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Biomedical subjects

J Torres

Publications and source records attributed to J Torres.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

A field study of paragonimiasis in Venezuela.

In a natural focus of paragonimiasis in the northeastern region of Venezuela, 130 people were clinically, parasitologically and immunologically evaluated. A specific intradermal test was positive in 13%. Besides an index case, three other active cases of paragonimiasis were identified. Adult Paragonimus worms and metacercariae were recovered from Didelphis marsupialis and Eudaniela garmani, respectively. Previous reports of Paragonimus infection in Venezuela are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Enzymatic sulfation of steroids--XX. Effects of ten drugs on the hepatic glucocorticoid sulfotransferase activity of rats in vitro and in vivo.

The effects of ten drugs on hepatic glucocorticoid sulfotransferase activity (HGSTA) were examined in male rats. The enzyme activity per 100 g body weight was elevated 152, 94.9, 140, 140, 73.1, 63.9, 76.9, and 140% after administration of daily i.p. doses of 111 mg spironolactone/kg (6-10 days), 66.7 mg WIN-24540/kg (6-10 days), 150 mg metyrapone/kg (19-31 days), 33.3 mg pentachlorophenol/kg (9-16 days), 16.5 mg aspirin/kg (10-16 days), 90.5 mg alloxan/kg (23.27 days), 104 mg aminoglutethimide/kg (12-20 days), and 16.8 mg propranolol/kg (21-27 days). Shorter experimental periods or lower drug doses caused smaller effects on HGSTA. Most notably, spironolactone (111 mg/kg) and WIN-24540 (66.7 mg/kg) caused 50-75% elevation of HGSTA in 2 days. Effects of WIN-24540, aspirin and pentachlorophenol were due mostly to elevation of hepatic levels of sulfotransferase III (STIII), the glucocorticoid-preferring sulfotransferase of rat liver. Effects of the other test drugs were due to elevation of hepatic levels of sulfotransferases I and II (STI and STII), which much prefer dehydroepiandrosterone as substrate, but also catalyze glucocorticoid sulfation. Enzyme inhibition studies showed that the test drugs interacted with the HGSTA in vitro in a fashion that appeared to be related to the in vivo effects already described. None of the drugs interacted exclusively with STI, STII or STIII in vitro. However, some differences of the strengths of individual drug-sulfotransferase interactions were observed. The drug effects are discussed in relation to drug and glucocorticoid actions.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Multinucleation of cultured canine epithelial and lymphoma cell lines.

The frequency distribution patterns of monuclear and multinuclear giant cells were determined for two canine lymphoma cell lines (DT-5 and 11028), and a normal canine kidney epithelial cell line (DK). The proportion of multinuclear cells in the DK line (1.53%) was approximately twice those of the DT-5 (0.75%) and 11028 (0.73%) cell lines. The observed frequency distributions of cells with single and various numbers of multiple nuclei were compared to Poisson distributions using the chi-square test. For each cell line, the number of cells with three or more nuclei far exceeded the number predicted by the Poisson distribution. Hence, the occurrence of multinuclear cells in these canine cell lines does not follow a random distribution pattern. Possible explanations for the nonrandom accumulation of multinuclear giant cells are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Cholera-like enterotoxin produced by Campylobacter jejuni. Characterisation and clinical significance.

The presence and clinical significance of enterotoxins produced by Campylobacter jejuni were investigated. The supernatant of a prototype virulent strain grown in supplemented medium induced intraluminal fluid secretion in rat ileal loop but not in rabbit ileal loop or the infant mouse assay. It induced elongation and increased intracellular cyclic AMP levels in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Toxin activity was blocked by cholera antitoxin and was destroyed by heat and high or low pH; its molecular weight is in the range 10(4)-10(5) daltons. Toxin production was detected in 24 of 32 C jejuni strains from patients with diarrhoea and 1 of 6 from carriers. Antibody response to autologous C jejuni somatic antigen was investigated in 19 subjects for whom serial serum specimens were available. A fourfold rise was observed in all 10 patients with enterotoxigenic C jejuni diarrhoea, in 1 of 3 patients with non-enterotoxigenic C jejuni, and in none of the symptomless carriers of non-enterotoxigenic strains. These findings demonstrate that C jejuni produces an enterotoxin that may be important in pathogenesis of diarrhoea.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Increased sister-chromatid exchanges accompany serial transplantation of murine S49.1 lymphoma.

Although many neoplasms may have a unicellular origin and clonal growth pattern (Nowell, 1976), established tumors show a remarkable degree of phenotypic heterogeneity with respect to metastatic potential, chromosome markers, metabolic functions, and membrane receptors and antigens (Fidler et al., 1978), suggesting that numerous events may occur in the selection of variant tumor cells in neoplastic development. The generation of tumor heterogeneity may occur via genetic and/or epigenetic mechanisms, in response to tumor-cell interactions within the host milieu (Chow and Greenberg, 1980), but these phenomena are currently poorly understood. In the present study, the incidence of sister-chromatid exchanges (SCE) was examined in control cultures of murine S49.1 lymphoma cells maintained in vitro, and in S49.1 cells serially propagated as tumors in syngeneic BALB/c mice. These experiments were performed in order to study the acquired genetic lability accompanying tumor progression, as reflected in the incidence of SCE.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Prevalence and importance of congenital cytomegalovirus infection in three different populations.

