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Biomedical subjects

E Pujol

Publications and source records attributed to E Pujol.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

[HTLV-II infection in Spain. Analysis of 113 cases identified until November, 1994. Spanish Group for the Study of HTLV/I/II].

BACKGROUND: HTLV-II is a human retrovirus considered to be responsible for the genesis of some lymphoproliferative and neurologic syndromes. The virus is endemic in some Amerindian and African tribes as well amongst injecting drug addicts (IDA) in North America and Europe. METHODS: The clinical, epidemiologic and virologic characteristics of the patients with HTLV-II infection identified in Spain up to November 1994 are described. RESULTS: One hundred thirteen subjects have been identified with HTLV-II infection in Spain with 4 being African immigrants residing in Madrid and the remaining being IDA from other European countries. Most were males (94/113; 83%). All were IDA except six (5 had acquired the infection by sexual contact and one by blood transfusion). Most of the IDA infected with HTLV-II were coinfected with HIV-1 (93/113; 83%). No patient showed clinical manifestations attributable to HTLV-II infection although one drug addict male coinfected with HIV-1 and HTLV-II developed a non-inflammatory proximal myopathy. CONCLUSIONS: Infection by HTLV-II is present in Spain and affects with preference to injecting drug addicts. It has been shown to be of growing incidence with a current global prevalence of 2% in IDA.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Prevalence of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) and HTLV-2 infection among Spanish drug users measured by HTLV-1 assay and HTLV-1 and -2 assay. HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 Spanish Study Group.

The prevalence of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) and HTLV-2 infection in 1992 and 1993 was determined by testing 2,152 specimens from injection drug users living in 11 geographic areas in Spain. Results obtained by an authentic HTLV-1 and -2 test were compared with those obtained by an HTLV-1 assay. HTLV infection was identified in 7 of 11 regions, with an overall prevalence of 2.5% (range, 0.4 to 11.5%). Fourty-four (81%) of 54 subjects were infected with HTLV-2; the viral strains in the remaining 10 subjects could not be serologically typed. Underestimation of HTLV infection because of the low sensitivities of HTLV-1 enzyme immunoassays for HTLV-2 antibody was relatively low (< 20%). Therefore, previous epidemiologic findings generated with HTLV-1 enzyme immunoassays appear to be reasonably accurate. Our results suggest that the rate of HTLV infection may have been increasing recently among Spanish drug users.

Cross Reactions↗
PubMed1995

[Hepatitis E].

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

[Severe gastrointestinal complication of Behcet's disease].

We describe a case of Behçet's syndrome with ileoceal affection of the gastrointestinal track, torpid course evolving to an intermittent febrile syndrome and associated to clinical signs of acute abdomen and latter septic complication due to a fecaloid fistula after surgery. We discuss the similarities with the inflammatory intestinal disease and the problem of the diagnosis and treatment of this particular implication of Behçet's syndrome.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Validation of the Minnesota Leisure Time Physical Activity Questionnaire in Spanish men. The MARATHOM Investigators.

Questionnaires are frequently used for measuring physical activity. The aim of this study was to validate the Spanish version of the Minnesota Leisure Time Physical Activity Questionnaire (MLTPAQ) in Spanish men. Healthy men (n = 187) aged 20-60 years were recruited. The MLTPAQ was administered to assess the quantity (total activity metabolic index) and quality (heavy, moderate, and light) of physical activity performed in the last year, quarter, month, and week. Fitness was assessed with an exercise test. Spearman's correlation coefficients between the total activity metabolic index and exercise test duration, time to maximal theoretical heart rate, and caloric intake were 0.57, 0.46, and 0.40, respectively. The intraclass correlation coefficients between the total activity metabolic indexes in the last year and in the last quarter, month, and week were 0.62, 0.46, and 0.35, respectively. In multiple linear regression, the heavy, moderate, and light activity metabolic index, age, body mass index, and basal heart rate explained 40% of the variability of time to the maximum theoretical heart rate. The Spanish version of the MLTPAQ is a valid instrument to measure the quantity and quality of physical activity performed in the last year (also in periods shorter than 1 year) by Spanish men aged 20-60 years. Only heavy physical activity is related to cardiorespiratory fitness.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

[Minimal intervention in smoking in the outpatient pneumonology consultation].

