PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

N González

Publications and source records attributed to N González.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

[Esophageal atresia type I. Is impossible possible?].

INTRODUCTION: Treatment of esophageal atresia with "long gap" remains difficult and controversial. According to the idea that esophageal anastomosis is imposible in most cases, several esophageal substitution methods have been proposed, as esophagocoloplasty, gastric transposition or reversed gastric tube. Nevertheless reconstruction of native esophagus is accepted as the best option if posible. "Long gap" definition is imprecise, expressed by variability in percent of these cases in total esophageal atresias reported in different series in literature. We report our experience in seven cases type I esophageal atresia with long gap and the different therapeutic options used, with attention to delayed or early esophageal anastomosis feasibility and outcome. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We have treated 121 patients with esophageal atresia from whom we analized 7 cases with pure esophageal atresia with "long gap" (5.8%). Six patients underwent gastrostomy and two gastrostomy and esophagostomy. Five patient underwent primary repair with esophageal anastomosis, delayed between 14 days and 4 months in 4 cases. One patient underwent esophageal anastomosis in the first day without gastrostomy. Retroesternal esophagocoloplasty was performed in 2 patients about their first year of life. Esophagogram was done in first month after surgery and pH monitoring of gastroesophageal reflux. Follow-up ranged from 6 months to 28 years. RESULTS: Esophageal anastomosis was feasible in all 5 patients in whom it was tried. Stricture occurred in two patients, one patient underwent anastomotic resection and new esophageal anastomosis. Esophageal reflux was present in two patients, one of them required funduplication. One patient was dead by complications of cardiac malformation. Remaining patients have normal swallowing and are in normal growth curves. Patients with esophagocoloplasty had not relevant early or late complications. CONCLUSIONS: In most pure esophageal atresia, delayed or even early esophageal anastomosis is feasible, making use of surgical and anesthesic sources that favour it. Esophageal substitution techniques can be reserved if this approach fails.

Anastomosis, Surgical↗
PubMed2005

Body mass index has a greater impact on pregnancy outcomes than gestational hyperglycaemia.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: We evaluated diabetes-related pregnancy outcomes in a cohort of Spanish women in relation to their glucose tolerance status, prepregnancy BMI and other predictive variables. METHODS: The present paper is part of a prospective study to evaluate the impact of American Diabetes Association (2000) criteria in the Spanish population. A total of 9,270 pregnant women were studied and categorised as follows according to prepregnancy BMI quartiles and glucose tolerance status: (1) negative screenees; (2) false-positive screenees; (3) gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) according to American Diabetes Association criteria only; and (4) GDM according to National Diabetes Data Group criteria (NDDG). We evaluated fetal macrosomia, Caesarean section and seven secondary outcomes as diabetes-related pregnancy outcomes. The population-attributable and population-prevented fractions of predictor variables were calculated after binary logistic regression analysis with multiple predictors. RESULTS: Both prepregnancy BMI and abnormal glucose tolerance categories were independent predictors of pregnancy outcomes. The upper quartile of BMI accounted for 23% of macrosomia, 9.4% of Caesarean section, 50% of pregnancy-induced hypertension and 17.6% of large-for-gestational-age newborns. In contrast, NDDG GDM accounted for 3.8% of macrosomia, 9.1% of pregnancy-induced hypertension and 3.4% of preterm births. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: In terms of population impact, prepregnancy maternal BMI exhibits a much stronger influence than abnormal blood glucose tolerance on macrosomia, Caesarean section, pregnancy-induced hypertension and large-for-gestational-age newborns.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Potential impact of American Diabetes Association (2000) criteria for diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus in Spain.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: This study was carried out to determine the impact of American Diabetes Association (ADA) 2000 criteria for the diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in the Spanish population. METHODS: Pregnant women were assigned to one of four categories: negative screenees, false-positive screenees, ADA-only-GDM (untreated) and GDM according to National Diabetes Data Group (NDDG) criteria (treated). Fetal macrosomia and Caesarean section were defined as primary outcomes, with seven additional secondary outcomes. RESULTS: Of 9,270 pregnant women screened for GDM, 819 (8.8%) met NDDG criteria. If the threshold for defining GDM had been lowered to ADA criteria, an additional 2.8% of women would have been defined as having the condition (relative increase of 31.8%). Maternal characteristics of women with ADA-only-GDM were between those of false-positive screenees and women with NDDG-GDM. The risk of diabetes-associated complications was slightly elevated in the individuals who would have been classified as abnormal only after the adoption of ADA criteria. In addition, the ADA-only-GDM contribution to morbidity was lower than that of other variables, especially BMI. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Use of the ADA criteria to identify GDM would result in a 31.8% increase in prevalence compared with NDDG criteria. However, as the contribution of these additionally diagnosed cases to adverse GDM outcomes is not substantial, a change in diagnostic criteria is not warranted in our setting.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Translation and psychometric testing of the Basque version of the SF-36 health survey.

