PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M Daniel

Publications and source records attributed to M Daniel.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

[MRI of the spinal epidural fat in pathology].

The authors report about their experience with the merits of the normal systematization of epidural fat with MRI. On sagittal sections, this fat has a variable appearance, but its location along the spinal canal is constant. On axial sections, its morphology is suggestive of the level of section: cervical, upper or lower thoracic, lumbar. Some changes in this fat are precious data to explain local hypertrophy (scoliosis) or to locate an intra- or extradural process.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1992

[MRI of normal spinal epidural fat].

The authors perform a retrospective study of 65 spines examined with MRI. They specify the distribution of normal posterior epidural fat and establish the relationship between the anteroposterior thickness of epidural fat and the sagittal diameter of the spine on axial sections. On sagittal sections, the fat has a variable appearance, but a constant location along the spinal canal.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1992

Sex hormones and adipose tissue distribution in premenopausal cigarette smokers.

Androgen dominance is associated with android (abdominal) adiposity and increased health risk. Cigarette smoking has an anti-estrogenic effect in women and recent evidence has linked cigarette smoking with abdominally-localized adipose tissue. The relationship between cigarette smoking, endogenous sex steroid levels and adipose tissue distribution in women has not been examined. We assessed anthropometric indicators of fat distribution and serum levels of estradiol, testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) in 56 women aged 20-35 years (27 cigarette smokers and 29 non-smokers). Free estradiol and testosterone were estimated. Endocrine and anthropometric variables were adjusted for overall fatness. Cigarette smokers had significantly higher mean serum levels of SHBG than non-smokers (63.38 nmol/l and 57.85 nmol/l, respectively; P less than 0.01); there were no differences in serum estradiol, testosterone or estimated free levels of these sex steroids. Cigarette smokers had a more android distribution of adipose tissue: significantly greater waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) (P less than 0.01), greater waist-to-thigh ratio (WTR) (P less than 0.02) and smaller thigh girth (P less than 0.05). Waist and umbilical girths were greater in cigarette smokers (P less than 0.0002), but there was no difference in the sum of central skinfold thicknesses (abdominal, iliac crest and supra-spinale). A significant interaction (P less than 0.05) of cigarette smoking with serum testosterone levels was observed in effects on WHR; the relative impact of serum testosterone upon abdominal adiposity was greater in cigarette smokers than in non-smokers. The results suggest that in premenopausal women, cigarette smoking promotes android adiposity by increasing abdominal fat deposition and decreasing femoral fat deposition via interactive effects with sex steroids. The results also suggest an effect of cigarette smoking on serum SHBG, independent of effects on androgen/estrogen balance.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1992

[Bacterial contamination of arthropods in a health facility].

At 55 sites of a health institution in July and September 1990 a total of 161 specimens of arthropods were detected, 30 outdoors and 131 on the premises of the health institution. On their bodies 116 bacterial strains were isolated, mostly Gram-negative rods (more than 85%), in particular spp. Enterobacter, Acinetobacter, Klebsiella, Citrobacter and Pseudomonas. Gram-positive cocci accounted for cca 12%, in particular strains of S. haemolyticus and S. hominis. The greatest number of strains was detected on bodies of cockroaches, flies, Chironomus and Tenebrio. In about one third of strains the diffuse disk test revealed resistance to more than three antibiotics. The investigation was supplemented by microbiological examination of strains from a hospital environment (45 smears) and strains from biological material (82 specimens), from patients with nosocomial infections.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Arthropods in a hospital and their potential significance in the epidemiology of hospital infections.

Synanthropic and other arthropods were collected and examined for microbes in the summer seasons of 1988 and 1990. The collection was performed in a Prague hospital with departments situated in separate buildings, each surrounded by a park. In 1988, the most attention was given to flies (35 species collected) found outside between the buildings. In 1990, all arthropods found inside the buildings (particularly in the departments of dermatology and urology) were studied. A total of 30 taxons were identified. The microbes found on the bodies of arthropods were isolated in both seasons. In 1990, the hospital environment and biological material from patients (urine, pus) were also examined for the presence of microbes. Altogether 108 strains (21 species) and 116 strains (25 species) were isolated from the arthropods' bodies in 1988 and 1990, respectively. The ecological characterization of the arthropods and results of microbiological studies show that synanthropic arthropods play a significant role in the epidemiology of hospital infections.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Proteins and molecular palaeontology.

