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C Valverde

Publications and source records attributed to C Valverde.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Cold-induced increment in rat adrenal gland type II deiodinase is corticosterone dependent.

In this study we analyzed whether corticosterone synthesis is involved in the regulation of adrenal gland type II deiodinase (AG-D2) activity during acute cold exposure. Two well-known inhibitors of steroidogenesis, aminoglutethimide (AGT) and metyrapone (MTP), were administered to male Wistar rats maintained either at room temperature or acutely exposed to cold (1 h at 4 degrees C). AG-D2 activity was measured by the radioiodide release method, and corticosterone circulating levels were measured by competitive protein binding assay. Results show that resting corticosterone levels and AG-D2 activity were lower in both AGT- and MTP-treated rats. Furthermore, the phasic increase normally exhibited by AG-D2 activity in response to acute cold stress was blunted in AGT- and MTP-treated animals. Therefore, we conclude that corticosterone synthesis is necessary in preserving the physiologic response of AG-D2 activity to cold exposure.

Adrenal Glands↗
PubMed2001

Chronic otitis externa/media with total ear canal ablation and bulla curettage in a North American bison (Bison bison).

An adult female North American bison (Bison bison) with a chronic otitis externa/media of the right ear was examined because of a 4-mo history of intermittent anorexia, apparent painful behavior, and auricular discharge from the right ear. Computerized tomography (CT) demonstrated osteolysis of the tympanic, petrous, and squamous aspects of the temporal bone with soft tissue replacement and sclerosis of the right bulla. A total ear canal ablation with bulla curettage was performed, and cefazolin-impregnated polymethacrylate beads were left within the right bulla and the remnant temporal bone. Six months after the surgery, the bison had no clinical signs of otitis media.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Kinetic characterization of outer-ring deiodinase activity (ORD) in the liver, gill and retina of the killifish Fundulus heteroclitus.

Conversion of T4 to T3 is the first step in TH action and deiodinases are the major determinants of TH tissue availability and disposal. We here report the kinetic characterization of the outer-ring deiodinating (ORD) enzymes in the liver, gill and retina of sea water-adapted killifish, by using both rT3 and T4 as substrates. In liver, by using rT3, we detected a high Km (84 nM) and a low Km (1.3 nM) component with kinetic characteristics similar to mammalian deiodinases DI and DII. In contrast, T4-ORD only generated a low Km (0.5 nM) component. As judged by its Vmax (920 fmol 125I/mg per h) this DII enzyme is very abundant, approximately five and 20 times higher than that found in trout liver and hypothyroid rat, respectively. Kinetic analysis in killifish gill showed only one enzymatic component, with a high rT3 Km (430 nM) and a relatively low Vmax (4.3 pmol 125I/mg per h). Our results in killifish retina show the expression of a T4-low Km (0.6 nM) deiodinase with high cofactor requirements akin to the mammalian DII. The Vmax value for this enzyme is 182 fmol 125I/mg per h, five times lower than the one found in killifish liver, but comparable to that in hypothyroid rat pituitary. The biochemical similarities between fish and mammalian deiodinases could reflect their high conservation during vertebrate evolution and thus their importance in the regulation of thyroid hormone action.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Mammary type I deiodinase is dependent on the suckling stimulus: differential role of norepinephrine and prolactin.

Mammary deiodinase type I (M-D1) is present only during lactation and exhibits a clear direct correlation with lactation intensity (size of litters). The present work shows that M-D1 is suckling dependent and that intervals between suckling periods no longer than 12 h are essential to maintain this activity. Moreover, we find that with only 15 min of resuckling in 12-h nonsuckled mothers, the 50% decrease in both M-D1 messenger RNA and enzymatic activity could be restored to control values. This restorative effect by suckling may involve pre- and posttranscriptional mechanisms in which norepinephrine and PRL play important roles. Norepinephrine elicits a potent stimulatory effect on M-D1 messenger RNA and enzyme activities, whereas PRL only increases M-D 1 activity and may modulate the enzyme response to norepinephrine. Oxytocin and GH had no effect. These data suggest that the adrenergic nervous system and PRL could directly participate in mammary energetic expenditure, regulating the local T3 supply.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

[Neck hydatidosis. Thyroid and submaxillary gland involvement in 2 cases].

