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J Palou

Publications and source records attributed to J Palou.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

SEM-FTIR spectroscopic evaluation of deterioration in an historic coffered ceiling.

Microorganisms generally degrade wood when moisture, oxygen and other environmental factors provide favorable growing conditions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to study the development and transformation of the products formed during the biomineralization process that follows the deterioration of wood from an historical coffered ceiling (Cloister of St Francesc (XIV century), Palma de Mallorca, Spain). After fungi colonization, cellulose and lignin disappear and inorganic salts are formed. Thus, the secretion of numerous acids (initially oxalic acid) by fungal hyphae also leads to the precipitation of authigenic salts. Damaged cells or tissues enhance the formation and growth of crystals, which is strongly favored by fungi that function as calcification nuclei. Finally, the presence of dihydrated calcium sulfate reveals the contribution of environmental factors to the weathering of wood.

Fungi↗
PubMed2006

Tumour lymphangiogenesis is a possible predictor of sentinel lymph node status in cutaneous melanoma: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous melanoma spreads preferentially through the lymphatic route and sentinel lymph node (SLN) status is regarded as the most important predictor of survival. AIMS: To evaluate whether tumour lymphangiogenesis and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) is related to the risk of SLN metastasis and to clinical outcome in a case-control series of patients with melanoma. METHODS: Forty five invasive melanoma specimens (15 cases and 30 matched controls) were investigated by immunostaining for the lymphatic endothelial marker D2-40 and for VEGF-C. Lymphangiogenesis was measured using computer assisted morphometric analysis. RESULTS: Peritumorous lymphatic vessels were more numerous, had larger average size, and greater relative area than intratumorous lymphatics. The number and area of peritumorous and intratumorous lymphatics was significantly higher in melanomas associated with SLN metastasis than in non-metastatic melanomas. No significant difference in VEGF-C expression by neoplastic cells was shown between metastatic and non-metastatic melanomas. Using logistic regression analysis, intratumorous lymphatic vessel (LV) area was the most significant predictor of SLN metastasis (p = 0.04). Using multivariate analysis, peritumorous LV density was an independent variable affecting overall survival, whereas the intratumorous LV area approached significance (p = 0.07). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that the presence of high peritumorous and intratumorous lymphatic microvessel density is associated with SLN metastasis and shorter survival. The intratumorous lymphatic vessel area is the most significant factor predicting SLN metastasis. The tumour associated lymphatic network constitutes a potential criterion in the selection of high risk patients for complementary treatment and a new target for antimelanoma therapeutic strategies.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Acute bacterial prostatitis: two different sub-categories according to a previous manipulation of the lower urinary tract.

Acute bacterial prostatitis (ABP) (NIH Category I), has not undergone any modification in the update of prostatitis classification. ABP was diagnosed in 614 patients in our centre over 9 years (1993-2001). We analyse the clinical pattern of ABP and the role of bladder outlet obstruction in its etiology, as well as whether two different ABP sub-categories could be defined as a function of a history of previous manipulation of the lower urinary tract. The results of the study show that the clinical pattern of a patient suffering from ABP does not differ from the statements of previous publications. On the other hand, patients with ABP have been shown to present with no bladder outlet obstruction. Finally, this study has disclosed the fact that the cases of ABP elicited by previous manipulation of the lower urinary tract (10%) show a different pattern from those cases where no previous manipulation has occurred (90%). The patients with ABP secondary to manipulation are older, have a higher risk of prostate abscess and higher frequency of multiple infections and also infections by pathogens other than Escherichia coli. Due to all of these reasons, it would be advisable to subdivide category I within the classification of prostatitis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2005

Cystectomy in patients with high risk superficial bladder tumors who fail intravesical BCG therapy: pre-cystectomy prostate involvement as a prognostic factor.

