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Biomedical subjects

J Herrera

Publications and source records attributed to J Herrera.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Ontogenesis of pyroglutamyl peptidase II activity in rat brain, adenohypophysis and pancreas.

Pyroglutamyl peptidase II (PPII; E.C. 3.4.19.-) is a highly specific membrane-bound ectoenzyme degrading thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH). The ontogenesis of this enzyme was measured in rat brain regions, adenohypophysis and pancreas. In hypothalamus PPII activity was maximal at day 8 postnatal, decreasing to adult values at day 45. The postnatal ontogenic patterns in posterior cerebral cortex and hypothalamus were similar. In olfactory bulb, two peaks of activity were observed (3th and 22nd day) while in adenohypophysis it appeared only at day 8, increased to day 30, decreasing thereafter to adult values.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

[Diagnosis of dominant renal polycystosis in adults by analysis of DNA polymorphism].

BACKGROUND: Adult renal polycystosis (ARP) is a dominant autosomic disease. The gene responsible for this disease in most families has been located on the short arm of chromosome 16 (16 p) by restriction analysis of the DNA polymorphisms (RFLP). METHODS: The existence of several polymorphic markers flanking this gene permits the diagnosis of any member of an affected family. A series of proximal and distal genetic markers have been used to study the segregation of the disease in a group of families with more than one affected member. RESULTS: The clinical and genetic results obtained from a study of 10 Spanish families with ARP have been reported. A high percentage of the members under 30 years of age (40%) did not present renal cysts. CONCLUSIONS: Restriction analysis of DNA are fundamentally for a disease in which a high percentage of carriers remain asymptomatic within the reproductive age.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Fluid intake patterns in schizophrenia and normal controls.

1. Patterns of fluid intake and urine output was examined in schizophrenia and normal controls. 2. Fluid intake and urine output were significantly higher in schizophrenic patients. 3. Bouts of drinking correlated significantly with fluid intake but did not differ significantly between schizophrenic patients and normal controls. 4. Schizophrenic patients drink more per bout compared to normal controls.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[Acute early rejection in renal transplantation].

The incidence of early acute rejection (first two months after surgery) was evaluated in a group of 150 kidney transplants, receptors, who were followed for more than three months. Ninety nine were transplanted with kidney from a cadaver donor and 51 with living donor. One hundred forty two patients were treated with triple immunosuppression therapy (cyclosporine, prednisone and azathioprine). The incidence of early acute rejection was significantly higher in cadaver kidney receptors (34% vs 19.6%, p = 0.04. Fisher exact test). However, early rejection did not have demonstrable influence in graft or patient survival or in the follow-up graft function. Graft and patient survival were not affected by the severity of the rejection episode.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1992

[Pregnancy in renal transplant recipients. Long-term evaluation of their children].

The course of eight pregnancies in seven renal transplant patients was analyzed. Immunosuppression consisted of Azathioprine and Prednisone. Pregnancy lasted from 32 to 39 weeks and the fetal development corresponded to the gestational age in every case. There were three cases which had complications during the pregnancy. One case had severe arterial hypertension, proteinuria and pedal edema, which was thought to be due to pre-eclampsia. Another patient had cholestatic jaundice and premature fissure of membranes and the third patient also had this last complication. Four patients had vaginal deliveries and in four cesarean section was performed. Renal function did not deteriorate during any of the pregnancies nor during the follow-up period, but the expected increase in creatinine clearance was not found. Clinical evaluation of the children, 4 months to 8 years of age, did not disclose any abnormalities.

Child↗
PubMed1992

Effect of prostaglandin synthesis inhibition on glomerular filtration rate in renal transplant recipients.

To determine the influence of prostaglandin (PG) synthesis inhibition on the renal function in renal transplant recipients, we carried out a crossover, double-blind, placebo controlled study of 18 ambulatory patients. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was measured using 51-Cr EDTA, before and after indomethacin (50 mgr. three times a day for three days), and placebo. Overnight urinary PGE excretion decreased 88.9 +/- SEM 4.81% after indomethacin, but remained unchanged following placebo. GFR decreased 15.3 +/- SEM 3.94% (p = 0.0139) after indomethacin. There was no correlation between PGE urinary excretion and GFR changes. Pre-existing renal functional impairment was not a significant risk factor. Caution should be exercised when using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in renal transplant patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

[Gastric metastasis of renal cell adenocarcinoma].

Gastric metastases are rare, usually discovered at autopsy. The most frequent ones are breast and bronchial cancer, as well as malignant melanoma. The case of a patient with upper gastroenterological hemorrhage due to an ulcerated metastasis from a renal cell carcinoma is presented.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

[Usefulness of ketoconazole combined with cyclosporin in renal transplantation].

To reduce the cost of treatment in renal transplant patients, ketoconazole, an inhibitor of the cytochrome P-450 enzyme system, was added to their triple immunosuppressive treatment (prednisone, azathioprine and cyclosporine). Thirty seven patients were included; they received 100-200 mg/day of ketoconazole and the amount of cyclosporine given was adjusted to keep its whole blood concentration within a therapeutic range. The dose of cyclosporine was decreased 70.4% by the first month of combined treatment and 76% by the ninth month. The benefit obtained with this reduction allowed the use of cyclosporine to be extended to all the patients and to administer it permanently. In 3 patients the increase in the serum hepatic enzymes made us stop ketoconazole. In order to detect hepatotoxicity early, periodic monitoring of liver function tests is mandatory.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Negative symptoms: psychopathological models.

