Efficacy of chestnut and quebracho wood extracts to control Salmonella in poultry.

AIMS: The study was aimed to evaluate the antibacterial activity and efficacy of chestnut and quebracho wood extracts against Salmonella by in vitro assays and in vivo trials. METHODS AND RESULTS: The extracts showed inhibitory activity against Salmonella determined by the minimum inhibitory concentration method as well as on the adhesion and invasion of S. Gallinarum (SG) and S. Enteritidis (SE) in Caco-2 cells. Also, transmission electron microscopy revealed that extract-treated Salmonella showed disruption of cell walls and membranes, damage of the cytoplasm and tannin-protein aggregations. In addition, efficacy of the extracts to control SG and SE was evaluated in experimental infection trials in laying hens and broilers respectively. SE excretion was significantly reduced on days 5 (P < 0·01) and 12 (P < 0·025) only in the quebracho group. In the fowl typhoid infection model, hens that received the chestnut extract showed a significantly reduced mortality (P < 0·05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results evidence that these alternative natural products may be a useful tool to control Salmonella in poultry. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Salmonella is a zoonotic pathogen usually associated with poultry production. This study provides information about the mechanism of antibacterial effects of chestnut and quebracho wood extracts to control Salmonella in poultry.

Evidence-based estimation and radiotherapy utilisation rate in Andalusia.

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to estimate the theoretical needs -based on evidence- of radiotherapy treatments (RDT) in Andalusia, compare these needs with actual use of RDT in 2006 and analyse their evolution from 2003. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Correlation between quantitative variables was analysed with Pearson's correlation coefficient. This dealt with differences between administered/estimated treatments and treatments carried out in years with the Student's t-distribution, and the Xi2 test among qualitative variables. RESULTS: In Andalusia, the evidence-based rate of cancer irradiation is 55%. Eighty-five percent of theoretical treatments were administered in 2006. From this group, 107% were in gynaecological tumours, 100% in breast cancer cases, 71% in head and neck cancer and 48% in lung cancers; differences in the last two conditions were significant (p<0.01). As for regional distribution, differences were reported with reference to irradiation rates (p<0.0002) and resource distribution. In the last three years, an increment of 17% was observed in treatments conducted in public hospitals. The rate increased from 61% (with regard to optimal values) to 85% in 2006; in a parallel way, an increment was seen in therapy units (from 22 to 26) and radiation oncologists (from 57 to 69). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the increment of irradiation rates seen in the last years, there is still a serious underutilisation of RDT for some cancer types (lung, head and neck cancer), as well as a great variability in the use of RDT between hospitals.

[Thyroid lymphoma in a 51-year-old woman]. / Linfoma de tiroides en una mujer de 51 años.

Thyroid gland is an uncommon site for involvement by lymphoma. Because of the lack of specific histopathologic criteria for diagnosis, thyroid lymphomas are not usually diagnosed until a thyroidectomy is done, even when a fine-needle aspiration biopsy is performed before surgery. We report the case of a woman with a non-Hodgkin lymphoma presenting as thyroid enlargement with systemic manifestations of the disease. The preoperative histologic diagnosis was poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma. If the lymphoma was primarily thyroid or the involvement of thyroid was a part of the generalized dissemination of a nodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma is difficult to establish. She was treated with a combination of surgery and chemotherapy with excellent outcome. We comment the problems in the diagnosis of this disease.

Ovarian sex cord tumor with annular tubules and Peutz-Jeghers syndrome.

A case of ovarian sex cord tumor with annular tubules (SCTAT) is described in a patient with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome. The patient had undergone surgery at age 19 years for intestinal invagination caused by intestinal polyposis, and the subsequently had seven pregnancies. Of the four children surviving at the time of this study, all had intestinal polyposis. The ovarian tumor was discovered during a routine examination, although the patient had suffered moderate menstrual disorders and hypermenorrhea for several months previously. Eight years after surgery the patient remains free of symptoms. A review of the bibliography shows that sex cord tumors with annular tubules are very rare. Initially described by Scully in 1970, these usually benign tumors appear frequently in patients with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome. They are considered to originate from granulosa cells, and grow in patterns reminiscent of Sertoli cells.