Inflammatory response induced by Helicobacter pylori infection in lung.

Helicobacter pylori is a microorganism that in the last years has been associated with extragastric disorders such as respiratory diseases, however, its impact on lung is partially understood. The aim of this work was to study infection impact of H. pylori on the inflammatory markers expression at the pulmonary level using an animal model. Infection was performed by BALB/c wild type (WT) mice orotracheal instillation with 20 µl of 1 × 108H. pylori reference strain suspension once per day throughout 3 days. Inflammatory response was evaluated at 3, 7, 14, 21 and 30 days post infection. Lung was aseptically removed and pulmonary edema index values showed a significant change at 30 days of infection. Hematoxylin-Eosin (H-E) stain allowed to visualizing H. pylori presence in lung samples at 3 days of infection near the phagocytic cells or in the alveoli lumen. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was used for inflammatory response evaluation. Lactate dehydrogenase values showed a gradual increase in infected animals along infection time. Protein concentrations in mg/ml from BAL increased significantly at 7 days in infected animals. Macrophages viability obtained from BAL, decreased at the first moment of infection, maintaining constant values along contamination time. Results obtained demonstrate an inflammatory response in lung after orotracheal H. pylori infection and suggest that the pathogenic mechanism is strongly evidenced by tissue damage, endothelial dysfunction inflammatory mediators and markers expression at the pulmonary level.

Influence of social cognition as a mediator between cognitive reserve and psychosocial functioning in patients with first episode psychosis.

BACKGROUND: Social cognition has been associated with functional outcome in patients with first episode psychosis (FEP). Social cognition has also been associated with neurocognition and cognitive reserve. Although cognitive reserve, neurocognitive functioning, social cognition, and functional outcome are related, the direction of their associations is not clear. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to analyze the influence of social cognition as a mediator between cognitive reserve and cognitive domains on functioning in FEP both at baseline and at 2 years. METHODS: The sample of the study was composed of 282 FEP patients followed up for 2 years. To analyze whether social cognition mediates the influence of cognitive reserve and cognitive domains on functioning, a path analysis was performed. The statistical significance of any mediation effects was evaluated by bootstrap analysis. RESULTS: At baseline, as neither cognitive reserve nor the cognitive domains studied were related to functioning, the conditions for mediation were not satisfied. Nevertheless, at 2 years of follow-up, social cognition acted as a mediator between cognitive reserve and functioning. Likewise, social cognition was a mediator between verbal memory and functional outcome. The results of the bootstrap analysis confirmed these significant mediations (95% bootstrapped CI (-10.215 to -0.337) and (-4.731 to -0.605) respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive reserve and neurocognition are related to functioning, and social cognition mediates in this relationship.

Advances in the assessment of self-determination: internal structure of a scale for people with intellectual disabilities aged 11 to 40.

BACKGROUND: Advances in theoretical frameworks of self-determination require the development of new assessment instruments. This study examines the dimensional structure of a self-determination scale and analyses the factorial invariance of its measurement across age and gender. METHOD: The AUTODDIS Scale was used to assess the self-determination of 541 people with intellectual disabilities aged from 11 to 40. RESULTS: Different models (correlational and hierarchical structures) of the scale were tested. The correlational model obtained from the exploratory structural equation model approach provided the best fit for the data. The results also supported measurement invariance across youths (aged 11 to 21 years) and adults (aged 21 to 40 years) and across genders. CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes to international research on self-determination and the development of assessment tools in this field, offering a better understanding of this multifaceted and complex construct. The results provide construct validity evidence regarding a new measurement tool tested across people aged 11 to 40, using information from third parties. However, further research is needed to explore the best ways to understand and assess the different factors related to self-determination.

Crescendo, diminuendo and subito of the trumpets: winds of change in the concerted evolution between flowers and pollinators in Salpichroa (Solanaceae).

'Gradual' vs 'punctuated' and 'unidirectional' (only lengthening) vs. 'bidirectional'(lengthenings and shortenings) modes of evolution are explanations that compete to explain adaptive changes of flower tube length in angiosperm. The nightshade genus Salpichroa Miers, with 21 species mostly growing in the tropical Andes of southern South America, has the opportune qualities of including nearly 15-fold inter-specific variation in corolla tube length, as well as one species that is a candidate for participating in evolutionary escalation with the longest-billed hummingbird, Ensifera ensifera. We reconstructed the phylogenetic relationships using five molecular markers, the two plastid markers trnD-trnT and trnL, and three nuclear markers, ITS and two COSII, and estimated divergence times of the genus in order to reconstruct the history of both corolla tube length and pollination mode (i.e. hummingbirds, moths or multiple). We used comparative methods to determine whether corolla tube elongation/shortening is associated with shifts in pollination mode and to test, modes and rates of corolla tube change. We found evidence of both lengthening and shortening of corolla tubes. Evolutionary rates are consistent with rapid corolla tube length transitions that are only partly associated with shifts in pollination mode. Though 'punctuated' evolution (i.e. large changes predominantly at speciation events) explained corolla changes in the whole genus, 'gradual' evolution (i.e. gradual changes during a coevolutionary race with the same pollinator) was a better explanation for the change in the long-flowered clade, mostly pollinated by hummingbirds.

