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Biomedical subjects

T Sosa

Publications and source records attributed to T Sosa.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Intersectoral coordination in Aedes aegypti control. A pilot project in Havana City, Cuba.

UNLABELLED: Background The 55th World Health Assembly declared dengue prevention and control a priority and urged Member States to develop sustainable intersectoral strategies to this end. To provide evidence for the reorientation of the dengue prevention policy in Cuba, we launched an intervention study to document the effectiveness of a local-level intersectoral approach. METHODS: We used a quasi-experimental design. Social scientists introduced participatory methods to facilitate dialogue in the biweekly meetings of the intersectoral Health Council of the intervention area. This council subsequently developed an intersectoral plan for dengue prevention, of which the core objective was to design and implement activities for communication and social mobilization. In the control area, routine dengue control activities continued without additional input. Knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of dengue, and entomological indices were compared inside and between the areas before and after the 1-year intervention period. RESULTS: In the intervention area the Health Council elaborated an intersectoral plan for dengue prevention focused on source reduction. The Aedes aegypti control methods consisted in eliminating useless containers in the houses and surroundings, covering tanks, and cleaning public and inhabited areas. It was implemented through communication and social mobilization. The Health Council in the control area occasionally discussed dengue issues but did not develop a coordinated action plan. Good knowledge about breeding sites and disease symptoms increased significantly (by 49.7% and 17.1% respectively) in the intervention area as well as the proportion of respondents eliminating containers in and around their houses (by 44%). No changes were observed in the control area. The House Index in the intervention area was 3.72% at baseline and decreased to 0.61% after 1 year. In the control area it remained stable throughout the study period (1.31% and 1.65% respectively). CONCLUSION: The introduction of a participatory approach by social scientists promotes changes in intersectoral management. This facilitates social mobilization which, in its turn, leads to significant changes in knowledge, attitudes and dengue-related practices in the population and eventually to more effective control of Ae. aegypti.

Aedes↗
PubMed2004

Inhibition of mouth skeletal muscle relaxation by flavonoids of Cistus ladanifer L.: a plant defense mechanism against herbivores.

Cistus ladanifer exudate is a potent inhibitor of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (Ca2+-pump) of rabbit skeletal muscle, a well-established model for active transport that plays a leading role in skeletal muscle relaxation. The low concentration of exudate needed to produce 50% of the maximum inhibition of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase activity, 40-60 microg/ml, suggests that eating only a few milligrams of C. ladanifer leaves can impair the relaxation of the mouth skeletal muscle of herbivores, as the exudate reaches up to 140 mg/g of dry leaves in summer season. The flavonoid fraction of the exudate accounts fully for the functional impairment of the sarcoplasmic reticulum produced by the exudate (up to a dose of 250-300 microg/ml). The flavonoids present in this exudate impair the skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum function at two different levels: (i) by inhibition of the Ca2+-ATPase activity, and (ii) by decreasing the steady state ATP-dependent Ca2+-accumulation. Among the exudate flavonoids, apigenin and 3,7-di-O-methyl kaempferol are the most potent inhibitors of the skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum. We conclude that the flavonoids of this exudate can elicit an avoidance reaction of the herbivores eating C. ladanifer leaves through impairment of mouth skeletal muscle relaxation.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Identification and effects of interaction phytotoxic compounds from exudate of Cistus ladanifer leaves.

Eleven allelochemicals (ferulic acid, cinnamic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, hydroxycinnamic acid, methyl propionate, oxalic acid, methylmalonic acid, p-anisic acid, butyric acid, 3-hydroxybutyric acid, and azulene) were identified in the exudate of Cistus ladanifer L. We studied the effect of each on germination, cotyledon emergence, root length, and cotyledon length of Rumex crispus. Three groups were distinguished with respect to phytotoxic activity: compounds with low activity (ferulic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, oxalic acid, methylmalonic acid, p-anisic acid, hydroxybutyric acid, and azulene), with intermediate activity (cinnamic acid and hydroxycinnamic acid), and with high activity (methyl propionate and butyric acid). The effect of the interaction of the compounds was studied. When acting conjointly, all combinations tested produced a more negative effect on both germination and seedling growth than when acting alone. The interaction affected cotyledon emergence and root length more negatively than germination and cotyledon length. When hydroxycinnamic acid and cinnamic acid were added to these mixtures there was an enhancement in the phytotoxic activity, accentuating the effect of the other allelochemicals.

