AIDS and primary pulmonary hypertension.
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Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
Biomedical subjects
P Rodriguez
Publications and source records attributed to P Rodriguez.
Controlled neonatal exposure to estrogens: a suitable tool for reproductive aging studies in the female rat.
The present study was designed to determine whether the modification of exposure time to large doses of estrogens provided a reliable model for early changes in reproductive aging. Silastic implants containing estradiol benzoate (EB) in solution were placed into 5-day-old female Wistar rats and removed 1 day (Ei1 group) or 5 days (Ei5) later. In addition, 100 micrograms [corrected] EB dissolved in 100 microliters corn oil was administered s.c. to another group (EI). Control rats received either vehicle implants or 100 microliters corn oil. Premature occurrence of vaginal opening was observed in all three estrogenized groups independently of EB exposure. However, females bearing implants for 24 h had first estrus at the same age as their controls and cycled regularly, and neither histological nor gonadal alterations could be observed at 75 days. Interestingly, they failed to cycle regularly at 5 mo whereas controls continued to cycle. On the other hand, the increase of EB exposure (Ei5, EI) resulted in a gradual and significant delay in the onset of first estrus and in a high number of estrous phases, as frequently observed during reproductive decline. At 75 days, the ovaries of these last two groups showed a reduced number of corpora lutea and an increased number of large follicles. According to this histological pattern, ovarian weight and progesterone (P) content gradually decreased whereas both groups showed higher estradiol (E2) content than controls. This resulted in a higher E2:P ratio, comparable to that observed in normal aging rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Aging↗
Evaluation of molecular typing for epidemiological study of Chlamydia trachomatis genital infections.
Molecular typing and serotyping were compared for 150 Chlamydia trachomatis strains isolated from genital sources, belonging to 10 different serovars. Because of the general agreement of the two methods, molecular omp1 genotyping was applied to the epidemiological study of C. trachomatis isolates from genital infections in Bordeaux (France), during a 29-month period. The most prevalent omp1 genotypes were E (51.7%), F (17.3%), D (8.8%), and G (8.4%). Restriction enzyme analysis allowed identification of a serovar D variant (Dv), whereas serovar E strains were homogeneous.
Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins↗
Recombinant streptokinase for the treatment of thrombotic disorders.
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Adult↗
Cardiac rhythm in healthy elderly subjects.
To study the normal cardiac rhythm in elderly subjects we performed 24-h Holter monitoring on 94 subjects aged over 70 years. We had previously discarded those with cardiac disease by using history, physical examination, electrocardiography (ECG), chest X-radiography and Doppler echocardiography. The maximum, average and minimum heart rates were 113, 79 and 62, respectively, during the day, and 90, 64 and 53 during the night. Supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias were frequent (91% and 89.4%, respectively). Some 50% of the subjects had complex ventricular arrhythmias. Two subjects presented with sinus pauses of more than 2 s, and 4 had Wenckebach second-degree atrioventricular (AV) block. During a follow-up averaging 20.8 months, there were no deaths or symptoms of an arrhythmic origin.
Aged↗
Paracentesis with Dextran 70 vs. paracentesis with albumin in cirrhosis with tense ascites. Results of a randomized study.
Forty-one patients with cirrhosis and tense ascites were randomized to receive daily paracentesis of 5 liters associated with Dextran 70 as volume expander (6 g for each 1000 ml of ascites removed) (group I = 20 patients) or paracentesis with albumin (6 g for each 1000 ml of ascites) (group II = 21 patients). The basal clinical features, laboratory data, and plasma renin activity were similar in both groups. The volume of ascites removed was 12.9 +/- 4.4 and 10.9 +/- 3.7 liters in group I and II, respectively (n.s.). No significant changes were observed in liver and renal function tests, KPTT, platelet count, factor VIII, serum electrolytes or plasma renin activity 24 and 96 h after the last paracentesis in both groups, except for a decrease in bilirubin in group I and a transient increase of serum albumin in group II. Four patients developed complications in each group, mainly hyponatremia, while one patient in each group developed renal impairment. One patient from group I died with hepatic encephalopathy. Moreover, the probability of survival and readmission to the hospital because of tense ascites were similar in both groups of patients during the follow-up. The treatment cost with Dextran 70 was 15.50 dollars vs. 364.30 dollars with albumin for each patient treated. These results indicate that repeated large volume paracentesis associated with Dextran 70 is as effective and safe as paracentesis associated with albumin in cirrhotic patients with tense ascites. However, due to its reduced cost, paracentesis with Dextran 70 may be considered the treatment of choice in cirrhotic patients with tense ascites without liver cancer and renal failure.
