The Atahualpa Project includes a Neuroimaging sub-study, which consists in the practice of MRIs and MRAs to all participants aged ≥60 years, as well as those presenting with specific neurological complains. Likewise, all participants aged ≥20 years have been invited for the practice of a head CT. MRIs and MRAs have been performed with the use of a Philips Intera 1.5T MRI machine, and TCs with the use of a Philips Brilliance 64 CT scanner, following established protocols. All exams have been independently reviewed by a neurologist and a neuroradiologist, with adequate kappa coefficients for inter-rater agreement. MRIs studies have been focused on the evaluation of global cortical atrophy, posterior parietal atrophy, bicaudate index, Evans index, hippocampal atrophy, signatures of cerebral small vessel disease, and lesions consistent with ischemic or hemorrhagic strokes. By the use of MRI, we have assessed the prevalence of intracranial artery stenosis, intracranial dolichoectasia and variations in the configuration of the circle of Willis. Using CT, we have focused on the diagnosis of neurocysticercosis, pineal gland calcifications, as well as in variations and characteristics of skull bones, cerebellar atrophy, and severity of carotid siphon calcifications. In the present study, we focused on the description of basic protocols used for assessment of previously mentioned lesions of interest.
Artículos Originales
Búsqueda de Substitutos Para Estudios de Neuroimagen con Propósitos de Investigación: Experiencia del Proyecto Atahualpa. The Search Of Surrogates For Neuroimaging Studies For Research Purposes: The Atahualpa Project Experience
Diagnosis of many non-communicable neurological diseases require the use of MRI, which is not readily available in remote rural populations. Efforts should be directed to find portable screening diagnostic tools that may help identify candidates for MRI screening. In the Atahualpa Project, all participants aged ≥60 years have been invited for the practice of MRI, and about 80% of them have underwent the procedure. Therefore, we have the unique opportunity to test the accuracy of non-invasive exams to be used as surrogates to MRI for identifying candidates for the practice of this exam. To date, we have assessed the value of the ankle-brachial index (ABI), the reliability of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), the accuracy of hypertensive retinopathy, and the value of transcranial Doppler (TCD) to detect individuals with cerebral small vessel disease. Individuals with an abnormal ABI have 4 times de odds of having a silent lacunar infarct than those with a normal ABI. A high NLR has a poor sensitivity but is highly specific for detecting persons with at least one imaging signature of small vessel disease. Individuals with hypertensive retinopathy Grades 2-3 are almost four times more likely to have moderate-to-severe white matter hyperintensities than those with no- or only Grade 1 retinopathy. Finally, the correlation between the pulsatility indexes of major cerebral arteries with imaging markers of small vessel disease, as assessed by TCD, was poor. We are still in the search of some non-expensive and readily available biomarker that allow the identification of apparently healthy persons at risk of suffering a catastrophic cerebrovascular event.
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Trastornos de Sueño en Residentes de Atahualpa. Sleep Disorders In Atahualpa Residents.
Health problems related to sleep disorders are likely on the rise in rural areas of Latin America, partly related to changes in life style, shift work, and other factors. However, little is known on the burden of these conditions in remote rural settings. In the Atahualpa Project, we have investigated sleep disorders using standardized field instruments associated with sophisticated technology such as polysomnography. A poor sleep quality has been associated with frailty and with the presence of neuroimaging markers of cerebral small vessel disease and global cortical atrophy. On the contrary, dietary intake of oily fish was associated with a better sleep quality. We have also investigated the prevalence and some correlates of the restless legs syndrome (Willis-Ekbom disease), and found a prevalence relatively higher than that described in most other tropical regions, as well as the association of this condition with psychological stress. Finally, a preliminary report shows a high prevalence of moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea in Atahualpa residents aged ≥60 years (27%) and its correlation with diffuse subcortical damage of vascular origin. Further studies are needed to better understand consequences of sleep-related symptoms in underserved populations.
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Alcohol: Consumo, Consecuencias y Complicaciones Neurológicas. Resultados del Proyecto Atahualpa. Alcohol: Intake, Consequences and Neurological Complications. Results From The Atahualpa Project.
