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Biomedical subjects

B Morales

Publications and source records attributed to B Morales.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

[The effect of controlled release of DOPA and carbidopa on clinical response and plasma pharmacokinetics of DOPA in parkinsonian patients].

This is a multicentric double blind comparison of the effects of standard and slow release levodopa + carbidopa formulations in patients with Parkinson's disease. Sixty four patients with simple fluctuations were included and 43 finished the study. The study had three phases: a) optimal dose findings phase with standard levodopa + carbidopa; b) open label, cross over study with the two formulations, and c) double blind, parallel investigation. The following results were obtained. There was not a difference in the severity of disability according to UPDRS, part 3, scores though the subjective impressions of patients were in favor of standard formulations. The Sustained release levodopa + carbidopa produced significant improvement of dystonia in off period, pain due to akinesia in off and the number of hours in off and the quality and latency of sleep. In addition there was a tendency in favor of slow release compounds for early morning akinesia, global effect and impression of the examining physician. Low protein diet improved the kinetics of levodopa and the clinical response with both formulations. The clinical usefulness of standard and slow release levodopa + carbidopa formulation should be weighted according to individual problems of patients with Parkinson's disease.

Age of Onset↗
PubMed1997

[Parathyroid scintigraphy with Tc99m Sestamibi].

BACKGROUND: Parathyroid scintigraphy with Tc99m Sestamibi, a tracer that is taken up by hyperfunctioning parathyroid tissue, has a high yield in the diagnosis of abnormal parathyroid growths. AIM: To assess the usefulness of parathyroid scintigraphy with Tc99m Sestamibi in patients with suspected hyperparathyroidism. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed retrospectively 29 patients with suspected hyperparathyroidism, in whom a scintigraphy with Tc99m Sestamibi was performed. RESULTS: Twenty four of 25 patients in whom hyperfunctioning parathyroid tissue was evidenced with scintigraphy, were operated. Histological diagnosis of the excised parathyroid gland, showed 23 adenomas and 1 hyperplasia. Anatomical location disclosed by scintigraphy was concordant with surgical findings in all cases, including a mediastinic adenoma. Of the four patients with negative scintigraphic findings, two had transitory PTH elevations and in two the presence of adenoma or hyperplasia could not be demonstrated with other diagnostic procedures. CONCLUSIONS: Parathyroid scintigraphy with Tc99m Sestamibi had an 86% sensitivity for the detection of hyperfunctioning parathyroid tissue in patients with elevated PTH.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Inbreeding patterns in the Gredos Mountain Range (Spain).

The relationships among the frequency of consanguineous marriages, inbreeding coefficient, period, village size, and altitude are analyzed for three rural valleys belonging to the Sierra de Gredos (central Spain). These valleys occupy an area of about 30 x 80 km2, and the average total number of inhabitants for the period 1877-1970 was 58,621. Information about a sample of 23,744 weddings celebrated between 1875 and 1974 was obtained from 48 village parish registers. The mean inbreeding level up to second cousins for the whole area was 0.0012. A high percentage of inbreeding variation (83%) can be explained by each village's census size, resulting in a different interslope consanguinity pattern consisting of higher inbreeding levels in most northern localities in the Gredos mountains. This north-south geographic trend is consistent with results on blood polymorphisms from the same area (Mesa et al. 1994).

Altitude↗
PubMed1995

A ciliary K+ conductance sensitive to charibdotoxin underlies inhibitory responses in toad olfactory receptor neurons.

In olfactory neurons from Caudiverbera caudiverbera, a mixture of putrid odorants trigger an inhibitory, K(+)-selective current and a hyperpolarizing receptor potential. The current-voltage relation resembles that of a Ca(2+)-activated K+ conductance; their amplitude depends on extracellular Ca2+. 10 nM charibdotoxin, a blocker of K(+)-selective channels, including Ca(2+)-activated ones, reversibly abolished inhibitory currents and receptor potentials. Focal stimulation demonstrates that the underlying transduction mechanism is confined to the cilia. This represents the first evidence for inhibitory responses in vertebrate olfactory cells mediated by a ciliary CTX-sensitive K+ conductance, most likely a Ca(2+)-activated one.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Sex linked versus autosomal inbreeding coefficient in close consanguineous marriages in the Basque country and Castile (Spain): genetic implications.

