Calin Nicolau - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Calin Nicolau
… of ultrasound in …, 2000
We assessed the utility of a Doppler ultrasonographic examination of the vertebral artery, limite... more We assessed the utility of a Doppler ultrasonographic examination of the vertebral artery, limited to the intertransverse segment, in diagnosis of disease at any level of vertebrobasilar circulation. The vertebral artery was identified in all the patients, with a successful evaluation of the presence of disease in 112 of 116 (96.5%) vertebral arteries. All of the occlusions and subclavian steal syndromes were diagnosed. All of the vertebral arteries with abnormal Doppler findings had a pathologic angiographic study. In conclusion, Doppler ultrasonography of the intertransverse segment of the vertebral artery is useful owing to its applicability and accuracy.
British Journal of Radiology, 2011
To assess the accuracy contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in bladder cancer detection using tran... more To assess the accuracy contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in bladder cancer detection using transurethral biopsy in conventional cystoscopy as the reference standard and to determine whether CEUS improves the bladder cancer detection rate of baseline ultrasound. 43 patients with suspected bladder cancer underwent conventional cystoscopy with transurethral biopsy of the suspicious lesions. 64 bladder cancers were confirmed in 33 out of 43 patients. Baseline ultrasound and CEUS were performed the day before surgery and the accuracy of both techniques for bladder cancer detection and number of detected tumours were analysed and compared with the final diagnosis. CEUS was significantly more accurate than ultrasound in determining presence or absence of bladder cancer: 88.37% vs 72.09%. Seven of eight uncertain baseline ultrasound results were correctly diagnosed using CEUS. CEUS sensitivity was also better than that of baseline ultrasound per number of tumours: 65.62% vs 60.93%. CEUS sensitivity for bladder cancer detection was very high for tumours larger than 5 mm (94.7%) but very low for tumours <5 mm (20%) and also had a very low negative predictive value (28.57%) in tumours <5 mm. CEUS provided higher accuracy than baseline ultrasound for bladder cancer detection, being especially useful in non-conclusive baseline ultrasound studies.
Bioelectrochemistry and Bioenergetics, 1987
… of ultrasound in …, 2001
We assessed the usefulness of routine Doppler ultrasonography for early detection of hep-atic art... more We assessed the usefulness of routine Doppler ultrasonography for early detection of hep-atic artery thrombosis after orthotopic liver transplantation and repercussions in patient prognosis. Seventeen confirmed cases of early hepatic artery thrombosis initially ...
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 1995
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 1982
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 1989
The electroporation technique, with field strengths slightly below the critical value Ec for elec... more The electroporation technique, with field strengths slightly below the critical value Ec for electroporation of red blood cells (RBC), enables the insertion of xeno-proteins into the RBC membrane without damaging the cells. The electro-insertion has been used to insert biotinylated human glycophorin into human RBC membrane and human glycophorin into murine RBC membrane. Binding anti-human glycophorin antibody (10F7) to the murine RBC bearing human glycophorin indicates extracellular orientation of inserted glycophorin. Insertion of about 10(5) glycophorin molecule per cell has been estimated by whole cell ELISA.
