Risk factors associated with enzootic bovine leukosis in Boyacá and Cundinamarca municipalities, Colombia.

Background: Enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL) is a lymphoproliferative disorder caused by the bovine leukemia virus (BLV), a virus of the Retroviridae family. The infection is distributed worldwide, and a high percentage of animals infected by the BLV are asymptomatic and act as carriers of the virus in many cattle populations. Aim: To identify the risk factors associated with EBL in the municipalities of Boyacá and Cundinamarca (Colombia). Methods: A simple descriptive cross-sectional study with random sampling was conducted. A total of 1,140 blood samples were taken from cattle (females and males) from the municipalities of Chiquinquirá, Ubaté, and San Miguel de Sema of different breeds and age groups. The samples were processed using the commercial ELISA SERELISA® BLV Ab Mono Blocking kit (sensitivity 97%, specificity 98%). The data were processed with the statistical programs WinEpi and Epi Info® version 7.2.4.0, estimating the prevalence ratio, implementing the chi-square test (p ≤ 0.05) and logistic regression. Results: A true prevalence (TP) and apparent prevalence (AP) of 23.61% and 22.7% in Ubaté, 19.22% and 18.1% in Chiquinquirá, and 15.61% and 14.3% in San Miguel de Sema, respectively, were established. Bovines 2-4 years old were the most prevalent in Ubaté and Chiquinquirá (37.5% and 21.21%, respectively), while in San Miguel de Sema individuals >4 years had the highest percentage of antibodies (18.3%). The Holstein breed had a higher prevalence in Ubaté and San Miguel de Sema (26.02% and 19.67%), and crossbreeds were more BLV-seroprevalence in Chiquinquirá (20.20%). In Ubaté, re-use of needles was identified as a risk factor, contaminated blood in needles is considered one of the main routes of transmission. On the other hand, manual milking was identified as a risk factor in San Miguel de Sema. Conclusion: The non-implementation of an individual needle per animal in Ubaté; the Holstein breed and manual milking in San Miguel de Sema were identified as risk factors for the presence of antibodies against the disease. EBL prevention and control plans should be established that focus on the implementation of management and sanitary practices based on herd biosecurity.

Unique Immune Blood Markers Between Severe Dengue and Sepsis in Children.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric dengue and sepsis share clinical and pathophysiologic aspects. Multiple inflammatory and regulatory cytokines, decoy receptors and vascular permeability factors have been implicated in the pathogenesis of both diseases. The differential pattern and dynamic of these soluble factors, and the relationship with clinical severity between pediatric dengue and sepsis could offer new diagnosis and therapeutic strategies. METHODS: We evaluated the concentration levels of 11 soluble factors with proinflammatory, regulatory and vascular permeability involvement, in plasma from children with dengue or sepsis, both clinically ranging from mild to severe, in the early, late and convalescence phases of the disease. RESULTS: During early acute infection, children with sepsis exhibited specific higher concentration levels of IL-6, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and its soluble decoy receptor II (sVEGFR2) and lower concentration levels of IL-10 and the soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (sTNFR2), in comparison with children with severe dengue. In addition, the circulating amounts of soluble ST2, and VEGF/sVEGFR2 were widely associated with clinical and laboratory indicators of dengue severity, whereas secondary dengue virus infections were characterized by an enhanced cytokine response, relative to primary infections. In severe forms of dengue, or sepsis, the kinetics and the cytokines response during the late and convalescence phases of the disease also differentiate. CONCLUSIONS: Dengue virus infection and septic processes in children are characterized by cytokine responses of a specific magnitude, pattern and kinetics, which are implicated in the pathophysiology and clinical outcome of these diseases.

Seropositivity and risk factors associated with the presentation of bovine leukosis virus in Sotaquirá, Colombia.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Enzootic bovine leukosis is a disease economically important to the dairy farming industry worldwide. The virus is of the Deltaretrovirus genus and is primarily transmitted iatrogenically. Most bovines infected with the virus remain asymptomatic with only 5-10% of cattle having lymphomas. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of bovine leukosis virus (BLV) in Sotaquirá, Boyacá, Colombia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a descriptive, observational epidemiological cross-sectional study using the simple random sampling method with a sample size of 1000. Blood samples from random bovine were processed using the SERELISA® BLV Ab Mono Blocking indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit (Zoetis, USA). The assay had a sensitivity of 97% and a specificity of 98%. The collected data were processed using Epi Info® (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Atlanta, Georgia). From the study, we could determine a high seroprevalence of BLV in Sotaquirá. RESULTS: We established a high seroprevalence on BLV in the municipality, with 31.1% apparent seroprevalence and 30.6% real seroprevalence rate. We found that male cattle more than 4 years old (39.4%) and the Ayrshire breed (45.5%) had the highest prevalence rates of the virus. In this study, we could establish statistically significant associations according to breed, age, and gender of the cattle under study. Moreover, we identified the risk factors for BLV infection. We found that in cattle aged <1 year and those older than 4 years of age and those of the Holstein breed, the presentation of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis, mucosal secretions, mastitis, fetal death, the presence of a corral, and the implementation of artificial insemination practices were risk factors for BLV infection. CONCLUSION: Determining the prevalence of BLV within the herd and identifying the associated risk factors for the disease are fundamental in developing efficient programs for the control and eradication of BLV within herds.

B cells naturally induced during dengue virus infection release soluble CD27, the plasma level of which is associated with severe forms of pediatric dengue.

