Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

E Prats

Publications and source records attributed to E Prats.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

[antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies in inflammatory bowel disease].

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence and diagnostic usefulness of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) in a Spanish population of patients with inflammatory bowel disease from the province of Tarragona. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred and fifty-six sera obtained from 116 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (75 ulcerative colitis and 41 Crohn's disease) and 40 healthy controls were tested using an indirect immunofluorescence assay. RESULTS: ANCA were detected in 65% of patients with ulcerative colitis but in only 12% of patients with Crohn's disease (p < 0.01), and 2.5% of control subjects (p < 0.01). The overall sensitivity of the test for the diagnosis of ulcerative colitis was 65% with a specificity of 88% and a positive predictive value of 91%. Among patients with ulcerative colitis there was no relationship between the presence or titre of ANCA and the duration, the clinical course, the extent, the disease activity or the need for medical treatment. CONCLUSIONS: In the population studied, ANCA occur more commonly in ulcerative colitis than in Crohn's disease, as reported in other populations. Their determination in patients with inflammatory bowel disease may be useful to differentiate ulcerative colitis from Crohn's disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Scintimammography with technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile: results of a prospective European multicentre trial.

The aim of the trial was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of scintimmammography with technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile (99mTc-MIBI) in the detection of primary breast cancer and to verify its clinical usefulness. A total of 246 patients with a suspicious breast mass or positive mammogram were included in this prospective European multicentre trial. At 5 min and 60 min (optional) p.i. two lateral prone images were acquired for 10 min each; 30 min p.i. one anterior image was acquired for 10 min. There were 253 lesions (195 palpable and 58 non-palpable), in respect of which histology revealed 165 cancers and 88 benign lesions. Institutional and blinded read results were correlated to core laboratory histopathology results obtained during excisional biopsy. Diagnostic accuracy for the detection of breast cancer was calculated per lesion. The overall sensitivity and specificity of blinded read scintimammography were 71% and 69%, respectively. For palpable lesions, the sensitivity of blinded read and institutional read scintimammography was 83% and 91%, respectively. Sensitivity was not dependent on the density of the breast tissue. Invasive ductal and invasive lobular cancers showed similar sensitivity. The sensitivity and specificity of mammography were 91% and 42%, respectively, and did not depend on the tumour size. In 60% of false-negative mammograms, 99mTc-MIBI was able to diagnose malignancy (true-positive). High-quality imaging with 99mTc-MIBI has a high diagnostic accuracy for the detection of primary breast cancer. Used as a complementary method, scintimammography with 99mTc-MIBI can help to diagnose breast cancer at an earlier stage in patients with dense breasts.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1998

[Thoracic SPECT using (111 In-DTPA-D-Phe1)-octreotide in bronchial carcinoid syndrome].

We describe two cases of bronchial carcinoid tumour detected by (111In-DTPA-D-Phe1)-octreotide scintigraphy. The SPECT of the thoratic region provided a better images of the primary tumour than the planar images. In one of the patients, the bronchial carcinoid tumour was associated with sarcoidosis, which led to an erroneous evaluation of the extension of the tumour.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

[Gammography using Tc 99m MIBI in patients with suspected breast cancer. Proposed diagnostic protocol].

