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Biomedical subjects

M Fuentes

Publications and source records attributed to M Fuentes.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

[Ovarian cystadenofibroma. 5-year experience at the "Dr. Manuel Gea González" General Hospital S.S.A. Report of 10 cases].

The ovarian cystoadenofibroma are tumors not very frequently of superficial epithelium. It can appears at all ages. It can form fibrotic nodules of strong consistency that initially appear with the papillae and it forms nodule when the time goes by; generally, they are unilateral. We studied 10 cases of cystoadenofibromas in a period of 5 years, the patients' age was from 18 to 68 years old being more frequent in the adult age; seven cases were unilateral, three were bilateral, two of these appeared clinically as acute abdomen due to rupture of the tumor the third one was a hysterectomy is finding. In seven cases there was association with uterine leiomiomatosis mainly in older patients. Macroscopically it was seen that in younger patients these tumors were cystic with small papillae, and in older patients they formed fibrotic nodules. The immunohystochemical study with Vimentin and Desmin showed that the Desmin was focally immunopositive in form of fine fibers at the union with superficial epithelium and greatly positive fibrous portion for Vimentina.

Adult↗

Quantification of cyclamate and cyclohexylamine in urine samples using high-performance liquid chromatography with trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid pre-column derivatization.

An HPLC isocratic method with pre-column derivatization and UV detection for the quantification of cyclamate and cyclohexylamine in urine samples is described. The method requires very little sample preparation. Free cyclohexylamine is analysed in a first run and subsequently cyclamate is analysed as cyclohexylamine, after the simple process of oxidation of the sample by means of hydrogen peroxide. Cycloheptylamine is used as internal standard. Trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS) appears to be a good reagent for the pre-column derivatization. The time per run is 15 min; the coefficients of variation of the assays range from 1.1 to 5.5%; the limits of detection are 0.09 and 0.11 ppm for cyclohexylamine and cyclamate anion, respectively. The system described has always performed efficiently, with a high degree of stability, in daily routine work.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

Glutathione-S-Transferase M1 and codon 72 p53 polymorphisms in a northwestern Mediterranean population and their relation to lung cancer susceptibility.

Several polymorphic genes have been reported to be possibly involved in modifying lung cancer risk in smokers. The gene GSTM1 is frequently deleted in human populations, and the null genotype has been reported to be a risk factor for developing lung carcinoma. A germline polymorphism of p53 with a single-base change at codon 72 that causes an amino acid replacement of arginine (Arg; CGC) by proline (PRO; CCC) has also been reported to be associated with cancer susceptibility in a Japanese population. Both polymorphisms were genotyped by PCR in a northwestern Mediterranean healthy population (n = 147) and in a group of lung cancer patients (n = 139). The results showed that the frequency of the GSTM1 null genotype was higher in the lung cancer patients compared to the controls [odds ratio (OR), 1.57; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.99-2.51]. The histological subtypes most clearly modified were small cell carcinoma (OR, 1.89; CI, 0.97-3.65) and adenocarcinoma (OR, 1.93; CI, 0.90-4.14). The null GSTM1 genotype was more frequent among those cancer patients who were medium/ light smokers (< or = 50 pack-years) and in those who showed an onset of the disease at a more advanced age. The study of the p53 polymorphism in the healthy population showed allele frequencies of 0.79 (Arg) and 0.21 (Pro). The frequencies found in the lung cancer patients were statistically similar. Both polymorphisms were studied together, and the relative risk of the combination null GSTM1 and Pro/Pro or Arg/Pro genotypes was calculated taking the combination of GTSM1 + together with Arq/Arg as a baseline. The OR found (1.97; CI, 1.03-3.73) suggests that the Pro allele of the p53 germline polymorphism may slightly increase the risk fo the GSTM1 null genotype among smokers.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Salmonella pyomyositis in patients with the human immunodeficiency virus.

