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Biomedical subjects

H Arroyo

Publications and source records attributed to H Arroyo.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Synchronous cardiac myxoma and colorectal cancer: a case report.

The occurrence of synchronous but unrelated cardiac and colorectal tumors is extremely rare. We present the case of a 56-year-old man who had a left atrial cardiac myxoma that nearly obstructed the mitral valve outflow tract and an unrelated, synchronous colorectal-vesicle carcinoma that nearly obstructed the lumen of the intestine. The patient underwent emergency resection of the cardiac mass under cardiopulmonary bypass and underwent successful resection of the colorectal mass 2 weeks later Two years after these operations, the patient is well with no recurrence of either tumor Synchronous tumors, particularly when one of them involves the heart, require aggressive surgical treatment at multiple sites in order for the patient to survive.

Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous↗
PubMed2001

The effect of pleural adhesions on pediatric cystic fibrosis patients undergoing lung transplantation.

The degree of pleural scarring complicating cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease is thought to impact on the outcome of adult lung transplantation. This has not been previously studied in the pediatric population. We studied all patients undergoing lung transplantation at Children's Hospital Los Angeles from 1993 through 2000. Operative times, grade of pleural scarring, blood product transfusion requirements, and perioperative mortality were compared for patients with cystic fibrosis (35) versus those without this diagnosis (11). Patients with CF were slightly older (14.7+/-3.8 vs 10.6+/-5.6 years; P = 0.01) but had similar weights (34.8+/-8.7 vs 34.4+/-12.3 kg). The degree of pleural scarring was greater in the CF group but was only severe in four patients. Scarring did not impact on operative times (237+/-46 vs 219+/-39 minutes; P = 0.22) or cardiopulmonary bypass times (127+/-40 vs 133+/-49 minutes). Total perioperative blood requirements for the two groups were similar (35.6+/-14.9 vs 42.8+/-76.7 cm3/kg; P = 0.82). Pleural scarring in the pediatric CF patients undergoing lung transplantation is only severe in a minority of patients. It does not increase duration of operation nor blood transfusion requirements. CT scanning is consequently unnecessary in the preoperative workup of CF patients being evaluated for transplantation. CF patients undergoing transplantation have perioperative outcomes similar to those of noncystic patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Timing of fracture fixation in blunt trauma patients with severe head injuries.

BACKGROUND: Early fracture fixation in blunt trauma patients is suggested to decrease postoperative morbidity by allowing early mobilization and reducing the release of harmful inflammatory mediators. Some studies have challenged this concept in the presence of severe associated injuries, and especially head trauma. METHODS: The records of 47 consecutive blunt trauma patients with severe head injuries, as defined by a Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) < or =8 and a head Abbreviated Injury Score (AIS) > or =3, and long bone fractures requiring surgical fixation were reviewed. The study population was divided into the early fixation (EF) group, consisting of 22 patients who underwent fracture fixation within 24 hours of admission (mean time 17 +/- 8.5 hours); and the late fixation (LF) group, consisting of 25 patients, who had orthopedic repair at a later time (mean 143 +/- 178 hours). RESULTS: The two groups were similar in terms of overall injury severity, neurologic injuries, hemodynamic and neurologic status on admission, and operations received. Patients in the EF group had a higher injury severity of extremity fractures (extremity AIS: 2.9 +/- 0.2 versus 2.4 +/- 0.5, P = 0.0002) and a higher incidence of open fractures (72% versus 36%, P = 0.02). There was no difference in intraoperative and postoperative hypoxic and hypotensive episodes. Neurologic, orthopedic, and general complications were the same between the two groups. The mean GCS on discharge was 12 +/- 3 for both groups with equal distribution among patients. Although there was a trend toward longer hospital stay (25 +/- 17 versus 17 +/- 10 days, P = 0.057) among LF patients, mechanical ventilation days, length of stay, and mortality were not different. CONCLUSIONS: Timing of fracture fixation in this group of blunt trauma patients with severe head injuries did not influence morbidity, mortality, or neurologic outcome.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

[Symptomatic West's syndrome: specific etiological link to unexpected response to treatment].