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 1995
Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular Cell Research, 1982
Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes, 1984
Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes, 1981
Artificial Cells, Blood Substitutes and Biotechnology, 1988
Nephrology Dialysis …, 2000
Introduction Background. To study the sonographic pattern of autosomal recessive polycystic kidne... more Introduction Background. To study the sonographic pattern of autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD) in early adulthood in order to identify (ARPKD) is a hereditary disorder that affects the imaging criteria to diagnose this disease and to distinkidney and the liver. Its occurrence ranges from 1 in guish between recessive and autosomal dominant poly-10 000 to 1 in 40 000 births [1,2]. As a recessive disorder cystic kidney disease (ADPKD) in that age group. both parents of an affected child carry one copy of the Methods. An abdominal ultrasound was performed on defective gene but are not clinically affected. The four ARPKD subjects (with a mean age of 20.2) and disease is caused by mutation in a gene located in on 33 ADPKD subjects in early adulthood (29 without chromosome 6 which has yet to be identified. The renal failure with a mean age of 20.5, and four with main characteristic in the kidneys is the presence of renal failure with a mean age of 26.5). Linkage studies multiple cysts resulting from the dilatation of collecting with ADPKD and ARPKD markers were compatible ducts [2-4]. In the liver, the disease is diffuse and with the clinical diagnosis in all cases. presents as portal fibrosis, dilatation of the bile ducts Results. The renal sonographic features in ARPKD (Carolı∞s disease), or a combination of both [2,3]. This subjects included multiple small cysts in a normal-sized disease shows a wide clinical variability ranging from kidney, increased cortical echogenicity and loss of perinatal death to diagnosis in adolescence or in corticomedullary differentiation. In ADPKD subjects adulthood, in progressively milder forms [4-6 ]. In the without renal failure, sonographic features included latter cases, ARPKD can be clinically indistinguishable few or multiple cysts of different sizes, in normal-sized from autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease kidneys in 22 out of 29 patients (75.8%), normal (ADPKD) because there is an overlap in the clinical cortical echogenicity and conserved corticomedullary presentation. Therefore, it may be difficult to establish differentiation, except in patients with nephromegaly. a differential diagnosis between them [4]. It is particu-All ADPKD subjects with renal failure had nephromegaly and loss of corticomedullary differentiation. The larly difficult when there is no definitive family history hepatic sonographic features in ARPKD patients of these diseases, the possibility of illegitimate paternity included portal fibrosis and in some cases Caroli's or spontaneous mutation of ADPKD [2]. Moreover, disease, while in ADPKD patients a normal hepatic in these cases the genetic linkage analysis is useless as echostructure was detected in all but one case, in well as being expensive, and unavailable in most addition to simple hepatic cysts in a few cases. hospitals. Thus, in these rare cases, the diagnosis is Conclusions. The evaluation of the sonographic feabased on imaging of the involved organs (kidney and tures of the kidneys and those of the liver may help in liver) or eventually kidney and/or liver biopsy. the differential diagnosis between ARPKD and Sonography is the most useful non-invasive imaging ADPKD in early adulthood. technique in the evaluation of patients with polycystic kidney disease. In this article we present
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1985
Conventional therapy of homozygous 8-thalassemia usually involves two complementary aspects, that... more Conventional therapy of homozygous 8-thalassemia usually involves two complementary aspects, that is, an intensive transfusion program and iron chelation treat
The purpose of this study was to test the hypotheses that in obese children: 1) hypocaloric diet ... more The purpose of this study was to test the hypotheses that in obese children: 1) hypocaloric diet (D) improves both heart rate recovery at 1 min (Δ HRR1) cfter an exercise test, and cardiac autonomic nervous system activity (CANSA) in obese children; 2) Diet and exercise training (DET) combined leads to greater improvement in both Δ HRR1 after an exercise test and in CANSA, than D alone. Moreover, we examined the relationships among Δ HRR1, CANSA, cardiorespiratory fitness and anthropometric variables (AV) in obese children submitted to D and to DET. 33 obese children (10 ± 0.2 years; body mass index (BMI) >95 (th) percentile) were divided into 2 groups: D (n=15; BMI=31 ± 1 kg/m²)) and DET (n=18; 29 ± 1 kg/m²). All children performed a maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test on a treadmill. The Δ HRR1 or LF/HF ratio (P>0.05). In contrast, the DET group showed increased peak VO₂ ( P=0.01) and improved Δ HRR1 (Δ HRR1=37.3 ± 2.6; P=0.01) and LF/HF ratio ( P=0.001). The DET group demonstrated significant relationships among Δ HRR1, peak VO₂ and CANSA (P<0.05). In conclusion, DET, in contrast to D, promoted improved ÄΔ HRR1 and CANSA in obese children, suggesting a positive influence of increased levels of cardiorespiratory fitness by exercise training on cardiac autonomic activity.
Two genes causing autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), PKD1 and PKD2, have been ... more Two genes causing autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), PKD1 and PKD2, have been described. In the present work we study, by means of linkage analysis, the genetic heterogeneity in our population as well as the clinical differences between PKD1 and PKD2. 316 subjects belonging to 49 unrelated ADPKD families have been studied by means of 3 microsatellites for PKD1 and 3 for PKD2 to differentiate if they have ADPKD type 1 or 2. The techniques used to analyze the microsatellites have been the chemiluminescence and the silver satining techniques. All the subjects underwent a complete physical examination and a sonographic scan. Clinical and molecular results have been correlated. Genetic heterogeneity has been proved, with 85% of families linked to PKD1 and 15% to PKD2. The disease is more severe in PKD1, with an earlier age at diagnosis (27.4 vs. 41.4 years; p = 0.0002), a younger age at the onset of end stage renal disease (53.4 vs. 72.7 years, p < 0.00001), and earlier age at diagnosis of hypertension (34.8 vs. 49.7 years; p = 0.001) and a higher prevalence of hypertension for all groups of age. In both forms of ADPKD there were families showing anticipation (8/44 for PKD1 and 2/5 for PKD2) but this was not a widespread phenomenon. Our data do not support the phenomenon of genetic imprinting for this disease. In the population of Catalonia, Spain, PKD1 accounts for 85% of families with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease and PKD2 accounts for the remaining 15%. PKD1 form is more severe than PKD2.
