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Analysis of the recorded image by a digital video camera of the Sm0.95CoO3-δ combustion synthesis is carried out. Intrinsically the combustion method yields nanometric materials (ceramic and metal-ceramic); allowing to produce catalytic powders. In this work, nanocrystalline powders of around 5 nm with 24 m2/g of specific surface area and, consequently, high reactivity powders were obtained. Preliminary studies were done about ignition step of the synthesis, using image analysis from the three primary colours planes decomposition, these experiments show that the generated flame in this ignition step is a thermodynamically random process. The final aim of this work is to establish a protocol of performance to a future correlation among relevant combustion synthesis parameters of materials, i.e. the precursors nature and concentration, and the temperature distribution during the ignition, to optimise and control the process. This investigation opens an important field, the use of image analysis to carry out a thorough study of the temperature evolution and of the flame intensity during the ignition step of a material combustion synthesis.El análisis de la imagen obtenida por una cámara de video digital se utiliza para el estudio de la reacción de síntesis por combustión de Sm0.95CoO3-δ. El método de combustión presenta como característica intrínseca la generación de materiales nanométricos cerámicos y metal-cerámicos; permitiendo la producción de compuestos con actividad catalítica. En este trabajo se obtienen polvos de tamaño de cristalito entorno a 5 nm, con una superficie específica de 24 m2/g y como consecuencia bastante reactivos. Se llevaron cabo estudios preliminares sobre la etapa de ignición de la síntesis usando el análisis de imagen por descomposición de los planos de los tres colores primarios; dichos experimentos muestran que la llama generada en esta etapa de ignición es un proceso termodinámicamente aleatorio. La finalidad de este trabajo es establecer un protocolo de experimentación para la futura correlación entre los parámetros de la síntesis por combustión de un material, naturaleza y concentración de precursores entre otros, y la distribución de temperatura durante la ignición, con objeto de optimizar y controlar el proceso. Se abre una línea de investigación basada en la utilización de la técnica de análisis de imagen para realizar un seguimiento controlado de la evolución de la temperatura e intensidad de la llama durante la etapa de ignición de la síntesis por combustión de un material.

Introduction: Transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CM) usually presents as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Its diagnosis has a significant clinical impact, as specific treatment is currently available. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of ATTR-CM in patients hospitalized for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and septal thickness in our region., Methods: Cross-sectional study. Patients over 18 years old hospitalized for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (greater than 50%) and septal thickness greater than or equal to 12 mm during the period from 8/2019 to 1/2023 were prospectively included. A pyrophosphate bone scintigraphy (PYP) was planned to assess cardiac involvement. The prevalence of ATTR-CM and its 95% confidence interval were calculated., Results: A PYP was performed in 59/82 patients. The median age was 85 [IQR 78-88] years old, 54% women. On admission, 61% had atrial fibrillation/flutter rhythm and the median NT-Pro-Bnp was 3536 [IQR 1700-7748] pg/nl. The mean ejection fraction was 57% (± 5). The prevalence of ATTR-CM diagnosed by bone scintigraphy with PYP was 19% (95%CI 9.7-30.1). No differences were found compared with those patients who did not perform a PYP., Conclusion: In patients admitted for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and septal thickness, the diagnosis of ATTR-CM was relatively common (1/5). We believe that it should be routinely explored.

Light chain amyloidosis (AL) is a rare and underdiagnosed disease. The best treatment available is autologous bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Cardiac involvement is the main prognostic determinant in this pathology and sometimes an impediment to receive BMT. We present a clinical case of a 44-year-old who consulted for signs and symptoms of heart failure (HF) with elevated cardiac biomarkers. A transthoracic echocardiogram showed increased wall thickness with global hypokinesia and mildly impaired ejection fraction (50%). The patient was admitted to the coronary unit for treatment with diuretics and for etiological study of the condition. In view of the suspicion of infiltrative disease, a bone scintigraphy with pyrophosphate and free light chains in serum were requested. The bone scintigraphy was not suggestive of transthyretin amyloidosis and the free light chains showed a ratio of less than 0.26 with lambda predominance. A gum biopsy was performed and confirmed the diagnosis of AL amyloidosis. After diagnosis, specific chemotherapy treatment with Cyclophosphamide, Bortezomib and Dexamethasone (CYBORD scheme) and Daratumumab was started. He evolved with refractory HF so it was decided to admit him to the cardiac transplantation list, receiving the same soon after, with good evolution. This allowed the patient to restart the chemotherapy regimen and finally receive BMT, with good evolution.

