Novel edible toys as iron carrier to prevent iron deficiency of postweaned pigs.

The current preventive treatment for iron deficiency in pigs is inefficient, resulting in a high prevalence of iron-deficient or anemic postweaned pigs. The aim of this study was to develop and characterize edible toys (ETs) to be used as oral iron supplements, and to assess their effect on feeding behavior and iron status of postweaned pigs. Three types of ETs, varying in sweetness, were produced by ionic gelation, using whey, sodium alginate, ferrous sulfate and atomized bovine erythrocytes. ET control (ETC) was developed without sweetener, ET1 contained 15% w/v sucrose and ET2 contained 0.03% w/v of Sucram (98% sodium saccharin, 1% neosperidine dihydrocalcone and 1% maltol). ETs were mainly composed of carbohydrates and protein, with a similar concentration of iron (2.2-2.7 mg/g). The ETs were offered to 24 postweaned pigs to measure acceptability and preference. The animals preferred ETC and ET2 over ET1. To assess the nutritional benefit of the ETs, 24 postweaned pigs were distributed into three groups: ETC (without iron), ETC-Fe (ETC with iron) and ET2-Fe (with iron and Sucram). Iron-loaded ET (ETC-Fe and ET2-Fe) significantly increased the concentration of red blood cells (from 6.1 to 7.5·106 x mm3 for ETC-Fe and from 6.2 to 7.8 for ET2-Fe), hematocrit (from 32.8 to 37.9% for ETC-Fe and from 32.3 to 35.1 for ET2-Fe), serum iron (from 28.6 to 120.6 µmol/L for ETC-Fe and from 34.9 to 145.4 for ET2-Fe) and serum ferritin (from 7.8 to 18.5 µg/L for ETC-Fe and from 8.1 to 20.2 for ET2-Fe). In conclusion, the ETs developed in this study were accepted by the pigs and provided adequate iron to improve the iron status of postweaned pigs.

Estimation of fetal radiation absorbed dose during the prophylactic use of aortic occlusion balloon for abnormally invasive placenta.

PURPOSE: Abnormally invasive placenta is an important cause of maternal morbidity, and its primary complication is massive bleeding. Strategies for preventing bleeding include arterial endovascular occlusion. One concern with the use of intra-arterial occlusion balloons is radiation exposure to the fetus, which occurs while determining balloon position. In this study, we sought to determine the radiation absorbed dose by the fetus during intra-aortic occlusion balloon placement in patients with abnormally invasive placenta. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We estimated the fetal absorbed dose and the entrance skin dose in the vaginal fundus and lumbar skin, respectively, using thermoluminescent dosimeter crystals, during intra-aortic balloon positioning using the mobile X-ray image intensifier system (C-arm) in digital radiography mode, directly in surgery room, without transfer to angiographic suite. We also performed a mannequin-based simulation to validate the entrance skin dose measurement technique. RESULTS: Ten women undergoing surgical management of an abnormally invasive placenta, in whom the location of the intra-aortic occlusion balloon was verified using plain radiography with C-arm in the surgery room, were included in the study. Following maternal and fetal radiation exposure, the entrance skin dose and radiation absorbed dose by the fetus were 1.31 ± 0.96 mGy and 0.27 ± 0.28 mGy, respectively, with radiation exposure durations of <1 s. CONCLUSIONS: There were no complications with the use of REBOA, the radiation absorbed dose by the fetus, entrance skin dose, and duration of radiation exposure during intra-aortic occlusion balloon placement were lower than those reported for other vascular occlusion techniques, being this a safe procedure.

Eckhaus selection: The mechanism of pattern persistence in a reaction-diffusion system.

