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A Arranz

Publications and source records attributed to A Arranz.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Capillary zone electrophoretic separation and determination of imidazolic antifungal drugs.

Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) was adapted to the simultaneous determination of a mixture of three imidazolic antifungal drugs. Separation was achieved by using a fused-silica capillary column with an acetic acid-Tris buffer at pH 5.18 and UV detection at 196 nm. Several electrophoretic parameters were investigated: pH and buffer concentration, applied voltage, temperature and injection conditions. The optimized CZE method was applied to the individual determination of ketoconazole, clotrimazole and econazole in pharmaceutical forms, after a previous single extraction step in methanol, with recoveries of 98.00, 99.96 and 99.58% respectively. The antifungal drugs can be determined at a concentration level lower than 1.0 x 10(-7) M.

Antifungal Agents↗
PubMed2000

[Parathyroid cysts. Their differential diagnosis from thyroid pathology. A report of 2 cases].

Parathyroid cysts are rare in clinical practice, but, when they appear, they can be mistaken for more common thyroid conditions, that can incidentally be associated with them. We present two cases of parathyroid cysts. One of them was misdiagnosed of thyroid nodule and the other was found in the context of a normo-functioning multinodular goitre. In this last case, the presenting symptoms had raised the suspicion of malignancy. Both of them responded favorably to evacuation of the liquid by means of a puncture-aspiration with a fine needle (PAFN). Our clinical cases show that the diagnosis of parathyroid cyst should be considered in patients with a cervical mass, even if an evident thyroid condition is present. They may be accurately diagnosed by means of PAFN and determining PTH in the cystic liquid, whose characteristics help to predict its side of origin.

Cysts↗
PubMed1999

Voltammetric and spectrophotometric techniques for the determination of the antihypertensive drug Prazosin in urine and formulations.

A sensitive method was developed to determine Prazosin using a nafion modified carbon paste electrode (NMCPE). Prazosin was accumulated at a potential of 750 mV in Britton-Robinson buffer (pH 6.0) and then a negative sweep was made obtaining a cathodic peak close to 0 V. Cyclic voltammetric studies indicated that the process was quasi-reversible, and fundamentally controlled by adsorption. To obtain a good sensitivity, the instrumental and accumulation variables were studied using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Adsorptive voltammetric peak currents showed a linear response for Prazosin concentrations in the range between 4.0 x 10(-11) and 4.0 x 10(-8) M with two different slopes, and a detection limit (LOD) of 3.1 x 10(-11)M was obtained. The variation coefficient (CV) for a 8.0 x 10(-10) M solution (n = 10) was 4.08%. A spectrophotometric study of Prazosin was also carried out and two absorption bands were obtained at 246 and 329 nm (pH 1.8). The band at 329 nm was pH-dependent and its height and position changed with the pH values, so this allowed the pK'a determination (7.14 +/- 0.20) using different methods. The detection limit reached by means of UV-spectrophotometry was 0.9 x 10(-7) M, and the variation coefficient for 1.5 x 10(-5) M Prazosin solutions was 1.14% (n = 10). Although the sensitivity of the UV-spectrophotometric method was lower than that obtained using adsorptive stripping-differential pulse voltammetry (AdS-DPV), it could be applied to the determination of Prazosin in Minipres tablets. The voltammetric method was used for the determination of the drug in human urine samples at trace levels with good recoveries.

Antihypertensive Agents↗
PubMed1998

Mild or absent clinical signs in twin sisters with short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency.

UNLABELLED: Two HLA-identical twin sisters are reported, of whom one has remained essentially asymptomatic, and an episode of hypotonia and decreased level of conciousness being the only relevant clinical finding in the other. Organic acid-analysis revealed that ethylmalonate was constantly, although sometimes only slightly, increased. No abnormal acylglycines or acylcarnitines could be detected. Enzyme assay in cultured skin fibroblasts confirmed short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency. CONCLUSION: The lack of appropriate biochemical markers for this deficiency makes the diagnosis difficult and consequently, the low number of patients described may be the result of underdiagnosis.

Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase↗
PubMed1998

[Epidemic outbreak of Salmonella richmond infection in Castellón, Spain].