Pyomyositis is a common disease in the tropics, mostly due to Staphylococcus aureus. We report two patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who presented with fever and unilateral limb swelling and in whom pyomyositis was diagnosed in quadriceps and gluteus major, respectively. Salmonella enteritidis was isolated in both, with recurrent episodes of muscle involvement and secondary osteomyelitis in one case. Non-typhi Salmonella pyomyositis may occur in HIV + patients with a relapsing and aggressive clinical course in some cases.

Adult↗

[Modulation of cellular response expression during prolonged treatment with antiestrogens].

The effects of a prolonged antiestrogen treatment on two estrogen-dependent responses and an AP-1 response were studied on two cell lines derived from MCF-7 cells. 1) Hydroxytamoxifen specifically provoked an irreversible inactivation of a chimeric estrogen-dependent gene expression in less than 30 days. This process was estrogen receptor mediated and led to a cellular heterogeneity that was induced by the treatment and was not due to a cell selection process. A similar heterogeneity was also observed for the progesterone receptor expression but after a longer treatment time. The mechanism underlying this phenomenon is currently investigated. 2) After a four day treatment of cells with an antiestrogen, the phorbol ester inducible expression of a chimeric AP-1 response was stimulated by a factor 3-4. This stimulation was antiestrogen dose-dependent and suppressed by the presence of estradiol, which strongly suggested that estrogen receptor was involved. This was confirmed by the fact that the phenomenon was not observed in a cell line devoid of estrogen receptor. This result suggests a yet unknown mechanism by which an antiestrogen could have an agonistic property allowing hormone independence to appear. Both these phenomena show that new activities of antiestrogens may be evidenced after prolonged treatments with unexpected consequences on endocrine therapy.

Estrogen Antagonists↗

Use of the polymerase chain reaction to directly detect malaria parasites in blood samples from the Venezuelan Amazon.

We have examined the reproducibility, sensitivity, and specificity of detecting Plasmodium falciparum using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the species-specific probe pPF14 under field conditions in the Venezuelan Amazon. Up to eight samples were field collected from each of 48 consenting Amerindians presenting with symptoms of malaria. Sample processing and analysis was performed at the Centro Amazonico para la Investigacion y Control de Enfermedades Tropicales Simon Bolivar. A total of 229 samples from 48 patients were analyzed by PCR methods using four different P. falciparum-specific probes. One P. vivax-specific probe and by conventional microscopy. Samples in which results from PCR and microscopy differed were reanalyzed at a higher sensitivity by microscopy. Results suggest that microscopy-negative, PCR-positive samples are true positives, and that microscopy-positive and PCR-negative samples are true negatives. The sensitivity of the DNA probe/PCR method was 78% and its specificity was 97%. The positive predictive value of the PCR method was 88%, and the negative predictive value was 95%. Through the analysis of multiple blood samples from each individual, the DNA probe/PCR methodology was found to have an inherent reproducibility that was highly statistically significant.

Animals↗

Evidence that long-term estrogen treatment disrupts opioid involvement in the induction of pituitary LH surge.

Recent evidence suggests that a decrease in the inhibitory opioid influence is a necessary hypothalamic neural event in the preovulatory and ovarian steroid-induced luteinizing hormone (LH) surge. Whether shifts in ovarian steroidal milieu disrupts this neural event is not known. Therefore, the effects of short-term (3 days) and long-term (13 or 17 days) estradiol 17 beta (E2) exposure on spontaneous, naloxone (NAL) and progesterone (P)-induced LH surges were assessed in ovariectomized (ovx) rats. Two weeks after ovariectomy, rats received subcutaneous Silastic capsules filled with crystalline E2. In rats exposed to E2 for 3 days and infused with saline intravenously between 11.00-14.00 h, plasma LH rose significantly at 17.00 h. NAL infusion between 11.00-14.00 h in these rats to decrease the inhibitory opioid influence, advanced both the onset of LH rise and amplified the secretion of LH in the afternoon. Continuation of E2 exposure for 13 days produced no deleterious effects on either the spontaneous or NAL-induced augmentation in LH responses. However, uninterrupted E2 exposure for 17 days abolished the spontaneous afternoon LH rise and drastically diminished the ability of NAL to advance and amplify the LH response. In the next experiment, we evaluated the effect of P injection (2 mg/rat) at 11.00 h on the afternoon LH release in rats similarly exposed to E2 for either 3 or 17 days. In rats exposed to E2 for 3 days, the P-induced LH release was significantly greater than that observed after saline or NAL infusion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Involvement of the Y-1 receptor subtype in the regulation of luteinizing hormone secretion by neuropeptide Y in rats.

