Biomedical subjects

B Berenguer

Publications and source records attributed to B Berenguer.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Protective and antioxidant effects of Rhizophora mangle L. against NSAID-induced gastric ulcers.

The bark of Rhizophora mangle, the red mangrove, has been used traditionally in folk medicine of Caribbean countries due to its antiseptic, astringent, haemostatic and antifungal properties. Aqueous extracts are rich in tannins and have been proven experimentally to possess antibacterial, wound healing and antiulcerogenic effects. This work was designed to determine the gastroprotective effect of Rhizophora mangle in a model of diclofenac-induced ulcers in rats and to study the mechanisms involved, using the proton pump inhibitor omeprazole as a comparison. The lyophilized extract was given by oral gavage (125 and 62.5mg/kg) three times at 12h intervals before administering diclofenac 100mg/kg. Pretreatment with the extract resulted in a significant decrease of the ulcerated area (P<0.01). Rhizophora mangle induced a recovery of PGE(2) levels, which had been depleted by diclofenac. No anti-inflammatory effect was observed ex vivo or in vitro. The highest dose of the extract provoked a marked increase in glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activity, which was comparable to omeprazole. Furthermore, lipid peroxidation levels were inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that the gastroprotective effect of Rhizophora mangle in this experimental model appears through an antioxidant and prostaglandin-dependent way.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

[Free fat flap for the treatment of Parry-Romberg disease in children].

Progressive hemifacial Atrophy (PHA) or Romberg's Disease is a rare entity of unknown etiology, which most often affects only one side of the face and can include all tissue planes in different grades of severity. Of the several treatments proposed, pedicled or free flaps seem to achieve the best cosmetic results in severe cases. In mild to moderate cases, free autologous fat transplant may obtain optimal results with lower complexity, cost and morbidity. The presence of multiple adipoblasts might increase the possibilities of graft take, particularly in children. Furthermore, refinements in the processes of extraction, preparation and reintroduction of the fat have contributed to improve the results that may be long lasting. We present 2 cases of PHA in 2 girls (11 and 13 years old), that were treated by lipofilling. No complications occurred. In both cases we observed a small reduction in the volume of the initial graft. Thus the procedure was repeated 6 months later to improve facial symmetry. Results have been excellent in one year follow-up.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMed2005

[Liposuction in children: clinical utility].

Liposuction has become one of the most frequent aesthetic procedures. The "typical" patient is a young female with fat deposits in the trochanteric region. Gradually the safety of the technique together with the high satisfaction rate of the patients have contributed to the widening of its indications to other pathologies of the adipose tissue in different age populations. However, there is scarce literature regarding liposuction in childhood. The authors present their experience with liposuction as the treatment of congenital as well as acquired lipodystrophies in the paediatric age. Some particular details of the technique are described and the advantages of liposuction versus open surgery in these cases are analyzed.

Adiposis Dolorosa↗

PubMed2004

Pharmaceutical care: past, present and future.

Since the concept of Pharmaceutical Care was introduced from United States about twenty years ago, this initiative has become a dominant form of practice for thousands of pharmacists around the world. Currently, pharmaceutical care is understood as the pharmacists' compromise to obtain the maximum benefit from the pharmacological treatments of the patients, being therefore responsible of monitoring their pharmacotherapy. As the profession has moved from a product orientation (dispensing medications) to a patient focus, clinical training requirements have expanded. This is a slow but ongoing process, which started from a philosophical point of view, in order to transform the concept of Pharmacy from commodity-based, mercantile operations into a clinical profession in the community pharmacies. Since its introduction, there has been an ample debate on the definition of pharmaceutical care due to differences in Pharmacy systems and in health care structure among the different countries. Moreover, several implementation barriers exist, which are attributable to problems in education, skills, resources and environment. Indeed, an awareness of the problem resulting from the use of medicines exists and numerous studies reflect that drug use control is necessary since there is an important relationship between morbidity / mortality and pharmacotherapy. Thus, it is possible to evaluate the benefits of pharmaceutical care on patients' health and ultimately on society. Many studies have been conducted, which show that the provision of pharmaceutical care has its value in common pathologies such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma, hyperlipidemia, chronic pain, rheumatic diseases or psychiatric disorders, as well as in polymedicated patients. A large amount of data is currently being published in biomedical journals, in an effort to establish the clinical, economic and humanistic viability of pharmaceutical care. Thus, the aim of this review is to study the evolution of this practice from its beginning until nowadays. Furthermore, we have analyzed a number of implementation programs performed in countries of Europe, the United States and Latin America, focusing on clinical, economical and humanistic outcomes, and also, on the current concept of drug therapy problems (DTP) considered as failures in drug therapy. We conclude that the positive outcomes obtained with different programs of pharmaceutical care are making a beneficial change in patients' health but still more research projects should be conducted to support this change.

Forecasting↗

PubMed2004

[Intramuscular juvenile xantogranuloma].

