Biomedical subjects
J Martí
Publications and source records attributed to J Martí.
[Tetanus in the elderly].
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The acoustic startle response is normal in patients with multiple system atrophy.
We investigated the acoustic startle response in eight patients with MSA and compared the results with those from a group of age matched healthy subjects. Onset latency and amplitude of the responses obtained in the orbicularis oculi, masseter and sternocleidomastoid muscles were not different in patients and control subjects. We conclude that, in spite of the pathological derangement described in brainstem reticular nuclei in MSA, the neuronal circuits mediating the auditory startle reflex are functionally preserved.
[Herpetic meningitis and cutaneous herpes zoster].
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Behaviour of urinary 2,5-hexanedione in occupational co-exposure to n-hexane and acetone.
We analysed the relationship between free 2,5-hexanedione (2,5-HD) and total 2,5-HD in the urine of 87 workers exposed to n-hexane and other solvents (hexane isomers, acetone and toluene), in relation to different working conditions. The concentration of free 2,5-HD in urine of workers exposed to n-hexane was about 12% of total urinary 2,5-HD. The most significant correlation (r = 0.936) was that of total 2,5-HD in urine with environmental n-hexane and exhaled air. With equal exposure to n-hexane, the concentrations in urine of free and total 2,5-HD increased when cutaneous absorption was involved (gloves not used), during the working week and with co-exposure to acetone. An analysis of the relationship between combined exposure to acetone and urinary concentrations of the various forms of 2,5-HD suggests that acetone might influence the toxicokinetics of n-hexane, increasing the proportion of free 2,5-HD.
[Ultrasound in testicular torsion].
Thirty-two patients were evaluated by scrotal ultrasound prior to examination due to testicular torsion. Typical ultrasonographic patterns of testicular torsion were obtained in 100% within the first 6 hours, 25% between 6-12 hours, and 91.6% after 12 hours; the overall percentage was 84.4% for all cases.
Comparison of the behavioural and endocrine response to forced swimming stress in five inbred strains of rats.
Some inbred strains of rats showed behavioural differences in the forced swimming test, which is considered a putative animal model of depression. In the present work, the behavioural and physiological responses to forced swimming were studied in male and female rats of five inbred strains of rats: Brown-Norway (BN), Fischer 344 (FIS), Lewis (LEW), Spontaneously Hypertensive (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY). Physiological measures were aimed at characterizing emotional reactivity, a very important issue which has usually been approached by studying a single endocrine system, and its relationship to the forced swimming behaviour. The four indices of reactivity to stress used were serum glucose, ACTH, corticosterone and prolactin. No behavioural differences between sexes were observed in the forced swimming test. In addition, BN and WKY rats showed passive behaviour compared with the other three strains, the FIS strain being the most active. Whereas only minor differences were found in the resting levels of the variables studied with regard to either sex or strain, pituitary-adrenal (PA) and glucose responses to 15 min forced swimming differed among sexes and strains. Stress-induced hyperglycaemia was lowest in WKY and highest in SHR, being lower in females than in males. The lowest ACTH and corticosterone responses to forced swimming were observed in LEW and the highest in FIS. Female rats showed a clearly higher PA response to stress in all strains. Prolactin response to stress was very similar between sexes and strains. It might thus be concluded that: (i) there are important inter-strain differences in the forced swimming behaviour, with no differences between sexes; (ii) the various physiological indices of emotional reactivity follow a different trend and no warranted conclusion on differences in emotional reactivity should be based upon a single endocrine system or even only upon physiological measures; (iii) we cannot be sure, therefore, whether or not there are differences in emotionality between the strains studied in spite of well-established inter-strains differences in the forced swimming behaviour.
Effects of chronic stress on food intake in rats: influence of stressor intensity and duration of daily exposure.
The effect of exposure to chronic intermittent stressors of differing intensities [handling, restraint, and immobilization (IMO)] and daily duration (15, 60, and 240 min of IMO) on changes in food intake was studied in adult male rats. Whereas handling did not caused anorexia, restraint slightly reduced food intake and IMO drastically reduced it. The effects were very similar after the 7th and 27th day of exposure to the stressors. Fourteen days of chronic IMO (2 h daily) resulted in decreased food intake as measured on days 1, 10, and 14 of treatment, the inhibition being slightly greater after the first stress session. The circadian rhythm of food intake, expressed as a percent of the total food eaten in a 24 h period, was found to be almost unaffected by chronic IMO, although IMO rats appeared to satiate sooner than control rats. Exposure of rats to chronic IMO (7 days) for 15, 60, and 240 min daily reduced food intake to the same extent in all IMO groups. Taken together, these results suggest that: a) the magnitude of the changes in food intake after chronic exposure to stressors is closely related to their intensity, and b) a severe stressor such as IMO reduces food intake to a certain level that was independent on its daily duration. After repeated exposure to the same stressor, only a slight tendency to recover normal food intake was observed.
