Comparative MRI analysis of the forebrain of three sauropsida models.

The study of the brain by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows to obtain detailed anatomical images, useful to describe specific encephalic structures and to analyze possible variabilities. It is widely used in clinical practice and is becoming increasingly used in veterinary medicine, even in exotic animals; however, despite its potential, its use in comparative neuroanatomy studies is still incipient. It is a technology that in recent years has significantly improved anatomical resolution, together with the fact that it is non-invasive and allows for systematic comparative analysis. All this makes it particularly interesting and useful in evolutionary neuroscience studies, since it allows for the analysis and comparison of brains of rare or otherwise inaccessible species. In the present study, we have analyzed the prosencephalon of three representative sauropsid species, the turtle Trachemys scripta (order Testudine), the lizard Pogona vitticeps (order Squamata) and the snake Python regius (order Squamata) by MRI. In addition, we used MRI sections to analyze the total brain volume and ventricular system of these species, employing volumetric and chemometric analyses together. The raw MRI data of the sauropsida models analyzed in the present study are available for viewing and downloading and have allowed us to produce an atlas of the forebrain of each of the species analyzed, with the main brain regions. In addition, our volumetric data showed that the three groups presented clear differences in terms of total and ventricular brain volumes, particularly the turtles, which in all cases presented distinctive characteristics compared to the lizards and snakes.

Mortality trends in a cohort of opiate addicts, Catalonia, Spain.

BACKGROUND: Opiate addiction affects young adults whose life expectancy is reduced as a consequence of their habit. In the midst of the AIDS epidemic, the present study objective was to analyse recent overall and cause-specific mortality trends among opiate addicts in Catalonia (Spain). METHODS: Mortality was assessed retrospectively in an opiate addict cohort assembled from admissions to hospital emergency wards and drug treatment centres during the period 1985-1991. The cohort included 12 711 opiate addicts (12 045 men and 3666 women) aged 15-44 years. Overall and cause-specific mortality trends were analysed using age as the time scale and Cox regression with staggered entry determined by the age at entry in the study. Annual trends were adjusted by sex and source of entry, and were stratified by length of opiate use. RESULTS: Mortality rates increased throughout the entire period from 13.8 to 34.8 deaths per 1000 person-years, with a statistically significant increase in 1987-1988 and 1988-1989. In a model including age, gender, source of entry and length of drug use, risk increased significantly in men and for longer length of use, but not with age and for source of entry into the study cohort. The causes of death associated with high mortality rates were AIDS and the causes directly related to addiction. CONCLUSIONS: A threefold increase in mortality rates was observed during the period, mainly accounted for by AIDS and direct addiction-related causes. Length of opiate use was an important determinant of mortality.

Distinct vascular zones in the canine prostate.

The vascular bed of canine prostate was studied and detailed distinct vascular zones were visualized on corrosion casts by scanning electron microscopy. This study was performed because of scarce information about the zonal vascularization of the prostate gland in dogs. There are no studies for three-dimensional microvascular distribution of the capsular vessels and the capsular microvascular trabeculae. SEM (vascular corrosion casting method) was used to show 3D angioarchitecture of the prostate gland. The lobules on the dorsal and lateral surface of the gland were numerous but small. Their small size is probably due to the abundant blood supply in the region. Few but large ventral lobules were observed. Three prostatic zones were clearly defined: capsular, parenchyma, and urethral. The diameter of the venous blood vessel compared to arterial vessels of the capsule was smaller. Two types of arteries were observed in trabeculae: direct and branched. The direct arteries were straight, with only a few branches. The branched arteries contained many bifurcations, with the vessel's diameter decreasing gradually. The trabeculae capillary network formed loops, with frequent sphincter-like constrictions and pouch-like protuberances.

Uterine sarcoma associated with tamoxifen use: case report.

A case of müllerian adenosarcoma with sarcomatous overgrowth in a postmenopausal 66-year-old female patient after adjuvant tamoxifen treatment for breast carcinoma is described. The patient was asymptomatic and the neoplasm was detected by pelvic sonography. The diagnosis was based on the histological findings after curettage and complementary total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. The association of tamoxifen use and development of mesenchymal neoplasms is discussed.

Does FIGO clinical stage influence the survival of patients with early stages of uterine cervix carcinoma. International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics.

