Structuration, elastic properties scaling, and mechanical reversibility of candelilla wax oleogels with and without emulsifiers.

The crystal network development, elastic properties scaling behavior, and mechanical reversibility of candelilla wax (CW) oleogels with and without emulsifiers were studied. Saturated monoglycerides (MG) and polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) were added at 1 or 2 times the critical micelle concentration. Although the micelles of both emulsifiers act as nucleation sites for the mixture of aliphatic acids and alcohols of CW, they did not affect the oleogel's thermodynamic stability. It was established that the crystal network of CW consists of at least two types of crystals, one rich in n-hentriacontane and other rich in aliphatic acids. Both crystals species contributed significantly to the oleogel elasticity. The elastic properties scaling behavior of CW oleogels fitted the fractal model within the weak-link regime. The setting temperature and added emulsifier modified the crystal network fractal dimension. During shearing, oleogels had massive breaking of junction zones, causing the loss of fractality in the crystal network, which in turn decreased the system's elasticity.

Effects of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol with two D3 vitamin levels on production and immunity parameters in broiler chickens.

This study was performed in Ross 308 chickens aged 1-21 days and aimed to evaluate whether the addition of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25(OH)D3 ) to broiler chicken diets affects their growth performance and immunity. A completely random 2 × 2 factorial arrangement was used with two levels of vitamin D3 and the absence or presence of 25(OH)D3 , corresponding to four treatments based on sorghum + soya bean diets: (i) 200 IU of vitamin D3 /kg of feed (Diet 1) (NRC, ), (ii) Diet 1 + 69 µg of 25(OH)D3 /kg of feed (Diet 2), (iii) 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 /kg of feed (Diet 3) and (iv) Diet 3 + 69 µg of 25(OH)D3 /kg of feed (Diet 4). Each treatment was conducted with six replicates of 10 chickens each. Water and feed was supplied ad libitum. The results showed significantly increased growth and tibia ash (p < .05) in the birds fed 5,000, IU of vitamin D3 /kg + 25(OH)D3 . Additionally, the cellular immune response increased significantly (p < .05) in both treatments with added 25(OH)D3. Based on the results obtained under the current test conditions, the addition of 25(OH)D3 at a rate of 69 µg/kg to diets containing vitamin D3 improved the cellular immune response and mineral deposition in the bones of broilers aged 1-21 days. Because these parameters are very important in modern poultry farming, these results indicate that supplementation with 25(OH)D3 should improve broiler production.

Combined effect of shearing and cooling rate on the rheology of organogels developed by selected gelators.

In this study we investigated the combined effect of shearing and cooling rate in the rheology of organogels developed in high oleic safflower oil by (R)-12-hydroxystearic acid (HSA), its primary amide derivative [(R)-12-hydroxyoctadecanamide, HOA], and the N-octadecyl derivative of HOA [(R)-N-octadecyl-12-hydroxyoctadecanamide, OHOA]. The experimental set up to develop the organogels involved: 1). The use of quiescent (0s-1) or shearing (300, 600, and 1200s-1) conditions during cooling the gelator solutions (2%) just until achieving the gelator's melting temperature (TM) in the vegetable oil, to then continuing the cooling under static conditions until achieving 15°C) The use of cooling rate protocols involving a constant cooling rate of 1°C/min (CR1) or 10°C/min (CR10) in the shearing and static stages, or variable cooling rates in each stage (i.e., VR1-10 or VR10-1). The elasticity of the organogels (G') was measured while cooling under static conditions, once the systems achieved 15°C, and after 60min at this temperature. The rheological results obtained at 15°C showed a cooling rate and molecular weight-dependent effect of shearing on G'. We propose that the molecular relaxation time of gelator molecules, and its increase as molecular weight increases and as temperature decreases, plays an important role on the gelator's susceptibility to go through a shear induced crystallization process. Therefore, high molecular weight molecules like OHOA (551.97Da) would remain stretched by shearing longer times than HSA (300.49Da) and HOA (299.49Da). Thus, when shearing was applied while cooling at the higher cooling rate (i.e., CR10 and VR10-1), the stretched OHOA molecules would lead to the development of mesophase precursors that upon further cooling under quiescent conditions, crystallize developing a well-structured organogel. In contrast, stretched low molecular weight molecules (i.e., HSA and HOA) with shorter relaxation time would dissolve back to the isotropic state during cooling. Additionally, the rheological results of HSA and HOA organogels suggested that the shear induced crystallization process might be dependent on the gelator polarity also. These results show that the application of shear and the extent of its application as temperature decreases until achieving TM, have important implication on the self-assembly of gelator molecules, and therefore in the organization and rheology of the three-dimensional crystal network of the organogel.

