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T Rodríguez

Publications and source records attributed to T Rodríguez.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Patterns of constitutive and IFN-gamma inducible expression of HLA class II molecules in human melanoma cell lines.

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II proteins (HLA-DR, HLA-DP and HLA-DQ) play a fundamental role in the regulation of the immune response. The level of expression of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II antigens is regulated by interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and depends on the status of class II trans-activator protein (CIITA), a co-activator of the MHC class II gene promoter. In this study, we measured levels of constitutive and IFN-gamma-induced expression of MHC class II molecules, analysed the expression of CIITA and investigated the association between MHC class II transactivator polymorphism and expression of different MHC class II molecules in a large panel of melanoma cell lines obtained from the European Searchable Tumour Cell Line Database. Many cell lines showed no constitutive expression of HLA-DP, HLA-DQ and HLA-DR and no IFN-gamma-induced increase in HLA class II surface expression. However, in some cases, IFN-gamma treatment led to enhanced surface expression of HLA-DP and HLA-DR. HLA-DQ was less frequently expressed under basal conditions and was less frequently induced by IFN-gamma. In these melanoma cell lines, constitutive surface expression of HLA-DR and HLA-DP was higher than that of HLA-DQ. In addition, high constitutive level of cell surface expression of HLA-DR was correlated with lower inducibility of this expression by IFN-gamma. Finally, substitution A-->G in the 5' flanking region of CIITA promoter type III was associated with higher expression of constitutive HLA-DR (p<0.005). This study yielded a panel of melanoma cell lines with different patterns of constitutive and IFN-gamma-induced expression of HLA class II that can be used in future studies of the mechanisms of regulation of HLA class II expression.

Alleles↗
PubMed2006

Insecticidal activity of Vitex mollis.

Organic extracts from the leaves of Vitex mollis were assessed for their toxic effect on fall armyworm neonate larvae (Spodoptera frugiperda), an important insect pest of corn. The extracts showed insecticidal and insect growth regulatory activity, being CHCl(3)-MeOH (1:1) extract the most active, also found to be toxic in the Artemia salina test.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Trends in mortality from coronary heart and cerebrovascular diseases in the Americas: 1970-2000.

OBJECTIVE: To describe trends in mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD) and cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) over the period 1970 to 2000 in the Americas. METHODS: Age standardised mortality rates were derived from the World Health Organization database and grouped according to the International classification of diseases, ninth revision. Joinpoint analysis was used to identify changes in trends. RESULTS: In the USA and Canada, CHD mortality rates declined by about 60% in both sexes. In Latin America, falls in CHD mortality were observed for Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. In 2000, mortality rates among men were highest in Venezuela (137.3/100,000) and lowest (apart from Ecuador) in Argentina (63.5/100,000). For women, the rates were highest in Cuba (79.4/100,000) and lowest in Argentina (26.5/100,000). For CVA mortality, a decline by about 60% was observed in the USA and Canada for both sexes. The falls were smaller (about -25% to -40% among men and -20% to -50% among women) in Puerto Rico, Argentina, Chile, and Costa Rica and only minor in Ecuador, Mexico, and Venezuela. Around 2000, CVA mortality in Latin America was highest in Brazil (85.5/100,000 among men and 61.7/100,000 among women) and lowest in Puerto Rico (29.3/100,000 among men and 24.1/100,000 among women). CONCLUSIONS: Recent falls in CHD and CVA were less favourable in Latin America than in the USA and Canada. This may reflect unfavourable changes in nutrition (including obesity), physical activity, and smoking in most Latin American countries, together with less effective control of hypertension and management of the diseases.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Protective effect of pneumococcal vaccine against death by pneumonia in elderly subjects.

The present study assessed the effectiveness of the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine to prevent pneumonia and death in older adults in a first-time report between January and December 2002. A prospective cohort study was conducted including all individuals>or=65 yrs of age assigned to one of eight primary care centres in Tarragona, Spain (n=11,241). The primary outcomes were community-acquired pneumonia (hospitalised or outpatient) and death from pneumonia. All pneumonias were validated by checking clinical records. The association between the pneumococcal vaccination and the risk of each outcome was evaluated by means of multivariate Cox proportional-hazard models, adjusted by age, sex, influenza vaccination status, comorbidity and immunological status. Pneumococcal vaccination did not alter the risk of hospitalisation from pneumonia (hazard ratio (HR): 0.80; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.50-1.28) or overall pneumonia (HR: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.56-1.31), but the vaccine was associated with considerable reductions of death risk from pneumonia (HR: 0.28; 95% CI: 0.09-0.83). In conclusion, these results suggest that pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine may not be effective in reducing the incidence of pneumonia, but may be able to diminish the severity of the infection. These findings support the effectiveness of the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine to prevent mortality caused by pneumonia in older adults, providing a new argument to recommend systematic vaccination in the elderly.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2005

[Updating enteral feeding by catheter].