The CD27 and CD38 antigens are highly expressed on the plasmablast surface, and a massive plasmablast response has been described for dengue virus infection. Soluble CD27 and CD38 forms (sCD27 and sCD38, respectively) increase after immune activation. Here, we show increased sCD27 release in cultures of purified polyclonally stimulated B cells. T and B cells isolated from children with dengue spontaneously produced higher levels of sCD27 but not sCD38, compared with healthy children (P=0.03), and sCD27 levels positively correlated with plasmablast frequency in the cultures (rho=0.58, P=0.01). Children with dengue had higher plasma levels of sCD27 and sCD38 than healthy children, which decreased during convalescence. Plasma sCD27 was higher in severe than with mild dengue, but the opposite was observed for sCD38. These findings support a potential new role for B cells in dengue pathogenesis, and sCD27 and sCD38 are novel biomarkers associated with clinical outcome during dengue virus infection.

Viability and Functionality of Cryopreserved Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells in Pediatric Dengue.

Cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are widely used in studies of dengue. In this disease, elevated frequency of apoptotic PBMCs has been described, and molecules such as soluble tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligands (sTRAIL) are involved. This effect of dengue may affect the efficiency of PBMC cryopreservation. Here, we evaluate the viability (trypan blue dye exclusion and amine-reactive dye staining) and functionality (frequency of gamma interferon [IFN-γ]-producing T cells after polyclonal stimulation) of fresh and cryopreserved PBMCs from children with dengue (in acute and convalescence phases), children with other febrile illnesses, and healthy children as controls. Plasma sTRAIL levels were also evaluated. The frequencies of nonviable PBMCs detected by the two viability assays were positively correlated (r = 0.74; P < 0.0001). Cryopreservation particularly affected the PBMCs of children with dengue, who had a higher frequency of nonviable cells than healthy children and children with other febrile illnesses (P ≤ 0.02), and PBMC viability levels were restored in the convalescent phase. In the acute phase, an increased frequency of CD3+ CD8+ amine-positive cells was found before cryopreservation (P = 0.01). Except for B cells in the acute phase, cryopreservation usually did not affect the relative frequencies of viable PBMC subpopulations. Dengue infection reduced the frequency of IFN-γ-producing CD3+ cells after stimulation compared with healthy controls and convalescent-phase patients (P ≤ 0.003), and plasma sTRAIL correlated with this decreased frequency in dengue (rho = -0.56; P = 0.01). Natural dengue infection in children can affect the viability and functionality of cryopreserved PBMCs.

A gallotannin-rich fraction from Caesalpinia spinosa (Molina) Kuntze displays cytotoxic activity and raises sensitivity to doxorubicin in a leukemia cell line.

BACKGROUND: Enhancement of tumor cell sensitivity may help facilitate a reduction in drug dosage using conventional chemotherapies. Consequently, it is worthwhile to search for adjuvants with the potential of increasing chemotherapeutic drug effectiveness and improving patient quality of life. Natural products are a very good source of such adjuvants. METHODS: The biological activity of a fraction enriched in hydrolysable polyphenols (P2Et) obtained from Caesalpinia spinosa was evaluated using the hematopoietic cell line K562. This fraction was tested alone or in combination with the conventional chemotherapeutic drugs doxorubicin, vincristine, etoposide, camptothecin and taxol. The parameters evaluated were mitochondrial depolarization, caspase 3 activation, chromatin condensation and clonogenic activity. RESULTS: We found that the P2Et fraction induced mitochondrial depolarization, activated caspase 3, induced chromatin condensation and decreased the clonogenic capacity of the K562 cell line. When the P2Et fraction was used in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs at sub-lethal concentrations, a fourfold reduction in doxorubicin inhibitory concentration 50 (IC50) was seen in the K562 cell line. This finding suggested that P2Et fraction activity is specific for the molecular target of doxorubicin. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that a natural fraction extracted from Caesalpinia spinosa in combination with conventional chemotherapy in combination with natural products on leukemia cells may increase therapeutic effectiveness in relation to leukemia.

Sistema de información en tecnología de asistencia para Bogotá D. C. / Information System of Assistant Technology in Bogotá

El Objetivo fue caracterizar los dispositivos de tecnología de asistencia disponibles en Bogotá como parte del desarrollo de un sistema de información en esta área. Dirigido a personas con discapacidad, a sus familias y a profesionales del área de la rehabilitación. Metodología: éste es un estudio descriptivo para el cual se desarrolló un instrumento de recolección de la información. El procedimiento consistió en visitas a los fabricantes y distribuidores de los dispositivos, diligenciamiento del instrumento, toma de fotografías y caracterización de cada producto basándose en la Norma Técnica Colombiana (NTC)-ISO 9999 (Ayudas técnicas para personas con limitación). Resultados: de los 95 productos caracterizados, se encontró que los de mayor disponibilidad están representados por ortesis y prótesis (52,6%) y ayudas para la movilización personal (23,15%). El 24,25% restante está representado por ayudas para el cuidado y la protección personal, mobiliario y adaptaciones para vivienda, ayudas para el manejo de bienes y productos y ayudas para actividades domésticas. Conclusiones: en Bogotá D.C. la mayoría de los fabricantes y distribuidores de dispositivos de tecnología en rehabilitación producen dispositivos ortésicos y ayudas para caminar, es mínimo el número de ayudas disponibles para apoyo en las actividades de la vida diaria y para la comunicación y el acceso a la información.

This project has the objective to create a system of information that includes and manages data related to devices of Assistive Technology available in Colombia and its main characteristics; the project is directed to people with disability, their families and professionals in been the rehabilitation area. For the development of this project four phases have settled down: Bibliographical revision, Gathering of Information, Development of Engineering of the Software and Amplification of the study at National level. At the moment the project is at the phase II, during the time of investigation the results obtained have been tools for gathering of Information, Instructive which explains the correct form for obtaining this tools, home visits to orthopedic facilities, analysis of diverse products and development road of user's way access.