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Biomedical subjects

J Guardia

Publications and source records attributed to J Guardia.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources

Hepatitis in exanthematous mediterranean fever.

In 38 patients suffering from rickettsiosis caused by Rickettsia conorii (Mediterranean Exanthematous Fever), hepatic involvement was studied via laboratory tests and in 26 cases by means of liver biopsy. SGOT, SGPT and alkaline phosphatase were found to be elevated in more than half of the patients (SGOT 74.4 +/- 93 U.K., SGPT 82.2 +/- 93 U.K., a.p. 58 +/- 21 mU/ml). In 14 patients, liver biopsy showed the existence of inclusion corpuscles in Kupffer's cells. Electron microscopic study demonstrated the existence of phagosomes inside the epithelioid cells, which, however, were difficult to categorize. The frequent existence of granulomatous hepatitis in this rickettsiosis was confirmed, while the presence of the infecting agent in the liver could not be established.

Alanine Transaminase↗

[Treatment of acute brucellosis with cotrimoxazole, doxicyclin and streptomycin. A comparative study (author's transl)].

Human brucellosis can be managed with different therapeutic measures. The present study compares the therapeutic efficacy of the classical treatment with streptomycin, doxicyclin and cotrimoxazole, every one of the treatment regimes being applied to 19 patients with acute brucellosis. The results do not demonstrate an advantage of the new association over the classical treatment. Relapses, time elapsed until the patient was afebrile and drug tolerance were similar for both treatments. The classical treatment has a lower cost but the new association implies more patient comfort because the number of pills to be ingested daily is reduced to less than half, a fact that could make it the treatment of choice.

Acute Disease↗

[Chronic ulcerative colitis and autoimmune hemolytic anemia (author's transl)].

A 27-year-old male developed an autoimmune hemolytic anemia during the initial episode of chronic ulcerative colitis. Laboratory studies revealed a positive direct Coomb's test (IgG + C), and the presence of specific anti-Hr antibody. Salicylazosulfapyridine was tested by means of immunohematologic techniques, but results discarded this drug as the responsible agent for autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Association of ulcerative colitis and autoimmune hemolytic anemia is an uncommon finding; around 36 cases have been published in the literature. Hemolytic anemia may develop as a consequence of treatment with salicylazosulfapyridine, the antimicrobial of choice in the management of inflammatory diseases of the bowel.

Adult↗

[Primary liver carcinoma and markers of virus of type B hepatitis (author's transl)].

Association of primary liver carcinoma with virus of type B hepatitis has been demonstrated around the world, especially in African and Asian countries where high titles for surface antigen of B hepatitis (HBsAg) have been found. Presence of viral markers of B hepatitis has been studied in a group of 34 patients with primary liver carcinoma, in 139 cirrhotic patients, and in 100 normal individuals. Positive titles of HBsAg or of antibodies against "core" antigen (anti-HBc) without evidence of antibodies against HBsAg (anti-HBs) were considered as positive markers for virus B infection. Percentages of positive markers in the series studied were as follows: 52% in the cases of primary liver carcinoma, 38% in the cirrhotic cases, and 5% in the control subjects. There is a significant difference in relation to the incidence of viral markers between patients with liver carcinoma and normal controls. A possible role of the virus of B hepatitis in the pathogenesis of primary liver carcinoma could be suggested on the basis of these results.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular↗

[Diagnosis of viral hepatitis type A by radioimmunoassay (author's transl)].

In the present work radioimmunoassay technique detecting antibodies have been used to diagnose viral hepatitis type A. Twenty-nine patients with sporadic acute hepatitis were studied. All of the cases were negative to surface antigen of viral hepatitis type B. Blood samples were obtained at the onset of clinical picture and on subsequent weeks. Antibody levels (anti-hepatitis virus A) showed a significant increase between the second and the sixth week in 21 cases (72.4 percent). An increased antibody titer in a single determination, however, is not sufficient for the diagnosis of hepatitis virus A, since antibodies against such virus are present in a large percentage of the normal population. At least two augmented titers in consecutive samples are necessary to diagnose viral hepatitis type A.

Adolescent↗

Alpha chain disease of the stomach.

A case of gastric lymphoplasmocytoid lymphoma with alpha heavy chains in the serum is reported. The patient was a 20-year-old female who had a gastric lymphomatous ulcer and who died of acute bleeding, with no clinical or radiological signs of small intestine involvement. This seems to be the first reported case of gastrin alpha heavy chain disease.

Adult↗

[Etiologic diagnosis of pneumoccocal pneumonia by counterimmunoelectrophoresis (author's transl)].

The antigenic composition of the pneumoccocal capsule and its easy detection by counterimmunoelectrophoresis led us to carry out a comparative study of this method and the results obtained from cultures. A series of 159 patientes with suspected bacterial pneumonia were included in the study. Blood cultures were prepared for all of the patients; sputum cultures were practiced on 35 and cultures of pleural fluid on 32. Serum from all of the patients, urine from 104, sputum from 34, and pleural fluid from 16 were analyzed by counterimmunoelectrophoresis for pneumoccocal antigen. This method was particularly useful for detecting the germ in sputum and pleural fluid. Furthermore, a higher number of positive indexes in serum were obtained by counterimmunoelectrophoresis than by blood cultures (p less than 0.01). This was also true for tests with sputum and pleural fluid. Urine tests resulted in an even greater number of detections. Counterimmunoelectrophoresis is thus a simple, quick method for detecting pneumococcus and is especially useful when accompanied by cultures tests, since they are complementary. We were able to discover a positive indication of penumoccocus in bacterial pneumonia in 39.6 percent of cases with this technique, as opposed to 15 percent using cultures alone.

Antigens, Bacterial↗