The psychopathological manifestations of schizophrenia have been broadly divided into positive and negative symptom groups. Even though there is no definitive consensus, psychomotor agitation, motor excitement, hallucinations, delusions and thought disorder constitute positive and psychomotor retardation, amotivation, apathy and decreased emotional expression are grouped into negative symptoms. The negative symptoms have been reported to appear late in the course of the illness and resistant to treatment with neuroleptics. While these claims have not been substantiated, the current interest on negative symptoms is related to the fact that many nonfunctioning institutionalized as well as ambulatory schizophrenics manifest negative symptoms. As chronic psychiatric beds have become scarce, many patients with negative symptoms who were harbored in the chronic mental hospitals have been released to the community care and some of these patients live on the streets. Thus their visibility has challenged psychiatry to focus its efforts on the etiology and treatment of negative symptoms.

Deinstitutionalization↗
PubMed1990

Familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and muscle carnitine deficiency.

Five members of the same family, along three generations, presented with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Neurological examination, muscle strength, electromyography, and serum creatine kinase were normal. Skeletal muscle biopsy showed abnormal lipid accumulation and carnitine deficiency. In three patients the cardiac symptoms and echocardiographic findings improved after treatment with L-carnitine, 3-4 g daily, and a long-chain fatty-acid-free diet.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Incidence of type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus in subjects 0-14 years of age in the Comunidad of Madrid, Spain.

A retrospective, population-based registry was established in the Comunidad of Madrid, Spain (total population: 4,780,572; under age 15: 1,105,243) to investigate the epidemiology of Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus. Included were all cases diagnosed with diabetes between 1985 and 1988, with age onset less than 15 years, and using insulin at discharge from hospital. Using the capture-recapture method employing hospital records as the primary source and membership files of the Spanish Diabetic Association as the secondary source, the ascertainment was 90%. The overall annual incidence was estimated to be 11.3/100,000 (Poison 95% confidence interval: 10.3-12.4). There was no temporal increase in incidence, nor was there a significant sex difference in incidence rates, either overall or by year. The seasonal onset pattern showed the highest incidence in winter (December-February) and lowest in summer (June-August) (r = 7.36, p less than 0.05). The age-adjusted (world standard) incidence of 10.9/100,000 was inconsistent with the hypothesis of a north-south gradient in diabetes risk.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Subjective neuroleptic response and treatment outcome under open and double-blind conditions--a preliminary report.

1. A patient's early subjective response to a neuroleptic was recorded in 17 schizophrenic patients following a fixed dose of neuroleptic under both open and double-blind placebo-controlled conditions. 2. High correlations were found between a patient's subjective response at 2.5, 24 and 48 hours after the initial dose, suggesting that the timing of the initial subjective response rating is not critical. 3. The relationship between the psychiatric improvement and subjective response was not significant under double-blind conditions (r = 0.004), while the relationship under the open condition showed a trend towards significance comparable to earlier reports (r = 0.32). 4. The findings question the usefulness of applying early subjective response to a neuroleptic to predict clinical improvement.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Self-injury in psychiatric in-patients.

Suicide and self-injury in-patients were identified on the basis of a retrospective content analysis of special incidence reports completed the preceding year at an urban state psychiatric hospital. Select clinical and biodemographic variables were then examined, and in order to determine the importance of these variables in the prediction of incident severity, a multiple regression analysis was performed. Schizophrenic patients were found to be significantly over-represented among both the self-injury and suicide patients.

California↗
PubMed1990

Nonuniform irradiation of the canine intestine. I. Effects.

To investigate the effects of nonuniform irradiation on the small intestine, we prepared 24 dogs for continent isoperistaltic ileostomies under aseptic surgical conditions and general anesthesia. After a 3-week recovery period, the ileum was catheterized with a fiberoptic endoscope to observe the intestinal mucosa and to harvest mucosal biopsies. The baseline macroscopic and microscopic appearance of the intestinal mucosa was determined. Two weeks later, the ileum was catheterized with a 100-cm soft tube containing 40 groups of three thermoluminescent dosimeters placed at equally spaced intervals, and a dose of either 4.5, 8, 10, 11, or 15 Gy 60Co gamma rays was delivered to the right abdomen (nonuniform exposure). This method allowed a direct and precise assessment of the dose received at 40 sites located in the 100-cm intestinal segment. The intestinal mucosa was again evaluated 1, 4, and 6 days after irradiation. All animals exposed to 4.5 and 8 Gy survived, whereas none survived after 11 and 15 Gy. After exposure to 10 Gy, 60% of the animals died within 4-6 days and 40% survived with symptoms associated with both the intestinal and the hematopoietic syndromes. Crypt cell necrosis, blunting of villi, and reduction of the mucosal lining increased between 1 and 4 days after irradiation, and mucosal damage was correlated with intraintestinal dosimetry at Day 6. The granulocyte counts at Day 4 were significantly lower than baseline level in animals that died within 4-6 days but not in survivors. The present model appears to be realistic and clinically relevant, allowing the concurrent study of the intestinal and hematopoietic effects of high-dose nonuniform irradiation similar to that received by patients during radiation therapy as well as by radiation accident victims.

Accidents↗