Fast acetone tissue processing of human organs provides tissue characteristics equal to conventional processing.

Routine preparation of paraffin embedded tissue for histopathological diagnosis, here termed conventional histological technique (CT), whether performed manually or using an automated system, requires approximately 12 h. We developed earlier a rapid acetone dehydration technique (AT) for processing biopsies of nervous tissue that meets requirements for preserving tissue morphology and staining properties, and reduces processing time to 3.3 h. We compared the morphology and staining properties of human organ biopsies including adrenal gland, liver, ovary, pancreas, prostate, testis and thyroid prepared using both AT and CT. Following fixation with 10% formaldehyde and processing by either AT or CT, sections were stained using routine and special staining, and immunohistochemical methods. We evaluated nuclear and cytoplasmic staining, staining intensity, sharpness of images and presence of artifacts such as cracking and folding. AT preserved the morphology and staining properties of the tissues as well as CT. Consequently, the rapid AT procedure is a promising alternative technique for tissue processing.

Physicochemical and microbiological monitoring of anaerobic digestion at laboratory and low cost tubular digester.

The aim of this work was to use an inexpensive technique, such as the most probable number, MPN to quantitatively and qualitatively examine microbial groups in anaerobic digestion, AD of cattle manure, CM. Different diluents and mixing ratios were evaluated in 100 mL reactors using biomethane potential, BMP, as output variable. MPN tests were performed to samples from a 23 L tank and 6.5 m3 low-cost tubular digester, LCTD. To monitor LCTD stability, volatile solids, VS, specific methanogenic activity, SMA, pH, volatile fatty acids, VFA, and chemical oxygen demand, COD were measured. Microbial characterization highlighted the optimal population essential to initiate the anaerobic digestion process. Bacteria domain were predominant over Archaea, with average abundance values of 78% and 22%, respectively. SMA of 0.0486 g COD g-1 SV d-1 was obtained at laboratory-scale and LCTD reached 83% of this value. Conditions selected are cost-effective to establish a biodigester in rural areas.

[Evaluation of isometric force in lower limbs and body composition in preterm infants]. / Valoración de fuerza isométrica en extremidades inferiores y composición corporal en prematuros.

INTRODUCTION: Strength is a physical quality with a clear influence on quality of life. It is determined by the structure of the musculoskeletal system, and depends on the muscular structure. It has been described that prematurity conditions both qualities. The aims of this study are to determine whether prematurity is associated with strength or body composition and evaluate the relationship between prematurity, strength and muscle mass. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Case-control study. Participants were premature 7-to-11 year-old children and full-term birth controls. Strength was measured by a strength gauge and body composition from DEXA (duel-energy X-ray absorptiometry) scans. A total of 89 subjects were included and divided into three groups: 30 prematures with birth-weight ≤ 1500g, 29 prematures with birth-weight 1500-2000g, and 30 controls. RESULTS: Weight and BMI z-score was lower in the premature group. No differences were found in muscular mass or strength between groups. A ratio was established between strength and weight or muscular mass. It was observed that it was possible for them to move four times their weight, without finding any differences between groups or a relationship with birth-weight. CONCLUSIONS: Between 7 and 11 years of age, children who were premature have lower weight and BMI than the rest of the children. However, there were no differences in body composition or strength between preterm children and controls.

[Study of the conpsumption of innapropiate medicaments in elder hospitalized in the Internal Medicine Service]. / Estudio del consumo de fármacos inadecuados o no indicados en el anciano que ingresa en un Servicio de Medicina Interna.

BACKGROUND: The elderly patients are characterized by the high degree of polymedication. This factor is the most important in the appearance of adverse effects (EAD). The study of the medicaments helps to establish which are inappropriate and therefore they must move back, diminishing of this form EAD's possibility. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Prospective and observacional Study. Criterion of incorporation: patients of > 64 years old, hospitalized in an Internal Medicine Service. There were defined as inappropriate medicament the medicines of low therapeutic utility, them not indicated, and the inadequate ones for the elder. By means of the SPSS 11.5 program the possible variables related with the consumption were analyzed. RESULTS: 172 elders were included in the study. The average of medicines for person and day belonged to 5.34 (0-15). 52.5% was consuming an inappropriate medicament (36.6% inadequate for the elder, 15% not indicated, and 12% UTBs). The analysis multivariant associates the consumption of these medicaments with a major number of diseases (p < 0.012), to a major consumption of medicines (p < 0.001) and to the origin of the nursing residences (p < 0.001). Only the consumption of medicaments not adapted for the elder is associated with increase of EAD. CONCLUSION: The half of the elders takes at least a medicament of unnecessary form, and the majority of these medicaments favors appearance of EAD.

[Mechanisms of disease in Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. Clinical manifestations and complications]. / Mecanismos de enfermedad en la infección por Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Manifestaciones clínicas y complicaciones.

