[Oxygen therapy in acute and chronic conditions: Indications, oxygen systems, assessement and follow-up]. / Fundamentos de la oxigenoterapia en situaciones agudas y crónicas: indicaciones, métodos, controles y seguimiento.

Oxygen therapy has become a major tool for infants with acute and chronic respiratory failure. Appropriate goals when prescribing supplemental oxygen are reduction and prevention of hypoxemia, prevention and treatment of pulmonary hypertension and decrease in respiratory and cardiac overload. This is commonplace in the acute setting and is also becoming widespread in chronic pathologies. However, there is a lack of consensus on many fundamental issues, such as appropriate indications, desirable targets and outcome measures amongst centres, reflecting a variety of clinical practices. The Techniques Group of the Spanish Society of Pediatric Pneumology undertook to design recommendations for a rational approach to oxygen therapy, reviewing the existing literature in order to establish its indications, benefits and potential risks as well as its cost-effectivenes. General aspects of oxygen treatment are reviewed including physiological mechanisms, indications, delivery systems and assessment methods. Management of patients on home oxygen therapy is also addressed with discussion of benefits and potential risks of supplemental oxygen use.

Differential sensitivity to the effects of nicotine and bupropion in adolescent and adult male OF1 mice during social interaction tests.

Few studies have compared the action of both nicotine (NIC) and bupropion (BUP), an antidepressant used to treat NIC dependence, on social and aggressive behavior at different ages. This study aims to determine whether these drugs produce differential effects in adolescent (postnatal day: 36-37) and adult (postnatal day: 65-66) mice that have been housed individually for 2 weeks in order to induce aggressive behavior. Mice received BUP (40, 20, or 10 mg/kg), NIC (1, 0.5, and 0.25 mg/kg as base), or vehicle earlier to a social interaction test. BUP (40 mg/kg) decreased social investigation and increased nonsocial exploration in both adolescent and adult mice. The same effects were also observed in adult mice administered with a lower dose of the same drug (20 mg/kg). In adolescents, NIC (1 mg/kg) decreased social investigation, but this effect did not reach statistical significance in adults. In conclusion, a differential sensitivity to the effects of NIC or BUP emerged in some of the behavioral categories when the two age groups were compared.

[Gastrointestinal malformations: a cause of chest pain]. / Malformaciones gastrointestinales: causa de dolor torácico.

Chest pain is an uncommon cause of consultation in childhood and is even less frequent if resulting from digestive causes. We present the cases of two patients with gastrointestinal tract malformations (diverticulum and esophageal duplication cyst) diagnosed after investigation of chest pain. A potential etiology of diverticulum could be a traction effect caused by fibrous adenopathy of tuberculous primary infection. Duplication cysts are inborn defects. Although these malformations are uncommon, clinicians should take them into account in patients with chest pain.

Differential effects of bupropion on acquisition and performance of an active avoidance task in male mice.

Bupropion is an antidepressant drug that is known to aid smoking cessation, although little experimental evidence exists about its actions on active avoidance learning tasks. Our aim was to evaluate the effects of this drug on two-way active avoidance conditioning. In this study, NMRI mice received bupropion (10, 20 and 40mg/kg) or saline before a daily training session (learning phase, days 1-4) in the active avoidance task. Performance was evaluated on the fifth day (retention phase): in each bupropion-treated group half of the mice continued with the same dose of bupropion, and the other half received saline. Among the vehicle-treated mice, different sub-groups were challenged with different doses of bupropion. Results indicated that mice treated with 10 and 20mg/kg bupropion exhibited more number of avoidances during acquisition. The response latency confirmed this learning improvement, since this parameter decreased after bupropion administration. No differences between groups were observed in the retention phase. In conclusion, our data show that bupropion influences the learning process during active avoidance conditioning, suggesting that this drug can improve the control of emotional responses.

Effects of early spatial training on water maze performance: a longitudinal study in mice.

The aim of the present study is to establish whether in mice the effects of an early experience in the Morris water maze are maintained after a long period. A longitudinal study was performed in which mice of two different strains (NMRI and C57) received spatial training at 2 months of age and their performance was re-evaluated 8 and 16 months later. In both strains, results showed a beneficial effect of prior experience on this spatial memory task even 8 months after the initial training. At 18 months of age, performance of C57 mice that were trained at 2 months of age for the first time was similar to those who received their first training at 10 months of age. These findings suggest that the beneficial effect of previous training could be limited by time. In addition, water maze performance of 18 month-old C57 mice did not differ from their earlier performance when they were 10 months of age, which would indicate that experience in this task could prevent some of the age-related spatial learning deficits observed in mice.

Morphological and histochemical changes in the liver and pancreas of gilthead, Sparus auratus L., induced by acute action of the anionic detergent, sodium dodecyl sulphate.

