[Genetic variability of hepatitis C virus in the health area of Elche (Spain). Correlation between core antigen and viral load].

We investigated the prevalence of the various genotypes of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in 281 patients evaluated between March, 2000 and March, 2002 in the health area of Elche. Of these patients, 55 were coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The genotype was related to viral load and the co-existence of HIV infection.

In-use evaluation of Perasafe compared with Cidex in fibreoptic bronchoscope disinfection.

The mycobactericidal activity of Perasafe (0.26% peracetic acid) was compared with that of Cidex (2% alkaline glutaraldehyde) by an in-use test. Fibreoptic bronchoscopes were artificially contaminated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis or Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare in sputum and, after manual pre-cleaning with a neutral soap, 10 and 20 min disinfection periods were tested.

cAMP-dependent activation of the renal-specific Na+-K+-2Cl- cotransporter is mediated by regulation of cotransporter trafficking.

The murine apical bumetanide-sensitive Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl(-) cotransporter gene (mBSC1) exhibits two spliced isoform products that differ at the COOH-terminal domain. A long COOH-terminal isoform (L-mBSC1) encodes the Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl(-) cotransporter, and a short isoform (S-mBSC1) exerts a dominant-negative effect on L-mBSC1 cotransporter activity that is abrogated by cAMP. However, the mechanism of this dominant-negative effect was not clear.

N-Glycosylation at two sites critically alters thiazide binding and activity of the rat thiazide-sensitive Na(+):Cl(-) cotransporter.

The rat thiazide-sensitive Na-Cl cotransporter (rNCC) is expressed in the renal distal convoluted tubule and is the site of action of an important class of antihypertensive agents, the thiazide diuretics. The amino acid sequence contains two potential N-linked glycosylation consensus sites, N404 and N424. Either enzymatic deglycosylation or tunicamycin reduced the cotransporter to its core molecular weight (113 kD).

Mycobacterium avium infection and modulation of human macrophage gene expression.

Mycobacterium avium is a facultative intracellular pathogen cleared rapidly via intact host defense mechanisms. In the absence of adequate T cell function, as occurs in HIV-1-induced immunodeficiency, M. avium becomes an opportunistic infection with uncontrolled replication and reinfection of macrophage hosts.

Influence of fasting on the effects of ischemic preconditioning in the ischemic-reperfused rat heart.

The effects of fasting and ischemic preconditioning (IP) on heart function of Langendorff-perfused rat hearts exposed to 25 min global ischemia plus 30 min reperfusion (RP), were correlated with lactate release and tissue-levels of long-chain acyl carnitine (LCCa) and CoA (LCCoA). IP was achieved by a 3 min ischemia plus a 5 min reperfusion cycle. Creatine kinase leakage was measured to assess the extent of cardiac injury.

Molecular, functional, and genomic characterization of human KCC2, the neuronal K-Cl cotransporter.

The expression level of the neuronal-specific K-Cl cotransporter KCC2 (SLC12A5) is a major determinant of whether neurons will respond to GABA with a depolarizing, excitatory response or a hyperpolarizing, inhibitory response. In view of the potential role in human neuronal excitability we have characterized the hKCC2 cDNA and gene. The 5.

Direct coronary stenting versus stenting with balloon pre-dilation: immediate and follow-up results of a multicentre, prospective, randomized study. The DISCO trial. DIrect Stenting of COronary Arteries.

Aims: To assess the safety of direct coronary stenting, its influence on costs, duration of the procedure, radiation exposure, clinical outcome and angiographic restenosis.

Methods And Results: We randomized 416 patients (446 lesions) to direct stent implant or stent implant following balloon pre-dilation. Patients >75 years old, heavily calcified lesions, bifurcations, total occlusions, left main lesions and very tortuous vessels were excluded.

Functional differences between flounder and rat thiazide-sensitive Na-Cl cotransporter.

The purpose of the present study was to determine the major functional, pharmacological, and regulatory properties of the flounder thiazide-sensitive Na-Cl cotransporter (flTSC) to make a direct comparison with our recent characterization of the rat TSC (rTSC; Monroy A, Plata C, Hebert SC, and Gamba G. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 279: F161-F169, 2000). When expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes, flTSC exhibits lower affinity for Na(+) than for Cl(-), with apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (K(m)) values of 58.

Functional properties of the apical Na+-K+-2Cl- cotransporter isoforms.

The bumetanide-sensitive Na(+):K(+):2Cl(-) cotransporter (BSC1) is the major pathway for salt reabsorption in the apical membrane of the mammalian thick ascending limb of Henle. Three isoforms of the cotransporter, known as A, B, and F, exhibit axial expression along the thick ascending limb. We report here a functional comparison of the three isoforms from mouse kidney.

Functional and molecular characterization of the K-Cl cotransporter of Xenopus laevis oocytes.

The K-Cl cotransporters (KCCs) have a broad range of physiological roles, in a number of cells and species. We report here that Xenopus laevis oocytes express a K-Cl cotransporter with significant functional and molecular similarity to mammalian KCCs. Under isotonic conditions, defolliculated oocytes exhibit a Cl(-)-dependent (86)Rb(+) uptake mechanism after activation by the cysteine-reactive compounds N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) and mercuric chloride (HgCl(2)).

Alternatively spliced isoform of apical Na(+)-K(+)-Cl(-) cotransporter gene encodes a furosemide-sensitive Na(+)-Cl(-)cotransporter.

