Fusobacterium nucleatum and Prevotella in women with periodontitis and preterm birth.

BACKGROUND: Studies try to explain the hypothesis that maternal periodontitis may be associated with preterm birth. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a case-control study with 120, 40 cases (gestational age <37 weeks) and 80 controls (gestational age ≥37 weeks), that were submitted to the clinical periodontal examination and subgingival biofilm collection. Bacterial DNA of subgingival biofilm was performed and processed by qPCR. RESULTS: Periodontitis was statistically significant in the Case group (35%) when compared to the Control group (11.2%) and Gingival Bleeding Index (GBI), sites with PS ≥ 4mm and sites with CAL ≥ 5mm were statistically higher in the Case group (p < 0.05). The proportions of Pi (p = 0.026) and Fn (p = 0.041) of subgingival biofilm were higher in the Case group. A greater number of sites with PS ≥ 4mm (r = -0.202; p = 0.026) and CAL ≥ 5mm (r = -0.322; p < 0.001) were correlated to lower gestational age. CONCLUSIONS: Periodontitis, preterm delivery, and/or low birth weight may have a possible relationship based on clinical parameters and the ratio of Pi and Fn at periodontal sites.

Influence of 3 calcium channel blockers on gingival overgrowth in a population of severe refractory hypertensive patients.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the current study was to assess the association between 3 different calcium channel blockers (CCBs) (nifedipine, amlodipine and felodipine) and gingival overgrowth in patients with a diagnosis of severe refractory hypertension. METHODS: One hundred and sixty-two patients with severe refractory hypertension, taking CCBs, were selected. Gingival overgrowth was graded and periodontal measurements were recorded (probing pocket depth, clinical attachment level, plaque index and bleeding on probing). Unconditional multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association between CCB intake and gingival overgrowth after adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: Of the 162 patients, 26 (16.0%) were current smokers and 101 (62.3%) were females. The mean age (SD) was 54.1 (8.5) years and the median age (range) 52.5 (39-78) years. Gingival overgrowth was observed in 55 patients (34.0%). Nifedipine was the most common medication (35.2%; 57 of 162). The results of multiple binary logistic regression showed statistically significant associations between CCB intake (exposure) and gingival overgrowth (outcome) after adjusting for the variables treatment time with antihypertensive and plaque index. Patients with gingival overgrowth were 2.5 (odds ratio = 2.46; 95% confidence interval: 1.04-5.82) and 4.0 (odds ratio = 3.90; 95% confidence interval: 1.47-10.35) times more likely to be taking nifedipine and amlodipine, respectively, than patients without gingival overgrowth. On the other hand, this significant association was not observed for felodipine. CONCLUSION: Nifedipine and amlodipine, but not felodipine, were associated with gingival overgrowth in patients with severe refractory hypertension.

Sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of anterior chamber tap in cases of bacterial endophthalmitis.

BACKGROUND: To assess the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of anterior chamber tap for the diagnosis of bacterial endophthalmitis on a population with high prevalence. METHODS: Retrospective, single centre, case series study. We reviewed all medical records with clinical diagnosis of bacterial endophthalmitis in our hospital from January 1st, 2000 to December 31st 2014. From each record, we documented general demographic data, best corrected visual acuity and vitreous and aqueous tap microbiological results. All cases were further divided according to the endophthalmitis aetiology to perform individual calculations of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, accuracy and prevalence. We used the results of the vitreous tap as the gold standard for diagnosis of bacterial endophthalmitis. We excluded those records in which the aqueous and vitreous samples were not taken simultaneously or had an incomplete microbiological report. Significance were assessed with chi squared statistics, with an alpha value of 0.05 for statistical significance. RESULTS: A total of 190 cases fulfilled the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Positive culture rate from vitreous samples was 64.74%. Positive culture rate from aqueous sample was 32.11%. Bacteria isolated from aqueous samples matched those isolated from vitreous samples 78.68% of the time. The overall sensitivity was 38.21%, specificity: 75.51%, positive predictive value: 79.66%, negative predictive value: 32.74% (p = 0.08). Subgroup analysis showed that anterior chamber taps in cases of post-surgical endophthalmitis had a moderate to low sensitivity (37.73%), high specificity (93%) and high positive predictive value (95%) (p < 0.04). CONCLUSION: The sensitivity and specificity of anterior chamber tap are low and should not be used for critical therapeutic decisions in patients with suspected bacterial endophthalmitis. In cases of post-surgical endophthalmitis, the result of an anterior chamber tap could be used for therapeutic guidance, but only in conjunction with clinical presentation and in the absence of a better method for diagnosis.

