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Biomedical subjects

F Carrera

Publications and source records attributed to F Carrera.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

[Epidemiology of Menière's disease in Cantabria].

OBJECTIVES: To know the main epidemiologic characteristics of Meniere's disease in Cantabria. METHODS: All the patients diagnosed of "definitive" Meniere's disease between 1992 and 2002 in Sierrallana Hospital of Torrelavega (Cantabria, Spain) were reviewed. Incidence, prevalence, presence of bilateral disease, age at diagnosis and gender were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 75 patients were diagnosed of "definitive" Meniere's" disease" during this time. The incidence was 3/100,000 people/year, the prevalence 75/100,000, male/female ratio was 0.38. Most frequent age at onset was between 40 and 60 years and bilateral cases were 5.3%. CONCLUSIONS: Meniere's Disease is not uncommon in Cantabria. It is more prevalent among middle aged women. Bilateral cases are rare.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

[Major ambulatory surgery in otorhinolaryngology].

In the last years we have witnessed a great increase of major ambulatory surgery procedures in our specialty. Some of them are very common as adenoidectomies, tonsillectomies and also the insertion of transtympanic tubes. Nevertheless there is no agreement about which of the procedures should be realized through AMS. The aim of this work is to do a review on the most important features involved in AMS entlightening what kind of operations can be included i such programmes.

Ambulatory Surgical Procedures↗
PubMed2000

Ca-ATPase of human myometrium plasma membranes.

We determined and characterized the Mg2+-dependent, Ca2+-stimulated ATPase (Ca-ATPase) activity in cell plasma membranes from the myometrium of pregnant women, and compared these characteristics to those of the active Ca2+-transport already demonstrated in this tissue. Similarly to the Ca2+-transport system, the Ca2+-ATPase is Mg2+-dependent, stimulated by calmodulin, and inhibited by vanadate. The Km for Ca2+ activation is 0.40 microM, very similar to that found for active calcium transport, i.e. 0.25 microM. Consequently, this Ca2+-ATPase can be responsible for the active calcium transport across the plasma membranes of smooth muscle cells.

5'-Nucleotidase↗
PubMed2000

[Usefulness of the flexible fibroscope with working channel in the treatment of pedunculated polyps of the vocal cords].

INTRODUCTION: Suspension laryngoscopy by general anesthesia is the universally method of performing microlaryngeal surgery for the treatment of vocal cord polyps. Recently a new technique using a flexible endoscope with working channel has been introduced and popularized in Spain for treating these lesions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective study was undertaken to asses the efficacy of this technique, something modified, for removal either pedunculated vocal cord polyps or with minute implantation basis. RESULTS: Twenty-six consecutive patients with pedunculated cord polyps were surgically removed, at the ENT-Department of Sierrallana Hospital (Torrelavega, Cantabria) from January 1995 till September 1996. In 4 patients with strong gang reflexes the procedure could not be finished. Twenty-two patients improved their voice and were satisfied with the result. In 2 other cases, of the group, the voice regain was not complete, but owing to the feelings of the individuals no more surgical procedures were scheduled. No postoperative aftermath were observed. One year later all cases were checked and all proclaimed their well-being. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that removal of pedunculated polyps of the vocal cord employing the fibroendoscope with working channel and local anesthetic should be the choix procedure for the lot of patients suffering this pathology, and the microsurgery with general anesthesia must be reserved for failure cases or for those patients using voice professionally.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

[Ambulatory septoplasty].

The AA. admit that the septoplasty under general anaesthesia is a surgical procedure that can be realized ambulatory, without added risks to patient. With viewpoint they have done a retrospective survey of the whole group of septoplasties performed under general anaesthesia at Torrelavega Hospital (Santander) in two years, between April 1995 and August 1997. The total number of cases amounted 56 (49 men and 7 women), lasting the procedure, more or less, one hour; postanaesthesia recovery also about 86 minutes and the hospital permanence about six hours and a half. Readmitted were 14 cases, because vomiting (7), for laryngeal spasm (2), bleeding (1), retention of urine (1) and other because vertigo (1), fever (1) and headache (1).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Effects of age, menopause and osteoporosis on free, peptide-bound and total pyridinium crosslink excretion.

