Biomedical subjects

J Castro

Publications and source records attributed to J Castro.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

[Hepatic glycogenosis: the clinical, biochemical and enzymatic aspects in a group of pediatric patients].

Nine children with clinical diagnosis of glycogenoses were studied, types were confirmed through determination of levels and structure of glycogen, stimulation with glucagon and enzymatic defect analyses. Eight patients suffered glycogenoses type III and one, type VI. The major age group un type III was 1 to 2 years old (62.5%), the type VI was diagnosed in a preschool boy. Mean clinical features were: hepatomegaly, doll-like facies and short height. Major biochemical alterations were: transaminases elevation in both types, hypertriglyceridemia, hyperglycemia, metabolic acidosis and hyperuricemia only in glycogenoses III. One III type patient presented cardiovascular alterations. All patients showed increased concentrations of erythrocyte glycogen, with normal structure in type VI and abnormal in 75% of type III. Tree fourths of type III patients had a positive response to glucagon stimulation. No one presented glucose 6 phosphatase deficiency.

Blood Glucose↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Propranolol in children and adolescents with portal hypertension: its dosage and the clinical, cardiovascular and biochemical effects].

An adequate propranolol dose to reduce 25% the initial heart rate was searched in 19 children with portal hypertension. 13 were pre-hepatic and 6 hepatic hypertension, mean age: 6.96 +/- 3.48 years, range: 2-14 years. Treatment was started with 0.5 mg/kg/day increasing 0.25 mg/kg/day every third day, needing an average of 26 +/- 13 days (range: 6-54 days) to obtain the response. Daily dose ranged from 1 to 5.25 mg/kg/day (mean: 2.69 +/- 1.16). The highest daily dose was 175 mg, the lowest 23.4 mg (mean: 58.27 +/- 36.6 mg/day). Some parameters were evaluated before and after achieving the dose. There was a significant reduction of mean blood pressure (p < 0.01) and peripheral venous pressure (p < 0.05) in 68.4% of patients. A significant elevation (p < 0.001) of 24 hour urinary catecholamine levels occurred in 94.7%. Side effects were minimal. Propranolol could be considered a safe pharmacological option in these patients.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[The use of endocavitary fulguration in the treatment of common auricular flutter].

Between April 1990 and July 1991, 10 patients, were fulgurated after right atrial endocardial mapping with the purpose of destroying or modifying the site of origin of atrial flutter. Mean age, 47 years old (23-61), 9 males. All patients suffered "common" atrial flutter episodes with very rapid ventricular response (greater than or equal to 150 beats per minute) refractory to pharmacological therapy. All patients had pathologic potentials with prolonged duration between 90 and 160 ms (m = 109) which preceded other reference electrodes in the high right atrium and His position. Electrical stimulation from that zone provoked the capture entrainment and termination of the flutter; the same configuration of the arrhythmia was obtained with electrical stimulation from the suspected zone. With the catheter in that situation one or two direct current cathodic, unipolar shocks were given with energy of 60-150 Joules (m = 117). In the follow up (16-73 weeks), 8 patients are free of symptoms without drugs, one suffered a new episode after 7 weeks, His fulguration was performed and a permanent pacemaker implanted. The other patient has failed two session and is still on treatment.

Atrial Flutter↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[The treatment of intranodal tachycardias with intracavitary fulguration].

The electrical ablation of the His bundle with proximal intracardiac shocks of low energy was performed through an electrical catheter, to 14 patients with AV nodal reentry tachycardias refractory to pharmacological therapy, to whom at least 3 antiarrhythmic drugs were previously administered. The electrical energy applied oscillated between 10 to 150 Joules (114 average). 11 patients (72%) recovered the normal atrioventricular conduction and in the electrophysiological evaluation was found: 1--Increase in the duration of the AH interval. 2--No existence of two AV nodal pathways. 3--Absence of retrograde conduction. 4--Impossibility to induce tachycardia. The PR interval was prolonged (60 ms average) after the electrical shocks. These criteria defined the total effectiveness of the procedure. In the 3 remaining patients (28%) a permanent atrioventricular complete block was induced and the implantation of the permanent pacemaker was required. It was concluded that the electrical fulguration of the atrioventricular junction with low energy is an effective technique as curative treatment for intranodal reentry tachycardias, which can be applied without induction of permanent cardiac block.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Study of colonic transit time with radiopaque markers in patients with chronic constipation].

