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Biomedical subjects

L Carrasco

Publications and source records attributed to L Carrasco.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Treatment of the abdominal wall defects in an ambulatory surgical setting: our experience.

Introduction: The creation of Outpatient Surgery (OPS) units has allowed to reduce the costs and the waiting lists in an efficient fashion. We describe our series of patients operated on for abdominal wall defects, a pathology suitable for ambulatory surgery. Patients and methods: Between May 1994 and March 1998, 206 inguinal hernias, 23 femoral hernias, 47 umbilical-epigastric hernias and nine incisional hernias were operated on in an ambulatory surgical setting. The patients were selected following the selection criteria previously established (related to the patient, the environment and the surgical procedure). The average age was 45 years, and the distribution by sex, 210 men and 75 women. Spinal anesthesia was preferently performed. The surgical techniques employed were Lichtenstein's hernioplasty and Shouldice and Bassini procedures for inguinal hernias; Lichtenstein's plug technique for femoral hernias and simple closure or preperitoneal mesh for the middle line defects. Results: 44 patients needed readmitttance to hospital (failure of OPS), the most important causes being excessive pain, urinary retention and nausea/vomiting. There was no severe morbidity nor mortality. Conclusion: Surgery for abdominal wall defects constitutes a group of procedures suitable for efficient and low risk OPS programs.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

The amino-terminal nine amino acid sequence of poliovirus capsid VP4 protein is sufficient to confer N-myristoylation and targeting to detergent-insoluble membranes.

The confinement of membrane proteins by lipid-lipid interactions into specialized detergent-insoluble membrane (DIM) microdomains has been proposed as a general mechanism to recruit selectively lipid-modified proteins and specific transmembrane proteins. Poliovirus capsid VP4 protein and its precursors are myristoylated at the NH(2)-terminal Gly residue. To determine whether poliovirus uses DIMs during its replicative cycle, we isolated DIMs from poliovirus-infected HeLa cells and identified the presence of capsid proteins and their precursors, proteinases 2A and 3C, and other viral proteins involved in poliovirus RNA replication such as protein 2C and the polymerase 3D. The morphology of these DIMs was similar to that of the previously described rosette-like vesicles associated with replication complexes isolated from poliovirus-infected cells. To examine the possible role of the myristoyl moiety in the targeting of poliovirus structural proteins to DIMs, we generated a chimeric protein consisting of the nine amino-terminal amino acids from VP4 fused to the amino terminus of the green fluorescent protein (GFP). The selected VP4 sequence was sufficient to confer N-myristoylation and targeting to DIMs to the GFP chimera. Mutations within this sequence known to affect both myristoylation and poliovirus assembly abrogated the targeting of the GFP chimera. These results indicate that the myristoylated amino-terminal nonapeptide from poliovirus VP4 protein constitutes a signal for incorporation into DIMs.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Poliovirus protease 3C(pro) kills cells by apoptosis.

The tetracycline-based Tet-Off expression system has been used to analyze the effects of poliovirus protease 3C(pro) on human cells. Stable HeLa cell clones that express this poliovirus protease under the control of an inducible, tightly regulated promoter were obtained. Tetracycline removal induces synthesis of 3C protease, followed by drastic morphological alterations and cellular death. Degradation of cellular DNA in nucleosomes and generation of apoptotic bodies are observed from the second day after 3C(pro) induction. The cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, an enzyme involved in DNA repair, occurs after induction of 3C(pro), indicating caspase activation by this poliovirus protease. The 3C(pro)-induced apoptosis is blocked by the caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk. Our findings suggest that the protease 3C is responsible for triggering apoptosis in poliovirus-infected cells by a mechanism that involves caspase activation.

3C Viral Proteases↗
PubMed2000

Search for antiviral activity in higher plant extracts.

In the course of our search for plant natural products as antiviral agents, extracts of ten plants from the Iberian Peninsula were tested for antiviral activity against herpes simplex type I (HSV-1), vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and poliovirus type 1. Aqueous extracts of five of these medicinal plants, namely Nepeta nepetella (150-500 microg/mL), Nepeta coerulea (150-500 microg/mL), Nepeta tuberosa (150-500 microg/mL), Dittrichia viscosa (50-125 microg/mL) and Sanguisorba minor magnolii (50-125 microg/mL), showed a clear antiviral activity against two different DNA and RNA viruses, i.e. HSV-1 and VSV. Only the medicinal plant Dittrichia viscosa was active against an additional virus, poliovirus type 1.

Antiviral Agents↗
PubMed2000

Effectiveness of doxycycline in the prevention of an experimental infection with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae in pigs.