In this work, we show theoretically and numerically that a one-dimensional reaction-diffusion system, near the Turing bifurcation, produces different number of stripes when, in addition to random noise, the Fourier mode of a prepattern used to initialize the system changes. We also show that the Fourier modes that persist are inside the Eckhaus stability regions, while those outside this region follow a wave number selection process not predicted by the linear analysis. To test our results, we use the Brusselator reaction-diffusion system obtaining an excellent agreement between the weakly nonlinear predictions of the real Ginzburg-Landau equations and the numerical solutions near the bifurcation. Although the persistence of patterns is not relevant as a simple generating mechanism of self-organization, it is crucial to understand the formation of patterns that occurs in multiple stages. In this work, we discuss the relevance of our results on the robustness and diversity of solutions in multiple-steps mechanisms of biological pattern formation and auto-organization in growing domains.

Influence of surface chemistry of activated carbon electrodes on electro-assisted adsorption of arsenate.

In this work, the influence of oxygen-containing surface groups of activated carbon electrodes on the charge efficiency of electro-assisted adsorption of As(V) was investigated. It was distinguished between activated carbons modified through acidic (oxidation) and thermal (reduction) treatments, starting with a granular pristine commercial activated carbon of bituminous origin. The textural characterization of the three materials showed that the treatments did not produce significant changes in the surface area and in the distribution of pores. The three carbon samples were used to fabricate packed electrodes with stainless-steel mesh as electric current collector. This work report that the application of anodic potentials (1.01 and 1.41 V vs. NHE) increased the adsorption capacity and rate of arsenate uptake in solutions containing only this contaminant (2.5 mg L-1) at pH 7. The oxidized carbon electrode presented the lowest capacitance and adsorption capacity during electroadsorption (0.33 mg g-1), compared to pristine material (1.77 mg g-1). On the other hand, the reduced electrode displayed the highest adsorption capacity of arsenate (3.14 mg g-1) when applying a potential of 1.01 V. The results were correlated with the potential of zero charge values. In addition, for this material, the rate of kinetics increased 26.7 % compared to experiments without applied potential.

Luxación posterior inveterada de hombro asociada a lesión de Hill-Sachs reversa tratada con modificación de la técnica de McLaughlin / Unreduced posterior dislocation of the shoulder with an associated reverse Hill-Sachs injury treated with a modified McLaughlin technique

Resumen: Introducción: Las luxaciones posteriores de hombro son raras (2%) y se asocian a convulsiones, electrocuciones y traumatismos de alta energía. Pueden presentarse asociadas a una lesión de Hill Sachs reversa. Uno de los principios del tratamiento consiste en la transferencia del tendón subescapular hacia el área de lesión o procedimiento de McLaughlin. Caso clínico: Se expone el caso de un masculino con un defecto de Hill-Sachs reverso tratado con una modificación de la técnica original de McLaughlin. Se reportan los resultados funcionales tras 13 meses de la cirugía. Resultados: Actualmente con un Constant Score de 98 puntos. Discusión: La modificación técnica empleada para el tratamiento quirúrgico de la lesión de Hill Sachs reversa presentada en este paciente demostró bueos resultados funcionales con material de bajo costo.

Abstract: Introduction: Posterior shoulder dislocations are rare (2%) and are associated with seizures, electrocutions and high-energy trauma. They may be associated with a reverse Hill-Sachs lesion. One of the treatment principles consists of the subscapular tendon transfer to the injury area or McLaughlin procedure. Clinical case: A case of a man with a reverse Hill-Sachs defect treated with a modification of McLaughlin's original technique is presented. The functional results after 13 months of surgery are reported. Results: Currently with a Constant Score of 98 points. Conclusion: The technical modification used for the surgical treatment of the reverse Hill-Sachs lesion presented in this patient demonstrated good functional results with low cost material.

Fecal pollution source tracking and thalassogenic diseases: The temporal-spatial concordance between maximum concentrations of human mitochondrial DNA in seawater and Hepatitis A outbreaks among a coastal population.