PURPOSE: To review understaging and outcome of patients who underwent radical cystectomy (RC) for high risk superficial bladder cancer after bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) failure. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We carried out a retrospective study of 62 cases in which RC was indicated for clinical stage Tis, Ta, T1 transitional cell bladder tumors that failed transurethral resection (TUR) and BCG treatment. We used BCG (81 mg/Connaught BCG) in patients with superficial grade 3 tumors and CIS. We considered BCG failure a high-grade recurrence at 3 months of the first BCG course or after 2 courses. RC indications, correlation between their clinical and pathological stage and the ensuing progress were analyzed. We assessed the existence of any pre-cystectomy clinical or pathological factor related to understaging and survival. RESULTS: RC was performed in 22 patients with carcinoma in situ (CIS) (35%), 7 with Ta (11,2%), 31 with T1 (50%), and 2 with Tx tumors (3%). All 62 but one were high-grade tumors (grade 3 and/or CIS). Tumor was clinically understaged with stages pT2 or greater on the RC specimen in 17 patients (27%). The presence of tumor in the prostatic urethra at the moment of endoscopic staging before RC was the only factor associated with clinical understaging (p=0.003) and shorter survival (p<0.0002). Five-year disease-specific survival rate was significantly lower in understaged (38%) as compared with not-understaged patients (90%) after a median follow-up of 40-months (range 1-142) (p=0.006). Overall five-year disease-specific survival was 79%. CONCLUSIONS: RC should be performed prior to progression in high risk superficial tumors that fail after TUR and BCG. In patients with clinical and pathological nonmuscle invasive disease, RC provides an excellent disease-free survival. One third of patients with HRSBT who underwent RC after BCG failure were understaged and had a shorter survival. Tumor in the prostatic urethra at endoscopic staging was the only factor associated to understaging and shorter survival.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed2004

Chromosomal high-polysomies predict tumour progression in T1 transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder.

UNLABELLED: The main prognostic factor generally accepted for tumour progression in T1 transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder is histological grade. Despite this fact it is considered inaccurate to make clinical decisions on individuals. It appears that progression from minimally invasive to deeply invasive cancer is concurrent with the acquisition of genomic alterations that increase the malignant potential of cancer cells. The aim of this study is to determine if changes in chromosomes 7, 8, 9 and 17 copy number can be used to predict recurrence and progression in patients with T1 TCC of the urinary bladder. METHODS: Thirty-one T1 TCC samples were analyzed for chromosomal alterations by fluorescence in situ hybridization using centromeric probes for chromosomes 7, 8, 9 and 17. Clinical data were collected from the patients' clinical records and correlated with chromosomal studies. RESULTS: Histological grade was confirmed as a prognostic factor of tumour progression (p=0.01). None of the cytogenetic alterations demonstrated in the studied group could be related to tumour recurrence. The high-polysomies (five or more copies) of chromosomes 8, 9 and 17 showed predictive value (p=0.05, 0.05, 0.03 respectively) for tumour progression since it was observed that patients with high-polysomy of these chromosomes showed more risk of tumour progression towards muscle-invasive disease than those without high-polysomy alteration. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest a possible prognostic significance of highly aneuploid cells (high-polysomies of chromosomes 8, 9 and 17) in tumour progression of T1 TCC bladder tumours. FISH analysis is a reproducible technique for evaluating cytogenetic alterations and could contribute to the assessment of the individual prognosis of T1 transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

[Living donor nephrectomy for kidney transplantation. Experience in the first two years].

OBJECTIVES: Laparoscopic surgery offers potential advantages in terms of diminishment of postoperative pain, shorter hospital stay, faster convalescence, and better cosmetic results. These advantages may increase kidney donation, making donation be accepted by more candidates. We report our first 2 years' experience with laparoscopic donor nephrectomy METHODS: Between March 2002 and February 2004 we performed 38 laparoscopic living donor nephrectomies for kidney transplantation. The technique of choice was the transperitoneal laparoscopic approach with four trocars, usually three of them from the start of the procedure--two 10-12 mm and one 5 mm--, and a 6.5 cm perumbilical midline incision for kidney retrieval at the end of the procedure. RESULTS: Receptor and donor survivals were 100%. Graft survival was 97.6%. There was not any case of delayed graft function. Donor: Mean operative time was 161 minutes (115-260). Mean estimated blood loss was 270 ml (100-1200). Three patients required blood transfusions, 2 units of packed red blood cells each. Mean hospital stay was 5.1 days (3-11). Mean warm ischemia time was 3.2 min. (2-10). Conversion to open surgery was necessary in four cases. Receptor: there have been three significant complications requiring surgical repair: one case of low arterial flow, one vesico ureteral leak, and one midurethra stenosis. Initial renal function: mean serum creatinine at one month was 147mmol/l, with a trend to improve to 126 mmol/l at one year, which is considered optimum. First postoperative day mean serum creatinine was 192mmol/l and the nadir was on second postoperative day with a value of 152mmol/l. CONCLUSIONS: We believe laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy is a real alternative to open surgery because it offers better recovery to the donor with the same capacity to preserve renal function in the receptor.

