A reply to "Relevant factors in the eutrophication of the Uruguay River and the Río Negro".

A recent paper by Beretta-Blanco and Carrasco-Letelier (2021) claims that agricultural eutrophication is not one of the main causes for cyanobacterial blooms in rivers and artificial reservoirs. By combining rivers of markedly different hydrological characteristics e.g., presence/absence and number of dams, river discharge and geological setting, the study speculates about the role of nutrients for modulating phytoplankton chlorophyll-a. Here, we identified serious flaws, from erratic and inaccurate data manipulation. The study did not define how erroneous original dataset values were treated, how the variables below the detection/quantification limit were numerically introduced, lack of mandatory variables for river studies such as flow and rainfall, arbitrary removal of pH > 7.5 values (which were not outliers), and finally how extreme values of other environmental variables were included. In addition, we identified conceptual and procedural mistakes such as biased construction/evaluation of model prediction capability. The study trained the model using pooled data from a short restricted lotic section of the (large) Uruguay River and from both lotic and reservoir domains of the Negro River, but then tested predictability within the (small) Cuareim River. Besides these methodological considerations, the article shows misinterpretations of the statistical correlation of cause and effect neglecting basic limnological knowledge of the ecology of harmful algal blooms (HABs) and international research on land use effects on freshwater quality. The argument that pH is a predictor variable for HABs neglects overwhelming basic paradigms of carbon fluxes and change in pH because of primary productivity. As a result, the article introduces the notion that HABs formation are not related to agricultural land use and water residence time and generate a great risk for the management of surface waterbodies. This reply also emphasizes the need for good practices of open data management, especially for public databases in view of external reproducibility.

Prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders in school-aged children in El Salvador.

BACKGROUND: We studied the epidemiology of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) in school-aged Salvadoran children using standardized diagnostic criteria. AIMS: To determine the prevalence of FGIDs in school-aged children in El Salvador. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 395 children participated in the study (one public school and one private school). School children completed the Spanish version of the Questionnaire on Pediatric Gastrointestinal Symptoms-Rome III (QPGS-III), an age-appropriate and previously validated instrument for diagnosing FGIDs according to the Rome III criteria. Sociodemographic (age, sex, type of school) and familial (family structure and size, family history of gastrointestinal disorders) data were obtained. RESULTS: The mean age of the sample was 11.8 years ± 1.6 SD (median 10, range 8-15) and 59% of the participants were female. Eighty-one children met the diagnostic criteria for a FGID (20%). Defecation disorders were the most common group of FGIDs. Functional constipation was diagnosed in 10% of the children and 9.25% were diagnosed with abdominal pain-related FGIDs (most commonly IBS, 3.75%). IBS overlapped with functional dyspepsia in 11% of the cases. Children with FGIDs frequently reported nausea. Children attending private school and older children had significantly more FGIDs than children in public school and younger children. CONCLUSIONS: FGIDs are common in school-aged Salvadoran children.

Estudio de frecuencia de los factores de riesgo asociados al desarrollode enfermedad cerebrovascular isquémica no embólica en un hospitalde tercer nivel / Frecuency study of risk factors for cerebrovascular disease development in tertiary hospital in Colombia