We studied 30 young patients with idiopathic chronic constipation through the ingestion and colonic follow-up of 20 radiopaque markers, gotten from catheters of those used for intravenous lines. The number of markers were counted in each segment and total colon. Mean segmental and total colonic transit times were also calculated. There was a greater number of markers in each segment and total colon compared to 20 control subjects (p < 0.001). The mean colonic transit time was 61.4 hours (patients and 15.6 hours controls) (p < 0.001) occurring an important delay in the left colon and rectosigmoid (45.72 hours). So, in these patients there was predominantly a left colon dysfunction and the called outlet obstruction syndrome, likely related to their evacuatory habits. We do recommend this method as a valuable diagnostic tool for particularly observing the colonic progression and to offer a more rational assessment to the chronic constipated patient.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Serum cationic trypsinogen: marker of exocrine pancreatic dysfunction in children with protein-calorie malnutrition].

Serum cationic trypsinogen, a non invasive, sensitive test to evaluate the exocrine pancreatic function was measured by radioimmunoassay in 31 children with different degrees of protein-calorie malnutrition (mild, moderate, severe) in whom mean serum albumin values were 3.7 +/- 0.7 g%; 3.1 +/- 0.9 g%; 2.3 +/- 0.4 g%, respectively and in a control group of 20 well-nourished children with mean serum albumin values of 3.9 +/- 0.7 g%. Mean serum trypsinogen levels were significantly elevated in children with malnutrition (mild: 28.5 +/- 2.4 ng/ml, moderate: 31.86 +/- 3.4 ng/ml, and severe: 36.52 +/- 7.8 ng/ml) compared with the mean values in the control group (17.7 +/- 2 ng/ml). (p < 0.001). We conclude that our results suggest evidence of a pancreatic damage in malnourished children and this disfunction increases according to the degree of malnutrition, allowing to be detected with this simple test even when the patient does not present qualitative steatorrhea.

Child↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Levels of blood pepsinogen I in the offspring of patients with duodenal ulcer].

Hyperpepsinogenemia I is a reliable subclinical marker of the genetical predisposition to suffer duodenal ulcer. For that reason we determine basal serum pepsinogen I (PG I) levels in 25 ulcerous patients and 75% of their offspring and to a control group matched by age and sex. PG I levels in patients and their offspring were significantly higher than those in controls and their offspring (p < 0.001). By establishing an upper normal value of PG I, we identified a subpopulation of normopepsinogenemic ulcerous patients and another with high values (9 normo PG I: 64.3 +/- 6.2 ng/ml vs 16 ulcerous patients with PG I levels: 142.1 +/- 19 ng/ml) (p < 0.001). Of 16 hyperpepsinogenemic patients, 11 offspring (27%) had increased values, what did not happen to any of the offspring of ulcerous patients with normal PG I or control group finding that 80% of male patients with high PG I gave birth to 1 or 2 children with increased values, suggesting a transmission thorough the male character. So gentic role plays an important place in our ulcerous patients but environmental factors appear to decisively influence on the establishment of the disease.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Oral challenge test with sodium metabisulfite in steroid-dependent asthmatic patients.

