Publications by authors named "Nicolas Pena"

What Is Known And Objective: The combination of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) and fluoroquinolones generally is not considered a significant risk factor for rhabdomyolysis. Rhabdomyolysis is a known risk associated with statin therapy but has seldom been described with fluoroquinolone use. We describe a case of acute rhabdomyolysis involving the co-administration of atorvastatin and levofloxacin.

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Abnormal tau hyperphosphorylation has been suggested as being one of the central events in the development of neurofibrillary tangles, which are one of the characteristic neuropathological lesions found in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains. 14-3-3 zeta protein is associated with tau in brain and stimulates tau phosphorylation. In a case-control study in 293 AD patients and 396 healthy controls, we examined whether the combined gene effects between 14-3-3 zeta (intron 4, rs 983583) polymorphism and tau (intron 9, rs 2471738) polymorphism might be responsible for susceptibility to AD.

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Apolipoprotein E (APOE) epsilon4 allele is the strongest hitherto known risk factor for sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD). Liver X receptor-beta (LXRbeta) is a transcription factor that controls expression of genes involved in brain cholesterol metabolism, and one of the main LXRbeta targets is APOE. To evaluate the relationship between LXRbeta genetic variants and AD, independently or in concert with the APOE epsilon4 allele, we examined three LXRbeta polymorphisms located in introns 2 (rs 2695121), 5 (rs 1052533), and 7 (rs 1405655), in 414 Spanish AD patients and 447 controls.

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Excessive release of proinflammatory cytokines by activated microglia surrounding senile plaques might contribute to the neurodegeneration associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) is a nuclear protein recently implicated in the initial inflammatory response by modulating expression of inflammation-related genes, like interleukin 1 (IL-1). As PARP-1 overactivity has been shown in the AD brain, we tested the hypothesis that the PARP-1 -410 and -1672 polymorphisms would predispose people to AD due to overexpression of the PARP-1 gene, independently or in concert with the proinflammatory IL-1A -889 polymorphism.

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Klotho gene codes for a protein with glucuronidase activity and is thought to influence bone and vascular homeostasis. We studied the relationship of a common T/G polymorphism, resulting in a phenylalanine (F) to valine (V) substitution at aminoacid position 352, with bone mineral density (BMD) and osteoporotic fractures. The study group comprised 914 Spanish women, including 438 control subjects, 190 patients with osteoporosis, 198 with hip fractures, and 88 patients with severe osteoarthritis.

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Activation of microglial cells is involved in the inflammatory component of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and it may be triggered by infectious pathogens. CD14, a receptor upregulated in activated microglia, plays a central role in innate immunity through recognition of bacterial lipopolysaccharide and initiation of inflammatory response. A polymorphism in the promoter region (-260) of the CD14 receptor has been found to be related to increased risk of bacterial infections and inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis.

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Chronic local inflammatory reaction involving reactive microglia is one of the major pathological events in Alzheimer's disease (AD). There is growing evidence that the chemokine receptor CCR5 is up-regulated in AD brain and plays a role in the recruitment and accumulation of microglia in senile plaques. A 32-base pair deletion in the CCR5 gene (CCR5-Delta32 mutant allele) confers resistance to HIV-1 infection by preventing expression of the receptor on the cell surface.

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A vigorous controversy exists over whether tau tangles or amyloid-beta plaques are the primary cause of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD), and it is not well established whether genetic variation in tau is associated with AD. A recently identified novel protein, named Saitohin (STH), shares tissue expression pattern with tau, and preliminary evidence in a North American population indicates that a polymorphism at codon 7 (Q7R) of the STH gene is a predisposing factor for sporadic AD. A case-control study utilizing a clinically well-defined group of 315 sporadic AD patients and 307 control subjects was performed to test this association.

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Myeloperoxidase (MPO) presence has been demonstrated in microglia associated with senile plaques, and contributes to Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology through oxidation-induced damage. Recently, a functional biallelic (G/A) polymorphism in the promotor region (-463) of the MPO gene has been associated with susceptibility to AD, but the reports of this association have been inconsistent. A case-control study utilizing a clinically well-defined group of 315 sporadic AD patients and 327 control subjects was performed to test this association.

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