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Biomedical subjects

G Torres

Publications and source records attributed to G Torres.

161 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

[Presence of measles virus antibodies in a group of patients with malignant hemopathy].

225 monosera from patients (121 adults and 104 children) with different malignant haemopathies from the Institute of Hematology were studied. The hemagglutination inhibition (HI) technique and the neutralization technique were used to know the presence of antimeasles antibodies. All these patients were under immunosuppression treatment at the time of taking the specimen and children had received the triple viral vaccine (measles, rubella, parotiditis) before the disease was diagnosed. It was found that 51 (42.14%) of the adults' specimens were positive by HI and of the 25 negative specimens that underwent the neutralization technique, 18 (72%) proved to be positive. Of the 104 sera corresponding to children, 31 (29.8%) specimens were positive by HI, whereas 29 of the negative were studied by neutralization. 18.34% of all the specimens continued to be negative by both methods. According with the 2 techniques used, the presence of measles virus antibodies was of 81.66% in children and of 90.78% in adults.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Detection of superior vena cava stenosis with superior vena cava-superior left pulmonary artery shunt and pulmonary hypertension. Detection by nuclear medicine study].

We present a 59 year old patient diagnosed of right superior lobe pulmonary carcinoma by CT scan. A ventilation/perfusion pulmonary scintigraphy quantified for study of pulmonary function after surgery was performed. The images show an abnormal pattern of the distribution of macroaggregate albumin (MAA) and extrapulmonary presence of tracer (right/left shunt). A first step dynamic study showed the existence of superior cava stenosis and passage of the tracer from the vena cava to the left pulmonary artery by collateral circulation (innominate vein) that not only explained the existence of the abnormal pattern of the MAA distribution but also what the cause of the right/left shunt was. After the resolution of the stenosis, the distribution pattern became normal and the extrapulmonary presence of MAA disappeared.

Arteriovenous Fistula↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Human milk and very low birth weight nutrition].

INTRODUCTION: Enteral feeding strategies of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants and when to start them have changed significantly in the last few years. Controversy exists on which is the best regimen to feed this high risk group, since human milk has insufficient quantities of some nutrients. Fortification of human milk improves growth rates and maintains immunologic, metabolic and emotional benefits. OBJECTIVE: To examine if early feeding of VLBW infants with higher amounts of human milk and human milk fortifiers could improve post-natal growth and maintain human milk production. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective study with historical control. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A group of 100 VLBW infants that were born between September 1999 and April 2000 were studied and were compared with another randomized group of similar birth weight (n = 31) that was born previously. The studied group was fed early with human milk (enteral trophic nutrition) and fortified with human milk fortifier when 100 mL/Kg/day were reached, with rapid increase of the supplies according to tolerance and hemodynamic state. The control group was not fed early with human milk and was not given human milk fortifier. The collection of human milk in the studied group was highly stimulated. Mothers extracted their milk more frequently in the "Human Milk Lactary" and lived in a "Residence for Mothers" while their neonates were in the hospital. The mothers who could travel to the hospital were allowed to extract their milk in their homes with a supervised and controlled method (serial bacteriology, "Lactary 24 Hours Program"). RESULTS: Early feeding with human milk (enteral trophic nutrition), higher amounts of human milk and fortified with human milk fortifier, improved enteral tolerance and diminished significantly the number of days needed to regain birth weight, the days of fast and the days to reach the total enteral supply. Frequent extractions of human milk increased the available amounts of milk and allowed relactation. At discharge the infants were fed on breast-milk and formulas and their growth curves were adequate at their first year of post conception age. CONCLUSION: On stable conditions, very low birth infants soon after birth, should be fed with a combination of human milk and human milk fortifiers. Our study demonstrated an improved infant post-natal growth while mothers' milk production was maintained. COMMENTS: To feed human milk with human milk fortifiers to this high risk infant group, the neonatal health team must be highly motivated and committed to encourage mothers to express their milk. This also encourages breast feeding during the subsequent months. In Latin America communities, continuance of breast feeding for longer periods of time is a public health priority.

Food, Fortified↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Biventricular functional adaptation during a prolonged race. An analysis of global and regional ventricular function].

