Secondary SUNCT syndrome to a variant of the vertebrobasilar vascular development.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to I Pérez.
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This article presents an evaluation of the safety impacts of four engineering treatments implemented in the Autonomous Community of Madrid (Spain): highway upgrading; updating and improvement of traffic signing; repainting of pavement markings and pavement resurfacings. This evaluation was carried out using the Empirical Bayes method with a comparison group. The functioning of a methodology to test the significance of the safety impact is described. The results show that highway upgrading has a positive and significant safety impact, while the updating and improvement of traffic signing, the repainting of road markings and pavement resurfacings do not exhibit a significant impact on safety.
In order to contribute to current knowledge of ozone concentrations and transport across the Central Massif, a monitoring station was installed at 1780 m on the upper Spanish plateau about 55 km from the city of Madrid. Ozone concentrations and standard meteorological variables were measured in June and July 2002. A smoothed ozone hourly cycle was obtained with mean values of 120 and 110 microgm(-3) during day-time and night-time, respectively. The highest ozone concentrations were recorded in the SE-S-SW wind sectors, proving the influence of transport from the Madrid urban plume to the upper plateau. This assumption was also supported by the satisfactory correlation between ozone peaks obtained at the monitoring site and those recorded in a representative station on the foothill located on the lower plateau during episodic situations. To assess the contribution of long-range transport, backward air mass trajectories were computed each day of measurements at 820 hPa. The lowest ozone mean was linked to Atlantic Ocean air masses, and the highest to air masses from Central Europe.
This randomised, double-blind, parallel-group, multicentre clinical trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of rupatadine, a new antihistamine with antiplatelet-activating factor (PAF) activity, and cetirizine in the treatment of patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR). A total 249 patients were randomised to receive rupatadine 10 mg once daily (127 patients) or cetirizine 10 mg (122 patients) for two weeks. The main efficacy variable was the mean total daily symptom score (mTDSS) and was based on the daily subjective assessment of the severity of each rhinitis symptom--nasal (runny nose, sneezing, nasal itching and nasal obstruction) and non-nasal (conjunctival itching, tearing, and pharyngeal itching)--recorded by patients in their diaries. The mTDSS was 0.7 for both treatment groups (intention to treat analysis). In the investigator's global evaluation of efficacy at the seventh day, 93.3% and 83.7% patients in the rupatadine and cetirizine groups, respectively, showed some or great improvement (p = 0.022). In the per protocol analysis (n = 181), runny nose at the seventh day of treatment was absent or mild in 81.1% of patients in the rupatadine group and in 68.6% of patients in the cetirizine group (p = 0.029). In any case statistical significance was not maintained at the second week. Overall, all treatments were well tolerated. Adverse events (AEs) were similar in both treatment groups, i.e. headache, somnolence and fatigue/asthenia as the most often reported. Somnolence was reported in 9.6% and 8.5% of patients treated with rupatadine or cetirizine, respectively. The most reported AEs (67%) were mild in intensity. Our results suggest that rupatadine 10 mg may be a valuable and safe alternative for the symptomatic treatment of SAR.
BACKGROUND: The main objective of this randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, comparative study was to assess the efficacy and safety of rupatadine 10 mg (R10) and 20 mg (R20) administered once-daily for two weeks compared with those of loratadine 10 mg (L10) in the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR). METHODS: A total of 339 SAR patients were randomized to receive R20 (111 patients), R10 (112 patients) or L10 (116 patients). The main efficacy variable was the mean total daily symptom score (mTDSS) based on the daily subjective assessment of the severity of rhinitis symptoms--rhinorrhea, sneezing, nasal itching, nasal obstruction, conjunctival itching, tearing and pharyngeal itching--recorded by patients. RESULTS: The mTDSS was significantly lower in the groups treated with R20 (0.80 +/- 0.46) and R10 (0.85 +/- 0.52) than in the group treated with L10 (0.92 +/- 0.51) by protocol analysis (p = 0.03) but not by intention-to-treat analysis. The secondary variables used to assess efficacy (mDSS, DSSmax, CSS and TCSS) also showed significantly milder symptoms in patients treated with R20 and R10, particularly in sneezing and nasal itching. All treatments were well tolerated and no serious adverse events were recorded. Headache was the most frequent non-serious adverse event, and these did not show significant differences between treatments at similar dose levels. Somnolence was more frequent in R20 than in the other two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The present results suggest that rupatadine 10 mg a day may be a valuable and safe alternative for the symptomatic treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis.
