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Biomedical subjects

E Moreno

Publications and source records attributed to E Moreno.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Incidence and predisposing factors for incisional hernia in patients with liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Cirrhotic patients who are transplanted have a high risk of developing incisional hernia (IH). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We have analysed the incidence and treatment of IH in 465 patients with liver transplantation (LT). In order to find predisposing factors, we compared these patients with a similar group of patients with LT without IH. Fifty-four patients (11.6%) developed an IH. Forty-six of these (85%) were males, and in 37% the entire laparotomy incision was involved. Forty patients have been operated on for the hernia, three by primary repair and 37 (92.5%) with a polypropylene mesh. After a follow-up of 42 months, 6 (15%) IHs recurred. Comparing groups, IH patients were older (P<0.05), of male gender (P<0.001), and received more steroids (P<0.01). The IH rate was not related to suture material. CONCLUSIONS: Our rate of IH is perhaps reasonable in these high risk patients. It appears that IH can be reduced if steroids are reduced or avoided. We recommend a large mesh for repair.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Treating folds and striae after laser in situ keratomileusis.

Despite the high success rate of laser in situ keratomileusis, the technique is not free of complications. The formation of striae and folds in the corneal flap is more common than desirable and sometimes results in a significant loss of best corrected visual acuity. When this occurs, early treatment is highly recommended. We describe the differences between folds and striae and their treatment according to their pattern of development.

Corneal Stroma↗
PubMed2001

Comparison of the antibody response in adult cattle against different epitopes of Brucella abortus lipopolysaccharide.

The comparison of serological responses in a sample of adult, vaccinated and held-infected bovines with Brucella abortus is reported. Indirect enzyme immunoassav (EIA) titration curves and Western blotting tests for smooth-type lipopolysaccharide (S-LPS), rough-type LPS (R-LPS) and lipid A were performed. In the initial screening of sera, an overall prevalence of 20.5% was found, which corresponds to a country with a high incidence of brucellosis. End-point EIA titres against LPS antigens from vaccinated and field-infected cows were not significantly different. However, the absorbance values in the titration curves were significantly higher for S-LPS as compared with the other antigens. A high correlation coefficient (r = 0.933) was obtained when the titres to R-LPS versus lipid A were compared. Western blotting reactions of vaccinated and held-infected animals were indistinguishable. S-LPS, R-LPS and lipid A epitopes were recognized in a heterogeneous manner. In general, the number of bovines that reacted against LPS was higher in the field-infected group, with a stronger binding to S-LPS. Based on our observations, the vaccinated and field-infected bovines are capable of producing similar antibody responses to the Brucella main outer surface antigen, LPS. It should be emphasized that the humoral response of cattle to Brucella LPS contains significant amounts of antibodies to other antigenic moieties of this important surface molecule, which may contribute to the immunity to brucellosis.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Resolution of oral ulcerations after decreasing the dosage of tacrolimus in a liver transplantation recipient.

Oral ulcers have may possible causes, including immunosuppression and drug therapy. Severe cases of oral ulceration merit special consideration because the ulcers may become large enough to alter the quality of life of the patient. The present case involves a male patient who in 1994 received an orthotopic liver transplantation because of alcoholic cirrhosis. The initial immunosuppressive regimen was induced with tacrolimus (4 mg/d) and prednisone (20 mg/d). Ten months after orthotopic liver transplantation, the patient complained of multiple recurrent oral ulcers, dysphagia, and severe oral pain, which did not respond to any of the treatments over a 3-year period. Approximately 3(1/4) years after these unresponsive ulcers appeared, the reduction of the oral dosage of tacrolimus resulted in the total remission of the ulcers. A retrospective analysis demonstrated that appearance of the ulcers coincided with a dose of 9 mg/d of tacrolimus (whole blood levels of 12 ng/mL); the ulcers did not disappear until the dose was reduced to 4 mg/d (whole blood level of 6.6 ng/mL).

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2001

An epidemiological study of epilepsy and epileptic seizures in two rural Guatemalan communities.