Oral challenge tests were carried out with sodium metabisulfite solution doses of 0.5, 1, 10, 25, 50 mg and encapsulated doses of 100 and 200 mg, as well as with lactose-placebo, on 44 non-atopic patients with steroid-dependent bronchial asthma, without clinical evidence of intolerance to these agents. Only those patients with an acceptable and not very labile pulmonary function were tested. A single-blind challenge protocol was performed in 22 patients (sodium metabisulfite solutions at pH 2.2 to 2.6) and the positive responses were confirmed by double-blind challenge. The other 22 were tested directly in a double-blind manner (pH4). Initially, 6/44 presented a positive reaction. However, a careful analysis and the confirmation by double-blind challenge of the positive responses obtained with the single-blind test, allowed us to identify 4 false positive responses. Thus, the true prevalence of sulfite sensitivity in our population is 4.5%. A patient with intolerance to sulfite agents also suffered aspirin-induced asthma. The labile tendency of the pulmonary function of the asthmatic patients may have contributed to some false positive reactions and probably explain the very high prevalence found in some studies. It does not appear that the variations of pH decisively influence the result of the challenge test.

Administration, Oral↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical utility of the single point method for theophylline maintenance dose prediction.

In this work, we tried to correlate the usefulness of the Koup nomogram for dosage prediction of continuous theophylline Dm therapy as compared with the usual method of dosification. To do this, a first group of 20 patients (5 with chronic bronchitis and 15 with bronchial asthma) without clinical or biochemical evidence of hepatic or heart disease (3 with smoking habit), were chosen. They were given a loading dose of theophylline 5 mg/kg over 30 min (as aminophylline). A blood sample was then taken after six hours. The result of this value and in accordance with the nomogram determines the individual oral dose of theophylline administered to attain a serum concentration of 10 mg/ml. The oral dose of theophylline, based according to Hendeles was given to another group of 16 asthmatic patients without smoking habit and clinical or biochemical signs of hepatic or heart disease. Two commercial preparations of theophylline were chosen (Theolair or Theodur). We concluded that: 1) Koup's nomogram is useful in estimating the dose requirement of oral theophylline to reach 10 mcg/ml (Css) at steady state, although it could not be useful in greater Css. 2) Among the patients given the dose according to Hendeles, 37.5% showed toxic serum concentrations. 3) Therapeutic serum concentrations could be obtained in the greater number of patients with twice daily doses, independently of the commercial product. 4) A great number of subjects showed the side effects (discomfort of the stomach, irritability, headache) which appeared to have little direct relationship to serum concentration.

Administration, Oral↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Rhinitis with intolerance to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents. Report of 3 cases].

Lumry described 6 patients who presented hypertrophic rhinosinusitis, positive nasal eosinophilia and intolerance to nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, manifested exclusively with naso-ocular symptomatology. We present three patients with clinical manifestations of chronic rhinitis who had noticed before their first visit that several nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs precipitated their nasal symptomatology. None of them had ever presented with asthma symptoms. All of them had nasal polyps. The nasal smear showed eosinophilia of 20 to 45%. All three had sinusitis radiologically. The spirometric values were within normal limits (V.C., FEV1, MMEF25-75%). Skin tests with different inhalants antigens using the prick test technique as well as skin tests with pyrazolones (Phenyldimetrylpyrazolone: 25 and 250 mg./ml.; dipyrone: 4 and 44 mg./ml.; amidopyrine: 2.2 and 22 mg./ml.) using the intradermal technique were negative. Serum IgE (Phadezym IgE-Pharmacia) showed values of 23.9, 17.1 and 25.8 IU/ml. respectively. The bronchial inhalation challenge test with methacholine was positive with PD20FVE1 of 14 and 4.8 mg./ml. in two of our patients. Different nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs were administered to each patient in different days orally, with intervals of 7 and 25 days (aspirin 500 mg., dipyrone 575 mg., indomethacin 25 mg., naproxen 500 mg.) as well as tartrazine (50 mg.), paracetamol (500 mg.) and lactose as placebo. With 30 minutes intervals and up to three hours after drug administration, the symptoms were observed and spirometry was carried out. Steroids and antihistamines were suspended at least 48 hours before the test. Acetyl-salicylic acid, dipyrone, indomethacin and naproxen produced naso-ocular symptomatology without any objective reduction of FEV1; but paracetamol and tartrazine were well tolerated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied