[The measurement of health status in cardiology].
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Cardiovascular Diseases↗
Biomedical subjects
J Alonso
Publications and source records attributed to J Alonso.
Magnetic transitions in Nd2NiO4.
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Journal Article↗
Behavioral lateralization in rats: prenatal stress effects on sex differences.
The possible relationship between human and animal asymmetries is currently a controversial point. In the present study we report that, after practice, rat behavioral asymmetry presents important similarities with human laterality. Thus, rat behavior presents: (1) absolute and population laterality to the same degree and with the same right-bias as that reported for humans; (2) the female has less absolute laterality but similar population laterality to the male; (3) male-female differences for behavioral laterality are modified by prenatal stress as occurs with similar other hormone-regulated behavior.
Analysis of Variance↗
Cross-cultural adaptation of health measures. European Group for Health Management and Quality of Life Assessment.
There is increasing interest throughout Europe in measuring health needs in the general population and in the 'quality of life' of patients. This has led to a demand for questionnaires capable of measuring health status in a reliable and valid manner. Most existing measures have, however, been standardised only in the U.S.A. and, to a lesser extent, in the U.K. The issue of translation and retesting of questionnaires prepared in the English language for use in other countries has received surprisingly little attention. This paper describes some of the technical, linguistic and conceptual issues raised by translation and the processes involved in producing acceptable country-specific versions of the Nottingham Health Profile according to a systematic method.
Cross-Cultural Comparison↗
Comparison of perceived health status and conventional functional evaluation in stable patients with coronary artery disease.
A cross-sectional study of stable coronary hospital patients was carried out to compare perceived health assessment with conventional clinical measures; 93 consecutive patients were studied, 45 of whom had undergone bypass surgery. Exercise tests and clinical functional classification were obtained together with blind concurrent self-responses to the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP), a measure of distress. Coronary arteriography was available for all patients. Patients with negative exercise tests had lower NHP scores (lower levels of distress) than those with positive or inconclusive tests, especially in the energy, pain and physical mobility NHP dimensions (p less than 0.01). High Spearman correlation coefficients were found between exercise performance and energy (rs = -0.51) and pain (rs = -0.36) scores. This correlation was closer than that found with clinical functional class. In these patients, exercise performance closely correlated with perceived distress. Self-perceived health status measures may improve the evaluation of coronary patients based on clinical assessment alone.
Adult↗
Recurrent meningitis from a multiply resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae strain treated with erythromycin.
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Child↗
Involvement of lipid mediators in the pathogenesis of experimental nephrosis in rats: its pharmacological modulation.
The administration of a single-injection of Adriamycin (ADR) to rats results in marked proteinuria and glomerular morphological changes that are similar to minimal change disease in humans. We have hypothesized that Adriamycin, by itself or through the release of some mediators from resident glomerular cells, could provoke a damage to epithelial glomerular cells. Sprague-Dawley rats received a single injection of Adriamycin, 7.5 mg/kg bw, allocated randomly in several groups and treated throughout 2 weeks of follow-up. All control nontreated animals developed important nephrotic syndrome and degenerative lesions of epithelial glomerular cells. Isolated glomeruli from animals injected with adriamycin 14 days before synthesized thromboxane (TxB2) and platelet activating factor (PAF) in amounts above the rates of control glomeruli. Animals treated with three structurally different PAF receptor antagonists did not present proteinuria or only to a very low extent (p less than 0.0005). In these rats no alterations in epithelial cells were noted. Furthermore, no significant changes in the TxB2 production were noted in rats treated with BN 52021, a PAF receptor antagonist. Leukotrienes also seem to participate since treatment with a 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor partially corrected proteinuria. Moreover, glomeruli from animals with nephrosis and treated with this compound presented only a discrete reduction in the PAF synthesis. On the whole, these data suggest a key role for PAF in the pathogenesis of adriamycin nephropathy. Other lipid meditors, released in cascade simultaneously or thereafter, could perpetuate the renal damage.
Animals↗
Two-dimensional spectra of intact tissue: homonuclear Hartmann-Hahn spectroscopy provides increased sensitivity and information content as compared to COSY.
Hartmann-Hahn (HOHAHA) spectroscopy led to good definition of proton spin systems of metabolites such as lactate, (phospho) creatine, and carnosine from a 3-g sample of excised frog gastrocnemius muscle in a 17-min experiment. The sign of the HOHAHA cross-peak intensity appears to provide additional information about interactions between metabolites and their protein binding sites.
Animals↗
Complete atrioventricular canal and tetralogy of Fallot: surgical management.
