Microstructural and Thermo-Physical Characterization of a Water Hyacinth Petiole for Thermal Insulation Particle Board Manufacture.

Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is a dangerous and invasive aquatic species, of which global concern has sharply risen due to its rapid growth. Despite ample research on its possible applications in the construction field, there are no clear references on the optimal use of the plant in finding the most efficient-use building material. In this paper, a microstructural and chemical characterization of the Water Hyacinth petiole was performed, in order to find the most efficient use as a construction material. Subsequently, two types of binder-less insulation panels were developed, with two types of particle size (pulp and staple). A physical, mechanical, and thermal characterization of the boards was performed. These results demonstrated that it is possible to manufacture self-supporting Water Hyacinth petiole panels without an artificial polymer matrix for thermal insulation. The boards showed good thermal conductivity values, ranging from 0.047⁻0.065 W/mK. In addition, clear differences were found in the properties of the boards, depending on the type of Water Hyacinth petiole particle size, due to the differences in the microstructure.

Clinical relevance of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) alterations in human pancreatic tumors.

Pancreatic cancer is a malignant neoplasm with an extremely poor prognosis. The mechanisms of aggressive growth and metastasis are currently not well understood. Expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has been suggested to be associated with the malignant transformation of pancreatic cancer. In this study, we examined the EGFR status of 52 pancreatic tumors by PCR-sequencing (exons 19 and 21), immunohistochemistry and FISH probes. We subsequently investigated the relationship between EGFR status and clinicopathological factors. Somatic alterations in EGFR (R841R, T571T and R831C) were observed only in ductal adenocarcinoma (3/34). In 4 (8%) of the 52 tumors analyzed EGFR was overexpressed, 6 (12%) of the tumors showed moderate expression while 19 (32%) were weakly stained. EGFR overexpression (3+ score) was frequently found in endocrine tumors (29%) followed of ampullary tumors (13%; p < 0.01). No significant correlation was observed between the presence of a somatic EGFR mutation and clinicopathological variables. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis did not demonstrate amplification in any tumors. Only three somatic mutations in the EGFR gene were detected in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and no association was observed with the clinical variables. Our results suggest that EGFR mutations are rare in pancreatic tumors and not associated with clinical prognosis, and treatment response.

[Oxidative stress biomarkers as indicator of chronic inflammatory joint diseases stage]. / Biomarcadores de estrés oxidativo como indicadores de actividad en la enfermedad articular inflamatoria crónica.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the participation of oxidative stress (OS) on chronic inflammatory joint disease (CIJD), as well as its possible use as a diagnostic biomarker. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study population comprised 29 patients with CIJD: 18 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA: 13 active/5 inactive); 11 with ankylosing spondylitis (AS: 7 active/4 inactive) and 13 healthy subjects. Activity of the disease was assessed by: RA patients, Disease Activity Score (DAS 28) and AS patients by means of Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI). Oxidative stress biomarkers were determined in plasma using spectrophotometrical techniques. The statistical analysis was carried out using the SSPS statistical package. RESULTS: Active CIJD showed a high oxidative stress characterized by increases in oxidative damage markers and a reduction in antioxidative systems, together with a higher myeloperoxidase (MPO) concentration. Inactive CIJD only showed changes in oxidized glutathione (GSSG) and reduced glutathione (GSH)/GSSG ratio levels, without changes in oxidative damage parameters or in antioxidative systems. CONCLUSIONS: Our data revealed that: i) CIJD presents with a high oxidative stress; ii) inactive CIJD shows a production of reactive species without triggering oxidative damage and maintaining red-ox homeostasis, and iii) the combination of oxidative stress biomarkers may be used as markers of active-inactive stages of CIJD.

Infliximab reduces myeloperoxidase concentration in chronic inflammatory joint diseases.

UNLABELLED: The present study evaluated the effect of infliximab on the myeloperoxidase (MPO) concentration in chronic inflammatory joint disease. Eighteen patients were divided into active and inactive groups. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, white blood cell counts, MPO concentration, and biomarkers of oxidative stress were measured before and after the infusion of infliximab. Patients with active disease showed increases in concentrations of MPO and biomarkers of oxidation, but decreases in antioxidant parameters. After infliximab treatment, both inflammatory parameters and MPO concentrations were normalized. IN CONCLUSION: (1) the MPO concentration is related to inflammatory activity and could play an important role in the maintenance and outbreak of oxidative stress present in these diseases, and (2) infliximab inhibits MPO concentration.

Anakinra: new therapeutic approach in children with Familial Mediterranean Fever resistant to colchicine.

