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A Berrocal

Publications and source records attributed to A Berrocal.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Primitive neuroectodermal tumor in the spinal cord of a brahman crossbred calf.

A variety of embryonal tumors of the central nervous system, typically malignant and occurring in young individuals, are recognized in humans and animals. This report describes an invasive subdural but predominantly extramedullary primitive neuroectodermal tumor developing at the lumbosacral junction in a 6-month-old Brahman crossbred calf. The tumor was composed of spindloid embryonal cells organized in interlacing fascicles. The cells had oval to elongate or round hyperchromic nuclei, single to double nucleoli, and scant discernible cytoplasm. Immunohistochemical staining for neuron-specific enolase, synaptophysin, and S-100 protein and formation of pseudorosettes suggested neuronal and possibly ependymal differentiation.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Leukoencephalitis and vasculitis with perivascular demyelination in a Weimaraner dog.

Aseptic and noninfectious diseases of the central nervous system are being recognized with increasing frequency. After multiple episodes of neurologic illness, this 7-year-old Weimaraner dog was euthanatized and submitted for postmortem examination. Lesions in the central nervous system were found mainly in the white matter of the cerebral cortex and cervical spinal cord and represented acute and more chronic injury. Necrotizing vasculitis with fibrinoid change and a marked neutrophilic infiltrate dominated the acute lesions. More chronic changes consisted of perivascular demyelination and accumulation of foamy macrophages with positive staining for myelin. An immune-complex (Arthus-type) vasculitis is suspected.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Self-administered joint counts in rheumatoid arthritis: comparison with standard joint counts.

OBJECTIVE: To test the reliability and validity of a self-administered 36 joint count developed after the Rapid Assessment of Disease Activity in Rheumatology (RADAR) questionnaire for assessing pain/tenderness. METHODS: Two self-administered formats (mannequin and text) were evaluated in 60 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Reliability between both formats was tested by Spearman rank correlation. Criterion validity/accuracy was tested by Spearman correlation coefficient between each self-report format and a joint count performed by a physician. Construct validity was ascertained by correlation of each format with other variables of disease activity. RESULTS: Reliability between the 2 formats was high (R = 0.94). Correlations between each format and the physician's joint count were also high (R = 0.77 for mannequin, 0.75 for text). Patients consistently rated their joint pain/tenderness higher than the physician (means 29, 27, and 12 for text, mannequin, and physician, respectively; p < 0.01). Construct validity of the text, mannequin, and physician formats compared with the modified Health Assessment Questionnaire showed R = 0.61, 0.65, 0.63; with Steinbrocker functional class R = 0.41, 0.46, 0.56; with pain R = 0.59, 0.61, 0.62; with global evaluation R = 0.66, 0.71, 0.84; and with morning stiffness R = 0.64, 0.59, 0.60, respectively. CONCLUSION: Although both self-administered formats exhibited adequate reliability and construct validity, a systematic difference between patient and physician/trained assistant performed joint counts was observed, with patients consistently rating their pain/tenderness higher. We thus do not believe they can replace standard physician/trained assistant evaluation in obtaining clinical research data in rheumatology.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1996

Phase II study of cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, and leucovorin in inoperable squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. ONCOPAZ Cooperative Group, Spain.

