Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to J R Bravo.
It is given an explanation of the results obtained with the following methods: AEROKEY II, AEROKEY II + Abbot's scheme, Api 20 NE, and the Biolog System. The study was conducted with 38 strains of Aeromonas isolated from children under 5 with acute diarrheal disease (ADD). The AEROKEY II + Abbot's scheme proved to be the best identification method.
For the classification of dengue cases the WHO/PAHO includes the hemagglutination inhibition test as one of the serological techniques used to this end and it is also accepted the possibility of using the ELISA with a titer equivalent to that established by the IH. In this paper, it is explained the usefulness of the inhibition ELISA for the classification of a probable case, a confirmed case, and type of dengue infection (primary or secondary).
A study on the prevalence of Toxocara canis in domestic dogs of City of Havana was carried out for the first time in Cuba. 22 dogs were selected in each municipality, totalling 330 as the study universe. Dogs' feces samples were processed through direct examination using Willis' flotation method (1921). The results attained showed a 17.9% prevalence of Toxocara canis, a high figure constituting an important risk factor for transmission to humans. This was influenced by the age of the animals and the hygienic conditions of the houses, significant factors from the epidemiological point of view. Sex did not play a significant role.
49 female blood donors with iron-deficiency anemia were treated with equal doses of iron either as carbonyl iron or ferrous sulfate in a randomized, double-blind fashion. The prevalence of side-effects was similar in the two groups. Mean values for hemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular volume, corrected reticulocyte count, platelet count, serum iron, total iron-binding capacity, transferrin saturation or erythrocyte protoporphyrin did not differ significantly between the two groups throughout the study. After 16 weeks of therapy, the mean increase in hemoglobin iron was similar in both groups (p = 0.2). Estimates of net changes in total body iron suggested that the overall bioavailability of carbonyl iron was high, about 70% that of ferrous sulfate.
Dengue haemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome (DHF/DSS) is one of the principal causes of hospitalization and death among children in several south-east Asian countries. Also, in the Region of the Americas, there has been an increase in the frequency of dengue fever epidemics and in the number of cases of DHF/DSS. In 1981 an epidemic of dengue haemorrhagic fever occurred in Cuba and this suggests that there is a high risk that such epidemics could recur in the region. The article summarizes the main clinical, virological, and epidemiological data obtained during the outbreak, some of which are reported for the first time.
During the dengue haemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome (DHF/DSS) epidemic in Cuba in 1981, we identified some individual risk factors for the development of the severe clinical picture or for the fatal outcome of the disease. The percentage of secondary infection in 3 groups of patients with DHF/DSS was between 95 and 98.3 and it is concluded that secondary infection is an important, but not the only, condition for the development of DHF/DSS. An analysis of these 3 groups of patients and a fourth group of fatal cases showed that chronic diseases such as bronchial asthma, diabetes mellitus and sickle cell anaemia were additional risk factors contributing significantly to the development of DHF/DSS. The study also revealed that race was an individual risk factor, since DHF/DSS was more prevalent in white than in black persons.
The epidemiological factors present in Cuba in 1981, when the dengue haemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome (DHF/DSS) epidemic occurred, were exceptional when compared to those of other countries in the region. Evidence is presented which demonstrates that virulence of the circulating strain is an important element in the analysis of an epidemic. Although the two current hypotheses to explain the occurrence of DHF/DSS epidemics are valid in well defined but different epidemiological situations, neither Halstead's hypothesis of secondary-type infection or Rosen's hypothesis of the role played by the virulence of the circulating strain can explain all cases. An integrated, multifactorial and unifying hypothesis is presented, which could be applied in different epidemiological situations. It is based mainly on an in-depth analysis of the literature and of the Cuban experience.
A 17-year-old female patient with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) developed chronic tophaceous gout, chondrocalcinosis and articular capsule calcification in several joints. Analysis of synovial fluid and tophi revealed the coexistence of monosodium urate, calcium pyrophosphate, hydroxyapatite, and cholesterol crystals.
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A prospective analysis of 300 consecutively collected homologous blood (HB) units from a regional blood center and an analysis of 188 consecutively collected autologous blood (AB) units from a community hospital was conducted. Analysis of the red blood cell (RBC) mass content of these blood units revealed that HB contained 13 percent more RBC than AB: 200 +/- 1.1 vs 177.1 +/- 1.1 mL, (m +/- SE), respectively (p less than 0.05). Of 174 AB units eligible for crossover by AABB criteria for RBC mass (greater than or equal to 154 mL), 35 (20%) were below the 95 percent confidence interval range for RBC mass of HB units collected; mean RBC mass of 300 HB units was 12 percent greater than that of 174 AB units (200.1 +/- 1.1 vs 178.9 +/- 0.9 mL, p less than 0.001) and 20 percent greater than that of the 35 AB units outside the 95 percent confidence interval (200.1 +/- 1.1 vs 161.2 +/- 0.5 mL, p less than 0.001). These findings indicate that an evaluation of the issues of AB crossover for HB transfusion should include a risk/benefit analysis of AB units with lower RBC mass. These findings also indicate that the proposed changes in AABB standards regarding directed donation (DD) should consider the reduced benefits of DD units with lower RBC mass in a risk/benefit analysis of this practice, and support retention of homologous donor standards for directed donors.
A retrospective seroepidemiologic survey is made in the municipalities of Cienfuegos and Palmira to determine the presence of neutralizing antibodies to Den-1 and -2 virus in the population. It was found that 21.4% of the population studied had antibodies to Den-1, 12.3% to Den-2, and that 5.5% had been infected by the two serotypes (secondary infection). It became apparent that in the Palmira municipality the percentage of infection due to Den-1 was higher and it was found that in 1980-1981 there was a late dengue (Den-1) outbreak. Therefore, this municipality was probably the only in the country with 2 epidemic outbreaks due to two dengue serotypes (1 and 2) in a 6 month interval. The potential relationship between this fact and the high lethality of hemorrhagic dengue fever in this municipality is established. The influence of environmental, social, and sanitary factors on the risk of infection is suggested. It was found that Whites and Blacks are equally infected and that infection is not a random phenomenon, instead it is favored by the presence of vectors in and around the housing.
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