Objective: To describe the clinical and imaging characteristics of heart transplantation patients due to amyloidosis in a community institution., Method: Descriptive case series of consecutive heart transplantation patients with amyloidosis in a medical center. All patients with diagnosis of amyloidosis with cardiac compromise receiving heart transplantation, performed in the period November 2008 to February 2021, were included in the analysis., Results: A total of 16 patients were included. The mean age was 59.9 years (± 10.2). 81.25% (n = 13) were male. According to the type of amyloidosis, 12 patients were transplanted for AL amyloidosis and 4 for ATTR amyloidosis. The most frequent clinical presentations were left overload (50%) and cardiogenic shock (32%). The mean ejection fraction prior to transplantation was 43% (± 16), 14 of the 16 patients had right ventricular dysfunction. The most common finding on cardiac magnetic resonance was the diffuse subendocardial late gadolinium enhancement pattern, with cancellation of the blood pool. The heart transplantation gave 6 patients the chance to receive a bone marrow transplantation afterwards., Conclusions: Heart transplantation has become an option for patients with heart failure due to AL and ATTR amyloidosis. In patients with AL amyloidosis, it might even allow bone marrow transplantation in a second stage.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of cardiac amyloidosis in patients with systemic amyloidosis. Compare survival rates based on whether they show cardiac involvement., Methods: A retrospective cohort study of patients with systemic amyloidosis from the Institutional Amyloidosis Registry of the Hospital Italian of Buenos Aires from 2010 to 2019. Heart involvement is considered to be the presence of symptoms and/or images consistent with amyloidosis, and there is no other reason to explain it. All deaths due to causes were evaluated. The survival rate was estimated by Kaplan-Meier. Cox regression model was used to evaluate factors related to mortality. Heart transplantation was evaluated in a competitive risk regression model., Results: The prevalence of heart involvement is 63%. For the group with heart damage, the death rate was 14/1,000 person-months, and for patients without damage, the death rate was 5/1,000 person-months. The 5-year overall survival rate for patients with heart involvement was 44%, while that for patients without damage was 67% (p = 0.02). The original HR for heart involvement was 2.09 (p = 0.02). Age showed that HRa was 1.06 (p <0.01). The sub-HR estimated by the competitive risk regression model are 1.86 (95% CI 0.99-3.49) p = 0.05., Conclusion: Cardiac involvement is an important prognostic factor in patients with amyloidosis.

This clinical practice guideline for treating transthyretin amyloid (ATTR) cardiomyopathy is based on the best available evidence of clinical effectiveness. The PICO format was used to generate a list of questions focused on the effectiveness and safety of the specific treatment of patients with ATTR cardiomyopathy. The search was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane and Epistemokus, between July-August 2020, and selected articles between 2000-2020, in English and Spanish. The level of evidence and recommendations were analyzed and classified by the GRADE system. The following drugs were included in the analysis: tafamidis, diflunisal, inotersen, patisiran y doxycycline and ursodeoxycholic acid. The expert panel had an agreement that tafamidis 80mg/daily is the only available drug with moderate evidence and weak recommendation for the reduction of total mortality, cardiovascular morbidity, heart failure hospitalization and progression of the disease in patients with ATTR cardiomyopathy and NYHA class = 3. In contrast, tafamidis 20 mg/daily had low-quality evidence in this group of patients. The expert panel did not recommend inotersen, patisiran and diflunisal in patients with ATTR cardiomyopathy due to the lack of supporting evidence, local drug availability, and the potential risk of toxicity. When patients did not have access to tafamidis, the expert panel stated a weak recommendation to use doxycycline and ursodeoxycholic acid in patients with ATTR cardiomyopathy.

