Effects of direct-fed microbial supplementation on performance and immune parameters of lactating dairy cows.

We evaluated the effects of supplementing bacterial direct-fed microbial (DFM) on performance, apparent total-tract digestibility, rumen fermentation, and immune parameters of lactating dairy cows. One hundred fourteen multiparous Holstein cows (41 ± 7 DIM) were used in a randomized complete block design with an experiment comprising 14 d of a covariate (pre-experimental sample and data collection) and 91 d of an experimental period. Cows were blocked based on energy-corrected milk (ECM) yield during the covariate period and the following treatments were randomly assigned within each block: (1) control (CON), corn silage-based total mixed ration without DFM; (2) PRO-A, basal diet top-dressed with a mixture of Lactobacillus animalis and Propionibacterium freudenreichii at 3 × 109 cfu/d; and 3) PRO-B, basal diet top-dressed with a mixture of L. animalis, P. freudenreichii, Bacillus subtilis, and Bacillus licheniformis at 11.8 × 109 cfu/d. Milk yield, dry matter intake (DMI), and body weight were measured daily, while milk samples for component analysis were taken on 2 consecutive days of each week of data collection. Feces, urine, rumen, and blood samples were taken during the covariate period, wk 4, 7, 10, and 13 for estimation of digestibility, N-partitioning, rumen fermentation, plasma nutrient status and immune parameters. Treatments had no effect on DMI and milk yield. Fat-corrected milk (3.5% FCM) and milk fat yield were improved with PRO-B, while milk fat percent and feed efficiency (ECM/DMI) tended to increase with PRO-B compared with PRO-A and CON. Crude fat digestibility was greater with PRO-B compared with CON. Feeding CON and PRO-A resulted in higher total volatile fatty acid concentration relative to PRO-B. Percentage of neutrophils tended to be reduced with PRO-A compared with CON and PRO-B. The mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of anti-CD44 antibody on granulocytes tended to be higher in PRO-B compared with CON. The MFI of anti-CD62L antibody on CD8+ T cells was lower in PRO-A than PRO-B, with PRO-A also showing a tendency to be lower than CON. This study indicates the potential of DFM to improve fat digestibility with consequential improvement in fat corrected milk yield, feed efficiency and milk fat yield by lactating dairy cows. The study findings also indicate that dietary supplementation with DFM may augment immune parameters or activation of immune cells, including granulocytes and T cells; however, the overall effects on immune parameters are inconclusive.

Consensus on complementary feeding from the Latin American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition: COCO 2023.

Complementary feeding (CF) is defined as the feeding of infants that complements breastfeeding, or alternatively, feeding with a breast milk substitute, and is a process that is more than simply a guide as to what and how to introduce foods. The information provided by healthcare professionals must be up-to-date and evidence-based. Most of the recommendations that appear in the different international guidelines and position papers are widely applicable, but some must be regionalized or adapted to fit the conditions and reality of each geographic zone. The Nutrition Working Group of the Latin American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (LASPGHAN) summoned a group of experts from each of the society's member countries, to develop a consensus on CF, incorporating, whenever possible, local information adapted to the reality of the region. The aim of the present document is to show the results of that endeavor. Utilizing the Delphi method, a total of 34 statements on relevant aspects of CF were evaluated, discussed, and voted upon.

Prescription of antibiotics in intensive care units in Latin America: an observational study.