The aim of this work has been to determine whether the joint use of mammography and scintimammography is capable of reducing the number of biopsies required in patients with suspected breast cancer. We have performed scintimammography in 90 patients, 97 lesions, with breast cancer suspicion. In the mammography was evaluated the degree of malignancy suspicion and the size of the lesion. Only 41 of the biopsies revealed the presence of cancer. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of scintimammography were 85%, 79%, 74% and 88%. According to the mammography findings 20 lesions (1 breast cancer) were included as low, 31 lesions (4 breast cancer) as indeterminate and 46 lesions (36 breast cancer) as high malignancy suspicion. 14 lesions (2 low, 2 indeterminate and 10 high suspicion) were smaller than 1 cm. The scintimammography was positive in all breast cancer of low and indeterminate suspicion of malignancy and in 30 of high probability. On the basis of this results we propose that a biopsy must be carried out to those lesions with a high suspicion of malignancy, and to lesions with low or indeterminate suspicion that are smaller than 1 cm or that present a positive scintimammography. Following this protocol, only 64 of the 97 biopsies would have been necessary, with a reduction of the 34% in the total number of biopsies and, more important, a 65% of reduction in the number of biopsies carried out in the groups of low and indeterminate suspicion of malignancy. At the same time we would indicate biopsy in all cases of breast cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Lipoprotein alterations in liver cirrhosis: a possible contribution to changes in plasma oncotic pressure and viscosity.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To investigate whether physicochemical alterations in plasma lipoproteins are associated with changes in plasma oncotic pressure and viscosity in liver cirrhosis. METHODS: The study included 66 patients with cirrhosis (confirmed by liver biopsy) and 58 healthy volunteers. The constituents measured were: the concentration, density and composition of plasma lipoproteins; plasma oncotic pressure and viscosity; and the concentrations of albumin, total protein, haptoglobin, transferrin, immunoglobulin M and alpha2-macroglobulin. RESULTS: Step-wise multiple regression analysis indicated that, in the patients with cirrhosis, plasma oncotic pressure was significantly correlated with plasma albumin+viscosity (r=+0.85; p<0.001) and with plasma total protein+the density of low density lipoprotein (r=+0.74; p<0.001). The inclusion of viscosity and the density of low density lipoprotein in the regression equations significantly improved the observed correlation between albumin and plasma oncotic pressure (r=+0.70; p<0.001). Similarly, plasma viscosity was significantly correlated with the sum of plasma total protein and cholesterol (r=+0.68; p<0.001). The inclusion of cholesterol in the regression equation significantly increased the observed correlation between total protein and plasma viscosity (r=+0.59; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that lipoprotein alterations associated with liver cirrhosis may play a role in determining plasma oncotic pressure and viscosity, and thus could influence the progression of the disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Characterization and expression of the mouse endonuclease G gene.

Endonuclease G (Endo G) is a nuclease of prokaryotic lineage found in the mitochondria of vertebrates that has been suggested to play a role in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) replication. We have isolated and sequenced the entire mouse endo G gene, determined the limits of the mRNA, and mapped the promoter region. The coding sequence of the single copy gene is interrupted by two introns and analysis of the transcripts does not support a model by which more than one Endo G isoform could be produced by alternative splicing. We have also characterized a full-length human Endo G cDNA and comparison at the protein level of the human, bovine, and murine nucleases indicates a high degree of conservation except in the respective mitochondrial targeting signals. Endo G is ubiquitously expressed and the steady-state levels of its mRNA vary by a factor greater than seven between different tissues. The relationship between the mtDNA copy number and Endo G mRNA levels is not strictly proportional but tissues richer in mtDNA have higher amounts of the mRNA and vice versa.

Alternative Splicing↗
PubMed1997

Lack of founding Amerindian mitochondrial DNA lineages in extinct aborigines from Tierra del Fuego-Patagonia.

Ancient DNA from bones and teeth of 60 individuals from four extinct human populations from Tierra del Fuego-Patagonia (Selknam, Yamana, Kaweskar and Aonikenk) has been extracted and the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) amplified by using the polymerase chain reaction. High-resolution analysis of endonuclease restriction site variation in the mtDNA and sequencing of its hypervariable non-coding control region, revealed complete absence of two of the four primary mitochondrial haplotype groups present in contemporary Amerinds, namely A and B. In contrast, haplogroups C and D were found in all but one sample with frequencies of approximately 38% and 60%. These results, together with the decreasing incidence of group A in more southerly latitudes in the American continent and the absence of cluster B above 55 degrees North in America and Asia, argue that the first settlers entering America 21000-14000 years ago already lacked both mtDNA lineages.