3-Hydroxybutyric Acid↗
PubMed2001

Plant growth inhibiting flavonoids in exudate of Cistus ladanifer and in associated soils.

Of the aglycone flavonoids identified in the exudate of cistus ladanifer, two, the flavone apigenin-4'-(O)-methyl and the flavonol kaempferol-3,7-di(O)-methyl inhibit development of the seedlings of Rumex crispus at 0.5 and 1 mM. Additive effects were observed between the major flavonols of the exudate kaempferol-3-(O)-methyl and kaempferol-3,7-di-(O)-methyl in inhibiting the size of the cotyledons and delaying the germination and cotyledon emergence. The presence of apigenin-4'-(O)-methyl, kaempferol-3,7-di-(O)-methyl, and kaempferol-3-(O)-methyl was detected in the soils associated with C. ladanifer during the summer and autumn months. That these compounds are present in the soil and are not restricted to the leaves provides support for the hypothesis that C. ladanifer has allelopathic potential.

Biological Assay↗
PubMed2000

Fibrin glue-antibiotic mixture in the treatment of anal fistulae: experience with 69 cases.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To investigate the potential value of the use of the fibrin glue-antibiotic mixture in the treatment of anal fistulae. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 69 patients with idiopathic nonspecific anal fistulae. Patients with IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), TBC, actinomycosis, and cancer were excluded from the study. The microbiological analysis of the discharge of the fistula was done routinely. If there was any doubt about vertical classification of the fistulous tract MR of anal canal was necessary. As regards the vertical disposition, 39 fistulae were classified as intersphincteric and 30 as transsphincteric, and as to the length of the fistulous tract, 24 fistulas had tracts </=3.5 cm long, and 45 fistulas had tracts >3.5 cm long. All fistulae were first treated with the lavage of the fistulous tract with antibiotic solution until a sterile microbiological finding was obtained. This was followed by electrocoagulation of the fistulous tract with a special probe for the eradication of granulomatous tissue. Finally the fibrin glue-antibiotic mixture (Tisseel, Immuno Ltd., Vienna, Austria) was applied. RESULTS: After a follow-up of 18-36 months (median 28) 18 patients (26%) had a recurrence; among these, intersphincteric fistula recurred in 9 patients (23%) and transsphincteric also in 9 (30%). Regarding the length of the fistulous tract, a fistula with a </=3.5 cm long tract recurred in 13 patients (54%) and a fistula with a >3.5 cm long tract in 5 (11%). CONCLUSION: The analysis showed that the success of the treatment of anal fistulae with fibrin glue-antibiotic mixture was independent of the vertical disposition of the fistula, and was dependent on the length of the fistulous tract. Surgical treatment remains a golden standard for simple fistulae with a tract </=3.5 cm. Anal fistulae with a longer tract usually present a more complex problem and are often more difficult to treat surgically, the use of the fibrin glue-antibiotic complex proved to be a feasible method for those cases. It is a safe, cheap, reproducible, pain-free procedure, which eliminates the possibility of anal incontinence and can be performed under local anesthesia.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

New model of cytoprotection/adaptive cytoprotection in rats: endogenous small irritants, antiulcer agents and indomethacin.

