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Biomedical subjects

R Huguet

Publications and source records attributed to R Huguet.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Matuyama-age lithic tools from the Sima del Elefante site, Atapuerca (northern Spain).

Paleomagnetic results obtained from the sedimentary fill at the Sima del Elefante site in Atapuerca, Spain, reveal a geomagnetic reversal, interpreted as the Matuyama-Brunhes boundary (0.78 Ma). The uppermost lithostratigraphic units (E17 through E19), which contain Mode II and III archaeological assemblages, display normal polarity magnetization, whereas the six lowermost units (E9 through E16) yield negative latitudinal virtual geomagnetic pole positions. Units E9 through E13, all of which display reverse magnetic polarity, contain Mode I (Oldowan) lithic tools, testifying to the presence of humans in the early Pleistocene (0.78-1.77 Ma).

Geologic Sediments↗
PubMed2005

Short human occupations in the Middle Palaeolithic level I of the Abric Romani rock-shelter (Capellades, Barcelona, Spain).

This paper presents a multidisciplinary study on the size of the occupied surfaces, provisioning strategies and behaviour planning at the Romani rock-shelter, using the Middle Palaeolithic record of the level i. This level is dated around 46.000 BP through U/Th ages. A behavioural interpretation is proposed, which emphasises the activities and the systemic value of the archaeological artefacts and structures. Occupation patterns are identified on the basis of the accumulations formed by human activities. These archaeological accumulations, consisting of artefacts and hearths, are easily defined visually as spatial units. The relationships between these accumulations, established by means of refitted remains, indicate that differences can be established between: 1) small and medium-sized occupation surfaces; 2) restricted and diversified provisioning strategies. This variability suggests that different modes of occupation are represented in the same archaeological level. The human activities reveal the generalization of fire technology. In almost all sizes of the occupation surfaces, the exploitation of vegetal resources near the Abric Romani marks the threshold of the restricted provisioning strategy. Limited use and fragmented knapping activities are recorded in the lithic assemblage. Faunal remains show differential transport. The exploitation of lithic, faunal and vegetal resources characterizes the diversified provisioning strategy. The small occupation surfaces and restricted provisioning strategies suggest short settlements in the Abric Romani. This shorter occupation model complements the longer diversified provisioning strategy recorded in both small and medium-sized occupied surfaces. The selection of precise elements for transport and the possible deferred consumption in the diversified provision strategy suggest an individual supply. In this respect, Neanderthal occupations in the Romani rock-shelter show a direct relation to: 1) hunting strategic resources; 2) high, linear mobility.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Infantile idiopathic scoliosis in the newborn.

We have reviewed 7 patients (5 boys and 2 girls) with infantile idiopathic scoliosis which was present at birth and was diagnosed at ages from 1 day to 1 month. The mean follow up was 16 years. The objectives were to discover whether intrauterine forces play a role in the aetiology and to determine whether early treatment of a potentially progressive curve can induce resolution. Two infants were male conjoined twins and were united by skin over the posterior sacrum. Six infants had a rib vertebral angle difference greater than 20 degrees in the first radiograph and 5 had stiff curves. In 2 with flexible curves, the deformity disappeared by the end of the first year. The 5 with stiff curves were treated conservatively for 6 to 24 months. Growth has now been completed in 5; 4 have a straight spine and one developed an adolescent curve of 26 degrees. The 2 who are still growing have no scoliosis. Intrauterine moulding was only demonstrated in the conjoined twins. There was a correlation between the rib vertebral angle difference above 20 degrees and the rigidity of the curve. Early treatment of a potentially progressive curve can lead to resolution.

Female↗
PubMed1995

Intervertebral disc calcification in childhood.

Nine children with calcified intervertebral discs are described. Seven were boys and 2 were girls. The average age at diagnosis was 8.6 years (range 5 to 14 years). Follow up was from 2 to 10 years. Only one child gave a history of trauma. In all twelve discs were involved with more than one disc being affected in 2 children; there were 7 in the cervical spine, 4 in the thoracic and one in the lumbar spine. Every child with cervical calcification had an acute onset with pain and limited movement, and disappeared during the following months. The calcified discs in the thoracic and lumbar regions did not cause symptoms and did not change. Calcification of cervical discs is self-limiting and has an excellent prognosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

[Diabetologic education at a general hospital in Cataluna: methodology and short-term indicators of effectiveness].

