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Biomedical subjects

J Dias

Publications and source records attributed to J Dias.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Dietary protein source affects lipid metabolism in the European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax).

The study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of dietary protein sources on lipogenesis and fat deposition in a marine teleost, the European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax). Four isonitrogenous (crude protein (CP, Nx6.25), 44% DM) and isoenergetic (22-23 kJ/g DM) diets were formulated to contain one of the following as the major protein source: fish meal (FM), one of two soy protein concentrates (SPC) and corn gluten meal (CGM). Apparent digestibility coefficients of the diets and raw ingredients, as well as soluble nitrogen (ammonia and urea) and phosphorus excretion were measured. Growth rates of seabass fed plant protein-based diets were significantly lower than those fed fish meal based diet. The protein utilisation was strongly correlated to the dietary essential amino acids index. Measurements of N excretion (ammonia and urea nitrogen) confirmed these data. Daily fat gain at the whole body level ranged between 1.1 to 1.7 g/kg BW, with the highest values being recorded in fish fed the fish meal based diet. Levels of plasma triglycerides and cholesterol were lower in fish fed soy protein diets than in those fed the diet solely based on fish meal. Soy protein rich diets decreased the activities of selected hepatic lipogenic enzymes (glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, malic enzyme, ATP-citrate lysase, acetylcoenzyme A carboxylase and fatty acid synthetase). Highest lipogenic enzyme activities where found in fish fed the fish meal diet, except for fatty acid synthetase which was increased in seabass fed the corn-gluten meal based diets. Overall data suggest that dietary protein sources affects fat deposition and the lipogenic potential in European seabass.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Can rock climbing lead to Dupuytren's disease?

OBJECTIVES: To determine if rock climbing is a significant factor in the development of Dupuytren's disease in men, and, if so, what is the most likely related factor. METHODS: Questionnaires were distributed to all 1100 members of the Climbers' Club of Great Britain. These detailed basic information about the climber, the presence of Dupuytren's disease, and any known risk factors for its development. RESULTS: About half (51%) of the questionnaires were returned. The respondents were almost entirely male. It was revealed that 19.5% of male climbers had developed Dupuytren's disease. There was a significantly higher life time intensity of climbing activity in those with the disease. An earlier age of onset of the disease was found in climbers compared with the general population. CONCLUSIONS: This study further strengthens the hypothesis that repetitive trauma to the palmar fascia predisposes to the development of Dupuytren's disease in men.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

VOLUS--a visualization system for 3D ultrasound data.

The main goal of this paper is the description of a computer based system for medical applications to estimate the half-ellipsoid model that fits the left ventricle on its two phases of cardiac cycle: diastole and systole. Techniques for registration and rendering of ultrasound images will be presented using 2D freehand spatial calibrated echocardiography images in order to represent the 3D reconstructed data equivalent to the scanned volume. The 3D reconstruction will be used to estimate and measure parameters of the half-ellipsoid model fitted to the left ventricle.

Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional↗
PubMed2004

Acute hand and wrist injuries in experienced rock climbers.

BACKGROUND: The sport of rock climbing has its own spectrum of injuries, almost half of which involve the wrist and hand. OBJECTIVE: To examine the incidence of acute wrist and hand injuries in 545 members of The Climbers' Club of Great Britain. METHOD: A total of 1100 questionnaires were sent to current members of The Climbers' Club of Great Britain for them to detail any hand and wrist injuries sustained to date. In decade years, the climbing grades and time spent climbing at each grade were determined. From these results a total and historic climbing intensity score for each climber could be calculated. RESULTS: Half of the questionnaires were returned complete. The respondents were almost entirely male. There were 235 wrist and hand injuries in 155 climbers (28%). The climbing intensity scores were significantly higher in the injury group than in those who had not suffered a wrist or hand injury (p<0.05). Finger tendon injuries were the most common injury, followed by abrasions/lacerations and fractures. DISCUSSION: The most common injuries found in rock climbing involve the wrist and hand. The predominant injury to the hand involves the finger tendons or pulleys. The greater the climbing intensity calculated over a climber's career, the greater the likelihood of sustaining these injuries.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2003

Palmar wrist ganglion: does intervention improve outcome? A prospective study of the natural history and patient-reported treatment outcomes.

