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Biomedical subjects

Y Martinez

Publications and source records attributed to Y Martinez.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

A feasibility study of remote monitoring of asthmatic patients.

We assessed the feasibility of a remote monitoring system for asthmatic patients to use in their own homes. Eighty-four patients were invited to participate following discharge from hospital after an acute exacerbation of their asthma. We remotely monitored 33 patients from two hospitals for two weeks. Their mean age was 34 years (range 17-50 years). Patient compliance with monitoring was 80% (range 45-231%) and compliance with transmitting the results using a modem was 52% (range 0-100%). The average time spent teaching patients how to perform measurements was 16 min (range 2-55 min) and time spent providing asthma education was 39 min (range 5-135 min). Ninety-six per cent of patients found the equipment easy or very easy to use and 92% said they would use the equipment again in the future. Medical intervention occurred in 48% of patients during the study period, which suggests that the use of remote monitoring could be important in reducing asthma morbidity and improving treatment outcomes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

[Imaging of cloverleaf skull].

The cloverleaf skull is a rare and due to complex craniosynostosis. This malformation can be isolated or associated with extracranial skeletal anomalies. This anomaly has a poor prognosis both in terms of neurological outcome and esthetic appearance. Our report underscores the need to obtain a global study of the skull, the brain and the cerebral vessels with 3D reconstructions and MRI prior to early surgery.

Craniosynostoses↗
PubMed1999

Sequence, assembly and analysis of pX01 and pX02.

Bacillus anthracis plasmids pX01 and pX02, harboured by the Sterne and Pasteur strains, respectively, have been sequenced by random 'shotgun' cloning and high throughout sequence analysis. These sequences have been assembled (Sequencher) to generate a circulate pX01 plasmid containing 181 656 bp and a single linear (gapped) pX02 contig containing at least 93.479 bp. Initial annotation suggests that the two plasmids combined contain at least 200 potential open reading frames (ORFs) with < 40% having significant similarity to sequences registered in open databases. Collectively, only 118 566 bp of the pX01 DNA (65%) represent predicted coding regions. This value is similar to published gene densities for other plasmids and is indicative of the larger intergenic spaces in plasmids vs those found in the chromosomes of the parental microbes (85-93% gene density). A 70 kbp region including the toxin genes (cya, lef and pag) is distinct from the remainder of the pX01 sequence: (1) it has a lower gene density (58 vs 70%) than the remaining 111 kbp; (2) it contains all but one of the co-regulated transcriptional fusions identified by transposon mutagenesis (Hoffmaster & Koehler 1997) and (3) it contains a significantly higher proportion of positive BLAST scores (62 vs 20%) for putative ORFs. These data suggest different origins for the two regions of pX01.

Bacillus anthracis↗
PubMed1999

Sequence and organization of pXO1, the large Bacillus anthracis plasmid harboring the anthrax toxin genes.

The Bacillus anthracis Sterne plasmid pXO1 was sequenced by random, "shotgun" cloning. A circular sequence of 181,654 bp was generated. One hundred forty-three open reading frames (ORFs) were predicted using GeneMark and GeneMark.hmm, comprising only 61% (110,817 bp) of the pXO1 DNA sequence. The overall guanine-plus-cytosine content of the plasmid is 32.5%. The most recognizable feature of the plasmid is a "pathogenicity island," defined by a 44.8-kb region that is bordered by inverted IS1627 elements at each end. This region contains the three toxin genes (cya, lef, and pagA), regulatory elements controlling the toxin genes, three germination response genes, and 19 additional ORFs. Nearly 70% of the ORFs on pXO1 do not have significant similarity to sequences available in open databases. Absent from the pXO1 sequence are homologs to genes that are typically required to drive theta replication and to maintain stability of large plasmids in Bacillus spp. Among the ORFs with a high degree of similarity to known sequences are a collection of putative transposases, resolvases, and integrases, suggesting an evolution involving lateral movement of DNA among species. Among the remaining ORFs, there are three sequences that may encode enzymes responsible for the synthesis of a polysaccharide capsule usually associated with serotype-specific virulent streptococci.

Antigens, Bacterial↗
PubMed1995

TolC and DsbA are needed for the secretion of STB, a heat-stable enterotoxin of Escherichia coli.

STB secretion-deficient mutants were isolated using the synthetic transposon Tn beta laM. Cultures were plated using a double-membrane system of cellulose acetate and nitrocellulose placed on Luria agar plates containing carbenicillin. The STB bound to the underlying nitrocellulose membrane was detected with anti-STB antibodies. The altered genes of two STB secretion-deficient mutants were identified by conjugation and complementation as tolC and dsbA. In cultures of well-characterized dsbA and tolC mutants, STB was absent from the culture supernatant. The role of TolC and DsbA in the secretion of peptides is discussed.

Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins↗
PubMed1993

Lambdoid craniosynostosis. A 3D-computerized tomographic approach.

From a series of eleven children aged from 4 months to eight years presenting with a parieto-occipital flattening that was unilateral in nine and bilateral in two, we attempted to determine a 3D-CT semeiology able to demonstrate the presence of a lambdoid suture synostosis, as well as the participation of coronal and lambdoid sutures in the genesis of complex cranial malformations. Pure isolated forms of lambdoid synostosis are rare and justify a surgical treatment for cosmetic purposes if the deformation is severe and progressive.

Child↗
PubMed1992

[3D imaging and pathology of the base of the skull in children].

Three dimensional computed tomography was performed in 150 children suffering from a bone lesion of the base of the skull and face. These lesions were either malformative, neoplastic, infectious or traumatic. 3D CT provided an essential anatomical approach to the lesions facilitating the choice of the most appropriate treatment. 3D CT is also indicated in the follow-up of these operated children, particularly of the growth of the operated bone segment and its relations with adjacent structures.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1991

Value of 3D imaging for the study of craniofacial malformations in children.

Three-dimensional (3D) imaging was performed on 150 children with craniofacial malformations divided into three groups: craniostenosis, craniofacial dysraphism and labio-maxillo-palatine clefts arbitrarily included in a corpus of constitutional and acquired abnormalities. The authors believe that this technique is of interest not only for the management of these children, but also to understand the pathogenesis of their malformations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Effects of stress on morphine-elicited locomotor activity in hamsters.

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of stress on morphine-elicited locomotor activity in hamsters. In Experiment 1, half of the animals were habituated to handling and injection procedures (low-stress condition) and half were not (high-stress condition) prior to 6 days of testing with a low dose (2.5 mg/kg) of morphine. On the first test day, morphine elicited hyperactivity among habituated animals, whereas among nonhabituated animals morphine elicited hypoactivity. The effects of handling diminished across test days, so that on the last test day, morphine elicited hyperactivity in both habituated and nonhabituated animals. In Experiment 2, the effect of a noise stressor on activity elicited by three doses of morphine (2.5, 5.0, and 15 mg/kg) was investigated. Half of the animals were tested under conditions of low noise stress (70 dB), and half were tested under conditions of high noise stress (90 dB). Results indicated that the effects of each dose of morphine were potentiated in the high-stress relative to the low-stress condition. Both experiments demonstrated that environmental stressors can potentiate the response to exogenous opiate administration in hamsters. Moreover, the results are consistent with the hypothesis that stress induces the release of endogenous opioids which summate with exogenous opiates to determine the final effective dose.

Animals↗