Fecal pollution source tracking (FST) studies the origin of fecal contamination and promotes action to eliminate it to improve human health and environmental sustainability. This work presents the temporal and spatial relations of human mitochondrial DNA (HmtDNA), fecal coliforms (FC) and live microbial biomass (ATP) in seawater during a hepatitis A outbreak among a human coastal population. The study area is approximately 100 km along the coastline of the Biobío Region in the southeastern Pacific (Humboldt Current System, Chile). Total data from the swash zone from summer 2015 to autumn 2016 show there were significant positive log-log correlations between FC and HmtDNA (R = 0.32) and ATP (R = 0.31). These correlations were highest during the austral spring of 2015 (R = 0.53 and 0.58 respectively), when HmtDNA also correlated significantly with ATP (R = 0.86). Maximum average values of the parameters measured in this season showed a temporal-spatial concordance with the peak in the number of hepatitis A cases among the nearby coastal population. FC correlated significantly with HmtDNA (R = 0.98) in the water column of the coastal zone close to Concepción Bay during the austral summer of 2016 and in the swash zone of the bay (R = 0.68) throughout the study period. Hepatitis A virus (HAV) has also been detected in organisms and seawater in Concepción Bay, which is consistent with the high incidence of hepatitis A among the coastal population. The concordance between human fecal pollution in the study area and a seasonal hepatitis A outbreak strongly suggests that HmtDNA and its relation with FC and ATP in the coastal zone of marine environments can be used as a proxy to evaluate the risk of outbreaks of thalassogenic diseases.

[Unreduced posterior dislocation of the shoulder with an associated reverse Hill-Sachs injury treated with a modified McLaughlin technique]. / Luxación posterior inveterada de hombro asociada a lesión de Hill-Sachs reversa tratada con modificación de la técnica de McLaughlin.

INTRODUCTION: Posterior shoulder dislocations are rare (2%) and are associated with seizures, electrocutions and high-energy trauma. They may be associated with a reverse Hill-Sachs lesion. One of the treatment principles consists of the subscapular tendon transfer to the injury area or McLaughlin procedure. CLINICAL CASE: A case of a man with a reverse Hill-Sachs defect treated with a modification of McLaughlins original technique is presented. The functional results after 13 months of surgery are reported. RESULTS: Currently with a Constant Score of 98 points. CONCLUSION: The technical modification used for the surgical treatment of the reverse Hill-Sachs lesion presented in this patient demonstrated good functional results with low cost material.

INTRODUCCIÓN: Las luxaciones posteriores de hombro son raras (2%) y se asocian a convulsiones, electrocuciones y traumatismos de alta energía. Pueden presentarse asociadas a una lesión de Hill Sachs reversa. Uno de los principios del tratamiento consiste en la transferencia del tendón subescapular hacia el área de lesión o procedimiento de McLaughlin. CASO CLÍNICO: Se expone el caso de un masculino con un defecto de Hill-Sachs reverso tratado con una modificación de la técnica original de McLaughlin. Se reportan los resultados funcionales tras 13 meses de la cirugía. RESULTADOS: Actualmente con un Constant Score de 98 puntos. DISCUSIÓN: La modificación técnica empleada para el tratamiento quirúrgico de la lesión de Hill Sachs reversa presentada en este paciente demostró bueos resultados funcionales con material de bajo costo.

Review: circulating tumor cells in the practice of breast cancer oncology.

The primary cause of tumor-related death in breast cancer is still represented by distant metastasization. The dissemination of tumor cells from the primary tumor to distant sites through bloodstream cannot be early detected by standard imaging methods. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) play a major role in the metastatic spread of breast cancer. Different analytical systems for CTCs isolation and detection have been developed and novel areas of research are directed towards developing assays for CTCs molecular characterization. This review describes the current state of art on CTCs detection techniques and the present and future clinical implications of CTCs enumeration and characterization.

Allergy and acute leukaemia in children with Down syndrome: a population study. Report from the Mexican inter-institutional group for the identification of the causes of childhood leukaemia.

