[Factors causing cardiac herniation after thoracic surgery].
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Heart Diseases↗
Biomedical subjects
A Vidal
Publications and source records attributed to A Vidal.
[Anesthesia for cesarean section in patients with mitral valve prolapse].
Mitral valve prolapse is the most frequent cardiac valvulopathy. Given its greater incidence in young women it is a factor which must be taken into account when performing cesarean section. Two patients with mitral valve prolapse in whom a cesarean section was carried out are presented: case 1, a 22-year-old woman, ASA II, 72 kg, with mitral valve prolapse associated with the Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome and an episode of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. The cesarean section which was indicated because of the absence of fetal progression was performed under epidural anesthesia. Forty-five minutes after regional blockade a hypotensive episode was observed which remitted following the i.v. administration of 6 mg of methoxamine. No other complication was reported. The Apgar score of the neonate at one minute was 7; case 2, a 31 year-old woman, ASA II, 51 kg, diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse with no associated symptomatology. A cesarean section was performed in this patient because of pedal presentation under general anesthesia without complications. The Apgar score of the neonate at one minute was 8. The physiopathology of mitral valve prolapse as well as anesthesia management during cesarean section in this type of valvulopathy is reviewed.
Adult↗
[Streptococcus pyogenes: in vitro susceptibility to several antimicrobials in two date periods].
BACKGROUND: The frequency of Streptococcus pyogenes infections with deep tissue invasion and toxic shock syndrome has increased in the last decade throughout the world. AIM: To compare antimicrobial susceptibility of S. pyogenes strains isolated during 1986 and during 1994-95. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Eighty two S. pyogenes strains isolated in 1986 and 67 strains isolated in 1994-95, were studied. MIC 50 and 90 were determined by and agar dilution method for penicillin, ampicillin, cefazolin, cefuroxime, erythromycin, roxithromycin and miocamycin. RESULTS: Eighty eight strains came from skin of soft tissues, 19 from surgical wounds, 18 from invasive infections, 15 from pharyngeal swabs and 9 from other locations. All strains were susceptible to penicillin, ampicillin, cefazolin, cefuroxime, roxithromycin and miocamycin. Ninety nine percent of strains were susceptible to erythromycin. Strains isolated in 1995-95 had a higher MIC 50 and 90 for erythromycin than those isolated in 1986. CONCLUSIONS: The changes in susceptibility to erythromycin of recently isolated strains could be due to the widespread use of macrolides in Chile.
Adolescent↗
Survival of parvalbumin-immunoreactive neurons in the gerbil hippocampus following transient forebrain ischemia does not depend on HSP-70 protein induction.
HSP-70 was induced in the gerbil following 20 min of forebrain ischemia. The induction, as revealed with immunohistochemistry, is stronger and longer-lasting in CA3 and dentate gyrus than in CA1. Most neurons in this region, except GABAergic interneurons containing the calcium-binding protein parvalbumin, eventually cease to live as a result of delayed cell death. Double-labeling of inducible HSP-70 and parvalbumin has shown that no co-localization occurs in the hippocampus and neocortex of the gerbil in this model of transient forebrain ischemia. These results show that different thresholds of sensitivity and vulnerability exist for different subpopulations of neurons in the ischemic hippocampus, and suggest that HSP-70 protein induction is probably not essential for the survival of particular neuronal subpopulations subjected to transient ischemia.
Animals↗
DNA repair by Ogt alkyltransferase influences EMS mutational specificity.
Forward mutations induced by ethylmethane sulfonate (EMS) in the lacI gene of Escherichia coli were recovered from bacteria proficient or deficient in the alkyltransferase encoded by the constitutive ogt gene. EMS doses of 100 or 200 mM (Ogt+) and of 50 mM (Ogt-) were selected from the corresponding dose-response curves for DNA sequence analysis. A total of 239 induced mutations affecting the N-terminal region of the lacI gene were characterized. All mutations were G:C-->A:T transitions, consistent with the predominant role of the O6-ethylguanine miscoding lesion in mutagenesis by EMS. In the Ogt+ spectrum at the lowest tested dose of 100 mM EMS, guanines preceded by an A or T base at the 5' side were on average 3.2 times more likely to mutate than those preceded by a G or C base. This bias diminished at the higher EMS dose (200 mM) and disappeared in the Ogt- genetic background. Previously reported data for Ogt+ bacteria in a Uvr-proficient background show an opposite bias in favor of mutations at guanines preceded by a G or C base. The overall 5' flanking base influence was estimated as 8-fold. These data suggest that DNA repair by Ogt alkyltransferase plays an important role in the processing of ethylation-induced lesions responsible for GC-->AT transitions, influencing their ultimate distribution with respect to sequence context. The data further suggest that Ogt and UvrABC excision repair, the two major mechanisms of protection against the biological consequences of long-chain alkylating agents, show different DNA sequence specificity and that the relative importance of these two systems is highly dependent upon the chemical dose.