Argentina↗
PubMed1997

The diagnostic value of Tc-99m human polyclonal immunoglobulin imaging compared to Tc-99m HMPAO labeled leukocytes in inflammatory bowel disease.

The aim of this study was to establish the usefulness of Tc-99m human polyclonal immunoglobulin (HIG) imaging in a group of patients who were suspected of having inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The authors performed 30 scans (15 with Tc-99m HMPAO leukocytes and 15 with Tc-99m HIG) on 15 patients with IBD. Ten patients had Crohn's disease and five had ulcerative colitis. The sensitivity of Tc-99m HIG scintigraphy for detecting IBD was 33%, while the sensitivity of Tc-99m HMPAO leukocyte imaging was 100%. The Tc-99m HMPAO leukocyte imaging also detected a larger number of affected segments and provided better image quality of the extent of disease than Tc-99m HIG. On the basis of these results, the authors believe that Tc-99m HIG imaging is not a useful technique in the evaluation of patients with IBD, in the identification of location, or the extension or degree of disease activity.

Colitis, Ulcerative↗
PubMed1996

Community-acquired pneumonia in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a Spanish multicenter study.

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is an infectious illness that frequently motivates hospital admission when comorbid conditions are present. However, the epidemiology of CAP in relation to the underlying disease of the patients is not well known. We performed a prospective multicenter study with the aim of assessing the clinical characteristics, etiology, and outcome of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with CAP. Between October 1992 and December 1994 we studied 124 COPD patients (mean FEV1 40 +/- 11% of predicted, mean FVC/FEV1 49 +/- 10) admitted because of CAP to one of the participating centers. An attempt to obtain an etiologic diagnosis was performed by means of blood cultures (n = 123), sputum cultures (n = 97), pleural fluid cultures (n = 17), protected specimen brush samples (n = 41), percutaneous transthoracic needle aspiration (n = 41), and serology (n = 106). Etiologic diagnosis was achieved in 80 (64%) of cases, however, diagnosis based upon valid techniques was only possible in 73 (59%) cases. The main causal microorganisms were the following: Streptococcus pneumoniae in 32 (43%), Chlamydia pneumoniae in 9 (12%), Hemophilus influenzae in 7 (9%), Legionella pneumophila in 7 (9%), Streptococcus viridans in 3 (4%), Coxiella burnetii in 3 (4%), Mycoplasma pneumoniae in 2 (3%), Nocordia asteroides 2, Aspergillus ssp. 1, and others 10. In three of these cases the etiology was polymicrobial. Bacteremia was present in 19 (15%) cases; S. pneumoniae was the most frequent isolate (13 cases). Antibiotic treatment was modified in 22 cases due to etiologic findings, and in 9 due to therapeutic failure. Ten patients died (8%), and 22 needed mechanical ventilation, the mortality rate in the latter population being 23%. Total or partial resistance of S. pneumoniae to penicillin was observed in 10 of 32 (31%) isolations, and to erythromycin in 2 (6%). The results of this study are important for the standardization of empiric antibiotic strategies in COPD patients with pneumonia.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

[The use of SPECT with 201Tl in the evaluation of brain tumors].

There is increasing interest in the literature regarding the use of SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) with 201Tl in the evaluation of cerebral tumours. Thallium (201Tl) is one of the isotopes most commonly used in studies of the myocardium and in the diagnosis of various tumours. Normal brain takes up very little 201Tl, but in viable tumour tissue the 201Tl becomes intracellular and is rapidly cleared from the blood stream. Such cerebral tumour uptake is related to changes in the permeability of the blood-brain barrier, regional blood flow and transport by means of the Na(+)-K+ adenosine triphosphate pump. Once the SPECT images have been obtained following administration of the radioisotope, one can calculate the indices of early and of late uptake together with the retention index. The usefulness of SPECT in the preoperative detection of malignant expansive pathology, choice of tumour region during stereotaxic biopsy, control of tumour reproduction and their differentiation from post-radiotherapy necrotic tissue, and evaluation of chemotherapy in treatment of cerebral tumours are analyzed. Finally the application of SPECT in metastatic conditions and the differential diagnosis of expansive lesions is considered.

