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Biomedical subjects

E Ruiz

Publications and source records attributed to E Ruiz.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Effect of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) in the median eminence on gonadotropins in ovariectomized rats with or without steroid priming: dose-response study.

We determined the dose-response relationship and examined the time related effect of CRF (corticotropin releasing factor) injected directly into the median eminence (ME) on LH and FSH secretion in conscious female rats of different steroid status. Doses of 0.25, 0.75, 1, and 1.5 nM CRF dissolved in 1 microliter of water were injected into the ME in 5 experimental groups of rats: Short-term (2 days) ovariectomized (sOVX); long-term (3-4 weeks) ovariectomized (lOVX); lOVX primed by estradiol benzoate (EB) 4 h before the experiment (lOVX+E); lOVX primed by EB 36 h before the experiment (lOVXE) and lOVX primed by EB 72 h and progesterone 6 h before experiment (lOVXP). Blood was collected at 30, 60, 90, and 120 min postinjection to determine LH and FSH by RIA. CRF at the doses of 0.75, 1, and 1.5 nM significantly decreased serum LH levels in all groups. The dose of 0.25 nM CRF was ineffective. The highest dose (1.5 nM) of CRF had no effect on serum FSH levels. The results suggest that CRF inhibits LH secretion, at least in part, by a central action of GnRH release in the ME, and that this effect is independent of the estrogen/progesterone status of the animal.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Eosinophilic spongiosis: a clinical, histologic, and immunopathologic study.

BACKGROUND: Epidermal spongiosis with exocytosis of eosinophils (ES) has been reported in biopsy specimens from patients with various dermatoses. Its diagnostic value and the patient's outcome remain poorly understood in those cases in which ES is not associated directly with diagnostic features of a bullous dermatosis. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the clinical, histopathologic, and immunopathologic findings and their clinical correlation in patients who had ES in a biopsy specimen but who had no evidence of a bullous dermatosis. METHODS: A retrospective study of 150 cases with ES was performed. Clinical, histopathologic, direct immunofluorescence, and subsequent follow-up data were collected to assess final diagnosis and outcome. RESULTS: A total of 144 patients had generalized eruptions; of these, 34 (24%) had autoimmune bullous disease. Fourteen (41%) of those patients had neither a bullous nor a vesicular eruption. Other diagnoses included eczematous dermatitis, arthropod bites, scabies, and drug eruption. CONCLUSION: The majority of patients whose biopsy specimen revealed only ES had either dermatitis or autoimmune bullous disease, often in the prodromal phase. Direct immunofluorescence is often necessary to distinguish these diseases, and repeated testing may be needed for final diagnosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Emergency department two-dimensional echocardiography in the diagnosis of nontraumatic cardiac rupture.

Myocardial rupture is a catastrophic complication of acute myocardial infarction that usually results in sudden death. If diagnosed quickly, patients with myocardial rupture may be salvaged. This report describes the application of emergency department two-dimensional echocardiography in the diagnosis of six cases of myocardial rupture over two years. Each demonstrated a characteristic hemopericardium on limited single-window examination. These included four patients who met institutional guidelines for thrombolytic therapy. Three patients survived surgical repair, with two long-term survivors.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Heart weight affects spontaneous defibrillation but not ventricular fibrillation threshold.

Among the factors involved in the induction, generalization, and reversion of cardiac fibrillation, the amount of tissue is a determinant factor. One question is whether an increase in myocardial mass would or would not require the same electrical threshold. Accordingly, one objective was to determine if ventricular weight (VW) has any effect on the fibrillation thresholds (FTs). A second objective was to find a possible relationship between spontaneous defibrillation (SPDE) and heart weight. Fifty mongrel dogs of both sexes were used, of which 26 were 2- to 10-week-old puppies. The rest were adult animals of undetermined age. Fibrillation was induced with two types of stimuli directly applied to the heart. The stimuli were a train of rectangular pulses (TP) not synchronized with the ECG, and single pulses (SP) synchronized with and delayed from the R wave. TP type was used in one group with paddle electrodes; and the TP and SP types were used in a second group with hook electrodes. For both types, stimulation started at a low current and was increased until fibrillation was triggered. Once defibrillated, either spontaneously or by electrical shock, the procedure was repeated. Correlation coefficients between FT and VW were low (< 0.4), and scaling of the thresholds to VW resulted in hyperbolic relationship, for all cases, thus suggesting independence of the two parameters. SPDE fell sharply with weight. For values higher than 12 grams it was essentially nonexistent. VW does not have any effect on the FT but it dramatically influences the capacity of the myocardium to revert the arrhythmia by itself.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

[Smoking habit questionnaire for outpatients].

