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Biomedical subjects

G Mora

Publications and source records attributed to G Mora.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Traumatic lumbosacral dislocation in a 5-year-old boy with eight years follow-up.

STUDY DESIGN: The authors present an unusual case of pure traumatic bilateral lumbosacral dislocation in a 5-year-old boy, the conservative treatment carried out, and the long-term result. OBJECTIVES: To describe a rare traumatic lesion in children and evaluate the result obtained with conservative treatment. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Watson-Jones was the first to describe this type of lesion. Since then, only a few cases have been added. Most authors suggest that open reduction should be carried out. No cases of this type of injury in children have been reported. METHODS: A 5-year-old boy was hit in the lumbosacral region with a rocking chair. Examination showed neurologic deficit of left L5 and S1 nerve roots. Roentgenographic examination and computed tomography scan confirmed the anterior dislocation of the fifth lumbar vertebra on the sacrum without any fracture. He was treated with traction, followed by hyperextension in a Cotrel traction table and further immobilization with a lumbar plaster jacket. RESULTS: Eight years after the injury, the patient had no neurologic deficit and lumbar radiographs showed a good alignment of the lumbosacral spine. CONCLUSION: In children with traumatic lumbosacral dislocation, closed reduction should be attempted even if neurologic deficit is present.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1995

Regulation of vascular smooth muscle soluble guanylate cyclase activity, mRNA, and protein levels by cAMP-elevating agents.

Although the biochemical properties of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) have been extensively studied, little is known about the regulation of gene expression of sGC subunits by second messengers. cAMP analogues and elevating agents have been previously shown to alter gene expression in vascular cells. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of cAMP-elevating agents on sodium nitroprusside-stimulated sGC activity and to correlate activity changes with mRNA and protein levels in cultured rat aortic smooth muscle cells. Pretreatment of cells with 50 to 1000 mumol/L isobutylmethyl-xanthine or 0.01 to 10 mumol/L forskolin led to a time- and concentration-dependent decrease in sodium nitroprusside-induced cGMP accumulation, first evident after 3 hours of pretreatment with forskolin and 6 hours of pretreatment with isobutylmethylxanthine. Incubation of cells with a protein kinase A-selective inhibitor (H89 or KT 5720) partially or fully prevented the downregulation in sodium nitroprusside-induced cGMP accumulation caused by cAMP-elevating agents. Quantification of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction products by high-performance liquid chromatography revealed that mRNA for both alpha1- and beta1-subunits of sGC were decreased in cells pretreated with isobutylmethylxanthine and forskolin but not with dideoxyforskolin (inactive analogue). Moreover, protein levels for the sGC alpha1 subunit of cells pretreated with isobutylmethylxanthine and forskolin but not with dideoxyforskolin were decreased as indicated by Western blot analysis. These data indicate that cAMP-elevating agents decrease sGC activity, possibly by decreasing mRNA or protein levels or both.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Deep hypothermia diminishes the ischemic induction of heat-shock protein-72 mRNA in piglet brain.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Expression of the 72-kD heat-shock protein (HSP72) has served as a useful indicator of ischemic stress after cerebral ischemia. Moderate hypothermia (30 degrees C) has been reported to block the induction of HSP72 after a brief episode of forebrain ischemia. The objective of the present study was to examine the effects of deep hypothermia (15 degrees C) on expression of HSP72 after a prolonged period of cerebral ischemia. METHODS: Piglets 19 to 23 days old, were placed on cardiopulmonary bypass, and brain temperature was lowered to 23 degrees C (n = 9) or 15 degrees C (n = 9) before circulatory arrest for 1 hour. In an additional group of animals (n = 5), the temperature was lowered to 29 degrees C before arrest for 45 minutes. All animals were reperfused at 37 degrees C for 2 hours, and the regional expression of HSP72 mRNA was assessed using in situ hybridization. RESULTS: After ischemia at 15 degrees C, expression of HSP72 mRNA was limited to a few scattered regions of cerebral cortex; the percentage of cortex exhibiting HSP72 mRNA was 23 +/- 7% (mean +/- SEM). Ischemia at 23 degrees C triggered expression of HSP72 mRNA in a significantly larger portion of the cortex (68 +/- 8%, P < .001). Ischemia at 29 degrees C failed to induce substantial expression of HSP72 mRNA in the cerebral cortex. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that, relative to ischemia at 23 degrees C, deep hypothermia (15 degrees C) diminishes ischemic alterations leading to induction of HSP72 mRNA. The lack of cortical expression of HSP72 mRNA following ischemia at 29 degrees C may be secondary to inadequate recovery of energy metabolism.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

[Retroperitoneal ganglioneuroma. A case report and review of the literature].

