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Biomedical subjects

S Morales

Publications and source records attributed to S Morales.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

[Treatment with interferon of systemic Langerhans-cell histiocytosis in an adult].

We report an adult patient with systemic Langerhans' cell histiocytosis (LHX), who was refractory to multiple chemotherapy courses and in whom a partial clinical and biological 3-month remission was achieved with alpha-2-interferon. The patient's response was associated with an increase in the rate of natural killer cells and to a return to normal of the H/S T-lymphocyte ratio. Immunological abnormalities have been reported in this condition, and it is now accepted that the most important one is a decrease in suppressor lymphocytes. However, it is not known whether these abnormalities are endogenous or exogenous. The experience with modifiers of the biological response for the treatment of LHX is scanty, but the probable immunological pathogenesis of the condition justifies a therapeutic trial of those agents in patients not responding to conventional therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Capillary microscopy is a potentially useful method for detecting bleomycin vascular toxicity.

Capillary microscopy is an easy, noninvasive procedure to examine in vivo the dermis capillaries of the nailfold. It has demonstrated clinical use in the etiologic study of Raynaud's phenomenon. We consider a "vascular activity pattern" to be present at capillary microscopy when one of the following associations is observed: tortuous capillary vessels plus ramifications with or without loss of a moderate amount of capillaries. Capillary tortuousity alone is not considered pathologic. It is well known that bleomycin (BLEO) can occasionally induce vascular-associated diseases. To examine the vascular damage produced by BLEO, we performed capillary microscopic studies on 40 patients with neoplasia, 21 of whom had received BLEO during the previous year. The maximum accumulated doses ranged from 15 to 379 U. The other 19 patients had advanced neoplasia, and 10 of them had received antitumoral combinations that did not contain BLEO. No one had clinical signs attributable to vascular toxicity. Twenty-six patients had no pathologic patterns (11 received BLEO and 15 did not). In the group of 14 patients with activity patterns, 10 had received BLEO and 4 had not (P = 0.035). Ten of 11 patients treated with BLEO who had normal capillary microscopic studies received total doses of less than 100 U. We conclude that capillary microscopy may demonstrate the vascular damage induced by BLEO even in asymptomatic patients.

Bleomycin↗
PubMed1990

Ifosfamide + mitoxantrone in advanced breast cancer previously treated with anthracyclines.

We treated 19 patients previously exposed to anthracyclines (progression during therapy or after discontinuation of therapy) with ifosfamide (IFO) 2 g/m2 i.v. in a 1-h infusion daily for 3 days with mesna uroprotection and mitoxantrone (MZT) 12 mg/m2 on day 1 of every 3-week cycle. The response rate was assessed after two cycles. A response to treatment was observed in 6 of 15 evaluable patients (40%), with no complete remission and 6 partial remissions. The median duration of response was 6+ months (3+ to 12+). The toxicity was acceptable, with three episodes of grade 3-4 myelosuppression (8%) and one case of congestive heart failure resulting from a fluid overload that responded to medical treatment. The IFO-MZT combination is an effective second-line regimen in advanced breast cancer previously treated with anthracyclines.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of the liver with myocardial metastases.

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma is an unusual type of endothelial-derived vascular tumor located mainly in the soft tissues of the limbs. The present report describes a 48-year-old woman with an epithelioid hemangioendothelioma located in the liver with very unusual metastases to the myocardium. While the disease itself was controlled by adriamycin the patient died as a consequence of portal hypertension due to the abundant fibrotic component distinctive of this type of tumor. An epithelioid appearance can sometimes lead to a mistaken diagnosis of metastatic carcinoma, as happened initially in our case. The endothelial origin of the tumor must be confirmed by electron microscope identification of Weibel-Palade bodies or by immunohistochemical staining of factor VIII-related antigen. To the authors knowledge, this is the first case of myocardial metastases from an epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of the liver to be reported in English in the medical literature.

Female↗
PubMed1987

[Intracellular ATP content and nonactin biosynthesis].

The effect of potassium orthophosphate on growth of the mycelium, its ATP contents and biosynthesis of the macrotetrolide antibiotic nonactin by Str. chrysomallus var. macrotetrolidi was studied. Direct dependence of the ATP contents in the mycelium on the amount of the phosphate added to the medium and consumed by the developing actinomycete was shown. Changes in the intracellular content of ATP depended also on the mycelium age. It was characterized by two peaks. Hemin was detected in the actinomycete mycelium. Its levels were sufficiently high and depended on the mycelium age and cultivation conditions, in particular on the phosphate content in the medium. Higher levels of nonactin biosynthesis were characteristic of the mycelium with lower contents of ATP, proteins and hemin. Intensive production of the antibiotic proceeded at the background of decreasing levels of ATP in the mycelium.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1985

Effect of the hypothyroidism on the levels of different metabolites in pregnant rats.

The effect of gestational hypothyroidism on some maternal and foetal metabolites were studied on pregnant rats after 24 h fasting. Thyroidectomy induced a decrease in body weight in the pregnant rats. Their foetuses showed lower weights than the controls. No difference was found in circulating glucose levels in the thyroidectomized pregnant rats, although an increase was found in their foetuses. Hepatic glycogen and total serum lipids decrease in hypothyroid pregnant rats. Cholesterol concentration increases as a result of hypothyroidism. However, foetuses coming from thyroidectomized mothers show an increase in their total lipid levels. Hypothyroidism in pregnant rats affects foetal development and metabolic changes are greatly manifested in the starved condition.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

NTP pyrophosphohydrolase in human chondrocalcinotic and osteoarthritic cartilage. I. Some biochemical characteristics.