Pedigree structures of 161 uncle/niece-aunt/nephew and 4420 first cousin consanguineous marriages registered during the 19th and 20th centuries in two large and very different Spanish regions have been analysed and their genetic consequences evaluated. The frequencies of the different pedigree subtypes within each degree of relationship were quite similar in both populations despite significant heterogeneity in inbreeding patterns. The mean X-linked inbreeding coefficient (Fx) for each type of cousin mating was calculated and compared to that expected for autosomal genes (F). The effect of genealogical structure on the Fx/F ratio was compared to different cultural populations worldwide. Preferentiality and avoidance of close consanguinity along with specific types of pedigrees are discussed on the basis of premarital migration and sociocultural rules still deeply rooted in certain human groups. By admitting that the observed Fx coefficient is usually higher than F in most human populations some remarks have been made in terms of population genetic risk.

Chromosome Aberrations↗
PubMed1995

Birth intervals regarding infant mortality and extramarital reproduction in a Spanish rural community.

Record linking provided information on the complete reproductive schedules of a sample of 1102 couples with at least two children born alive from a rural Spanish community characterised by very high extramarital reproduction. Birth spacing was analysed considering final family size as well as the legitimate-illegitimate status and sex of the newborn, and survival of the preceding sibling.

Birth Intervals↗
PubMed1995

[Changes in protein repletion markers in undernourished patients receiving enteral nutrition and its relation with energy and nitrogen balance].

AIM: To study the relationship between the changes in protein repletion indicators and calorie and nitrogen balance in undernourished patients receiving enteral nutrition. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fourteen patients (11 female, age range 55-85 years old) with an initial serum albumin below 3.5 g/dl or serum transferrin below 200 mg/dl, which received enteral nutrition, were studied. On days one and ten of nutritional support, indirect calorimetry, nitrogen balance and serum levels of albumin, transferrin, pre-albumin and total lymphocyte count were measured. RESULTS: Initial resting energy expenditure was 25.1 +/- 5 Kcal/kg/day (115.4 +/- 20% of that predicted by Harris Benedict equations) and urinary urea nitrogen 5.4 +/- 3.7 g/day. Initial and final nitrogen balances were 66.9 +/- 71 and 81.4 +/- 105.9 mg N/kg/day and mean energy balance throughout the study was +9.0 +/- 7.2 Kcal/kg/day. During the ten days of nutritional support, albumin improved significantly in 0.35 +/- 0.43 g/dl (15.2 +/- 19.8%). Transferrin, pre-albumin and total lymphocyte count did not change significantly. The changes in these last parameters did not correlate with nitrogen or calorie balance. CONCLUSIONS: Probably other factors, besides nutritional balances, influence serum protein levels and these may not change despite an adequate nutritional repletion.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Inhibitory K+ current activated by odorants in toad olfactory neurons.

Odorant responses of isolated olfactory neurons from the toad Caudiverbera caudiverbera were monitored by using patch-clamp techniques. Depending on the stimulus, the same neuron responded with an increase or a decrease in action potential firing. Odorants that activate the cAMP cascade in olfactory cilia increased electrical activity, caused membrane depolarization, and triggered inward currents. In contrast, odorants that do not activate the cAMP cascade inhibited electrical activity, produced membrane hyperpolarization, and activated outward currents in a dose-dependent fashion. Such currents were carried by K+ and blocked by tetraethylammonium. Similar currents were recorded from Xenopus laevis. Our results suggest that this K+ current is responsible for odorant-induced inhibition of action potential firing in olfactory neurons.

Acyclic Monoterpenes↗
PubMed1993

Inbreeding patterns in the Basque Country (Alava Province, 1831-1980).

A considerable number of studies have shown that Spain is one of the countries on the European continent with a high level of inbreeding and that, in general, this level decreased more quickly and later than the levels in the rest of Europe. The types and frequencies of consanguineous marriages (up to third cousins), the mean inbreeding coefficient, and secular trends have been studied within the Basque Country (Alava Province) using information from ecclesiastic dispensations from 1831 to 1980. A total of 5583 consanguineous marriages were registered in Alava over the whole period (150 years), and 79 different categories of relationship were observed. The analysis of the structure of consanguinity has shown some appreciable levels of close consanguineous unions: 0.08% (uncle-niece or aunt-nephew marriages) and 0.96% (first-cousin marriages) of the total number of marriages. This seems to be a common phenomenon among provinces of northern Spain. The rates of total consanguinity and the mean coefficient of inbreeding in the population of Alava from 1861 to 1980 were 4.62% and 0.00124, respectively. The temporal trend pattern of inbreeding in Alava closely fits the pattern observed in other large European populations: France, Italy, and Belgium. This early fall in the level of inbreeding in Alava compared to the levels found in both large and small populations in central and western Spain might be due to the early industrial development of the Basque Country and the resulting loss of importance of landownership.

Consanguinity↗
PubMed1992

Acute Chagas' disease (Trypanosomiasis americana) in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: report of two cases.

