Identification and characterization of a new oncogene derived from the regulatory subunit of phosphoinositide 3-kinase.

p85/p110 phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) is a heterodimer composed of a p85-regulatory and a p110-catalytic subunit, which is involved in a variety of cellular responses including cytoskeletal organization, cell survival and proliferation. We describe here the cloning and characterization of p65-PI3K, a mutant of the regulatory subunit of PI3K, which includes the initial 571 residues of the wild type p85alpha-protein linked to a region conserved in the eph tyrosine kinase receptor family. We demonstrate that this mutation, obtained from a transformed cell, unlike previously engineered mutations of the regulatory subunit, induces the constitutive activation of PI3K and contributes to cellular transformation.

Prevalence and associated factors for gallstone disease: results of a population survey in Spain.

We conducted a cross-sectional survey to determine the prevalence of gallstone disease (gallstone or cholecystectomy) in a random sample of the adult population of Guadalajara, Spain. The sample stratified by age and sex was drawn from the municipal census. Stratum sample sizes were proportional to population sizes and to the expected prevalence rates calculated through a meta-analysis of the European literature.

Somaclonal-variation-induced aluminum-sensitive mutant from an aluminum-inbred maize tolerant line.

Somaclonal-variation-induced multiple mutations were observed in a progeny of the S1587 plant, regenerated from type I calli of the aluminum-tolerant inbred maize line Cat-100-6. After five generations of self-pollination, 14 progeny families of the S1587 somaclone were found to show aluminum toxicity symptoms with altered root tip morphology and reduced primary root growth. The most sensitive progeny, S1587-17, was crossed to the Cat-100-6 inbred line.

The female Spanish population: a group at risk of nutritional iron deficiency.

Iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional problems in the world. It is frequent in both developed and developing countries and mainly affects women of childbearing age. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of iron deficiency in a group of young women from Madrid, Spain.

Antigenic phenotype and gene expression pattern of lymphohemopoietic progenitors during early mouse ontogeny.

Hemopoiesis, initiated in the early embryo yolk sac (YS) (7.5-8 days postcoitum (pc) in mouse), takes place thereafter in sites successively seeded by extrinsic hemopoietic stem cells (HSC). Since the existence of intraembryonic HSC has been proven experimentally in some vertebrates, it is also likely that not all HSC originate in the YS in mammals, as previously thought.

A collaborative approach to the diagnosis of a lethal short limb skeletal dysplasia.

We report a male infant with a lethal short limb Skeletal Dysplasia, born in a District Hospital in the South of Portugal. Local paediatricians investigated clinical and radiographical data. At the Perinatal Pathology Unit of the Egas Moniz hospital the diagnosis of Atelosteogenesis type II was proposed by the Clinical Geneticist and was supported by histopathological findings.

Influence of the number of meals taken per day on cardiovascular risk factors and the energy and nutrient intakes of a group of elderly people.

The aim of this investigation was to analyse the influence of the number of meals per day on a range of cardiovascular risk factors and on the energy and nutrient intakes of a group of elderly people. The participants in this study were 150 elderly people (64 men and 86 women) from Madrid. Food intake was followed over a period of 5 days.

Folate and vitamin B12 status in a group of preschool children.

Unlabelled: An adequate intake of folates and vitamin B12 is essential for the rapid growth rates characteristic of infancy. However, little information exists on the prevalence of deficiencies of these nutrients in preschool children. The status of these vitamins was therefore evaluated in a group of 79 children between 2 and 6 years of age.

[Posttraumatic pseudoaneurysm of the axillary artery after anterior dislocation of the shoulder: a case report].

We present a case of a young patient, 44 years old, with a pseudoaneurysm of the axillary artery after anterior shoulder dislocation. The early diagnosis of axillary artery lesions after trauma is difficult in some cases. It's important to mention the possibility of accidental vascular surgery during reduction of the shoulder dislocation.

Functional and psychic deterioration in elderly people may be aggravated by folate deficiency.

The deterioration of functional and mental capacity is one of the major problems of the elderly. This deterioration may be caused or worsened by folate deficiency. The aim of this investigation was to analyze the relationship between mental and functional capacities and folate status in a group of 177 elderly Spanish people.

Influence of maternal serum lipids and maternal diet during the third trimester of pregnancy on umbilical cord blood lipids in two populations of Spanish newborns.