A prospective cohort study was undertaken to observe the long-term outcome of different treatments for palmar wrist ganglia. One hundred and eighty-two patients agreed to participate in the study. One hundred and fifty-five patients (88%) responded at 2 or 5 years. Seventy-nine had been treated by surgical excision, 39 by aspiration and 38 by reassurance alone. At 5 years no significant differences were observed in the recurrence rates which were 42% after excision of a palmar wrist ganglion and 47% (19 of 39) after aspiration. Twenty of the 39 untreated ganglia had disappeared spontaneously. Eighty-five per cent of the patients were satisfied irrespective of treatment. Patients having surgery had a complication rate of 20% and took more time off work (14 days). Significantly more patients in the untreated group felt the persistent ganglion was unsightly. The patient evaluation measure scores were similar. At 2 and 5 year follow-up, regardless of treatment, no difference in symptoms was found, regardless of whether the palmar wrist ganglion was excised, aspirated or left alone. One in four wrists remained weak regardless of treatment or disappearance of the ganglion.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Randomised controlled trial of single, subacromial injection of methylprednisolone in patients with persistent, post-traumatic impingment of the shoulder.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact on recovery, of single subacromial injection of methylprednisolone in patients with persistent, post-traumatic impingement of the shoulder. DESIGN: Randomised, controlled study. SETTING: Large accident and emergency department in Leicester, UK. PARTICIPANTS: 98 patients with persistent, post-traumatic impingement of the shoulder. INTERVENTION: Single subacromial injection of methylprednisolone with bupivicaine (group S, n=54) or bupivicaine only (group C, n=44). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pain using a 10 cm visual analogue scale (VAS) and active shoulder abduction. RESULTS: Comparison of pain scores by the 10 cm VAS between group and group C showed no statistical difference at 3, 6, or 12 weeks. Mean patient pain scores at 12 weeks were 1.38 in both groups (p=0.99). There were 16 patients in group S (mean age 52 years) with a 10 cm VAS greater than 1 (95% CI CI 0.17 to 0.43), compared with 13 patients (mean age 57 years) in group C (95% CI 0.17 to 0.45). Comparison of active shoulder abduction between group S and group C showed no statistical difference at 3, 6, or 12 weeks. Mean active abduction at 12 weeks was 168.9 degrees in group S and 170.3 degrees in group C (p=0.8). There were 10 patients in group S (mean age 60.5) with active abduction less than 170 at 12 weeks (95% CI 0.09 to 0.31), compared with five patients (mean age 62 years) in group C (95% CI 0.04 to 0.24). CONCLUSIONS: Single subacromial injection of methylprednisolone has no beneficial impact on reducing the pain, or the duration of immobility in patients with persistent post-traumatic impingement of the shoulder

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

An assessment of the clinical efficacy of intranasal desmopressin spray in the treatment of renal colic.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the efficacy of desmopressin nasal spray compared with diclofenac given intramuscularly in patients with acute renal colic caused by urolithiasis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 61 patients randomized into three different groups; group A received desmopressin (40 microg, nasal spray), group B diclofenac (75 mg) intramuscularly and group C, both desmopressin and diclofenac. Pain was assessed using a visual analogue scale (a 10-cm horizontal scale ranging from 'no pain' to 'unbearable pain') at baseline, 10, 20 and 30 min after administering the treatments. RESULTS: On admission, the pain level was the same in all three groups. At 10 min the pain decreased in all groups to a level that was not significantly different. At 20 min groups B and C had similar mean pain levels (3.7), whereas in group A it was 5.0. At 30 min, groups B and C scored 2-3, and group A 5.6. All three treatments were equally effective at 10 and 20 min but at 30 min there was a stabilization/slight increase in pain level in group A. CONCLUSIONS: Desmopressin has several advantages, e.g. ease of administration, simplicity of delivery and apparent lack of side-effects, which makes it suitable for ambulatory use. Desmopressin acts rapidly and seems to be effective in both single and combined therapy with diclofenac; it decreases the need for a second treatment and increases the analgesic effect of diclofenac. Some patients responded well to desmopressin, with rapid and complete pain relief. These results indicate that desmopressin may be used to treat renal colic either alone or combined, increasing the analgesic effect of other drugs. More studies are needed to validate and confirm the results; it would also be useful to determine factors that may identify the subgroup of patients who respond quickly and with almost complete pain relief.

Administration, Intranasal↗
PubMed1999

The partial substitution of digestible protein with gelatinized starch as an energy source reduces susceptibility to lipid oxidation in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) muscle.

