Blood cadmium and metallothionein concentrations in females of two sympatric pinnipeds species.

Otaria flavescens (SASL) and Arctocephalus australis (SAFS) are endemic of South America. The aims were to assess Cd concentrations in red blood cells (RBC) and plasma from free living females of both species; and to establish metallothioneins (MT) levels in blood fractions and the possible relationship between MTs and Cd. Blood of fifteen SASL and eight SAFS females from Isla de Lobos were analyzed (years 2010-2011). All animals showed Cd levels above the detection limit. Cd concentrations on SAFS were higher than those of SASL, however, no significant differences were observed on metal concentrations between cell fractions by species. Metal levels were associated with a natural presence and ecological-trophic habits of the prey items. On SASL the MT concentrations between fractions were similar; whereas, SAFS plasma concentrations were higher than RBC. The results reported constitute the first information on Cd and MT blood levels in these species.

Reference Intervals of Mineral Elements in Plasma of Anesthetized Free-Ranging Adult Females of South American Sea Lion, Otaria flavescens.

Levels of zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and phosphorus (P) in plasma of Otaria flavescens females (n = 29) were evaluated. Reference intervals were established for each element, being the first report for this species.

Histopathological and biochemical evidence of hepatopancreatic toxicity caused by cadmium in white shrimp, Palaemonetes argentinus.

Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most common pollutants in the environment and induces a range of tissue changes or damages and organ dysfunction. The histopathological effects of Cd and lipid peroxidation (LPO) on hepatopancreas of the freshwater shrimp, Palaemonetes argentinus, were studied. Shrimp were obtained from two lagoons with contrasting environmental quality, De los Padres (LP, impacted site) and Nahuel Rucá (NR, reference site), and were exposed to 3.06 and 12.24µgCdL(-1) for 3, 7, 10 and 15 days. The health status of both populations was also evaluated by histological analysis of control individuals. After exposure, shrimp were transferred to clean water for 28 days to evaluate the recuperation capacity of hepatopancreas. Control shrimp from NR exhibited a normal hepatopancreas structure; unlike control shrimp from LP which showed several alterations. These results were attributed to the different environmental quality of lagoons. The exposure to Cd resulted in several alterations in the histological structure of the hepatopancreas of both populations. The observed alterations included haemocytic and connective infiltrations in the intertubular space, erosioned microvilli, ripple of basal lamina, atrophied epithelium and necrosis, however, the latter was only observed in shrimp from LP. The exposure also caused an increase of LPO levels in both populations. P. argentinus was able to repair the hepatopancreas structure from the damage caused by Cd, evidenced by the histopathological results and LPO levels. Obtained results are indicating that the histological analysis of the hepatopancreas proved to be a highly sensitive method for evaluating water quality, in both environmental and laboratory conditions.

Metallothioneins pattern during ontogeny of coastal dolphin, Pontoporia blainvillei, from Argentina.

Metallothioneins are signals of metal exposure and widely used in biomonitoring. Franciscana dolphin is an endemic cetacean from the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean, classified as Vulnerable A3d by the IUCN. Metallothionein, copper and zinc in Franciscana were assessed in two geographic groups; one inhabits La Plata River estuary, anthropogenically impacted, and the other inhabits marine coastal ecosystems, with negligible pollution. Despite the environment, hepatic and renal MT concentrations were similar, but there was a declining trend from early to later developmental stages. Metallothionein K/L, Cu and Zn levels corresponded to normal reported ranges. MT was not related with Cd. Fetal concentrations were higher than its mother. These results and the health status of dolphins are suggesting that MT correspond to physiological ranges for the species, and they are closely to homeostasis of Zn and Cu, according to its ontogenetic changes. The information constitutes the first MT information on Franciscana dolphin and can be considered as baseline for the species conservation.

Fine scale distribution constrains cadmium accumulation rates in two geographical groups of Franciscana dolphin from Argentina.

Franciscana dolphin is an endemic cetacean in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean and is classified as Vulnerable A3d by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Cadmium accumulation was assessed in two geographic groups from Argentina; one inhabits the La Plata River estuary, a high anthropogenic impacted environment, and the other is distributed in marine coastal, with negligible pollution. Despite the environment, marine dolphins showed an increase of renal Cd concentrations since trophic independence; while in estuarine dolphins was from 6 years. This is associated with dietary Argentine anchovy which was absent in the diet of estuarine dolphins, being a trophic vector of cadmium in shelf waters of Argentina. Cluster analysis also showed high levels of cd in association with the presence of anchovy in the stomach. The difference in the fine scale distribution of species influences dietary exposure to Cd and, along with other data, indicates two stocks in Argentina.