Information about the burden and consequences of alcohol intake in rural communities of Latin America is scarce. This study aims to assess the magnitude of alcohol intake in Atahualpa as well as its consequences and prevalence of neurological complications. Male residents aged ≥40 years (n=277) were interviewed with a structured questionnaire designed to evaluate prevalence, drinking patterns and consequences of chronic alcohol intake. Most of them were current drinkers and 40% started drinking below the legal age (18 years). Weekly binge drinking were admitted by 81% individuals, 58% referred physical consequences related to alcohol intake, 59% had social consequences, and 51% recognized alcohol intake as a major economic burden. Individuals who started drinking below the legal age were more often involved in binge drinking and consumed more alcohol than those aged ≥18 years at first regular drink. The relationship between alcohol intake and alcoholic cerebellar degeneration was evaluated by the use of the BARS scale, with 14.6% of individuals having clinically relevant alcoholic cerebellar degeneration. Predictive models showed significant relationships between BARS score margins and years of drinking and the amount of alcohol intake. Our study also provided robust evidence favoring an independent and synergistic effect of age and years of drinking in the relationship between ACD and cognitive decline. This study shows a high prevalence of chronic alcohol intake in community-dwelling men living in Atahualpa.
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Enfermedad Cerebrovascular en Atahualpa: Prevalencia e Incidencia. Cerebrovascular Disease In Atahualpa: Prevalence And Incidence
Stroke burden is on the rise in rural regions of South America. We evaluated prevalence, pattern of subtypes and pathogenetic mechanisms underlying stroke in Atahualpa. In a three-phase epidemiologic study, suspected cases were detected by a door-to-door survey. Then, neurologists evaluated suspected cases and randomly selected negative persons, and confirmed patients underwent complementary exams. We found 20 stroke patients among 642 persons aged ≥ 40 years. Stroke prevalence was 31.15‰ that increased with age. Hypertensive arteriolopathy was the most likely mechanism underlying strokes (55% patients). Extracranial atherosclerotic lesions or cardiac sources of emboli were not found in any case. Comparison of our findings with a previous survey performed in the same village showed an alarming increase in stroke prevalence (from 14.08‰ in 2003 to 31.15‰ in 2012, p=0.03). Thereafter, we conducted an incidence study. For this, first-ever strokes occurring over four years were identified from yearly door-to-door surveys and other overlapping sources. Of 807 stroke-free individuals prospectively enrolled in the Atahualpa Project, follow-up was achieved in 718 (89%), contributing 2,499 years of follow-up (average 3.48±0.95 years). Stroke incidence rate was 2.97 per 100 person-years of follow-up (95% C.I.: 1.73–4.2), which increased to 4.77 (95% C.I.: 1.61–14.1) when only persons aged ≥57 years were considered. Poisson regression models, adjusted for relevant confounders, showed that high blood pressure (IRR: 5.24; 95% C.I.: 2.55–7.93) and severe edentulism (IRR: 5.06; 95% C.I.: 2.28–7.85) were the factors independently increasing stroke incidence. Stroke incidence in Atahualpa is comparable to that reported from the developed world. Besides age and high blood pressure, severe edentulism is a major factor independently predicting incident strokes.
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Deterioro Cognitivo: Prevalencia y Correlatos en una Comunidad Rural Ecuatoriana. Lecciones del Proyecto Atahualpa. Cognitive Decline: Prevalence And Correlates In A Rural Ecuadorian Community. Lessons From The Atahualpa Project.
Assessment of cognitive impairment in rural areas of developing countries is complicated by illiteracy and cross-cultural factors. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was used to estimate cognitive performance in individuals enrolled in the Atahualpa Project. Some problems were noticed with the use of this test, including issues related to naming animals, as well as the need to adjust a different cutoff for diagnosing mild cognitive decline than that used in highly educated individuals living in developed countries. After correlating MoCA scores with neuroimaging signatures of cortical and subcortical atrophy, a cutoff of 19-20 points would better define cognitive impaired individuals in rural areas. We also noticed that severe edentulism as well as psychological distress were associated with poor cognitive performance in older adults living in Atahualpa. In contrast, our study showed a linear, and dose-dependent, direct relationship between dietary oily fish intake and cognitive performance. We also aimed to assess the independent contribution and the interaction of age, the stroke itself and diffuse subcortical damage in the poor cognitive performance observed in patients with stroke, and noticed that interaction of age and diffuse subcortical damage are major determinants for poor cognitive performance among stroke patients. The total cerebral small vessel disease score can be used as a reliable predictor of poor cognitive performance, although its predictive power is not better than that of isolated neuroimaging signatures of cerebral small vessel disease. Finally, we noticed an inverse relationship between calcium content in the carotid siphon – used as a surrogate of intracranial atherosclerosis – and cognitive performance in our population.