Bacteriuria asintomática y factores de riesgo en mujeres de pregrado de dos profesiones / Asymptomatic bacteriuria and risk factors in undergraduate women of two professions / Bacteriúria assintomática e fatores de risco em mulheres de graduação de dois profissões

Este estudio transversal descriptivo busca analizar si la formación profesional de las estudiantes de enfer\r\n-\r\nmería influye para que presenten menor frecuencia de bacteriuria asintomática (BA) y factores de riesgo \r\nrespecto a las de trabajo social. Previo consentimiento informado, se seleccionó un grupo de alumnas de \r\nenfermería y otro de trabajo social mediante muestreo simple aleatorio. Se excluyeron quienes estaban \r\nembarazadas o en tratamiento con antibióticos. El diagnóstico de BA se hizo con base en tres criterios \r\nquímicos y de laboratorios validados por la literatura médica. Para identificar factores de riesgo de BA, \r\nse aplicó un instrumento de diez preguntas que evalúan situaciones que favorecen infecciones urinarias. \r\nSe realizó un estudio piloto y las respuestas permitieron adecuar el instrumento. Se utilizó estadística \r\ndescriptiva y chi cuadrado para identificar asociación entre frecuencia de BA y área de formación de las \r\nestudiantes. Las diferencias se consideraron estadísticamente significativas cuando \r\np\r\n ≤ 0,05. Se identificó \r\nun solo caso de BA en alumnas de enfermería y cuatro en trabajo social, lo cual no es estadísticamente \r\nsignificativo (\r\np\r\n=0,26, OR=0,29). Los factores de riesgo que resultaron significativos entre ambos grupos \r\nfueron: higiene vaginal inadecuada (\r\np\r\n=0,0016, OR=0,17), presencia de lavados vaginales frecuentes \r\n(\r\np\r\n=0,005, OR=0,26) e ingesta de suplementos vitamínicos (\r\np\r\n=0,0008, OR=4,23). Se concluye que los \r\ncasos de BA positivos no están relacionados con el área de formación profesional; los casos positivos de \r\nBA se deben más a factores y hábitos de higiene local que a factores socioculturales y de nutrición.

Objective: to analyze whether the academic training of \r\nnursing school students contributes to a reduction of \r\nAsymptomatic Bacteriuria (AB) in comparison with social \r\nwork students. Methods: cross-sectional study between \r\n2 groups of females; nursing and social work students. \r\nInformed consent prior to the participation in the study \r\nwas provided. Pregnant women and students under anti\r\n-\r\nbiotic treatment were excluded. AB diagnosis was based \r\non three measures of chemical and laboratory criteria \r\nvalidated in the medical literature. AB risk factors were \r\nidentified by a 10-question instrument, which evaluated \r\nsituations that propitiate urinary infections. A pilot \r\nstudy was carried out and answers were used to adapt \r\nthe study instrument. Descriptive statistics, chi-square \r\ntest, odds ratio (OR) and 95% Confidence Interval (CI) \r\nwere used to identify associations between AB frequency \r\nand student's area of training. Statistical significance was \r\nconsidered when P < 0.05. Results: One case of AB was \r\nidentified in the nursing school students and four cases \r\nin the social work students. These results were not statis\r\n-\r\ntically significant (P= 0.26, OR= 0.29). Significant risk \r\nfactors in both groups included: inadequate perineal \r\nhygiene (P= 0.0016, OR 0.17), frequent vaginal washing \r\n(P= 0.005, OR= 0.26) and supplementary vitamin intake \r\n(P= 0.0008, OR= 4.23). Conclusions: positive AB cases \r\nare not linked to an area of professional training. Positive \r\nAB cases are more related to local hygiene habits rather \r\nthan sociocultural or nutritional factors.