Clinical significance of upper airway dysfunction in motor neurone disease.
BACKGROUND: To assess the occurrence, functional characteristics and prognostic value of upper airway dysfunction in motor neurone disease, 27 patients unselected for respiratory symptoms were studied. METHODS: Upper airway function was evaluated by analysis of the maximal flow-volume loop. Neurological diagnosis was established from the clinical history and physical examination. The degree of impairment was quantified by the Appel score. RESULTS: Twelve patients (group A) showed abnormalities of the maximal flow-volume loop consistent with flow limitation (seven patients) or instability of upper airway function (gross oscillations of airflow, five patients). The remaining 15 patients (group B) exhibited a normal or generally reduced maximal flow-volume loop, suggestive of muscle weakness. No differences were observed between groups in general physical condition, rate of disease progression, or duration of disease. CONCLUSIONS: Upper airway dysfunction in patients with motor neurone disease was a frequent finding. It was present more often, but not exclusively, in patients with bulbar features and was unrelated to prognosis.
[Stevens Johnson syndrome and phenytoin].
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[Prolonged febrile syndrome without apparent focus and Coxiella burnetti infection].
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Effects of diazepam and desipramine in the forced swimming test: influence of previous experience with the situation.
The effects of desipramine and diazepam on the behavior of rats in the forced swimming test were studied. Desipramine significantly enhanced struggling behavior, the intensity of its effect being greater in rats previously exposed to the forced swimming test for 1 or 4 days before drug administration. The effect of desipramine on immobility was significantly only in rats previously exposed to the test. Acute diazepam administration did not modify the behavior of rats in the test. Chronic administration (6 days) of two different doses of diazepam did not alter the behavior of rats in the forced swimming test, but significantly decreased the defecation rate, suggesting that the drug was effective as an anxiolytic. The present results suggest that the behavior of rats in the forced swimming test might be related to mood states rather than to fear/anxiety and that efficacy of the test to detect antidepressant activity might be enhanced by repeated exposure of the rats to the situation.
Biological monitoring of occupational exposure to n-hexane by measurement of urinary 2,5-hexanedione.
Occupational exposure to n-hexane in shoe factory workers was monitored by measuring urinary 2,5-hexanedione, the major metabolite of this solvent and the probable cause of peripheral neuropathy in exposed workers. Solvent pollution was monitored in the work environments of 189 employees, of whom 123 (65%) worked in Alicante, Spain, and 66 (35%) in Veneto, Italy. 2,5-Hexanedione was measured in spot urine samples collected from workers at the end of the shift. Information on working conditions was obtained from a previous study. A significant linear correlation was found between mean environmental concentration of n-hexane and urinary concentration of 2,5-hexanedione. The variability in the correlation may have been due to the variable use of protective clothing (gloves), and to variations in exposure during the working week. In numerous workers, percutaneous absorption of n-hexane represented as much as 50% of the total absorbed dose. Urinary concentrations of 2,5-hexanedione tended to increase during the working week. Simultaneous exposure to n-hexane and toluene tended to reduce urinary excretion of 2,5-hexanedione, whereas exposure to n-hexane and methyl ethyl ketone tended to increase excretion of the metabolite.
Chronic stress induced changes in LH secretion: the contribution of anorexia associated to stress.
The effects of chronic intermittent immobilization (IMO) on serum LH levels of adult male rats were studied. Chronic IMO (2 h daily for 13 days) did not alter basal LH levels, but abolished the LH response to acute stressors (IMO and tailshock). The inhibition of LH caused by acute exposure to IMO for 4 or 18 h was similar in control and chronic IMO rats. Also the LH response to exogenous LHRH administration was normal in chronically stressed rats. When a group of rats eating the same amount of food as that eaten by immobilized rats was introduced (pair-fed), an inhibition of LH response to acute stressors quite similar to that found in chronic IMO rats was observed. These data indicate that chronic stress-induced inhibition of LH release caused by short-term exposure to acute stressors was located above the pituitary and was mainly due to anorexia accompanying daily exposure to the stressor.
[Thyroid lymphoma in a 51-year-old woman].
Thyroid gland is an uncommon site for involvement by lymphoma. Because of the lack of specific histopathologic criteria for diagnosis, thyroid lymphomas are not usually diagnosed until a thyroidectomy is done, even when a fine-needle aspiration biopsy is performed before surgery. We report the case of a woman with a non-Hodgkin lymphoma presenting as thyroid enlargement with systemic manifestations of the disease. The preoperative histologic diagnosis was poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma. If the lymphoma was primarily thyroid or the involvement of thyroid was a part of the generalized dissemination of a nodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma is difficult to establish. She was treated with a combination of surgery and chemotherapy with excellent outcome. We comment the problems in the diagnosis of this disease.