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Biomedical subjects

A Velasco

Publications and source records attributed to A Velasco.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Retroperitoneal Castleman's disease.

A case of Castleman's disease localized in the retroperitoneal space is reported. A 29-year-old patient had a mass 15 cm in diameter with radial calcification. After surgical resection, both the patient's anemia and hypergammaglobulinemia disappeared. Castleman's disease should be considered when facing a solid retroperitoneal or mesenteric mass, mainly if anemia and hypergammaglobulinemia are present. Previous reports about this unusual condition are reviewed.

Adult↗

An atlas of the brain of the tench (Tinca tinca L., 1758; Cyprinidae, Teleostei).

This report provides an atlas of the tench brain in the transverse plane. The brain atlas is based on paraffin-embedded brains which are serially sectioned and stained with cresyl violet. It consists of drawings and photographs at several levels throughout the main divisions of the tench brain. The brain of the tench shows important variations in the shape, extension and boundaries of different brain areas and nuclei in comparison with those previously described in the brain of other teleosts.

Anatomy, Artistic↗

[Inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver].

Inflammatory pseudotumor is a pathological process whose cause is unknown, and whose macroscopic appearance is that of a malignant tumor, but it is in fact of inflammatory nature. Inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver is infrequent, but must be taken into account in the differential diagnosis of liver masses. A case report is presented, with review of the literature. Because of its benign nature, an aggressive approach is not recommended.

Adult↗

Presence of terminal N-acetylgalactosamine residues in subregions of the endoplasmic reticulum is influenced by cell differentiation in culture.

Using Helix pomatia lectin as a specific probe for terminal, nonreducing N-acetylgalactosamine residues, glycoprotein precursors bearing newly initiated O-linked oligosaccharides have been localized in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum and cis-Golgi cisternae. This pattern contrasts with the detection of the terminal disaccharide galactose beta-1,3-N-acetylgalactosamine by Arachis hypogaea lectin in middle and trans-Golgi compartments, which are considered elongation sites for O-glycosylation. Distribution of H. pomatia ligands in the endoplasmic reticulum is confined to specialized regions or subcompartments in both human colonic adenocarcinoma cells and cultured chicken chondrocytes. Since in cartilage, chondrocytes contain H. pomatia-binding sites exclusively concentrated in cis-Golgi cisternae, primary cultures of this cell type have been used to study those conditions that promote initiation of O-glycosylation in the endoplasmic reticulum. A correlation has been found between the age of the culture and the extent of reactivity of the endoplasmic reticulum with either H. pomatia lectin or antibody against the sequence GalNAc alpha-serine/threonine (Tn antigen). Cells showing an extensive reaction are not hindered in their secretory activity and still maintain the chondrocyte phenotype. Taken together the results suggest that the intracellular distribution of the glycosylation enzymes is not only cell type-specific as previously shown (Roth, J., Taatjes, D. J., Weinstein, J., Paulson, J. C., Greenwell, P., and Watkins, W. M. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 14307-14312) but it might also vary depending on the stage of cell differentiation.

Acetylgalactosamine↗

Effects of dimethylsulfoxide on the oxidative metabolism of certain tissues in rats in vitro.

Administration of 10 mM dimethylsulfoxide inhibits oxygen uptake in in vitro rat brain slices incubated in a Krebs-Ringer phosphate pH 7.4 solution containing 10 mM glucose. The effect is inverted when excessive potassium is added to the solution and the amount of sodium chloride is substituted by choline chloride. Using 10 mM, we observed a decrease in oxygen uptake in rat heart slices incubated in a Krebs-Ringer phosphate solution containing 131.8 mM Na+, 105.4 mM K+ and no calcium. Dimethylsulfoxide 10 mM, 1 mM and 0.1 mM does not alter the Na+/K+ ATPase activity nor the ouabain insensitive ATPase activity in in vitro preparations of rat brain, kidney and heart.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

[Benign common bile duct stenosis: percutaneous dilatation in a case].

A 41 year old woman developed obstructive biliary tract disease 3 years after cholecystectomy. A surgical attempt to relieve the obstruction failed and a benign stricture of the common duct was shown at cholangiography. Percutaneous dilatation of the stricture was performed through the draining tube with excellent clinical and laboratory results.

Adult↗

[Gastroesophageal reflux and esophagitis (II). Treatment guidelines].

The current therapeutic approach to gastroesophageal reflux disease is reviewed. Dietary measures, postural measures and drug therapy can be used to alleviate symptoms and for improving healing of esophageal lesions. Surgery can be used only in a few cases. Antacids, alginic acid, and motor-stimulating drugs i.e. metoclopramide and bethanecol, may be sufficient to treat pathologic reflux without esophagitis. When erosive or ulcerative lesions, a more vigorous treatment including H2 receptor blockers and omeprazole can be used.

Esophagitis↗

[Pseudothrombocytopenia: incidence, causes and methods of detection].

