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J Pera

Publications and source records attributed to J Pera.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Quantitative detection of Lactarius deliciosus extraradical soil mycelium by real-time PCR and its application in the study of fungal persistence and interspecific competition.

Real-Time PCR has been applied to quantify extraradical soil mycelium of the edible ectomycorrhizal fungus Lactarius deliciosus in an interspecific competition experiment under greenhouse conditions. Couples of Pinus pinea seedlings inoculated with either L. deliciosus, Rhizopogon roseolus, or non-inoculated (control) were transplanted into pots filled with two types of soil in all the possible combinations. Total DNA was extracted from soil samples at 3 and 6 months after transplantation to perform real-time PCR analysis. DNA extractions from soil mixed with known amounts of mycelium of L. deliciosus were used as standards. Six months after transplantation, the percentage of mycorrhizas of L. deliciosus and seedling growth were significantly affected by the soil type. Extraradical soil mycelium of L. deliciosus was positively correlated with the final percentage of mycorrhizas and significantly affected by the sampling time and soil depth. The competition effect of R. roseolus was not significant for any of the measured parameters, probably due to the sharp decrease of the mycorrhizal colonization by this fungus. We conclude that real-time PCR is a powerful technique for extraradical mycelium quantification in studies aimed at evaluating the persistence of introduced strains of L. deliciosus in field plantations.

Agaricales↗
PubMed2006

Paraoxonase gene polymorphisms and sporadic ALS.

BACKGROUND: The human paraoxonase (PON) gene family consists of three members, PON1, PON2, and PON3, located adjacent to each other on chromosome 7. PON catalytic activity may be influenced by frequent amino acid variants. Chronic exposure to certain chemicals or to environmental factors causing enhanced lipid peroxidation metabolized by paraoxonases may be a risk factor for sporadic ALS (sALS). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the association between PON1 Q192R, PON1 L55M, and PON2 C311S functional polymorphisms and the risk of sALS in a Polish population. METHODS: The authors included 185 patients with a definite or probable diagnosis of sALS (El Escorial Criteria) and 437 healthy controls of similar age and gender. The paraoxonase polymorphisms were studied by PCR and restriction enzyme digestion. RESULTS: Using logistic regression analyses, the C allele of the C311S polymorphism was associated with sALS in dominant and additive models, whereas the R allele of the Q192R polymorphism was associated with sALS in recessive, additive, and dominant models. The authors compared the distribution of haplotypes between cases and controls. The R-C haplotype was overrepresented among cases (odds ratio 3.44, 95% CI: 1.55 to 7.62, p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Frequent amino acid variants in the paraoxonase 1 and paraoxonase 2 genes are associated with sporadic ALS in a Polish population.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Use of sulfoaluminate cement and bottom ash in the solidification/stabilization of galvanic sludge.

Solidification/stabilization (S/S) process can improve the physical characteristics of wastes, reduce their leaching and limit the solubility of their heavy metals. The identification of binders able to assume the fixation of contaminants is essential for the success of the technique. In this study, calcium sulfoaluminate cement was added to another waste, bottom ash, in order to treat galvanic sludge. The properties of the resultant solid matrix (MS) were determined: setting time, compressive strength and products of hydration. Solid matrix composed of 77% waste and only 23% cement presented initial setting time lower than 4 h and 28 day-strength of 6 MPa. SEM investigations showed that contaminants present in the galvanic sludge (Cr) were encapsulated in the hydrated phases and particles of bottom ash.

Aluminum Compounds↗
PubMed2006

Serum albumin level and nosocomial pneumonia in stroke patients.

Hypoalbuminemia is associated with increased risk of infections. The aim of this study was to determine if serum albumin level is an independent predictor of nosocomial pneumonia in stroke patients. Data of 705 consecutive ischemic stroke patients admitted within 24 h after stroke onset were analyzed retrospectively. Serum albumin level was measured within 36 h after stroke onset. Nosocomial pneumonia was found in 10.5% of stroke patients. Patients with pneumonia had significantly lower serum albumin level than those without pneumonia (31.9 +/- 7.5 g/l vs. 35.5 +/- 6.9 g/l) and serum albumin level was associated with risk of pneumonia on multivariate analysis (OR: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.91-0.98). Our results show that serum albumin level is an independent predictor of nosocomial pneumonia in stroke patients.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

ACE I/D polymorphism in different etiologies of ischemic stroke.

