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Biomedical subjects

L Torres

Publications and source records attributed to L Torres.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Consistency of repeated event-related potentials in clinically stable HIV-1-infected drug users.

This study investigated the stability over time of delays in auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) caused by HIV-1 infection of the brain. ERPs were recorded at two time points from 17 former parenteral drug users (PDUs) and 8 non-PDU control subjects. There was no significant effect of time, and peak measures for the two visits were significantly correlated with each other. For both visits, N1 was delayed only for the seropositive stage IV subjects, whereas N2 was delayed for both seropositive groups. Group differences remained stable, confirming previously reported studies.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1996

Partial splenectomy in children with sickle cell disease and repeated episodes of splenic sequestration.

Twenty-five children with sickle cell disease and repeated episodes of splenic sequestration crises underwent partial splenectomy. They have been followed for 12 to 75 months (median 48 months) after surgery. During this period we have not observed any episode of splenic sequestration and the need for hospitalization and transfusions has been greatly reduced. We believe this is a useful and safe procedure for treating patients with this condition.

Anemia, Sickle Cell↗
PubMed1996

[Disseminated zygomycosis by Absidia corymbifera in 2 leukemic patients].

AIM: The term zygomycosis comprise mycotic infections produced by mucorales and entomophtorales. Mucorales become pathogenic in some conditions, principally diabetes mellitus, immunosuppression, trauma or burn. METHODS: We describe two cases of leukaemic patients who developed disseminated zygomycosis by Absidia corymbifera during the aplastic phase by antineoplastic chemotherapy. RESULTS: In both cases, the first symptom was high fever unresponsive to broad spectrum antibiotics neither fluconazole. Initial sites of infection were sinonasal region in one case and bowel in the other one. The diagnosis was confirmed by culture of nasal swab and peritoneal fluid respectively. One patient was early diagnosed and he received prolonged amphotericin B therapy but no surgical debridement. The other one had a postmortem diagnosis at autopsy. None of them survived. Death was directly related to the fungal infection. CONCLUSIONS: Although this infection is infrequent, it must be suspected in high-risk patients because early diagnosis and quick combined therapy appear to improve the prognosis.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1995

A sandwich ELISA based on anti-apo(a) and anti-apo B monoclonal antibodies for lipoprotein(a) measurement.

Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) is one of the most important independent risk factors for the prediction of premature atherosclerosis. Lp(a) is a low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-like particle which contains a glycoprotein (apoprotein(a)) disulfide linked to apo B-100. We describe a sandwich ELISA based on an anti-apo(a) monoclonal antibody (MAb) and an anti-apo B MAb for the quantitative determination of Lp(a) in human serum. The assay is sensitive, precise and specific. Samples with different apo(a) isoforms had a linear response in a range of 3-70 mg/dl of Lp(a). Correlations between the ELISA and a commercial ELISA, an immunoradiometric assay and electroimmunodiffusion were 0.92, 0.96 and 0.98, respectively. The frequency distribution of Lp(a) concentration in blood donors showed the skew toward the right reported in other populations. Patients with angiographically assessed coronary atherosclerosis had three times higher levels of Lp(a) than those with no signs of coronary atherosclerosis.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

SRY alone can induce normal male sexual differentiation.

Most individuals with the rare 46,XX male "syndrome" arise due to an unequal interchange between Xp and Yp termini during paternal meiosis. The pattern of Y-sequences in these patients varies considerably, but very few cases have been reported showing only SRY. The phenotype in these patients is also variable ranging from severe impairment of the external genitalia through hypospadias and/or cryptorchidism to occasional normal male phenotype. We report a Mexican 46,XX male patient without genital ambiguities in whom DNA analysis showed the presence of SRY and the absence of ZFY. We conclude that in this case SRY alone was enough for complete male sexual differentiation.

DNA-Binding Proteins↗
PubMed1995

Semilunar valve switch in aortic insufficiency.

The use of the Ross procedure in young patients is gaining wider acceptance. The need for a foreign pulmonary valve that will require replacement, however, is a serious drawback. To circumvent this problem, we reimplanted the native aortic valve in the pulmonary position in four patients (ages 12, 15, 15 and 17 years old) operated on utilizing the Ross procedure for aortic insufficiency. One patient had congenital and three isolated rheumatic aortic insufficiency. The root replacement technique with coronary artery reimplantation was used. All patients did well initially with marked reduction of left ventricular dilatation and good function of the reimplanted native aortic valve. One patient, however, died a month later from rupture of a false aneurysm that developed at the pulmonary autograft to ascending aorta anastomosis. We feel that the use of the native aortic valve in the pulmonary position makes the Ross procedure more attractive and potentially curative. The diseased aortic valve works well in the pulmonary position because of lower pulmonary artery pressure and resistance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Clinical traits and molecular findings in 46,XX males.

46,XX maleness is characterized by the presence of testicular development in subjects who lack a Y chromosome. The majority of affected persons have normal external genitalia, but 10-15% show various degrees of hypospadias. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the etiology of this constitution: translocation of the testis-determining factor (TDF) from the Y to the X chromosome, mutation in an autosomal or X chromosomal gene which permits testicular determination in the absence of TDF, and undetected mosaicism with a Y-bearing cell line. We report the phenotypic data and results of molecular analyses performed in six sporadic Mexican males with 46,XX karyotype. Molecular studies revealed Yp sequences in two individuals (ZFY+ SRY+) with different phenotypes, a third one presented with a smaller segment of Yp (ZFY- SRY+) and complete virilization, while the remaining three were Y-negative and showed hypospadias. In all subjects a hidden mosaicism with a Y-bearing cell line was ruled out due to the absence of Y-centromeric sequences. Our data demonstrate that the phenotype does not always correlate with the presence or absence of Y-sequences in the genome, and confirm that 46,XX maleness is a genetically heterogeneous condition.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Early and late cognitive event-related potentials mark stages of HIV-1 infection in the drug-user risk group.