Adaptive cytoprotection in the stomach was originally defined by applying the exogenous irritants only. The contribution of endogenous irritants as inductors of initial lesions was not specially evaluated. No attempt was made to either focus antiulcer agent activity on adaptive cytoprotection, or split their 'cytoprotection' into complex adaptive cytoprotective activity and simple cytoprotective effects. Agents had so far not been applied simultaneously with the second challenge with ethanol (or irritant), when differences between cytoprotection and adaptive cytoprotection appear. Gastrojejunal anastomosis for 24 h in rats was introduced as new model for analyzing cytoprotection/adaptive cytoprotection. The contribution of the up-normal level of endogenous irritants and the endogenous small irritant-induced minor lesions during the adaptive cytoprotection were studied. The effect of late challenge with 96% ethanol in the presence of an up-normal level of endogenous irritants and endogenous small irritant-induced minor lesions was compared with results of classic studies of ethanol-induced gastric lesions in normal rats (1 ml/rat i.g.). Antiulcer agents or a prostaglandins-synthesis inhibitor, indomethacin, given once only in classic studies, were given at several points during injury induction: (i) surgery, (ii) mild ethanol, (iii) strong ethanol, (iv) strong ethanol applied after a suitable period following either mild ethanol or surgery). Their effects were compared in rats treated as follows: exogenous irritant studies (96% or 20% ethanol), exogenous/exogenous irritant studies (20% ethanol 1 h before 96% ethanol), endogenous irritant studies (gastrojejunal anastomosis for 24 h), and endogenous/exogenous irritant studies (gastrojejunal anastomosis for 24 h before 96% ethanol). Characteristic of the various irritants differed: the (preceding) small irritants (exogenous (i.e., mild ethanol in healthy intact rats) (exogenous irritant studies) vs. endogenous (e.g., (increased) gastric acid secretion, duodenal reflux in gastric content in rats with termino-lateral gastrojejunal anastomosis) (endogenous irritant studies)). These factors caused modifications of agents' activities not, as initially thought, giving simple 'cytoprotection', but being only cytoprotective, or adaptive cytoprotective, or both cytoprotective and adaptive cytoprotective. Atropine (10 mg/kg i.p.) and ranitidine (10 mg) had only cytoprotective activity (exogenous irritant-studies), whereas pentadecapeptide BPC157 (10 microg or 10 ng), and omeprazole (10 mg) had mainly adaptive cytoprotective activity (endogenous/exogenous irritant studies) or both cytoprotective and adaptive cytoprotective activities (exogenous/exogenous irritant studies). Augmentation of the lesions by indomethacin (5 mg/kg s.c.), showed that only events preceding the late challenge with ethanol may be prostaglandin-dependent in both models. The second, adaptive cytoprotective part, seen after late ethanol challenge, may be either prostaglandin-dependent (exogenous/exogenous irritant studies) or non-dependent (endogenous/exogenous irritant studies). Both spontaneous lesion reduction, as an essential mechanism of adaptive cytoprotection, and the further lesion reduction by agents, such as pentadecapeptide BPC 157 and omeprazole, suggests that these agents function as an essential link between the various reactions in cytoprotection/adaptive cytoprotection.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Long-lasting cytoprotection after pentadecapeptide BPC 157, ranitidine, sucralfate or cholestyramine application in reflux oesophagitis in rats.