CONTEXT: Mycoplasma pneumonia has been related to several conditions. With this study we have tried to establish the condition more frequently associated and their physiopathological mechanism. METHOD: One-hundred and five patients admitted to Puerta de Hierro Hospital between March 1996 and July 2001, with IgM positive serology to Mycoplasma were evaluated. Thirty four cases were selected upon the basis of two criteria: patients which positivity was confirmed by seroconversion, elevation of the antibody titer, or confirmation by complement fixation were included, and patients with some intercurrent condition or with other diagnoses were ruled out. RESULTS: 26 patients (77%) showed a respiratory infection, and 20 of them showed a pneumonia. Two types of complications were observed. The first type were the complications due to an invasion of the tissue by Mycoplasma, with 5 cases of pleuropericarditis and three cases of pleuritis; in 5 of these there was simultaneously a respiratory process. The second type were the complications mediated by an autoimmune mechanism, with two cases of reactive arthritis, one case of vasculitis with cutaneous predominance, one case of urticaria a frigore, three cases of lymphocytic meningitis, one case of disseminated encephalitis, one patient with Guillain-Barré syndrome and one case of Adie's tonic pupil. Six of these patients showed a respiratory infection on the previous days with an average delay of 10 days between the beginning of the respiratory symptomatology and the appearance of one of these diseases. CONCLUSIONS: Mycoplasma pneumoniae can give rise to disease through a mechanism of direct invasion and through autoimmunity mechanisms. The second group of complications is seen by more frequency in young women.

[Preliminary study of the drug consumption in hospitalized elders]. / Estudio piloto sobre el consumo de fármacos en ancianos que ingresan en un hospital.

BACKGROUND: The absence of studies that evaluate the effect of the medical acts is an example of "mala praxis". The irrational use of medications is one of these cases. This study shows the characteristics of the drugs consumption in elders. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We include 53 elders hospitalized between 1/02/02 and the 31/05/02. RESULTS: The elders received an average of 6.45 medicaments/day. The factors of more consumption are the origin from nursing home residents and the number of previous surgeries. The adverse effects were related in 25% of the hospitalizations. CONCLUSIONS: The basis of this situation is in the loss of the global perspective of the patients and in the abuse of the sanitary resources. Each drug is the result of an isolated medical act, determining the appearance of iatrogenic disease.

Estudio de correlación entre perfusión miocárdica y angiografía coronaria. (escopean) / Correlation between myocardial perfusion and coronary angiography

Determining the severity of coronary heart disease is of great importance to the cardiologist. There is a very good correlation between the severity of coronary heart disease and perfusion abnormalities to the myocardium as determined by radioisotope studies. We present our experience with forty (40) cases of ischemic heart disease diagnosed with sestamibi and its correlation with the obstruction of the coronary arteries by angiography. There is good correlation between the sestamibi findings and the coronary artery angiography obstructions and our findings concur with those published in the literature, which is between 75-85 per cent

[Correlation between myocardial perfusion and coronary angiography]. / Estudio de correlación entre perfusión miocárdica y angiografía coronaria. (escopean).

Determining the severity of coronary heart disease is of great importance to the cardiologist. There is a very good correlation between the severity of coronary heart disease and perfusion abnormalities to the myocardium as determined by radioisotope studies. We present our experience with forty (40) cases of ischemic heart disease diagnosed with sestamibi and its correlation with the obstruction of the coronary arteries by angiography. There is good correlation between the sestamibi findings and the coronary artery angiography obstructions and our findings concur with those published in the literature, which is between 75-85%.

[Carotid body tumor. Analysis of 96 cases]. / Tumor de cuerpo carotídeo. Análisis de 96 casos.

This is a retrospective study of 96 cases of carotid body tumor studies over a 20 year period. This tumor appears most often in females, and its frequency increases after the age of forty. In this group of patients, the sea level altitude of the place of residence appeared to be the main associative factor in the origin of the tumors. The symptoms are few, and usually the presence of the tumor is the only sign. The carotid angiography was the main study used to confirm the diagnosis. In thirty two cases surgery was performed: total resection was possible in twenty two cases and partial resection in three. In five cases it was only possible to obtain a biopsy from the tumor. The remaining two were found to be nonresectable. Surgical complications were minimal, except for one immediate postoperative death. No functionality was shown in any of the cases; only two cases were malignant, and one case was shown to be of familial origin. Our conclusion is that surgery should be performed on patients with tumors of five cm or less, under fifty years of age, with low surgical risk, and with a high tumor growth rate. Other patients can be managed with periodic examinations.

