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Biomedical subjects

J García

Publications and source records attributed to J García.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2004

[Corynebacterium urealyticum in renal trasplantation. CT and sonography imaging characteristics of encrusted cistitis and pielitis].

PURPOSE: Its described three cases of Corynebacterium urealyticum (CU) infection in patients with renal transplantation and one of its most serious consequences: encrusted pyelitis and cystitis. It is explained the principal keys for its diagnosis, based in the appearance of alkaline pH in in urine analysis (alkaline urine), positives urinary cultures for CU, and the CT and US studies revealed the characteristic images of calcifications in the wall of renal pelvis and bladder. PATIENTS: Three male patients with renal transplantation and CU infection that caused encrusted pyelitis in two of the cases and encrusted cystitis in one case. RESULTS: Calcifications of the urinary tract were noticed in CT in all the patients. In two cases bladder stones were linear, and in the third case they were fundamentally coarse and placed in pelvis. The diagnosis suspicion showed by the images was confirmed by the use of prolonged urine cultures, necessary for detecting CU. All the patients were treated with vancomycin, with success in two of the cases and, finally needing surgery, and after loss of the graft, in the other case. CONCLUSION: Encrusted pyelitis and cystitis are cronic and severe infections of the urinary tract. Calcic struvite incrustations in the urothelium are characteristics of this infection. CT is a choice technique for the diagnosis and followup of the calcifications after treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Cooperative Jahn-Teller phase transition in LaMnO3 studied by X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

The local structure of LaMnO3 across the Jahn-Teller (JT) transition at T(JT)=750 K was studied by means of x-ray absorption near edge structure and extended x-ray absorption fine structure at the Mn K-edge. Our results indicate a similar electronic local structure for Mn atoms above and below T(JT) and a dynamical tetragonal JT distortion of MnO6 octahedra above T(JT). The structural transition is originated by the ordering of tetragonally distorted octahedra. The entropy content of the transition is analyzed within the framework of the three-state Potts model with nearest neighbor antiferrodistortive coupling.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

Detection of body position changes using the surface electrocardiogram.

A method for detecting body position changes that uses the surface vectorcardiogram (VCG) is presented. Such changes are often manifested as sudden shifts in the electrical axis of the heart and can erroneously be interpreted as acute ischaemic events. Axis shifts were detected by analysing the rotation angles obtained from the alignment of successive VCG loops to a reference loop. Following the rejection of angles originating from noise events, the detection of body position changes was performed on the angle series using a Bayesian approach. On a database of ECG recordings from normal subjects performing a predefined sequence of body position changes, a detection rate of 92% and a false alarm rate of 7% was achieved.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Coronary artery disease diagnosis based on exercise electrocardiogram indexes from repolarisation, depolarisation and heart rate variability.

Several indexes have been reported to improve the accuracy of exercise test electrocardiogram (ECG) analysis in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD), compared with the classical ST depression criterion. Some of them combine repolarisation measurements with heart rate (HR) information (such as the so-called ST/HR hysteresis); others are obtained from the depolarisation period (such as the Athens QRS score); finally, there are heart rate variability (HRV) indexes that account for the nervous system activity. The aim of this study was to identify the best exercise ECG indexes for CAD diagnosis. First, a method to automatically estimate repolarisation and depolarisation indexes in the presence of noise during a stress test was developed. The method is divided into three stages: first, a preprocessing step, where QRS detection, filtering and baseline beat rejection are applied to the raw ECG, prior to a weighted averaging; secondly, a post-processing step in which potentially noisy averaged beats are identified and discarded based on their noise variance; finally, the measurement step, in which ECG indexes are computed from the averaged beats. Then, a multivariate discriminant analysis was applied to classify patients referred for the exercise test into two groups: ischaemic (positive coronary angiography) and low-risk (Framingham risk index < 5%). HR-corrected repolarisation indexes improved the sensitivity (SE) and specificity (SP) of the classical exercise test (SE = 90%, SP = 79% against SE = 65%, SP = 66%). Depolarisation indexes also achieved an improvement over ST depression measurements (SE = 78%, SP = 81%). HRV indexes obtained the best classification results in our study population (SE = 94%, SP = 92%) by means of the very high-frequency power (VHF) (0.4-1 Hz) at stress peak.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Early elimination of cyclosporine in kidney transplant recipients receiving sirolimus prevents progression of chronic pathologic allograft lesions.