Ganglioneuromas are typically of slow growth and benign evolution and may remain clinically silent for a considerable time if favourably situated. Many large examples are discovered incidentally on X-ray examination, routine abdominal palpation or at necropsy. Ganglioneuromas are often encountered in childhood and are found more frequently in the posterior mediastinum than in any other single situation; other sites are the lumbar and pelvic retroperitoneal tissues, the gastrointestinal tract and the mesentery. Diffuse alimentary tract ganglioneuromatosis has been described as port of the multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome (MEN) type II-B. Sometimes ganglioneuromas are found in the von Recklinghausen Syndrome. The authors report in this paper a rare case of a retropancreatic ganglioneuromas.

Female↗
PubMed1992

Cardiorespiratory parameters in draught horses before and after short term draught work pulling loads.

In order to establish the relationship between draught force and cardiorespiratory responses to exercise heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), arterial and venous blood gases, pH, hemoglobin concentration and temperature were measured in five draught horses during rest, immediately after exercise and 30 min post-exercise under field conditions. A wagon equipped with an odometer and a hydraulic dynamometer was used for measuring distance and draught force. The wagon was loaded with 946 kg for the low load, 1,979 kg for the medium load and 2,994 kg for the high load, and drawn for a distance of 1,500 m. Draught force and load weight were linearly related. The response of the draught horse to low and medium load exercise was characterized by a moderate increase in HR, RR and temperature with no significant changes in arterial blood gases and pH. An increase in HR, RR and temperature was observed, whereas no changes in arterial PO2 and increases in venous PO2 were noticed after high load exercise. Slight increase in venous lactic acid concentration as a result of high load exercise was observed, suggesting that some anaerobic work was performed. However this was insufficient to produce changes in blood pH. The increase in metabolic requirements during the three levels of draught exercise was associated with increases in arterial hemoglobin concentration and oxygen content of blood.

Acid-Base Equilibrium↗
PubMed1991

Effects of steroidal and non-steroidal antiandrogens on the androgen binding properties of the rat ventral prostate androgen receptor.

Steroidal (cyproterone acetate) and non-steroidal (RU23908 and hydroxyflutamide) antiandrogens are able to block testosterone-induced increases in nuclear androgen receptor (AR) in the prostate of 1-day orchidectomized rats, but when given alone, RU23908 and hydroxyflutamide increase nuclear AR (RU23908 greater than hydroxyflutamide) in the same animal model. The increases in nuclear AR induced by antiandrogen alone or with testosterone alone are blocked by cycloheximide 1 h after administration, suggesting that androgen or antiandrogens induce de novo AR synthesis. Concomitant to nuclear AR accumulation, testosterone is able to induce depletion of cytosol and microsomal AR. Blockade of testosterone-induced depletion of microsomal AR, but not of cytosol AR, occurs in the presence of antiandrogens. Cyproterone acetate has a higher relative binding affinity (RBA) for microsomal AR and cytosol AR than RU23908 or hydroxyflutamide. This phenomenon is in good agreement with the degree of inhibition by these compounds of the association rate of androgen for the microsomal AR. This correlation between RBA and inhibition of the initial rate of hormone binding to the receptor is not found for cytosol AR. The results show that antiandrogens are not 'pure' antagonists of androgen action and they are potent agonists in the absence of testosterone. Furthermore, testosterone alone or antiandrogens per se regulate AR levels acutely by protein-synthesis dependent mechanisms of action, in rat ventral prostate.

Androgen Antagonists↗
PubMed1989

Evaluation of Western immunoblotting technique in the serological diagnosis of human syphilitic infections.

Purified human syphilitic antibodies against both 15.5 Kd and 45 Kd treponemal antigens appear T. pallidum specific and do not cross react with antigens possessed by other treponemes (T. phagedenis, T. hyodysenteriae and a human intestinal treponeme). By using Western immunoblotting technique, 107 out of 110 syphilitic patients and 291 out of 294 subjects with serologically positive diagnostic tests for syphilis were found to have in their sera antibodies against a 15.5 Kd specific antigen of T. pallidum. These antibodies were present in 100% of the patient with secondary or early latent syphilis, both untreated and treated, in 98.24% of those with late latent treated syphilis and in 100% of patients with neurosyphilis. On the contrary, they were absent in 47 patients with false positive reactions for syphilis and in 121 healthy blood donors. For these reasons, the demonstration of these kind of antibodies in a patient's serum can be considered of high value in differentiating syphilitic patients from non infected individuals.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMed1989

Effect of naloxone and luteinizing hormone releasing hormone pulses on plasma luteinizing hormone concentration in ewe lambs.