In the absence of vasopressin, medullary thick ascending limb cells express a K(+)-independent, furosemide-sensitive Na(+)-Cl(-) cotransporter that is inhibited by hypertonicity. The murine renal specific Na(+)-K(+)-2 Cl(-) cotransporter gene (SLC12A1) gives rise to six alternatively spliced isoforms. Three feature a long COOH-terminal domain that encodes the butmetanide-sensitive Na(+)-K(+)-2 Cl(-) cotransporter (BSC1-9/NKCC2), and three with a short COOH-terminal domain, known as mBSC1-A4, B4, or F4 (19).

Cloning, expression and initial characterization of interleukin-19 (IL-19), a novel homologue of human interleukin-10 (IL-10).

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a pleiotropic cytokine with important immunoregulatory functions whose actions influence activities of many of the cell-types in the immune system. We report here identification and cloning of a gene and corresponding cDNAs encoding a novel homologue of IL-10, designated IL-19. IL-19 shares 21% amino acid identity with IL-10.

Mutational analysis of patients with p47-phox-deficient chronic granulomatous disease: The significance of recombination events between the p47-phox gene (NCF1) and its highly homologous pseudogenes.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the molecular basis of p47-phox-deficient chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), the most common autosomal recessive form of the disease. CGD is an inherited condition characterized by defective oxygen radical production due to defects in the phagocyte nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase. Mutational analysis of p47-phox-deficient CGD patients previously demonstrated that the majority of patients have a GT dinucleotide (Delta GT) deletion at the start of exon 2, a signature sequence also observed in the highly homologous pseudogenes of NCF1.

Functional comparison of the K+-Cl- cotransporters KCC1 and KCC4.

The K(+)-Cl(-) cotransporters (KCCs) are members of the cation-chloride cotransporter gene family and fall into two phylogenetic subgroups: KCC2 paired with KCC4 and KCC1 paired with KCC3. We report a functional comparison in Xenopus oocytes of KCC1 and KCC4, widely expressed representatives of these two subgroups. KCC1 and KCC4 exhibit differential sensitivity to transport inhibitors, such that KCC4 is much less sensitive to bumetanide and furosemide.

Diminished responses to IL-13 by human monocytes differentiated in vitro: role of the IL-13Ralpha1 chain and STAT6.

The primary IL-13 receptor complex on human monocytes is believed to be a heterodimer comprised of the IL-4R alpha chain and the IL-2R gamma chain (gamma(c))-like molecule, IL-13R alpha1. mRNA levels for IL-13R alpha1, but not IL-4R alpha, were markedly decreased in in vitro monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMac), and with increasing time of monocytes in culture correlated with the loss of IL-13 regulation of lipopolysaccharide-induced TNF-alpha production. Analysis of cell lines Daudi and THP-1 that differentially express gamma(c) and IL-13R alpha1 showed that IL-13 can activate STAT6 in IL-13R alpha1-positive THP-1 cells but not in gamma(c)-positive, IL-13R alpha1-negative Daudi cells.

Interleukin-10 inhibits expression of both interferon alpha- and interferon gamma- induced genes by suppressing tyrosine phosphorylation of STAT1.

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) helps maintain polarized T-helper cells in a T-helper lymphocyte 2 (Th2) phenotype. Part of this process involves the prevention of the development of Th1 cells, which are a primary source of interferon gamma (IFNgamma), a potent activator of monocytes and an inhibitor of Th2 proliferation. Because monocytes and macrophages are important mediators of Th1-type responses, such as delayed-type hypersensitivity, we sought to determine if IL-10 could directly mediate inhibition of IFNgamma- and IFNalpha-induced gene expression in these cells.

Role of oxygen radicals generated by NADPH oxidase in apoptosis induced in human leukemia cells.

We have used a human leukemia cell line that, after homologous recombination knockout of the gp91-phox subunit of the phagocyte respiratory-burst oxidase cytochrome b-558, mimics chronic granulomatous disease (X-CGD) to study the role of oxygen radicals in apoptosis. Camptothecin (CPT), a topoisomerase I inhibitor, induced significantly more apoptosis in PLB-985 cells than in X-CGD cells. Sensitivity to CPT was enhanced after neutrophilic differentiation, but was lost after monocytic differentiation.

[Wiktor coronary stent for elective placement with an antiaggregation regimen. WINE study. WINE Group Study].

Introduction And Objectives: The main problems associated with coronary stent implantation are subacute thrombosis and vascular and hemorrhagic complications due to the intensive anticoagulant regime. We studied the complications and the six-month restenosis rate after the elective implantation of a Wiktor stent in patients treated only with antiplatelet drugs.

Patients And Methods: The WINE study is an open, observational, multicenter study that included 368 patients (380 lesions) from 11 Spanish hospitals.

[The value of exercise echocardiography in the diagnosis of coronary disease in patients with left heart branch block in the bundle of His].

Objective: To assess the diagnostic value of exercise echocardiography in patients with complete left bundle branch block and clinical suspicion of coronary artery disease.

Material And Methods: Among 1,176 exercise echocardiograms performed from May of 1994 to November of 1996, 92 showed complete left bundle branch block in the resting electrocardiogram. We retrospectively analyzed data of 23 patients who had coronary angiography performed within 6 weeks of the exercise echo (19 males and 4 females, age 62 +/- 8, resting ejection fraction 52 +/- 10%).