antigens].

Antigenic macromolecules present in food can induce inflammatory allergic reaction in sensitized persons. The aim of the present work is the development of an animal model to detect food antigens based on hypersensitivity reaction after food ingestion. New Zealand rabbits were divided in 5 groups. Group 1 (GI): control. G2: Ovalbumin (OVA) sensitized. G3: sensitized and orally challenged with OVA. G4: OVA sensitized and phosphate buffer solution challenged (PBS). G5: sensitized and challenged with OVA. Samples from cecum were stained with Alcian Blue pH < 1 for mast cells and with silver method for enteroendocrine cells (EEC). Other samples were immunostained with anti CD5 and CD25 monoclonal antibodies. Specific IgE levels were detected by PCA. Histopathology of G5 showed patchy edema, lymphangiectasia and eosinophilic infiltration. Results were expressed as cells per HPF (high power field); Mast cells in G1: 1.33; G2: 12.80 and G5: 10.20. Enteroendocrine cells in surface epithelium: G1: 1.6; G2: 6.0; G5: 4.2 and in deep epithelium: G1: 3.0; G2: 12.0 and G5: 7.3. Lymphocytes CD5+ in G1: 24.21: G2: 22.12 and G5: 23.97 and CD25+ in G1: 12.10: G2: 14.30 and G5: 21.68. Group 3 were similar to G1 and G4 to G2. We observed: mast cells increased in number probably due to OVA induced response. EEC showed an increase in sensitized animals because of higher expression of cytoplasmatic granules or differentiation from stem cells. Decrease in EEC number in challenged groups was likely to be based on vesicles release. Total T cells showed no significant differences among groups. CD 25+ cells were higher in sensitized and challenged animals. We concluded that rabbit model of sensitization and oral challenge is valid to study ingested food antigens and potential digestive pathologic reactions.

Animals↗

[Women's satisfaction with pregnancy follow-up. Differences among healthcare levels].

OBJECTIVES: To determine women's satisfaction with pregnancy follow-up and to evaluate possible differences among healthcare levels. METHODS: Cross-sectional study in women who had given birth in the University Hospital of Salamanca (Spain) between November 2002 and April 2003. Satisfaction was measured by a self-completed questionnaire after delivery. The questionnaire contained 28 items, with five optional answers (1, not satisfied; 5, highly satisfied), distributed in four dimensions: accessibility, equipment, organization of the consultation, and professional competence. Social demographic and healthcare-related variables were also included. Student's t-test, variance analysis, Pearson's correlation coefficient and logistic regression were used to study the association between these variables and satisfaction. RESULTS: A total of 27.1% of pregnancies were followed-up in primary care. The mean global satisfaction was 3.92 (95% CI, 3.88-3.97), and satisfaction was higher in women followed-up in primary care than those followed-up in specialized care. All dimensions obtained a global satisfaction of more than 3; "accessibility" received the worst score and "professional competence" the highest. The factors significantly associated with satisfaction were age, educational level, the presence of risk factors and complications, and the possibility of choosing the physician. CONCLUSIONS: General satisfaction was good. Because satisfaction was higher in women followed-up in primary care than in those followed-up in specialized care, pregnancy follow-up at this level of healthcare should be supported.

Adult↗