We evaluated the influence of dietary gelatinized starch and protein on the fatty acid composition of muscle in rainbow trout and European sea bass and on the susceptibility of flesh to lipid peroxidation. The possibility that flesh peroxidation could be accounted for by lipogenesis and the deposition of fat was also explored. The inclusion of gelatinized starch in the diet of rainbow trout improved growth with respect to that observed in fish fed crude starch (P<.001). This was especially noticeable at the lowest concentration of dietary protein tested (P = .037); suggesting that gelatinized starch may partially replace protein in the production of energy without inducing a negative effect on growth. However, in European sea bass, the gelatinization of starch and dietary protein concentration showed no significant effect on final body weight. The intramuscular neutral lipid concentration of the sea bass was reduced by the gelatinization of dietary starch (P = .034). The highest dietary protein concentration increased the proportion of saturated fatty acids in the neutral (P = .0742) and polar (P = .0033) lipid fractions. The dietary inclusion of high levels of protein in rainbow trout led to a lower concentration of total (n-3) (P = .0457) and (n-6) (P = .0522) fatty acids and a higher concentration of total monounsaturated fatty acids (P = .0006). The inclusion of gelatinized starch led to a lower concentration of (n-3) fatty acids (P = .0034) and a higher concentration of saturated fatty acids (P = .0007). The polar fraction was hardly affected by the same treatment. A significantly lower susceptibility of the dorsal muscle to oxidation was observed in groups of European sea bass fed gelatinized starch (P<.01). A similar trend was observed in rainbow trout, although differences were not significant. The findings suggest that the digestible protein concentration of nutrient-dense diets for rainbow trout and European sea bass can be reduced with a beneficial effect on tissue lipid oxidation and no negative effects on growth and muscle composition.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Assertive community treatment for people with severe mental illness: the effect on hospital use and costs.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of the Program for Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) model on psychiatric inpatient service use in a population of non-emergency psychiatric patients with severe chronic mental illness, and to test for variations in this effect with program staffing levels and patient characteristics such as race and age. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING: Data are taken from a randomized trial of PACT in Charleston, South Carolina for 144 patients recruited from August 1989 through July 1991. STUDY DESIGN: Subjects were randomly assigned either to one of two PACT programs or to usual care at a local mental health center. Effects on hospital use were measured over an 18-month follow-up period via multiple regression analysis. DATA COLLECTION METHODS: Data were obtained from Medicaid claims, chart reviews, subject, case manager, and family interviews; searches of the computerized patient and financial databases of the South Carolina Department of Mental Health and relevant hospitals; and searches of the hard copy and computerized financial databases of the two major local hospitals providing inpatient psychiatric care. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: PACT participants were about 40 percent less likely to be hospitalized during the follow-up period. The effect was stronger for older patients. Lower PACT client/staff ratios also reduced the risk of hospitalization. No evidence of differential race effects was found. Given some hospital use, PACT did not influence the number of days of use. CONCLUSIONS: Controlling for other covariates, PACT significantly reduces hospitalizations but the size of this effect varies with patient and program characteristics. This study shows that previous results on PACT can be applied to non-emergency patients even when the control condition is an up-to-date CMHC office-based case management program.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

[Effect of rhDNase on the respiratory function and nutritional status of children and adolescents with mucoviscidosis].

BACKGROUND: In 1994 we started recombinant human deoxyribonuclease (rhDNase) in every cystic fibrosis (CF) patient whatever his (her) clinical condition, provided they were aged more than 5 years and forced vital capacity (FVC) was > or = 40%. POPULATION AND METHODS: We reviewed retrospectively the effects of rhDNase in 69 CF children and adolescents during a 2-year follow-up. Patients (35 boys, 34 girls) received 2.5 mg of rhDNase once daily from a mean age of 8.5 years (range 5-16.4). Baseline spirometric values (% predicted) and nutritional status were as followed: FVC = 84.8 +/- 21.7; forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) = 80.8 +/- 22.2; peak flow = 89.7 +/- 34.2, forced expiratory fraction 25-75% (FEF 25-75) = 71.8 +/- 32.8; Z score weight/height = -0.41 +/- 1.14; Z score weight/age = -0.48 +/- 1.25, body mass index = 15.4 +/- 1.8; caloric intake = 107 +/- 25% of recommended dietary allowances (RDA). Patients had a Shwachman-Kulczycki's score of 87 +/- 9. Spirometric and nutritional data were analysed after 1, 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months of treatment and compared to baseline values (changes evaluated as percent change from mean baseline for spirometric data). Shwachman-Kulczycki's score was calculated after 24 months of rhDNase. RESULTS: An improvement of FVC (+10.7%, P < 0.001) and FEV1 (+12%, P < 0.01) was noted after one month of treatment and was maintained throughout the following 2 years around 8.7% (6.4-11.4) for FVC and 8.2% (7.3-9.1) for FEV1, P < or = 0.01. This was particularly observed in children aged 5 to 10 years, in boys and in patients with a baseline FVC under 70% predicted. There was no significant change in FEF 25-75. We observed an improvement of daily caloric intake from the third month (P < 0.05) and of body mass index from the sixth month (P = 0.02). This was particularly noted in girls. Z score weight/age was improved only during the first 3 months of treatment while Z score weight/height increased only after a 2 year follow-up. There was no significant change in Shwachman-Kulczycki's score after 24 months of rhDNase. CONCLUSION: rhDNase in CF children in effective on lung function as well as on nutritional status and the response to this treatment can be evaluated after the first 3 months.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Dietary fish oil and digestible protein modify susceptibility to lipid peroxidation in the muscle of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax).