Introduction: Immunoglobulin light chain (AL) amyloidosis is a rare disease. Treatment is challenging, justified in part by systemic compromise and limited scientific evidence., Objectives: Develop evidencebased recommendations that allow adequate treatment of patients with amyloidosis AL., Methods: A list of PICO format questions focused on the effectiveness and safety of amyloidosis AL treatment was generated. PubMed, Cochrane and Epistemonikos were searched. The levels of evidence and grades of recommendation were based on the GRADE system., Results: 11 recommendations were generated. In selected patients with amyloidosis AL, autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is recommended after induction with bortezomibbased regimens and conditioning with melphalan, since it could deepen the hematological and organ response, its durability and improve survival. In patients not eligible for ASCT, first-line treatment with bortezomib-based regimens is recommended, since it is likely to achieve a higher rate of hematological and organ response and improve survival. In patients with a contraindication or inaccessibility to bortezomib, treatment with alkylating agents and corticosteroids is recommended, since they are likely to achieve haematological and organ response and improve survival., Discussion: These treatment recommendations are based on the available evidence and the experience of the panel of experts, in a scenario of limited available resources, according to developing countries.

Objective: To evaluate the results obtained with the combined use of nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine in the treatment of patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma., Materials and Methods: Retrospective observational study. Patients treated with nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine between January of 2013 and January of 2014 were selected. Demographical and clinical data were gathered., Results: 15 patients (mean age 59,4 ± 10,3 years) were included. All patients received the combination of nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine in first-line metastatic disease. Nine received adjuvant treatment before the disease was metastatic. The median progression-free survival rate with combined nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine was 5,6 months (95% CI: 4,44 - 8,03). In two patients the treatment was stopped due to toxicity., Conclusions: The treatment with nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine in our patients resulted in progression-free survival rates similar to those published in clinical trials with good treatment tolerability., (Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the familiarity of the editors of journals indexed in the LILACS database with the guidelines for reporting on and publishing research- promoted by the EQUATOR Network (Enhancing QUAlity and Transparency Of Health Research)-, the journals' requirements for use of the guidelines, and the editors' opinions regarding the reasons for the low rate of use., Methods: LILACS editors were surveyed by e-mail about the guidelines and their availability at the EQUATOR website, and about the requirements and difficulties in using them., Results: Of 802 editors, 16.4% answered the survey. More than half said they were not aware of the guidelines (especially STROBE and PRISMA) and 30% were familiar with the EQUATOR Network., Conclusions: The first Latin American and Caribbean study on LILACS editors' familiarity with the guidelines revealed that more than half of them were not familiar either with the guidelines or the EQUATOR Network.

Purpose: Collect and analyze information regarding seroprevalence of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) in a population of 722 patients that visited the Regional Viral Reference Laboratory (Maracaibo, Venezuela) during the years 2000-2003., Material and Methods: An immunoenzymatic test INNOTEST HCV Ab IV of Innogenetics was used to evaluate the presence of IgG type antibodies against the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) in the serum of the patients studied. Results obtained with respect to seroprevalence and other epidemiological variables, were organized and analyzed using SPSS 10.0 (Chicago, USA) and Origin Pro 7.5 (Northampton, USA) software., Results: A seroprevalence of 2.63% (19,322) was found, higher than that reported in Venezuela for the general population (0.9%) and other groups. The infection was more frequent in men than in women. The most common symptoms in the infected patients were jaundice and cephalalgia (31.58%)., Conclusion: The data reported shall update previous research in the zone and indicates the need to develop epidemiological control for Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) in the State of Zulia.

Introduction: The objective of this study was to translate into Spanish and to determine the inner reliability and consistency of the Beliefs About Voices Questionnaire (BAVQ) in a sample of Mexican patients diagnosed of schizophrenia and/or schizoaffective disorder under the DSM-IV criteria., Method: In order to do this, a diagnosis confirmation based on the semistructured interview format SCID was applied. The Spanish version of the BAVQ and Beck's anxiety and depression inventories were also implemented with a total of 55 persons, including males and females between 18 and 65 years old consecutively referred by the Mental Health Care Centers belonging to Mental Health Institute of Jalisco which forms a part of the governmental Health Care System in Mexico., Results: The inner consistency indicators from the Spanish version ranged from 0.74 to 0.88, similar to those reported in the original version reviewed. The total score in the Malevolence and Resistance subscales were positively correlated and were statistically significant with depressive symptoms evaluated with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) (r = 0.29, p = 0.04; r = .35, p = 0.01, respectively), as well as the "omnipotence" subscale with the presence of anxiety symptoms according to the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) (r = 0.35; p = 0.01). The factorial structure was similar to that reported for the original version of the instrument reviewed., Conclusions: The Spanish version of the BAVQ is a valid and reliable instrument to evaluate beliefs about identity, power, purpose, and consequences of obeying auditory hallucinations or "voices" in the Spanish speaking population.

