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Biomedical subjects

E Pascual

Publications and source records attributed to E Pascual.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Patients' beliefs about their lack of pain control in primary fibromyalgia syndrome.

This study had two aims, first, to determine the expectancies of control over pain experience ('pain locus of control') of patients with primary fibromyalgia syndrome (PFS) and to compare them with other chronic rheumatic diseases. Second, to analyse the relationships between health status and locus of control. We applied the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control-Pain and the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (AIMS), by interviewing 137 out patients (32 PFS, 32 RA, 20 SLE, 22 AS and 31 OA). Data were analysed by ANOVA and partial correlation tests. PFS patients believed that their symptoms depended on uncontrollable events and that they could not influence their disease by themselves. PFS patients were the most disabled on the 'Affect' (P < or = 0.001) and 'Symptom' factors (P < or = 0.01). In the PFS group, patients who showed a 'Fate' locus of control orientation reported more disability on 'Affect' and 'Social Interaction' AIMS factors.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Costovertebral joint changes in ankylosing spondylitis with thoracic pain.

CAT scan of the costovertebral joints has been performed in 17 patients with ankylosing spondylitis, all suffering from lower thoracic pain. Fourteen of them (82%) showed abnormal findings, including erosions and sclerosis, more pronounced in the vertebral side of the joint, and joint widening. Bony proliferation arising from the vertebral side in the anterior margin of the joint was also seen. One patient showed at the D12 level anterior bony bridges, similar to the vertebral syndesmophytes. Fusion was noted in five patients (including the three with longest disease duration) and represents the end result of the inflammatory process. These changes provide an anatomical basis for the understanding of the thoracic pain in AS patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Treatment with colchicine decreases white cell counts in synovial fluid of asymptomatic knees that contain monosodium urate crystals.

Synovial fluid (SF) samples, all containing monosodium urate crystals, obtained from 18 asymptomatic knees of 12 patients with gout, were serially analyzed before and one month after treatment with 1 mg/day of oral colchicine. Before treatment, the SF contained 612 [confidence limits (CL) = 282, 942] cells/mm3, while after treatment these values decreased to 274 (CL = 73, 471) cells/mm3 (p less than 0.005). In all cases, pretreatment cell counts were higher than the corresponding posttreatment values. The percentage of polymorphonuclear leukocytes also diminished from a pretreatment value of 13.0 (CL = 7, 19) to 4.5 (CL = 2, 7) after colchicine administration (p less than 0.005). These results strongly suggest the presence of baseline subclinical joint inflammation which is reduced by colchicine. The preventive effect of this drug on the occurrence of new attacks may relate to its effect in reducing the baseline inflammation of the asymptomatic joints.

Colchicine↗
PubMed1991

[Rheumatoid arthritis and multiple neoplasms].

In patients with rheumatoid arthritis the appearance of neoplastic disease has been fundamentally described of lymphoproliferative origin. The case of a 59 year old woman with rheumatoid arthritis of a 4 year evolution is reported. The patient was treated with gold salts and methotrexate and presented successively a bronchogenic carcinoma and a non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The epidemiologic studies in the relation of rheumatoid arthritis-neoplasia are discussed and the pathogenic hypotheses to the immune alterations as well as the treatments employed are described.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1991

[Opinion of medical students about prescription, counseling and practice of voluntary interruptions of pregnancy].

BACKGROUND: A future prospect was carried out of the professional trends regarding prescription, counseling and practice of voluntary interruptions of pregnancy (VIP). METHODS: To this end, a questionnaire was administered to 177 last term students of the Valencia and Alicante Schools of Medicine regarding the opinions of the current law on VIP in Spain and the professional trends of approach, with practical examples of the four instances depenalized by the Spanish law. RESULTS: For 44% of the sample the present law is insufficient, 30% agree with it and 13% think that the present law threatens life. The instance which elicited a highest number of favorable professional trends was congenital malformation (85%), followed by physical problems (78%) and psychical problems (63%). Only 60% of students would take a favorable attitude in case of rape. The students without religious practice, who vote progressive political parties and who think that present law is insufficient have a significant tendency towards attitudes favoring VIP. Significant sex differences among students were not found. CONCLUSIONS: Although probably to a lesser degree than in the present, in the near future the unfavorable attitudes of physicians will continue hindering the access of women to the services of VIP. A wide debate and more studies are required for a better definition of the implications of this phenomenon for public health purposes.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed1991

Persistence of monosodium urate crystals and low-grade inflammation in the synovial fluid of patients with untreated gout.

Synovial fluid (SF) from 74 asymptomatic knees of patients with gout was analyzed. These patients had never been treated with serum uric acid-lowering agents. SF samples were analyzed for the presence of crystals and for cell counts, using undiluted SF directly in a Niebauer cell counting chamber. Thirty-seven of the aspirated knees had previously been inflamed, and monosodium urate (MSU) crystals were seen in SF aspirates from 36 of them (97%). Of the 37 knees that had never been inflamed, only 8 contained MSU crystals (P less than 0.00001). After reaching the joint, MSU crystals will persist in the SF as long as the serum uric acid level has not been lowered by appropriate treatment. In this situation, analysis of SF is an excellent diagnostic test for the intercritical gout. The mean cell count in the 44 SF samples that contained MSU crystals was 449/mm3 (95% confidence interval 310-589); the mean cell count in the 30 SF without MSU crystals was 64/mm3 (95% confidence interval 34-95) (P less than 0.00002). The SF samples that contained MSU crystals also had a higher percentage of polymorphonuclear leukocytes than those without MSU crystals (P less than 0.002). These data suggest that there is a low-grade inflammation present in the knees of patients with MSU crystals, the consequences of which should be investigated.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Higher incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome in oophorectomized women.