We evaluated urinary excretion of free pyridinoline (PYD)-deoxypyridinoline (DPD) by an enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method, free and total PYD by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), free DPD by ELISA, chemiluminiscent immunoassay (CLEIA) and HPLC, total DPD by HPLC, and N-telopeptides (NTX) and C-telopeptides (CTX) by ELISA in 234 women distributed into three groups: 43 healthy young women (aged 26.2 +/- 2.5 years), 56 control postmenopausal women (aged 55.9 +/- 4.5 years) and 133 untreated osteoporotic women (aged 55.1 +/- 4.0 years). The control postmenopausal women had increased values of all markers considered, except NTX, compared with healthy young women. The osteoporotic postmenopausal women had significantly increased values compared with control postmenopausal women for free DPD by HPLC and free DPD by ELISA or CLEIA. HPLC, ELISA and CLEIA showed adequate correlation to measure free PYD and DPD. Control postmenopausal women had significantly decreased values of the fraction of free PYD and DPD (48.4% and 32.0%, respectively), as did the osteoporotic postmenopausal women (48.0% and 46.1%), compared with healthy young women (55.3% and 57.0%). We found a significant negative correlation comparing age with fraction of free PYD and DPD, but a positive correlation with total PYD and DPD, considering or not the osteoporotic postmenopausal women. T-score and Z-score values derived from healthy young women and control postmenopausal women for PYD, DPD, NTX and CTX measured by immunoassays were calculated to detect changes in bone turnover, DPD by ELISA or CLEIA showing the highest Z-score. The sensitivity and specificity of the different assays were evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. With a specificity of 90% the sensitivity of the markers considered was low (from 33% for DPD by CLEIA to 11% for PYD-DPD by ELISA), but increased considerably with a specificity of 75%. In conclusion, urinary pyridinium crosslink derivatives increase with age and after the menopause, and rise slightly in women with osteoporosis, there being a negative correlation among age and the fraction of free PYD and DPD of the total urinary excretion. Among the resorption markers most often available in clinical laboratories, free DPD by ELISA or CLEIA was the best at discriminating osteoporotic postmenopausal women from aged-matched control postmenopausal women.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

[Ambulatory laryngeal microsurgery].

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to determine if laryngeal microsurgery (LMS) under general anesthesia is a safe and convenient procedure when carried out on an outpatient basis in selected patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Seventy-eight adult patients (60 men and 18 women) were scheduled for outpatient LMS under general anesthesia between February 1995 and December 1996. RESULTS: Their age range was 19 to 77 years (mean 48 years). Forty-four (56.4%) were ASA I, 32 (41%) ASA II, and 2 (2.6%) ASA III. Laryngeal biopsy was performed in 40 cases (51.3%), polypectomy in 30 cases (38.5%), excision of Reinke's edema in 5 cases (6.4%), and cyst excision in 3 cases (3.8%). The mean stay in the Day Hospital was 7 hours (range 2.5-10 h). Seven patients (9%) had immediate postoperative complications. Three patients were admitted overnight. No patient had to be readmitted to the hospital after discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Outpatient laryngeal microsurgery is an appropriate and safe alternative to inpatient surgery in carefully selected patients, who are kept under strict observation in the immediate postoperative period.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Degradation profile and identification of the major degradation products of dobupride under several conditions by GC/MS and HPLC-particle beam/MS.

The effect of pH, light, temperature and oxygen on the stability of dobupride (1), a novel gastroprokinetic drug, has been studied, storing the sample in the solid state and as a solution in methanol-water. The main forced degradation products have been identified by means of techniques such as GC/MS and HPLC-particle beam/MS, and two major degradation pathways have been characterized. One degradation route involves the loss of chlorine, yielding 4-amino-2-butoxy-N-[1-(1,3-dioxolan-2-ylmethyl)piperid -4-yl]benzamide (4) as the major degradation product. The second pathway results from cleavage of the piperidine-amide bond, producing 4-amino-2-butoxy-5-chlorobenzamide (2) as the major degradation product. Under the studied conditions, except when exposed to direct light in solution, dobupride has been shown to be very stable: after 5 months storage, the benzamide 2 (second pathway) was the only product identified (less than 0.5%). However, when dobupride in solution is exposed to natural or artificial sunlight, degradation is very fast, and after 7 days only 5% of the unchanged product remains. Under these circumstances, the main degradation route is the first one, with compound 4 being the most abundant degradation product, and compound 2 only being detectable in small amounts.

Benzamides↗
PubMed1994

Persistence of antibodies to hepatitis C virus in a chronic hemodialysis population.

