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Biomedical subjects

C Vicente

Publications and source records attributed to C Vicente.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

Ionic adsorption of catalase on bioskin: kinetic and ultrastructural studies.

Bioskin is a natural polymer produced by Acetobacter xylinum and several yeasts in culture. It contains glucosamine and N-acetyl galactosamine which promote ionic adsorption of catalase at the adequate pH value. High values of ionic strength are required to enzyme desorption. Adsorption of catalase on bioskin fibers has been visualized by scanning electron microscopy associated to a dispersion X-ray analyzer. At low enzyme density, the affinity of the immobilized catalase for hydrogen peroxide was 30% lower than that of the free enzyme. This affinity decreased dramatically at higher density of immobilized enzyme and could not be increased by agitation of the enzyme reaction mixture. Immobilized catalase retains about 70% of its initial activity after 16 d storage, whereas soluble enzyme is completely inactivated after 3 d at room temperature. The haeme group of catalase is not protected after immobilization since it is accessible to both EDTA and phloroglucinol, chelating agents which inactivate catalase by removing the iron atom from the haeme group.

Acetobacter↗
PubMed1994

Haemochromatosis as a window into the study of the immunological system: a novel correlation between CD8+ lymphocytes and iron overload.

In the present study we report a serial investigation of the numbers of the peripheral blood cells--erythrocytes, polymorphonuclear neutrophils, total lymphocytes, T-lymphocyte subpopulations (CD2, CD4, CD8), B lymphocytes and monocytes--in a group of 21 patients with haemochromatosis during the time of intensive phlebotomy treatment, i.e., from iron overload until the onset of iron deficiency. A remarkable individual stability of all blood cell populations studied was found in all patients. Patients differed in their relative proportions of CD4+ and CD8+. Each individual's CD4/CD8 ratio, as well as the absolute numbers, remained unaffected with time, confirming the existence of a strict homeostatic regulation of the relative numbers of the two major peripheral T lymphocytes. A significant positive correlation between CD4/CD8 ratios and the amount of iron mobilised by phlebotomy was found during this study. A novel correlation between the relative proportions of CD4+ and CD8+ cells and iron overload is confirmed by the follow-up of iron re-entry in the serum transferrin pool in the treated patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Analysis of Usnea fasciata crude extracts with antineoplastic activity.

Different fractions, isolated from the lichen Usnea fasciata, were analyzed by PC, TLC, and RP-HPLC. Analysis of the organic phases, mainly containing phenolics, revealed that usnic acid is the main product from secondary metabolites, whereas the polysaccharides isolichenin and raffinose are the most abundant water-soluble carbohydrates. Fractions containing usnic acid, as well as those containing isolichenin, showed moderate activity against sarcoma 180 and Ehrlich tumor cells. High antitumoral activity, near 90% inhibition, was found associated with the fraction containing raffinose.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Importance of establishing appropriate local reference values for the screening of hemochromatosis: a study of three different control populations and 136 hemochromatosis family members. Hemochromatosis Clinical and Research Group.

Hemochromatosis is a human leukocyte antigen-linked (HLA-linked), potentially lethal disorder of iron metabolism with a high prevalence in white populations albeit an autosomal recessive mode of transmission. The diagnosis and treatment at early stages of the disease are critical to the prevention of the morbidity and mortality caused by the iron overload. After the identification of the first cases of hemochromatosis in Portugal, a screening program was started with a systematic search for the disease among family members of the patients, as well as in subjects from the normal population. In this study we analyze the results obtained with a total of 136 family members from 15 different families and 353 control subjects from three different villages, two in the north and one in the south of Portugal. We establish reference values for the biochemical tests used in the screening for iron overload and analyze the factors that affect those results. Besides sex-related differences, factors that were found to influence biochemical parameters most significantly included age and levels of daily alcohol intake. In addition, differences in iron status were identified between the populations from the regions in the north and the south of the country. We estimate, by HLA typing and family studies, a gene frequency for hemochromatosis of 0.14 that corresponds to a frequency of homozygotes and heterozygotes of 0.019 and 0.24, respectively.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Method for establishing serum ferritin reference values depending on sex and age.