Protein restriction (PR) significantly inhibits spontaneous and chemical carcinogenesis. Several factors seem to be involved in this effect, including a decrease in body weight, cellular proliferation and DNA damage and an increase in antioxidant defenses. The current study was designed to determine modifications in some hepatic cytochromes P450 (CYPs) due to a hypoproteic diet and to investigate its implications on chemical mutagenesis. Western blot analysis showed decreases of 73, 40 and 74% in CYP1A, CYP2B and CYP2E1 protein concentrations in hepatic microsomes from animals fed a protein-restricted (6% protein) diet for 6 weeks in comparison with microsomes from rats fed a 24% protein diet during the same period. In the same way, low protein fed animals showed a 3.5-fold decrease in hepatic CYP1A1-associated ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase activity, a 6-fold decrease in CYP1A2-associated methoxyresorufin O-demethylase activity, a 1.7-fold decrease in CYP2B1-associated penthoxyresorufin O-dealkylase activity, a 9-fold decrease in CYP2B2-associated benzyloxyresorufin O-dealkylase and, finally, a 3.4-fold decrease in CYP2E1-associated 4-nitrophenol hydroxylase activity. As a result of decreased CYP hepatic protein concentrations and enzymatic activities, liver S9 from rats fed a hypoproteic diet was less efficient in activating promutagens than S9 prepared from rats fed a 24% protein diet in the Ames test. Mutagenic potency obtained with protein-restricted S9 was reduced 25-fold for 2-aminoanthracene, 1.5-fold for N-nitrosodipropylamine, 12.5-fold for N-nitrosodibutylamine, 2-fold for cyclophosphamide and N-nitrosopyrrolidine and 71-fold for N-nitrosodimethylamine. However, the mutagenic potency of benzo[a]pyrene was the same (4 revertants/ microg) with S9 derived from rats fed either a 6 or 24% protein diet.
From November 1998 to October 2000, measurements of soil respiration were performed on the Spanish plateau for two patches of non-irrigated barley, one managed with conventional tillage (CT) and the other with reduced tillage (RT). Soil CO2 flux showed seasonal variation on both patches, with an increase from March to October, peaking in May, and a decrease during the winter period by a factor of around 2. The mean value for both combined years was 2.03 and 1.70 micromol m(-2) S(-1), in the CT and RT patches, respectively. In order to analyse the influence of RT on soil CO2 flux, two tests were performed. The first one was the Kruskal-Wallis test to compare whether the differences between the medians in both patches were statistically significant. The results obtained revealed statistically significant differences during the second year, at a 85% and 95% significance level, use being made of annual data and that recorded during the period of maximum interest, March-October, respectively. The decrease in soil respiration in the RT patch was around 24%. The second test was aimed at describing and comparing the influence of soil temperature on soil CO2 flux. By using the data of both patches recorded during the first year, an empirical equation on 10-cm soil temperature was fitted and tested on the data corresponding to the second year in each of the patches. Then, a comparison between the medians of the differences between the estimated and observed values was again performed by means of the Kruskal-Wallis test. The over-prediction of the model in the RT patch, statistically significant at a 90% significance level, was roughly 23%, confirming again the decrease in soil respiration one year after this agricultural management practice had been implemented.
The influence of independent variables in the pulping of wheat straw by use of an ethanol-acetone-water mixture [processing temperature and time, ethanol/(ethanol + acetone) value and (ethanol + acetone)/(ethanol + acetone + water) value] and of the number of PFI beating revolutions to which the pulp was subjected, on the properties of the resulting pulp (yield and Shopper-Riegler index) and of the paper sheets obtained from it (breaking length, stretch, burst index and tear index) was examined. By using a central composite factor design and the BMDP software suite, equations that relate each dependent variable to the different independent variables were obtained that reproduced the experimental results for the dependent variables with errors less than 30% at temperatures, times, ethanol/(ethanol + acetone) value, (ethanol + acetone)/(ethanol + acetone + water) value and numbers of PFI beating revolutions in the ranges 140-180 degrees C, 60-120 min, 25-75%, 35-75% and 0-1750, respectively. Using values of the independent variables over the variation ranges considered provided the following optimum values of the dependent variables: 78.17% (yield), 15.21 degrees SR (Shopper-Riegler index), 5265 m (breaking length), 1.94% (stretch), 2.53 kN/g (burst index) and 4.26 mN m2/g (tear index). Obtaining reasonably good paper sheets (with properties that differed by less than 15% from their optimum values except for the burst index, which was 28% lower) entailed using a temperature of 180 degrees C, an ethanol/(ethanol + acetone) value of 50%, an (ethanol + acetone)/(ethanol + acetone + water) value of 75%, a processing time of 60 min and a number of PFI beating revolutions of 1750. The yield was 32% lower under these conditions, however. A comparison of the results provided by ethanol, acetone and ethanol-acetone pulping revealed that the second and third process-which provided an increased yield were the best choices. On the other hand, if the pulp is to be refined, ethanol pulping is the process of choice.
