Publications by authors named "Montserrat Mauri"
Background & Aims: The use of non-selective beta-blockers has been associated with lower rates of infection and reduced infection-associated morbidity in patients with cirrhosis. However, it is unknown if these drugs modify the systemic inflammatory response to circulating bacterial DNA.
Methods: Sixty-three patients with cirrhosis were included during an episode of decompensation by ascites.
Background And Aims: The interassay variability found in the measurement of testosterone (T) levels warrants the need for laboratories to validate their methods to establish trustworthy cut-off points for diagnosis of male hypogonadism. The aims of this study were to validate measurement of total T (TT) at our laboratory in order to obtain reference ranges for TT, calculated free T (CFT), calculated bioavailable T (CBT), and salivary T (ST) in healthy young men from the Mediterranean region, and to evaluate the potential clinical value of ST by establishing its correlation with serum T.
Methods: An observational, cross-sectional study with sequential sampling.
Introduction: Pneumonia is considered an independent entity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), to be distinguished from an infectious exacerbation of COPD. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical characteristics and progress of the exacerbation of COPD (ECOPD) compared to pneumonia in COPD (PCOPD) patients requiring hospitalization.
Patients And Methods: Prospective, longitudinal, observational cohort study including 124 COPD patients requiring hospital admission for lower respiratory tract infection.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to analyze the clinical, biochemical, and genetic characteristics of Mediterranean patients with resistance to thyroid hormone (RTH) caused by mutations in the TRβ gene over a 15-year period.
- A total of 166 blood samples were studied, leading to the identification of mutations in 50 patients, with a majority being women and an average diagnostic age of around 33 years.
- The research revealed notable clinical features like goiter and hyperkinetic behavior, and found four new mutations in the TRβ gene, adding to existing knowledge on RTH characteristics in this population.
Elevated glucocorticoid levels during an extended time period might be a stress indicator in nonhuman animals. Therefore, knowledge of the circadian pattern of cortisol secretion is very important to correctly interpret data obtained for welfare assessment of animals in captivity through salivary cortisol. In order to define the circadian rhythm of salivary cortisol secretion in the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), morning and evening saliva samples of 3 Asian elephants were collected and analyzed by radioimmunoassay.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Respiratory infection is the most common cause for acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AE-COPD). The aim of this work was to study the etiology of the respiratory infection in order to assess the usefulness of the clinical and analytical parameters used for COPD identification.
Patients And Methods: We included 132 patients over a period of 2 years.
Introduction: Hypogonadism is common in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected men; the high concentration of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) in this population, induces a "false increase" in total testosterone (TT) values.
Aims: To validate the determination of TT and measured free testosterone (FT [radioimmunoassay {RIA}]) for hypogonadism diagnosis in an HIV-infected population using calculated free testosterone (CFT) as reference method; and also to determine the prevalence and identify the risks factors of hypogonadism.
Methods: Cross-sectional, observational study.
Since the pioneering works of Yalow and Berson that introduced radioimmunoassays (RIA), hormone assays have been developed gradually, with improvements in all aspects of their design, from immunoradiometric assays to automatization. Examples of this evolution are the thyrotropin (TSH) and parathyroid (PTH) assays. Despite the strong accuracy and reliability of currently used hormone assays, some limitations should be reviewed, such as interference by autoantibodies, heterophile antibodies or macroprolactin and the hook effect.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Recent advances in sensitivity and specificity of hormone immunoanalysis and their automatization have brought about changes in clinical laboratories that led us to review the need for some endocrine dynamic tests. The specific aim of this study was to determine the basal cortisol values predicting a normal or impaired response to the insulin hypoglycemia test (ITT).
Subjects And Method: We retrospectively analysed cortisol responses to ITT in 320 subjects.