New data on Lepidion schmidti (Gadiformes: Moridae) from the north-east Atlantic Ocean.

A new record of Lepidion schmidti (Gadiformes: Moridae) is reported from the Bay of Biscay (north-east Atlantic Ocean). Lepidion schmidti is a rare and poorly known species, scarcely described in the ichthyological literature. Morphometric and meristic characteristics of the specimen are given. A compilation of the specimens caught in the north-east Atlantic Ocean was carried out and the current status of the species in Atlantic waters is discussed. Lepidion schmidti is characterized mainly by the presence of an inverted V-shaped patch of vomerine teeth and a V-shaped crest on the dorsal surface of the head with the apex anterior. The presence of supernumerary anal fin rays in this species is described for the first time. The results obtained confirm the presence of L. schmidti from the north-east Atlantic Ocean.

Necrotising pneumonia due to influenza A (H1N1) and community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clone USA300: successful management of the first documented paediatric case.

Necrotising pneumonia in young, previously healthy patients due to Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL) producing Staphylococcus aureus has been increasingly recognised. PVL pneumonia is often associated with influenza co-infection and high mortality. This case report describes the successful management of the first documented paediatric case of a previous healthy adolescent who developed necrotising pneumonia due to community-acquired methicillin-resistant (CA-MRSA) clone USA300 with pandemic influenza A (H1N1) co-infection, and highlights the importance of early recognition and initiation of appropriate therapy for this potentially fatal co-infection. PCR remains the gold standard to diagnose pandemic H1N1 since it may not be detected by rapid antigen tests. Bacterial necrotising pneumonia should be suspected in those presenting with worsening flu-like symptoms and clinical and/or radiological evidence of PVL infection (multifocal infiltrates, effusion and cavitation). These patients may benefit from the administration of toxin neutralising agents. In light of the current H1N1 pandemic, healthcare professionals will be increasingly confronted with this clinical scenario.

Deprenyl protects from MPTP-induced Parkinson-like syndrome and glutathione oxidation in rat striatum.

An intrastriatal injection with 18.8 nmoles of the neurotoxic agent 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) induced in rats a progressive parkinsonism characterized by a major loss of striatum dopamine (DA) levels and an increased turnover of this neurotransmitter 96 h after the administration. In addition, the intrastriatal administration of MPTP produced an alteration in various behavioral markers of motor activity. Loss of DA was accompanied by a significant decrease of reduced glutathione (GSH) and an increase in GSH oxidation in the striatum. When deprenyl (10 mg/kg) was i.p. administered 2 h before the intrastriatal injection of MPTP, DA, GSH, glutathione redox status and the indexes of motor activity were not altered. These results show that MPTP increases striatum oxidative stress leading to cellular and in vivo degenerative changes which are prevented by pretreatment with deprenyl.

[Five years experience in the treatment of urinary lithiasis with the extracorporal lithotriptor MFL-5000]. / Cinco años de experiencia en el tratamiento de la litiasis urinaria con el litotriptor extracorpóreo MFL-5000.

We present a review of the treatments of the urinary calculations carried out in the Lithotrity Unit in its first five years of working with the Dornier lithotriptor MFL-5000. We describe the location and size of the calculations, distribution by age and sex of the patients, energy applied and time employed, and we compare our retreatment index and the number of sessions per calculation with those published by other authors.

[Inverted papilloma of the female urethra]. / Papiloma invertido de uretra femenina.

OBJECTIVE: Transitional cell inverted papilloma is an uncommon, generally benign tumor that rarely presents in the lower urinary tract. It is characterized by a typical inverted growth pattern and a layer of normal transitional epithelium. One such case is described herein. METHODS: We report on a 53-year-old female with transitional cell inverted papilloma of the urethra presenting as postmenopausal metrorrhagia. The lesion was removed surgically. RESULTS: It was a round-shaped, 1.5 cm diameter, polypoid lesion that was resected. Standard pathological analyses disclosed a trabecular type inverted papilloma. CONCLUSIONS: Transitional cell inverted papilloma of the female urethra is rare. To date it has only been reported in male patients. An additional case of this tumor type is described in a female patient.

R-Ras promotes apoptosis caused by growth factor deprivation via a Bcl-2 suppressible mechanism.