Study of Helicobacter pylori infection on lung using an animal model.

Helicobacter pylori infection has been reported to be associated with extra-digestive disorders such as respiratory diseases; however, the impact of H. pylori on lung is incompletely understood. Inflammatory response is mediated by the release of cytokines, interferon, and enzymes such as metalloproteinases (MMPs). This may contribute to collagen accumulation during the early phase of infection. MMP expression is an important factor for the proliferation and infiltration of lung cells in the process of fibrosis formation. The aim of this work was to study the impact of the infection with H. pylori on lung using a mouse model. We looked for histological lesions of lung infected with the microorganism as well as the expression of inflammatory and of endothelial dysfunction markers. C57BL/6 wild type (WT) mice were infected by orotracheal instillation with 20 µl of 1 × 108H. pylori reference strain suspension once per day for 3 days. Animals infected and controls were sacrificed at 3, 7, 14, 21 and 30 days. The lung from mice were stained with Hematoxylin-Eosin (H-E), Masson's Trichromic and Periodic Acid Schifft (PAS) for histological study. Also, lipid hydroperoxides and enzime catalase (CAT) activity were determined. Expression level of multiple markers implicated in inflammation (tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10; metalloproteinase MMP-9) and markers of endothelial dysfunction (I-CAM and V-CAM) was determined from lung tissues mRNA using RT-PCR. Results showed that H. pylori induced morphological changes in the lung tissue with recruitment of inflammatory cells and lung parenchymal cell degradation. The mRNA of IL-1ß and TNF-α; MMP-9, I-CAM and V-CAM increased at 3-7 days infections. Also, iNOS, IL-8 and Phosphocholine cytidyltransferase (CCT) increased with lung injury. Anti-inflammatory interleukin as: IL-4, and IL-10 increased at 7 and 14 days post infection respectively. The results obtained suggest that the pathogenic mechanism of H. pylori on lung could be strongly associated with lung injury as indicate the expression increased of inflammatory mediators and markers of endothelial dysfunction.

Factors associated with poor functional outcome in bipolar disorder: sociodemographic, clinical, and neurocognitive variables.

OBJECTIVE: The current investigation aimed at studying the sociodemographic, clinical, and neuropsychological variables related to functional outcome in a sample of euthymic patients with bipolar disorder(BD) presenting moderate-severe levels of functional impairment. METHODS: Two-hundred and thirty-nine participants with BD disorders and with Functioning Assessment Short Test(FAST) scores equal or above 18 were administered a clinical and diagnostic interview, and the administration of mood measure scales and a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Analyses involved preliminary Pearson bivariate correlations to identify sociodemographic and clinical variables associated with the FAST total score. Regarding neuropsychological variables, a principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to group the variables in orthogonal factors. Finally, a hierarchical multiple regression was run. RESULTS: The best fitting model for the variables associated with functioning was a linear combination of gender, age, estimated IQ, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), number of previous manic episodes, Factor 1 and Factor 2 extracted from the PCA. The model, including all these previous variables, explained up to 29.4% of the observed variance. CONCLUSIONS: Male gender, older age, lower premorbid IQ, subdepressive symptoms, higher number of manic episodes, and lower performance in verbal memory, working memory, verbal fluency, and processing speed were associated with lower functioning in patients with BD.