Complete Genome Sequence of Human Coronavirus OC43 Isolated from Mexico.

We report the complete genome sequence of the first Mexican human coronavirus (HCoV) OC43, obtained by new-generation sequencing and a metagenomic approach, isolated from a child hospitalized with pneumonia. The genome is closely related to the other OC43 genome sequences available, ranging from 99.8% to 98.2% nucleotide sequence identity.

DNA microsatellite markers for Swartzia glazioviana (Fabaceae), a threatened species from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Development and characterization of a set of DNA microsatellite markers for Swartzia glazioviana (Fabaceae), a naturally rare and threatened tree species, were carried out to investigate its conservation genetics. METHODS AND RESULTS: Through an enriched genomic library procedure, 10 DNA microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized for the species. The mean expected heterozygosity was 0.776 (0.424-0.894). Cross-species amplifications of these loci were successfully tested for six congener taxa (S. apetala var. apetala, S. flaemingii, S. langsdorffii, S. macrostachya, S. myrtifolia var. elegans, and S. simplex var. continentalis). CONCLUSIONS: The 10 polymorphic microsatellite markers developed are quite informative and will provide a valuable resource to study the population and conservation genetics of S. glazioviana and other Swartzia species.

Association between apical periodontitis lesions and plasmatic levels of C-reactive protein, interleukin 6 and fibrinogen in hypertensive patients.

AIM: To test the null hypothesis of association between chronic apical periodontitis (CAP) and plasmatic levels of the C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and fibrinogen in a population of severely hypertensive patients. METHODOLOGY: One hundred and seventy patients with severe refractory hypertension were selected. All patients were submitted to radiographic, clinical and periodontal evaluation. Plasmatic levels of CRP, IL-6 and fibrinogen were measured on the morning of the first periodontal appointment using commercially available kits. Multiple linear regression analyses were carried out to appraise the effect of the co-variables on the plasmatic levels of the inflammatory markers assessed. RESULTS: Of the 170 subjects who participated, 105 (61.8%) were females and the median age of the participants was 53 years (range: 40-78). The adjusted multiple linear analyses demonstrated that plasmatic levels of CRP levels were associated with the body mass index (BMI) (r = 0.259, P < 0.001) and residual tooth roots (RTR) (r = 0.191, P = 0.041). IL-6 and fibrinogen levels showed associated with BMI (r = 0.400, P < 0.001 and r = 0.214, P = 0.002 respectively). CAP correlated weakly with CRP (r = 0.250, P = 0.005), IL-6 (r = 0.174, P = 0.020) and fibrinogen (r = 0.393, P < 0.001) levels. CONCLUSION: The null hypothesis was rejected in favour of the alternative hypothesis. In other words, the presence of chronic apical periodontitis was associated with higher plasmatic levels of CRP, IL-6 and fibrinogen, in a population of severely hypertensive patients. However, the weak association between CAP and each dependent variable suggests a modest participation of endodontic infection on the plasmatic levels of biomarkers.

Efecto de remedios homeopáticos y gentamicina en diarreas en crías porcinas / Effect of homeopathic remedies and gentamicin in diarrhea in piglets

El estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar el efecto de nux vómica y el complejo homeopático TratHo® cólera en comparación con la gentamicina al 5% en la diarrea de lechones. Se trabajó con 150 lechones de cinco días de nacidos que presentaron diarrea en una unidad porcina de Camagüey, Cuba. Los lechones fueron distribuidos en tres grupos, cada uno de 50 individuos. A los animales del grupo I se le administró nux vomica a la 30 CH en dosis de 5 gotas sublinguales cada 12 h el 1er día y luego cada 24 h hasta el 5° día. En el grupo II se les administró TratHo colera a la 30 CH en dosis de 5 gotas sublinguales cada 12 h el 1er día y luego cada 24 h hasta el 5° día. En el grupo III se les administró Gentamicina al 5% por vía intramuscular en dosis de 2 a 4 mg/kg de peso vivo, cada 12 h durante 5 días. En todos los casos, los lechones fueron rehidratados con solución Ringer, vía intraperitoneal, en dosis de 100 a 300 ml, según el grado de deshidratación. Se evaluó la evolución clínica, el apetito y la deshidratación sin llegar a encontrarse diferencias estadísticas entre grupos; no obstante la terapia homeopática resultó efectiva y más económica que el tratamiento con antibiótico.

Molecular detection of human papillomavirus in Brazilian women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in a northeast Brazilian city.

We examined the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in Brazilian women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Our goal was to identify the types of HPV and their association with risk factors. This prospective cross-sectional study included 97 samples collected from women aged 14-79 years at the public health units of gynecological care in São Luís, MA, Brazil. HPV detection was performed by nested polymerase chain reaction and sequence analysis. The study patients completed a structured questionnaire to provide information regarding their socio-demographic, clinical, and behavioral status. HPV prevalence was found to be 80.4%, with 17 virus types detected, including HPV 16, 18, 58, 6, and 11. Significant associations between HPV infection and age and frequency of doctor visits were identified. The study findings indicate the significance of age and low frequency of visits to the gynecologist as risk factors for genital HPV infection, suggesting that HPV infection-derived cervical cancer could be prevented through orientation programs for women, which include sex education and information regarding screening tests. We also found an increased prevalence of high-risk HPV serotypes in cervical lesions, which reveals an association between cervical lesions and high-risk HPV.

Determination of CYP2D6 *3, *4, and *10 frequency in women with breast cancer in São Luís, Brazil, and its association with prognostic factors and disease-free survival

The CYP2D6 enzyme is crucial for the metabolism of tamoxifen. The CYP2D6 gene is highly polymorphic, and individuals can be extensive, intermediate, or poor tamoxifen metabolizers. The aim of this study was to determine the frequencies of the CYP2D6 *3, *4, and *10 alleles in women with breast cancer who were treated with tamoxifen and analyze the association of enzyme activity with prognostic factors and disease-free survival. We observed a high frequency of CYP2D6 *10, with an allelic frequency of 0.14 (14.4%). The *3 allele was not present in the studied population, and *4 had an allelic frequency of 0.13 (13.8%). We conclude that patients with reduced CYP2D6 activity did not present worse tumor characteristics or decreased disease-free survival than women with normal enzyme activity, as the difference was not statistically significant. We also observed a high frequency of CYP2D6 *10, which had not been previously described in this specific population. This study is the first in north-northeastern Brazil that aimed to contribute to the knowledge of the Brazilian regional profile for CYP2D6 polymorphisms and their phenotypes. These findings add to the knowledge of the distribution of different polymorphic CYP2D6 alleles and the potential role of CYP2D6 genotyping in clinical practice prior to choosing therapeutic protocols.

Determination of CYP2D6 *3, *4, and *10 frequency in women with breast cancer in São Luís, Brazil, and its association with prognostic factors and disease-free survival.

The CYP2D6 enzyme is crucial for the metabolism of tamoxifen. The CYP2D6 gene is highly polymorphic, and individuals can be extensive, intermediate, or poor tamoxifen metabolizers. The aim of this study was to determine the frequencies of the CYP2D6 *3, *4, and *10 alleles in women with breast cancer who were treated with tamoxifen and analyze the association of enzyme activity with prognostic factors and disease-free survival. We observed a high frequency of CYP2D6 *10, with an allelic frequency of 0.14 (14.4%). The *3 allele was not present in the studied population, and *4 had an allelic frequency of 0.13 (13.8%). We conclude that patients with reduced CYP2D6 activity did not present worse tumor characteristics or decreased disease-free survival than women with normal enzyme activity, as the difference was not statistically significant. We also observed a high frequency of CYP2D6 *10, which had not been previously described in this specific population. This study is the first in north-northeastern Brazil that aimed to contribute to the knowledge of the Brazilian regional profile for CYP2D6 polymorphisms and their phenotypes. These findings add to the knowledge of the distribution of different polymorphic CYP2D6 alleles and the potential role of CYP2D6 genotyping in clinical practice prior to choosing therapeutic protocols.

