Household greywater treatment methods using natural materials and their hybrid system.

Discharge of household greywater into water bodies can lead to an increase in contamination levels in terms of the reduction in dissolved oxygen resources and rapid bacterial growth. Therefore, the quality of greywater has to be improved before the disposal process. The present review aimed to present a hybrid treatment system for the greywater generated from households. The hybrid system comprised a primary stage (a natural filtration unit) with a bioreactor system as the secondary treatment combined with microalgae for greywater treatment, as well as the natural flocculation process. The review discussed the efficiency of each stage in the removal of elements and nutrients. The hybrid system reviewed here represented an effective solution for the remediation of household greywater.

Infection control attitudes and perceptions among dental students in Latin America: implications for dental education.

UNLABELLED: Latin American dental schools are at diverse stages in the continuum of implementation of infection control (IC) programmes that comply with evidence-based recommendations. Poor IC training may result in low compliance and negative attitudes against patients infected with blood borne pathogens (BBP). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate students' knowledge on IC and attitudes toward occupational BBP risks, in six dental schools in Latin America. METHODS: This survey was administered to convenience samples of dental students at one school in Costa Rica; four schools in Mexico, and one in Venezuela. The questionnaire included Likert-type scale evaluations of agreement with statements. Study variables included knowledge about and confidence in recommended IC procedures, degree of concern about HIV and HBV transmission in dental settings, and attitudes toward patients infected with BBP. Possible associations between variables were analysed using Pearson's Chi square and Kruskal Wallis tests. RESULTS: Substantial numbers of students had incomplete knowledge and often lacked confidence on IC and procedures; believed that HIV and HBV could be transmitted during clinical procedures; felt worried about occupational exposure to BBP, and held prejudices towards HIV and HBV infected individuals. CONCLUSIONS: Educational efforts are needed to enhance IC teaching and compliance. Diverse educational resources and international networks for research collaboration are available from organisations specialised in IC, hopefully paving the way to harmonising regional standards.

DOTS implementation in a middle-income country: development and evaluation of a novel approach.

BACKGROUND: DOTS is widely accepted as the most cost-effective strategy for tuberculosis (TB) control. However, there is little published information regarding methods for implementation in middle-income countries. METHODS: Over 3 years, the Canadian Lung Association assisted the Ecuadorian TB programme to implement DOTS for over half the nation's total population. A multilevel strategy developed by a team of Ecuadorian health professionals provided initial, in-service, replica and reinforcement training at the local level, and training at national level for specialist physicians, specialist societies and medical schools. Evaluation was based on international guidelines for case finding, treatment and laboratory quality control, and costs of all implementation activities. RESULTS: By January 2004, DOTS training had been provided to 1954 health professionals and 199 smear microscopy technicians, and DOTS was implemented in all 496 health facilities. Case detection activities at the local level increased substantially. Cure and treatment completion improved to 83% of new cases. Overall concordance of laboratory quality control readings was 98.7%. The total cost of DOTS implementation was US dollar 3 049 585. CONCLUSIONS: To achieve international targets for TB control, DOTS implementation in a middle-income country required intensive training at the local level and at multiple other levels.

Benign proliferative nipple duct lesions frequently contain CAM 5.2 and anti-cytokeratin 7 immunoreactive cells in the overlying epidermis.

Benign proliferative nipple duct lesions (PNDLs) pose a diagnostic problem for clinicians and pathologists. Clinically, they may be associated with skin changes typically present in Paget's disease of the nipple. The identification of numerous scattered cells in the epidermis that are immunoreactive for low-molecular-weight cytokeratin may lead to further confusion with Paget's disease. We studied the nipple epidermis in nine cases of PNDL and compared them with 26 histologically normal nipples from mastectomy specimens. CAM 5.2 and anticytokeratin 7 (CK7) immunoreactive cells were identified in the epidermis of seven of nine nipples associated with PNDL. The cytokeratin-positive cells appeared cytologically benign and were dispersed singly (scattered in seven of seven cases and frequent in four of seven cases) or formed small aggregates with occasional tubular structures (three of seven cases) in the basal and middle layers of the epidermis. In two of seven cases, these epidermal immunoreactive cells showed continuity with the underlying PNDL, suggesting the spread or continuation of lesional cells to the epidermis. Dispersed single immunoreactive cells were identified in small numbers (scattered) in the basal layer of the epidermis in 12 of 26 normal nipples and more frequently in 1 of 12 cases. In all cases, the intraepidermal cells were negative for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and Her-2/neu. We conclude that intraepidermal CAM 5.2 and anti-CK7 immunoreactive cells, which are normally present in the nipple epidermis, may proliferate and form aggregates when there is an underlying PNDL. The presence of these cells does not imply Paget's disease when the intraepidermal cells have a bland cytologic appearance, fail to overexpress Her-2/neu, and there is no carcinoma within the PNDL or elsewhere in the breast.