Intestinal nutrition can be administered orally or by means of a catheter; the latter method is the focus of this article. The authors' objective is to provide up-to-date information in a succinct manner about the enteral feeding technique. The authors hope health professionals know the advantages as well as the inconveniences of the latest intestinal nutrition advances regarding access ways and the means to administer these. Intestinal nutrition formulas will not be dealt with in this article. However, a health professional should know that there is a wide variety of diets available depending on the complexity of macronutrients included in a diet, the quantity of proteins in a mixture, and that these are designed, in addition to feeding, to treat the specific pathological process a patient suffers from, such as diabetes of cancer.

Catheterization↗
PubMed2004

Trends in cancer mortality in Mexico, 1970-1999.

BACKGROUND: Few data on cancer mortality have been published for Mexico over the last few decades. It is therefore of interest to conduct a systematic and updated analysis of cancer mortality in this country. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Age-standardised (world population) mortality rates, at all ages and truncated at age 35-64 years, from major cancers and all cancers combined were computed on the basis of certified deaths derived from the World Health Organization database for the period 1970-99. RESULTS: Mortality rates for all neoplasms showed an upward trend in men of all ages (from 58.2/100,000 in 1970-74 to 87.1/100,000 in 1995-99) and in middle-aged men (from 76.1 to 93.7/100,000, respectively). This reflects the rise until the early 1990s in lung cancer mortality (from 8.1/100,000 in 1970-74 to 15.6/100,000 in 1995-99) and prostate cancer (from 5.5 to 12.2/100,000, respectively). In women, overall mortality rates showed an increase between the early 1970s (75.4/100,000) and the late 1990s (82.3/100,000). Total cancer mortality rates remained low, however, compared with other American countries (e.g. 153.3/100,000 men and 108.6/100,000 women in 1999 in the United States). Truncated rates were stable (126.5/100,000 in 1970-74 and 125.8/100,000 in 1995-99), although they were much higher than overall rates, reflecting exceedingly high rates for uterine (mostly cervical) cancer mortality in middle-aged women (29.5/100,000 in 1995-99). CONCLUSIONS: Total cancer mortality in Mexico has remained comparably low on a worldwide scale, and the upward trends in mortality rates for lung and other tobacco-related neoplasms have tended to level off over the last decade. However, steady rises have been observed for other major cancers, including prostate and breast. Cervical cancer remains a major health problem in women.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Use of direct latex agglutination testing of selective broth in the detection of group B strepptococcal carriage in pregnant women.

Direct latex agglutination testing of selective broth medium for the detection of group B streptococci was evaluated. Results were compared with those obtained by the recommended subculture method. Among the 551 vaginal-rectal specimens tested, 101 (18.3%) were positive by the subculture method. Of these subcultures, latex agglutination testing detected 99 (98%) positive specimens. Agglutination testing of selective broth is a sensitive method which offers the advantage of saving 24 h in the turnaround time for detection of group B streptococci in pregnant women.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Sensitivity to glutamate neurotoxicity in different developmental periods of the rat cochlea.

Cochlear neurotoxicity induced by the intraperitoneal administration of monosodium glutamate (MSG) has been analyzed during the postnatal development of the auditory receptor of the rat. The animals were treated with MSG during two postnatal periods. The electrophysiological recordings showed that MSG treatment produced a decrease in the 8th nerve compound action potential. The effect was more marked in the animals treated between the 9th and 12th postnatal day than in the others, with a qualitative decrease in neuronal density in the spiral ganglion. These results suggest that there is a period of maximum sensitivity to the cochlear neurotoxicity induced by MSG in the postnatal development of the rat.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed2001

[Comparative study of 3 tests for susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to first-line antituberculous drugs].

Treatment of tuberculosis requires a multidrug regimen for a prolonged period of time (6-12 months), which leads to a high level of noncompliance with therapy. This lack of compliance has led to an increase in drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Rapid drug susceptibility tests are needed to assess effective chemotherapy regimens. In the present study, the reliability of ESP Myco System II(R) and E-test(R) for determining the susceptibility of 82 clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis to rifampin, isoniazid, streptomycin and ethambutol was evaluated by comparing results to those of the multiple proportion method as a reference. ESP Myco System II(R) is a nonradioactive, totally automated, continuously monitored system designed to detect grown mycobacteria. E-test(R) is a well-described method of susceptibility testing which provides data on minimal inhibitory concentration. The susceptibility results of both methods were available within 9 days, while those of the proportion method required 28 days. Levels of agreement between ESP Myco System II(R) and the proportion method for the clinical isolates analyzed were 100% for rifampin, isoniazid and ethambutol. Only one discrepancy was found for streptomycin. For the E-test(R), the results were less favorable. ESP Myco System II(R) was shown to be a rapid and reliable method for testing susceptibility of M. tuberculosis isolates. Nevertheless, E-test(R) provided low specificity for streptomycin and ethambutol. Further studies to test the reliability of the E-test(R) are necessary.