A prospective study of 20,761 routine clinical blood specimens was conducted in order to evaluate incidence and causes of pseudothrombocytopenia. All specimens were drawn in outpatient regimen and were analyzed by using the Coulter STKR autoanalyzer. The incidence of pseudothrombocytopenia was 0.15%, values clearly lower than others previously reported in hospitalized patients (1.9%). Of these patients, 72% had EDTA-induced platelet clumping sometimes associated to sodium citrate and 28% had spurious low platelet counts due to large platelets. No other causes of pseudothrombocytopenia were appreciated. It is important to remark that 49% of low platelet counts detected by the Coulter STKR have been due to pseudothrombocytopenia, and this instrument showed normal platelet and leukocyte histogram in 10% of these cases. Although time consuming these results confirm the necessity of preparation and examination of all blood smears presenting thrombocytopenia by automated cell-counting despite normal histograms. This approach would avoid erroneous diagnosis and dangerous medical or surgical therapy. A correlation of pseudothrombocytopenia with age, sex or clinical diagnosis were not found.

Adolescent↗

[Complicated primary splenic cyst: a clinical case].

A 16 year old man developed progressive swelling at the left hypochondrium over a 3 month period. Non painful splenomegaly was shown by physical examination and confirmed by ultrasonography and scintigraphy. Successful splenectomy disclosed a primary splenic cyst. The patient recovered uneventfully.

Adolescent↗

Precursors of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan are segregated within a subcompartment of the chondrocyte endoplasmic reticulum.

Immunocytochemical methods were used at the levels of light and electron microscopy to examine the intracellular compartments of chondrocytes involved in extracellular matrix biosynthesis. The results of our studies provide morphological evidence for the compartmentalization of secretory proteins in the ER. Precursors of the large chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG), the major proteoglycan species produced by chondrocytes, were present in the Golgi complex. In addition, CSPG precursors were localized in specialized regions of the ER. Link protein, a separate gene product which functions to stabilize extracellular aggregates of CSPG monomers with hyaluronic acid, was segregated similarly. In contrast, type II procollagen, another major secretory molecule produced by chondrocytes, was found homogeneously distributed throughout the ER. The CSPG precursor-containing ER compartment exhibits a variable tubulo-vesicular morphology but is invariably recognized as an electronlucent, smooth membrane-bounded region continuous with typical ribosome-studded elements of the rough ER. The observation that this ER structure does not stain with antibodies against resident ER proteins also suggests that the compartment is a specialized region distinct from the main part of the ER. These results support recent studies that consider the ER as a compartmentalized organelle and are discussed in light of the possible implications for proteoglycan biosynthesis and processing.

Animals↗

Ultrastructural demonstration of lectin binding sites in the Golgi apparatus of rat epiphyseal chondrocytes.

Binding sites for wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA), Ricinus communis I agglutinin (RCA I) and Limax flavus agglutinin (LFA) have been ultrastructurally detected in rat epiphyseal chondrocytes by a post-embedding cytochemical technique using colloidal gold as marker. The four lectins labelled exclusively the Golgi apparatus of chondrocytes embedded in Lowicryl K4M resin by two different methods. WGA binding sites were localized in medial and trans cisternae as well as in immature secretory vesicles, whereas those for DBA were seen concentrated in cis and medial cisternae. Labelling with both RCA I and LFA lectins was distributed throughout all the cisternae of the Golgi stack, and the latter also in vesicles and tubules at the trans face. Neuraminidase pretreatment of the sections abolished LFA staining, decreased reaction with WGA and increased that with RCA I, while it did not affect DBA staining. After chondroitinase ABC treatment only the RCA I reaction was modified, revealing new binding sites in the trans Golgi face, secretory granules and extracellular matrix. These results indicate that the distribution of subcompartments in the Golgi apparatus of chondrocytes is different from that in cells secreting glycoproteins as major products.

Animals↗

Ultrastructural demonstration of proteoglycans in adult rat cornea.

Proteoglycans in the adult rat cornea were demonstrated at the electron microscope level using two approaches: (a) staining with cuprolinic blue dye in the presence of 0.3 MgCl2, and (b) immunocytochemical localization of glycosaminoglycans with monoclonal antibodies and protein A-gold complexes. In the stroma two kinds of cuprolinic blue-induced filaments were morphologically differentiated and characterized according to their sensitivity to enzymatic degradations as keratan sulphate-rich and chondroitin-dermatan sulphate-rich proteoglycans respectively. Both types were mostly associated with collagen fibres, occupying the whole stroma except in certain areas whose significance is discussed. By immunocytochemistry, anterior and posterior regions of the stroma were found to be richer in chondroitin sulphate than the middle part, whereas keratan sulphate showed an homogeneous distribution throughout the stroma. Glycosaminoglycans were also detected in corneal basement membranes, epithelium and endothelium. The latter localizations are discussed in the light of what is known at present about the production of glycosaminoglycans by corneal cells.

Animals↗