Flotillin-1 localization on sporozoites oF Eimeria tenella.

In an attempt to identify parasite surface components involved in the interaction with the host cell, the present research focuses on the rafts of Eimeria tenella that might be involved in the host cell invasion process. To that end, this study was undertaken to investigate the expression of flotillin-1, which is an important component and marker of lipid rafts at the plasma membrane of sporozoites of E. tenella. The expression of this plasma membrane protein was identified by an antibody that specifically reacts with flotillin- and was studied by electron microscopy. Flotillin-1 was found to occur in patches on the surface of E. tenella sporozoites. Immunoblot analysis of the total proteins of the sporozoites showed only 1 band of approximately 48 kDa. This indicates that the antibody exclusively recognized the molecules of flotillin-1 expressed on the surface of E. tenella sporozoites. The presence of flotillin-1 on the cellular membrane of sporozoites predominantly at the apical tip suggests that flotillin-1 belongs to the invasion machinery of E. tenella.

[Serous otitis and ciliary dyskinesia syndrome]. / Otitis serosa y síndrome de disquinesia ciliar.

Ciliary dyskinesia syndrome or immotile cilia syndrome, is a congenital defect in the ultrastructure of cilia, which result in a clinical expression diverse: recurrent respiratory infections, recurrent otitis media, infertility in the adult male, and half of those situs inversus. A case of ciliary dyskinesia syndrome is presented, who suffered of recurrent pneumonia and relapsing secretory otitis media.

[Heat stroke related to the use of topiramate. The importance of prevention]. / Golpe de calor relacionado con el uso de topiramato. La importancia de la prevención.

Heat stroke is the most severe pathology related to heat. It is defined as an increase in core body temperature accompanied by signs of neurological dysfunction. In the absence of an early treatment, it has a very high mortality rate. Topiramate is a well known drug widely used in epilepsy treatment and migraine prevention. Oligohydrosis has been described amongst topiramate side effects, favouring the risk of hyperthermia and heatstroke. We present the case of a patient who developed heat stroke due to physical exercise while under topiramate treatment.

Resilience of Mediterranean shrubland to a severe drought episode: the role of seed bank and seedling emergence.

Extreme climate events, such as severe drought episodes, may induce changes in vegetation if they induce species-specific adult mortality and changes in the seedling recruitment pattern. In 2005 a severe drought occurred in Doñana National Park (south Spain) causing extensive shrubland mortality. Over the following years we monitored the soil seed bank and seedling emergence via a gradient of canopy dieback induced by the drought episode. The canopy dieback corresponded to an increase in emergence of seedlings of woody species in 2007, probably because of the reduced competition induced by canopy loss. The soil seed bank of woody species sampled in 2008 was less abundant on plots with a higher proportion of dead vegetation, probably because of depletion of the seed bank as a result of the increased germination in the previous year and also as a result of a reduction in seed supply in these sites. Accordingly, in 2009 we detected reduced emergence of woody species on plots that had suffered the greatest shrub mortality. We failed to find any significant changes in patterns of the soil seed bank and seedling emergence of short-lived herbaceous species, indicating greater resilience in these types of species. This study highlights the resilience of Mediterranean shrublands to climate fluctuations at one extreme of the variability characteristic of these ecosystems. An increase in the frequency of severe drought episodes - increasingly probable under the new climate conditions - does have the potential, however, to induce changes in vegetation, especially in woody communities that need more time to replenish their seed banks.

[Chronic renal insufficiency secondary to infectious mononucleosis]. / Insuficiencia renal crónica secundaria a mononucleosis infecciosa.

This report describes the first pediatric case of chronic renal failure as a complication of infectious mononucleosis in a 3 1/2 year old girl. The clinical features were marked at onset by proteinuria and later by nephrotic syndrome. The evolution to chronic renal failure took about two years. In the renal biopsy, lesions characteristic of interstitial nephritis were observed, associated with focal and segmental glomeruloesclerosis and deposits of C3 in granular and discontinued form. Renal participation in infectious mononucleosis is not unusual and fundamentally it is manifested by proteinuria and abnormalities of urinary sediment, with interstitial nephritis as a characteristic lesion in the renal biopsy.

[Prune-belly syndrome in a female]. / Síndrome de "prune-belly", femenino.

Authors describe a case of newborn whose malformations of genitourinary tract of abdominal muscles deficiency and renal dysplasia make it very compatible with Prune-Belly Syndrome. The case it is exceptionally interesting because it is a female subject; and on the other hand because of its' associated malformations. The so debated pathogenic of the Syndrome is commented.

[Xanthine lithiasis in a case of Lesch-Nyhan syndrome treated with allopurinol]. / Litiasis xantínica en un caso de síndrome de Lesch-Nyham tratado con allopurinol.

Classically it is considered that vital prognosis of Lesch-Nyhan syndrome depends on renal affectation secondary to uric nephropathy. A case of Lesch-Nyhan syndrome treated with Allopurinol is described which presented multiple and bilateral renal stones by precipitation of xanthine. Treatment with Allopurinol inhibits the formation of uric acid and qualitatively renal excretion of oxypurines modifies. In special circumstances (disminution of urinary output and pH), they can precipitate and originate a radiotransparent lithiasis with uric lithiasis. Interest of this case, lies in being alert to possible xanthine stone formation in patients with a large excretion of purinics metabolites, who are treated with Allopurinol.

[Apert syndrome: clinico-epidemiological analysis of a series of consecutive cases in Spain]. / Síndrome de Apert: análisis clínico-epidemiológico de una serie consecutiva de casos en España.

OBJECTIVE: Apert syndrome is one of the five craniosynostosis syndromes caused by allelic mutations of the fibroblast growth-factor receptor 2 (FGFR2). It is characterized by symmetrical cutaneous and bony syndactyly of the hands and feet and a variety of pleiotrophic features of the skeleton, central nervous system, skin and internal organs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We show the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the 17 cases of Apert syndrome identified in a consecutive series of 26,956 malformed liveborn infants detected among 1,502,639 livebirths surveyed by the Spanish Collaborative Study of Congenital Malformations (CEMC) between April 1976 and March 1998. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The estimated frequency of Apert syndrome in Spain is 0.11 per 10,000 liveborn infants. All of the cases were sporadic and were associated with an increased paternal age. The clinical manifestations of our cases are concordant with the variable expression of the syndrome, with the cardinal features of acrocephaly secondary to craniosynostosis and syndactyly of hands and feet present in all cases, and other anomalies, including cardiovascular (23.5%), cleft palate (23.5%), urinary (5.9%) and central nervous system (5.9%), in some of the patients.