RESUMEN
BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The importance of water in human physiology is well known, also for skin functionality. This study was conducted to assess the effects of dietary water on epidermal skin hydration in healthy females. METHODS: Thirty-four healthy females (mean 24.5 ± 6.34 years old) were selected and characterized according to their dietary daily habits, by a previously validated Food Frequency Questionnaire. For 1 month, these subjects were asked to add 2 L/day of water to their regular dietary habits. Measurements took place at day D0, D15, and D30, and involved general variables (body weight, blood pressure, Body Mass Index) and specific skin physiological variables in five anatomical sites (ventral forearm, anterior leg, dorsal hand, zygomatic area, and forehead) involving epidermal superficial and deep hydration, by capacitance and transepidermal water loss (TEWL). RESULTS: This water overload (2 L/day/30 days) did not change the blood volume or weight of the individuals. However, both superficial and deep skin hydration were clearly in those individuals that regularly consumed lees water per day. No significant effect was observed in the TEWL. CONCLUSIONS: This study clearly suggests that dietary water intake seems to influence skin water content. Nevertheless further in vivo investigations involving other variables, such as biomechanical descriptors, should follow to look deeper into this aspect of skin physiology.
Asunto(s)
Agua Corporal/fisiología , Ingestión de Líquidos/fisiología , Epidermis/fisiología , Pérdida Insensible de Agua/fisiología , Agua/administración & dosificación , Agua/metabolismo , Administración Oral , Agua Corporal/efectos de los fármacos , Femenino , Humanos , Absorción Cutánea/efectos de los fármacos , Absorción Cutánea/fisiología , Pérdida Insensible de Agua/efectos de los fármacos , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Nevoid basal cell carcinoma (BCC) syndrome, or Gorlin syndrome, is a rare autosomal dominant disorder associated with mutations in the patched 1 gene, PTCH1. It is characterized by the presence of multiple BCCs in association with disorders affecting the bones, the skin, the eyes, and the nervous system. We describe 6 cases of nevoid BCC syndrome evaluated in our department. Palmoplantar pitting was observed in all 6 patients, multiple BCCs in 5 patients (83%), skeletal anomalies in 3 patients (50%), and odontogenic keratocysts in 1 patient (17%). We would like to stress the importance of early diagnosis and treatment in nevoid BCC syndrome and the need for continuous, long-term follow-up by a multidisciplinary team.
Asunto(s)
Síndrome del Nevo Basocelular , Neoplasias Cutáneas , Adolescente , Síndrome del Nevo Basocelular/diagnóstico , Niño , Preescolar , Femenino , Hospitales Pediátricos , Humanos , Masculino , Neoplasias Cutáneas/diagnósticoRESUMEN
One of the effects attributed to CsA is a possible acceleration of atherogenic processes, which contributes to the failure of transplanted organs. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of CsA and two vehicles, cremophor and ethanol, in an experimental model of arterial autograft in the rat. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were distributed into 3 study groups: Group 1 (control) had an arterial autograft in the common iliac artery without pretreatment; group 2 (CsA-cremophor) animals were pretreated with a daily dose of CsA (5 mg/kg, Sandimmun) for 4 days before the autograft was made; and group 3 (CsA-ethanol + Tween) animals were pretreated for 4 days before implantation of the autograft with CsA in a vehicle of ethanol + Tween at the same dose as used in group 2 (5 mg/kg). The study periods were 7, 14, 21, 30, and 50 postoperative days. Studies were made by optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and autoradiography. Evaluation of the results showed that in the control group the postoperative repair process lead to formation of an intimal neolayer throughout the entire surgical zone, with scant participation of white cells. Group 2 (CsA-cremophor) had a marked increase in luminal thrombogenicity, important adhesion and infiltration of white cells, loss of smooth muscle cells in the medial layer, and atherogenic degeneration of the medial layer. The generation of the neointimal layer is delayed by 2 weeks with respect to the control group. However, once the neointimal begins to form, its thickness increases rapidly, reaching values similar to those seen in the control group at 50 days. The myointima also shows atherogenic characteristics, such as monocyte-macrophage infiltration and dystrophic calcification. In group 3 (CsA-ethanol+Tween, that is, CsA in a nonoleaginous vehicle), the effects were similar to those seen in group 2 (CsA-cremophor), with a reduction in the presence of lipid-laden cells in the medial layer. Based on these observations, we conclude that CsA per se induced atherogenic changes in the repair process of the arterial lesion that were independent of the vehicle of administration. CsA delayed, but did not inhibit, formation of a myointima and the myointima formed exhibited atherogenic characteristics. The most important effects were noted in the medial layer, which experienced intense degeneration.