Linkage analysis was performed on 49 Catalan families with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney d... more Linkage analysis was performed on 49 Catalan families with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease obtained via the Nephrology Department and related nephrology centers. A total of 336 subjects,
Biochimica et Biophysica …, 1991
Electroinsertion, a novel method of implanting xeno-proteins in red blood cell plasma membranes i... more Electroinsertion, a novel method of implanting xeno-proteins in red blood cell plasma membranes is applied to the insertion of human glycophorin in mouse red blood cells. The procedures yield e~thencytes with approx. 104 glycophorin molecules per cell, displaying the patching phenomenon when reacted with anti~cophadn mon~lonal antibodies. Insertion of FITC-laheled glycophorin and subsequent quenching of FITC fluorescence with anti FITC antibody indicated that 70% of the inserted molecules were 'correctly' oriented, displaying the epitopes shown by glycophorin in human red blood cells. Moreover, insertion of FITC glycophorin in the red blood cell memheanes yielded, under the fluorescence microscope continuous fluorescence which became patchy after reaction with anti-glycophorin menoclonal antibodies. When injected in mice, biotinyiated RBC-Glyc + were shown to have the same lifespan as normal mouse red blood cells, i.e. tt/2 = 12 days. Cytoflnorometric assa~ of haman I~cepherin inserted in the red blood cell showed the same lifespan for the inserted protein as for the red blood ceil, with the protein fully 'functional', i.e. capable of binding antibodies. Human glycophorin inserted in meuse ~roc~e did not elicit any immune response in mice, whereas the same concentrations of free ~n injected i.v. were highly immunogenie.
… of ultrasound in …, 2000
We assessed the utility of a Doppler ultrasonographic examination of the vertebral artery, limite... more We assessed the utility of a Doppler ultrasonographic examination of the vertebral artery, limited to the intertransverse segment, in diagnosis of disease at any level of vertebrobasilar circulation. The vertebral artery was identified in all the patients, with a successful evaluation of the presence of disease in 112 of 116 (96.5%) vertebral arteries. All of the occlusions and subclavian steal syndromes were diagnosed. All of the vertebral arteries with abnormal Doppler findings had a pathologic angiographic study. In conclusion, Doppler ultrasonography of the intertransverse segment of the vertebral artery is useful owing to its applicability and accuracy.
British Journal of Radiology, 2011
To assess the accuracy contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in bladder cancer detection using tran... more To assess the accuracy contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in bladder cancer detection using transurethral biopsy in conventional cystoscopy as the reference standard and to determine whether CEUS improves the bladder cancer detection rate of baseline ultrasound. 43 patients with suspected bladder cancer underwent conventional cystoscopy with transurethral biopsy of the suspicious lesions. 64 bladder cancers were confirmed in 33 out of 43 patients. Baseline ultrasound and CEUS were performed the day before surgery and the accuracy of both techniques for bladder cancer detection and number of detected tumours were analysed and compared with the final diagnosis. CEUS was significantly more accurate than ultrasound in determining presence or absence of bladder cancer: 88.37% vs 72.09%. Seven of eight uncertain baseline ultrasound results were correctly diagnosed using CEUS. CEUS sensitivity was also better than that of baseline ultrasound per number of tumours: 65.62% vs 60.93%. CEUS sensitivity for bladder cancer detection was very high for tumours larger than 5 mm (94.7%) but very low for tumours &amp;amp;amp;lt;5 mm (20%) and also had a very low negative predictive value (28.57%) in tumours &amp;amp;amp;lt;5 mm. CEUS provided higher accuracy than baseline ultrasound for bladder cancer detection, being especially useful in non-conclusive baseline ultrasound studies.