The inner world of overactive monitoring: neural markers of interoception in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients typically overmonitor their own behavior, as shown by symptoms of excessive doubt and checking. Although this is well established for the patients' relationship with external stimuli in the environment, no study has explored their monitoring of internal body signals, a process known to be affected in anxiety-related syndromes. Here, we explored this issue through a cardiac interoception task that measures sensing of heartbeats. Our aim was to explore key behavioral and electrophysiological aspects of internal-cue monitoring in OCD, while examining their potential distinctiveness in this condition. METHOD: We administered a heartbeat detection (HBD) task (with related interoceptive confidence and awareness measures) to three matched groups (OCD patients, panic disorder patients, healthy controls) and recorded ongoing modulations of two task-relevant electrophysiological markers: the heart evoked potential (HEP) and the motor potential (MP). RESULTS: Behaviorally, OCD patients outperformed controls and panic patients in the HBD task. Moreover, they exhibited greater amplitude modulation of both the HEP and the MP during cardiac interoception. However, they evinced poorer confidence and awareness of their interoceptive skills. CONCLUSIONS: Convergent behavioral and electrophysiological data showed that overactive monitoring in OCD extends to the sensing of internal bodily signals. Moreover, this pattern discriminated OCD from panic patients, suggesting a condition-distinctive alteration. Our results highlight the potential of exploring interoceptive processes in the OCD spectrum to better characterize the population's cognitive profile. Finally, these findings may lay new bridges between somatic theories of emotion and cognitive models of OCD.

EARLY-ESLI study: Long-term experience with eslicarbazepine acetate after first monotherapy failure.

PURPOSE: Evaluate real-life experience with eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL) after first monotherapy failure in a large series of patients with focal epilepsy. METHOD: Multicentre, retrospective, 1-year, observational study in patients older than 18 years, with focal epilepsy, who had failed first antiepileptic drug monotherapy and who received ESL. Data from clinical records were analysed at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months to assess effectiveness and tolerability. RESULTS: Eslicarbazepine acetate was initiated in 253 patients. The 1-year retention rate was 92.9%, and the final median dose of ESL was 800 mg. At 12 months, 62.3% of patients had been seizure free for 6 months; 37.3% had been seizure free for 1 year. During follow-up, 31.6% of the patients reported ESL-related adverse events (AEs), most commonly somnolence (8.7%) and dizziness (5.1%), and 3.6% discontinued due to AEs. Hyponatraemia was observed in seven patients (2.8%). After starting ESL, 137 patients (54.2%) withdrew the prior monotherapy and converted to ESL monotherapy; 75.9% were seizure free, 87.6% were responders, 4.4% worsened, and 23.4% reported ESL-related AEs. CONCLUSION: Use of ESL after first monotherapy failure was associated with an optimal seizure control and tolerability profile. Over half of patients were converted to ESL monotherapy during follow-up.

Neural adaptations after short-term wingate-based high-intensity interval training.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the neural adaptations associated with a low-volume Wingate-based High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). METHODS: Fourteen recreationally trained males were divided into an experimental (HIIT) and a control group to determine whether a short-term (4 weeks) Wingate-based HIIT program could alter the Hoffmann (H-) reflex, volitional (V-) wave and maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) of the plantar-flexor muscles, and the peak power achieved during a Wingate test. RESULTS: Absolute and relative peak power increased in the HIIT group (ABS_Ppeak: +14.7%, P=0.001; and REL_Ppeak: +15.0%, P=0.001), but not in the control group (ABS_Ppeak: P=0.466; and REL_Ppeak: P=0.493). However, no significant changes were found in the MVC (P>0.05 for both groups). There was a significant increase in H-reflex size after HIIT (+24.5%, P=0.004), while it remained unchanged in the control group (P=0.134). No significant changes were observed either in the V-wave or in the Vwave/Mwave ratio (P>0.05 for both groups). CONCLUSION: The Wingate-based training led to an increased peak power together with a higher spinal excitability. However, no changes were found either in the volitional wave or in the MVC, indicating a lack of adaptation in the central motor drive.

Functional remediation in bipolar disorder: 1-year follow-up of neurocognitive and functional outcome.

BACKGROUND: Few randomised clinical trials have examined the efficacy of an intervention aimed at improving psychosocial functioning in bipolar disorder. AIMS: To examine changes in psychosocial functioning in a group that has been enrolled in a functional remediation programme 1 year after baseline. METHOD: This was a multicentre, randomised, rater-masked clinical trial comparing three patient groups: functional remediation, psychoeducation and treatment as usual over 1-year follow-up. The primary outcome was change in psychosocial functioning measured by means of the Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST). Group×time effects for overall psychosocial functioning were examined using repeated-measures ANOVA (trial registration NCT01370668). RESULTS: There was a significant group×time interaction for overall psychosocial functioning, favouring patients in the functional remediation group (F = 3.071, d.f. = 2, P = 0.049). CONCLUSIONS: Improvement in psychosocial functioning is maintained after 1-year follow-up in patients with bipolar disorder receiving functional remediation.

Effects of functional remediation on neurocognitively impaired bipolar patients: enhancement of verbal memory.

