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Biomedical subjects

P Torre

Publications and source records attributed to P Torre.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Bilingual aphasia and subcortical-cortical lesions.

The use of the mother tongue relies on implicit memory procedures that are mainly controlled by subcortical structures. A second language depends on the integrity of the explicit memory system, largely subserved by cortical areas. Therefore, bilinguals can be considered as neurolinguistic models which contribute to the understanding of how the cortical and subcortical language systems communicate while maintaining independent functions. We describe a patient who developed an impairment of the mother tongue after an infarct of the caudate. During follow-up, a dramatic improvement of the mother tongue accompanied by worsening of the second language became evident after the extension of the ischemic lesion to the cortex.

Amygdala↗
PubMed2001

Complex cognitive disruption in frontal dementia related to motor neuron disease.

We describe a patient in whom motor neuron disease and frontal dementia showed concomitant development. This patient underwent a detailed and sequential neurolinguistic assessment, which indicated an alteration in language planning, language comprehension, and morphosyntactic operations. He showed also attention deficit, abstract reasoning disturbances, and prosopoagnosia which became worse during the year follow-up. We suggest that a more specific and sensitive neurolinguistic and neuropsychological test battery must be used to detect and study the entire disruption of cognitive processes in frontal dementia related to motor neuron disease.

Atrophy↗
PubMed2001

Effect of pasteurization of Ewe's milk and use of a native starter culture on the volatile components and sensory characteristics of roncal cheese.

The effect of pasteurization of milk and use of a native starter culture on the volatile components and sensory characteristics of a Spanish ewe's-milk cheese were examined. Three cheese batches were made, one from raw milk, another from pasteurized milk, and a third from pasteurized milk with an added native starter culture in addition to the commercial starter. Cheeses were analyzed at 1, 120, and 240 d of ripening. Analysis of the volatile components was by purge and trap connected to a gas chromatograph with a mass spectrometer and disclosed a total of 76 components belonging to the following chemical families: hydrocarbons, fatty acids, esters, sulfur and carbonyl compounds, and, in particular, alcohols. Pasteurization lowered the levels of certain volatile components, especially alcohols, aldehydes, and ketones. The cheeses made from pasteurized milk showed lower scores for attributes of characteristic taste and aftertaste, as well as a characteristic aroma at 240 d of ripening. These results suggest that the components present in higher concentrations in the cheeses made from the raw milk were necessary for development of characteristic Roncal cheese aroma. The new native starter culture tested did not exert a significant effect on any of the parameters considered, with the exception of certain isolated components, for which higher or lower quantities were recorded in the cheeses made with that starter culture, although the differences did not have a definite effect on the sensory characteristics of the cheeses.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Cortical-basal ganglionic degeneration: a clinical, functional and cognitive evaluation (1-year follow-up).

We decided to evaluate a patient who was diagnosed with cortical-basal ganglionic degeneration from a clinical, instrumental and neuropsychological perspective. Our aim was to employ a new instrumental tool, functional magnetic resonance, in order to evaluate his cortical damage. We then followed the pathological course for 1 year and tested the patient again: we discuss the results of our evaluation, having an overview of the literature on the topic. In particular, we focused our attention on his apraxia, trying to suggest a dynamic and anatomical model to guarantee a possible explanation of his behavior.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Effect of the activity levels of the added proteolytic enzyme mixture on free amino acids in ripening Ossau-Iraty cheese.

A proteolytic enzymatic preparation (using one of three enzyme concentrations and, hence, one of three different enzymatic activity levels) was added (before clotting) to the milk used to manufacture Ossau-Iraty ewes'-milk cheese. The free amino acids were analysed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and the sulphosalicylic acid-soluble N fraction was quantified by the trinitrobenzenesulphonic acid method for use as an index of proteolysis during ripening. Sensory analysis of the cheeses began after two months of ripening. Use of the enzymatic preparation increased the rate of release of amino acids in an amount proportional to the enzyme concentration employed. The effect of the preparation was more pronounced in the early months of ripening, with the differences in the free amino acid contents of the various batches decreasing as ripening progressed. Levels of certain free amino acids, such as taurine, tyrosine and valine, were virtually unaffected by the addition of the enzymatic preparation, whereas levels of such amino acids as serine, glycine, arginine and proline were reduced. Texture defects in the cheeses were observed, namely, reduced elasticity and creaminess and increased brittleness. Similarly, enzymatic treatment also gave rise to bitter flavours that were not characteristic of the normal taste and aftertaste of Ossau-Iraty cheese and these changes were proportional to the quantity of enzyme added.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed2000

Evaluation of the effect of rennet type on casein proteolysis in an ovine milk cheese by means of capillary electrophoresis.

