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Biomedical subjects

L Aguilar

Publications and source records attributed to L Aguilar.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

[Immunogenicity and safety of a tetanus-diphtheria vaccine (adult type): clinical trial in adults].

BACKGROUND: The administration of tetanus-diphtheria vaccine (Td, "adult" type) as booster dose every ten years, instead of tetanus toxoid, is a usual practice in the U.S., and its is being envisaged by the Spanish health authorities. In the present trial, the immunogenic capacity and the safety profile of the administration of one dose of Td vaccine to healthy adults, previously immunized to tetanus and diphtheria, was evaluated. METHODS: Healthy adults, who received one i.m. (deltoid) dose of Td vaccine containing 1.5 Lf and 10 Lf of adsorbed diphtheria and tetanus toxoids, respectively, participated in the study. Just before vaccination (baseline), and 4 weeks later, tetanus and diphtheria antibodies titres were determined by Elisa. The cut-off of these tests is 0.1 IU/ml. In this study, antitoxin titres > or = 0.1 IU/ml were considered as protective. Titres < 0.1 IU/ml were arbitrarily given the value of 0.05 IU/ml. Participating subjects recorded during the 3 days post-vaccination any local and systemic adverse events. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty nine medical students and health care workers (age +/- SD: 26 +/- 6 years) participated in this trial. At baseline and 4 weeks, the seroprotective levels were 70% and 100% for tetanus, and 31% and 90% for diphtheria, respectively. The geometric mean titres for tetanus and diphtheria antibodies at baseline and 4 weeks were: 0.59 and 8.54 IU/ml and 0.09 and 1.63 IU/ml, respectively. 82% of the subjects recorded some kind of adverse events, most of them local and mild. 66% referred local pain 24 h after the administration of the vaccine. Only 12% reported any kind of systemic adverse event: malaise (5%) and headache (4%) were the most commonly reported. All the adverse events were transient and did not require any medical attention or therapy. CONCLUSIONS: The Td vaccine tested in this study, when administered as booster dose to previously immunized adults, is highly immunogenic and shows an acceptable safety profile.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of mupirocin calcium ointment for eliminating nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus among hospital personnel.

Sixty-eight health care workers were enrolled in a double-blind clinical trial and randomized to receive either mupirocin calcium ointment or placebo, intranasally bid for 5 days. Nasal cultures were taken immediately before starting treatment, 1 and 2 during treatment, at the end of treatment, 3 days later, weekly for 1-5 weeks and then monthly for 2-6 months after treatment. Mupirocin eliminated nasal carriage with Staphylococcus aureus in 58% of subjects within two days and 86.7% subjects by the end of therapy compared to 9.4% subjects at the end of treatment with placebo (P < 0.001). Post-treatment colonization rates of 43%, 56% and 67% were attained after 1 month, 2-4 and 6 months treatment with mupirocin respectively and recolonisation with the same strain of S. aureus that had been isolated before treatment was noted in 32%, 40% and 48%. No resistance to mupirocin developed and the drug was well tolerated. Mupirocin is safe and effective in suppressing nasal carriage of S. aureus.

Administration, Intranasal↗
PubMed1995

Comparison of rufloxacin and norfloxacin effects on faecal flora.

The suppression of faecal Escherichia coli by quinolones was studied in a randomized cross-over phase I trial with single oral doses of 400 mg rufloxacin or norfloxacin. Both drugs caused > 70% decontamination in a similar number of subjects in the 72 h post-dose period (83% vs 100% respectively), but suppression of E. coli at 168 h was significantly (P < 0.05) higher after rufloxacin (83.3 vs 40%).

Adult↗
PubMed1994

[Evaluation of immunogenicity and safety in healthy adults of an inactivated anti-hepatitis A vaccine].