Reflex pupillary dilatation in response to skin incision and alfentanil in children anaesthetized with sevoflurane: a more sensitive measure of noxious stimulation than the commonly used variables.

BACKGROUND: Estimation of analgesia in anaesthetized children is often imprecise, and consequently, anaesthesiologists commonly evaluate children's response to surgical stimulation by movement or haemodynamic changes. In adults reflex pupillary dilatation has been demonstrated to be a very sensitive measure of noxious stimulation, correlated with opioid concentrations. The autonomic nervous control changes with age, raising the hypothesis that mechanisms involved in pupillary autonomic functions regarding both sympathetic and parasympathetic components may also differ between adults and children. In this pilot study, we tested the hypothesis that the pupillary reflex dilatation might allow assessment of noxious stimulation and analgesic effect of alfentanil in children under sevoflurane anaesthesia, as an alternative to haemodynamic and bispectral measures. METHODS: After sevoflurane induction, 24 children were maintained in steady-state conditions at 1.5 MAC of sevoflurane in O(2)-N(2)O (50-50). An intense noxious stimulation was provided by standardized skin incision on the lower limb. A bolus of alfentanil (10 microg kg(-1)) was administered either 1 min (n=16) or 2 min (n=8) after skin incision. Haemodynamic values, bispectral index (BIS) and pupillary diameter (PD) were recorded just before stimulation and at 30-60 s intervals during 4 subsequent minutes. RESULTS: In all children PD increased significantly after noxious stimulation [+200 (40)%, at 60 s]. In contrast, mean heart rate and blood pressure increased only 11 (7)% and 10 (8)% respectively, 60 s after stimulation. BIS did not change significantly. In all children, alfentanil injection induced a rapid decrease of PD and restored pre-incision values in 2 min. CONCLUSION: PD is a more sensitive measure of noxious stimulation than the commonly used variables of heart rate, arterial blood pressure and BIS in children anaesthetized with sevoflurane.

[A low dose of nalbuphine reverses respiratory depression but not analgesia induced by intraspinal morphine]. / Une faible dose de nalbuphine antagonise la dépression respiratoire induite par la morphine intrathécale sans lever l'analgésie.

Postoperative pain management after scoliosis surgery is based in our institution on intrathecal morphine administration. This case report describes an immediate and major postoperative respiratory depression that occurred in the recovery room, requiring the maintenance of the endotracheal tube. This respiratory depression was reversed by i.v. administration of a low dose of nalbuphine, which allowed tracheal extubation without suppression of morphine-induced analgesia.

[Prophylactic antibiotic therapy using oxacillin (Bristopen) in pediatric orthopedic surgery]. / Antibiothérapie prophylactique par oxacilline (Bristopen) en chirurgie orthopédique infantile.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of oxacillin in the prophylaxis of bone infections in orthopaedic surgery in children. Staphylococcus is the usual pathogen in orthopaedics. This is the reason of our choice: oxacillin. 420 patients are included: 195 control patients did not receive any prophylactic antibiotherapy; 225 patients received oxacillin. The oxacillin treatment started at anaesthetic induction and was carried on for 72 hours. In the control group, 7 superficial and 4 deep infections were observed, while a single superficial infection was noted in the oxacillin-treated group. This easy and inexpensive prophylactic treatment gave excellent results. We think that it should be systematically administered in orthopedic surgery to ensure as little complication as possible to the child.

Chemotactic activity of LTB4 in man.

An improved skin window chamber technique has been developed and used for a quantitative study of the chemotactic effect of leukotriene B4 (LTB4). LTB4 (0.5 microM) was exposed to a skin window on the forearm of eight healthy volunteers, while phosphate buffered saline served as control in a skin window on the other forearm. Skin window exudates and samples of blood draining the skin window areas were collected after 1, 2, 4, 8, and 24 h. The samples were quantitated for the different types of leukocytes as well as the intra- and extracellular concentration of the eosinophilic cationic protein and lactoferrin as markers of eosinophil and neutrophil granulocytes. A significantly increased migration of neutrophil granulocytes into the skin window chamber containing LTB4 was found from the 2nd to the 8th hour after the initial LTB4 exposure. The eosinophils reached a significant peak at the 4th hour. The rise in the actual number of eosinophil cells did not reach significance, whereas measurements of the eosinophilic cationic protein in the cellular fraction of the exudate exhibited a significant increase as a reflection of the number of eosinophils. This highlights the potential clinical value of eosinophilic cationic protein measurements to reveal eosinophilia instead of the traditional eosinophil counts. Extracellular eosinophilic cationic protein and lactoferrin did not change significantly in the LTB4-exposed skin window, implying that LTB4 does not activate the eosinophils and neutrophils to exocytosis of their enzymes. The present in vivo results support the concept of LTB4 being a potent chemoattractant to neutrophil and less so to eosinophil granulocytes in humans, a chemoattractant that recruits the leukocytes but does not seem to activate them.

