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Biomedical subjects

R Moreno

Publications and source records attributed to R Moreno.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

[Genetic evidence corroborates Negme's hypothesis about the greater mildness of American trypanosomiasis in Chile].

Chagas disease is present in northern and central Chile. Not more than 25% of infected individuals have had a pathologic condition presumably due to Trypanosoma cruzi. The majority of individuals with chronic infectious Chagas disease in Chile are asymptomatic in contrast to what has been observed in other South American countries. Historic and paleopathologic evidences suggest that this particular behavior could be explained by a genetic adaptation of Chilean aborigines to T cruzi. Associations between ethnic admixture, presence of Chagas disease, associated cardiac pathology and 4 blood groups (ABO, MNSs, Rh and Duffy) were investigated among inhabitants of San Pedro de Atacama in northern Chile. Cardiac pathology was determined by positive serologic reactions in individuals with abnormal electrocardiographic findings. Individuals with negative serologic results had a significantly greater aboriginal admixture (88%) compared to those with positive serology (66%). This findings supports the hypothesis of genetic adaptation explaining mildness of Chagas disease in Chile.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1992

[Carcinoma of the lung. Review of a caseload of 12 years at a service of internal medicine].

The authors present a retrospective study of medical records of patients with lung cancer, admitted at the Service 1 of Internal Medicine of Santo António dos Capuchos Hospital during a 12 year period (1978-1989). Of the 112 selected patients, 50% had histologic diagnosis, the remaining had strong clinical radiographic, endoscopic and/or autopsic evidence of pulmonary malignancy or malignant cytology in sputum, bronchial secretions or pleural fluid. The clinical symptoms and means of diagnosis are presented and the advanced stage of the disease, at admission, the problems concerning the histologic diagnosis and the high mortality rate (55.4%) are emphasized.

Female↗
PubMed1992

[Surgical and trauma patients in a medical intensive care unit].

OBJECTIVE: to characterize and to assess in terms of severity the surgical and trauma patients admitted to a medical intensive care unit (ICU). DESIGN: retrospective study base on clinical records and the ICU computerized database. SETTING: the medical ICU of a tertiary hospital. RESULTS: of the 2468 patients admitted to the ICU in 1989, 289 (11.7%) were surgical or trauma ones. The more frequent reasons for admission were: the need for mechanical ventilation, metabolic problems, and depression of consciousness. Of these 289 patients, 48.1% required mechanical ventilation, 14.9 hemodialysis; 4.8% had a pulmonary artery catheter inserted. Mean APACHE II, TISS and MOF scores were high (20.09 +/- 9.29, 24.17 +/- 11.45 and 5.4 +/- 3.59); they were determined in 79.2, 88.2 and 43.9% of patients respectively. Both APACHE and TISS scores were correlated with mortality. When compared with medical patients, surgical/trauma ones although younger (52.9 +/- 20.7 years versus 55.9 +/- 20.2, p = 0.00152), had a longer mean stay in the ICU (7.63 +/- 12.7 days v. 3.64 +/- 7.61, p = 0.0001), and a higher mortality (also in the ICU) (28.7 v. 16.7, p = 0.0005. COMMENTS: these are seriously ill patients, who are frequently referred to the ICU in late stages of clinical evolution. We propose they should be closely followed, from the earliest possible stage, by medical-surgical teams, in order to benefit from a multidisciplinary approach.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[Poisoning at a polyvalent intensive care unit].

A retrospective analysis was made concerning 1340 admissions to a multidisciplinary Intensive Care Unit over four years (1986-1989), because of acute poisoning. In 666 patients occurred 735 drug overdoses and in 674 patients, 691 non-drug intoxications. The drugs with main action in central nervous system were the most frequent in drug overdoses and the organophosphates insecticides in the non-drug intoxications. During the considered period there was an absolute and relative fall in the number of admissions for acute poisoning (480 vs 244, 15.1% vs 9.9%). The patients admitted were 698 men (289 in drug-overdoses and 409 in non-drug group) with a statistically significant difference between the type of intoxication and sex (p less than 0.001). Age mean was 40.2 +/- 19.6 years, almost the same in the two groups of intoxications. The peak incidence occurred from March to October. From the hospital area of Lisbon came 814 patients and outside of Lisbon 495 patients. The mean duration of stay in the ICU was 3.90 +2- 6.15 days, being 2.71 +/- 3.80 in the drug overdoses and 5.08 +/- 7.62 in non-drug intoxications (p less than 0.001). From the therapeutic measures we emphasize mechanical ventilation (29.5%), total parenteral nutrition (18.5%), dialysis (2.9%), Swan-Ganz catheter (2.8%) and pacemaker (1.2%). The mortality rate was 13.7%, higher in non-drug intoxications (23.0%) than in drug overdoses (4.4%) (p less than 0.0001).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Nasal retinal dragging in X-linked retinoschisis.

X-linked retinoschisis is a disorder characterized by the presence of foveal schisis and often peripheral splitting of the retina in the nerve fiber layer. The accompanying complications include vitreous hemorrhage and retinal detachment, which can lead to blindness. In this report five patients who presented during infancy or early childhood had nasal retinal dragging.

Child↗
PubMed1991

A method for estimating the Young's modulus of complete tracheal cartilage rings.