Recently, the effectiveness of pentadecapeptide BPC 157 and other anti-ulcer agents, called 'direct cytoprotection', was evidenced in totally gastrectomized rats duodenum challenged with cysteamine 24 h after surgery, and sacrificed 24 h after ulcerogen application. The further focus was on the possibility that this effect could be seen over a more prolonged period (1, 2, 4 weeks), and in other parts of the gastrointestinal tract (i.e. oesophagus). After the removal of the stomach, the oesophagus and jejunum were joined by a termino-lateral anastomosis. The animals were euthanized 7, 14 or 28 d after surgery, when oesophagitis was blindly assessed both macroscopically (percentage of ulcerations areas) and microscopically (percentage of areas of ulcers, regeneration and hyperplasia; number of inflammatory cells - polymorphonuclear and mononuclear). Starting 24 h after surgery, the medication was continuously given in the drinking water, in a volume of 12.5 mL/rat daily, until euthanasia at the end of the observation period, i.e. 7, 14, 28 d following surgery. Based on previous experiments, the doses of agents were daily calculated per kg b.w. as follows: BPC 157 125 mg or 125 ng, cholestyramine 2.5 mg, ranitidine 125 mg, sucralfate 725 mg, whereas controls received 72.5 mL x kg(-1) water. In support of these initial findings, and considering gastrectomized acid-free rats as an ideal model for long-term cytoprotective studies as well, pentadecapeptide BPC 157 markedly attenuated termino-lateral oesophagojejunal anastomosis-reflux oesophagitis also over a quite prolonged period. This efficacy was only partly shared by other anti-ulcer agents. After 1-week-old oesophagitis (microscopical assessment), but not after 2 or 4 weeks, less damaged mucosa was noted in rats drinking ranitidine or sucralfate compared to controls. Similar effectiveness was noted for cholestyramine. The obtained results were supported also by inflammatory cell assessment. Compared with control values, BPC 157-treated groups consistently presented less polymorphonuclears and less mononuclears in all assessed periods. Interestingly, the values obtained in other treated groups showed no difference compared with control values. Thus, despite limitations, a generalization supporting a direct importance of a common cytoprotective approach, could be clearly provided. A useful, long-lasting cytoprotective activity (apparently more prominent in BPC 157 rats, than in reference agents, ranitidine, sucralfate, as well as cholestyramine) may be a likely suitable therapy in otherwise resistant reflux oesophagitis conditions.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Osteogenic effect of a gastric pentadecapeptide, BPC-157, on the healing of segmental bone defect in rabbits: a comparison with bone marrow and autologous cortical bone implantation.

Gastrectomy often results in increased likelihood of osteoporosis, metabolic aberration, and risk of fracture, and there is a need for a gastric peptide with osteogenic activity. A novel stomach pentadecapeptide, BPC-157, improves wound and fracture healing in rats in addition to having an angiogenic effect. Therefore, in the present study, using a segmental osteoperiosteal bone defect (0.8 cm, in the middle of the left radius) that remained incompletely healed in all control rabbits for 6 weeks (assessed in 2 week intervals), pentadecapeptide BPC-157 was further studied (either percutaneously given locally [10 microg/kg body weight] into the bone defect, or applied intramuscularly [intermittently, at postoperative days 7, 9, 14, and 16 at 10 microg/kg body weight] or continuously [once per day, postoperative days 7-21 at 10 microg or 10 ng/kg body weight]). For comparison, rabbits percutaneously received locally autologous bone marrow (2 mL, postoperative day 7). As standard treatment, immediately after its formation, the bone defect was filled with an autologous cortical graft. Saline-treated (2 mL intramuscularly [i.m.] and 2 mL locally into the bone defect), injured animals were used as controls. Pentadecapeptide BPC-157 significantly improved the healing of segmental bone defects. For instance, upon radiographic assessment, the callus surface, microphotodensitometry, quantitative histomorphometry (10 microg/kg body weight i.m. for 14 days), or quantitative histomorphometry (10 ng/kg body weight i.m. for 14 days) the effect of pentadecapeptide BPC-157 was shown to correspond to improvement after local application of bone marrow or autologous cortical graft. Moreover, a comparison of the number of animals with unhealed defects (all controls) or healed defects (complete bony continuity across the defect site) showed that besides pentadecapeptide intramuscular application for 14 days (i.e., local application of bone marrow or autologous cortical graft), also following other pentadecapeptide BPC-157 regimens (local application, or intermittent intramuscular administration), the number of animals with healed defect was increased. Hopefully, in the light of the suggested stomach significance for bone homeostasis, the possible relevance of this pentadecapeptide BPC-157 effect (local or intramuscular effectiveness, lack of unwanted effects) could be a basis for methods of choice in the future management of healing impairment in humans, and requires further investigation.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Percutaneous autologous bone marrow grafting on the site of tibial delayed union.