Two heterosexual men, aged 31 and 40 years, with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and presenting with the acute form of Chagas' disease are reported. The first patient, a carrier of hemophilia A, was treated for 20 years with Chilean and Brazilian cryoprecipitates. This patient acquired both diseases through this medium. The second patient, an inhabitant of northern Chile (fourth region), was allegedly bitten by Triatoma infestans and was an intravenous drug addict. The hemophilic patient presented with a neurologic syndrome; a brain biopsy showed a necrotizing encephalitis with an obliterative angiitis and abundant macrophages. The second patient developed intractable congestive heart failure; necropsy showed a dilated myocarditis with rupture of myofibers and an inflammatory infiltrate rich in plasma cells, lymphocytes, and macrophages. Using light and electron microscopy, abundant amastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi were seen in brain tissue, especially in the cytoplasm of macrophages, as well as in some myocardial fibers. In both cases, determination of anti-T cruzi antibodies (indirect hemagglutination technique) and xenodiagnosis were positive.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1992

Parkinsonism associated with calcium channel blockers: a prospective follow-up study.

Parkinsonism is a well-known side effect of some calcium channel blockers (CCB). Its long-term evolution, however, is unknown. To clarify this issue, we performed a prospective follow-up study involving 32 patients diagnosed with CCB-induced parkinsonism. After the baseline examination, the CCB were discontinued and serial evaluations were carried out according to the same protocol. Despite a global improvement, cognitive and mood disturbances subsided slowly, and tremor persisted in most patients. After 18 months of CCB withdrawal, 44% of patients had depression, 88% had tremor, and 33% still had criteria for diagnosis of parkinsonism. During the survey, only three patients were found to be fully recovered. The improvement of some clinical symptoms was related to age: Patients younger than 73 years recovered better than older patients did. Our data indicate that CCB-induced parkinsonism is not the benign condition previously thought, and suggest an age-related prognosis of this entity.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed1992

[Correlation between ultrasound and pathology of the gallbladder].

Ultrasound is a sensible and specific method for the diagnosis, study of natural course and follow up of medical treatment of gallstones. Thus it is important to specify the concordance between echographic and pathological findings of the gallbladder. Ninety one patients were subjected to an ultrasound gallbladder examination immediately before elective surgery and the excised organ was pathologically examined right after the operation. The number and size of stones, the diameters and wall thickness of the gallbladder and the presence of polyps and septa were compared with both methods. The correlation was fair for the number or size of the stones considered separately; however the correct diagnosis of both parameters was obtained in only a third of the cases. Diameters of the gallbladder were underestimated by ultrasound; wall thickness measurement showed a very good correlation with both methods. No correlation was found for polyps or septa. Although ultrasound is excellent for the diagnosis of gallstones, its precision, is insufficient to determine the exact number and size of the stones.

Cholelithiasis↗
PubMed1991

Matrix engineering.

Matrix engineering is a technology that utilizes hyaluronan (HA, hyaluronic acid) based matrices to control, direct or augment tissue regenerative processes. Hyaluronan and the concept of matrix engineering have become established tools in ophthalmic and orthopaedic medicine. The clinical indications for HA are limited by the physical properties and short residence time of the natural HA molecule. To expand and improve upon its current medical applications, a family of HA derivatives was prepared by chemical modification and cross-linking. Relative to the non-modified HA molecule, the hylan family of polymers provides more versatile physical forms, improved mechanical properties and an extended residence time. Hylan can also be used as a surface coating to improve blood compatibility. The chemical, physical and biological properties of hylans will be reviewed, focusing on the specific therapeutic indications they enable.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

[Craniocervical dystonia and facial hemispasm: clinical and pharmacological characteristics of 52 patients].

The results obtained in a retrospective study on clinical and pharmacological aspects of 41 patients suffering craniocervical dystonia (24 with blepharospasm, 17 with torticollis) and 11 with spasm are here presented. Mean age of symptoms onset was 57.4, 43.8 and 55.8 years old respectively; this variable was comparatively higher in females than in males with torticollis. The prevalence of blepharospasm and hemifacial spasm was higher in females. A 38.7% of patients suffering blepharospasm also presented oromandibular dystonia (Meige's syndrome). Other abnormal movements less frequently associated were cephalic tremor, postural hand tremor and larynx dystonia. In three cases with blepharospasm there was family history of Parkinson's disease and in two cases with torticollis there was family history of essential tremor. The mean age of onset was lower in patients with clonic torticollis and the evolution time of symptoms was longer than in those who presented the tonic type. Clonic torticollis were less frequently associated to pain. Trihexyphenidyl (anticholinergic) was the most efficient drug in craniocervical dystonia, and clonazepam in facial hemispasm. In general, as earliest the age of onset was, as better the therapeutical response was.

Adolescent↗