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Estatus Epiléptico en Colombia: Análisis Descriptivo de Serie de Casos. Status Epilepticus In Colombia: A Case Series Descriptive Analysis.
Status Epilepticus (SE) is a neurological emergency that is by itself a syndrome defined according its clinical presentation and electroencephalographical manifestations, both highly variable. There aren’t any case series about this relatively common neurological emergency in Colombian indexed journals, for which a search for cases was performed in two neurological critical care institutions in the Colombian capital city in the period between 2011-2015. We describe demographical, diagnostic and therapeutic characteristics emphasizing in its clinical and paraclinical presentation, as the treatment applied according international guidelines. We found convulsive SE was three times more common that the non-convulsing time, 1.4 times more common in females that in males, more common in the pediatric group and less common in the geriatric group, the majority of this cases presented SE secondary to a congenital structural injury while adult and elder patients presented SE as a consequence of non-voluntary discontinuation of the therapy, and in 66% of the cases the SE described was not the first of its kind. The therapeutic regime applied corresponded to the stipulated in international guidelines in only 41.67%.
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Estudio Poblacional de Prevalencia de Cisticercosis Porcina en Atahualpa, Ecuador. Metodología y Definiciones Operacionales. Population-Based Study Of Porcine Cysticercosis Prevalence In Atahualpa, Ecuador. Methodology And Operational Definitions.
Objective: To assess sero-prevalence of porcine cysticercosis in Atahualpa, a rural Ecuadorian village endemic for human neurocysticercosis.
Design: We aim to collect at least 600 blood samples of local pigs, to quantify the number of positive bands in the EITB, and to estimate crude prevalence rates of porcine cysticercosis in the village. Sampling will only include pigs older than 2 months of age. Only healthy pigs will be sampled, to avoid risks inherent to manipulation of sick animals. There will be no risk for pigs as the result of the procedure. According to the estimated endemicity of human cysticercosis, we expect to find about 25% of infected pigs in this study. In the event of prevalence rates above or below the expected percentage, we will attempt to assess the causes of such discrepancies. All pig positive to 3 bands of more in the EITB will receive treatment with oxfendazole at a single dose of 30 mg/kg.
Comment: The importance of defining the prevalence of porcine cysticercosis in a village endemic for human neurocysticercosis is to confirm the existence of active transmission. If this is true, treatment of infected pigs will help to interrupt the life cycle of Taenia solium, thus reducing the prevalence of this disease in humans.
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Prevalencia de la Enfermedad de Parkinson: Estudio Puerta-Puerta en la Provincia de Manabí-Ecuador. Prevalence of Parkinson’s Disease: Door-to-door Study in Manabi-Ecuador.
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most frequent neurodegenerative disorders after dementias, with a worldwide prevalence of more than 1% in patients older than 65 years. In Ecuador, there are not direct statistical data on this disease. The aim of our research lies in establishing for the first time, the prevalence of Parkinson’s disease in the province of Manabi. For that, a door-to-door study was designed in two phases. They were selected 116,983 people, over forty years old. During the first phase, they were evaluated by survey, according to the London Brain Bank criteria for diagnosis. In the second phase, patients who met the criteria were referred to a neurologist for a definitive diagnosis. A total of 285 people (0.24%) were positive for Parkinson’s disease, predominating those aged over 61 years (33.33%), and with a slightly higher prevalence among males (56.14%) than in women (43.86%).
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Evaluación Neuropsicológica del Control Inhibitorio y el Control de la Interferencia: Validación de Tareas Experimentales en el Contexto Ecuatoriano. Neuropsychological Evaluation Of Inhibitory Control And Interference Control: Validation Of Experimental Tasks In The Ecuadorian Context.
In this article we report a study in which three experimental tasks (SIMON, Go / No-Go and Stroop Victoria) were adapted and validated to evaluate the inhibitory control and interference control in a sample of Ecuadorian students. The sample consisted of 100 students between 6 and 15 years old (M = 10.13 years, SD = 2.48) belonging to the public education system of Ecuador. The process followed in the adaptation and validation was through the linguistic translation of the experiments, followed by an expert judgment and a pilot study. In the results it was found that there are no statistically significant differences in the measures that assess the inhibitory control and the interference considering the sociodemographic variables of the participants as comparison factors. In the correlation analysis we found a statistically significant association between the measurements of the experiments. We conclude by analyzing the associations found and underlining the need to continue providing evidence in the research line of adaptation and validation of test for using in neuropsychological evaluation.
