Genome sequencing reveals underdiagnosis of primary ciliary dyskinesia in bronchiectasis.

BACKGROUND: Bronchiectasis can result from infectious, genetic, immunological and allergic causes. 60-80% of cases are idiopathic, but a well-recognised genetic cause is the motile ciliopathy, primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). Diagnosis of PCD has management implications including addressing comorbidities, implementing genetic and fertility counselling and future access to PCD-specific treatments. Diagnostic testing can be complex; however, PCD genetic testing is moving rapidly from research into clinical diagnostics and would confirm the cause of bronchiectasis. METHODS: This observational study used genetic data from severe bronchiectasis patients recruited to the UK 100,000 Genomes Project and patients referred for gene panel testing within a tertiary respiratory hospital. Patients referred for genetic testing due to clinical suspicion of PCD were excluded from both analyses. Data were accessed from the British Thoracic Society audit, to investigate whether motile ciliopathies are underdiagnosed in people with bronchiectasis in the UK. RESULTS: Pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants were identified in motile ciliopathy genes in 17 (12%) out of 142 individuals by whole-genome sequencing. Similarly, in a single centre with access to pathological diagnostic facilities, 5-10% of patients received a PCD diagnosis by gene panel, often linked to normal/inconclusive nasal nitric oxide and cilia functional test results. In 4898 audited patients with bronchiectasis, <2% were tested for PCD and <1% received genetic testing. CONCLUSIONS: PCD is underdiagnosed as a cause of bronchiectasis. Increased uptake of genetic testing may help to identify bronchiectasis due to motile ciliopathies and ensure appropriate management.

Fetal hemoglobin regulating genetic variants identified in homozygous (HbSS) and heterozygous (HbSA) subjects from South Mexico.

Hemoglobin S is caused by a nucleotide change in HBB gene (HBB:c.20A>T, p.Glu6Val), is presented in diverse forms: simple carriers (HbSA), homozygotes (HbSS) also known as sickle cell anemia, and compound heterozygotes with other ß-hemoglobinopathies. It is worldwide distributed, in Mexico, is frequently observed in the southern states Guerrero, Oaxaca and Chiapas. Elevated fetal hemoglobin (HbF) is associated with mild phenotype; single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) in modifier genes, such as BCL11A, HBG2, HBBP1 pseudogene and HBS1L-MYB intergenic region, upregulate HbF synthesis. The aim of this study was to identify HbF regulating genetic variants in HbSS and HbSA Mexican subjects. We studied 39 individuals (HbSS = 24, 61%, HbSA = 15, 39%) from Chiapas (67%) and Guerrero (33%), peripheral blood was collected in ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) for molecular and hematological studies, DNA was isolated by salting-out technic and genotyping was performed through allelic discrimination by real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using Taqman® probes for 15 SNV (in BCL11A: rs6706648, rs7557939, rs4671393, rs11886868, rs766432, rs7599488, rs1427407; HBS1L-MYB: rs28384513, rs7776054, rs9399137, rs4895441, rs9402686, rs1320963; HBG2: rs7482144; and HBBP1: rs10128556). The obtained data were analyzed using IMB SPSS v.22.0 software. All minor alleles were observed in frequencies over 0.05, the most frequent was rs9402686 (0.82), while the less frequent was rs101028556 (0.08). In HbSS group, the mean fetal hemoglobin was 11.9 ± 5.9% and was significantly elevated in BCL11A rs11886868 wildtype homozygotes and in carriers of HBS1L-MYB intergenic region rs7776054 (p = 0.04 and p = 0.03, respectively). In conclusion, in HbSS Mexican patients, two SNVs were observed related to increased HbF; BCL11A rs11886868 and HBS1L-MYB rs7776054.

Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is one of the most common types of hemoglobinopathies in people of African ancestry, it is caused by homozygosity of HbS mutation (HBB:c.20A>T). It is known that fetal hemoglobin plays a key role in decreasing HbS polymerization which damages the erythrocyte structure and is responsible for the characteristic hemolytic crises endured by these patients. Single-nucleotide variant (SNV) in genes that regulate fetal hemoglobin (HbF) after birth have been associated with its increment, thus ameliorating the hematologic phenotype of this pathology and other ß-hemoglobinopathies. Therefore, in this study, we identified, for the first time in Mexican patients with SCA (HbSS) and HbS carriers (HbSA), the presence of 15 SNVs on BCL11A, HBS1L-MYB and HBG2; all HbSS patients had anemia and elevated HbF; 2 variants were related to increased HbF rs11688888C of BCL11A and rs7776054G of HBSIL-MYB; and finally, all minor alleles were found at a frequency higher than 0.05.