A one-day point prevalence study to investigate the patterns of antibiotic use was undertaken in 43 latin American (LA) intensive care units. Of 510 patients admitted, 231 received antibiotic treatment on the day of the study (45%); in 125 cases (54%) due to nosocomial-acquired infections. The most frequent infection reported was nosocomial pneumonia (43%). Only in 122 patients (53%) were cultures performed before starting antibiotic treatment. 33% of the isolated microorganisms were enterobacteriaceae (40% extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing), 23% methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and 17% carbapenems-resistant non-fermentative Gram-negatives. The antibiotics most frequently prescribed were carbapenems (99/231, 43%); alone (60/99, 60%) or in combination with vancomycin (39/99, 40%). "Restricted" antibiotics (carbapenems, vancomycin, piperacillin-tazobactam, broad-spectrum cephalosporins, tigecycline, polymixins and linezolid) were most frequently indicated in severely ill patients (APACHE II score at admission >15, p=0.0007 and, SOFA score at the beginning of the antibiotic treatment >3, p=0.0000). Only 36% of antibiotic treatments were cultured-directed.Our findings help explain the high rates of multidrug-resistant pathogens in LA settings (i.e. ESBL-producing Gram-negatives) and the severity of the registered patients illnesses.

Exploring the mechanical properties of single vimentin intermediate filaments by atomic force microscopy.

Intermediate filaments (IFs), together with actin filaments and microtubules, compose the cytoskeleton. Among other functions, IFs impart mechanical stability to cells when exposed to mechanical stress and act as a support when the other cytoskeletal filaments cannot keep the structural integrity of the cells. Here we present a study on the bending properties of single vimentin IFs in which we used an atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip to elastically deform single filaments hanging over a porous membrane. We obtained a value for the bending modulus of non-stabilized IFs between 300 MPa and 400 MPa. Our results together with previous ones suggest that IFs present axial sliding between their constitutive building blocks and therefore have a bending modulus that depends on the filament length. Measurements of glutaraldehyde-stabilized filaments were also performed to reduce the axial sliding between subunits and therefore provide a lower limit estimate of the Young's modulus of the filaments. The results show an increment of two to three times in the bending modulus for the stabilized IFs with respect to the non-stabilized ones, suggesting that the Young's modulus of vimentin IFs should be around 900 MPa or higher.

Traquelectomía: una alternativa terapeutica para conservar la fertilidad en el cancer cérvico-uterino inicialmente invasor

El mejor conocimiento existente de la diseminación, de la técnica quirúrgica y del manejo perioperatorio, es posible actualmente, realizar cirugía conservadora en las etapas iniciales del cáncer cérvico-uterino, manteniendo incluso la fertilidad. Una de estas técnicas es la traquelectomía radical que siendo un procedimiento localmente radical permite conservar el útero con esos fines. Presentamos aquí un estudio piloto de 3 casos de traquelectomía radical en las que se logró el primer embarazo y parto, sin recurrencias hasta la fecha en ninguna paciente. Para efectuar una traquelectomía radical debe seguirse un estricto proceso de selección, realizándose sólo en centros terciarios de referencia.

Chemical composition of some wild peanut species (Arachis L.) seeds.

Oil, protein, ash, and carbohydrate contents, iodine value, and fatty acid and sterol compositions were studied in seeds of Arachis trinitensis, A. chiquitana, A. kempff-mercadoi, A. diogoi, A. benensis, A. appressipila, A. valida, A. kretschmeri, A. helodes, A. kuhlmannii, A. williamsii, A. sylvestris, A. matiensis, A. pintoi, A. hoehnei, A. villosa, and A. stenosperma. Oil content was greatest in A.stenosperma (mean value = 51.8%). The protein level was higher in A. sylvestris (30.1%) and A. villosa (29.5%). Mean value of oleic acid varied between 30.6% (A. matiensis) and 46.8% (Arachis villosa), and linoleic acid oscillated between 34.1% (A. villosa) and 47.4% (A. appressipila). The better oleic-to-linoleic (O/L) ratio was exhibited by A. villosa (1.38). Some species showed higher concentration of behenic acid. The greatest level of this fatty acid was found in A. matiensis (6.2%). Iodine value was lower in A. valida (99.2). The sterol composition in the different peanut species showed higher concentration of beta-sitosterol (mean values oscillated between 55.7 and 60.2%) followed by campesterol (12.4-16. 5%), stigmasterol (9.7-13.3%), and Delta(5)-avenasterol (9.7-13.4%). The chemical quality and stability of oils (iodine value and O/L ratio) from wild peanut studied in this work are not better than those of cultivated peanut.