BACKGROUND: Allergies have been described as protective factors against the development of childhood acute leukaemia (AL). Our objective was to investigate the associations between allergy history and the development of AL and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in children with Down syndrome (DS). METHODS: A case-control study was performed in Mexico City. The cases (n=97) were diagnosed at nine public hospitals, and the controls (n=222) were recruited at institutions for children with DS. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated. RESULTS: Asthma was positively associated with AL development (OR=4.18; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.47-11.87), whereas skin allergies were negatively associated (OR=0.42; 95% CI: 0.20-0.91). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that allergies and AL in children with DS share biological and immune mechanisms. To our knowledge, this is the first study reporting associations between allergies and AL in children with DS.

The effect of age on the expression of apoptosis biomarkers in human spermatozoa.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of age on the expression of apoptotic biomarkers in human spermatozoa. DESIGN: Cross sectional, prospective study. SETTING: Academic centers. PATIENT(S): Healthy volunteers with proven fertility, stratified by age (n = 25, range: 20-68 years). INTERVENTION(S): Examination of serum hormone levels and basic semen parameters, and assessment of early (plasma membrane translocation of phosphatidylserine) and late (DNA fragmentation) sperm apoptotic markers by flow cytometry (using Annexin-V binding and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Apoptosis markers. RESULT(S): Advancing male age was significantly and positively correlated with Annexin-V binding results. Although not significant, there was a clear trend for increased DNA fragmentation in the older groups. The age threshold for these observations appears to be 40 years. Advancing male age was positively correlated with FSH and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels, and negatively correlated with sperm concentration. CONCLUSION(S): Advancing male age is associated with the expression of early apoptotic markers as evidenced by significantly increased plasma membrane translocation of phosphatidylserine, as well as with a more subtle proportion of sperm carrying DNA fragmentation. This study confirmed that male age is also associated with a decline in sperm concentration.

[Comparison of different methods of DNA extraction from blood to detect fungal DNA by PCR]. / Comparación de métodos de extracción de ADN de sangre para detectar ADN fúngico por PCR.

Comparison of different methods of DNA extraction from blood to detect fungal DNA by PCR. Invasive fungal infections (IFI) are associated with high mortality by reaching levels of 50%, and also with a significant failure in antifungical treatments. This fact mostly obeys to difficulties in obtaining a fast and accurate mycologic diagnosis due to the low sensitivity of conventional methods, mainly in neutropenic and AIDS patients. Various methods based on fungal DNA study are currently being used for the diagnosis of mycotic infections. We herein evaluated two procedures of extraction and purification of fungal DNA in blood for their use in PCR detection. Both of them showed equal efficiency in obtaining high performance DNA with universal primers ITS land ITS 4 as target.

Comparación de métodos de extracción de ADN de sangre para detectar ADN fúngico por PCR / Comparison of different methods of DNA extraction from blood to detect fungal DNA by PCR

La infección fúngica invasora (IFI) está asociada a un alto índice de mortalidad, que alcanza el 50% debido a la frecuente falla en el tratamiento antifúngico. Existen dificultades para realizar un diagnóstico micológico rápido y certero dada la baja sensibilidad de los métodos convencionales, especialmente en pacientes neutropénicos y con SIDA. Numerosos métodos para diagnosticar infecciones micóticas basados en el estudio del ADN fúngico están actualmente en desarrollo. Nosotros evaluamos la utilidad de dos procedimientos de extracción y purificación del ADN fúngico presente en sangre para su posterior detección por PCR. Ambos métodos resultaron igualmente eficientes para obtener ADNs de óptima calidad y para realizar la técnica de PCR con los iniciadores universales para hongos ITS 1 e ITS 4.

