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Biomedical subjects

J Batista

Publications and source records attributed to J Batista.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Aggressive behavior of papillary microcarcinoma in a patient with Graves' disease initially presenting as cystic neck mass.

Prognosis of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid associated with Graves' disease is controversial; nevertheless, tumors smaller than 1 cm (microcarcinoma) are usually considered to render a good prognosis. We describe a patient with Graves' disease who developed a lateral cystic neck mass that was later confirmed to be a metastatic lymph node from papillary thyroid microcarcinoma. Contrary to having a good prognosis with a microcarcinoma, our patient developed bilateral lung metastases. The possible role of thyroid stimulating immunoglobulins in the aggressive course of the tumor is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Long-term therapy with policosanol improves treadmill exercise-ECG testing performance of coronary heart disease patients.

This study examined the effects of long-term lipid-lowering therapy with policosanol on the clinical evolution, and exercise-ECG testing responses of 45 coronary heart disease (CHD) patients with myocardial ischemia, documented by exercise 201T1-myocardial perfusion scintigraphy, in an overall randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, made for different test endpoints. Fifteen patients were treated with 5 mg of policosanol twice daily; another 15 patients were administered the same drug dose plus 125 mg aspirin; and the other 15 patients received placebo plus equal aspirin dose. They were followed for 20 months, previous baseline observations, with treadmill exercise-ECG, besides serum lipid test. Beneficial changes on proportions among the 2 policosanol groups and the placebo group, showed an increment on functional capacity class, a decrement on rest and exercise angina, and a significant decrease in cardiac events, and in ischemic ST segment response, especially in the policosanol plus aspirin group (p = 0.05, X2(2df) = 5.8; p = 0.04, p = 0.02; Fisher). After treatment, sets of mean changes revealed an increase on maximum oxygen uptake, and a decline on double product simultaneously in both policosanol groups (p < or = 0.02, p < or = 0.002; Pillais, Hotellings' T2), while the placebo group was impaired. Aerobic functional capacity percent showed an increment in policosanol groups (p < or = 0.05, paired T). Lipid levels improved as other endpoints already reported. A supposed ergogenic effect of octacosanol, policosanol's main active compound, was not detected with this design. These results show that policosanol-treated CHD patients improved clinical evolution, and exercise-ECG responses, owing to the amelioration of myocardial ischemia, even more when administered with aspirin.

Anticholesteremic Agents↗
PubMed1998

[Nephrotic syndrome. What is new since the 1988 study?].

The authors make a retrospective review of 53 new cases of Nephrotic Syndrome followed up in the Nephrology Unit from November 1988 to March 1994, bearing in mind the evaluation of casual changes of the disease standard regarding a previous study of 1988. Epidemiological, clinical, therapeutical and evolutional aspects were studied. Forty-four cases of primary Nephrotic Syndrome (83%) were identified, 61.4% of which behaved as cortico-sensitive, 25% as cortico-dependent, and 13.6% as cortico-resistant; 8 cases (15%) of Nephrotic Syndrome secondary to infection, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Amyloidosis, and 1 case of congenital Nephrotic Syndrome (2%). The theory that the high number of cortico-dependent is, probably, related with a higher severity in the relapse diagnosis and/or changes in the children's standard of living is admissible. It was also observed that at present there is a lower number of hospital discharges, related to more careful attitudes adopted regarding the evolution of the disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Model for voluntary wine and alcohol consumption in rats.

It has been suggested that moderate consumption of ethanol and wine has a protective effect on human health. Animal models used to date for alcohol consumption can not mimic real situations in humans because the consumption is forced and/or excessive. The present study proposes to determine the effects of a voluntary and ad lib consumption model more similar to that of human behavior. Male Wistar rats had free access to either standard diet and water or the same diet plus red wine, sweet wine, or a solution equivalent to red wine (13.5% ethanol) or to sweet wine (20% ethanol + 130 g/L sucrose) for 30 days or 6 months. Daily wine consumption was 15.8 +/- 0.9 and 2.0 +/- 0.2 ml/day for sweet and red wines, respectively. The consumption of each of the alcoholic solutions was similar to that of the wine they were simulating. Drinking wine or ethanol did not affect food and water intakes or growth rate. Plasma metabolites were not substantially affected by consumption of wine or ethanol. Although moderate and high wine consumption did not change the activity of plasma marker enzymes of tissue damage, the consumption of the 2 alcoholic solutions caused a long-term increase in the activity of aspartate aminotransferase. It seems that wine consumption protects the organism from hepatic lesions induced by ethanol alone.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1996

Mercury in hair for a child population from Tarragona Province, Spain.

Mercury concentrations were determined in scalp hair of 233 school children aged 6-16 years. The study was carried out in three communities (Flix, Tarragona and Tortosa) from Tarragona Province (Southern Catalonia, Spain). The influence of the variables place of residence, age, sex, fish and seafood consumption, number of dental amalgam fillings, hair color, parents' occupation, and smoking habits of the household members was also examined. The geometric mean mercury concentration in hair was 0.77 microgram/g. The place of residence, sex, and the frequency in consuming fish and seafood were the variables that significantly affected hair mercury concentrations. Girls had more mercury in their hair than boys, whereas hair mercury levels were significantly correlated with the frequency in the fish and seafood consumption, with the levels being more elevated when the fish and seafood consumption was also higher. Hair mercury concentrations were also affected by the place of residence, with school children of Flix showing lower mercury concentrations than those found in children from Tarragona and Tortosa. The remaining variables had no influence on hair mercury levels.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Effect of policosanol on hyperlipidemia and coronary heart disease in middle-aged patients. A 14-month pilot study.