Humans↗
PubMed2003

Risk factors for cardiovascular disease after renal transplantation.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) have become the leading cause of mortality in renal transplant recipients. Well-known cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and graft dysfunction both play an important role in the development of the posttransplantation CV events. We studied 233 stable kidney transplant patients to establish the prevalence of CVD and to assess CV risk factors that can be evaluated (and modified) in daily clinical practice. While 6.2% of the patients had coronary heart disease (CHD) before the transplantation, 16% displayed at least 1 CV event posttransplantation. The most significant factors associated with CV events were as follows: gender, length of smoking, diabetes mellitus, hepatitis C virus antibodies (HCV), dyslipidemia, proteinuria, and serum creatinine levels.

Blood Pressure↗
PubMed2003

Management and prognosis of transitional cell carcinoma superficial recurrence in muscle-invasive bladder cancer after bladder preservation.

PURPOSE: To assess the bladder preservation rate and cancer-specific survival after conservative treatment of superficial relapses in invasive tumors after bladder preservation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifty-one patients with invasive bladder tumor (T2) were treated using transurethral resection (TUR) followed by three cycles of systemic chemotherapy (carboplatin-vinblastine). After three weeks, an endoscopic reappraisal was made including deep TUR of the site of the original tumor and multiple cold cup biopsies. Forty-two patients retained their bladder (33 complete responses and 9 partial responses). RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 63 months, 18 patients recurred as superficial TCC tumor (43%). Fourteen patients with high grade superficial recurrence were treated with TUR and Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) instillations; two patients (G2-3 T1) with TUR as well as endovesical mytomicine, and two patients with low grade recurrence with only TUR. With a median follow-up of 44 months after TUR of first superficial relapse, there was only one case with progression of the disease without any evidence of bladder tumor. Two cystectomies were made due to carcinoma in situ (Cis) persistence and high grade superficial recurrence. Eighty-three percent of the patients who had superficial recurrence retained their bladders, with 94% cancer-specific survival. CONCLUSIONS: A very strict follow-up is mandatory due to the high rate of superficial relapses (43%). Cis is the most frequent type of superficial recurrence. Superficial recurrences in bladder preservation may be treated with TUR and BCG instillations when they are high grade and and/or associated with Cis. Superficial recurrences do not imply a worse prognosis for bladder preservation or cancer-specific survival.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed2003

Sézary syndrome and related variants of classic cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. A descriptive and prognostic clinicopathologic study of 29 cases.

Large series of patients with Sézary syndrome (SS), the leukemic variant of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), have been reported infrequently because of its low incidence. Here we recorded several clinical, histopathological and immunophenotypical features of 29 cases of leukemic CTCL patients from four Dermatology Departments of Catalonia, Spain, and analyzed their prognostic value. Clinical data included sex, age, delay of SS diagnosis, previous diagnosis of lymphoma, B-symptoms, type of skin lesions, peripheral adenopathy, histologic evaluation of lymph node biopsy, visceral involvement, percentage of circulating Sézary cells, serum LDH and beta-2-microglobulin levels, first treatment and response, disease-free interval, further therapies and survival. Histopathological data examined were epidermotropism, depth and thickness of the infiltrate, cell size, adnexal involvement, presence of granuloma, eosinophils and plasma cells, mitotic rate. The percentage of CD45Ro, CD43, CD20, CD30 and CD8 positive dermal cells were also recorded. Survival showed a mean actuarial risk of 57% at 3 years and 38% at 5 years, with a median survival of 48 months. Analysis of actuarial survival demonstrated as following as features linked with a bad prognosis: fast evolution of the disease (from symptoms onset up to diagnosis) (p = 0.0274) raised levels of serum lactate dehydrogenase (p = 0.0379) and beta-2-microglobulin (p = 0.0151), the latter being the most important prognostic factor. In conclusion although SS had been traditionally considered as a low-grade lymphoma, the present study agrees with the recent classification rating SS as an aggressive type of CTCL with a poor prognosis. Our results show that some simple clinical and blood test data can be useful as prognostic indicators in this disease.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Intravesical treatment of severe bacillus Calmette-Guerin cystitis.

