Effect of loading rate and pH on glycerol fermentation and microbial population in an upflow anaerobic filter reactor.

A reactor with silicone tubes as support medium was used for glycerol fermentation. The experimental set-up consisted of three phases. In P1, the applied glycerol loading rate (gly-LR) was in the range of 6-10 g.L-1.d-1 at an influent pH of 7.9 ± 0.4. In P2, gly-LR was kept constant (18.0 ± 1.8 g.L-1.d-1) with different doses of NaHCO3. Finally in P3, two different gly-LR (9 and 18 g.L-1.d-1) were evaluated, dosing 1 g-NaHCO3 per g-COD of glycerol. Glycerol consumption was close 90%. The main end-product was 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) (0.40 mol.mol-gly-1), but ethanol was also generated, particularly at pH above 8 and low gly-LR (0.20 mol.mol-gly-1). After 1-year operation with glycerol as the only carbon source, a drastic shift in the bacterial community was observed. The 1,3-PDO producers Lacrimispora and Clostridium became dominant, although non-glycerol-degrading fermentative genera, e.g., Actinomyces and Eubacterium, thrived at the expense of cellular breakdown products.

Working memory deficits in schizophrenia are associated with the rs34884856 variant and expression levels of the NR4A2 gene in a sample Mexican population: a case control study.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive functions represent useful endophenotypes to identify the association between genetic variants and schizophrenia. In this sense, the NR4A2 gene has been implicated in schizophrenia and cognition in different animal models and clinical trials. We hypothesized that the NR4A2 gene is associated with working memory performance in schizophrenia. This study aimed to analyze two variants and the expression levels of the NR4A2 gene with susceptibility to schizophrenia, as well as to evaluate whether possession of NR4A2 variants influence the possible correlation between gene expression and working memory performance in schizophrenia. METHODS: The current study included 187 schizophrenia patients and 227 controls genotyped for two of the most studied NR4A2 genetic variants in neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases. Genotyping was performed using High Resolution Melt and sequencing techniques. In addition, mRNA expression of NR4A2 was performed in peripheral mononuclear cells of 112 patients and 118 controls. A group of these participants, 54 patients and 87 controls, performed the working memory index of the WAIS III test. RESULTS: Both genotypic frequencies of the two variants and expression levels of the NR4A2 gene showed no significant difference when in patients versus controls. However, patients homozygous for the rs34884856 promoter variant showed a positive correlation between expression levels and auditory working memory. CONCLUSIONS: Our finding suggested that changes in expression levels of the NR4A2 gene could be associated with working memory in schizophrenia depending on patients' genotype in a sample from a Mexican population.

A Regional Approach Shows Differences Among Invasive Ants Solenopsis geminata and Wasmannia auropunctata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Within Its Native Range of Distribution.

Worldwide, two of the most harmful invasive ants typical of disturbed sites are Solenopsis geminata (Fabricius) and Wasmannia auropunctata (Roger). Both are natives of the Neotropics and are widely distributed all over the tropics. Within its original geographic range, there are few data on its abundance and potential damage to natural ecosystems. In this study, we recorded their abundance and relationships to diversity and richness of soil ant communities in two localities with different amount of forested area (López Mateos, LM 77% and Venustiano Carranza, VC 27%), at Los Tuxtlas reserve. In each locality, four land use systems (LUS) were sampled: tropical rain forests, agroforestry plantations, annual crops, and pastures. Data were gathered from 360 ant samples obtained from litter squares, pitfall traps, and soil monoliths in 40 sampling points (20 per locality, and five per LUS). Solenopsis geminata was more abundant in LM than in VC; the opposite trend was observed for W. auropunctata. In LM, S. geminata was more abundant in crops than in the other LUS, whereas W. auropunctata tended to have higher abundances in less managed sites of both localities. Abundance and species richness of ant communities were higher in LM than in VC. At regional and local levels, we found negative relationships between the abundance of S. geminata and species richness; the inverse pattern was found for W. auropunctata. We conclude that at Los Tuxtlas, W. auropunctata can be considered as a typical dominant native species, whereas S. geminata is the common exotic invasive ant.