INTRODUCTION: The primary goals of this study were to adapt the Short Form-36 (SF-36) questionnaire to the Basque language and to assess the translated questionnaire's psychometric properties. METHODS: Two pilot studies and a field study were conducted in 1999. The pathologies selected were hypertension, eating disorders, back pain, and HIV infection; blood donors were also included. The analyses conducted at item-level were: item internal consistency, item discriminant validity, equal item variance, and equal item-scale correlation. Internal consistency was measured at the scale level. Reproducibility, convergent validity and discriminant validity were also examined. RESULTS: 285 individuals took part in the study; sufficient data were obtained for 265 (93%). All items correlated higher than 0.4 with their hypothesized scales. Within each scale, item standard deviations were similar. Item-scale correlations were also similar. Cronbach's alpha coefficients varied from 0.76 to 0.92. In the test-retest reliability study, which included 54 additional individuals, all scales were above 0.50. Regarding the inter-scale correlation, the majority exceeded the 0.40 coefficient. In the correlation of similar scales of the SF-36 and the Nottingham Health Profile, intraclass correlation coefficient results ranged from 0.29 to 0.62. CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm that this new version of the SF-36 has been translated and adapted correctly for the Basque language and that it fulfils, at least partially, the psychometric properties required for this instrument. Further studies, however, are needed to completely validate the Basque version of the SF-36.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Participation of protein kinases in the stimulant action of GLP-1 on 2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake by normal rat skeletal muscle.

Several protein kinases were recently proposed for involvement in GLP-1-stimulated D-glucose transport in skeletal muscle from both normal subjects and type 2 diabetic patients. This study was mainly aimed at investigating the effect of potential inhibitors of distinct protein kinases and protein phosphatase-1 upon insulin- and GLP-1-stimulated 2-deoxy-D-glucose net uptake by normal rat skeletal muscle. The basal uptake of the D-glucose analog was decreased by wortmannin--a phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase inhibitor--, PD98059--a mitogen-activated protein kinases inhibitor--, and TNFalpha--a protein phosphatase-1 inhibitor--, but not by either rapamycin--a p70s6 kinase inhibitor--, or H-7--, a protein kinase C inhibitor--. The enhancing action of both insulin and GLP-1 upon 2-deoxy-D-glucose transport was abolished by PD98059 and H-7, but largely unaffected by TNFalpha. Wortmannin and rapamycin preferentially affected the response to GLP-1 and insulin, respectively. These findings thus document both analogies and dissimilarities in the participation of the concerned enzymes in the stimulant action of insulin versus GLP-1 upon D-glucose transport in normal rat skeletal muscle.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Cell signalling of glucagon-like peptide-1 action in rat skeletal muscle.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), an incretin with glucose-dependent insulinotropic and insulin-independent antidiabetic properties, has insulin-like effects on glucose metabolism in extrapancreatic tissues participating in overall glucose homeostasis. These effects are exerted through specific receptors not associated with cAMP, an inositol phosphoglycan being a possible second messenger. In rat hepatocytes, activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (PKB), protein kinase C (PKC) and protein phosphatase 1 (PP-1) has been shown to be involved in the GLP-1-induced stimulation of glycogen synthase. We have investigated the role of enzymes known or suggested to mediate the actions of insulin in the GLP-1-induced increase in glycogen synthase a activity in rat skeletal muscle strips. We first explored the effect of GLP-1, compared with that of insulin, on the activation of PI3K, PKB, p70s6 kinase (p70s6k) and p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and the action of specific inhibitors of these kinases on the insulin- and GLP-1-induced increment in glycogen synthase a activity. The study showed that GLP-1, like insulin, activated PI3K/PKB, p70s6k and p44/42. Wortmannin (a PI3K inhibitor) reduced the stimulatory action of insulin on glycogen synthase a activity and blocked that of GLP-1, rapamycin (a 70s6k inhibitor) did not affect the action of GLP-1 but abolished that of insulin, PD98059 (MAPK inhibitor) was ineffective on insulin but blocked the action of GLP-1, okadaic acid (a PP-2A inhibitor) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (a PP-1 inhibitor) were both ineffective on GLP-1 but abolished the action of insulin, and Ro 31-8220 (an inhibitor of some PKC isoforms) reduced the effect of GLP-1 while completely preventing that of insulin. It was concluded that activation of PI3K/PKB and MAPKs is required for the GLP-1-induced increment in glycogen synthase a activity, while PKC, although apparently participating, does not seem to play an essential role; unlike in insulin signaling, p70s6k, PP-1 and PP-2A do not seem to be needed in the action of GLP-1 upon glycogen synthase a activity in rat muscle.

