Showing papers by "University of Barcelona published in 1988"
TL;DR: A percentage of nosocomial pneumonia might be prevented and its prognosis can be improved since some of the factors influencing the risk or the prognosis of NP are amenable to medical intervention.
691 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the stochastic integral defined by Skorohod in [24] of a possibly anticipating integrand, as a function of its upper limit, was studied and an extended Ito formula was established.
Abstract: We study the stochastic integral defined by Skorohod in [24] of a possibly anticipating integrand, as a function of its upper limit, and establish an extended Ito formula. We also introduce an extension of Stratonovich's integral, and establish the associated chain rule. In all the results, the adaptedness of the integrand is replaced by a certain smoothness requirement.
534 citations
TL;DR: In patients with cirrhosis and ascites, parameters estimating systemic hemodynamics and renal function are better predictors of survival than those routinely used to estimate hepatic function.
435 citations
TL;DR: It is concluded that spontaneous bacterial peritonitis frequently recurs in cirrhosis, particularly in patients with severe liver failure or low protein concentration in ascitic fluid, and that the survival of cirrhotics who recover from a first episode of spontaneous bacterialperitonitis is very short.
374 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the thermodynamics of thermoelastic martensitic transformations are reformulated from the point of view of calorimetric experiments, and it is shown that the heat released or absorbed by the specimen is due to a triple contribution: the latent heat of transformation, the reversibly stored elastic enthalpy and the irreversible work mainly spent in moving the interfaces.
295 citations
TL;DR: Standardized cephalometric roentgenograms can be useful in determining the appropriate treatment for OSAS patients, and long mandibular plane to hyoid bone distance and width of the posterior airway space (PAS) were statistically significant predictors of elevated RDI.
277 citations
TL;DR: The best predictor of the excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) frequently found inOSAS patients was the nocturnal polygraphic recording of the sleep disturbances and sleep structure anomalies that reflect the brain's overall dysfunction in OSAS.
269 citations
TL;DR: These results provide experimental support for the adaptive value of the chromosomal-inversion polymorphism and historical and other nonadaptive explanations are thus excluded or relegated to a secondary role.
Abstract: North America and South America have recently been colonized by the Palearctic species Drosophila subobscura. This double colonization offers a rare opportunity for evolutionary studies. Correlations between chromosomal arrangement frequencies and latitude were calculated for the colonizing populations. Signs of these correlations are highly coincident with those found in the Old World. These results provide experimental support for the adaptive value of the chromosomal-inversion polymorphism; historical and other nonadaptive explanations are thus excluded or relegated to a secondary role.
234 citations
TL;DR: Relatively little colonial growth of any other bacterial genera occurred; when such colonies did grow, Bifidobacterium could be easily differentiated by its colonial morphology or, after Gram staining, by its typical b ifidobacterial morphology.
Abstract: A new method was developed for the isolation and enumeration of Bifidobacterium spp. from natural aquatic environments. The method was based on the utilization of a new medium, Bifidobacterium iodoacetate medium 25, and resuscitation techniques were used to isolate injured bifidobacteria. The new medium was tested with a nonselective reference medium on sewage and sewage-polluted surface waters. Relatively little colonial growth of any other bacterial genera occurred; when such colonies did grow, Bifidobacterium could be easily differentiated by its colonial morphology or, after Gram staining, by its typical bifidobacterial morphology.
204 citations
TL;DR: TPC-MC is both a sensitive and specific technique for the diagnosis of BPN in mechanically ventilated patients and it is proposed that the MC be used in patients receiving mechanical ventilation when the FB is not available.