OBJECTIVE: Intravesical instillation of bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is an established treatment of carcinoma in situ and recurrent superficial bladder tumours. The inflammatory reaction due to BCG provokes cystitis of short duration as a frequent side effect. When the symptomatology is severe and long-lasting, different systemic treatments have been administered with varying degrees of efficacy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We have studied the treatment of severe BCG cystitis with a anaesthetic anti-inflammatory solution administered by intravesical instillations to 16 patients. RESULTS: Good results were obtained in 94% of the cases, with immediate clinical improvement in terms of pain and urinary symptoms, and with no side effects. CONCLUSIONS: This treatment is inexpensive and easy to administer. We consider that it offers a useful option to solve an infrequent but very annoying problem for the patients.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed2001

Hasson's laparoscopic trocar in percutaneous bladder stone lithotripsy.

Bladder calculi are a common problem traditionally treated with open cystolithotomy or transurethral cystolithalopaxy. Percutaneous cystolithotomy via an Amplatz sheath is a recent approach that keeps urethral instrumentation to a minimum. We describe a percutaneous approach to bladder stones using a Hasson's trocar. With this approach, one or more watertight approaches to the bladder can be created, allowing any kind of endoscopic surgical material to be introduced, thus opening new possibilities in the design of percutaneous bladder surgery techniques.

Humans↗
PubMed2001

Cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen (CLA) expression in a lymphoblastoid mantle cell lymphoma presenting with skin lesions. Comparison with other clinicopathologic presentations of mantle cell lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen (CLA) is a lymphocyte homing receptor selectively expressed by T cells of the cutaneous immune system and their malignant counterpart, that is to say, cutaneous T-cell lymphomas. However it is absent in the vast mayority of other T-cell malignancies and B-cell lineage lymphomas irrespective on primary tumor site. METHODS: Expression of CLA was investigated on six cases of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) which differed in their histopathological subtype (typical or blastic) and their tendency to infiltrate skin and/or central nervous system (CNS). RESULTS: CLA immunostaining on neoplastic cells was only observed in a 61-year-old female suffering from a lymphoblastoid MCL which clinically presented with specific skin lesions and further developped CNS disease. In this patient, coexpression of CLA with MCL markers (CD20 and CD5) was confirmed by conventional immunohistochemistry and double immunofluorescence studies. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, CLA immunoreactivity on B-cell lymphomas has not beeen previously reported. The expression of this skin-related adhesion molecule on malignant MCL cells could explain the clinical behavior of our case which presented and relapsed with cutaneous lesions. However, CLA seems not to be a MCL marker nor a CNS-related adhesion molecule. The authors review the clinical and histopathological characteristics of MCL-specific skin lesions and their diagnostic clues based on cell morphology, immunohistochemistry and molecular investigations.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Morphoea in three siblings.

Atrophoderma of Pasini and Pierini (APP) is an uncommon form of localized morphoea that occurs as superficial, hyperpigmented plaques distributed mainly on the trunk and proximal part of the limbs. There is little information about the influence of genetic and environmental factors on disease susceptibility and expression for localized scleroderma, although APP familial cases have been reported. We report three siblings without a family history of autoimmune disease presenting cutaneous lesions suggesting morphoea (APP variant).

Adult↗