Bacterial Proteins↗
Regulation of thymosin beta 4 mRNA levels during cell proliferation.
The levels of thymosin beta 4 mRNA were studied throughout the cell cycle of NIH 3T3 cells. In serum deprived, quiescent cells, the levels of thymosin beta 4 were undetectable; after serum restoration, the cells were induced to proliferate and we found a pronounced increase in thymosin beta 4 mRNA levels at the G1/S transition. Thymosin beta 4 mRNA was induced even in the presence of cycloheximide. On the other hand, cycling cells that were synchronized at different stages of the cycle by means of mitotic shake-off after nocodazole arrest or a double thymidine block did not show any variation in the levels of thymosin beta 4 mRNA when they progressed synchronously through the cycle. In conclusion, the present data indicate that the thymosin beta 4 gene is regulated by cell proliferation but it is not a cell cycle-regulated gene. Finally, we studied thymosin beta 4 mRNA stability by inhibiting thymosin beta 4 gene transcription with actinomycin D. Our results suggest that thymosin beta 4 mRNA has a pronounced stability, a fact that might be relevant to account for the presence of thymosin beta 4 in enucleated cells like platelets.
Animals↗
Potential usefulness of bacteriophages that infect Bacteroides fragilis as model organisms for monitoring virus removal in drinking water treatment plants.
The presence of bacteriophages at different stages in three drinking water treatment plants was evaluated to study the usefulness of phages as model organisms for assessing the efficiency of the processes. The bacteriophages tested were somatic coliphages, F-specific coliphages, and phages infecting Bacteroides fragilis. The presence of enteroviruses and currently used bacterial indicators was also determined. Most bacteriophages were removed during the prechlorination-flocculation-sedimentation step. In these particular treatment plants, which include prechlorination, phages were, in general, more resistant to the treatment processes than present bacterial indicators, with the exception, in some cases, of clostridia. Bacteriophages infecting B. fragilis were found to be more resistant to water treatment than either somatic or F-specific coliphages or even clostridia. Enteric viruses were found only in untreated water in low numbers, and consequently, the efficiency of the plants in the removal of viruses could not be evaluated with precision. The numbers and frequencies of detection of the various microorganisms in water samples taken in the distribution network served by the three plants confirm the results found in the finished water at the plants.
Bacteriophages↗
Ubiquitinated structures in the white matter of the gerbil following chronic cerebral hypoperfusion.
Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion was produced in adult gerbils aged 3-6 months following bilateral stenosis of the carotid artery lasting 8 weeks. Animals with no evidence of cerebral infarction were used in the present study. Ubiquitin-immunoreactive free granules in the subcortical cerebral white matter and corpus callosum were observed in five of 12 animals. No similar lesions were found in sham-operated animals, age-matched controls, and gerbils subjected to transient forebrain ischaemia for 20 min and killed at different intervals. These results indicate that diffuse damage of the subcortical white matter may be encountered as the only neuropathological change following chronic hypoperfusion.
Animals↗
Association of utrophin and multiple dystrophin short forms with the mammalian M(r) 58,000 dystrophin-associated protein (syntrophin).