In order to carry out an initial evaluation of an intrahospital diabetes education programme after its first year, the methods used are described and some previously established short term effectiveness indicators are analyzed: 1) knowledge of the theory, 2) insulinization, 3) blood glucose self testing at home, 4) metabolic control, 5) readmission in hospital, and 6) detection of chronic complications. An analysis of the previous situation was carried out resulting in a mean hospital stay of 10.8 days/patient/year during 1985, being the mean hospital stay for the general population of 8.1 days. 222 diabetic patients (63 type I and 159 type II) were included in the programme during the first year, and their cultural background, diabetes education, place of origin and participation were evaluated. 358 written tests were examined. The scores obtained after the educational sessions (75.6 +/- 17.5) were significantly higher than the initial scores (47.4 +/- 23.1; p less than 0.001). Prior the programme, 93 patients (41.9%) were on insulin. At the time of the evaluation 156 (70.2%) were on insulin treatment, of which 86 (38.7%) were on rapid insulin. Furthermore, 141 patients (66.1%) were carrying out periodic (over 10 tests/week) blood glucose determinations at home. In a 96 patient follow up group (36 type I and 60 type II) a significant improvement in baseline glucose levels (8.6 +/- 2.7 vs 12.6 +/- 4.2 mmol/l; p less than 0.001) as well as glycosylated hemoglobin levels (9.3 + 1.2% vs 11.0 + 2.0%; p greater than 0.001) was confirmed; this improvement was maintained throughout the time period considered.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Characterization of right or left ventricular contraction heterogeneity using Fourier phase analysis. Application to a group of patients with severe ventricular arrhythmias.

The standard deviation of the first harmonic Fourier phase histogram is an indicator of the contraction heterogeneity of the heart ventricles. This approach has been applied to analyse tomographic blood pool (99mTc) examinations in a group of 32 patients with angiographically verified mainly right (RV) but also left (LV) kinetic disorders in relation to severe ventricular arrhythmias and suspicion of arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD). The reference group consisted of ten patients with low probability of cardiac kinetic abnormalities. Thick tomographic slices including both ventricles have been reconstructed in the horizontal long axis orientation from a series of 32 gated projections recorded over a 360 degrees rotation. Separately for each ventricle the Fourier phase histograms have been computed and characterized by their standard deviations (PSD). Normal values (mean +/- standard deviation, LV = 11 degrees +/- 5 degrees, RV = 12 degrees +/- 5 degrees) were significantly lower (P less than 0.01 and P less than 0.001) than those measured in abnormal cases (LV = 19 degrees +/- 10 degrees and RV = 31 degrees +/- 17 degrees). Detailed analysis of the data supports the hypothesis of a primary RV disease in ARVD, with secondary LV extension. PSD seems to be a good predictor of an organic cardiac disease underlying ventricular arrhythmias and may be used for screening the patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Reduced affinity of peripheral benzodiazepine binding sites in elderly insomniac patients.

Peripheral-type benzodiazepine binding sites on intact platelets from untreated chronic insomniac patients and those chronically treated with benzodiazepine hypnotics were investigated to evaluate their putative involvement in sleep pathology and the influence of treatment. There were 34 elderly subjects in the study, 14 controls (80.7 years) and 20 insomniac patients, of whom 7 were untreated (61.1 years) and 13 were treated (84.4 years). There was an equivalent number of peripheral-type benzodiazepine 3H-PK 11195 binding sites on platelets from untreated (7.61 pmol/mg protein) and treated insomniacs (6.39 pmol/mg protein) and on platelets from the controls (6.21 pmol/mg protein). However, there was a twofold reduction in the affinity of these sites in untreated (Kd = 8.02 nM) and treated (Kd = 7.40 nM) insomniacs compared to controls (3.79 nM). This difference raises the possibility that peripheral-type benzodiazepine sites are involved in abnormal sleep.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

[Treatment of ventricular tachycardia with propafenone. Parallel study of ventricular provocation tests].

Propafenone (P), a class IC antiarrhythmic drug, was tested intravenously and orally in the curative and preventive treatment of sustained (VTS) and non-sustained (VTNS) ventricular tachycardia. The 16 patients involved included 11 men and 5 women of mean age 49 years. They all had heart disease: ischaemia in 3, right ventricular arrhythmogenic dysplasia in 6, dilated myocardiopathy in 5 and left ventricular aneurysm in 2. Intravenous P in doses of 1.5 mg/kg controlled VT within 2 or 3 minutes on average in 9 out of 12 patients. Following the injection VT could not be reinduced in 2 out of 10 patients; other inductions were harder to obtain or resulted in VTNS instead of VTS (n = 3), or remained unchanged (n = 5). When P was administered orally (mean dose 900 mg) to 14 patients reinduction of VT was no longer possible in 2 cases, more difficult in 1 case, remained unchanged in 7 cases and was easier in 4 cases. Long-term oral therapy at the same dosage level prevented recurrences of VT in 7 out of 14 patients; the drug was discontinued in 2 patients owing to its arrhythmogenic effect on induced VT. The patients were followed up for 5 to 36 months (mean: 16.4 +/- 11.7 months). In this trial the results of long-term treatment could not be predicted from Holter recordings or measurements of plasma levels.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1986