We studied the influence of the FIGO clinical stage on the prognosis of 114 patients with early stages of uterine cervix carcinoma who had been treated with radical surgery in the "La Fe" Maternity Hospital in Valencia between 1971 and 1989. The prognosis became worse with each clinical stage, in line with the fact that the more advanced clinical stages are more likely to have certain types of spread, larger tumours and a greater stromal invasion depth. However, the Cox regression adjustment of the variables predicting disease-free and survival intervals, including the clinical stage and preoperative and postoperative treatment, did not reveal a significant link between clinical stage and the prognostic indices studied, while postoperative treatment variables showed a great predictive capacity, possibly due to the fact that the postoperative treatment used in more advanced stages is more aggressive.

[Parenteral nutrition: a utilization study in a general hospital]. / Nutrición parenteral: estudio de utilización en un hospital general.

A follow-up of 116 patients initiating parenteral nutrition was performed from December 1990 to March 1991 (average of 18 patients on parenteral nutrition per day, which accounted for a prevalence of 2% compared to total patients admitted), in order to determine a series of characteristics related to the use of parenteral nutrition in our hospital, by means of obtaining concrete, updated information. With regard to the patients, it was observed that 37% of these were suffering from chronic ailments, with more or less incapacitating pathologies. The nutritional state prior to parenteral nutrition was normal in 53% of cases, and the most common reasons for admittance to hospital were neoplasias (27%) and digestive pathology (18%). 42% of the patients were admitted to the ICU and 34% to General Surgery. Indication for parenteral nutrition was intestinal pathology in 23% of cases, followed by pancreatic pathology in 16% of cases and pathology of the oesophagus in 10%; in 45% of cases, it was commenced during the postoperative period. With regard to the composition of the parenteral nutrition, we should mention the use of polyols instead of glucose in 80% of diabetic patients and 75% of patients with pancreatitis, the widespread use of mixture of 50% medium and long chain triglycerides and the use of amino acid solutions with 20% branched chain in most patients, both in situations of stress and maintenance.

[A case of Sweet's syndrome associated with Crohn's disease]. / Un caso de síndrome de Sweet asociado a enfermedad de Crohn.

The Sweet syndrome or acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis is a well characterized cutaneous disease from a clinical and histological point of view and is frequently associated with systemic diseases. Prognosis is favorable with good response to corticoid therapy. A well documented case of Sweet syndrome associated with an outbreak of Crohn's disease with peculiar good therapeutic response is reported.

Prediction model to discard a priori liver allografts.

BACKGROUND: The use of expanded criteria for donors to expand the donor pool has increased the number of discarded liver grafts in situ. The aim of our study was to elaborate a prediction model to reduce the percentage of liver grafts discarded before the procuring team is sent out. METHODS: We analyzed the donor factors of 244 evaluated candidates for liver donation. We performed a multiple logistic regression to evaluate the probability of liver grafts discarded (PD). RESULTS: The PD was determined by use of 3 variables: age, pathological ultrasonography, and body mass index >30. The area under curve was 82.7%, and, for a PD of 70%, the false-positive probability was 1.2%. CONCLUSIONS: We have created a useful clinical prediction model that could avoid up to 20% of discarded liver grafts.

A comparative analysis of the modification of sexual desire of users of oral hormonal contraceptives and intrauterine contraceptive devices.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the influence of oral hormonal contraceptives (OCs) and the use of intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUDs) on the modification of sexual desire. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective observational study of 1073 women using OCs or an IUD at the Family Planning Center 'Marina Alta' in Alicante, Spain. In order to evaluate the relative risk regarding the decrease in libido attributed to each contraceptive method, a logistic regression analysis was undertaken which considered the factors of age adjustment, level of studies, family planning information, relationship with partner, age when sexual relationships were initiated, parity, contraceptive method previously used and the duration of use of the contraceptive method. RESULTS: No differences in the decrease of sexual desire were observed between the use of the OC and IUD (odds ratio (OR) 1.32; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.70-2.49), yet differences were noted, however, in relation to age (OR 1.05; 95% CI 1.01-1.10). Although these differences were not statistically significant, a high level of awareness regarding family planning was shown to increase sexual desire when compared to a lower level of information on this subject (OR 0.64; 95% CI 0.41-1.01). Sexual desire was seen to decrease if the quality of the relationship with the partner was average (OR 2.24; 95% CI 1.36-3.69) or poor (OR 4.69; 95% CI 1.93-11.4). Nulliparous women showed a greater decrease in sexual desire in relation to women who had already given birth (OR 1.57; 95% CI 1.00-2.47). Sexual desire was greater if the contraceptive method had already been in use for 6-12 months (OR 0.41; 95% CI 0.17-0.98). CONCLUSIONS: Sexual desire does not vary in relation to the use of OCs or IUDs, yet it does decrease with age, in nulliparous women and in those with an average or poor relationship with their partner. Furthermore, sexual desire shows an increase between the first 6 and 12 months of contraceptive treatment.

