Stylasterids (Hydrozoa: Stylasteridae) from Mar del Plata submarine canyon and adjacent area (southwestern Atlantic), with a key to the species off Argentina.

The Argentine continental margin is a poorly explored area as regards its benthic biodiversity. Few works have been made near the Brazil-Malvinas confluence (around 38° S) regarding corals, especially in deep waters (over 1000 m). Hitherto 17 species of stylasterids are known from southwestern Atlantic (SWA) off Argentina. Fourteen species of stylasterids collected from the Mar del Plata submarine canyon and adjacent area in years 2012 and 2013 at depths between 800 and 2200 m are discussed, including the descriptions of 13 of them. The geographic distribution of six species and bathymetric range of occurrence of two species are broadened in this work. Stations where most specimens were collected are located in areas where sedimentation is known to be scarce. Species in common between the study area and the Antarctic region, south of Chile, South Africa, New Zealand and New Caledonia suggest the Circumpolar Antarctic Current and the Malvinas Current are the means for dispersion. A key of identification of all stylasterid species off Argentina is included.

[Urgent care of the diabetic patient in the province of Valladolid]. / Asistencia urgente del paciente diabético en el área este de la provincia de Valladolid.

OBJECTIVE: To know the cause of admissions of diabetic patients at an emergency room in eastern Valladolid in a year. METHODS: It is a retrospective and transversal study that analysed a number of the admission of diabetic patients at an emergency room because of a direct complication of diabetes mellitus or another different cause. We used t and chi 2 as statistic tests, considering 0.05 as significance. RESULTS: Up to 2,433 (2.4%) were diabetes mellitus emergencies. 17.1% because of a direct complication, most of them metabolic complications (24.6% hyperglycaemia). CONCLUSION: We emphasize the high prevalence of direct complications as emergency admissions in our hospital.

Validez y fiabilidad de la escala de Braden para predecir riesgo de úlceras por presión en ancianos / Validity and reliability of the Braden scale to predict pressure ulcer risk in the elderly

OBJETIVO: Determinar la validez predictiva y la fiabilidad de la escala de Braden para predecir el riesgo de úlceras por presión (UP) en ancianos en una institución de referencia de tercer nivel de atención. DISEÑO: Estudio de cohorte. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Se tomaron los 831 pacientes sin UP al ingreso, mayores de 60 años, hospitalizados al menos durante 72 horas en el Hospital de Caldas durante un año, septiembre 1988-1999. Las variables demográficas y el diagnóstico primario al ingreso a las salas de hospitalización se tomaron de la historia clínica. Se clasificó el tipo de piel, se valoró el estado funcional mediante la escala de Barthel. La versión original en inglés de la escala de Braden se tradujo al español y se aplicó a las 72 horas del ingreso y cada semana hasta tres semanas, evaluando de forma simultánea el desarrollo de UP, las cuales se estadificaron de I a IV. La sensibilidad, la especificidad, el Valor Predictivo Positivo (VPP) y el Valor Predictivo Negativo (VPN) fueron calculados para los diferentes puntajes de laEscala de Braden en las cuatro aplicaciones o hasta la evaluación anterior a la detección de la primera UP. RESULTADOS: El promedio de edad fue 71,9 (DE 8), 57 por ciento eran hombres y 96,9 por ciento procedían del hogar. El puntaje en la escala de Barthel osciló entre 0 y 100 con una media de 46,9. En cuanto a los diagnósticos al ingreso las enfermedades cardiovasculares, osteomusculares, gastrointestinales y neurológicas fueron en su orden las patologías más frecuentes. El 8,04 por ciento de los sujetos estudiados desarrollaron UP durante el estudio, 71,6 por ciento la desarrollaron durante la primera semana, 20,8 por ciento en la segunda y 7,5 por ciento en la tercera semana. Se presentaron principalmente en sacro y en estados I y II. El rango de los puntajes en la Escala de Braden osciló entre 6 y 23. El percentil 25 en todas las evaluaciones estuvo entre 15 y 16 puntos, y el percentil 75 en 21. Las variaciones de los puntajes entre las tres evaluaciones fueron mínimas. Las Curvas Operantes de Receptor (COR) derivadas de los datos muestran que un puntaje de 16 produce un punto de corte óptimo donde simultáneamente se maximiza la sensibilidad a 85,4 por ciento y la especificidad a 63,2 por ciento con un VPP de 12,5 en ese punto y un VPN de 98,6. CONCLUSIONES: Este estudio permite concluir que en ancianos hospitalizados la escala de Braden para predecir riesgo de UP es confiable y válida, con un punto de corte de 16. Además sugiere que se deben tener en cuenta otros factores que afectan su validez como la edad y el estado funcional (AU)

