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Biomedical subjects

C Gutierrez

Publications and source records attributed to C Gutierrez.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources

Halobacterium vallismortis sp. nov. An amylolytic and carbohydrate-metabolizing, extremely halophilic bacterium.

The extremely halophilic bacterium (formerly designated as strain J.F. 54) isolated from salt pools of the Death Valley, California, is a motile, Gram-negative, extremely pleomorphic organism, aerobe, and facultative anaerobe. A variety of carbohydrates are assimilated with or without acid production; soluble starch is hydrolyzed. The organism is not proteolytic; catalase, oxidase, and DNase reactions are positive; Tween 20 is slightly hydrolyzed, but Tweens 40, 60, and 80 are not. Nitrates are reduced to nitrites with gas production; nitrites are not reduced. Optimum growth temperature is 40 degrees C. Growth is inhibited by bacitracin and by novobiocin. The type strain J.F. 54 differs from described species of the genus Halobacterium and is assigned to a new species, Halobacterium vallismortis sp. nov.

Carbohydrate Metabolism↗

Reduction of trapping of aggregated human IgG in germinal centers by mitogens.

The effect of nonspecific mitogens on the trapping of 125I-labeled aggregated human IgG (125I-AHGG) in germinal centers (GC) of mouse spleens has been investigated by both radioactivity uptake and immunofluorescence. Phytohemagglutinin and concanavalin A (Con A) significantly decreased trapping. Lipopolysaccharide produced less inhibition, and pokeweed mitogen had no significant effect. The maximum inhibition occurred with 250--500 mug Con A. This had no effect on 125I-AHGG uptake in liver kidney and blood. No differences were found between i.p. and i.v. routes of Con A injection. The effect of mitogens on the 125I-AHGG trapping in GC is due more likely to modification of the migratory properties of lymphocytes brought about by surface binding, than to their mitogenic properties, since Con A decreased 125I-AHGG localization in thymectomized, x-irradiated and bone marrow-reconstituted animals.

Animals↗

The use of nylon fibre as a method of separating human lymphocyte subpopulations.

When the mononuclear cell population separated from normal human blood is passed through a nylon fibre column, monocytes and surface Ig bearing cells are retained; the eluted cells are a mixed properties. It appears that a proportion of the T cells eluted form EA-rosettes, and the eluted cell subpopulation includes non-T cells which share with B cells the ability to bind both EA and aggregated human IgG.

Cell Separation↗

Spontaneous rosette formation by mouse L cells.

Mouse fibroblasts form spontaneous rosettes with sheep erythrocytes and with red cells from several other species. They do not form C3 or Fc rosettes, and they do not bind small amounts of aggregated gammaglobulin. Spontaneous rosette formation is maximum at 37 degress and minimum at 4 degrees. The reaction is complete in 30 min. Antisera to fibroblast membrane components do not inhibit rosette formation. Rosetting is inhibited by fixation of the cells with formaldehyde or glutaraldehyde as well as by killing with phenol or by prolonged incubation with sodium azide. The rosette reaction is inhibited by vinblastine but not by cytochalasin B. From these data on the kinetics, temperature and drug sensitivities it is suggested that T cells and fibroblasts form spontaneous rosettes by different mechanisms.

Animals↗

Complement dependence of localisation of aggregated IgG in germinal centres.

In vivo decomplementation of mice with cobra factor completely prevented trapping of aggregated human IgG within splenic germinal centres. Observations of the intrasplenic position of the aggregated material within 8 hr of its injection into normal and decomplemented mice suggest that the early phase of localisation in germinal centres depends on binding to lymphocyte C3 receptors.

Animals↗

Interaction of the hinge region of human immunoglobulin G with a murine lymphocyte membrane receptor. Relevance to the problem of antiglobulin induction in rheumatoid arthritis.

Evidence is presented which indicates the presence on murine lymphocytes of a membrane receptor for determinants on the hinge region of human IgG. These determinants are exposed following pepsin scission of IgG molecule, i.e. on the F(ab')2 fragment. The evidence for a hinge receptor derives, in vivo, from splenic localization of F(ab')2 in germinal centres and, in vitro, from immunofluorescent binding studies. The sequential immunofluorescent pattern for the uptake of human F(ab)2 fragments into murine spleen germinal centres was identical with that previously observed for heat-aggregated human IgG, but F(ab')2 fragments appeared to be retained in the germinal centres for a shorter time than aggregated IgG. Experiments with nude mice and T cell-deprived mice showed that the localization of F(ab')2 fragments does not require T cells. Competition experiments suggest that the receptor for F(ab')2 may bear little relation to the receptor for aggregated IgG. The relevance of such a lymphocyte membrane receptor to the immunopathology of rheumatoid arthritis is discussed in the light of previous findings that a proportion of the serum IgG of patients with rheumatoid arthritis has a structural anomaly compared with control IgG, characterized exposure of new determinants at the hinge region.

Animals↗

Congenital misalignment of pulmonary veins with alveolar capillary dysplasia causing persistent neonatal pulmonary hypertension: report of two affected siblings.

Misalignment of pulmonary vessels with alveolar capillary dysplasia is a rare cause of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn. Most of the reported cases have been sporadic. We present two consecutive affected siblings with this disorder. This is the fifth reported family occurrence of this condition. In addition to the pulmonary abnormality, one of our cases had duodenal atresia.

Arteriovenous Malformations↗

Survival of Escherichia coli during long-term starvation: effects of aeration, NaCl, and the rpoS and osmC gene products.

