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Biomedical subjects

F Molina

Publications and source records attributed to F Molina.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis: prolonged spontaneous remission in two patients.

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis is a rare idiopathic diffuse airspace disease characterized by intra-alveolar accumulation of large quantities of lipoproteinaceous material, with preservation of the lung interstitium. The clinical course of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis is variable. Spontaneous resolution is known to occur in up to a quarter of the cases. We describe two patients with untreated pulmonary alveolar proteinosis who experienced complete clinical, functional and radiographic resolution. In follow-up periods of fourteen and six years, both patients have remained asymptomatic.

Adult↗

[Primary multicentric cerebral lymphoma in a previously healthy patient].

Primary cerebral non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (PCL) is not very frequent, especially in the immunologically normal patient. Its radiological features and the response to steroid and radiotherapy treatment force the physician to consider it amongst the differential brain tumor diagnoses; particularly when an extraordinary remission is observed after steroid treatment, even in an immunologically normal patient.

Adult↗

[Trichinosis. A study of a large outbreak on the Iberian peninsula].

An epidemic outbreak of trichinosis after wild boar meat ingestion was analysed. The most frequent clinical manifestations were: muscular pain, fever, periorbitary edema and conjunctivitis. Laboratory tests showed eosinophilia and increased muscular enzymes. There was no mortality. 10 patients had electromyograms, which all showed an inflammatory myopathy pattern. The one fiber study showed similar signs as those found in cases of polymyositis. There was a significant statistical relationship between intensity and duration of symptoms in the intestinal phase and eosinophils levels in peripheral blood. There was also a statistically significant relationship between CPK levels and decrease of mean duration of motor unit potential. Treatment with thiabendazole and steroids was useful. The indirect immunofluorescence test (IIT) proved an excellent method for diagnosing trichinosis.

Adolescent↗

The Ch21 protein, developmentally regulated in chick embryo, belongs to the superfamily of lipophilic molecule carrier proteins.

Ch21, a developmentally regulated low molecular weight protein observed in chick embryo skeletal tissues, is expressed "in vitro" by differentiating chondrocytes at a late stage of development. Here we report the complete amino acid sequence of the protein. 86% of the total amino acid sequence was deduced by sequences of 17 high performance liquid chromatography-separated proteolytic fragments and 33 amino acid residues at the amino-terminal end of protein purified from spent culture medium of hypertrophic chondrocytes. Furthermore we isolated by molecular cloning the corresponding cDNA and determined its nucleotide sequence. By combining protein and nucleotide sequence data we determined the primary structure of the entire Ch21. It consists of 158 amino acids and has a molecular mass of 18.065 kDa. Computer-assisted analysis showed that the Ch21 belongs to the superfamily of low molecular weight proteins sharing a basic framework for binding and transport of small hydrophobic molecules.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The amino terminal sequence of the developmentally regulated Ch21 protein shows homology with amino terminal sequences of low molecular weight proteins binding hydrophobic molecules.

Ch21 protein, a developmentally regulated chick embryo protein of 21,000 apparent molecular weight, was purified from culture medium of hypertrophic chondrocytes. The purification method included a DEAE cellulose chromatography column, a CM cellulose chromatography column and a HPLC molecular sieve column. The amino acid sequence of the amino terminal end of the protein was determined. Computer assisted analysis showed significant homology between this sequence and the amino terminal sequences of proteins that belong to the superfamily of the low molecular weight binding proteins sharing a basic framework for the binding and transport of small hydrophobic molecules. Determination of the amino terminal sequence of the chicken retinol binding protein excluded identity between this protein and the Ch21.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

A placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized trial of cyclosporine therapy in active chronic Crohn's disease.

