Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A Morales

Publications and source records attributed to A Morales.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Intravesical hyaluronic acid in the treatment of refractory interstitial cystitis.

PURPOSE: Based on the assumption that interstitial cystitis results from a defective mucous lining of the bladder epithelium, we investigated the activity of hyaluronic acid in the treatment of this disease. Hyaluronic acid is an important glycosaminoglycan present in all connective tissues, including the glycosaminoglycan layer of the vesical mucosa. It exhibits a variety of pharmacological properties that enhance its appeal for the therapy of interstitial cystitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 25 patients with characteristic findings of interstitial cystitis refractory to other medical treatments participated in a trial of intravesical hyaluronic acid at a dose of 40 mg. weekly for 4 weeks and then monthly. Response to therapy was evaluated by symptom score, voiding diaries and visual analog scales. RESULTS: An initial 56% positive (complete plus partial) response rate at week 4 increased to 71% by week 12 and response was maintained until week 20. Beyond week 24 there was a moderate decrease in the effectiveness of the medication. There was no significant toxicity attributable to hyaluronic acid in the bladder. CONCLUSIONS: The response of patients with refractory interstitial cystitis to the intravesical administration of hyaluronic acid was gratifying. In the past many therapies for interstitial cystitis which were initially considered promising failed the test of a controlled study. Such a study to determine the activity of hyaluronic acid in patients with interstitial cystitis is currently under way.

Administration, Intravesical↗
PubMed1996

[Familial paroxysmal ataxia: a new case].

Over the last years several families affected of a clinical syndrome characterized by sudden ataxia, related to physical or mental stress, and lasting a few days have been described. Intercritical exploration is otherwise normal. We describe a new case which presents the clinical, laboratory and neuroradiological data characteristic of periodic familial ataxia. The patient is a 34 year old male who from his 23 has suffered three crisis of gait inestability, ataxia of trunk and limbs and spontaneous nystagmus in every direction, which increased in association with head movement. These episodes were always in relation with fatigue and stress and have decreased in severity. Mean duration of crisis has been 4 to 6 days. After starting treatment with acetazolamide there have no new crisis. In this case we have found no family history of the disease as it was the rule in previous description.

Acetazolamide↗
PubMed1996

[Meningiomas of the lateral ventricles: a case report].

We describe the case of a patient with an intraventricular meningioma, which initially manifested as transient mental impairment. Meningiomas are slowly growing, bening tumours, which usually remain asymptomatic or show only insidious clinical manifestations for long periods. In our case the distinct localization of the tumor gives rise to a peculiar clinical picture, with special reference to the episodic nature of symptoms. In this case we want to remark the role of both the clinical and neuroradiological data in the diagnosis of this pathology.

Brain Neoplasms↗
PubMed1996

[Intraparenchymatous hemorrhagic pathology in patients aged over seventy: a comparative study with younger subjects].

The aim of our study was to compare a group of over 70 year-old patients suffering from spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage with a similarly affected group under 70 years of age. With this in mind we carried out a prospective study of all patients admitted to the Neurology Service at the Virgen de la Arrixaca Hospital between March and December 1993. They totalled some 67 patients, 33 being over 70 years of age and 34 being younger than 70. Although our data clearly show that age is a factor indicative of bad prognosis, we found no other differences between these two groups which might justify these data with the exception of a greater prevalence of consciousness abnormalities at the moment of onset in those patients aged over 70. This fact, ascertained using the Canadian scale, may, we feel, be useful in dealing with patients presenting clinical pictures compatible with brain haemorrhage who attend hospitals not having computerized tomography.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Coronary artery bypass graft surgery and its impact on erectile function: a preliminary retrospective study.

Erectile function is markedly affected by acute alterations in circulatory homeostasis of which coronary artery bypass graft surgery is an excellent model. A group of consecutive patients who had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery 6-12 months previously were selected for detailed review by questionnaires that scored their pre-operative and post-operative sexual function and erectile ability and aspects of the quality of life. Thirty patients were evaluable. 10 men (33.3%) had poor erectile function before surgery. Eleven out of 30 men reported an improvement in erectile function while 10 men experienced a decrease or cessation of erectile function. Four of the five patients reporting new post-operative erectile function had had good pre-operative function suggesting that the surgery was directly associated with the impotence in these men. This pilot study suggests that coronary artery bypass surgery can have a significant impact in erectile function.

Coronary Artery Bypass↗
PubMed1996

Biofeedback: a noninvasive treatment for incontinence after radical prostatectomy.