Cyclosporine elimination in a regimen including sirolimus has been shown to be a safe and effective approach to improve graft function. Nevertheless, it is still unknown whether the functional benefit of CyA withdrawal coincides with a subsequent reduction in histologic lesions of chronic damage or development of chronic allograft nephropathy. This consideration would forecast a reduction in the rate of long-term graft loss. We analyzed 114 graft biopsies from a subgroup of 57 patients that had been included in a randomized study to eliminate CyA at 3 months posttransplant from a regimen including sirolimus either in group A CyA + SRL vs group B of SRL with CyA elimination at 3 months. Every patient had two biopsies, one at transplantation and another at 1 year. The biopsy reading was performed in a blinded manner by a central pathologist using the Banff 1997 and the CADI classifications. A significantly lower rate of progression of tubular and interstitial chronic lesions between basal and 1-year biopsies was observed for group B patients. In addition, the incidence of new cases of chronic allograft nephropathy during the first year was significantly lower in the group in which CyA had been eliminated at 3 months posttransplant. We conclude that early elimination of CyA in the first months posttransplant, when SRL is used as the main immunosuppressant, reduces the appearance or worsening of chronic histologic lesions, probably as a consequence of long-term CyA toxicity prevention.

Biopsy↗
PubMed2003

[Modifications of the leukocytes in professional cyclists throughout the competition].

In this work we plan to analyze and establish the leukocyte variations due to the effort of the competition, throughout 4 short-term turns (5 days and an average of 750 km each one), in 16 professional cyclists (24.8 2.3 year-old, 71.0 4.5 kg and 179.3 5.0 cm). The hematological parameters analyzed were leukocytes (WBC), neurtrophils (NEUT), lymphocytes (LYM), monocytes (MON), eosinophils (EOS) and basophils (BAS), and the results are presented as the percentage on the total number of leukocytes. The serum level of cortisol was also measured along study time (before and after each one of the 4 turns). The results show that the total number of leukocytes increase significantly in the turns, both in basal conditions (B) and after finishing the turn (F). The NEUT show an ongoing increase in their basal values from the first to the fourth round, but its values at the conclusion of this are significantly lower with respect to the situation of reference of the beginning of the cyclist turn. The LYM in rest upon beginning the turns are kept in similar values during the study period, increasing significantly after the 5 days of competition of each turn. The cortisol, as they are happening the turns, they decline its rates both in rest and after the competition (5 days turns). In conclusion the physical exercise throughout several cyclists turns give rise an increases in the leukocytes that is associated to a progressive decline of the cortisol levels probably because of the conditioning that the cyclist shows throughout the competition.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Nosocomial outbreak of scabies in a hospital in Spain.

An outbreak of scabies occurred in a ward of a local hospital in Barbastro (Huesca, Spain), between November 2002 and January 2003. The outbreak was linked to a patient infested with mites when he was admitted to the ward on 1 November 2002. The first case had onset of symptoms on 5 November and the last one on 5 January 2003. Seventeen cases were reported: 11 healthcare workers (HCWs) and six patients. The outbreak was attributed to a delay in diagnosis, and lack of individual protection measures by caregivers. The use of short-sleeved coats is an habitual risk practice in this ward. Contact with fomites, animals, infested clothes or intimate contact with people other than their usual partners were dismissed as risk factors for the infestation. The different groups of caregivers in this ward presented a similar risk of becoming infested, and the mechanism of transmission was probably person to person contact. The implementation of specific guidelines for scabies prevention and treatment, as well as an active surveillance system, were fundamental to the control of this outbreak.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Influence of amino-terminal structures on kinetic transitions between several closed and open states in human erg K+ channels.

Gating kinetics of human ether-a-go-go (eag)-related gene (HERG) K+ channel expressed in Xenopus oocytes was studied using non-inactivating channel variants carrying different structural modifications in the amino terminus. A kinetics model was elaborated to describe the behavior of full-length channels, that includes at least three open states besides the three closed states previously proposed. Deletion of the HERG-specific proximal domain (HERG D138-373) accelerated all individual forward transitions between closed states. Whereas relatively large amplitude depolarizations were required to drive full-length HERG channels to more distal open states, these were reached more easily in channels without proximal domain. Alteration of the initial eag/PAS domain by introduction of a short amino-acid sequence at the beginning of the amino terminus did not alter transitions between closed states, but prevented the channels from reaching the farthest open states that determine slower deactivation rates. This indicates that the presence of specific amino-terminal structures can be correlated with the occurrence of distinctive molecular transitions. It also demonstrates that both proximal and eag/PAS domains in the amino terminus contribute to set the gating characteristics of HERG channels.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2002

A recombinant envelope protein from Dengue virus purified by IMAC is bioequivalent with its immune-affinity chromatography purified counterpart.