Variability in Behavioral Phenotypes after Forced Swimming-Induced Stress in Rats Is Associated with Expression of the Glucocorticoid Receptor, Nurr1, and IL-1ß in the Hippocampus.

Individual differences in coping with stress may determine either a vulnerable or resilient phenotype. Therefore, it is important to better understand the biology underlying the behavioral phenotype. We assessed whether individual behavioral phenotype to acute stress is related with the hippocampal expression of glucocorticoid receptor (GR), Nurr1, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß) or brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Wistar male rats were exposed to forced swimming for 15 min and sacrificed at different times. Behavioral response was analyzed, and it was compared with the gene and protein expression of GR, Nurr1, IL-1ß and BDNF in the hippocampus for each time point. Behavioral phenotyping showed a group with high immobility (vulnerable) while another had low immobility (resilient). No significant differences were found in the Nurr1, IL-1ß and BDNF mRNA levels between resilient and vulnerable rats at different recovery times except for Nr3c1 (gene for GR). However, exposure to stress caused significantly higher levels of GR, Nurr1 and IL-1ß proteins of vulnerable compared to resilient rats. This variability of behavioral phenotypes is associated with a differential molecular response to stress that involves GR, Nurr1, and IL-1ß as mediators in coping with stress. This contributes to identifying biomarkers of susceptibility to stress.

Magnetic mesoporous silica nanospheres with dual probe & release fluorescent functionality.

The combination of different nanomaterials through step-by-step synthesis procedures has turned into a promising alternative to fabricate high-quality nanosystems in order to satisfy the increasingly demanding requirements of the biomedical field. In this work, we report a detailed study on the synthesis and characterization of a complex nanosystem composed of nanoparticles with a single magnetic nanoparticle core and a shell of dense and mesoporous silica arranged in layers. The procedure designed to fabricate these systems lead us to the formation of a dispersion of non-agglomerated spherical nanoparticles of nearly 100 nm. The structural characterization performed over the final samples confirmed both the prevalence of single-core systems and the presence of the mesoporous silica shell in the outer layer. The performance of the nanosystem in a specific technological application was tested by sequentially loading two different fluorescents molecules by covalent and non-covalent bonding strategies. Due to the distinct loading strategies, the resulting nanosystem presented a magnetically-assisted probe & release functionality as analyzed in a magnetophoretic experiment.

Seroprevalence of West Nile and dengue virus in the human population of the Bolivian Chaco.

To determine the seroprevalence of antibodies against dengue virus (DENV) and West Nile virus (WNV) in the human population of the Bolivian Chaco, we tested 256 inhabitants of two rural communities. The seroprevalence, confirmed by plaque reduction neutralization test, was 7.8% and 2.7% for DENV and WNV, respectively.

Microbial diversity associated with the anaerobic sediments of a soda lake (Mono Lake, California, USA).

Soda lakes are inhabited by important haloalkaliphilic microbial communities that are well adapted to these extreme characteristics. The surface waters of the haloalkaline Mono Lake (California, USA) are alkaline but, in contrast to its bottom waters, do not present high salinity. We have studied the microbiota present in the shoreline sediments of Mono Lake using next-generation sequencing techniques. The statistical indexes showed that Bacteria had a higher richness, diversity, and evenness than Archaea. Seventeen phyla and 8 "candidate divisions" were identified among the Bacteria, with a predominance of the phyla Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. Among the Proteobacteria, there was a notable presence of Rhodoplanes and a high diversity of sulfate-reducing Deltaproteobacteria, in accordance with the high sulfate-reducing activity detected in soda lakes. Numerous families of bacterial fermenters were identified among the Firmicutes. The Bacteroides were represented by several environmental groups that have not yet been isolated. Since final organic matter in anaerobic environments with high sulfate contents is mineralized mainly by sulfate-reducing bacteria, very little methanogenic archaeal biodiversity was detected. Only 2 genera, Methanocalculus and Methanosarcina, were retrieved. The species similarities described indicate that a significant number of the operational taxonomic units identified may represent new species.