This paper reports the morphological and histochemical changes in the livers and pancreas of giltheads (Sparus auratus, L.) induced by acute action of the anionic detergent, sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS). Sixty-five giltheads were exposed to SDS concentrations of 5, 8.5, 10 and 15 mg/l. The surface tension induced at each concentration was determined and the LC50 calculated. Morphological changes dependent on detergent concentrations and length of exposure were seen. Histochemical techniques showed alterations in carbohydrates and proteins, which may interfere with liver and pancreas function.

Spatial learning in male mice with different levels of aggressiveness: effects of housing conditions and nicotine administration.

The main aim of the present investigation was to evaluate the possible modulation of spatial learning ability by housing conditions and level of aggressiveness in mice, also testing whether differences in locomotion and anxiety could influence this relationship. Additionally, we have examined effects of nicotine in the acquisition and retention of a spatial learning task in groups of mice differing in these variables. NMRI male mice were either group-housed or individually housed for 30 days and then classified into mice with short (SAL) and long (LAL) attack latency after a pre-screening agonistic encounter. Locomotor activity and baseline levels of anxiety of these groups were evaluated in the actimeter and elevated plus-maze. Results indicated that SAL and LAL individually housed mice displayed higher locomotion activity than LAL group-housed mice. In the plus-maze test, SAL and LAL individually housed mice showed more total and open arm entries than group-housed LAL mice, confirming the hyperactivity of individually housed mice and suggesting that isolation had no clear anxiolytic or anxiogenic actions. In the water-maze, we compared the performance of individually housed SAL, individually housed LAL mice, and group-housed LAL mice treated with nicotine (0.35 and 0.175 mg/kg) or vehicle. Nicotine did not improve acquisition in group-housed mice and even impaired it in individually housed mice. Retention of platform position was better in vehicle-treated individually housed mice in comparison with vehicle-treated group-housed mice. The present study demonstrates that housing conditions but not level of aggressiveness modify spontaneous locomotor activity and behaviors displayed on the elevated plus-maze test, and can also influence retention of a spatial learning task.

Previous training in the water maze: differential effects in NMRI and C57BL mice.

It has been shown that acquisition rates in the water maze vary across strains of mice, although the differential effects of previous experience in this spatial task have been scarcely evaluated. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of training in the water maze at an early age (2 months) in two strains of mice (NMRI and C57BL) using a longitudinal study. Mice with or without previous training were tested when they were 6 months, and retested when 10 months old. The results showed that trained NMRI mice performed better than all the other groups, both at test and retest, indicating that previous training had more beneficial effects in NMRI than in C57BL mice. These results demonstrate that the effects of an early training in the water maze may be influenced by the characteristics of the strain of mice. It could have implications in longitudinal studies evaluating effects of pharmacological or behavioral manipulations.

[Pulmonary granulomatosis caused by lentil aspiration]. / Granulomatosis pulmonar por aspiración de lentejas.

Pulmonary nodular granulomatosis caused by aspirated lentils is a rare entity. We report the case of a healthy 8 years-old girl who suffered a choking life-threatening choking event during a meal, with cardiorespiratory arrest. After a delay of one month delay without symptoms, she developed respiratory distress with radiologic changes. Lung biopsy disclosed foreing body granulomas. Steroids were not used because of their uncertain effectiveness in these cases. One year later the patient's progress was satisfactory.

[Primary Mycobacterium avium respiratory infection in nonimmunocompromised children]. / Primoinfección respiratoria por Mycobacterium avium en niños no inmunocomprometidos.

Mycobacterium avium is a common pathogen in barnyards, where it infects poultry and pigs. In human beings M. avium is most often found to cause disease in immunocompromised individuals, although it is also described fairly often as affecting patients with tuberculosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; in recent years lung infections by M. avium have even been reported in elderly women with no underlying disease. Respiratory infection by this mycobacterium is unusual, however, in healthy children. We describe the case of a previously healthy 2-year-old boy with pneumonia whose course was complicated. After 6 months of treatment with various broad spectrum antibiotics there was no clinically or radiologically observable improvement. Other underlying diseases were ruled out, including infection by germs that cause atypical pneumonia. When all tests were negative, we investigated the possibility of primary infection by an atypical mycobacterium. A skin test was positive for M. avium. Acid-alcohol resistant bacilli were isolated from lung biopsy samples and the presence of tuberculoid granulomas were confirmed. Our patient then responded favorably after tuberculostatic treatment with 3 drugs (isoniazid, rifampicin and pyrazinamide).

[Chronic liver disease associated with cystic fibrosis: energy expenditure at rest, risk factors, and impact on the course of the disease]. / Hepatopatía crónica asociada a fibrosis quística: gasto energético en reposo, factores de riesgo y repercusión en la evolución de la enfermedad.