Objetivos: analisar se a formação acadêmica dos estu\r\n-\r\ndantes de enfermagem contribui a diminuir a frequência de \r\nbacteriuria assintomática (BA) em relação aos estudantes \r\nde assistência social. Métodos: um estudo transversal \r\ndescritivo entre dois grupos de alunas femininas de \r\nenfermagem e assistência social, quem consentimento \r\ninformado foram selecionados em amostragem aleatória \r\nsimples. Foram excluídas meninas grávidas e meninas em \r\nuso de remédios antibióticos. O diagnóstico de BA foi \r\nbaseado em três critérios químicos e laboratoriais vali\r\n-\r\ndadas pela literatura médica. Para identificar os fatores \r\nde risco para a BA, um instrumento de 10 preguntas que \r\navaliam situações que favorecem a UTI foi aplicado. Um \r\nestudo piloto foi realizado e as respostas foram usadas \r\npara adaptar o instrumento. Estatísticas descritivas e \r\nteste do Qui-quadrado foram utilizados para identificar \r\nassociações entre a frequência de BA e a área da formação \r\ndas estudantes. As diferenças foram consideradas estatis\r\n-\r\nticamente significativas quando p ≤ 0,05. Resultados: 1 \r\ncaso de BA foi identificado em estudantes de enfermagem \r\ne 4 de assistência social, o que não é estatisticamente \r\nsignificativa (p = 0,26, OR = 0,29). Os fatores de risco \r\nque foram significativas entre os dois grupos foram: falta \r\nde higiene vaginal (p =0,0016, OR 0,17), presença de \r\nlavagem frequente (p = 0,005, OR = 0,26) e ingestão de \r\nvitaminas (p = 0,0008, OR = 4,23). Conclusões: casos \r\npositivos de BA não estão relacionados com a área de \r\nformação profissional; casos positivos de BA sao mas \r\nrelacionado come fatores como hábitos de higiene de que \r\nos fatores culturais e nutricionais.

Olive oil has a beneficial effect on impaired glucose regulation and other cardiometabolic risk factors. Di@bet.es study.

BACKGROUND: Despite the marked increase in cardiovascular risk factors in Spain in recent years, the prevalence and incidence of cardiovascular diseases have not risen as expected. Our objective is to examine the association between consumption of olive oil and the presence of cardiometabolic risk factors in the context of a large study representative of the Spanish population. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A population-based, cross-sectional, cluster sampling study was conducted. The target population was the whole Spanish population. A total of 4572 individuals aged ≥ 18 years in 100 clusters (health centers) were randomly selected with a probability proportional to population size. The main outcome measures were clinical and demographic structured survey, lifestyle survey, physical examination (weight, height, body mass index, waist, hip and blood pressure) and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) (75 g). RESULTS: Around 90% of the Spanish population use olive oil, at least for dressing, and slightly fewer for cooking or frying. The preference for olive oil is related to age, educational level, alcohol intake, body mass index and serum glucose, insulin and lipids. People who consume olive oil (vs sunflower oil) had a lower risk of obesity (odds ratio (OR)=0.62 (95% confidence interval (CI)=0.41-0.93, P=0.02)), impaired glucose regulation (OR=0.49 (95% CI=0.28-0.86, P=0.04)), hypertriglyceridemia (OR=0.53 (95% CI=0.33-0.84, P=0.03)) and low HDL cholesterol levels (OR=0.40 (95% CI=0.26-0.59, P=0.0001)). CONCLUSIONS: The results show that consumption of olive oil has a beneficial effect on different cardiovascular risk factors, particularly in the presence of obesity, impaired glucose tolerance or a sedentary lifestyle.

Effect of MEM vitamins and forskolin on embryo development and vitrification tolerance of in vitro-produced pig embryos.