Asunto(s)
Arterias/trasplante , Arteriosclerosis/inducido químicamente , Ciclosporina/toxicidad , Inmunosupresores/toxicidad , Animales , Arterias/patología , Femenino , Hiperplasia , Músculo Liso Vascular/patología , Ratas , Ratas Sprague-Dawley , Trasplante AutólogoRESUMEN
We studied the histamine-releasing activity of several antineoplastic drugs on rat pleural and peritoneal mast cells. The drugs tested included the nitrogen mustards cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide, the nitrosourea carmustine, the triazene dacarbazine, the folic acid analogue methotrexate, the pyrimidine analogue cytarabine and fluorouracil, the vinca alkaloids vinblastine, vincristine and Vinorelbine, the epipodophyllotoxins etoposide and teniposide, and the enzyme L-asparaginase. Methotrexate, carmustine, fluorouracil, vinblastine and vincristine failed to elicit histamine release on rat mast cells. All of the other drugs evoked histamine release in both the presence and the absence of extracellular calcium, but ifosfamide, cytarabine and asparaginase induced a much lower release in the absence of this cation. The response elicited by cytarabine and etoposide was much higher in pleural than in peritoneal mast cells. These results indicate that some antineoplastic drugs may directly activate the release of histamine, which could contribute to some of their secondary effects.
Asunto(s)
Antineoplásicos/farmacología , Liberación de Histamina/efectos de los fármacos , Mastocitos/metabolismo , Animales , Células Cultivadas , Mastocitos/efectos de los fármacos , Cavidad Peritoneal/citología , Pleura/citología , Ratas , Ratas EndogámicasRESUMEN
A population study of unrelated individuals from the Basque Country (Northern Spain) was carried out using the GenePrint STR System. The PCR products were separated on denaturing polyacrylamide gels and visualized by silver staining. Three tetrameric loci were evaluated: HumF13A01, HumFXIIIB, and HumLIPOL. All loci fit Hardy-Weinberg expectations, and independence of alleles was found between these STR loci. A comparison with other population groups indicated allele frequencies are well conserved in Caucasians, but differ from other racial groups. The calculated parameters a priori probability of exclusion (Pex) and "power of discrimination" (PD) show how informative these loci are for the determination of identity and relatedness of individuals.
Asunto(s)
Frecuencia de los Genes , Genética de Población , Repeticiones de Microsatélite/genética , Etnicidad , Medicina Legal , Humanos , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa , EspañaRESUMEN
Nowadays resection is the only potentially curative method for cancer of the exocrine pancreas, but resectability rate remains very low despite the complexity and accuracy of the diagnostic techniques. 534 patients with pancreatic cancer were analyzed retrospectively. We performed 51 pancreatic head resections, 22 total pancreatectomies and 3 left resections (resectability rate 14.2%), with an overall mortality rate of 27.6%, decreasing to 12.5% in recent years. The median survival rate of 12 months increased to 21 months if we exclude postoperative mortality. The overall 5-year survival rates were 15.3% and 23.5% respectively. Moreover, some of the patients in our series are disease-free. Whenever possible, partial pancreatectomy offers the best prognostic and palliative results to patients with pancreatic cancer.
Asunto(s)
Neoplasias Pancreáticas/cirugía , Análisis Actuarial , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Pancreatectomía , Neoplasias Pancreáticas/mortalidad , Complicaciones Posoperatorias/epidemiología , Estudios Retrospectivos , Tasa de SupervivenciaRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Gastric carcinoma can be divided into two main histological and clinical types: diffuse and intestinal. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of neu/c-erbB-2 oncoprotein, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), cathepsin D (catD), progesterone receptor (PR) and tumor-associated glycoprotein-72 (TAG-72) in gastric carcinoma of these histological types. METHOD: In this randomized, prospective study we analyzed 85 biopsy samples from patients with gastric adenocarcinoma. The control group consisted of 40 specimens from normal gastric mucosa. Neu oncoprotein and PR were determined by ELISA. CatD and TAG-72 were quantified with immunoradiometric (IRMA) methods, and EGFR were studied by radioimmunoassay (RIA). RESULTS: Neu, EGFR, catD and TAG-72 concentrations were higher in the tumoral group (p = 0.02, p = 0.00001, p = 0.002 and p = 0.007, respectively). In diffuse adenocarcinomas, catD and PR expression was increased (p = 0.01 and p = 0.04 respectively), whereas TAG-72 concentration, which correlated with neu (r = 0.57), was higher in the intestinal type (p = 0.04). No significant differences in EGFR and neu concentrations were seen between the two histological types. CONCLUSIONS: The higher PR and catD concentrations in diffuse adenocarcinomas, and the overexpression of TAG-72 in the intestinal type, support the existence of two modes of gastric carcinogenesis.
