Evolution of xenoantibodies, after their depletion, in a non-immunosuppressed baboon.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to E Salido.
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This study investigated the molecular epidemiology of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the University Hospital of the Canary Islands (HUC) in order to evaluate epidemiological changes over a six-year period. Clinical and epidemiological data were collected between May 2000 and December 2003, and isolates were subjected to pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), multi-locus sequence typing (MLST), SCCmec typing and spa typing. Since 2000, the rate of MRSA infections has increased at the HUC, coinciding with the emergence and spread of the EMRSA-16 clone (ST36-MRSA-II) and replacement of the Iberian clone (ST247-MRSA-I). Genotypic changes were associated with changes in the epidemiological profile. The mean age and proportion of patients over 60 years old (P=0.01) and the proportion of respiratory infections (P=0.001) increased significantly. Gentamicin and tetracycline susceptibility of MRSA isolates increased (P<0.001) following the emergence of EMRSA-16. Combining PFGE, SCCmec and MLST has been instrumental in understanding these changes and defining the clones circulating in the HUC patient population.
Primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by allelic and clinical heterogeneity. We aim to describe the presentation and full single-center experience of the management of PH1 patients bearing the mutation described in our community (I244T mutation+polymorphism P11L). Since 1983, 12 patients with recurrent renal lithiasis have been diagnosed with PH1 and renal failure in the Canary Islands, Spain. Diagnostic confirmation was based on the presence of oxalosis in undecalcified bone or kidney allograft biopsy, reduced alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase activity in liver biopsy, and blood DNA analysis. Patients underwent different treatment modalities depending on individual clinical circumstances and therapeutic possibilities at the time of diagnosis: hemodialysis, isolated kidney, simultaneous liver-kidney, or pre-emptive liver transplantation. In all cases, the presentation of advanced renal disease was relatively late (>13 years) and no cases were reported during lactancy or childhood. The eight patients treated with hemodialysis or isolated kidney transplantation showed unfavorable evolution leading to death over a variable period of time. In contrast, the four patients undergoing liver transplantation (three liver+kidney and one pre-emptive liver alone) showed favorable long-term allograft and patient survival (up to 12 years follow-up). In conclusion, in this PH1 population, all bearing the I244T mutation, the development of end-stage renal disease was distinctive during late adolescence or adulthood. Our long-term results support pre-emptive liver transplantation at early stages of renal failure, and kidney-liver transplantation for those with advanced renal disease.
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Lipid abnormalities may contribute to chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN). Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene polymorphism regulates lipoprotein metabolism, but little is known about an association between CAN and this polymorphism. The ApoE gene (E3/E4) polymorphism was typed by PCR assay (99 E3/E3, 28 E3/E4, 1 E4/E4) on 128 consecutive renal transplant patients with functioning grafts for more than 3 years (6.7 +/- 2.8 years). Twenty-eight patients with histological CAN were compared with 100 patients who had no clinical evidence of chronic rejection (no proteinuria and sCr < 2.5 mg%). As expected, univariate analysis revealed that patients with CAN experienced a greater acute rejection rate (78% vs 21%; P=.001), a higher serum creatinine (3.6 +/- 1.7 vs 1.4 +/- 0.5 mg%; P=.0001), and an older organ donor (43 +/- 20 vs 29 +/- 13 years; P=.0001). The lipid profiles (total cholesterol and triglycerides levels) were similar in both groups with 60% in each group receiving anti-lipemic drugs. Interestingly, the ApoE epsilon 4 allele was overrepresented in the group with CAN (39% vs 17%, P=.019). Logistic regression analysis showed that the epsilon 4 allele was an independent predictor of CAN (OR: 3.4; CI 95%: 1.07 to 11; P=.040) as were donor age and acute rejection episodes. In conclusion, an interaction between risk factors and genetic factors may determine CAN in this population. This finding may help to target prophylactic interventions in these recipients.