Androstadienes↗
PubMed2003

Identification of gp17 glycoprotein and characterization of prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) and carboxypeptidase E (CPE) fragments in a human seminal plasma fraction interacting with concanavalin A.

The decapacitating fraction of human seminal plasma, which strongly interacts with concanavalin A, is constituted by high mannose-type N-linked glycoproteins, most of them of less than 44 kDa. Each component with apparent molecular mass of 30, 18, and 17 kDa respectively, as judged by SDS-PAGE, was submitted to "in gel" digestion with trypsin followed by HPLC separation of the peptides and sequencing. They were characterized at microscale as gp17, an aspartyl protease that possibly contributes to liquefaction of the seminal plasma coagulum, two fragments of human acid phosphatase (17 and 30 kDa, respectively), and a 17-kDa fragment of carboxypeptidase E. Neither the fragments of prostatic acid phosphatase nor that of carboxypeptidase E had been described before in the human seminal fluid. Very weak bands, of apparent molecular masses 44 and 52 kDa, are consistent with presence of small amounts of parent compounds, prostatic acid phosphatase and carboxypeptidase E.

Acid Phosphatase↗
PubMed2003

Quality of life in migraine patients: a qualitative study.

The impact of migraine on quality of life has been traditionally evaluated by quantitative analysis, but diverse aspects remain insufficiently assessed, so a complementary qualitative approach may have advantages. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of migraine on the quality of life of migraineurs through the perception of patients and their relatives, and healthcare professionals. Qualitative methods were used, including six focus groups and nine personal interviews with 33 migraine patients under physician-directed treatment, five self-medicated patients, five relatives of migraine patients and seven healthcare professionals. Migraine has a negative affect on the quality of life, including physical, emotional and social aspects of daily life such as family, work and social relationships. Family environment and psychological well-being of patients were the aspects most affected according to patients and relatives. Health professionals emphasized work impairment and focused on pharmacological management and on the need for adequate information about migraine for non-medicated patients and patients' relatives. Qualitative methods, such as focus groups and interviews, are a valuable resource for assessing quality of life and well-being of migraine patients. These techniques open up new areas for further research.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Molecular epidemiology of hepatitis B virus in Afro-Venezuelan populations.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection among Venezuelan populations of African origin was analyzed. These populations exhibited lower HBV prevalence than the one found in the African continent. Sequence analysis of 6 isolates showed that 3 belonged to genotype F, while the 3 others were HBV genotype A. HBV genotype A was more common in the Afro-Venezuelan groups than in the general Venezuelan population. This might reflect the introduction of genotype A during the slavery period. The absence of the African genotype E among these isolates supports the hypothesis of a recent origin for this HBV genotype. HBV genotype F has already been introduced to these relatively isolated communities.

