Control ecográfico en la distracción de los tallos de crecimiento magnéticos en la escoliosis de aparición precoz / Ultrasound control of magnet growing rod distraction in early onset scoliosis

En la actualidad, la técnica de tallos de crecimiento es uno de los métodos más empleados en el manejo de la escoliosis de aparición precoz. No obstante, requiere frecuentes intervenciones quirúrgicas para distraer los tallos, y así mantener un crecimiento adecuado de la columna y controlar la deformidad raquídea. Recientemente se han introducido los tallos de crecimiento de distracción magnética con el mismo objetivo terapéutico pero sin el inconveniente de la distracción quirúrgica repetida. Una de las limitaciones que presenta este avance técnico es el incremento en la exposición a radiaciones ionizantes a consecuencia del aumento en la frecuencia de las distracciones, en comparación con los tallos de crecimiento convencionales. Presentamos una mejora de la técnica de distracción inicial, proponiendo una solución al inconveniente de la exposición múltiple a radiaciones ionizantes, empleando la ecografía para el control del proceso de elongación de los tallos de crecimiento de distracción magnética (AU)

The growing rod technique is currently one of the most common procedures used in the management of early onset scoliosis. However, in order to preserve spine growth and control the deformity it requires frequent surgeries to distract the rods. Magnetically driven growing rods have recently been introduced with same treatment goal, but without the inconvenience of repeated surgical distractions. One of the limitations of this technical advance is an increase in radiation exposure due to the increase in distraction frequency compared to conventional growing rods. An improvement of the original technique is presented, proposing a solution to the inconvenience of multiple radiation exposure using ultrasound technology to control the distraction process of magnetically driven growing rods (AU)

Ultrasound control of magnet growing rod distraction in early onset scoliosis. / Control ecográfico en la distracción de los tallos de crecimiento magnéticos en la escoliosis de aparición precoz.

The growing rod technique is currently one of the most common procedures used in the management of early onset scoliosis. However, in order to preserve spine growth and control the deformity it requires frequent surgeries to distract the rods. Magnetically driven growing rods have recently been introduced with same treatment goal, but without the inconvenience of repeated surgical distractions. One of the limitations of this technical advance is an increase in radiation exposure due to the increase in distraction frequency compared to conventional growing rods. An improvement of the original technique is presented, proposing a solution to the inconvenience of multiple radiation exposure using ultrasound technology to control the distraction process of magnetically driven growing rods.

Fractura periprotésica de trapecio en paciente con artroplastia trapecio-metacarpiana no cementada. A propósito de un caso y revisión bibliográfica / Periprosthetic Fracture of Tapeze in Patients with arthroplasty Trapeze - Metacarpal uncemented. A Purpose of a case and Review Bibliografica

Presentamos el caso de una paciente de 49 años de edavresentaba un estadio III, implantándose una artroplastia trapecio- metacarpiana (TPZMTC) no cementada cuyo control radiológico postoperatorio fue correcto. La evolución fue favorable hasta el segundo mes, a partir del cual empezó con episodios de dolor intenso acompañados de inflamación en la raíz del primer radio y presentando a nivel radiológico una fractura del trapecio. En la siguiente consulta de revisión postquirúrgica, se confirmó mediante una TAC la movilización de la prótesis trapecio - metacarpiana por estallido del trapecio e impactación en la base del escafoides. Debido a esto hubo que someter a la paciente a una nueva intervención para la retirada de la prótesis y realización de una artroplastia de suspensión. Palabras claves: rizartrosis, artoplastia trapecio, complicaciones prótesis trapecio - metacarpianas

We report the case of a 49 year old woman with bilateral rizarthrosis Eaton stage II . At fi rst time she was operated of the right hand on which an extension and abduction osteotomy of the fi rst metacarpal was performed successfully. One year later she had surgery on his left hand, which had worsened and had Eaton stage III, implanting an trapezium arthroplasty - metacarpal ( TPZMTC ) cementless whose postoperative radiological control was correct. The outcome was favorable until the second month, after which began with episodes of severe pain accompanied by infl ammation at the root of the fi rst ray and radiologically presenting a fracture of the trapezium. The following review of postsurgical consultation was confi rmed by a CT mobilizing prosthesis trapezium - metacarpal and the trapezium burst impaction at the base of the scaphoid. Because of this it was necessary to subject the patient to a new surgery for removing the prosthesis and performing a suspension arthroplasty

[Acoustic voice analysis: reliability of a set of multi-dimensional parameters]. / Análisis acústico de la voz: fiabilidad de un conjunto de parámetros multidimensionales.

A correlational study of the reliability of acoustic voice parameters was made of 148 healthy adults. Acoustic analysis was performed with MDVP-Multi-Dimensional Voice Program implemented in a CSL-Computerized Speech Lab of Kay Elemetrics. A set of 29 voice parameters were obtained from two samples of sustained vowel /a/ recorded from each subject. General results separated by sex are showed and the test-retest reliability in each pair of measures was calculated. Data show a high intra-subject stability of Frequency Fundamental parameters; acceptable stability in parameters of Frequency and Amplitude Perturbation, Noise, Subharmonics and Voice irregularities; and a very low consistency in Tremor parameters. Parameters related with shimmer were more reliable than parameters related with jitter. According to results several conclusions are reported.