The Bcl-2 protein is an important regulator of programmed cell death, but the biochemical mechanism by which this protein prevents apoptosis remains enigmatic. Recently, Bcl-2 has been reported to physically interact with a member of the Ras superfamily of small GTPases, p23-R-Ras. To examine the functional significance of R-Ras for regulation of cell death pathways, the IL-3-dependent cells 32D.3 and FL5.12 were stably transfected with expression plasmids encoding an activated form (38 Glycine-->Valine) of R-Ras protein. R-Ras(38V)-producing 32D.3 and FL5.12 cells experienced increased rates of apoptotic cell death relative to control transfected cells when deprived of IL-3. Analysis of several independent clones of transfected 32D.3 cells revealed a correlation between higher levels of R-Ras protein and faster rates of cell death upon withdrawal of IL-3 from cultures. 32D.3 cells cotransfected with R-Ras(38V) and Bcl-2 exhibited prolonged cell survival in the absence of IL-3, equivalent to 32D.3 cells transfected with Bcl-2 expression plasmids alone. R-Ras(38V) also increased rates of cell death in serum-deprived NIH-3T3 cells, and Bcl-2 again abrogated most of this effect. The ratio of GTP and GDP bound to R-Ras(38V) was not significantly different in control 32D.3 cells vs those that overexpressed Bcl-2, indicating that Bcl-2 does not abrogate R-Ras-mediated effects on cell death by altering R-Ras GDP/GTP regulation. Moreover, purified Bcl-2 protein had no effect on the GTPase activity of recombinant wild-type R-Ras in vitro. When expressed in Sf9 cells using recombinant baculoviruses, R-Ras(38V) bound to and induced activation of Raf-1 kinase irrespective of whether Bcl-2 was coproduced in these cells, suggesting that Bcl-2 does not nullify R-Ras effects by interfering with R-Ras-mediated activation of Raf-1 kinase. Taken together, these findings suggest that R-Ras enhances the activity of a cell death pathway in growth factor-deprived cells and imply that Bcl-2 acts downstream of R-Ras to promote cell survival.

Cloning and functional analysis of BAG-1: a novel Bcl-2-binding protein with anti-cell death activity.

Using a protein interaction cloning technique, we identified cDNAs that encode a novel Bcl-2-binding protein, termed BAG-1. The BAG-1 protein shares no significant homology with Bcl-2 or other Bcl-2 family proteins, which can form homo- and heterodimers. In gene transfer experiments using a human lymphoid cell line, Jurkat, coexpression of BAG-1 and Bcl-2 provided markedly increased protection from cell death induced by several stimuli, including staurosporine, anti-Fas antibody, and cytolytic T cells, relative to cells that contained gene transfer-mediated elevations in either BAG-1 or Bcl-2 protein alone. BAG-transfected 3T3 fibroblasts also exhibited prolonged cell survival in response to an apoptotic stimulus. The findings indicate that bag-1 represents a new type of anti-cell death gene and suggest that some routes of apoptosis induction previously ascribed to Bcl-2-independent pathways may instead reflect a need for the combination of Bcl-2 and BAG-1.

Bcl-2 inhibits T-cell-mediated cytolysis of a leukemia cell line.

The bcl-2 gene becomes dysregulated in its expression in a wide variety of human cancers and has been shown to block both spontaneous and drug-induced cell death, thus conferring a selective survival advantage on malignant cells. The biochemical mechanism by which bcl-2 promotes cell survival remains enigmatic but appears to involve a downstream event in an evolutionarily conserved cell death pathway. Here we report that gene transfer-mediated increases in Bcl-2 protein levels in the human leukemia line Jurkat render these cells more resistant to induction of DNA fragmentation and cytolysis by a cloned T-cell. The killing mechanism used by these particular T-cells was consistent with apoptosis, as opposed to necrosis, in that DNA degradation occurred as a prelysis event. The findings raise the possibility that dysregulation of bcl-2 gene expression could play a role in the avoidance of immune surveillance mechanisms by cancer cells.

Protein tyrosine kinase p56-Lck regulates lymphocyte function-associated 1 adhesion molecule expression, granule exocytosis, and cytolytic effector function in a cloned T cell.

