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Biomedical subjects

C Blanco

Publications and source records attributed to C Blanco.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

[A malignant extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma. Apropos 2 cases].

We present the case of two patients with extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma (left and right para-aorta abdominal) in which the pre-surgery search with metaiodobenzylguanidine-I-123 (MIBG-I-123) showed the existence of bone metastasis in skullcap, not previously suspected. In both patients a total resection of tumor was performed together with the bone lesions. These two cases confirm the great usefulness of MIBG-I-123 in the localization of metastasis in patients with malignant pheochromocytoma. At the same time we think that the resection of whole tumoral tissue through surgery is an adequate treatment when dealing with pheochromocytoma with isolated metastasis.

3-Iodobenzylguanidine↗
PubMed1992

'uidA-antibiotic-resistance cassettes for insertion mutagenesis, gene fusions and genetic constructions.

We have constructed a series of promoterprobe cassettes that provides powerful tools for insertion mutagenesis, transcription fusions and genetic constructions. These cassettes contain the Tn9 chloramphenicol (CmR) and the Tn903 kanamycin (KmR) resistance genes which are expressed in a large variety of microorganisms; these antibiotic-resistance markers were associated with the uidA promoterless gene. This beta-glucuronidase-encoding gene of Escherichia coli K-12 has been successfully used as reporter gene for various organisms including prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The resulting 'uidA-KmR and 'uidA-CmR cassettes (truncated at the ') can be excized with most of the commonly used restriction enzymes. Furthermore, they are borne by ApR or CmR plasmids which facilitate their utilization. These promoter-probe cassettes allow transcriptional signal localization and regulation studies.

Chloramphenicol Resistance↗
PubMed1992

Inter- and intra-observer agreement in the assessment of the quality of spontaneous movements in the newborn.

The inter- and intra-observer agreement for the assessment of several aspects of the quality of spontaneous movements in newborn infants was analysed by 4 observers. The agreement rates were corrected for chance by the use of kappa statistics, which revealed kappa values ranging from 0.36 to 0.84. The degree of agreement on various items differed. A moderate-to-good agreement was found for the items "onset of movement," "speed," "speed of arms compared to legs," "amplitude of arms compared to legs," "fluency," "variability in arm patterns" and "global judgement of the movement" (kappa values ranging from 0.51 to 0.84). Less agreement occurred in the items "amplitude," "variability in movement pattern" and "variability in leg patterns" (kappa values ranging from 0.36 to 0.40). Even though it is believed that the qualitative assessment of spontaneous motor behaviour is very subjective, our results suggest that several qualitative aspects of infant motor behaviour can be reliably judged. We concluded that the global judgement of the quality of general movements in full-term infants is a reproducible, and therefore reliable, clinical tool for evaluating the function of the central nervous system in the neonatal period.

Humans↗
PubMed1992

Osmoprotection of Escherichia coli by ectoine: uptake and accumulation characteristics.

Ectoine (1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2-methyl-4-pyrimidinecarboxylic acid) is a cyclic amino acid, identified as a compatible solute in moderately halophilic bacteria. Exogenously provided ectoine was found to stimulate growth of Escherichia coli in media of inhibitory osmotic strength. The stimulation was independent of any specific solute, electrolyte or nonelectrolyte. It is accumulated in E. coli cells proportionally to the osmotic strength of the medium, and it is not metabolized. Its osmoprotective ability was as potent as that of glycine betaine. The ProP and ProU systems are both involved in ectoine uptake and accumulation in E. coli. ProP being the main system for ectoine transport. The intracellular ectoine pool is regulated by both influx and efflux systems.

Amino Acids, Diamino↗
PubMed1992

Kidney cortical necrosis induced by mitomycin-C: a morphologic experimental study.

Experimental studies on mitomycin-C nephrotoxicity are scanty and mention the occurrence of cortical hemorrhage, tubular necrosis, or hydronephrosis secondary to papillomatous hyperplasia of the uroepithelium. To our knowledge, only one experimental study has mentioned morphological lesions similar to the hemolytic uremic syndrome in the human. In the present study 40 female Wistar rats were studied following unilateral renal perfusion of the left kidney with 2 mg/kg of mitomycin-C. Renal lesions corresponded to cortical necrosis with the presence of large bizarre nuclei. The presence of these nuclear atypias supports a direct toxic effect (alkylation) of the mitomycin or its metabolites on cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Improved vectors for transcriptional signal screening in corynebacteria.

New promoter-probe and terminator-probe shuttle vectors for Escherichia coli and corynebacteria were constructed. These vectors, working with the uidA gene of E. coli as reporter gene, are very useful for the cloning and subsequent analysis of transcriptional regulatory signals. The beta-glucuronidase encoding activity of uidA can be easily detected on agar plates containing chromogenic substrates such as 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-beta-D-glucuronide (X-gluc). In the terminator-probe vector pUT2, uidA is expressed from a promoter of the Brevibacterium lactofermentum cryptic plasmid pBL1. Multiple cloning sites (MCS) located immediately upstream of uidA allow introduction and selection of terminators or regulatory signals. In the promoter-probe vector pUT3, transcription readthrough from vector promoters is prevented by a terminator of B. lactofermentum isolated using pUT2. We have successfully used pUT2 and pUT3 to isolate several terminators and promoter regions active in B. lactofermentum and shown that the E. coli strong terminator cartridge omega appears less efficient in corynebacteria.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Inhibition of high-affinity [3H]L-proline binding to rat brain membranes by 2-amino-7-phosphonoheptanoic acid.