The role of lateral and vertical herkogamy in the divergence of the blue- and red-flowered lineages of Lysimachia arvensis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Herkogamy, or anther-stigma separation, is known to reduce self-pollen deposition, but little is known about the relative efficacy of different modes or conformations of herkogamy. We assessed the effectiveness of vertical versus lateral herkogamy in preventing or promoting self-pollen deposition in the annual herb Lysimachia arvensis, a plant with lineages that differ in flower colour, and in which flowers first display lateral and then vertical herkogamy. Because mating between the two lineages compromises fitness through the production of low-quality hybrid offspring, we tested the prediction that individuals sampled from sites occupied by both lineages should have flowers that promote autonomous self-pollen deposition and self-fertilization as a result of selection to reduce deleterious reproductive interference. METHODS: We characterized variation in herkogamy within and among 25 pure and mixed populations of L. arvensis in its European range and assessed the effectiveness of lateral versus vertical herkogamy in avoiding self-pollen deposition. RESULTS: Lateral herkogamy was more effective than vertical herkogamy in limiting self-pollen deposition. In the case of vertical herkogamy, only approach herkogamy was effective. Lineages showed consistent differences in herkogamy traits. In general, angles were smaller for blue than red flowers in most populations, and blue flowers showed approach herkogamy, while red flowers showed predominantly reverse herkogamy. In sympatry, the red lineage showed a reduction of both herkogamy traits while for the blue lineage only lateral herkogamy was reduced. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that pollen deposition is affected not only by the degree but also the spatial conformation of herkogamy. They also highlight reduced herkogamy as a potential mechanism for promoting reproductive assurance under pollen limitation, as well as for avoiding reproductive interference between genetically divergent lineages.

Development and validation of the patient history COVID-19 (PH-Covid19) scoring system: a multivariable prediction model of death in Mexican patients with COVID-19.

Most of the existing prediction models for COVID-19 lack validation, are inadequately reported or are at high risk of bias, a reason which has led to discourage their use. Few existing models have the potential to be extensively used by healthcare providers in low-resource settings since many require laboratory and imaging predictors. Therefore, we sought to develop and validate a multivariable prediction model of death in Mexican patients with COVID-19, by using demographic and patient history predictors. We conducted a national retrospective cohort study in two different sets of patients from the Mexican COVID-19 Epidemiologic Surveillance Study. Patients with a positive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction for SARS-CoV-2 and complete unduplicated data were eligible. In total, 83 779 patients were included to develop the scoring system through a multivariable Cox regression model; 100 000, to validate the model. Eight predictors (age, sex, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunosuppression, hypertension, obesity and chronic kidney disease) were included in the scoring system called PH-Covid19 (range of values: -2 to 25 points). The predictive model has a discrimination of death of 0.8 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.796-0.804). The PH-Covid19 scoring system was developed and validated in Mexican patients to aid clinicians to stratify patients with COVID-19 at risk of fatal outcomes, allowing for better and efficient use of resources.

