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Biomedical subjects

A Morales

Publications and source records attributed to A Morales.

At least 289 records · Page 16Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Experimental immunotherapy with NK-like cells. A preliminary report.

Natural killer (NK) cell activity was generated in the spleen of C3H/HeN mice by i.p. administration of poly I:C, while i.p. injection of BCG primarily promoted the generation of NK-like cells in peritoneal exudates (PE). A single injection of 10 mg of BCG 9 days before s.c. challenge with the MBT-2 murine bladder cancer was found to induce a 45% protection against tumor take. However, a single injection of 100 micrograms poly I:C 16 h before tumor cell challenge did not protect the animals against tumor take. Intratumoral injection of either PE cells from BCG-immunized or spleen cells from poly I:C-treated mice into mice developing tumor, was capable of suppressing tumor growth in vivo. The mean tumor diameters of these two experimental groups of animals on day 40 were significantly smaller (P less than 0.005) than in the controls, and they survived approximately 10 days longer than the controls. Since this in vivo tumor suppressive effect by the lymphoid cell population correlated with the increase in NK-like cell activity assayed in vitro, and most of the adherent cells had been removed before injection, it is suggested that the antitumor function of the lymphoid cell population may be mostly due to the presence of "activated" NK or NK-like cells. These results support the concept of NK therapy for cancer.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Lesions of connections of the medial prefrontal cortex in rats: differential effects on self-stimulation and spontaneous motor activity.

The effects of lesions of the mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus (MD) and the nucleus caudate putamen (CP) on self-stimulation (SS) of the medial prefrontal cortex (MPC) were investigated. After bilateral electrolytic lesions of the MD or the anteromedial segment of the CP, SS rate and spontaneous motor activity (SMA) were measured. Both MD and CP lesions induced a significant decrease in SS. After 8 days post-lesion, SS rate recovered to pre-lesion levels. SMA did not change significantly after MD lesion. However, SMA showed a significant decrease the 1st and the 5th days after lesioning the CP. The results suggest that the MD and possibly the CP are associated with SS, although it appears that they do not have an essential but rather a modulatory role. The recovery of SS occurs within a few days, presumably due to the compensatory effect of other pathways and structures. The results are also discussed in relation to the effect found after electrolytic lesion of ventrotegmental area and locus coeruleus.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Prevalence and significance of tobacco smoking in impotence.

We investigated the incidence of cigarette smoking in a sample of patients and compared these figures with estimates of smoking among males in the general population. Among 178 impotent patients the number of current smokers (58.4%) and current ex-smokers combined (81%) was significantly higher than would be expected among males in the general population. In each age group, and at all levels of tobacco use, impotent patients smoked more than would be expected from population estimates. Smoking and nonsmoking impotent patients did not differ in terms of their hormonal profile; however, mean penile blood pressure (PBI) was lower among patients who smoked than among those who did not. A significantly higher proportion (20.9%) of impotent patients with a history of smoking showed abnormally low PBI compared with nonsmoking patients (8.8%). This study adds to preliminary evidence that smoking may be a significant risk factor in impotence, and its effects are evident in the small vasculature.

Blood Pressure↗
PubMed1986

Prophylaxis and therapy of an experimental bladder cancer with biological response modifiers.

We have previously reported that the intraperitoneal injection of viable bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) reduces the incidence of tumor takes and the rate of tumor growth and also increases tumor regression rate and survival in C3H/HeN mice challenged with the syngeneic MBT-2 bladder cancer. We have now investigated the immunoprophylactic effect of BCG and other biological response modifiers. Groups of 12 to 15 female C3H/HeN mice were challenged with 5 X 10(5) MBT-2 viable cells and treated with BCG, poly I:C, tilorone, levamisole or a combination of these agents. Appropriate controls were included in each experiment. In this study we confirmed previous findings that BCG alone is effective in prophylaxis and can also decrease the rate of tumor growth in those animals not protected against tumor takes. Both i.p. levamisole and oral tilorone lacked activity against the MBT-2 tumor. A single i.p. injection of poly I:C was also ineffective although its repeated administration reduced the rate of tumor growth and induced a significant number of tumor regressions. Combined therapy of BCG with either levamisole or tilorone offered no therapeutic advantage over BCG alone. Heat-inactivated BCG also failed to induce anti-tumor activity in C3H/HeN mice challenged with MBT-2 cells. These results indicate that live BCG remains the most active immunoprophylactic and immunotherapeutic agent against the MBT-2 murine bladder cancer. Furthermore, the anti-tumor effect of viable BCG is not potentiated further by the addition of other immune modulating agents.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

The unreliability of nocturnal penile tumescence recording as an outcome measurement in the treatment of organic impotence.