BACKGROUND: The evaluation of the safety and immunogenicity of an inactivated vaccine against the hepatitis A virus (HAV) in healthy adults was performed. METHODS: A descriptive clinical trial was carried out including a population of 100 healthy subjects of ages from 19 to 25-years. The subjects were intramuscularly injected (deltoid muscle) with an inactivated vaccine against hepatitis A (720 units ELISA) following a schedule of 0.1 months and a booster dose at 6 months. The titers of anti HAV antibodies were determined by the ELISA method prior to vaccination and following the administration of each doses. The safety of the vaccine was also parallelly evaluated after each doses from both a local and systemic point of view. RESULTS: With respect to safety, local signs and symptoms were presented in 34.6% of the subjects while systemic signs and symptoms were observed in 6.8% following administration of the 3 doses. At one month of the first doses 95.8% of the subjects had seroconverted (> or = 20 mUI/ml) with this rising to 100% at one month of receiving the second and third doses. The geometric mean of the antibody titer one month after having received each of the three doses was 158 mUI/ml, 832 mUI/ml and 4,135 mUI/ml, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The vaccine was well tolerated and demonstrated great safety with a 100% rate of seroconversion following the primary cycle with two doses. The administration of the reminder doses at 6 months increased the antibody titer five fold after the primary cycle.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Cefminox: correlation between in-vitro susceptibility and pharmacokinetics and serum bactericidal activity in healthy volunteers.

Plasma concentration of cefminox and serum bactericidal activity against four ATCC strains (Escherichia coli 25992, Klebsiella pneumoniae 13833, Serratia marcescens 8100 and Bacteroides fragilis 25285), were determined over a 24 h period after administration of cefminox 1 and 2 g to six healthy volunteers in a randomized, cross-over, single blind study. The increase observed in the area under the bactericidal curve (AUBC) with the 2 g dose was at least 3.5 times that seen with the 1 g dose for all four test strains and was larger than predicted by the corresponding increase (1.84 times) in the area under the serum concentration versus time curve (AUC); a correlation (r = 0.88, P = 0.0001) between the cefminox concentration and the serum bactericidal titres was, however, observed with all four strains tested. The MBC6h showed a better association with the serum bactericidal titre (P < 0.01) than did the MIC or MBC.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Randomised controlled trial of efficacy of albendazole in intra-abdominal hydatid disease.

The efficacy of albendazole in hydatid disease is still unclear, because there has been no study that assessed the status of the parasite after treatment. The significance of albendazole-induced echographic changes in the cyst therefore cannot be judged. We did a prospective, controlled, randomised, open study of albendazole in patients with liver hydatid disease, and assessed parasite viability after treatment. 18 patients received no albendazole treatment (controls), 18 received albendazole (10 mg/kg daily) for 1 month (group A), and 19 received the drug for about 3 months (group B). Echography was done before and during treatment; all patients underwent surgery on completion. Parasite (protoscolex viability and development of cysts in mice) and ultrastructure studies were done for all cysts removed. 8 (50%) of cysts in the control group, 13 (72%) in group A, and 16 (94%) in group B were non-viable (p = 0.015). Protoscolex and cyst viability were significantly (p = 0.039 and p = 0.018, respectively) lower in treated patients than in controls. Treatment was also significantly associated with total cyst membrane disintegration. 68% of cysts treated for 3 months showed echographic changes, and only 1 of 20 cysts showing echographic changes during treatment was judged viable. The efficacy of albendazole at a dose of 10 mg/kg daily for 3 months suggests that it is a suitable alternative to surgery in uncomplicated hydatid liver disease, as initial treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Distribution of three retinal proteins in developing octopus photoreceptors.