The aims of this study were (1) to determine the effect of in vitro maturation (IVM) medium supplementation with MEM vitamins on in vitro embryo development and sensitivity to vitrification of Day 6 blastocysts and (2) to evaluate whether the addition of forskolin to in vitro culture (IVC) medium enhances blastocyst survival following Super Open Pulled Straw (SOPS) vitrification. Cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs; n=4000) were matured with 0.0% or 0.05% (v/v) MEM vitamins. After 44h of IVM, the oocytes were in vitro fertilized, and presumptive zygotes were cultured. At Day 5 of IVC, embryos from both experimental groups were cultured for 24h with 0 or 10µM forskolin, achieving a 2×2 factorial design. The blastocyst formation rate was assessed on Day 6, and subsets of samples from the four experimental groups were vitrified (n=469) or kept fresh (n=546). Fresh and vitrified-warmed blastocysts were cultured for 24h prior to embryo survival and total blastocyst cell number assessment. The MEM vitamins increased (P<0.001) the blastocyst formation rate at Day 6, but they did not affect embryo survival after vitrification. In contrast, the addition of forskolin to the culture medium enhanced (P<0.05) the blastocyst vitrification tolerance. The total blastocyst cell number was similar among the groups. In conclusion, supplementation with 0.05% MEM vitamins improved the blastocyst formation rate, and the addition of 10µM forskolin to the culture medium increased survival in Day 6 in vitro-produced blastocysts after SOPS vitrification.

Evaluation of l-glutamine for cryopreservation of boar spermatozoa.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the protective effect of L-glutamine (L-Gln) against cryopreservation injuries on boar sperm. In Experiment 1, L-Gln from 20 to 80 mM was evaluated as a supplement for a standard freezing extender (egg yolk - EY - 20%, and glycerol 3%). No significant improvement (P>0.05) was obtained for any post-thaw sperm parameter assessed (objective sperm motility - CASA system - and flow cytometric analysis of plasma and acrosomal membrane integrity -SYBR14/PI/PE-PNA- and plasma membrane stability -M540/YoPro1-). In Experiment 2, L-Gln was evaluated as a partial glycerol substitute in the freezing extender. Significant (P<0.05) enhancement of post-thaw sperm motion parameters was achieved in sperm frozen in the presence of 2% glycerol and 80 mM L-Gln compared to control (3% glycerol). In Experiment 3, L-Gln was evaluated as an EY substitute in the freezing extender, and no functional sperm were recovered after thawing sperm frozen in the presence of L-Gln and the absence of EY. In conclusion, L-Gln has the ability to cryoprotect boar sperm when it is used as a partial glycerol substitute in the freezing extender.

Evaluation of the fermentability of oat fractions obtained by debranning using lactic acid bacteria.

AIMS: The overall kinetics of the fermentation of four oat fractions obtained by debranning using three potentially probiotic lactic acid bacteria were investigated. The main objective was to study the suitability of these fractions as fermentation media for the growth and the metabolic production of bacteria isolated from human intestine. METHODS AND RESULTS: The cell growth, lactic acid production and substrate uptakes of the three lactobacilli was monitored for 30 h. An unstructured mathematical model was used to describe and fit the experimental data. In the medium from fraction B (1-3% pearlings or beta-glucan-rich fraction) all strains reached the highest cell populations, maximum growth rates and maximum lactic acid productions. This could be because of the high levels of total fibre and beta-glucan of this fraction. Limited growth and lactic acid formation was found in medium A (0-1% pearlings or bran-rich fraction). CONCLUSIONS: Medium B (1-3% pearling fraction) is the most suitable for fermentation and produces considerably higher probiotic cell concentrations. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Debranning technology could be used to separate fractions from cereal grains for the production of functional formulations with higher probiotic levels than the ones that were obtained with the whole grain.

Effect of Breathwalk on body composition, metabolic and mood state in chronic hepatitis C patients with insulin resistance syndrome.

AIM: To identify the anthropometric, metabolic and mood state in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients from the west of Mexico and to evaluate the effect of Breathwalk (BW), a combination of walking, synchronized breathing and focussed attention, on those patients. METHODS: In an experimental study, 17 patients with serological and molecular diagnosis of HCV, not receiving pharmacological treatment, were studied. One hour sessions of BW were practiced 3 times at week for six months. Body composition was assessed by electric impedance. Biochemical profiles and insulin resistance (IR) risk was assessed by conventional methods. Mood state was evaluated with specific and open questions at the beginning and at the end of the program. RESULTS: Seventy percent of patients were overweight or obese, and 77% of the patients presented with IR at the beginning of the study. Improvements were observed at the 3rd mo, and statistically significant differences were recorded at the 6th mo using the fitness score (76 vs 83, P < 0.01), in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (106 +/- 93 U/L vs 59 +/- 32 U/L, P < 0.01), total bilirubin (0.09 +/- 1 mg/dL vs 0.62 +/- 0.2 mg/dL, P < 0.01), ALT/AST ratio (1.04 vs 0.70, P < 0.01), triglycerides (165 +/- 86 mg/dL vs 124 +/- 49 mg/dL, P < 0.01) and the IR risk (4.0 vs 2.7). Most patients (88%) indicated to feel better at the end of BW (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Breathwalk has an important effect on body composition, lipid profile and liver enzymes. It is also easy, inexpensive and has a beneficial effect on metabolic and mood state in HCV patients.

