Congenital eyelid imbrication syndrome in a Hispanic newborn: case report and review of the literature.

A 6-hour newborn boy presented with bilateral overriding of the upper eyelids during sleep and spontaneous eyelid eversion. Physical examination revealed canthal tendon laxity and hyperemia of the tarsal conjunctiva of both eyes. A diagnosis of congenital eyelid imbrication syndrome (CEIS) was established. The cornea and remaining adnexal structures were healthy; therefore, conservative management with lubricant ointment was initiated. On day 4, complete resolution of upper eyelid overriding and absence of spontaneous eversion was observed. CEIS is a rare eyelid malposition disorder in which the upper eyelid overrides the lower. Most CEIS cases described in the literature present at birth, occur in Asian patients, are associated with floppy eyelid, and resolve spontaneously. The authors present the first report of CEIS in a Hispanic newborn and a literature review of previously reported cases.

Influence of Sampling Conditions, Salivary Flow, and Total Protein Content in Uric Acid Measurements in Saliva.

Uric acid (UA) is the most abundant antioxidant compound in saliva and one of the most sensitive biomarkers for detecting changes in the oxidative status of the organism. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of: (i) different methods of saliva sampling and (ii) the correction by salivary flow or total protein on UA concentrations in saliva. Paired saliva (collected by two different methods, passive drooling and using Salivette cotton rolls) and serum samples were obtained from 12 healthy men after the performance of two resistance training exercises of different level of effort that can produce different concentrations in UA in saliva. There were no significant differences between values of uric acid in saliva using Salivette and passive drool. Correlations between UA in serum and saliva and increases in UA in saliva after exercise were detected when saliva samples were obtained by passive drool and Salivette and were not corrected by salivary flow or total protein concentration. Therefore for UA measurements in saliva it would not be recommended to normalize the results by salivary flow or protein concentration. This study highlights the importance of choosing an adequate sampling method selection as well as the expression of results when analytes are measured in saliva.

Acute phase proteins and biomarkers of oxidative status in feline spontaneous malignant mammary tumours.

Acute phase proteins (APP) and biomarkers of oxidative status change in human and canine mammary tumours, however, they have not been studied in feline mammary tumours. The aims of this study were to investigate the APP and antioxidant responses in feline malignant mammary tumours, to evaluate their relation with tumour features, and to assess their prognostic value. Serum amyloid A (SAA), haptoglobin (Hp), albumin, butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), insulin-like growth factor1 (IGF1), paraoxonase1 (PON1), total serum thiols (Thiol), glutathione peroxidase (GPox) and total antioxidant capacity determined by different assays, including trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity assessed by two different methodologies (TEAC1/2), ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP), and cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC), were determined in serum of 50 queens with spontaneous mammary carcinomas and of 12 healthy female cats. At diagnosis, diseased queens presented significantly higher SAA and Hp, and lower albumin, BChE, GPox, TEAC1, TEAC2 and CUPRAC than controls. Different tumour features influenced concentrations of APP and antioxidants. Increases in serum Hp, and decreases in albumin, Thiol and FRAP were significantly associated with neoplastic vascular emboli, metastasis in regional lymph nodes and/or in distant organs. Distant metastasis development during the course of the disease was associated with increases in SAA and TEAC1. At diagnosis, decreased albumin was associated with a longer survival, and BChE <1.15 µmoL/mL.minute was associated with a shorter survival time on multivariate analysis. Feline malignant mammary tumours are associated with an APP response and oxidative stress, and different tumour features influence the inflammatory response and the oxidative damage. Furthermore, some of these analytes proved to have prognostic value.

IL-1α and MMP-9 Tear Levels of Patients with Active Ocular Rosacea before and after Treatment with Systemic Azithromycin or Doxycycline.

AIMS: The purpose of this paper was to determine the lacrimal concentration of IL-1α and MMP-9 in patients with active ocular rosacea before and after systemic treatment with azithromycin or doxycycline. METHODS: After 4 weeks of therapy with azithromycin (500 mg/day, 3 days a week PO) or doxycycline (200 mg/day PO), lacrimal samples were analyzed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay multiplex. RESULTS: There was a significant difference between baseline IL-1α (37.9 pg/mL) and MMP-9 (26.7 ng/mL) in rosacea eyes compared to controls (0.001 pg/mL for IL-1α and 0.2 ng/mL for MMP-9) (p < 0.001). IL-1α decreased from 47.0 pg/mL before azithromycin to 23.5 pg/mL after treatment (p = 0.024), but not after doxycycline therapy. On the contrary, baseline MMP-9 tear levels (10.28 ng/mL) decreased after treatment (8.36 pg/mL) with doxycycline (p = 0.054) but not with azithromycin. There was a strong clinical correlation of higher baseline IL-1α tear levels between patients who responded to doxycycline therapy and those who failed (p = 0.043). Patients unresponsive to azithromycin had significantly higher baseline MMP-9 levels than those with doxycycline (p = 0.040). CONCLUSIONS: While IL-1α levels decreased after azithromycin therapy, MMP-9 did so after doxycycline treatment. Baseline cytokine tear levels tend to be markedly elevated in patients with antibiotic failure, suggesting their potential role as therapeutic biomarkers for the disease.