The effectiveness of medication with doxycycline in feed in the control of pleuropneumonia in pigs was tested using an Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 1 aerosol challenge model. Two groups of 10 animals were used for the challenge, a 'medicated group' and an 'unmedicated group'. A third group of four animals was used as a 'control group'. Pigs from the medicated group were provided with feed containing 250 p.p.m. doxycycline (HIPRAMIX/DOXI) for 8 consecutive days and were challenged on the fifth day of treatment. No clinical signs were observed in pigs from the 'control group'. Four animals from the 'unmedicated group' died within the first 48 h after challenge with clinical and lesional evidence of an acute form of pleuropneumonia. Clinical signs of animals surviving the first 48 h were progressively less severe and showed lesions similar to those described for subacute-chronic forms of the disease. However, only one animal from the 'medicated group' showed clinical signs of a chronic form of pleuropneumonia. Reisolation of A. pleuropneumoniae was more evident from lung tissues of animals fed the doxycycline-free feed (70%), coinciding with the presence of both acute and subacute lesions. However, the micro-organism could be reisolated from only one animal which belonged to the 'medicated group'. It is concluded that the treatment of pigs with 250 p.p.m. doxycycline (HIPRAMIX/DOXI) prevents disease caused by A. pleuropneumoniae.

Actinobacillus Infections↗
PubMed2000

Characterization of lesions caused by a South American virulent isolate ('Quillota') of the hog cholera virus.

In this study, macroscopic and histopathological lesions produced by a virulent South American isolate ('Quillota') of hog cholera virus were studied. The virus was inoculated in doses of 10(5)TCID50 in each of 35 pigs of 20 kg live weight. The animals were slaughtered from 4 to 18 days post-inoculation. The presence of virus antigens in lymphatic tissue was confirmed by both direct immunofluorescence and Avidin-Biotin-Peroxidase techniques in formalin-embedded tissue samples. Histological sections were stained with haematoxylin-eosin and Mallory's phosphotungstic acid haematoxylin methods. The 'Quillota' isolate used in this study caused a disease characterized by vascular lesions (splenic infarcts, haemorrhages in the lymph nodes and the urinary system and disseminated microthrombosis), and necrosis of lymphocytes, particularly in the B-areas of the lymphoid organs, lesions that are characteristic of the acute form of the disease. Other lesions observed were a non-purulent meningoencephalitis, the necrosis of the epithelial cells of tonsils, the presence of fibrin nets in the red pulp and a marked thickening of the alveolar septa.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Oestrogen and progesterone receptors in feline fibroadenomatous change: an immunohistochemical study.

The distribution of oestrogen and progesterone receptors was analysed in 18 cases of feline fibroadenomatous change (FFAC) using commercially available specific monoclonal antibodies and the Avidin-biotin peroxidase complex technique on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue. In all cases of FFAC, progesterone receptors were detected either in epithelial cells (mostly suprabasal) or in epithelial and stromal cells. Oestrogen receptors were detected in approximately half of these cases, in suprabasal or luminal epithelial cells exclusively. Myoepithelial cells lacked both oestrogen and progesterone receptors. The techniques used have identified the specific cellular distribution of steroid hormones receptors in this hormone-dependent lesion of the feline mammary gland. The results confirm those of previous biochemical analyses with respect to progesterone receptors and add new data concerning the possible involvement of oestrogen receptors and stromal fibroblasts in the hormonal control and development of the lesion.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

A stable HeLa cell line that inducibly expresses poliovirus 2A(pro): effects on cellular and viral gene expression.

A HeLa cell clone (2A7d) that inducibly expresses the gene for poliovirus protease 2A (2A(pro)) under the control of tetracycline has been obtained. Synthesis of 2A(pro) induces severe morphological changes in 2A7d cells. One day after tetracycline removal, cells round up and a few hours later die. Poliovirus 2A(pro) cleaves both forms of initiation factor eIF4G, causing extensive inhibition of capped-mRNA translation a few hours after protease induction. Methoxysuccinyl-Ala-Ala-Pro-Val-chloromethylketone, a selective inhibitor of 2A(pro), prevents both eIF4G cleavage and inhibition of translation but not cellular death. Expression of 2A(pro) still allows both the replication of poliovirus and the translation of mRNAs containing a picornavirus leader sequence, while vaccinia virus replication is drastically inhibited. Translation of transfected capped mRNA is blocked in 2A7d-On cells, while luciferase synthesis from a mRNA bearing a picornavirus internal ribosome entry site (IRES) sequence is enhanced by the presence of 2A(pro). Moreover, synthesis of 2A(pro) in 2A7d cells complements the translational defect of a poliovirus 2A(pro)-defective variant. These results show that poliovirus 2A(pro) expression mimics some phenotypical characteristics of poliovirus-infected cells, such as cell rounding, inhibition of protein synthesis and enhancement of IRES-driven translation. This cell line constitutes a useful tool to further analyze 2A(pro) functions, to complement poliovirus 2A(pro) mutants, and to test antiviral compounds.

Cysteine Endopeptidases↗
PubMed2000

Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4GI is a cellular target for NS1 protein, a translational activator of influenza virus.