To determine the effects of a six-hour competitive race on left and right ventricular performance, 99mTc gated blood pool scans were performed to 6 long distance runners before the race (rest), each hour during the race and one hour after concluding the exercise (recovery). Heart rate increased during the race, peaking at 4th hour of competition (55 +/- 3 to 110 +/- 9 lpm; p = 0.001). Evolution of right ventricular ejection fraction showed a similar behavior with the evolution of left ventricular ejection fraction during the competition (r = 0.39; p = 0.006). Blood volume in the lungs increased at the end of the race (index 1.13 +/- 0.14) normalizing at recovery (index 1.03 +/- 0.03). Left and right ventricular peak filling rate had an inverse correlation with pulmonary blood volume (r = -0.31; p = 0.041 and r = -0.47; p = 0.001 respectively). Both left and right ventricular ejection fraction had an inverse correlation with pulmonary blood volume (r = -0.38; p = 0.006 and r = -0.34; p = 0.01 respectively). The anteroseptal regional ejection fraction showed an inverse correlation with end-systolic and end-diastolic volume (r = -0.32; p = 0.03 and r = -0.4; p less than 0.01 respectively). The posterolateral region showed a parallel evolution with the global ejection fraction for both left and right ventricles (r = 0.57; p less than 0.0001 and r = 0.38; p = 0.009 respectively). In conclusion, a transient biventricular functional adaptation during a prolonged race is related to pulmonary blood volume redistribution and to a higher preload for both ventricles and a greater afterload for the right ventricle. The posterolateral and inferoapical regions show a similar behavior as both left and right ventricular ejection fraction, response that does not occur with the anteroseptal regional ejection fraction.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
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[Etiology of lower respiratory infections in hospitalized infants].

As a contribution to knowledge about the etiology of lower respiratory tract infections (LRI) in infants, 235 patients aged one year or less admitted to a children's hospital at northern metropolitan area of Santiago, Chile along years 1987 throughout 1989 with radiologically confirmed diagnosis were studied. Infants were eligible only if their symptoms lasted for not more than five days and their hospital stay was less than two days. Controls consisted on 74 healthy infants. A search for presumptive etiology was done by means of usual bacteriological procedures (pharyngeal swabs and blood cultures), plus latex test for type b Haemophilus influenzae (Hib) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) in concentrated urine specimens; indirect immunofluorescence (IF) for specific Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) IgM; serological tests, isolation and IF in pharyngeal aspirates for syncytial respiratory virus (SRV), influenza, parainfluenzae and adenoviruses were also used. Evidence of viral infection was detected from 135/235 (57.5%) of cases and 21/74 (28.3%) controls, SRV being the most common. From 18/119 and 2/119 studied patients Hib and SP antigens were respectively detected, but urinary antigens were also present in 6/24 controls, raising questions about this test's specificity. IF titers of 1:32 or higher for CT were found in 5/80 patients, all younger than 5 months. It was possible to perform the whole set of available methods in 80 patients, in 70% of which some evidence of a known etiologic agent was found. Serology alone gave etiological clues in only 30% of these cases and usual microbiological cultures of throat swabs and blood from none of them. No combinations of age, fever, respiratory rate, apnea, bronchial obstructive syndrome, white blood cell counts over 15,000 or of band forms over 500 per cu mm, erythrocyte sedimentation rates, reactive C protein and x-ray findings allowed differential diagnosis between presumptive bacterial or viral etiology, except in one case of an infant presenting with pleural effusion and positive antigenuria for Hib.

Bronchopneumonia↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Hospital acute respiratory infections].

To study the incidence of nosocomial respiratory tract infection along the first week after admission, 31 children under 2 years of age admitted to the pediatric wards of a general hospital at Metropolitan Santiago, Chile, with the diagnosis of lower respiratory tract infection, were studied for viral agents by immunofluorescence tests, viral isolation from pharyngeal aspirates, paired serum viral antibodies and bacterial cultures, all of them performed at admission and 4 to 5 days later from May through August 1988. In 13 out of 31 patients admitted because of acute lower respiratory tract infection at least one new virus (to a total of 18 viral isolates) was detected in the second sample, which could have been nosocomially acquired, as follows: adenovirus from 8 cases, respiratory syncytial virus from 5 patients and cytomegalovirus from 5 patients, in different combinations. No significant changes in bacterial cultures were found.

Acute Disease↗
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[Antibodies against hepatitis C virus in patients with liver diseases and in risk subjects. Preliminary report].