Antitubercular Agents↗
PubMed2000

Perceived quality of care in pregnancy assessment before and after delivery.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the perceived quality of care in a group of pregnant women attended in a public Hospital. STUDY DESIGN: All pregnant women seen at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona in 1996. Two study groups were defined: group A, women seen at the outpatient clinic as a regular follow-up visit for pregnancy, and group B, women seen at the outpatient clinic for follow-up after delivery. A satisfaction questionnaire survey was used in a random sample of both groups of women. RESULTS: Total number of interviews performed was 174. Both groups, A and B were comparable. Scores recorded in both groups were significantly different (P<0.01) for the clinical follow-up and privacy variables (regarded as better than expected). The difference in scores for the information supplied was also statistically significant (P<0.01), but regarded as worst than expected. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis of satisfaction does not seem to follow a linear, straightforward explanation. The differences seen strongly suggest the need of patient's satisfaction surveys to be specific by dimension and tailored to patients' expectations.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Decalcification by ascorbic acid for immuno- and affinohistochemical techniques on the inner ear.

An ascorbic acid decalcifying solution was applied to immuno- and affinohistochemical studies on the inner ear. Rat inner ears fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde in PBS or in 2% acetic acid in ethanol solutions were adequately decalcified in an ascorbic acid solution, at a temperature of 4 degrees C. The decalcifying solution was prepared with 1% ascorbic acid and 0.84% sodium chloride in distilled water (pH 2.5-2.6). The decalcification time was in a direct relationship to the specimen calcification. In this study, two neuroactive substances (gamma-aminobutyric acid and calcitonin gene-related peptide), neurofilaments, and the galectine endogenous lectin were successfully detected immunohistochemically.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

99mTc-labeled antihuman epidermal growth factor receptor antibody in patients with tumors of epithelial origin: Part III. Clinical trials safety and diagnostic efficacy.

UNLABELLED: Monoclonal antibody (moAb) ior egf/r3 is an IgG2a that recognizes the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R). The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of the 99mTc-labeled moAb ior egf/r3 for the detection of epithelial-derived tumors, their metastases and recurrences. METHODS: One hundred forty-eight adult patients (51 women, 97 men; mean age 53 +/- 13 y) who were suspected of having cancer of epithelial origin were administered 3 mg/50 mCi (1.85 GBq) 99mTc-labeled moAb ior egf/r3 by intravenous bolus injection. Planar anterior and posterior images of the lesion sites and suspected metastases were acquired at 2, 4, 6 and 24 h after injection, and SPECT images were scanned at 5 h postinjection, using a 360 degrees circular orbit with 64 images. The backprojection method was used for image reconstruction with a Hamming-Hann filter. RESULTS: Labeling efficiency was always greater than 98.5% +/- 2.1 %. No adverse reactions or side effects were observed. Results of the biopsy specimens showed that 85.1% (126/148) of the patients had tumors of epithelial origin, 14.2% (21/148) were negative and 0.7% (1/148) had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The sensitivity rate by organ was as follows: brain (8/8, 100%), digestive tract (10/11, 90.9%), head and neck (17/23, 73.9%), lung (52/62, 83.9%) and breast (16/18, 88.9%). Overall sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and positive and negative predictive values of the immunoscintigraphic imaging were 84.2% (106/126), 100.0% (22/22), 86.5% (128/148), 100% (106/106) and 52.4% (22/42), respectively. New metastases not identified previously by other diagnostic methods were detected in the 50% of the patients. CONCLUSION: Immunoscintigraphy with 99mTc-labeled moAb ior egf/r3 could be a useful procedure for the diagnosis and follow-up of the patients with tumors of epithelial origin.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Acquired cutaneous lymphangiectasia in a patient with cirrhotic ascites.

BACKGROUND: Lymphangiectasia results from acquired dilation of lymphatic vessels. Areas of skin affected by obstruction or destruction of lymphatic drainage are said to be prone to the development of lymphangiectasia. Cirrhosis is a cause of alterations of lymph flow. METHODS: Case report. RESULTS: We report a case of acquired, late-onset, lymphangiectasia associated with alcoholic hepatic cirrhosis. Lesions were scattered over the right, lower, anterior abdominal wall, a region that is drained by a common group of lymphatic vessels that were probably disordered. CONCLUSION: We think that this is the first reported case of lymphangiectasia associated with altered lymph flow in cirrhosis and ascites.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Protein turnover in skeletal muscle of the diabetic rat: activation of ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis.

Induction of experimental insulin-deficiency by a single administration of streptozotocin to rats resulted in substantial changes in heart and skeletal muscle size and protein content. This was accompanied by a marked loss of total body (carcass) nitrogen and raised concentrations of circulating branched-chain amino acids. These changes were related to alterations in protein turnover in skeletal muscle. Thus, the diabetic animals showed changes in both the fractional protein rates of synthesis (decreased by 37%) and degradation (increased by 141%). The increased protein degradation observed in the muscle of the diabetic animals was associated only with an increase in the expression of the genes controlling ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis. It may be suggested that the hormonal changes associated with the diabetic state play an important role in the regulation of the activity of the ubiquitin-dependent proteolytic system in skeletal muscle, highlighting the major role of this system in the diabetes-related cachexia.

3-Hydroxybutyric Acid↗