Computer-assisted knee anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: first clinical tests.

Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is a delicate task. The procedure of choice is the patellar tendon bone autograft, but an anisometric position of this tendon often leads to failure. We allows positioning of the central part of the ligament graft at the least anisometric sites. The system uses a workstation and a three-dimensional optical localizer to create images that represent knee kinematics. The surgeon uses these images to guide the surgery. This technique has been validated on eight cadavers and 12 patients.

Conservation of pericentromeric duplications of a 200-kb part of the human 21q22.1 region in primates.

We analyzed the conservation of large paralogous regions (more than 200 kb) on human chromosome regions 21q22.1 and 21q11.2 and on pericentromeric regions of chromosomes 2, 13, and 18 in three nonhuman primate species. Orthologous regions were found by FISH analysis of metaphase chromosomes from Gorilla gorilla, Pan troglodytes, and Pongo pygmaeus. Only one orthologous region was detected in chromosomes of P. pygmaeus, showing that the original locus was at 21q22.1 and that the duplication arose after the separation of Asian orangutans from the other hominoids. Surprisingly, the paralogous regions were more highly conserved in gorilla than in chimpanzee. PCR amplification of STSs derived from sequences of the chromosome 21 loci and low-stringency FISH analysis showed that this duplication occurred recently in the evolution of the genome. Different rates of sequence evolution through substitutions or deletions, after the duplication, may have resulted in diversity between closely related primates.

A 37-kb fragment common to the pericentromeric region of human chromosomes 13 and 21 and to the ancestral inactive centromere of chromosome 2.

A YAC clone from a chromosome 21-specific partial library was localized by in situ hybridization to the pericentromeric region of chromosomes 13 and 21 and to the long arm of chromosome 2, where an ancestral inactive centromere is present. Restriction mapping of the insert showed that it may contain tandemly repeated DNA. Probes for alpha-satellite and satellite II and III failed to hybridize with the cloned DNA. Shotgun subcloning might reveal a sequence that seems to be specific for chromosome 21. Alu-PCR was performed to generate probes from the YAC clone to map it more precisely, using a somatic hybrid containing only human chromosome 21. The inter-Alu sequences thus isolated were found to be clustered in an approximately 37-kb-long fragment common to chromosome 2, 13, and 21, which might be involved in the centromeric function of these chromosomes.

[Infection with hepatitis B and C viruses in the mentally retarded]. / Infección por virus de las hepatitis B y C en deficientes mentales.

AIM: To study the prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) and the associated risk factors in an institution for the mentally retarded, in addition to its relation with hepatitis B infection (HBV). METHODS: The presence of antibodies against the HCV (anti-HCV) and markers for the HBV was evaluated in 94 mentally retarded subjects admitted to a single institution. Information concerning the sex, age, length of admission, type and degree of mental retardation, history of sexual promiscuity, surgery and blood transfusions was collected in every individual. RESULTS: The prevalence of infection by HBV was 22.3%. Only one individual was detected as being positive for the HCV.

3.6-Mb genomic and YAC physical map of the Down syndrome chromosome region on chromosome 21.

