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Biomedical subjects

E Rodriguez

Publications and source records attributed to E Rodriguez.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Breast reconstruction among inner city women with breast carcinoma.

Despite the known benefits of breast reconstruction, the numbers of patients undergoing breast reconstruction remains lower than expected. The goal of this study was to survey systematically the experience of inner city breast cancer patients with regard to breast reconstruction in an urban public hospital setting. Between July 1999 and April 2000, 60 patients attending the Kings County Hospital Center Outpatient Breast Cancer Clinic were enrolled in this study. A multidimensional questionnaire was designed to explore the factors that determine breast reconstruction among inner city women. Demographic analysis failed to show any difference in education, insurance status, and economics between women who undergo breast reconstruction (N = 11) and nonreconstructed patients (N = 49). Patients who have undergone reconstruction are satisfied with their results. Reconstructed women have a higher rating of satisfaction with their sex life than nonreconstructed women (p = 0.041). The women without breast reconstruction had a tendency toward more embarrassment when undressing in front of a partner and lower partner satisfaction with their bodies. The most commonly sited reason patients did not undergo breast reconstruction was the lack of knowledge about breast reconstruction before mastectomy. This emphasizes the importance of educating patients on all the options in the management of breast carcinoma.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

The relation of family violence, employment status, welfare benefits, and alcohol drinking in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the contribution of employment status, welfare benefits, alcohol use, and other individual and contextual factors to physical aggression during marital conflict. METHODS: Logistic regression models were used to analyze panel data collected in the National Survey of Families and Households in 1987 and 1992. A total of 4,780 married or cohabiting persons reinterviewed in 1992 were included in the analysis. Domestic violence was defined as reporting that both partners were physically violent during arguments. RESULTS: Unemployed respondents are not at greater risk of family violence than employed respondents, after alcohol misuse, income, education, age, and other factors are controlled for; however, employed persons receiving welfare benefits are at significantly higher risk. Alcohol misuse, which remains a predictor of violence even after other factors are controlled for, increases the risk of family violence, and satisfaction with social support from family and friends is associated with its decrease. CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol misuse has an important effect on domestic violence, and the potential impact of welfare reform on domestic violence needs to be monitored.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Family violence, employment status, welfare benefits, and alcohol drinking in the United States: what is the relation?

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the contribution of employment status, welfare benefits, alcohol use, and other individual, and contextual factors to physical aggression during marital conflict. METHODS: Logistic regression models were used to analyse panel data collected in the National Survey of Families and Households in 1987 and 1992. A total of 4780 married or cohabiting persons re-interviewed in 1992 were included in the analysis. Domestic violence was defined as reporting that both partners were physically violent during arguments. RESULTS: It was found that non-employed respondents are not at greater risk of family violence in comparison with employed respondents, after controlling for alcohol misuse, income, education, age, and other factors; however, employed persons receiving welfare benefits are at significantly higher risk. Alcohol misuse, which remains a predictor of violence even after controlling for other factors, increases the risk of family violence while satisfaction with social support from family and friends decreases it. CONCLUSION: These results underscore the important effect of alcohol misuse on domestic violence, and the need to monitor the potential impact of welfare reform on domestic violence.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Effects of serotonin and fluoxetine on blood glucose regulation in two decapod species.

One of the best known crustacean hormones is the crustacean hyperglycemic hormone (CHH). However, the mechanisms involved in hormone release in these animals are poorly understood, and thus constitute the central objective of the present study. Different groups of crustaceans belonging to diverse taxa (Chasmagnathus granulata, a grapsid crab and Orconectes limosus, an astacid) were injected with serotonin, fluoxetine, or a mixture of both, and glycemic values (C. granulata and O. limosus) and CHH levels (O. limosus) were determined after 2 h in either submerged animals or animals exposed to atmospheric air. Both serotonin and fluoxetine caused significant hyperglycemia (P<0.05) after injection into the blood sinus of the two species, an effect enhanced after exposure to atmospheric air. In C. granulata blood glucose increased from 6.1 to 43.3 and 11.4 mg/100 ml in submerged animals and from 5.7 to 55.2 and 22.5 mg/100 ml in air-exposed animals after treatment with serotonin and fluoxetine, respectively. In O. limosus the increases were from 1.2 to 59.7 and 135.2 mg/100 ml in submerged animals and from 2.5 to 200.3 and 193.6 mg/100 ml in air-exposed animals after treatment with serotonin and fluoxetine, respectively. Serotonin and fluoxetine also caused a significant increase in the circulating levels of CHH in O. limosus, from 11.9 to 43 and 45.7 fmol/ml in submerged animals and from 13.2 to 32.6 and 45.7 fmol/ml in air-exposed animals, respectively, thus confirming their action as neuroregulators in these invertebrates.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Keeping the unemployed healthy: the effect of means-tested and entitlement benefits in Britain, Germany, and the United States.