A method is described for the establishment of reference values for serum ferritin depending on sex and age. The results obtained in a stratified random sample of 353 healthy individuals from the Portuguese population revealed that 23% of the variation observed on serum ferritin values was related to sex differences and 6% of the variation was explained by age differences. Furthermore, the effect of age was different in both sexes: serum ferritin values increase with age in females over 40 years and in males under 40. The minimum and maximum reference values were established for the different subgroups of subjects as follows: for females under 40 years and males over 40, reference values were considered as the 2.5 and 97.5 percentiles from the adjusted lognormal distribution; for females over 40 years and males under 40, reference values were considered as the exponential transformation of the upper and lower limits of the 95% prediction intervals for the log of serum ferritin for each particular age point.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Algal partner regulates fungal urease in the lichen Evernia prunastri by producing a protein which inhibits urease synthesis.

Occurrence of a protein controlling urease synthesis (PIUS) at the transcriptional level in the lichen Evernia prunastri has been previously reported (Perez-Urria & Vicente, Physiol Plant 65: 433-438, 1985; id. Endocyt C Res 3: 311-316, 1986). In this work it was found that 0.1 mM cycloheximide seems to inhibit PIUS synthesis when lichen thalli are incubated on PIUS inducer, L-arginine. PIUS has been purified and characterized by PAGE, electrofocusing and amino acid analysis. It is a glycoprotein containing a homopolymer of fructose bound to the protein. PIUS has been located in whole thallus and lichenized mycobiont but remains undetectable in cultured fungi. PIUS is only detected in photobiont cells when they are axenically cultured on arginine. Thus, it is postulated that PIUS could be synthesized by lichenized photobionts from which it moves to mycobionts where it inhibits the production of fungal urease.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1986

Extracranial internal carotid artery aneurysms.

Two cases of extracranial internal carotid artery aneurysms are presented. In each case the cranial end of the aneurysm was in contact with the base of the skull. Ligation of the internal carotid artery was performed in the first case. Temporary occlusion of the distal internal carotid artery by means of a Fogarty catheter allowed resection with end-to-end anastomosis in the second case.

Aneurysm↗
PubMedDate not supplied

L-usnate-urease interactions: binding sites for the ligand.

L-usnic acid inactivates urease by formation of high molecular weight aggregates which can reached by a maximum of 880 000. L-cysteine partially reverses the inactivation of stimulating the appearance of active high molecular weight polymers. The existence of two class of binding points for L-usnic acid on the urease molecule is proposed, the first showing high affinity for the ligand, related with the loss of activity, and the second, of low affinity, related to polymerization process.

Benzofurans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Purification and properties of glucosaminephosphate isomerase of Proteus mirabilis.

A glucosamine-P isomerase has been identified in Proteus mirabilis. The 113-fold purified enzyme exhibits a pH optimum of 7.5 with a secondary maximum at 8.5 and a temperature optimum at 37 degrees C. The apparent Km was 13.3 mM for fructose-6-P and 18.8 mM for L-glutamine. Molecular weight of the enzyme has been estimated as 120 000 and the protein can be dissociated in four subunits by SDS-polyacrylamide electrophoresis.

Carbohydrate Epimerases↗
PubMedDate not supplied

L-usnate-urease interactions: binding sites for polymerization.

L-usnic acid inactivates urease through a process which implicates the blockade of--SH groups in parallel to the formation of inactive polymers. Both L-alanine and L-proline partially reverses the inactivation and effectively diminishes the amount of highly polymerized protein. The amino acids also prevent the linkage of L-usnic acid on the sites of low affinity for the ligand, being then related to the sites of polymerization.

Alanine↗