Differences in the accumulation and tissue distribution of Pb, Cd, and Cu in Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) exposed to single, binary, and ternary metal mixtures.

Heavy metals often accumulate in complex mixtures in the environment and are currently a source of concern in many marine ecosystems. Pb, Cd, and Cu are regarded as priority hazardous metals due to their great persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the tissue accumulation and distribution of these heavy metals in Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) exposed to binary and ternary mixtures of metals as opposed to only single exposures. Heavy metal concentrations in the digestive gland, gills, and the other soft tissues were determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), and the distribution of each metal was analyzed according to compartments. The concentrations of Pb, Cd, and Cu increased significantly in the group exposed to the ternary mixture; however, there was no common response pattern to exposure in single and binary mixtures. Above all, the metals concentrated in the digestive gland, although the percentages of each element varied between compartments and varied between tissues according to the treatment.

Esterase activity (EA), total oxidant status (TOS) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in gills of Mytilus galloprovincialis exposed to pollutants: Analytical validation and effects evaluation by single and mixed heavy metal exposure.

The aims of the present study were to optimize and validate methods for esterase activity (EA), total oxidant status (TOS) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) determination in mussel' gills, and to establish the relationships between these biomarkers and Pb, Cd and Cu pollution, in single form and ternary mixture. Two different buffers for sample homogenization, the need of ultracentrifugation, and analytical validation were evaluated. Coefficients of variation, when buffer without additives and ultracentrifugation were used, were <15%, and recovery were 97%-109% in all cases. The EA response tends to decrease with treatments, TOS decreased significantly in Cd and ternary groups, while TAC tended to increase in treatments with Pb, Cd and ternary groups. In conclusion, the methods for EA, TOS and TAC measurements in gills of mussel were precise and accurate and could be interesting resources in biomonitoring programmes.

Association of ALT and the metabolic syndrome among Mexican children.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is emerging as a component of the metabolic syndrome (MetS); Hispanics being particularly predisposed. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is considered a marker of NAFLD. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and associations between ALT elevations and MetS in normal-weight, overweight and obese Mexican children and adolescents, since data in Mexico is scarce. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), percentage body fat, blood pressure, glucose, lipid profiles, ALT and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were measured in 236, 6-12yo normal-weight, overweight and obese Mexicans from eight public schools. The results showed that elevated ALT (>40 IU/L) was found in 17.7% of the obese and overweight population, with no gender difference. The prevalence of elevated ALT increased linearly across BMI categories (p = 0.001), from 0.0% for the normal-weight group (95%CI 0.0-€“8.0) to 22.4% for the obese one (95%CI 16.2-€“30.2). AST/ALT ratio <1 also increased linearly, as did the prevalence of MetS (p = 0.001), from 0.0% for the normal-weight group to 40.3% for the obese one. The prevalence of MetS was strongly associated with elevated ALT (p = 0.002), 50% in the elevated ALT group (95%CI 34.1-€“65.9) and 24.1% in the normal ALT one (95%CI 18.1-€“31.3). There was also a strong association between MetS and an AST/ALT ratio <1. WC was the best predictor of elevated ALT (AOR = 7.13). Pearson correlation showed that MetS components were significantly correlated with elevated ALT. Therefore elevated ALT levels were highly prevalent and strongly associated with MetS in Mexican children, it should be screened in overweight and obese children.

Clinical and epidemiological features of 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza differ slightly according to seroprevalence status during the second wave in the general population in México.

BACKGROUND: Clinical features of pandemic H1N1 have been derived from lab-confirmed, hospitalized, or critically ill subjects. This report describes the clinical features of H1N1 and their prevalence from non-confirmed subjects according to seroprevalence status in México. The objective was to determine the prevalence of these clinical features from non-confirmed cases of pandemic H1N1 and to compare them according to seroprevalence status in northern Monterrey, México, during 2009, and to identify the predictive signs and symptoms; there have been no prior serologic studies in México. METHODS: During November-December 2009, 2,222 volunteers, ages 6-99 years, were categorized into 3 symptomatic groups: influenza-like illness, respiratory illness, and non-respiratory illness. Antibodies against influenza A/H1N1/2009 were determined by a virus-free enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Demographics and clinical presentation were assessed through face-to-face questionnaire, and the association with seroprevalence status was determined and compared. RESULTS: Overall seroprevalence was 39%. Of the seropositive subjects, 67% were symptomatic and 33% were asymptomatic. Seventy-one percent of seropositive symptomatic subjects reported respiratory illness, 17% reported non-respiratory symptoms, and 12% reported influenza-like illness. The most common symptoms were rhinorrhea/nasal congestion (93%) and headache (83%). No significant difference was found between the symptom profiles of the seropositive group, compared to the seronegative one, nor of the median duration of symptoms. The seropositive group had a significantly elevated proportion of influenza-like illness (12%), compared to the seronegative group (8%). The proportion of subjects who took days off and who sought medical attention was significantly higher in the seropositive group. No single symptom was associated as a predictor of seropositiveness. CONCLUSIONS: One third of the seropositive subjects were asymptomatic, and few had an influenza-like illness. No difference was found in the symptom profiles of the seropositive and seronegative groups. No single symptom predicted seropositiveness. Large scale population studies are needed, especially in México, to characterize clinical syndromes.

