Thermoluminescent studies of GdAlO3 powders.

The increasing use of thermoluminescence (TL) materials as radiation detectors with application in different areas of ionizing radiation has motivated research on new materials with adequate luminescent characteristics. In this work, experimental results gadolinium aluminate (GdAlO3) analyzed by thermoluminescent phenomenon under beta irradiation effect are studied. To prepare GdAlO3 powders the coprecipitation method was used. TL glow curve and other luminescent characteristics were analyzed using an automatic Lexsig Smart TL/OSL luminescent reader. TL glow curve showed four peaks with three prominent and well-defined peaks centered at 140, 230, and 270 °C. TL response as a function of beta radiation dose was linearity in the range from 1.1 up to 44 Gy. Kinetic parameters such as activation energy (E), frequency factor (s), and order of kinetics after the deconvolution of the TL glow curve were also determined using Chen's peak shape method. Experimental results show GdAlO3 as a potential luminescent host material for TL studies.

Experimental pain sensitivity differs as a function of clinical pain severity in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVE: Pain in knee osteoarthritis (OA) has historically been attributed to peripheral pathophysiology; however, the poor correspondence between objective measures of disease severity and clinical symptoms suggests that non-local factors, such as altered central processing of painful stimuli, also contribute to clinical pain in knee OA. Consistent with this notion, recent evidence demonstrates that patients with knee OA exhibit increased sensitivity to painful stimuli at body sites unaffected by clinical pain. DESIGN: In order to further investigate the contribution of altered pain processing to knee OA pain, the current study tested the hypothesis that symptomatic knee OA is associated with enhanced sensitivity to experimental pain stimuli at the knee and at remote body sites unaffected by clinical pain. We further anticipated that pain sensitivity would differ as a function of the OA symptom severity. Older adults with and without symptomatic knee OA completed a series of experimental pain assessments. A median split of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Index of Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) was used to stratify participants into low vs high OA symptom severity. RESULTS: Compared to controls and the low symptom group, individuals in the high symptom group were more sensitive to suprathreshold heat stimuli, blunt pressure, punctuate mechanical, and cold stimuli. Individuals in the low symptomatic OA group subgroup exhibited experimental pain responses similar to the pain-free group on most measures. No group differences in endogenous pain inhibition emerged. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that altered central processing of pain is particularly characteristic of individuals with moderate to severe symptomatic knee OA.

Un nuevo caso familiar del síndromede Jackson-Sertoli. Revisión de los aspectos clínicos y genéticos / A new familial case of Jackson-Sertoli syndrome. A review of the clinical

La paquioniquia congénita es una alteración infrecuente de la queratina, cuyo principal signo clínico es la onicodistrofia. Puede ser clasificada en dos principales subtipos clínicos: paquioniquia congénita tipo 1 y 2. La tipo 2 esta asociada con la mutación en los genes de queratina: K6b y K17.El esteatocistoma múltiple es una alteración infrecuente de la queratina de la unión pilosebásea caracterizado por el desarrollo de múltiples quistes dérmicos que contienen sebo. La mutación en K17 también se ha demostrado en pacientes con esta entidad. Reportamos una familia con variable y oligosintomática forma de paquioniquia congénita y esteatocistoma múltiple. La asociación de ambas entidades de acuerdo a la clasificación de Schonfeld corresponde un nuevo caso familiar del síndrome de Jackson-Sertoli (AU)

Pachyonychia congenita (PC) is a rare keratin disorder which the main clinical sign is onychodystrophy. PC can be classified into two main clinical subtypes: pachyonychia congenita type 1 and 2. The type 2 is associated with mutations in keratin gene: K6b y K17. Steatocystoma multiplex is an uncommon keratin disorder of the pilosebaceous unit characterized by the development of numerous sebum-containing dermal cysts. Mutationsin K17 have been too demonstrated in patients with this entity. We report a family with variable and oligosymptomatic form of pachyonychia congenita and steatocystoma multiplex. The association of both entities according to the Schonfeld classification correspond a new familial case of Jackson-Sertoli syndrome (AU)