OBJECTIVE: Will a program using biofeedback help patients with post radical prostatectomy incontinence to achieve continence by increasing their ability to contract pelvic floor muscles? STUDY DESIGN: Twenty-seven patients who had undergone incontinent radical prostatectomy were evaluated for urinary incontinence and treated at the Urology Biofeedback Laboratory at our institution. Patients were assessed by urodynamic studies including uroflow, postvoid residual measurement, and cystometrogram before biofeedback was initiated. The protocol provided for 10 weekly sessions of 15 minutes' duration with additional reinforcement sessions at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. Subjective symptoms related to urgency, frequency, nocturia, and number of pad changes were reported by patients before treatment and at each visit. Digital evaluation of the pelvic floor muscle contraction was objectively graded from 0 to 3 (nil to strong) and was completed before and after treatment. These subjective and objective findings were used to determine success of treatment. RESULTS: Of the 27 patients completing the full treatment course, 13 (48%) had complete success, 7 (26%) had significant improvement but were not completely dry, and 7 (26%) had failure, for a total improvement rate of 74%. CONCLUSIONS: A biofeedback training program is an effective, minimally invasive, and well-accepted method that can be offered as a first-line option to patients who have undergone radical prostatectomy and want to improve the postsurgical problem of urinary incontinence. Patient motivation is an important factor in success. Nurses have an opportunity to use their expertise in this program to assist these patients to return to continence.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Growth enhancement in transgenic tilapia by ectopic expression of tilapia growth hormone.

The generation of transgenic fish with the transfer of growth hormone (GH) genes has opened new possibilities for the manipulation of growth in economically important fish species. The tilapia growth hormone (tiGH) cDNA was linked to the human cytomegalovirus (CMV) enhancer-promoter and used to generate transgenic tilapia by microinjection into one-cell embryos. Five transgenic tilapia were obtained from 40 injected embryos. A transgenic animal containing one copy of the transgene per cell was selected to establish a transgenic line. The transgene was stably transmitted to F1 and F2 generations in a Mendelian fashion. Ectopic, low-level expression of tiGH was detected in gonad and muscle cells of F1 transgenic tilapia by immunohystochemical analysis of tissue sections. Nine-month-old transgenic F1 progeny were 82% larger than nontransgenic fish at p = .001. These results showed that low-level ectopic expression of tiGH resulted in a growth acceleration in transgenic tilapia. Tilapia GH gene transfer is an alternative for growth acceleration in tilapia.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Enhancement of erectile responses to vasoactive drugs by a variable amplitude oscillation device.

The limitations of intracavernosal injection (ICI) of vaso-active drugs as a diagnostic tool in the evaluation of erectile dysfunction are well recognized and, prominently, include the artifacts induced by the unfamiliar environment on the patient. We report on the benefits of adding a vibratory stimulus to ICI to improve the sensitivity of this test in a population of 170 patients with erectile dysfunction who were evaluated using a standard protocol. Intracavernosal pressure was measured following ICI alone and ICI with vibratory stimulation of the penis. A statistically significant improvement in intracavernosal pressure (ICP) with the addition of vibration was observed in 87% of the subjects as compared to ICI. In 52% the improvement in ICP was greater than 20% over that achieved by ICI. This study showed that the addition of vibration to intracavernosal administration of vaso-active drugs significantly increases the erectile response in a controlled and reproducible manner. Vibratory stimulation provides a better reflection of erectile potential than the pharmacological challenge alone.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Nucleolar organizer regions in a model of cell hyperactivity and regression.

Nucleolar organizer regions stained with colloidal silver techniques (AgNOR) evidence sites of active rRNA transcription. It has been proved that AgNOR undergo a rise in number and variations in size and shape in conditions which traditionally involve enhanced cell proliferation and rRNA transcription. AgNOR have been described as a marker of malignant transformation in multiple entities. Our laboratory has previously described their value as markers of radioinduced damage. The finding, at light microscopy level, that silver staining persisted at later post-irradiation times when cells are characteristically inactive, prompted the present study to correlate findings at light microscopy level with the ultrastructural analysis of nucleoli and their AgNOR in a model of irradiated skin. We herein attempt to explain the biological significance of AgNOR variations in the different phases of radioinduced response (which involves cellular hyperactivity followed by regressive features). Ten Wistar rats were submitted to local irradiation of the left leg (the shielded right leg was used as control) with 50 Gy x rays and killed 15 days post- irradiation. Silver staining was performed on ultrathin sections. In the basal layer of control epithelium silver affinity was established for fibrillar centers (FC) and fibrillar dense components (DFC). During the phase of radioinduced hyperplasia (1-3 days post-exposure) basal cells exhibit large reticular nucleoli, with irregular contours and silver staining on DFC. In the regressive phase (4-5 days post-irradiation) silver staining persists despite the halt in transcriptional activity, associated to homogeneous and compact nucleoli. These findings suggest caution in the interpretation of silver staining patterns.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Application of dimorphism in teeth to age calculation.

The objective of this study was to determine which teeth provide the most reliable data for use in age estimation. We studied 170 teeth from the anterior region (central and lateral incisors, and canines) and used an image analysis technique to analyse a number of morphometric features in thin sections of tooth. Our results showed root translucency to be the variable most clearly related to the subject's age, and the canine teeth to provide the most reliable information on this variable.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Incorporation of reconstituted acetylcholine receptors from Torpedo into the Xenopus oocyte membrane.