The survival of Escherichia coli was investigated during long-term starvation in rich media. In aerated cultures, E. coli lost the ability to form colonies earlier in NaCl-free Luria broth than in LB medium containing NaCl. Improved survival at low aeration and the sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide in aging cultures indicated a major role for oxidative stress in cell mortality. Mutants in rpoS, lacking the sigmaS subunit of RNA polymerase, showed altered survival in salt-containing media. However, in the absence of NaCl, although these mutants exhibited a massive loss of viability during the first 2 days, this was followed by a stabilization of the number of survivors. The starved culture contained survivors until at least day 9, long after a wild-type strain had completely lost viability. This peculiar behavior suggests that, in rich media of low osmotic pressure, sigmaS helps in short-term survival but hampers long-term survival. Mutants in osmC, a member of the rpoS regulon, also exhibited reduced survival and increased sensitivity to oxidative stress. The biochemical function of the envelope protein OsmC remains unknown, but present data indicated that it participates, directly or indirectly, in the defense against oxidative compounds.

Atmosphere↗

Assessment of blood glutathione peroxidase activity in the dromedary camel.

Blood glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) levels in 709 normal dromedary camels (442 females and 267 males) were assessed in the Canary Islands. All animals were intensively reared, and three different nutritional systems were evaluated, depending on selenium content of the diet. Mean GSH-Px level in the total population was 288.5+/-157.2 IU x g(-1) Hb. Reference ranges were estimated and enzymatic activities below 51 IU x g(-1) Hb were considered inadequate. GSH-Px activities obtained in females (298.1+/-155.7 IU x g(-1) Hb) were significantly (P = 0.037) higher than in males (272.6+/-157.2 IU x g(-1) Hb). When age groups were compared, only males between 6 and 12 months old exhibited significantly lower mean GSH-Px (P = 0.006) than females. A high correlation (r = 0.88) between serum selenium concentration and blood GSH-Px activity was estimated, and the regression equation was y = 2.5101x + 42.423. Selenium content of the diet above 0.1 mg x kg(-1) DM seems to supply adequate selenium requirements for dromedaries under intensive husbandry.

Age Factors↗

Disseminated bacillus Calmette-Guerin infection in an HIV-infected child: a case with cutaneous lesions.

A boy born to a mother with unknown HIV infection was immunized with BCG in his first month of life. Seven months later axillary adenopathy developed. At the age of 10 months, 2 months after HIV infection had been diagnosed, papular skin lesions appeared all over his body. Mycobacterium bovis, BCG strain, was cultured from a lymph node and blood. Ziehl-Neelsen stain of a skin biopsy specimen showed histiocytes loaded with numerous acid-fast bacilli. The patient died 10 days later, before the infection was confirmed. This is the first reported case of disseminated BCG infection in an HIV-infected child presenting with cutaneous lesions.

Axilla↗

Vortex shedding in steady flow through a model of an arterial stenosis and its relevance to mural platelet deposition.

In this study, the development of unsteady vortical formations in the separated flow region distal to a stenosis throat is presented and compared with the platelet deposition measurements, to enhance our understanding of the mechanisms involved in platelet kinetics in flowing blood. Qualitative and quantitative flow visualization and numerical simulations were performed in a model of a streamlined axisymmetric stenosis with an area reduction of 84% at the throat of the stenosis. Measurements were performed at Reynolds numbers (Re), based on upstream diameter and average velocity, ranging from 300 to 1,800. Both the digital particle image visualization method employed and the numerical simulations were able to capture the motion of the vortices through the separated flow region. Periodic shedding of vortices began at approximately Re=375 and continued for the full range of Re studied. The locales at which these vortices are initiated, their size, and their life span, were a function of Re. The numerical simulations of turbulent flow through the stenosis model entailed a detailed depiction of the process of vortex shedding in the separated flow region downstream of the stenosis. These flow patterns were used to elucidate the mechanisms involved in blood platelet kinetics and deposition in the area in and around an arterial stenosis. The unsteady flow development in the recirculation region is hypothesized as the mechanism for observed changes in the distribution of mural platelet deposition between Re =300, 900, and 1,800, despite only a marginal variation in the size and shape of the recirculation zone under these flow conditions.

Animals↗

Left ventricular hypertrophy in hypertensive patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease: influence of blood pressure and humoral and neurohormonal factors.

Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a common finding in hypertensive autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) patients. There are few studies on the influence of blood pressure (BP) and nonhemodynamic factors on LVH in these patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between BP, humoral and neurohormonal factors and left ventricular mass (LVM) in hypertensive ADPKD patients. In 20 hypertensive ADPKD patients, ambulatory BP was monitored for 24 h, left ventricular dimensions were estimated by echocardiography, and plasma renin activity (PRA), plasma noradrenaline (NA), angiotensin II (Ang II), aldosterone, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) were also determined. Twenty age- and sex-matched essential hypertensive subjects served as controls. Ambulatory BP and LVM index were similar in the two groups, although male ADPKD patients had higher LVM indices than their matched controls. Eight ADPKD patients (40%) and 6 essential hypertensives (30%) showed LVH. PRA, Ang II, aldosterone, ANP and IGF-I levels were similar in the two groups, but plasma NA levels were higher in ADPKD patients than in controls (281 +/- 158 vs. 160 +/- 62 pg/ml, p = 0.004). ADPKD patients with LVH did not differ from those without LVH with regard to humoral and neurohormonal parameters, but had higher ambulatory BP levels. In ADPKD patients, correlation analysis revealed a significant association between LVM index and 24-hour systolic and diastolic BP, but not with any of the hormonal factors evaluated. On multiple regression analysis, 24-hour diastolic BP was the only independent variable linked to LVM index. In conclusion, ambulatory BP is one of the most important determinants of LVM in hypertensive ADPKD patients. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the role of nonhemodynamic factors in the pathogenesis of LVH in this population.

Adult↗