We investigated the degree of congruence between outcome measures used to evaluate pharmacological treatment of impotence. After a comprehensive multidisciplinary assessment 17 patients were treated with an adrenergic blocker during an 8-week interval. Nocturnal penile tumescence recordings were made before treatment (as part of the assessment procedure) and at its conclusion. As part of a larger study the use of nocturnal penile tumescence monitoring has been examined as a possible outcome measure. Patient and partner self-reports also were used to evaluate treatment outcome. A comparison of patient and partner self-reports with nocturnal penile tumescence records showed little agreement between the 2 measures. These findings suggest that despite its intuitive appeal as an index of erectile function nocturnal penile tumescence recording is not a reliable index of therapeutic effectiveness. Furthermore, these findings lend support to the hypothesis that nocturnal penile tumescence and sexual erections may be separate phenomena, perhaps under the control of different mechanisms.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

In vivo bupivacaine reduces the in vitro sensitivity of the human vas deferens to phenylephrine.

The isolated human vas deferens (HVD) has been the subject of a limited number of pharmacological studies. Furthermore, it has not been established whether the local or general anesthetics used in obtaining the HVD affect the responses of this isolated tissue. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine if the local anesthetic, bupivacaine (BPV), alters the sensitivity of the HVD to agonists. It was shown that BPV, injected into subjects undergoing vasectomy, was present in the excised HVD and in sufficient concentration to attenuate the phenylephrine (PE)-induced contraction. Bupivacaine assays were done by gas chromatography - mass spectrometry. Following 3 h of equilibration with repetitive washing, 95.0 +/- 2.1% (SD) of the BPV could be eliminated from the tissue, which correlated well with an observed increase in sensitivity of the HVD to PE. The sensitivity to PE of HVD isolated from subjects under general anesthesia was less than the sensitivity of tissues obtained with bupivacaine and in this case the depressant effect was not reversed by washing. These results indicate that it is important to consider the anesthetic procedure used to acquire the HVD and also the equilibration procedure prior to pharmacological studies.

Bupivacaine↗
PubMed1986

Biology of Arboledas virus, a new phlebotomus fever serogroup virus (Bunyaviridae: Phlebovirus) isolated from sand flies in Colombia.

Six isolates of a new phlebotomus fever serogroup virus, designated Arboledas virus, were obtained from sand flies (Lutzomyia spp.) collected in northeastern Colombia. One of the isolates was made from a pool of male sand flies. By immunofluorescence, Arboledas virus is related to Caimito and Pacui viruses; by neutralization test, it is distinct. Arboledas virus neutralizing antibodies were found in the sera of opossums (Didelphis marsupialis) and humans living in the study area. D. marsupialis inoculated with the virus developed a viremia of four days' duration, and sand flies (Lutzomyia gomezi) feeding on a viremic opossum were readily infected. Transovarial transmission of Arboledas virus was also demonstrated in experimentally infected Lu. gomezi. Results of the above laboratory studies suggest that Arboledas virus is maintained in nature by two mechanisms: vertical (transovarial) transmission in the insect vector, and an alternating marsupial-sand fly cycle. The implications of this complex maintenance cycle for other phleboviruses are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Acute rheumatic fever and poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis in an open population: comparative studies of epidemiology and bacteriology.

We conducted epidemiologic and bacteriologic studies of 104 cases of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and 84 cases of poststreptococcal acute glomerulonephritis (AGN) occurring in the southeast health district of Santiago, Chile, between March 1978, and February 1982. The AGN cases were both postpharyngeal and postpyodermal in origin. Despite the fact that ARF and AGN were occurring in the same neighborhoods and among families of equivalent size and socioeconomic status, the pharyngeal isolation rates of group A streptococci were significantly lower among patients with ARF and their household contacts than among patients with AGN and their contacts. Moreover, the streptococcal throat colonization rates and geometric mean anti-streptolysin O titers were similar in ARF families and the families of noninfected controls. Streptococci of M-type 5, a highly rheumatogenic type, were isolated from three patients with ARF (representing 36% of group A isolates from this group) and one ARF contact but never from patients with AGN, control subjects, or their respective contacts. These observations suggest possible differences in the streptococcal milieus from which ARF and AGN cases emerge. The nature of such differences requires further exploration.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Sub-nanogram analysis of yohimbine and related compounds by high-performance liquid chromatography.

A sensitive (50 pg/ml) method is described for the analysis of yohimbine in blood by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The chromatographic behaviour of eserine (employed as internal standard), reserpine, corynanthine, yohimbinic acid, and yohimbine are examined on a series of reversed-phase and normal-phase chromatographic columns with methanol-water mobile phases.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗
PubMed1985

Clinical relevance of plasma testosterone and prolactin changes in advanced cancer of prostate treated with diethylstilbestrol or estramustine phosphate.