BACKGROUND: Functional remediation is a novel intervention with demonstrated efficacy at improving functional outcome in euthymic bipolar patients. However, in a previous trial no significant changes in neurocognitive measures were detected. The objective of the present analysis was to test the efficacy of this therapy in the enhancement of neuropsychological functions in a subgroup of neurocognitively impaired bipolar patients. METHOD: A total of 188 out of 239 DSM-IV euthymic bipolar patients performing below two standard deviations from the mean of normative data in any neurocognitive test were included in this subanalysis. Repeated-measures analyses of variance were conducted to assess the impact of the treatment arms [functional remediation, psychoeducation, or treatment as usual (TAU)] on participants' neurocognitive and functional outcomes in the subgroup of neurocognitively impaired patients. RESULTS: Patients receiving functional remediation (n = 56) showed an improvement on delayed free recall when compared with the TAU (n = 63) and psychoeducation (n = 69) groups as shown by the group × time interaction at 6-month follow-up [F 2,158 = 3.37, degrees of freedom (df) = 2, p = 0.037]. However, Tukey post-hoc analyses revealed that functional remediation was only superior when compared with TAU (p = 0.04), but not with psychoeducation (p = 0.10). Finally, the patients in the functional remediation group also benefited from the treatment in terms of functional outcome (F 2,158 = 4.26, df = 2, p = 0.016). CONCLUSIONS: Functional remediation is effective at improving verbal memory and psychosocial functioning in a sample of neurocognitively impaired bipolar patients at 6-month follow-up. Neurocognitive enhancement may be one of the active ingredients of this novel intervention, and, specifically, verbal memory appears to be the most sensitive function that improves with functional remediation.

Pharmacokinetics of tildipirosin in pig tonsils.

The penetration of antimicrobials in pig tonsils is hardly known. The objective of the study was to quantify the tildipirosin (TD) penetration in tonsils. Animals were randomly divided into six groups (control, T1, T2 (1), T2(5), T2(10), and T2(15)) of eight animals. T1 and T2 groups received a dose of 2 and 4 mg of TD/kg bw in one shot (Zuprevo® MSD Animal Health), respectively, and the control group received 2 mL of saline solution. The animals were sacrificed by intravenous administration of pentobarbital sodium 24 h after finishing the treatment for the control, T1, and T2(1) groups, whereas animals of T2(5), T2(10), and T2(15) groups were sacrificed at 5, 10, and 15 days, post-treatment, respectively. Tonsils and blood samples were taken at necropsy to obtain plasma, and the tildipirosin concentration was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry detection. The concentration in plasma was always significantly lower than in tonsil. Average TD tonsil concentrations increased significantly in a dose-dependent manner, and the tonsil TD vs. plasma TD concentration ratio was approximately 75 for the doses of 2 and 4 mg of TD/kg bw at 24 h post-treatment. Moreover, the maximum concentration of tildipirosin in tonsil was observed at 1 day postadministration, and this concentration decreased gradually from this day until 15 days postadministration for the dose of 4 mg of TD/kg bw. Finally, the ratio AUCtonsil/AUCplasma was 97.9, and the T1/2 (h) was clearly higher in tonsil than in plasma.

Institutional development of freshwater fish stocking in Mexico.

By using freshwater fish stocking information from the Mexican government, this work described the current situation of the national stocking and its associated fishery policy. There is a lack of effective freshwater stocking programmes as a result of limited fisheries management, unharmonized fisheries regulations and institutional performance. The fry production has decreased from 140 to 20 million in the past 11 years.

How to create by your own a customized hip cement mega-spacer for a hip megaprosthesis two-stage revision surgery after oncologic limb-salvage surgery - Surgical technique and case report.

Managing chronic periprosthetic infections in patients who have undergone limb-salvage surgery following a malignant bone tumor with megaprosthesis often involves a two-stage revision surgery with the use of a cement-spacer. This paper show details the preparation of a self-made intramedullary metal-stabilized mega-cement spacer for patients needing a two-stage revision surgery due to infection after oncologic bone tumor resection and limb-salvage surgery with megaprosthesis and present two clinical cases treated with this technique. The report provides a practical surgical technique to create a cement hip mega-spacer using readily available tools in most orthopedic surgical settings.

Clinical importance of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio and systemic immune-inflammation index in dogs with leishmaniasis.