Experience dependent plasticity alters cortical synchronization.

Theories of temporal coding by cortical neurons are supported by observations that individual neurons can respond to sensory stimulation with millisecond precision and that activity in large populations is often highly correlated. Synchronization is highest between neurons with overlapping receptive fields and modulated by both sensory stimulation and behavioral state. It is not yet clear whether cortical synchronization is an epiphenomenon or a critical component of efficient information transmission. Experimental manipulations that generate receptive field plasticity can be used to test the relationship between synchronization and receptive fields. Here we demonstrate that increasing receptive field size in primary auditory cortex by repeatedly pairing a train of tones with nucleus basalis (NB) stimulation increases synchronization, and decreasing receptive field size by pairing different tone frequencies with NB stimulation decreases synchronization. These observations seem to support the conclusion that neural synchronization is simply an artifact caused by common inputs. However, pairing tone trains of different carrier frequencies with NB stimulation increases receptive field size without increasing synchronization, and environmental enrichment increases synchronization without increasing receptive field size. The observation that receptive fields and synchronization can be manipulated independently suggests that common inputs are only one of many factors shaping the strength and temporal precision of cortical synchronization and supports the hypothesis that precise neural synchronization contributes to sensory information processing.

Abnormalities in the bone mineral metabolism in HIV-infected patients.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate bone mineral metabolism in HIV infected and asymptomatic patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) containing protease inhibitors (PI) and naïve patients. METHODS: We studied 30 asymptomatic HIV infected male patients, 13 in the naive group and 17 in the IP group, both without differences in demographics characteristics. We excluded women and patients with any known factor associated to osteopenia. We did a nutritional questionnaire, a DEXA scan in lumbar spine and femur, a study of CD4 lymphocytes, viral load and an analysis of bone formation and resorption markers in all patients. We compared vitamin D and PTH levels with a control group of healthy male volunteers age-pareated. For the statistical analysis we used the SPSS program. RESULTS: Osteopenia was present in 17/30 (57%), 8/13 (61.5%) in the naïve group and 9/17 (53%) in the PI group (not significant differences). We found a vitamin D deficiency in 86% of patients, with mean serum levels that was found to be significantly lower than those from a healthy control group (p=0.04). Testosterone level was significantly related to bone mineral density in lumbar spine (p

Bone cadmium and lead in the ancient population from El Hierro, Canary Islands.

This study was performed to determine the levels of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in 63 bone samples of the prehispanic population of the island El Hierro, comparing them with the values obtained on 98 prehispanic samples from Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, and La Palma, all of them in the Canary Islands, and with eight modern samples who served as controls. Prehispanic individuals from El Hierro showed the lowest bone Pb values of all the archipelago (0.72+/-1.01 mg/kg), significantly different (F=6.9, p<0.001) from the values obtained for the population of other islands such as Tenerife (4.87+/-5.36 mg/kg) or Fuerteventura (4.45+/-7.85 mg/kg) and also from those of the modern population (30.53+/-14.62 mg/kg). On the other hand, bone Cd, although slightly lower in the ancient population groups, was not significantly different when compared with the modern one. In addition, no differences were observed in bone Cd among the ancient population of the different islands. Bone lead but not cadmium kept an inverse significant relationship with the distance of the burial site both to south Spain (r=-0.31) and Atlantic Morocco (r=-0.28, p<0.001 in both cases).

Bone cadmium and lead in prehistoric inhabitants and domestic animals from Gran Canaria.

