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Biomedical subjects

J Soto

Publications and source records attributed to J Soto.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
PubMed1979

Distribution of HLA histocompatibility antigens, ABO blood groups and Rh antigens in alcoholic liver disease.

The distribution of 16 antigens of the HLA-A and 15 antigens of the HLA-B series of HLA system, the blood groups ABO, and Rh antigens were studied in 40 alcoholics with cirrhosis, 18 alcoholics without cirrhosis, and in normal control subjects. The group of alcoholics with cirrhosis showed a significantly high frequency of HLA-B13 (corrected P less than 0.01) when compared with normal subjects, while the frequency of HLA-B13 was similar to normal in alcoholics without cirrhosis. On the basis of these findings, its seems that the carriers of HLA-B13 are more susceptible to liver damage caused by alcohol. Both groups of alcoholics and the normal controls had a similar distribution of ABO blood groups and Rh antigens.

ABO Blood-Group System↗
PubMed1977

Fosfomycin in pneumococcal meningitis.

A study has been made of 12 patients with pneumococcal meningitis with ages ranging from 12 months to 59 years. In all cases pneumococcus was isolated in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Seventeen pneumococci were studied for their sensitivity to fosfomycin, ampicillin and gentamicin, including their MIC. All were sensitive to fosfomycin and ampicillin and 7 to gentamicin. On the other hand there has also been made a study of the interaction between fosfomycin plus ampicillin and fosfomycin plus gentamicin. The concentration of antibiotics in plasma and CSF had been determined. The association of fosfomycin to penicillin or ampicillin was also studied in some cases, depending on whether the patient was younger or older than 2 years, and in other cases, the association of fosfomycin with gentamicin. The concentrations of antibiotics in the CSF varied according to the stage of evolution of the meningitis. As regards clinical results, 10 cures and 2 failures have been obtained. The pneumococcus was eradicated from the CSF in all cases, including the two failures, in the control carried out 2-3 days after beginning of treatment, the rest of the analytical data of the CSF became normal within 5 and 17 days treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

The pancreas and immunoglobulins. II. Immunoglobulin levels in the pancreatic secretions of patients with chronic pancreatitis.

A comparison of the pancreatic excretory immunoglobulin levels of G, A, M in the normal and chronic pancreatitis patient reveals no satistically significant differences. Further study is indicated to determine whether or not there is a difference between the group as a whole and those patients with chronic pancreatitis whose symptoms continue after cessation of ethanolism.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of chronic infusion of nerve growth factor (NGF) in AF64A-lesioned rats.

We report here the behavioral and biochemical recovery induced by the nerve growth factor (NGF) administration in AF64A-treated rats. Retention in the passive avoidance test was affected by lesion but it was significantly improved after the NGF treatment. Similar results were observed in the performance during the Morris water maze (MWM) task. Remarkable losses in the ChAT activity were detected in some brain regions from lesioned rats. The NGF-induced alleviation of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity losses and cognitive functions suggest a trophic and protective action on the remaining cholinergic neurons after the lesion. Thus NGF therapy could be considered as a possibility mainly in the early course of Alzheimer disease.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of chronic infusion of nerve growth factor (NGF) in rats with nucleus basalis magnocellularis lesion.

We attempted to evaluate the effects of bilateral injection of ibotenic acid (IA) into the nucleus basalis magnocellularis (nbm) of rats as well as the potential recovery mediated by the infusion of nerve growth factor (NGF). The lesion caused an impairment of learning and memory processes. Also, a severe depletion of choline acetyl transferase activity was detected in cortical areas. After the NGF administration, a significant reversion of these functional changes was observed. Thus, IA-lesioned rats might serve as a model for the evaluation of neurotrophic factors actions on basal forebrain damaged neurons.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Limited efficacy of injectable aminosidine as single-agent therapy for Colombian cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Ninety military patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis in Colombia were randomly allocated to 3 treatment regimens of parenteral aminosidine sulphate: (i) 12 mg aminosidine base/kg/d for 7 d, (ii) 12 mg/kg/d for 14 d, and (iii) 18 mg/kg/d for 14 d. With the 89 evaluable patients, the cure rates 12 months after the end of treatment were 10%, 45%, and 50%, respectively. Fifty-eight of the 66 patients who were not cured had lesions that enlarged or were unchanged by 1.5 months after treatment follow up. The other 8 patients had lesions that relapsed between 3 and 12 months after therapy. Even in group (iii) the cure rate was inferior to that (> 90%) with antimony or pentamidine previously reported in this patient population. This study indicates that parenteral aminosidine alone is less likely to be successful in the treatment of cutaneous lesihmaniasis than visceral leishmaniasis, for which a 74% cure rate has been reported. Further trials might consider the combination of aminosidine with other antileishmanial drugs.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Illicit use of methadone among i.v. drug users in Montreal.

