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R Aznar

Publications and source records attributed to R Aznar.

95 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

[Bacteremia in a community hospital. Review of 78 cases].

We analyze retrospectively all bacteremic episodes seen between January and December, 1987 in our institution. From a total number of blood cultures performed of 897, 145 were positive (16%), and 67 of them considered as contamination (7.5%). There were 78 episodes of bacteremia in 74 patients, 38 males and 36 females. Forty-eight episodes were community-acquired and 30 were nosocomial bacteremia episodes. Aerobic bacteria were isolated in 64 cases, anaerobic bacteria in 9 cases and polymicrobial bacteremia in 5 cases. The most commonly isolated microorganism was S. epidermidis in nosocomial cases and E. coli in community-acquired cases. Predisposing conditions registered were diabetes mellitus in 16 cases (20%), cirrhosis of the liver in 3 (4%), corticosteroid therapy in 7 (9%) and surgical procedures in 19 (24%). Shock was seen in 16 cases (20%), DIC in 8 cases (10%) and ARDS in 5 (6.5%). Appropriate antibiotic treatment was used in 60 episodes (77%). Seventeen patients (22%) died. Prognostic factors identified were: nosocomial bacteremia (p less than 0.05), corticosteroid prior therapy (p less than 0.05), underlying disease UF or RF (p less than 0.0001) and the presence of shock (p less than 0.0001). Mean hospital stay was 20.1 days in bacteremic patients vs. 7.6 days in non bacteremic patients (p less than 0.00001).

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Beta-2 microglobulin serum levels in maintenance dialysis. What does it mean?

beta-2 Microglobulin levels (beta-2M) were analyzed at four month intervals in sera of 237 patients on various forms of dialysis over a 2 year period; twelve patients volunteered to participate in short-term kinetics studies. Duplicate beta-2M measurements in biologic fluids were performed using an RIA kit. The data presented confirm elevated serum beta-2M in dialyzed patients whatever the dialysis method used and give an overview on various factors affecting circulating serum beta-2M. Intraindividual beta-2M variations were 13% in stable ESRD patients. Unusually high values (greater than 2 SE) were observed in patients presenting with severe intercurrent disease (e.g., cancer). The only significant difference observed between groups of patients, HD (46 +/- 1 mg/L) and PD (IPD: 33 +/- 3, CAPD: 37 +/- 2 mg/L), was due to the residual renal function preserved in a higher percentage of PD patients. No significant difference was noted in HF (40 +/- 2 mg/L) and HDF (38 +/- 5 mg/L) patients, despite a higher beta-2M removal rate. beta-2M membrane permeability differs greatly among filters. It is high for AN69 and Polysulfone, intermediate for Polyamide, low for Polyacrylonitrile and none for Cuprophane. Peritoneal membrane is highly permeable to beta-2M with beta-2M dialysate/serum levels of 0.20 at the end of a 6 hr exchange. In conclusion, beta-2M determination in uremic patients is useful in assessing material permeability and biocompatibility. However, it is too early to determine the impact or the beneficial effects of using highly permeable membrane to prevent beta-2M-amyloidosis related nonarticular complications.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Immunofixation improves the detection of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (M.G.U.S.) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) was detected by immunofixation (IFX) in 6% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), whereas it was detected by immunoelectrophoresis in only 1% of these patients. Most of the patients with both RA and MGUS had polyclonal B cell activation, together with their monoclonal band, extra-articular features and long-lasting disease, which suggests a direct relationship between MGUS and RA status.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