A case-control study was carried out to investigate an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis among a military detachment stationed in a rural area of Castellón, España. The purpose of the study was to determine the causes of the outbreak and develop control measures. Of the 153 men in the detachment, 135 were included in the study. Between 9 and 11 August 1993, 45 cases were reported; the patients' average age was 19.2 +/- 1.5 years. The attack rate was 33.3%. The clinical picture was dominated by the following symptoms: diarrhea (76%), vomiting (67%), nausea (67%), and abdominal pain (28%). The median duration of symptoms was one day, and that of the incubation period was 33 hours. Only one patient required hospitalization and all of them recovered. Salmonella richmond (6.7: and :1.2) was isolated in 5 of the 14 stool cultures performed. An association was also discovered between the illness and consumption of water from an aqueduct that flowed near the camp. A logistic regression model showed that consumption of water from this source remained associated with cases after adjusting for age and the consumption of various foods (odds ratio = 96.5; 95% confidence interval, 11.4-814.4). The risk of suffering from the illness rose with the amount of water consumed (chi 2 trend test = 65.4, P < 0.0001). Chemical and bacteriological analyses of the aqueduct water indicated the presence of fecal contamination. The aqueduct had not been subject to sanitary monitoring, even though the water was used to irrigate agricultural crops. The widespread presence in the environment of species of Salmonella was demonstrated. Health education and microbiological studies of water courses can be of great value in preventing such epidemics.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Cathodic stripping voltammetric determination of doxazosin in urine and pharmaceutical tablets using carbon paste electrodes.

Several voltammetric techniques were used to explore the reductive behaviour of the antihypertensive agent doxazosin on a bare carbon paste (CPE) and a Tenax-modified carbon paste electrode (TMCPE). The results indicate that the process is irreversible and fundamentally controlled by adsorption, which allows doxazosin to be accumulated at the electrode surface. The cathodic adsorptive stripping (AdS) response was evaluated with respect to pH, accumulation variables and instrumental parameters, using differential-pulse (DPV) and square-wave voltammetry (SWV) as redissolution techniques. In both cases, a voltammetric peak close to 0 V in Britton-Robinson buffer (pH 6.6) was obtained after a preconcentration step at 0.55 V for 3 min (2000 rpm) and a subsequent cathodic scan. When the TMCPE was used, the limits of detection were 4.35 x 10(-11) and 5.18 x 10(-11) M for AdS-DPV and AdS-SWV, respectively. The deposition time (3 min) was improved relative to that obtained by means of CPE (6 min). Under the optimum operational conditions, the doxazosin reduction peak showed a linear response in the range from 6 x 10(-11) to 1 x 10(-9) M by using AdS-DPV, with an RSD of 3.39% for 3 x 10(-8) M doxazosin solution (n = 10). A method was developed for the determination of doxazosin in human urine and formulations.

Adsorption↗
PubMed1996

Thyroid autoimmune disorders in patients with chronic hepatitis C before and during interferon-alpha therapy.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Hepatitis C virus is involved in the induction of autoimmunity and interferon can also induce hepatic and non-hepatic autoimmune reactions. This study assessed the prevalence of thyroid autoantibodies and autoimmune thyroid disorders in patients with chronic hepatitis C before and during interferon therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied prospectively 207 patients positive for anti-HCV and viral RNA. One hundred and forty-four of them received a therapeutic trial of one year with interferon-alpha. Free thyroxine, TSH and autoantibodies to thyroglobulin and thyroid microsomes were systematically tested at entry and at weeks 12 and 24 in both untreated and treated patients. RESULTS: Sixteen of the 207 patients (7.7%) had thyroid dysfunction, including positive antithyroid antibodies in 14 (6.7%) and hypothyroidism in 10 (4.8%) prior to interferon therapy. In addition, during pretreatment evaluation one patient developed clinical hyperthyroidism after transient subclinical hypothyroidism and another had subclinical hyperthyroidism. Prevalences of positive antithyroid antibodies and hypothyroidism were significantly higher in women (14.7 and 10.5%, respectively, vs 0% in men, P < 0.01) and were directly associated with increasing age (P < 0.01). The incidence of thyroid dysfunction was also significantly higher in patients with other autoantibodies such as anti-nuclear (ANA) (P < 0.01). A trial with interferon was initiated in 144 patients and 8 of 142 (5.6%) without previous thyroid abnormalities developed thyroid dysfunction, including positive antithyroid antibodies in 7 (4.9%) and hypothyroidism in 4 (2.8%) with a prevalence again significantly higher in women (12.7 and 8.3%, respectively, vs 1% in men, P < 0.01) and also directly related to increasing age (P < 0.01). An association was found between the development of thyroid dysfunction during interferon therapy and the presence of other autoantibodies, including ANA, anti-DNA and anti-Sjögren's antibodies (P < 0.01), as well as with the induction of autoimmune hepatitis and Sjögren's syndrome (P < 0.01 and < 0.05 respectively). Thyroid abnormalities were reversed in all patients when interferon therapy was discontinued. CONCLUSIONS: No significant association was found between chronic hepatitis C and the presence of thyroid autoimmunity in female patients. On the contrary, interferon therapy induced antithyroid autoantibodies and thyroid dysfunction de novo in patients with chronic hepatitis C without pre-existing thyroid abnormalities. Thyroid dysfunction secondary to interferon was reversible after discontinuation of therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Disappearance of serum hepatitis B virus DNA by polymerase chain reaction after adenine arabinoside 5'-monophosphate therapy in chronic hepatitis B.