Brief intervention (BI) in smoking has been shown to be an effective way of stopping smoking in the general population. BI involves medical advice given to each smoking patient, with complementary information on the effects of smoking on the body and methods of giving up the habit. Patients who come to the clinic with respiratory disease may be especially receptive to BI since the strong link between their symptoms and smoking may increase their motivation for cessation. A BI protocol on smoking was applied in 285 smokers seen in an outpatient pneumological clinic. Two hundred eight smokers (group A) received medical advice and health care education with the offer of follow up. Seventy-seven smokers (group B) received the same BI protocol, with the offer of support treatment with nicotine gum (2 mg) and an explanation as to its use. One year after BI the patients were contacted by telephone to determine the number of non-smokers, with the result adjusted according to the truth index (71.4%) known for telephone response in this context. A total of 71 (24.9%) smokers were not located by telephone due to change of address, wrong number, exitus or lack of telephone. The estimated number of non-smokers in group A was 31.5/160 (19.7%) and 8.6/54 (15.9%) (non significant difference, chi square test). Group B's use of nicotine gum was therapeutically significant in 11.0% of the cases. We conclude that the efficacy of BI in the outpatient pneumological clinic is high.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Haemophilus aphrophilus as a rare cause of arthritis.

A case of septic arthritis due to Haemophilus aphrophilus is presented. This organism has rarely been reported as a cause of bone or joint infections. We believe this is the third reported case of septic arthritis caused by this microorganism. We review the clinical and bacteriologic findings and the previously reported cases of infection caused by H. aphrophilus. Treatment with ceftriaxone was followed by full recovery without sequelae.

Arthritis, Infectious↗
PubMed1994

Pleural effusion in multiple myeloma.

We report the first case of IgA-kappa multiple myeloma presenting as a myelomatous and eosinophilic pleural effusion with increased adenosine deaminase activity. In a review of the literature, 80 percent of myelomatous pleural effusions are due to IgA multiple myeloma.

Bone Neoplasms↗
PubMed1994

[S. pneumoniae sternoclavicular arthritis in a patient with HIV infection].

HIV infection is a predisposing factor for pneumococcic infection. While pneumonia is the most frequent location, other locations (articular, meningeal, endocardiac, etc) have been less frequently described. Among the articular infections described in patients with HIV infection, the sternoclavicular affection is extremely rare and it usually develops in association with parenterally drug addiction, being Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa the most frequently germs involved. We describe the first case of sternoclavicular arthritis by Streptococcus pneumoniae in a patient with HIV infection. In our case, the chronic hepatopathy associated to alcohol consumption is a predisposing factor related to the pneumococcic infection. Our case suggests the need to formally investigate the HIV infection in young patients with invasive pneumococcic infection.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

[Hodgkin's disease and HIV: relations between CD4/CD8 rate, histology and stage].

Hodgkin's disease (HD) is not currently accepted as an AIDS diagnostic criterion by the Centers for Disease Control (Atlanta), although there are reports on a higher incidence of the disease in HIV infected patients, with the special feature of a marked clinical and histological aggressiveness. A review of the literature was made and a total of 54 cases of HD compiled of patients with HIV infection. The relationships between the absolute counts of CD4 and the CD4/CD8 ratio with histopathology and with the stage at diagnosis was investigated. No significant differences were found between the absolute counts of CD4 and CD4/CD8 ratio with the clinical stage of disease, histopathologic subgroup or presence of B symptoms in HD. Nevertheless, lower CD4 counts were observed in more advanced clinical stages and in patients with B symptoms; the highest CD4/CD8 ratios were observed in patients with more advanced disease. It is hypothesized that immunological disturbances caused by HIV would lead to more aggressive histological lesions and more advanced stages of HD in HIV-positive patients. Thus, the inclusion of HD as a diagnostic criterion of AIDS would be warranted.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1994

[Wilm's tumor in adults. Review of the literature on prognostic factors and treatment].

The incidence of adult Wilms' tumor is difficult to determine but the lesion is rare. The prognosis is poorer than in children, but in adults is often diagnosed at a higher clinical stage and with an unfavorable histologic type. There may be other reasons for the poor prognosis as well. A 33-year-old woman with metastatic disease (bilateral kidney tumors, pulmonary and multiples lymph nodes metastases) is described. Treatment with chemotherapy consisted of doxorubicin, ifosfamide and etoposide which resulted in complete remission that persisted for only three months. The factors that probably contributed to rapid progression included un favorable histology (predominant nodular blastematous elements which were anaplastic) and advanced disease. The precise histologic diagnosis was late precluding to plan the correct treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

HTLV-I/II infections in Spain. The HTLV-I/II Spanish Study Group.