Blood-Brain Barrier↗
PubMed1996

Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies in relatives of patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

BACKGROUND: The occurrence of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) has been reported more frequently than expected in healthy first-degree relatives of patients with ulcerative colitis, suggesting that these antibodies may represent a subclinical marker of genetic disease susceptibility. AIM: To determine the prevalence of ANCA in unaffected first-degree relatives of inflammatory bowel disease patients in a Spanish population. METHODS: Three hundred and seventy sera obtained from 80 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (55 ulcerative colitis, 25 Crohn's disease), 217 unaffected first-degree relatives (157 from ulcerative colitis and 60 from Crohn's disease patients), 62 healthy controls, and 11 celiac disease patients were tested using an indirect immunofluorescence assay. RESULTS: Antibodies were detected in 64% of patients with ulcerative colitis but in only 12.5% of patients with Crohn's disease. ANCA were seldom present in their unaffected first-degree relatives (4.6%), control subjects (1.6%), and celiac disease patients (0%). CONCLUSIONS: In the Spanish population studied, antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies occur more commonly in ulcerative colitis than in Crohn's disease, as reported in other Caucasian populations. Moreover, their presence is not increased in their first-degree relatives. These findings indicate that ANCA are not a subclinical marker of genetic susceptibility to inflammatory bowel disease in this population.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Efficacy, safety, and therapeutic relevance of transthoracic aspiration with ultrathin needle in nonventilated nosocomial pneumonia.

In order to determine the potential indications of transthoracic needle aspiration (TNA) using the ultrathin 25G needle for the diagnosis of nonopportunistic lung infections, we prospectively analyzed the diagnostic efficacy, safety, and therapeutic implications of its results in 97 patients with nonventilated nosocomial pneumonias (NVNP). The sensitivity of TNA was 60.9%. Specificity and positive predictive value (PPV) were 100%. Negative predictive value (NPV) was 34.1%. The complications in the studied cases were nil in 89 cases (91.8%), transient hemoptoic expectoration (< 10 ml) in five (5.2%), and self-limited partial pneumothorax in three (3.1%). No complications needing treatment were observed. On the basis of a positive TNA result, the initial antibiotic treatment was modified in 29 of 97 (29.9%) cases. In twelve of these, the empirical antibiotic regimen was demonstrated to be ineffective. We conclude that, using the 25G needle, TNA has a good diagnostic efficacy and is a safe procedure for the etiologic investigation of NVNP. A positive TNA result has significant therapeutic relevance, even in cases where broad-spectrum antibiotics are empirically prescribed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Structure of histone H2B and H4 genes of the sea cucumber Holothuria tubulosa.

A genomic library of the sea cucumber Holothuria tubulosa was screened with human and murine histone gene hybridization probes. A recombinant phage carrying an H4 gene was isolated and sequenced. Hybridization analysis of the entire 20 kb phage insert with probes for H1, H2A, H2B and H3 histones was negative except for H2B. This solitary arrangement of the two neighbouring histone H4 and H2B genes is in contrast to the organization of 'cleavage stage' histone genes, which are arranged in tandem quintets of genes encoding the 5 histone classes. Gene organization and sequence features indicate that the two Holothuria genes are the equivalents of a known pair of late H2B and H4 genes which have been described in the genome of sea urchins. This result shows that the simultaneous occurrence of tandem repeats of histone gene quintets and smaller groups of structurally distinct histone gene subtypes is not unique for sea urchins, but also applies to other echinodermata, such as the sea cucumber Holothuria tubulosa.

Amino Acid Sequence↗