Improved Metal Cation Optosensing Membranes through the Incorporation of Sulphated Polysaccharides.

Optosensing chitosan-based membranes have been applied for the detection of heavy metals, especially in drinking water. The novelty of this study is based on the use of sulphated polysaccharides, in such optosensing membranes, aiming at an improved analytical performance. The sulphated polysaccharides, such as ulvan, fucoidan and chondroitin sulfate, were extracted from by-products and wastes of marine-related activities. The membranes were developed for the analysis of aluminum. The variation in the visible absorbance of the sensor membranes after the contact between the chromophore and the aluminum cation was studied. The membranes containing sulphated polysaccharides showed improved signals when compared to the chitosan-only membrane. As for the detection limits for the membranes containing ulvan, fucoidan and chondroitin sulfate, 0.17 mg L-1, 0.21 mg L-1 and 0.36 mg L-1 were obtained, respectively. The values were much lower than that obtained for the chitosan-only membrane, 0.52 mg L-1, which shows the improvement obtained from the sulphated polysaccharides. The results were obtained with the presence of CTAB in analysis solution, which forms a ternary complex with the aluminum cation and the chromophore. This resulted in an hyperchromic and batochromic shift in the absorption band. When in the presence of this surfactant, the membranes showed lower detection limits and higher selectivity.

Development of concomitant diseases in COVID-19 critically ill patients. / Desarrollo de enfermedades concomitantes en pacientes críticos con COVID-19.

It may be necessary a consideration about the best approach to the acute concomitant problems that critical COVID-19 patients can develop. They require a rapid diagnosis and an early treatment by a multidisciplinary team. As a result, we would like to describe two clinical cases a patient with diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia with good respiratory evolution that, after extubation suffered an acalculous cholecystitis and a patient with COVID-19 pneumonia that suffered an overinfection with necrotising pneumonia that presented with haemoptysis and was finally treated with arterial embolisation by the interventional radiologist's team.

Quantitative evaluation of alternatively spliced mRNA isoforms by label-free real-time plasmonic sensing.

Alternative splicing of mRNA precursors enables cells to generate different protein outputs from the same gene depending on their developmental or homeostatic status. Its deregulation is strongly linked to disease onset and progression. Current methodologies for monitoring alternative splicing demand elaborate procedures and often present difficulties in discerning between closely related isoforms, e.g. due to cross-hybridization during their detection. Herein, we report a general methodology using a Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) biosensor for label-free monitoring of alternative splicing events in real-time, without any cDNA synthesis or PCR amplification requirements. We applied this methodology to RNA isolated from HeLa cells for the quantification of alternatively spliced isoforms of the Fas gene, involved in cancer progression through regulation of programmed cell death. We demonstrate that our methodology is isoform-specific, with virtually no cross-hybridization, achieving limits of detection (LODs) in the picoMolar (pM) range. Similar results were obtained for the detection of the BCL-X gene mRNA isoforms. The results were independently validated by RT-qPCR, with excellent concordance in the determination of isoform ratios. The simplicity and robustness of this biosensor technology can greatly facilitate the exploration of alternative splicing biomarkers in disease diagnosis and therapy.

Medición de factores de riesgo biológico de caries dental en pacientes pediátricos / Assessment of biological risk factors of dental caries in pediatric patients

La caries dental es una enfermedad infecciosa, multifactorial, transmisible y de mayor prevalencia dentro de la morbilidad bucal. La medición del grado de riesgo es la base de la planificación y de la atención, ya que permite agrupar aquellos individuos , comunidades o poblaciones que tienen una mayor probabilidad de sufrir un daño. Objetivo: conocer los resultados de la aplicación de un programa de atención clínica en la reducción del nivel de riesgo biológico de caries dental en una población pediátrica. Materiales y métodos: se realizó un estudio epidemiológico evaluativo sobre una cohorte de 1002 historias clínicas de pacientes de ambos sexos, ingresados al Programa de Atención Odontopediátrico Integral del Hospital de Odontología Infantil Don Benito Quinquela Martín, durante el período de junio a diciembre de 2012. Resultados: sexo masculino: 464 (46,3 por ciento). Grupo 8-11 años: 49,8 por ciento. Indice de O´Leary: valor inicial promedio 35,87; valor final 13,06. Indice de placa: valor inicial promedio 0,46; valor final 0,18. Indice gingival: valor inicial promedio 0,30; valor final 0,09. Frecuencia de cepillado: valor promedio 2,16 veces. Momentos de azúcar: valor promedio 4.32. Conclusiones: la aplicación de un programa de atención clínica con un fuerte componente preventivo, elaborado a partir de la categorización del nivel de riesgo de caries dental, demostró una reducción en los indicadores de riesgo biológico de la población en estudio.

