Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

C Leal

Publications and source records attributed to C Leal.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Acute colitis caused by caustic products.

We report two cases of acute proctocolitis caused by rectal application of caustic products of domestic use. One 61-yr-old woman applied an ammonia solution enema; the other patient, a 63-yr-old woman, accidentally applied an enema containing lye. Both patients presented with intense anal pain, but the first patient also had abdominal pain with guarding, hematochezia, and leucocytosis. An acute proctocolitis was found at sigmoidoscopy in both patients. Only conservative and symptomatic measures were prescribed in both cases, and a clinical and endoscopic recovery was seen. In spite of persistent fibrosis in the lamina propria, no signs of stenosis were found.

Accidents, Home↗
PubMed1997

Analytical procedures for the determination of organotin compounds in sediment and biota: a critical review.

Analytical procedures reported over the last 10 years for the determination of organotin compounds in sediment and biota have been critically reviewed in terms of sample handling, sensitivity, analytical cost, environmental acceptance, accuracy and precision. Critical steps in the analytical procedures are identified. Finally, research needs in extraction and determination are suggested.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma of the arm treated by radiotherapy for local recurrence--case report.

The Angiomatoid Fibrous Histiocytoma is a rare tumor of soft tissues, which occurs mainly in children and young adults, with low malignancy grade. It has the capacity of local recurrence, but rarely metastizes. It is frequently difficult to differentiate this from vascular tumors, namely hemangioendotheliomas and angiosarcomas, or simply organized hematomas. The authors present a case of a patient with an angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma of the arm, treated with radiotherapy after three postsurgical recurrences.

Arm↗
PubMed1997

Multicenter, double-blind, comparative clinical study on the efficacy and acceptability of a monthly injectable contraceptive combination of 150 mg dihydroxyprogesterone acetophenide and 10 mg estradiol enanthate compared to a monthly injectable contraceptive combination of 90 mg dihydroxyprogesterone acetophenide and 6 mg estradiol enanthate.

Healthy, regularly menstruating women, aged 14-38 years, were enrolled in a comparative, double-blind, phase III, clinical trial to evaluate the contraceptive efficacy and acceptability of a combination of 90 mg dihydroxyprogesterone acetophenide with 6 mg estradiol enanthate compared to the commercially available contraceptive combination of 150 mg dihydroxyprogesterone acetophenide with 10 mg estradiol enanthate. Subjects received the contraceptive combination intramuscularly, between the 7th and 10th day of each menstrual cycle, during 12 consecutive menstrual cycles. Approximately 60% of the subjects in both groups completed the study. Principal reasons for discontinuation were personal, nonmedical reasons. Principal medical reasons for discontinuation were menstrual-related, irregular bleeding being the most frequent. Differences in menstrual patterns between the two groups did not lead to differences in discontinuation rates. Three contraceptive failures occurred during the trial, one in Group A (90/6 mg) and two in Group B (150/10 mg), indicating that the lower dose formulation is at least as efficient as the higher dose.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Early amniocentesis at 10-12 weeks' gestation.

In this study we report the results of 181 ultrasound-guided genetic amniocenteses performed at 10-12 weeks of gestation and describe the indication, technical problems, amniotic fluid volume, culture success and timing, abortion and fetal loss rate, and perinatal results. Amniotic fluid was obtained in 98.4 per cent of the cases; at the first attempt, in 167 out of 181. The culture success rate was 94.5 per cent, and the fetal loss rate within 2 weeks was 0.5 per cent (one case with a sonographic abnormality). The total fetal loss rate during pregnancy was 1.6 per cent. A comparison of our data and those of other published series shows no significant differences, either with respect to this period of gestation (10-12 weeks) or with respect to the traditionally called early amniocentesis' (12-14 weeks) or conventional amniocentesis (15 weeks or more). The mean culture time was just a few days longer in some of the series, and in some cases, there was also a lower success rate after culture, particularly when amniocentesis was carried out at 10 weeks or less. We conclude that amniocentesis performed at 10-12 weeks is feasible, safe, and easy to perform, and provides a real benefit to the pregnant woman.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

p53 protein expression and nuclear DNA content in breast intraductal proliferations.