We randomly assigned 71 patients with active chronic Crohn's disease who were resistant to or intolerant of corticosteroids to treatment with oral cyclosporine (5 to 7.5 mg per kilogram of body weight per day) or placebo for three months. Disease activity was assessed on a clinical grading scale without knowledge of the treatment given. At the end of the treatment period, 22 of the 37 cyclosporine-treated patients (59 percent) had improvement, as compared with 11 of the 34 placebo-treated patients (32 percent) (P = 0.032). During cyclosporine treatment, there was significant improvement in plasma orosomucoid levels (P = 0.0025) and the Crohn's Disease Activity Index (P = 0.00012). The effect of treatment became evident after two weeks. In the subsequent three months, during which the patients were gradually withdrawn from treatment, the improvement continued in 14 of the 37 patients (38 percent) in the cyclosporine group and in 5 of the 34 (15 percent) in the placebo group (P = 0.034). No serious adverse events were observed. We conclude that cyclosporine has a beneficial therapeutic effect in patients with active chronic Crohn's disease and resistance to or intolerance of corticosteroids.

Administration, Oral↗

Comparison of mitogenic responses of young and old rhesus monkey T cells to lectins and interleukins 2 and 4.

Purified T cells from rhesus monkeys, like human T cells, do not show a significant mitogenic response to lectins or PMA, but when combined with PMA or accessory cells, PHA and Con A induce a vigorous mitogenic response. This response is strongly impaired in purified T cells from old rhesus monkeys compared to young T cells, from 56 to 72%, and parallels results obtained with T cell preparations containing accessory cells. Likewise, purified T cells do not respond to interleukin 2 (IL-2) or IL-4, but in the presence of PMA, a significant mitogenic response occurs in the young but not the old T cells. This response is augmented by accessory cells, but is still very deficient in the old T cells. These results show that the IL-2 independent activation of T cells triggered by IL-4, like the conventional IL-2 activation, is age impaired. The deficient response to IL-2 implies an age-related deficiency in IL-2 receptor as well in aged rhesus T cells, and may account for the less effective response of the old cells to calcium ionophore (+PMA) activation. The use of purified T cells in these studies obviate the influence of accessory cells, and thus simplify interpretation.

Age Factors↗

Comparative mitogenic response of old and young rhesus monkey T cells to lectin from Erythrina cristagalli.

The lectin (EC) from the coral tree, E. cristagalli, while less mitogenic on a molar or weight basis than PHA or ConA, strongly activates both Rhesus monkey and human T cells. The optimal mitogenic concentrations for both Rhesus and human T cells are 0.25, 2.5, and 25 micrograms/ml, respectively, for PHA, ConA, and EC. Aged Rhesus T cells were profoundly suppressed in mitogenic response to EC (approx. 80%) compared to young Rhesus cells. However, in the presence of supplemental interleukin 2 (20 U/ml), the age-related defect was reversed; the average mitogenic response of the old Rhesus T cells was increased sixfold.

Aging↗

Multicentre experience in the treatment of burns with autologous and allogenic cultured epithelium, fresh or preserved in a frozen state.

This report describes the clinical results obtained from a multicentre experience of the use of autologous and allogenic cultured human epidermal cells in the treatment of partial and full skin thickness burns. A laboratory has been organized to supply cultured epithelium to Burns Units in different cities. From May 1986 to December 1988, 58 patients with an age range of 1 to 59 years, and with burns covering between 7 and 95 per cent of the body surface area, have been treated. Graftable cultured epithelium can be frozen and remain viable if stored in a skin bank. Such grafts were used successfully to treat patients with partial and full skin thickness wounds.

Adolescent↗

Determination of acetoacetate in urine by solid-phase spectrophotometry.

A method for the determination of acetoacetate has been developed based on solid-phase spectrophotometry (SPS). The acetoacetate reacts with nitroprusside and glycine and the reaction product is sorbed on Dowex 1-X8 resin. The absorbance of the resin phase at 590 and 720 nm is measured directly. The calibration graph is linear up to 3.3 mg l-1 and the RSD is 1.9%. The detection limit is 7.6 micrograms l-1. The method has been applied to the determination of acetoacetate in normal and diabetic subjects' urine without pretreatment of the samples, and the results compared with those of 1H-NMR and homogeneous nitroprusside methods.

Acetoacetates↗