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Biomedical subjects

M Miranda

Publications and source records attributed to M Miranda.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

A study on the in vitro interaction between tyrosinase and glutathione S-transferase.

The actions of glutathione S-transferase and tyrosinase on the in vitro production of glutathionyl-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine and the dopachrome level in the presence of GSH and L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine were studied. No clear evidence of complementarity between tyrosinase and glutathione S-transferase was observed; on the contrary, in the presence of glutathione S-transferase the glutathionyl-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine yield was lower than with tyrosinase only, as measured by HPLC. It is concluded that the spontaneous conjugation of GSH with dopaquinone should probably be high enough to scavenge the toxic quinone and to produce precursors for phaeomelanogenesis.

Animals

Glutathione transferase activity during Bufo bufo development.

High levels of glutathione transferase activity were measured during the development of the embryos of Bufo bufo including unfertilized eggs. After stage 4 glutathione transferase activity gradually decreased until stage 25 when the minimum was reached. No change in the number of isozymes was noted during development according to isoelectric focusing analysis performed on the cytosolic fractions of selected stages.

Animals

Restriction patterns of model DNA treated with 5,6-dihydroxyindole, a potent cytotoxic intermediate of melanin synthesis: effect of u.v. irradiation.

The interaction of 5,6-dihydroxyindole, a putative cytotoxic intermediate of melanin synthesis, with model lambda phage DNA has been investigated by using type II restriction endonucleases and CsCl buoyant density centrifugation. As evidenced by agarose gel electrophoresis and density gradient profiles, the 5,6-dihydroxyindole or u.v. treated DNAs, restricted or not, are modified. U.v. irradiation enhances 5,6-dihydroxyindole binding to DNA, but no sequence specific binding was observed. The action of L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine on the restriction patterns of lambda phage DNA was also investigated and the effect appeared smaller, by qualitative evaluation, than that produced by 5,6-dihydroxyindole.

Bacteriophage lambda

Glutathione peroxidases and glutathione reductase activities during Bufo bufo development.

Glutathione peroxidases and glutathione reductase activities are expressed from the early stage of Bufo bufo development. Selenium-dependent and selenium-independent glutathione peroxidase activities fluctuated independently. The activity of selenium-independent was found to be higher than that of selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase through all stages of development. Glutathione reductase activity, after a slight fall from stage 4 to stage 7, constantly increased up to stage 25.

Animals

5,6-Dihydroxyindole oxidation by mammalian, mushroom and amphibian tyrosinase preparations.

The oxidation of 5,6-dihydroxyindole by tyrosinases from mushroom, Harding-Passey melanoma, bovine eye and Bufo bufo embryo has been investigated. The apparent Km values for this substrate were measured and found to be of the same order of magnitude as those for L-tyrosine and L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, as reported in the literature (5 x 10(-4) M). The 5,6-dihydroxyindole oxidases of mushroom and T4 melanoma isozyme are sensitive to phenylthiourea, while, on the other hand, those from crude preparations of bovine and B. bufo tyrosinases are not sensitive to the inhibitor in an evident manner. The action of some indole derivatives on the 5,6-dihydroxyindole oxidase of mushroom has also been investigated.

Animals

Abnormalities of interdigestive motility complex and increased duodenogastric reflux in gastric ulcer patients.

Just as cyclic changes in motility and secretions occur during fasting, recent evidence demonstrates that duodenogastric reflux during fasting is also cyclic and related to the motility and secretory variations. We investigated the characteristics of the migrating motility complex and duodenogastric reflux in 17 patients with gastric ulcer and compared these characteristics to those of 16 healthy subjects. We found three abnormalities of the complex in patients with gastric ulcer: (1) the antral motility was significantly decreased during the phase II of the complex (P less than 0.05) when compared to controls; (2) in about two thirds of them, the phase III of the complex was initiated at the duodenum or more distally; and (3) the mean bile salt concentration in the gastric aspirate was significantly higher (P less than 0.05) than that of the controls. We observed no relationship between the ulcer activity, the location of the crater, and the motility or reflux abnormalities.

Adolescent

Inhibition of tyrosinase by indole compounds and reaction products. Protection by albumin.

Tyrosinase activity decreases as the reaction proceeds and is inhibited by L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine oxidation products. Indole and tryptophan inhibit tyrosinase reaction and bovine albumin protects against end-product(s) inhibition or inactivation. Since the same tyrosinase reaction products are indole compounds and some authors reported the binding of indole derivatives with albumin, it is here suggested that indole intermediates of melanin synthesis inhibit or inactivate tyrosinase.

Basidiomycota

Identification of Candida lusitaniae as an opportunistic yeast in humans.

Four yeast strains, causally associated with infection in a patient with acute myelogenous leukemia, were identified by standard methods currently used in yeast taxonomy as representatives of Candida lusitania van Uden et do Carmo-Sousa. Because this species has not been recognized previously as an opportunistic yeast in humans, molecular taxonomic methods were applied to confirm its identity. The nuclear deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) base composition of two clinical isolates was shown to be 45.1 mol% guanine plus cytosine as compared to 44.7 mol% guanine plus cytosine for the type strain of this species. DNA/DNA reassociation experiments revealed more than 95% complementarity between the DNAs from the clinical isolates and that of the type strain of C. lusitaniae, thus confirming their classification by conventional taxonomy. A key is provided to differentiate C. lusitaniae from two phenotypically similar Candida species.

Blood

Nutritional inhibition of genetically determined renal disease and autoimmunity with prolongation of life in kdkd mice.

Striking inhibition of development of renal disease and prolongation of lifespan have been achieved in kdkd mice by restricting their daily food intake. Restricting protein intake alone did not prolong life nor did it inhibit development of kidney disease. The kdkd nephronophthisis, although very different histologically from the renal disease of B/W mice, may also have immunological components. Like the immunologically based renal disease of B/W mice, renal disease in kdkd mice is decreased or eliminated histologically by dietary restriction, which inhibits development of autoimmunity directed toward the erythrocytes of these mice. Further analysis will be needed to elucidate the cause of progressive renal disease in both the kdkd and B/W models and to permit understanding of the profound influence of restriction of food intake on development and progression of these very different renal diseases.

Animals

Double ventricular response to an extrastimulus in a patient with triple atrioventricular pathways.

A patient with the Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome was studied through recordings of the intracardiac potentials and programmed atrial stimulation. During programmed atrial stimulation at progressively shorter coupling intervals (A1-A2 intervals), the His deflection was always recorded after the ventricular complex. Thus, at coupling intervals between 295 and 250 msec, there was a double ventricular response, one through the accessory pathway (QRS complex of the Wolff-Parkinson-White morphologic pattern) and the other by the normal atrioventricular pathway (normal QRS complex or with pattern of left bundle-branch block). At a coupling interval of 295 msec, the atrio-His (A-H) interval increased from 200 to 350 msec. This fact and the presence of two distinct A2-H2 intervals are suggestive of the existence of dual atrioventricular pathways, coexisting functionally with a lateral accessory bypass (Kent's bundle).

Bundle of His