Cistectomía radical por cáncer vesical en un hospital docente-asistencial: análisis de resultados perioperatorios / Radical cystectomy for bladder cancer in a state teaching hospital: analysis of perioperative outcomes

Introduction: A number of patients have been studied after undergoing Radical Cystectomy (RC) for bladder cancer, to review prognostic factors and analyze perioperative outcomes. A contemporary benchmark was established for future comparisons. Material and Methods: Retrospective study of 46 patients that underwent RC for bladder cancer between July 2003 and September 2012, assessing demographic characteristics, comorbidities, anesthetic risk and clinical status, interval between transurethral resection (TUR) and cystectomy, operative times, bleeding and transfusions, surgical technique, nutritional management, pathologic findings, hospital stay and complications. Complications were detailed by type and frequency and classified as early (within 30 days) or late. In addition, we used the Clavien-Dindo classification for reporting postoperative complications. Mortality rates at 30, 60 and 90 days after cystectomy were estimated. Results: Average patient age was 70 years (49-88) and mean ASA classification was 2.7. The average between TUR and cystectomy was 68.2 days (median = 57.5 days). Mean operative time for cutaneous ureterostomy was 194 minutes, 320 for ileal conduit and 342 for neobladder. 60.8 percent had pathological stage major than pT2 and 41 percent had nodal involvement. There were 19.5 percent of positive margins. The 23.9 percent had Clavien-Dindo postoperative complications grade 3 or 4. The 90-day global mortality was 17.3 percent. Conclusions: CR was associated with a high morbidity and mortality, which seems to be explained by an advanced stage of the disease and the high presence of poor prognostic factors.

Objetivos: Estudiamos una serie de pacientes sometidos a cistectomía radical (CR) por cáncer vesical para examinar factores pronósticos y analizar los resultados perioperatorios, estableciendo así un punto de referencia para futuras evaluaciones. Material y Método: Estudio retrospectivo de 46 pacientes sometidos a CR por cáncer vesical entre julio de 2003 y septiembre de 2012, evaluando características demográficas, comorbilidades, riesgo anestésico y condición clínica, lapso entre la resección transuretral (RTU) y la cistectomía, tiempos operatorios, sangrado y transfusiones, técnica quirúrgica utilizada, manejo nutricional, resultados anatomopatológicos, estada hospitalaria y complicaciones. Estas últimas fueron detalladas según tipo y frecuencia y catalogadas como precoces (durante los primeros 30 días) o tardías. Además, se utilizó la clasificación de Clavien-Dindo para reportar las complicaciones postoperatorias. Se estimaron las tasas de mortalidad a 30, 60 y 90 días post cistectomía. Resultados: El promedio de edad fue 70 años (49-88) y la media de la clasificación ASA fue 2,7. El promedio entre la RTU y la cistectomía fue 68,2 días. Los tiempos operatorios promedio fueron de 194 min la ureterostomía cutánea, 320 el conducto ileal y 342 la neovejiga. Un 60,8 por ciento tenía un pT > 2 y un 41 por ciento compromiso ganglionar. Hubo 19,5 por ciento de márgenes positivos. Un 23,9 por ciento tuvo complicaciones grado 3 ó 4 según Clavien-Dindo. La mortalidad global a 90 días fue 17,3 por ciento. Conclusiones: la CR se asoció a una elevada morbimortalidad, lo que parece explicarse por un estado avanzado de la enfermedad y por la alta presencia de factores de mal pronóstico.

