[A basic health care center. Care oriented at the community]. / Examen de salud de un área básica. Enfermería orientada a la comunidad.

Principle problems of a basic health care area (Lérida) are identified. This area, which has a patient case load of 22,244 people, was studied during the winter of 1993-94 by using information from various sources. Results indicate that the population of this community are basically young, urban, have a high cultural and social level, and are mostly employed. The principle causes of mortality are the same as in the rest of Cataluña. Diseases that cause the most working days lost to illness are: respiratory, mental and bone-joint problems. The most frequent diseases seen in the clinic are: hypertension, respiratory infections, endocrine and mental. An overall look at the state of health of these patients show that the principle problems are: tobacco use, high blood pressure, arthritis, lumbago, depression, stroke, diabetes and breast cancer.

The effect of isotretinoin on propylene glycol-induced cholesteatoma in chinchilla middle ears.

Previous studies have shown that propylene glycol causes inflammatory changes and cholesteatoma when applied to chinchilla middle ears. Vitamin A and synthetic analogues are essential for the normal differentiation of epithelial tissues. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the administration of isotretinoin to chinchillas would prevent propylene glycol exposure from inducing middle ear cholesteatomas. Sixteen chinchillas received 90% propylene glycol to the left middle ear and normal saline to the right. Half the animals were placed in the experimental group and received a daily dose of isotretinoin of 2 mg/kg for 7 days prior to propylene glycol administration and then for 6 weeks until killed. At 6 weeks, cholesteatoma was found in six of eight ears treated with propylene glycol in animals receiving isotretinoin. Two animals in the control group died. Three of the remaining eight had cholesteatoma. No ears treated with saline had cholesteatoma. We conclude that isotretinoin, in our chinchilla model, does not prevent propylene glycol-induced cholesteatoma formation.