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Funcionamiento de los Comités de Ética de Investigación en Seres Humanos en Ecuador, 2015
Research Ethics Committees play an important role in securing the quality of interventional studies in humans; in Ecuador, they are in process of becoming stronger. The aim of this observational study was to describe the evolution of Ecuadorian legislation, training processes implemented by the health authority in the period of 2006-2015 and the performance of six committees (Quito and Guayaquil) during 2015. A self-assessment survey and a questionnaire to determine training needs were applied. Each committee was visited to evaluate its performance. The average member number was 10 and, although there was no gender equity, all members had the profile required for membership. The average response time was 26 days and the average quorum at meetings was of six members. Among the weaknesses are, little training in biostatistics and clinical research methodology and a poor follow-up of the studies; concerning strengths, we highlight the willingness of the members to improve the performance of the committees, and the willingness of Ministry of Public Health to support them. This study reports for the first time, the evolution of Ecuadorian legislation regarding ethics committee, its basic characteristics, weakness and strengths.
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Enfermedad Cerebrovascular en el Ecuador: Análisis de los Últimos 25 Años de Mortalidad, Realidad Actual y Recomendaciones
Background. Cerebrovascular disease is the second cause of death and occupies the third place as a factor causing disability worldwide. At present, despite the recognition of its importance, the available data about Ecuador is scarce and there are not published analysis of its behavior. Methods. Retrospective longitudinal analysis of available public data on cerebrovascular disease in Ecuador, from 1991 to 2015. Results Cerebrovascular disease was the leading cause of mortality by 77 897 (6.70%) deaths and it is the only one with a constant trend pattern in the last 25 years. Conclusions. Cerebrovascular disease is the number one cause of death in Ecuador and its mortality is steadily increasing. Government policies must be implemented to reduce their mortality.
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Prevalencia de Enfermedades Neurológicas no Transmisibles en una Población Rural del Estado de Chiapas, México: Protocolo y Resultados Basales. Estudio Pro-Mas (Proyecto Comunitario La Soledad)
Objective: We aimed to assess cardiovascular health and neurological status of community-dwelling adults living in “La Soledad,” Chiapas, México, to calculate prevalence and incidence of cerebrovascular diseases, epilepsy and cognitive decline. Among others, these conditions are currently considered as the new epidemics in rural.
Design: Following a protocol similar to that used for the Atahualpa Project, we conducted a two-phase epidemiological study. During phase I, La Soledad residents were interviewed with validated field instruments to assess cardiovascular health status and well as to detect suspected stroke, epilepsy and cognitive impairment patients. During phase II, trained physicians examined suspected individuals as well as a random sample of non-suspected individuals to assess prevalence of diseases of interest.
Comment: Public health strategies must be based on the study of region-specific risk factors. Studies such the Atahualpa Project were proven to be effective for the assessment of public health problems in a rural Ecuadorian village. PROMAS will likely be cost effective to increase current knowledge on these conditions in Mexican rural villages and to promote a better cardiovascular health status among their inhabitants.
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Características Pre y Perinatales de Niños que Viven en Sectores de Alto Riesgo Ambiental por Exposición a Solventes Orgánicos en el Municipio de Sampués-Sucre
The purpose of this study is to characterize -through the Maternal and Perinatal Risk Questionnaire CMRP – the pre and perinatal aspects of children whose mothers had frequent exposure to organic solvents during pregnancy.
The results demonstrates that exposed mothers had a higher number of urinary infections both before and during pregnancy, pre term deliveries, motor decline and cesarean deliveries, which are potential causes of developmental disorders, cerebral palsy, decreased growth of the baby and impaired psychomotor development. A significant data was the number of children who suffered hypoxia and anoxia during delivery, with subsequent risk of brain damage, learning disabilities, reduced IQ and potential behavior problems.