Abstract: A new guiding technique, Metras catheter (MC), for blindly introducing a telescoping plugged catheter (TPC) was applied to 25 mechanically ventilated patients with suspected bacterial pneumonia (BPN). Results obtained with TPC-MC were compared with those obtained with TPC using a conventional fiberoptic bronchoscope (FB) in random order. The diagnosis of BPN was definitely confirmed in 18 patients. In 7 patients, all TPC samples (MC and FB) were sterile, and a diagnosis other than BPN was proved. In the former group, colony-forming units equal to or greater than 103/ml of one or more microorganisms were obtained in 61% of TPC-MC and in 66% of TPC-FB samples. These percentages increased to 64 and 71%, respectively, when 4 patients with previous antibiotic treatment were excluded from the study group. Agreement was observed between microorganisms cultured from both TPC samples in 11 of 18 patients with proved BPN (61%). Complete disparity was seen only in 2 patients (11%). Two patients developed a self-limi...
160 citations
TL;DR: Children and adults with meningitis due to penicillin-resistant pneumococci may be adequately treated with high doses of intravenous cefotaxime if MICs ofPenicillin G are less than or equal to 4 micrograms/ml, although cases with higher resistance may require another antibiotic such as vancomycin.
TL;DR: Vanadate administration for a 2-week period restored the altered values in the diabetic rats without modifying significantly in the control animals any of the parameters studied, suggesting that insulin and vanadate possess similar actions on hepatic intracellular events.
TL;DR: Results indicate that the plasma levels of immunoreactive atrial natriuretic factor are increased in patients with cirrhosis and ascites, and that this is due to an increased release and not to an impaired splanchnic degradation of the peptide.
TL;DR: Five hundred forty-three episodes of nosocomial bacteremia were prospectively followed in a large Spanish university hospital and the most frequent sources of infection were intravenous lines, urinary tract, and lower respiratory tract.
Abstract: species. The most frequent sources of infection were intravenous lines, urinary tract, and lower respiratory tract. Overall mortality was 18%. A step-forward logistic regression analysis defined eight variables independently influencing the outcome: shock, underlying rapidly fatal disease, high-risk source of bacteremia (intraabdominal, lower respiratory tract, or not identified), age more than 70 years, hospitalization in intensive care or medical units, inappropriate antibiotic treatment, infection due to a high-risk microorganism (R aeruginosa, Serratia marcescens, Klebsiella, Bacteroides, or Candida), and development of septic metastasis. The identification of those factors independently influencing the outcome and their possible modification may represent a further step in the control of nosocomial bacteremia by improving its prognosis.
TL;DR: In this article, the magnetic susceptibility measurements of the magnetoplumbite-like compound SrCr 8 Ga 4 O 19 showed that no magnetic phase transition occurs up to T = 4.2K in spite of very high antiferromagnetic interactions making apparent a very high degree of magnetic frustration (O/Tg 117).
TL;DR: Among factors associated with the appearance of hypogammaglobulinemia during the evolution of CLL, initial lower levels of IgG and IgA, but not IgM, were found in a multivariate analysis.
Abstract: To investigate the prognostic significance of gammaglobulin and immunoglobulin levels in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), survival studies were performed in a series of patients with that disorder. The survival probability of patients with initial levels of gammaglobulin of less than 700 mg/dl was significantly lower (P = 0.03) than in patients with initial levels of 700 mg/dl or more. Decreased initial levels of IgG and IgA also were associated with reduced survival probability (P = 0.027 and P = 0.014, respectively), whereas hypo-IgM did not show any influence on survival. When the influence on survival of gammaglobulin and immunoglobulin concentration was analyzed by Cox's multivariate model, the only variable which entered the regression at significant level was IgA (P = 0.006). As shown by the same type of analysis, the prognostic value of hypo-IgA is independent from the clinical staging. The natural history of hypogammaglobulinemia and hypoimmunoglobulinemia was investigated by sequential analysis in a series of untreated patients. The appearance of decreased levels of these globulins was found to be a continuous process developing spontaneously during the untreated course of the disease. Among factors associated with the appearance of hypogammaglobulinemia during the evolution of CLL, initial lower levels of IgG and IgA, but not IgM, were found in a multivariate analysis.