[Acute liver failure as presentation of adult T-cell leukemia in an HTLV-1 patient]. / Falla hepática aguda fulminante como manifestación de leucemia de células T del adulto en paciente con infección por HTLV-1.

Acute liver failure is the development of severe hepatic injury with deterioration of liver synthesis function and encephalopathy. Among all the variety of causes, neoplastic infiltration represents less than 0.5%. We present the case of a male patient with a past medical history of HTLV-1 infection, who reports symptoms of acute hepatitis, being diagnosed with Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma. Unfortunately, the patient had a rapid deterioration and passed away a few days after admission.

[Familiar adenomatous polyposis: report of 2 cases]. / Poliposis adenomatosa familiar: a propósito de 2 casos.

Familial Adenomatous polyposis (FAP) it is based on an autosomal dominant mutation which results in loss of function of theAPC tumor suppressor gene. On the other hand, Gardner syndrome is a type of FAP and is characterized for multiple colonic adenomatous polyps and extracolonic abnormalities as desmoid tumors, osteomas, lipomas, dental abnormalities, dermoid cysts and duodenal adenomas. This report aims to present two patients with FAP: The first one is a patient who presented with osteomas and hematochezia, being diagnosed with Gardner Syndrome after the colonoscopy. The second patient has a family history of colon cancer, who is diagnosed with FAP with tubular adenocarcinoma. We decide to report both cases due to the absence of previous reports in Peru.

[Duodenal Linphoma asociated to Strongyloides stercoralis infection. Two types of HTLV-1 infection]. / Linfoma duodenal asociado a infección por Strongyloides stercoralis. Dos manifestaciones de la infección por HTLV-1.

Infection by the Human T- Lymphotropic virus I (HTLV-1) causes Adult T cell Leukemia-lymphoma (ATLL), being the duodenal involvement rare. Commonly, patients co-infected with HTLV-1 and Strongyloides stercoralis are seen due to the lack of TH2 response found on these patients. We describe a 48-year- old woman, from the jungle of Peru, with a family history of HTLV-1 infection, who presented with a History of chronic diarrhea and weight loss. HTLV-1 infection with ATLL and strongyloidiasis were diagnosed. Ivermectin treatment and chemotherapy were initiated, being stabilized, and discharged. We report this case because of the unusual coexistence in the duodenum of ATLL and strongyloidiasis.

Human Babesiosis, Bolivia, 2013.

To investigate human babesiosis in the Bolivian Chaco, in 2013 we tested blood samples from 271 healthy persons living in 2 rural communities in this region. Microscopy and PCR indicated that 3.3% of persons were positive for Babesia microti parasites (US lineage); seroprevalence was 45.7%. Appropriate screening should mitigate the risk for transfusion-associated babesiosis.

Neonatal exposure to monosodium glutamate induces morphological alterations in suprachiasmatic nucleus of adult rat.

Neonatal exposure to monosodium glutamate (MSG) induces circadian disorders in several physiological and behavioural processes regulated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of neonatal exposure to MSG on locomotor activity, and on morphology, cellular density and expression of proteins, as evaluated by optical density (OD), of vasopressin (VP)-, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)- and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-immunoreactive cells in the SCN. Male Wistar rats were used: the MSG group was subcutaneously treated from 3 to 10 days of age with 3.5 mg/g/day. Locomotor activity was evaluated at 90 days of age using 'open-field' test, and the brains were processed for immunohistochemical studies. MSG exposure induced a significant decrease in locomotor activity. VP- and VIP-immunoreactive neuronal densities showed a significant decrease, while the somatic OD showed an increase. Major axes and somatic area were significantly increased in VIP neurons. The cellular and optical densities of GFAP-immunoreactive sections of SCN were significantly increased. These results demonstrated that newborn exposure to MSG induced morphological alterations in SCN cells, an alteration that could be the basis for behavioural disorders observed in the animals.