Bioelectrochemistry and Bioenergetics, 1987
… of ultrasound in …, 2001
We assessed the usefulness of routine Doppler ultrasonography for early detection of hep-atic art... more We assessed the usefulness of routine Doppler ultrasonography for early detection of hep-atic artery thrombosis after orthotopic liver transplantation and repercussions in patient prognosis. Seventeen confirmed cases of early hepatic artery thrombosis initially ...
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 1995
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 1982
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 1989
The electroporation technique, with field strengths slightly below the critical value Ec for elec... more The electroporation technique, with field strengths slightly below the critical value Ec for electroporation of red blood cells (RBC), enables the insertion of xeno-proteins into the RBC membrane without damaging the cells. The electro-insertion has been used to insert biotinylated human glycophorin into human RBC membrane and human glycophorin into murine RBC membrane. Binding anti-human glycophorin antibody (10F7) to the murine RBC bearing human glycophorin indicates extracellular orientation of inserted glycophorin. Insertion of about 10(5) glycophorin molecule per cell has been estimated by whole cell ELISA.
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 1995
Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular Cell Research, 1982
Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes, 1984
Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes, 1981
Artificial Cells, Blood Substitutes and Biotechnology, 1988
Nephrology Dialysis …, 2000
Introduction Background. To study the sonographic pattern of autosomal recessive polycystic kidne... more Introduction Background. To study the sonographic pattern of autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD) in early adulthood in order to identify (ARPKD) is a hereditary disorder that affects the imaging criteria to diagnose this disease and to distinkidney and the liver. Its occurrence ranges from 1 in guish between recessive and autosomal dominant poly-10 000 to 1 in 40 000 births [1,2]. As a recessive disorder cystic kidney disease (ADPKD) in that age group. both parents of an affected child carry one copy of the Methods. An abdominal ultrasound was performed on defective gene but are not clinically affected. The four ARPKD subjects (with a mean age of 20.2) and disease is caused by mutation in a gene located in on 33 ADPKD subjects in early adulthood (29 without chromosome 6 which has yet to be identified. The renal failure with a mean age of 20.5, and four with main characteristic in the kidneys is the presence of renal failure with a mean age of 26.5). Linkage studies multiple cysts resulting from the dilatation of collecting with ADPKD and ARPKD markers were compatible ducts [2-4]. In the liver, the disease is diffuse and with the clinical diagnosis in all cases. presents as portal fibrosis, dilatation of the bile ducts Results. The renal sonographic features in ARPKD (Carolı∞s disease), or a combination of both [2,3]. This subjects included multiple small cysts in a normal-sized disease shows a wide clinical variability ranging from kidney, increased cortical echogenicity and loss of perinatal death to diagnosis in adolescence or in corticomedullary differentiation. In ADPKD subjects adulthood, in progressively milder forms [4-6 ]. In the without renal failure, sonographic features included latter cases, ARPKD can be clinically indistinguishable few or multiple cysts of different sizes, in normal-sized from autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease kidneys in 22 out of 29 patients (75.8%), normal (ADPKD) because there is an overlap in the clinical cortical echogenicity and conserved corticomedullary presentation. Therefore, it may be difficult to establish differentiation, except in patients with nephromegaly. a differential diagnosis between them [4]. It is particu-All ADPKD subjects with renal failure had nephromegaly and loss of corticomedullary differentiation. The larly difficult when there is no definitive family history hepatic sonographic features in ARPKD patients of these diseases, the possibility of illegitimate paternity included portal fibrosis and in some cases Caroli's or spontaneous mutation of ADPKD [2]. Moreover, disease, while in ADPKD patients a normal hepatic in these cases the genetic linkage analysis is useless as echostructure was detected in all but one case, in well as being expensive, and unavailable in most addition to simple hepatic cysts in a few cases. hospitals. Thus, in these rare cases, the diagnosis is Conclusions. The evaluation of the sonographic feabased on imaging of the involved organs (kidney and tures of the kidneys and those of the liver may help in liver) or eventually kidney and/or liver biopsy. the differential diagnosis between ARPKD and Sonography is the most useful non-invasive imaging ADPKD in early adulthood. technique in the evaluation of patients with polycystic kidney disease. In this article we present
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1985