Few studies have been done on the prevalence of illicit methadone use. Five hundred fifty-nine IV drug users recruited in various ways in Montreal were interviewed concerning their drug use as part of a longitudinal study on HIV infection. Of this number, 133 had heroin as their drug of preference and 426 cocaine. Among the cocaine group, 202 also used heroin. The lifetime prevalence of any illicit methadone use was 59.4% in the heroin group, 26.7% in the cocaine/heroin group, and 3.6% in the cocaine-only group. The 6-month (preceding the interview) prevalence of any illicit use was 42.1%, 6.9%, and 1.3%, respectively, and the prevalence of at least weekly illicit use during that period was 6.3%, 2.0%, and 0%, respectively. The prevalence of illicit methadone use is significant in the population studied. Whether this level of use will be affected by more stringent control on methadone prescription and dispensation remains to be demonstrated.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Dissociation between I2-imidazoline receptors and MAO-B activity in platelets of patients with Alzheimer's type dementia.

The I2-imidazoline receptor is expressed in brain and platelets and could represent a new binding domain on MAO-B enzyme. Brain I2-imidazoline receptors and MAO-B sites have been found to be increased in Alzheimer's disease. The study sought to evaluate I2-imidazoline receptors and MAO-B activity in platelets from patients with Alzheimer's type dementia (ATD) and matched controls. Preliminary saturation experiments of [3H]idazoxan binding to platelet purified mitochondrial membranes were performed to determine the maximal number of binding sites (Bmax) and the apparent dissociation constant (Kd). Afterwards, the I2-imidazoline receptor density ([3H]idazoxan at 8 and 20 nM in the presence of 2 x 10(-6) M efaroxan) was evaluated in 20 patients with ATD and 17 controls. MAO-B activity was quantified by [14C]PEA oxidation. All subjects were screened for cognitive evaluation by the Mini-Mental State Examination. The density of I2-imidazoline receptors was similar in ATD patients (8.4 and 14.3 fmol/mg protein) and controls (8.3 and 14.0 fmol/mg protein). MAO-B activity was 22% higher in ATD subjects. Significant correlations between I2-imidazoline receptors and MAO-B activity were observed. No relationships between I2-imidazoline receptors or MAO-B activity and the cognitive score were observed. In conclusion, platelet I2-imidazoline receptors do not show the increase of I2-imidazoline receptors previously observed in brain of subjects with ATD. The dissociation between I2-imidazoline receptors and MAO-B in platelets suggests that the enzyme contributes to but not exclusively represents the I2-imidazoline receptor.

Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A review of methodologies for assessing drug effectiveness and a new proposal: randomized database studies.

The need to evaluate the effects of health technologies in clinical practice is increasingly important. In this article, we review the advantages and limitations of naturalistic randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and database analyses, the two primary methods for evaluating treatment effectiveness. Also, we comment on a newer research strategy, cross-design synthesis, which proposes the complementary use of both experimental RCTs and observational database methodologies to avoid the main weaknesses of each: respectively, the lack of external and internal validity. Finally, we propose a new strategy--randomized database studies--capable of generating results with an acceptable balance between internal and external validity. This strategy consists of the simultaneous use of both experimental and observational tools in the assessment of drugs' effectiveness. Randomization is essential to minimize comparison bias, and one possibility for such studies is that randomization modules could be included in computer-based patient records. Although we identify some of the difficulties in implementing the process, the progressive standardization of clinical practice and the development and widespread adoption of improved computer-based patient records could facilitate the use of randomized database studies as a new method of research.