Protein taxonomy has existed as a concept at least since 1958, but despite the efforts of the past 30 years, comparative studies of protein sequence, structure and distribution have not revolutionized any areas of systematics. The most interesting results of single gene phylogenies have been the anomalies, such as insulin in hystricomorphs or cytochrome c in the rattlesnake. It is likely that protein sequence information can be obtained in sufficient quality and quantity from ancient material as to change this finding? The paper will assess possibilities and the likely limitations of chemical studies of ancient protein material.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Rattlesnake cytochrome c. A re-appraisal of the reported amino acid sequence.

The amino acid sequence of rattlesnake cytochrome c was originally reported in 1965, and was one of the earlier sequences to be studied. When compared with other mitochondrial cytochromes c, the snake sequence was soon seen to be anomalous. There were several positions in which the snake protein resembled human cytochrome c, although comparable anomalies were not reported for the protein from other reptiles such as lizard and turtle. Explanations of these results have included accelerated evolution in the snake lineage, paralogy rather than orthology, and faulty determination of the sequence, and the rattlesnake is now often omitted from cytochrome c phylogenetic trees. We have re-investigated the sequence of the snake protein, and believe that the correct sequence differs in nine places from that used for evolutionary theorizing since 1965. Four of these differences are near the haem-attachment site, in a region that was only analysed for amino acid composition in the original investigation. The other five differences are towards the C-terminus of the molecule, and can be explained as being due to the wrong ordering of amino acids within peptides that had been satisfactorily purified. Despite these corrections, the rattlesnake cytochrome c sequence still more closely resembles human cytochrome c than it does that of any other protein we know. We believe that this is an example of convergent evolution, although it does appear that there has been accelerated change in the line connecting the rattlesnake to the ancestral vertebrate line. Detailed evidence for the amino acid sequence of the protein has been deposited as Supplementary Publication SUP 50162 (16 pages) at the British Library Document Supply Centre, Boston Spa. Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 7BQ, U.K., from whom copies can be obtained on the terms indicated in Biochem. J. (1991) 273, 5.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Antibodies to type D retrovirus in talapoin monkeys.

Sera from 154 African non-human primates were screened for the presence of antibodies to type D retrovirus proteins. Four of five talapoin monkeys (Miopithecus sp.) captured in western Africa were positive for antibodies to type D retrovirus by ELISA and by immunoblot reactivity. Talapoins are the only African non-human primates that have so far shown evidence for type D retrovirus infection. Thus, talapoin monkeys appear to be a reservoir of type D retrovirus infection.

Africa, Western↗
PubMed1990

Induction of AIDS in rhesus monkeys by molecularly cloned simian immunodeficiency virus.

Better understanding of the pathogenesis of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) would be greatly facilitated by a relevant animal model that uses molecularly cloned virus of defined sequence to induce the disease. Such a system would also be of great value for AIDS vaccine research. An infectious molecular clone of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) was identified that induces AIDS in common rhesus monkeys in a time frame suitable for laboratory investigation. These results provide another strong link in the chain of evidence for the viral etiology of AIDS. More importantly, they define a system for molecular dissection of the determinants of AIDS pathogenesis.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1990

[Synantrophic flies and other insects in the area of a hospital and microflora detected on their body surfaces].

During the summer period (June-September) 1988 the authors examined the incidence of synantropic flies and other insects on the grounds of hospital in Prague. By means of isolation tests the microflora of their body surfaces was recorded. A total of 521 flies of 35 species were collected; furthermore 1 wasp species and 1 ant species were found. This material was subjektes to 90 tests, in which 108 strains of 21 species of microbes were isolated. In 96% G-rods were found. The majority of the microbes were intestinal, potentially pathogenic microbes which currently occur in hospital environment. The authors discuss the possible role of flies and other synantropic insects in the mechanism of transmission of the detected microflora.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

[The first case of imported dermatobiasis in Czechoslovakia].

Dermatobiasis, a tropical furuculoid myiasis caused by the larvae of Dermatobia hominis (family Cuterebridae) was manifested in a Czech expert already within several days of field work in the state Minas Gerais, Brasil. Due to the localization at the root of the nose above the left eye vision was impaired and the patient developed a general reaction. As loss of the eye was feared, the patient returned to his homeland. The recorded case draws attention to the fact that several days in an endemic area suffice to contract this serious parasitosis and that the latter may then be introduced also into Central Europe.

