Interleucina 6 en pacientes con cardiopatía isquémica / Serum levels of interleukin 6 in patients with a diagnosis of ischemic cardiopathy

Los niveles séricos de Interleucina 6 (IL-6) reflejan tanto la intensidad de la inflamación oculta de la placa ateromatosa, como su vulnerabilidad para erosionar y romperse; también se han relacionado con las concentraciones en sangre de parámetros de lesión miocárdica, indicadores de la magnitud de la necrosis cardiaca en el infarto del miocardio, como son las Creatinacinasa (CK) y Creatinacinasa fracción MB (CKMB). El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar las concentraciones de IL-6, CK y CKMB en pacientes con cardiopatía esquemita. Se estudiaron 30 pacientes, divididos en dos grupos: Grupo I: 22 pacientes con infarto del miocardio, 86,4 por ciento masculinos, 72,3 por ciento >50 años. Grupo II: 8 pacientes con angina inestable, 25 por ciento masculinos, 62,5 por ciento >50 años, y un grupo control: 30 individuos sanos, equivalentes en edad y sexo. Las concentraciones de IL-6, CK y CKMB se determinaron mediante ELISA comercial (DIACLONE – HUMAN OLYMPUS). La concentración de IL-6 en el grupo total de pacientes fue de 27,5 ± 31,3, mientras que en el grupo control: 1,6 ± 0,7 (pg/mL) (P<0,05) En el grupo I: 29,8 ± 34,0 (P<0,001 vs. Control) Grupo II: 21,9 ± 23,2 (P < 0,05 vs control). No se encontraron diferencias significativas con respecto a valores de CK y CKMB. Se confirma que los pacientes con angina inestable e infarto del miocardio tienen niveles séricos de IL-6 elevados

Are structured data structured identically? Investigating the uniformity of pediatric patient data recorded using OpenSDE.

OBJECTIVE: OpenSDE is an application that supports structured recording of narrative patient data to enable use of the data in both clinical practice and clinical research. Reliability and accuracy of collected data are essential for subsequent data use. In this study we analyze the uniformity of data entered with OpenSDE. Our objective is to obtain insight into the consensus and differences of recorded data. METHODS: Three pediatricians transcribed 20 paper patient records using OpenSDE. The transcribed records were compared and all recorded findings were classified into one of six categories of difference. RESULTS: Of all findings 22% were recorded identically; 17% of the findings were recorded differently (predominantly as free text); 61% was omitted, inferred, or in conflict with the paper record. CONCLUSION: The results of this study show that recording patient data using structured data entry does not necessarily lead to uniformly structured data.

Niveles de inmunoglobulina A secretora en saliva en una población sana del Estado Carabobo / Salivary IgA levels in a healthy population of Carabobo state

Se cuantificaron los nievelesde IgA secretora (IgAs) en 267 individuos sanos de ambos sexos, provenientes de Valencia, Venezuela. Se distribuyeron en 7 grupos etarios: 1: <30 días (18); 2: 1 - 11 meses (34); 3: 12 - 23 meses (28); 4: 2 - 5 años (51); 5: 6 - 13 años (58); 6: 14 - 20 años (37); 7: 21 - 40 años (41). Criterios de exclusión: Grupos 1 y 2: Antecedentes prenatales de enfermedades crónicas, infecciones virales - bacterianas durante el embarazo, ruptura prematura de membranas, presencia de patologías. Grupos 3 al 7: infecciones crónicas, infecciones virales o bacterianas, alergia, ingesta de medicamentos, infecciones cavidad oral, hábitos tabáquicos positivos. Consentimiento informado por escrito indispensable. Promedio concentración IgA (Nefelometría ARRAY 360): 8,3 ± 8,7 mg/dL (mediana: 5,53 mg/dL, valores máximo y mínimo: 0 y 48,1 mg/dL). Grupo 1: 3,0 ± 6,5; 2: 10,4 ± 11.6; 3: 5,3 ± 6,3; 4: 6,3 ± 7,1; 5: 7,0 ± 4,7; 6: 10,6 ± 11,7; 7: 12,9 ± 84 mg/dL. Los niveles de IgA salival se relacionan con edad y condiciones genético ambientales, siendo importante la utilización de tablas de referencia locales

Experiences with extracting structured patient data for use in clinical research.

Routinely collected patient data are often recorded as unstructured and ambiguous free text by physicians. These data are, however, also of interest to clinical researchers, for whom they must be clearly defined and preferably coded. We have developed an application to support physicians in recording patient data in a structured, yet expressive manner. The flexible domain-independent data representation and storage approach underlying the application made data extraction for research purposes very complex. The changes that we made to the representation and storage approach to facilitate extraction, without reducing expressiveness for data entry, are presented in this paper, together with the underlying principles of the data extraction tool that we created to enable data extraction for clinical research.