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Sistemas de Atención Focalizada, Sostenida y Selectiva en Universitarios de Quito-Ecuador
Introduction. Attention is a neuropsychological function that has threads of targeting, selectivity, sustainability, division and alternation, which enable human beings identify a particular stimulus for cognitive and brain processing. Objective. To analyze the performance of college students in a focused, sustained and selective attention test, considering age group, gender and academic level comparing factors. Method. A quantitative, non experimental, transectional and based on the comparison group research design was used. The sample size was 246 college students (50.8% men and 49.2% women), within17 and 29 years (M = 21.01, SD = 2.35) Results. It was found that targeting attentional processes, sustainability and selectivity are similar between the different age groups, educational level and gender. Conclusions. The basic attentional processes are fully developed in college students. Data are discussed around previous research and theoretical postulates of cognitive neuroscience.
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Uso del Electroencefalograma en un Hospital de Tercer Nivel
Objective: To describe the EEG indications in Baca Ortiz Children Hospital and how they are related to the EEG results. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive study with a sample of 659 pediatric EEG records from March to June 2016. Data of variables related to EEG indications and EEG results were obtained, and it was done a descriptive statistics analysis. Results: Fifty-six percent of the patients were male. The mean age was 6.46 years. Seventy percent of EEG requests came from the Outpatient Area and 88.16% from Neurology as specialty. Fifty-six percent of indications were related to Epilepsy. Fifty-one percent of requests were inadequate, where Epilepsy had again the highest percentage, 24.13% of all indications or 47,04% or all inadequate indications. Eighty-one percent of the EEG results were abnormal. Conclusions: These results reflect that EEG was misused as a routine diagnostic method, even in Epilepsy.
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Trombectomía Mecánica: Técnica de Primera Elección en el Tratamiento del Ictus Isquémico Agudo. Análisis de Beneficios y Resultados
The main objective of this article is to portrait mechanical thrombectomy as the modality of choice for interventional stroke treatment.
Methods and materials: Nine patients with acute ischemic stroke were diagnosed. Mechanical thrombectomy was perfomed in all of them with a solitaire type device associated with intraarterial rTPA. Eight patients (89%) had anterior vascular occlusion and only one (11%) had posterior vascular compromise. Treatment efficacy was assesed using a modified Rankin scale (mRs).
Results: Five patients (55%) had complete recovery while three of them (33%) had partial recovery. Only one patient (11%) showed no recovery at all.
Discussion: Although more data is needed, mechanical thrombectomy prooved to be effective and shows promising outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke.
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Experiencia Quirúrgica de Dos Años en el Manejo de la Epilepsia Refractaria Multifocal
Objective: To describe the series of patients with multifocal refractory epilepsy who have undergone surgery in our center.
Methods: A prospective analysis of patients with multifocal refractory epilepsy treated in our hospital during the last two years was performed.
Results: In this period we studied 25 patients with multifocal refractory epilepsy who have completed > or =1 year postoperative follow-up after callosotomy. The ages of the patients were between 3.8 and 18.8 years (mean 11, SD 4.46). The most common cause of refractory epilepsy in our series was Lennox Gastaut syndrome (ten patients). We perform 14 callosotomy in 13 patients. Of these, 10 were of the above callosotomías 2/3 and four complete. Overall there was a 66.5% reduction in seizures; in the case of total callosotomías this reduction was 90%. We report two minor complications and death from a pneumonic process.
Conclusion: The surgical management of multifocal refractory epilepsy is a safe procedure that provides good results in controlling the crisis. The complete callosotomy is the most efficient procedure in this population.
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Impacto del Aprendizaje del Inglés Sobre los Procesos Cognitivos en Adultos Mayores. Un Estudio Preliminar en Cuenca
A descriptive exploratory study, before and after a six-month english learning course for seniors is conducted to evaluate the cognitive effect of learning another language in this age group in the city of Cuenca.
Materials and Methods: 80 adults of average age 70.48 ± 4.9 years (31 men, 19 women) were included; who underwent neurological and neuropsychological evaluation at baseline, six and twelve months after the course; including tests for executive function (working memory and attention processes).
Results: Data show significant statistical association between impaired olfactory perception related to age. Neuropsychological tests show interesting data relating cognitive maintenance and even improvement in the Performance Testing Direct and inverse series (Wais III) and Symbol Digital Modality Test (SMDT) six and twelve months after initiating a learning course of English.
Conclusion: The study suggests that learning English, even without functional objective of a new language, may have protective effect on the executive functions and neuronal brain networks are claimed the first findings in patients with cognitive impairment. We suggest perform this follow up long term in time to find strongest evidence, related to international bibliography.