Nucleoside triphosphate pyrophosphohydrolase activity was first detected in articular cartilage in previous studies at our laboratory. In this report, the enzyme is partially characterized with respect to its pH optimum and Km. The enzyme was metal-dependent and was active in the presence of 1 mM Ca++. It was inhibited by several substances, including cysteine and dithiothreitol. Its activity was not inhibited by tetramisole at concentrations which inhibited 100% of the pyrophosphatase activity in the same extracts. It functioned most effectively on ATP, but also on UTP, CTP, and GTP. A role for scavenging nucleotides and production of pyrophosphate in osteoarthritic and chondrocalcinotic cartilage is postulated.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1984

NTP pyrophosphohydrolase in human chondrocalcinotic and osteoarthritic cartilage. II. Further studies on histologic and subcellular distribution.

A nucleoside triphosphate (NTP) pyrophosphohydrolase was previously demonstrated in human chondrocalcinotic and osteoarthritic articular cartilage. In this study, grinding and enzymatic techniques for cartilage subcellular fractionation were compared. It was shown that this enzyme was concentrated in fractions enriched in plasma membranes. The enzyme had the same activity in cartilage slices as in triton X-100 extracts, and all of the activity was removed by preliminary treatment of cartilage slices with pronase. Histologic separation of cartilages into tangential and upper radial versus lower radial zones indicated no difference in concentrations of this enzyme. A role is postulated for this enzyme in metabolic chondrocytic plasma membrane responses to injury or destabilization from other causes, such as rapid synthesis or cell division.

5'-Nucleotidase↗
PubMed1982

[Neonatal osteoarthritis. Report on 24 cases (author's transl)].

Twenty four neonates affected of osteoarticular infection, treated on the Neonatal Unit throughout a four and a half year period are analyzed. In the majority of instances they represent a complication in the course of neonatal sepsis. In more than half of them there was a previous umbilical vessel catheterization. "Staphilococcus aureus" was the most frequent etiologic agent. Involvement of the hip was the location more often seen and of worse prognosis. Treatment besides of supportative measures, and specific antibiotic therapy, included posterior arthrotomy in the 13 cases of hip arthritis, and diagnostic puncture and/or arthrotomy in the rest of locations. There was no mortality, and only 20% of the patients exhibits long-term residual defects of variable degree.

Catheterization↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Eosinophilic pustular folliculitis in infancy: report of two new cases.

Eosinophilic pustular folliculitis (EPF) is a cutaneous inflammatory follicular disorder of unknown etiology. The diagnosis is made on the basis of clinical and histopathologic features. We describe two patients who had recurrent episodes of pruritic follicular papular and pustular lesions on the face, extremities, and trunk. The eruptions lasted for 1 month with intermittent remissions. Laboratory tests disclosed no infectious or parasitic etiology in patient 2. In patient 1 we isolated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a blood culture. He had sepsis with lung and liver involvement. EPF is a self-limited dermatosis. On occasion, skin lesions may become superinfected, resulting in localized pyoderma or rarely systemic infection (sepsis). Histologically both of our patients showed a moderate mixed inflammatory infiltrate with numerous eosinophils centered around hair follicles. Their lesions responded well to topical corticosteroids.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Alternating chemotherapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a phase II study.

Fifty-three patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were treated with alternating two-drug schedules cisplatin/vindesine and ifosfamide/mitomycin. Objective response (complete and partial response) was obtained in 31% (confidence limits 18.6-44%) of patients. The median duration of response was 26 weeks. The median survival was 25 weeks, with 24% of patients alive at 1 year. The toxicity was acceptable. The still poor antitumor activity of the chemotherapy schedules used and the lack of non-cross-resistance are factors that could explain the low antitumor activity of alternating chemotherapy.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Efficiency of dialysis with albumin in the treatment of patients with advanced hepatic insufficiency: initial experience with the MARS system in Spain].

During liver failure there is an accumulation of toxic substances secondary to the loss of liver function. In order to eliminate these substances various extracorporeal depuration therapies have been employed. Recently, we have used a new treatment, MARS (Molecular Adsorbent Recirculating System), in 3 patients diagnosed with severe liver failure. This system consists of an albumin rich (20%) dialysate circuit, with two areas of depuration. In one area, the albumin dialysate is in contact with blood through a high-flux albumin coated membrane, where albumin bound substances are eliminated. In the other area, the albumin dialysate is in contact with a standard bicarbonate dialysate through a low-flux membrane, which permits the elimination of water soluble substances. The albumin of the circuit is continuously regenerated through charcoal and ion exchanger filters. In order to determine those liver failure patients suitable to receive MARS therapy we established several inclusion criteria. All patients underwent a complete clinical and biochemical evaluation before and after each treatment. All of them showed an improvement of their clinical (attenuation of pruritus and encephalopathy) and biochemical (decrease of bilirubin levels) parameters. During the period of treatment 2 patients developed an increase in plasma creatinine levels together with a decrease of urinary volume. There were no hemodynamic or technical complications during the treatment. These promising results deserve further controlled studies large enough to permit confirmation.

Adsorption↗