Análisis de supervivencia en pacientes sometidos a cistectomía radical por cáncer vesical en un Hospital docente-asistencial / Analysis of survival in patients undergoing radical cystectomy forbladder cancer in a teaching Hospital

Examinar factores pronósticos y analizar la supervivencia en pacientes sometidos a cistectomía radical (CR) por cáncer vesical. MATERIAL Y MÉTODO: estudio de cohortes retrospectivo de 46 pacientes sometidos a CR por cáncer vesical entre julio de 2003 y septiembre de 2012, considerándose como variable dependiente la supervivencia y como variables independientes: las características demográficas, comorbilidades, riesgo anestésico, condición clínica, lapso entre la RTU y la cistectomía, derivación urinaria utilizada, resultados anatomopatológicos y complicaciones postoperatorias. Se analizó la supervivencia mediante Kaplan-Meier, elaborando curvas que fueron comparadas mediante el método de Mantel-Cox. Se efectuó un análisis de supervivencia a 2 años de la cistectomía, mediante regresión logística binaria multivariante. RESULTADOS: La media de la supervivencia global fue 31,8 meses (mediana = 12 meses) y la de la específica 38,2 meses (mediana = 16). La supervivencia global fue mayor en enfermos menores de 70 años, con función renal o albuminemia normales, ASA <3 y en quienes se elaboró una neovejiga. La supervivencia específica fue mayor en los pacientes con estadio tumoral (pT) <3, densidad ganglionar <20 por ciento, margen quirúrgico negativo, sin compromiso ganglionar o masa residual (R0) y en los sometidos a linfadenectomía. Los factores de riesgo para fallecer dentro de los primeros 2 años fueron edad sobre 69 años, ASA >2, pT >2 (OR 25), compromiso ganglionar, metástasis a distancia, masa residual y margen positivo. CONCLUSION: La infiltración local, la afectación ganglionar y una edad mayor a 69 años fueron los tres factores de riesgo más determinantes de un peor pronóstico.

To review prognostic factors and analyze the survival of patients treated with radical cystectomy (RC) for bladder cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of 46 patients underwent RC for bladder cancer between July 2003 and September 2012 was carried out, considering survival as the dependent variable and as independent variables the following: demographic characteristics, comorbidities, anesthetic risk, clinical condition, delay between transurethral resection (TUR) and cystectomy, urinary diversion performed, pathologic findings, and postoperative complications. A survival analysis using the Kaplan-Meier method was performed; as a result curves were obtained and compared using the Mantel-Cox test. A multivariate binary logistic regression was performed, and prognostic factors of survival at 2 years of cystectomy were evaluated. RESULTS: The median overall survival was 31.8 months (median 12 months) and specific overall survival was 38.2 months (median = 16). Overall survival was higher in patients younger than 70 years, with normal renal function and normal albumin, ASA minor than 3 and in those that a neobladder was developed. Specific survival was higher in patients with tumor stage (pT) <3, node density <20 percent, negative surgical margins, without lymph node involvement or residual mass (R0) and in those underwent to lymphadenectomy. Risk factors for death within the first 2 years were: age over 69 years, ASA> 2, pT> 2 (OR 25), nodal involvement, distant metastases, residual mass and positive margins. CONCLUSIONS: Local infiltration, lymph node involvement and age over 69 years were the three most crucial risk factors for a worse prognosis.

Higher prevalence of periodontitis in patients with refractory arterial hypertension: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the association of periodontitis with refractory arterial hypertension. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 137 patients were examined. Seventy patients (mean age of 55.2 ± 9.2 years) were included in the case group, while 67 non-hypertensive subjects (mean age of 50.0 ± 7.2) served as a control group. Periodontal clinical examination included plaque index, bleeding on probing, probing pocket depth and clinical attachment loss (CAL). Patients with at least five sites with CAL ≥6 mm were considered as severe periodontitis, and with at least 30% of the sites with CAL ≥4 mm generalized chronic periodontitis. RESULTS: The mean (±s.d.) number and percentage of sites with CAL ≥6 mm were 11 (±14) and 16.6 (±14) in the case group, and 5.7 (±9.5) and 5.8 (±9.7) in the control group (P < 0.05). The mean (±s.d.) percentage of sites with CAL ≥4 mm was 37 (±29.6) in the case group and 21.2 (±20) in the control group (P < 0.05). The significant associations with arterial hypertension were severe chronic periodontitis (OR = 4.04, 95% CI: 1.92; 8.49) and generalized chronic periodontitis (OR = 2.18, 95% CI: 1.04; 4.56). CONCLUSIONS: Severe and generalized chronic periodontitis seem to play a role as risk indicators for hypertensive patients.