HIV-1 (Human immunodeficiency virus) infection of the brain causes delays in auditory event-related potential (ERP) components. We recorded auditory ERPs from 38 former parenteral drug users (PDUs) at three stages of HIV-1 infection: seronegative; seropositive; stage II; and seropositive, stage IV. There were five response conditions: Go Nogo, Count, Simple Response, Simple Count, and Ignore. P3 peak latencies were significantly delayed and P3 amplitudes were significantly reduced for all seropositives, including asymptomatics, when compared to PDU seronegative controls. In contrast, the P1 and N1 peak latency measures were delayed only for seropositives with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) qualifying illnesses. There was a significant negative correlation between the CD4 count and the latency of P1, N1, and the MMN. Also, increased P1 and N1 amplitudes correlated with indices of disease progression (Choice RT and CD4 counts, respectively). The results extend previous findings by clarifying the pattern of auditory ERP markers of disease progression. Early, as well as late, brain involvement caused by HIV-1 is marked by delays and decreased amplitudes in cognitive components. In addition, late brain involvement is marked by delays and increased amplitudes in specific, automatic, and/or obligatory components.

AIDS Dementia Complex↗
PubMed1994

Transsternal repair of coarctation and associated cardiac defects.

Over a 13-year period, 20 infants and children underwent transsternal approach for repair of coarctation and associated cardiac defects. Fifteen patients (75%) were operated on in the last 6 years. Thirteen patients (group 1) had intracardiac shunts and 7 (group 2), intracardiac obstruction or valvular insufficiency. Group 1 had a mean age of 0.8 +/- 1.9 years versus 4 +/- 3 years for group 2 (p = 0.05). There were 12 patients (92%), 7 months old or less in group 1. Aortic arch hypoplasia was present in 6 patients in group 1. A large patent ductus arteriosus was present in 5 of these 6 patients versus no patent ductus arteriosus in patients without aortic arch hypoplasia (p = 0.006). The mean pulmonary blood flow to systemic blood flow ratio in group 1 was 3.8 +/- 2 and the mean right ventricular to left ventricular ratio, 0.8 +/- 0.2. The coarctation repair fell mostly into three types: side patch aortoplasty (8), ductal tissue excision and patch aortoplasty of the concavity of the aortic arch (6), and subclavian aortoplasty (4). There was one early death (5%) which was due to sepsis in a newborn. Another newborn who had subclavian aortoplasty needed a left carotid artery--descending aorta bypass conduit early because of aortic arch hypoplasia. All patients were followed to 12 years (mean follow-up, 4.3 +/- 3.5 years). There were no late deaths. Two patients had recurrent coarctation, 1 after an end-to-end repair and the other because of incomplete arch enlargement after a side patch aortoplasty.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aorta, Thoracic↗
PubMed1993

[Minimal deviation adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix].

A 33 year-old female with minimal deviation adenocarcinoma of the endocervix is presented. In two years five biopsies were needed to make the diagnosis. There was association with bilateral mucinous cystadenomas of the ovary. Even under radiotherapy and surgical resection the clinical outcome was fatal with 2 years of survival rate. The tumor shows fairly well differentiated endocervical glands which may be confused with different forms of endocervical hyperplasia but the clinical course is aggressive and fatal.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1993

[Application of the Relationship Episodes Interview].

The Core Conflictual Relationship Theme (CCRT) is a content analytic assessment developed by Luborsky that uses narratives about relationship episodes with significant others as data base to identify repetitive relationship patterns that appear in individual behavior. Luborsky's Relationship Anecdotes Paradigm (RAP) Interview for which we introduced the German expression Relationship Episodes-Interview (RE-Interview) is a method for eliciting relationship episodes independently from therapy. In this paper we give an introduction into the practice and into the possible applications of this interview form according to the experiences the Ulm CCRT-group made with the instructions of Luborsky. The bases of our experience are 40 audio-visual recorded RE-Interviews. An example shows how to attain to the CCRT-formulation from the interview.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

[A progressive case of ataxia in a family of Huntington's chorea].

One case of ataxic, pyramidal and demential syndrome associated with retinitis pigmentosa occurred in a family with Huntington's disease (36 patients among 7 generations). The disease started at 15 years of age. Ataxia was transiently attenuated by isoniazid. The patient died of the disease at 26 years of age.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

A protein kinase gene complements the lytic phenotype of Saccharomyces cerevisiae lyt2 mutants.

By genetic analysis of a thermosensitive autolytic mutant whose phenotype was complemented by osmotic stabilization with sorbitol, we identified gene LYT2 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is probably involved in cell wall formation. A yeast gene complementing lyt2 strains was cloned and shown to carry an open reading frame coding for a 484-amino-acid protein exhibiting all the characteristic domains of serine/threonine protein kinases and highly homologous to other yeast protein kinases involved in control of the mitotic cycle. Mutants disrupted in the cloned gene also displayed an autolytic phenotype complemented by osmotic stabilization with sorbitol. However, genetic comparison of lyt2 mutants and disruptants of the protein kinase gene revealed that the cloned gene is not the structural gene LYT2 but a suppressor of the lytic phenotype, named gene SLT2, that was mapped to chromosome V. The product of gene SLT2 is the first protein kinase to be described in relation to the yeast cell-wall functions.

Amino Acid Sequence↗