INTRODUCTION: It has been known that patients with symptomatic West Syndrome (WS) generally show poor responses to classic treatment, either steroids or antiepileptic drugs (AED). However new evidences arose in the last few years showing that particular association of WS with Down Syndrome (DS), type 1 Neurofibromatosis (NF1) and cerebral palsy (CP) with periventricular leukomalacia (PL) tend to behave as cryptogenic or idiopathic cases showing control of infantile spasms (IS) and disappearance of hypsarrhythmia after treatment. The special case of vigabatrin as treatment for IS in babies with Tuberous Sclerosis is also an example. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We studied 15 patients with WS and DS with a follow-up of 1.5 to 9 years, 5 patients with WS and NF1 followed-up form 2 to 6 years and 10 patients with WS associated with CP and PL followed-up during 2.5 to 12 years. Seizures frequency, EEG and responses to treatment were evaluated. RESULTS: 1. WS and DS: IS had onset at a mean age of 6.5 months. No other type of seizures was registered. EEG showed typical hypsarrhythmia in 12 cases and asymmetric hypsarrhythmia 3. IS disappeared and EEG were normalized after 15 days of treatment in 10 patients and after 6 months in other 4 patients. Three patients presented myoclonic seizures and one motor partial seizures during follow-up, all of them responding to AED. 2. WS and NF1: Onset of IS took place between 4 and 9 months of age. EEG were hypsarrhythmic in all 5 patients. Four of them were seizure free after usual steroids treatment and showed no relapse during follow-up. 3. WS and CP associated with PL: These were 9 males and 1 female with IS starting at a mean age of 6.5 months, without history prior seizures. All EEG showed hypsarrhythmia. IS stopped and EEG became normal during the first month of treatment in 9 patients. In the other one the IS arrested with the use of vigabatrin 10 months after onset. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with these particular etiologies associated with WS do not behave as the usual symptomatic cases of WS in their response to classic treatment of IS. In fact the control of IS and normalization of EEG had been as good or better than in cases of cryptogenic WS. Care should them be taken not to generalized the usual concept about poor prognosis of WS in the so called symptomatic cases.

Anticonvulsants↗
PubMed1995

Childhood neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinoses in Argentina.

We report on 30 cases of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCL), mainly diagnosed in 1985-1993 in Argentina, whose population is predominantly of European descent. Twenty-four cases were late infantile Jansky-Bielschowsky (LINCL) and 6 were juvenile Spielmeyer-Vogt (JNCL). Sex ratio was female:male, 20:10. Age range and mean at onset and at diagnosis for the LINCL cases were 1-6 years, mean 3.1, and 2-11 years, mean 5.5, and for the JNCL cases, 5-9 years, mean 7, and 9-18 years, mean 13, respectively. Cases were referred for biopsy after neurological examination, and most included complete electrophysiological [electroencephalography (EEG) with photic stimulation, electroretinography (ERG), and visual-evoked potential (VEP)], neuroimaging, and neurometabolic investigation. NCL was the first suspected clinical diagnosis, followed by mitochondrial encephalopathy in some cases of recent onset. Except for 1 case, clinical findings were homogeneous in LINCL, characterized by refractive epilepsy, mental regression and progressive deterioration, ataxia, myoclonia, and visual loss. Abnormal VEP, ERG, and EEG, with polyphasic high-voltage spikes when photic stimulation was performed at low frequency, were observed. Visual impairment and retinitis pigmentosa were early manifestations in 4/6 JNCL, followed by mental abnormalities, motor deterioration, and myoclonic jerks, while 2/4 followed an atypical course. In both variants inheritance was autosomal-recessive. Five out of 27 families had more than 1 affected member, 3 of whom were included in our series. Diagnosis was initially performed in conjunctival biopsy in 3 cases, skin in 5, muscle in 17, and brain in 5, though most cases had a concomitant biopsy from another tissue including nerve, and there was a single brain autopsy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

[Erythrocyte transketolases and Alzheimer disease].

