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Biomedical subjects

C Barros

Publications and source records attributed to C Barros.

99 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
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Visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) as an opportunistic infection in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus in Spain.

In an area endemic for visceral leishmaniasis, 16 patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection developed the disease. All belonged to populations at risk for AIDS (15 were intravenous drug abusers). Five patients fulfilled the criteria for full-blown AIDS, and two more fulfilled them after diagnosis of leishmaniasis. All presented with the classic manifestations of visceral leishmaniasis, but leishmania serology was negative in 15 patients (93%). Leishmania donovani amastigotes were identified in the bone marrow in all cases. Most patients responded initially to treatment with pentavalent antimonial drugs, but seven (43%) followed a chronic course, with multiple relapses in five, despite alternative treatments. Visceral leishmaniasis occurred in patients with different levels of depression of the CD4 to CD8 lymphocyte ratio. Mortality was 37% (six patients) and was independent of the chronic-relapsing course of the disease. In no case was leishmaniasis the primary cause of death. Our data establish that visceral leishmaniasis is an opportunistic infection in HIV-infected patients, and we suggest that in endemic areas it should be considered an indicator disease for the diagnosis of AIDS.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Human sperm penetration into zona-free hamster oocytes as a test to evaluate the sperm fertilizing ability.

Human sperm entry into zona-free hamster oocytes was used to test the fertile ability of spermatozoa from semen samples of men attending an Infertility Clinic. Sperm chromatin dispersion as seen under the phase-contrast microscope, was used as criterion for sperm entry. The ultrastructural study showed that the behaviour of the gamete membranes during fusion did not basically differ from that of normal fertilization. Eighty four samples were classed as normal (according to the spermiogram) but only 62 (74%) gave a positive test, as compared to only 30 (32%) positive test of 95 samples with abnormal spermiograms. Eight hundred and ten oocytes inseminated with spermatozoa from normal samples gave a 25% penetration, while 1046 oocytes inseminated with spermatozoa from abnormal samples gave a 7% penetration. The normality of hamster oocytes was demonstrated by contemporary insemination with human and hamster spermatozoa. While the percentages of human sperm penetration remained low, hamster sperm penetration was over 70%. The present bioassay is recommended as an additional parameter to the spermiograms for the study of male fertility.

Animals↗