Elevated levels of p56-Lck kinase activity were achieved in an interleukin 2 (IL-2)-dependent cloned cytolytic T cell CTLL-2 through gene transfer approaches. CTLL-2-Lck cells remained dependent on IL-2 for growth and survival in culture but exhibited markedly elevated, IL-2-independent cytolytic activity against a variety of tumor targets. This immune cell effector function was similar to the non-major histocompatibility complex-restricted cytolytic activity previously described for lymphokine activated killer (LAK) cells, and involved a cytolytic mechanism that was independent of protein synthesis in either the T cells or the tumor targets. Characterization of CTLL-2-Lck cells revealed markedly elevated levels of both the alpha (CD11a) and beta (CD18) chains of the cell adhesion molecule lymphocyte function-associated 1 (LFA-1) and increased binding of these T cells to a recombinant protein representing the extracellular domain of the LFA-ligand, intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1). Antibodies to CD11a partially abrogated cytolytic killing of tumor target cells by CTLL-2-Lck cells, suggesting that the upregulation in LFA protein levels potentially accounts at least in part for the phenotype of these T cells. Gene transfer-mediated elevations in p56-Lck kinase activity in an IL-3-dependent myeloid cell clone 32D.3 also resulted in increased LFA-1 expression, demonstrating that the findings are not unique to CTLL-2 cells. In addition to upregulation of LFA-1 expression, CTLL-Lck cells also exhibited more efficient exocytosis of cytotoxic granules upon activation with Ca(2+)-ionophore and phorbol ester, relative to control transfected and untransfected CTLL-2 cells. The findings functionally link the Lck kinase to a T cell effector pathway involved in cell-mediated cytotoxicity.

[Cutaneous metastasis of epithelioid sarcoma of the penis: report of a case]. / Metástasis cutánea de un sarcoma epitelioide de pene: a propósito de un caso.

Exposition of one case of skin metastasis in a 35 year-old patient, diagnosed 10 years previously with epithelioid sarcoma of the penis, which was treated with total penectomy. The singularity of this case lies in the rarity of a pineal site for this tumour, as well as the infrequency of the skin metastasis. It should be noted the significance of long-term follow-up in this patients, since quite frequently they develop metastasis following a long asymptomatic period.

Estudio doble ciego, placebo-controlado del efecto del misoprostol sobre la gastropatía por antiinflamatorias no esteroideos en pacientes con osteoartritis estudio multicentrico / Double-blind placebo-controlled study of the effect of misoprostal on upper gastropathies for non esteroidal anti-inflammatory in patients with osteoarthritis; multicentric study

Ochenta y cuatro pacientes con osteoartritis y gastropatía por naproxen fueron ubicados en un estudio doble-ciego, placebo controlado de 4 semanas de duración, para recibir tratamiento con naproxen (250 mg dos veces día) más misoprotol (200 mg dos veces al día), o naproxen (250 mg dos veces al día) más placebo. El Propósito del estudio fue investigar el efecto del misoprostol sobre las lasiones erosivas y/o sangrantes del tracto digestivo superior ocasionadas por el naproxen. Se practicó una endoscopia inicial y otra final a cada paciente con la finalida de detectar lesiones erosivas o sangrantes, dándoseles un puntaje de acuerdo a nuestro protocolo. Cuarenta y dos pacientes recibieron misoprostol, mostraron un descenso en las lesiones erosivas final del estudio (110 a 42, t: 3,99 p < 0,001); lo mismo ocurrió con las lesiones sangrantes (t: 3,24, p < 0.01). El grupo que recibió placebo no mostró diferencias estadísticamentes significativas al comparar las lesiones erosivas y sangrantes basales y finales. Cuando se aplicó la correccion de Yates (X2) a los dos grupos experimentales sólo hubo mejoría estadísticamente significativa en el grupo que recibió misoprostol en lo concerniente a las lesiones erosivas (p < 0.001). Once pacientes desarrollaron úlceras para el final del estudio (1 en el fondo gástrico, una en el cuerpo, 8 antrales y una duodenal), todos estaban recibiendo placebo. Conclusiones: 1) El misoprostol disminuyó significativamente las lesiones erosivas. 2) El misoprostol protegió contra el efecto ulcerogénico del naproxen