Effect of calving age on genetic evaluation of milk yield in Holstein cattle.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of including calving age (CA) on genetic evaluation models for Holstein cattle. The evaluated models included the permanent environment, the sire-herd interactions, and the animals and residual effects as random. The fixed effects included the average production of milk, fat, and protein and the herd-year-season effect. The analyzed data included 603,521 records of milk production (in kg) corresponding to 438,098 animals from 527 herds. Additionally, there were 179,122 records of fat and protein components, corresponding to 148,930 animals from 137 herds. The records were classified by first lactation only (FL) and all available lactations (AL) for validation test (VT). The FL records corresponded to 275,487 milk production records with a mean of 10,874.1 ± 2773.9 kg at a mean CA of 25.6 ± 4.2 months. For FL, the milk components consisted of 78,955 records with a mean fat production of 392.86 ± 89.9 kg, a mean protein production of 362.8 ± 74.9 kg and a mean CA of 25.2 ± 4.1 months. For AL, the number of records was 603,521 for milk production with a mean of 10,802.8 ± 2905.9 kg and a mean CA of 35.6 ± 11.5 months. For the milk components, there were 179,122 records with a mean of 36.1 ± 9.5 months for CA and 388.3 ± 98.4 kg and 356.7 ± 82.6 kg for fat and protein, respectively. Three models were compared: the base model (M0) described above, and two alternative models that included CA in a linear and quadratic form (M1 and M2, respectively). Estimations of the variance components (VC) and breeding value (BV) were obtained using a repeatability animal model, with the same phenotypic and pedigree information used for all models. To select the best fit model for the data, a likelihood ratio test (LRtest) was used. A validation test (VT) was also applied to each model to evaluate the consistency of the genetic trends for females with information on AL and FL. The inclusion of CA in its linear form (M1) was the model that achieved the best results in the LRtest and an acceptable value for the VT. These results show that CA improves the model fit for BV prediction and reliability.

Pedigree verification and parentage assignment using genomic information in the Mexican Holstein population.

Genealogical information is an essential tool for carrying out any genetic improvement program. The objective of this study was to determine the accuracy of pedigree information in the Mexican registered Holstein population using genomic data available in Mexico and for the US Holstein population. The study included 7,508 animals (158 sires and 7,350 cows) that were born from 2002 through 2014, registered with Holstein de México, and genotyped with single nucleotide polymorphism arrays of different densities. Parentage could not be validated for 17% of sires of cows and 12% of sires of bulls. Most (79%) of the dams of cows and the dams of bulls had no genotype available and could not be validated. A parentage test was possible for only 6,104 sires of cows, 139 sires of bulls, 1,519 dams of cows, and 33 dams of bulls. Of the animals with a parentage test, parent assignment was confirmed for 89% of sires of cows, 92% of dams of cows, 95% of sires of bulls, and 97% of dams of bulls. Parent discovery was possible for some animals without confirmed parents: 17% for sires of cows, 2.5% for dams of cows, 43% for sires of bulls, and 0% for dams of bulls. Of the 7,795 progeny tests, 777 had parent conflicts, which is an error rate of 9.97% for parental recording in the population, a rate that is similar to those recently reported for other populations. True parents for some progeny conflicts (15%) were discovered for the Mexican population, and the remaining parents were assigned as unknown. Expected effects of misidentification on rate of genetic gain could be decreased by half if genealogical errors were decreased to 5%. This study indicates that genotyping and genealogy recovery may help in increasing rates of genetic improvement in the Mexican registered Holstein population.

Retrospective study of perampanel efficacy and tolerability in myoclonic seizures.

OBJECTIVES: Perampanel is an antiepileptic drug (AED) approved for add-on treatment of focal seizures (with or without generalization) and primary generalized tonic-clonic (GTC) seizures. Our objective was to explore the effectiveness and tolerability of adjunctive perampanel in patients with drug-resistant myoclonic seizures, after failure of other AEDs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective, multicenter, observational study. Data were collected from individual patient clinical files and analysed using appropriate descriptive statistics and inferential analyses. RESULTS: Data are reported for 31 patients with mean age 36.4 years, who had an average epilepsy duration of 18 years, previously taken an average of 5.03 AEDs, and were taking an average of 2.4 AEDs on perampanel initiation. Patients exhibited myoclonic, GTC, absence, tonic and focal seizures, and most had associated cognitive decline and/or ataxia. Median time on perampanel was 6 months, most common dose was 6 mg, and overall retention rate was 84%. The responder rate for myoclonic seizures was defined via reduction of days with myoclonic seizures per month. At 6 months, 15 (48.4%) of the 31 patients were classed as myoclonic seizure responders, 10 (32.3%) were myoclonic seizure free, and 39% saw improvements in functional ability. Of 17 patients with GTC seizures at baseline, 9 (53%) were responders at 6 months, and 8 (47.1%) were seizure free. The most frequent side effects were psychiatric disorders, instability, dizziness and irritability, and mostly resolved with dose reduction. Five patients discontinued perampanel due to side effects. CONCLUSIONS: Perampanel caused clinically meaningful improvements in patients with drug-resistant myoclonic seizures. It was generally well tolerated, but psychiatric and neurological side effects sometimes required follow-up and dose reduction.