Between 1982 and 1989, nine patients with complete atrioventricular (AV) canal and tetralogy of Fallot underwent successful repair of both anomalies. Seven patients had Down's syndrome. One or more previous palliative shunts had been used in six patients. Associated cardiovascular lesions included persistent left superior vena cava (two patients), patent ductus arteriosus with marked stenosis of the left pulmonary artery (one patient). The diagnosis was confirmed by cardiac catheterization and cineangiography. Closure of the ventricular septal defect was performed through a combined right atrial and ventricular approach in each patient. The right ventricular outflow obstruction was relieved with the use of a transannular patch (4), right ventricular infundibular patch (4) or a valved external conduit (1). There were no hospital deaths. One patient died as a result of meningitis 2 years after repair. Progressive left AV valve incompetence developed in one patient requiring valve replacement. A single atrial approach may not provide the best exposure of the subaortic end of the defect. In this regard, we recommend an additional right ventriculotomy in order to ensure safe closure of the septal defect. Although an adequately shaped isolated patch could be sufficient to close the anterior VSD, we favour a separate patch to minimize the possibility of producing subaortic obstruction. A further method to avoid this subaortic stenosis consists of dividing the common anterior leaflet to the right towards the lateral extent of the infundibular septum.
Blood Vessel Prosthesis↗
Spanish version of the Nottingham Health Profile: translation and preliminary validity.
We report the transfer into Spanish of a multi-dimensional measure of perceived health originally developed in Great Britain, the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP), and an assessment of the preliminary validity of the version is presented. Translation of the questionnaire was obtained from experts and from a Spanish monolingual lay group. Construct validity of the version was assessed in two studies: testing relationship of NHP scores to other self-reported measures of health in a general population survey; and comparing NHP scores for a group of frequent users and for a group of non-users of primary health services. Mean scores of NHP dimensions were higher for people with poorer self-reported health and higher for the frequent health services users than for the non-users. Findings suggest that the Spanish version of the NHP is culturally equivalent to the original questionnaire, and has a similar level of construct validity. Nevertheless, further research on reliability and on the weighting system is required to establish the equivalence of the Spanish version definitively.
Adult↗
Determinants of hemorrhagic infarcts. Histologic observations from experiments involving coronary occlusion, coronary reperfusion, and reocclusion.
Quantification of intramyocardial hemorrhage was performed in 69 pigs submitted to various protocols of coronary artery occlusion and reperfusion. The study groups include 1) permanent occlusion; 2) reperfusion after periods of coronary occlusion of 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 minutes; 3) reperfusion with diltiazem and with 4) methoxamine after a 60-minute occlusion period; and 5) permanent reocclusion after a 30-minute period of reperfusion. Red blood cell counts were directly assessed by visual examination of histologic slices of myocardium and in a subgroup of animals by counts of red blood cells labeled with 99m-technetium pertechnetate. Hemorrhage occurs in infarcts reperfused after a duration of 45 minutes or more of coronary occlusion and after a period of reperfusion maintained for at least 30 minutes. Red blood cell counts were maximal in the mid portions of transmural sections of the infarcts, with decreasing values toward epicardium and endocardium. Diltiazem decreased total red blood cell counts, whereas methoxamine increased it and also caused subendocardial hemorrhage. The most powerful predictors of the severity of hemorrhage after sustained reperfusion were infarct size and higher blood pressure.
Animals↗
Global chiral-invariant formulation of lattice gauge theory.
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Journal Article↗
Two-dimensional correlated spectroscopy (COSY) of intact frog muscle: spectral pattern characterization and lactate quantitation.
Two-dimensional scalar-correlated 1H spectra (COSY) were recorded from a model solution containing varying amounts of lactate and a fixed concentration of carnosine as the reference compound. The integrated volume of the lactate methyl to methine cross peak in the magnitude-calculated spectra showed a linear increase with respect to lactate concentration. Accordingly, the COSY cross-peak integral volume should be a useful parameter for the quantitative study of metabolism in intact tissue. We have tested this assumption in excised gastrocnemius frog muscle. Lactate, carnosine, and creatine/phosphocreatine cross peaks have been assigned in the spectrum of summer frog muscle. The change in concentration of lactate and phosphorylated compounds upon anaerobic storage of excised frog muscle has been followed by interleaving one-dimensional (1D) 1H and 31P spectra with 2D homonuclear 1H COSY spectra. The lactate concentration in the excised muscle derived from COSY agreed well with that determined from muscle extracts. Qualitative changes in the COSY pattern of the excised muscles under caffeine-induced contracture were detected. Furthermore, seasonal variations were observed in the COSY spectral pattern: winter frog muscle was found to differ from summer frog muscle by the appearance of cross peaks from phosphodiesters and mobile fatty acids.
Animals↗
Solid-state PVC flow-through benzoate electrode.
