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Biomedical subjects

A Alvarez

Publications and source records attributed to A Alvarez.

At least 253 records · Page 14Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Prognostic value of segmental contractility assessed by cross-sectional echocardiography in first acute myocardial infarction.

We prospectively studied 110 patients with a first acute myocardial infarction with cross-sectional echocardiography, between 7-10 days post-infarction, to assess the value of semiquantitative segmental contractility score for the first year post-AMI risk stratification. 87 patients had acceptable recordings (40 anterior and 47 inferior infarction). Twelve patients had severe complications (severe angina or heart failure, reinfarction or death) and 40 had non-severe complications. The total segmental score was higher in complicated than in non-complicated patients. The score also differentiated angina from heart failure. The score of necrotic area was more discriminating than that of non-necrotic area. Discriminating power was higher in anterior than in inferior acute myocardial infarction. Thus we conclude that the semiquantitative assessment of segmental contractility by cross-sectional echocardiography is useful for risk stratification following acute infarction identifying severe complications, particularly heart failure, with better discrimination in anterior acute myocardial infarction.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

A multicenter, randomized, double-blind study comparing famotidine with cimetidine in the treatment of active duodenal ulcer disease.

The efficacy and safety of famotidine (40 mg at night), a new potent H2-receptor antagonist, has been studied in 119 patients by four investigators in four Spanish hospitals in a randomized double-blind comparative study with cimetidine (800 mg at night). Antacid tablets were allowed as additional treatment, if needed for pain relief. There were no significant differences between the groups in baseline characteristics, including duodenal ulcer size. Efficacy parameters included daytime and nocturnal symptom relief and duodenal ulcer healing, documented by endoscopy, and defined as complete reepithelization of the ulcer crater. Endoscopy was performed at baseline and after 4 and 6 weeks of treatment. One hundred and five patients fulfilled the evaluation criteria (51 patients in the famotidine group and 54 in the cimetidine group). After 4 weeks, in 91.6% of the patients receiving famotidine and 82.3% of the patients receiving cimetidine ulcers were healed. After 6 weeks, healing rates were 96% (famotidine) and 85.1% (cimetidine) (p = 0.056). Pain relief was rapid in both treatment groups, with a tendency to better response during the day in the famotidine group. The intake of antacids, as well as the clinical and laboratory safety profile were similar for both groups.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Clinical presentation and prognostic factors in primary hemolytic-uremic syndrome in adults].

The clinical presentation and prognostic determinants in a group of 20 patients who presented a hemolytic-uremic syndrome for a period of 14 years are reviewed. Patients younger than 10 years old and those with and hemolytic-uremic syndrome due to a systemic disease, renal transplant or accelerated arterial hypertension were excluded from the study. The clinical picture consisted mainly of renal, hematological, hemorrhagic, neurologic cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and hepatic manifestations. It was note worthy the high incidence of malignant hypertension which frequently developed after admission. Thrombocytopenia and hemolysis were frequently not severe and of limited duration. Severe neurologic manifestations was the key determinant of immediate vital prognosis, while severe arterial hypertension was the most reliable marker of irreversible renal failure. In general, the clinical picture was very severe, with and elevated early mortality rate (5 patients) and a high rate of irreversible loss of renal function (five patients needed dialysis, and 4 remained with residual renal failure).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

[Pancreatic pseudocysts. Treatment with percutaneous drainage].

Recent advances in the field of imaging diagnosis, particularly sonography and CAT, have permitted the development of the so-called interventional radiology techniques, which have made it possible to resolve a series of complex problems like intraperitoneal abscess and pancreatic pseudocyst. We present the results of treatment of a series of 9 patients diagnosed as pancreatic pseudocyst using percutaneous drainage directed by sonography or CAT. Seven of the pseudocysts were secondary to episodes of acute pancreatitis and two derived from chronic pancreatitis. In 8 of the patients a complete resolution of the process was achieved, in one case after a second drainage attempt when the pseudocyst recurred one year later. The success rate was 88.8% and morbidity and mortality were null.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

EEG maturation on children with different economic and psychosocial characteristics.

It has been shown that EEG maturation can be described in terms of regression equations on age of broad band EEG frequency parameters. In the present paper six groups of children with different economic and psychosocial characteristics of three countries were studied. Regression equations on age of the EEG relative power (expressed in percentages of the total EEG activity) in the delta, theta, alpha and beta bands in 8 bipolar derivations were computed in each group of children and the slopes compared with those previously published by John et al. (1980). Those children who grew up with adequate nutritional, sanitary and cultural environmental conditions showed the same slopes as U.S. and Swedish children selected with strict criteria of normality. Children nourished in poor socioeconomic and sanitary environments and who frequently had pathological personal antecedents with risk factors associated with brain damage showed either a slow maturation of the EEG characterized by smaller slopes of theta relative power or a great variance of EEG parameters and no relation of these parameters to age.

Child↗
PubMed1988

Effect of different factors on EEG spectral parameters.

We had previously observed that in groups of children with low socioeconomic and cultural level the EEG spectral parameters did not correlate with age due to the great variance in the distribution of such EEG parameters. In this paper we have made several statistical analyses in order to look for other factors that may explain the great variance observed. EEG during rest was recorded in 14 monopolar leads from 119 children. After FFT the following measures were calculated: absolute power, relative power, dominant frequency, coherence and left power/right power ratio for the delta, theta, alpha and beta bands in each derivation. For each measure, in each derivation, ANOVA analyses were performed taking age as covariable and sex, presence or absence of antecedents of risk factors and of learning disorders (LD) as independent variables. Age had its main effect on absolute power in the different bands and in the dominant frequency in the alpha band. Sex affected absolute and relative power in the alpha band. Risk factors per se had no effect. Presence of LD showed its main effect on absolute power. Many interactions between risk and LD and sex and LD were observed. Other analyses, such as MANCOVA, corroborated these results: significant differences between girls and boys, significant differences between children with and without LD and no differences between children with and without antecedents of risk factors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

EEG developmental equations confirmed for Cuban schoolchildren.

Previous authors have reported developmental equations that describe the variation with age of broad-band spectral parameters (BBSPs) obtained from bipolar EEG derivations. It has been argued that the equations, originally obtained for American children, are relatively independent of socio-cultural variables. In this paper the transcultural validity of these equations is demonstrated by means of an independent validation of the BBSP equations for a sample of Cuban schoolchildren.

Brain↗