Randomized, double-blind study comparing percutaneous electrolysis and dry needling for the management of temporomandibular myofascial pain.

BACKGROUND: To assess whether the techniques of percutaneous needle electrolysis (PNE) and deep dry needling (DDN) used on trigger points (TrP) of lateral pterygoid muscle (LPM) can significantly reduce pain and improve function in patients with myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) compared to a control group treated with a sham needling procedure (SNP). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty patients diagnosed with MPS in the LPM were selected and randomly assigned to one of three groups. The PNE group received electrolysis to the LPM via transcutaneous puncture. The DDN group received a deep puncture to the TrP without the introduction of any substance. In the SNP group, pressure was applied to the skin without penetration. Procedures were performed once per week for 3 consecutive weeks. Clinical evaluation was performed before treatment, and on days 28, 42 and 70 after treatment. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences (p <0.01) were measured for the PNE and DDN groups with respect to pain reduction at rest, during chewing, and for maximum interincisal opening (MIO). Values for the PNE group showed significantly earlier improvement. Differences for PNE and DDN groups with respect to SNP group were significant (p <0.05) up to day 70. Evaluation of efficacy as reported by the patient and observer was better for PNE and DDN groups. No adverse events were observed for either of the techniques. CONCLUSIONS: PNE and DDN of the LPM showed greater pain reduction efficacy and improved MIO compared to SNP. Improvement was noted earlier in the PNE group than in the DDN group.

Genomic variability in Mexican chicken population using copy number variants.

BACKGROUND: Copy number variations are genome polymorphism that influence phenotypic variation and are an important source of genetic variation in populations. The aim of this study was to investigate genetic variability in the Mexican Creole chicken population using CNVs. RESULTS: The Hidden Markov Model of the PennCNV software detected a total of 1924 CNVs in the genome of the 256 samples processed with Axiom® Genome-Wide Chicken Genotyping Array (Affymetrix). The mapped CNVs comprised 1538 gains and 386 losses, resulting at population level in 1216 CNV regions (CNVRs), of which 959 gains, 226 losses and 31 complex (i.e. containing both losses and gains). The CNVRs covered a total of 47 Mb of the whole genome sequence length, corresponding to 5.12% of the chicken galGal4 autosome assembly. CONCLUSIONS: This study allowed a deep insight into the structural variation in the genome of unselected Mexican chicken population, which up to now has not been genetically characterized. The genomic study disclosed that the population, even if presenting extreme morphological variation, cannot be organized in differentiated genetic subpopulations. Finally this study provides a chicken CNV map based on the 600 K SNP chip array jointly with a genome-wide gene copy number estimates in a native unselected for more than 500 years chicken population.

Genome-wide association study for milk somatic cell score in holstein cattle using copy number variation as markers.

Mastitis, the most common and expensive disease in dairy cows, implies significant losses in the dairy industry worldwide. Many efforts have been made to improve genetic mastitis resistance in dairy populations, but low heritability of this trait made this process not as effective as desired. The purpose of this study was to identify genomic regions explaining genetic variation of somatic cell count using copy number variations (CNVs) as markers in the Holstein population, genotyped with the Illumina BovineHD BeadChip. We found 24 and 47 copy number variation regions significantly associated with estimated breeding values for somatic cell score (SCS_EBVs) using SVS 8.3.1 and PennCNV-CNVRuler software, respectively. The association analysis performed with these two software allowed the identification of 18 candidate genes (TERT, NOTCH1, SLC6A3, CLPTM1L, PPARα, BCL-2, ABO, VAV2, CACNA1S, TRAF2, RELA, ELF3, DBH, CDK5, NF2, FASN, EWSR1 and MAP3K11) that result classified in the same functional cluster. These genes are also part of two gene networks, whose genes share the 'stress', 'cell death', 'inflammation' and 'immune response' GO terms. Combining CNV detection/association analysis based on two different algorithms helps towards a more complete identification of genes linked to phenotypic variation of the somatic cell count.

