Caffeine improves attention deficit in neonatal 6-OHDA lesioned rats, an animal model of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Nowadays the pharmacological treatment of the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is based on amphetamine derivatives (i.e. methylphenidate).

Effects of providing advance cues during a soccer penalty kick on the kicker's rate of success.

The effect of explicitly providing goalkeeper's movement advanced cue to the kicker during a real penalty kick task was assessed. 32 expert soccer players (M age= 23.2 yr.

Risk factors for Giardia infection among hospitalized children in Cuba.

The risk factors associated with Giardia infection, in children hospitalized in Havana, Cuba, were recently explored. Children aged ≥5 years were more likely to be positive for Giardia infection than the younger children, with an odds ratio (OR) of 3·41 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1·36-9·69]. The risk factors found to be associated with Giardia infection in univariate analyses were rural residence (OR = 3·01; CI = 1·23-7·35), belonging to a household that did not receive water from an aqueduct (OR = 3·27; CI = 1·21-8·91), drinking unboiled water (OR = 3·64; CI = 2·14-6·26), nail biting (OR = 3·47; CI = 1·97-6·08), eating unwashed vegetables raw (OR = 4·84; CI = 2·33-10·14), and a personal (OR = 3·23; CI = 1·58-6·59) or family history (OR = 3·96; CI = 1·53-10·47) of previous parasitic infection.

Hospitalization of Cuban children for giardiasis: a retrospective study in a paediatric hospital in Havana.

The medical records of the 185 children who, in 2007, were admitted to the Academic Paediatric Hospital 'Centro Habana', in the Cuban capital of Havana, because of giardiasis were analysed retrospectively. A standardized form was used to collect data on the socio-demographic characteristics, clinical features, laboratory diagnosis, treatment and length of stay of each child. Information on the 15 children who had incomplete medical records was excluded from the data analysis.

Search of somatic GATA4 and NKX2.5 gene mutations in sporadic septal heart defects.

High prevalence of somatic mutations in the cardiac transcription factor genes NKX2.5 and GATA4 have been reported in the affected cardiovascular tissue of patients with isolated cardiac septal defects, suggesting a role of somatic mutations in the pathogenesis of these congenital heart defects (CHDs). However, all somatic mutations have been identified in DNA extracted from an archive of formalin-fixed cardiac tissues.

Carotid artery stiffness as an early marker of vascular lesions in children and adolescents with cardiovascular risk factors.

Introduction And Objectives: The availability of a noninvasive marker of vascular lesions that enables their detection in the preclinical phase would be of great benefit for cardiovascular disease prevention. The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of a range of indices of arterial wall stiffness in the common carotid artery, as derived using high-resolution Doppler ultrasonography, for identifying vascular damage in children with risk factors.

Methods: The study involved 99 children (age, 8-16 years) divided into two groups: 65 had cardiovascular risk factors (45 obesity, 20 dyslipidemia) and 34 were controls.

Recruiting and retaining primary care physicians in urban underserved communities: the importance of having a mission to serve.

Objectives: We examined factors influencing physician practice decisions that may increase primary care supply in underserved areas.

Methods: We conducted in-depth interviews with 42 primary care physicians from Los Angeles County, California, stratified by race/ethnicity (African American, Latino, and non-Latino White) and practice location (underserved vs nonunderserved area). We reviewed transcriptions and coded them into themes by using standard qualitative methods.

Determinants of pain in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome.

Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome causes numbness, weakness, and atrophy. Pain without numbness is not characteristic of this disease.

Questions/purposes: We tested the hypothesis that among patients with carpal tunnel syndrome confirmed by electrophysiologic testing, pain catastrophizing and/or depression would be good predictors of pain intensity at the time of diagnosis, whereas nerve conduction velocity would not.

Safety and efficacy of flecainide in the treatment of symptomatic children with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

Sudden cardiac death may occur in children with symptomatic and asymptomatic Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPWS). Symptomatic patients are usually treated with antiarrhythmic drugs until ablation of an accessory pathway (AP) could be performed. The objective of this study was to review the safety and efficacy of flecainide in the treatment of children with symptomatic WPWS.

A transcriptional signature associated with the onset of benign prostate hyperplasia in a canine model.

Background: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) represents the most frequent proliferative abnormality of the human prostate. In spite of the well-characterized architectural development of BPH, little is known about the cellular and molecular events that contribute to it.

Methods: We have developed an animal model to evaluate the follow-up of hormone-induced BPH and the analysis of the gene expression associated with BPH.

Association between psychosocial factors and pain in patients with trigger finger.

Purpose: To test the hypothesis that psychological factors correlate with pain intensity in trigger finger (TF).

Methods: Patients with TF were selected from two previous cohort studies measuring pain intensity and psychological parameters, 82 from one study and 72 from another. Correlation testing and multiple linear regression was performed.