Immunohistochemical analysis of the p53 gene protein and cytometric assessment of nuclear DNA were performed in a series of 51 cases of intraductal breast proliferation. The series included 22 cases of intraductal hyperplasia without atypia, 6 cases of intraductal hyperplasia with atypia, and 23 cases of pure intraductal carcinoma. Expression of p53 protein was detected in one case of intraductal hyperplasia without atypia (4.5 per cent), one case of intraductal hyperplasia with atypia (16.6 per cent) and six cases of intraductal carcinoma (26.0 per cent). No significant correlation was observed between p53 expression and histological subtype of intraductal carcinoma. Aneuploidy was demonstrated in two cases of intraductal hyperplasia with atypia (33.3 per cent) and in 18 cases of intraductal carcinoma (78.2 per cent). All cases of intraductal hyperplasia without atypia were euploid. No significant association was observed between p53 protein expression and ploidy in intraductal hyperplasia. The only case of intraductal hyperplasia without atypia positive for p53 was euploid, whereas the only p53-positive case of intraductal hyperplasia with atypia was aneuploid. Among the intraductal carcinomas, only the aneuploid cases showed positivity for p53, regardless of histological subtype. The results suggest that some of the changes observed in invasive breast carcinoma, such as p53 expression and aneuploidy, are already present in breast intraductal proliferation, especially in areas with atypia and in intraductal carcinoma. The expression of p53 in breast intraductal proliferation may reflect the acquisition of p53 gene mutations in cells unable adequately to repair DNA damage, with genomic instability which would lead to clonal expansion and putative evolution to invasive disease.

Breast↗
PubMed1993

Psychometric properties of the parental bonding instrument in a Spanish sample.

The Parental Bonding Instrument was translated into Spanish and administered to a sample of 205 Spanish primiparae 3 days after childbirth. Reliability, factorial structure and predictive validity for affective disorders were evaluated. The Spanish version of the PBI has psychometric features similar to those described in other cultures. However, the results suggest that in future research the predictive power of the "Control" factor in affective disorders might be improved by splitting it into two subfactors: "Overprotection" and "Restraint".

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Cord blood lipoprotein-cholesterol: relationship birth weight and gestational age of newborns.

Umbilical plasma levels of lipoproteins-cholesterol were measured in 60 premature (less than 37 weeks), 60 small for gestational age (SGA, greater than 37 weeks), and 60 full term newborns (greater than 37 weeks) to ascertain the relationship between gestational age, infant's weight and concentration of plasma lipoprotein cholesterol. Umbilical levels of total cholesterol (TC), unesterified cholesterol (UC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in premature newborns were significantly higher (P less than .001) than in term infants. The levels of TC, UC, HDL-C and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) were substantially higher (P less than .05) in umbilical cord plasma of SGA newborns than in cord plasma of full term newborns. Lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase activity in cord plasma was indirectly assessed by measuring the ratio of esterified cholesterol to unesterified cholesterol (CE/UC). This ratio was significantly lower (P less than .01) in preterm and SGA than in full term newborns. In addition, plasma TC, UC, LDL-C and HDL-C levels were inversely correlated with gestational age of newborns. By contrast, CE/UC ratio had an inverse correlation with gestational age and HDL-C of the newborns. These findings suggest that the levels of TC in newborns are regulated by the uptake of LDL-C by the fetal adrenal and, additionally, by the lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) activity of newborn plasma. Only by careful follow-up of hyperlipidemic neonates can the true incidence of familial hyperlipoproteinemia and the value of early diagnosis be assessed.

Birth Weight↗
PubMed1989

Childhood acute leukemia and intestinal parasitosis.

Infectious complications are the leading cause of mortality in children with acute leukemia. Despite the fact that intestinal parasitosis is a rather frequent finding and a health problem in underdeveloped countries, in our experience the incidence of helminthic and protozoan infections among children with leukemia is uncommon. We analyzed 54 consecutive patients with leukemia in a period of 5 years, and only seven (12.9%) had intestinal parasites, four of whom died because of the infection or complication by the parasites. One hundred children without any malignancy were the control group, 26 (26%) of whom had intestinal parasitosis. When we compared the frequency of parasitosis in the control group with the children with leukemia and parasitosis, we found a statistical difference (p less than 0.05). We speculate that parasitic infections may reduce the risk of childhood leukemia.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1987

[The environment and the bronchospasm crisis].