OBJECTIVES: Although considerable evidence about the health effects of unemployment exists, little is known about the possible protective effects of various social interventions. This study examined the role that means-tested and entitlement programs could have in ameliorating the health impact of unemployment in Britain, Germany, and the United States. METHODS: Logistic regression models were used to analyze panel data from Britain (1991-1993), Germany (1991-1993), and the United States (1985-1987) available in the Household Panel Comparability Project database. The analysis included 8,726 respondents from Britain, 11,086 from Germany, and 11,668 from the United States. The health-dependent variable used was a single measure of perceived health status. RESULTS: Evidence was found of differences in perceived health status between groups of unemployed people characterized by the types of benefits they receive. When socioeconomic characteristics and previous health and employment status are controlled for, means-tested benefits do not seem sufficient to reduce the impact of unemployment on health. CONCLUSIONS: Monitoring the possible health effects of changes in public assistance benefits should be given priority in the research and political agenda.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed2000

Site-directed mutagenesis improves catalytic efficiency and thermostability of Escherichia coli pH 2.5 acid phosphatase/phytase expressed in Pichia pastoris.

Escherichia coli pH 2.5 acid phosphatase gene (appA) and three mutants were expressed in Pichia pastoris to assess the effect of strategic mutations or deletion on the enzyme (EcAP) biochemical properties. Mutants A131N/ V134N/D207N/S211N, C200N/D207N/S211N, and A131N/ V134N/C200N/D207N/S211N had four, two, and four additional potential N-glycosylation sites, respectively. Extracellular phytase and acid phosphatase activities were produced by these mutants and the intact enzyme r-AppA. The N-glycosylation level was higher in mutants A131N/V134N/D207N/S211N (48%) and A131N/V134N/ C200N/D207N/S211N (89%) than that in r-AppA (14%). Despite no enhancement of glycosylation, mutant C200N/ D207N/S211N was different from r-AppA in the following properties. First, it was more active at pH 3.5-5.5. Second, it retained more (P < 0.01) phytase activity than that of r-AppA. Third, its specific activity of phytase was 54% higher. Lastly, its apparent catalytic efficiency kcat/Km for either p-nitrophenyl phosphate (5.8 x 10(5) vs 2.0 x 10(5) min(-1) M(-1)) or sodium phytate (6.9 x 10(6) vs 1.1 x 10(6) min(-1) M(-1)) was improved by factors of 1.9- and 5.3-fold, respectively. Based on the recently published E. coli phytase crystal structure, substitution of C200N in mutant C200N/D207N/S211N seems to eliminate the disulfide bond between the G helix and the GH loop in the alpha-domain of the protein. This change may modulate the domain flexibility and thereby the catalytic efficiency and thermostability of the enzyme.

6-Phytase↗
PubMed2000

Multiple isoforms of the ryanodine receptor are expressed in rat pancreatic acinar cells.

Regulation of cytosolic Ca(2+) is important for a variety of cell functions. The ryanodine receptor (RyR) is a Ca(2+) channel that conducts Ca(2+) from internal pools to the cytoplasm. To demonstrate the presence of the RyR in the pancreatic acinar cell, we performed reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR, Western blot, immunocytochemistry and microscopic Ca(2+)-release measurements on these cells. RT-PCR showed the presence of mRNA for RyR isoforms 1, 2 and 3 in both rat pancreas and dispersed pancreatic acini. Furthermore, mRNA expression for RyR isoforms 1 and 2 was demonstrated by RT-PCR in individual pancreatic acinar cells selected under the microscope. Western-blot analysis of acinar cell immunoprecipitates, using antibodies against RyR1 and RyR2, showed a high-molecular-mass (>250 kDa) protein band that was much less intense when immunoprecipitated in the presence of RyR peptide. Functionally, permeablized acinar cells stimulated with the RyR activator, palmitoyl-CoA, released Ca(2+) from both basolateral and apical regions. These data show that pancreatic acinar cells express multiple isoforms of the RyR and that there are functional receptors throughout the cell.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Oligomerization and cell-binding properties of the avian reovirus cell-attachment protein sigmaC.

