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Biomedical subjects

A Gil

Publications and source records attributed to A Gil.

374 records · Page 21Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

[Aetiology and bacterial resistance in urinary infections of outpatients].

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of the etiological agents of infections of the urinary tract and of the map of the antimicrobial sensitivity of each geographic zone is a practice recommended for improving the use of antibiotics and for facilitating the choice of empirical treatment. The aim of this study is to provide up-to-date information on the pathogen flora of outpatients urinary infections in our health area and their sensitivity to antimicrobials, based on the urinary cultivations carried out in the Microbiology laboratory of the Solchaga Outpatient Surgery during the last four years. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between 1996 and 1999, we carried out 92,816 urinary cultivations of outpatients. The urine specimens were sown on plaques with chocolate agar and MacKonkey agar with calibrated loop. The antibiogram was carried out using the Kirby-Bauer method. RESULTS: The percentage of positive urinary cultivations was 17%. Gram-negative bacilli represented 88.9% of the isolations, Gram-positive cocci 11% and yeasts 0.1%. Escherichia coli was the most frequently isolated germ (71%). The sensitivity studies show that amoxycillin-clavulanic acid, first generation cephalosporins and fosfomycin maintain a sensitivity above 80%. CONCLUSIONS: Up-to-date knowledge of the most common pathogen flora and their sensitivity to antimicrobials makes it possible for a more suitable selection to be made of the antibiotic treatment when the sensitivity pattern of the responsible germ is unavailable. In the light of the results we can conclude that amoxycillin-clavulanic acid, first generation cephalosporins and fosfomycin show a good activity in vitro, and should be considered as empirical treatments for infections of the urinary tract.

English Abstract↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of dietary nucleotides on the fatty acid composition of rat liver microsomes.

The present study was designed to evaluate the influence of dietary nucleotides on the lipid composition of liver microsomes in weanling rats. Rats at weaning were fed, one group with a semipurified nucleotide-free diet and three groups with the same diet supplemented with three different levels of each of the nucleotides AMP, GMP, IMP, UMP and CMP, during 4 weeks. Long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids of the n-6 and n-3 series were increased in phospholipids of liver microsomes for rats fed the nucleotide supplemented diets; however, the cholesterol/phospholipid phosphorus ratio was maintained fairly constant. The results obtained suggest that dietary nucleotides modify the polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism through a lower rat liver delta-9 desaturase activity and through increased activities of delta-5 and delta-4 desaturases.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Validation of the Spanish version of PRIME-MD: a procedure for diagnosing mental disorders in primary care].

INTRODUCTION: Psychiatric disorders occurs in at least 20% of patients attending Primary Care settings, however, only 50% of them are detected by primary care physicians. Therefore a tool is required which can help primary care physicians to detect and diagnose psychiatric disorders. PRIME-MD (Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders) is a questionnaire designed with this aim. In this article the results of the validation study of the Spanish version of this questionnaire are presented. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 312 patients were interviewed by primary care physicians using PRIME-MD and by psychiatrists using SCAN (Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry). RESULTS: The time most frequently spent in questionnaire application by the physician was 10 minutes. PRIME-MD detected the presence of at least one psychiatric disorder in 44.3% of patients. PRIME-MD diagnoses agree well with SCAN diagnoses for mood disorders (coefficient of agreement: 0.50) and for anxiety disorders (coefficient of agreement: 0.35), but not for somatoform disorders or alcohol-related disorders. CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish version of PRIME-MD questionnaire in a useful tool to identify and diagnose mood and anxiety disorders in Primary Care settings.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Prevalence of depressive disorders in consultation-liaison psychiatry].

INTRODUCTION: Depressive disorders are more frequently seen in medically ill patients, especially in those who are hospitalized, than in the general population. The aim of this study was to assess the magnitude of this problem in Spanish hospitals, determining the prevalence of depressive disorders in hospitalized patients with medical illnesses, as well as the sociodemographic and medical-psychiatric characteristics related with the development of depression in these patients. METHODOLOGY: A transversal study was performed in 13 Spanish public hospitals with a sample of 1.003 patients selected from the list of patients registered in medical services at each hospital on November 6, 1995. Each patient was evaluated on psycho-social stress level as well as quality of life (Karnofsky scale). Following that, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was applied and all patients with a score >= 11 were evaluated by a psychiatrist. Data on psychiatric consultation of these patients were also recorded when conducted. RESULTS: 18.9% of patients hospitalized for medical illnesses showed depressive symptoms. The presence of depressive disorders was more often seen in women, patients unable to work, patients with psychiatric history, patients with previous psychopharmacological treatments, patients with high level of psychosocial stress and patients with a low quality of life. Psychiatric consultations were requested in just 13.7% of these patients. CONCLUSION: A very high number of hospitalized patients require a psychiatric evaluation for depression, but this is not requested.