Clinical data of 893 asthmatic crises treated in the Pediatric Emergencies Service of Hospital de "Nuestra Señora del Mar" (Barcelona) between January 1st 1983 and december, 31, 1984, have been examined. Age, sex, number of hospitalised cases related to the total emergencies have been analysed, and a correlation is established with atmospheric contamination, meteorological data and pollen levels. The highest incidence of bronchospastic processes has been observed in Autumn. No significant relation is observed between asthmatic attacks and meteorological data or pollen levels. During the highest contaminated days the number of asthmatic attacks does not increase, but there is a significant association between asthmatic crises in children over 3 years old and the SO2 level. Bronchospastic processes in children under 3 years old are influenced by temperature, february is the coldest month and the highest incidence occurs. These results must be considered with caution. Only the continuity of the study in next years can provide definitive conclusions.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Correlates of symptom dimensions in schizophrenia obtained with the Spanish version of the Manchester scale.

In the last decade, a significant number of studies have been published which suggest a multifactorial psychopathological structure in schizophrenia. Seventy-eight acute and chronic schizophrenic patients diagnosed in accordance with DSM-III-R criteria were studied with the Manchester Scale, Premorbid Adjustment Scale, Family History-RDC Interview, Digit Span, Mini-Mental State and computerized tomography (CT). A factorial analysis of the symptoms as recorded with the Spanish version of the Manchester Scale was carried out. Three factors ('positive', 'negative' and 'disorganization') accounted for 79% of the total variance. Poor premorbid adjustment was associated with high scores for the 'positive' dimension. The 'disorganization' dimension was significantly associated with lower scores in the Mini-Mental and attention test than the rest. However, CT did not differentiate between these symptom dimensions. This study of a sample of mostly outpatients corroborates the hypothesis of three clinical dimensions in schizophrenia.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Seville Quality of Life Questionnaire: historic outlook of its establishment].

We describe how we developed a new instrument for measuring quality of life, the Seville Quality of Life Questionnaire (SQCQ), and the results we obtained when we applied it to a group of schizophrenic patients. The questionnaire was designed by a group of researchers who set out from the premise that the quality of life of schizophrenic patients is perceived differently from that of healthy people, and tried first of all to demarcate the kind of area which is abnormal in these patients. We then devised a set of items which were assessed for clarity and pertinence by a series of experts, and the questionnaire was assembled in the form of a set of statements, response to which is in the form of a Lickert-type 5-stage scale. The finished questionnaire was administered to 279 schizophrenic patients. At the same time, these patients were also evaluated using the AMDP Psychopathology Scale, the positive and negative symptoms evaluation scale (PANS), Lehman's structured quality of life interview (QOLY), Ruiz and Baca's quality of life questionnaire (QLQ), Camberwell's scale of needs analysis (CANr) and the WHO's handicap assessment scale (DDS). These questionnaires were used to judge the different types of validity of the Seville Questionnaire. The reliability of the questionnaire was measured using Cronbach's alpha coefficient (internal consistency: 0,85 scale of favourable aspects, 0,96 scale of unfavourable aspects). As far as validity was concerned, both scales of the questionnaire were found to have a high level of validity. We also examined the extent to which the psychopathological disorders affected the quality of the schizophrenic person's life, the extent to which his/her needs were being met by the health services, and the patient's degree of disability. From the results obtained, we can say that the SQCQ is a reliable and valid instrument, which is sufficiently sensitive to the clinical changes produced in the course of the natural history of the disease. The SQCQ stands out from the other quality of life questionnaires in that it takes into account aspects of the disease which the patient him/herself is aware of as affecting his/her quality of life.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[P300 and neuropsychological tests in schizophrenia and bipolar patients].

INTRODUCTION: A smaller P300 amplitude has been found in schizophrenic patients in the majority of the studies done. And this occur in spite of treatment, sex, clinical stage and evolution time of the illness. It has been already described an association between this amplitude reduction and a poor result on the neuropsychological tests. But these changes in the P300 amplitude are not specific of the schizophrenic patients and they can be found in affective patients. OBJECTIVES: This study try to value the influence of the clinical stage and the cognitive results on the P300 values in the bipolar patients and to compare these results with the schizophrenic patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: It has been evaluated the evoked potentials and the results of a neuropsychological battery of tests in three patient groups: schizophrenics in patients with acute symptomatology (n = 18), schizophrenic out patients without acute symptomatology (n = 15) and bipolar in patients during a maniac period (n = 16). RESULTS: It has not been found any differences between schizophrenic and maniac patients nor in the amplitude or in the latency of the P300. The results of the neuropsychological tests have not any relation with P300 amplitude and latency except for the verbal fluidity (VF) which has a good correlation with a longer P300 latency. At the same time this was the only test in which schizophrenic patients have smaller results than affective patients with a good correlation. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest a similar pattern of neuropsychological and neurophysiological damage in schizophrenic and affective patients in acute period of mania.

Adult↗