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Biomedical subjects

J Ortuno

Publications and source records attributed to J Ortuno.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

The acute phase response of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) plasma proteins to viral, bacterial and fungal inflammatory agents.

The innate arm of the immune system responds to inflammatory stimuli by the activation of phagocytes, and by altered levels of several plasma proteins. These changes in plasma proteins comprise a major component of the acute phase response, which is thought to be an adaptive response that contributes to regaining homeostasis after tissue injury or infection. In this study, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were injected with a variety of potential inflammatory agents, and changes in the concentrations of plasma proteins were sought in polyacrylamide gels in which plasma proteins had been electrophoresed. Bacteria, viruses and yeast all induced changes in plasma protein profiles. Increases were first evident 2 days after injections, and most were evident within 1 week. The greatest number of changes occurred after injection with a Vibrio bacterin emulsified in Freund's incomplete adjuvant. While some proteins increased and others decreased following several treatments, other proteins changed only in response to injections of viruses or viral proteins, and others changed in response to bacterial components. Some proteins that increased after yeast injection decreased after injection of viral components. The partial amino acid sequence of one increased protein identified it as haptoglobin.

Acute-Phase Proteins↗
PubMed1997

Malignant pheochromocytoma, still a therapeutic challenge.

For cases of malignant pheochromocytoma the prognosis is poor and experience with its treatment remains limited. We present a case of a hypertensive 16 year old woman with malignant pheochromocytoma and a good treatment response. Bone metastases appeared 6 months after the first resection. Local excision of the thoracic vertebrae metastases and palliative radiation therapy were performed, after which she received twelve cycles of cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and dacarbazine. Sixteen months later the patient remains asymptomatic without biochemical catecholamine activity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus and renal tubular acidosis secondary to foscarnet therapy.

Foscarnet is used as therapy of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in immunosuppressed subjects. We present a patient with human immunodeficiency virus infection under treatment with foscarnet for CMV retinitis who complained of thirst and polyuria. Laboratory data showed hypernatremia with increased plasma osmolality and metabolic hyperchloremic acidosis. A water deprivation test demonstrated a nephrogenic diabetes insipidus. Other laboratory studies, including urine pH, anion gap, titratable acidity, and bicarbonate, showed a distal tubular acidification defect. All abnormalities were transient, with recovery a few days after foscarnet withdrawal. No cases of renal acidosis, and only one case of nephrogenic diabetes insipidus, has been previously reported as a complication of foscarnet treatment. Our patient developed both nephrogenic diabetes insipidus and renal tubular acidosis with a temporal pattern that demonstrated a link between foscarnet therapy and these abnormalities.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1996

Antibody level after hepatitis B vaccination in hemodialysis patients: influence of hepatitis C virus infection.

Seroconversion after hepatitis B vaccine has been estimated to occur when the level of anti-HBs is higher than 10 IU/1, but recently is has been considered that an antibody titer above 100 IU/1 is necessary to guarantee an efficacious protection. We prospectively studied the evolution of anti-HBs after primary vaccination (3 doses; Engerix B, 40 mu g each) in 56 seronegative and not previously vaccinated hemodialysis patients. Three months after vaccine administration, seroconversion (anti-HBs > 10 IU/1) was found in 43 patients (76.7%), but an adequate response (titer > 100 IU/1) was observed only in 30 (53.5%). At 1 year after vaccination only 1 (3.3%) of the 30 cases with an effective response had lost his anti-HBs, while 12 of the 13 patients (92.3%) with an inadequate response (anti-HBs between 10 and 100 IU/1) had no detectable antibodies (p < 0.01, chi2). Considering that an antibody titer above 100 IU/1 following vaccination is necessary in order to maintain that level of antibody 1 year later, we analyzed the factors which influenced obtaining this level of antibody. Age, time on hemodialysis, serum albumin, Kt/V and protein catabolic rate did not affect the response to the vaccine. Females had a better response than males, and interestingly we found that hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection influenced the level of immunity. 27 out of the 43 HCV-negative cases (62.7%) obtained anti-HBs levels greater than 100 IU/1, but only 3 out of the 13 HCV-infected patients (23%) had an anti-HBs above 100 IU/1 (p < 0.01, chi2). Our results suggest that after hepatitis B vaccine, an antibody titer higher than 100 IU/1 is necessary to maintain the antibody level 1 year later, and that HCV infection may reduce the effectiveness of hepatitis B vaccine in hemodialysis patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Urinary acidification response to furosemide administration in patients on low-dose cyclosporine therapy.

The response of urinary acidification parameters and electrolytes to furosemide administration was prospectively studied in 9 psoriatic patients treated with a low-dose cyclosporine A schedule (initial dose: 5 mg/kg body weight) before beginning cyclosporine A, after 3 months on cyclosporine A and 1 month after cyclosporine A withdrawal. The test was also performed in 29 psoriatic patients after 3 months on 5 mg/kg body weight cyclosporine A treatment. There were no significant differences between before and after cyclosporine A treatment regarding furosemide-induced changes in urinary volume, sodium or potassium excretion. Contrarily, the post-furosemide urinary pH decrease and ammonium and titrable acid increase were significantly lower in cyclosporine-A-treated patients. Five of the 29 studied patients showed abnormal furosemide tests (17%). These patients had lower total serum CO2, urea and creatinine but similar serum potassium and fractional potassium excretion. We conclude that some patients treated with low-dose cyclosporine A therapy develop an abnormal tubular distal response to furosemide administration, suggesting an alteration in the H(+)-ATPase pump or a voltage-dependent mechanism.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Incidence, diagnosis and evolution of 'non A-non B' hepatitis in haemodialysis units.

Over a four year period, 34 patients on chronic haemodialysis with non A-non B hepatitis were studied. Although clinical symptoms were mild or absent in most patients, biochemical evolution seemed to be serious as more than 70 per cent became chronic or showed a relapsing pattern. Blood transfusions play an important role in the spread of this disease; on the other hand in our experience patient to patient transmission was less relevant.

Hepatitis C↗
PubMed1981

Mesangial deposits of IgM in patients with the nephrotic syndrome.

Kidney biopsies from fourteen patients with the nephrotic syndrome were studied by light, immunofluorescence and electron microscopy. Morphologically, all cases showed moderate diffuse mesangial cell proliferation. In all cases, immunofluorescent microscopy demonstrated diffuse and generalized deposits of IgM as the sole or predominant immunoglobulin. Electron microscopic examination showed electron dense deposits localized in the mesangium in seven cases. One nephrotic patient experienced spontaneous remission and eight others were steroid responsive. Only one of the five steroid resistant patients treated with chlorambucil showed clinical remission. Five steroid responsive patients relapsed. At present, four patients are healthy, having not relapsed for the past two years. Although deposits of IgM may be related to the renal pathology in cases of the nephrotic syndrome, immunofluorescence findings do not seem to be sufficiently consistent or characteristic to justify a possible subclassification of the idiopathic nephrotic syndrome.

Adolescent↗