Transcriptional regulation of the pas gene of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli.

The Pas protein plays a key role in the pathogenesis of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), being required for the secretion of the Esp proteins. Here, the transcriptional regulation of the pas gene was analyzed through the construction of a pas::lacZ translational fusion. When bacteria were grown in Luria Bertani medium or tissue culture medium supplemented with HEPES, a bimodal activation curve was observed. The early phase of induction was not significantly modified by the incubation temperature (either 25 or 37 degrees C), whereas the second phase, which overlaps with the late exponential growth phase, was enhanced at 37 degrees C. The early phase was also stimulated by growth on tissue culture medium and by the addition of Ca(2+), Mn(2+)or Mg(2+) to the M9-glucose minimal medium. Primer extension analysis showed the presence of two major starts of transcription, which were located 58 and 60 bp upstream of the ATG-start codon of the Pas protein, respectively. Although these sites are very close to each other, the transcripts produced during the early induction phase mainly start on the -60 position, whereas the -58 start was activated during the second induction phase.

Struma ovarii maligno / Malignant struma ovarii

El objetivo de la presente publicación es dar a conocer el hallazgo de un tumor ovárico muy poco habitual, como es el Struma Ovarii, el cual representa el 0,3 por ciento de las neoplasias de este órgano con una frecuencia reportada de malignidad del 5 a 10 por ciento. El presente caso se manifestó con todas las características clínicas y quirúrgicas de un cáncer epitelial avanzado de ovario. Los hallazgos histológicos de la pieza en diferido, pusieron en manifiesto este tumor, lo que nos motivó a revisar la escasa literatura existente, constatando que el Struma ovarii presenta en el diagnóstico, en el estudio de diseminación y en las terapias complementarias, peculiaridades que difieren del enfrentamiento habitual de un cáncer epitelial de ovario. En virtud de la ausencia de experiencias nacionales publicadas se reporta este caso con nuestra proposición de manejo

Differential effects of dietary Oenothera, Zizyphus mistol, and corn oils, and essential fatty acid deficiency on the progression of a murine mammary gland adenocarcinoma.

The modulating effect of dietary enrichment in mistol seed oil (MO) containing 25% of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), evening primrose oil (EPO) enriched in gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) and corn oil (CO) as sources of omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids on the growth parameters of one transplantable mammary tumor were compared. Mice fed on different lipid formulae were inoculated with a mammary gland adenocarcinoma and different growth development tumor parameters were recorded. Results showed that corn oil feeding slowed down most of the tumor growth parameters, as did the EPO diet. MO also showed antitumor activity. Olein feeding, which induces an essential fatty acid deficiency (EFAD), increased the incidence and the multiplicity of metastases when compared with the controls. It may be concluded that a diet enriched in omega-6 fatty acids did not behave as a tumor promoter in this mammary gland tumor model. The antitumor activities of EPO and MO are corroborated in present experiments, suggesting that both oils may be of value in nutritional approaches of mammary gland tumor therapies. In addition, present data add further experimental proof about the proposed protumorigenic proneness induced by the EFAD state.

[Colorectal cancer: its clinical picture and survival]. / Cáncer colorectal: cuadro clínico y sobrevida.

Retrospectively collected information on 77 patients who had undergone resection for colorectal cancer at Belén Hospital, Trujillo, Perú, from 1966 to 1993, was analyzed to establish their clinical features and the importance of both clinical and pathological factors affecting outcome. Common presenting features in right colon cancer were abdominal pain, pallor, and palpable mass; in left colon cancer were symptoms of obstruction, and in rectal carcinoma predominated bleeding. The diagnostic accuracy of barium enema (n = 25) and proctosigmoidoscopy (n = 18) was 72 and 100% respectively. In 54.5% (n = 42) curative resection and in 45.5% (n = 35) palliative resection was performed The surgical procedures performed were right hemicolectomy (n = 29), transverse colectomy (n = 6), left hemicolectomy (n = 11), sigmoid resection (n = 14), low anterior resection (n = 5), and abdominoperineal resection of the rectum (n = 12). The total perioperative mortality rate was 18%. The 5 year survival rate in this series was 28% (53% for curative resection and 0% for palliative resection). An univariate analysis of survival time using long-rank test revealed that presence of bowel obstruction or perforation, macroscopic appearance, tumor size, depth of invasion, lymph node status, number of lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, and clinical stage had and individual prognostic significance. Age, sex, length of disease, serum hemoglobin level, blood transfusions, location of tumor, histologic type, and tumor grade did not affect the prognosis. Improvement in the survival probably depends on development of better adjuvant therapy in association with surgery.

