[Splenic abscess: a case report and review of the literature]. / Absceso esplénico: presentación de un caso y revisión de la literatura.

A patients with multiple splenic abscesses of fungal origin ist presented. It is a unusual pathology that generally, only by postmortem ist diagnosed. The etiology, clinical features, diagnostic methods and therapeutic measures are discussed, and the necessity of early and accurate diagnostic and treatment. The prognosis of the splenic abscess is still associated with a high mortality.

[A retrospective study of alcoholism at the Hospital Universitario de Granada. II. The reasons for admission and associated pathology in these patients]. / Estudio retrospectivo del etilismo en el Hospital Universitario de Granada. II. Causas de ingreso y patología asociada en estos pacientes.

In a retrospective study conducted from 1985 to 1990, the cause of hospitalization and associated pathology of 221 chronic ethylics were investigated. The most frequent cause of hospitalization was neuropsychiatric, followed by digestive pathology. With respect to the most frequent associated pathology, it was mainly digestive, causing multiple hospitalizations in most of the patients. The respiratory, cardiocirculatory and endocrine-metabolic pathologies followed in the frequency rank in these patients, as well as the traumatisms resulting from the ebrietas condition. We also observed gynecological and neonatal pathologies among the alcoholic women. The association of alcohol, tobacco and analgesics and psychodrugs consumption deserves also to be mentioned.

[Lyme disease: a multisystemic condition]. / Enfermedad de Lyme: una afección multisistémica.

While Lyme's Disease is clinically well known since 1920, its complete ascertainment and its etiological agent, as well as the details of its transmission mechanisms and multisystemic clinical manifestations (mainly dermatological, cardiac, neurological and articular) have been only recently known. In Spain, the number of papers published on this affection has increased lately, although its understanding is still not as generalized as it should be. This review focuses mainly on our country's experience, as well as on its clinical characteristics. We think that it is a very important affection, since its estimated incidence is 500 cases per year, a significant figure compared to other European countries.

[A retrospective study of alcoholism at the Hospital Universitario de Granada (1): the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics]. / Estudio retrospectivo del etilismo en el Hospital Universitario de Granada (1): Características sociodemográficas y clínicas.

This work offers the results of a retrospective study carried out on 856 patients diagnosed as suffering from alcoholism and/or other alcohol-related illnesses over 120456 who were admitted at the Granada University Hospital over the period 1985-1990. The patients have been classified in a distribution according to various factors, including age, sex, place of residence, profession and hospital admittance and discharge procedure. We have also taken into account both annual and accumulated incidence, as well as the distribution of those patients in the different hospital services and the evolution of the global average hospital stay. We then offer a study contrasting our results with other national and international studies, taking into account elements such as conceptual diversity and similarities and differences in methodology.

[Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and lipids in acute myocardial infarct]. / Dehidroepiandrosterona-sulfato y lípidos en el infarto agudo de miocardio.

To establish the possible relationship between acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) in a group of 15 patients with AMI, blood levels of DHEA-S and certain lipids (total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides) were determined at admission in the hospital and after 10 days. As controls a group of healthy individuals or with minor diseases, and a group of 24 severely ill non-cardioischaemic patients have been studied. DHEA-S and HDL-cholesterol levels have been found significantly lowered both in patients with AMI (at 10th day) as well as in the severely ill non-cardioischaemic patients, in comparison with the healthy volunteers group. We conclude, then, than the lowering in DHEA-S and HDL-cholesterol seems not to be specifically relates with AMI but has a certain relationship with severe disorders in general.

[Derivatives of pro-opiomelanocortin (ACTH and beta-endorphin) in chronic alcoholics]. / Derivados de la pro-opiomelanocortina (ACTH y beta-endorfina) en alcohólicos crónicos.

The plasmatic concentration of beta-endorphins and ACTH were measured in 31 alcoholic patients and in a control group (N = 16), to test the possible relation between chronic alcohol intake and propiomelanocortin production. There were found a decrease of beta-endorphins plasmatic levels in chronic alcoholic group, apart of clinical manifestations or abstinence period (one month maximum). This decrease can be cause by the chronic alcohol intake, and can be mediated by the tetrahydroisoquinolines (TIQs) or otherwise be the cause and not the consequence of alcoholism. The global plasmatic levels of ACTH were decreased but it was significant in the subgroup of alcoholics with liver disfunction, mental illness and those who carry on drinking.

[Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, cortisol and their precursors in severely ill (acute and chronic) patients]. / Dehidroepiandrosterona-sulfato, cortisol y sus precursores en enfermos graves (agudos y crónicos).

This study tries to evaluate the interrelationship amongst certain corticoadrenal hormones (Dehydroepiandrosterones-Sulphate (DHEA-S), progesterone, 17-OH progesterone and cortisol) in male patients with severe organic processes (24 chronic and 22 acutely ill) and comparing them with a control group of 15 healthy male subjects or suffering mild processes. Corticoadrenal hormone behaviour in the presence of a severe disease show marked differences between the androgenic and the glucocorticoid pathways. While DHE-S shows a significant decrease in severe disease, independently of the underlying disease (acute or chronic), the contrary occurs with the glucocorticoid pathway, in which cortisol and specially its precursors, progesterone and 17-OH-progesterone, predominantly present in the acute situation, normal or significantly increased levels. These differences between the two adrenal pathways suggest that apart from ACTH there must be another regulatory mechanism of the androgenic pathway which may facilitate the androgenic adaptation to the situation of severe disease.

[The neurophysiological study of diabetic polyneuritis. Apropos 100 cases]. / Estudio neurofisiológico en la polineuritis diabética. A propósito de 100 casos.

Alterations in nervous transmission might be an early feature of diabetic peripheral polyneuropathy, even in the subclinical stage. We performed a study on 100 diabetic patients. Those with possible endogenous or exogenous causes of neuropathy were not included. We studied the motor distal latency of right peroneal and cubital nerve and the sensory distal latency of median nerve by the use of electromyogram. The neuropathy incidence was 34.3%. One of the results was that conduction in males was slower than in the female control group; this disappeared in diabetic patients.