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Biomedical subjects

E Alvarez

Publications and source records attributed to E Alvarez.

297 records · Page 17Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

[Indicators for the evaluation of the impact of hydatidosis control programs on the health status of a human population].

The importance of measuring the impact of the hydatidosis control program activities on the health of human populations has been emphasized. The different rates used, as well as their limitations defining new hydatidosis cases, are described. The specific incidence rates for the age group of 0-10 years should be considered, together with the standardization of serologic and echographic screening in young groups, in order to achieve the epidemiological evaluation of the control programs impact on a human population in the short term.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical usefulness of mean corpuscular volume and red cell distribution width in iron deficient blood donors.

The clinical efficacy of the red cell distribution width (RDW > 14.2%) and the mean corpuscular volume (MCV < 83.5 fL) in detecting iron deficiency was evaluated in female blood donors. Employing transferrin saturation < 17%, the prevalence of iron deficiency in 296 female donors was 23%, and in 635 male donors 1.1%. In the total female population, the sensitivity and specificity of the indices were 78% and 92%, respectively, but they were higher in anemic females (sensitivity 90% and positive predictive value 92%) than in non anemic females (sensitivity 58% and positive predictive value 50%). Our results confirm that there is an overlap in the levels of RDW and MCV between the iron and non iron deficient subjects, and these overlap seems to be more remarkable in the non anemic individuals. We conclude that these erythrocyte indices could be useful to identify iron deficiency in anemic female blood donors, but not in non anemic ones.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

HLA class I, class II, and class III antigen sharing is not found in couples with unexplained infertility.

OBJECTIVE: To find the degree of HLA antigen sharing in couples with infertility of unknown etiology and compare it with that in couples with infertility of known etiology as well as couples with normal fertility. SUBJECTS: Eleven couples with infertility of unknown etiology, 26 with infertility of known etiology, and 31 fertile couples were tested for HLA class I (A, B, C), class II (DR, MLC), and class III (Bf) antigens and GLO alleles. HLA lymphocytotoxic antibodies and anti-sperm antibodies in both partners were also searched. RESULTS: Gene frequencies and the number of HLA antigens shared between the two members of the couple were similar in all groups. When "intra-couple" MLC reactivity was measured, no quantitative differences were found in the infertile group with unknown etiology, as compared to the group of known etiology: spouses in couples of either group usually reacted in both ways as expected for unrelated individuals" lymphocytes. Lymphocytotoxic antibody frequency did not differ between the nonfertile groups, and anti-sperm antibodies, found in ten patients in the group of known etiology, were not associated with any HLA antigen. In spite of that, GLO and all the HLA antigen classes described (I, II and III) were analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: Although the results are negative, these and others' (negative) results concerning couples with infertility of unknown etiology do not disprove that HLA has a role in fertilization, because HLA-related factors still unknown may exist. Exhaustive HLA available marker typing in international cooperative efforts may be needed to reach a significant number of carefully selected couples fully HLA typed to elucidate this problem.

Antilymphocyte Serum↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Treatment with tianeptine for depressive disorders in the elderly].

Depression is frequent in the elderly but difficult both to diagnose and treat due to a number of distinctive features. Tianeptine is a novel antidepressant with a reverse mode of action to that of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors yet with proven efficacy and safety. 63 elderly patients (mean age: 68.8 years; range: 65-80 years) with depressive symptoms (major depression: 55.6%; dysthymia: 44.4%) were included in a 3-month open multicenter study with tianeptine (25 mg daily). 43 patients (68.2%) completed the study. There were no drop-outs due to side-effects. Total Montgomery and Asberg depression rating scale scores were significantly decreased (p < 0.01) on day 14, with a response rate of 76.7%. Improvements were also observed in anxiety and cognitive performance. Side-effects were seen in only 11.7% of patients, with no changes in laboratory or ancillary safety parameters. Tianeptine is thus effective and well tolerated in this category o patient.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical efficacy and tolerance of two year Lolium perenne sublingual immunotherapy.

Last years, in spite of increasing use of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT), not enough clinical studies have been published and its efficacy ought to be documented still more. For that purpose, 54 patients suffering seasonal rhinoconjunctivitis--with or without asthma--were allocated to either six month preseasonal SLIT with Lolium perenne extract (n = 35) or to a control group (n = 19). In the following year, thirty from previously treated patients and 12 from former control group, received a nine-month pre-coseasonal SLIT. Skin (SPT) and conjunctival (CPT) allergen response were monitorized several times along the study. Either seric antibodies or intraseasonal eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), as symptom, medication scores and peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) were also assessed, fifty-five adverse reactions were recorded (0.7% doses), although only four required treatment. No main changes in CPT, SPT and antibodies were detected. Nevertheless, during the first pollen season, treated patients needed less medication than their control counterparts (p < 0.05). In the second season, the twelve ex-control subjects also required fewer drugs than in the first one (p < 0.01). Moreover, the whole forty-two treated patients showed a lesser intraseasonal ECP than a reference set of grass-allergic individuals (p < 0.05). We conclude that Lolium perenne SLIT is well tolerated and induces fewer drug requirements during pollen season, being eosinophil activation additionally reduced.

Administration, Sublingual↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Validation study of the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression of a Spanish population of patients with affective disorders].

The Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) is a short self-rating scale composed of 20 items, designed to detect depressive symptomatology. It has demonstrated its sensibility in psychiatric patients and general population. The CES-D was administered to 99 patients, 33 men and 66 women with mean age of 44.14 years. The patients had been diagnosed of: Major Depressive Disorder (74%), Bipolar Disorder (10%), Adaptive Disorder with depressive mood (10%) and other mood disorders (6%) according to DSM-IIIR criteria. In order to study the validity and reliability of the CES-D, we administered the Hamilton Rating Depression Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory and analogical scales to all the patients. In the reliability analysis we obtain 0.9 alpha. The factor analysis show 4 factors who explain the 58.8% of the variance: "depresses Affect/Somatic", "Positive Affect", "Irritability/Hopelessness", "Interpersonal/Social". The scale shows a 0.95 sensibility and 0.91 specificity to depressive symptomatology detection (according to scores equal or over 9 on HRSD) taking as cutoff scores equal or over 16 on CES-D. Our results show that the CES-D is a sensitive and specify tool for depressive symptomatology detection in psychiatric population. The CES-D is easy to be completed and evaluated, therefore may be useful in epidemiologic studies in general populations.

Adolescent↗