Optimization of the management of platelet concentrate stocks in the Basque Country using mathematical simulation.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The management of platelet concentrate (PC) stocks is not simple given their short shelf life and variable demand. In general, managers decide on PC production based on personal experience. The objective of this study was to provide a tool to help decide how many PC units to produce each day in a more rational and objective way. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From the historical data on PCs produced, transfused and discarded in the Basque Country in 2012, a mathematical model was built, based on the normality of the time series of the transfusions performed on each day of the week throughout the year. This model was implemented in an easy-to-use Excel spreadsheet and validated using real production data from 2013. RESULTS: Comparing with real 2013 data, in the best scenario, the number of PC units that expired was 87·7% lower, PC production, 14·3% lower and the age of the PCs transfused nearly 1-day younger in the simulation. If we want to ensure a minimum stock at the end of each day, the outdating rate and average age of the transfused PCs progressively increase. CONCLUSION: The practical application of the designed tool can facilitate decision-making about how many PC units to produce each day, resulting in very significant reductions in PC production and wastage and corresponding cost savings, together with an almost 1 day decrease in the mean age of PCs transfused.

Effect of reference population size and available ancestor genotypes on imputation of Mexican Holstein genotypes.

The effects of reference population size and the availability of information from genotyped ancestors on the accuracy of imputation of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) were investigated for Mexican Holstein cattle. Three scenarios for reference population size were examined: (1) a local population of 2,011 genotyped Mexican Holsteins, (2) animals in scenario 1 plus 866 Holsteins in the US genotype database (GDB) with genotyped Mexican daughters, and (3) animals in scenario 1 and all US GDB Holsteins (338,073). Genotypes from 4 chip densities (2 low density, 1 mid density, and 1 high density) were imputed using findhap (version 3) to the 45,195 markers on the mid-density chip. Imputation success was determined by comparing the numbers of SNP with 1 or 2 alleles missing and the numbers of differently predicted SNP (conflicts) among the 3 scenarios. Imputation accuracy improved as chip density and numbers of genotyped ancestors increased, and the percentage of SNP with 1 missing allele was greater than that for 2 missing alleles for all scenarios. The largest numbers of conflicts were found between scenarios 1 and 3. The inclusion of information from direct ancestors (dam or sire) with US GDB genotypes in the imputation of Mexican Holstein genotypes increased imputation accuracy by 1 percentage point for low-density genotypes and by 0.5 percentage points for high-density genotypes, which was about half the gain found with information from all US GDB Holsteins. A larger reference population and the availability of genotyped ancestors improved imputation; animals with genotyped parents in a large reference population had higher imputation accuracy than those with no or few genotyped relatives in a small reference population. For small local populations, including genotypes from other related populations can aid in improving imputation accuracy.

Screening and quantification of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables making use of gas chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization.

An atmospheric pressure chemical ionization source has been used to enhance the potential of gas chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) mass spectrometry (MS) for screening and quantification purposes in pesticide residue analysis. A screening method developed in our laboratory for around 130 pesticides has been applied to fruit and vegetable samples, including strawberries, oranges, apples, carrots, lettuces, courgettes, red peppers, and tomatoes. Samples were analyzed together with quality control samples (at 0.05 mg/kg) for each matrix and for matrix-matched calibration standards. The screening strategy consisted in first rapid searching and detection, and then a refined identification step using the QTOF capabilities (MS(E) and accurate mass). Identification was based on the presence of one characteristic m/z ion (Q) obtained with the low collision energy function and at least one fragment ion (q) obtained with the high collision energy function, both with mass errors of less than 5 ppm, and an ion intensity ratio (q/Q) within the tolerances permitted. Following this strategy, 15 of 130 pesticides were identified in the samples. Afterwards, the quantitation capabilities were tested by performing a quantitative validation for those pesticides detected in the samples. To this aim, five matrices were selected (orange, apple, tomato, lettuce, and carrot) and spiked at two concentrations (0.01 and 0.1 mg/kg), and quantification was done using matrix-matched calibration standards (relative responses versus triphenyl phosphate used as an internal standard). Acceptable average recoveries and relative standard deviations were obtained for many but not all pesticide-matrix combinations. These figures allowed us to perform a retrospective quantification of positives found in the screening without the need for additional analysis. Taking advantage of the accurate-mass full-spectrum data provided by QTOF MS, we searched for a higher number of compounds (up to 416 pesticides) in a second stage by performing extra data processing without any new sample injection. Several more pesticides were detected, confirmed, and/or tentatively identified when the reference standard was unavailable, illustrating in this way the potential of gas chromatography-QTOF MS to detect pesticides in addition to the ones targeted in quantitative analysis of pesticides in food matrices.