UNLABELLED: During September 1992, outpatients of a general hospital received questionnaire on medical smoking cessation advice and smoking habit assessment by a physician. The staff of the Internal Medicine Service were asked about the frequency of outpatient smoking habit assessment. Of 185 patients interviewed, 37% were smokers, 38.5% were ex-smokers and 24.5% had never smoked; 46% of smokers reported that they had been told to quit smoking by a physician. Those who smoked more cigarettes per day were more likely to have been advised to stop. Of ex-smokers, 16% said that they had received medical aid for quitting. The frequency of smoking habit assessment was; in every physician-patient contact 20%, sometimes 36%, hardly ever 12% and 32% said that they were never questioned about smoking habits (Table 2). Those who reported to have been counseled to quit, were more likely to report smoking habit assessment (Table 3). Of physicians, 81% reported assessing routinely all ambulatory patients' smoking habit. Smoking prevalence among physicians was 43.3%, and 23.3% of them smoked in the office. These findings on the frequency of physicians' smoking advice are similar to those of Anda et al and Frank et al (Table 4). CONCLUSIONS: 1) physician's smoking cessation advice and smoking habits assessment reported by patients were low, 2) physicians report higher frequency of smoking habit assessment than patients, 3) physicians' smoking prevalence was higher than patients' prevalence. As a first approach to increase medical interventions against smoking, quitting programs directed to health personnel must be implemented.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

[The control of arterial hypertension in primary care: the evaluation of a program of self-care].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of a self-care hypertension programme within primary care. DESIGN: Two models of intervention by means of self-care were compared, both using individual education and family support, with one of them using group education. SETTING AND PATIENTS: All those attending 10 health centres in Andalucía and who had a recent diagnosis of light or moderate Hypertension or with their hypertension not monitored over the preceding 6 months, were included. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: These 160 people were assigned at random to the intervention group (group education) or the control group (individual education). Data analysis provided the results for the 95 people who completed the study. Both systolic and diastolic arterial pressure (SAP and DAP) diminished significantly during the study period, both in the sample as a whole and in the intervention group. However, the lessening of systolic pressure only reached statistically significant differences in the control group. Over the study period, the lessening of SAP was 6.2 in the intervention group and 8.0 in the control group; whereas the lessening of DAP was 7.0 in the intervention group and 2.3 in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Arterial hypertension can be controlled in primary care by health education for self-care. On the basis of this study's findings, it is not valid to conclude that group is more efficacious than individual education.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Effect of naloxone in the median eminence on gonadotrophin secretion in intact male rats.

To evaluate whether the median eminence (ME) is a site of action of opioids on gonadotropin secretion, we injected naloxone into the ME in male rats and measured LH and FSH serum levels. Injection into the ME of either 0.5 or 1 microgram of naloxone significantly decreased serum LH levels 10 and 30 min postinjection. A dose of 0.1 microgram had not effect. Naloxone at the doses used had no significant effect on FSH secretion. From these data it can be concluded that endogenous opioids exert a tonic stimulation on LH secretion under our experimental conditions.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

[Lymphomas of the gastrointestinal tract: a neoplastic disease of underdevelopment].

458/3,495 malignant lymphomas seen at the Instituto de Enfermedades Neoplásicas between 1965-1992, had primary extranodal disease in the GI tract. This is one of the largest institutional series reported, which would suggest that this is a relatively frequent malignancy in Peruvian population. Fifty per cent of cases had a primary in the small bowel and 38.9 per cent in the stomach. The age at presentation, the clinical picture and the location at the intestine show similarities with the so called Mediterranean lymphoma. Cases were classified according to the TNM system, and patients in stages I-II were surgically resected; 80 per cent of them were alive and free of disease at 5 years. Gastric lymphomas with inoperable disease were treated with chemotherapy with a 5-year survival of 50 per cent.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Modulation of LH secretion by progesterone and estradiol after naloxone injection in the median eminence.