INTRODUCTION AND GOALS: Cystic fibrosis is the most frequent recessive disease. There are various hepato-biliary alterations, of which the most important is the development of biliary obstruction and periportal fibrosis. The goal is to assess the influence of liver disease on the nutritional status, the progress of the disease and the associated risk factors. SCOPE: Nutrition Unit of the Gastroenterology Department at La Paz Children's Hospital. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Prospective longitudinal study with 53 patients assessed on three occasions over 3 years: at inclusion, after 1 year and after 3 years. Only 37 of them were followed-up for 3 years. A total of 111 measurements were taken, including analysis of body composition, energy expenditure, intake and energy losses as well as nitrogen balance. Simultaneously, respiratory function tests were performed and the presence of repeated acute respiratory problems was evaluated. RESULTS: 37 patients, 19 females and 18 males (mean age 13.04 years +/- 3.28). Twelve (32.43%) were diagnosed as having liver disease (mean age 12.16% +/- 3.86 SD, 11 males, 1 female), of whom 1 presented meconial ileum, 5 were homozygotic, 5 heterozygotic and the other two presented other mutations. Those with liver disease presented anthropometric parameters that were better than or similar to the patients without liver involvement (p NS). Mean Waterlow index in liver disease sufferers: 93.62% +/- 7.87 SD; without liver disease: 93.06% +/- 10.97 SD (p NS). Mean of LVEF in liver disease sufferers: 88.81 +/- 27.32 SD; without liver disease: 75.21 +/- 27.92 SD (p < 0.05). Mean FVC in liver disease sufferers: 95.38 +/- 22.92 SD; without liver disease: 83 +/- 23.7 SD (p < 0.05). Mean energy expenditure at rest/lean body mass in liver disease sufferers: 38.81 kcal +/- 7.26 SD; without liver disease: 42.36 kcal +/- f 6.91 SD (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of chronic liver disease in patients with cystic fibrosis increases with age and is more frequent in males. Liver disease sufferers present a better evolution in pulmonary function and present less energy expenditure.

[Cartilaginous tumors of the cricoid: imaging diagnosis. A case report]. / Tumores cartilaginosos de cricoides: diagnóstico por imagen. A propósito de un caso.

Cartilaginous tumors of the larynx are rare; although chondromas are the most frequent of these tumors. Laryngeal chondrosarcomas are even rarer, in spite of this being the most frequent histological variety of sarcoma (less than 1% of all malignant laryngeal tumors). These tumors are slow-growing, locally aggressive, and tend to recur. They are less aggressive in the larynx than in other sites: cervical or distant metastases are rare (8.5%) and recurrences often can be controlled. The most common presenting symptom is hoarseness with normal indirect laryngoscopy. The complementary studies of choice are computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The role of these imaging techniques in the study of laryngeal chondroma and chondrosarcoma was examined. These sporadic tumors may be overlooked, although early identification is necessary for effective treatment.

Atractylis gummifera and Centaurea ornata in the Province of Badajoz (Extremadura, Spain)-Ethnopharmacological importance and toxicological risk.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Atractylis gummifera L. and Centaurea ornata Willd. are locally marketed herbal remedies, even though in Spain it is forbidden to sell toxic plants like Atractylis gummifera. Intoxications in Spain are mainly due to accidental substitution of Centaurea ornata with Atractylis gummifera which may be fatal. AIM OF STUDY: The aim of this article is to analyse the current use and marketing of Atractylis gummifera and Centaurea ornata in Badajoz and analyse the ethnopharmacological relevance of two recent cases of Atractylis gummifera poisoning. BACKGROUND AND METHODS: An ethnopharmacological survey was conducted in the area where one of the poisoned patients lives and in Guadiana del Caudillo. The use, knowledge and naming of the species involved in the poisoning was assessed. This information was complemented with an exhaustive search in Spanish ethnobotanical works on the ethnopharmacological uses of both species. RESULTS: Intoxications are due to species' substitutions. The two species are similar in name and use in the area, and both are locally marketed. AG is mainly used to heal wounds and calcaneal spurs, and CO to treat gastric ulcers and wounds. CONCLUSIONS: New intoxications are likely since consumers often have limited knowledge of the plants they consume. Also, it is common to think that all medicinal plants are harmless. As the use of Atractylis gummifera seems to increase in the area, preventive measures need to be taken.

Effects of acute bupropion administration on locomotor activity in adolescent and adult mice.