Los factores epidemiológicos y las características clínicas de la Enfermedad Cerebrovascular(ECV) varían de acuerdo a factores ambientales, raciales, de género y socioculturales; por tal razón, el conocimientode dichos factores epidemiológicos de riesgo para ECV en nuestra población tiene gran importanciay aporta elementos claves en términos de salud pública.Objetivos. Determinar la frecuencia de los factores de riesgo para el desarrollo de ECV y su tiempo de evolución,así como el número de pacientes que reciben tratamiento para dichos factores de riesgo, la adherenciaal mismo y el seguimiento de recomendaciones de dieta y actividad física.Materiales y métodos. Se realizó un estudio observacional, tipo serie de casos, en pacientes mayores de 18años que consultaron por ECV isquémico en el periodo comprendido entre enero de 2009 hasta septiembrede 2013. Los pacientes se identificaron a través de los códigos CIE-10 contenidos en la base de datos de lainstitución para obtener los registros que incluyeran un diagnóstico principal o relacionado de EnfermedadCerebrovascular Isquémica.Resultados. El promedio de edad fue de 72.7 (SD 12.7) años. Hubo predominio del sexo masculino (50.4%).Conclusiones. La frecuencia de factores de riesgo para ECV parece haber aumentado respecto a publicacionesprevias, posiblemente por modificaciones no saludables en el estilo de vida de la población. El presente estudio brinda información respecto al tratamiento y adherencia farmacológica, ya que realizar un diagnóstico correctode factores de riesgo es muy importante; así mismo, es fundamental instaurar un tratamiento adecuado y, sobre todo, que los pacientes sean adherentes con la terapia para obtener los resultados esperados...

to environmental racial, gender and cultural factors, for this reason, knowledge of the epidemiology of CVDrisk factors in our population is very important and provides key elements in terms of public health.Objective. To determine the frequency of risk factors for the development of CVD and its development time,as well and the number of patients receiving treatment for these risk factors, their adherence to it, in terms offollowing recommendations of diet and physical activity.Materials and Methods. We performed an observational, case series, in patients over 18 years old whoconsulted for ischemic CVD in the period between January 2009 and September 2013. Patients were identifiedby ICD-10 codes in the database for those records or associated with a diagnosis of Ischemic CerebrovascularDisease. Thus, 220 patients met the inclusion criteria. For data collection, a questionnaire was designed to beapplied to each of the records. The information collected was entered in a database in Excel. Descriptive analysiswas performed using STATA statistical software version 12.0. Measures of central tendency and dispersionfor continuous variables and frequencies and proportions for nominal and ordinal variables were estimated...

Early life events predispose the onset of childhood functional gastrointestinal disorders.

BACKGROUND: Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are common digestive conditions characterized by chronic or recurrent symptoms in the absence of a clearly recognized gastrointestinal etiology. The biopsychosocial model, the most accepted concept explaining chronic pain conditions, proposes that the interplay of multiple factors such as genetic susceptibility, early life experiences, sociocultural issues, and coping mechanisms affect children at different stages of their lives leading to the development of different pain phenotypes and pain behaviors. Early life events including gastrointestinal inflammation, trauma, and stress may result in maladaptive responses that could lead to the development of chronic pain conditions such as FGIDs. AIMS: In this review, we discuss novel findings from studies regarding the long-term effect of early life events and their relationship with childhood chronic abdominal pain and FGIDs. METHODS: A bibliographic search of the PubMed database was conducted for articles published over the last 20 years using the keywords: "Functional gastrointestinal disorders", "chronic abdominal pain", "chronic pain", "gastrointestinal inflammation", and "early life events". Forty-three articles were chosen for review. RESULTS: Based on the current evidence, events that take place early in life predispose children to the development of chronic abdominal pain and FGIDs. Conditions that have been studied include cow's milk protein hypersensitivity, pyloric stenosis, gastrointestinal infections, and Henoch-Schonlein purpura, among others. CONCLUSIONS: Early events may play an important role in the complex pathogenesis of functional gastrointestinal conditions. Timely intervention may have a critical impact on the prevention of this group of chronic incapacitating conditions.

The reliability of experts' opinions in constructing a composite environmental index: the case of ESI 2005.

The complexity of the environment demands a well-constructed composite environmental index (CEI) to provide a useful tool to draw attention to environmental conditions and trends for policy purposes. Among the common difficulties in constructing a proper CEI are uncertainties due to the selection of the most representative underlying variables or indicators. A degree of uncertainty accompanies experts' judgments, and to deal with vague, subjective or inconsistent information, logic other than classic is required. This study analyzes a procedure that uses different experts' opinions in constructing a CEI, with the use of paraconsistent annotated logic. For this, a sensitivity analysis of the Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI 2005) was used as an example to assess the reliability of experts' opinions. The uncertainty due to the disagreement in experts' opinions clearly indicates that the forms we presently use to measure and monitor the actual environment are insufficient, that is, there is a lack of a "science of sustainability".