Africa↗
PubMed2002

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose metabolism in human myocytes.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) has been shown to have insulin-like effects upon the metabolism of glucose in rat liver, muscle and fat, and on that of lipids in rat and human adipocytes. These actions seem to be exerted through specific receptors which, unlike that of the pancreas, are not - at least in liver and muscle - cAMP-associated. Here we have investigated the effect, its characteristics, and possible second messengers of GLP-1 on the glucose metabolism of human skeletal muscle, in tissue strips and primary cultured myocytes. In muscle strips, GLP-1, like insulin, stimulated glycogen synthesis, glycogen synthase a activity, and glucose oxidation and utilization, and inhibited glycogen phosphorylase a activity, all of this at physiological concentrations of the peptide. In cultured myotubes, GLP-1 exerted, from 10(-13) mol/l, a dose-related increase of the D-[U-(14)C]glucose incorporation into glycogen, with the same potency as insulin, together with an activation of glycogen synthase a; the effect of 10(-11) mol/l GLP-1 on both parameters was additive to that induced by the equimolar amount of insulin. Synthase a was still activated in cells after 2 days of exposure to GLP-1, as compared with myotubes maintained in the absence of peptide. In human muscle cells, exendin-4 and its truncated form 9-39 amide (Ex-9) are both agonists of the GLP-1 effect on glycogen synthesis and synthase a activity; but while neither GLP-1 nor exendin-4 affected the cellular cAMP content after 5-min incubation in the absence of 3-isobutyl-1-methylxantine (IBMX), an increase was detected with Ex-9. GLP-1, exendin-4, Ex-9 and insulin all induced the prompt hydrolysis of glycosylphosphatidylinositols (GPIs). This work shows a potent stimulatory effect of GLP-1 on the glucose metabolism of human skeletal muscle, and supports the long-term therapeutic value of the peptide. Further evidence for a GLP-1 receptor in this tissue, different from that of the pancreas, is also illustrated, suggesting a role for an inositolphosphoglycan (IPG) as at least one of the possible second messengers of the GLP-1 action in human muscle.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2001

Effect of GLP-1 on lipid metabolism in human adipocytes.

We have studied the effect of several doses of GLP-1, compared to that of insulin and glucagons, on lipogenesis, lipolysis and cAMP cellular content, in human adipocytes isolated from normal subjects. In human adipocytes, GLP-1 exerts a dual action, depending upon the dose, on lipid metabolism, being lipogenic at low concentrations of the peptide (ED50, 10(-12) M), and lipolytic only at doses 10-100 times higher (ED50, 10(-10) M); both effects are time- and GLP-1 concentration-dependent. The GLP-1 lipogenic effect is equal in magnitude to that of equimolar amounts of insulin; both hormones apparently act synergically, and their respective action is abolished by glucagon. The lipolytic effect of GLP-1 is comparable to that of glucagon, apparently additive to it, and the stimulated value induced by either one is neutralized by the presence of insulin. In the absence of IBMX, GLP-1, at 10(-13) and 10(-12) M, only lipogenic doses, does not modify the cellular content of cAMP, while from 10(-11) M to 10(-9) M, also lipolytic concentrations, it has an increasing effect; in the presence of IBMX, GLP-1 at already 10(-12) M increased the cellular cAMP content. In human adipocytes, GLP-1 shows glucagon- and also insulin-like effects on lipid metabolism, suggesting the possibility of GLP-1 activating two distinct receptors, one of them similar or equal to the pancreatic one, accounting cAMP as a second messenger only for the lipolytic action of the peptide.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine↗
PubMed2001

Mesophilic aeromonads in wild and aquacultured freshwater fish.