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Adenocarcinoma/metabolismo , Adenocarcinoma/patología , Catepsina D/biosíntesis , Receptores ErbB/biosíntesis , Glicoproteínas/biosíntesis , Receptor ErbB-2/biosíntesis , Receptores de Progesterona/biosíntesis , Neoplasias Gástricas/metabolismo , Neoplasias Gástricas/patología , Adenocarcinoma/genética , Anciano , Femenino , Regulación Neoplásica de la Expresión Génica , Humanos , Masculino , Estudios Prospectivos , Neoplasias Gástricas/genéticaRESUMEN
We report a series of 37 patients with upper gastrointestinal fistulas, from a total of 90 postoperative fistulas, treated in our Department over a period of five years (1987-1991). 46% of these originated after peptic ulcer surgery. Most patients (54%) required surgical intervention mainly due to the presence of major intraabdominal sepsis, and only 12 (32.4%) had spontaneous fistula closure. Morbidity (59.4%) and mortality rates (32.4%) were high.
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Enfermedades Duodenales/etiología , Enfermedades del Esófago/etiología , Fístula/etiología , Fístula Gástrica/etiología , Fístula Intestinal/etiología , Complicaciones Posoperatorias/etiología , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Estudios RetrospectivosRESUMEN
Structural characteristics and thermal stability of a series of dodecylammonium carrageenates formed by stoichiometric complexation of dodecylammonium chloride and differently charged carrageenans (kappa-, iota- and lambda-carrageenan, respectively) were investigated. IR spectral analysis confirmed the electrostatic and hydrogen bond interactions between the dodecylammonium and carrageenan species. X-ray diffraction experiments show increased ordering in the complexes compared to that in the parent carrageenans. Dodecylammonium carrageenates have a layer structure, in which a polar sublayer contains layers of carrageenan chains and a nonpolar sublayer consists of conformationally disordered dodecylammonium chains electrostatically attached to the carrageenan backbone. The major factor that determines the dodecylammonium carrageenate structure is cationic surfactant, while the carrageenans moiety plays a major role in determining thermal properties.
RESUMEN
A series of polyurethane polymers was synthesized with increasing proportions of silicone in the form of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) utilised as a cross-linking agent, based on an aromatic, non-biostable polyetherurethane (PEtU). Eight formulations ranging from 0-50% PDMS were constructed into porous and non-porous films. These were implanted subcutaneously in rats, both unstrained and 100% strained, for 3 and 6 months. Degradation was determined by FTIR-ATR. Porous films were implanted for 6 and 12 months intramuscularly in both rats and rabbits. These were explanted and examined for inflammatory cell markers by immunohistochemistry. Both low and high percentages of siloxane gave rise to increased degradation, with 20-40% PDMS resulting in the least degradation. Infrared spectral changes correlated well with both visual examination and observation by SEM. Changes to the concentration of siloxane gave rise to differences in the thickness of fibroblastic capsule and infiltration of inflammatory cells in both films & scaffolds. Cellular infiltration was greatest in the films with lower siloxane concentrations. Macrophage activation (MHC-I & MHC-II expression) was least in the higher siloxane variants. It is concluded that by varying the siloxane content in the PEtU matrix we can obtain an acceptable inflammatory response with a relatively short degradation time.
Asunto(s)
Inflamación/inducido químicamente , Poliuretanos/química , Siloxanos/química , Animales , Biodegradación Ambiental , Inmunohistoquímica , Microscopía Electrónica de Rastreo , Conejos , Ratas , Ratas Wistar , Espectroscopía Infrarroja por Transformada de FourierRESUMEN
In the last two decades the classic typhoid and paratyphoid A and B became rare also in Istria being substituted by infections of salmonellas of the "minor group". Basing on observations on 418 patients (1970-1979) it was established that in 48.5% of them a significant increase of titers of antibodies, not only for group antigens but also for phasis antigens developed. This, together with positive hemocultures and urine cultures in a number of them, did lead the authors to the conclusion that the invasitivity of these salmonellas (e.g. S. enteritidis, typhi murium, hadar, agona, abony) is greater than previously presumed and that the diagnosis "Salmonella-Fever" or "Paratyphoid" also in infections of these salmonellas is more justified.