The expression of proteins unique to plasma membrane domains of developing photoreceptors is used as a marker for retinal differentiation in vertebrates. Invertebrate photoreceptors are also compartmentalized, but little information is available on the development of these compartments or the expression of retinal proteins specific to these cellular regions. Using routine electron microscopy techniques, we have made observations on the formation of photoreceptor organelles, including myeloid bodies and rhabdomeres, in embryonic octopus eyes from an early stage in development through hatching. Immunocytochemical experiments on the embryos demonstrate a timed expression of three retinal proteins during development, and the early separation of the octopus photoreceptor plasma membrane into distinct domains. Using polyclonal antibodies for opsin, retinochrome and retinal binding protein we have shown that opsin appears first and is confined to the distal end of the photoreceptor that will eventually differentiate into rhabdomeres. This membrane domain is separated from the proximal/inner segment plasma membrane by a septate junction. Retinochrome is expressed later when the myeloid bodies appear in the inner segments, and retinal binding protein is apparently not synthesized until sometime after hatching. These results suggest that, in the cephalopod retina, protein components of the retinoid cycling apparatus appear in a specific developmental sequence during the differentiation of this tissue.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Plants used in Guatemala for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. 3. Confirmation of activity against enterobacteria of 16 plants.

Ethnobotanical surveys and literature review identified 408 plants used in Guatemala for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. The screening of 84 showed that 34 inhibit one or more enterobacteria; 16 of these were selected for further investigation. Extracts were obtained with three solvents of different polarity (n-hexane, acetone and alcohol) and the in vitro activity was demonstrated against enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis and Shigella flexneri. The activity of nine ethanolic extracts against enterobacteria, particularly Acalypha guatemalensis, Diphysa robinioides, Lippia dulcis, Psidium guajava and Spondias purpurea was confirmed. The plants with antibacterial activity are discussed.

Diarrhea↗
PubMed1991

[Seroprotection against hepatitis A, measles, rubella, and parotiditis in an urban school population].

BACKGROUND: To find out the presence of hepatitis A antibodies (anti-HA) in an urban population of Madrid, age ranging from 6 to 18 years. At the same time, the immunity level is evaluated with respect to measles, rubella and mumps in a sub-group aged between 6 and 13 years old. METHODS: The study was carried out in two schools population of the north area of Madrid. RESULTS: Anti-HA prevalence in the whole population under study (707 subjects) was of 6%; a direct correlation was observed between prevalence and age. With respect to the seroprotection study against measles, rubella and mumps, 81% out of the 385 vaccinated subjects is protected against the three viruses. Seroprotection rate is of 79% if this is evaluated with respect to the total 6-13 age group under study (458 subjects). CONCLUSIONS: The results of anti-HA prevalence obtained in the eldest groups reveal that a high percentage of the study population aged 17 (92%) and 18 (84%), is anti-HA negative, which means that they might be susceptible to the infection when reaching the adult age. 21% of the school age group studied with respect to measles, rubella and mumps is seronegative to some of the three viruses. Considering the above results, it appears that it could be interesting to evaluate whether the administration of a booster dose to children in school age would enable to reduce the number of unprotected subjects in the referred ages.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Plants used in Guatemala for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. 1. Screening of 84 plants against enterobacteria.

Gastrointestinal disorders are important causes of morbidity in developing countries. Natural healing is the traditional way of treating these diseases in Guatemala. Ethnobotanical surveys and literature reviews showed that 385 plants from 95 families are used in Guatemala for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. The activity of 84 of the most commonly used plants was screened in vitro against five enterobacteria pathogenic to man (enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis, Salmonella typhi, Shigella dysenteriae and Shigella flexneri). Results indicate that 34 (40.48%) plants inhibit one or more of the enterobacteria tested. The most commonly inhibited bacterium was S. typhi (33.73%) and the most resistant was E. coli (7.35%). The plants of American origin which exhibited the best antibacterial activity were: Byrsonima crassifolia, Diphysa robinioides, Gnaphalium stramineum, Guazuma ulmifolia, Psidium guajava, Sambucus mexicana, Simarouba glauca, Smilax lundelii, Spondias purpurea and Tagetes lucida. These results indicate a scientific basis for use of these medicinal plants for attacking enterobacterial infections in man.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1986

[Hepatic laparoscopy and biopsy in the diagnosis of hepatic cirrhosis].