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Validación de la Escala de Impulsividad Bis 11-C para su Aplicación en Adolescentes Ecuatorianos
Barratt scale (BIS) is an assessment tool often used to evaluate impulsivity. In this study, an analysis of the psychometric properties of the BIS 11 c scale Ecuadorian adolescent students (N = 245) is performed. Internal consistency through Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and homogeneity of the items were evaluated. For assessing the construct validity we perform a confirmatory factor analysis. The results obtained were acceptable parameters of valid and reliability to use the BIS 11 c scale in Ecuadorian adolescents. Finally, a discriminant analysis in a clinical sample of 18 students with ADHD was conducted.
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Neuronavegación en Tumores de Fosa Posterior en Pediatría
Introduction. Primary tumors of the central nervous system represent about 2% of the total of the neoplasms in adults and 20% of total neoplasms in children. Posterior fossa tumors represent 48% of pediatric population and are the first cause of malignancy of solid organs in the pediatric age. In our environment, the use of neuronavigation in the excision of posterior fossa tumors in pediatric population has not yet been adequately standardized.
Materials and methods. A retrospective observational study from january 2014 to may 2016 of patients diagnosed with posterior fossa tumors is reviewed. We included 20 patients with diagnosis of space-occupying lesion in posterior fossa.
Results. The relationship man: woman was 1:1. The average age was 4 years and 4 months. The degree of precision of the intraoperative neuronavigation prior to craniotomy had an average error margin less than 1.5 millimeters, varying from 1 to 3 millimeters.
Conclusions. Neuronavigation is useful in performing a precise surgery, reducing risks associated with the intervention and shortening the surgical times. Because of greater tumor resecting, neuronavigation is usefel in increasing survival of oncologic pediatric patients.
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Deterioro Cognitivo y Riesgo de Demencia, una Realidad para el Ecuador. Estudio de Factores de Riesgo en un Grupo de Pacientes Jubilados del IESS en Cuenca en el año 2013
According to WHO in 2050, 110 million people will be affected by dementia. Ecuador will see among the diseases related to underdevelopment, those related to increased life expectancy. We conducted a cross-sectional study in a health facility IESS in Cuenca. 391 peopled signed an informed consent and answered a form to define the demographics and identify potential risk factors associated to dementia. The mental state was studied using the Minimental-test (MMSE) tool and comorbidity of depression by Yesabage screening test. Data was analyzed using SPSS 15 for Windows. The average age was 70 years, 84% were women and 97% of them live as urban residents in Cuenca. By applying the MMSE, 17.1% showed cognitive impairment with RR of 3.81 for ages 65 and older and female condition. Chronic diseases such as diabetes and arthrosis were the most frequent comorbidities with statistical association for risk; hypertension, COPD, etc., showed no statistical association. 40.9% of the sample group where possitive for depression showing serious nature in 37.5%.
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Capacidad Diagnóstica y Validación Preliminar del Test del Reloj, Versión de Cacho a la Orden, para Enfermedad de Alzheimer de Grado Leve en Población Chilena
Background: To perform a study with discriminant power and validity using the Clock drawing Test by instruction (CDTI) in patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease (MAD).
Materials and Methods: Phase I diagnostic test study. We included a healthy control arm of 58 elderly people and 40 cases with mild Alzheimer’s disease. All participants were examined and diagnosed by clinical consensus. The MMSE, CDTI and clinical record were obtained.
Results: There were significant differences between the study groups regarding cognitive tests’ performance when comparing age and education, but no differences were found when comparing gender. ANCOVA test showed no significant effect exerted by the demographic variables on cognitive performance in any group. The sensitivity (CTO=84% vs MMSE=79,3%), specificity (92,5% vs
82,5%) and diagnostic utility of the CDTO were higher than one’s resulting form the MMSE (=0,90, p=0,000). The combined use of both
instruments increased diagnostic capacity. The best cutoff point for the diagnosis of mild dementia was ≤6 points in CDTO and ≤23 in
MMSE. Both instruments correlated statistically.
Conclusions: The CTO is a useful test and can discriminate between cognitively healthy subjects and patients with EAL when appliying the “to order” criteria from Cacho’s version.
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Validación de Diferentes Escalas en la Evaluación del Pronóstico de Pacientes con Hemorragia Subaracnoidea Espontánea en el Hospital Regional “Dr. Teodoro Maldonado Carbo” entre Mayo-2011 y Mayo-2014
Background: Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (SAH) is associated with a high mortality rate and functional consequences. Several scales have been created in order to assess prognosis after SAH, and even though they have been widely studied, neither has achieved universal acceptance.