[Changes in metabolic parameters and microalbuminuria in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with acarbose]. / Modificación de los parámetros metabólicos y microalbuminuria en pacientes con diabetes tipo 2 tratados con acarbosa.

OBJECTIVE: To determinate the influence of the acarbosa and microalbuminuria on metabolic parameters in patients diabetics type 2. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We are studied 92 patients with diabetes type 2, treated with Acarbose alone or with insuline or oral anti-diabetics We are determined the values of HbA1c, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides and microalbuminuria, before and after or the treatment with acarbose. RESULTS: The patients presented globally a statistically significant improvement in the levels of Hb A1 c, triglycerides and microalbuminuria. In the group treatise with 300 mg/day of acarbose it was observed a significant decrease of the values of Hb A1c and triglycerides independently of the associated treatment. In the group treated with 150 mg/day the improvement only it was statistically significant for the levels of Hb A1c. CONCLUSIONS: The treatment with acarbose produces an improvement in the levels of Hb A1c independently of the administered dose and of the triglycerides in patients treated with 300 mg/day without relation to associated treatments. Therefore, he acarbose win be considered an effective medication to improve the metabolic control to prevent the cardiovascular risk in those patients.

Time estimation and aging: a comparison between young and elderly adults.

Studies about effects of aging on the estimation of short temporal intervals are not conclusive. The aim of the present research was to evaluate age-related differences in the reproduction of a short interval (10 s) using a computerized method. The sample comprised thirteen young adults (M = 26.15 years) and twelve elderly adults (M= 79.1 years). Three parameters of time estimation were measured: estimated time, absolute error, and standard deviation. Results showed that time estimates performed by elderly participants were shorter than those of younger ones, although there were no significant differences between the two age groups in the percentage of absolute errors or standard deviations. These findings could be explained by changes in the rate of the internal clock or to an interaction between more general changes in cognitive processes.

Detection of HCV and GBV-CHGV RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with chronic type C hepatitis.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis G virus (HGV) viraemia were investigated by RT-PCR protocols in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of 22 patients with chronic type C hepatitis. Samplings were at basal and 4-8 months after a 12 month period of treatment with interferon-alpha. A plus strand of HCV in PBMC was detected in 8 of 21 patients (38%) (p <0.05; chi2 test) with a lack of response to therapy; a minus strand was detected in 10% of chronic type C hepatitis and 25% of the patients harboured HCV RNA in PBMC. The association with a response was nearly significant (p <0.1; chi2 test). GBV-C/HGV RNA was detected in the serum of 9 of 21 (43%) patients and in PBMC of 20% of the patients viraemic. Genomic sequences of GBVC/HGV in PBMC were found, but further investigation is needed to assess the findings reported for HCV.

Genomic variability of hepatitis G virus/GBV-C at the NS3 region: clinical implications.

A new hepatitis virus, named GBV-C or hepatitis G virus (HGV), closely related to the hepatitis C virus (HCV), was identified in 1994. The existence of quasispecies in HCV is very important. In this work polymerase chain reaction amplification of the NS3 region of the genome of GBV-C/HGV and heteroduplex mobility assay (HMA) were combined to investigate the presence of quasispecies in patients with chronic infection by GBV-C/HGV. Patients with chronic infection by HCV were used to validate the method. The HMA was also used to investigate the similarity between the cited genomic region of GBV-C/HGV in different infected patients. A high degree of heterogeneity was found for HGV existing as quasispecies and as differences between samples. This is of extreme importance because of the intrinsic clinical and pathogenic implications of quasispecies of a virus capable of producing disease, and is in accord with other studies which report on the genomic variability of the NS3 region.