Invasive fungal infections (IFI) are associated with high mortality by reaching levels of 50%, and also with a significant failure in antifungical treatments. This fact mostly obeys to difficulties in obtaining a fast and accurate mycologic diagnosis due to the low sensitivity of conventional methods, mainly in neutropenic and AIDS patients. Various methods based on fungal DNA study are currently being used for the diagnosis of mycotic infections. We herein evaluated two procedures of extraction and purification of fungal DNA in blood for their use in PCR detection. Both of them showed equal efficiency in obtaining high performance DNA with universal primers ITS 1and ITS 4 as target.

Comportamiento de la deshidrogenasa lactica en niños con enfermedades neoplasicas: Consulta de Oncología infantil: Hospital Central de San Cristóbal, abril a octubre del año 2003 / Behavior of the lactic deshydrogenases in children with disease neoplasic infant: Oncology Consultation in the Central Hospital of San Cristobal: april-october 2003

La incidencia de cáncer infantil es de unos 120 casos anuales por cada millón de niños y conocer el diagnóstico oportuno mejora la sobrevida. Estudiar las concentraciones de la deshidrogenasa láctica (LDH) en niños con neoplasias que asisten a la consulta de Oncología Infantil del Hospital Central de San Cristóbal. Estudio prospectivo, descriptivo, longitudinal y observacional, diseño no experimental y longitudinal panel. 34 pacientes, 22 (65 por ciento) sexo masculino, 12 (5 por ciento) sexo femenino, preescolar 19 (56 por ciento), procedencia del medio urbano 23 (68 por ciento), 11 (32 por ciento) del medio rural, 17 (50 por ciento) leucemias, 5 (14,7 por ciento) tumor de wilms, 3 (8,82 por ciento) retinoblastoma, 3 (8,82 por ciento) linfoma no Hodgkin, 2 (5,88 por ciento) linfoma Hodgkin, 2 (5,88 por ciento) meduloblastoma, 1 (2,94 por ciento) sarcoma y 1 (2,94 por ciento) nueroblastoma. 9 (26 por ciento) consultan por tumoración abdominal y 28 (50 por ciento) tienen paraclínica de anemia. Leucemias en inicio y recaída la LDH elevada mayor de 285UI/L y normaliza en tratamiento, el tumor de wilms en tratamiento y seguimiento normal y en recaída elevada para luego normalizar, el retinoblastoma es normal en seguimiento y elevada en recaída y luego normaliza, el linfoma no Hodgkin elevada en inicio y luego normaliza y en tratamiento es normal, el linfoma Hodgkin normal en inicio, tratamiento y seguimiento, el meduloblastoma y neuroblastoma normal en seguimiento y el sarcoma normal en tratamiento. La LDH aumenta en fase de inicio y recaída y disminuye en fase de tratamiento y se normaliza en fase de seguimiento.

Manejo de las fracturas de diáfisis femoral en niños / Management of the diaphiseal femoral fractures in children

Para determinar el manejo de las fracturas diafisiarias de fémur en niños, en el Hospital "Pérez de León" de Petare, se analizaron retrospectivamente 57 historias con este diagnóstico entre enero de 1995 y enero del 2000. Fueron evaluados 44 varones y 13 hembras entre 1-12 años con un promedio de edad de 5,8 años. 43 (75 por ciento) se trataron de forma ortopédica, de las cuales 28 (48 por ciento) con tracción cutánea seguida de espica con un promedio de hospitalización de 25,8 días; 10 (18 por ciento) con tracción esquelética seguida de espica con un promedio de hospitalización de 27,9 días; 5 (9 por ciento) con yeso de espica inmediato con promedio de hospitalización de 7,6 días y 14 (24 por ciento) quirúrgicamente con enclavado endomedular todos tipo kuntscher con promedio de hospitalización de 19,9 días. Como mecanismo de lesión se encuentran las caídas de altura 38 por ciento, arrollamiento 24 por ciento; caída de sus pies 18 por ciento; trauma directo 11 por ciento; accidentes de tránsito 7 por ciento y heridas por arma de fuego 2 por ciento 50 por ciento de los pacientes presentaron daños asociados tales como traumatismo craneoencefálicos, excoriaciones múltiples, trauma abdominal cerrado y fracturas adicionales. Con estos resultados podemos concluir que las fracturas de diáfisis de fémur en niños son cada vez más frecuentes en las salas de emergencias, que tanto las caídas de altura, arrollamiento y caída de sus pies revisten gran importancia como factor causal; y que el tratamiento ortopédico es el más utlizado hasta la edad preescolar y el quirúrgico en la edad escolar