Semi-purified DEN-4 envelope protein, obtained in Pichia pastoris, was capable of generating neutralising and protecting antibodies after immunisation in mice. Here we compared two purification processes of this recombinant protein using two chromatographic steps: immune-affinity chromatography and immobilised metal ion adsorption chromatography (IMAC). The protein purified by both methods produced functional antibodies reflected by titres of haemagglutination inhibition and neutralisation. IMAC could be used as an alternative for high scale purification.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Sequence of the HLA-B*1573 allele.

We report here the sequence of an HLA B*15 allele, B*1573. Initially, a cord blood unit from the Umbilical Cord Bank of Barcelona was typed by sequence-specific oligonucleotide hybridization and revealed an unusual hybridization pattern. After the cloning, the sequence-based typing assigned two different alleles: B*07021, and a second allele identical to B*1558 in exons 2 and 3, except for a single nucleotide substitution in exon 3, which changed codon 140 from Phe to Leu (TTX-->TTA).

Alleles↗
PubMed2002

Combined isolation of CD34+ progenitor cells and reduction of B cells from peripheral blood by use of immunomagnetic methods.

BACKGROUND: Malignant cells may contribute to relapse after autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation The effectiveness of a double immunomagnetic purging strategy combining CD34-positive with B-negative cell selection to purge peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPCs) from patients with chronic lymphoproliferative disorders has been analyzed. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Twenty-two CD34+ cell selections from patients with follicular lymphoma (n = 14), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (n = 6), mantle cell lymphoma (n = 1), and splenic marginal zone lymphoma (n = 1) were performed by use of a magnetic cell selector followed by a negative cell selection step with anti-CD19 monoclonal antibody bound to immunomagnetic beads. RESULTS: The PBPC components contained median CD34+ cells of 1.24 percent (range, 0.38-3.92%) and CD19+ cells of 1.83 percent (range, 0.06-69.7%). After positive selection (n = 22), 49 percent (range, 16-72%) of CD34+ cells were recovered with a purity of 93 percent (range, 24-99%). The double-positive and -negative selections (n = 20) yielded 57.5 percent of CD34+ cells (range, 33.4-79.4%) with a purity of 95 percent (range, 63-99%). Logarithms of B-cell reduction in the CD34+-cell-enriched B-cell-depleted component had a median value of 3.63 (range, 2.74-4.84 log) and CD19+ and CD5+ cells for chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients with more than 4.56 log (>3.6-5.6 log). Of 13 PBPC components that had a tumor-specific clonal signal, 10 became PCR negative after the double-selection procedure. CONCLUSION: Combined positive and negative magnetic cell selection achieves a high grade of tumor cell reduction with up to 77 percent of the grafts being negative for tumor-specific clonal signal by PCR analysis. This technique preserves an adequate recovery of progenitor cells able to engraft.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Effect of inclusion of defatted grape seed meal in the diet on digestion and performance of growing rabbits.

The digestion and nutritive value of defatted grape seed meal (DGSM) was investigated. A basal diet was formulated to meet requirements of growing rabbits. Another diet was formulated by substituting 15.2% of the basal diet with DGSM. Two hundred eight weaned 30-d-old rabbits were fed these diets, and fattening performance was recorded. Eighty animals were used to study the effect of DGSM inclusion on cecal fermentation traits and intestinal disaccharidase activity at two ages (5 and 35 d after weaning). Fecal apparent digestibility of nutrients was measured in 18 rabbits. A third diet was formulated to contain DGSM (61.3%) as the sole source of fiber and a supplement consisting of wheat flour, casein, lard, and a mixture of vitamins and minerals to avoid nutrient imbalances. This semipurified diet was used to determine cecal digestion traits, disaccharidase activity in the small intestine, fecal apparent digestibility of nutrients, and rate of passage in 70-d-old rabbits. Digestible energy and NDF and CP digestibilities of DGSM calculated by difference were 5.51 +/- 0.89 MJ/kg DM, 24.5 +/- 5.76%, and 46.8 +/- 14.9%, respectively. Inclusion of 15% of DGSM in the basal diet increased ADFI in finishing rabbits (from 9 to 15%; P < 0.05), so that DE intake increased although dietary DE concentration decreased. As a consequence, ADG increased by 3.3% in the whole fattening period (P = 0.046). The increase in ADFI was parallel to an 8% decrease in the weight of cecal contents (P = 0.059), and it was in agreement with the relatively short cecal mean retention time of DGSM (7.61 h) in the semipurified diet. Inclusion of 15% of DGSM in the basal diet did not affect (P > or = 0.20) mortality (10.1%) or cecal concentrations of VFA, NH3 N, or cecal pH either at 5 d (71.9 mM, 17.7 mM, and 5.75, respectively) or at 35 d after weaning (74.6 mM, 10.1 mM, and 5.66, respectively) but improved the sucrase activity in the ileum by 36% (P = 0.031). Digestibility of NDF of DGSM in the semipurified diet was 8.57%, which agrees with the low acidity and weight of cecal contents of animals fed this diet (6.26 and 3.63% BW, respectively). From these results, we conclude that DGSM has a relatively high DE concentration and its inclusion at moderate levels (15%) in the diet exerts a positive effect on ADFI, DE intake, and ADG with no impairment of cecal fermentation and mortality.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed2002