An analysis was made of the influence of maternal diet and serum lipids during the third trimester of pregnancy upon cord blood lipids in two populations of Spanish newborns. A significant correlation was found to exist between maternal cholesterol concentrations and those of newborn infants (r = 0.3298).

Influence of the intake of fortified breakfast cereals on dietary habits and nutritional status of Spanish schoolchildren.

A study was performed on the breakfast habits of 200 schoolchildren between 9 and 13 years of age. The subjects were classified into two groups: group C, children who consumed fortified breakfast cereals (65 boys and 35 girls), and group NC, children who did not (64 boys and 36 girls). The different dietary habits and the nutritional status of the two groups were analyzed.

Biological characterization of L-asparaginase liposomal formulations.

The biological properties of preselected liposomal formulations of L-asparaginase (L-ASNase) were studied. Pharmacokinetics studies showed that encapsulation in large liposomes (sDRV; median diameter 1,249 nm) decreased the circulation time of the enzyme, whereas encapsulation in small liposomes (VET: median diameter 158-180 nm) prolonged it by a factor of up to 10. Liposome encapsulation in either VET or sDRV prevents the induction of anti-asparaginase antibodies and mitigates the anaphylatic reaction, as no death occurred in animals presensitized and challenged with liposomal formulation, in contrast to animals treated with the free enzyme.

Intraocular contamination during extracapsular cataract extraction with intraocular lens implantation.

Ocular bacterial contamination has been studied in 45 eyes that underwent cataract surgery. The following samples were taken: (1) eyelid margin swab; (2) conjunctival swab; (3) aqueous humor after initial anterior chamber penetration; (4) anterior capsule fragment after capsulorrhexis or capsulotomy; (5) cortical lens material; (6) anterior chamber fluid after lens implantation. The percentages of contaminated samples were 15.

Inadvertent removal of foreign body via a flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope in a 4-year-old boy.

We report the case of a 4-year-old child with an atypical presentation of an aspirated unwitnessed foreign body in the airway. During an attempt to obtain a biopsy of what appeared to be a mucosal growth, the foreign body was removed. This may be the first report of foreign body removal in a child this young, using a flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope.

Isolation of peritoneal precursors of B-1 cells in the adult mouse.

Two weeks of daily peritoneopheresis of adult mice result in the selective depletion of B-1 cells, followed by the appearance of a population of B220+IgM-lymphocytes in the peritoneal cavity. These cells share with bone marrow (BM) pre-B cells expression of lambda 5, VpreB, and RAG-1 genes and a higher fraction of unrearranged V to DJ heavy (H) chain immunoglobulin (Ig) gene segments, when compared with mature B lymphocytes. Upon transfer to SCID recipients, sorted peritoneal B220+IgM- cells fail to colonize the BM, repopulate very few B cells in the spleen, but entirely reconstitute the B-1 cell compartment in the peritoneal and pleuropericardial cavities.

[Influence of meat consumption in relation to various cardiovascular risk factors in the elderly].

It has been analyzed food intake, energy and nutrients, Quetelet index, blood pressure and lipid profile in 180 elderly people from Madrid (71 institutionalized and 109 free-living), in order to get the relationship between meat intake (< 150 or > or = 150 g/day) and the different risk factors from cardiovascular disease and other foodstuff intake. Those elderly people who eat 150 g/day or more (AC) take more food in general. There is a significant difference for meat and cereals, eggs, fruits, beans, and fish products.

Parental death from cardiovascular disease and dietary habits in an elderly group.

The present study examines the influence of parental history of death from cardiovascular disease on dietary habits and nutritional status of a group of seventy-two Spanish elderly. Those with at least one parent who had died of cardiovascular disease (43.1% of the cases) had higher diastolic blood pressure (P < 0.

Dietary assessment of a pregnant Spanish women group.

Dietary habits were studied in 135 pregnant Spanish women. Their consumption of cereals, sugars, oils, vegetables, legumes and alcoholic drinks was lower, that of meat and eggs similar and that of fruit, milk and fish higher than the Spanish national average. The percentages for intakes lower than 100% of the recommended allowances, taking into account the dietary intake were 12, 23, 88, 8, 12, 34, 94, 2, 71, 98, 97 and 93% for thiamin, riboflavin, folates, vitamin B12, C, A, D, iodine, calcium, zinc magnesium and iron, respectively.