TL;DR: The room temperature structure of SrFe/sub 12/O/sub 19/ hexagonal ferrite has been refined from X-ray single-crystal data in this article, where structural isomorphism of the title compound with the hexagonal Ferrite BaFe/s 12 O/s 19/ has been demonstrated, corroborating that the bipyramidal Fe ions have a fast diffusional motion within a quasiharmonic double-well potential as in BaFe
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors show existence and uniqueness for the solution of a onedimensional wave equation with non-linear random forcing, using the Malliavin calculus with two parameters Wiener functionals.
Abstract: We show existence and uniqueness for the solution of a onedimensional wave equation with non-linear random forcing. Then we give sufficient conditions for the solution at a given time and a given point, to have a density and for this density to be smooth. The proof uses the extension of the Malliavin calculus to the two parameters Wiener functionals.
TL;DR: In this paper, total concentrations of Cu and Pb and the speciation of these metals in sediments of the River Tenes are studied in order to establish the extent to which they are polluted and their capacity of remobilization.
TL;DR: Almitrine significantly reduced the VA/Q inequalities present in ARDS and may be useful in the management of those patients.
Abstract: Almitrine improves ventilation/perfusion relationships (VA/Q) in COPD, but its effects in ARDS, in which VA/Q mismatching is the cause of severe hypoxemia, are not known. The effects of almitrine on pulmonary gas exchange and circulation were assessed in 9 patients with ARDS who were sedated, paralyzed, and mechanically ventilated at constant FlO2 (range, 0.48 to 0.74). Systemic and pulmonary hemodynamics, conventional gas exchange, and the VA/Q distribution by the multiple inert gas elimination technique (MIGT) were measured before (baseline), during (ALM 15), at the end of (ALM 30), and at 30-min intervals after (POSTALM 30, 60, and 90) the intravenous infusion of 0.5 mg/kg body weight of almitrine over 30 min. Almitrine significantly increased PaO2 from 78 +/- 15 mm Hg to 140 +/- 49 at ALM 15 and 138 +/- 52 at ALM 30. AaPO2 and QS/QT decreased during the administration of the drug. The MIGT showed that almitrine redistributed pulmonary blood flow from shunt areas (reduction from 29 +/- 11 to 17 +/- 11% of QT) to lung units with normal VA/Q ratios (increase from 63 +/- 9 to 73 +/- 6% of QT). The Ppa increased from 26 +/- 5 to 30 +/- 5 mm Hg without changes in QT. Changes were transient, returning toward baseline 30 min after stopping the infusion of the drug. Almitrine significantly reduced the VA/Q inequalities present in ARDS and may be useful in the management of those patients.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The progression and survival of CLL in early clinical stages is analyzed and the following poor prognostic variables were identified: stage A: advanced age, and rapid lymphocyte doubling time, and survival: lower normal Hb level.
Abstract: In chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) clinical staging systems provide useful tools for establishing the prognosis and to plan therapy. Clinical staging systems, however, do not give information regarding disease progression. In this study the progression and survival of CLL in early clinical stages is analyzed. Among 261 patients with CLL, 134 (51%) were in stage A (M 60/F 74; mean age 64.2 years; DS = 11), and 87 (33%) in stage 0. Progression was analyzed as far as patients remained untreated (median: 11 months; range: 3-114). Thirty-three (24.6%) out of 134 patients in stage A progressed to more advanced stages (17 to B, 16 to C) with an actuarial cumulative risk for progression of 31% at 3 years. Variables at diagnosis predictive of a more likely progression were: number of lymph nodes involved (p less than 0.001), rapid lymphocyte doubling time (p = 0.0025), and markedly increased lymphocyte count (p = 0.02). Twenty-eight (32%) out of 87 patients in stage 0 progressed (8 to I, 12 to II, 7 to III), the actuarial cumulative risk being of 28% at 3 years. The only variable predictive of progression was a lower normal Hb level (p = 0.015). Although the survival probability of patients in stage A (0) was not statistically different from those in stage A (I, II), their median survivals were of 125.7 and 91 months, respectively. Concerning survival, the following poor prognostic variables were identified: stage A: advanced age (p = 0.01), and rapid lymphocyte doubling time (p = 0.0045). Stage 0: higher lymphocyte count (p = 0.005), and lower normal Hb level (p = 0.015).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
TL;DR: In this paper, duality theories for quasiconvex optimization problems, based on notions of generalized conjugation, are surveyed, and the relationship existing between the two kinds of approaches is described.