Effect of ß-cryptoxanthin plus phytosterols on cardiovascular risk and bone turnover markers in post-menopausal women: a randomized crossover trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Post-menopausal women are at higher risk of cardiovascular disease and bone demineralization. Phytosterols (PS) may be used for hypercholesterolemia in some groups and ß-cryptoxanthin (ß-Cx) displays a unique anabolic effect on bone. Our aim was to assess the changes in cardiovascular and bone turnover markers from the oral intake of ß-Cx and PS in post-menopausal women. METHODS AND RESULTS: A randomized, double-blind, crossover study with ß-Cx (0.75 mg/day) and PS (1.5 g/day), single and combined, was performed in 38 postmenopausal women. Diet was supplemented with 1 × 250 mL milk-based fruit drink/day for 4 weeks with a wash-out period of 4-weeks in between. Serum ß-Cx and PS were determined by UPLC and CG-FID respectively. Outcome variables included markers of bone turnover and cardiovascular risk. Biological effect was assessed by paired t test and generalized estimating equations analysis that included the previous treatment, the order of intervention and the interactions. The intake of beverages containing ß-Cx and PS brought about a significant increase in serum levels of ß-Cx, ß-sitosterol and campesterol. Intervention caused changes in almost all the markers while the order, previous treatment and the interaction did not reach statistical significance. Only the intake of the beverage containing ß-Cx plus PS brought about significant decreases in total cholesterol, c-HDL, c-LDL and bone turnover markers. CONCLUSIONS: ß-Cx improves the cholesterol-lowering effect of PS when supplied simultaneously and this combination may also be beneficial in reducing risk of osteoporosis. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRY: ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT01074723.

Chronic pelvic pain in Spanish women: prevalence and associated risk factors. A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of chronic pelvic pain (CPP) symptoms and associated risk factors in Spanish women. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: in Malaga and its province in Spain. POPULATION: women aged 18-65 years using non-probability sampling by quotas (n = 940), stratified by age and county. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All the participants completed the CPPQ-Mohedo, a self-administered validated questionnaire able to discriminate between patients with and without CPP. RESULTS: Taking a CPPQ-Mohedo score of > or = 6 as an indication of CPP symptoms, the prevalence of CPP symptoms was 26.8% in the general population in women aged 18-65 years. After adjustment for age, those women who exercised had a lower CPPQ-Mohedo score than those who did not exercise (mean difference -3.02 +/- 4.27). Higher (worse) scores were associated with the following factors: lifting and/or moving heavy loads during activities of daily living (3.57 +/- 4.51), laxatives and/or a high-fiber diet (4.71 +/- 5.07), history of recurrent urogenital infection (vulvovaginitis, cystitis; 4.40 +/- 5.22), pelvic trauma (4.77 +/- 4.55), irritable bowel (5.10 +/- 5.50), anal fissure (7.46 +/- 6.50) or uterine prolapse (13.66 +/- 2.36). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of CPP symptoms in Spanish women is high and is associated with risk factors that should be addressed by multidisciplinary preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic strategies. More prevalence studies are needed to determine the true situation concerning chronic pelvic pain in Spain.

[Translated article] Spinopelvic dissociation: Current concepts.

INTRODUCTION: Spinopelvic dissociation is an uncommon injury, but, at the same time, very serious, since it can associate important complications with high morbidity and mortality. Its low frequency means that the experience of the specialists who have to deal with it is often very limited. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the treatment indications based in classifications and surgery techniques. METHOD: A search for scientific articles from high-impact journals was performed through international databases, such as Pubmed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Science Direct and OVID. CONCLUSIONS: The management of the injury we are analyzing represents a challenge. The diagnosis is carried out through a meticulous anamnesis and physical examination, supported by imaging tests, where tomography acquires special relevance. The treatment is fundamentally surgical, reserved the conservative option for a few cases. Triangular fixation is nowadays considered the treatment of choice.

S100A12 protein as a porcine health status biomarker when quantified in saliva samples.