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), a recessively inherited autoinflammatory disorder, is the prototype of a group of disorders termed systemic autoinflammatory diseases. Such diseases are characterized by seemingly unprovoked episodes of inflammation without evidence of high-titer autoantibodies or antigen-specific T cell. Repeated bouts of inflammation may lead to systemic AA protein deposition, making FMF a potentially fatal disease. Pyrin, the protein mutated in FMF, regulates caspase-1 activation and consequently IL-1beta production. Although colchicine is the standard prophylactic therapy for attacks and amyloid deposition, some patients fail to respond or cannot tolerate its side effects. Anticytokine therapies have shown promise in the treatment of autoinflammatory disorders in children. We report on the use of the recombinant interleukin 1 receptor antagonist anakinra in one child with therapy-resistant FMF. The patient experienced immediate, sustained resolution of symptoms and laboratory markers of inflammation, and also, possibly, a reduced long-term risk of AA amyloidosis.

[Seroprevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies and associated risk factors among the population under 18 years of age in Veracruz, Mexico]. / Seroprevalencia de anticuerpos contra Trypanosoma cruzi y su asociación con factores de riesgo en menores de 18 años de Veracruz, México.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of Trypanasoma cruzi antibodies among the population under 18 years of age in the state of Veracruz, Mexico, and to identify risk factors associated with housing conditions and vector presence and distribution. METHODS: A cross-sectional, epidemiological study of the population under 18 years of age living in 10 of the 11 health districts of the state of Veracruz, Mexico, from 2000 to 2001. Presence of T. cruzi antibodies was determined by hemagglutination inhibition test (HAI) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) of serum samples spotted on filter paper, and confirmed by HAI, ELISA, and indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) on serum samples. A questionnaire was administered to determined housing conditions, and entomological indices for triatomines were calculated for both the intra- and peridomiciliary areas. The results were analyzed using bifactorial and multifactorial unconditional logistic regression. RESULTS: Of the 150 individuals presenting an initial reaction, 14 were confirmed positive (5 by HAI, ELISA and IFA; 6 by HAI and ELISA, and 3 by ELISA and IFA), for a total prevalence rate of 0.91% (95% CI: 0.85-0.94). All of the confirmed-positive cases were from five of 14 health districts, with the Tuxpan district having the highest prevalence rate: 5.2% (95%CI: 1.2-9.0). Risk factors included having noticed cracks in the house walls and gaps in the roof. The only species of vector captured was Triatoma dimidiata. The entomologic indices for infestation, colonization, and natural infection were: 10.9%, 50.0%, and 9.0%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Active, vector-borne transmission of T. cruzi was confirmed in the state of Veracruz, Mexico, with an overall antibody seroprevalence rate of 0.19% among the population under 18 years of age. Seroprevalence rates among this segment of the population, which serves as a sentinel group, should be closely monitored to determine if more stringent methods of vector control and epidemiological surveillance are needed.

Seroprevalencia de anticuerpos contra Trypanosoma cruzi y su asociación con factores de riesgo en menores de 18 años de Veracruz, México / Seroprevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies and associated risk factors among the population under 18 years of age in Veracruz, Mexico

OBJETIVOS: Determinar la prevalencia de anticuerpos contra Trypanosoma cruzi en menores de 18 años del estado de Veracruz, México, e identificar los factores de riesgo asociados con las características de la vivienda y la presencia y distribución del agente transmisor. MÉTODOS: Estudio epidemiológico transversal en la población menor de 18 años que vivía en 10 de las 11 jurisdicciones sanitarias del estado de Veracruz, México, entre 2000 y 2001. La presencia de anticuerpos contra T. cruzi se determinó mediante una prueba de hemaglutinación indirecta (HAI) y un ensayo inmunoenzimático indirecto tipo ELISA en muestras de suero tomadas en papel de filtro y se confirmaron mediante las pruebas de HAI, ELISA e inmunofluorescencia indirecta (IFI) en muestras de suero. Se aplicó un cuestionario para evaluar las condiciones de la vivienda y se calcularon los índices entomológicos de triatominos intra y peridomiciliarios. Los resultados se evaluaron mediante análisis bifactorial y multifactorial por regresión logística no condicional. RESULTADOS: De las 150 personas inicialmente reactivas, 14 resultaron positivas (5 mediante la prueba de HAI, ELISA e IFI; 6 por HAI y ELISA y 3 por ELISA e IFI), para una prevalencia general de 0,91 por ciento (IC95 por ciento: 0,85 por ciento a 0,94 por ciento). Los casos positivos residían en cinco jurisdicciones sanitarias y la mayor prevalencia se encontró en Tuxpan: 5,2 por ciento (IC95 por ciento: 1,2 por ciento a 9,0 por ciento). Los factores de riesgo fueron el haber visto chinches dentro de la vivienda y los techos con fisuras. La única especie del agente transmisor capturada fue Triatoma dimidiata. Los índices entomológicos de infestación, colonización e infección natural fueron: 10,9 por ciento, 50,0 por ciento y 9,0 por ciento, respectivamente. CONCLUSIONES: Se confirmó la transmisión vectorial activa de la infección en el estado de Veracruz, México, con una seroprevalencia general de anticuerpos contra...