Czechoslovakia↗
PubMed1990

Using satellite data to forecast the occurrence of the common tick Ixodes ricinus (L.).

To forecast the incidence of the common tick, Ixodes ricinus, the authors used the finding that some types of vegetation may indicate the presence of the tick. To obtain the necessary information in a scope which would enable its practical application in medicine to prevent populational exposure to ticks, remote sensing data were utilized as obtained from the Multispectral Scanner operating aboard Landsat 5. A file was selected from the full scene representing a territory which measured 41 by 41 kilometers and in the centre of which there was an area known to have consistently high tick numbers, as revealed in a 25-year continuous study of I. ricinus, and which proved to be a natural focus of tick-borne encephalitis. This area (Potepl) was taken as a model and was compared with its surroundings. Six landscape classes were examined (1--coniferous forest, 2--leaved forest, 3--mixed forest, 4--water basins, 5--glades, 6--housing developments), the former three being of crucial importance to evaluate the probability of tick presence. The 6th category is significant in assessing human exposure to ticks. Data processing was carried out by supervised classification using the Baye's decision rule of maximum likelihood. The findings were obtained both in a graphic form and in the form of statistical reviews as regards the presence of appropriate landscape categories.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Occurrence of the tick Ixodes ricinus (L.) under the conditions of anthropopressure.

The authors report on their findings of the tick Ixodes ricinus under urban conditions of Prague. The concrete data were taken as a basis for a general scheme of possible occurrence of this species in various town parts, determined by the state of vegetation and presence of large mammals. Discussed are also conditions for I. ricinus maintenance in another type of anthropogenous landscape, the spoil banks resulting from brown coal exploitation.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Riluzole, a novel antiglutamate, prevents memory loss and hippocampal neuronal damage in ischemic gerbils.

The neuroprotective effects of riluzole, a novel antiglutamate, has been demonstrated in a model of ischemia induced in female Mongolian gerbils by transient bilateral carotid occlusion. Riluzole was administered at a dose of 4 mg/kg, i.p., just before, 4 hr after, and for the 14 d following the transient bilateral carotid occlusion (10 min). The functional sequelae of ischemic damage were assessed using a memory test (passive avoidance) and the extent of neuronal damage by histological examination and quantitative autoradiography of muscarinic cholinergic receptors in the hippocampus. The performance of the ischemic gerbils in the memory test was about half that of control animals. This memory deficit was completely reversed in animals treated with riluzole. This protective effect of riluzole was confirmed by histological and autoradiographic studies. The neuronal degeneration of CA1 pyramidal cells in the hippocampus observed in the ischemic group was not seen in the riluzole-treated animals, which resembled the control group. This neuronal degeneration in the CA1 area was confirmed by a quantitative measurement of muscarinic receptors: The binding was decreased by a third in the lacunosum moleculare, the stratum oriens, and the stratum radiatum. By contrast in riluzole-treated gerbils, this decrease was reversed by 50%. Finally, a clear-cut correlation was found between the deficit in the memory test and the decrease in muscarinic receptor binding in the CA1 fields. These results are compatible with the idea that glutamic acid may be involved in the neuronal degeneration of the hippocampus following ischemia, and could be foreseeable.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amnesia↗
PubMed1989

Problems of housing and health of people utilizing the garbage in Cairo from the viewpoint of medical entomology.

More than 50 arthropod species were found at two dumping-grounds with dwelling-places (Mokattam and Ezbet el Nakhl) in Cairo. Their importance was evaluated from the epidemiological and epizootological points of view. Of primary importance is the great prevalence of the fleas (Xenopsylla cheopis) on brown rats (Rattus norvegicus), since the rats are in a close contact with people. They are often simultaneously parasitized with another flea species, Ctenocephalides felis felis, which is very frequent in the studied localities, occurring not only on people and dogs, but also freely in the whole area inhabited by people. Significant is also the large number of ticks (Rhipicephalus sanguineus) and synantropic flies of epidemiological importance. There is a mass occurrence particularly of the species Musca domestica vicina, Musca sorbens and Piophila casei. Attention is paid also to natural reducers of these flies.

Animals↗