A study was conducted to determine the effect of pulses of naloxone on plasma LH concentration in prepubertal ewes and to see if this treatment affects the pituitary response to subsequent LHRH pulses. Prepubertal ewes (n = 5) received three intracarotidal pulses of naloxone (NAL, 1 mg/kg BW) and four pulses of Luteinizing Hormone Releasing Hormone (LHRH, 1 micrograms/pulse) at hourly intervals. Control ewes (n = 5) received saline instead of NAL followed by the LHRH pulses at the same frequency. Blood samples were collected from one hour before the first pulse of saline or NAL at 15 min intervals for four hours and at 30 min intervals for another four hours. Plasma LH concentration was measured by radioimmunoassay. The first pulse of NAL increased plasma LH levels compared to the basal levels and compared to control animals (P less than 0.01). The succeeding pulses were ineffective. LHRH provoked an increase in plasma LH concentration in control as well as in treated animals but the amplitude of the net peak height increased progressively up to the third pulse in NAL treated animals, while there was no increase in pituitary responsiveness to LHRH in control prepubertal ewes. Also, the area under the LHRH response curve was greater (P less than 0.05) in animals pretreated with NAL than in lambs pretreated with saline. The results suggest that there is an inhibitory opioid tone over LH secretion in female lambs. NAL increases the responsiveness to exogenous LHRH pulses, probably as a result of endogenous LHRH release.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Cloning, expression and characterization of the 36 KDal Salmonella typhi porin gene in Escherichia coli.

A recombinant plasmid containing the gene for the 36 KDal porin of Salmonella typhi has been identified in a cosmid library of S. typhi propagated in Escherichia coli. The recombinant clone was identified by its ability to endow E. coli with susceptibility to porin specific phages, and by the appearance in the outer membrane of E. coli containing the clone of a new protein of 36 KDal. While the porin confers upon a porinless mutant of E. coli an increased susceptibility to beta-lactam antibiotics, it does not react with serum from patients with typhoid fever in immunoblotting assays.

Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins↗
PubMed1986

Native and chemically modified porin channels from Salmonella typhi Ty2 in planar lipid bilayers.

Native porins, from Salmonella typhi Ty2 outer membrane, and porins alkylated with pyridoxal phosphate (Plp) were studied in planar lipid bilayers. The conductance of bilayers exposed to native or chemically modified porins increases in discrete jumps. Conductance histograms for native porins displayed two major peaks at 1.7 and 6.7 nS (in 0.5 M KCl). On the other hand, Plp-treated porins exhibited a single major peak at 1 nS. The relation between bilayer conductance and native porin concentration was linear. However, this relation became logarithmic in the presence of modified porins. The results support the notion that alkaline reduction of S. typhi Ty2 porins with Plp dissociates porin channel trimers in a reversible fashion.

Alkylation↗
PubMed1986

Early decrease in total hemolytic complement activity (CH100) after fasting or intestinal bypass in the rat.

An evaluation of total hemolytic complement activity (CH100) after fasting or intestinal bypass was performed in rats. The experiment lasted 6 days. Three groups, of 5 animals each, were studied. On the 1st day, basal values of total complement (TC), albumin and body weight were determined. Group A received normal, ad libitum feeding, group B started on a 'water only' diet, group C underwent intestinal bypass. On the 4th and 6th day the parameters were assessed. TC mean values were significantly lower in groups B and C, as compared to group A, on the 4th as well as on the 6th day (p less than 0.01 by Mann-Whitney's U test). Body weight showed a similar trend. Differences in albumin were never statistically significant. Limitations of the analytical method are discussed. The data show that fasting or bypass-induced malabsorption may determine an early decrease in total hemolytic complement activity, though a development of an immune deficiency is not proved.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

1979 anniversaries.

In 1979 Mesmer's Mémoire sur la découverte du magnestisme animal appeared in Paris. Although Mesmer believed in physical rather than psychological causes, his work in healing through suggestion marks the beginning of modern psychotherapy. In 1879 several state mental hospitals opened in the United States, amid controversies between the medical profession and the public over the treatment of mental illness. Ernest Jones, a pioneer in the establishment of psychonanalysis and author of the most comprehensive and authoritative biography of Freud, was born that same year.

Anniversaries and Special Events↗
PubMed1979

1978 anniversaries.

The author recalls 1978's anniversaries of events and individuals prominent in the history of medicine, psychiatry, and psychology and examines their practical and theoretical contributions.

Europe↗