In order to evaluate the persistence of antibodies against hepatitis C virus (HCV) in a chronic hemodialysis population, we studied 151 HBsAg-negative patients. Anti-HCV titers were evaluated every 3 months over 1 year, and the serum alanine aminotransferase/serum aspartate aminotransferase ratio monthly from the start of hemodialysis. The anti-HCV titers (ELISA C100-3) remained stable in 127 patients and fluctuated in 24, without an evident correlation with hepatic function. Using our criteria, we found 85 patients with non-A, non-B hepatitis, 57 of them with biochemical criteria of chronic hepatic disease. There was a strong correlation between antibodies to HCV and non-A, non-B hepatitis (chi 2; p < 0.05) which was more marked in those patients with biochemical criteria of chronic hepatic disease (chi 2; p < 0.001). We concluded that the anti-HCV titer is reliable as a long-term marker of hepatitis C virus infection.

Alanine Transaminase↗
PubMed1992

Prevalence of non-A non-B hepatitis and anti-HCV antibodies in a Portuguese dialysis population.

Non-A Non-B hepatitis (NANBH) is nowadays one of the most common causes of hepatic dysfunction in dialysis patients. We reviewed the records of 231 HBsAg-negative patients in our unit and found 119 patients with biochemical criteria of NANBH (51.5%), 88 of them (68.9%) with circulating antibodies against HCV (chi 2 P less than 0.0001). Such high prevalence of NANBH was due to an outbreak of NANBH in the late 70s and early 80s. Time on haemodialysis (HD) was the major risk factor of NANBH in this population, and no other risk factors were identified. Prevalence of anti-HCV was similar to reports from non-uraemic populations. Anti-HCV seems to be a reliable test to confirm NANBH, but not better than using common biochemical criteria of NANBH to manage these patients in dialysis units.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

[Significance of digestive hemorrhage in patients with chronic renal insufficiency in hemodialysis].

Gastrointestinal Bleeding (GIB) is a complication in patients with Chronic Renal Failure (CRF) on regular hemodialysis (HD). To analyse the importance of GIB we studied, retrospectively, the causes of hospitalization in 301 patients, all on HD in the same Unit in January 1990. The average age was 57.4 +/- 14.2 years (17 to 87), time on HD 58.3 +/- 44.9 months, male = 166, female = 135. Of a total of 169 hospitalizations, the infectious disease were the most frequent cause with 37 admissions (21.9%), followed by gastrointestinal diseases with 34 admissions (21.1%). Of these, 23 (13.6%) were due to GIB (Upper GIB = 19, Lower GIB = 4). The etiologies of Upper GIB were: Peptic Ulcer = 9, erosive Gastritis/Duodenitis = 7. Angiodysplasia = 1, Mallory Weiss = 1 and unknown = 1. The etiologies of Lower GIB were: Angiodysplasia of the colon = 3, Cancer of the colon = 1. Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) had a positive correlation (p less than 0.01) with Upper GIB due to erosive Gastritis/Duodenitis. Surgery was necessary in a 8 cases of GIB, 7 of them due to Peptic Ulcer. GIB is an important cause of morbidity in patients with CRF on HD. Peptic Ulcer and erosive Gastritis/Duodenitis were the most frequent causes of GIB in the population studied. Angiodysplasia of the colon was the most important cause of Lower GIB. NSAID appear to be a risk factor for GIB from erosive Gastritis and or Duodenitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

[Effect of moderate salt restriction on the antihypertensive action of nifedipine: a double blind study].

Moderate salt restriction is of debatable efficacy in the treatment of mild or moderate hypertension; however, salt restriction enhances the activity of most antihypertensive drugs. Some observations suggest that the antihypertensive activity of calcium antagonists is not increased or could even decrease with dietary salt restriction. In the present work 15 patients suffering arterial hypertension and normal renal function are studied during four two week periods; a) unrestricted diet and medication, b) unrestricted diet and nifedipine (40 mg/day), c) low salt diet (5 g of salt/day) and nifedipine, and d) the same low salt diet, nifedipine and a salt supplement (6 g/day); salt or placebo were given in a double blind manner. At the end of each period arterial blood pressure was recorded, a urine sample for sodium determination was taken, and a blood sample was drawn for serum renine activity and biochemical parameters; at the end of each period patients' weight was recorded. Blood pressure significantly decreased (systolic: 9.83%, and dyastolic 11.17%) in patients treated with nifedipine, with no differences observed with salt modifications. Urinary sodium reflected correctly dietary salt modifications. Serum renine activity significantly increased during salt restriction. No significant changes were observed in weight or in the biochemical parameters studied. These results seem to suggest that the antihypertensive effect of nifedipine in patents suffering mild to moderate essential hypertension, with no change observed is not altered by the amount of salt in diet, at least within the limits studied (89.7 to 190 mEq/day of Sodium).

Clinical Trials as Topic↗