A cross-sectional epidemiological study of two communities in Guatemala, El Jocote and Quesada, was conducted to determine the prevalence of epilepsy and epileptic seizures. An initial screening questionnaire was applied to detect individuals who had possibly suffered seizures in the past. These individuals were then examined more thoroughly by a neurologist, to confirm or reject them as cases of epilepsy. The crude prevalences of epilepsy so revealed were 28 cases/1000 in El Jocote and 29 cases/1000 in Quesada. The prevalence of active epilepsy in each community was approximately 18 cases/thousand. The most common type of seizure suffered was of the generalised tonic--clonic type. Seventy-six of the individuals who had a history of epileptic seizures and 51 individuals from the same communities with no such history were then given brain scans, using computerized axial tomography. These neuro-imaging studies revealed some form of abnormal image in 33% (17) of the subjects with no history of seizures and 70% (53) of those with a history of seizures (chi(2) = 12.2; P < 0.00006). The frequency of detected brain abnormalities in the individuals who had suffered a single episode of seizures was similar to that in those who were classified as epileptic. The most commonly observed type of abnormality was punctate calcification, followed by cerebral oedema and hypodensities. The reasons for the high prevalences of epilepsy, epileptic seizures and abnormal neuro-images observed in the present study merit further investigation. Although neurocysticercosis caused by Taenia solium was thought to be a significant cause of the epilepsy occurring in the study communities, many apparently non-epileptic individuals have brain lesions indicative of this disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Intestinal infection of BALB/c mice with Yersinia enterocolitica O9 causes major modifications in phenotype and functions of spleen cells.

Yersinia enterocolitica serotype O9 may cause a persistent intestinal infection with few or no symptoms in humans and in BALB/c mice. The present study demonstrated profound alterations in the immune status of BALB/c mice infected with Y. enterocolitica O9. Infected mice developed splenomegaly and phenotypic analysis of spleen cells revealed increases in CD3+ total T cells, CD4+ helper T cells, CD8+ cytotoxic T cells and CD11b+ phagocytic cells. Spleen cells from infected mice exhibited impaired responses to mitogens and suppressed the proliferation of normal splenocytes in response to mitogens. Suppression of responses to concanavalin A and heat-killed yersiniae was associated with increased production of gamma interferon and reactive nitrogen intermediates. Y. enterocolitica-infected mice resisted challenge with a lethal dose of the intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. These findings suggest that infection of mice with Y. enterocolitica O9 induces gamma-interferon-secreting cells that promote macrophage activation, mediating resistance to infection with L. monocytogenes, and macrophage production of reactive nitrogen intermediates, which results in in vitro inhibition of lymphocyte response to mitogens.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Biological response modifier activity of an exopolysaccharide from Paenibacillus jamilae CP-7.

An extracellular polysaccharide was purified from culture supernatants of Paenibacillus jamilae CP-7, a gram-positive bacillus that was isolated from compost prepared with olive mill wastewaters. The extracellular polysaccharide was produced under aerobic conditions in a medium containing olive mill wastewaters (80% [vol/vol]). This exopolymer had a low level of acute toxicity when it is administered to BALB/c mice by the intraperitoneal route. Interesting immunomodulatory effects were detected when mice were given 10 mg of exopolysaccharide per kg of body weight; the proliferative responses of splenocytes to B-cell and T-cell mitogens were suppressed, the in vitro levels of production of gamma interferon and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor by unstimulated and lipopolysaccharide-stimulated splenocytes were enhanced, and the levels of resistance to the intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes was increased in mice. Also, the exopolysaccharide was able to induce lymphocyte proliferation in vitro. We conclude that P. jamilae produces an exopolysaccharide with interesting immunomodulatory properties.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

In patients with chronic atrial fibrillation and left ventricular systolic dysfunction, restoration of sinus rhythm confers substantial benefit.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the benefit of sinus rhythm (SR) restoration in patients with chronic controlled atrial fibrillation (AF) and left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD). DESIGN: Prospective case-control study on the short-term outcome (6 to 9 months) of clinical and echocardiographic variables following attempted cardioversion. SETTING: Outpatient clinic of a university hospital. PATIENTS: Fifteen men and 5 women, ranging in age from 40 to 76 years, who had chronic controlled (mean [+/- SD] ventricular rate, 82 +/- 10 beats/min) AF and left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS) of < 28% at baseline. Control was provided by retrospective paired echocardiographic examinations of six AF patients, plus the study cases with potentially unsuccessful cardioversion or early recurrence of AF. INTERVENTIONS: Attempt to restore SR with amiodarone or electrical countershock. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Conversion was attained in 17 patients, but AF recurred early in 4 patients, 3 of whom had proven ischemic LVSD. In the 13 patients with sustained SR, LVFS increased from 20 +/- 4% to 31 +/- 6% (p < 0.0001). In contrast, no changes were detected in the control group (n = 13). This improvement was paralleled by decreases in left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic dimension (from 55 +/- 7 to 51 +/- 6 mm; p = 0.014), LV mass (from 181 +/- 28 to 159 +/- 37 g; p = 0.015), and left atrial diameter (from 45 +/- 9 mm to 42 +/- 7; p = 0.003). A marked decrease in heart rate (from 82 +/- 9 to 64 +/- 5 beats/min; p < 0.0001) and a reduction in New York Heart Association functional class (from 2.3 +/- 0.9 to 1.2 +/- 0.4; p = 0.0007) also were observed in patients with sustained SR but not among subjects in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Even when adequate control of the ventricular rate has been achieved, the LV function of patients with chronic AF greatly improves after restoration and maintenance of SR.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