Cisplatin (P) and 5-fluorouracil (5FU) have demonstrated activity for the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. Previous studies have shown that leucovorin (L) may potentiate the antitumoral activity of 5FU, so we tested the combination P-5FU-L in 31 patients with inoperable squamous cell esophageal carcinoma. Chemotherapy consisted of P 20 mg/m2 in 4 h, followed by L 200 mg/m2 in 2 h and 5FU 600 mg/m2 in 18 h. This schedule was repeated for 5 days every 4 weeks. The treatment plan included three courses of chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy. The overall response rate was 58% (95% CI = 39-76%), with one complete remission (3%), and 61% of patients reported an improvement in dysphagia. Gastrointestinal toxicity was the main side effect: grade 3-4 mucositis appeared in 19% of patients, grade 3-4 nausea/vomiting in 13%, and grade 3-4 diarrhea in 6.5%. There was one toxic death caused by neutropenia and sepsis. Nineteen patients received local radiotherapy after chemotherapy, which increased the overall response rate to 63% (5% complete responses). Dysphagia improved in 75% of them. The median survival for all patients was 11 months. This study shows that sequential therapy with P-5FU-L and radiotherapy achieves a high response rate as well as adequate symptomatic relief in patients with inoperable esophageal cancer. The results justify further evaluation of P-5FU-L in patients with earlier-stage disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Randomized phase II trial comparing two chemotherapy combinations for non-small cell lung cancer. Mitomycin, ifosfamide, and cisplatin versus vindesine, ifosfamide, and cisplatin.

Two chemotherapy regimens for advanced NSCLC given on an outpatient basis were evaluated in a prospective phase II trial: mitomycin, ifosfamide, and cisplatin (MIP) vs vindesine, ifosfamide, and cisplatin (VIP). This study included 100 patients. Prognostic factors were well balanced between the arms. Objective response rates (CR: MIP 0%, VIP 4%; PR: MIP 24%, VIP 18%) and survival (median time: 7 months in both arms) were in the standard range usually reported. Subjective and symptomatic improvement have been assessed. Toxicity was moderate, manageable, and mostly reversible. We believe that investigation for new ambulatory schemes must continue.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Sternoclavicular brucellar arthritis: a report of 7 cases and a review of the literature.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical features of sternoclavicular arthritis. METHODS: Medical records review of patients with sternoclavicular brucellar arthritis diagnosed and treated in a University Hospital in Lima, Peru. RESULTS: Over a 21-year period, 1,729 cases of brucellosis were diagnosed and treated. Seven patients with sternoclavicular arthritis were identified; 5 had an acute course with current or past evidence of systemic infection. Four patients had involvement of another joint and one of the 7 developed a chest wall abscess. All patients recovered without sequelae. CONCLUSION: Recovery without sequelae is expected if patients with sternoclavicular brucellar arthritis are promptly diagnosed and treated.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[Pulmonary small cell carcinoma: late sequelae in long-term survivors].

BACKGROUND: To assess the long term survivors rate and its complications in a group of patients diagnosed of small cell lung cancer. METHODS: Clinical records of 227 patients diagnosed of small cell lung cancer over a period of ten years have been retrospectively reviewed. Global survival, survival free of disease, type of therapy, and complications developed after the initial diagnosis have been analyzed in patients surviving two or more years after the initial diagnosis of small cell lung cancer. RESULTS: Global survival has been of 7% at two years and 2% at five years. Three patients (19%) reached the two years survival with active disease. Other three patients developed late relapses after a minimum follow up of two years free of disease. 19% of survivors suffered a second neoplasm. 31% developed signs and symptoms of lung fibrosis. A patient (6%) developed ischemic cardiopathy and another one presented a neurologic picture consisting in progressive neurologic changes and dementia that could not be attributed to his initial disease. CONCLUSIONS: Long term survival in small cell lung cancer is still a relatively rare event however the potential complications for these patients are significant. Balance between benefit of therapy and its toxicity must be optimized.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Papillomavirus associated skin lesions in a cat seropositive for feline immunodeficiency virus.

A cat was presented with skin lesions consisting of slightly raised pigmented plaques, 2-7 mm in diameter with a rough slightly verrucous surface. Histologically these lesions were identified as papillomas. A papillomavirus infection was demonstrated: virus-like particles were present in the nuclei of cells within the lesions, and staining with an anti-bovine papillomavirus (BPV-1) antibody was obtained. An infection with feline immunodeficiency virus was diagnosed in this cat; this condition had probably enhanced the development of papillomas. This is the first report of a papillomavirus infection in a cat in Europe.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Usefulness of megestrol acetate in cancer cachexia and anorexia. A placebo-controlled study.