Objective: Validate different scales assessing the prognosis of patients with spontaneous SAH in a local hospital population.
Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted on patients admitted to the “Dr. Teodoro Maldonado Carbo” Hospital, diagnosed with spontaneous SAH, between 18 and 75 years. Descriptive statistics and Spearman correlation coefficient were calculated in order to evaluate the association of the Hunt and Hess, WFNS and Fisher Scales with functional outcome.
Results: Hunt and Hess Scale had a higher correlation (60,3%; p=0,000) with the functional outcome at discharge or death, compared to 55,3% (p=0,000) obtained by the World Federation of Neurological Surgeons Scale and 50% (p=0,000) by Fisher Scale. In addition, the Glasgow Coma Scale score (-58,4%; p=0,000), altered pupillary response (54,7%; p=0,000) and the need for invasive mechanical ventilation (73,8%; p=0,000) were factors associated with functional score.
Conclusion: Hunt and Hess Scale revealed a good correlation with the Rankin functional scale at discharge or death, and is superior to the other scales in evaluating the prognosis of patients with spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage.
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Concepto de la Demencia como Enfermedad en un Grupo Poblacional de la Ciudad de Guayaquil
Background: Dementia is a clinical condition that causes progressive cognitive impairment, and early diagnosis may have a significant impact on the quality of life. So far, no studies have been conducted to evaluate the conception of the general population about this disease.
Methods: Cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study, which surveyed individuals between 55 and 65 years old without neurocognitive pathology about the concept of the term “dementia”. The educational level of each respondent was also collected. The responses were assigned to one of 6 possible response groups for analysis, depending on which group better matched each individual response. The percentage of each type of response was calculated, and chi-square was used to observe the relationship between level of education and the type of answers given.
Results: a total of 274 individuals were surveyed, 35.8% were male and 64.2% female. Most patients (36.5%) had only elementary education. 11.7% did not know what dementia means. 45.5% defined it as memory loss and 23% incorrectly identified it as a psychiatric illness. A very small percentage of individuals correctly defined it as a type of cognitive impairment. We found a statistically significant relationship between the level of education and the type of answers obtained (p <0.001).
Discussion: more than half of respondents gave an acceptably correct answer about the concept of dementia, but there is still a significant percentage of people who do not know its meaning, or confuse it with psychiatric illness. It is imperative to carry out health campaigns to alert people about this disease and how to delay it’s onset by lowering risk factors, and to train as well primary care physicians to provide better information to their patients in order to improve the prevention of dementia and lessen its impact on quality of life.
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Electroestimulación En Músculos Rectos Abdominales Para el Aumento de la Capacidad Respiratoria Proporcional Para el Habla en Personas con Lesiones Medulares Cervicales.
Cervical spine injuries present with dysfunctions of the respiratory system characterized by: a reduction in forced vital capacity, ineffective cough, decreased peak expiratory and speech problems. Speech therapy intervention using an exercise program improves the intensity of the voice and fluency, the objective of this study was to determine the effect of electrotherapy in abdominal muscles on respiratory capacity proportional to speak in cervical injuries. We studied 60 people with chronic traumatic cervical spinal cord injury and restrictive breathing; they were divided in two groups: experimental (n=30) and control (n=30). Control group received speech therapy exercises and the experimental group received speech therapy and electrotherapy in abdominal muscles prior to the workout. Patients were assessed before and after application of the treatment with the following variables: forced vital capacity, peak expiratory flow, maximum phonation time, reading the words of two syllabes, vocal intensity and rate of speech disabilities. Two groups showed significant improvement in speech therapy variables evaluated after treatment (p ≤0.05). However, the use of electrical stimulation significantly increased the recovery of variables: vocal intensity (p =0.0485) and peak expiratory flow (p =0.0000) and both variables showed positive correlation [F (1, 28)=7.5478, p <0.01]. Conclusions: electrotherapy in abdominal muscles is beneficial for the improvement of peak expiratory flow and vocal intensity. Peak expiratory flow demonstrated to be a predictor of vocal in tensity.
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Estudio de ochenta pacientes con Epilepsia Benigna de la Niñez con Espigas Centrotemporales.
