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Biomedical subjects

M Rodríguez

Publications and source records attributed to M Rodríguez.

At least 361 records · Page 20Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

[Vipoma of the pancreas. Apropos of a case and review of the literature].

Pancreatic endocrine tumors are uncommon; of this type of tumors, the Verner-Morrison's syndrome, WDHA or vipoma is diagnosed very rarely. The present paper is a report of a pancreatic vipoma in a 60 year-old female; she presented with watery diarrhea, facial flushing, hypokalemia, hypochlorhydria, metabolic acidosis and reversible renal failure; these are the usual manifestations of the syndrome. The diagnosis was made on the basis of radiological imaging, CAT and arteriography as well as the finding or elevated levels of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). The surgical resection of the tumor was followed by the remission of the symptoms and normalization of the plasmatic levels of VIP. It is necessary to recognize this type of tumors because the only way to achieve a curative surgical resection is after an early diagnosis.

Adenoma, Islet Cell↗
PubMed1989

[Lupus nephropathy in childhood and familial lupus. Genetic study of a family].

We report a case of a 14 1/2-year-old boy who was diagnosed of systemic lupus erythematosus in the background of an acute nephritic syndrome, 3 1/2 years after being diagnosed of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. The familial history suggested the presence of other cases of SLE, which were proven with relevant clinical and laboratory studies. A genetic study for disease markers was carried out and a correlation was found with haplotypes HLA A25, B18, BW6, DRX, and DQW; C2 deficiency was ruled out. We conclude that it is of paramount importance to rule out the existence of familial SLE in front of infantile SLE, particularly in boys, and we emphasize the necessity of keeping on further searching for genetic markers of the disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Spontaneously increased B cell growth factor and B cell differentiation factor activities in the synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

The presence of factors implicated in B cell proliferation and differentiation was studied in synovial fluid (SF) from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and from patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and traumatic joint injury. Culture with Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I B cell blasts showed strong B cell growth factor (BCGF) activity in the SF from patients with RA. This BCGF activity was significantly greater than that found in SF from patients with traumatic joint injury and similar to that of patients with AS. The presence of B cell differentiation factor (BCDF) for IgM(mu) in the SF from patients with RA was also demonstrated and was significantly greater than that found in SF from patients with AS and traumatic joint injury. Moreover, a significantly increased BCDF for IgG(gamma) was also found in the SF from patients with RA compared with that observed in those patients with traumatic joint injury, which, however, was similar to that of patients with AS.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Cerebral cysticercosis. 10 cases].

Ten patients with cerebral cysticercosis seen between 1983 and 1986 were treated with praziquantel and in some cases by a ventriculoperitoneal shunt and/or surgical excision of cysts. Clinical and biological data were of no prognostic value. CT only was useful in orientating therapy and establishing the prognosis. A favorable course was obtained in 7 parenchymatous and meningeal forms, the fatal cases being of the mixed type. Praziquantel was inactive against intraventricular cysts.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Tyrosine availability and brain noradrenaline synthesis in the fetus: control by maternal tyrosine ingestion.

In spite of substantial evidence that tyrosine availability modulates catecholamine synthesis, under a variety of conditions, in adult brains, its possible influence during brain development has received little attention. In the present paper, the effect of tyrosine when administered to pregnant rats on tyrosine and noradrenaline brain levels in the fetus was investigated. In the first experiment noradrenaline (NA) was detected in the fetal brain by day 13 of development. NA levels increased from days 13 to 19. Administration of tyrosine to the mother raises both tyrosine and NA levels in the fetal brain. The increase in tyrosine was similar on days 13, 15, 17 and 19 of pregnancy. However, the increase of NA was more pronounced on days 17 and 19 than on days 13 or 15. Tyrosine and NA enhancement was detected 30 min after tyrosine administration, persisted for at least 2 h and disappeared completely 6 h after its administration. Both tyrosine and NA increase are tyrosine dose-related. The present studies suggest that there are no important barriers for tyrosine transport between the maternal blood and the fetal brain. Furthermore, during prenatal life the rate of NA synthesis is regulated by tyrosine brain concentration and therefore maternal intake of tyrosine is an important factor for noradrenaline synthesis regulation in the fetal brain. The possible functional significance of noradrenaline brain increase after tyrosine administration are unknown. However, the NA modification could be the cause of the persistent behavioral modification that we have found in adult rats whose mothers were treated with tyrosine during pregnancy.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Conditioning of the early behavioral response to apomorphine in the rotational model of Parkinson's disease.

The rotational model of Parkinson's disease has been widely used to investigate the action of dopamine agonists. This animal model involves the production of a unilateral nigrostriatal lesion in rats. The lesion is produced with 6-hydroxydopamine which causes dopamine depletion and subsequent supersensitivity of striatal receptors. Thus, administration of drugs which are therapeutically effective in Parkinson's disease, elicits circling behavior contralateral to the lesioned side. The origin of the paradoxical response and the undrugged rotations observed after saline injections in apomorphine pretreated rats has not been explained. We report here that the undrugged response can be associated with the early rotational response elicited by the drug. Furthermore, we show the effect of inhibitory conditioning on this early response. Our results suggest that pharmacological conditioning plays a significant role in the modification of the therapeutic effectiveness of CNS-active drugs after extended treatments.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Undrugged rotational response in nigro-striatal system-lesioned rats is related to the previous early response to apomorphine when repeatedly administered.

Development and time-course characteristics of undrugged rotational response weeks or months after repeated apomorphine administration in 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rats were explored. In one series of experiments, all groups received several drug doses two-three weeks post-lesion and remained undrugged at different intervals from the last drug injection. Weeks or months later, they were injected with saline in the same environment where they previously had received apomorphine. In this way we studied acquisition, time-course and extinction of the rotational response after saline. Furthermore, we related this undrugged response which does not fully develop until two weeks after treatment, and which previously had not been related to a specific parameter of the rotational response to the drug, to a critical point of the time-course response to the drug, i.e., the early rotational response in the first minute after injection. This early response is a learning phenomenon based on the environmental cues where drug has been repeatedly administered. Finally, we state the concept of pharmacological conditioning using this animal model of Parkinson's disease, in agreement with our own results and the previous results of Silverman and Ho (1981).

Animals↗