Both lead and cadmium exposures derive from natural sources and also from industrialisation and certain habits, such as cigarette smoking in the case of cadmium. Some of these sources only affect human beings. The aim of this study was to determine the levels of lead and cadmium in bone samples of 16 prehispanic inhabitants of Gran Canaria, 24 prehispanic domestic animals (sheep, goat and pigs) from this island, 8 modern individuals, and 13 modern domestic animals. We found that modern individuals showed higher bone Cd values (mean=516.7+/-352.49 microg/kg, range=167.20-1125 microg/kg) than prehistoric ones (mean=85.13+/-128.96 microcg/kg, range=2.97-433 microg/kg). Values of prehistoric individuals did not differ from those of the prehistoric animals (mean=70.54+/-46.86 microg/kg, range=11.06-216.50 microg/kg), but were higher than those of the modern animals (mean=7.31+/-10.35 microg/kg, range=0-35.62 microg/kg). In the same way, modern individuals and modern animals showed approximately 7-fold higher bone Pb than ancient individuals and ancient animals, respectively. Ancient animals showed significantly lower Pb values than all the other groups, whereas modern animals showed Pb values comparable to those of the ancient individuals. A significant correlation was observed between bone Pb and Cd (r=0.61, P<0.001). Since bone cadmium accumulation leads to osteoporosis, we have also tested the relationship between histomorphometrically assessed trabecular bone mass and bone cadmium both in modern and ancient individuals. No significant relationship was found between these two parameters.

Spectral features control temporal plasticity in auditory cortex.

Cortical responses are adjusted and optimized throughout life to meet changing behavioral demands and to compensate for peripheral damage. The cholinergic nucleus basalis (NB) gates cortical plasticity and focuses learning on behaviorally meaningful stimuli. By systematically varying the acoustic parameters of the sound paired with NB activation, we have previously shown that tone frequency and amplitude modulation rate alter the topography and selectivity of frequency tuning in primary auditory cortex. This result suggests that network-level rules operate in the cortex to guide reorganization based on specific features of the sensory input associated with NB activity. This report summarizes recent evidence that temporal response properties of cortical neurons are influenced by the spectral characteristics of sounds associated with cholinergic modulation. For example, repeated pairing of a spectrally complex (ripple) stimulus decreased the minimum response latency for the ripple, but lengthened the minimum latency for tones. Pairing a rapid train of tones with NB activation only increased the maximum following rate of cortical neurons when the carrier frequency of each train was randomly varied. These results suggest that spectral and temporal parameters of acoustic experiences interact to shape spectrotemporal selectivity in the cortex. Additional experiments with more complex stimuli are needed to clarify how the cortex learns natural sounds such as speech.

Auricular exostoses among the prehistoric population of different islands of the Canary archipelago.

It is generally believed that auricular exostoses are due to prolonged exposure to cold water, so their existence in ancient remains may inform us about economic activities in the past. This study was performed to analyze the prevalence of auricular exostoses among 150 pre-Hispanic individuals of different islands of the Canary archipelago. Individuals from Gran Canaria (6/26), Fuerteventura (1/15), and Tenerife (2/64), but not from El Hierro (0/45), showed auricular exostoses, thus supporting the hypothesis of a greater reliance on fishing and shellfishing in the former 3 islands.

Sensory input directs spatial and temporal plasticity in primary auditory cortex.

The cortical representation of the sensory environment is continuously modified by experience. Changes in spatial (receptive field) and temporal response properties of cortical neurons underlie many forms of natural learning. The scale and direction of these changes appear to be determined by specific features of the behavioral tasks that evoke cortical plasticity. The neural mechanisms responsible for this differential plasticity remain unclear partly because important sensory and cognitive parameters differ among these tasks. In this report, we demonstrate that differential sensory experience directs differential plasticity using a single paradigm that eliminates the task-specific variables that have confounded direct comparison of previous studies. Electrical activation of the basal forebrain (BF) was used to gate cortical plasticity mechanisms. The auditory stimulus paired with BF stimulation was systematically varied to determine how several basic features of the sensory input direct plasticity in primary auditory cortex (A1) of adult rats. The distributed cortical response was reconstructed from a dense sampling of A1 neurons after 4 wk of BF-sound pairing. We have previously used this method to show that when a tone is paired with BF activation, the region of the cortical map responding to that tone frequency is specifically expanded. In this report, we demonstrate that receptive-field size is determined by features of the stimulus paired with BF activation. Specifically, receptive fields were narrowed or broadened as a systematic function of both carrier-frequency variability and the temporal modulation rate of paired acoustic stimuli. For example, the mean bandwidth of A1 neurons was increased (+60%) after pairing BF stimulation with a rapid train of tones and decreased (-25%) after pairing unmodulated tones of different frequencies. These effects are consistent with previous reports of receptive-field plasticity evoked by natural learning. The maximum cortical following rate and minimum response latency were also modified as a function of stimulus modulation rate and carrier-frequency variability. The cortical response to a rapid train of tones was nearly doubled if BF stimulation was paired with rapid trains of random carrier frequency, while no following rate plasticity was observed if a single carrier frequency was used. Finally, we observed significant increases in response strength and total area of functionally defined A1 following BF activation paired with certain classes of stimuli and not others. These results indicate that the degree and direction of cortical plasticity of temporal and receptive-field selectivity are specified by the structure and schedule of inputs that co-occur with basal forebrain activation and suggest that the rules of cortical plasticity do not operate on each elemental stimulus feature independently of others.