Antibodies to HTLV-I/II were investigated in sera from 7521 individuals living in Spain. They were classified in four major groups: a) subjects at high risk of retroviral infections e.g. parenteral drug addicts, homosexuals, prostitutes, and multiple-transfused individuals; b) patients suffering illness associated with HTLV-I in endemic regions; c) immigrants from endemic areas; and d) blood donors. Sera were collected from 1984 to December 1991. Repeatedly reactive ELISA was found in 211 samples (2.8%), but Western blot only confirmed the presence of HTLV-I/II antibodies in 23 samples (0.30%), corresponding to eight (0.25%) out of 3207 drug abusers, six (0.72%) out of 894 immigrants (five Africans and one South American), three (0.41%) out of 727 patients with HTLV-related diseases (one woman with HTLV-I associated myelopathy had received blood transfusions in an endemic area), four (0.54%) out of 793 prostitutes, one multiple-transfused native woman, and one (0.16%) out of 603 native seamen. The Western blot antibody pattern confirmed HTLV-II infection instead of HTLV-I in nine (39%) subjects. The remaining 14 (61%) HTLV-reactive samples were interpreted as HTLV-I seropositive, most of which were from immigrants. None of 857 blood donors analysed was reactive for HTLV antibody. These results suggest that both HTLV-I and HTLV-II are present in Spain, although at a low rate and mostly restricted to individuals coming from endemic areas, drug addicts, and prostitutes. Furthermore, diseases related to HTLV-I (particularly lymphoproliferative disorders, and subacute myelopathies) seem to be rarely associated with these viruses in Spain, a non-endemic area.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

In vitro chemical and cellular tests applied to uranium trioxide with different hydration states.

A simple and rapid in vitro chemical solubility test applicable to industrial uranium trioxide (UO3) was developed together with two in vitro cellular tests using rat alveolar macrophages maintained either in gas phase or in alginate beads at 37 degrees C. Industrial UO3 was characterized by particle size, X-ray, and IR spectra, and chemical transformation (e.g., aging and hydration of the dust) was also studied. Solvents used for the in vitro chemical solubility study included carbonates, citrates, phosphates, water, Eagle's basal medium, and Gamble's solution (simulated lung fluid), alone, with oxygen, or with superoxide ions. Results, expressed in terms of the half-time of dissolution, according to International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) classification (D,W,Y), varied for different hydration states of UO3, showing a lower solubility of hydrated UO3 in solvents compared to basic UO3 or UO3 heated at 450 degrees C. Two in vitro cellular tests on cultured rat alveolar macrophages (cells maintained in gas phase and cells immobilized in alginate beads) were used on the same UO3 samples and generally showed a lower solution transfer rate in the presence of macrophages than in the culture medium alone. The results of in vitro chemical and cellular tests were compared, with four main conclusions: a good reproducibility of the three tests in Eagle's basal medium the effect of hydration state on solubility, the classification of UO3 in terms of ICRP solubility criteria, and the ability of macrophages to decrease uranium solubility in medium.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

[Clinical experience with zidovudine in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Analysis of 117 cases. Grupo Andaluz para el Estudio de las Enfermedades Infecciosas].

In order to assess the efficacy and the toxicity of zidovudine in AIDS patients, we have studied, prospectively, 117 patients that were treated with this drug, in several andalusian hospitals between January 1988 and June 1990. Initial dose of the drug was 200 mg every 4 hours. Mean survival was 100% at 6 months and 66.5% at 23 months. Survival at 19 months was higher in ADVP (77%) than in non-ADVP (48%). A positive influence on weight. Karnofsky index and number of opportunistic infections during the six first months of treatment was recorded, benefit that was lost progressively from that moment onwards. Main adverse effects were hematological, 10.1% of the patients requiring transfusions due to hemoglobin lower than 6.5 gr%. The more frequent cause to stop therapy was severe neutropenia (less than 500 neutrophils per mm). We consider that the beneficial effect of zidovudine is only transient, diminishing gradually when the treatment is prolonged. At present doses adverse effects are moderate not being present in most of the patients.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1992

Autologous hemopoietic reconstitution after fetal liver infusion in patients with bone marrow failure: consequence or coincidence?

In the past 4 years we have treated four patients with a total of 19 fetal liver infusions (FLI). Two cases of refractory anemia with excess blasts in transformation (RAEB-t) were conditioned with cyclophosphamide and total body irradiation (1400 cGy) and were treated with FLI. In spite of such intensive conditioning, one patient recovered autologous hemopoiesis 3 weeks later, remaining in remission 4 years after this procedure. The second patient died with aplastic marrow on day 154, and the third suffered from severe aplastic anemia refractory to several types of conventional treatment. After FLI and without previous conditioning therapy a partial fetal engraftment was documented. This was transient and followed by autologous hemopoietic recovery and cure of the disease. The fourth patient had bone marrow failure in the setting of a severe pneumonia following autologous bone marrow transplantation. Ten days after FLI the hematological parameters dramatically improved and the pneumonia resolved. Autologous reconstitution of hemopoiesis was demonstrated. These experiences suggest that FLI might stimulate autologous hemopoiesis. This therapeutic approach may be useful to treat bone marrow failure when there is no response to first-line therapy. In hematologic malignancies with an indication for stem cell transplantation, other sources such as allogeneic or autologous bone marrow seem preferable to fetal liver cells.

Adolescent↗