Avian reovirus protein sigmaC, the viral cell-attachment protein, is a minor component of the outer-capsid shell of the viral particle that is synthesized in small amounts in infected cells. We cloned the sigmaC-encoding ORF in vector pIL-2f, expressed it in Escherichia coli, and partially purified the resulting recombinant protein from inclusion bodies. Rabbit polyclonal antibodies raised against the recombinant protein specifically recognized the viral polypeptide in ELISA, immunoprecipitation, and Western blotting. To study the oligomerization capacity and cell-binding affinity of protein sigmaC, the sigmaC-encoding ORF was also expressed in chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEFs) and in reticulocyte lysates. In all three systems protein sigmaC is expressed as a multimer with identical electrophoretic mobility to the naturally occurring protein. Cell-binding experiments show that both in vitro and in vivo expressed protein sigmaC display affinity for CEF receptors, and this property is exclusively associated with the oligomeric form of the protein. The fact that incubation of CEF cells with the recombinant protein expressed in bacterial cells completely blocks the binding of purified reovirions indicates both that binding of this protein to cells is specific and saturable, and that reovirions and protein sigmaC bind to the same class of cell receptor. Saturation binding experiments, performed with the recombinant protein expressed in E. coli and with purified reovirions, showed that the number of cellular receptor sites (CRSs) for avian reovirus S1133 is 1.8 x 10(4) per CEF cell, whereas the number of cellular receptor units (CRUs) for sigmaC is 2.2 x 10(5) per CEF cell. These results are consistent with previous reports on the binding of mammalian reoviruses.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Expression of the Aspergillus fumigatus phytase gene in Pichia pastoris and characterization of the recombinant enzyme.

Aspergillus fumigatus phytase is a heat-stable enzyme of great potential. Our objective was to determine if a high level of functional expression of the A. fumigatus phytase gene could be produced in Pichia pastoris and how the recombinant phytase reacted to different substrates, heating conditions, and proteases. A 1.4-kb DNA fragment containing the coding region of the gene was inserted into the expression vector pPICZalphaA and expressed in P. pastoris as an active, extracellular phytase (r-Afp). The yield was 729 mg of purified protein per liter of culture, with a specific activity of 43 units/mg of protein. The enzyme r-Afp shared similar pH and temperature optima, molecular size, glycosylation extent, and specificity for p-nitrophenyl phosphate and sodium phytate to those of the same enzyme expressed in A. niger. Given 20 min of exposure to 65 to 90 degrees C, the enzyme retained 20 to 39% higher residual activity in 10 and 200 mM sodium acetate than that in sodium citrate. The enzyme seemed to be resistant to pepsin digestion, but was degraded by high levels of trypsin. In conclusion, P. pastoris is a potential host to express high levels of A. fumigatus phytase and the thermostability of the recombinant enzyme is modulated by the specificity of buffer used in the heat treatment.

6-Phytase↗
PubMed2000

Enalapril and prednisone in children with nephrotic-range proteinuria.

The effect of enalapril and low prednisone doses on the urinary protein electrophoretic pattern was studied in 13 pediatric patients with glomerular diseases and steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome. Enalapril was administered at doses of 0.2-0.6 mg/kg per day for 24-84 months, and prednisone was introduced 2 months later in 11 patients at doses of 30 mg/m2 on alternate days. The urine protein electrophoretic pattern showed a reduction of 80% and 70% in the total protein and albumin, respectively, after enalapril. Total urinary protein decreased from 5.46 to 1.1 g/m2 per day (P<0.001). A marked change from a pattern of non-selective urinary protein loss to an albumin-selective proteinuria was observed. Mean total plasma proteins increased from 4.7 to 5.43 g/dl (P<0.001). Four patients became free of proteinuria 24 months after enalapril was started, but only 2 remained free of proteinuria at 48 months of follow-up. The other 11 patients had persistent albuminuria of between 0.5 and 2.6 g/m2 per day with a selective urinary electrophoretic pattern. No additional decrease was observed after steroids were introduced. A clinical improvement in edema was observed in all children. Three patients developed transient acute renal failure, during the course of an infectious disease; 2 developed peritonitis and 1 pneumopathy. In these patients withdrawal of enalapril was necessary until a complete recovery of renal function was observed. Four patients were hypertensive on admission, achieving normal blood pressure 1 month after enalapril was started. No episodes of systemic arterial hypotension were seen. Creatinine clearance and serum potassium showed no statistically significant change.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗
PubMed2000

Contractile smooth muscle cell apoptosis early after saphenous vein grafting.