OBJECTIVES: Data concerning an association between angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism and ischemic stroke (IS) remain inconsistent. Results of some studies suggest that DD genotype may be a risk factor for small vessel disease (SVD) stroke. Here, we investigated whether this polymorphism is associated with IS of different etiologies in a Polish population. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Ischemic stroke etiology was established according to the TOAST criteria. We studied 92 stroke patients with large vessel disease and their 184 matched controls; 96 stroke patients with SVD and 192 controls; 180 patients with cardioembolic stroke (CE) and 180 controls. ACE I/D polymorphism was determined using the polymerase chain reaction method. RESULTS: The distribution of ACE genotypes and alleles was essentially the same in all analyzed IS subtypes and their matched controls. CONCLUSIONS: We failed to find an association between ACE polymorphism and etiological subtypes of IS in a Polish population.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

DD genotype of ACE gene is a risk factor for intracerebral hemorrhage.

Genetic factors may play a role in susceptibility to stroke. The angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene is a candidate gene for two phenotypically different types of stroke affecting small perforating arteries: spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (SIH) and ischemic stroke due to small vessel disease (SVD). The authors report evidence that ACE gene DD homozygosity of the I/D polymorphism in intron 16 is an independent risk factor for SIH, and not for SVD stroke, in a Polish population.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

[Prostatic brachytherapy indications and technique].

Prostate cancer is an important health problem, mainly in elderly men. It is the second cause of death among men in USA ant the third at the "Registro del Cáncer de Tarragona", behind both the lung and colorectal cancer. About the 58% of the newly diagnosed cancers are localized, therefore, they have to be treated with curative intention. Radical prostatectomy is considered the gold standard treatment for organ confined prostate cancer in our country. On basis to the experience of American groups and the improvement of both, image techniques and dosimetric calculation, brachytherapy has been brought in as a new option in the treatment of localized prostate cancer. We started our program of brachytherapy for prostate cancer on May 2000. We have performed 51 procedures by now. Our protocol and the technique to perform a prostatic brachytherapy are described following.

Brachytherapy↗
PubMed2001

Transient hyperglycemia in ischemic stroke patients.

The aim of the study was to investigate glucose derangement and its short- and long-term prognostic significance in nondiabetic ischemic stroke patients. The study involved 262 consecutive patients, mean age: 70.1+/-12.4 years, with a supratentorial ischemic stroke. The following data were collected: patients characteristics, risk factors, comorbidities, and stroke severity assessed by the Scandinavian Stroke Scale (SSS). Serum glucose levels were measured on admission, on the next, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 7th and 14th day after stroke onset. The outcome measures on day 30 were mortality and capacity to perform daily activities: the Barthel Index and Rankin Scale. The 1-year survival was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to assess predictors of 1-year mortality in nondiabetics. Diabetes mellitus was found in 24.8% of patients and transient hyperglycemia in 36.3% of patients. Patients with transient hyperglycemia scored lower on SSS in the subsequent days of assessment than patients with either diabetes mellitus or normoglycemia. They had larger ischemic lesions on computer tomography (CT) than diabetics and had higher 30-day mortality than normoglycemics (p<0.05). One-year mortality was similar in transient hyperglycemics and diabetics, and both were significantly higher than in normoglycemics (p<0.05). A proportional hazards model analysis showed that transient hyperglycemia is not an independent predictor of death within a year after stroke.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

External beam irradiation plus (192)Ir implant after breast-preserving surgery in women with early breast cancer.

