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R Valor

Publications and source records attributed to R Valor.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Sleep apnea in patients with hemispheric stroke.

Sleep pattern and breathing in humans are altered following cerebrovascular accidents involving the brainstem. Sleep apnea is a well-established complication of stroke involving the brainstem. On the other hand, the effect of cerebral stroke on sleep and breathing has not been well defined. The diffuse cerebral symptoms such as cognitive deficits, depression or fatigue, after hemispheric stroke mimic those present in patients with sleep apnea. To define the breathing pattern in patients with stroke involving cerebral hemispheres without brainstem lesion and without the prior history of sleep-disordered breathing, we studied 10 patients within 1 year of their stroke. The data collected during polysomnography from the stroke patients were compared with a group of subjects matched for age, body mass index, presence of hypertension, and smoking history without stroke. Patients with stroke had an abnormal sleep architecture with significantly lower slow wave sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep when compared with controls. Sleep was fragmented because of the presence of increased respiratory disturbances. Stroke patients had a respiratory disturbance index of 52 +/- 10 events per hour when compared with 3 +/- 1 in controls (p < .05). Majorities of respiratory events were obstructive apneas and were associated with arterial oxygen desaturations and arousals. The pathogenic mechanism of sleep-disordered breathing in patients with hemispheric stroke seems to be related to the physiological effect of sleep on already compromised upper airway muscle control. Patients with stroke and diffuse cerebral symptoms should be investigated for the possibility of sleep-disordered breathing.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Fructosamine levels in CAPD: its value as glycemic index.

We have studied fructosamine (measured by colorimetric methods) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) using a high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) in 20 uremic patients managed conservatively (8 diabetics and 12 non-diabetics) and 20 patients treated with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) including 12 diabetics and 8 non-diabetics. Twenty healthy subjects were used as control group. We have correlated the mean blood glucose (MBG) of the preceding days to fructosamine and HbA1c measurements. No differences were detected in mean fructosamine and HbA1c levels in non-diabetics patients in the CAPD or conservatively treated groups compared to controls. In diabetic patients undergoing conservative treatment or CAPD, mean fructosamine and HbA1c values were elevated when compared with control group. Both glycemic indicators were increased in most of the diabetic patients, was higher values in those patients with higher MBG. There was a good correlation in CAPD diabetic patients between fructosamine and HbA1c with MBG of the 21 previous days (r = 0.84, p less than 0.01 and r = 0.74, p less than 0.01 respectively). There was also correlation between fructosamine and HbA1c in CAPD diabetic patients (r = 0.78, p less than 0.01). We conclude that fructosamine does not seem to be influenced by uremia or by CAPD. Fructosamine and also glycosylated hemoglobin, when c-fraction is measured and HPLC method is used, can be utilized as glycemic indexes in CAPD diabetic patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Osteopenia in rheumatoid arthritis: a biochemical, hormonal and histomorphometric study.

To determine whether the osteopenia of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is due to reduction of trabecular bone mass (TBV) and/or cortical width (CW), we evaluated these parameters by bone histomorphometry; we also measured the calciotropic hormones parathormone(PTH) and calcitonin (CT), vitamin D [25(OH)D] and the biological markers of bone remodeling in a group of patients with RA. Study subjects were divided into Group C - premenopausal patients, and Group A - menopausal patients and men of the same ages. These groups were compared to two age-matched control groups, B and D. In both A vs. B and C vs. D, TBV and CW were significantly lower in patients. There were no differences in PTH or CT, but 25(OH)D was significantly reduced, and BGP, OHP/Cr and AP were raised in patients. Patients also exhibited TBV loss in more than 55% and CW loss in more than 98%. These changes suggest that the decline in bone mass, mainly cortical, but also trabecular, is due to increased bone turnover and enhanced resorption and seem to reflect intrinsic alterations of RA.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Tissue quantification of CA 125 in epithelial ovarian cancer.

The objectives of this study were the determination of CA 125 in the cytosol of healthy and carcinomatous ovarian tissue by immunoanalysis, analysis of its correlation with the biological characteristics of ovarian carcinoma, determination of serum CA 125 levels, and study of the prognostic value of the marker in cytosol. The levels of the marker depend not only on the tumor's production rate, so its determination in tissue can indicate more accurately if the tumor is a producer of the marker and establish its value for the prognosis of the disease. Determination of CA 125 in tissue was performed by immunoanalysis in 50 ovarian epithelial cancer samples, 13 benign pathology samples and 32 healthy ovary samples. The presurgical serum level of the marker was also obtained. The correlation between the CA 125 level in the cytosol and the different biological characteristics of the ovarian carcinoma, the serum levels of the marker and survival were analyzed. The CA 125 level proved to be higher in malignant tissue (p < 0.0001). There was a significant association between the tissue marker and histological type (high CA 125 was associated with serous and endometrioid tumors) and between the marker and survival. No relation with stage was found. There was a correlation between the CA 125 level in the cytosol and serum both variables being dependent, with a correlation coefficient of 0.44. This good correlation speaks in favor of the usefulness of CA 125 determination in serum in the follow-up of ovarian cancer. Tumors having high tissue expression of CA 125 were found to have a double relative risk of death, independently of tumor stage.

Adult↗