Identification of bacteria present in ulcerative stomatitis lesions of captive sea turtles Chelonia mydas.

Anthropogenic activities, predation, and diseases have contributed to a decrease in the sea turtle population in recent years. Ulcerative stomatitis is a condition that occurs in both wild and captive populations. The etiology of this condition is associated with bacteria such as E. coli, Citrobacter diversus, Klebsiella spp., Pseudomonas spp., Flavobacter calcoaceticus, Staphylococcus spp., and Flavobacterium spp. Some of these microorganisms are part of the oral microbiota of turtles, but alterations in the immune response can disturb the homeostatic relationship and cause an increase in the population of microorganisms, which in turn can cause disease. This work presents results on the isolation and identification of bacteria present in ulcerative stomatitis lesions in captive C. mydas turtles. Oral mucosa samples from 20 clinically healthy turtles and ten animals with ulcerative stomatitis lesions were studied. The samples were cultivated in enriched and differential media, and the identification was made using an automated method. The results showed a great diversity of bacteria in animals with ulcerative stomatitis with a higher prevalence of S. lentus and C. braakii was higher (60 and 50%, respectively) than in healthy animals. E. faecium was identified in 40% of diseased animals and 55% healthy animals. Turtles in this study had a diverse oral microbiota, and S. lentus and C. braakii may be involved in the etiopathogenesis of ulcerative stomatitis.

A 70- µ m Pitch 8- µ W Self-Biased Charge-Integration Active Pixel for Digital Mammography.

This paper presents a new low-power compact CMOS active pixel circuit specifically optimized for full-field digital mammography. The proposed digital pixel sensor (DPS) architecture includes self-bias capability at ±10% accuracy, up to 15 nA of dark-current autocalibration, built-in test mechanisms, selectable e(-)/h(+) collection, 10-b lossless charge-integration analog-to-digital conversion, more than 1 decade of individual gain tuning for fixed pattern noise cancellation, and a 50-Mb/s digital-only input/output interface. Experimental results for a 70-µm pitch 8-µW DPS cell example are reported in 0.18-µm CMOS 1-polySi 6-metal technology.

Cardiovascular disease in familial hypercholesterolaemia: influence of low-density lipoprotein receptor mutation type and classic risk factors.

AIM: To determine the effect of the type of mutation in low-density lipoprotein receptor gene and the risk factors associated with the development of premature cardiovascular disease (PCVD) in a large cohort of heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (hFH) subjects with genetic diagnosis in Spain. METHODS AND RESULTS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 811 non-related FH patients (mean age 47.1+/-14 years, 383 males and 428 females) with a molecular defect in the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) gene from the Spanish National FH Register. Prevalence of PCVD was 21.9% (30.2% in males and 14.5% in women, P<0.001). Mean age of onset of cardiovascular event was 42.1 years in males and 50.8 years in females. Of those patients with PCVD, 59.5% of males and 27% of females suffered a second cardiovascular (CV) event. In multivariate analysis male gender, age, tobacco consumption (ever), and total cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol (TC/HDL-C) ratio were significantly associated with PCVD. Two hundred and twenty different mutations were found with a large heterogeneity. Patients carrying null-mutations had significantly higher frequency of PCVD and recurrence of CV events. No relationship with Lp(a) levels and genotype of Apo E were found. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the importance of identifying some classic risk factors such as smoking and TC/HDL-C ratio, and also the type of mutation in LDLR gene in order to implement early detection and intensive treatment for the prevention of cardiovascular disease in FH patients.

[Alcohol consumption by primary care physicians]. / Consumo de alcohol entre los médicos de atención primaria.

OBJECTIVE: To find the consumption of alcoholic drinks by Primary Care doctors. DESIGN: A descriptive study using an anonymous questionnaire. SETTING: Health base areas located in the Baix Llobregat and in Barcelona city. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Total coverage was 68.7%. In the group which replied, daily consumption along with week-end consumption predominated. Men consumed alcohol more often and in greater quantity than women. The prevalence of excessive drinkers according to the PAPPS criteria was 5.9%. 29% of the doctors exceeded the level of alcohol consumption considered acceptable by their own criteria, no gender differences being appreciated. Similarly, 33% of them accepted consumption above that recommended by the experts. CONCLUSIONS: The consumption of alcoholic drinks found among Primary Care doctors was low in comparison with other studies of medical groups or the general population. The Primary Care doctor occupies a privileged position in the prevention of excessive consumption of alcoholic drinks, which implies that their own alcohol consumption and training could have an impact on carrying out preventive activities in this field.