Evolución de la prevalencia de enteroparasitosis en la ciudad de Talca, Región del Maule, Chile / Evolution of the prevalence the enteroparasitoses in Talca-Chile

Se realizó un estudio descriptivo y retrospectivo de pre-valencia de enteroparasitosis en preescolares y escolares de la zona periférica de la ciudad de Talca y zonas rurales de la región del Maule, a partir de los resultados obtenidos en los exámenes copro-parasitológicos seriados y test de Graham, procesados en el Laboratorio de Parasitología de la Universidad de Talca, durante el período comprendido entre los años 1980 y 2008. Observamos la prevalencia total de la población calculada en 76,2 por ciento de niños infectados con parásitos, ya fuesen comensales o patógenos. Se observó un franco descenso, de 9,8 por ciento a 2,5 por ciento, de enteroparasitosis causadas por los siguientes patógenos: Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba histolytica, Trichocephalos trichiuris, Ascaris lumbricoides, Hymenolepis nana, Taenia sp. Las enteroparasitosis por comensales como Entamoeba coli, Iodamoeba bütschlii, Endolimax nana y Chilomastix mesnili experimentaron un leve descenso. A pesar de esta disminución, los parásitos comensales muestran un aumento a través del tiempo, dado por el significativo aumento en la portación de Blastocystis hominis (de 7,6 a 72,9 por ciento). Se observó además un cambio en la portación de poliparasitosis (de 64,5 a 9,6 por ciento) y monoparasitosis (de 10,0 a 35,5 por ciento).

The prevalence of intestinal parasites in preschool and school children in the city of Talca and rural areas belonging to the Maule Region, was assessed annually by means of the serial parasitological studies in stool which were performed in the Parasitology Laboratory of the “Universidad de Talca”. For consecutive periods since 1980 until 2008, an estimated prevalence of parasitism of 76.2 percent in the population studied was found. These results show a marked decrease from 9.8 percent to 2.5 percent in pathogenic enteroparasites like: Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba his-tolytica, Trichocephalos trichiuris, Ascaris lumbricoides, Hymenolepis nana and Taenia sp. Commensal parasites as Entamoeba coli, Iodamoeba butschlii, Endolimax nana and Chilomastix mesnili experimented a diminished recovery too. However commensal parasites globally showed an increase in time, given the significant increase of Blastocystis hominis (from 7.6 to 72.9 percent). A change was also observed in the carriage of polyparasitosis (from 64.5 percent to 9.6 percent) and monoparasitosis (from 10.0 to 35.5 percent).

Combination of oral activated charcoal plus low protein diet as a new alternative for handling in the old end-stage renal disease patients.

Chronic dialysis is a valid therapeutic option in very elderly ESRD patients, even though the decision to dialyze or not has little impact on survival. Additionally, very old patients usually do not agree with starting chronic dialysis. Even though, activated charcoal is a cheap treatment for working as adsorbent for nitrogenous products its utility is very limited. We studied the combination of a low protein diet and oral activated charcoal to reduce serum urea and creatinine levels in very old ESRD patients who had refused to start chronic dialysis. Nine lucid, very old > 80 years, ESRD patients who had refused to start dialysis were prescribed a treatment based on a combination of a very low protein diet and oral activated charcoal (30 gram/day). None of the patients had anuria, oliguria, edema, significant metabolic acidosis or hyperkalemia. None of them had significant gastrointestinal symptoms. After one week and ten months of charcoal use significant decrease in blood urea and creatinine levels was observed and none of them required emergency dialysis during this time. In conclusion, in patients more than 80 years of age low protein diet and oral activated charcoal may control the uremic symptoms effectively.

Strain engineering of the magnetocaloric effect in MnAs epilayers.