Analisis de la situacion actual de Enfermeria y alternativas de cambio desde la optica asistencial / Analysis of current situation of nursing and alternatives of change from the assitence point of view

Este trabajo trata de determinar, a través de una encuesta aplicada a 140 profesionales de enfermería, la situación actual de las enfermeras desde el punto de vista académico y social, y las alternativas de cambio según la opinión de las mismas con el fin de generar algunas propuestas para trabajar en conjunto con la Academia Nacional de Medicina. Si bien es cierto que esta es una muestra muy pequeña y de hecho no es completamente representativa de todas las enfermeras de nuestro país, sí tenemos una gran diversidad de facultades de egreso. Los resultados encontrados a toda luz demuestran que la enfermera debe motivarse desde el pregrado a seguir realizando estudios de posgrado, que uno de los problemas para seguir estudiando es el factor económico, que se debería hacer énfasis en un área específica desde el pregrado y en hacer una entrevista como requisito de selección para el ingreso a estudios de pregrado, entre otros. Es de suma importancia observar la escasa autoestima de las enfermeras frente a otras profesiones del área de la salud, hallazgo que debe generar un trabajo exhaustivo con relación a esta situación desde el p r egrado. Otro de los objetivos de presentar este trabajo es motivar a los otros departamentos de enfermería, facultades y otros sectores de salud a replicar la encuesta con el fin de poder estudiar una población más amplia

Impact of pesticides use on human health in Mexico: a review.

Pesticides having a high adverse effect on the health and environment of inhabitants of the Mexican Republic were studied to establish the main parameters to bear in mind for their use and application. The investigation showed that Mexico is the agricultural zone with the highest health damage to its population from pesticides. The valid regulation norms for the use and application of these agrochemicals were analyzed. Case histories recorded by the public health sector in Mexico were reviewed. In this way, a strong relation was found between the health problems and the pesticides applied. Finally, the study concludes that the various Mexican States appear as a risk zone because of contamination by pesticides that are permitted by the regulation norms and by others whose use is prohibited in other countries and in Mexico. This situation causes a serious effect on the health deterioration of people who are exposed to these agro-chemicals and, in some cases, leads to death.

Histoplasmosis and Paracoccidioidomycosis in northwestern Argentina III. Epidemiological survey in Vipos, La Toma, and Choromoro - Trancas, Tucumán, Argentina.

The present work was undertaken to obtain epidemiological data on the extent and distribution of Histoplasma capsulatum var. capsulatum and Paracoccidiodes brasiliensis diseases in the Vipos, La Toma and Choromoro areas. Skin test surveys with histoplasmin and paracoccidioidin were carried out in the permanent human population of those localities. Mycological sputum studies and serological tests were performed to skin test reactors to determine if there were signs or symptoms of active mycotic disease. La Toma and Choromoro are highly prevalent areas of histoplasmosis (>30% the histoplasmin positive individuals) whereas Vipos can be relatively considered a highly prevalent area (between 20-30% the histoplasmin reactors) according to the normally accepted range used to define an endemic disease [2]. Early Histoplasma capsulatum infection (<10 years old) is reported for Vipos and Choromoro. La Toma has the highest rate of previous exposure to P. brasiliensis detected in the studied area (10.2%). Vipos residents are not infected with P. brasiliensis.