The novel metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of indium organometallics with organic electrophiles is described. Triorganoindium compounds (R(3)In) containing alkyl, vinyl, aryl, and alkynyl groups are efficiently prepared from the corresponding lithium or magnesium organometallics by reaction with indium trichloride. The cross-coupling reaction of R(3)In with aryl halides and pseudohalides (iodide 2, bromide 5, and triflate 4), vinyl triflates, benzyl bromides, and acid chlorides proceeds under palladium catalysis in excellent yields and with high chemoselectivity. Indium organometallics also react with aryl chlorides as under nickel catalysis. In the cross-coupling reaction the triorganoindium compounds transfer, in a clear example of atom economy, all three of the organic groups attached to the metal, as shown by the necessity of using only 34 mol % of indium. The feasibility of using R(3)In in reactions with different electrophiles, along with the high yields and chemoselectivities obtained, reveals indium organometallics to be useful alternatives to other organometallics in cross-coupling reactions.
OBJECTIVE: To study the incidence and mortality of coronary heart disease (CHD) and all-cause mortality in a cohort of men followed during 28 years, and their association with serum cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, glycemia, cigarette smoking and body mass index measured at baseline. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A cohort of 1,059 men aged 30 to 59 years and free of cardiovascular diseases at baseline in 1968, was examined every five years until 1988. The last examination was performed in 1996. Information was collected in 96.4% of the participants. RESULTS: Incidence and mortality rates from CHD and from all-causes of death per 105 person-years of observation were 499.80, 235.80 and 925.33, respectively. At the end of follow-up, high levels of serum cholesterol and smoking were independently associated with the incidence and mortality from CHD adjusted for age, blood pressure, glycemia and BMI. Serum cholesterol, hyperglycemia and smoking were independently associated with all-cause mortality. CONCLUSIONS: In this industrial cohort of men, with a relatively low incidence of CHD, smoking and serum cholesterol at baseline were independently associated with the incidence of CHD over 28 years of observation.
A central composition design was developed to study the influence of process variables (temperature, pulping time and ethanol concentration) on the properties of the pulp produced (yield and holocellulose, alpha-cellulose and lignin contents) and the pH of the resulting wastewater, in the ethanol pulping of olive tree trimmings. The proposed equations reproduce the experimental results for the dependent variables with errors less than 5% for the holocellulose and alpha-cellulose contents, yield and wastewater pH, and less than 15% for the lignin content. Obtaining pulp with acceptably high yield (37.6%), high holocellulose and alpha-cellulose contents (above 88.8% and 46.9%, respectively), and low lignin contents (below 7.2%), entails operating at a pulping temperature of 200 degrees C, using an ethanol concentration of 75% and a pulping time of 60 min.
A central composite factor design was used to examine the influence of independent variables in the acetone pulping of wheat straw (processing temperature, time, and acetone concentration) on the yield of the resulting pulp, and on various physical properties of paper sheets (breaking length, stretch, burst index, tear index and brightness) obtained from it. Equations that related each dependent variable to the different independent variables were obtained, and these reproduced the experimental results for the yield, breaking, stretch, burst index and brightness obtained at temperatures, times, and acetone concentratons over the ranges 140-180 degrees C, 60-120 min and 40-80%, respectively, with errors less than 20%. Obtaining the optimum breakinig length, stretch, burst index and tear index for the paper sheets (3,456 m, 1.42%, 1.36 kN/g and 3.86 mNm2/g, respectively) entails using a high temperature; the processing time and acetone concentration only influence stretch, optimization of which requires using a short time and a low concentration. The optimum brightness (30.44%) is achieved with a low temperature, a short time and a medium acetone concentration. In order to minimize losses of solvent during its recovery and recycling while ensuring acceptable levels of the properties of the paper sheets, a high temperature, a low acetone concentration and a short time can be used; the brightness level thus obtained is only 10% lower than the optimum value.