By using heteroepitaxy on two different GaAs templates, we have investigated the impact of anisotropic strain on the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) of MnAs. The temperature range, spread around room temperature, and the maximal MCE position are markedly different in the two epitaxial systems. Simulated MCE curves, obtained from a model based on the mean-field approximation, are in good agreement with the experimental data, indicating that the entropy variation is magnetic in origin. These results illustrate how strain can be used to tune the MCE in materials with coupled structural and magnetic phase transition and suggest that the MCE of MnAs may find applications in microelectronic circuitry.

Giardia lamblia: the effects of extracts and fractions from Mentha x piperita Lin. (Lamiaceae) on trophozoites.

Giardia lamblia is a parasite that causes giardiasis in humans and other mammals. The common treatment includes different classes of drugs, which were described to produce unpleasant side effects. Mentha x piperita, popularly known as peppermint, is a plant that is frequently used in the popular medicine to treat gastrointestinal symptoms. We examined the effects of crude extracts and fractions from peppermint against G. lamblia (ATCC 30888) on the basis of trophozoite growth, morphology and adherence studies. The methanolic, dichloromethane and hexanic extracts presented IC(50) values of 0.8, 2.5 and 9.0microg/ml after 48h of incubation, respectively. The aqueous extract showed no effect against the trophozoites with an IC(50)>100microg/ml. The aqueous fraction presented a moderate activity with an IC(50) of 45.5microg/ml. The dichloromethane fraction showed the best antigiardial activity, with an IC(50) of 0.75microg/ml after 48h of incubation. The morphological and adhesion assays showed that this fraction caused several alterations on plasma membrane surface of the parasite and inhibited the adhesion of G. lamblia trophozoites. Cytotoxic assays showed that Mentha x piperita presented no toxic effects on the intestinal cell line IEC-6. Our results demonstrated antigiardial activity of Mentha x piperita, indicating its potential value as therapeutic agent against G. lamblia infections.

Síndrome de Bouveret: caso clínico y revisión de la literatura / Bouveret syndrome: report of one case

El síndrome de Bouveret es una rara entidad clínica consistente en una obstrucción duodenal secundaria al paso de cálculos desde la vesícula biliar al duodeno, a través de una fístula colecisto o colédoco-duodenal. La presentación clínica es más bien inespecífica, siendo difícil el diagnóstico preoperatorio. La ecografía y TAC abdominal, como la endoscopia digestiva alta son los exámenes diagnósticos más útiles, siendo, en ocasiones, terapéutico. Este trabajo reporta el caso de un paciente de 76 años, que consulta por un cuadro compatible con una obstrucción intestinal causada por litiasis biliar y cáncer.

Susceptibility of Giardia lamblia to Hovenia dulcis extracts.

Giardia lamblia is the causative agent of giardiasis, a common parasitic infection of the human and animal digestive tract. Although several drugs have been available to treat this infection, they present unpleasant side effects or cytotoxicity. In order to find a more natural treatment for the disease, we analyzed the effects of the methanolic extract and three fractions obtained from Hovenia dulcis Thunb. (Rhamnaceae) leaves on G. lamblia. Comparing all fractions, dichloromethane was more efficient in reducing Giardia growth. The exposition of G. lamblia to this fraction lead to degenerations in the surface, modifications in the cell shape and alterations in the localization of nuclei. Besides that, the adhesion of G. lamblia was also altered. Experiments revealed that the obtained fraction did not present cytotoxic effects in mammalian cells. In summary, dichloromethane fraction has strong antigiardial effects and could become an important new substance for the treatment of giardiasis.

Fístula duodeno-cólica benigna: reporte de un caso y revisión del tema / Benign duodenal-colic fistula: a case report and subject review

La fístula duodeno-cólica es una entidad de presentación inusual, descrita en la literatura sólo como reportes de casos aislados. Las FDC benignas son una rara complicación de numerosas enfermedades gastro-intestinales, siendo la causa más frecuente la secundaria a la enfermedad de Crohn. Dolor abdominal, signos de malabsorción (diarrea, baja de peso), asociados eventualmente a náuseas y vómitos son la forma de presentación más frecuentes. El enema baritado es el mejor método diagnosticado. El manejo debe ser integral, considerando tanto el manejo de la enfermedad de base, como el soporte nutricional y la resolución quirúrgica de la fístula. Se presenta un caso clínico de esta patología.