The present experiments were designed to investigate structure-function relationships, and identify the receptor subtype and postreceptor cellular mechanisms that mediate the ovarian hormone-dependent, excitatory, and inhibitory effects of neuropeptide Y (NPY) on LH release in female rats. Intracerebroventricular administration of NPY decreased plasma concentrations of LH in ovariectomized, hormonally untreated rats but stimulated LH release in ovariectomized rats pretreated with estradiol benzoate and progesterone. A similar dual response was also obtained after administration of NPY2-36. However, deletion of additional amino acids at the N terminus, as in NPY5-36, NPY11-36, NPY16-36, and NPY25-36, rendered the peptides inactive. An N-terminal fragment, NPY1-24-amide, and a discontinuous NPY analog, NPY1-4-epsilon-amino-caproic acid-25-36, similarly failed to influence LH release. The analog [Leu31,Pro34]NPY, a preferential agonist at the Y-1 NPY receptor subtype, also elicited the dual LH responses, but the preferential Y-2 receptor agonist, NPY13-36, was completely inactive. Further, only the peptides that stimulated LH release in vivo, i.e. NPY, NPY2-36, and [Leu31,Pro34]NPY, also stimulated the release of LHRH from median eminence fragments of steroid-primed rats in vitro, and the excitatory effect of [Leu31,Pro34] NPY was blocked by a noncompetitive NPY receptor antagonist, D-myo-inositol-1,2,6-trisphosphate. With the exception of NPY1-24-amide, all of the NPY fragments tested bound specifically to NPY binding sites in hypothalamic membrane preparations, but the highest binding affinities were found for the peptides that evoked biological responses in the in vivo and in vitro tests. Further analysis of the mode of action of NPY showed that the stimulation of LHRH release in vitro was unaffected by omission of Ca2+ from the incubation medium, but was prevented by two antagonists of intracellular Ca2+ mobilization, 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoic acid 8-(diethylamino)octyl ester and ryanodine. Inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis with indomethacin blocked the stimulatory effect of the alpha 1-adrenergic agonist methoxamine on LHRH release, but not the increase produced by NPY.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Analysis of Variance↗

European reference method of in vivo determination of metabolisable energy in poultry: reproducibility, effect of age, comparison with predicted values.

1. Apparent metabolisable energy corrected to zero-nitrogen retention (AMEn) was measured using the European reference procedure in 9 European laboratories. Seven pelleted diets were evaluated. AMEn was measured with adult cockerels and young birds. 2. Between-laboratory standard deviations were for dry matter (DM) 12.5 g/kg, gross energy 0.085 MJ/kg DM, Kjeldahl nitrogen 0.768 g/kg DM, AMEn (adults) 0.256 MJ/kg DM, and AMEn (young) 0.337 MJ/kg DM. Corresponding coefficients of variation between laboratories were 1.42, 0.45, 2.15, 1.88 and 2.60% respectively. 3. AMEn values of experimental diets were always significantly lower when measured with young birds. This effect was more pronounced when diets contained added fat. 4. Tallow or soyabean oil were incorporated into two basal diets at 40 g/kg inclusion rate. No significant differences were observed between AMEn values of either diet with adults or young birds, suggesting that AMEn energy values of these fats are indistinguishable at this inclusion rate. 5. Similar AMEn values were obtained in young birds by estimating nitrogen accretion, either by the difference between intake and excreta nitrogen or by measuring body weight gain. Determined AMEn values were very similar to those predicted using three different regression equations.

