[Muscarinic receptors on lymphocytes]. / Receptores muscarínicos en linfocitos.

INTRODUCTION: The presence of muscarinic receptors on lymphocytes and possible modifications in their number and affinity may be related to cholinergic changes found in muscarinic receptors at a central level. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper is to bring the technique for the determination of lymphocyte muscarinic receptors by means of their union with radioligands for application in the study of disorders involving the cholinergic system, such as Alzheimer's disease, up to date. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We therefore made a density gradient isolation of lymphocytes from healthy subjects and made a trial of union or binding with N-methyl-escopolamine marked with tritium (3H-NMS) on intact lymphocytes. RESULTS: We were unable to specifically label the muscarinic receptors. However, we have shown the usefulness of the technique, using rat anterior cerebral homogenate. CONCLUSIONS: We consider whether the absence of specific union with the lymphocyte muscarinic receptor is due to technical problems as is often described in the literature, or possibly due to the absence of these receptors on the lymphocyte as suggested by other authors and proved using molecular biology techniques to be the case for the M2 receptor subtype.

[Antiphospholipid antibodies and neurological disorders. Types and mechanisms]. / Anticuerpos antifosfolípido y enfermedades neurológicas. Tipos y mecanismos.

The antiphospholipid antibodies (AAFL) are acquired antibodies of different types whose common characteristic is that they are directed against the negatively and neutrally charged phospholipids of the cell membranes. They were first described in 1952 in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. They are also found in many pathological conditions such as: infections, solid and haematological neoplasms, chronic renal insufficiency, primary immunological deficiencies and other collagenoses, hepatobiliary diseases, etc. They are also found in other circumstances: due to the use of various drugs (which in general may induce lupus), in elderly patients and in apparently healthy people. The great interest shown in the past decade, as a result of their association with and possible etiopathogenic role in a series of thrombotic phenomena, neuropsychiatric disorders, thrombocytopenia and abortion-fetal death, has made them a major challenge to the clinician. This interest is increased by the controversial and very doubtful relationship that may exist with a series of disorders which have been described in detail. Their role as a probable risk factor for thrombosis in the general population is also discussed. For these reasons, we decided to review the basic biology of the AAFL and the aspects related to neurological disorders.

[Determination of basal GH in dementias]. / Determinación de la hormona de crecimiento basal en demencias.

We have studied the plasmatic levels of the growth hormone (GH) in a control group consisting of 72 subjects with an average age of 69.7 +/- 8.4 years and in a group of 37 patients with an average age of 69.3 +/- 9.6, of which 28 were demented (15 with degenerative dementia and 13 with non-degenerative dementia); 8 suffered from Parkinson's disease, and the rest showed signs of failing memory due to age. When comparing the plasmatic levels of GH between the patients' group and the control group we did not find significant differences between the demented and the control group, nor between the sub-groups of non-degenerative dementia or of those suffering from Parkinson's disease, when compared to the control group. However, we did find a reduction of GH that was statistically significant in the sub-group of degenerative dementia and the control group. This reduction in GH plasmatic values indicates a specific alteration in this type of process, which may be of certain use when searching for a hormonal marker for degenerative type dementia.

[Hormonal markers of stress in acute cerebrovascular pathology]. / Marcadores hormonales de estrés en la patología vascular cerebral aguda.

Various studies carried out over the last decade have shown that high glucose levels in the blood foster ischaemic brain damage associated with a worse evolution of such pathologies. The aim of the study we performed was to try to shed some light on whether stress in these patients raised their glucose levels adding to a worsening of the patient's clinical picture. We studied 318 consecutive patients suffering from stroke. We determined fasting glucose levels, prolactin and cortisol within the first few hours of hospitalization and afterwards at seven to ten days and again at one month after the stroke. Clinical severity was evaluated using Toronto and Mathew neurological scales and the degree of incapacity was measured using the Barthel functional scale on the three aforementioned occasions and Rankin's modified scale six and twelve months after the stroke. Clinical severity the first hours after stroke was significantly related to glucose levels, such relationship not being observed with prolactin and cortisol. Nor did we observe any significant association between glucose and these hormones. Likewise the anxiety scale had no relationship with any hormone. Studying medium and long term functional incapacity, glucose significantly correlated with the Rankin scale although with low dependence, such a relationship not being found either with prolactin or cortisol. Our work would seem to indicate that blood glucose behaviour is independent of prolactin and cortisol levels since we found no such relationship between them.

[Descriptive epidemiology of risk factors in cerebrovascular disorders:a study in Muro d'Alcoi]. / Epidemiología descriptiva de los factores de riesgo cerebrovasculares: el estudio en Muro d'Alcoi.

We evaluated cerebrovascular risk factors and the values of cholesterol and triglicerides in the survey in Muro d'Alcoi using a door-to-door randomised interview. We found 14.9% hypertensives, 5.5% persons with diabetes, 1.2% with heart diseases and 42.1 persons with tabaccoism into the 646 persons evaluated. The Serum Cholesterol levels were high and we observed that 62% of males and 63.8% of females had values higher than 200 mg/dl. Our study showed that 24.8% of males and 12% of females presented values of triglicerides higher than 150 mg/dl. The data of risk factors were comparable with the findings described in Beniarres, Lorcha and Planes, located in the same healthy area.