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of Trypanasoma cruzi antibodies among the population under 18 years of age in the state of Veracruz, Mexico, and to identify risk factors associated with housing conditions and vector presence and distribution. METHODS: A cross-sectional, epidemiological study of the population under 18 years of age living in 10 of the 11 health districts of the state of Veracruz, Mexico, from 2000 to2001. Presence of T. cruzi antibodies was determined by hemagglutination inhibition test (HAI) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) of serum samples spotted on filter paper, and confirmed by HAI, ELISA, and indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) on serum samples. A questionnaire was administered to determined housing conditions, and entomological indices for triatomines were calculated for both the intra- and peridomiciliary areas. The results were analyzed using bifactorial and multifactorial unconditional logistic regression. RESULTS: Of the 150 individuals presenting an initial reaction, 14 were confirmed positive (5 by HAI, ELISA and IFA; 6 by HAI and ELISA, and 3 by ELISA and IFA), for a total prevalence rate of 0.91 percent (95 percent CI: 0.85-0.94). All of the confirmed-positive cases were from five of 14 health districts, with the Tuxpan district having the highest prevalence rate: 5.2 percent (95 percentCI: 1.2-9.0). Risk factors included having noticed cracks in the house walls and gaps in the roof. The only species of vector captured was Triatoma dimidiata. The entomologic indices for infestation, colonization, and natural infection were: 10.9 percent, 50.0 percent, and 9.0 percent, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Active, vector-borne transmission of T. cruzi was confirmed in the state of Veracruz, Mexico, with an overall antibody seroprevalence rate of 0.19 percent among the population under 18 years of age. Seroprevalence rates among this segment of the population, which serves as a sentinel group,...

Las helmintiasis intestinales en la República Mexicana / Intestinal helminthiases in the Mexican Republic

En la República Mexicana se han realizado escasos trabajos dirigidos a determinar la frecuencia de las helmintiasis intestinales en humanos. Sin embargo, con los pocos trabajos confiables de que se dispone, realizados de 1981 a 1992, es posible señalar que la ascariasis, tricocefalosis, uncinariasis e himenolepiasis, se encuentran presentes en forma significativa con porcentajes de infección del 11,2 por ciento, 1,7 por ciento, 0,15 por ciento y 1,8 por ciento, respectivamente. Con la información vertida en este artículo y obtenida de las encuestas realizadas en el período mencionado anteriormente, se puede señalar que las infecciones intestinales por helmintos están presentes en forma significativa en la República Mexicana. Sin lugar a dudas, esto es debido a que aún persisten los factores que contribuyen a la diseminación de las helmintiasis, tales como fecalismo, pobreza, malos hábitos higiénicos, manejo inadecuado de alimentos y bebidas, y en general deficiencias en las condiciones de saneamiento ambiental

Frecuencia de las protozoosis intestinales en la República Mexicana / Frequence of intestinal protozooses at Mexican Republic

Es de hacer notar que las frecuencias con que se reportan las distintas protozoosis intestinales en las diversas localidades de la República Mexicana en los últimos 10 años, son incompletas y poco fidedignas en general, a lo qe hay que agregar que han sido escasas las encuestas epidemiológicas realizadas en el país. Sin embargo, por los pocos estudios confiables efectuados en el país vemos que la amibiasis (30,6 por ciento), giardiasis (22,3 por ciento), criptosporidiosis (39,1 por ciento) se presentan con porcentajes de infección muy significativos, ya que afectan a núcleos de población numerosos. Los estudios que aquí se muestran conducen a afirmar que las infecciones por protozoos intestinales del hombre en México, siguen persistiendo considerablemente, de acuerdo a la población total del país, y que esto se debe entre otras causas, a que continuan presentándose, en las distintas zonas factores que favorecen la presencia y persistencia de parásitos intestinales, que teniendo como un marco general serias deficiencias en la cultura higiénica de numerosas comunidades, tales como el fecalismo al aire libre, inadecuados hábitos higiénicos y alimenticios, así como condiciones ambientales propicias para la sobrevivencia de estos protozoos