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Biomedical subjects

E Baca

Publications and source records attributed to E Baca.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Effects of Ixodes scapularis and Borrelia burgdorferi on modulation of the host immune response: induction of a TH2 cytokine response in Lyme disease-susceptible (C3H/HeJ) mice but not in disease-resistant (BALB/c) mice.

Previous studies have demonstrated that both Ixodes scapularis saliva and Borrelia burgdorferi antigens modulated lymphokines and monokines in vitro. The studies presented here were designed to delineate the role of I. scapularis and B. burgdorferi in modulation of the host immune response in vivo. Infestation of C3H/HeJ mice with infected I. scapularis resulted in an up regulation of IL-4 as early as 8 days after tick infestation, while the levels of T helper cell type 1 (TH1) cytokines, interleukin-2 (IL-2) and gamma interferon (IFN-gamma), were significantly decreased by days 10 to 12. In contrast, the cytokine profile of BALB/c mice exposed to infected nymphal ticks resulted in only transient alterations in IL-4, IL-2, and IFN-gamma production throughout a 12-day period postinfestation. Although the IL-10 level was elevated in both C3H/HeJ and BALB/c mice infested with infected nymphal ticks, no significant difference in the levels of IL-10 was noted between the mouse strains. Flow-cytometric analysis demonstrated increases in the numbers of splenic B-cell and CD4+ lymphocytes in C3H/HeJ but not BALB/c mice exposed to infected ticks. Cell depletion experiments with C3H/HeJ mice demonstrated that CD4+ cells were the sole producers of IFN-gamma and IL-10 while both CD4+ and CD8+ splenocytes contributed to the production of IL-2 and IL-4. These findings suggest that B and CD4+ splenocytes are activated, increase in number, and produce a polarized TH2 response in C3H/HeJ mice exposed to infected I. scapularis. Given that C3H/HeJ mice are susceptible to Lyme disease and the initial TH2 polarization is not evident in BALB/c mice, effective control of this response may have ramifications for spirochete transmission in vivo.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

"Doing battle": a metaphorical analysis of diabetes mellitus among Navajo people.

Effective communication with patients and their family members forms the foundation of a therapeutic relationship. This is particularly important when the occupational therapist, other health professionals, and the patient are from different cultural backgrounds. This paper describes one aspect of the findings of a ethnographic study of chronic diabetes among the Navajo people (referred to here as Dine'). It focuses on the dominant metaphorical images that were used by the informants to describe their illness experiences. The data suggest that diabetes can be considered a metaphor for larger social changes in the life-style and traditions (e.g., away from sheepherding as a means of basic subsistence to obtaining urban-centered employment) of native Americans and their effects on the Dine'. Implications of our findings include the importance of metaphorical communication for perceptions of compliance, powerlessness, and patient and therapist satisfaction with the therapeutic relationship.

Arizona↗
PubMed1990

Specific treatment demand as a definitory trait of a typology in heroin addicts: differential profile of two subpopulations.

Several sociodemographic, drug use pattern, and clinical variables were investigated in two groups of heroin addicts. Inclusion in one group or the other depended on the addict's attitude toward or against receiving treatment for the addiction. Those who rejected treatment differed significantly in the following: they were younger and belonged to larger families; they started cannabis and amphetamine use earlier, and used for a longer time; they used cocaine and heroin more frequently, and alcohol less frequently; and they suffered more often from a number of somatic and personality disorders. Implications for future research on the addiction are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Seville Quality of Life Questionnaire: historic outlook of its establishment].

We describe how we developed a new instrument for measuring quality of life, the Seville Quality of Life Questionnaire (SQCQ), and the results we obtained when we applied it to a group of schizophrenic patients. The questionnaire was designed by a group of researchers who set out from the premise that the quality of life of schizophrenic patients is perceived differently from that of healthy people, and tried first of all to demarcate the kind of area which is abnormal in these patients. We then devised a set of items which were assessed for clarity and pertinence by a series of experts, and the questionnaire was assembled in the form of a set of statements, response to which is in the form of a Lickert-type 5-stage scale. The finished questionnaire was administered to 279 schizophrenic patients. At the same time, these patients were also evaluated using the AMDP Psychopathology Scale, the positive and negative symptoms evaluation scale (PANS), Lehman's structured quality of life interview (QOLY), Ruiz and Baca's quality of life questionnaire (QLQ), Camberwell's scale of needs analysis (CANr) and the WHO's handicap assessment scale (DDS). These questionnaires were used to judge the different types of validity of the Seville Questionnaire. The reliability of the questionnaire was measured using Cronbach's alpha coefficient (internal consistency: 0,85 scale of favourable aspects, 0,96 scale of unfavourable aspects). As far as validity was concerned, both scales of the questionnaire were found to have a high level of validity. We also examined the extent to which the psychopathological disorders affected the quality of the schizophrenic person's life, the extent to which his/her needs were being met by the health services, and the patient's degree of disability. From the results obtained, we can say that the SQCQ is a reliable and valid instrument, which is sufficiently sensitive to the clinical changes produced in the course of the natural history of the disease. The SQCQ stands out from the other quality of life questionnaires in that it takes into account aspects of the disease which the patient him/herself is aware of as affecting his/her quality of life.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Validation of the Spanish version of PRIME-MD: a procedure for diagnosing mental disorders in primary care].