Reproducibility of early asthmatic response to Cladosporium herbarum.

The reproducibility of the early asthmatic response after bronchial challenge with cladosporium herbarum was studied in 5 adult asthmatics. Four bronchial challenges were done in randomized order with an interval of one week. The four challenges were: cladosporium herbarum, cladosporium herbarum, histamine and saline. The bronchial challenges were done double-blind. Cladosporium herbarum was inhaled in the following concentrations (w/v): 1:100000, 1:10000, 1:1000 and up to 1:100. Histamine was inhaled in the following concentrations: 0.3, 0.6, 1.2 and up to 2.4 mg/ml FEV1 was measured before every inhalation and 2, 5, 10 min after. If FEV1 dropped greater than 20% after inhalation, the challenge was assessed as positive and the provocation on that day was stopped. The provocation was assessed as negative if this fall was not seen after the fourth inhalation. Two patients with positive skin test to cladosporium herbarum had reproducible early asthmatic response after inhalation of the antigen, they reacted to inhaled histamine and one of them presented an early asthmatic response after inhalation of saline. Three patients with negative skin test to cladosporium herbarum had an early asthmatic response after inhalation of the antigen on two out of six provocations, a response which was not reproducible. None of the three responded to saline. It is concluded that inhalation challenge with cladosporium herbarum may be more confusing than helpful in the diagnosis of early asthmatic response to this antigen, as patients with negative history and negative skin test sometimes present a positive bronchial challenge.

Reproducibility of the late asthmatic response.

The reproducibility of the late asthmatic response after bronchial challenge with cladosporium herbarum was studied in five adult asthmatics. Four bronchial challenges were done in randomized order with an interval of one week. The four challenges were: cladosporium herbarum, cladosporium herbarum, histamine and saline. The bronchial challenges were done double-blind. Up to four inhalations of the substance were given on one day. Cladosporium herbarum was inhaled in concentrations of 1:100000, 1:10000, 1:1000 and up to 1:100 w/v. Histamine was inhaled at concentrations of 0.3, 0.6, 1.2 and up to 2.4 mg/ml. The provocation was stopped if FEV1 dropped greater than 20% up to 10 min after the inhalation, or after the four inhalations. Ventilatory capacity was measured with one h intervals up to six h after the last inhalation. One patient with positive skin test to cladosporium herbarum had no late asthmatic reaction after inhaling a dose of antigen which gave an early asthmatic response. One patient with positive skin test and early asthmatic response after inhalation of cladosporium presented late asthmatic response after one provocation, but this response was not reproducible. None of the two patients with negative skin test had late asthmatic response after inhalation of the antigen, nor had they late asthmatic response after inhalation of saline or histamine. One patient with negative skin test and no early asthmatic response to inhaled cladosporium, showed reproducible late asthmatic response after antigen inhalation. This patient also presented late asthmatic response after saline inhalation, but not after histamine inhalation. It is concluded that late asthmatic response should be defined better than of fall from baseline greater than 20%.

Detection and quantitation of cannabinoids in biological fluids: specificity and kinetics after smoking.

A procedure for the quantitation and detection of cannabinoids in biological fluids (plasma and urine) is described. This method is based on isotopic derivatization and double labeling. delta 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol and two of its metabolites (11-hydroxy-delta 9-THC and 8-beta-hydroxy-delta 9-THC) can be detected and measured in plasma or urine. The use of TLC enables specific separation of cannabinoids. The sensitivity of detection (4 ng/mL) is compatible with cannabinoid kinetics. The procedure can be applied to routine measurements and pharmacokinetic studies.

Radioimmunoassay for colchicine: synthesis and properties of three haptens.

For the development of radioimmunoassay procedures for colchicine, three haptens, N-ethylamino-colchiceinamide, 4-formylchochicine - (O-carboxymethyl) oxime and 4-hydroxymethylcolchicine O-hemisuccinic acid were synthetized and characterized by mass and proton magnetic resonance spectrometries. The conjugates obtained by coupling the haptens to bovine serum albumin were employed to immunize rabbits and goats.