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Biomedical subjects

L Bernal

Publications and source records attributed to L Bernal.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

The role of interleukin-6 in cases of cardiac myxoma. Clinical features, immunologic abnormalities, and a possible role in recurrence.

We performed this prospective study to evaluate the correlation of interleukin-6 serum levels with preoperative constitutional symptoms and immunologic abnormalities, and the possible role played by this cytokine in tumor recurrence. Eight patients with atrial myxoma were evaluated at our institution from July 1993 to November 1998. We measured their interleukin-6 serum levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method preoperatively and 1 and 6 months after surgery. Two of the cases involved recurrent tumor, 1 patient had undergone his 1st surgery at a different institution and died during the 2nd procedure, so his data were incomplete. Preoperatively the whole group of patients had elevated interleukin-6 serum levels. Although patients with a 1st occurrence of tumor demonstrated a positive correlation between interleukin-6 serum level and tumor size, the 2 patients with recurrent tumors appeared to have higher interleukin-6 levels regardless of tumor size. Once the tumor was surgically removed, interleukin-6 levels returned to normal values, and this was associated with regression of clinical manifestations and immunologic features. According to our study, the overproduction of interleukin-6 by cardiac myxomas is responsible for the constitutional symptoms and immunologic abnormalities observed in patients with such tumors and might also play a role as a marker of recurrence. This study also suggests that recurrent cardiac myxomas form a subgroup of cardiac myxomas with a highly intrinsic aggressiveness, as implied by their greater interleukin-6 production despite their smaller size. Further studies are needed to confirm these results.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Renal enlargement in the fetus and newborn with congenital diaphragmatic hernia: a refuted hypothesis.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is one of the most frequent causes of neonatal death because of lung hypoplasia (LH). The literature mentions a relationship between renal and pulmonary development, with higher kidney weight in presence of LH. The aims of this study were to evaluate the relationship between lung and kidney weight and to test the hypothesis of renal enlargement in fetuses and newborns with CDH. METHODS: Body weight (BW), combined kidney weight (KW), and lung weight (LW) of 52 CDH cases were established; 52 morphologically normal fetuses or newborns, matched by BW, served as a control population. Comparisons were done by covariance analysis, and a P value of less than .05 was considered as significant. RESULTS: Excluding renal abnormalities, adjusted mean kidney weights were 22.0 g (+/-1.8 SE) in CDH cases and 20.5 g (+/-1.5 SE) in controls (F = 1.05; P = .308). KW to BW ratio was lower in CDH cases than in controls (P = .023). LW was significantly lower in CDH cases than in controls. CONCLUSIONS: No significant difference between KW of CDH cases and controls could be observed. The current study provides enough evidence to reject the hypothesis of renal enlargement in cases of LH and CDH.

Body Weight↗
PubMed1997

Persistent left cranial vena cava associated with multiple congenital anomalies in a six-week-old puppy.

A six-week-old male puppy was presented with a distended abdomen, dypsnoea and cyanosis. Auscultation revealed a grade II/VI systolic murmur. Thoracic radiographs showed gross cardiomegaly. An electrocardiogram revealed a narrow-complex tachycardia, deep S waves in leads I, II, III and aVF, and negative P waves in lead III. Two-dimensional echocardiography showed a high ventricular septal defect and marked dilation of the right-sided chambers. There was also an echolucent structure lateral to the left atrium at a site corresponding to the coronary sinus. Contrast echocardiography revealed right-to-left shunting through the septal defect. Necropsy confirmed the existence of a septal defect in the membranous part of the septum and a persistent left cranial vena cava with dilation of the coronary sinus. In addition, a small patent ductus arteriosus and tricuspid dysplasia were present.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1996

[Effect of the local anesthetic on visceral pain in cesarean sections done under intradural anesthesia].

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the influence of local anesthetic on the incidence and severity of visceral pain during cesarean section performed under subarachnoid anesthesia. PATIENTS AND METHOD: This was a randomized double blind study of 90 parturients undergoing scheduled or emergency cesareans. The women were distributed among three groups according to local anesthetic used: 2% isobaric mepivacaine in group 1, 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine in group 2, and 0.5% isobaric bupivacaine with adrenalin in group 3. The total anesthetic dose was selected based on height, and pain was defined as silent and dull, or a sensation of pressure that was poorly defined, diffuse or referred to another area and accompanied or not by nausea and/or vomiting. Pain was assessed on a visual analog scale at various moments during surgery. Other variables recorded were metameric level of blockade, hemodynamic function and presence of nausea and/or vomiting. RESULTS: One patient in each group was excluded. The incidences of visceral pain and 95% confidence intervals were as follows: 38% (23-56%) in group 1 and 10% (3.5-25%) in groups 2 and 3 (p = 0.002). The metameric level of blockade differed significantly among the groups. The highest level (T1-5) was reached in group 1 but level was the most consistent (T3-5) in group 2. Systolic arterial pressures in all groups were significantly lower than baseline levels 5 min after puncture and the decrease was greatest in group 3. The highest incidence (p = 0.01) of nausea and/or vomiting occurred in the isobaric bupivacaine group. CONCLUSION: Use of hyperbaric bupivacaine offers advantages over the other techniques, as it assures more consistent attainment of metameric level, an incidence of visceral pain that is lower than that of isobaric mepivacaine, and fewer hemodynamic repercussions than isobaric bupivacaine with vasoconstrictor.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Transmission of bovine virus diarrhoea virus by blood feeding flies.

Three species of blood-feeding flies (Stomoxys calcitrans, Haematopota pluvialis and Hydrotaea irritans) were fed for five minutes on a bullock persistently infected with bovine virus diarrhoea virus (BVDV) containing 10(4.5)TCID50 non-cytopathic BVDV/ml serum, then subsequently fed on BVDV-free seronegative animals maintained in isolation. Virus was isolated from recipient animals between days 5 and 10 using H pluvialis, and up to 72 hours after transmission with S calcitrans; virus isolation was negative using H irritans. Positive seroconversion results obtained with H pluvialis gave a steadily increasing antibody titre. BVDV was recovered from flies 96 hours (four days) after an infective feed for H pluvialis and S calcitrans, but for two hours only for H irritans.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Explicit and implicit memory during inhalation and intravenous anesthesia].

OBJECTIVE: Patients rarely report memory or knowledge of surgery after general anesthesia. During apparently adequate surgical anesthesia, however, information processing of high level functions, such as language comprehension and learning, can continue unconsciously. Our objective is to assess whether different anesthetic techniques (two inhalational and two intravenous) guarantee the absence of both types of memory. PATIENTS AND METHOD: One hundred patients were randomly assigned to receive the following anesthetic procedures: desflurane/N2O (group 1), isoflurane/N2O (group 2), fentanyl/N2O (group 3) and total intravenous anesthesia (group 4). A cassette with the same music was played in all cases, and an order requiring a nonverbal response was given to 15 randomly chosen patients in each group. Response was evaluated at a visit 24 to 48 hours after surgery. Fifteen patients, therefore, constituted the study group for each anesthetic procedure, and 10 patients formed the control group. We assessed the presence of explicit memory in a structured interview, and implicit memory by way of the relation between the number of times the nonverbal order was obeyed and the time of the interview. RESULTS: Explicit memory was absent in all patients. The presence of implicit memory was confirmed, however, in the isoflurane (p = 0.02) group. Significant differences between the isoflurane group and both the desflurane and total intravenous anesthesia groups (p = 0.03) were found. CONCLUSION: Explicit memory was absent with all four anesthetic techniques used in our study. Implicit memory was more difficult to inhibit, however, with isoflurane/N2O.

Adolescent↗