Capillary electrophoresis was used to study the evolution of casein throughout the ripening process of Roncal Denomination of Origin ewe's milk cheese and to assess the type of rennet in its hydrolysis. Two manufactures were prepared, each with four vats; two of them had added lamb artisan rennet, batch A [clotting activity of 97.54 rennet units (RU) ml(-1)] and batch B [clotting activity of 16.26 RU ml(-1)]; one vat included calf industrial rennet, batch I (clotting activity of 45.70 RU ml(-1)); and the fourth vat had added mixed rennet, batch M, a 50:50 mixture of lamb (batch A) and calf (batch I) (clotting activity of 77.53 RU ml(-1)). The content of casein nitrogen in fractions alpha-casein1CE, alpha-casein2CE, beta-casein1CE and beta-casein2CE was quantified in cheese after 1, 15, 30, 60, 120 and 180 days of ripening. Beta-casein fractions undergo lesser degradation during the ripening time than alpha-casein proteins. The degradation of alpha-caseins is very much influenced by the clotting activity of the rennet used, so that the more active the clotting activity the greater the hydrolysis of those caseins. Nevertheless, it is at the level of beta-caseins that we observe the evidence of the influence of the type of rennet, thus noting a less intense proteolytic activity in the batch made with calf rennet, batch I.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

[Long-term effect of inhaled budesonide in patients with mild to moderate chronic obstructive lung disease. The Osterbro Study].

We compared the effect of inhaled budesonide with placebo on decline in lung function and respiratory symptoms in a three-year study of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We used a parallel-group, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design, nested in an ongoing epidemiological survey. Patients were non-asthmatic subjects with a decreased ratio between forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and vital capacity (VC); i.e., FEV1/VC < or = 0.7. All included patients had an FEV1 which was irreversible to both inhaled terbutaline and prednisolone. Two hundred and ninety patients were randomized to receive either budesonide, 1200 mcg. daily for six months followed by 800 mcg. daily for 30 months, or placebo for 36 months. Patients had a mean age of 59 years and their mean FEV1 was 2.37 liters or 86% of predicted. Crude FEV1 declines were 41.8 ml/year in the placebo group and 45.1 ml/year in the budesonide group. Using a regression model in the intention-to-treat population, patients in the placebo group had an FEV1 decline of 49.1 ml/year in contrast to 46.0 ml/year in the budesonide group; the estimated difference 3.1 ml/year (95% confidence interval--12.8-19.0) was statistically insignificant, p = 0.70. No effect of inhaled budesonide was seen on respiratory symptoms or number of exacerbations. These findings question the role of longterm inhaled corticosteroids in the treatment of mild-moderate COPD.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed2000

Age-related changes in auditory function of rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta).

The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in auditory function associated with aging in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) as a model for age-related changes in humans. One advantage of using monkeys from the Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center was that lifestyle factors such as diet and excessive noise exposure were controlled. Twenty younger (mean: 10 years, 9 months, S.D.=+/-6 months) and 20 older (mean: 25 years, 11 months, S.D.=+/-11 months) monkeys were used in this study. Cochlear function in these monkeys was measured with distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs); neural function was measured with auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) and middle latency responses (MLRs). Older monkeys had (1) significantly smaller DPOAEs, (2) significantly smaller ABR peak amplitudes, and (3) significantly longer ABR peak latencies compared to younger monkeys. Overall, these results suggest that older monkeys have decreased cochlear and neural function to the level of the brainstem as compared to younger monkeys. The decrease in DPOAE level and the increase in age accounted for approximately 70% of the increase in peak IV latency.

Aging↗
PubMed2000

The effect of a commercial starter culture addition on the ripening of an artisanal goat's cheese (Cameros cheese).

The evolution of physicochemical parameters, and the most important microbial groups, were determined for the following three batches of 'Cameros' goat's milk cheese during ripening: Batch R elaborated with raw milk, Batch RS elaborated with raw milk and with the addition of a starter culture, and Batch PS elaborated with pasteurized milk and with the addition of the same culture. No differences in total solids (TS) or in the content of NaCl, fat and total nitrogen (expressed as percentages of TS) were found during the ripening. The pH, fat acidity and non-protein nitrogen (NPN, expressed as a percentage of TN) showed significant differences between the batches. The inoculated batches showed the fastest drop in pH at the beginning of the ripening period, but the cheeses of Batch R showed a higher degree of lipolysis and proteolysis. The addition of a starter influenced the microbiological quality of the cheeses. Differences in the counts of Enterobacteriaceae and faecal coliforms were found between Batches R and RS after 15 days. Staphylococcus aureus increased in number during the early period of ripening and attained a population above 6 log cfu g-1 in Batch R in the period from 5 to 10 days. However, enterotoxins were not detected in this Batch. Batch R showed lower values of lactic acid bacteria at the beginning of the ripening period, but no significant differences were found between batches in the period from 5 to 15 days of ripening. At the beginning of the ripening, Lactococcus was the main lactic acid bacteria, with L. lactis lactis being predominant. After 15 days, the lactic acid bacteria counts decreased in the three batches, especially in the cheeses of Batch PS (only 2.2 log cfu g-1 was found at 60 days), as lactococci (the only lactic acid bacteria present in Batch PS) are incapable of growing under the conditions found in cheeses at the end of their ripening period. At this time, Lactobacillus was the predominant genus in Batches R and RS, with L. plantarum predominant. No lactococci were found from day 30 in Batch R and from day 40 in Batch RS. The cheeses of Batch RS received the most favourable scores from the tasting panel for all attributes judged: cut appearance, colour, aroma, taste, texture and general acceptance.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Hepatic metastasis of thymoma.

The natural history of thymoma remains unpredictable because of the possibility of recurrence not infrequent after resection, but generally confined to the mediastinum Rufini et al. (1997).

Biomarkers, Tumor↗