[First finding of human infection with Paracapillaria (Crosscapillaria) philippinensis (Chitwood, Velázquez y Salazar, 1968) in Cuba].

Introduction: the infection caused by Paracapillaria philippinensis (Capillaria philippinensis) is clinically characterized as a progressive enteric illness with massive loss of proteins and a malabsorption syndrome that may become fatal. OBJECTlVE: the first report in Cuba of human infection with P. philippinensis.

Arteriovenous fistula of the vertebral artery in a female infant with hypotonia and cephalocorporal disproportion.

Background: Congenital arteriovenous fistulas are exceptional in childhood and imply a therapeutic challenge.

Case Report: A 9-month-old female infant was studied for cephalocorporal disproportion, hypotonia, progressive muscular atrophy and hyperreflexia. Computed tomography of the brain and electroencephalography were normal.

[Decentralizing review sessions for patients who have undergone an oral anticoagulant treatment].

Therapeutic use of oral anticoagulants began some fifty years ago. In the past decade, we have witnessed a large increase in the number of people who undergo oral anticoagulant treatment. A correct applied control on these patients, whether that control be carried out in a hospital setting or in a primary health care center, has been demonstrated to be effective in preventing serious complications; this fact taken into account with the improved life quality gained by avoiding displacements and inconveniences makes it obvious to conclude that decentralization benefits all concerned.

Gene expression profiles for the human pancreas and purified islets in type 1 diabetes: new findings at clinical onset and in long-standing diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is caused by the selective destruction of the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas by an autoimmune response. Due to ethical and practical difficulties, the features of the destructive process are known from a small number of observations, and transcriptomic data are remarkably missing. Here we report whole genome transcript analysis validated by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and correlated with immunohistological observations for four T1D pancreases (collected 5 days, 9 months, 8 and 10 years after diagnosis) and for purified islets from two of them.

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of live oral cholera vaccine 638 in Cuban adults.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the safety, reactogenicity and the immunogenicity of a 2 x 10(9)CFU dose of the 638 lyophilized live attenuated cholera vaccine for oral administration, formulated and produced at Finlay Institute, City of Havana, Cuba. Thirty-six healthy female and male adult volunteers from 18 to 40 years old were involved, clinically examined and laboratory tested after the informed consent signature. Adverse events were monitored and seroconversion rates and geometrical mean titer (GMT) of vibriocidal antibodies were tested in volunteer's sera samples.

Use of mycophenolate mofetil in liver transplantation: Andalusian Liver Registry.

Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of various immunosuppressant regimens using mycophenolate mofetil (MMF).

Patients And Methods: This prospective, observational, multicenter study of 226 patients undergoing liver transplantation was carried out in 2005-2006, with 24-month follow-up. Studied variables were as follows: indicators of kidney, liver, and blood function; intercurrent infections; cardiovascular risk; acute and chronic episodes of rejection; recurrent hepatitis C virus infection; de novo tumors; and survival.

Selection of antifungal protein-producing molds from dry-cured meat products.

To control unwanted molds in dry-cured meats it is necessary to allow the fungal development essential for the desired characteristics of the final product. Molds producing antifungal proteins could be useful to prevent hazards due to the growth of mycotoxigenic molds. The objective has been to select Penicillium spp.

[Virulence factors and in vitro susceptibility of Plesiomonas shigelloides isolated from diarrhea episodes in Cuba].

Acute diarrhea is still one of the main causes of disease in developing countries. At the National Reference Laboratory for Acute Diarrhoeal Diseases, of the "Pedro Kourí" Tropical Medicine Institute, 54 Plesiomonas shigelloides strains were serotyped. As a result, the circulation of four new serotypes (O20:H2, 056:H18, 071 :H31,081 :H22) was detected.

Prevalence, risk factors and clinical features associated with intestinal parasitic infections in children from San Juan y Martínez, Pinar del Río, Cuba.

A cross-sectional study was carried out in 200 children aged 5-15 years, to examine the presence of intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) and to assess the risk factors and clinical features associated with them in children in San Juan y Martinez (SIM), Cuba. Three fresh faecal samples were collected from each child and were examined by direct wet mount, brine flotation, formalin-ether and Kato-Katz techniques. Data relating to demography, source of drinking water, personal hygiene habits and clinical features were also collected Living in the rural area was significantly associated with the highest infection rates (p < 0.

Impact of immigration on complementary and alternative medicine use in Hispanic patients.

Background: Although previous research has demonstrated frequent complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use by Hispanic patients, it remains unclear whether the status of immigration plays a role in the frequency and reasons for use.

Methods: A survey of 164 patients from a federally qualified health center in South Central Los Angeles was used; the health center serves a predominantly Latino immigrant patient population. The study included the following variables: patient age; sex; place of birth; number of years living in the United States; CAM use within the last year; and, if positive CAM use, what type(s) and for what condition(s).