Seroprevalence of antibodies to influenza A/H1N1/2009 among transmission risk groups after the second wave in Mexico, by a virus-free ELISA method.

OBJECTIVE: No serological studies have been performed in Mexico to assess the seroprevalence of influenza A/H1N1/2009 in groups of people according to the potential risk of transmission. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of antibodies against influenza A/H1N1/2009 in subjects in Mexico grouped by risk of transmission. METHODS: Two thousand two hundred and twenty-two subjects were categorized into one of five occupation groups according to the potential risk of transmission: (1) students, (2) teachers, (3) healthcare workers, (4) institutional home residents aged >60 years, and (5) general population. Seroprevalence by potential transmission group and by age grouped into decades was determined by a virus-free ELISA method based on the recombinant receptor-binding domain of the hemagglutinin of influenza A/H1N1/2009 virus as antigen (85% sensitivity; 95% specificity). The Wilson score, Chi-square test, and logistic regression models were used for the statistical analyses. RESULTS: Seroprevalence for students was 47.3%, for teachers was 33.9%, for older adults was 36.5%, and for the general population was 33.0%, however it was only 24.6% for healthcare workers (p=0.011). Of the students, 56.6% of those at middle school, 56.4% of those at high school, 52.7% of those at elementary school, and 31.1% of college students showed positive antibodies (p<0.001). Seroprevalence was 44.6% for college teachers, 31.6% for middle school teachers, and 29.8% for elementary school teachers, but was only 20.3% for high school teachers (p=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The student group was the group most affected by influenza A/H1N1/2009, while the healthcare worker group showed the lowest prevalence. Students represent a key target for preventive measures.

[Different enzymatic activities recruitment by specific domains of TIF2 are involved in NF-kappaB transactivation]. / La actividad transcripcional de NF-kappaB es diferencialmente regulada por dominios específicos del coactivador TIF2.

We have previously shown that nuclear receptor coactivator overexpression significantly enhanced NF-kappaB activity in a dose response manner. We studied the mechanism by which TIF2 regulates NF-kappaB activity. We determined that: 1) the p38 specific inhibitor reduces 50% NF-kappaB transcriptional activity, even in cells that overexpress distinct TIF2 deletions; 2) there is a physical interaction between TIF2 and p38 and RelA determined through in vitro translated protein binding assays; 3) TIF2 is a p38 substrate; 4) there is a physical interaction between TIF2 and IKK in TNF-alpha 20 ng/ml stimulated or not HEK 293 cell protein extract, and IkappaB only in basal conditions, determined by binding pull down assays. This NF-kappaB complex regulates its activity and targets gene expression in a determined physiologic context depending on the coactivator complex content.

La actividad transcripcional de NF-kappaB es diferencialmente regulada por dominios específicos del coactivador TIF2. / [Different enzymatic activities recruitment by specific domains of TIF2 are involved in NF-kappaB transactivation]

We have previously shown that nuclear receptor coactivator overexpression significantly enhanced NF-kappaB activity in a dose response manner. We studied the mechanism by which TIF2 regulates NF-kappaB activity. We determined that: 1) the p38 specific inhibitor reduces 50

NF-kappaB transcriptional activity, even in cells that overexpress distinct TIF2 deletions; 2) there is a physical interaction between TIF2 and p38 and RelA determined through in vitro translated protein binding assays; 3) TIF2 is a p38 substrate; 4) there is a physical interaction between TIF2 and IKK in TNF-alpha 20 ng/ml stimulated or not HEK 293 cell protein extract, and IkappaB only in basal conditions, determined by binding pull down assays. This NF-kappaB complex regulates its activity and targets gene expression in a determined physiologic context depending on the coactivator complex content.

Envenenamiento con agentes inhibidores de la colinesterasa / Envenenamiento with inhibiting agents of colinesterasa

Expone que los agentes inhibidores de la colinesterasa son empleados ampliamente tanto en los hogares como en la agricultura para la eliminación de insectos, sin embargo el uso y manejo de este tóxico es delicado y al servicio de urgencias muchos pacientes suelen acudir ya sea por envenenamiento accidental o por la ingesta voluntaria del mismo. Los agentes inhibidores de la colinesterasa se dividen en dos grupos: los carbamatos y los órganos fosforados, presentando ambos tóxicos la misma sintomatología entre los cuales tenemos sialorrea, naúseas, vómitos, miosis, diaforesis, diarrea, etc., la cual se presenta por la estimulación de los ganglios post-sinápticos al inhibirse la acetilcolinesterasa y por consiguiente la persistencia de la acetilcolina a este nivel.