Hospital utilization and increasing old age in the user of care?]

Data are presented on hospital stay for the population 65 years-old and over, measured in percentage over the total for Spain, for the 1978 to 1988 period, by gender, for each province and autonomous region (Comunidad Autónoma). The country's total for the last available year was 35%. Except in Baleares and Murcia, the proportion of hospital stays increased in all Regions, especially in Navarra, where it increased from 23% to 51%. After adjusting for age, the increase in the proportion of hospital stays in the study population was due to an increase in utilization per person. The proportion, which was 13.3% in 1978, raised to 23.8% in 1988, with an adjusted value of 21.3%.     

Carcinoma of the papilla of vater: Are endoscopic appearance and endoscopic biopsy discordant?

Carcinoma of the papilla of Vater is classified as periampullary cancer representing 5% of all gastrointestinal tract malignancies. Early and accurate diagnosis is important for those patients with a tumor of the papilla, as the prognosis is more favorable than in other periampullary neoplasms. Endoscopically obtained biopsies from suspicious papillae can detect an early tumor, although even for skilled pathologists it is often difficult to differentiate carcinomas from noninvasive lesions on the basis of forceps biopsies. The purpose of this study was to assess the preoperative diagnostic accuracy of duodenoscopy appearance and biopsy in all cases with suspicion of tumor. Thirty patients with suspicion of carcinoma of the papilla of Vater and with final diagnosis established by pancreatoduodenectomy were included in this retrospective study. In each case, a comparison was made between endoscopic biopsy and duodenoscopic appearance. Duodenoscopic appearance sensitivity and accuracy for malignancy were 86% and 83%, respectively, whereas endoscopic biopsy sensitivity and accuracy were 65% and 67%, respectively. Although preoperative diagnosis of carcinoma of the papilla of Vater is useful for making therapeutic decisions, the diagnostic value of the endoscopic appearance was superior to endoscopic biopsy in this series. Presented at the 2003 American Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association Congress, Miami, Florida, February 27-March 3, 2003. Supported by FADA-CAPES/PROP 200J (M.L.D.).     

Gestación heterotópica espontánea

Heterotopic pregnancy is the combination of intrauterine and ectopic pregnancy. This potentially fatal condition rarely occurs in spontaneous conception cycles and consequently its diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion. We report a case of heterotopic pregnancy in a 30-year old primipara with no known risk factors who presented with acute abdominal pain due to a spontaneous heterotopic pregnancy. The ectopic pregnancy was resected via laparoscopy. After surgery, the intrauterine pregnancy was uneventful.     

Pentobarbital in tobacco.

The spectrometric analysis of extracts from tobacco and tobacco smoke revealed the presence of pentobarbital in the analyzed substances. Tobacco samples and tobacco smoke were extracted with chloroform, determinations were performed with the Perkin-Elmer Autosystem XL system, on a Turbo Mass spectrometer. Subject to analysis were 4 cigarette brands manufactured in Poland and raw, unprocessed tobacco. The presence of pentobarbital in the analyzed samples was confirmed by the analysis of the mass spectrum of the substance, as well as by comparison of retention time with standard of pentobarbital. The determined pentobarbital concentrations in tobacco amounted to 3-6 microg/cigarette, and in tobacco smoke they were approximately 45% lower. In case of tobacco extracts it can with high probability be excluded that pentobarbital is synthesized during chromatographical analysis. The presence of pentobarbital in tobacco is thus beyond question.     

Survey of medicinal plants used as antimalarials in the Amazon.

Plants traditionally employed for the treatment of malaria in certain areas of Brazil, where this disease is prevalent, were surveyed by interviewing natives and migrants in the Amazon Region. Forty-one plants used for malarial treatment and/or for the related symptoms (fever and liver disorders) were collected and identified. Given the potential of Brazil's forests and medicinal plants, research on traditional plant-based remedies in this country may lead to the development of new drugs.     

1,3-Dipropyl-8-cyclopentylxanthine attenuates the NMDA response to hypoxia in the rat hippocampus

Excitatory amino acids may cause neuronal damage and death in cerebral hypoxia and ischemia, through the activation of different subtypes of glutamate receptors, in particular of the (NMDA) receptor. In the present work, the effect of hypoxia on the component of the field excitatory postsynaptic potential (fepsp) mediated by the NMDA receptor was studied in the hippocampal CA1 area of the rat. A period of 15 min of hypoxia induced virtual abolition of the NMDA receptor-mediated fepsp and a 94.8 ± 0.7% maximal decrease in the fepsp. A period of 3 min of hypoxia induced a 89.3 ± 12.3% maximal decrease in the NMDA receptor-mediated component of the fepsp and only a 50.8 ± 11.5% maximal decrease in the fepsp. Both periods of hypoxia thus induced a more pronounced depression of the NMDA receptor-mediated component of the fepsp than of the fepsp. We found that 48.5 ± 9.1% decrease (about half of the total decrease) in the NMDA receptor-mediated fepsp, and 51.6 ± 19.6% decrease (approximately all decrease) in the fepsp induced by hypoxia (3 min) were reversed in the presence of the selective adenosine A₁ receptor antagonist, 1,3-dipropyl-8-cyclopentylxanthine (DPCPX) (50 nM), and thus likely to be mediated by endogenous adenosine, through the activation of adenosine A₁ receptors. On the other hand, under the conditions we assumed to be normoxic in our slices, DPCPX (50 nM) induced a much larger increase in the amplitude of the NMDA receptor-mediated fepsp compared to the increase in the fepsp, which suggest that endogenous adenosine is inhibiting predominantly the NMDA receptor-mediated fepsp under these conditions. Hypoxia markedly decreases the NMDA receptor-mediated fepsp in the hippocampal CA₁ area. The contribution of endogenous adenosine to the inhibition of the NMDA receptor-mediated fepsp may be fundamental for its neuroprotective effects.     

Supravalvular aortic stenosis and coronary aneurysm]

A 32-year old woman, with endocarditis caused by Streptococcus mitis, and systolic murmur is presented. The Doppler examination was found a systolic gradient of 150 mmHg. Aortography showed a multiple membranous supravalvular aortic stenosis, with aneurysmal dilatation of the left main coronary artery and circumflex artery, associated with bicuspid aortic valve and mild aortic insufficiency. The patient died suddenly by cardiac arrest in stand by to cardiac surgery. Anatomic comprobation was not possible. The coronary artery anomalies associated with the supravalvular aortic stenosis syndrome are reviewed.     

Skin cancers and precancerous lesions in Parkinson's disease patients.

Our objective was to evaluate the frequency of neoplastic and preneoplastic skin lesions in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients when compared with an aged-matched population. We performed a cross-sectional survey in PD patients and in an age-matched control group. Patients and controls were examined by a movement disorder specialist and a dermatologist. 150 PD patients and 146 controls were included. Thirty-five PD patients (23.3%) presented skin lesions that could be classified as neoplastic or preneoplastic vs. 20 subjects in the control group (13.7%) (OR 95%, CI 1.92 [1.05, 3.51]). However, this difference lost statistical significance when adjusted for gender (recruitment of controls was matched just for age with an over representation of males in the PD group). Twenty-nine PD patients (19%) presented actinic keratosis and basal cell carcinoma was diagnosed in 4 patients (3%). Although nonconclusive, our results are in agreement with previous studies suggesting an increased risk of skin cancer in PD patients. The frequency of actinic keratosis in PD patients and the associated risk to develop melanoma recommends its screening in future epidemiological studies.