Electric tissue syntrophin, originally described as an M(r) 58,000 postsynaptic protein having homologs in mammalian muscle, was previously shown to associate with dystrophin in Triton extracts of Torpedo postsynaptic membranes. It also associates with the Torpedo M(r) 87,000 postsynaptic protein (87K), the core of which is a superdomain homologous to the cysteine-rich (CR) and COOH-terminal (CT) domains of human dystrophin. Using immunoaffinity purifications from various rat tissues and immunoblotting, we find that syntrophin associates with dystrophin, utrophin (the chromosome 6-encoded dystrophin homolog formerly known as dystrophin-related protein), multiple proteins which are cross-reactive with 87K, and two subfamilies of 71K-like proteins (CRCT-containing proteins encoded by the dystrophin gene under the control of an alternative promoter in intron 62). One 71K subfamily retains the dystrophin COOH-terminal sequence; the other has an alternative COOH-terminal sequence caused by deletion of the penultimate exon by alternative splicing. The relative masses of the members of the subfamilies suggest they arise by alternative splicing at other previously described sites within CT. These results establish that syntrophin is a general ligand for the CRCT domain in mammalian dystrophin and its homologs. They also reveal a greater diversity in 71K proteins than has previously been apparent.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Outcome of patients with endometriosis in assisted reproduction: results from in-vitro fertilization and oocyte donation.
A retrospective analysis of our in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and oocyte donation programmes was carried out in order to gain clinical knowledge of the factors involved in the aetiology of the endometriosis-associated infertility. Comparison between the IVF outcomes from 96 cycles in 78 patients with tubal infertility and from 96 cycles in 59 women with endometriosis indicates that endometriosis patients have a poor IVF outcome in terms of reduced pregnancy rate per cycle (P < 0.0004), reduced pregnancy rate per transfer (P < 0.002), and reduced implantation rate (P < 0.003). The analysis of patients undergoing oocyte donation for different reasons, including low response with or without endometriosis, showed that patients with this disease have the same chances of implantation and pregnancy as other recipients when the oocytes came from donors without known endometriosis. However, when the results of oocyte donation were classified according to the origin of the oocytes donated, patients who received embryos derived from endometriotic ovaries showed a significantly (P < 0.05) reduced implantation rate as compared to the remaining groups. Taken together, all these observations suggest that infertility in endometriosis patients may be related to alterations within the oocyte, which in turn result in embryos with decreased ability to implant.
Adult↗
The use of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogues in women receiving oocyte donation does not affect implantation rates.
There is conflicting clinical evidence suggesting a positive role for gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogues (GnRHa) on implantation in humans. This potential effect was evaluated in this study taking the oocyte donation programme as a model. Patients were randomly allocated into one of the two treatment groups: group I received simultaneous treatment with GnRHa and steroids, and group II only received exogenous steroid replacement. An analysis of the donors and semen quality showed similarity between recipient groups. There was no significant difference between groups in the number and quality of embryos replaced, clinical pregnancy and implantation rates. In summary, using a model in which the endometrium can be analysed independently of the embryos, the results suggest that GnRHa are neither effective nor detrimental for embryo implantation in humans.
Adult↗
[Epidemiologic follow-up of subjects taking a cure in thermal spas: apropos of a 2-year experience in Bourboule and Saint-Nectaire].
We tried to find out if a controlled sentinel system can be used in a hot spring spa to determine the level of incidents encountered by cure takers and to alert in case of epidemiological events. After two years of experiences in two different thermal resorts, we conclude that such systems may operate and may be extended to other hot spring spas. Among the incidents declared, some cannot be explained by a reactivation of the chronic disease justifying the cure and we pointed out the role of places and periods of cure takers' meeting.
France↗
Parvalbumin-immunoreactive dystrophic neurites and aberrant sprouts in the cerebral cortex of patients with Alzheimer's disease.
Parvalbumin-immunoreactive dystrophic neurites and aberrant terminal sprouts associated with senile plaques, together with preserved density of parvalbumin-immunoreactive neurons, were found in the cerebral cortex of two patients with Alzheimer's disease, one of them familiar, in which a biopsy of the left frontal lobe was carried out for diagnostic and counselling purposes. These findings suggest that, although parvalbumin-immunoreactive cells are relatively resistant to degeneration in Alzheimer's disease, parvalbumin-immunoreactive neuronal processes can degenerate in some cases of Alzheimer's disease.
Aged↗
Primary central white matter degeneration in old dogs.
Degeneration of the central white matter is described in old dogs. The presence of ubiquitin-immunoreactive free granules and intracytoplasmic globules in glial cells and macrophages, together with galacerebroside-immunoreactive precipitates and lipofusion storage, point to the likelihood of a primary myelin degeneration with deposits of non-degraded ubiquitin-protein conjugates and complex galactolipids.