Ascites↗
Reverse staining of sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels by imidazole-zinc salts: sensitive detection of unmodified proteins.
We report here a modification to copper and zinc chloride staining methods. The introduction of a preincubation of the gels, prior to metal staining, with 0.2 M imidazole allows the formation of a homogeneous background for the subsequent precipitation of the metal chelate. The reported imidazole-zinc staining takes minutes, resulting in reproducible staining patterns with only slightly lower sensitivity than silver staining. The method allows efficient recovery of proteins from previously stained gels and is compatible with immunoidentification on Western blots and also with amino acid analysis and NH2-terminal sequence analysis of transferred proteins. A mechanism is proposed to explain the observed improvement in reproducibility and sensitivity of imidazole preincubation to zinc staining.
Amino Acids↗
Typing of Chlamydia trachomatis by restriction endonuclease analysis of the amplified major outer membrane protein gene.
A procedure was developed for characterization of Chlamydia trachomatis strains by using restriction endonuclease analysis of amplified genes of the major outer membrane protein (MOMP). Reference strains of the 15 serovars (A through K and L1 through L3) and clinical isolates were tested. The nucleotide sequences of the MOMP genes of each of the 15 serovars were arbitrarily constructed by using the sequences of the four variable domains known for each serovar and the constant domains of serovar L1. Computer analysis of these sequences indicated that two restriction digestions performed in parallel, one with AluI and the other with IIpaII, followed by HinfI and EcoRI, would allow the theoretical differentiation of 13 serovars. Serovars Ba and L1 presented the same theoretical restriction profile. Our typing method consisted of polymerase chain reaction amplification of a fragment of about 1,200 bp of the MOMP gene, followed by restriction endonuclease digestion with the aforementioned enzymes. From the 15 serovars, we obtained 14 different patterns; 13 profiles were serovar specific, while serovars B and Ba presented the same pattern. Application of this typing method to C. trachomatis strains isolated from clinical material gave the same results as the immunotyping method for 14 of 17 strains. Furthermore, restriction endonuclease analysis detected differences within a serovar. This method seems to be promising for epidemiological studies.
Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins↗
Binding of progesterone to specific sites in isolated hepatic cells and purified plasma membrane fraction.
Specific binding for progesterone has been determined in rat hepatocytes and mouse liver purified plasma membranes. The binding is saturable, reversible and temperature dependent. Two types of binding sites have been characterized in hepatocytes. The first is of high affinity and low binding capacity and the other one is of low affinity and high capacity of binding. In plasma membranes one type of specific binding site only exists. These high affinity sites are different from nuclear progesterone receptor, nuclear glucocorticoid receptor, digitalis receptor of Na+, K(+)-ATPase, transcortine and from corticoid binding sites determined previously in plasma membrane. We also have observed that specific progesterone binding to hepatocytes and plasma membrane is independent from the alpha and beta adrenergic receptors and from P-site adenosine receptor.
Animals↗
Pseudodementia twelve years on.
This paper reports a longitudinal study of 19 patients diagnosed as having pseudodementia more than a decade earlier. In only one patient was the earlier diagnosis changed to definite dementia and, in this patient, there were strong indicators that such a diagnosis should have been made initially. In a second patient, dementia could not be excluded. The remaining patients did not show evidence of a dementing illness and the courses of the illnesses resembled the primary psychiatric disorders responsible for the pseudodementia. The results validate the clinical utility of the term "pseudodementia".
Adult↗
Lignocaine prophylaxis for reperfusion arrhythmias during treatment with streptokinase in acute myocardial infarction.
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Humans↗
Zidovudine-related mania.
Two patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), who had no past psychiatric history, developed a mania-like illness soon after commencing treatment with zidovudine. The neurotoxic effects of zidovudine have been described previously, but to our knowledge no reports of a psychiatric disorder that is related to the drug have appeared. Our report emphasizes the need to monitor patients with AIDS for neuropsychiatric problems.
Adult↗
Specific amplification of a DNA sequence common to all Chlamydia trachomatis serovars using the polymerase chain reaction.