316 cases of proved hepatic cirrhosis (HC) which underwent Laparoscopy (L) were analysed. In 94 cases, hepatic biopsy by needle (HBN) was also practised under laparoscopic view, 96 cases were controlled until death, with a follow-up of almost 90 months. In 54 of these, there is a complete necropsy study. The performance in diagnosis of cirrhosis, L and HBN are compared separately. L gave the exact result of 96.6% and HBN 74.7%. HBN commonly practised with a Menghini needle (1.2 or 1.4 mm) as it is one that produces less complications, gives and insufficient sample, which determines that in 25.3% of the cases under biopsy, the HC diagnosis could not be proved, while L only fails in this aspect, in 3.38%. To this disadvantage of HBN, we must add another negative factor, the frequency which HBN can not be practised due to prothrombin under 50%, which nevertheless is not an obstacle for practising an L. In this series we have not reported any deaths with this two techniques. L has the additional advantage to contribute other useful data which can not be obtained with HBN alone. as revealing signs of portal hypertension, and hepatobiliary or peritoneal pathology which can coexist with HC. Due to this reasons, in the study of HC, we preferred as the first method of diagnosis, L, instead of HBN. When through this endoscopy we obtain the typical aspect, we omit adding HBN, which we only practised in doubtful cases of not very nodular livers (glabra cirrhosis) or when a probable post-hepatis, Wilson disease or hemochromatosis is being investigated. In the present conditions, we believe that the new methods of diagnosis "of non invasive images" can not substitute L or HBN in precising the diagnosis of HC.

Biopsy, Needle↗
PubMed1984

Erythrocyte phosphoglucomutase: a family study of a PGM1 deficient allele.

We have observed a large Mexican American family segregating for a low activity allele at the phosphoglucomutase-1 locus. The deficient allele is detectable by starch gel electrophoresis and by direct activity determination. The presence of the deficient allele in either the homozygous or heterozygous condition is not associated with any other phenotypic finding.

Alleles↗
PubMed1984

Glycosylated hemoglobin determination from capillary blood samples. Utility in an epidemiologic survey of diabetes.

Total glycosylated hemoglobin was measured from capillary blood specimens obtained from a sample of 1880 individuals of Mexican-American ancestry residing in Starr County, Texas, between January 1981 and February 1982, as part of an epidemiologic survey to assess the prevalence of noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (Type II). No significant difference was found between males and females. Diabetics were found to have significantly higher levels of glycosylated hemoglobin than nondiabetics. However, among diabetics, there was no significant difference between newly diagnosed and known diabetics, and known diabetics taking medication did not differ significantly from those not taking medication. An analysis of the specificity and sensitivity of glycosylated hemoglobin, fasting blood glucose, and casual blood glucose determinations as screening devices in a survey of diabetes prevalence reveals that glycosylated hemoglobin is superior to casual blood glucose determination. The conditions under which various screening devices might be more effective are discussed.

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2↗
PubMed1983

Diabetes among Mexican Americans in Starr County, Texas.

An increasing body of evidence suggests that diabetes mellitus constitutes a major health burden among the Mexican-American population. For example, county-wide death rates in Texas attributable to diabetes from 1970-1981 range from 2.5-52.0 diabetes deaths per 1000 total deaths with the highest rates generally occurring in counties whose populations are more than 75% Spanish ancestry. To assess the prevalence and morbidity of noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus among Mexican Americans, 14% of the Starr County, Texas, population (97% Mexican-American) was randomly sampled. The reference population, sampling strategy, and screening results are described. Age-specific prevalences of diabetes for males ranged from 0% in males aged 15-24 years to 17.6% in those above 75 years of age. Rates for females ranged from 0.4% in those aged 15-24 years to a high of 19.0% in the 55- to 64-year age group. In both sexes, the rates are relatively low for persons under age 45 with a sharp increase in those aged 45-54 years and high rates prevailing in the older age groups. Comparisons of the rates in Starr County to those of the general US population indicate a two- to fivefold greater risk in Starr County. In terms of impact on this community, these results imply that over 50% of individuals older than 35 years are directly affected by diabetes by virtue of their having the disease or by being a first-degree relative of a diabetic.

Adolescent↗