Pyruvate carboxylase from Rhizobium etli: mutant characterization, nucleotide sequence, and physiological role.

Pyruvate carboxylase (PYC), a biotin-dependent enzyme which catalyzes the conversion of pyruvate to oxaloacetate, was hypothesized to play an important anaplerotic role in the growth of Rhizobium etli during serial subcultivation in minimal media containing succinate (S. Encarnación, M. Dunn, K. Willms, and J. Mora, J. Bacteriol. 177:3058-3066, 1995). R. etli and R. tropici pyc::Tn5-mob mutants were selected for their inability to grow in minimal medium with pyruvate as a sole carbon source. During serial subcultivation in minimal medium containing 30 mM succinate, the R. etli parent and pyc mutant strains exhibited similar decreases in growth rate with each subculture. Supplementation of the medium with biotin prevented the growth decrease of the parent but not the mutant strain, indicating that PYC was necessary for the growth of R. etli under these conditions. The R. tropici pyc mutant grew normally in subcultures regardless of biotin supplementation. The symbiotic phenotypes of the pyc mutants from both species were similar to those of the parent strains. The R. etli pyc was cloned, sequenced, and found to encode a 126-kDa protein of 1,154 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence is highly homologous to other PYC sequences, and the catalytic domains involved in carboxylation, pyruvate binding, and biotinylation are conserved. The sequence and biochemical data show that the R. etli PYC is a member of the alpha4, homotetrameric, acetyl coenzyme A-activated class of PYCs.

[Surgery of the temporomandibular joint]. / Cirugía de la articulación temporomaxilar.

This paper describes the author's experience of the surgical technics of different pathologies of TMJ, along 34 years of professional works.

Caracteristicas quimicas del semen en un grupo de hombres aparentemente sanos. / Chemical characteristics of semen in a group of apparently healthy men

El estudio quimico del semen realizado en un grupo de 144 hombres normales arrojo los siguientes resultados: acido critico 589,9 +/- 340,2 mg%; fructosa 374,7 +/- 156,5 mg%; acido ascorbico 7,2 +/- 4,0 mg% calcio 34,5 +/- 29,7 mg%; cloruros 163,6 +/- 34,6; magnesio 9,5 +/- 4,1 mg%; sodio 265,4 +/- 43,2 mg%; potasio 102,4 +/- 41,9 mg% y proteinas totales 5,2 +/- 1,8 g/100 ml. Se sugiere la utilizacion de estos valores como referencia de la normalidad en nuestro medio

Caracteristicas quimicas del semen en un grupo de hombres aparentemente sanos. / Cheical characteristics of semen in a group of apparently healthy men

El estudio quimico del semen realizado en un grupo de 144 hombres normales arrojo los siguientes resultados: acido critico 589,9 +/- 340,2 mg%; fructosa 374,7 +/- 156,5 mg%; acido ascorbico 7,2 +/- 4,0 mg% calcio 34,5 +/- 29,7 mg%; cloruros 163,6 +/- 34,6; magnesio 9,5 +/- 4,1 mg%; sodio 265,4 +/- 43,2 mg%; potasio 102,4 +/- 41,9 mg% y proteinas totales 5,2 +/- 1,8 g/100 ml. Se sugiere la utilizacion de estos valores como referencia de la normalidad en nuestro medio

Semen analyses in men with asymptomatic genital gonorrhoea.

Thirty asymptomatic men with gonorrhoea were studied. No significant difference was seen in spermiogram (semen volume, sperm count, motility, velocity and normal morphology) and most of the seminal constituents studied (fructose, ascorbic acid, calcium, sodium, potassium, chlorides and magnesium) between this group of men and those of a normal control group. Citric acid levels were significantly lower in men with gonorrhoea (P less than 0.002). suggesting a non-acute prostatitis. No significant difference was observed in the studies before and after treatment.

[Effect of hypoxia on gastric secretion of hypovolemic rats]. / Efectos de la hipoxia sobre la secreción de ratas hipovolémicas.

Gastric secretion was checked in two groups of rats with pyloric ligature and experimental hypovolemia subjecting one of the groups to acute hypoxia; in this group there was significant decrease in volume, acid and pepsin secretion and potassium concentration in gastric contents. In gastric mucosa pepsinogen was increased. We wish to emphasise in these changes, the importance of water and hypoxia in electrolytic balance.

[Comparative study of the gastric response in rats with pyloric ligation -- normovolemic rats and rats made hypovolemic by acute hemorrhage -- subjected to hypoxia]. / Estudio comparativo de la respuesta gástrica en ratas con piloro ligado, normovolémicas e hipovolémicas por hemorragia aguda, sometidas a hipoxia.