A Chilean population was compared to low-income and middle/upper-class populations in Birmingham, Ala., with regard to prevalence of congenital cytomegalovirus infection as well as the importance of this infection in neonatal deaths. In the highly seroimmune Chilean (98%) and low-income Birmingham (82%) groups, congenital infections occurred more often (1.7% and 1.9%, respectively) than in the less immune (56%) middle/upper-income group in Birmingham (0.6%). In 407 autopsies reviewed in Chile no neonatal deaths were attributed to cytomegalic inclusion disease, whereas in Birmingham cytomegalovirus was the cause of death in nine of 938 (1%) newborn infants. These findings further support the concept that, despite an apparent lack of protection against intrauterine transmission, maternal immunity reduces the risk of severe fetal infection.

Alabama↗
PubMed1982

Human proliferative sparganosis in Venezuela: report of a case.

A case of human proliferative sparganosis, the first in the southern hemisphere, is reported. The patient had multiple nodular, papular, acne-like lesions, gynecomastia, and large subcutaneous abscesses. Laboratory findings showed that he also had severe anemia of the type associated with infection and chronic diseases, leukocytosis, eosinophilia, and severe hypoalbuminemia and hypergammaglobulinemia. His cellular and humoral immune responses were unaltered. New aspects on the functional repercussion of the parasitism of the human host by Sparganum proliferum are discussed. Treatment with mebendazole was ineffective; the patient's tolerance for the newer drug praziquantel was extremely poor.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Determination of liver and spleen perfusion by quantitative sequential scintigraphy: results in normal subjects and in patients with portal hypertension.

Quantitative sequential hepatosplenic scintigraphy was performed to determine the arterial and portal components of the total liver circulation in 135 patients (no liver disease in 20, liver cirrhosis and portal ;hypertension in 115). Portal circulation in healthy patients is calculated to be 70.4 +/- 6.2% of the total liver blood flow, whereas patients with portal hypertension showed a clear reduction of portal perfusion to 20.2 +/- 10.9%. Thirteen of 20 patients having portosystemic shunt surgery showed no portal perfusion. This new, noninvasive diagnostic technique yields vital information particularly useful in ;the surgical evaluation of portal hypertension. Other indications are also discussed.

Angiography↗
PubMed1981

Inhibition of Leptospiricidal reaction by the type-specific main antigen of Leptospira.

The serovar-specificity of the leptospiricidal activity test mediated by antiserum and complement was demonstrated by the fact that the leptospiricidal activity of the antiserum against the serovar-specific main (TM) antigen of copenhageni shibaura and the antiserum against the whole cells of the same strain were inhibited by the homologous but not the heterologous TM antigens. The inoculation of TM antigen produced in a rabbit the antibodies which react in the leptospiricidal activity test. These results may also show that the substance which participates in the leptospiricidal activity test may be the TM antigen.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Specificity of leptospiricidal activity test mediated by antiserum and complement.

A leptospiricidal activity test mediated by immune serum plus guinea pig complement using 11 serovars of leptospiras belonging to 3 serogroups, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Pomona and Mini, indicated that the reaction was generally serogroup-specific. The immune serum from which the homologous or heterologous agglutinin was absorbed was then examined with the result that the anti-L. icterohaemorrhagiae and anti-L. sarmin antisera which absorbed with L. icterohaemorrhagiae and L. sarmin respectively did not agglutinate, but instead destroyed their homologous leptospiras in conjunction with complement. Many of the antisera which absorbed with the heterologous serovars did not agglutinate, but instead destroyed their respective heterologous strain. These findings indicate that the leptospiricidal activity test is more sensitive and more cross reactive than agglutination.

Agglutination Tests↗
PubMed1981

[Open clinical trial in dermal mycoses of a 1% ciclopiroxolamine solution in polyethylene glycol 400 carried out in FR Germany/Study with shortened therapy (author's transl)].

In an open multicentre study, a 1% solution of 6-cyclohexyl-1-hydroxy-4-methyl-2(1H)-pyridone, 2-aminoethanol salt (ciclopiroxolamine, Cic. Hoe 296, Batrafen) in polyethylene glycol 400 was examined for its topical activity in 344 cases of dermal mycoses. 65.4% of them were caused by dermatophytes and 19.2% by yeast-like fungi. In most cases, the treatment period was two weeks, with one or two daily applications. The examiners found global therapeutic effectiveness in 97.5% of the mycoses, the rate of very good and good results being 84.0%, and a very good tolerance in 99.0%. Individual side effects were predominantly subjective and transient.

Administration, Topical↗