Antidepressive Agents↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Protective effect of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids on the development of cardiovascular disease].

Cardiovascular disease has a multifactorial aetiology, as is illustrated by the existence of numerous risk indicators, many of which can be influenced by dietary means. In this article, the effects of unsaturated fatty acids on cardiovascular disease are reviewed, with special emphasis on the modifications of the lipoprotein profile and the mechanism by which fatty acids may affect the immune response on the development of the atherosclerotic lesion. Atherosclerosis occurs fundamentally in three stages: dysfunction of the vascular endothelium, fatty streak and fibrous cap formation. Each of the three stages is regulated by the action of vasoactive molecules, growth factors and cytokines, mediators of the immune response. Dietary lipid quality can affect the lipoprotein metabolism, altering their concentrations in the blood, permitting a greater or lesser recruitment of them in the artery wall. The replacement of dietary saturated fat by mono- or polyunsaturated fats significantly lowers the plasma-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels. Likewise, an enriched monounsaturated fatty acid diet prevents LDL oxidative modifications more than an enriched polyunsaturated diet, and the oxidation of LDL in patients with peripheral vascular disease mediated by n-3 fatty acids can be reduced by the simultaneous consumption of olive oil. However, strong controversy surrounds the effect of the different unsaturated fatty acids. The type of dietary fat can directly or indirectly influence some of the mediating factors of the immune response; n-3 fatty acids have powerful antiinflammatory properties. Dietary fatty acids strongly determine the susceptibility of lipoproteins to oxidation, which also has an impact on the activation of molecules of adhesion and other inflammatory factors. Moreover, several works have demonstrated a direct effect of fatty acids on the genetic expression of many of those factors. Finally, certain aspects of blood platelet function, blood coagulability, and fibrinolytic activity associated with cardiovascular risk, are modulated by dietary fatty acids; n-3 fatty acids strongly inhibits platelet aggregation and activate thrombolytic processes.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Meal replacement as a dietary therapy for weight control. Assessment in males and females with different degrees of obesity].

Obesity is a metabolic disorder characterized by an increase in the fat in adipose tissue above certain limits, manifested by morphological alterations and excess weight. This condition is one of the most significant epidemics of this century due to over-eating and the ease of access to food. On the other hand, the direct relationship between obesity and the greater risk of suffering cardiovascular disease, diabetes or cancer means that consumers are demanding products, whether medicines or foodstuffs, that will allow them to overcome this situation and improve both their physical appearance and their health. The goal of this project was to identify the efficacy and safety of a dietary product, a meal replacement, within the setting of a balanced hypocaloric diet established for weight loss. To this end, a total of 47 volunteers of both sexes between the ages of 23 and 58, all employees of the Hero España, S.A. company, took part in a test in which eleven of them acted as the "control group" and ate only the low-calorie diet while the rest formed a "problem group" and replaced one meal (with a minimum of 500 calories) with a 200-calorie meal replacement. Participants were subjected to anthropometric measurements, blood pressure testing and a blood chemistry analysis before and after the test period, as well as to weekly weight checks. Those individuals with the highest Body Mass Index showed a greater weight loss than those with a lower index. The volunteers did not note any hunger pangs until three hours after consumption of the meal replacement and the health-status parameters analyzed did not show any anomalous values. Therefore, it is concluded that the replacement product studied allows controlled weight loss over 3 weeks when accompanied by a balanced low-calorie diet and it also produces a sensation of fullness in those consuming it.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Incidence of influenza and influenza vaccine effectiveness in the 2004-2005 season].