Leishmaniasis is a zoonotic disease caused by Leishmania spp., impacts multiple systems and organs. While hematological and biochemical profiles aren't definitive for diagnosis, recent studies have identified the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) as predictors of morbidity and mortality in critically ill human and dog patients. This study examined 100 dogs diagnosed with leishmaniasis, categorized by the International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) stages 1-4. Additionally, the dogs were divided based on whether they survived less or more than one year (L1Y and G1Y). Control group consisted of 43 dogs. The NLR increased as the disease progressed (IRIS 1-4), presenting statistically significant differences (P<0.05) when compared to the control group (2,37±2,08) IRIS 3 and 4 (4,59±13,39 and 6,99±12,86, respectively), and G1Y and L1Y (3,60±4,02 and 4,87±5,82, respectively). Significant changes in SII were only evident in short-term survivors (L1Y 951,93±1402) and advanced renal disease cases (IRIS 4 stage 1073,68±1901,09). Conversely, PLR remained largely unchanged. In conclusion, these results suggest that the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) may serve as potential markers for assessing disease progression and prognosis in dogs diagnosed with leishmaniasis.

Immunosenescence: the role of age in multiple sclerosis.

INTRODUCTION: The number of elderly people with multiple sclerosis (MS) has increased in line with population ageing. As the immune system presents profound changes over an individual's lifetime, it is important to understand the differences between these patients and younger patients. DEVELOPMENT: Immunosenescence, defined as age-related alterations naturally occurring in the immune system, particularly influences tolerance, response, and adverse effects of disease-modifying treatments for MS. Thymic involution is the most noteworthy characteristic of this phenomenon. This process leads to a reduction in the number of virgin T cells. Other effects include an inverted CD4+/CD8+ cell ratio, severe alterations in NK cell functioning, and reduced tissue repair capacity in the brain. CONCLUSIONS: The number of older people with MS is increasing due to population ageing, advances in disease-modifying treatments, and improved health and social care of these patients. Ageing of the immune system increases the risk of infections, tumours, and autoimmune diseases in elderly individuals. Furthermore, neurodegeneration is accelerated in patients with MS due to the nervous system's loss of remyelination capacity. Understanding of the changes affecting the immune system in the elderly population is essential to improving the care provided to this ever-growing patient group.

Flower morphology evolution in Jaborosa (Solanaceae): shape and size variation associated with contrasting pollination modes.

Flower morphology is considered an important factor in species diversification because it may influence the efficiency of pollination in different ways (e.g. attraction and mechanical fit with different groups of pollinators). In the present study, we quantified the variation in flower morphology (i.e. shape and size) of the diverse South American genus Jaborosa Juss. (Solanaceae) in relation to contrasting pollination modes: rewarding pollination either by moths or by generalist small insects versus brood-site deceptive pollination by saprophilous flies. We examined variations of flower morphology in frontal (pollinator attraction) and sagittal (functional fit with pollinators) views in 12 Jaborosa species using geometric morphometric methods and comparative approaches to infer whether flower shape evolution, not attributable to flower allometry or phylogenetic relationship, is associated with shifts in pollination modes. We found remarkable variation in flower morphology among both Jaborosa species and pollination modes, largely in sagittal view. Evolutionary trends in shape of fly-pollinated flowers were mainly attributable to changes in developmental trajectories. Variation in flower architecture facilitated differential pollen placement - on the proboscis of moths, and either on the back or ventral region of saprophilous flies - promoting diversification of the genus. Diversification of shape, independent of size, in most of the studied Jaborosa species would indicate adaptation to contrasting pollination modes.

Microplastic ingestion by common terns (Sterna hirundo) and their prey during the non-breeding season.

Current evidence demonstrates the presence and persistence of microplastics in the marine food web. Seabirds are predators in marine ecosystems and are highly exposed to marine plastic debris through the food. The aim of this work was to examine the presence of microplastics in a long-distance migratory seabird, the Common tern (Sterna hirundo) (n = 10), and in their prey (n = 53) during the non-breeding season. The study was conducted in Punta Rasa, Bahía Samborombón, province of Buenos Aires, which is an important resting and feeding location for migratory seabirds and shorebirds in South America. Microplastics were found in all the birds examined. The occurrence of microplastics in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of Common terns (n = 82) was higher than in regurgitated prey (RP) (n = 28), which is likely reflecting trophic transfer process. Almost all microplastics found were fibers and only 3 were fragments. Microplastics were sorted by color; transparent, black and blue-colored fibers were the most abundant plastic types. Characterization of the polymer type by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (FTIR) revealed that cellulose ester plastics, polyethylene terephtalate, polyacrylonitrile and polypropylene were the most abundant types found in both the gastrointestinal tract and prey. Our results highlight the high levels of ingested microplastics in Common terns and in their prey, and reflect a concern in this important location for migratory seabirds.