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F Díaz

Publications and source records attributed to F Díaz.

159 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
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Short- and middle-latency auditory evoked potentials in abstinent chronic alcoholics: preliminary findings.

Short- and middle-latency auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs and MAEPs) were studied in 15 chronic alcoholic patients after 1 month's abstinence and compared with those of 15 healthy controls, matching the patients pairwise for sex and age. Most of the parameters studied varied more within the alcoholic group than within the control group. The BAEP results agree with previous reports; in the alcoholic group, BAEP peak V was significantly delayed and the inter-peak intervals, III-V and I-V, were lengthened. The latencies of the MAEP components Na and Pa, on the other hand, were significantly shortened. These findings suggest that chronic abusive consumption of alcohol may bring about structural and/or neurochemical alterations at various levels in the auditory pathway.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Clinical course of epileptic seizures in Rett's syndrome].

INTRODUCTION: Seventeen girls diagnosed as Rett syndrome (RS) patients suffer or have suffered epileptic fits; we have analyzed the evolution of these seizures. The RS diagnosis is based on criteria established by the Rett Syndrome Diagnostic Criteria Working Group in 1988. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All girls have had clinical, biochemical, electroneurophysiological neuroimaging and cytogenetic studies done on them. Periodic EEG were carried out while the girls were awake; all had night-time EEGs done. The females are aged between 7 y 5 m, and 22 y 7 m (medium 14 years, 8 months). The age at first seizure was between 18 m and 7 y 8 m (median 4 years 5 months). RESULTS: The clinic semiology is in decreasing order: tonic, generalized clonic, partial, absence and myoclonic seizures; eight patients have had more than one type of seizures. The frequency is variable: one or more continuous seizures in 6 cases, sporadic seizures in 3 cases, series of seizures in 4 cases, and subnitrant seizures in 4 cases. The evolution is variable: 6 cases have presented only the first fit, and 11 cases recurrent seizures which in 5 have ceased between 8 and 9 years, and 1 case at 13 years. CONCLUSIONS: The study shows that the epileptic seizures in RS present three evolution profiles: 1. One or more non recurrent seizures (35.3%); 2. Recurrent seizures until 8-9 years (35.3%); 3. Recurrent seizures in subnitrant form which continued after puberty (29.4%).

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Blood flow in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage. Does there exist the associated hypoperfusion? A transcranial Doppler study].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate, using transcranial Doppler, changes in parameters in patients with cerebral hematoma, as compared with controls, for detection of possible regional hypoperfusion. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied 24 patients with cerebral hematomas and 15 healthy volunteers. The volume of the hematoma and the hypodense area was determined by computerized axial tomography of the skull at the time of admission. The average speed and index of pulsation of the anterior, middle and posterior cerebral arteries were measured in both hemispheres using transcranial Doppler within the first 100 hours. The differences between the averages were analysed using the ANOVA test and the correlations with Pearson's coefficient of correlation. RESULTS: The average speeds, except in the anterior cerebral artery, were lower in both hemispheres in the patients than in the controls (p < 0.001). There were interhemispherical differences in the average speeds in the patients (p = 0.06). The indices of pulsatility were greater in both hemispheres in the patients than in the controls (p < 0.001). These differences were independent of age, sex and arterial blood pressure. The average speed in the ipsilateral middle cerebral artery showed excellent correlation with the size of the hypodense area (r = -0.92) and the hematoma (r = -0.89). The indices of pulsatility showed little correlation with the size of the lesion. There was moderate correlation between transcranial Doppler and clinical scales. CONCLUSION: Transcranial Doppler detects cerebral hypoperfusion in patients with hematoma. The excellent correlation of the average speed in the middle cerebral artery with the size of the lesion and the low correlation of the indices of pulsatility, which did not show interhemispherical asymmetry, suggest that the mechanisms of hipoperfusion are different from the intracranial hypertension.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Body image in patients with dentofacial deformities treated by maxillofacial surgery].