The S100A12 protein was validated as a biomarker of health status in porcine saliva samples using a semi-quantitative approach based on Western blotting in four healthy and sixteen diseased animals, and in four animals with severe respiratory disease during three days of antibiotic therapy. Afterwards, a non-competitive sandwich immunoassay was then developed, validated, and used to quantify S100A12 in clinical porcine samples, using 14 healthy and 25 diseased pigs. Finally, the S100A12 concentrations in the saliva of ten pigs with respiratory disease were monitored during antibiotic therapy. Diseased animals showed higher concentrations of S100A12 than healthy animals, and the high concentrations of S100A12 in pigs with respiratory distress were reduced after antimicrobial therapy. The assay developed showed good precision and accuracy, as well as a low limit of detection of 3.19 ng/mL. It was possible to store saliva samples at -20 °C, or even at 4 °C, for two weeks before analysis without losing the validity of the results. The concentrations of S100A12 observed in serum and saliva samples showed a moderately positive association with a correlation coefficient of 0.48. The concentrations of the new validated biomarker S100A12 are highly associated with the novel salivary biomarker of inflammation, adenosine deaminase, and moderately to highly associated with the total oxidant status. The results reported in this study provide a new way of evaluating inflammatory diseases in pigs using saliva samples, which should be further explored for disease prevention and monitoring in the field.

Economically viable bioprocess for inclusion of microalga Nannochloropsis gaditana in aquaculture feeds: Evaluation of antioxidant addition in preventing lipid oxidation during storage.

The rising prices of fishery derivatives limits their use in aquafeeds. Therefore, other alternatives are used to replace those ingredients. Among them, microalgae are of great interest both as an ingredient and as a potential stabilising agent against lipid oxidation. This study evaluates on the use of Nannochloropsis gaditana to prevent lipid oxidation in a set of 12 aquafeeds over 540 days of storage. Aquafeeds were formulated with/without 15 % N. gaditana combined with two antioxidants -butylhydroxytoluene (25-150 mg·kg-1) or vitamin E (500-3000 mg·kg-1). The effect of i) storage period, ii) presence of microalgae and iii) antioxidant addition on lipid oxidation was assessed. Results showed higher fatty acid degradation in diets lacking microalgae. The microalgae supplemented diets is enough for preserving feeds presenting the highest antioxidant effect at the end, without significant differences with the microalgae-supplemented feeds and those including antioxidants after 540 days of storage.

Long-Term Treatment with Alcaligenes faecalis A12C Improves Host Resistance to Pathogens in Septic Rats: Possible Contribution of Curdlan-Like Immune Trainer.

Curdlan, a ß-1,3/1,6-glucan found in Alcaligenes faecalis (A. faecalis) wall, activates innate and humoral immunity. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether pretreated rats with A. faecalis A12C could prevent sepsis disturbances and identify the immunomodulatory mechanisms involved. Experiments occurred in two stages: a survival study with 16 rats randomly divided into septic (SC) (n = 8) and septic pretreated (SA) (n = 8) groups and 45 rats divided into four groups: healthy (AGUSAN) (n = 9), septic (AGUIC) (n = 13), septic pretreated (AGUIA) (n = 14), and healthy pretreated (AGUSTO) (n = 9). Sepsis was induced by cecal ligation and puncture after 30 days of A. faecalis A12C pretreatment or without. SA group had a higher survival rate of 58% vs. 16% for SC group (P < 0.05). Overall, AGUIA showed better status than AGUIC (P < 0.01). Higher monocytosis was found in AGUIA and AGUSTO vs. AGUIC and AGUSAN, respectively (P < 0.05). A gradual increase in curdlan fecal concentration was observed in AGUIA during pretreatment. Fecal concentrations of Escherichia coli significantly decreased in AGUIA and AGUSTO. Bacterial load in urine, peritoneal lavage fluid (PLF), and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) decreased (P < 0.05) in AGUIA vs. AGUIC. Finally, lower inflammation was observed in serum, BALF, and PLF, with reduced IL-6, IL-10, IL-1ß, and TNF-α, along with less damage in lungs and peritoneum in AGUIA vs. AGUIC. These findings suggest the connection between curdlan-produced by A. faecalis A12C-with the immune system and the reduction in severity of experimental sepsis.