Colorectal cancer is a complex disease from a genetic point of view because both genetic and environmental factors interact in its development. Only familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) follows mendelian genetics, in that mutations of the APC gene lead to development of the tumours. Lynch syndrome is the most frequent form of hereditary colorectal cancer and appears to be associated with other types of extracolonic cancers. The genetic basis has been established as a defect in DNA mismatch repair genes, and there is genetic heterogeneity due to the involvement of several genes in this system. Germinal mutations in these genes predispose to appearance of the syndrome. The aim of this study is to describe the tumoral spectrum of 10 families, comprising a total of 488 individuals, from the island of Tenerife (Canary Islands) and to assess whether the geographical isolation of this population has changed any features of the tumoral spectrum of the syndrome in comparison with studies that cover larger geographical areas with more genetic exchange. From our results we can conclude that the genetic drift and consanguinity in this population with a demographic history of isolation did not significantly alter the tumoral spectrum of the syndrome. Our data confirm that families affected by Lynch syndrome are a high-risk population and should be closely monitored, since their careful supervision has been shown to be useful in preventing cancer. We also emphasize the importance of developing a complete family history that permits these families to be identified together with a mutational screening of DNA mismatch repair genes (mainly MLH1 and MSH2 genes) with the aim of a possible identification of members of a family that should be carefully monitored (the carriers of germline mutations in these genes), whereas the remaining members, originally, are no more at risk than the general population.
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Primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1) is an inborn error of metabolism resulting from a deficiency of alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase (AGXT; EC 2.6.1.44). Most of the PH1 alleles detected in the Canary Islands carry the Ile-244 --> Thr (I244T) mutation in the AGXT gene, with 14 of 16 patients homozygous for this mutation. Four polymorphisms within AGXT and regional microsatellites also were shared in their haplotypes (AGXT*LTM), consistent with a founder effect. The consequences of these amino acid changes were investigated. Although I244T alone did not affect AGXT activity or subcellular localization, when present in the same protein molecule as Leu-11 --> Pro (L11P), it resulted in loss of enzymatic activity in soluble cell extracts. Like its normal counterpart, the AGXT*LTM protein was present in the peroxisomes but it was insoluble in detergent-free buffers. The polymorphism L11P behaved as an intragenic modifier of the I244T mutation, with the resulting protein undergoing stable interaction with molecular chaperones and aggregation. This aggregation was temperature-sensitive. AGXT*LTM expressed in Escherichia coli, as a GST-fusion protein, and in insect cells could be purified and retained enzymatic activity. Among various chemical chaperones tested in cell culture, betaine substantially improved the solubility of the mutant protein and the enzymatic activity in cell lysates. In summary, I244T, the second most common mutation responsible for PH1, is a protein conformational disease that may benefit from new therapies with pharmacological chaperones or small molecules to minimize protein aggregation.
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A total of 124 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates were ascertained at the University Hospital of the Canary Islands between January 1997 and April 2000. Genotyping included pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) (SmaI digestion) and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis for the coagulase (coa) and protein A (spa) genes. Antibiotic resistance was the main phenotypic marker correlated with genotyping results. Three main PFGE types were detected: A (with 12 subtypes), B (with 2 subtypes), and C. PFGE type A1 was the most commonly found (61% of isolates) and the one responsible for all the epidemic outbreaks. Other genetics markers used (coa and spa RFLPs) were significantly correlated with the PFGE types detected (P < 0.001). These PCR-RFLP assays were useful as molecular markers for a quick, preliminary study of MRSA outbreaks.
Although dopamine has been considered as the only neurotransmitter in the nigrostriatal pathway, studies carried out in the last two decades have suggested the existence of a nondopaminergic nigrostriatal projection, and more recently, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) has been identified as its neurotransmitter. In this study, we used the combination of immunocytochemistry for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH; a marker of dopaminergic neurons), in situ hybridization (ISH) for two different isoforms of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD65 and GAD67, the rate-limiting enzyme in GABA synthesis) and retrograde tracing techniques to investigate the possible existence of nigrostriatal neurons containing both neurotransmitters (dopamine and GABA) in the rat. Our results revealed that approximately 10% of mesostriatal dopaminergic neurons, most of them lying in the medial region of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNC) and neighbouring A10 region, contain GAD65 mRNA. These findings reveal a third nigrostriatal pathway formed by dopaminergic/GABAergic neurons. Contrasting with the idea that in the basal ganglia, dopamine and GABA are released from different cell populations, the results suggest a more complex dopamine/GABA interaction than previously assumed, probably including cotransmission.