PURPOSE: To provide more information for the clinician and to analyze the impact of the boost with brachytherapy on the local disease-free survival (LDFS), disease-free survival (DFS), specific overall survival (OS), and cosmesis, a retrospective study of external radiation therapy and (192)Ir implantation in early breast cancer at Institut Català d'Oncologia has been undertaken. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 1986 to 1996, 530 patients were selected for this study with a median follow-up period of 39.5 months (range, 10-115 months). External radiation therapy (combined with brachytherapy) was administered postoperatively to the breast in all patients. Mean given dose was 48.7 Gy (range, 42-52 Gy) with external radiation therapy to the breast, and 16.8 Gy (range, 10-27 Gy) was the mean dose with brachytherapy. Variables have been tested for cosmesis. Univariate and multivariate analysis have also been carried out. RESULTS: Mean age of the patients was 54 years (range, 28-81 years). Stages were distributed as follows: 350 patients (66%) in Stage I, 173 in Stage II (32.8%), and 7 in Stage III (1.1%). Pathologic distribution was 445 patients with infiltrating ductal carcinoma (84%), 20 patients with infiltrating lobular carcinoma (4%), and 65 patients (12%) of a miscellaneous group. OS for the entire group was 89.4% and 85.9% at 5 and 7 years respectively. Probability of DFS was 81.7% and 70.1% at 5 and 7 years. The LDFS was 94.9% and 91.7% at 5 and 7 years. The MFS probability was 85.5% and 76.9% at 5 and 7 years, respectively. Univariate analysis demonstrated that age (older than 52 years), premenopausal status, moderate and high histologic grades (Grades II-III), and presence of intraductal comedocarcinoma were prognostic factors for local relapse. Multivariate analysis for local disease-free survival demonstrated that only perineural or muscular infiltration remain as prognostic factors. Tumor dose bed of 70 Gy or higher had a negative impact in breast subcutaneous fibrosis, whereas dose rate lower than 65 cGy/h was better for skin color at 2 years. CONCLUSION: We conclude that patients with early-stage breast cancer undergoing external radiotherapy and LDR brachytherapy can be effectively managed. Overall survival, long-term local control, and cosmetic control are excellent.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

[Multicenter double-blind clinical trial comparing sucralfate vs placebo in the prevention of diarrhea secondary to pelvic irradiation].

BACKGROUND: Sucralfate has been used in the prophylaxis of acute enteric toxicity induced by radiation therapy of pelvic organs. The aim of the study was to demonstrate the efficacy of sucralfate in the prevention of the acute enteric toxicity induced by pelvic irradiation in cancer patients, compared with placebo, in a multicentric double-blind randomised clinical trial. PATIENTS AND METHOD: One hundred and twenty patients, with a localised pelvic cancer, 18 to 80 years old, with a Karnofsky index of 80% or more, and "normal" defecation habits (3-10 defecations/week), undergoing whole pelvic irradiation, were included. The duration of the study was 7 weeks, with weekly controls. The first week all patients received placebo. In the second week the patients were randomised into two groups: sucralfate (61 patients, 2 g/tid p.o. before meals) and placebo (59 patients). Radiotherapy started at the beginning of the third week and lasted until the end of the study. All patients received 45-50 Gy total dose (1.8-2 Gy/day, 5 days/week) with the "box technique". The main variables were the number of stools per week and the number of loperamide pills per week. RESULTS: The number of stools per week showed no differences between groups. By the contrary in the group intention to treat (120 patients) and per protocol (100 cases) the percentage of diarrhoeal stools per week showed a statistical significance in favour of sucralfate: (p < 0.05) and (p < 0.03) respectively, concerning the evolution of this variable from the baseline (first week) to the end of the pelvic radiotherapy (seventh week). Furthermore, the consumption of loperamide was significantly lower in the sucralfate group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Sucralfate is effective in the preparation of acute enteric toxicity induced by pelvic irradiation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: is morphologic subdivision useful in clinical management?