The aim of antiviral therapy in chronic hepatitis B is the cessation of viral replication, which may be demonstrated by the loss of hepatitis B "e" antigen (HBeAg) and serum hepatitis B virus DNA (HBV-DNA) detected by dot-blot hybridization. With the development of the sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique for detecting HBV-DNA, it has become apparent that many HBeAg negative patients may still have small amounts of circulating viral DNA. We assessed 19 of 25 patients with chronic hepatitis B who seroconverted from HBeAg to anti-HBe after adenine arabinoside 5'-monophosphate therapy (5 mg.kg-1.day-1 for 7 weeks) to determine whether serum HBV-DNA became undetectable. Sixteen of the 19 HBeAg negative patients remained hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive, and the other three lost HBsAg during follow-up. All of them were HBV-DNA negative by dot-blot hybridization. Using the PCR technique, HBV-DNA became negative in 13 (81.2%) of the 16 patients who seroconverted to anti-HBe without losing HBsAg, and in all the patients who lost HBsAg. These data suggest that the majority of patients who respond to adenine arabinoside 5'-monophosphate show a complete inhibition of hepatitis B virus replication, as demonstrated by the absence of viral DNA by PCR. This inhibition was present in all patients who, at the same time, lost HBsAg.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Use of derivatization reactions with adsorptive stripping voltammetry for determining fotemustine in biological samples.

A method is described for determining the new fotemustine antineoplastic in human serum. The method is based on the derivatization of the original molecule by means of diazotization and coupling reactions. The derivatization product is determined by means of adsorptive stripping voltammetry. The calibration graphs were linear over the range 6 x 10(-9)-8 x 10(-7) and 6 x 10(-10)-8 x 10(-8) M, according to whether the coupling reagent was 1-naphthylamine or 1-naphthol, respectively. At the same time, the detection limits are 4.1 x 10(-9) and 1.4 x 10(-10) M, respectively. The method was applied to determine this antineoplastic in human serum, after a liquid-liquid extraction process, from which recovery factors of 95.6% has been obtained.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1991

Neonatal citrullinaemia with satisfactory mental development.

In an infant with neonatal citrullinaemia therapy was instituted on day 1 of life with a low-protein diet and oral supplements of arginine, alpha-keto-acids, essential amino acids and carnitine. The latter may have contributed to the excellent clinical outcome, as evidenced by normal growth and satisfactory psychomotor development at 3 years of age.

Amino Acid Metabolism, Inborn Errors↗
PubMed1990

Regulation of noradrenaline release in human cerebral arteries via presynaptic alpha 2-adrenoceptors.

1. Electrical stimulation induced tritium release from branches of human middle cerebral arteries preincubated with [3H]noradrenaline (NA), which was reduced by the alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonists, clonidine and B-HT 920, and not affected by the alpha 1-agonist, methoxamine. 2. The stimulated tritium release was inhibited by yohimbine (alpha 2-antagonist), and increased by phentolamine (alpha-antagonist) and prazosin (alpha 1-antagonist). 3. The inhibitory effect of clonidine was antagonized by yohimbine. 4. NA uptake was markedly reduced when the interval between the death and the autopsy was greater than 5 hr. 5. These data indicates the existence of presynaptic inhibitory alpha 2-adrenoceptors, but not alpha 1, in human cerebral arteries, and that the adrenergic nerve endings start to degenerate from 5 hr after death.

Adrenergic alpha-Agonists↗
PubMed1987

Exocrine pancreatic response to secretin and bethanechol in rabbits under hypothermia.

The effect of the administration of secretin and bethanechol on exocrine pancreatic secretion was studied in rabbits subjected to temperature changes; these involved a drop from 38 degrees C +/- 1 to 28 degrees C +/- 1 (hypothermia) and a subsequent return to 38 degrees C +/- 1 (normothermia). It was observed that hypothermia does not depress the action of secretin on the secretion of fluid, HCO3- and Cl-. Neither was the action of bethanechol on the enzyme secretion affected by changes in body temperature.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

The effect of hypothermia on exocrine pancreatic secretion in rabbits.

The effects of experimentally induced hypothermia on exocrine pancreatic secretion in rabbits were investigated. During hypothermia the flow of pancreatic juice decreased to 50% of basal values and recovered after rewarming. Hypothermia scarcely affected HCO-3, Cl- and Na+ concentrations but did cause significant alterations in K+ concentrations. During hypothermia and later normothermia a parallel secretion in the enzymes amylase, chymotrypsin and trypsin was seen to take place. Enzyme secretion decreased throughout the experimental period in the rabbits undergoing hypothermia and later normothermia, as in the case of the control animals.

Animals↗