Larval Competition Between Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in Argentina: Coexistence and Implications in the Distribution of the Asian Tiger Mosquito.

Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) and Aedes albopictus (Skuse) are worldwide vectors of dengue and yellow fever viruses. These species coexist in many countries and the biotic interactions between them can influence their abundances and distributions. In Argentina, Ae. aegypti is widely distributed in the north and center regions of the country, with temperate and subtropical climate, while both are sympatric only in the northeastern area of the subtropical region. Interspecific and intraspecific larval competition for food was evaluated to assess if their interaction influences on patterns of abundance and distribution. Finite rates of increase and survivorship for each species were estimated and the effects of mosquito density ratio and detritus availability were determined. The Lambda (λ´) index of population performance of both showed there is no competitive exclusion pattern. However, survival of Ae. albopictus was negatively affected by the presence of Ae. aegypti. These results suggest one possible explanation for the codominance pattern of both species display in rural regions of the southernmost distribution of Ae. albopictus in South America. They also show Ae. aegypti as a potential biotic barrier for the expansion of Ae. albopictus as was reported in regions of the United States.

Validation and adaptation to Spanish of the EULAR Sjögren's Syndrome Patient Reported Index (ESSPRI).

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Sjögren's Syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disease with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations that can have an important impact on the patient's quality of life. To make an objective evaluation of the components of the disease, clinimetric tools such as the ESSPRI have been designed. The objective of this study is to adapt this scale to the Spanish language. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study to validate clinimetric scales, carried out in Cali, Colombia. A translation of the original English version of ESSPRI into Spanish was made and applied to patients with SS, as well as PROFAD and ESSDAI, as an activity marker. The reliability index of the questionnaire in Spanish with Cronbach's alpha coefficient and Spearman's correlation coefficient were calculated to compare the scales. Demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics were also evaluated. RESULTS: ESSPRI, PROFAD and ESSDAI were applied to 42 patients with SS, 97.62% were women. The average result of the ESSPRI was 5.8 (± 4.6), with a reliability coefficient of .8034 and a correlation with PROFAD of .5800 (p=.0001), and of -.0848 (p=.593) with ESSDAI. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Reliability with the applied version of ESSPRI in Spanish was adequate. A discrepancy was found between this scale and ESSDAI, which highlights the importance of applying both tools to ensure objective monitoring of disease control and its impact on the quality of life of patients with SS.

Peces de consumo humano como indicadores de contaminación ambiental por plaguicidas en el norte de Misiones, Argentina / Fishes for human consumption as indicators of environmental pollution by pesticides in northern Misiones, Argentina

RESUMEN INTRODUCCIÓN El norte de la provincia de Misiones se caracteriza por una gran superficie de cultivos en pequeña escala, que es necesario investigar debido a su impacto socioambiental por el uso de plaguicidas. Además, la acuicultura en esta zona del país se ha expandido en los últimos años con la introducción de programas familiares como mecanismo de diversificación de ingresos. Mediante la utilización de peces de consumo humano como indicadores de contaminación, este proyecto tuvo por objetivo dar una primera aproximación a los riesgos ambientales y sanitarios surgidos como consecuencia de prácticas de manejo inadecuadas en el uso multifuncional de la tierra. MÉTODOS Se realizó el análisis de biomarcadores no destructivos en peces de la especie Oreochromis niloticus, como el recuento diferencial de leucocitos, la actividad enzimática de la colinesterasa y la frecuencia de micronúcleos. RESULTADOS Se determinaron alteraciones en los valores de estos parámetros en individuos pertenecientes a la zona de cultivos con respecto a los individuos de áreas protegidas, y se observó la presencia de lindano en el sedimento de los cuerpos de agua de la zona de cultivo. CONCLUSIONES Aunque el manejo multifuncional de la tierra en este área contribuyó a un uso más eficiente de los recursos, la exposición de los peces a los pesticidas utilizados en los cultivos se ha convertido en una consecuencia involuntaria en la región.

ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION The northern region of Misiones is characterized by a large area of small-scale crops, whose socio-environmental impact through use of pesticides has to be studied. The combination of crops and aquaculture in this region grew significantly as an income diversification mechanism. Through the use of fish for human consumption as indicator of pollution, this project aimed to determine environmental and health risks associated to inadequate land-use management practices. METHODS Analyses of non-destructive biomarkers like differential leukocyte count, cholinesterase enzymatic activity and frequency of micronuclei in fish of the species Oreochromis niloticus were carried out. RESULTS Alterations of the standard parameters tested on individuals from crop areas were determined and the level of lindane in sediment of the ponds in culture zone was detected. CONCLUSIONS Although the multi-functional land management led to a more efficient use of natural resources, the exposure of fish to pesticides used on the crops has become an unintended consequence in this region.

Clinimetrics in Sjögrens syndrome / Clinimetría en el síndrome de Sjögren

ABSTRACT Introduction: Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is an autoimmune disease that can affect quality of life, cause disability, including progression to systemic complications in patients. In order to evaluate these components, several clinimetric scales have been used in pSS. Methods: In order to describe the most commonly used clinimetric scales in pSS, a systematic search of articles was carried out using Google Scholar, Scielo, Embase, Academic Search Ultimate, and Medline databases. Pubmed was used for the search in Medline, with the MeSH terms: 'Clinimetry'; 'Clinimetrics'; 'Quality of life'; 'Activity Index'; 'Scales'; 'Sjögren's syndrome'; linked with the Boolean connector AND. A total of 1081 articles published up to May 2018 were reduced to the 51 of the most relevant after application of inclusion criteria. Results: The most commonly used clinimetric scales in the evaluation of systemic involvement and quality of life in patients with pSS are described. Conclusion: Clinimetric methods are very useful from the point of view of follow-up, evaluation of response to treatment, perception of the disease by patients, and objective evaluation of clinical trials in pSS.

RESUMEN Introducción: El síndrome de Sjögren primario (SSp) es una enfermedad autoinmune, cuyo compromiso se puede ver reflejado en la calidad de vida, incapacidad y progresión a complicaciones en los pacientes. Con el fin de evaluar estos componentes, diversas escalas clinimétricas se han utilizado en el SSp. Métodos: Para describir las escalas de clinimetría más utilizadas en el SSp, se realizó una búsqueda de artículos en las bases de datos Google Scholar, Scielo, Embase, Academic Search Ultimate y Medline. Se empleó Pubmed para la búsqueda en Medline, con los términos MeSH: «Clinimetry¼; «Clinimetrics¼; «Quality of life¼; « Activity index¼; «Scales¼; «Sjögren's syndrome¼; enlazados con el conector booleano AND. Se incluyeron 1.081 artículos publicados hasta mayo de 2018, que luego de la aplicación de los criterios de inclusión, se redujeron a 51 con la mayor relevancia. Resultados: Se describen las escalas de clinimetría más usadas en la evaluación del compromiso sistémico y de la calidad de vida en los pacientes con SSp. Conclusión: Los métodos clinimétricos tienen gran utilidad desde el punto de vista de seguimiento, evaluación de respuesta a tratamiento, percepción de la enfermedad por parte de los pacientes y evaluación objetiva de ensayos clínicos en el SSp.