Catalytic effects of ruthenium and osmium spontaneous deposition on platinum surfaces toward methanol oxidation.

The influence of ruthenium and osmium spontaneous deposition on polycrystalline platinum in sulfuric acid was studied by conventional electrochemical techniques. The inhibition of the hydrogen adatom voltammetric profile by the foreign adatoms was used to calculate the degree of surface coverage of ruthenium, osmium, and a mixture of both metal ions from solutions of different composition. Methanol adsorption and oxidation were compared on bare platinum, platinum/ruthenium, platinum/osmium, and ternary compounds, considering the efficiency of methanol oxidation per hydrogen adatom displaced by the foreign metal on platinum.

Hiperqueratosis epidermolítica eirtrodermia ictiosiforme congénita ampollar

La hiperqueratosis epidermolítica, es una genodermatosis de presentación poco frecuente, es heredada con carácter autosómico dominante, pudiendo existir variantes clínicas o formas incompletas por mutaciones, con casos únicos en la familia, como sucede en el presente caso, material de nuestro trabajo. Una vez revisada la literatura y dados los cambios que ocurren a nivel de los genes de los queratinocitos: insistimos, en la necesidad del consejo genético a 105 padres; abarcamos las tentativas terapéuticas, relevamos el éxito obtenido con el acitretin; pero, considerando que es una enfermedad hereditaria, es imperioso realizar controles periódicos y un mantenimiento básicamente con medicación tópica.

Phytoplankton community of a polymictic reservoir, La Plata River basin, Uruguay.

This paper deals with the analysis of phytoplankton composition and abundance from four sampling stations at the polymictic system, Rinc6n del Bonete water reservoir in Uruguay. Sampling data were obtained in 4 seasonal periods between February and November 1993. A hundred and twenty-four taxa were identified, where Aulacoseira granulata (Ehrenb.) Simon., A. granulata var. angustissima (Muller) Simon., A. granulata var. angustissima f. spiralis, (Muller) Simon., A. cf. ambigua, (Grun.) Simon., A. cf. distans (Ehrenb.) Simon., Cryptomonas spp. and Synedra ulna (Nitzsch) Ehrenberg, were always present. Phytoplankton abundance fluctuated between 29 (autumn) and 2129 (summer) ind/ml. The general dominance of Aulacoseira spp. could be related to the polymictic condition of the system. In cold months phytoplankton distribution was homogeneous among sampling stations, while in warm months, spatial heterogeneity was detected, suggesting that sampling stations can behave as independent compartments.

Timpanectomía en retracciones timpánicas / Timpanectomy for eardrum retractions

Se propone en este trabajo una técnica quirúrgica para el tratamiento de la atelectasia timpánica. La cirugía consiste en la resección de toda la porción retraída en atelectasias grado 2 o mayores, dejando una perforación. En vista de la rapidez de cierre espontáneo de esta perforación (x: 4,7 semanas), se coloca además un tubo de ventilación en el remanente timpánico para intentar evitar una nueva retracción. En un período de dos años, se efectuó una timpanectomía en 79 pacientes (88 oídos), obteniéndose un grupo de 50 oídos con seguimiento promedio de 12,1 meses (rango: 4-28 meses). Se analizó la última otoscopía de cada paciente. De los 50 oídos operados, 34 tenían un tímpano normal, cerrado y sin retracción. En 9 casos, el tímpano se retrajo nuevamente después del cierre espontáneo, y en 6 había una perforación. De estos 6 casos perforados, en 4 el tímpano inicialmente cerró, reperforándose después, y sólo en 2 casos (4 por ciento) no hubo cierre espontáneo. Los buenos resultados anatómicos y funcionales obtenidos hacen de la timpanectomía una técnica a considerar en el tratamiento de las retracciones timpánicas

Effect of dietary oils, cholesterol and antioxidant vitamin supplementation on liver microsomal fluidity and xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes in rats.

