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Biomedical subjects

A Medina

Publications and source records attributed to A Medina.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources

Intraoperative balloon valvuloplasty in pulmonary valve stenosis.

Balloon valvuloplasty was used in the operating room on 7 patients to visually assess the valvular changes induced by inflation of a balloon catheter. All patients had typical pulmonary valve stenosis and an associated cardiac condition which necessitated surgery. Of 23 fused commissures present, 21 were successfully opened with a single balloon inflation. In 2 patients, damage to the leaflets was observed. In 1 patient there was partial detachment and in the other a small tear was noted at the margin of one leaflet. These intraoperative results may be similar to the results obtained with percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty.

Adolescent↗

A new type of adjustable vascular introducer for balloon valvuloplasty: technical note.

To minimize vascular damage in percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty, a new type of dynamic adjustable vascular introducer has been developed which is capable of both expanding and contracting on the passage of a balloon catheter. This ability greatly reduces damage to the vessel and limits blood loss at the site of entry during the procedure. It has been used in both mitral and aortic balloon valvuloplasty.

Catheterization↗

[Health professionals' opinion of the Catalan Health Plan. Basis for a reflexion on the future].

OBJECTIVES: To know health professional's opinion of the Health Plan for Catalonia (Spain) in order to get news elements for the formulation and management of new plans. DESIGN: Combination of quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Postal survey to doctors and nurses (multistage randomised sample). 3.223 questionnaires were obtained (response rate: 34,1%). Interview to a selected sample of 41 health care professionals and managers. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: 78,8% (IC95%: 1,4) of health professionals are familiar with the Health Plan, and for most of them it is valued as important. 28,9% (IC95%: 1,7) of the professionals who know the Plan consider that it has repercussions in their daily work and 51,8% (IC95%: 1,9) declare that it doesn't have any repercussions. Different issues such as the planning process, the contents, the dissemination strategy, as well as a the poor impact on the health budget are critised. Differences by age group and sex, care setting and type of health professional are observed. CONCLUSIONS: The implication of health professionals in the discussion, formulation and implementation of the Health Plan proposals needs to be improved. It will be necessary to make progress in identifying health problems and needs, in setting priorities and in the allocation of resources. To increase the multisectorial involvement and to develop marketing strategies directed to politicians, managers and health professionals will also be needed in order to increase the impact of the Health Plan on both the Health System and the other sectors involved in health. The role to be played by the Health Plan in the health system must be redefined and this will lead to redesigning the planning process and the implementation of health strategies.

Adult↗

Changes in the fatty acids pattern of red blood cell phospholipids induced by type of milk, dietary nucleotide supplementation, and postnatal age in preterm infants.

The fatty acid profile of red blood cell phospholipids and the total phospholipid and cholesterol contents of erythrocyte membrane in preterm infants in the first month of life were studied. Influences of human milk and adapted formula and dietary nucleotides supplementation at a level similar to that found in human milk were evaluated. Nineteen preterm newborn infants with adequate weight for gestational age were fed their own mother's preterm human milk, 18 with a standard milk formula and 18 with the same formula supplemented with nucleotides. Blood samples were obtained at birth from cord blood, and at 30 days of age. At 1 month of life, linoleic acid rose in formula fed infants compared to those fed human milk (p less than 0.05) and relative amounts of 20:3w6, 20:4w6, 22:4w6, 22:5w6, and total polyunsaturates of the w6 series greater than 18 carbon atoms were significantly decreased in standard milk formula fed infants (p less than 0.05-0.01). No significant differences for these fatty acids were found between human milk and nucleotide milk formula infants. Docosahexaenoic acid (22:6w3) decreased from birth to 1 month of age in formula fed infants (p less than 0.01) but not in human milk fed infants. Infants fed nucleotide milk formula showed intermediate values for 20:3w6 and 20:4w6 (p less than 0.1) between infants fed human milk and those fed standard milk formula.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aging↗

Prepubertal rats are more resistant to ischemic renal injury and recover more rapidly than adult rats.

Bilateral clamping of renal pedicles during 60, 75 or 90 min was used to characterize the evolution of ischemic acute renal failure (ARF) in prepubertal rats. To verify the existence of age-conditioned differences in the evolution of ARF, adult rats were exposed to 40, 60 or 75 min of clamping. After 7 days, survival rate was significantly better in young than adult rats for identical times of clamping (89 vs. 35% for 60 min and 69 vs. 35% for 75 min). Young rats largely died within the first 24 h following ischemia while the risk of death extended until the 4th day after ischemia in adult rats. Peak values of serum urea nitrogen and creatinine were observed on the 1st and 3rd day after ischemia in young and adult rats, respectively. In young rats, these markers of renal function returned to normal on days 5 and 6 whereas they remained elevated at the end of the study in adult animals. Growth curves of young rats paralleled those of sham-operated animals from the 3rd day of clamping whereas adult rats did not even reach the initial weight at the end of the study. Analysis of kidneys obtained 7 days after clamping revealed more severe histopathological lesions in adult rats as well as a higher proliferative activity (10-40 times the value of sham-operated animals versus 2-4 times the control value in young rats). Our findings indicate that kidneys from young rats are more resistant to ischemia and recover more quickly from the ischemic insult. Therefore, the experimental model of ischemic ARF is clearly different in young and adult rats.

Acute Kidney Injury↗

[Transesophageal echocardiographic diagnosis of a left atrial myxoma].

We report the case of a 65 year old woman with a left atrial myxoma. The only clinical manifestation were two transient ischemic attacks of cerebral origin. The diagnosis was established by transesophageal echocardiography because of poor definition of the transtoracic approach. We comment the clinical and diagnostic features of this type of tumors, with emphasize in the value of transesophageal echocardiography.

Aged↗