Numbers and species of motile Aeromonas were determined in freshly caught freshwater fish, in the surrounding environment, and also during iced chilled storage of fish specimens. Although no significant differences were observed in water samples, initial levels for skin, gill, and intestines were significantly lower in farmed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) than in wild brown trout (Salmo trutta) and pike (Esox lucius). During storage of wild specimens, naturally occurring aeromonads grew fairly well on the surfaces of skin and body cavity. Of 171 strains assigned to the genus Aeromonas, 88% were identified to phenospecies and putative genospecies level by using comprehensive biochemical schemes. The isolates were allocated to putative hybridization groups (HGs) 1 and 3 Aeromonas hydrophila (29%); putative HG 8 Aeromonas veronii biovar sobria (19%); putative HG 2 Aeromonas bestiarum (18%); putative HG 9 Aeromonas jandaei (16%); putative HGs 4 and 5a Aeromonas caviae (2%); putative HG 12 Aeromonas schubertii (2%); and putative HG 11 (unnamed, 0.6%). The remaining 20 isolates (12%) resembled A. schubertii but could not be allocated to currently recognized phenospecies or to putative HGs. Although cultured rainbow trout yielded strains of putative HGs 1, 4, and 8, which appear to be of major clinical importance, most isolates assigned to putative HGs 1 and 8 were recovered from pike. Differences among HGs found in wild animals could be related to their origin (unpolluted rivers for brown trout and urban rivers for pike). The recovery of these aeromonads species was not related to sampling site. The initial levels of motile aeromonads, their behavior during storage, and the strong potential spoilage activity of most isolates confirm that these bacteria can contribute to deterioration of iced wild freshwater fish. Although adequate cooking would inactivate motile aeromonads, the high incidence of isolates belonging to gastroenteritis-associated HGs should be regarded as a potential health concern, particularly for susceptible populations when there is a possibility of cross-contamination.

Aeromonas↗
PubMed2001

GLP-1 effect upon the GPI/IPG system in adipocytes and hepatocytes from diabetic rats.

GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide 1), proposed as a possible tool for Type 2 diabetes therapy, has insulin-like effects upon glucose metabolism in extrapancreatic tissues, whose plasma membranes contain specific receptors for the peptide, being those, at least in liver and muscle, not associated to the adenylate cyclase/cAMP system. GLP-1, as insulin, modulates the content of glycosylphosphatidylinositols (GPIs)--precursors of inositolphosphoglycans (IPGs), considered mediators of insulin action--in several extrapancreatic cell lines and in normal rat hepatocytes and adipocytes. In the present paper, we document that in a streptozotocin-induced Type 2 diabetic rat model, GLP-1, as insulin, provokes a rapid decrease of the [myo-3H-inositol]GPI content in isolated adipocytes--indicative of its hydrolysis and immediate short-lived generation of IPG--as that previously observed in normal animals; in hepatocytes, GLP-1, but not insulin, induced a reduction in the cellular GPI, although delayed in relation to normal rats. In adipocytes from streptozotocin-induced Type 1 diabetic rats, GLP-1, as insulin, seems to induce a reduction in the cellular GPI content, which was smaller and occurred later than that provoked in the Type 2 diabetic model; in the hepatocytes, GLP-1 and insulin failed to affect the control GPI content at any time tested. In Type 2 diabetic rat, the hepatocyte retains its response capability to GLP-1, but not to insulin, suggesting that the peptide could be bypassing possible defective steps in the insulin signaling pathway in the liver of this diabetic model.

Adipocytes↗
PubMed2000

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma (giant cell type) associated with a malignant mixed tumor in the salivary gland of a dog.

A 12-year-old male Boxer dog presented with a 5 x 5 x 7-cm partially encapsulated mass in the right mandibular salivary gland. Histologically, the mass was composed of neoplastic epithelial and mesenchymal cells. The mesenchymal component consisted of two cell populations arranged in different patterns: coalescing nodules of neoplastic mononuclear cells with rare osteoid and numerous osteoclastlike giant cells; and sheets of neoplastic spindle cells intermingled with neoplastic epithelial cells and containing osteoid and well-formed bone trabeculae lined by osteoblasts and few osteoclastlike giant cells. On the basis of these histological features, two malignant salivary tumors were diagnosed: a malignant fibrous histiocytoma (giant cell type) and a malignant mixed tumor. Immunohistochemical studies demonstrated keratin 5 and 8 expression by the neoplastic epithelial cells, indicating a probable salivary ductal origin, and vimentin expression by all mesenchymal elements, suggesting a fibroblastic line of differentiation.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

[The "quality of life" concept in medical students and postgraduate residents in a university hospital].