[Digestive tract dilation in mice infected with Trypanosoma cruzi].

This paper will analyze alterations in the digestive tract (DT) of mice with chronic Chagas' disease infection produced by Trypanosoma cruzi from different sources. X-rays of the DT of 18 mice infected with T. cruzi and 6 control mice were compared after the ingestion of a barium sulfate solution over a period of 6 hours. 120 days post-infection (pi) the X-rays of the DT of the 5 mice of group 1A infected with trypanosomes DMI isolated from the opossum Didelphis marsupialis, and 4 mice in group 2A infected with the isolate EP taken from a patient with acute Chagas' disease, showed swelling of the stomach and the colon (C). 180 days pi, the X-rays of the DT of the 5 mice of group 1B infected with isolated DMI and the 4 mice in group 2B infected with isolate EP, showed an even greater swelling of the C. Histological examination of the DT of all infected mice showed extensive changes of the intestinal muscle layer, such as the diminution of the muscular and mucous layers and the loss of colonic folds and myoenteric plexus. These results suggest that T. cruzi populations caused severe alterations in the digestive system of the mice used in the experiment, and that the same alterations could occur in the digestive organs of humans, especially those living in areas where Chagas' disease is endemic, but where these abnormalities have not yet been reported.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Brucella abortus lipopolysaccharide in murine peritoneal macrophages acts as a down-regulator of T cell activation.

Macrophages play a central role in host immune responses against pathogens by acting as both professional phagocytic cells and as fully competent APCs. We report here that the LPS from the facultative intracellular Gram-negative bacteria Brucella abortus interferes with the MHC class II Ag presentation pathway. LPS inhibits the capacity of macrophages to present hen egg lysozyme (HEL) antigenic peptides to specific CD4(+) T cells but not those of OVA to specific CD8(+) T cells. This defect was neither related to a decrease of MHC class II surface expression nor to a deficient uptake or processing of HEL. In addition, B. abortus LPS did not prevent the formation of SDS-resistant MHC class II complexes induced by HEL peptides. At the cell surface of macrophages, we observed the presence of LPS macrodomains highly enriched in MHC class II molecules, which may be responsible for the significant down-regulation of CD4(+) T cell activation. This phenomenon may account for the avoidance of the immune system by certain bacterial pathogens and may explain the immunosuppression observed in individuals with chronic brucellosis.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Birth of healthy twins after fertilization with in vitro cultured spermatids from a patient with massive in vivo apoptosis of postmeiotic germ cells.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the results of assisted reproduction with the use of elongated spermatids from a man with incomplete arrest of spermiogenesis and a high frequency of apoptosis among postmeiotic germ cells can be improved by germ cell in vitro culture. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: Private assisted reproduction centers and a university department. PATIENT(S): Man with incomplete spermiogenesis failure. INTERVENTION(S): Testicular spermatid extraction, in vitro culture of testicular biopsy samples, intraoocyte injection of elongated spermatids, embryo culture, and transfer. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Fertilization rate, embryo morphology, and pregnancy. RESULT(S): An assisted reproduction attempt with viability-selected elongated spermatids from a fresh testicular biopsy sample resulted in a poor fertilization result and embryo quality. Further analysis of the sample used in this attempt showed a high incidence of apoptosis among postmeiotic germ cells. A second attempt was then performed with in vitro culture of testicular cells for 24 hours before spermatid injection. This procedure led to a significant decrease in the frequency of apoptosis among viability-selected spermatids, to improvement of the fertilization rate and embryo quality, and to the birth of healthy twins. CONCLUSION(S): In vitro culture of testicular biopsy samples before assisted reproduction with elongated spermatids may improve the efficacy of treatment in cases of massive in vivo apoptosis of postmeiotic germ cells.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Thickness measurement in composite materials using lamb waves viscoelastic effects.