INTRODUCTION: Psychiatric disorders occurs in at least 20% of patients attending Primary Care settings, however, only 50% of them are detected by primary care physicians. Therefore a tool is required which can help primary care physicians to detect and diagnose psychiatric disorders. PRIME-MD (Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders) is a questionnaire designed with this aim. In this article the results of the validation study of the Spanish version of this questionnaire are presented. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 312 patients were interviewed by primary care physicians using PRIME-MD and by psychiatrists using SCAN (Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry). RESULTS: The time most frequently spent in questionnaire application by the physician was 10 minutes. PRIME-MD detected the presence of at least one psychiatric disorder in 44.3% of patients. PRIME-MD diagnoses agree well with SCAN diagnoses for mood disorders (coefficient of agreement: 0.50) and for anxiety disorders (coefficient of agreement: 0.35), but not for somatoform disorders or alcohol-related disorders. CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish version of PRIME-MD questionnaire in a useful tool to identify and diagnose mood and anxiety disorders in Primary Care settings.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Terrorist attacks and short-long time psychiatric morbidity].

BACKGROUND: The victims of terrorist attacks have a lower level of mental health than general population. However this effects has been only demonstrated in short term after the terrorist attack. METHODS: 2998 people from 544 families who have suffered a terrorist attacks. General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) as a psychopathological screening was used in 1094 people. This sample was divided in direct victims (DV), direct victims' relatives (DVR) and people who meet these two conditions (DVRDV). RESULTS: 39.6% of the sample were probable psychiatric cases. Psychiatric prevalence was higher in DRVDV (54.5%) and DV (52.0%) than in DRV and general population (10-25%). The sample presented worse level of mental health than the general population in short term (0-2 years) (DVR 40%, DV 66.7%, DRVDR 75%) and in long term 18-20 años) (DVR 35.70%, DV 37%, DRVDR 37.5%). CONCLUSION: Both those suffering a terrorist attack as well as their family members have worse levels of mental health than the general population in both the short and long term.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Impact of olanzapine on quality of life of patients with schizophrenia: one-year follow-up with the Seville Quality of Life Questionnaire].

INTRODUCTION: Our objective is to present the impact on quality of life of long-term olanzapine treatment in a significant number of schizophrenics as determined by the Seville Quality of Life Questionnaire (SQLQ), an instrument that addresses the aspects that particularly affect these patients, and to evaluate the sensitivity of this instrument to the changes induced by this treatment. METHODS: Three hundred and seventy two patients with the diagnosis of schizophrenia as per the ICD-10 classification were evaluated in a 1 year prospective study after switching to olanzapine. The SQLQ, Lehman's structured interview and short version of the discapacity assessment scale were used to evaluate patient's subjective experience; in addition, other instruments were used to evaluate psychopathology. RESULTS: Significant increases in the scores of the favorable scale and decreases in the unfavorable scale of the SQLQ were found. There were also significant improvements in quality of life as measured with Lehman's structured interview. This improvement continued until the end of the 1 year follow-up after switching to olanzapine. Both instruments show a good correlation. Changes in psychopathology were also remarkable, including the negative symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The SQLQ has proven to be a sensitive instrument to measure quality of life in schizophrenic patients treated with olanzapine. It focuses on aspects that are relevant for patients that were frequently overlooked by treating physicians. This drug has been proven to have a favorable subjective impact upon patients, besides improving psychopathology.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Ziprasidone: from pharmacology to the clinical practice. One year of experience.

More than a year after the marketing of the atypical anti-psychotic ziprasidone, data from research studies and clinical practice have provided a fair amount of useful information for its practical use in the treatment of schizophrenia. Its pharmacodynamical characteristics and the results from clinical trials with a flexible dose seem to justify the need to administer doses in a range higher than what was initially foreseen, with an initial minimum of 120 mg per day and a fast titulation up to 160 mg per day. Such doses make it possible to achieve sufficient plasma concentrations to occupy at least 60 % of the D2 receptors from which the anti-psychotic effect derives. Moreover, its anti-depressive activity and its non-sedative profile have been confirmed, with a favorable effect on attention and other cognitive functions of the patient, according to its high affinity for 5HT1A and D1 receptors and the inhibition of serotonin and noradrenaline re-uptake. Finally, the low affinity of this drug for alpha-adrenergic, histaminergic and muscarinic receptors favors a good tolerability profile, with a neutral effect on weight, and a lack of anti-cholinergic effects. Results from different clinical trials show that the use of doses in the higher range is associated to a faster and more pronounced clinical improvement without adding a higher risk of adverse events.

Antipsychotic Agents↗