Abnormalities of thiamin metabolism have been reported in senile dementia of Alzheimer's type (SDAT). Transketolases (TK) were studied in 21 patients with SDAT, 24 age-matched controls and 12 chronic alcoholics. Erythrocytes were assessed for their TK activity coefficient (TK-AC, normal value 8.4 +/- 12.6%) and affinity for thaimin pyrophosphate (Km TPP, normal value 17.8 +/- 8.3 mumol). Comparison between study groups and controls demonstrated increased TK-AC in SDAT (16.6 +/- 15.7%, P < 0.05) and chronic alcoholism (43.4 +/- 40.6%, P < 0.05), and increased Km TPP (38.3 +/- 25.2 mumol, P < 0.01) in SDAT only. These findings suggest structural abnormalities of TK rather than vitamin B1 deficiency in SDAT.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Asymptomatic Shigella infections in a cohort of Mexican children younger than two years of age.

The proportion of Shigella infections that occur asymptomatically in young children has not been established. A community-based cohort study of 367 infants was followed prospectively by weekly home visits from January, 1990, through December, 1991. Stool samples were collected weekly and when diarrhea occurred and were tested for Shigella and other enteropathogens. There were 2925 child months of observation and 65 episodes of Shigella infection. There were 3.1 episodes/100 child months during the warm season (May through September) and 0.97 episode/100 child months during the cold season. Shigella infections were rare during the first 6 months of life but increased with age (P < 0.0001). Overall 55% of detected infections were asymptomatic. The proportion of infections that were asymptomatic increased as age increased (P < 0.01). Symptom status was not significantly associated with Shigella species or season. All isolates from symptomatic and asymptomatic children had the 120- to 140-megadalton virulence plasmid. We conclude that infections with virulent strains of Shigella are commonly asymptomatic in Mexican children during the first 2 years of life.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed1988

Tools to differentiate immunologic and non-immunologic myasthenia gravis in infancy.

Twelve patients between 15 months and 13 years of age with clinical and pharmacological features of myasthenia gravis were studied. Repetitive nerve stimulation did not offer valuable information; the patients demonstrated either inspecific muscular decremental response or had normal behavior. Two clear groups of patients were identified after measurements of acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibodies and MEPP amplitude recorded in the diaphragm of mice injected with sera from those patients. The first group included patients with positive AChR antibodies titers and decreased MEPP amplitude. The second one had negative AChR antibodies titers and MEPPs with normal amplitude. These data strongly suggest immunologic and non-immunologic mechanisms for the former and later respectively.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1981

Infections in children with malignant disease in Argentina.

During six-month period, 102 consecutive episodes of fever in 68 children (ranging from 1 month to 14 years of age) with malignant diseases were prospectively evaluated. Sixty-five had acute lymphoblastic leukemia, nine had acute myeloblastic leukemia, nine had malignant lymphoma (four Hodgkin and five non-Hodgkin), five had chronic myeloid leukemia, four had rhabdomyosarcoma, three had CNS tumors, two had neuroblastoma, one had Wilms, and four had other malignant tumors. Forty cases (39.2%) showed severe neutropenia (500 neutrophil/m3) during the episode. S. aureus, E. coli, and S. pyogenes were in 53% of the 75 microbiologic isolates. Twenty-two percent of the viral studies were positive. Mycologic studies were all negative, except one case with C. Albicans. Pneumonia (33 cases), cellulitis (15 cases), pharyngitis (12 cases), and varicella (11 cases) were the most common final diagnosis. Seventy-one percent of the episodes were etiologically documented (by bacterial isolate, characteristic serology, and/or typical clinic picture); 19% of the febrile episodes were probable infections, and 10% were fever of uncertain cause. Ninety percent of the cases responded well to therapy, and mortality of this series was 7%. Gentamicin, Carbenicillin, and Methicilin were the more common antibiotics employed. We conclude that in our population 1) infection is a frequent cause of morbidity in children with malignant diseases; 2) the most common cause of the febrile episodes is bacterial infection; 3) S. aureus, E. coli and S. pyrogenes are the most frequent bacterial isolates, and P. aeruginosa is infrequent; 4)viral infections are relatively frequent in this group of children; and 5) with adequate management, the mortality is low.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

[Striatal syndrome and hypokalemia].

The authors present the case of a patient with a striated syndrome resembling Wilson's disease but without the disorder of cooper metabolism. The clinical picture was completely masked by a hypokalemia at 1 mEq/l following urinary loss of this cation, due to ascending interstitial nephritis. Correction of the potassium deficiency produced rapid reappearance of the initial neurological syndrome.

Athetosis↗