Antitrombina III en diabetes mellitus no insulinodependiente de pacientes con infarto del miocardio / Antithrombin III in non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus of patients with myocardial infarction

Objetivo: Determinar si existe alguna relación entre los niveles de antitrombina III y el infarto del miocardio por trombosis coronaria en el paciente diabético no insulinodependiente. Material y métodos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo en 99 pacientes diabéticos no insulinodependientes. Se midieron niveles plasmáticos de ATIII. En el grupo I se incluyeron 67 de ellos con IM a quienes se les realizó angiografía coronaria. El grupo II se formó con 32 pacientes con DMNID sin infarto del miocardio. Resultados: El grupo I lo integraron 42 pacientes masculinos (63 por ciento) y 25 femeninos (37 por ciento). El intervalo de edades de la población estudiada fue de 42 a 82 años. En la determinación de los niveles de ATIII 50 pacientes (75 por ciento) se encontraron en cifras de referencia (88 a 131 por ciento) y 17 (25 por ciento) con disminución. Los que mostraron nivel de obstrucción coronaria mayor o igual a 85 por ciento fueron 45; de éstos, en 34 (50.7 por ciento) el valor de ATIII se encontró en valores de referencia y en II (16.4 por ciento) con disminución (40 a 83 por ciento). De los 22 con grado de obstrucción menor o igual a 84 por ciento, 16 (24 por ciento) presentaron actividad normal y seis (9 por ciento) mostraron disminución; además, el intervalo de evolución del IM fue de 6 a 60 h, observando que a partir de las 36 h el porcentaje de actividad de la ATIII se encuentra disminuido (40 a 83 por ciento). En el grupo II el porcentaje de actividad de ATIII se encontró dentro de los valores de referencia con un rango de 88 a 115 por ciento. Conclusiones: La actividad de la ATIII no se altera dentro de las primeras 24 h del IM. A pesar de que este estudio no fue diseñado para evaluar la evolución de IM se observó una correlación entre la evolución de éste y la disminución de la actividad de la ATIII

Oligobodies: bench made synthetic antibodies

Using synthetic peptides and a combinatorial library of 56 mer random oligonucleotides, we have developed reagents that behave as "synthetic antibodies". The results obtained with the protein phosphatase 2A as a model system are shown here. The specificity of these reagents, named "oligobodies", has been demonstrated by Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry. The oligobodies have enormous advantages compared to antibodies: their production is independent of the immune system, they can be prepared in a few days and there is no need for a purified target protein. These reagents can be produced even if the corresponding protein was never isolated or purified, since only a partial DNA suquence from a database provides enough information to make them.

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia: mortality determinants in a Hispanic population

OBJECTIVES: Determine which factors were associated with mortality in our patients, specifically whether ventilatory parameters and arterial blood gas could be used to predict outcome. The role of delaying surgery and the presence of contra lateral pneumothorax were also assessed. BACKGROUND: Mortality among babies born with congenital diaphragmatic hernia remains high. The associated pulmonary hypoplasia and hypertension account for most of the overall mortality. There is no uniform consensus as to which parameters predict outcome. METHOD: Study population consisted of thirty-two patients with CDH managed during a ten-year period. Retrospective data obtained included: perinatal data, postnatal complications, ventilatory parameter data, arterial blood gas, type and age of surgery. Ventilatory index, oxygenation index and arterial to alveolar oxygen difference (A-aDO2) within the first 24 hours of life and after surgical correction were compared among the 23 patients who underwent surgical correction. Timing of surgery and frequency of pneumothorax were compared between survivors and non-survivors. Epi-Info Software Package was used for statistic analysis. RESULTS: Overall survival was 40 per cent. Survival of surgically corrected infants was 61 per cent. Non-survivors had significantly higher A-aDO2 than survivors (p < 0.05). No significant differences in pCO2, ventilatory index, or oxygenation index were identified between survivors and non survivors. Surgical repair performed after the first twenty-four hours of life, was associated with a higher survival rate (p < 0.05). Fourteen patients (39 per cent) developed contralateral pneumothorax, eleven (79 per cent) of these died. CONCLUSIONS: (1) contralateral pneumothorax was associated with higher mortality, 2) A-aDO2 was a better prognostic indicator than pCO2, ventilatory index, or oxygenation index, 3) delaying surgical repair was associated with better survival rate.

Predictive factors in the genesis of intraventricular hemorrhage in premature infants

Intraventricular hemorrhage of the newborn (IVH) is a common complication of prematurity, especially of those infants with birth weights of less than 1500 grams. It may be associated with neurodevelopmental impairment and even death. We did a retrospective study of infants born with birth weights of less than 1500 grams during the period of January 1989 to January 1990 who had head sonograms done during the newborn period. A total of 37 patients were identified. The purpose of the study was to identify risk factors associated to IVH. Risk factors considered were those related to pregnancy and delivery complications and perinatal and postnatal events. Patients were classified according to type of IVH into mild and severe. The overall incidence of IVH was 43 por ciento (16/37). The incidence of severe IVH was 30 por ciento. Pregnancy and delivery complications were not related to the development of IVH. None of the perinatal factors were associated with IVH. Of the neonatal factors, hypertension per se was not associated with severe IVH, but the fluctuations in mean blood pressure (MAP) during the first 72 hours of life were significantly different in infants with mild IVH as compared to infant with severe IVH, 25mmHg and 40mmHg respectively