Aging↗
Paraneoplastic intestinal pseudo-obstruction associated with high titres of Hu autoantibodies.
Anti-Hu autoantibodies in high titres, as revealed with immunocytochemistry and Western blot, were present in a patient with gastrointestinal pseudo-obstruction and small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) bearing the Hu antigen. Marked neuron and nerve fibre loss were found in the myenteric plexus at postmortem. These findings show that neuronopathic Hu-associated gastrointestinal pseudo-obstruction can occur as the only paraneoplastic neurological symptom in patients with SCLC.
Antibodies, Neoplasm↗
Pharmacological sensitivity of the articular capsule of the primary spines of Eucidaris tribuloides.
1. This paper describes the effects of several cholinergic agonists and antagonists, and of beta-phenylethylamine (PEA) and some of its derivatives, on the articular capsule, or ligament, of the primary spines of Eucidaris tribuloides. 2. Carbamylcholine (CCh), methacholine (MeACh), nicotine, and muscarine exert a stiffening effect similar to that of acetylcholine (ACh), although the time course of their actions varies widely. 3. Atropine induced stiffening and blocked and responses to muscarine and MeACh. The responses to MeACh were blocked also by 4-diphenylacetoxy-N-methylpiperidine, suggesting the presence in the ligament of type M3 muscarinic receptors, in addition to nicotinic ones. d-Tubocurarine induced stiffness of the ligament and failed to block the responses to ACh and nicotine. 4. While ACh induced only a slight desensitization, CCh caused a long-lasting blockade of the stiffening effects of the cholinergic agonists. This shows that the receptors for ACh have a site or sites that recognize the ester moieties of these molecules. 5. Eserine and neostigmine potentiate the responses to acetylcholine, indicating the presence of acetylcholinesterase in the ligament. 6. beta-Phenylethylamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine induce diphasic responses; usually a brief softening followed by a slow and irreversible stiffening of the ligament. 7. In contrast to the above, tyramine and octopamine elicit a simple softening of ligaments which are stiff as a result of handling or by exposure to cholinergic agonists. However, tyramine and octopamine do not soften ligaments which become stiff as a result of exposure to adrenergic agonists.
Acetylcholine↗
Oocyte donation in low responders to conventional ovarian stimulation for in vitro fertilization.
OBJECTIVE: To analyze endometrial response (endometrial dating and implantation) to exogenous administration of E2-valerate and P in women with low response to gonadotropins undergoing oocyte donation. DESIGN: Prospective study. A cycle in which endometrial specimens were obtained and subsequent cycles with ET were evaluated. The control group was made up of patients with premature ovarian failure (POF) undergoing the same procedure. SETTING, PATIENTS: In Vitro Fertilization program at the Instituto Valenciano de Infertilidad. A total of 37 women with low response to gonadotropins in previous cycles and 33 women with POF. INTERVENTIONS: First artificial cycle with E2-valerate and P in the absence of previous pituitary suppression to determine endometrial adequacy. Successive artificial cycles in which ET was performed on cycle day 17. Oocytes donated from infertile patients undergoing IVF. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Serum steroid levels were measured during the artificial cycle. Histologic dating of the endometrium on cycle days 15 and 26. Ultrasonographically documented IVF-ET pregnancies. RESULTS: Postovulatory changes on cycle day 15 were observed in 36.4% of low responders treated with E2-valerate and P in the absence of simultaneous pituitary suppression. Pregnancy rates were higher in women with previous sufficiently (77.8%) or insufficiently (80%) estrogen-primed endometrium than in the cases showing postovulatory changes (37.5%). Pregnancy rates (PRs) per transfer were significantly higher in low responders (63.8%) than in patients with POF (37.2%). Patients with endometriosis had a 71.4% PR per transfer. Embryos derived from oocytes from polycystic ovaries had a 48.3% PR. CONCLUSIONS: Oocyte donation is a reliable alternative for women with low response to gonadotropins, including those with severe endometriosis. The efficacy of the steroid replacement regimen in controlling ovarian function may influence outcome. Thus, women with functional ovaries despite exogenous steroid replacement might be differently treated. Women with polycystic ovaries are an adequate source of oocyte donation.
Embryo Transfer↗