[Respiratory disease registries in Spain: fundamentals and organization].

This present paper describes the general characteristics, objectives and organizational aspects of the respiratory disease registries in Spain with the aim to report their activities and increase their diffusion. The document compiles information on the following registries: the Spanish Registry of Patients with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, Spanish Registry of Bronchiectasis, International Registry of Thromboembolic Disease, Spanish Registry of Occupational Diseases, Spanish Registry of Pulmonary Artery Hypertension, Registry of Pleural Mesothelioma, Spanish Registry of Tuberculosis and Spanish Multi-center Study of Neuroendocrine Pulmonary Tumors. Our paper provides information on each of the registries cited.

[Diagnosis of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency: limitations of rapid diagnostic laboratory tests].

Hereditary alpha-1-antitrypsin (α1-AT) deficiency predisposes to pulmonary emphysema. The objective of this study is to demonstrate the limitations of some laboratory methods used in the study of the deficiency, and which may produce errors in interpretation and detection of uncommon alleles. Two clinical cases are described: the index patient, who had pulmonary emphysema with α1-AT levels less than 12 mg/dL, was erroneously classified as a homozygote of the normal allelic variant PI MM using a rapid genotype method; the mother of the patient, asymptomatic, with low levels (60 mg/dL), was also classified as PI MM.

[Pharmacokinetics of alpha1-antitrypsin replacement therapy in severe congenital emphysema].

Objective: Alpha1-antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency is a codominant autosomal genetic disorder that predisposes a patient to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema. Specific treatment is systemic, consisting of intravenous infusion of AAT. The protocol currently recommended by the Spanish Registry is infusion of 180 mg/kg every 21 days.

Time course of anti-SL-IV immunoglobulin G antibodies in patients with tuberculosis and tuberculosis-associated AIDS.

Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM antibodies against the SL-IV antigen of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the sera of patients with tuberculosis with negative serology for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (TB group; n = 97), patients with tuberculosis with positive serology for HIV infection (TB-HIV group; n = 59), and healthy controls (n = 289) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. All sera were obtained at the onset of tuberculosis, i.e.

Diagnosis of mycobacterial infection in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients and HIV carriers.

Differences in tuberculosis diagnosis between infected and non-infected HIV patients were described. In Barcelona, tuberculosis is present in 41.6% of 851 patients in whom AIDS was detected between 1981 and the first quarter of 1990.

[The hepatotoxicity of tuberculosis treatment].

Background: The hepatic toxicity of antituberculous drugs used for the therapy of initial cases was evaluated, assessing the incidence and severity and its relation with each drug, age, other associated hepatic risks and the chronological time of therapy.

Methods: 1235 patients with tuberculosis were prospectively assessed with a protocol including periodical clinical and laboratory controls.

Results: Hepatic toxicity was found in overall 16.

[Familial microepidemics of tuberculosis].

We report a microepidemic of tuberculosis (TBC) in a family of 12 members, 4 of which were parenteral drug abusers and 3 had anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibodies. Four new cases were simultaneously diagnosed in the investigation of the contacts of a patient with extrapulmonary tuberculosis and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. We review the requirements for the development of these epidemic outbreaks, both in noninfected communities and in the family contacts, where positive anti-HIV antibodies may increase the risk.

[Isolation of M. tuberculosis in abdominal specimens].

The isolation of mycobacteria in abdominal specimens during a 10 years period is presented. Twenty-three clinical cases have been reviewed; patients were divided in three groups: 1) Peritoneal and intestinal tuberculosis. 2) Pulmonary tuberculosis with isolation of M.

Evaluation of a phenolglycolipid antigen (PGL-Tb 1) from M. tuberculosis in the serodiagnosis of tuberculosis: comparison with PPD antigen.

Sera from 38 tuberculous patients and 62 healthy controls (31 PPD skin test positive and 31 negative) were assayed, by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), to test the activity of IgG and IgM antibodies against purified protein derivative (PPD) antigen and a phenolglycolipid antigen (PLG-Tb 1) isolated and purified from Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain Canetti. Using PPD antigen, the sensitivity and specificity were respectively, 50 and 93.5% for IgG and 71.