To find out the long-term lipid-lowering efficacy of policosanol in low dose and its influence in the evolution of coronary heart disease (CHD), a pilot clinical randomized single-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted on 23 middle-aged outpatients, with well documented diagnosis of chronic CHD and primary or marginal hyperlipidemia. Twelve patients received policosanol tablets of 1 mg twice daily, and 11 patients placebo in the same fashion, followed with rest and stress electrocardiogram (ECG), and serum lipid blood samples by 14 months. The treated group showed significant reduction of total cholesterol in 14.8% (p < or = 0.001) and of low density lipoprotein (LDL) in 15.6% (p < or = 0.05), against non significant increase of 3% and 5.5%, respectively, in the placebo group. No patient had new coronary events in both groups, but 5 of 12 treated patients exhibited a clinical tendency to improve their CHD, in comparison with no one in the placebo group (p < or = 0.05). These findings show the effectiveness of low dose of policosanol lowering total cholesterol and LDL levels and suggest a CHD improvement in middle-aged patients with primary or marginal hyperlipidemia.

Anticholesteremic Agents↗
PubMed1994

Prospective randomized trial of mechanical bowel preparation in patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery.

A total of 149 patients admitted for elective colorectal surgery were randomly allocated to receive preoperative mechanical bowel preparation (group 1) or no mechanical bowel preparation (group 2). All patients received antimicrobial prophylaxis with cephalothin and metronidazole. The overall incidence of wound infection was 17.4 per cent (24 per cent for group 1, 12 per cent for group 2) and that of dehiscence 7.4 per cent (10 per cent for group 1, 5 per cent for group 2). The incidence of wound infection was significantly higher in group 1 (P < 0.05) but that of anastomotic dehiscence did not differ significantly between groups. Mechanical bowel preparation is unnecessary and may be harmful in terms of preventing wound infection and anastomotic dehiscence in patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Quality in obstetrics using a telematic system.

A telematic based system for antenatal care has been developed to be used in service integration between primary and secondary health care units. The system is based on low cost platforms and has a user friendly human computer interface. This system will provide better integration and coordination between the health care providers involved, improving the quality of the services. This experiment is being funded in the framework of the EC.Project-A 2007-EPIC. Quality indicators, agreed in the "European concensus conference of quality indicators for perinatal care", organized in conjunction with OBSQID project (AIM.2125) were integrated in the system. Data collection has started and the outcome will be used to validate the indicators on a transeuropean basis under the framework of the OBSQID Project.

Data Collection↗
PubMed1990

[Thyroid clinical dysfunction in patients chronically treated with amiodarone].

This is a prospective study of 132 patients, without previous thyroid dysfunction, chronically treated with amiodarone for cardiac arrhythmias, to determine the incidence of thyroid dysfunction. Age was 62 +/- 11 years (mean +/- SD); 54 were female and 78 male. The arrhythmia was supraventricular in 66%, ventricular in 26.5%, and both in 7.5%. Amiodarone dose was 2,390 +/- 65 mg/week, and follow-up 20 +/- 9 months (minimum 9 months). Thyroid status was evaluated at the onset and at regular intervals during follow-up by means of clinical indexes defined by Crooks et al and Billewicz et al. During follow-up 4 patients developed diagnostic indexes (two hyperthyroid and two hypothyroid) and seven more developed suggestive symptoms without reaching a diagnostic index. Biochemical serum determinations of thyroid function proved dysfunction in the four with diagnostic indexes, and were normal in the other seven. The prevalence of new thyroid dysfunction in patients chronically treated with amiodarone in our population is 3%, with equal incidence of hyper and hypofunction. This is the expected incidence for an area with adequate dietary iodine intake. The use of clinical indexes of thyroid dysfunction appear as a useful and economical means of following thyroid function in these patients, saving a large number of biochemical tests.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Detection of rejection after heart transplantation. A computerized precordial mapping experience.

A low-cost modular compact personal computer-based system for surface precordial mapping (SPM) developed by the authors was used to detect rejection periods, documented by endomyocardial biopsy (EB), in heart transplant patients on cyclosporine A therapy. Data were collected with a matrix of 35 Ag-AgCl electrodes positioned over the precordio with anatomical references within 12 hours of EB. For each acquisition the authors computed the root mean square waveform from all signals collected to assess the accuracy of the maximum value of the RMS waveform (mRMS) parameter to detect rejection episodes. A mRMS variation of 20% in consecutive mapping acquisitions was the decision criterion. In EB, only presence or absence of acute rejection was considered. Eleven heart transplant patients were studied and 46 acquisitions were done. The mRMS obtained with SPM showed a sensitivity of 69% and a specificity of 91%, with a positive predictive value of 75% and negative value of 88%. The results indicate that surface precordial mapping may be promising for monitoring rejection.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Periodontal treatment needs in 12-16-yr-old children from Santo Domingo.

The purpose of this study was to determine the periodontal treatment needs, using the CPITN, in 12-16 yr-old children from private and public schools from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. A total of 1080 children was studied (540 in private schools and 540 in public schools). More children from private schools were seen without signs of periodontal disease than in public schools. More children from private schools showed no need for treatment. There was no statistical difference between children from private and public schools regarding the treatment need categories I and III. However, for the treatment need II category (oral hygiene-scaling), the children from public schools showed a slight increase in need over the private schoolchildren. Combining private and public schools, 12.9% of the 1080 children examined needed no treatment, 5.9% needed treatment I, 80.8% needed treatment II, and 0.4% needed treatment III.

Adolescent↗