[Akathisia, parkinsonism and depression induced by cinnarizine: a case report]. / Acatisia, parkinsonismo y depresión inducidos por cinaricina: descripción de un caso.

INTRODUCTION: Cinnarizine is a calcium-entry blocker drug used in vertiginous disorders; among its most rare adverse effects appear extrapyramidal symptoms and depression, these effects can persist during weeks, months or years after the withdrawal of the drug and have been explained by the inhibition of the passage of calcium in striatal neurons and a direct antidopaminergic features because of the similar chemical structure with neuroleptic drugs. Clinical case. A case of cinnarizine-induced akathisia, parkinsonism and depression in a 25 years-old patient after 11 days of treatment is described. Sequential evaluation were done using the following instruments: Barnes' scale for akathisia, Simpson-Angus scale for extrapyramidal symptoms, Beck's depression scale, Zung's depression scale and SCID for major depression according to DSM-IV criteria. The patient was treated with benzodiazepines, propranolol and orphenadrine. CONCLUSIONS: Although cinnarizine-induced extrapyramidal symptoms and depression have been associated with old age and prolonged time of treatment, it must be considered its apparition among young patients and after a short time of treatment.

Protocolo para evaluar la eficacia de nuevos antidepresivos en depresión mayor / Protocol to evaluate the effectiveness of new antidepressants in major depression

El presente documento detalla: Justificación, objetivos, metodología, medicación, historia de enfermedades médicas y medicación concominante, descontinuación(AU)

Protocolo para evaluar la eficacia de nuevos antidepresivos en depresión mayor / Protocol to evaluate the effectiveness of new antidepressants in major depression

El presente documento detalla: Justificación, objetivos, metodología, medicación, historia de enfermedades médicas y medicación concominante, descontinuación

Cost of stroke in Mexico.

We report the estimated costs of stroke management in Mexico. The cost of stroke in our country has not been formerly described previously. The costs were estimated from population-based studies: the national survey on stroke and those performed by the Health Mexican Foundation. Other sources were the administration of private hospitals and official statistics obtained from the National Institute of Informatic, Statistic and Geography. Of 89 million Mexicans, 6.1% are older than 60 years. Based on the national stroke survey, it was calculated that 32,000 people suffer from stroke each year. Their mean age is 63 years. The estimated cost of acute stroke care in 1994 was $7,700 (U.S. dollars) per patient in private hospitals and $6,600 in institutions of the health sector. The major portion of the costs were spent in diagnostic procedures (40%). Physician costs ranged from 12% to 19%. The average in-hospital stay was 9 days with 18% in hospital mortality rate. About 20% of the total population are not covered by health care institutions. The cost of stroke care in Mexico is lower than in industrialized countries because of a shorter hospital stay and lower personnel wages. Indirect costs for chronic care are unknown in our country. The number of people older than 60 years will increase in the next century; hence, the number of persons with stroke will rise.

Ensayo terapéutico en las crisis de dolor radicular / Therapeutic trial in radicular pain crisis

Nuestro estudio se basa en el empleo de un derivado tricíclico por vía endovenosa (clomipramina) en 7 pacientes, 5 con el diagnóstico de neuralgia del trigémino y 2 con dolor post-herpético. Se administró la sustancia en perfusión durante 8 días, continuando el tratamiento de sostén por vía oral. Se empezó con 25 hasta llegar a 100 mg. diarios, en 4 días consecutivos, y luego se redujo hasta llegar a 25 mg., pasándose a la vía oral de 50 mg. diarios. En todos los pacientes se logró la remisión de las crisis dolorosas al cabo de 7 a 14 días. La evolución del período asintomático ha sido variable

Cisticercosis gigante en el lóbulo pre-frontal derecho y crisis de contracciones tónicas de larga duración / Giant Cysticercosis in the righ pre-frontal lobule and seizures of long term tonic contractions

Se presenta un caso de Cisticercosis de forma `gigante' de 6 centímetros cúbicos de volumen; localizado en el lóbulo frontal derecho, área 10 de Brodmann, visualizado mediante la tomodensitometría. En la sintomatología se señalan crisis de Grand Mal, generalmente nocturnas, seguidas de un estado de inconciencia y rigidez de más de 5 horas de duración