[Results of an educational program for adults with asthma]. / Resultados de un programa educativo para adultos con asma.

BACKGROUND: Asthma is a world health problem. Education of asthmatic patient has been proposed as a choice for diminishing mortality due to asthma. OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate that educational programs for asthmatic patients help to reduce disease's severity, crises and hospitalizations number and encourage a bigger therapeutic compliance. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 80 asthmatic patients were divided into two groups; first one received educational curse and second one does not. All patients received treatment according to international guides, including monthly consultation, flow-meter, and symptoms day book; an initial and final evaluation was made about disease's knowledge. Course consisted of a workshop including crisis management, use of inhaled medication, flow-metry and relaxation techniques. RESULTS: We studied 76 patients, with a mean age of 34 years; 36 were assigned to group 1 and 40 to group 2. Initial assessment of both groups was of 7.8, while final evaluation of groups 1 and 2 was of 9.3 and 8.4, respectively. Group 1 had lesser number of hospitalizations than group 2 (p-0.005), lesser number of emergency consultations (p-0.005) and a higher overall improvement than group 2, in which only 8 patients got well. A third part of the group 1 abandoned treatment, while patients that abandoned treatment in group 2 accounted for 79% (p < 0.0005). CONCLUSIONS: Educational programs for asthmatic adult patients diminish severity of disease, number of crises and hospitalizations, and also increase therapeutic compliance.

[Susceptibility to antimicrobial drugs used in the prophylaxis of meningococcal disease: situation after an epidemic wave]. / Sensibilidad a los principales antimicrobianos empleados en las profilaxis antimeningocócica: situación tras una onda epidémica.

In the early 1990s a rise in the incidence of meningococcal disease was observed in Galicia, Spain, most cases of which were caused by serogroup C meningococcal strains. As part of the epidemiological analysis of this epidemic wave, two studies of asymptomatic carriers of neisseria meningitidis were carried out: the first took place during the period of maximum incidence and coincided with a massive immunization campaign (December 1996 to January 1997); and the second was conducted one year later (January 1998). A total of 1234 meningococcal strains were isolated in both studies (789 in the first and 445 in the second study) and the susceptibility to rifampin, ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone and sulfadiazine was determined. The susceptibility to rifampin, ciprofloxacin and cetriaxone was high among the strains isolated in both studies. For sulfadiazine, the percentage of resistant strains was 92.6% for the first and 86.3% for the second study.

Caracterización de una población bruxista y evaluación de la terapéutica mediante análisis cluster / Characterization of a bruxist population and therapeutical evaluation by means of a cluster analysis

El efecto de la férula oclusal y el TENS ha sido estudiado en una muestra de 24 pacientes bruxistas (apretadores y rechinadores) que fueron diagnosticados por medio de un cuestionario y anamnesis. Se estudiaron diferentes variables tanto cualitativas como cuantitativas, atendiendo a aspectos psicológicos, de oclusión tanto estática como dinámica, actualidad electromiográfica e índices electromiográficos en músculos posturales y elevadores y presencia de desarreglos internos de la articulación temporomandibular. El método estadístico utilizado fue el análisis cluster. Los resultados no mostraron claramente una discriminación entre grupos tanto entre apretadores y rechinadores como entre los dos tipos de tratamiento...