Neck located hydatid cysts are of rare occurrence. We report two patients with such condition. A 66 years old male with a slowly progressive painless 4 cm nodule located in the right thyroid. It did not concentrate 131I and a fine needle aspiration cytology was informed as an acute thyroiditis. A 5 years old boy presented with a 5 cm painless right submaxillary cyst. Ultrasound examination showed that it was unilocular, and fine needle aspiration biopsy disclosed unspecific findings. In both cases surgical findings and the pathological study showed hydatid cysts. Both patients had normal chest x ray and abdominal ultrasound examinations. They had an uneventful postoperative evolution. Echinococcosis must be considered in the differential diagnosis of cervical cysts in endemic area.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Frequency of spontaneous congenital defects in rhesus and cynomolgus macaques.

This paper summarizes the spontaneous incidence of congenital defects in the rhesus and cynomolgus macaque colonies (Macaca mulatta and M. fascicularis) at the California Regional Primate Research Center. The computerized database used in this analysis included fetuses, term infants, juveniles, and adults that underwent a necropsy procedure over a 14-year period (1983-1996). The calculated malformation rates were 0.9% (40/4,390) and 0.3% (3/965) for the rhesus and cynomolgus monkey, respectively. Most of the observed malformations in both species affected the musculoskeletal and the cardiovascular systems, while a smaller number of defects were observed in the gastrointestinal, urogenital, endocrine, and central nervous systems. Inbreeding did not contribute to the spontaneous malformation incidence and there was no predilection for sex (male vs. female) or housing (indoors vs. outdoors) among the malformed cases. This spontaneous malformation database in our macaque colony aids in the interpretation of defects that occur in an experimental study as well as in the ongoing assessment of a healthy nonhuman primate breeding colony.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Cloning and expression of a 5'-iodothyronine deiodinase from the liver of Fundulus heteroclitus.

Recent molecular cloning studies in mammals and amphibians have demonstrated that the types I, II, and III deiodinases constitute a family of selenoproteins of critical importance in metabolizing T4 to active (i.e. T3) and inactive (i.e. rT3) metabolites. In several tissues of teleost fish, various deiodinase processes have been described, but the structural and functional characteristics of these enzymes and their relationship to the deiodinases present in higher vertebrates remains uncertain. Using a complementary DNA library derived from the liver of the teleost Fundulus heteroclitus, we have identified a complementary DNA that codes for a deiodinase with functional characteristics virtually identical to those of the mammalian and amphibian type II deiodinase. Sequence analysis demonstrates a high degree of homology at both the nucleotide and predicted amino acid levels between the Fundulus clone and these previously characterized type II enzymes, including the presence of an in-frame TGA codon that codes for selenocysteine. These findings demonstrate that the deiodinase family of selenoproteins has been highly conserved during vertebrate evolution and underscores their importance in the regulation of thyroid hormone action.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Mitogenic effects of thyroxine and TRH on thyrotrophs and somatotrophs of the anterior pituitary gland in thyroidectomized rats.

