Captopril effect on non-diabetic glomerular albuminuria.

In order to evaluate captopril effectiveness in the treatment of glomerular albuminuria in nondiabetic patients, an initial study was carried out in 16 patients with proteinuria greater than 1 gr/1, administering captopril, 50 mg/day during a 4 month follow-up period. During that time, urinary albumin levels significantly descended (p < 0.001), with a concomitant rise in serum albumin. We conclude that captopril can be effective as a part of the treatment of albuminuria associated with nephropathy of non diabetic origin.

[The platelet response as a prognostic factor in invasive amebiasis of the liver]. / La respuesta plaquetaria como factor pronóstico en la amibiasis invasora del hígado.

A group of 96 patients with Invasive Hepatic Amebiasis, was studied in a prospective clinical trial. The platelet count was measured for each patient on admission and on the tenth day of treatment. The patient were classified into two groups: the first one for patients with unfavorable results and the second one for patients with favorable results. The presence of thrombocytosis was significant in the second group, with a sensitivity of 56% and specificity of 70% in the initial determination, and of 82% and 68% at the tenth day respectively. With this finding, it could be considered that thrombocytosis must be a good prognostic indicators in the Amebic Liver Abscess, and it could be possible to include it in a scale to elucidate the prognosis in a quantitative form, of this pathologic entity.

Effects of lithium carbonate on leucocytes of hepatic cirrhosis patients.

So as to assess the effects of lithium carbonate on peripheral leucocyte levels of hepatic cirrhosis patients, 10 cirrhotic patients were studied with less than 4,500 leukocytes per cubic ml and without contraindications for lithium salts that were administered for three weeks at a dose of 90 mg daily. At the end of each week total peripheral leukocytes, differential formula, platelet count and serum lithium concentration determinations were made. In the basal stage, total leukocyte average was 3,400 +/- 527 (X +/- DE) and granulocyte average was 2,090 +/- 341. After the first week of lithium treatment a significant increase was observed in total leukocyte and granulocyte levels whose averages at the end of the third week of treatment were 4,800 +/- 1,052 (p less than 0.01) and 3,694 +/- 1,003 (p less than 0.001) respectively. There was no correlation between the magnitude of leukocyte increase and serum lithium levels obtained that ranged from 0.28 and 1.32 mEq/l. Three patients showed transient gross tremor and two suffered hepatic coma. We can conclude that lithium carbonate increases peripheral leucocytes at the expense of neutrophilia in patients with secondary granulocytopenia and hypersplenism resulting in liver cirrhosis.

[Early liver damage caused by alcohol]. / Lesiones hepáticas tempranas por alcohol.

Liver biopsy was taken from 20 patients with chronic and acute alcoholism. The patients had been hospitalized for diverse reasons, had no clinical manifestations of alcoholic hepatitis nor cirrhosis, but did have abnormal liver function tests. The most common abnormal test results were low serum albumin, polyclonal gamma-globulin elevation, and S G O T and Alk P rise. In all patients one or more types of hepatic lesiones were found: steatosis (15), polynuclear and mononuclear infiltrates (15), and portal (7), interstitial (13), or centriobular (8) fibrosis. Two patients had cirrhosis. None had hepatic cell necrosis. These findings justify a motivated search for liver damage in patients with alcoholism who have slight alterations in liver function tests, even in the absence of clinical manifestations of liver disease.

[Rotor's syndrome. Report of a case]. / Síndrome de Rotor. Informe de un caso.

Rotor's syndrome is a rare entity in our Country. We report here a case of this anomaly in a seventeen years old girl with jaundice from birth, normal biliary channels, elevated urinary coproporphyrins and retarded excretion of bromosulphalein with normal histology of the liver. The familiar study showed that the mother, but not the brothers, had a similar defect in excretion of bromosulphalein.

Use of the excreted fraction of the filtered sodium (Fe Na) in the early diagnosis of acute renal failure.

A prospective study was made in 20 patients in the oliguric phase of acute renal failure, 20 patients with prerenal uremia (functional renal failure); 20 patients hospitalized due to different diseases but without renal problems and 20 healthy individuals. In all patients osmolar clearance, free water clearance, urinary sodium and excreted fraction of sodium tests were made. These four parameters could differentiate acute renal failure from prerenal uremia. However differences in urinary sodium concentrations in patients with prerenal uremia was found to be in the borderline for statistical significance and osmolar and free water clearance determinations require strict measurements of urinary volume in a time unit. Excreted sodium fraction requires only simultaneous blood and urine samples for sodium and creatinine quantification.