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INTRODUCTION: The bb genotype of the BsmI polymorphism of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) is more common in primary hyperparathyroidism (HPT) than in the general population in Swedish and German women. However, little is known about the association of HPT with the start codon polymorphism of the VDR (defined by FokI). OBJECTIVE: To study the distribution of the VDR genotypes in a group of women with HPT compared with a control group. The bone mineral density (BMD) of different genotypes was also investigated. METHODS: VDR alleles were typed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay around the polymorphic BsmI or FokI restriction sites in 67 control women (48.5 +/- 10 years) and 53 women with HPT (61.4 +/- 11 years). They were all Caucasian and born in the Canary Islands. Lumbar and proximal femur BMDs were measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and quantitative computed tomography (QCT). RESULTS: The 'bb' genotype was equally frequent in controls and HPT subjects (46.3 and 45.3%, respectively). There was a trend towards a lower prevalence of the FF genotype amongst women with HPT as compared with controls (41.5 vs. 57.1%; P = 0.09). BMD was lower in patients with HPT compared with controls in the lumbar spine and the proximal femur. CONCLUSIONS: The association of the BsmI polymorphism of the VDR gene with HPT is not applicable to all geographical areas. In Canarian postmenopausal women suffering from HPT, VDR genotype distribution is similar to that found in controls. A possible association of HPT with the FokI polymorphism deserves further investigation.
BACKGROUND: Cardiac complications are the main cause of death in renal transplantation (RT), and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) may play an important role in these patients. The unfavorable genotype of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene has been associated with cardiovascular disease, including LVH. ACE inhibitors (ACEIs) reduce LVH, but little is known about the effects of ACEIs on LVH in RT patients with different insertion/deletion (I/D) genotypes of the ACE gene. METHODS: We prospectively studied 57 stable nondiabetic RT patients with hypertension and echocardiographic LVH as well as a functional graft for 69.5 +/- 5.6 months. Patients randomly received either lisinopril 10 mg/day (group A, N = 29; 5 were excluded due to reversible acute renal failure) or placebo (group B, N = 28) for 12 months. Echocardiography (M-mode, 2-B, and color flow Doppler) was performed at baseline and 6 and 12 months later by the same examiner without previous knowledge of the genetic typing. The ACE genotype (I or D alleles) was ascertained by polymerase chain reaction (PCR; group A, DD = 10 and ID/II = 14; group B, DD = 15 and ID/II = 13). RESULTS: All patients maintained a good renal function (serum creatinine <2.5 mg/dL) during the follow-up and both groups received a similar proportion of antihypertensive drugs (beta-blockers 83 vs. 79%; Ca antagonists 66 vs. 68%; alpha1-adrenoreceptor antagonists 50 vs. 67%) during the study. As expected, mean arterial blood pressure and hemoglobin levels showed a higher percentage reduction in group A versus group B (-4 +/- 2.8 vs. 2.1 +/- 2.6%, P = 0.07, and -11.5 +/- 1.5 vs. -0.5 +/- 2.3%, P < 0.01, respectively). Group A patients showed a significantly higher decrement in LV mass index (LVMI) than group B at the end of follow-up, after adjusting for age, baseline LVMI, time after grafting and changes in systolic blood pressure, renal function, and hemoglobin levels (group A, -9.5 +/- 3.5% vs. group B, 3 +/- 3.2%, P < 0.05). As a result, 46% of group A and only 7% of group B patients showed a reduction of LVMI >/=15% (P < 0.01). The beneficial effect of lisinopril on LVMI reduction was more evident in DD patients (placebo DD, 8.4 +/- 4.1% vs. lisinopril DD, -7.2 +/- 5.3, P < 0.05), and a trend was observed in patients with other genotypes (placebo ID/II, 2.8 +/- 5.4% vs. lisinopril ID/II, -11.4 +/- 5%, P = 0.33). CONCLUSIONS: Lisinopril decreases LVM in renal transplant patients with hypertension and LVH, and the ACE gene polymorphism may predict the beneficial effect of this therapy. This finding may be important in targeting prophylactic interventions in this population.