Age Factors↗

Endogenous opioid peptides mediate the interleukin-1-induced inhibition of the release of luteinizing hormone (LH)-releasing hormone and LH.

We have reported recently that central administration of both the alpha- and beta-subtypes of the cytokine interleukin-1 (IL-1) inhibited the estrogen-progesterone-induced LH surge in ovariectomized (ovx) rats. This inhibition was probably due to a central effect, since IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta also suppressed the in vitro LHRH output from the hypothalami of steroid-primed ovx rats. Whether IL-1 inhibits LHRH release by a direct action or via some other neuronal system is not known. Since IL-1 reportedly stimulates the release of POMC peptides, which are known to be inhibitory to the LHRH-LH axis, we have tested the hypothesis that the inhibitory influence of IL-1 may be mediated via activation of hypothalamic opioid peptides. Ovx rats, preimplanted with cannulae in the third ventricle of the brain, were injected with 30 micrograms estradiol benzoate, followed by 2 mg progesterone 48 h later. Three hours after P injection, IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, or saline (SAL) was injected intracerebroventricularly (30 ng/3 microliters) at 1300 h, followed immediately by iv infusion of SAL or the opiate antagonist naloxone hydrochloride (NAL; 2 mg/0.6 ml.h) for 2 h. Plasma LH levels were measured in blood samples withdrawn hourly until 1800 h. Both IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta blocked the afternoon LH surge. NAL infusion into control SAL-injected rats did not alter the LH surge; however, it reversed the IL-1 alpha- and IL-1 beta-induced suppression of the LH surge. To determine whether this reversal of IL-1 suppression of the LH surge was due to NAL action at the hypothalamic level, the preoptic area-medial basal hypothalamus of similarly primed ovx rats was obtained at 1300 h and incubated in vitro in the presence of 10 nM IL-1 alpha or IL-1 beta with or without 100 micrograms/ml NAL. Both subtypes of IL-1 suppressed LHRH output significantly. NAL alone did not affect LHRH release, but it completely reversed the inhibitory effects of the cytokine on LHRH release. These results suggest that IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta inhibit LHRH-LH release by stimulating the activity of hypothalamic endogenous opioid peptide systems.

Animals↗

Severe pleuritis associated with certain strains of Pasteurella multocida in swine.

Pasteurella multocida was isolated from 2 farms on which grower or finisher pigs had problems of severe emaciation and high death loss (greater than 5%). At necropsy, the pigs had extensive suppurative pleuritis and pericarditis, with adhesions over the lung surface. On one farm, the pigs also had multiple lung abscesses. Histologic findings included polymorphonuclear cell infiltration in bronchial and alveolar spaces, thickening of alveolar walls, pleuritis, and in some cases, abscesses. From all pigs, P multocida was isolated. The strains (A52, A59) were serotype A and were nontoxigenic. Experimental reproduction of the disease was achieved by sequentially infecting conventionally weaned pigs intranasally with pseudorabies virus; 7 days later, infection with selected P multocida laboratory strains (A50 and D82, A52 and A59) was achieved. At necropsy, pigs inoculated with strains A59 and A52 (serotype A, pleurotropic) had more severe lesions (P less than 0.05) than those inoculated with strain A50 (serotype A, pneumotropic). Also, pigs infected with strains A59 and A52 had extensive pleuritis and abscessation, which were not observed in the other groups. Strain D82 (serotype D) was not capable of producing pneumonia or pleuritis. Pleuritis and abscessation may be associated with certain P multocida strains that are serotype A, but not with others. These pleurotropic strains seem to be more virulent than pneumotropic strains, and infection with the former may result in extensive pleuritis and abscess formation.

Animals↗