Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to G Morales.
We report 2 cases of trichinosis in which the clinical features resembled dermatomyositis. In both cases, however, the diagnosis was established histologically by demonstrating trichina larvae in the patients' muscle biopsies. Indirect immunofluorescence and counterimmunoelectrophoresis techniques were used to confirm the diagnosis serologically.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Twenty therapy-resistant epileptic patients entered a double-blind, randomized, two-period, cross-over trial comparing progabide (19.3-36 mg/kg/day) and placebo as add-on drugs to standard therapy. Each period lasted 6 weeks with a gradual crossover during 4 days. Five patients were dropped because of reasons unrelated to treatment. Among the 15 patients who completed the study, seven had partial, six primary generalized, and two secondary generalized epilepsies. Preexisting antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) ranging from one to three per patient (mean 2.2 AEDs/patient) were maintained unchanged during the trial. Efficacy was assessed biweekly by means of total seizure counts, counts of each seizure type, and global clinical judgment. At the same time intervals, safety was assessed by means of reports of adverse events, clinical and neurological examination, laboratory tests, and measurement of plasma concentrations of progabide and associated AEDs. According to the clinical global judgment, eight patients were considered improved during progabide treatment. Seizures were reduced in 14 of 15 patients during the progabide as compared with the placebo period. During the progabide period, the reduction of the total seizure count was 45 and 58% in two patients and 88-97% in six patients. A significant reduction of the total seizure number was observed in the progabide period as compared with the placebo period, both in the whole patient group (p less than 0.01) and in the two subgroups of patients with generalized (p less than 0.01) and partial (p less than 0.05) epilepsies.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The natural infections of sheep were studied in six biotopes, in order to determine periods, biotopes and type of sheep at risk. Experimental infections were realized in order to assess the fertility of both Teladorsagia. T. trifurcata was more frequent in autumn and spring, among lambs and in biotopes where the climate was not contrasted. T. trifurcata produced more eggs/female then T. circumcincta.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Lymnaea cubensis is the vector in a region of distome infection in Trujillo State at more than 1000 m altitude where almost all bovines are infected. A quarter of the molluscs were infected with a mean number of 20 rediae per infected molluc each redia capable of producing 16 cercariae. Prevalence of infection increases with size of molluse and is highest in those 4 to 5 mm long. However, Lymnaea as small as 3 mm produce cercariae and molluscicide treatments should be begun as soon as forms of this size appear.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Fascioliasis caused by Fasciola hepatica was a serious problem for sheep and alpacas in the Altiplano Region of Bolivia. In some provinces close to Lake Titicaca, the raising of sheep was forced to discontinue, because infection with the fluke made it unprofitable and almost impossible. It was proved that in the Altiplano Region, two species of freshwater snails, Lymnaea viatrix and L. cubensis var., served as intermediate hosts for F. hepatica. In some subtropical areas of Bolivia, these snails could not be found, although other Lymnaea sp. was widely distributed there. As it is possible for Lymnaea sp. to be intermediate host for the fluke, further studies are required on the identification. Acute fascioliasis of sheep occurred in the Altiplano Region principally during a period from May to July, or the dry season. In some areas, the mortality rate of infected sheep was roughly estimated as 15 to 25% annually. Contamination with Fasciola metacercariae of herbage and semi-aquatic plants grown in a swamp in one of these areas was biologically assessed, using guinea pigs. Plants of Compositae and Eleocharis sp. were contaminated most intensely and those of Senicio sp. and Vallisneria sp. carried a fairly large number of cysts, while plants of Scirpus sp. and Ranunclaceae carried only a few cysts. No signs of Fasciola infection were observed in any animal given the plants of Liliaceae.
From the aerial parts of Trichocereus chilensis a new triterpenetriol fatty acid ester was isolated. Its structure was shown to be 3 beta-O-palmityl longispinogenin (olean-12-ene-3 beta,16 beta,28-triol-3-palmitate) [1] by chemical and spectroscopic methods. Compound 1 is inactive in brine shrimp lethality and cytotoxicity bioassays.