Deep or intramuscular juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG) is very rare. There are, however, some clinical and histological similarities between the case we present and the few cases that have been published in the literature. Although most of them will need histologic confirmation to establish the final diagnosis, surgeons who are operating tumors of infancy should consider it in the differential diagnosis of well circumscribed, rapidly growing dorsal masses in children under 3 years of age. Macroscopic appearance upon excision can help to support the diagnosis. Knowledge of this variant of JXG may avoid aggressive diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.

Female↗

PubMed1999

The role of lipoaspiration in defeminization of Klinefelter syndrome: a case report.

Klinefelter syndrome is the most frequent sex chromosome anomaly. Affected men characteristically present a tall stature, eunuchoid contours with feminine fat distribution, gynecomastia, hypogonadism, infertility, and behavioral and psychiatric disorders. Diagnosis is confirmed by karyotype, which demonstrates an extra X chromosome. Treatment is mainly directed toward appropriate defeminization. Current treatment consists of testosterone replacement therapy and surgical correction of gynecomastia.

Abdomen↗

PubMed1999

Sclerotherapy of craniofacial venous malformations: complications and results.

Of all vascular anomalies, venous malformations are the most common, and they have a propensity for the head and neck. The authors retrospectively analyzed 40 patients with craniofacial venous malformations who underwent sclerotherapy between October of 1994 and June of 1996 to determine (1) the results of sclerotherapy with ethanol and/or sodium tetradecyl sulfate, (2) the types and rate of complications, and (3) whether outcome correlated with age, sex, location, size, tissues involved, morphology (lobular or varicose), venous outflow, or number of sclerotherapy sessions. The authors also reviewed the results after sclerotherapy and contour resection (n = 18). Comparisons between the results with ethanol and sodium tetradecyl sulfate and between sclerotherapy alone and sclerotherapy and resection combined were not done. The study was composed of three parts. They were (1) a review of records and imaging studies, (2) a panel evaluation of pretreatment and posttreatment photographs, and (3) a questionnaire that determined the patient's (or parent of the patient's) impression of therapy. Interrater and intrarater agreement were analyzed. Sclerotherapy was performed in an angiographic suite, under general anesthesia, using absolute ethanol and/or sodium tetradecyl sulfate. Complications of the treatment included acute blistering (50 percent), hemoglobinuria (28 percent), deep ulceration (13 percent), and nerve injury (7.5 percent). Two patients suffered transient facial paresis, and one had permanent unilateral vocal cord paralysis. Thirty patients (75 percent) were rated as having marked improvement or as being cured by all three members of the panel; 10 patients (25 percent) were rated as having no change or only slight improvement by one or more members of the panel. Interrater reliability was moderately positive, and intrarater reliability was highly positive. Thirty-seven patients or parents of patients (93 percent) responded to the questionnaire. The outcome was considered to be marked improvement or cured in 28 patients (76 percent), and nine respondents (24 percent) described only minor improvement or no change. Logistic regression analysis revealed that only male sex and number of sclerotherapeutic procedures were significant multivariate predictors of outcome. Size, location, tissues involved, morphology, or venous outflow were not determinant. In conclusion, sclerotherapy with ethanol or sodium tetradecyl sulfate is an effective and safe treatment for craniofacial venous malformations. Often, sclerotherapy has to be repeated. For extensive perioral malformations, combined sclerotherapy and resection give the best result.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

New instrument for orbital anthropometry.

A new instrument for orbital anthropometry is described. It consists of the base for a slit-lamp upon which the patient's head rests and rulers mounted on three independently movable axes. The z-axis probe is used to measure sagittal relationship between the corneal apices and points on the orbital perimeter. The instrument was tested against a sliding caliper and its accuracy was found to be within 0.2 mm or 2%. Intra- and inter-observer reliability were assessed by repeated measurements of two subjects by three observers. The intra-observer reliability was 0.99. Variations between observers was not significantly different for points orbitale inferius (oi), nasion (n), and orbitale superius (os), however, there was a statistically significant difference for measurement of orbitale laterale (ol). The correlation between anthropometric readings for lateral orbital wall to apex corneal (ol-ac) and CT scans for the same landmarks was assessed. Analysis of variance showed no difference between the measurement methods. This anthropometer is convenient and accurate for measurement of the sagittal orbital-globe relationships. A disadvantage is that it cannot be used intraoperatively.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Liposuction in atypical cases.

Liposuction has become the most frequent aesthetic procedure, and its indications continue to expand to different areas of plastic surgery. In this article the authors present their experience with liposuction in the treatment of nine cases termed "atypical," for not being purely aesthetic. Included are four congenital lipodystrophies-occult spinal disraphism, osteogenesis imperfecta, congenital lipomatosis difusa, and Klinefelter syndrome-and five acquired ones-posttraumatic lipoma, posttraumatic asymmetry, insulinic hypertrophic lipodystrophy, adiposis dolorosa, and TRAM flap. Particular features of each lipodystrophy are reviewed and details of fat distribution and density are described. We also review some specific details of the technique. On the other hand, we wish to point out the importance of recognizing and correctly diagnosing some specific lipodystrophies that are part of defined clinical patterns and that require an integral therapeutic approach.

Adolescent↗