The Benign Epilepsy of Childhood with centrotemporal Spikes (BECCTS) constitutes the most common form of idiopathic epilepsy in the paediatric population.
We present 80 cases with this diagnosis analyzing its clinical and electrophysiological characteristics, and particularly its atypical evolution. Results: 71% were male (relation 2.5:1), the partial motor seizures were the most frequent (40%) followed by the partial generalized secondarily (35%). 75% of the seizures appeared during sleep. The 66% of our patients were not medicated and a patient showed an electro-clinical picture of BECCTS and of Occipital Benign Epilepsy, Panayiotopoulos type, in concomitant form. 5% evolved in atypical form: a patient as atypical BECCTS with compromised language and hyperactivity, another developed a continuous point-wave syndrome of slow sleep and a patient debuted as focal epileptic state in hemi face with anarthria. Conclusions: The present study remarks its differential diagnosis and alerts about the phenomena of secondary bisynchronism that can appear in this type of epilepsy, the role that antiepileptic drugs play in its probable appearance and the proper and adequate changes to avoid future cognitive compromise. However, in 95% of our cases, the evolution of the BECCTS was favourable.
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Valor de la pulsioximetría nocturna en pacientes tetrapléjicos.
Sleep breathing disorders are common in quadriplegic patients and can be accompanied by significative oxygen desaturations. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the behavior of the oxygen saturation during sleep in 20 patients diagnosed as traumatic cervical tetraplegia admitted at the Julio Diaz National Rehabilitation Center, considering the intensity of the injury according to ASIA scale as well as the behavior of demographic, anthropometric, spiro metrical, oxymetrical variables and the muscle strength in both complete and incomplete injuries.
Ventilatory function and nocturnal oxygen saturation were studied, with findings of higher percent of incomplete injuries (70%) toward the complete ones (30%). There were not significant differences between both groups age, body mass index, neck circumference, neck length, time of injury, espiratory volume in the first second, forced vital capacity, espiratory volume in the first second/forced vital capacity index, vital capacity, maximal inspiratory pressure, and maximal espiratory pressure.
All patients showed a restrictive ventilatory disorder. Though significant oxyhemoglobin desaturations were not found in any case; complete injuries displayed a higher rate of desaturations after an hour sleep than the incomplete ones and they showed a significant negative correlation between the desaturation episode per hour of sleep index, and mean oxygen saturation.
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Programa de Riesgo Vasculocerebral Multifactorial orientado a la Comunidad. Policlínica Buenaventura 2005.
Community-oriented multifactorial cerebrovascular risk program is a community health project for cerebrovascular risk factors control. Primary objective was to reduce morbimortality of this group of patients as risk was stratified.
Material and method: This intra-group controlled study included 101 patients, any gender, older than 45 years with a a past history of hypertension. A multidisciplinary group applied a Cerebrovascular Risk Evaluation Scale, which divided patients in low, moderate and high risk. Results were compared before and after intervention over modifiable risk factors. Statistical significance was considered at 95%.
Results: Modifiable risk factors control was beneficial in case of arterial hypertension. Lack of knowledge in the population stroke management was high. There was not good adherence to different treatments including diet, drug therapy and routine exercises. All these indicators were considered positive and were validated for the scale.
Conclusions: Clinical and administrative indicators in the evaluation of program effectiveness permitted to validate the applied instrument as an alternative in primary care assistance.
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Prevalencia y Tendencia de Trastornos Mentales en el Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía.
A mental disorder is the result of an imbalance between biological and social aspects that reflect an alteration of cerebral functions which intervene in the life and productiveness of each individual. In this study the prevalence and trend of mental disorders were estimated in the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery in Mexico City. This was a transversal study. The information was obtained during 1995 to 2004 of clinical records of patients admitted by first time in the Institute with diagnosis of mental disorder according to ICD-10, and different epidemiological variables were identified.
One thousand four hundred eighty three cases were identified. 56% were woman. The more frequent group of age was 20-29 years. In first place was Schizophrenia (22%), followed by Depressive Episode (16.5%) and in third place Bipolar Affective Disorder (8.6%). The prevalence was higher in 1995. In general, a tendency to decrease of mental disorders was observed, although it was not statistically significant.
Previous reports affirm that the number or patients with neuropsychiatric disorders will increase around the world in next years. Because most patients are assisted in the beginning by general or alternative medicine, it is essential for cases to be promptly identified and be addressed to specialized institutions for their attention.