A general construction procedure for conventional shape ion-selective electrodes based on a conductive support prepared with a mixture of a non-conductive epoxy and graphite was used in the preparation of a flow-through benzoate electrode to be used as potentiometric detector in flow injection analysis manifolds. The membranes were prepared from tetraoctylammonium benzoate in o-nitrophenyloctylether immobilized on PVC. The results of the assessment of the tubular electrodes behaviour in low dispersion manifolds against that of conventional electrodes with the same membrane are reported. Data obtained with a double-channel flow injection manifold incorporating these tubular detectors for benzoate determinations in several commercially available pharmaceutical preparations are also presented.
Benzoates↗
1H-n.m.r. studies on the existence of substrate binding sites in bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A.
The reaction of ribonuclease A with either 6-chloropurine riboside 5'-monophosphate or the corresponding nucleoside yields one derivative, with the reagent covalently bound to the alpha-amino group of Lys-1, called derivative II and derivative E, respectively. We studied by means of 1H-n.m.r. at 270 MHz the interaction of these derivatives with different purine ligands. The pK values of His-12- and -119 were obtained and compared with those resulting from the interaction with ribonuclease A. The results showed that the interaction of derivative E with 3'AMP is similar to that described for RNase A as the pK2 of His-12 is increased while that of His-119 remains unaltered. However, derivative II presents some differences as it was found an enhancement of the pK2 values of both His-12 and His-119. Interaction of derivative II and derivative E with dApdA increases the pK2 of His-119, whereas a decrease is found when it interacts with ribonuclease A. These results suggest that the phosphate group and the nucleoside of both derivatives are located in regions of the enzyme where natural substrate analogues have secondary interactions and they can be interpreted as additional binding sites.
Adenosine Monophosphate↗
False aneurysm formation after Salmonella virchow infection of a pre-existent ventricular aneurysm--survival after surgical resection.
A 55 year old man with a left ventricular aneurysm, secondary to a previous myocardial infarction, was hospitalized due to a Salmonella virchow bacteraemia. During a 3-week hospital course he was persistently bacteraemic and febrile despite antibiotic treatment. Gallium isotope scanning and 2-D-echocardiography were helpful in demonstrating the presence of an infected false aneurysm at the site of a true aneurysm. Surgical resection in addition to prolonged antibiotic therapy was necessary for cure.
Amoxicillin↗
Cell-to-cell interaction: a mechanism to explain wave-front progression of myocardial necrosis.
Histological sections performed 24 h after coronary occlusion in eight pigs displayed compact infarcts extending transmurally with well-defined edges; reconstruction and inspection of the area of necrosis showed a geometric distribution of the infarcts with very irregular, interdigitating edges always in continuity with the main mass of necrosis. Reperfusion in 32 pigs after periods of coronary occlusion of 90, 60, 45, and 30 min exponentially reduced infarct size and transmural extension of the infarct but did not modify its geometry. The two-dimensional size, progression, and geometry of the infarcts could be reproduced by a computer model. In the simulated infarcts, each myocardial cell within the area at risk was represented by a pixel. The algorithm included an inner loop, which determined at random at each iteration a status of reversible or irreversible damage to all pixels. The number of iterations could reproduce infarct of various sizes. With the addition of an index of transmural sensitivity to ischemia, progression of the infarct area could also be reproduced. The only possible means of reproducing the geometry of the infarct was to enter into the program a contiguity condition requiring a direct contact between irreversibly damaged pixels. These observations suggest that the physical interaction between cells is an important determinant of progression of necrosis during coronary occlusion.
Animals↗
[Vitamin D metabolism in the elderly. Evidence of appropriate synthesis of 1,25 (OH)2 D3].
Serum levels of 25 OH D3, 1.25 (OH)2 D3, PTH and several other parameters of mineral metabolism were measured in 55 elderly (greater than or equal to 70 years old), at the beginning of fall in Puertollano (38 degrees of latitude), distributed in three groups: healthy elderly who either live at home (Group 1, 16 cases) or in a Social Security Residence (Group 2, 20 cases) and chronically sick or hospitalized elderly patients (Group 3, 19 cases). Every subject had a creatinine serum level less than 1.2 mg/dl. Serum levels of 25 OH D3, in Group 1 were similar to the young control group 24 +/- 10 micrograms/L, while its levels in Groups 2 and 3 were decreased (13 +/- 4 micrograms/L p less than 0.001 and 10 +/- 5 micrograms/L p less than 0.001--respectively). The opposite was founded for PTH. Serum levels of 1.25 (OH)2 D3 were normal when compared to control group in Groups 1 and 2 (49 +/- 8 micrograms/L and 49 +/- 6 micrograms/L) but they were significantly decreased in Group 3: 38 +/- 12 (p less than 0.001). Our results demonstrate that elderly people with enough sun exposure may have adequate 25 OHD3 levels while those who have a restricted exposure will have decreased levels. In the elderly, 1.25 (OH)2 D3 levels are normal if 250 HD3 levels are also normal or sufficient, only very low levels of 250 HD3 are not able to maintain normal serum levels despite their secondary hyperparathyroidism.
Aged↗