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Anticuerpos Antibacterianos/análisis , Bacteriuria/microbiología , Infecciones por Salmonella/microbiología , Salmonella/aislamiento & purificación , Sepsis/microbiología , Humanos , Salmonella/inmunología , Salmonella enteritidis/aislamiento & purificación , Salmonella typhimurium/aislamiento & purificación , YugoslaviaRESUMEN
The variations in starch and soluble sugar content, in phosphorylase and amylase activities in cotyledons of germinating seeds of Cicer arietinum L. are determined. Results from various experiments prove that the alpha-amylases are chiefly responsible for amylase activity. Phosphorylase plays an important rôle during the first two days of germination, but it is relegated to a secondary position as the amylase activity increases. Disc electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gel shows the existence of a phosphorylase throughout germination, and detects two alpha-amylases after 48 and 96 h germination respectively. The increase in alpha-amylase activity during germination is due to de novo synthesis of the two isoenzymes, since both are inhibited by cycloheximide and actinomyces D. This de novo synthesis depends on some embryo produced factor, unreplaceable either by giberellic acid or by kinetin.
Asunto(s)
Fabaceae/enzimología , Fosforilasas/metabolismo , Plantas Medicinales , Semillas/enzimología , Almidón/metabolismo , Cicloheximida/farmacología , Dactinomicina/farmacología , Represión Enzimática/efectos de los fármacos , Fosforilasas/antagonistas & inhibidoresRESUMEN
Bromazepam was administered in a single dose of 1.5 mg one-half hour before bedtime to study its short-term action and the effect of its discontinuation on the sleep of 6 children suffering from night terrors. On the third night of the drug's administration, a statistically significant reduction in slow-wave sleep was observed which was maintained after the drug had been discontinued. The other sleep parameters were not significantly affected, although a slight increase in REM sleep was seen after discontinuation of bromazepam, with a statistically significant increase in the second third of the night on the first 2 nights 'off medication'. A comparison of the individual nights yielded no significant change in heart rate, although certain internal changes were observed during the second night 'on medication' and during the nights 'off medication'. These changes can be explained by the changing relationship between cardiac variability and sleep organization. There were insufficient episodes of night terror during the short duration of the study to allow any conclusions to be drawn on the effect of the drug on this aspect.
Asunto(s)
Ansiolíticos/uso terapéutico , Bromazepam/uso terapéutico , Frecuencia Cardíaca/efectos de los fármacos , Trastornos del Sueño-Vigilia/tratamiento farmacológico , Niño , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Sueño/efectos de los fármacos , Trastornos del Sueño-Vigilia/fisiopatología , Sueño REM/efectos de los fármacosRESUMEN
Exposure of rat mast cells to isotonic sucrose (employed as a sodium free medium) increased several-fold the sensitivity to calcium, which itself became a stimulus for exocytosis. Concentrations of the cation as low as 25 microM permitted maximal histamine release. Preincubation of cells in sucrose to allow sodium efflux before adding the ionophore A23187 led to a slower release of histamine. We postulate that sodium efflux can generate a membrane potential that causes the increased sensitivity to calcium and the delay in response after preincubation. The response to A23187 is somewhat unspecific since the ionophore can release histamine from internal calcium reservoirs. Saxitoxin or veratridine did not affect cell responses, so that sodium activity is not mediated through defined sodium channels.
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Liberación de Histamina/efectos de los fármacos , Mastocitos/fisiología , Canales de Sodio/fisiología , Sodio/fisiología , Animales , Calcimicina/farmacología , Calcio/farmacología , Mastocitos/efectos de los fármacos , Ratas , Saxitoxina/farmacología , Canales de Sodio/efectos de los fármacos , Sacarosa/farmacología , Veratridina/farmacologíaRESUMEN
We studied whether or not mast cells are endowed with specific sodium channels, by using tritiated saxitoxin which binds to site 1 of sodium channels on excitable tissues. Our results suggest that rat pleural and peritoneal mast cells lack specific sodium channels.