Expression of blood group-related antigens in neoplastic uterine cervix

Expression of blood group antigens in normal, displastic and tumoral uterine cervix from 35 hysterectomised women with carcinoma of the cervix was investigated; the results were correlated with patients' ABH phenotype and secretor status. We used an indirect immunoperoxidase technique and a panel of monoclonal antibodies and lectins directed against different antigenic specificities. Anomalous expression of blood group antigens in premalignant lesions from cervix was found. Partial loos of expression of blood group antigens and some lectins in different grades of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, and a total loss of expression in CIN III and in infiltrating carcinoma of the cervix from secretor patients was revealed. The findings herein described confirm the importance of these antigens as tumour markers and they might be useful for the study of cervical carcinogenesis (AU)

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Estudio comparativo de cuatro inhibidores de la bomba de protones y dos antibióticos en la erradicación del helicobacter pylori / Comparative study of four protons pumps inhibitors and two antibiotics in the eradication of helicobacter pylori

En la región de Los Andes existe una alta incidencia en la infección por Helicobacter pylori, incrementando el riesgo de desarrollar gastritis crónica atrófica, metaplasia intestinal, linfoma tipo MALT, y adenocarcinoma gástrico. En la Unidad de Gastroenterología del Hospital Universitario de Los Andes, Mérida, Estado Mérida, se seleccionaron 77 pacientes, que se distribuyeron en 4 grupos con el diagnóstico de infección por Helicobacter pylori, a los cuales se le administró terapia triple de erradicación de la bacteria, que consistió en un inhibidor de la bomba de protones (IBP) y 2 antibióticos. Tratamiento acorde con los estudios publicados en la “European Helicobacter pylori Study Group 2002”, y evaluar si estos inhibidores de la bomba de protones intervienen en el éxito de la terapia de erradicación de la infección. Cuatro distintos IBP se estudiaron, omeprazole 20 mg, lansoprazole 30 mg, rabeprazole 20 mg, esomeprazole 20 mg. Entre la 6ta y 8va semana se evaluaron a través del test de la ureasa y el estudio histopatológico con hematoxilina-eosina y Giemsa modificado. Se observó la erradicación de la bacteria por análisis de protocolo en 75,4 por ciento y por intención de tratar 67.5 por ciento. En una gran proporción de pacientes se demostró una mejoría significativa de las lesiones gástricas encontradas previamente

Psychosocial and health status variables independently predict health care seeking in fibromyalgia.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether variables derived from the self-regulatory model of health and illness behavior accurately predict status as a patient or nonpatient with fibromyalgia (FM). METHODS: Subjects were 79 patients who met American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for FM and 39 community residents who met ACR criteria for FM but had not sought medical care for their symptoms (nonpatients). Subjects were administered 14 measures that produced 6 domains of variables: background demographics and pain duration; psychiatric morbidity; and personality, environmental, cognitive, and health status factors. These domains were entered in 4 different hierarchical logistic regression analyses to predict status as patient or nonpatient. RESULTS: The full regression model was statistically significant (P < 0.0001) and correctly identified 90.7% of the subjects with a sensitivity of 92.4% and a specificity of 87.2%. The best individual predictors of group status were self-reports of self-efficacy, negative affect, recent stressful events, and perceived pain. Relative to nonpatients, patients reported higher levels of negative affect and perceived pain and a greater number of recent stressful experiences, as well as lower levels of self-efficacy. CONCLUSION: Consistent with the self-regulatory model of health and illness behavior, psychosocial and health status variables predict health care-seeking behavior in persons with FM independently of background demographics and psychiatric morbidity. These variables may influence the severity of symptoms experienced by persons with this disorder as well as their health care-seeking behavior, but they are not necessary to produce abnormal pain sensitivity in FM.