[Fibronectin as a diagnostic marker in several determined neurological diseases]. / Fibronectina como marcador diagnóstico de determinadas enfermedades neurológicas.

OBJECTIVE: To determinate if fibronectin in CSF can be a useful parameter in the diagnosis of some neurologic illnesses. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We have studied 30 patients, subdivided in four groups, depending on the type of neurologic illness. We have chosen as control a 10-patient group, which came to the Emergency Service and were diagnosed as a suspicious of neurologic illness, but after this it was discarded. In the whole group we practiced a lumbar puncture, with cytology, systematic, biochemistry, cultures, immunoglobulins determination and fibronectin quantification by ELISA. RESULTS: We want to emphasize the increase in fibronectin levels in CSF in both the patients with bacterial meningitis and the multiple sclerosis groups, when it's compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: For this, the determination of fibronectin levels in CSF might be a useful parameter in the diagnosis of some neurologic illnesses.

Previous training in the water maze: differential effects in NMRI and C57BL mice.

It has been shown that acquisition rates in the water maze vary across strains of mice, although the differential effects of previous experience in this spatial task have been scarcely evaluated. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of training in the water maze at an early age (2 months) in two strains of mice (NMRI and C57BL) using a longitudinal study. Mice with or without previous training were tested when they were 6 months, and retested when 10 months old. The results showed that trained NMRI mice performed better than all the other groups, both at test and retest, indicating that previous training had more beneficial effects in NMRI than in C57BL mice. These results demonstrate that the effects of an early training in the water maze may be influenced by the characteristics of the strain of mice. It could have implications in longitudinal studies evaluating effects of pharmacological or behavioral manipulations.

Effects of nicotine on spatial learning in C57BL mice.

In the present study, the effects of nicotine on spatial memory in C57BL/6J mice was evaluated. Mice were trained in a water maze during four daily sessions of three trials each. In the first experiment, nicotine (0.7 and 0.35 mg/kg) or saline was administered once daily for 4 days, 15 min before the start of daily training: an impairment of performance of the water maze was observed in the group treated with 0.7 mg/kg of nicotine. In the second experiment, nicotine (0.7 and 0.35 mg/kg) or saline was administered from the 5 days prior to the beginning of the task and during the 4 days of acquisition. The results indicated an improvement in the rate of learning in the 9-day nicotine treated groups. The comparison between 4-day and 9-day treated groups revealed that the group receiving 0.35 mg/kg of nicotine for 9 days displayed significantly shorter latencies than all the other groups, while the group receiving 0.7 mg/kg of nicotine for 4 days performed significantly worse than all the other groups. The most noteworthy result is that nicotine was more effective after a more prolonged administration than when administered only during the training days.

[Etiologic prevalence of superior vena cava syndrome]. / Prevalencia etiológica del síndrome de vena cava superior.

OBJECTIVES: Superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS) is an uncommon disease which receives usually bad prognostic. In order to study the prevalence of the different etiologies we have reviewed retrospectively 17 documented cases of SVCS in the last 5 years. METHODS: The range of age was between 43 and 80 years Sex distribution was 16 males and 1 female. RESULTS: Malignant pathology was by large the most common etiology. Oat cell and squamous cell carcinoma account each for 20%, adenocarcinoma for 18%, undifferenciated carcinoma for 12% and Hodgkin's disease for 6%. Among the benign causes we have found a case of retroesternal goiter.

Subtype distribution among intravenous drug users with chronic type C hepatitis in southern Spain.

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) subtype distribution among intravenous drug users (IVDU), and patients without this risk of acquiring HCV infection, was evaluated. The patients included in the study were 51 with chronic type C hepatitis (36 IVDU and 25 coinfected by HIV-1), and 31 on haemodialysis. Genotyping was performed on 71 viraemic patients, with the following distribution: 25.4%, 1a; 54.9%, 1b; 8.5%, 3a; 7%, mixed (1a, 1b; 3a, 1a; 3a, 1b; 2 x 3a, 2a); 1.4%, 4; and 2.8%, non-typeable. When subtypes were related to IVDU practice, the statistical significance was p < 0.01 for subtypes 1a (48.5% vs 7.5%, for IVDU and non-IVDU, respectively) and 1b (16.1% vs 85.1%). No relation between HIV-1 coinfection and subtype distribution was observed among IVDU patients. The results suggest that among young IVDU of Southern Spain the emerging HCV subtype is 1a.