To evaluate whether the median eminence (ME) is a site of action of opioids on gonadotropin secretion, and to determinate the role of estradiol (E) and progesterone (P) in modifying these secretion in response to naloxone, we injected naloxone (1, 2.5 and 5 micrograms) into the ME in ovariectomized rats treated with estradiol benzoate (OVX+E) or ovariectomized rats treated with estradiol benzoate plus progesterone (OVX+E+P), and measured LH and FSH serum levels 10 and 30 min postinjection. Naloxone injection at doses of 2.5 and 5 micrograms significantly increased serum LH levels in OVX+E animals 10 and 30 min postinjection, whereas naloxone injection at all doses in OVX+E+P rats did not have any significant effect on LH secretion 10 and 30 min postinjection, when compared with values obtained in controls injected with saline. The injection of naloxone into the ME did not modify FSH secretion. We conclude that naloxone, acting within the ME, can elicit LH release in OVX+E rats, while it abolishes this effect in OVX+E+P rats.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Effects of estrogen-progestin replacement therapy on plasma beta-endorphin levels in menopausal women.

Serum beta-endorphin, LH, FSH, estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) were measured in postmenopausal women before and after four different estrogen-progestin replacement therapies. Our result showed that serum E2 increased significantly and serum LH and FSH decreased significantly after all treatments. Serum P levels were similar before and after all treatments. Serum beta-endorphin levels increased significantly after cyclic administration of estrogen-progestin, but not after continuous administration of E2. We conclude that the frequently observed beneficial effects of estrogen-progestin replacement therapy on behavior and mood in postmenopausal women may be related to changes in peripheral opioid levels.

Estrogen Replacement Therapy↗
PubMed1993

Biological monitoring of workers at a recently opened hazardous waste disposal site.

A health assessment was performed in a recently opened landfill for toxic waste. The site has received 14,000 tons of hazardous waste, confined in drums or deposited as bulk material, which were left outdoors for seven months. The analysis in some samples showed that the waste is rich in heavy metals, however we did not find high levels of contaminates in air or surface soil in different areas on-site. When compared to a control group, high-risk workers show higher levels of arsenic in urine and hair, and non-specific symptoms (irritability and insomnia). But among groups, we did not find statistical differences in urinary mercury, blood lead, phenol in urine, cadmium in hair or blood, sister chromatid exchange values, lymphocytes proliferation kinetics, liver function tests, and other non-specific symptoms. We considered this project as a background study for human exposure to hazardous waste, providing useful results for the future evaluation of chronic effects in the same population.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Internal cardiac massage and mediastinal irrigation in hypothermic cardiac arrest.

Two unconscious patients with unknown past medical histories were found to be severely hypothermic, with core temperatures of 80.2 degrees F and 86.7 degrees F, respectively. During the course of active internal rewarming, both patients sustained a cardiac arrest. Emergency thoracotomies were immediately done, and internal cardiac massage with warmed mediastinal irrigation was performed. Spontaneous cardiac activity developed in both patients. Within 24 hours after resuscitation, both patients were responsive and following commands.

Heart Arrest↗
PubMed1992

Emergency department echocardiography improves outcome in penetrating cardiac injury.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of immediate two-dimensional echocardiography on the time to diagnosis, survival rate, and neurologic outcome of patients with penetrating cardiac injury. DESIGN: A ten-year retrospective review. SETTING: Regional trauma center serving a population base of 1.25 million with 85,000 visits yearly. TYPE OF PARTICIPANTS: All patients presenting to the emergency department with penetrating cardiac injury. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The records of 49 patients with penetrating cardiac injury were reviewed. Of these, 28 received immediate two-dimensional echocardiography in the ED (echo group) and 21 did not (nonecho group). The probability of survival was derived using TRISS methodology. Differences between groups were determined using either the two sample t-test for parametric data or the Mann-Whitney test for nonparametric data. The overall probability of survival was 33.2%, and the actual survival rate was 81.6%. The probability of survival was 34.2% and 31.8% for the echo group and nonecho group, respectively. The actual survival was 100% in the echo group and 57.1% in the nonecho group. The average time to diagnosis and disposition for surgical intervention was 15.5 +/- 11.4 minutes for the echo group and 42.4 +/- 21.7 minutes for the nonecho group (P less than .001). The Glasgow Outcome Score was 5.0 for the echo group and 4.2 for the nonecho group (P = .007). CONCLUSION: Since the introduction of immediate ED two-dimensional echocardiography, the time to diagnosis of penetrating cardiac injury has decreased and both the survival rate and neurologic outcome of survivors has improved.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[Antimalarial effect of n-hentriacontanol isolated from Cuatresia sp (Solanaceae)].