The question of whether thyroxine (T4) and TRH have a mitogenic effect on pituitary thyrotrophs and somatotrophs in thyroidectomized rats was investigated. Mitoses were counted in hematoxylin-eosin-stained or periodic acid-Schiff-hematoxylin-stained pituitary slides or immunostained for TSH or GH using male rats thyroidectomized for 5 months. Ten days before they were killed groups of rats were injected with different doses of T4 (0.5, 3 or 10 micrograms i.m. every second day for 10 days), TRH alone (100 ng s.c. three times a day for 10 days), or T4 plus TRH (same doses as above). Mitoses (stopped with colchicine) were counted in 1 mm2 areas at a magnification of x1000. In thyroidectomized rats, mitoses were not significantly increased and treatment with TRH or 0.5 microgram T4 alone in thyroidectomized rats did not affect mitotic counts. In thyroidectomized rats treated with higher doses of T4, mitoses were increased in a dose-dependent fashion. Simultaneous administration of TRH and T4 had a significant synergistic effect on pituitary mitoses in a T4 dose-dependent manner. The treatments also had differential effects on the relative percentages of cellular types in mitosis. Thus, 60% somatotrophs and 12.5% thyrotrophs were found in the euthyroid group. In thyroidectomized and thyroidectomized plus TRH groups, no somatotrophs in mitosis were seen, while thyrotrophs were 28.5% and 33.3% respectively. In thyroidectomized rats treated with low doses of T4, somatotrophs and thyrotrophs in mitosis increased to 38.4% and 80% respectively and, with simultaneous administration of a low dose of T4 plus TRH, although less effective than T4 alone, mitosis increased in somatotrophs and thyrotrophs to 11.1% and 54.5% respectively. A high dose of T4 alone did not increase the mitotic figures in somatotrophs (38.8%), while it diminished the percentage of thyrotrophs to 25%. The administration of high doses of T4 plus TRH had an opposite effect on the mitotic figures of somatotrophs and thyrotrophs and thus the percentage of somatotrophs increased to 50% while thyrotrophs decreased to 5.5%. Ten days of treatment with T4 were insufficient to reverse the histology to euthyroidism. It can be concluded that in long-standing hypothyroidism: (1) thyroid hormone replacement elicits a dose-dependent and differential proliferative response on pituitary thyrotrophs and somatotrophs, (2) TRH is devoid of mitogenic effects when administered alone and (3) the proliferative response of somatotrophs to T4 is enhanced by its co-administration with TRH, suggesting a permissive and/or synergistic effect of the thyroid hormone and TRH.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Kinetic characterisation of skin inner-ring deiodinative pathway and its correlation with circulating levels of reverse tri-iodothyronine in developing rainbow trout.

The present study has demonstrated the presence of circulating reverse tri-iodothyronine (rT3) levels and its main generating pathway in rainbow trout. A specific rT3, RIA using thyronine-stripped sera in the standard curve was standardised, allowing precise and accurate quantification of radioimmunoassayable rT3. We also demonstrated that trout skin is an important source of rT3 production. T3 or thyroxine trout skin inner-ring deiodination (IRD) activity was assessed by using rT3 RIA and/or paper chromatography. The kinetic characterisation of this deiodinative pathway disclosed a typical deiodinase type III (DIII) enzyme, except for its conspicuous thermodependency which attained its maximal catalytic efficiency at 15 degrees C. This finding suggested the expression of enzymatic variants, which is a common functional array in teleosts. Both circulating rT3 and DIII activity were present in juvenile and adult individuals and were inversely correlated with age, weight and length. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that (1) skin IRD activity and its product rT3 are present throughout the development of rainbow trout, and (2) trout skin DIII activity attains its higher catalytic efficiency in the physiological range of temperature for this species, thus suggesting the expression of enzymatic variants.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Autonomic mediation of glucagon secretion during insulin-induced hypoglycemia in rhesus monkeys.

