Biomedical subjects

F Comuñas

Publications and source records attributed to F Comuñas.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2003

[Pituitary apoplexy].

Pituitary apoplexy is an infrequent complication of pituitary adenomas, caused by hemorrhagic or ischemic infarction in the tumor, with typical clinical presentation: severe headache of sudden onset, visual disturbances, sleep tendency or comma. Along the last ten years we have treated eight patients with pituitary apoplexy. The diagnostic was clinically established in all of them. Seven cases complained of severe headache and vomiting. Eight patients reported visual disturbances. In one case low level of consciousness and meningeal irritation were the only findings. In six cases the apoplexy was the first pituitary adenoma manifestation. MRI and CT studies demonstrated the pituitary stroke in seven patients. Surgical trans-sphenoidal decompression was performed in seven patients, requiring urgent management in only one case. All patients experienced a marked visual improvement, but there was no amelioration of endocrine preoperative disturbances in any case. We conclude that quick diagnosis, early onset of hormonal therapy and urgent or delayed trans-sphenoidal surgery, depending on clinical manifestations, constitute the principies of the appropriate treatment of pituitary apoplexy.

Adenoma↗

PubMed1998

[Analysis of prognostic factors in adults with chronic subdural hematoma].

The objective of the study is the analysis of prognostic factors observed in the evolution of 65 patients who presented chronic subdural hematoma surgically evacuated. Morbimortality ratio corresponding to our surgical technique is also presented. A retrospective statistical analysis of epidemiologic, clinic and radiologic factors was performed. Personal background of alcoholism or coagulopathy, decrease of the level of consciousness, a lower score at the Glasgow Coma Score, a maximum thickness of the hematoma superior to 2 cm, and the respiratory and neurologic complications were found to be related to a worst prognosis. Our surgical technique showed 4.6% of mortality and 1.5% of recurrence. Detection of prognostic factors may have important implications in the selection of patients for surgery. Our small craniectomy has similar clinical outcome than other surgical methods.

Age Distribution↗

PubMed1980

Quantification of plasminogen activator activity associated with herpesvirus-transformed cells.

Herpesvirus-transformed cell lines were examined for plasminogen activator (PA) activity using a quantitative assay. Previous results of cold fibrin overlay assays indicated that herpesvirus-transformed hamster cell lines produce fibrinolytic activity. Quantification of this activity involved the use of an 125I-fibrin lysis assay in which medium previously incubated with transformed or normal cells was tested for its ability to lyse 125I-fibrin polymers. This assay indicated an enhanced production of plasminogen-dependent fibrinolytic activity by transformed hamster cells compared to hamster embryo fibroblasts. The kinetics of secretion failed to reveal a significant difference in plasminogen activator activity in cells transformed by either herpes simplex virus types 1 or 2 (HSV-1 or HSV-2); however, transformed cells exhibited a significant increase in activity over non-transformed cells. Further characterization of PA activity associated with cells transformed by HSV-1 or HSV-2 has revealed that the protease is secreted and can function extracellularly. Extracellular PA activity produced by HSV-transformed cells is detected more efficiently than the cell-associated enzyme. Extracellular PA can be induced in two different species of cells by infection with partially inactivated HSV-2. Lytic infection of human embryo lung cells by HSV-2 strain 333 did not enhance activity, but infection of these cells with virus inactivated by u.v. irradiation resulted in increased PA levels from the cells. Increased enzyme levels were also detected in hamster embryo fibroblasts infected with partially inactivated virus. Further investigation of this enzyme function may determine whether increased levels of protease will indicate oncogenic transformation in vitro by herpesviruses.

Animals↗