Conventional therapy of homozygous 8-thalassemia usually involves two complementary aspects, that... more Conventional therapy of homozygous 8-thalassemia usually involves two complementary aspects, that is, an intensive transfusion program and iron chelation treat
The purpose of this study was to test the hypotheses that in obese children: 1) hypocaloric diet ... more The purpose of this study was to test the hypotheses that in obese children: 1) hypocaloric diet (D) improves both heart rate recovery at 1 min (Δ HRR1) cfter an exercise test, and cardiac autonomic nervous system activity (CANSA) in obese children; 2) Diet and exercise training (DET) combined leads to greater improvement in both Δ HRR1 after an exercise test and in CANSA, than D alone. Moreover, we examined the relationships among Δ HRR1, CANSA, cardiorespiratory fitness and anthropometric variables (AV) in obese children submitted to D and to DET. 33 obese children (10 ± 0.2 years; body mass index (BMI) &amp;gt;95 (th) percentile) were divided into 2 groups: D (n=15; BMI=31 ± 1 kg/m²)) and DET (n=18; 29 ± 1 kg/m²). All children performed a maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test on a treadmill. The Δ HRR1 or LF/HF ratio (P&amp;gt;0.05). In contrast, the DET group showed increased peak VO₂ ( P=0.01) and improved Δ HRR1 (Δ HRR1=37.3 ± 2.6; P=0.01) and LF/HF ratio ( P=0.001). The DET group demonstrated significant relationships among Δ HRR1, peak VO₂ and CANSA (P&amp;lt;0.05). In conclusion, DET, in contrast to D, promoted improved ÄΔ HRR1 and CANSA in obese children, suggesting a positive influence of increased levels of cardiorespiratory fitness by exercise training on cardiac autonomic activity.
Two genes causing autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), PKD1 and PKD2, have been ... more Two genes causing autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), PKD1 and PKD2, have been described. In the present work we study, by means of linkage analysis, the genetic heterogeneity in our population as well as the clinical differences between PKD1 and PKD2. 316 subjects belonging to 49 unrelated ADPKD families have been studied by means of 3 microsatellites for PKD1 and 3 for PKD2 to differentiate if they have ADPKD type 1 or 2. The techniques used to analyze the microsatellites have been the chemiluminescence and the silver satining techniques. All the subjects underwent a complete physical examination and a sonographic scan. Clinical and molecular results have been correlated. Genetic heterogeneity has been proved, with 85% of families linked to PKD1 and 15% to PKD2. The disease is more severe in PKD1, with an earlier age at diagnosis (27.4 vs. 41.4 years; p = 0.0002), a younger age at the onset of end stage renal disease (53.4 vs. 72.7 years, p < 0.00001), and earlier age at diagnosis of hypertension (34.8 vs. 49.7 years; p = 0.001) and a higher prevalence of hypertension for all groups of age. In both forms of ADPKD there were families showing anticipation (8/44 for PKD1 and 2/5 for PKD2) but this was not a widespread phenomenon. Our data do not support the phenomenon of genetic imprinting for this disease. In the population of Catalonia, Spain, PKD1 accounts for 85% of families with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease and PKD2 accounts for the remaining 15%. PKD1 form is more severe than PKD2.
Linkage analysis was performed on 49 Catalan families with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney d... more Linkage analysis was performed on 49 Catalan families with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease obtained via the Nephrology Department and related nephrology centers. A total of 336 subjects,
Biochimica et Biophysica …, 1991
Electroinsertion, a novel method of implanting xeno-proteins in red blood cell plasma membranes i... more Electroinsertion, a novel method of implanting xeno-proteins in red blood cell plasma membranes is applied to the insertion of human glycophorin in mouse red blood cells. The procedures yield e~thencytes with approx. 104 glycophorin molecules per cell, displaying the patching phenomenon when reacted with anti~cophadn mon~lonal antibodies. Insertion of FITC-laheled glycophorin and subsequent quenching of FITC fluorescence with anti FITC antibody indicated that 70% of the inserted molecules were 'correctly' oriented, displaying the epitopes shown by glycophorin in human red blood cells. Moreover, insertion of FITC glycophorin in the red blood cell memheanes yielded, under the fluorescence microscope continuous fluorescence which became patchy after reaction with anti-glycophorin menoclonal antibodies. When injected in mice, biotinyiated RBC-Glyc + were shown to have the same lifespan as normal mouse red blood cells, i.e. tt/2 = 12 days. Cytoflnorometric assa~ of haman I~cepherin inserted in the red blood cell showed the same lifespan for the inserted protein as for the red blood ceil, with the protein fully 'functional', i.e. capable of binding antibodies. Human glycophorin inserted in meuse ~roc~e did not elicit any immune response in mice, whereas the same concentrations of free ~n injected i.v. were highly immunogenie.