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Biomedical subjects

F Flores

Publications and source records attributed to F Flores.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Comparison of a silicone gel-filled cushion and silicon gel sheeting for the treatment of hypertrophic or keloid scars.

BACKGROUND: The exact mechanisms of action responsible for the effectiveness of silicone gel dressings are unknown, although it has been proposed that static electricity generated by friction could be the reason for their anti-scarring effects. OBJECTIVE: We compared the efficacy of a cushion of silicone filled with liquid silicone gel reported to induce greater negative static-electric charge with silicone gel sheeting in the treatment of hypertrophic and keloid scars. METHODS: The size, volume, symptoms (tenderness and itching), and signs (color and induration) of hypertrophic (10 patients) or keloid scars (22 patients) were measured at baseline at 16 weeks following use of either the silicone gel cushion or silicone gel sheeting, as determined by random assignment. RESULTS: Both the silicone gel cushion and the silicone gel sheeting treatments were effective in decreasing scar volume, 53.0% and 36.3%, respectively. The percentages of keloids and hypertrophic scars benefiting from the silicone cushion and the silicone sheeting were similar with respect to reduction in tenderness (36.3% vs 33.3%), itching (45.5% vs 33.3%), and redness (0.1% vs 0.1%), and in the degree of softening (45.5 vs 25.0%). CONCLUSIONS: Both the silicone gel cushion and the silicone gel sheeting treatments were effective in the treatment of keloids and hypertrophic scars, although no statistically significant differences were found between the two treatment modalities.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Efficacy of pentoxifylline in the treatment of pruritic papular eruption of HIV-infected persons.

BACKGROUND: Pruritic papular eruption (PPE) of HIV/AIDS is a common manifestation of HIV infection. Unfortunately, treatments for the unremitting pruritus have yielded only partial relief. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to assess the clinical efficacy of pentoxifylline in the treatment of pruritus in HIV-infected patients with PPE while measuring its effects on HIV viral load and levels of serum triglycerides, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, and interleukin (IL)-4. METHODS: Eleven of the 12 patients with PPE and HIV infection placed on a regimen of oral pentoxifylline completed the 8-week study. The degree of pruritus both before and after therapy was measured by means of a patient-reported visual analog scale (0 = none and 10 = worst experienced). A global assessment of the number and size of PPE lesions was performed by the investigator, and serum TNF-alpha, IL-4, and triglyceride levels, as well as HIV viral load, were measured. RESULTS: The average degree of pruritus was significantly reduced (p = 0.0009) from 6.5 at baseline examination to 3.6 at the end of the study. Ten of 11 patients experienced a reduction in their pruritus, ranging from 22.6% to 87.3%. The global assessment of PPE lesions decreased from baseline in most patients and increased slightly in one patient. Serum TNF-alpha was detectable in one patient at baseline, but was undetectable at the end of the study period. Similarly, the two patients who had detectable serum IL-4 at baseline had undetectable serum IL-4 levels at the end of the study. Triglyceride levels in six patients decreased an average of 23.9% by week 8. Although when compared with baseline values, HIV viral loads in seven patients decreased, one patient had no change, and three patients had an increase in their viral load at the end of the study, the magnitude of the changes were of little clinical importance. CONCLUSION: Pentoxifylline is a safe and efficacious treatment of pruritus in HIV-infected patients with PPE. Future controlled studies are needed to confirm the effectiveness of this treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

The treatment of hypertrophic scars and keloids.

