Biomedical subjects

M A Jaramillo

Publications and source records attributed to M A Jaramillo.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

[Corneal biomechanics].

OBJECTIVE: To review the corneal biomechanic concepts and to analyse, clarify and understand their relevance in refractive surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature review has been done using different databases. RESULTS: Corneal biomechanic concepts are not new and are applied implicitly in numerous surgical procedures. Their origin is related to tonometry studies, but they gained in popularity when they were linked to the treatment of keratoconus, a pathology in which the mechanical properties of the cornea are altered. Factors determining corneal stability were thus defined. Corneal biomechanics have also been used following refractive surgery to study post-operative keratectasia and to improve ablation patterns, which ignores the corneal response. The new ablation systems need to include the biomechanical factors, which motivate research conducted in physical-mathematical models and in corneal wound healing, improving our knowledge about the corneal biomechanical response. CONCLUSIONS: The corneal biomechanic concepts have gained in popularity with the advent of refractive surgery, although they did exist previously. Their relevance is linked to improvements in the ablation systems used in an attempt to obtain more accurate and reliable results.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗

PubMed2001

Phylogeny and patterns of floral diversity in the genus Piper (Piperaceae).

With ∼1000 species distributed pantropically, the genus Piper is one of the most diverse lineages among basal angiosperms. To rigorously address the evolution of Piper we use a phylogenetic analysis of sequences of the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA based on a worldwide sample. Sequences from a total of 51 species of Piper were aligned to yield 257 phylogenetically informative sites. A single unrooted parsimony network suggested that taxa representing major geographic areas could potentially form three monophyletic groups: Asia, the South Pacific, and the Neotropics. The position of Pothomorphe was well supported among groups of New World taxa. Simultaneous phylogenetic analysis of an expanded alignment including outgroups suggested that taxa from the South Pacific and Asia formed a monophyletic group, provisionally supporting a single origin of dioecy. Within the Neotropical sister clade, resolution was high and strong bootstrap support confirmed the monophyly of several traditionally recognized infrageneric groups (e.g., Enckea [including Arctottonia], Ottonia, Radula, Macrostachys). In contrast, some of the species representing the highly polytypic subgroup Steffensia formed a clade corresponding to the previously recognized taxon Schilleria, while others were strongly associated with several of the more specialized groups of taxa. The distribution of putatively derived inflorescence and floral character states suggested that both umbellate and solitary axillary inflorescences have multiple origins. Reduction in anther number appears to be associated with highly packaged inflorescences or with larger anther primordia per flower, trends that are consistent with the suppression of later stages of androecial development.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1998

Ontogeny of cyclooxygenase-1 and cyclooxygenase-2 gene expression in ovine lung.

Prostacyclin is a key mediator of pulmonary vascular and parenchymal function during late fetal and early postnatal life, and its synthesis in whole lung increases during that period. The rate-limiting enzyme in prostacyclin synthesis in the developing lung is cyclooxygenase (COX). We investigated the ontogeny and cellular localization of COX-1 (constitutive) and COX-2 (inducible) gene expression in lungs from late-gestation fetal lambs, 1-wk-old newborn lambs (NB1), and 1- to 4-mo-old newborn lambs (NB2). COX-1 mRNA abundance rose progressively from fetal to NB1 to NB2, increasing 12-fold overall. In parallel, immunoblot analysis revealed a progressive increase in COX-1 protein, rising fourfold from fetal lambs to NB2. COX-2 mRNA levels increased fivefold from fetal to NB1 but were similar in NB1 and NB2. However, COX-2 protein was not detectable by immunoblot analysis in any age group. Immunohistochemistry for COX-1 showed intense immunostaining in endothelial cells at all ages. COX-1 was also expressed in airway epithelium at all ages, with a greater number of epithelial cells staining positively in NB2 compared with fetal and NB1 groups. In addition, COX-1 was expressed in airway smooth muscle from NB1. COX-2 immunostaining was absent in all age groups. These findings indicate that there is differential expression of COX-1 and COX-2 in the developing lung and that the enzymes are expressed in a cell-specific manner. The developmental upregulation in COX-1 may optimize the capacity for prostaglandin-mediated vasodilation, bronchodilation, and surfactant synthesis in the newborn lung.

Aging↗

PubMed1998

Surfactant protein A is decreased in a rat model of congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

We hypothesized that the expression of surfactant protein A (SP-A) would be altered in developing lungs from rat fetuses with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) induced by maternal ingestion of 2,4-dichlorophenyl-p-nitrophenyl ether (Nitrofen) on Day 9 of gestation. We compared our findings in fetuses exposed to Nitrofen with a CDH with those in Nitrofen-exposed fetuses without a CDH, and control fetuses whose mothers received olive oil only, the vehicle for Nitrofen. In late gestation, immunocytochemistry using a polyclonal rabbit antihuman SP-A antibody revealed decreased amounts of this protein in lungs from fetuses with CDH. Using immunoblotting, the relative amount of SP-A on Day 21 of gestation was also decreased in lung tissue from fetuses with CDH compared with the other groups. Abnormalities of mRNA for SP-A were observed in both groups of Nitrofen-exposed fetuses compared with control rats. These findings suggest that there is decreased expression of SP-A in rat fetuses with CDH secondary to Nitrofen exposure.

Animals↗

PubMed1985

Myxoid chondrosarcoma with a translocation involving chromosomes 9 and 22.

Myxoid chondrosarcoma is an uncommon neoplasm thought to be derived from mesenchymal chondrocytic cells. Although cytogenetic abnormalities have been reported in sarcomas, too few cases have been studied to determine the frequency of nonrandom chromosomal changes in mesenchymal tumors. In this article, we describe a chondrosarcoma with a nonrandom reciprocal translocation t(9;22)(q22;q11). The cellular homologue to the retrovirus transforming gene of simian sarcoma virus is located on chromosome #22, and its possible significance in this case is discussed.

Chondrosarcoma↗

PubMed1979

Familial partial 14 trisomy.

Four children in the same family have 47, +der (14), t(9;14) (p24;q21). Their mothers are sisters with 46,XX,t(9;14) (p24;q21). Clinical features of the children are similar to those of others reported to have partial 14 trisomy.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Pulmonary gastrin-releasing peptide expression in anencephaly.

Gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) is a developmentally regulated bioactive peptide believed to function as a pulmonary growth factor. It is produced by pulmonary neuroendocrine cells, found within the conducting and respiratory epithelium, as isolated cells and in clusters known as neuroepithelial bodies (NEBs). Deficient GRP expression has been reported in pulmonary hypoplasia (PH) associated with oligohydramnios and diaphragmatic hernia. To assess further the role of GRP in maldeveloped lung we reviewed the postmortem records and histologic lung sections, stained with H&E and anti-GRP antiserum, from 11 infants with anencephaly and 11 age-matched controls. Cells immunoreactive for GRP were quantified (isolated versus NEBs) in airways and airspaces per mm2 for a standard area. PH was present in five anencephalic infants. There was no difference in the total number of GRP-positive cells, number of NEBs, size of NEBs, or number of GRP-positive cells in airways or alveoli in either group regardless of lung development. A greater proportion of the GRP-positive cells was present in the airways in anencephalic infants with PH (58%) compared with anencephalic infants without PH (40%) (P = .018). There were no differences when comparing these groups with control infants and no differences in the density of airways in each of these groups. We conclude that deficient GRP expression is not a feature of lung hypoplasia in anencephalic infants. The altered distribution of GRP-positive cells in anencephalic infants with PH may be a reflection of the structural abnormalities or accompanying altered cellular maturity.

Anencephaly↗