Pulse propagation in plates has been investigated with the identification of Lamb modes. The application of this technique to the measurement of thickness in composite and coarse materials was previously evaluated. As a sequel, results of the application of this technique taking into account the viscoelastic properties of PVC and ferrocement are presented.

Elasticity↗
PubMed2000

Intraocular lidocaine in phacoemulsification: an endothelium and blood-aqueous barrier permeability study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of intraocular lidocaine hydrochloride (HCI) on the corneal endothelium and of blood-aqueous barrier (BAB) permeability in ultrasound phacoemulsification. DESIGN: Nonrandomized, comparative trial. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty patients who underwent uneventful, single-surgeon, clear cornea phacoemulsification were studied prospectively. METHODS: Sub-Tenon's anesthesia was administered to 30 patients (group 1), and intraocular lidocaine hydrochloride was administered to an additional 30 patients (group 2). An endothelial study of at least 120 cells per patient, using a noncontact specular microscope and a digital image analysis system, was performed before surgery and 1 month after surgery. Blood-aqueous barrier permeability was evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively (48 hours, 1 week and 1 month) using a laser flare meter. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Endothelial parameters (cell density, hexagonality, and coefficient of variation in cell area) and BAB permeability. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between groups when comparing the postoperative changes produced in endothelial cell density (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.46, 4.7; P = 0.10), hexagonality (95% CI, -2.5, 3.5; P = 0.72), and coefficient of variation in cell area (95% CI, -8.3, 4.6; P = 0.57). A multivariate study detected no significant differences in mean flare values between groups during follow-up (P = 0.40). No clinically significant differences were found between mean preoperative and 1 month postoperative flare values in either group. CONCLUSIONS: The recovery of BAB permeability 1 month after surgery seems to suggest that no additional inflammation was induced by intraocular lidocaine HCI. The fact that no differences in postoperative changes in endothelial parameters were found between groups indicates that no further corneal endothelial damage (other than that caused by surgical manipulation) was incurred. According to our results, intracameral lidocaine HCI appears to be safe for the average phacoemulsification patient in the absence of ocular pathologic conditions.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

PIXE study of Cuban quaternary paleoclimate geological samples and speleothems.

PIXE elemental analysis of sediments, speleothems, and other geological formations related to the karst of the Sierra de San Carlos is presented. The similarity of the elemental composition of the sediments studied, as well as the alluvial regime which created them, indicate their common origin at each location. The Sr/Ca concentration ratio of a stalactite indicates that the average atmospheric temperature 12,000 and 18,000 years B.P. was colder than that of 6000 years B.P.

Calcium↗
PubMed2000

Invasion and intracellular trafficking of Brucella abortus in nonphagocytic cells.

Brucella abortus is a facultative intracellular parasite that promotes its own internalization in nonphagocytic cells. The bacterium initially interacts with compartments of the early endocytic cascade, then rapidly segregates from this intracellular pathway and associates with the autophagocytic cascade. During the late stages of infection, Brucella proliferates within the endoplasmic reticulum of host cells.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Removal of amphipathic epitopes from genetically engineered antibodies: production of modified immunoglobulins with reduced immunogenicity.

Several approaches have been developed to reduce the human immune response to nonhuman antibodies. However, chimeric antibodies and humanized antibodies often have decreased binding affinity. We described a new approach for reducing the immunogenicity of chimeric antibodies while maintaining the affinity. This approach seeks to prevent the recognition of murine immunogenic peptides from the antibody variable region by human lymphocytes. Putative immunogenic epitopes in the variable region are identified and subjected to site directed mutagenesis to make them human and/or to break the amphipathic motifs. The R3 antibody, which blocks the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor, was used as a model system to test this approach. Four segments containing possible amphipathic epitopes were found in the heavy variable domain using the program AMPHI. Six amino acids within two of these segments were substituted by the corresponding residues from a homologous human sequence. No mutations were made in the murine light variable domain. Experiments in monkeys suggested that the "detope" R3 antibody was less immunogenic than its chimeric analogue. A search for possible amphipathic epitopes in the Kabat database revealed the presence of conserved patterns in the different families of variable region sequences, suggesting that the proposed method may be of general applicability.

Algorithms↗