Keloid and hypertrophic scarring develop as a result of a proliferation of dermal tissue following skin injury. It is generally thought that tension plays a major pathophysiologic role. These proliferative scars are characterized by increased collagen and glycosaminoglycan content, as well as increase collagen turnover. The therapeutic management of hypertrophic scars and keloids includes occlusive dressings, compression therapy, intralesional corticosteroid injections, cryosurgery, excision, radiation therapy, laser therapy, interferon therapy and other promising, lesser known therapies directed at collagen synthesis. Although the most commonly used occlusive dressings include silicone based materials, the anti-keloidal effect is the result of the occlusion and hydration effected rather than the silicone itself. Pressure devices, through local tissue hypoxia, have proven effective in reducing scar height. Intralesional steroids decrease the connective tissue components and scar volume. Post-operative steroid injections reduce keloid recurrence to less than 50%. Cryosurgery is most effective when combined with intralesional corticosteroids. Excision only of hypertrophic scars and keloids results in 45-100% recurrence. Radiation therapy, using various protocols, has been a safe and efficacious modality in reducing recurrence. The CO2, Nd:YAG, and Argon lasers have been used as destructive modalities for the treatment of proliferative scarring. The pulsed-dye laser offers symptomatic improvement and reduces the erythema associated with these scars. Intralesional interferon -gamma and -alpha 2b have been used successfully to decrease scar height and reduce the number of post-operative recurrences.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed1997

Recurrence rates of excised keloids treated with postoperative triamcinolone acetonide injections or interferon alfa-2b injections.

BACKGROUND: Keloids that are surgically removed commonly recur within the excision sites. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine whether postsurgical adjunctive therapy reduces such recurrences. METHODS: We determined the rate of recurrence after excision alone (n = 43) and postoperative injection with triamcinolone acetonide (TAC; n = 65) or interferon alfa-2b (IFN-alpha 2b; n = 16). RESULTS: Of lesions excised without postoperative injections, 51.1% (22 of 43) recurred; 58.4% of TAC-treated lesions (38 of 65) recurred and 18.7% of IFN-alpha 2b-treated lesions (3 of 16) recurred (p = 0.025). CONCLUSION: Postoperative TAC injections do not reduce the number of keloid recurrences. However, injection of keloid excision sites with IFN-alpha 2b offers a therapeutic advantage over keloid excision.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Warfarin 2.0--a computer program for warfarin management. Design and clinical use.

Warfarin 2.0 is a computer program that helps physicians optimize treatment of outpatients with warfarin. The main reason for its development was to achieve a good anticoagulation level, avoiding both undertreatment--which causes thromboembolic complications--and overtreatment--which causes hemorrhagic complications. The program was also designed to help educate the anticoagulated patient, standardize warfarin management and audit results of what had been done. The philosophy of continuous quality improvement was applied. Warfarin 2.0 is in clinical operation in the University Hospital, Montevideo, Uruguay, and it has also been used since the end of 1993 in the Favaloro Foundation, Dept. of Hematology, Buenos Aires, Argentina. The results from the first 15 months of use in Montevideo showed an increase in the number of patients being followed (from 91 to 132) and the average number of visits per patient (from one visit every 10.6 weeks to one every 6.5 weeks): The frequency of visits has been in the internationally accepted ranges since the program was implemented. Better anticoagulation levels were achieved after an adjusting period. Unfortunately, the number of undertreated patients is still large, and a thorough analysis of the data is going to be undertaken to continue improving warfarin management.

Drug Therapy, Computer-Assisted↗
PubMed1993

S1 nuclease-sensitive sites in the bithoraxoid region of the Drosophila Ultrabithorax gene.

The Ultrabithorax gene is required to specify the third thoracic and first abdominal segments of Drosophila melanogaster. Mutations in the bithoraxoid region, a 40 kb DNA stretch upstream of the Ultrabithorax promoter, affect cis-regulatory elements of the Ultrabithorax gene. We now have identified specific sites in the bithoraxoid region that exhibit S1 nuclease sensitivity in vitro. These sites are not scattered along the DNA but are grouped instead in specific domains. Some of these S1-sensitive sites correlate with known breakpoint or insertional mutations. Others correspond to putative binding sites for transcription factors. The results suggest that unusual secondary structure might be important in chromosomal translocation within regulatory sequences of the Ultrabithorax product or its transcriptional regulation.

Animals↗