Effects of dietary n-3, n-6 and n-9 polyunsaturated fatty acids on benzo(a)pyrene-induced forestomach tumorigenesis in C57BL6J mice.

The modulating effect of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on benzo(a)pyrene-induced forestomach tumorigenesis was assayed in mice fed with corn oil (CO), olein (O), Zizyphus mistol seed oil (MO), cod liver oil (CLO), and mixed fat (Stock diet). The fatty acid composition of liver lipids correlated well with the fatty acid composition of each diet. Only mice fed the O diet showed biochemical and clinical evidences of essential fatty acid deficiency (EFAD). Only 3 animals developed well-differentiated invading squamous cell carcinomas in the O group. The papilloma incidence was reduced in MO and CLO with respect to the O group. Forestomach papillomatosis was increased in mice fed an n-9 enriched diet in comparison to stock and CO groups. In comparison with stock mice, the frequency of multiple epidermoidal hyperplasia (MEH) was significantly decreased in the CLO group. Animals fed n-3 enriched diets (MO and CLO) showed significant antipromoting effect. These findings indicate that dietary fat can modulate tumorigenesis initiated in mouse forestomach by benzo(a)pyrene. In addition, the lack of action of an n-6 fatty acid-enriched diet in our experimental model suggests that the effect of PUFAs on tumorigenesis has target-tissue specificity. Mistol seed oil might be of potential value as a natural vegetable antipromoter nutrient.

Protective capability of dietary Zizyphus mistol seed oil, rich in 18:3, n-3, on the development of two murine mammary gland adenocarcinomas with high or low metastatic potential.

The modulating effect of dietary Zizyphus mistol seed oil, rich in the n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid, on two murine mammary gland adenocarcinomas having low (M2) and high (MM3) metastatic abilities was investigated. Following tumor subcutaneous inoculation, 165 BALB/c mice were fed on a semisynthetic diet containing 5% of mistol oil which has 25% of 18:3, n-3 (mistol group). The other group received a stock diet (C group). Tumor growth parameters such as success of tumor implants (ST), latency time (LT), tumor growth (TG), tumor volume (TV), survival, and number and sites of metastases were recorded. Fatty acid profiles of liver lipids correlated well with dietary fatty acids, with a n-3/n-6 ratio of 0.90:1 in the mistol group against 0.24:1 in the C group. None of the tumor growth parameters were worse in the mistol group with respect to the controls. On the contrary, survival in M2 hosts and tumor weight in MM3-bearing mice were significantly ameliorated. A tendency towards a diminution of total number of metastases in both types of tumor was observed in the mistol group. From these results, it is suggested that Z. mistol seed oil may be of potential value in nutritional oncology.

Chronic cerebellar stimulation in cerebral palsy.

This report summarizes the experience with chronic cerebellar stimulation in cerebral palsy patients at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario. From July, 1977, to September, 1978, 12 patients suffering from cerebral palsy underwent cerebellar implant for chronic cerebellar stimulation. Postoperative evaluation was made approximately 1 week, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after surgery by a group of specialists using speech, respiration, muscle tone, involuntary movements, salivation, and activities of daily living as parameters, and these findings were compared with the findings prior to surgery. Chronic cerebellar stimulation did not noticeably alleviate symptoms and signs of cerebral palsy nor did it improve activities of daily living in a significant number of patients.