The antimalarial activity of the fatty alcohol, n-hentriacontanol, isolated from the bolivian Solanaceae, Cuatresia sp, is investigated in vivo through a classical four-day suppressive test against Plasmodium berghei and P. vinckei in mice. This product markedly reduced the virulence of experimentally induced P. vinckei infection. n-Hentriacontanol belongs to a new class of antimalarial natural compounds to be exploited for therapeutic purposes.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Androgenic status in cyclic and postmenopausal women: a comparison between smokers and nonsmokers.

Serum total testosterone (T), free testosterone (fT) sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), androstenedione (A) and 3 alpha androstanediol glucuronide (3 alpha-diol G) levels as well as serum free androgen index (FAI), fT/T and 3 alpha-diol G/T ratios were measured in premenopausal and cyclic women, grouped according to sexual status and smoking status. Our results showed that serum T, fT, SHBG, A and 3 alpha-diol G levels were lower in cyclic women in the follicular than in the luteal phase of the ovarian cycle, although the differences between these values were not significant. Postmenopausal women had significantly lower values of T, fT, A 3 alpha-diol G, FAI and 3 alpha diolG/T but not SHBG and fT/T than cyclic women. When we compared women smokers and nonsmokers, women smokers had serum levels of T, fT, SHBG, 3 alpha-diol G, and values of FAI, fT/T and 3 alpha-diol G/T, similar to those in nonsmokers. Serum A levels were higher in women smokers than in nonsmokers, although the difference was significant only in postmenopausal women.

Androgens↗
PubMed1992

Survival after emergency department versus operating room thoracotomy for penetrating cardiac injuries.

The authors undertook a 6-year retrospective review to assess their experience with penetrating cardiac injuries. Special emphasis was placed on identifying patients with and without tamponade and those requiring emergency department (ED) thoracotomy. Forty-eight patients were identified. Overall survival was 64.6 per cent. Thirty-three patients had tamponade, with 20 requiring ED thoracotomy. Fifteen patients did not have tamponade and two of these needed ED thoracotomy. Five patients who had ED thoracotomy were long-term survivors (22.7%). The remaining 26 patients, 13 with tamponade and 13 without, received operating room (OR) thoracotomy and all survived. The data shows that excellent results are possible with OR thoracotomy for penetrating cardiac injuries, with or without tamponade. However, results are not as good when ED thoracotomy is necessary. This may relate to the severity of the injury, the duration of tamponade, or the inability to control cardiac bleeding during thoracotomy in the ED setting. Even though survival is low with ED thoracotomy, it is high enough to continue to support its use in the deteriorating patient with a penetrating cardiac wound.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Correlation of emergency health care use, 911 volume, and jail activity with welfare check distribution.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among emergency health care use, 911 call volume, and jail admissions with the timing of the distribution of General Assistance, Aid to Families With Dependent Children, and Minnesota Supplemental Aid welfare checks. DESIGN: This was a retrospective study analyzing previously collected census and welfare check distribution data. SETTING: The data used in this study were obtained from the Hennepin County Medical Center, the Hennepin County jail and alcoholic receiving center, and Department of Economic Assistance. INTERVENTIONS: The daily census for the years 1986 through 1988 in the Hennepin County Medical Center emergency department, ED resuscitation room, pediatric ED, crisis intervention center, urgent care center, and alcoholic receiving center was obtained. The numbers of daily ambulance runs, nonelective hospital admissions, Hennepin County 911 calls, and Hennepin County jail admissions for the same years also were obtained. Means for each day of the month were computed across the 36 months of observation. These data were correlated with the number of days elapsed since the monthly issuance of the General Assistance, Aid to Families With Dependent Children, and Minnesota Supplemental Aid welfare checks. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: There were significant correlations between the number of days after distribution of the checks and the average values of the census of the alcoholic receiving center (r = -.96, P less than .00001), the ED (r = -.80, P less than .0001), ambulance runs (r = -.68, P less than .0001), 911 calls (r = -.45, P = .01), jail admissions (r = -.45, P = .01), nonelective hospital admissions (r = -.44, P = .01), and the crisis intervention center visits (r = -.39, P = .03). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that scheduling and staffing practices of various emergency service areas in Hennepin County reflect patient load variation associated with time of welfare check distribution. Systematic variation of time or amount of welfare could lead to improved distribution and reduction of emergency services demand.

Ambulances↗