The Down syndrome chromosome region (DCR) on chromosome 21 has been shown to contain a gene(s) important in the pathogenesis of Down syndrome. We constructed a long-range restriction map of the D21S55-D21S65 region covering the proximal part of the DCR. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of lymphocyte DNA digested with three rare cutting enzymes. NotI, NruI, and MluI, was used to establish two physical linkage groups of 5 and 7 markers, respectively, spanning 4.6 Mb on the NotI map. Mapping analysis of 40 YACs allowed the selection of 13 YACs covering 95% of the D21S55-D21S65 region and spanning 3.6 Mb. The restriction maps of these YACs and their positioning on the genomic map allowed 19 markers to be ordered, including 4 NotI linking clones, 9 polymorphic markers, the CBR gene, and the AML1 gene. The distances between markers could also be estimated. This physical map and the location of eight NotI sites between D21S55 and D21S17 should facilitate the isolation of previously unidentified genes in this region.

High-resolution physical mapping of a 6.7-Mb YAC contig spanning a region critical for the monosomy 21 phenotype in 21q21.3-q22.1.

Deletion of genes from the chromosome 21 region between APP and SOD1 is a potential cause of some of the major phenotypic features of monosomy 21 patients. Fine physical mapping helps identify potential candidate genes. After selecting nonchimeric YACs by FISH analysis, we determined their marker contents by PCR and hybridization studies. Fifteen YACs were chosen and mapped by restriction enzyme analysis and labeling of end fragments. We localized 55 markers, including 31 STSs, 10 YAC ends, and 4 NotI linking clones, along a 6.7-Mb contig. This map facilitates transcriptional analysis of this region and construction of ready-to-sequence contigs. Furthermore, FISH mapping of two patients with partial monosomy 21 using YAC and cosmid clones allowed us to define more accurately the telomeric border of the critical region between markers S226 and S213.

Characterization of a novel gene, C21orf6, mapping to a critical region of chromosome 21q22.1 involved in the monosomy 21 phenotype and of its murine ortholog, orf5.

Phenotypic and molecular analyses of patients with partial chromosome 21 monosomy enabled us to define a region, spanning 2.4 Mb between D21S190 and D21S226, associated with arthrogryposis, mental retardation, hypertonia, and several facial anomalies. The markers of the region were used to screen a total human PAC library (Ioannou, RZPD). We isolated 57 PACs, which formed primary contigs. EST clusters (UNIGENE collection) located in a 6-Mb interval, between D21S260 and D21S263, were mapped in individual bacterial clones. We mapped the WI-17843 cluster to the PAC clone J12100, which contains the two anchor markers LB10T and LA329. The open reading frame extends over 960 bp, with three putative start codons. The 1695-bp cDNA containing a polyadenylation signal should correspond to the full-length cDNA. From the genomic sequence, we deduced that the gene contained five exons and that there was a putative promoter sequence upstream from exon 1. In silico screening of DNA databases revealed similarity with a murine EST. The corresponding cDNA (1757 bp) sequence was very similar (>85%) to the human cDNA and had an open reading frame of 876 nucleotides. Somatic hybrid mapping localized the cDNA to mouse chromosome 16. EST analyses and RT-PCR indicated that the third exon in the human gene (exon 2 in the mouse) undergoes alternative splicing. Northern blot hybridization showed that the gene was ubiquitously expressed in humans and mice. The longest mouse clone was used to generate riboprobes, which were hybridized to murine embryos at stages E-9.5, E-10.5, E-12.5, E-13.5, and E-14.5-15, to study the pattern of expression during development. Ubiquitous labeling was observed, with strong signals restricted to limited areas of the telencephalon, the mesencephalon, and the interrhombomeric regions in the central nervous system, and other regions of the body such as the limb buds, branchial arches, and somites.

Microvasculature of the gastric mucosa in dogs.

A corrosion casting technique was used to study differences in the microvascular architecture of the pars cardiaca, the fundus ventriculi, the corpus ventriculi and the pars pylorica of the canine gastric mucosa. This technique revealed an unusual arrangement of the microvascular architecture in the nonglandular region surrounding the esophageal opening. Capillaries run tortuously along the mucosal surface parallel to the long axis of the esophagus, and some capillaries form a polygonal network that extends around the seromucous glands. In contrast, the mucosal capillaries of the glandular regions of the stomach are arranged in a symmetric pattern associated with the gastric glands. There are also differences in the mucosal microvessels of the cardiac and fundic areas compared to the corpus and the antrum. In the cardiac and fundic regions, a sparse microvascular pattern was observed and fewer capillaries drained into a single venule. However, the vessels surrounding the gastric glands in the corpus and antral areas drained into venules perpendicular to the hexagonal arrangement of the capillaries.