L-Glutamate and 2-amino-7-phosphonoheptanoic acid [corrected] (AP-7) (10(-9) to 10(-6) M), a competitive NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) antagonist, inhibit approximately 60% of [3H]L-proline binding to rat membranes from midbrain. In hippocampal membranes, AP-7 inhibits proline binding by 80%, while in cerebellar membranes AP-7 had little effect. These results are indicative of the possible neuromodulatory role of proline in the central nervous system, possibly through the NMDA receptor(s).

2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate↗
PubMed1991

Structural organization of the Corynebacterium glutamicum plasmid pCG100.

pCG100, a 3 kb cryptic plasmid of Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 13058, probably identical with pSR1 from C. glutamicum ATCC 19223, was characterized. The minimum region for autonomous replication was shown to be contained on a 1.9 kb BglII-NcoI fragment; a 380 bp HindIII-SphI fragment can replicate in the presence of the parental plasmid, which presumably provides a trans-acting replication factor. Derivatives of pCG100 are able to replicate in several Corynebacterium, Brevibacterium and Arthrobacter strains. pCG100 is compatible with pBL1, a cryptic plasmid of Brevibacterium lactofermentum. Shuttle plasmid vectors, containing the kanamycin-resistance gene from Tn903 or from Streptococcus faecalis as selectable markers and the AmpR, TetR or lacZ alpha genes for insertional inactivation, were constructed using the minimum replication fragment of pCG100.

Cloning, Molecular↗
PubMed1991

Results of external pituitary irradiation after unsuccessful transsphenoidal surgery in Cushing's disease.

Fourteen adult patients (10 females and 4 males; age range 20-60 years) with persistent Cushing's disease after transsphenoidal microsurgery were treated with pituitary irradiation. Supervoltage multiportal administration was employed at a total dose of 50 Gy (+/- 0.65 SD). The interval between microsurgery and pituitary irradiation was less than 6 months in 6 patients and more than 6 months in 8. The pituitary-adrenal axis was evaluated postsurgically, before irradiation and every 6 months thereafter. The remaining anterior pituitary function was simultaneously tested. Remission rates at 12 months and 24 months after radiotherapy were 61 and 70%, respectively. Two patients developed TSH deficiency and another gonadotropin deficiency during the follow-up after radiation. We conclude that pituitary irradiation is the treatment of choice for persistent Cushing's disease after unsuccessful surgery because of its high efficiency and low incidence of adverse reactions when compared with other forms of treatment.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1990

[Evaluation of respiratory muscle function (maximal respiratory pressures) in myasthenia gravis].

In myasthenia gravis (MG) the status of respiratory function has a paramount importance and a careful evaluation is recommended. The weakness of respiratory muscles has been demonstrated in several studies. However, a reliable simple method for the evaluation of this muscular group was lacking until recently, when the usefulness of the maximum respiratory pressures, expiratory (MEP) and inspiratory (MIP), was demonstrated. We evaluated with this method a series of 23 patients with a diagnosis of MG (16 females and 7 males), with a mean age of 46 years (22-68 years), clinically stable and without symptomatic dyspnea. They were distributed in: grade I (5), grade II A (12), and grade II B (6). All of them were evaluated with flow-volume curves, pletysmography, gas transfer, MEP and MIP. The resulting values were then correlated with the expected ones, a reduction greater than one SD being considered as abnormal. The results showed that respiratory function was normal without a restrictive pattern. However, the force of respiratory muscles was reduced in the following proportions of patients in the different groups: grade I: MIP 40%, MEP 60%; in grades II A and II B both MEP and MIP were reduced in 84% of patients. When a statistical comparison with the expected values was carried out it was found that MEP and MIP, considered as a group, were reduced to 53% of the expected values (p less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Absence of fibronectin in a 40-day-old child who died as a result of septicemia with disseminated intravascular coagulation].

A new born infant who died when he was 40 days old, after urinary infection, septicemia and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is reported. The concentration of fibronectin (FN) was undetectable (less than 1.1 mg/dl). His mother and one sister had also decreased levels (19 and 19.5 mg/dl), although inside normal limits, when they were compared to simultaneously studied normal controls (27 +/- 8). There were not infections, coagulation disturbs neither keloid scars in the family. A patient cousin also died at the first days of life. The deficiency of our case was much more important that FN levels found in 23 children with sepsis and DIC (range 6-38 mg/dl), therefore it is possible he had a primary deficiency. The investigation of FN levels in all newborns with severe infections or other disturbs is recommended, since these patients could be benefit from purified FN or cryoprecipitate therapy.

Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation↗
PubMed1989

Xanthomatous endometritis.

A further case of xanthomatous endometritis, characterized by the presence of histiocytic cells in the endometrium, in the absence of carcinoma is described. This lesion seems to be a rare complication of hematometra with cervical occlusion. The foam cells would appear to be macrophages, components of a nonspecific inflammatory reaction, which have phagocytosed breakdown elements of retained endometrial hemorrhage.

Dilatation and Curettage↗
PubMed1988

Plasmids with the uidA reporter gene for the detection of promoters and transcription signals.

We have constructed promoter-probe plasmids, pNB4 and pNB5, based on the promoterless gene for beta-glucuronidase (uidA) of Escherichia coli. Unique restriction sites for EcoRI, SacI, KpnI, SmaI, XmaI, XbaI, SalI, SphI and HindIII in pNB4 and for HindIII, PstI and BglII in pNB5 were included upstream of the uidA structural gene. The usefulness of these plasmids was demonstrated by cloning the promoter-operator region of the E. coli uxaB gene. We observed that expression of the uxaB-uidA operon fusion followed the transcription-regulating properties of the uxaB promoter. Another construct, pNB2, can be used to detect operator and terminator signals. Recipient cells transformed with such recombinant plasmids can be revealed by growth on medium containing a chromogenic beta-glucuronidase substrate.

Carbohydrate Dehydrogenases↗