The diffuse large B-cell lymphoma category of the REAL classification encompasses different morphologic lymphoma subtypes in a single entity. The aim of this study is to determine the influence of the morphologic subdivision within this category with respect to clinical features and response to treatment. From January 1993 to October 1996, 132 patients were diagnosed de novo with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in our institution. All cases were classified according to the REAL and the Updated Kiel classifications, and immunohistochemical study was performed in all of them. Sixty-three per cent of patients received chemotherapy with a curative approach. Of the 105 assessable patients, 80 cases (74%) were classified as centroblastic (CB) and 25 cases (26%) as immunoblastic (IB), according to the updated Kiel classification. These 2 subsets of lymphomas did not differ with respect to major clinical features and laboratory parameters. Both groups had a similar complete response rate with a uniform therapeutic approach and the overall 2-yr survival did not show statistical differences (49% in CB vs. 45% in IB). In conclusion, for clinicians, morphologic subdivision of the diffuse large B-cell lymphoma category into CB and IB subtypes has little clinical and prognostic significance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Distribution and incidence rates of lymphoid neoplasms according to the REAL classification in a single institution. A prospective study of 940 cases.

Recently, a new classification system for lymphoid neoplasms, known as the REAL classification, has been proposed. Our aim is to know the distribution of lymphoid neoplasms according to this schema and compare it with the Updated Kiel classification. We also estimate incidence rates of lymphoid neoplasms in our area. From January 1993 to November 1996, 940 patients were diagnosed of lymphoid neoplasm in our center. Histologic material was prospectively classified according to both the REAL and the Updated Kiel classifications. According to the REAL classification, distribution of all cases of lymphoid neoplasms was as follows: 73.6% B-cell neoplasm, 9.4% T-cell neoplasms, 9.6% Hodgkin's disease and 7.4% unclassifiable. Considering only non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL), 87.2% of cases could be categorized according to the REAL and 77.7% with the Updated Kiel classification. These figures differed due to unrecognized categories in the Kiel schema. Annual incidence rate per 100,000 inhabitants was 20.1 for lymphoid neoplasms, and NHL alone was 9.0. In conclusion, the REAL classification allowed us to categorize more cases of NHL than did the Updated Kiel classification, fundamentally because of the inclusion of some recently described entities.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Induction chemotherapy with cisplatin, bleomycin and methotrexate in advanced head and neck cancer--lack of therapeutic gain.

Seventy patients with stage IV head and neck cancer were treated by two courses of induction chemotherapy followed by surgery plus postoperative irradiation (7) or radical radiotherapy (62). One patient renounced to further treatment after chemotherapy. Each chemotherapy course consisted of methotrexate (40 mg/m2 days 1 and 14), bleomycin (10 mg/m2 days 1, 7 and 14), and cisplatin (50 mg/m2 day 4). Three patients did not complete the two courses of chemotherapy planned due to bad tolerance whereas the rest of the patients tolerated chemotherapy well. 2 CR (3%) and 35 PR (50%) were achieved for an overall response rate to chemotherapy of 53%. 35 (50%) CR were achieved with the whole treatment schedule. The 5-year disease-free survival is 26% for the whole group of patients. The prior response to chemotherapy neither influenced the complete responses to treatment nor the relapse-free survival. The addition of this chemotherapy to conventional treatment was of no value.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

[Septicemia due to Fusobacterium necrophorum. A case report].

Septicemia due to the anaerobic gram-negative bacillus Fusobacterium necrophorum is exceptional. It may originate in tonsillitis or intestinal or gynecological infection. We report one case in a young man with head injury. Fusobacterium necrophorum is frequently associated with aerobic pathogens such as streptococcus or staphylococcus (more than fifty per cent of the cases). Metastatic localizations are numerous, often pleuro-pulmonary (infarction, abscess), hepatic (cytolysis) and meningeal (purulent meningitis, cerebral abscess), and in some instances articular (joint swelling) or embolic. Hypercoagulability is often associated. Prognosis is severe (45% mortality rate). Penicillin G seems to be the best antibiotic but erythromycin is effective, as well as imidazole which was very active in our case.

Adult↗