Responses to some psychoactive substances seem to differ between adolescents and adults. Bupropion, an antidepressant which is also used for smoking cessation, induces a dose-dependent increase in locomotor activity in adult mice, although its behavioral actions in adolescents have not been evaluated. In the present study the effects of acute bupropion administration (5, 10, 15 and 20 mg/kg) on locomotor activity were examined in early adolescent (postnatal day (pnd): 29-31 days), late adolescent (pnd: 47-49 days) and adult (pnd > 70 days) male NMRI mice, using an infrared photocell system. Locomotion was recorded for a total period of 90 min. Results indicated that there were significant differences in motor activity counts between the three ages evaluated, with late adolescents being more active than early adolescents. Bupropion (at doses 20, 15 and 10 mg/kg) induced a significant increase in locomotion, but there was no significant interaction between age and treatment. This suggests that the locomotor-stimulating effects of bupropion can be observed at different ages (early adolescence, late adolescence and adulthood), although the detailed analysis of the temporal course of locomotion changes induced by different bupropion doses reflected some differences between ages. The lowest dose (5 mg/kg) failed to induce hyperactivity in either adolescent or adult mice.

Estimation of short temporal intervals in Alzheimer's disease.

This study investigated the estimation of short temporal intervals in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Eight patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type, and eight age-matched controls were evaluated in a time-estimation task. The task consisted in the production of three short empty intervals (5, 10, and 25 s). Results indicated that AD patients show deficits both in the accuracy and precision of time judgments: in the three intervals evaluated, the magnitude of absolute error and the variability in time judgments were significantly greater in AD patients than healthy respondents (p < .01). These findings are discussed taking into account the contribution of attentional processes during the performance of temporal tasks. It is concluded that the estimation of short temporal intervals could be useful as an objective indicator of cognitive decline in AD.

A histochemical study of the biological effects of sodium dodecyl sulfate on the intestine of the gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata L.

This paper reports the morphological and histochemical changes caused by acute action of the detergent sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) on the intestine of the gilthead (Sparus aurata L.). Sixty-five giltheads were exposed to SDS concentrations of 5, 8.5, 10, and 15 mg/liter. Surface tensions were determined and the LC50 values calculated. The effects of SDS on the intestine were more pronounced in those specimens exposed to higher concentrations and for longer periods. Three causes of death were determined: (i) decrease in surface tension, (ii) destruction of tissue, and (iii) alteration of biomacromolecules. Both (ii) and (iii) were determined by histochemical techniques.

Time estimation and aging: a comparison between young and elderly adults.

Studies about effects of aging on the estimation of short temporal intervals are not conclusive. The aim of the present research was to evaluate age-related differences in the reproduction of a short interval (10 s) using a computerized method. The sample comprised thirteen young adults (M = 26.15 years) and twelve elderly adults (M= 79.1 years). Three parameters of time estimation were measured: estimated time, absolute error, and standard deviation. Results showed that time estimates performed by elderly participants were shorter than those of younger ones, although there were no significant differences between the two age groups in the percentage of absolute errors or standard deviations. These findings could be explained by changes in the rate of the internal clock or to an interaction between more general changes in cognitive processes.

Effects of nicotine on spatial learning in C57BL mice.

In the present study, the effects of nicotine on spatial memory in C57BL/6J mice was evaluated. Mice were trained in a water maze during four daily sessions of three trials each. In the first experiment, nicotine (0.7 and 0.35 mg/kg) or saline was administered once daily for 4 days, 15 min before the start of daily training: an impairment of performance of the water maze was observed in the group treated with 0.7 mg/kg of nicotine. In the second experiment, nicotine (0.7 and 0.35 mg/kg) or saline was administered from the 5 days prior to the beginning of the task and during the 4 days of acquisition. The results indicated an improvement in the rate of learning in the 9-day nicotine treated groups. The comparison between 4-day and 9-day treated groups revealed that the group receiving 0.35 mg/kg of nicotine for 9 days displayed significantly shorter latencies than all the other groups, while the group receiving 0.7 mg/kg of nicotine for 4 days performed significantly worse than all the other groups. The most noteworthy result is that nicotine was more effective after a more prolonged administration than when administered only during the training days.

[Diabetic ketoacidosis and coma. Insulin perfusion (author's transl)]. / Cetoacidosis y coma diabético. Tratamiento con perfusión contínua de bajas dosis de insulina y actualización terapéutica.

Ten cases of diabetic ketoacidosis treated by low-dose insulin continuous perfusion are reported. The severe period therapeutic guide is exposed in two stages showing the form of correction of the most important ketoacidosis. Insulin doses have been, initially, 0.1 U./Kg. in a bolus, followed by 0.1-0.01 U./Kg./h. till acidosis and dehydration are corrected. Evolution of every case was good, without any important complication. Advantages of this therapeutic modality are appointed: an easy treatment management, lesser glycaemia oscillations and lesser complications than using the conventional method of intermittent high doses. In order to overcome, the acidosis and hyperglicaemia resistance found in some of the severest cases, authors suggest to increase the dose of perfused insulin as well as hydration, Finally, the importance of control and patient care is stressed, recommending their admission to a Paediatric Intensive Care unit.