Relationship between viral genotype and viral load in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

To determine the distribution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes and to related genotype to viral load, genotyping and quantification of viral RNA were carried out in 35 patients with chronic hepatitis C. Subtype 1a was most prevalent (43%), followed by subtypes 1b (23%) and 3a (14%). Mean viral load (log HCV-RNA copies/ml) for subtypes 1b, 1a and 3a was 7.1 +/- 1, 5.6 +/- 1.1 and 4.1 +/- 2.4, respectively. The presence of immunoglobulin M was related to the duration of hepatitis and genotype 1 to a more severe hepatic injury and higher viral load. Differences observed in viral load for a single HCV subtype justify the need to quantify HCV-RNA prior to establishing antiviral therapy.

Tratamiento homeopatico de prolapsos rectales en cerdos / Homeopathic terapy of rectal prolapse in pigs

Un estudio clinico fue realizado para evaluar el efecto curativo de la terapeutica homeopatica en casos de prolapso rectal en cerdos, cuya prueba se desarrollo en una granja comercial de Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. Siete de los ocho animales tratado con homeopatia en este estudio, se curaron en un tiempo promedio de 13-4.86 dias. Cuatro casos adicionales constituyeron el grupo control; en estos cuatro casos el prolapso persistio por mas 22 dias, por lo que dichos animales fueron enviados a sacrificio. La diferencia en la proporcion de curaciones fue significativa (p<0.05). Se encontro una predisposicion genetica, pues todos los animales afectados fueron descendencia directa de un semental de raza hampshire propiedad de la misma granja. El manejo alimenticio fue similar al del resto de los cerdos que se encontraban en la etapara de engorda de dicha explotacion. Ademas, la presentacion de prolapsos rectales no pudo ser asociada con factores como constipacion, diarrea o tos, ya que ninguno de estos sintomas se observo durante el estudio

Tratamiento homeopatico de prolapsos rectales en cerdos / Homeopathic terapy of rectal prolapse in pigs

Un estudio clinico fue realizado para evaluar el efecto curativo de la terapeutica homeopatica en casos de prolapso rectal en cerdos, cuya prueba se desarrollo en una granja comercial de Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. Siete de los ocho animales tratado con homeopatia en este estudio, se curaron en un tiempo promedio de 13-4.86 dias. Cuatro casos adicionales constituyeron el grupo control; en estos cuatro casos el prolapso persistio por mas 22 dias, por lo que dichos animales fueron enviados a sacrificio. La diferencia en la proporcion de curaciones fue significativa (p<0.05). Se encontro una predisposicion genetica, pues todos los animales afectados fueron descendencia directa de un semental de raza hampshire propiedad de la misma granja. El manejo alimenticio fue similar al del resto de los cerdos que se encontraban en la etapara de engorda de dicha explotacion. Ademas, la presentacion de prolapsos rectales no pudo ser asociada con factores como constipacion, diarrea o tos, ya que ninguno de estos sintomas se observo durante el estudio

Seroepidemiological study of hepatitis E virus in different population groups.

In order to determine the seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus, 1,993 sera (453 from healthy pregnant women, 491 from Moroccan subjects, 492 from blood donors, 321 from children, and 236 from intravenous drug users) were studied. IgG was measured by enzyme immunoassay (EIA), and positive results were confirmed by Western blot. The EIA detected antibodies in 3.96% of the subjects (5.6% of the Moroccans and drug users and 1.8% of the children). Fifty-four percent of these results were confirmed by Western blot, 11.4% were found to be negative, and 34.2% indeterminate. The overall prevalence after confirmation by Western blot decreased to 2.15%. When studying the Western blot pattern of the positive samples, 95% showed antibodies to SG-3, 65% to 8-5, and only 9.3% to CKS fusion protein. In the indeterminate Western blots, the results for these proteins were 96.3%, 62.9%, and 37%, respectively. When the epidemiological data were analysed, no statistically significant differences between women and men or between different age groups were found.