To determine whether the hormonal changes of the menopause are related to the onset of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), 53 healthy women, younger than 44 years, and subjected to bilateral oophorectomy between 1 and 4 years before the study, were evaluated. Seventy healthy menstruating women matched for age were used as controls. In those complaining of symptoms and presenting signs suggestive of CTS, sensory and motor nerve conduction studies were done. In the oophorectomized group, 17 of 53 (32%) had clinical CTS, while only seven of 70 of the control group (10%) did so (relative risk for the oophorectomized group = 4.25; 95% confidence intervals 1.47 and 12.61). The nerve conduction studies were abnormal in 14 of 16 oophorectomized women (87.5%), and in only one of seven of the control group (14.2%; P less than 0.002). Symptoms tended to be milder in the controls. Symptoms developed in the first year after oophorectomy in 14 of the 17 women with CTS. This suggests that women develop CTS after oophorectomy more frequently than controls.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Study designs and statistical methods in rheumatological journals: an international comparison.

In order to determine the characteristics of papers published in the rheumatological literature, we have conducted a survey of the seven leading rheumatological journals published in 1987; 1107 original papers have been reviewed and classified according to study design, statistical techniques, and country of origin. Almost half of the published papers were clinical descriptive studies without inferential power; both authors and editors should reflect whether the impact of these studies on the knowledge of readers justifies their frequency. Analytical research was represented mainly by randomized clinical trials (15.6%), and case control studies (14.2%). Cohort studies represented 5.4% and this seems a low figure in a specialty in need of more aetiological research. Almost half of the papers originated from the USA or the UK; journals edited in these countries published papers mainly from the same country. English language journals from other countries published a larger percentage of papers from other countries, including many non-English speaking nations. Bibliometric studies are desirable to evaluate trends in publication.

Epidemiologic Methods↗
PubMed1990

Rapid purification of cytochrome c oxidase from Paracoccus denitrificans.

Two methods are described for the purification of cytochrome c oxidase from Triton X-100 extracts of the periplasma membrane of Paracoccus denitrificans. The first is a large-scale procedure for the preparation of 100-250 nmol of cytochrome c oxidase (10-20 mg) in 1 week. The second is a rapid procedure for isolating up to 25 nmol in 2-3 days. Owing to the high yields given by fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) on Mono Q columns, the overall yield is about 20%, whereas the yield in many other previously published procedures does not exceed 10%. The use of FPLC on Mono Q also offers a considerable saving of time.

Cell Membrane↗
PubMed1990

[Vasculitis associated with proliferation of large granular lymphocytes].

We report a patient with the syndrome of large granular lymphocytes in whom the initial clinical features were polyarthritis, hepatosplenomegaly and neutropenia. Relative lymphocytosis was also demonstrated at the expense of a subpopulation with morphology and surface markers characteristic of large granular lymphocytes (CD2+, CD8+, CD16+ and HNK-1+). After 6 months of asymptomatic course, without changes in clinical or laboratory data, the patient died from an acute abdomen with mesenteric ischemia of different likely causes as suggested by necropsy data (multivisceral diffuse infiltrate by large granular lymphocytes, systemic vasculitis and Clostridium sepsis). The association between this syndrome and systemic vasculitis is discussed.

Cell Movement↗
PubMed1990

[Rheumatology research. An analysis of the situation in Spain].

To analyze the present status of rheumatological research in Spain, three indicators have been evaluated: use of the different study designs, use of statistical techniques and relevance of the studies. This last point was determined by the comparison of the research areas that had been reported during one year and the lines of rheumatological research established as priorities by 10 investigators from the 10 units of clinical care with a higher scientific output during the period 1985-1987. A revision has been made of the 67 articles from Spain out of the 1106 reported in seven of the journals with a better national and international impact index: Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology, Arthritis and Rheumatism, Journal of Rheumatology, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, British Journal of Rheumatology, Clinical Experimental Rheumatology and Revue du Rhumatisme, in addition to Revista Española de Reumatología. It was found that few studies with analytical design are being published and that complex statistical analysis techniques are not being used; therefore, most articles do not have a possible statistical inference and lack value as predictors. The reports of cases and clinical series in the Letters to the Editor section are most common, particularly in the Spanish journal. Most studies are related with clinical research, although the consulted investigators consider that basic and epidemiological research have a higher priority. It is concluded that the Spanish contribution to the international rheumatological literature is still small and has a mainly descriptive character; thus, it is necessary to emphasize the use of analytical designs to improve the competitiveness. The type of studies to be carried out in the future, according to the priorities established by the investigators themselves, should change if their wishes are to be fulfilled.

Humans↗
PubMed1989

The ordinary light microscope: an appropriate tool for provisional detection and identification of crystals in synovial fluid.

To determine if the ordinary light microscope is a useful tool in the detection and identification of crystals in synovial fluid 63 fluids (13 with monosodium urate (MSU), 14 with calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate (CPPD), one with both types of crystal, and 35 without crystals) were examined blindly by two observers, first with an ordinary light microscope, then with a polarising light microscope. Tentative identification of the crystals by their shape was attempted. The sensitivity of the ordinary light microscope for the detection of crystals was 96.2% and 100%, with specificity of 100% and 97.1% for observers 1 and 2, both with respect to the polarising light microscope. The concordance between observers for the ordinary light microscope was chi = 0.90 (0.897, 0.902) and for the polarising light microscope chi = 0.96 (0.958, 0.961). The specificity for identification of MSU and CPPD crystals by their shape with respect to the polarising light microscope was 92.3% and 85.7% for observers 1 and 2. When a polarising light microscope is not available examination of synovial fluid by an ordinary light microscope may allow a provisional diagnosis; definitive identification of the crystals requires a polarising light microscope.

Crystallization↗