Cartilage is primarily responsible for maintaining the stability of the large airways; yet very little is known about the mechanical properties of airway cartilage. This work establishes a technique whereby average values for the equilibrium modulus of excised tracheal cartilage rings can be obtained. An apparatus was designed to apply preset deformations to a tracheal segment and to monitor the deforming force. Segments of four human tracheae obtained postmortem and containing three rings were mounted in the apparatus after being stripped of posterior membrane. The load-deformation behavior was analyzed with a model on the basis of thin curved beam theory. Agreement between predicted deformed shapes and those observed was good in three of the four cases and in the case of a short length of longitudinally split rubber tube. The technique is suitable for comparing mechanical properties of cartilage before and after an intervention.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed1991

Determination of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn in human semen by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry after microwave sample dissolution.

Human semen samples were analyzed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry, using L'vov platforms and the method of standard additions, to determine their Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn content. The samples were analyzed directly and after conventional and microwave wet acid dissolution. Matrix modification, using magnesium and palladium nitrates and ammonium biphosphate solutions, was evaluated for the analysis of the microwave-digested samples. The best results were obtained for Cr, Cu and Zn using Pd(NO3)2, and a mixture of Mg(NO3)2 and Pd(NO3)2 solutions. The direct analysis of water-diluted semen produced inaccurate results with unacceptably high standard deviations. The results obtained for the microwave-dissolved samples showed relative standard deviation values within the range 0.63-8.4%. The analysis of spiked semen solutions showed recoveries of the added analytes ranging from 96 to 104%. The accuracy of the measurements was checked against the NIST 1,577a, bovine liver, standard reference material. Sample dissolution time was drastically reduced from 3-4 hours, using the conventional method, to approximately 8 minutes using the microwave-assisted wet acid digestion procedure.

Cadmium↗
PubMed1990

How medical school faculty regard educational research and make pedagogical decisions.

The authors studied a group of professors at a large school of medicine in the western United States to determine the extent to which they were aware of past or current educational research, their feelings about the enterprise of educational research, and how they made pedagogical decisions. The study emphasizes a qualitative analysis of the data by using in-depth, confidential interviews; many typical responses are quoted. The authors found little or no knowledge of past or current educational research even among those professors who thought such research to be valuable. The possible reasons for this finding are discussed.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed1990

A model of the mechanics of airway narrowing.

To examine the interaction between airway smooth muscle shortening and airway wall thickening on changes in pulmonary resistance, we have developed a model of the tracheobronchial tree that allows simulation of the mechanisms involved in airway narrowing. The model is based on the symmetrical dichotomous branching tracheobronchial tree as described by Weibel and uses fluid dynamic equations proposed by Pedley et al. to calculate inspiratory resistance during quiet tidal breathing. To allow for changes in lung volume, we used the airway pressure-area curves developed by Lambert et al. The model is easily implemented with a spreadsheet and personal computer that allows calculation of total and regional pulmonary resistance. At each airway generation in the model, provision is made for airway wall thickness, the maximal airway smooth muscle shortening achievable, and an S-shaped dose-response relationship to describe smooth muscle shortening. To test the validity of the model, we compared pressure-flow curves generated with the model with measurements of pulmonary resistance while normal subjects breathed air and 20% O2-80% He at a variety of lung volumes. By simulating progressive airway smooth muscle shortening, realistic pulmonary resistance vs. dose-response curves were produced. We conclude that this model provides realistic estimates of pulmonary resistance and shows potential for examining the various mechanisms that could produce excessive airway narrowing in disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

[Penetrating corneal transplants: experience with 114 grafts].

A series of 114 penetrating corneal transplants performed in a public hospital in Santiago de Chile by the first author is reported. The first cause of corneal grafting was herpes simplex keratitis (37%), the second keratoconus (22%). Signs of rejection were observed in 32.5% of the grafts and of these, 32% lost transparency. Graft clarity was good in 74% of the grafts and poor in 17.5%. Poor transparency was due to graft rejection in 65% of the cases. Phakic eyes had good transparency in 81% of cases and aphakic eyes only in 48%. Preoperatively the visual acuity was 0.1 or less in 79% of cases and post-operatively it was better than 0.5 in 50% and better than 0.1 in 82% of the cases. The mean postoperative astigmatism was 4.4 diopters. Results in graft clarity were classified according to preoperative prognosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

[Sea-blue histiocytes in a patient with mycosis fungoides].

The syndrome of the sea-blue histiocyte is a multisystemic infiltration by a special kind of macrophages which contain a ceroid material within its cytoplasm. We report herein a patient with mycosis fungoides, hyperlipidaemia type IIB and sea-blue histiocytes on bone marrow. Moreover, the cutaneous histopathology showed focus of eosinophilic spongiosis, that have not been previously described in mycosis fungoides, as far as we know.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

[Dyshidrosiform pemphigoid].

We report herein a new case of dyshidrosiform pemphigoid. Although vesiculo-bullae on palms or soles are frequent components of bullous pemphigoid, they are rare as a presenting phenomenon. In our opinion, dyshidrosiform pemphigoid should not be regarded as a distinctive form of localized pemphigoid.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

[Antiphospholipid syndrome in a patient with T-cell skin lymphoma].

This case report describes the simultaneous occurrence of antiphospholipid antibody syndrome in a patient with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. An abnormal T cell-B cell cooperation is postulated to explain this unusual association. To the best of our knowledge, no similar cases have been reported previously.

Aged↗