Influenza virus NS1 protein is an RNA-binding protein whose expression alters several posttranscriptional regulatory processes, like polyadenylation, splicing, and nucleocytoplasmic transport of cellular mRNAs. In addition, NS1 protein enhances the translational rate of viral, but not cellular, mRNAs. To characterize this effect, we looked for targets of NS1 influenza virus protein among cellular translation factors. We found that NS1 coimmunoprecipitates with eukaryotic initiation factor 4GI (eIF4GI), the large subunit of the cap-binding complex eIF4F, either in influenza virus-infected cells or in cells transfected with NS1 cDNA. Affinity chromatography studies using a purified His-NS1 protein-containing matrix showed that the fusion protein pulls down endogenous eIF4GI from COS-1 cells and labeled eIF4GI translated in vitro, but not the eIF4E subunit of the eIF4F factor. Similar in vitro binding experiments with eIF4GI deletion mutants indicated that the NS1-binding domain of eIF4GI is located between residues 157 and 550, in a region where no other component of the translational machinery is known to interact. Moreover, using overlay assays and pull-down experiments, we showed that NS1 and eIF4GI proteins interact directly, in an RNA-independent manner. Mapping of the eIF4GI-binding domain in the NS1 protein indicated that the first 113 N-terminal amino acids of the protein, but not the first 81, are sufficient to bind eIF4GI. The first of these mutants has been previously shown to act as a translational enhancer, while the second is defective in this activity. Collectively, these and previously published data suggest a model where NS1 recruits eIF4GI specifically to the 5' untranslated region (5' UTR) of the viral mRNA, allowing for the preferential translation of the influenza virus messengers.

5' Untranslated Regions↗
PubMed2000

[Histopathological diagnosis of mycoses in veterinary pathology].

Histopathological analysis demonstrates the morphology of the fungi and shows their relationship with tissue lesions, which is a valuable information in the diagnosis of veterinary mycoses, especially in superficial infections where reservoirs make difficult the diagnosis using other techniques. On the other hand, histopathological analysis should be complementary to other methods such as culture, immunohistochemistry, serology, PCR, etc. In this work, the most relevant histopathological features of some of the most common mycoses of domestic animals, some of which have zoonotic potential, are described and their differential diagnosis is discussed. To facilitate the discussion of the differential diagnoses, mycoses have been grouped by the sites of the infections and by the nature of the fungi (dimorphic and filamentous). Mycoses included in the study were 1) Superficial and deep infections: dermatophytosis, dermatophytic pseudomycetoma, eumycotic mycetoma, phaeohyphomycosis and malasezziasis. 2) Systemic mycoses: aspergillosis and zygomycosis. 3) Mycoses due to dimorphic fungi: candidiasis, cryptococcosis, blastomycosis, sporotrichosis, coccidioidomycosis and histoplasmosis. 4) Infections by algae and other fungi: protothecosis and pneumocystosis.

English Abstract↗
PubMed1999

Antiviral activity of some South American medicinal plants.

Folk medicinal plants are potential sources of useful therapeutic compounds including some with antiviral activities. Extracts prepared from 10 South American medicinal plants (Baccharis trinervis, Baccharis teindalensis, Eupatorium articulatum, Eupatorium glutinosum, Tagetes pusilla, Neurolaena lobata, Conyza floribunda, Phytolacca bogotensis, Phytolacca rivinoides and Heisteria acuminata) were screened for in vitro antiviral activity against herpes simplex type I (HSV-1), vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and poliovirus type 1. The most potent inhibition was observed with an aqueous extract of B. trinervis, which inhibited HSV-1 replication by 100% at 50-200 micrograms/mL, without showing cytotoxic effects. Good activities were also found with the ethanol extract of H. acuminata and the aqueous extract of E. articulatum, which exhibited antiviral effects against both DNA and RNA viruses (HSV-1 and VSV, respectively) at 125-250 micrograms/mL. The aqueous extracts of T. pusilla (100-250 micrograms/mL), B. teindalensis (50-125 micrograms/mL) and E. glutinosum (50-125 micrograms/mL) also inhibited the replication of VSV, but none of the extracts tested had any effect on poliovirus replication.

Antiviral Agents↗
PubMed1999

Antiviral activity of Bolivian plant extracts.

Ethanolic and aqueous extracts of seven plant species used in the traditional medicine of Bolivia have been tested for their antiviral activity against herpes simplex type I (HSV-1), vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), and poliovirus type 1. The aqueous extracts of most of the species investigated showed antiviral activity. Two of these plants-namely, Satureja boliviana and Baccharis genistelloides-were active against two different viruses-HSV-1 and VSV.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Two cases of feline visceral and cutaneous leishmaniosis in Spain.

This paper describes clinical signs and lesions in two cases of leishmaniosis--one visceral and one cutaneous in the cat (Felis catus domesticus). The diagnosis was achieved by a combination of serology, light and electron microscopic studies. The vague nature of the clinical signs observed in both cases was particularly striking, and clinical features were similar to many other diseases commonly found in cats. Therefore, the use of various investigations to detect leishmaniosis (serum chemistry, serology and histopathology) is highly recommended in cases where clinical signs do not respond to conventional treatment.

Animals↗