Autonomic activation mediates the majority of the increase of glucagon secretion during insulin-induced hypoglycemia in several species including dogs, mice, and rats. However, the role of the autonomic nervous system to increase glucagon during hypoglycemia in humans remains controversial, and investigations in nonhuman primates have not been previously conducted. The autonomic contribution to glucagon secretion during hypoglycemia in a nonhuman primate was examined by two independent pharmacological approaches. Glucagon responses to clamped insulin-induced hypoglycemia were compared in conscious rhesus monkeys in the presence or absence of ganglionic blockade with trimethaphan, or during combined muscarinic and adrenergic receptor blockade with atropine, propranolol, and tolazoline. Insulin-induced hypoglycemia (plasma glucose = 1.9 +/- 0.1 mmol/l) activated parasympathetic nerves to the pancreas as assessed by increased plasma pancreatic polypeptide (PP) levels (delta = 135.0 +/- 36.8 pmol/l, P < 0.01), produced sympathoadrenal activation as assessed by elevations of plasma epinephrine (EPI) (delta = 22.3 +/- 2.95 nmol/l, P < 0.0005) and norepinephrine (NE) (delta = 3.72 +/- 0.77 mmol/l, P < 0.0025) and increased plasma immunoreactive glucagon (IRG) (delta = 920 +/- 294 ng/l, P < 0.025). Nicotinic ganglionic blockade with trimethaphan prevented parasympathetic (deltaPP = 16.5 +/- 16.3 pmol/l, P < 0.01 vs. control) and sympathoadrenal (deltaEPI = 1.52 +/- 0.98 nmol/l; deltaNE = -0.62 +/- 0.24 mmol/l, both P < 0.0025 vs. control) activation during hypoglycemia and inhibited the IRG response by 70% (delta = 278 +/- 67 ng/l, P < 0.025 vs. control). Combined muscarinic and adrenergic receptor blockade reduced parasympathetic activation (deltaPP = 48.3 +/- 16.3 pmol/l, P < 0.01 vs. control) and inhibited the IRG response by a similar degree to ganglionic blockade (deltaIRG = 284 +/- 60 ng/l, P < 0.025 vs. control). These results demonstrate by two independent pharmacological approaches that autonomic activation makes a substantial contribution to increased glucagon secretion during hypoglycemia of approximately 2.0 mmol/l in a species of nonhuman primate.

Adrenergic Antagonists↗
PubMed1996

Needs assessment for an urban native HIV and AIDS prevention program.

At the request of Native community-based organizations in Montreal, a needs assessment for an HIV and AIDS education and prevention program for urban Natives was initiated. A five-session focus group concerning HIV and AIDS was attended by nine Native persons over a 2-month period. Data was collected using the guidelines of the HIV/AIDS Rapid Anthropological Assessment Procedures (AIDS RAP) developed by the Social and Behavioural Research Unit of the World Health Organization's Global Programme on AIDS. We followed these up with in-depth semistructured interviews with five different members of the Montreal Native community. The data were reviewed by a steering committee to ensure validity. Findings highlight the potential explosive route of transmission of HIV along networks of sexual interaction between persons in urban areas and then to rural partners. Maintaining control over the AIDS program planning within the community permits issues such as traditional values and healing practices to be discussed and taken into account.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1995

Quantitation of adenylate cyclase of Bordetella pertussis by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.

Bordetella pertussis produces extracytoplasmic adenylate cyclase toxin (AC) which has received considerable attention as a potential vaccine candidate. Great interest from laboratories involved in production, purification and quality control of acellular pertussis vaccine is focused on finding an appropriate technique for rapid and accurate quantitation of AC antigen. In this paper a competitive ELISA is proposed. A polystyrene microplate coated with purified AC was incubated with the sample to be tested plus anti-AC serum. The bound anti-AC antibodies were measured by sequential reaction with alkaline phosphatase-labelled anti-mouse IgG and p-nitrophenylphosphate. This method showed high specificity, with the 50% inhibition corresponding to 4 micrograms/ml of AC. It also proved to be useful to assess the presence of AC in culture supernatants, with high reproducibility.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗
PubMed1995

Neuroendocrine regulation of adrenal gland and hypothalamus 5'deiodinase activity. II. Effects of splanchnicotomy and hypophysectomy.