Effect of levels of starch, fiber, and lactose on digestion and growth performance of early-weaned rabbits.

The effect of source of carbohydrate on gut histology, digestion efficiency, and growth performance in early-weaned (25 d) rabbits at the starter period (25 to 39 d) was investigated. Six diets were factorially arranged to study the effect of partial substitution of starch (0, 25, or 50%) by lactose at two levels of fiber (30 or 36% NDF). Diets were formulated to meet or exceed essential nutrient requirements of growing rabbits. A feeding trial was conducted to measure the effect of treatments on growth performance in 252 rabbits that were fed the experimental diets in the starter period and thereafter received a common feed until 60 d of age. Fecal apparent digestibility was determined at 35 d of age in nine animals per diet. The four diets with extreme lactose content were used to determine ileal apparent digestibility of starch and lactose (nine replicates per diet), weights of stomach and cecum, stomach pH, cecal fermentation traits, amylase and disaccharidase activities (10 animals per diet), and jejunal morphology (six animals per diet). Weaning increased (P < 0.001) amylase activity by 59% but decreased (P < 0.001) maltase, sucrase, and lactase activities by 30, 48, and 72%, in parallel with a reduction of villus height by 19%. Dietary NDF level did not affect either jejunal morphology or sucrase and lactase activities but increased amylase (P = 0.05) and maltase (P < 0.001) activities by 22 and 92%, respectively. Substitution of starch by lactose had no effect on jejunal morphology or enzymatic activity. Ileal lactose and starch digestibility were not affected by dietary NDF or lactose level and averaged 73.8 and 90.8%, respectively. Substitution of starch by fiber and lactose affected ileal flux of starch plus lactose (by -0.5 and +1.7 g/d) and cecal pH (by +2.1 and -2.8%, respectively). Fecal NDF digestibility was relatively low (23.1% on average) and was not affected by treatments, whereas that of lactose and starch was almost complete. An increase of dietary NDF level led to an impairment of ADG and feed efficiency in the starter (P < 0.002) and in the overall (P < 0.03) fattening period. Substitution of starch by lactose linearly decreased (P < 0.001) feed efficiency in the starter period and linearly increased (P < 0.001) diarrhea incidence in the fattening period. The results indicate that digestive capability of early-weaned rabbits is limited and should be taken into account to establish optimal levels and sources of carbohydrates in the starter diet.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed2002

[Lung transplantation in patients in mechanical ventilation before transplantation].

Mechanical ventilation before lung transplantation has been identified as a risk factor for early death after surgery. However, several studies have reported patient series in which ventilation assistance was given preoperatively without increasing the rates of postoperative complications and death, apart from increasing time of postoperative intubation. The present retrospective analysis of the postoperative course of patients who had been mechanically ventilated before transplantation encompasses a period of 5 years in our hospital. Eight transplants (7 double- and 1 single-lung procedures) were performed. Six patients (75%) required extracorporeal oxygenation during surgery. Three patients (37.5%) died within 30 days of receiving the transplanted lung. The mean time of intubation after the operation was 10.3 days and the mean stay in the postoperative recovery and intensive care unit was 27.5 days. The most common postoperative complications were respiratory colonization (100%), with infection in 3 patients, and reimplantation injury (50%). Pretransplant mechanical ventilation was associated with high risk in the patient series we report; however, the survival rate observed suggest that such patients should be considered acceptable candidates to receive grafts if indicated.

Adolescent↗