Active coping of prenatally stressed rats in the forced swimming test: involvement of the Nurr1 gene.

Depending on genetic predisposition, prenatal stress may result in vulnerability or resilience to develop psychiatric disorders in adulthood. Nurr1 is an immediate early gene, important in the brain for the stress response. We tested the hypothesis that prenatal stress and the decrease of hippocampal Nurr1 alter offspring behavioral responses in the forced swimming test (FST). Pregnant Wistar rats were exposed to restraint stress (45 min, thrice daily) from gestation day 14. Prenatally stressed (PS) and non-prenatally stressed (NPS) male offspring were treated bilaterally with a Nurr1 antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN; or control) into the hippocampus at 97 d of age. After 1 h, the rats were exposed to the FST (acute stressor) to analyze their behavioral responses. Thirty minutes after the FST, we analyzed the gene expression of Nurr1, Bdnf and Nr3c1 (genes for Nurr1, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR), respectively) in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hypothalamus. Results showed that the decrease of hippocampal Nurr1 after the antisense ODN in adult NPS rats induces immobility (indicating depressive-like behavior). The PS adult rats, including the group with decreased hippocampal Nurr1, presented low immobility in the FST. This low immobility was concordant with maintenance of Nurr1 and Bdnf expression levels in the three analyzed brain regions; Nr3c1 gene expression was also maintained in the PFC and hypothalamus. These findings suggest that Nurr1 and associated genes could participate in the brain modifications induced by prenatal stress, allowing active coping (resilience) with acute stress in adulthood.

Rupture of the retrocorporeal artery: a rare cause of spontaneous spinal epidural haematoma.

A 22-year-old man presented with a sudden backache and paraplegia (ASIA = B). Magnetic resonance imaging showed an anterior pan-spinal epidural haematoma. Digital subtraction angiography was performed and ruled out an underlying vascular malformation but showed an active contrast media leakage into the T-4 ventral epidural space with a pattern of pseudo-aneurysm. A rupture of a T-4 retrocorporeal artery was considered as the aetiology, possibly caused by a haemorrhagic sub-adventitial dissection. Treatment consisted in the embolisation of both the pseudo-aneurysm and the parent artery with liquid acrylic glue, followed by neurosurgical decompression in emergency. The patient had totally recovered (ASIA = E) by the 10-month clinical follow-up.

[Rapunzel syndrome as a cause of obstruction and intestinal perforation]. / Síndrome de Rapunzel como causa de obstrucción y perforación intestinal.

The following is a case report involving a 16 year old female with trichotillomania as an antecedent. This patient presented to the Emergency Room with a chief complaint of early satiety and persistent abdominal pain for the past 3 months. However, recently her abdominal pain has worsened and it is now complicated by nausea and vomiting. The physical exam was notable for epigastric pain on deep palpation. The biochemical analysis and abdominal ultrasound were otherwise unremarkable. An esophagogastroduodenoscopy was subsequently performed where a trichobezoar was discovered. It extended from the gastric fundus to the third portion of the duodenum. A surgical extraction of the trichobezoar was then performed. The trichobezoar was found to be 130 cm in length and 8 cm wide at its most cephalad aspect. It is important to note that they also found five mall perforations throughout the duodenum and jejunum. The patient was discharged with outpatient follow up with psychiatry. In this report we describe the case of a patient with Rapunzel syndrome that was complicated by small bowel perforation and we provide a review of the salient literature concerning this syndrome and its associated complications.

[Association between ulcerative colitis and primary esclerosing cholangitis]. / Asociación entre colitis ulcerativa y colangitis esclerosante primaria.

Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is associated to Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) in 80% of cases, and this association is more common than the one with Crohn’s disease. Nevertheless, the prevalence of PSC in patients with UC is only 2.9% in Latin America. We present the case of a female patient who presents a clinical history characterized for chronic diarrhea of one year of evolution, associated to fever, oral ulcers and loss of weight. In the laboratory results there is an elevation in the following: alkaline phosphatase, GGT, ALT and AST, for that reason we decide to do an abdominal ultrasound finding a hepatomegaly. In the colonoscopy we found an ulcerative colitis. Later, we do a magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, because of the diagnosis of UC and the abnormalities at the liver function tests, diagnosing PSC associated to UC. At that moment, the patient starts treatment with sulfasalazine that is stopped because of an adverse effect, starting prednisone and azathioprine. The patient then is discharged with the medication already mentioned and has a favorable clinical outcome. We decide to report the case because is the second reported case in Peru, being this association not commonly found in the South hemispheric.

[Demographic and clinical aspects of hepatic fascioliasis between 2013-2010 in National Hospital Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru]. / Caracterización clínica y epidemiológica de la infección por fasciola hepática entre los años 2003-2010 en el Hospital Nacional Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the demographic and clinical aspects of hepatic fascioliasis as well as the complications and associations between various factors and the disease in a reference hospital. METHODS: This is a descriptive and retrospective case series study; we included all patients who had a recent diagnosis of hepatic fascioliasis from 2003 to 2010 in the Hospital Nacional Cayetano Heredia. Demographic and clinical variables were analyzed including complications and treatment received. RESULTS: 68 medical records were found eligible for the study. The mean age was 36 years. Ancash department was the most frequent place of origin and residence. Most of them were diagnosed in the chronic phase, the most common symptom was abdominal pain and eight patients had complications: 3 hepatic abscess, 1 subcapsular hematoma, 1 cholangitis and 1 cholangitis plus cholecystitis. There were the following associations: Age under 15 years with chronic phase and hyporexia, being a student with a positive stool analysis; and between being born in an endemic area with the absence of complications. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatic fascioliasis has unspecific clinical presentation so the epidemiological or dietary history and specially eosinophilia should guide the diagnosis.

[Autoimmune hepatitis induced by isotretionine]. / Hepatitis autoinmune inducida por isotretionina.

We describe a case of a teenage patient with the diagnosis of drug induced autoimmune hepatitis. The patient is a 16 years old female, with the past medical history of Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism controlled with levothyroxine, who started treatment with Isotretionin (®Accutane) 20 mg q/12 hours for a total of 3 months for the treatment of severe acne. The physical examination was within normal limits and the results of the laboratory exams are: Baseline values of ALT 28 U/L, AST 28 U/L. Three months later: AST 756 U/L, ALT 1199U/L, alkaline phosphatase 114 U/L, with normal bilirrubin levels throughout the process. The serology studies were negative for all viral hepatitis; ANA titers were positive (1/160) and igG levels were also elevated. A liver biopsy was performed, and was compatible with the diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis. Corticosteroid therapy was started with Prednisone 40 mg per day one week after stopping the treatment with isotretionin, observing an improvement in the laboratory values. We describe this case and review the world literature since there are no reported cases of Isotretinoin-induced autoimmune hepatitis.

[Venous tromboembolism in a patient with Crohn disease with ileal stenosis]. / Trombosis venosa profunda en un paciente con enfermedad de Crohnilealestenosante.

Inflammatory bowel disease is associated with extraintestinal manifestations. Among these manifestations is the venous tromboembolism which presents a risk three times more than that presented in general population. We report the case of a 61-year-old male with a history of abdominal pain, chronic diarrhea and fever, with leukocytosis, and fecal samples containing leukocytes, partial ileal stenosis with multiple ulcers in the enteroscopy, with histologic findings compatible with Crohn's disease. The patient has a good outcome with prednisone and maintenence azathioprine, presenting at the fifth month deep venous thrombosis of both lower extremities that resolvewith anticoagulation treatment.