This study analyzes the role of the autonomic nervous system, the pituitary gland, ACTH, dexamethasone (DEX), and thyroid hormones in the regulation of 5'deiodinase (5'D) in the hypothalamus (HP) and adrenal gland (AG) of the rat. 5'D activity was analyzed in rats under basal conditions (22 C) and during cold exposure (4 C, during 15, 30, 60, and 120 min). Several experimental groups were formed: intact animals (INT), unilateral (left) splanchnicotomized, sham splanchnicotomized, hypophysectomized (HPX), and sham hypophysectomized. Results in the hypothalamus were: 1) independent of the experimental group, the HP 5'D activity increased during the first 15-30 min of cold exposure; however, this increase was greater in operated animals than in INT rats; and 2) basal 5'D activity was increased in HPX rats and was also regulated by thyroid hormones. Results in the adrenal gland were: 1) INT rats exhibited a biphasic pattern of 5'D activation during cold stress (30 and 60 min of exposure); 2) the splanchnic nerve exerted a tonic-stimulatory effect on basal AG 5'D activity; 3) the denervated gland preserved its ability to respond to cold; 4) in INT animals DEX but not ACTH had a stimulatory effect on basal activity; 5) the high 5'D activity post-HPX was reverted to basal values by T4 and DEX administration; 6) SHAM-HPX also was followed by a large increase in basal 5'D activity, and 7) this hyperresponse was abolished by acute ACTH and DEX administration. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that the mechanisms that participate in the regulation and activation of 5'D in the adrenal gland and the hypothalamus are of a neuroendocrine nature. Also, in both organs, but mainly in the HP, 5'D activity is T4-dependent. In addition to the tonic-stimulatory influence conveyed by the splanchnic nerve, AG 5'D activity is influenced by thyroid hormones, glucocorticoids, and probably extrapituitary factors whose nature is unknown yet.

Adrenal Glands↗
PubMed1991

Neuroendocrine regulation of adrenal 5'-monodeiodination during acute cold exposure in the rat. I. Effects of hypophysectomy.

Circulating levels of T4, T3, corticosterone, noradrenaline, and adrenaline, as well as 5'-monodeiodinase activity (5'-MA) were measured in control and hypophysectomized rats acutely exposed to cold environment (15-120 min, 4 C). In addition to the well known activation of the sympathoadrenomedullary system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and-thyroid axes, cold exposure was followed by a rapid and sustained increase of 5'-MA in the hypothalamus, and a byphasic course of activation in the adrenal gland in control rats. The adrenal rapid activation (30 min) corresponded to the medulla and the slower activation (120 min) to the cortex. Both, the basal adrenal 5'-MA and the response to cold in adrenal and hypothalamus were 2-fold higher in hypophysectomized rats compared to control. The time course of enzyme activation in these structures suggests that: 1) organ-specific increases in 5'-MA may be associated to a simultaneous rise in their metabolic and/or functional activity, 2) the triggering mechanisms involves an immediate sympathetic signal activating the hypothalamic-adrenal medulla response and a pituitary signal eliciting a slower adrenocortical response, and 3) the compensatory sympathetic hyperactivity after panhypopituitarism contribute to enhance both the adrenal enzyme basal activity and the hypothalamic and adrenal hyperresponse to cold stress.

Adrenal Cortex↗
PubMed1989

Circulating thyronines and peripheral monodeiodination in lactating rats.

The well known metabolic and endocrine adaptive responses accompanying lactation include a change in circulating thyronines that resembles the so-called euthyroid sick syndrome. To analyze the role played by tissue monodeiodination in this state, circulating levels of thyronines as well as hepatic and mammary 5'-monodeiodinative activity (5'MA) were assessed during lactation in rats. Results show that the serum iodothyronine changes that accompany lactation are associated with a significant decrease in hepatic 5'MA and a simultaneous increase in mammary 5'MA. These changes begin within the first postpartum day, are proportional to lactation intensity (litter size), and disappear 48 h after either precocious (1st postpartum day) or natural (21st postpartum day) weaning. These data demonstrate that the compartmentalized change in energy expenditure characteristic of lactation is accompanied by organ-specific and opposite adjustments in hepatic and mammary monodeiodinative pathways.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Type I, 5'-monodeiodinase activity in the lactating mammary gland.

Mammary homogenates from lactating, weaned, pregnant, and nonpregnant rats were analyzed for 5'-monodeiodinase activity (5'-MA). Only lactating glands exhibited significant enzyme activity. Competitive analysis showed that mammary 5'-MA is not inhibited by high (10 microM) concentrations of T4 or T3, but is highly sensitive to prophythiouracil (5 mM). Kinetic parameters demonstrate an acompetitive bisubstrate enzymatic mechanism known as the ping-pong type. The Km and maximum velocity for rT3 were 0.40 microM and 1.42 nmol/mg.min, respectively. These results provide the first evidence that 5'-MA is present in the lactating mammary gland and suggest that this enzymatic activity corresponds to type I enzyme.

Animals↗