We have investigated a group of 30 patients with newly diagnosed metastatic carcinoma of the prostate who were randomly assigned to receive, as primary treatment, either diethylstilbestrol (DES) or estramustine phosphate (Emcyt). Clinical response was assessed following the guidelines of the National Prostatic Cancer Project and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group. Effective reduction in the levels of androgens was noted in all patients in both groups regardless of response. During the follow-up period (ranging between 2-5 years) relapses were noted despite the presence of androgen levels at or below castrate values. The most relevant endocrine observation was the detection of early elevations in serum prolactin in a majority of patients. It was noted, however, that those patients in whom hyperprolactinemia did not occur or appeared only briefly at the beginning of therapy, experienced a prolonged, symptom-free survival. Persistent hyperprolactinemia, on the other hand, carried an ominous prognosis. The differences in survival between normoprolactinemic and hyperprolactinemic groups carried statistical significance.

Carcinoma↗
PubMed1985

Are all recurrences of "pure" Sydenham chorea true recurrences of acute rheumatic fever?

We are conducting prospective studies of patients in Santiago, Chile, who have had an attack of rheumatic fever and are receiving continuous secondary prophylaxis with monthly injections of benzathine penicillin G. Throat cultures are obtained just prior to injection each month, and serum antistreptococcal antibody titers (antistreptolysin O and antideoxyribonuclease B) are performed at least every 3 months. During the course of these studies we have observed 17 recurrences of "pure" chorea in 10 patients (six girls). In four recurrences the timing of serologic studies and onset of chorea appeared to exclude the occurrence of an immunologically significant group A streptococcal infection within the preceding 6 to 9 months. In one case the period of serologic follow-up was too brief to allow a definite determination. In the remaining 12 recurrences serologic evidence was suggestive or confirmatory of recent streptococcal infection; however, in several instances the titer elevations were quite modest. Our data suggest that in certain chorea-prone patients, Sydenham chorea may recur after streptococcal infections too weak and transient to be readily detectable or, alternatively, after stimuli other than streptococcal infection.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Endocrine dysfunction in impotence: incidence, significance and cost-effective screening.

A comprehensive evaluation of impotence includes assessment of the functional integrity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. However, little is known about the incidence or significance of hormonal abnormalities in an unselected group of men with erectile failure. A systematic multidisciplinary, multidimensional assessment of 256 impotent men showed clearly an organic etiology in 35.9 per cent, psychogenic in 38.3 per cent and mixed or uncertain in 25.8 per cent. The incidence of hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis abnormalities in the entire group was 17.5 per cent but in only 12.1 per cent did they contribute clearly to erectile dysfunction. A cost-effective screening of the endocrine system in impotent men includes a thorough history and physical examination, and a serum testosterone determination. More sophisticated and expensive investigations should be reserved for patients with a history of drug use known to induce hormonal abnormalities or with somatic evidence of hypogonadism and a depressed serum testosterone level.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Long-term results and complications of intracavitary bacillus Calmette-Guerin therapy for bladder cancer.

Clinical studies on intracavitary bacillus Calmette-Guerin therapy for bladder cancer have been conducted at this institution for more than 10 years. The 82 patients treated for prophylaxis of multiple superficial recurrences, residual tumors or carcinoma in situ have been followed for 2 to 7 years after treatment. The long-term results confirm previous studies showing the effectiveness of bacillus Calmette-Guerin in the prophylaxis and therapy of superficial vesical neoplasms. However, some decrease is observed in the population free of disease with a prolonged followup. Recent modifications in the original protocol have been introduced to enhance the effectiveness of the vaccine. Side effects during or shortly after treatment were minor and self-limiting in the large majority of patients (fever, bladder irritability and hematuria). Mild, transient hepatic dysfunction was noted in 2 patients. Hematological disturbances were insignificant. No patient had permanent structural or functional alterations of the bladder.

Aged↗
PubMed1984

Epididymal lymphoma: an unusual scrotal mass.

Primary extra-nodal nonHodgkin's lymphomas of the male gonads are uncommon. Only 1 case has been reported previously of an epididymal lymphoma. We report the presentation, pathological condition and management of a primary diffuse histiocytic lymphoma of the epididymis.

Aged↗
PubMed1984

Evaluation of the urological assessment in impotence: findings with a new diagnostic rating scale.

We report the findings of a critical evaluation of urological assessment in impotence. Initially, a rating scale (Q scale) was developed, which included the individual elements of the urological assessment, such as testicular size, serum testosterone level and so forth. The items in the scale were derived from the files of patients with erectile dysfunction and were scaled according to predetermined categories. Following this, the rating scale was applied to 67 impotent patients in whom the etiology had been established clearly using criteria that were independent of the urological assessment (that is a psychiatric interview and nocturnal penile tumescence evaluation). Statistical analysis of the results indicated that the 2 diagnostic groups differed significantly on a number of the individual scale items. However, no single item by itself could be used as a reliable indicator of etiology. Further analysis indicated that when the items were considered in combination, rather than singly, etiology was identified correctly in 95 per cent of the patients in the sample. Replication of these findings in a cross-validation study will help to standardize the urological assessment and to promote the development of a common language to facilitate communication in this field.

Adult↗