Análisis acústico de la voz: fiabilidad de un conjunto de parámetros multidimensionales / Acoustic voice analysis: reliability of a set of multi-dimensional parameters

La fiabilidad del análisis acústico de la voz es una cuestión relevante poco estudiada todavía. Se presenta aquí un estudio correlacional sobre la fiabilidad de los parámetros de la voz en una muestra de 148 adultos sanos. El análisis se llevó a cabo mediante el MDVP- Multi-Dimensional Voice Program instalado en una unidad de CSL-Computerized Speech Lab de Kay Elemetrics. Por cada sujeto se obtuvieron 29 parámetros de voz a partir de dos registros de la vocal /a/ sostenida. Se ofrecen los resultados generales separados por géneros y la fiabilidad testretest obtenida en cada par de medidas. Los datos muestran una alta estabilidad intra-sujeto en los parámetros de Frecuencia Fundamental; estabilidad aceptable en los parámetros de Perturbación de Frecuencia y de Amplitud, Ruido, Subarmónicos e Irregularidad de la voz; y una consistencia muy baja en los parámetros de Temblor. Los parámetros relacionados con el shimmer son más fiables que los relacionados con el jitter. De acuerdo con los resultados obtenidos se extraen conclusiones útiles para la práctica clínica (AU)

A correlational study of the reliability of acoustic voice parameters was made of 148 healthy adults. Acoustic analysis was performed with MDVP-Multi-Dimensional Voice Program implemented in a CSL-Computerized Speech Lab of Kay Elemetrics. A set of 29 voice parameters were obtained from two samples of sustained vowel /a/ recorded from each subject. General results separated by sex are showed and the test-retest reliability in each pair of measures was calculated. Data show a high intra-subject stability of Frequency Fundamental parameters; acceptable stability in parameters of Frequency and Amplitude Perturbation, Noise, Subharmonics and Voice irregularities; and a very low consistency in Tremor parameters. Parameters related with shimmer were more reliable than parameters related with jitter. According to results several conclusions are reported (AU)

Seed gene flow and fine-scale structure in a Mediterranean pine ( Pinus pinaster Ait.) using nuclear microsatellite markers.

The Mediterranean populations of maritime pine ( Pinus pinaster Ait.) are typically small and have a scattered distribution, being threatened by human activities and forest fires. In the framework of the genetic-resources conservation program of this species, a native multi-age stand located in a Mediterranean area (central Spain) was studied using three highly polymorphic nuclear microsatellites (SSRs). Spatial autocorrelation analysis was conducted using Moran's index in order to detect fine-scale structure in both natural regeneration and mature trees. The spatial pattern of seed flow based on dispersed progeny was studied using a highly reliable subset of parent-offspring matches obtained by means of parentage analysis and simulation-based calculation of statistical confidence. Maritime pine showed a fine-scale structure at the seedling stage. In natural regeneration, the autocorrelograms indicated a patch size of approximately 10 m. The fine-scale structure seems to be produced by a restricted seed gene flow. In fact, there was an excess of parent-offspring matches in a radius of 15 m from the parent trees. Pines with a heavy seed, such as P. pinaster, are expected to have a short dispersal distance, thus producing a fine-scale structure. However, the fine-scale structure did not persist in the mature trees. Within-population genetic structure in Mediterranean pines may be affected by a number of post-dispersal events (e.g. mortality due to the severity of the Mediterranean climate and animal-mediated secondary dispersal during the summer period). Thus, great alteration in the pattern produced by the initial seed rain and differences in genetic structure between tree cohorts are expected.

Acoustical analysis of Spanish vowels produced by laryngectomized subjects.

The purpose of this study was to describe the acoustic characteristics of Spanish vowels in subjects who had undergone a total laryngectomy and to compare the results with those obtained in a control group of subjects who spoke normally. Our results are discussed in relation to those obtained in previous studies with English-speaking laryngectomized patients. The comparison between English and Spanish, which diFfer widely in the size of their vowel inventories, will help us to determine specific or universal vowel production characteristics in these patients. Our second objective was to relate the acoustic properties of these vowels to the perceptual data obtained in our previous work (J. L. Miralles & T. Cervera, 1995). In that study, results indicated that vowels produced by alaryngeal speakers were well perceived in word context. Vowels were produced in CVCV word context by two groups of patients who had undergone laryngectomy: tracheoesophageal speakers (TES) and esophageal speakers. In addition a control group of normal talkers was included. Audio recordings of 24 Spanish words produced by each speaker were analyzed using CSL (Kay Elemetrics). Results showed that F1, F2, and vowel duration of alaryngeal speakers differ significantly from normal values. In general, laryngectomized patients produce vowels with higher formant frequencies and longer durations than the group of laryngeal subjects. Thus, the data indicate modifications either in the frequency or temporal domain, following the same tendency found in previous studies with English-speaking laryngectomized speakers.