To assess the effect of megestrol acetate (MA) on the appetite and weight of cancer patients with nonhormone-dependent tumors, a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was designed. One hundred fifty patients were included: 76 were given MA (240 mg/day orally) for at least 2 months, and 74 were given placebo (P). Body weight, subjective sense of appetite (SSA) evaluated by an analogic linear visual scale scored from 1 to 10, and performance status (PS) were measured before therapy and monthly thereafter. No differences in body weight before and after treatment could be found in any group. However, 32% of the patients in the MA group (95% confidence interval: 20.1-44.6%) gained 2 or more kilograms (P less than 0.001). This group also showed an improvement in SSA (P less than 0.01): an increase greater than or equal to 2 points appeared in 57.5% of patients (95% confidence interval 44.6-69.4%). There was no significant difference in PS for the treatment groups before or after therapy. The percentage of reported adverse events did not differ significantly from one treatment group to the next. We conclude that therapy with MA at a dose of 240 mg/day improved SSA and was associated with moderate weight gain in patients with hormone-insensitive malignancies.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Comparison of two antibiotic regimens (piperacillin plus amikacin versus ceftazidime plus amikacin) as empiric therapy for febrile neutropenic patients with cancer.

A total of 170 febrile episodes in neutropenic patients with cancer were randomly assigned to be treated with piperacillin-amikacin or ceftazidime-amikacin. The overall response rates were similar in both groups (68 and 65%, respectively). Response rates for clinically or microbiologically documented episodes were 54.5% for piperacillin-amikacin and 58.8% for ceftazidime-amikacin. Response rates for gram-negative bacillary infections were 65 and 73%, respectively. There was also no difference for gram-positive infections (31 and 50%, respectively). The toxicities were also comparable and consisted of skin rashes, hypokalemia, and diarrhea. Vancomycin was added if the fever persisted 72 h after the beginning of therapy; it increased the response rates to 94% when used with piperacillin-amikacin and 92% when used with ceftazidime plus amikacin. Our results suggest that the combinations show similar global efficacies in the treatment of febrile episodes in cancer patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[Lung cancer in patients under 40 years of age: a different problem?].

BACKGROUND: Less than 5% of the cases of lung cancer diagnosed are found in young patients. Although there are few studies concerning this problem it has been suggested that in this age group the behavior of the disease is more aggressive and the prognosis worse. METHODS: In order to study the clinical characteristics, histology, and evolution of bronchogenic lung cancer diagnosed in patients under 40 years of age the data of 56 patients with this neoplasm and age was compared with those obtained from 500 patients, equal to or over 40 years of age, diagnosed during the same period of time. RESULTS: The proportion of males/females among the patients under 40 years of age was 4:1, while in those patients over this age it was 13:1 (p less than 0.001). Epidermal cancer was the most frequent histological variety found among the patients over 40, while microcytic cancer of the lung was more frequent in those under 40 (p less than 0.05). In the group of patients under 40, 8 patients under 30 had special characteristics: male/female proportion 1:1 (p = 0.078), histological predominance of the adenocarcinoma variety and undifferentiated carcinoma of large cells (p = 0.008) and lower number of smokers (p = 0.035). The time of evolution of symptoms, the extension of the disease at the time of diagnosis and survival of the patients over or under the age of 40 was similar. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the presentation of special characteristics in young patients with bronchogenic lung cancer, the behavior of the disease is similar to that observed in other age groups.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1991

[Kaposi's sarcoma associated with chronic B lymphocytic leukemia. Coexistence of both diseases in skin lesions].

Kaposi's sarcoma is a rare malignancy. Its association with second primary cancers, especially of the lymphoreticular system, has been relatively frequently noted. We report a case of Kaposi's sarcoma (SK) in a 62 years-old women, affected by B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (LLC B) for 22 month, that had received chemotherapy. Two skin lesions were seen on left lower limb. A biopsy revealed the coexistence of both diseases in the skin lesions. This finding is extremely rare. We review the possible etiopathogenic implications of this association and of the coexistence of both diseases in the same lesion.

Female↗