Abstract: We survey duality theories for quasiconvex optimization problems, based on notions of generalized conjugation. Some of them are obtained from Moreau's generalized conjugation, while the others are special cases of the so-called H-duality. The relationship existing between the two kinds of approaches is described.
TL;DR: In this paper, the effect of the integration time T on the rain rate distribution P(R) was investigated using a rainfall rate data bank of 49 years recorded at Barcelona (CCIR - Zone L), using a rapid response Jardi rain rate gauge.
Abstract: An investigation into the effect of the integration time T on the rain rate distribution P(R) is presented using a rainfall rate data bank of 49 years recorded at Barcelona (CCIR - Zone L), using a rapid response Jardi rain rate gauge. T extends from 1 to 60 min and P(R) extends to less than 10-3 %. The relation between the various T-distributions P(RT) is presented as well as the values of RT and R1 which give the same probability. The ratio RT/R1 and the potential expression R1 = aRbT are studied. Comparison with recent results from Canada confirms both the numerical value presented and the climatic dependence of the equi-probable ratio RT/R1.
TL;DR: Despite both clinical and spirometric improvement in all patients, there was simultaneous improvement in VA/Q matching in only one patient, and statistically significant negative correlations between maximal expiratory flow rates and gas exchange did develop toward the end of the study when maximal recovery of physiologic changes associated with the acute asthma attack was achieved.
Abstract: Patterns of a/ distribution and their relationship to spirometric indices were studied in 10 patients with acute severe asthma requiring hospitalization (7 women and 3 men 41.0 ± 5.6 yr of age, mean ± SEM) on admission and during subsequent recovery. On admission, all patients received the standard therapeutic regimen for our hospital. Spirometry and essentially noninvasive multiple inert gas elimination measurements were obtained serially, approximately once every day, whereas conventional arterial blood gases were determined every 3 days. On admission, all patients showed severe air-flow obstruction (FEV1/FVC% = 34.1 ± 4.3%) and moderate to severe hypoxemia without CO2 retention (PaO2 = 50.5 ± 2.6 mm Hg; PaCO2 = 37.1 ± 2.4 mm Hg; AaPO2 = 53.7 ± 3.0 mm Hg). Nine of the 10 patients showed bimodal blood flow distributions (dispersion of blood flow distribution, log SD Q = 1.34 ± 0.11; normal range, 0.3 to 0.6) with only small amounts of shunt (1.09 ± 0.8%). However, no significant interindividual correlati...
TL;DR: The nucleotide sequence of hlyR is rich in A+T and does not contain an extended open reading frame, but exhibits several sequence motives that may represent sites for protein binding and DNA bending.
Abstract: A sequence (hlyR) of about 600 bp which enhances the expression of hemolysin (HlyA) more than 50-fold was identified in the plasmid pHly152-specific hemolysin (hly) determinant. Deletion of this entire hlyR sequence led to the same low level of hemolysin synthesis and excretion as that expressed by the recombinant plasmid pANN202-312. HlyR was active in cis but its activity was orientation-dependent. The enhancing sequence, hlyR, is separated from the promoter phlyI transcribing hlyC, hlyA and possibly hlyB by more than 1.5 kb including an IS2 element. Stepwise removal of the hlyR sequence from its 5′ end by exonuclease III (ExoIII) digestion yielded several types of deletion mutants which expressed decreasing amounts of hemolysin. A similar observation was made when hlyR was shortened by ExoIII from its 3′ end, which suggests that more than one functional region may be present in the hlyR sequence. A deletion of 717 bp within the adjacent IS2 element reduced the activity of hlyR only slightly, indicating that IS2 is not directly involved in the enhancement mechanism but that it may support an optimal positioning in hlyR relative to the hly promoter. The nucleotide sequence of hlyR is rich in A+T and does not contain an extended open reading frame, but exhibits several sequence motives that may represent sites for protein binding and DNA bending.