Tratamiento endovascular de la patología de la aorta descendente: experiencia preliminar sobre cinco casos / Endovascular treatment of the descending thoracic aorta diseases: preliminary experience about five cases

Objetivo. Analizar nuestros resultados en el tratamiento endovascular de cinco casos con patología de la aorta torácica descendente. Pacientes y métodos. Hemos tratado mediante la colocación de endoprótesis recubierta a cinco pacientes varones, con una edad media de 63 años (54-72) y con diversa patología de la aorta torácica descendente. Las patologías fueron: dos aneurismas de aorta torácica descendente de 7 y 7,5 cm de diámetro, respectivamente, una fístula aortobronquial, una rotura traumática a nivel del itsmo y una disección aguda tipo B. Las endoprótesis implantadas fueron en cuatro tipo TalentÔ y una AneuRxÔ. Resultados. En todos los casos se consiguió el éxito técnico y clínico inmediato. Como complicación postoperatoria se presentó un caso de monoparesia radial no relacionada directamente con el procedimiento. La media de seguimiento ha sido de 11 meses (6-18). En todos los casos se realizó una TAC a los 3, 6 y 12 meses sin que se presentara ninguna complicación. Conclusión. La técnica endovascular ha resultado eficaz y segura para el tratamiento de las patologías de la aorta torácica descendente (AU)

The effect of MPEG audio compression on multidimensional set of voice parameters.

The MPEG-1 Layer 3 compression schema of audio signal, or commonly known as mp3, has caused a great impact in recent years as it has reached high compression rates while also conserving a high sound quality. Previous listening tests have shown that music and speech samples compressed at high bitrates are virtually indistinguishable from the original samples, but very little is known about how compression acoustically affects the voice signal. In Experiment 1 the spectral composition of original and compressed speech signals were analyzed by means of the Long-Term Average Spectrum using the Computerized Speech Laboratory (Kay Elemetrics Corp. (Pine Brook, NJ, USA)). In Experiment 2 a set of 29 voice parameters extracted by using the Multidimensional Voice Program of Kay are compared between original and compressed voices at different bitrates. Results show a high fidelity at high-bitrate compressions (128 and 160 kbit per second (kbps)) both in voice parameters and the amplitude-frequency spectrum. Compressions at 64 kbps or lower bitrates introduces substantial modifications in the voice signal, seriously altering parameters related with tremor, amplitude perturbation, noise, subharmonics and voice irregularities, likewise the signal spectrum is altered in its high frequency region.

Voice intelligibility in patients who have undergone laryngectomies.

In this paper, we evaluate the speech intelligibility of two groups of Spanish-speaking people who have undergone laryngectomies: a group who used esophageal speech and a group who used tracheoesophageal (TES) prostheses. Audio recordings of 24 Spanish words produced by each talker were presented to a group of normal-hearing naive listeners who phonetically transcribed their responses. Listeners' responses were registered in confusion matrices. Results indicate that differences between these two groups of patients appear when we consider phoneme types. The difficulty in producing the voicing distinction appeared in both TES and esophageal talkers. This finding is consistent with studies of English-speaking laryngectomized patients. Considering manner of production, fricative consonants had the highest number of confusions with other phoneme class in the TES group, whereas in the esophageal group nasals resulted the highest number of confusions. However, ANOVA showed that differences between the two groups were not significant.

Effect of L-asparaginase on insulin secretion from isolated rat islets of Langerhans.

The effects of L-asparaginase were evaluated on glucose-induced insulin release from isolated rat islets of Langerhans. Islets were obtained by enzymatic digestion of pancreas from Sprague-Dawley rats. The study of L-asparaginase effects on insulin secretion was performed in a static incubation of islets. Insulin secretion was measured at 60 min of incubation with different secretagogues with and without L-asparaginase. L-Asparaginase at concentrations from 310 to 5,000 U/ml could inhibit the glucose-induced insulin secretion in a dose-dependent manner. This effect was not recovered after incubation in the absence of the drug for another 2 h. The half-maximal inhibitory effect of the enzyme on insulin secretion was observed at L-asparaginase concentrations of 1,000 U/ml. Tolbutamide (200 microM) and ketoisocaproic acid (20 mM) did not induce insulin secretion in the presence of moderately high L-asparaginase concentrations. L-Asparaginase did not inhibit glucose-induced insulin secretion in the presence of isobutyl-methyl-xanthine (IBMX) (20 microM) or forskolin (20 microM). L-Asparaginase promoted a decrease in total c-AMP in isolated rat islets at concentrations from 500 to 1,500 U/ml when they were stimulated by glucose. If islets were treated with IBMX or forskolin, L-asparaginase did not inhibit the glucose-induced total c-AMP levels in islets.