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Biomedical subjects

A Flores

Publications and source records attributed to A Flores.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

Some Nutritional Characteristics of a Naturally Occurring Alga (Microcystis sp.) in a Guatemalan Lake.

The nutritional characteristics of an alga (Microcystis sp.) that occurs naturally in a Guatemalan lake were determined. The sun-dried material proved to have a high protein content (55.6%) and to be a possible good source of calcium and phosphorus (1, 169.1 and 633.4 mg/100 mg, respectively). Amino acid analysis showed that total sulfur amino acids were the most deficient ones, giving a protein score of 42 to the material. The in vitro protein digestibility of the material was 69.5%. Biological trials demonstrated that when the material was offered as the only protein source, very low consumption and a high mortality rate were obtained whether or not the diet was supplemented with 0.4% dl-methionine. However, when the material supplied 25% of the total protein of a corn-algae diet, the protein quality of the cereal was significantly improved (P < 0.05).

Journal Article↗

Carcinoma in situ of the larynx.

A retrospective study of carcinoma in situ of the larynx at the British Columbia Cancer Institute indicates that radiotherapy, using a tumoricidal dose of Co 60, is the treatment of choice for this condition. Between 1940 and 1972, 43 patients with carcinoma in situ of the vocal cords were seen. A follow-up of five years or more was possible in 28 of these cases. Twenty-two were treated primarily with a tumoricidal dose of radiotherapy. Twenty-one of the 22 were free of disease for at least five years. This study, therefore, shows a five-year cure rate of almost 100 percent for patients treated with radiotherapy. It also brings out two further points regarding carcinoma in situ of the larynx; namely, an apparent increase in its incidence, and the presence of co-existing invasive carcinoma in some cases. We feel that since the incidence of laryngeal carcinoma has not increased, this apparent increase probably represents a greater awareness by both the pathologist and the clinician. We have also achieved more accurate diagnosis since the introduction of routine microlaryngoscopy. The single radiotherapy failure in our series was due to failure to diagnose co-existing invasive carcinoma. This would seem to be the most likely cause of similar failures reported in the literature.

Biopsy, Needle↗

Vertical transmission of the virus of hepatitis B and neonatal hepatic cirrhosis in an Argentine family.

In a family in which the mother was a healthy HBsAg and anti HBc carrier, and the father had a chronic persistent hepatitis with anti HBs and anti HBc positive, the development of neonatal cirrhosis in two of the children was proved to be present. One of the girls was an anti HBs carrier (anti HBc was not determined) and the other had positive anti HBs and anti HBc. Both died and the diagnosis of cirrhosis was confirmed. The two healthy daughters were anti HBc carriers.

Antibodies, Viral↗

Administration of aspartame in non-insulin-dependent diabetics.

A study was designed to determine the effect of the consumption of the nutritive sweetener aspartame on non-insulin-dependent diabetics. Forty-three adult diabetics between the ages of 21 and 70 completed a 90-day study; all were diabetics whose conditions were managed by diet and/or hypoglycemic agents. Participants in the blind study were instructed to continue their usual diet and to take two capsules of an assigned preparation three times daily with meals, either the aspartame or the placebo. The 1.8 g of aspartame administered is approximately three times the expected daily consumption of aspartame if used as a sweetener to replace sugar. Throughout the study subjects were examined for (1) symptoms of intolerance, (2) fasting plasma phenylalanine levels exceeding 4 mg/100 ml, and (3) deterioration of diabetic control. At the conclusion of the study subjects exhibited no symptoms that could be traced to the administration of aspartame or the placebo, and diabetic control was unaffected by the chronic administration of these substances. Aspartame seems to be well tolerated by non-insulin-dependent diabetics.

Adult↗

Paget's disease of the bone: observations after cessation of long-term synthetic salmon calcitonin treatment.