Gastric secretion was studied in two groups of rats in which pyloric ligature was made according to Dai's method. Both groups were put in a hypopressure chamber. One of the groups was normovolemic. The other group was made hypovolemic by acute bleeding. The following parameters were checked in gastire contents: volumen, acid and pepsin secretion, U.P./g. of stomach, chloride, potassium and sodium; in gastric mucosa total U.P. and pepsinogen concentration were measured. In the rats subjected to acute hypovolemia and hypoxia it was found a significant decrease in acid secretion, chloride and potassium mEq/1; there were no statistically significant changes in volume, pepsin secretion; U.P./g. of stomach and sodium mEq/1. Total U. P. and U.P./. of stomach increased in the gastirc mucosa.

Estudio comparativo de la respuesta gástrica en ratas con piloro ligado, normovolémicas e hipovolémicas por hemorragia aguda, sometidas a hipoxia / [Comparative study of the gastric response in rats with pyloric ligation -- normovolemic rats and rats made hypovolemic by acute hemorrhage -- subjected to hypoxia]

Gastric secretion was studied in two groups of rats in which pyloric ligature was made according to Dai’s method. Both groups were put in a hypopressure chamber. One of the groups was normovolemic. The other group was made hypovolemic by acute bleeding. The following parameters were checked in gastire contents: volumen, acid and pepsin secretion, U.P./g. of stomach, chloride, potassium and sodium; in gastric mucosa total U.P. and pepsinogen concentration were measured. In the rats subjected to acute hypovolemia and hypoxia it was found a significant decrease in acid secretion, chloride and potassium mEq/1; there were no statistically significant changes in volume, pepsin secretion; U.P./g. of stomach and sodium mEq/1. Total U. P. and U.P./. of stomach increased in the gastirc mucosa.

Efectos de la hipoxia sobre la secreción de ratas hipovolémicas / [Effect of hypoxia on gastric secretion of hypovolemic rats]

Gastric secretion was checked in two groups of rats with pyloric ligature and experimental hypovolemia subjecting one of the groups to acute hypoxia; in this group there was significant decrease in volume, acid and pepsin secretion and potassium concentration in gastric contents. In gastric mucosa pepsinogen was increased. We wish to emphasise in these changes, the importance of water and hypoxia in electrolytic balance.

Efectos de la hipoxia sobre la secreción de ratas hipovolémicas. / [Effect of hypoxia on gastric secretion of hypovolemic rats]

Gastric secretion was checked in two groups of rats with pyloric ligature and experimental hypovolemia subjecting one of the groups to acute hypoxia; in this group there was significant decrease in volume, acid and pepsin secretion and potassium concentration in gastric contents. In gastric mucosa pepsinogen was increased. We wish to emphasise in these changes, the importance of water and hypoxia in electrolytic balance.

Estudio comparativo de la respuesta gástrica en ratas con piloro ligado, normovolémicas e hipovolémicas por hemorragia aguda, sometidas a hipoxia. / [Comparative study of the gastric response in rats with pyloric ligation -- normovolemic rats and rats made hypovolemic by acute hemorrhage -- subjected to hypoxia]

Gastric secretion was studied in two groups of rats in which pyloric ligature was made according to Dais method. Both groups were put in a hypopressure chamber. One of the groups was normovolemic. The other group was made hypovolemic by acute bleeding. The following parameters were checked in gastire contents: volumen, acid and pepsin secretion, U.P./g. of stomach, chloride, potassium and sodium; in gastric mucosa total U.P. and pepsinogen concentration were measured. In the rats subjected to acute hypovolemia and hypoxia it was found a significant decrease in acid secretion, chloride and potassium mEq/1; there were no statistically significant changes in volume, pepsin secretion; U.P./g. of stomach and sodium mEq/1. Total U. P. and U.P./. of stomach increased in the gastirc mucosa.

[Gastric secretion in hypovolemic rats caused by acute hemorrhage]. / Secreción gástrica en ratas hipovolémicas por hemorragia aguda.

Gastric secretion was studied in two groups of rats in which pyloric ligature with wire was previously peformed. One of the groups was acutely bled until hypovolemia. The following parameters were checked: gastric volume, acid and pepsin secretion, Pu/g of stomach, chloride, potassium, and sodium. A significant decrease in volume, acid and pepsin secretion, Pu/g of stomach and chloride and increase in potassium in the hypovolemic rats found. There was no significant change in sodium concentration. There was no significant difference in the pepsinogen concentration in gastric mucous between both groups of rats.

[Study of gastric secretion in rats with ligation of the pylorus according to the Shay and Dai methods]. / Estudio de la secreción gástrica en ratas con píloro ligado según los métodos de Shay y Dai.

A comparative study of gastric secretion in rats with pyloric ligature according to either Shays' or Dais' methods was carried on, studying in both groups gastic acid and peptic secretions, mucous pepsinogen, and Na+, K+, and Cl-. The acid-peptic output as well as gastric Pu/g were greater in Dais' method. There were no changes regarding mucous pepsinogen when comparing both methods. Cl- and Na+ determinations showed minimal changes, whereas K+ showed no difference in both methods. We explain these modifications based on the difference in the secreted volume, since the acid concentration and Pu/ml are practically the same when comparing both methods.