Lesiones elevadas gástricas / Elevated gastric lesions

Las lesiones elevadas gástricas representan un importante grupo dentro de la patología gástrica. Para establecer su incidencia en nuestra experiencia, estudiamos los informes endoscópicos de dos hospitales importantes de la Ciudad de La Paz; El Instituto Boliviano Japonés de Gatroenterología y el Hospital Obrero N-. 1. En orden de efectuar buena discriminación endoscópica entre diferentes lesiones elevadas usamos parámetros como: localización, forma, tamaño, diámetro, superficie de la lesión y mucosa circundante y características de las paredes. Fueron revisados 10.472 informes endoscópicos, se encontraron 497 lesiones elevadas gástricas, 475 correspondían a lesiones mucosas (352 lesiones benignas y 123 lesiones malignas), 11 correspondían a lesiones submucosas y 11 lesiones extragástricas

[Effect of the inoculation of the comestible fungus Pleurotus ostreatus on the chemical composition and digestibility of barley straw]. / Efecto de la inoculación del hongo comestible Pleurotus ostreatus en la composición química y digestibilidad de la paja de cebada.

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether incubation of the edible mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus in barley straw for 45 or 60 days, proved to be a means of increasing the nutritive value and digestibility of the straw for ruminant animals. In this respect, the following determinations were performed in untreated barley straw (control), and in incubated barley straw with the mushroom strain mentioned previously, for 45 or 60 days: pH, moisture, crude protein, ash, hemicellulose, cellulose, lignin, gross energy and in vitro digestibility of the dry matter. Results showed that crude protein percentage remained constant (p less than or equal to 0.05) in all treatments (means 2.67%), increasing the ash content of the straw incubated for 60 days. The hemicellulose and cellulose percentages diminished significantly (p less than or equal to 0.05) in the straw incubated for 45 or 60 days (16.74, 32.24, 17.43, 32.41% respectively) than in the control straw (24.54, 40.15%). The lignin percentages increased, although not significantly in the straw incubated for 45 or 60 days with respect to the control straw (8.36; 9.10, 9.06%, respectively). Energy values were lower for the straw incubated 45 or 60 days (2.70; 2.74 Kcal/g) than for the control straw (2.80 Kcal/g), without difference in the in vitro dry matter digestibility by incubating the straw for 45 or 60 days with Pleurotus ostreatus and the control (56.04; 52.65; 53.06% respectively). It is concluded that the Pleurotus ostreatus strain used in this study was unable to delignify the straw, because of its lack of fenoloxidases, enzymes which are necessary for lignin biodegradation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Elevated gastric lesions]. / Lesiones elevadas gástricas.

Elevated gastric lesions, represent an important group among gastric pathology. To establish its incidence in our experience, we studied the endoscopic reports of two important hospitals in La Paz city: Instituto de Gastroenterología Boliviano Japonés and Hospital Obrero No. 1. In order to make a good endoscopic diagnosis among different elevated lesions we use some parameters like: location, shape, size, diameter, surface of the lesion and surrounding mucosa and characteristics of the falls. 10.472 endoscopic reports were reviewed, 497 elevated gastric lesions were found, 475 corresponded to mucosal lesions (352 benign lesions and 123 malignant lesions), 11 to submucosal and 11 extragastric lesions.

Megacolon at high altitude.

Megacolon occurs frequently in high altitude areas. This report describes observations made in 60 cases seen in La Paz, Bolivia (3,600 meters above sea level). Motility of both the large and small bowel was found to be increased and the feces had a low pH. No histologic abnormalities were noted in the nervous plexus or smooth muscle. It is assumed that megacolon in these circumstances is acquired and not congenital.

Megacolon at high altitude.

El megacolon es una alteracion frecuentemente encontrada en las grandes alturas.En esta publicacion describimos y analizamos sesenta casos de megacolon encontrados en el Hospital Obrero en La Paz, Bolivia a 3.600 m de altura sobre el nivel del mar. Se ha encontrado el transito intestinal acelerado tanto en intestino delgado como en colon. El pH de las materias fecales acido. En el estudio histopatologico no se encuentran alteraciones ni en los plexos nerviosos ni en la musculatura lisa. Se propone que el megacolon de las grandes alturas es una alteracion adquirida, producida por una mayor distencion de los gases en colon bajo una presion atmosferica mas baja que al nivel del mar, 490 mm Hg a esta altura comparada con los 760 mm Hg al nivel de mar

Papilotomia y extraccion de calculos de coledoco por via endoscopica. / Endoscopic papillotomy and choledocal stones removal

Se presentan 45 casos de litiasis de coledoco en los que se realizo papilotomia endoscopica para la extraccion de calculos coledocianos.Se describen los procedimientos. Se obtuvo exito en el 80% con 6,6% de complicaciones

Utilidad diagnostica de la colangiografia retrograda endoscopica. / Diagnostic usefulness of the endoscopic retrograde cholangiography

Se presenta una serie de 380 colangiografias retrogradas endoscopicas practicadas en el Hospital Obrero de la ciudad de La Paz, entre enero de 1979 y junio de 1983.Se describe la tecnica y los resultados.Se establecieron 5 diagnosticos, la mayoria confirmados posteriormente en el acto quirurgico y/o estudio histopatologico. La mayor frecuencia correspondio a la patologia litasica seguida por la neoplasica de via biliar. Se confirma la importancia del procedimiento en el diagnostico de las enfermedades de la via biliar y la baja incidencia de complicaciones consecutivas a su practica