Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M Urrutia.
We report a case of a 2 1/2-year-old girl presenting with abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, and hepatomegaly. In spite of the unusual age at presentation, dynamic gadolinium-enhanced MR findings, which have not been previously illustrated, proved to be highly specific for the diagnosis of infantile hepatic hemangioendothelioma because of the characteristic enhancement pattern.
BACKGROUND: We evaluated the potential role of serial preinstillation levels of several interleukins, TNFalpha and urinary tumor markers to monitor patients with bladder cancer receiving intravesical BCG. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 121 urine samples were collected from: patients with bladder cancer treated with BCG (group 1); patients with bladder cancer receiving other intravesical treatment (group 2) and patients with urinary tract infections (group 3). Cytokines [IL-2, IL6 and [L8] and TNFalpha and urinary tumor markers [UBC, CYFRA 21-1 and NMP22] were measured by immunoassays. RESULTS: In 3 out of 15 BCG non-responders that recurred over the period of the study, no cytokine peak for IL-2, IL-6 or TNFa were detected. Urinary tumor markers increased in 2 out of 3 of these patients earlier than scheduled cystoscopies. Cytokine measurement was heterogeneous among 12 out of 15 BCG-responding patients: there were low levels of IL-6 and TNFalpha and peaks of IL-2 and IL-8 in 10 out of 12 and 4 out of 12 patients, respectively. During responding patients' follow-up we observed false-positive results in 7 out of 65 urine samples for UBC, 8 out of 65 for CYFRA 21-1 and 20 out of 65 for NMP22. Urinary tract infections were the main factor associated with non-specific elevations of IL-6 and IL-8 and urinary tumor markers in all groups of patients. CONCLUSION: Although larger series are required to confirn our preliminary observations, our data argue for a potential predictive role for IL-2 of favourable response to BCG therapy. Monitoring BCG with urinary tumor markers could early detect recurrence in non-responding patients.
Health care professionals should have comprehensive training, especially in the humanitarian aspects of care. This is essential to enable them to correctly resolve ethical conflicts that arise in professional practice. Starting from this premise, the article discusses some representative situations nurses encounter daily in their contacts with patients. An examination is made of the ethical aspects of the following: ordinary nursing activities; standards with regard to hospital visits by family members; administration of analgesics; schedules for feeding, drug administration, and the like; clinical research; professional secrecy; free professional practice; and death with dignity.
From 1985 to 1988, 10 Canadian community health units, in conjunction with Health and Welfare Canada, conducted a standardized telephone survey to assess the prevalence of health risk factors among persons aged 15 and over. Seatbelt use, hypertension awareness, physical activity, smoking, alcohol use, cancer screening status and sociodemographic variables were ascertained in each community. Although prevalence rates for most of the major risk factors varied significantly among the survey communities, little clustering of high or low risk levels was observed in any particular locale. Periodic administration of the risk factor survey in communities across Canada would provide a valuable data base for both public health planners and researchers.
The reduction of the levels of circulating T lymphocytes in urological neoplasias seems obvious. The existence of a link between the different, neoplastic, bladder and prostate processes, as well as the degree of malignancy, prognosis and therapeutic response has still to be established, according to the immunitary state of the patients. The constant developing and refining of the immunological technology will no doubt serve to resolve these problems.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
We present a case of vesical extrophy complicated by an adenocarcinoma in a 35-year old patient. It is this type of neoformation which most frequently affects the extrophic bladder and which, contrary to what has happened in most of the cases published, quickly presented bone and skin metastases.
A review is made of the clinical histories of 1,821 patients admitted to our Department for treatment over a three-year-period and on the basis of the data compiled, the doctors have made a statistical study of urinary infections, by determining the type of germ, etiology of the process and level of sensitivity to the different antibiotics and chemiotherapeutic drugs and by analysing, at the same time, the inference between the different parameters considered. Of the results presented, they stress that the practical erradication of E. coli as an infecting agent in our medium, is significant, as well as the probable existence of an epidemiological cycle lasting for periods of twenty one months although this has still to be confirmed by means of longer chronological series.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The purpose of this study was to show that the nonionic contrast media of low osmolarity are better tolerated than ionic media of high osmolarity, which to date are most frequently used in the authors hospital. We found that adverse reaction occurred in 80% of the group in which nonionic contrast medium was used. The authors conclude that nonionic, low osmolarity contrast media significantly reduce the frequency of adverse reactions and increase their safe use.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.