[Comparative study of the efficacy of propafenone and amiodarone in the treatment of chronic ventricular extrasystole].

30 patients (mean age 56 +/- 18 years) suffering from multiple ventricular extrasystoles (VES) of various origin, like ischemic, hypertensive, valvular and congenital cardiopathy, and arrhythmogenic ventricular dysplasia, were treated during 12 days by a daily dose of 900 mg of propafenone (15 cases) or 600 mg of amiodarone (15 cases). The study was randomized and a portable ECG was used for 24 h. At the time of entering into the study (H0) the patients were without any therapy. The mean total number of VES was 16,878 +/- 9,212 in the propafenone group (2,062 +/- 2,342 of them being repetitive) and 19,497 +/- 7,930 in the amiodarone group (2,907 +/- 3,615 of them being repetitive). The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant, even with the use of Holter (H1) ECG monitoring one week later. After 12 days of treatment (H2) a significant decrease in the number of total VES was noted: by 78% with propafenone (76% isolated and 89% repetitive VES) and by 77% with amiodarone (74% isolated and 91% repetitive VES). The difference between the effect of the two drugs was not significative. After 12 days of wash-out (H3) the number of VES returned to initial values with propafenone but not with amiodarone where the values were still decreased after 82 days of wash-out (H4). Both drugs produced significant bradycardia which was more apparent and more spread out during the nyctohemeral with amiodarone. Propafenone affected rather the maximal and diurnal frequencies. No correlation was found between the bradycardic and antiarrhythmic effect. Amiodarone was well tolerated and propafenone produced minor digestive and neurosensory troubles in about half the cases, only in one patient a more pronounced arrhythmogenic effect was observed. In conclusion, the efficacy and the good hemodynamic tolerance of the two drugs was found to be similar in the short-term treatment of chronic, isolated or repetitive VES, irrespective of their etiology.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1986

[Sinoatrial and atrioventricular conduction disorders in Lyme disease. Apropos of 2 case reports].

Lyme's disease due to Borrelia Burgdorferii is a rare cause of acute atrioventricular block (AVB) which is the commonest cardiac complication. Cutaneous, neurological and articular involvement complete the clinical picture of this condition. These two cases, confirmed by serology, support previously reported data describing the favourable prognosis of these conduction defects (suprahisian and/or hisian in our 2 cases) which regress completely, irrespective of their degree of severity. The authors also describe AVB occurring without extracardiac manifestations of this condition and a documented case of sinoatrial block, indicating a new zone of infestation.

Electrocardiography↗
PubMed1979

[Calcium and phosphrous evaluation during cortisone treatment of nephrotic syndrome in relapse].

Metabolic balances were used to study the intestinal absorption of calcium, magnesium and phosphate in children with steroid sensitive nephrotic syndrome in relapse. Magnesium balance was unaffected by the illness, steroid therapy, or by the addition of vitamin D. In contrast, the absorption of calcium and phosphorus was reduced by the illness and was still furthur diminished by the steroid therapy. The addition of vitamin D was totally ineffective in the doses used. The causes of these changes are discussed.

Calcium↗
PubMed1975

[Isolation and composition of a glycoprotein from lamb gastric mucosa].

A glycoprotein is isolated from lamb gastric mucosa. It is purified first by reduction with dithiothreitol and then by chromatography on CM-Sephadex followed by gelfiltration on Sephadex G-75. Its homogeneity is investigated by disc electrophoresis, immunoelectrophoresis, analytical ultracentrifugation and identification of the carboxy- and amino-terminal amino acids. This glycoprotein contains 56 p. cent carbohydrates, consisting of N-glycolyneuraminic acid, fucose, galactose, and hexosamines. Hexosamines and galactose are in equimolar ratio ; galactosamine and glucosamine in the ratio 1 :2. The amino acid composition shows that threonine, serine and proline account for half of the amino acid residues. The cysteine origin and function are discussed.

Amino Acids↗