2-Oxoglutarate transport system in Staphylococcus aureus.

2-[(14)C]oxoglutarate uptake in resting cells of Staphylococcus aureus 17810S occurs via two kinetically different systems: (1) a secondary, electrogenic 2-oxoglutarate:H(+) symporter (K(m)=0.105 mM), energized by an electrochemical proton potential (Delta mu H(+)) that is generated by the oxidation of endogenous amino acids and sensitive to ionophores, and (2) a Delta mu H(+)-independent facilitated diffusion system (K(m)=1.31 mM). The 2-oxoglutarate transport system of S. aureus 17810S can be classified as a new member of the MHS (metabolite:H(+) symporter) family. This transporter takes up various dicarboxylic acids in the order of affinity: succinate = malate > fumarate > 2-oxoglutarate > glutamate. Energy conservation with 2-oxoglutarate was studied in starved cells of strain 17810S. Initial transport of 2-oxoglutarate in these cells is energized by Delta mu H(+) generated via hydrolysis of residual ATP. Subsequent oxidation of the accumulated 2-oxoglutarate generates Delta mu H(+) for further, autoenergized transport of this 2-oxoacid and also for Delta mu H(+)-linked resynthesis of ATP. In the cadmium-sensitive S. aureus 17810S, Cd(2+) accumulation strongly inhibits energy conservation with 2-oxoglutarate at the level of Delta mu H(+) generation, without direct blocking of the 2-oxoglutarate transport system or ATP synthase complex. In the cadmium-resistant S. aureus 17810R, Cd(2+) does not affect energy conservation due to its extrusion by the Cd(2+) efflux system (Cd(2+)-ATPase of P-type), which prevents Cd(2+) accumulation.

Energy conservation in aerobically grown Staphylococcus aureus.

The present studies provide new data on the involvement of menaquinol oxidases in substrate oxidation and energy conservation in aerobically grown, resting cells of Staphylococcus aureus 17810R, starved of endogenous energy reserves and supplemented with glutamate or L-lactate. These cells were energetically competent, since they oxidized both substrates, generated an electrochemical proton gradient (deltamuH+) and synthesized ATP via oxidative phosphorylation. Studies with KCN showed that: (i) L-lactate oxidation occurred via two terminal menaquinol oxidases - the ba3-type sensitive to low KCN and the bo-type insensitive to cyanide, (ii) glutamate oxidation proceeded via the bo-type oxidase, and (iii) ATP synthesis with glutamate or L-lactate was coupled only to the bo-type oxidase. Also in glucose-grown cells oxidizing L-lactate, ATP synthesis was coupled to the highly repressed bo-type oxidase. It is suggested that in the respiratory chain of strain 17810R two energy coupling sites may be present: in the complex of NADH-menaquinone oxidoreductase and in the complex of the bo-type menaquinol oxidase. The rate of ATP synthesis was similar with both substrates, but the rate of their oxidation differed significantly: the P/O ratios were 1.5 and 0.03 with glutamate and L-lactate, respectively. CCCP accelerated glutamate oxidation by 50% but was without effect on L-lactate oxidation. In cell lysates, the rates of NADH and L-lactate oxidation were equal. It is concluded that in whole cells of S. aureus 17810R oxidation of NADH derived from glutamate breakdown is tightly coupled to phosphorylation, while L-lactate oxidation seems to be rather loosely coupled.

Recomendaciones provisorias para el uso de la terapia antirretroviral aprobadas por Resolución Secretarial 17/99

Norma que incluye recomendaciones para el seguimiento de pacientes con infección por VIH, para el uso de la terapia antirretroviral en adultos, y para el tratamiento en niños, Incluye gráficos con información de distintos antirretrovirales.

Características microbiológicas de 300 cepas de estreptococos procedentes de muestras humanas / Microbiological characteristics of 300 strains of Streptococcus fro human samples

Se presentan los resultados del estudio de las propiedades hemolíticas, antigénicas y fisiológicas de 300 cepas de estreptococos, procedentes de muestras humanas, aisladas en varios laboratorios de nuestro país y remitidas al INHEM para su identificación. En cada una de las especies aisladas se relacionan los resultados de las propiedades estudiadas con las de las cepas controles (AU)

Características microbiológicas de 300 cepas de estreptococos procedentes de muestras humanas / Microbiological characteristics of 300 strains of Streptococcus from human samples

Se presentan los resultados del estudio de las propiedades hemolíticas, antigénicas y fisiológicas de 300 cepas de estreptococos, procedentes de muestras humanas, aisladas en varios laboratorios de nuestro país y remitidas al INHEM para su identificación. En cada una de las especies aisladas se relacionan los resultados de las propiedades estudiadas con las de las cepas controles