OBJECTIVE: Considerable controversies exist about the psychological impact of dentofacial deformities and the effects of treatment on body image. This research, which is a part of a longitudinal prospective study about a number of psychological aspects of adult patients with severe dentofacial deformities treated by orthognatic surgery, assesses the body image of a sample of patients before and after treatment. METHOD: Two subscales, general and facial-oclusal, of the modified Secord and Jourard test were used to evaluate body image of a sample of orthognatic surgery patients (N = 58). The questionnaires were completed at four time points: one week before surgery (T0), and one (T1), six (T6) and twelve months (T12) after surgery. RESULTS: Despite the severity of dentofacial deformity, presurgical mean scores of both subscales of body image test were normal. T6 scores were significantly higher than normative levels in both subscales (p < 0.001). T6 scores were also significantly higher than T0 in both general (p < 0.05) and facial-oclusal subscales (p < 0.001). T12 measurements showed significant differences in both subscales with respect to normative levels but significant differences between T12 and T0 were only found in facial oclusal subscale (p < 0.001). No differences were found between T12 and T6 scores. CONCLUSION: The positive effect of orthognatic surgery on body image is encouraging, but longer follow up is needed to evaluate the persistence of results and the eventual occurrence of any late change.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Comparative study of the behavior of isoflurane and halothane in pediatric anesthesia].

This study involves 60 patients below the age of 14 years who were subjected to short duration surgical procedures under inhalation anesthesia with halothane and isoflurane at equivalent CAM in 50% protoxide. The objectives of the study were: a) to establish which of the two inhalational agents produced the more rapid anesthetic induction; b) to determine which exerted the more marked potentiation of the neuromuscular blockade induced by succinylcholine, and c) to compare the anesthetic quality during the induction and recovery periods of both halogenated agents. Induction was more rapid after halothane (mean induction time of 2.91 +/- 0.97 min) than after isoflurane (mean induction time of 6.24 +/- 2.88 min; p less than 0.001). Potentiation of succinylcholine induced neuromuscular blockade was greater after isoflurane than after halothane: the mean time of apnea was 4.56 +/- 1.82 min for isoflurane and 3.41 +/- 1.63 min for halothane (p less than 0.05). Undesirable effects were larger in patients treated with isoflurane than in patients anesthetized with halothane (mean score: 12.60 +/- 3.53 points vs 14.41 +/- 2.33 points; p less than 0.001). The analysis of anesthetic quality during the recovery period gave a mean punctuation of 16.62 +/- 2.21 to patients treated with halothane, whereas patients anesthetized with isoflurane showed a lower score of 14.25 +/- 1.99 points (p less than 0.001). The higher scores corresponded to the most well tolerated anesthetic induction and recovery. The highest attainable score in this study was 18.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Antibodies against hepatitis C virus. Experience with a second generation test].

A second generation recombinant immunoblot assay to detect antibodies against Hepatitis C virus (RIBA II, Ortho Diagnostic Systems) was applied to 30 serum samples repeatedly reactive to ELISA anti-HCV c100-3, 11 from hemodialysis patients, 11 from patients with chronic hepatitis and 8 from patients with cirrhosis. The assay detects individual antibodies directed to 4 antigenic components of the C virus, 2 antigens, c100 and 5-1-1 contained in the original ELISA assay and 2 new antigens, c33c and c22-3 the latter structural in nature. From the total of 30 samples, 23 (77%) were reactive, 4 (13%) indeterminate and 3 (10%) non reactive to the RIBA II assay. Much variation was observed regarding the response to each individual antigen. c22-3 was the most frequently reactive with the highest intensity. RIBA II assay confirmed a high percentage of the reactive results with the ELISA c-100-3, serum samples that were non reactive to RIBA showed a low optical density with ELISA. c22-3 was the most sensitive antigenic component.

Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Physaloptera lutzi (Nematoda, Physalopteridae) parasite of Liolaemus (Iguania, Tropiduridae) from north-western Argentina].

Specimens collected in several localities from Salta and Tucumán provinces (north-western Argentina) Liolaemus quilmes and L. ornatus (oviparous population), and L. alticolor (viviparous population) were dissected. The specimens of lizards examinated have nematodes, in stomach, fore-gut and cloaca, identified as Physaloptera lutzi Guimaraes, Cristófaro and Rodrigues, 1976. This represents the first record for this parasite from Liolaemus species in Argentina. Morphologic and morphometric parasitological studies were done. The specimens were drawn and photographed. Also, the following parasitic infection indexes were calculated: prevalence, mean and maximum intensity.

Animals↗