Enzymatic DNA amplification was applied to DNA and elementary bodies of C. trachomatis. Oligonucleotide primers were chosen in a sequence of a conserved domain of the major outer membrane protein to generate the amplification of a 129-base pair fragment. This sequence was amplified in the 15 serovars of C. trachomatis; however, serovar J gave a weaker signal than the others. The specificity was controlled by EcoRI restriction enzyme digestion and Southern analysis using an internal probe of the amplified sequence. No cross-reaction was shown with DNA of 11 other bacteria. Thus, enzymatic DNA amplification by the polymerase chain reaction appears to be a potential tool for the specific detection of C. trachomatis.
Base Sequence↗
Retroperitoneal fibrosis in a patient with Turner's syndrome.
Retroperitoneal fibrosis rarely affects children. Its clinical manifestations are protean, but if recognized early and properly treated, the prognosis is generally good. This is the report of a 14-year-old girl with Turner's syndrome and retroperitoneal fibrosis.
Adolescent↗
Effects on school children of prophylaxis of mothers with iodized oil in an area of iodine deficiency.
The results of tests of intellectual and psychomotor performance and school performance in a group of school children from a rural impoverished and iodine deficient Andean community whose mothers received injections of iodinated oil prior to the end of the first trimester of pregnancy have been compared with results in children from a neighboring comparable community whose mothers had received no iodinated oil. Subjects between ages 8 and 15 were studied. Statistically significant differences were not observed between the two groups in tests of intellectual function, but children of mothers who had received iodinated oil performed better on tests of psychomotor maturation. The group whose mothers had received oil performed distinctly better when assessed in terms of school drop-out rates, grades achieved, grades repeated, and in overall performance as judged by teacher notes in school records. Performance of both groups on standard tests of intellectual and psychomotor function was lower than standard scores. This may be a result of social and cultural deprivation, the general malnutrition prevailing in the region or other unidentified factors. The improved scoring and school performance exhibited by the children of mothers who received iodinated oil underlines the importance of prophylaxis with iodine in iodine deficient regions as one important contributor to community development.
Adolescent↗
Biological changes in serum antiproteases as related to tumor progression.
The two major antiproteases (alpha-1-antitrypsin and alpha-2-macroglobulin) were studied in the serum of cancer patients (273 and 103 subjects, respectively) and in a control group. In cancer patients, the values were stratified by clinical stage (local, loco-regional and metastatic disease). Serum alpha-1-antitrypsin was different in normal people (341 +/- 110.7 mg/dl) than in every cancer group (p less than 0.0005). The behavior of alpha-2-macroglobulin was similar, with significant differences (p less than 0.0005) between normal people (317.6 +/- 105.4 mg/dl) and the cancer groups. Serum alpha-1-antitrypsin was different in local, loco-regional and metastatic disease; however, alpha-2-macroglobulin did not show these differences. In metastatic disease, sensitivity was 96.66% for alpha-1-antitrypsin and 94.79% for alpha-2-macroglobulin.
Female↗
Potassium disturbances as a cause of metabolic neuromyopathy.
We report two cases of ascending muscular weakness progressing to areflexic quadriplegia caused by severe derangement of potassium homeostasis. The first patient presented with a 17-alpha-hydroxylase deficiency and severe hypokalemia. The second case had primary adrenocortical deficiency (Addison's disease) and extreme hyperkalemia. Complete recovery ensued after correction of the metabolic disorder in both cases. The role of potassium in the pathophysiology of neuromuscular excitation is discussed. We conclude that when neuromyopathy is present, metabolic causes should be considered and the serum potassium determined.
Addison Disease↗
Characterization of Trypanosoma cruzi antigens recognized by sera from patients with chronic Chagas' disease.
The aim of this work was to study the Trypanosoma cruzi antigens more reactive with antibodies from chagasic patients. For this purpose, the polypeptidic spectrum of cytosol was analyzed by isoelectric focusing. It showed about thirty bands distributed along a pH gradient of 3-10. In order to study the antigenicity of these polypeptides, four fractions from the focused cytosol were eluted and then analyzed by ELISA with chagasic and control sera. The more acidic and homogeneous fraction (FIV, pI 4-5,5) was the most reactive with antibodies from Chagas' disease patients. The 125I-labeled FIV was immunoprecipitated with chagasic and control human sera and subjected to SDS-PAGE analysis. The autoradiography revealed the presence of 4 major antigens, with apparent molecular weights of 49, 80, 86 and 110 kilodaltons only reactive with sera from chagasic patients. Two antigens with molecular weights of 34 and 21 kilodaltons were reactive with both chagasic and control sera.
Animals↗