The recent discovery of an antigenic component of the causative agent of Non-A, Non-B hepatitis, has led to the characterization of this virus--Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)--and to the identification of an antibody present in infected subjects (anti-HCV) detected by means of the C-100 antigen derived from a nonstructural region of the viral genome. Using a commercial Kit (Ortho Diagnostic Inc.), the incidence of anti-HCV antibody was studied in the Military Hospital "Dr. Carlos Arvelo" of Caracas, Venezuela with the following results: Health personnel (doctors, nurses, laboratory staff): 102 persons studied, 2 positives (1.96%); 16 patients in chronic hemodialysis: 6 positives (33%); 20 subjects with antibodies against HIV virus, confirmed by Western Blot: 7 positives (35.4%). Of 10 patients with Surface Antigen negative Chronic Hepatitis, 7 (70%) positive for anti-HCV, of 25 patients with cirrhosis: 12 positive (48%), 2 patients with hepatocarcinoma 1 positive (50%). There was also a high incidence of total anti-core antibodies in the patients studied. The results suggest that the hepatitis C virus could be playing an important role as a causative factor of liver diseases in our Country.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Oral cholecystosonography. A method to establish the diagnosis of minute cholesterol calculi].

We have studied five patients with clinical symptoms and/or ultrasonography with sludge-like irregularities, but not conclusive for gallstones. The layering of bile and floating of cholesterol gallstones induced manly by administration of oral cholecystographic contrast, has been well demonstrated since 1933. These 5 patients were given doses of iopanoic acid. The day after we performed other ultrasonography--oral cholecystosonography method. With this second cholecystosonography was demonstrated inside the gallbladder en layer or a line of hyperechogenic little floating spots of cholesterol gallstones.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Ultrasonographic changes in the gallbladder wall in non-gallbladder diseases].

Alterations of the gallbladder wall is a well known sonographic sign of acute cholecystitis. But thickening of the gallbladder wall is also found in patients without intrinsic gallbladder disease. We present our experience on this regard in patients with cirrhosis, acute viral hepatitis, infectious mononucleosis, halothane hepatitis, fulminant hepatic failure, malaria due to plasmodium falciparum, heart failure, severe malnutrition due to gastric obstruction, septicemia, pyogenic hepatic abscess, amoebic hepatic abscess and in a 14 years old patient with fracture of the skull-acute anemia-shock. Most of these diseases affected the liver directly or indirectly. Knowledge of these alterations of the gallbladder wall in these circumstances are important in order to avoid a the erroneous diagnosis of acute cholecystitis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[A change in glomerular permeability in renovascular hypertension. Participation of angiotensin and structural lesions].

To characterize the decrease in glomerular permeability that occurs in contralateral kidney of renovascular hypertension, glomerular hemodynamics were studied in Goldblatt hypertensive and normotensive control rats. The effects of converting enzyme inhibition (captopril) and renal vasodilatation induced with hyperoncotic plasma were evaluated: in addition, glomerular morphometry was performed. In hypertension, glomerular capillary pressure was increased, ultrafiltration coefficient was decreased, single-nephron filtration rate was normal and afferent resistance was elevated. Captopril rose glomerular filtration rate only in normotensive rats, but ultrafiltration coefficient increased in both groups. Hyperoncotic plasma induced a 98% increment in filtration rate and ultrafiltration coefficient rose by 48% in normotensive group. In hypertensive rats, filtration rate increased only 15% and ultrafiltration coefficient diminished 6%, morphometric studies showed dilatation of capillary loops and a larger glomerular volume. Similar response to captopril in both groups of rats suggest that the reduction in ultrafiltration coefficient in hypertension is not dependent of angiotensin; lack of response to hyperoncotic plasma suggests that it could be produced by structural changes in capillary wall that diminish hydraulic permeability since the larger glomerular volume indicates a greater area for filtration.

Angiotensin II↗
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[Laparoscopic adrenalectomy in a mexican institution].

AIM: To analyze the general characteristics and outcome of laparoscopic adrenalectomy in our institution. METHODS: The clinical and intraoperative characteristics, complications and outcome of 29 consecutive patients undergoing lateral transperitoneal laparoscopic adrenalectomy between February 1995 and January 1998 were analyzed. RESULTS: Their mean age was 34 +/- 11 years, 6 were males and 23 females. The most common preoperative diagnosis was recurrent Cushing's disease followed by functioning adenomas and pheochromocytomas. There were 17 unilateral and 12 bilateral adrenalectomies. The mean operative time was 2.5 +/- 1 hours for each gland. Two patients were converted to the open technique. There were two complications: a wound infection and a postsurgery hypoglycemia. The hypoglycemic patient also developed massive upper gastrointestinal bleeding 18 days after surgery and died. The mean postoperative hospital stay was 5 days. In a mean follow-up of one year, recurrence of one pheochromocytoma was seen. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic adrenalectomy was a safe operation that favored early recovery.

Adrenalectomy↗