The effects of dietary fish oil and digestible protein (DP) levels on muscle fatty acid composition and susceptibility to lipid peroxidation were studied in two representative fish species for human nutrition, from fresh and seawater, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). In rainbow trout, higher concentrations of dietary fat and DP led to higher weight gain (g/d) (P = 0.001 and P = 0.043 respectively). Additionally, an interaction effect was observed in this species, since the effect of DP was only evident when the dietary fat concentration was low (P = 0.043). A similar tendency was also observed in European sea bass, although with less marked differences among nutritional treatments. Trout fed on diets with a higher concentration of dietary fat had higher concentrations of intramuscular total and neutral lipids in the dorsal muscle (P = 0.005). Increased levels of dietary DP led to significantly lower concentrations of polar lipids in the dorsal muscle of both rainbow trout (P = 0.005) and European sea bass (P = 0.006). In the neutral fraction of intramuscular lipids of dorsal muscle the concentration of n-3 fatty acids was positively affected by the dietary fat concentration in both rainbow trout (P = 0.04) and sea bass (P = 0.001). Muscle homogenates from trout and sea bass fed on diets rich in fish oil showed a significantly higher susceptibility to oxidation than muscle homogenates from fish fed on low-fat diets (P = 0.001). The higher DP concentration also increased susceptibility to oxidation. Moreover, in rainbow trout an interaction effect was observed where the pro-oxidant effect was of higher magnitude when the dietary concentration of both nutrients, fat and protein, was high (P = 0.004).

Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena↗
PubMed1997

Aedes aegypti Surveillance and Correlation with the Occurrence of Dengue Fever in Bahia, Brazil.

Due to the high frequency of dengue fever cases and the presumed association of such an epidemic with an increase in the population of the mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti, we examined the records of the Ministry of Health in the state of Bahia, Brazil, regarding the monitoring of domestic mosquito larvae in municipalities throughout the state. The "House Index" number for larvae in domestic water reservoirs was determined for each municipality based on annual surveys from 1990 to 1994, and in 1996. In 1996, 69% of the municipalites surveyed in Bahia were positive, and 30% had indices above 5%. During 1990 and 1991, the level of larvae identified was low and stable; however, during November and December, 1992, a dramatic increase was recorded. The increase continued until 1996, when over 100-fold increases in house indices were recorded in Feira de Santana and Ilhéus, and a 60-fold increase in Salvador. The dengue fever epidemic was documented in the region beginning in 1994. A strong correlation has been demonstrated between an increase in the mosquito larvae population and the emergence of dengue fever.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1996

Glutathione S-transferase mu polymorphism and susceptibility to lung cancer in the Portuguese population.

Epidemiological studies have led to the suggestion that a genetic basis may exist in the individual variation in predisposition to cancer. Interindividual differences in human toxicological response to carcinogenic exposure have been attributed to heritable polymorphisms in metabolism, namely glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) coding for enzymes that are known to be detoxifiers of carcinogens. Within the human GST mu class, there is a specific isozyme that is frequently lacking. To check whether or not this association exists in the Portuguese population with lung cancer, we used polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based genotyping to examine GSTM1 polymorphism (nulled and non-nulled) in 84 individuals as a control healthy population and a group of 98 lung cancer patients. In this study we were able to find a frequency of the GSTM1 phenotype among our healthy control subjects consistent with earlier genotyping studies in other Caucasoid populations. For the group of individuals with lung cancer as a whole, or in subsets of histological subtypes, our data for the Portuguese population did not show a positive correlation between the null allele and this neoplasm. In contrast, we found a slight increase in the frequency of the wild-type allele in our lung cancer group.

Carcinoma, Small Cell↗
PubMed1994

Racial differences in selection of ideal body size by adolescent females.

Cultural differences may partially account for the fact that more black women than white women are overweight in the United States. This study measured perceptions of ideal body size among 93 black and 80 white females, 14-17 years old, who were randomly selected from three public high schools in a southeastern state. The subjects' height and weight were measured along with their estimates of their mother's body size, weight control attitudes, and demographic variables. Blacks preferred a significantly larger body size than whites when asked to select ideal body size (p = 0.045). Subjects who estimated their mother's size to be larger, also selected a larger ideal body size (p = .047). Those who perceived themselves as too fat were more likely to skip meals to help control their weight, compared with those who perceived themselves as normal or too thin (p = .003). Approximately 30% of the sample was overweight or obese. There were not significant racial differences in weight or BMI. These results suggest that overweight is more acceptable among black females than among white females and may help explain why more black females are obese.

Adolescent↗