A study on parasites in Mexican rheumatic disease patients.

Blastocystis hominis is a common human parasite with infection rates up to 50% in developing countries, and giardiasis is the commonest intestinal one in Mexico. No doubt, various parasites as Giardia lamblia and Entamoeba histolytica can cause rheumatic diseases. This study coproparasitoscopic analysis evaluated the cysts by B. hominis, G. lamblia, E. hartmani, E. coli and E. histolytica in Mexican rheumatic disease patients. Also, ELISA was used to detect E. histolytica, Ascaris lumbricoides, Toxocara canis, and Trichinella spiralis in Mexican patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Thirty-six patients (24 with AS and 12 with RA) and 77 healthy control individuals were enrolled in this study. The frequencies of protozoan cysts were comparable in rheumatic disease patients (AS and RA) and healthy control donors (33 and 25 vs. 26%, respectively; p > 0.05). The frequency of antibodies to T. canis was significantly higher in AS patients than in healthy control donors (16 vs. 2.6%, respectively; p = 0.027), whereas no differences were observed for the prevalence of antibodies for the other parasites (E. histolytica, A. lumbricoides and T. spiralis) (p > 0.05). This information indicates the need to intensify educational efforts for the prevention of parasite infections associated with AS disease that cannot be controlled only by drugs.

Hypoglycemic action of Cucurbita ficifolia on Type 2 diabetic patients with moderately high blood glucose levels.

Ten Type 2 diabetic patients with moderately hyperglycemia, received a raw extract of Cucurbita ficifolia or potable water in a single dose of 4 ml/Kg body weight, in two different sessions at least separated by 1 week. Blood glucose levels were followed in both parts of the study by a period of 5 h. The patients had stopped their pharmacologic medication 24 h prior to each part of the study. As expected, no significant changes on blood glucose were observed after giving the vehicle; however, the oral administration of C. ficifolia was followed by a significant decrease in blood glucose levels, from 12.07+/-1.69 mM (217.2+/-30.4 mg/dl) to 9.42+/-1.96 mM (169.6+/-35.3 mg/dl) 3 h after and to 8.37+/-1.74 mM (150.8+/-31.3 mg/dl) 5 h after the extract administration. The hypoglycemic action of Cucurbita ficifolia agrees with its effects previously observed in laboratory animals. The results of this preliminary study do not give indications for the mechanism of this hypoglycemic effect.

[Abdominal pregnancy with fetal survival. A report of 2 cases]. / Embarazo abdominal con supervivencia fetal. Presentación de dos casos.

The objective of this paper is to present two cases of abdominal pregnancy, secondary, with fetal survival, studied at Hospital General de Zona No. 1, IMSS, at Villahermosa, Tabasco. Both patients were referred to our Unit for cesarean section by pelvic presentation. A review was done of: classification, clinical picture, operative findings, medical and surgical treatment, hemorrhagic complications, fetal findings and specific diagnostic methods. It was concluded that one should know about this condition, in order to offer a therapeutic option to the patients.

[Somatometry in full-term newborns in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico. Study of a middle-class population]. / Somatometría en el recién nacido a término en Villahermosa, Tabasco, México. Estudio en una población de clase media.

OBJECTIVE: Realize a somatometric study in the Tabasco zone and compared this results with a similar study. DESIGN: Full term newborns without patology take weight, height and head circumference. SETTING: In Villahermosa City, Capital of Tabasco State in México, from march 1, 1988 to january 31, 1989. SUBJECT: 915 fullterm newborn, male 450, female 465, from the patients of Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (Social Security System). RESULTS: The average weight in male was 3,290 g, with standard deviation (SD) 358 g, in female 3,130, SD 343 g (P less than 0.01); height in male 50.2, SD 1.3 cm, female 49.8, SD 1.3 cm (P less than 0.01); head circumference in male 34.7, SD 1.5 cm, female 34.5 SD 1.5 cm (P: without significance). We make our own percentiles. CONCLUSION: We found stadistic significance between both sexes; we don't found between another study; when we compared our work with others in past decades, observed the improved obtained by the people in our country.

Intoxicacion por azul de metileno en un recien nacido. / Methylene blue intoxication in a newborn infant

Se presenta un caso de ruptura de membranas, diagnosticado por la inyeccion intraamniotica de azul de metileno el cual condiciono en el recien nacido neumonitis y hepatitis quimica, metahemoglobinemia, hemolisis e hiperbilirrubinemia que requirio exsanguinotransfusion en dos ocasiones. Se revisa el mecanismo de produccion del dano y se recomienda en estos casos, substituir el azul de metileno por otros colorantes inocuos para el recien nacido

Exsanguinotransfusion a circuito cerrado y doble metriset en linea. / Exchange transfusion with on-line double metriset in closed circuit

Se presenta la tecnica de la exsanguinotransfusion a circuito cerrado y doble metriset en linea, que disminuye las complicaciones atribuibles a cambios cardiocirculatorios al imitar la circulacion neonatal y puede ser efectuado por una persona, permitiendo su sencillez vigilar los otros factores de morbimortalidad del procedimiento, situacion particularmente util en manos poco experimentadas

[Intrauterine infection in relation to the frequence of prematurity and congenital malformations]. / Infección intrauterina en relación con la frecuencia de prematurez y de malformaciones congénitas.

In order to find the relationship between intrauterine infection with frequency of prematurity and of congenital malformations, 1,016 newborns were studied and were divided into four groups: 324 normal babies, 606 prematures, 44 with malformations and 42 infected patients; the latter were confirmed through titration of serum antibodies. The first index of infection was the concentration of IgM greater than or equal to 28 mg. %; thus, the first groups showed evidence of infection in 0.9%; the second in 11%; the third in 40.9% and the fourth, in 100%.

[Neonatal infection and high IgM at birth]. / Infección neonatal e IgM elevada al nacimiento.

To determine the concentration of IgM to be used as intrauterine infection indicator, the sera of 2,906 newborns were studied. Five hundred and sixty-three (19.4%), showed high concentrations of IgM and out of 199 pair sera studied, serologic evidence of infection was found in 21.1%. Out of these cases, 80.9% showed no clinical disturbances during their first two months of life. The agents most frequently found responsible for intrauterine infection were cytomegalovirus, influenza A2 H-K, influenza B, parotiditis and rubella. Based on this study, we may conclude that determinations of high concentrations of IgM with the technique used is still a good index to detect intrauterine infections, specially considering that the clinical manifestations of disease may be minimal or may pass unnoticed during the first days of life and that by no means should this test be done instead of other clinical or laboratory studies to investigate such questions.