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Biomedical subjects

C Riera

Publications and source records attributed to C Riera.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Serologic diagnosis of canine leishmaniasis by dot-ELISA.

A dot-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using protein A-peroxidase was evaluated as a diagnostic test for canine leishmaniasis. The test results were in agreement with parasitologic diagnosis and indirect immunofluorescence assay results. The sensitivity of the test calculated on 31 dogs with positive parasitologic examination was 90% when a titer of 1/800 was established as a cutoff and 100% when a titer of 1/400 was established. The specificity calculated on the canine population from nonendemic areas was 100% when both titers were established. Nevertheless, in endemic areas titers near the cutoff need careful interpretation. The results of this study demonstrate that dot-ELISA protein A using a bio-dot apparatus is highly suitable for seroepidemiologic field work.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

An unusual clinical presentation of bilateral schizencephaly.

We present a case with a characteristic magnetic resonance image (MRI) of bilateral open-lipped schizencephaly and atypical clinical presentation. The patient is still alive and in good health in her forties, she has never presented seizures, and although the motor dysfunction is well correlated with cerebral lobe involvement, neurobehavioral dysfunction is not proportional to the MR image of the cerebral malformation.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Detection and characterization by immunoblot analysis of potentially diagnostic Leishmania infantum polypeptides in human visceral leishmaniasis.

Humoral immune responses were studied in 53 sera from 18 patients with visceral leishmaniasis by immunoblot analysis. Sera from visceral leishmaniasis patients recognized antigens with molecular weights ranging from < 14 kDa to more than 100 kDa. Bands ranging between 49 and < 14 kDa were the most specific. The 40, 33 and 17 kDa antigens were recognized by 90%, 79% and 79% of the patients sera, respectively. Sera from one patient with Chagas' disease identified 8 of 11 antigens of the specific region. Treatment with periodate eliminated the cross-reaction in three of these antigens (40, 29, 26 kDa). The study of serial sera collected from the different patients showed a decrease in intensity or dissappearance in some of the diagnostic bands, particularly the 17 kDa band. The band of 17 kDa seems to be useful to study the clinical evolution, for post-treatment control and also for epidemiologic purposes. (It has been identified in 7% of control sera from endemic areas.) Immunoblot could be a valuable tool in the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis, being more sensitive and specific than other serologic tests.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1995

Short report: detection of 72-75-kD and 123-kD fractions of Leishmania antigen in urine of patients with visceral leishmaniasis.

Two polypeptide fractions of 72-75 kD were detected in the urine of 14 of 15 patients with visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and another fraction of 123 kD was found in 10 of the 15 patients by using a Western blot technique. None of these fractions was detected in the urine of 20 controls. These results suggest that antigen detection in urine could be a powerful, noninvasive method for VL diagnosis.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Acute eosinophilic pneumonia due to toxocariasis with bronchoalveolar lavage findings.

A previously healthy young man presented with breathlessness, diffuse pulmonary infiltrates on the chest x-ray film, and a high degree of peripheral blood eosinophilia. Analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid showed 64 percent eosinophils. A diagnosis of toxocariasis was eventually reached on the basis of a positive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for Toxocara canis. The routine performance of the ELISA test for Toxocara in the diagnostic approach to pulmonary infiltration with eosinophilia could reveal an undetermined, sometimes unsuspected, number of cases of adult toxocariasis with pulmonary involvement. A high degree of eosinophilia in the differential cell count of BAL fluid may eventually prove to be a useful clue in favor of such a diagnosis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1989

A serological survey of toxocariasis in patients and healthy donors in Barcelona (Spain).

The ELISA test, using excretory-secretory antigen from larvae II of Toxocara canis, was applied on 1018 sera (793 from adults and 225 from pediatrics) distributed in: A) patients with an hypereosinophilia where the ethiological agent was undetermined (99); B) patients with ocular complaints compatible with an ocular toxocariasis (116); C) patients with hidatidosis (97); D) patient with other non-toxocaral helminthiasis (34); E) patients with other clinical features (468) and F) healthy donors (204). Over 3,6% of sera showed elevated levels of antibodies reacting with T. canis antigen. The prevalence of seropositivity was statistically higher in patients with eosinophilia (14,1%) (a less than 0,001) and ocular complaints (6%) (0,025 greater than alpha greater than 0,01) than in the control group (1%). In the overall seropositivity from pediatrics did not differ from that of the adults.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Cutaneous vasculitis associated with propylthiouracil therapy.

Cutaneous vasculitis is an uncommon complication of propylthiouracil therapy. Its pathogenesis has been related to the presence of circulating immune complexes. The lesions may be purpuric or bullous hemorrhagic, possibly evolving into necrotic ulcerations. Usually, lesions develop on the extremities and earlobe. The vasculitis has been related to the duration of the treatment and disappears with the withdrawal of the drug, although a fatal case has been reported. Corticosteroid therapy is often prescribed, but its efficacy has not been demonstrated. We describe a patient in whom treatment with propylthiouracil for a year was associated with vasculitic lesions on the lower extremities and earlobe. Discontinuation of the drug was correlated with disappearance of the lesions.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Study of haemostatic disorders in experimentally induced leishmaniasis in Beagle dogs.

Haemostatic alterations in dogs experimentally infected with Leishmania infantum were studied before and after therapy with meglumine antimonate. Haemostatic function tests including platelet count, collagen-induced platelet aggregation, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, thrombin time, plasma fibrinogen determination, and serum fibrinogen/fibrin degradation products concentration were performed. In the course of infection and before treatment, moderate thrombocytopenia (P<0.00001), decreased collagen induced platelet aggregation (P=0.0003), prolonged thrombin time (P=0.0117) and increased fibrinogen/fibrin degradation products were observed. Statistically significant differences of plasma fibrinogen concentration, prothrombin time, and activated partial thromboplastin time were not encountered. Haemostatic parameters returned to normal values after therapy. The results indicate that Leishmania infection may impair haemostasis suggesting induction of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), and that treating dogs in an early stage of infection may potentially avoid the possibility of developing an uncompensated DIC.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Isoenzymatic identification of Leishmania isolates from repeated clinical human leishmaniasis episodes in Catalonia (Spain).

Forty human strains of Leishmania infantum isolated in 1985-99 from 17 patients with repeated cutaneous, mucosal or visceral leishmaniasis episodes in Catalonia (Spain) were examined by isoenzyme electrophoresis. Six zymodemes were revealed: MON-1, MON-24, MON-28, MON-29, MON-33 and MON-34. In 2 patients 2 different zymodemes were identified in consecutive episodes.

Adult↗