BACKGROUND: To quantify the incidence of flu in different groups of the population of Navarra in the 2004-2005 season, and to evaluate the effectiveness of anti-flu vaccination. METHODS: The analysis of influenza cases in the system of compulsory notificable diseases was complemented by the individualised notifications in the network of sentinel doctors that covers a population of 22,339 inhabitants. The coverage and effectiveness of the vaccine was studied. RESULTS: Vaccine coverage in (3)65 year olds reached 62%. The incidence of influenza was 42.6 cases per 1,000 inhabitants. It reached a maximum in mid-January, exceeding 750 weekly cases per 100,000 inhabitants and 1,900 cases per 100,000 children. The highest rate of influenza was observed in under-15 year olds (49.4 cases per 1,000 inhabitants) and the lowest in non-institutionalised (3)65 year olds (2.6 per 1,000 inhabitants), although it was higher in geriatric residences (62.1 per 1,000; p<0.0001). Seventy-nine percent of the cases from 5 to 64 years resulted in absenteeism from school or work. The flu virus was identified in 42/65 (65%) nasopharyngeal smears, 90% being influenza virus A(H3). The incidence of influenza was 3.08% in the unvaccinated and 0.45% in the vaccinated (p<0.001). The global effectiveness of the anti-flu vaccine was 65%, and in (3)65 years old it was 73%. CONCLUSION: Although its effectiveness is not total, the vaccine is the main measure for preventing influenza. The network of sentinel doctors provide useful information for the coordination of care and public health activities against flu.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pulmonary function in systemic lupus erythematosus patients without respiratory symptoms.

Pulmonary function was studied in 22 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus without pulmonary clinical symptoms. The most striking features were: a) a restrictive functional pattern with hyperinflation, characterized by a decreased vital capacity and increased residual volume; b) alteration of the elastic properties of the lung, with increased pulmonary elastance; c) impairment of the alveolar-capillary gas transfer capacity, with very significant changes of the CO diffusion and arterio-alveolar gradients for O2 and CO2. No marked differences were found in functional disturbance among patients in the active or inactive phase of the disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The effect of dietary supplementation with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids of the n-3 and n-6 series and with vitamin E on the plasma fatty acid profile].

Dietary supplement with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids from the series n-3 and n-5 appears to be advisable in the nutritional repletion of a variety of conditions. It must be associated with the addition of a sufficient amount of an anti-oxidant to prevent the oxidative degradation of such fatty acids. The purpose of this study was to appraise the effect of the dietary addition of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids from the series n-3 and n-5 and of Vitamin E on the fatty acid profile of the plasma, and its lipidic fractions. Five groups of weaning rats were fed for a month as follows: Group A, a semipurified diet with 10% of fat [18:1(n-9) 40%; 18:2(n-6) 12%; 18:3(n-3) 1.2%]; Groups B and C, a semipurified diet with 7% of fat A and 3% of a marine oil concentrate; Groups D and E, a semipurified diet with 7% of fat A, 1.5% of a marine oil concentrate and 1.5% of a phospholipid concentrate of animal origin. Groups B and D were supplemented with 0.5 g of Vitamin E per kilogram of fat. The results obtained suggest that dietary supplement is necessary with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids from both the n-3 and n-5 series in order to maintain plasmatic levels of 20:4(n-6) and of 22:6(n-3) in the face of the tissular inability to produce them from their dietary precursors [18:2(n-6) and 18:3)], along with Vitamin E to prevent the oxidative malnutrition of these fatty acids.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Predictors of patient satisfaction with regional anesthesia.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The practice and success of regional anesthesia (RA) are influenced by a number of factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate patients' attitudes toward RA--perhaps the aspect least evaluated in anesthesia practice--and the factors influencing it. METHODS: A total of 154 patients (59 male, 95 female) aged 13 to 96 years were subjected to different RA techniques for orthopedic and trauma surgery. On the following day, a nurse not belonging to the surgical area and not aware of the anesthesia technique gave a questionnaire to the patient. RESULTS: After application of the study protocol, 110 patients were evaluated (40 male, 70 female), aged 13 to 96 years (mean, 66 +/- 12). Of these, 15.5% had undergone RA previously. Patient attitude toward RA was mostly either favorable (46.4%) or indifferent (45.5%)--only 6.4% showed a negative attitude. Inconveniences of RA were mentioned by 24.6% of patients, and the most common complaint was the needle puncture involved in the technique (18.1%). Advantages of RA were cited by 82.7% of patients (two or more quoted in 75.3%): the possibility of speaking with relatives during the immediate postoperative period (72.7%), staying awake (71.8%), and the absence of pain during the immediate postoperative interval (37.3%). Regression analysis showed the complaint of needle puncture to be the greatest negative factor. CONCLUSION: The performance of RA and consequently the knowledge of it acquired by the patients led to an increase in demand among those individuals who previously had expressed doubts about the technique. Previously positive attitudes remained unchanged. The combination of adequate sedation and the correct anesthetic procedure may favor patient acceptance of RA.

Adolescent↗