Tuberculosis espinal lumbosacra y craneocervical: un clásico imitador en dos localizaciones atípicas / Isolated spinal tuberculosis in the lumbosacral and cranio-cervical hinge regions: a classic copycat in two atypical regions

Two cases of spinal tuberculosis in atypical regions are presented; in the lumbosacral hinge and cranio-cervical regions respectively; focusing on the radiological appearance using Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance. With regard to these atypical presentations, the clinical history, epidemiology and radiology of spinal tuberculosis are reviewed.

Se presentan dos casos de tuberculosis espinal en localizaciones atípicas; la charnela lumbo-sacra y cráneo-cervical respectivamente; centrándonos en su aspecto radiológico por tomografía computarizada (TC) y resonancia magnética. A propósito de estas atípicas presentaciones se revisa la clínica, epidemiología y radiología de la tuberculosis en la columna vertebral.

[Oral health and precariousness in pregnant women]. / Santé bucco-dentaire et précarité chez la femme enceinte.

OBJECTIVE: Systematic full-mouth dental examination during pregnancy is an official preventive measure recently advocated by the French Health policy. The aim of this study was firstly to evaluate the oral health related to some sociodemographic factors among pregnant women, and secondly to propose this dental examination together with the routine antenatal interview. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This cross-sectional study combined several medical questionnaires with an oral examination. It concerned all pregnant women attending their routine antenatal interview in the maternity unit of the Montpellier hospital. Socioeconomic status was assessed by Epices index. So that two groups were determined : the deprived group (D), and the non-deprived group (ND). RESULTS: Oral examination revealed that 93% of the women were suffering from at least one oral disease, 74% had a periodontal disease (9% had a periodontitis), and 74% had at least one carious tooth. The mean Epices score was 30.5 and the mean number of carious teeth was significantly higher in the group D (3.4) than in the group ND (2.35), (p=0.02). The prevalence of periodontal disease or periodontitis were not significantly different between the two groups (p=0.81 and p=0.99 respectively). After stratification on the degree of dental hygiene knowledge, it was found that knowing about an adequate dental hygiene and specific preventive measures regarding pregnancy could reduce the gap between the oral health status of the two socioeconomic groups. CONCLUSION: This study showed that performing an oral examination, at the same time than the antenatal interview, could highly improve the knowledge about dental hygiene among pregnant women and the screening of oral diseases, especially for deprived population.

[Differential diagnosis of encephalitis due to anti-NMDA receptor antibodies]. / Diagnóstico diferencial en la encefalitis por anticuerpos contra el receptor NMDA.

INTRODUCTION: Anti-NMDA receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis usually develops as a multistage syndrome with a broad differential diagnosis. PATIENTS: We report 2 patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis and a clinical picture typical of this disorder but whose initial evaluation suggested other aetiologies. DISCUSSION: The frequent development of this disorder in young individuals presenting with psychiatric manifestations often suggests other diagnostic possibilities, most commonly viral encephalitis, psychiatric disorders, and neuroleptic malignant syndrome. In addition, several less clearly defined syndromes or descriptively reported disorders in adult and paediatric patients were likely cases of anti-NMDAR encephalitis. CONCLUSIONS: Anti-NMDAR encephalitis should be considered in young individuals with subacute presentation of psychiatric symptoms, abnormal movements, and autonomic dysfunction. The clinical and immunological characterization of this disorder has lead to the identification of new antibodies that affect memory, learning, behaviour and psychosis.

[Cutaneous collagenous vasculopathy: a case report and review of the literature]. / Vasculopatía colágena cutánea: aportación de un caso y revisión de la literatura.

Cutaneous collagenous vasculopathy is an idiopathic microangiopathy first described in 2000 by Salama and Rosenthal.It must not be confused with generalized essential telangiectasia. To date, all patients have been white men over the age of 50 years, most of whom had multiple pathologies, were taking multiple drugs, and had no family history of similar conditions or hemorrhagic disorders. The disease is characterized by the development of various numbers of telangiectases on the limbs, lower abdomen, chest, or back, with no involvement of the mucosas or nail bed. Histopathology shows dilated superficial cutaneous vessels with perivascular deposits of periodic acid-Schiff diastase-positive, eosinophilic hyaline material that exhibits positive immunoreactivity to collagen IV. We report a new case in a 68-year-old man with symmetrically distributed telangiectases on his forearms, lower abdomen, posterior thighs, lower legs, and dorsum of the feet.

Chromatin and alternative splicing.

Alternative splicing affects more than 90% of human genes. Coupling between transcription and splicing has become crucial in the complex network underlying alternative splicing regulation. Because chromatin is the real template for nuclear transcription, changes in its structure, but also in the "reading" and "writing" of the histone code, could modulate splicing choices. Here, we discuss the evidence supporting these ideas, from the first proposal of chromatin affecting alternative splicing, performed 20 years ago, to the latest findings including genome-wide evidence that nucleosomes are preferentially positioned in exons. We focus on two recent reports from our laboratories that add new evidence to this field. The first report shows that a physiological stimulus such as neuron depolarization promotes intragenic histone acetylation (H3K9ac) and chromatin relaxation, causing the skipping of exon 18 of the neural cell adhesion molecule gene. In the second report, we show how specific histone modifications can be created at targeted gene regions as a way to affect alternative splicing: Using small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), we increased the levels of H3K9me2 and H3K27me3 in the proximity of alternative exon 33 of the human fibronectin gene, favoring its inclusion into mature messenger RNA (mRNA) through a mechanism that recalls RNA-mediated transcriptional gene silencing.