Six months after injury, 150 mL of autogenous bone marrow was applied percutaneously at the site of delayed union to stimulate the healing of a tibial delayed union fracture in a 44 year-old man. Five months following the procedure, the fracture gaps and bone defects were completely filled with callus, the external fixator was removed, and the patient started using normal leg loading.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Military vascular injuries in Croatia.

A single-centre experience of military vascular injuries in the recent conflict in Yugoslavia is reviewed. From 1 April to 13 December 1991, 1020 casualties were admitted to the Surgical Clinic at the Teaching Faculty of the University in Zagreb, Croatia. A total of 120 injured blood vessels in 76 patients were treated in the department of vascular surgery. Casualties were transported to the hospital after treatment by forward surgical facilities. The transportation time ranged from 3 to 18 (mean 7) h. The most common injuries were to the popliteal artery (12.5%) and brachial veins (10.0%). After segmental resection, arterial and venous revascularization with saphenous vein graft interposition was the preferred option. Twenty-six fasciotomies were performed because of compartment syndrome. Indications for six amputations included sepsis, deep vein thrombosis and extensive myonecrosis. Concomitant bone fractures were stabilized by an external fixator in 90.4% of cases. Vascular injuries were repaired before orthopaedic stabilization. Completion arteriography was used to delineate concomitant distal lesions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Extrinsic erosion of the descending aorta by a vertebral fixator.

We report a rare case in which mechanical extrinsic erosion of the descending thoracic aorta resulted in perforation and periaortic hematoma formation in a 16-year-old girl. Five months before admission to our clinic, the patient had undergone surgical spondylosyndesis with inner vertebral fixation, for the correction of scoliosis. Subsequently, a screw on the fixator became loose, eroding and eventually perforating the wall of the descending aorta. The resultant lesion was at first misdiagnosed as a paravertebral abscess; extrinsic perforation of the descending aorta was suspected prior to operation, but was confirmed only upon surgical exploration. After evacuation of the hematoma, the 1.5-cm aortic perforation was closed directly with continuous sutures. Seven months later, the patient continues to do well.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1991

Capillary refill test--a possible auxiliary diagnostic method in obliterative arteriosclerosis.

Values of capillary refill time (CRT) were used for evaluation of skin microcirculation in the lower extremities severed by arteriosclerotic disease. The authors examined 133 extremities in 83 arteriosclerotic patients and 84 extremities of 50 healthy volunteers as a control group. To define the stage of the disease, walking distance, rest pain, level of arterial occlusion and the ankle/arm Doppler index (AAI) were considered. On each leg CRT was measured three times on the foot dorsum and pulp of the hallux. The mean value was calculated. The capillary refill index (CRI) was defined from the values of CRT as a proportion of compression time and time of skin recolouration. Twenty three extremities were examined before and after surgical treatment. The results suggest that values of CRI lower than 0.80 may be considered pathological. In advanced forms of the disease, low values of CRI were found in a significant number of extremities (p less than 0.01). A correlation was found among AAI, walking distance and CRI (r = 0.50). An extremely low CRI (under 0.55) was found on extremities without palpable femoral pulsations. After operation, a significant increase of CRI was observed (p less than 0.01).

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Interrenal coarctation of the abdominal aorta.

We report a case of congenital, segmental, hypoplastic interrenal abdominal aortic coarctation with inadequate collateral circulation. After preoperatively evaluating renal function and intraoperatively measuring vascular pressure, the coarctation was bridged with an aortico-aorta bypass; and an additional bypass graft was placed between the prosthesis and superior mesenteric artery. In this way, besides the successful surgical correction of coarctation, the inverse blood flow in the superior mesenteric artery was reversed to normal.

Journal Article↗