We investigated the quality of life's concept and its uses by both residents and interns as well as last year medical students in the University Hospital in Caracas (HUC). A random sample by strata, without replacement of 123 persons, completed a self administered questionnaire which included a set of closed questions and one of open questions related to the quality of life's concept. The mean age was 29 years for both sexes (3.55 standard deviation or SD). There was not a statistically significant difference between males and females. More than 50% read about quality of life in either newspapers, journals and fiction literature. There was no difference among the groups (p = 0.25). Only 68% had heard in a different sort of academical institution the term "quality of life" such as in the school of medicine, highschool or in some discussion groups with no differences among the groups (p = 0.15). However, there was no agreement as from whom and where they learned about quality of life (p < 0.001). Although everybody considered that the quality of life was an important element in medical actions such as diagnostic or therapeutics, its importance was reduced for diagnosis compared to treatment (p < 0.0001). All the elements that were considered as part of the concept were also considered as important, regardless of the group and was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The open question analysis showed that the non-medical definitions represent 85.15% of the group, 50% out of them included terms of potentiality or condition. Among the elements included in the definition was the social in 27.65%, psychological in 23.53% and, the economical in 12.35% of the questionnaires. The great majority of the "quality of life" definitions did not include a clearly defined subject and in many cases it was exclusively related to ill persons. Finally, there is an informal and not well oriented form of learning about "quality of life" in residents, interns and last year medical students with a lack of a good applicability in the medical practice. Therefore, there is a need for a formal training on quality of life along the medical studies and its uses in the medical practice in general and with special emphasis on diagnosis and therapeutics.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Defective activity of monocytes from patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The modulatory effect of granulocyte-macrophage-colony stimulating factor.

BACKGROUND: Mononuclear phagocytic function is not well defined in non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients although, defective function of those cells has been reported in patients with Hodgkin disease and other solid tumors. The potential application of granulocyte-macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in the prevention and treatment of infections in those patients is being studied. METHODS: Phagocytosis and microbiocidal activity of monocytes in peripheral blood from 10 newly diagnosed patients and 14 healthy donors were tested cytologically against a strain of Candida albicans, and chemotaxis was evaluated in a Boyden chamber using zymosan-activated serum as a chemotactic agent. Cells were assayed under basal conditions and after incubation with GM-CSF (12 ng/mL). RESULTS: The phagocytosis and chemotactic activity of monocytes from non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients was lower than results obtained with cells from healthy donors (P < 0.05), and microbiocidal activity against Candida albicanswas similar in both groups. After exposure to GM-CSF, the functional activity of monocytes from control donors was only slightly modified (P > 0.05); by contrast, the percentage of mononuclear phagocytic cells in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients increased from 41 +/- 3% to 53 +/- 3%, the phagocytic index from 0.6 +/- 0.1 to 0.87 +/- 0.1 (P < 0.05), microbiocidal activity against Candida from 54 +/- 5% to 66 +/- 6% (P > 0.05), and chemotaxis from 43 +/- 8 cells per field to 48 +/- 9 cells per field (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that there is defective phagocytic and chemotactic activity in monocytes from NHL patients at diagnosis. "In vitro" improvement of phagocytic activity was observed after exposure to GM-CSF.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Translation to Spanish, reproducibility, and cross-cultural adaptation of the Miller-Rahe Recent Life Change Questionnaire in Venezuela.

OBJECTIVE: To translate into Spanish a version of the Miller-Rahe Recent Life Change Questionnaire and to adapt it to Venezuelan cultural values. METHODS: The Spanish version and cross-cultural adaptation of the Miller-Rahe Recent Life Change Questionnaire was done following recently proposed guidelines to preserve semantic, idiomatic, and conceptual equivalence in translations of health assessment instruments. We performed one or more translations into the new language, as well as back-translation, test-retest reliability, and weighting score for the translated instrument. RESULTS: A Spanish version of the Recent Life Change Questionnaire was obtained. Validity of translations was demonstrated with a significant agreement for the nonliteral translations (kappa value = 0.97, P < 0.05). The conceptual equivalence was demonstrated by significant agreement in the back-translations (kappa value = 0.84, P < 0.05). The translated instrument met acceptable levels of reliability, as assessed by Spearman's rank correlation coefficients (> 0.60 for all categories of the questionnaire). The cross-cultural adaptation of the translated instrument required addition and exclusion of items as well as changes of the ranking and scaling of life units in the original questionnaire. CONCLUSION: A valid and reliable Spanish version of the Miller-Rahe Recent Life Change Questionnaire was produced and adapted to Venezuelan cultural values.

Adult↗