Economics, Pharmaceutical↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Cost-effectiveness analysis of the use of celecoxib for the treatment of osteoarthritis].

BACKGROUND: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), used for the treatment of osteoarthritis, can produce serious gastrointestinal (GI) adverse reactions.Celecoxib, a specific COX-2 inhibitor, has a proven efficacy equivalent to that of traditional NSAIDs with an improved tolerance and safety profile. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis on the use of celecoxib versus traditional NSAIDs in the treatment of osteoarthritis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This cost-effectiveness analysis was designed through a pharmacoeconomic model; each effectiveness unit was defined as each year of life gained after the ingestion of celecoxib or NSAIDs. The probability of different clinical results appearing was obtained from published articles and incorporated assumptions. Only direct medical costs were evaluated (medication, hospitalization, additional tests, analyses, extra visits, etc.) and other costs were excluded. The study perspective was the national health system and the time horizon chosen was 6 months. RESULTS: The additional cost for each year of life gained through the use of celecoxib compared with that of traditional NSAIDs amounted to 8017; (1,333,834 ptas). Sensitivity analysis demonstrated how these values were sensitive to changes in the costs of NSAIDs and gastroprotective agents as well as to the inclusion of younger population groups. CONCLUSION: Celecoxib can be considered as a cost-effective option in the treatment of osteoarthritis because its use prevents deaths and increases survival rate and the additional cost is reasonable and moderate compared with that of NSAIDs. Its efficiency increases in proportion to its use in younger patients and probably in those at high risk for developing GI complications.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Septal fetal tissue transplants restore long-term potentiation in the dentate gyrus of fimbria-formix-lesioned rats.

Two groups of Sprague-Dawley male rats received bilateral aspirative lesions of the fimbria fornix under chloral hydrate anesthesia. One group (n = 9) received no further treatment (lesioned). In the second group (n = 8), a piece of septal fetal tissue, obtained at day E15-16, was implanted into each lesion cavity (transplanted). A third group consisted of shamlesioned rats (controls, n = 14). Two months after the operations, a recording electrode was implanted in the hilar region of the dentate gyrus of each animal, and a bipolar stimulating electrode was implanted in the perforant path. Long-term potentiation at 400 Hz was induced and followed for two hours. FF-lesioned rats showed an impaired potentiation of the field excitatory post-synaptic potential, which rapidly declined to basal levels within 15 minutes. The transplanted rats showed a normal potentiation of this parameter, similar to that seen in the control animals. A decrease in choline acetyltransferase activity in the hippocampi of the lesioned animals showed a tendency toward recovery after septal fetal tissue transplantation. In all the dorsal hippocampal areas of the lesioned animals, acetylcholinesterase histochemistry showed an almost complete loss of enzymatic activity, which was partially restored by the transplants. The improved synaptic plasticity in the transplanted animals might be related to septal transplant-induced recovery of mnemonic functions.

Acetylcholinesterase↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Use of salivary caffeine tests to assess the inducer effect of a drug on hepatic metabolism.

OBJECTIVE: To validate the use of successive salivary caffeine tests in evaluating how long inducer drugs affect hepatic metabolism. The time course of the inducer effect of rifampin found in other studies using different methodologies was chosen as the time course of reference. DESIGN: Open-label, prospective, longitudinal study. SETTING: A university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Five healthy volunteers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rifampin 600 mg/d was administered for 21 days. Anhydrous caffeine 300 mg was concurrently administered on each study day. Salivary caffeine tests were carried out on the following days: predose (baseline), and days 1, 5, 9, 13, and 17. Salivary tests were performed for up to 13 days after the last dose of rifampin (study days 21, 25, 29, and 33). RESULTS: The mean systemic caffeine clearance was increased for up to 17 days after the intake of rifampin, reaching the maximum inducer effect between days 5 and 9, and returning to previous values progressively during several days after rifampin was discontinued. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that successive salivary caffeine measurements could be a safe, reliable, noninvasive, and suitable test for exploring the time course of the inducer effect of drugs on hepatic metabolism activity.

Adult↗