Cyclohexanol (CH) is an industrial solvent capable of inducing cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes including the CYP2E and CYP2B subfamilies. S9 from CH treated rats is able to activate several N-nitrosamines that are poorly activated by Aroclor 1254, phenobarbital/beta-naphthoflavone (PB/NF) or 3-methylcholanthrene S9 fractions into mutagens detected by the Salmonella typhimurium Ames test. Additionally, albendazole (ABZ) is a widely used anthelmintic drug and a potent inducer of the CYP1A subfamily. Since CYP1A, -2B and -2E subfamilies are implicated in the activation of several environmental mutagens/carcinogens, we studied CYP induction in the rat liver by the combined effect of these two compounds, and used S9 derived from it in the Salmonella/microsome assay to compare with S9 obtained from Aroclor or PB/NF treated rats. Total CYP content in hepatic microsomes was induced by Aroclor, but not by any of the other chemical combinations. Western blot and enzymatic activity analysis revealed quantitative but not qualitative differences in the CYP subfamilies present in the different microsomal fractions; all of the chemicals used increased the levels of CYP1A1/2, CYP2B1/2 and CYP2E1 with respect to control microsomes. CYP3A was not modified by the different treatments. When tested in the Ames test, Aroclor S9 and PB/NF S9 were the most effective in the activation of benzo[a]pyrene and 3-methylcholanthrene which are metabolized mainly by CYP1A1; additionally, the highest mutagenic potency of 2-aminofluorene and N-nitrosodipropylamine, which are activated by CYP1A2 and CYP2B, respectively, were obtained with PB/NF S9. All these compounds were also activated when CH/ABZ S9 was used as the exogenous source of metabolism. Mutagens like N-nitrosopyrrolidine and N-nitrosodimethylamine, activated by CYP2E1, were detected only when CH/ABZ S9 was used, and the effectiveness of the different S9 fractions in activating cyclophosphamide decreased in the following order: Aroclor = PB/NF > CH/ABZ > control. From these experiments we can conclude that the individual CYP- inducing properties of ABZ and CH complement each other when the two compounds are administered in conjunction and that the resulting S9 fraction is able to activate several known mutagens in the Ames test.
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Volatile compounds from the aerial parts of Teucrium lepicephalum Pau and Teucrium carolipaui C. Vicioso ex Pau, both belonging to the Teucrium pumilum aggregate, were analysed by capillary GC and GC-MS. From the common and specific compounds (mono- and sesquiterpenes) of the two taxa, chemical characterization was carried out and taxonomic relationships were assessed. Application of the cluster and k-means discriminant analysis shows a differential chemical relationship between T. lepicephalum and Teucrium carolipaui.
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Insulin-elicited endothelin release in hypertriglyceridemic, hypertensive, hyperinsulinemic (HTG) rats was shown. Weanling male Wistar rats were given 30% sucrose in their drinking water for 20-24 wk. In vitro contractions of aorta and femoral arteries were elicited with 40 mM KCl. Endothelin release induced with KCl plus 50 microU/ml insulin resulted in increases in contractile responses: 41 +/- 5.9 and 57 +/- 6% for control and 65.5 +/- 6 and 95 +/- 9% for HTG aortas and femoral arteries, respectively. The endothelin ET(B)-receptor blocker BQ-788 decreased responses to KCl + insulin by 39 +/- 8 and 53 +/- 5% in control and 48 +/- 13 and 79 +/- 3.5% in HTG aortas and femoral arteries, respectively. The ET(A)-receptor antagonist PD-151242 inhibited these responses by 12 +/- 10 and 1 +/- 9% in control and by 51.5 +/- 9 and 58.5 +/- 1% in HTG aortas and femoral arteries, respectively. These results suggest that endothelin may contribute to the hypertension in this model.
PURPOSE: In present study we have studied MLL rearrangements in a serie of acute myeloid, lymphoblastic and biphenotypic leukaemias. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed a total of 11 cases: 9 acute myeloid leukaemias (M4 and M5 subtypes in FAB classification), 1 lymphoid leukaemia, and 1 acute biphenotypic leukaemia. We studied bone marrow samples from all patients by using conventional cytogenetic techniques and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with an MLL probe. We also analyzed the correlation between clinical features and genetic results. RESULTS: Cells from 6 patients showed to contain MLL rearrangements and these arose in all types of leukaemias included in this study. Some MLL rearrangements were detected by FISH in kariotypically normal cases or without cytogenetic evidence of 11q23 aberration. MLL gene duplication has been observed in two cases with M4 and biphenotypic leukaemia, respectively. The presence of MLL gene rearrangements does not shape a group of patients with a common clinical pattern. CONCLUSIONS: MLL rearrangements occurs in a wide variety of leukemias. These rearrangements should be screened by FISH techniques, taking into account that gene duplications could arise in cases with normal karyotype. MLL rearrangements appear to have a considerable clinicopathologic heterogeneity.