[Cerebral venous thrombosis: when etiology makes the difference]. / Trombosis venosa cerebral: cuando la etiología marca la diferencia.

OBJECTIVES: To make a retrospective study of the clinical, etiological, diagnostic and prognostic features of cerebral vein and sinus thrombosis (CVST) diagnosed at our University Hospital. METHODS: We performed a systematic research of the clinical records of our University Hospital's electronic database (1977-2009) using the key words <>. RESULTS: Ninety-five possible cases were found, and 16 were excluded due to alternative or uncertain diagnosis. Seventy-nine patients (43 females), median age of 46 years (2-82), were studied. Hereditary or acquired thrombophilia was detected in 22 patients (27.8%): prothrombin G20210A mutation (10), factor V Leyden (3), protein C deficiency (2), homozygous MTHFR C677T mutation (1), antiphospholipid syndrome (7) and hematological conditions (3). CVST was associated with infection in 17 cases, intracranial neoplasm in 9, malignancy in 13, treatment with prothrombotic drugs in 20 (including substitutive/antineoplastic hormones and oral contraceptives) and other causes in 8. Thirteen cases were idiopathic. Clinical presentation was intracranial hypertension in 83.5%, focal deficits in 45.6% and seizures in 12.6 %. Transverse (57%) and superior sagittal sinus (49.4%) were the most commonly involved. Seizures occurred in 25.3%, venous infarction in 41% and severe intracranial hypertension in 22.8 %. Up to 31.6 % required surgical drainage, decompressive craniectomy or ventricular drainage. Nine cases associated peripheral venous thromboembolism and 4 CVST recurred. Evolution was favorable (modified Rankin scale 0-2 at 3 months) in 74.7%. Mortality rate was 13.9% (11 patients). Neoplastic and infectious origin was significantly associated with mortality and disability. CONCLUSION: We describe a large retrospective series of CVST where infectious and neoplastic etiologies were linked to an unfavorable outcome.

[Cutaneous ciliated cyst of the scrotal skin. A case report with discussion of pathogenesis]. / Quiste cutáneo ciliado en piel escrotal. Descripción de un caso con discusión patogénica de la entidad.

Cutaneous ciliated cyst (CCC) is a rare benign lesion predominantly occurring in the lower limbs of young women and exceedingly rare in males. Here, we report a case involving a previously unreported site (i.e., scrotal skin) in a 15-year-old male. We also describe pathologic and immunonohistochemical findings, review the pertinent literature and discuss their pathogenetic mechanisms. We propose that CCC could represent a morphologic pattern encompassing several pathogenetically different entities. Data we provide support the hypothesis that at least a part of CCC, specially those occurring in males, could have their origin in ciliated metaplasia of apocrine sweat glands.

[Granular cell tumour of prostate diagnosed by transrectal biopsy. Which therapeutic attitude?]. / Tumor de células granulares de próstata diagnosticado en biopsia transrectal. Qué actitud tomar?

Granular cell tumour (GCT) is not an uncommon tumour of neural origin usually located on subcutaneous tissues and oral cavity. In prostate gland is exceptional, with only one case reported on the indexed literature of the last three decades. We report a case of a 63-year-old man presented with urinary complaints, enlarged prostate and increased PSA levels. The patient subsequently underwent transrectal needle biopsy which revealed GCT. The clinicpathological dilemma originated after this diagnosis is discused and the most suitable follow-up is proposed.

Coronal and apical lesions, environmental factors: study in a modern and an archeological population.

Apical periodontitis (AP) are frequent findings in contemporary dental practice in association with dental pathology or dental care. They have also been studied from an anthropological background. The purpose of this study was to compare the prevalence of apical and dental lesions in an archeological Middle Ages sample and a modern population, and to evaluate the influence of environmental factors. Both the archaeological sample group and dental practice subjects were from southern France. The study included full mouth surveys of 252 individuals (2,780 teeth) from a historic necropolis and 223 subjects (5,678 teeth) randomly selected from the Gard area. Tooth wear, caries, and AP were accounted for clinically and radiographically according to specific indexes. Significant differences were found between period and age in the archeological sample as regards the main risk factors for AP. Antemortem teeth loss and dental wear had been reduced, whereas caries rates and AP had increased between archaeological and modern population. The AP ratio was associated with the level of dental care in the modern population. Although significant variations could be observed between archaeological periods, the rupture in E3 (sixteenth and seventeenth centuries) leads to consider the associated population as a premodern. However, it was found that although cultural and alimentary factors seemed to be the main risk factors in an archeological population, dental care seemed to have a strong influence on AP ratio in modern ones.