TL;DR: Presence of this rim‐like pattern in primary biliary cirrhosis did not correlate with the presence of associated autoimmune diseases nor with other clinical, biochemical, nor histological features of the disease.
TL;DR: In this article, the Rasquera Unit in the Upper Muschelkalk (Triassic) of the Catalan Basin, eastern Spain, was deposited upon a carbonate ramp of homoclinal type located in an intracratonic setting.
TL;DR: The tumor cell has a very distinctive metabolism which acts as a metabolic trap for host nutrients thus taking vital compounds for the metabolism of the host, resulting in profound energy imbalance which normally ends with cachexia and, eventually, death.
Abstract: The tumor cell has a very distinctive metabolism. It acts as a metabolic trap for host nutrients thus taking vital compounds for the metabolism of the host. Depending on the particular tumor growing pattern, cancer cells use preferentially glucose or amino acids for their energetic or biosynthetic needs. Lipids, fatty acids in particular, can also be taken up by the tumor cell. In addition, it can also release some compounds into the host circulation which are not normally produced by the original cell before neoplastic transformation. Some of these compounds affect the metabolism of the host in an unfavorable way since they can oppose the host's metabolic responses, which sustain homeostasis. The final product is that the metabolic machinery of these cells allows them to grow continuously in an uncontrolled manner. The consequences of tumor invasion on the host's metabolism are varied. They have, however, one thing in common: the reduction of the metabolic efficiency of the host. Muscular protein depletion, increased gluconeogenesis, uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation constitute the main metabolic responses of the host as a result of tumor invasion. The net result of all these metabolic changes is profound energy imbalance which normally ends with cachexia and, eventually, death.
TL;DR: The concept of aprendizaje significativo es un instrumento potencialmente util y valioso for el analisis y la reflexion psicopedagogica as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: ResumenEl concepto de aprendizaje significativo es un instrumento potencialmente util y valioso para el analisis y la reflexion psicopedagogica. Sin embargo, para que pueda desempenar adecuadamente este papel, es necesario despojarlo de muchas de las connotaciones que ha ido acumulando de forma subrepticia y, al mismo tiempo, desarrollar otras que hasta el momento han sido escasamente tomadas en consideracion. En concreto, se sugiere atender tanto al sentido como al significado del aprendizaje escolar, renunciar a las connotaciones mas individualistas del proceso de construccion de significados y sentidos; y, por ultimo, resituar este proceso de construccion en el contexto de relacion y comunicacion interpersonal que es intrinseco al acto de ensenanza.
TL;DR: When grown anaerobically on L-rhamnose, Salmonella typhimurium excreted 1,2-propanediol as a fermentation product and upon exhaustion of the methyl pentose was recaptured and further metabolized, provided the culture was kept under anaerobic conditions.
Abstract: When grown anaerobically on L-rhamnose, Salmonella typhimurium excreted 1,2-propanediol as a fermentation product. Upon exhaustion of the methyl pentose, 1,2-propanediol was recaptured and further metabolized, provided the culture was kept under anaerobic conditions. n-Propanol and propionate were found in the medium as end products of this process at concentrations one-half that of 1,2-propanediol. As in Klebsiella pneumoniae (T. Toraya, S. Honda, and S. Fukui, J. Bacteriol. 139:39-47, 1979), a diol dehydratase which transforms 1,2-propanediol to propionaldehyde and the enzymes involved in a dismutation that converts propionaldehyde to n-propanol and propionate were induced in S. typhimurium cultures able to transform 1,2-propanediol anaerobically.