BACKGROUND: The media of saphenous veins is composed of two cell populations: smooth muscle (SMC) and non-smooth muscle (NSMC) cells. Previous studies demonstrate a loss of SMCs by 3 days after grafting, despite an increase in cell proliferation. The purpose of this study is to determine the rates of apoptotic cell death versus cell proliferation for the two major cell populations of the media. METHODS: Veins (six/time point) were examined at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 24, and 48 hours after grafting in crossbred pigs. Terminal transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) stains were used to assess apoptosis and proliferation. Apoptosis was also corroborated with confocal and electron microscopy. RESULTS: Apoptosis was high in both cell populations: at 8 hours, SMC and NSMC apoptosis peaked at 14.5% +/- 3.5% and 49.9% +/- 7.8%, respectively. In contrast, cell proliferation was different between the two populations. SMC proliferation was low at all time points, whereas NSMC proliferation rose to 22% +/- 5.4% by 48 hours. CONCLUSIONS: Medial SMCs are removed through apoptosis and appear to be replaced by fibrous tissue (NSMCs) early after vein grafting. This reciprocal change between the medial SMC and NSMC populations may contribute to late vein graft degeneration.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Contrast sensitivity assessment using the visual performance tester.

The visual performance tester (VPT), a device that uses patient response time as a variable to assess visual power, is described. Results in 126 emmetropic eyes that had not had surgery are presented. The VPT provides more complete and accurate information about visual performance than the standard visual acuity examination because the device considers all variables involved in visual function results.

Contrast Sensitivity↗
PubMed2000

Pancreatic expression of interferon-gamma protects mice from lethal coxsackievirus B3 infection and subsequent myocarditis.

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and has been associated with many environmental risk factors. Recent evidence has indicated the involvement of pathogens such as viruses as causative agents, and specifically identified the coxsackievirus B serogroup as the leading culprit. Not only has coxsackievirus B3 (CB3) been identified from patients with cardiovascular disease, but also infection of mice with CB3 strains can reproduce human clinical heart disease in rodents. Several mechanisms have been proposed in an attempt to distinguish between pathology mediated by direct viral destruction of cardiac muscle cells or by the virus-induced immune response directed at infected myocytes or at 'mimicked' epitopes shared between viral and cardiac antigens. To distinguish between these mechanisms, we infected a unique mouse that diminishes the extent of infection and spread of the virus, but allows complete immunity to the virus. Transgenic mice expressing interferon-gamma in their pancreatic beta cells failed to develop CB-3-induced myocarditis. This work challenges the idea of the function of the immune response and 'molecular mimicry' in the CB-3-induced autoimmune myocarditis model, and instead favors the idea of virus-mediated damage. These results emphasize the benefit of reducing the level of viremia early during infection, thereby reducing the incidence of virus-mediated heart damage and autoimmunity.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

A quantitative study of gamma-band activity in human intracranial recordings triggered by visual stimuli.

This paper studies gamma-band responses from two implanted epileptic patients during a simple visual discrimination task. Our main aim was to ascertain, in a reliable manner, whether evoked (stimulus-locked) and induced (triggered by, but not locked to, stimuli) responses are present in intracranial recordings. For this purpose, we introduce new methods adapted to detect the presence of gamma responses at this level of recording, intermediary between EEG-scalp and unicellular responses. The analysis relies on a trial-by-trial time-frequency analysis and on the use of surrogate data for statistical testing. We report that visual stimulation reliably elicits evoked and induced responses in human intracranial recordings. Induced intracranial gamma activity is significantly present in short oscillatory bursts (a few cycles) following visual stimulation. These responses are highly variable from trial to trial, beginning after 200 ms and lasting up to 500 ms. In contrast, intracranial-evoked gamma responses concentrate around 100 ms latencies corresponding to evoked responses observed on the scalp. We discuss our results in relation to scalp gamma response in a similar protocol [Tallon-Baudry et al. (1996) J. Neurosci., 16, 4240-4249] and draw some conclusions for bridging the gap between gamma oscillations observed on the scalp surface and their possible cortical sources.

Adolescent↗