Human immunodeficiency virus type-1 can be detected in monocytes by polymerase chain reaction.

Lymphocytes and monocytes from 25 patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1)--13 asymptomatic, seven with the AIDS-related complex (ARC) and five with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)--were lysed and subjected to PCR with three primer pairs: SK38/SK39 (gag), SK68/SK69 (env) and SK29/SK30 (LTR). Amplified DNA was solution-hybridised with 32P-labelled probes (SK19, SK70 and SK31, respectively) and detected by PAGE-autoradiography. HIV-1 DNA was detected as follows. Asymptomatic patients: monocytes--gag 61.5%, env 100%, LTR 0%; lymphocytes--gag 100%, env 92.3%, LTR 53.84%. ARC patients: monocytes--gag 71.4%, env 57.1%, LTR 0%; lymphocytes--gag 100%, env 71.4%, LTR 71.4%. AIDS patients: monocytes--gag 80.0%, env 100%, LTR 0%; lymphocytes--gag 100%, env 60%, LTR 60%. The presence of HIV-1 DNA was confirmed in the monocyte fraction. In this cell subset, the env gene-directed primers were the most effective for amplification, whereas the LTR gene-directed primers failed to amplify HIV-1 DNA. The different pattern of amplification found in monocytes may suggest that these cells could be infected by a genetic variant of the virus.

Evaluation of enzyme immunoassay for hepatitis B virus DNA based on anti-double-stranded DNA.

We have evaluated a new enzyme immunoassay technology to detect the products of PCR-based amplification that may be applicable to routine testing of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA. Two hundred eight serum samples were studied: 73 were basal samples and 135 were sequential serum samples from patients with chronic hepatitis, some of whom were being treated with alpha interferon. We compared the new detection method (PCR-DNA enzyme immunoassay [DEIA]) with dot blot hybridization performed without prior PCR amplification and with two other methods for detection of PCR products: agarose gel electrophoresis with ethidium bromide staining (PCR-EB) and dot blot (PCR-dot blot). For hepatitis B-antigen-positive basal samples, HBV DNA was detected in 70.4% by dot blot, 74.1% by PCR-EB, and 100% by PCR-DEIA and PCR-dot blot; for anti-hepatitis B e-antigen basal samples, HBV DNA was found in 10.5% by dot blot and PCR-EB and in 42.1% by PCR-DEIA and PCR-dot blot. Chi-square tests showed a strong association between dot blot and PCR-EB and between PCR-DEIA and PCR dot blot. Using PCR-dot blot as the reference, dot blot shows a 56.9% sensitivity and a 100% specificity, PCR-EB shows a 55.0% sensitivity and a 100% specificity, and PCR-DEIA shows a 95.4% sensitivity and a 97% specificity. We conclude that the technical advantages of the DEIA method and its high sensitivity and specificity may facilitate the use of PCR in routine testing for HBV DNA in clinical microbiology laboratories.

Helicobacter pylori seroepidemiology in risk groups.

Helicobacter pylori is associated with peptic ulcer and chronic active gastritis. The response to infection can be determined by measuring serum titers of anti-H. pylori antibodies. We compared antibody titers in 612 serum samples from 570 individuals considered at risk for H. pylori infection, 170 of them are control sera from 110 adults and 60 children with no gastric alterations. The study groups were 93 institutionalized mentally handicapped children, 40 heterosexual couples, 101 HIV-sero-positive patients, 86 patients with chronic renal failure and 40 individuals (20 adults and 20 children) with symptoms associated with gastritis or gastroduodenal ulcer disease. In the adult and child control groups, 33.5% and 11.6% of the individuals had circulating anti-H. pylori antibodies. Significantly more adults (80%) and children (75%) with gastric symptoms had detectable circulating antibody titers. Elevated titers were also found in institutionalized children and in adults with renal failure.