Objectives: To determine possible factors that may influence the decision to stop breastfeeding., Methods: We carried out a prospective study of 545 women who had given birth in the public hospitals of Gran Canaria. The study encompassed a 6-month postnatal lactation period. The chi-squared test was used to test the hypothesis of an association between variables. Odd-ratios were calculated for factors significantly associated with breastfeeding and were adjusted for the remaining factors using the logit method., Results: Mothers were more likely to continue breastfeeding if they had made the decision to breastfeed before giving birth, had received information from health personnel during pregnancy, if they were older, if they were university graduates, if a short time had elapsed between giving birth and starting breast-feeding, if they had not given the baby a bottle in the first days after birth and if the birth had been normal without complications. The decision to stop breastfeeding was usually taken by the mother herself and was related to lactation problems (shortage of milk, the baby's hunger) and to personal difficulties., Conclusions: Once breastfeeding has begun, prenatal care factors as well as hospital practices strongly influence its continuation. Bottle feeding in the hospital is negatively associated with breastfeeding at 15 days and at 3 and 6 months. Socioeconomic and cultural factors as well as age are also determining factors. Personal reasons for discontinuing breast-feeding, such as the demands of work, become more frequent over time.

Plasma levels of ethanol and acetate, which is the end product of hepatic ethanol oxidation, have been studied in 60 rats. Animals were divided into two groups: 1) Control rats, and 2) Alcohol-treated rats. Ethanol and acetate were measured without any previous handling (endogenous levels) and after intraperitoneal injection of a single dose of ethanol. Blood specimens were taken at 30, 60, 120, 180 and 240 minutes after ethanol injection. Plasma levels of ethanol and acetate were performed by Head Space Gas Chromatography. Alcohol-treated animals had higher plasma acetate levels than control ones. There were statistically significant differences for acetate between both groups of rats at 0, 30, 120 and 180 minutes.

The study of serotyping of isolates of Candida albicans of clinical material obtained from different geographic areas of Venezuela suggest that serotype A is predominant over type B. These results are in relation with results obtained in other countries. Type A serotype is predominant in 57 to 100% in the areas studied. Only in 2 cities serotype B was isolated. Both serotypes of Candida albicans were observed in intertriginous, mucosal, inguinal and lung forms. These studies have allowed us to have information about the predominance of serotypes in certain areas of the country.

The electrophoretic characterization on SDS-PAGE gels of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis antigens, strains 2511 and 6688; and the additional use of immunoblotting has permitted in this study to identify the immunogenic, sensitive and specific antigen fractions for the diagnosis of Paracoccidioidomycosis. The antigenic preparations showed differences depending on the morphologic form of the fungus and the method utilized. The procedure revealed heterogeneity in the humoral immune response of the patients studied and permitted us to establish indices of activity of Paracoccidioidomycosis by the sequential analysis of sera obtained during different stages of the disease. The high sensitivity of this method makes it useful as an additional technique for the serologic immunodiagnosis of Paracoccidioidomycosis.

We present a retrospective study on the value of peroperative cholangiography (POC) in geriatric patients submitted to elective surgery of the biliary tract. We analyze the results of the present series and compare them with a previous study of 200 cases of cholelithiasis in the general population. Our conclusion is that in geriatric patients, POC should be a routine practice in order to avoid an unnecessary choledochotomy and/or residual lithiasis post-cholecystectomy.

Twenty seven autochtonous isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans from different parts of the country were studied. The analysis indicated the following serotype distribution: 63% Serotype A, 29.6% Serotype B, 3.7% Serotype D and 3.7% belonging to C. neoformans var gattii.