Thirteen patients with Paget's disease of the bone were treated with subcutaneous injections of synthetic salmon calcitonin (SCT) for a mean period of 22 months at doses of 50-100 MCR units daily or 3 times a week. They manifested symptomatic improvement and significant reductions in serum alkaline phosphatase and urinary hydroxyproline excretion during SCT administration. Following discontinuation of SCT, symptomatic improvement was maintained in 10 patients for up to one year, whereas a recurrence of symptoms was seen in only 3 patients. The serum alkaline phosphatase generally showed a return toward pretreatment values 6 months after discontinuation of SCT, whereas urinary hydroxyproline remained depressed for up to a year.

Aged↗

Skeletal turnover and total body elemental composition during extended calcitonin treatment of Paget's disease.

Twenty patients with generalized symptomatic Paget's disease had serial measurements of radiocalcium turnover and/or total body elemental composition by in vivo neutron activation analysis during long-term calcitonin therapy. Despite maintained clinical improvement, seven of 15 patients showed partial or total loss of the initial decelerating effect of calcitonin on skeletal turnover, whereas the remaining eight patients maintained the calcitonin-induced deceleration. The changes in skeletal turnover were roughly proportional to the induced changes in serum alkaline phosphatase and urinary hydroxyproline. However, disparities in the magnitude of the changes among the three parameters were not uncommon. Total body calcium was increased by a mean of 22% above predicted prior to calcitonin and decreased significantly by 4% during long-term calcitonin treatment. Total body phosphorus, nitrogen, and sodium also decreased. The phosphorus and sodium losses appeared to be mostly from the skeleton. These data confirm histologic evidence of the disappearance of pagetic bone, resumption of normal lamelar bone formation, and radiographic evidence of a decrease in bone volume during calcitonin treatment and incidate the relative magnitude of this effect. The action of calcitonin in this regard possibly represents a specific effect on Paget's disease beyond its general skeletal effect of reduce cellular activity.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

Oxygen transport of colloidal fluorocarbon suspensions in asanguineous rabbits.

In anesthetized, oxygen-breathing rabbits, the entire blood volume was exchanged with a 20% colloidal fluorocarbon fluid suspension of high gas solubility. In contrast to the control animals with acute isovolemic and hypervolemic hemodilution, the fluorocarbon suspension prevented the decrease in arterial oxygen content below a hematocrit of 13%. However, the more pronounced effect of the fluorocarbon suspension on oxygen delivery occurred at higher hematocrits and was due to its efficiency as a plasma expander, since it increased the cardiac output even above the level of the hypervolemic hemodilution group. The fluorocarbon suspension also raised arterial blood pressure and total peripheral resistance due to its increased viscosity. Thus, in mild hemodilution, the fluorocarbon suspension kept oxygen utilization in the normal range by increasing cardiac output, and in extreme hemodilution it improved oxygen utilization by also raising the arterial oxygen content and arterial blood pressure. The survival time of the isovolemic control animals was 31.6 min, it was extended to 57.8 min in the hypervolemic control animals, and the rabbits with the fluorocarbon suspension lived for 124.8 min.

Animals↗

Soil-transmitted helminth infections at very high altitude in Bolivia.

A cross-sectional study of soil-transmitted helminthiases in the Northern Bolivian Altiplano was carried out over the 6-year period 1992-97. Prevalences, intensities and associations were analysed from coprological results obtained in 31 surveys (28 in schools and 3 in individuals of all age-groups) performed in 24 Aymara communities located between the city of La Paz and Lake Titicaca, at an altitude of 3800-4200 m. Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura were detected, with local prevalences in the range 1.2-28.0% and 0.0-24.0%, respectively. Significant differences in prevalence rates of trichuriasis were detected, with highest prevalences in male schoolchildren and in subjects aged > 40 years. The global intensity ranged from 24 to 86,544 eggs per gram of faeces (epg) and from 24 to 4560 epg for ascariasis and trichuriasis, respectively. Higher intensities were noted in girls. A. lumbricoides egg counts were statistically significantly higher in the 5-8-years age-group. A positive association between A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura infections was detected. The proportion of heavy infections for A. lumbricoides was 0.1% and 1.0% in the school and community surveys, respectively. No heavy infection for T. trichiura was detected. The very high altitude and its severe environmental conditions may determine the relatively low prevalences and intensities in this area.

Adolescent↗