This study was undertaken to compare the effects of four oils: corn (C), olive (O), hazelnut (H) or fish (F), and the intake of two supplements: cholesterol, 1% (Ch) or dl-alpha-tocopherol acetate, 500 mg/kg, and beta-carotene, 30 mg/kg (V), on liver microsomal fluidity, cyt P450 content and aniline hydroxylase (AH), aminopyrine-N-dimethylase (AND) and UDP-glucuronyltransferase (UDP-GT) activities. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 6/group) were fed semipurified diets containing 15% oil, without or with Ch or V, for 20 days. Dietary intake and feed efficiency were lower in rats fed F. Relative liver weight was higher in animals fed F, similar in O and H, and lower in the group fed C. The intake of V increased feed intake in C+V group and decreased the relative liver weight of F+V group, which also decreased with the intake of F+Ch. Ch intake increased the relative liver weight in all groups consuming vegetable oils. Cyt P450 content was higher in rats fed F. Decreased cyt P450 content was observed in C+Ch and F+Ch groups, while it augmented in H+Ch group. Mixture V increased cyt P450 in rats fed C+V, F+V and O+V. The highest membrane fluidity was observed in rats fed F. Fluidity was also higher in group H versus O or C. The intake of Ch decreased microsomal fluidity in all groups, while V induced an increase in microsomal fluidity in group O+V. Rats fed F exhibited higher enzyme activities. AND activity increased with V only in rats fed H+V, while AH activity increased with V intake in groups F+V and O+V. In the C+V group, fluidity was not affected by V, while the cyt P450 content and UDP-GT activity increased. The O+V group exhibited lower UDP-GT activity and higher fluidity and cyt P450 content. The activity of AH decreased in groups F+Ch and C+Ch. UDP-GT activity was higher in rats fed F. It diminished after the intake of Ch in H+Ch and F+Ch. These results indicate that although AH and AND act in the same microsomal metabolic pathway, their localization into the membrane may be determinant of their activity and the response to dietary lipids. It is shown that F intake exerts the most significant effects upon liver microsomal properties, e.g. higher fluidity, cyt P450 content and enzymatic activities, an effect that prevails over the intake of the supplements tested.

Punción citológica en masas de cabeza y cuello / Cytological puncture in head and neck tumors

La citología por punción aguja fina es una técnica muy útil para el estudio de una masa de cabeza y cuello. Utilizando esta técnica, se estudió un grupo de 21 pacientes para analizar la correlación entre la citología obtenida y la naturaleza benigna o maligna de la lesión. En esta serie, el valor predictivo positivo fue de 95 por ciento. Los 6 casos informados como malignos por citología fueron confirmados por la biospia, incluso con una histología concordante. El único caso maligno no pesquisado por la citología correspondió a un linfoma no Hodgkin. En los 15 casos benignos además permitió diferenciar entre una lesión de origen inflamatoria y una lesión tumoral benigna. Se describe además la técnica para una obtención adecuada de la muestra

Cultura sexual de los adolecentes / Sexual culture of adolescents

Ofrece una visión integral de la sexualidad en la adolescencia: prácticas sexuales, identidad, conflictos y otros factores determinados por la cultura. La investigación señala el panorama nacional de la salud reproductiva, educación y sexualidad de los adolescentes que habitan en sectores populares y marginales del Ecuador...

Urticaria Pigmentosa: Diez años de experiencia en un hospital Dermatológico

Presentamos el caso de un paciente de 1 año 3 meses de edad, con mastocitosis cutánea, cuadro de presentación poco frecuente, de causa desconocida, probablemente hereditaria con rasgo autosómico dominante, con buena respuesta al tratamiento con antagonistas de los receptores H1. se hace una breve revisión de la literatura y de la casuística de la enfermedad en el Hospital Dermatológico "Gonzalo González", durante 10 años, emtre enero de 1984 a diciembre de 1993.