Some reports in the literature suggest a correlation between acceptance of traditional Latin American family values and alcoholism in Hispanic males. To examine the effects of traditional values on alcoholism, the authors surveyed 151 lower-class Puerto Rican alcoholics (126 males and 25 females), using a scale to measure Hispanic-American family values. The scores of these patients were compared with those of 116 lower-class Puerto Rican nonalcoholics (45 males and 71 females). A path model was constructed with alcoholism as the dependent variable, the Traditional Scale scores as an intervening variable, and demographic variables which may also influence alcoholism (such as sex, age, years of residence in the United States, education, and English ability) as independent variables. Overall, the findings show that traditionalism is a significant predictor of alcoholism, both directly and as an intervening variable in the relation between sex and alcoholism, and education and alcoholism. However, sex and years of residence in the United States were both stronger direct predictors of alcoholism than was traditionalism. These results support the hypothesis that the manifestations of alcoholism in lower-class Puerto Ricans are influenced by cultural attitudes.
A triatomine survey was conducted in three rural settlements of Nicaragua (Santa Rosa, Quebrada Honda and Poneloya) where Chagas' disease is endemic, to determine rates of house infestation, evaluate the housing condition and to assess the performance of the Maria sensor box in detection of domestic vectors. A total of 184 households were selected and vectors were sought by the methods of timed manual capture and by sensor boxes. The solve vectors species found in this study was Triatoma dimidiata. Of the examined bugs 50, 60 and 33%, in the respective communities, were infected with T. cruzi. The rates of house infestation as determined by manual capture and sensor boxes were respectively, 48.3% and 54.2% in Santa Rosa, 29.8% and 51.2% in Quebrada Honda and in Poneloya 3.8 and 5.9% with significant difference between the methods in Quebrada Honda. When compared with the manual capture, the Maria sensor box detected vectors in 71.4% of positive houses in two of the communities but also was able to detect bugs in 39.3% and 41.1% of houses where manual capture had been negative. Housing condition was evaluated according to three structural parameters, in this way, in the first community 79.2% of houses were classified as bad, 20.8% as regular; in the second one 42.5% were bad and 57.5% regular, whereas in the third 62.5% of the houses were regular. Rates of infestation did not differ greatly between the different housing conditions. Our results show that the sensor box is as efficient as manual capture and could be implemented in our country.
By mean of the silver impregnation of a lot of 47 cercariae belonging to C5 venezuelan Schistosoma mansoni strain, a polymorphism of size was evidenced. The morph was conformed by the greatest cercariae (between 152.9 microns to 218.4 microns). This group was ever present in the population of cercariae in less percentage (29.8%). The length of the normal cercariae was comprised between 119 microns to 152 microns. This group was the dominant in the population: 70.2%. The comparison between the length of both lots of cercariae resulted with significative statistical differences (t = 5.5; P < 0.001). For the total studied cercariae the average of the length was X = 143.9 microns and for the wide X = 68.6 microns. It was found a positive significative correlation between the wide and the length of the cercariae r = 0.83 (P < 0.001).
Under the studied conditions, the structure and composition of community of parasitic nematodes observed in both sheeps and goats, is similar (rS = 0.90 P less than or equal to 0.05 and CSS = 93.33%), the Shannon-Weaver index of diversity was 1.23 +/- 0.15 bits and 1.15 +/- 0.24 bits for sheeps and goats, respectively. The equitability index resulted in 0.49 +/- 0.06 for sheep-nematodes and 0.44 +/- 0.09 for goats-nematodes. However, no significant difference was observed when the means of these indexes, were compared. Not withstanding, a greater homogenity was observed in the ovine parasitic nematodes.
Goats from the Venezuelan northern arid zones were found infested by the following nematodes: Haemonchus contortus, Trichostrongylus axei, T. colubriformis, Cooperia curticei, Oesophagostomum columbianum, Skrjabinema ovis y Trichuris globulosa. The Shannon-Weaver index of diversity values oscillated between 0.045 and 1.73 bits (means = 1.16 +/- 0.24 bits). The maximum value of montly diversity ranged from 1 to 2.80 bits (means = 2.49 +/- 0.28 bits) and the equitability ranged from 0.045 to 0.67 (means = 0.44 +/- 0.09). Parasitic associations were found among 1) T. axei, T. colubriformis and H. contortus, 2) T. colubriformis, H. contortus and O. columbianum and 3) T. colubriformis, S. ovis and T. globulosa. The above results suggest that in months when the diversity index is close to the maximum value and the equitability index is near unity, wide spectrum antihelmintic treatment should be used for poly-parasitized animals.