Xenopus oocytes are a valuable aid for studying the molecular structure and function of ionic channels and neurotransmitter receptors. Their use has recently been extended by the demonstration that oocytes can incorporate foreign membranes carrying preassembled receptors and channels. Here we show that when reconstituted in an artificial lipid matrix and injected into Xenopus oocytes, purified nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are efficiently inserted into the plasma membrane, where they form "clusters" of receptors that retain their native properties. This constitutes an innovative approach that, besides allowing the analyses of membrane fusion processes, is also a powerful technique for studying the characteristics and regulation of many membrane proteins (with their native stoichiometry and configuration) upon reinsertion into the membrane of a very convenient host cell system.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Differential effect of buspirone and diazepam on negative contrast in one-way avoidance learning.

The main aim of the present work was to investigate the effect of buspirone, a 5-HT1A receptor agonist, on successive negative contrast in one-way avoidance learning. Successive negative contrast was induced by shifting rats from a large reward (30 s spent in the safe compartment) to a small reward (1 s). Acute administration of buspirone (0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0 mg/kg i.p.) did not attenuate the contrast effect, as opposed to that observed for diazepam (1 mg/kg i.p.). The highest dose of buspirone used, however, did interfere with the learning of the avoidance response itself. Chronic buspirone (20 days, 0.5 and 0.75 mg/kg i.p.) did not have any effect on successive negative contrast either. Overall, these results could suggest that the 5-HT1A receptor is not involved in the negative contrast effect studied, quite different to that observed for the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) system. The findings are compared to results obtained with animal models selectively sensitive to some anxiolytic drugs, as are the so-called 'conflict models'.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Evidence that the rat hepatic mitochondrial carrier is distinct from the sinusoidal and canalicular transporters for reduced glutathione. Expression studies in Xenopus laevis oocytes.

Mitochondrial GSH derives from a mitochondrial transport system (RmGshT), which translocates cytosol GSH into the mitochondrial matrix. Mitochondria of oocytes, isolated 3-4 days after microinjection of total liver mRNA, expressed a RmGshT compared with water-injected oocytes. The expressed RmGshT exhibited similar functional features as reported in isolated mitochondria of rat liver such as ATP stimulation, inhibition by glutamate, and insensitivity to inhibition by sulfobromophthalein-glutathione (BSP-GSH) and S-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)glutathione (DNP-GSH). The expressed RmGshT is localized in the inner mitochondrial membrane since expression is still observed in mitoplasts prepared from total liver mRNA-injected oocytes. Fractionation of poly(A)+ RNA identified a single mRNA species of approximately 3-3.5 kilobases encoding for the RmGshT, which was stimulated by ATP and inhibited by glutamate but not by BSP-GSH or DNP-GSH. Microinjection of this fraction did not lead to expression of plasma membrane GSH transport in intact oocytes, and conversely, oocytes microinjected with cRNA for rat liver sinusoidal GSH transporter (RsGshT) or rat liver canalicular GSH transporter (RcGshT) did not express mitochondrial GSH transport activity. Thus, our results show the successful expression of the rat hepatic mitochondrial GSH carrier, which is different from RsGshT and RcGshT, and provide the strategic basis for the cloning of this important carrier.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Feeding S-adenosyl-L-methionine attenuates both ethanol-induced depletion of mitochondrial glutathione and mitochondrial dysfunction in periportal and perivenous rat hepatocytes.

Mitochondrial glutathione plays an important role in maintaining a functionally competent organelle. Previous studies have shown that ethanol feeding selectively depletes the mitochondrial glutathione pool, more predominantly in mitochondria from perivenous hepatocytes. Because S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) is a glutathione precursor and maintains the structure and function of biological membranes, the purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of SAM on glutathione and function of perivenous (PV) and periportal (PP) mitochondria from chronic ethanol-fed rats. SAM administration resulted in a significant increase in the basal cytosol and mitochondrial glutathione in both PP and PV cells from both pair-fed or ethanol-fed groups. When hepatocytes from ethanol-fed rats supplemented with SAM were incubated with methionine plus serine or N-acetylcysteine, mitochondrial glutathione increased in parallel with cytosol, an effect not observed in cells from ethanol-fed rats without SAM. Feeding equimolar N-acetylcysteine raised cytosol glutathione but did not prevent the mitochondrial glutathione defect. In addition, SAM feeding resulted in significant preservation of cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels (23% to 43%), mitochondrial membrane potential (17% to 25%), and the uncoupler control ratio (UCR) of respiration (from 5.1 +/- 0.7 to 7.3 +/- 0.6 and 2.1 +/- 0.3 to 6.1 +/- 0.7) for PP and PV mitochondria, respectively. Thus, these effects of SAM suggest that it may be a useful agent to preserve the disturbed mitochondrial integrity in liver disease caused by alcoholism through maintenance of mitochondrial glutathione transport.

Administration, Oral↗