Exploring the socio-emotional factors associated with subjective well-being in the unemployed.

In this study, we examined the relations between dimensions of Perceived Emotional Intelligence (PEI) and classic constructs, such as social support, on depression, stress, and subjective well-being indicators (life satisfaction and happiness). The study also sought to determine whether PEI dimensions accounted for a significant portion of the variance beyond that of classic constructs in the study of depression, stress, and well-being outcomes in a sample of 442 unemployed subjects. Results indicated that social support and all PEI dimensions are found to be significant and negatively related to depression and stress, and these variables were also found to be significant and positively associated with life satisfaction and happiness. Additionally, results using regression analysis indicated that PEI, and specifically use of emotions and regulation of emotions, explain a significant amount of the variance of all outcomes after controlling for socio-demographics and social support dimensions. Finally, theoretical and practical implications of these constructs and their relation with psychological adjustment and well-being in unemployed people are discussed.

Combined physical-chemical and aerobic biological treatments of wastewater derived from sauce manufacturing.

The viability of an integrated coagulation-flocculation and aerobic treatment for purifying wastewater derived from a sauce manufacturing industry was evaluated. The best coagulation-flocculation results were obtained at alkaline pH, showing the greatest turbidity removal efficiency (greater than 90%) and a total chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal of approximately 80%, Additionally, experiments at alkaline pH reduce the reagent requirements (coagulant concentration of 0.4 mL/L and flocculant concentration of 4.0 mL/L) providing a consequent economic benefit as compared to experiments at neutral and acidic pH. Another set of experiments was conducted in a sequencing batch reactor to evaluate the aerobic biodegradability of the remnant dissolved organic matter. The effluent from the physical-chemical pre-treatment at alkaline pH again showed the highest biodegradability (76%), with a global COD total removal of 98%. The results showed that the combination of both techniques could be a viable alternative to efficiently treat wastewater derived from sauce manufacturing.

Intervenciones no farmacológicas para el tratamiento de la disfunción eréctilen varones adultos: revisión sistemática / Non-pharmacological interventions for the treatment of erectile dysfunction in adult men: systematic review

Objetivo. Conocer la evidencia actual en el tratamiento no farmacológico (no invasivo) para la disfunción eréctil (DE). Método. Búsqueda sistemática de artículos de investigación que incluyan tratamientos para varones adultos con DE, que no fueran médicos ni quirúrgicos. Se buscaron publicaciones realizadas entre 2000 y 2006 que fueran de texto completo, de libre acceso y con resumen disponible. Se excluyeron los estudios publicados en un idioma diferente al inglés. Resultados. Se encontraron 124 artículos y, tras su análisis crítico, sólo 8 cumplieron con los criterios de inclusión y calidad (2 de los 8 se clasificaron con criterios de calidad 1-B, y ninguno cumplió los criterios 1-A). Se identificaron 4 tipos de terapia no farmacológica ni quirúrgica que podrían revertir o mejorar la DE en pacientes con deterioro orgánico, psicógeno o mixto, que se pueden utilizar y aplicar por profesionales de enfermería. Entre ellas están: cambios en estilos de vida, fortalecimiento de la musculatura pélvica, participar en psicoterapias/psicoeducación, y uso de multimedia e información virtual. Conclusiones. Se ha demostrado que hay terapias alternativas a los medicamentos y la cirugía para personas que presentan DE, y que prometen mejorar o revertir la situación de disfunción garantizando resultados duraderos y satisfactorios. Destacamos sin embargo, que nuestra intención no es la de competir entre las terapias invasivas y no invasivas, sino la de ofrecer mayores alternativas de tratamiento. La baja calidad de los estudios se puede atribuir a la falta de recursos económicos y a que la DE todavía es un tema emergente en la medicina actual (AU)

Objective. To review current evidence on the non-pharmacological (non-invasive) treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). Method. We performed a systematic review of research articles that included adult men diagnosed with ED who had undergonesome type of non-pharmacological and non-surgical intervention for this disorder. Free-access, complete texts with an available summary published between 2000 and 2006 were sought. Studies not published in English were excluded. Results. A total for 124 articles were found, and after critical analysis only 8 matched the inclusion criteria (of the 8 articles, 2 were classified as showing quality criterion 1-B and none met the criterion for 1-A). Four types of non-pharmacological, non-surgicaltherapy were found, which could reverse or improve ED in patients with organic, psychological or mixed impairment and could beapplied by nurses. Among these therapies were lifestyle changes (losing weight, pelvic musculature strengthening, psychotherapyand/or psychoeducation and the use of Internet and/or other multimedia devices. Conclusions. Alternative therapies are available for men with ED. These therapies help to improve or reverse ED and guarantee satisfactory and lasting results. Nevertheless, we stress that our aim is not to compete with invasive and non-invasive therapies but rather to provide a greater number of treatment alternatives. The low quality of studies could be attributed to the lack of economic resources and the fact that ED is still an emerging subject in current medicine (AU)

Utilidad de la ultrasonografía introital en incontinencia de orina de esfuerzo, curva ROC / Usefulness of introital ultrasonography in stress incontinence of urine, ROC curve

Para determinar si existe una variable en ultrasonografía introital que pueda utilizarse para distinguir mujeres con incontinencia de orina de esfuerzo (IOE) y mujeres continentes, realizamos este estudio de tipo diagnóstico prospectivo de un solo centro involucrando 24 mujeres continentes y 43 mujeres con IOE todas voluntarias seleccionadas según los criterios de inclusión- exclusión, se realizó ultrasonografía introital a todas ellas consignando diversos parámetros de distancias y ángulos en reposo durante Valsalva y Kegel, de todas las variables analizadas la altura H durante Valsalva fue la mejor para distinguir entre pacientes incontinentes y continentes siendo 15.5 mm el valor de corte según la curva de ROC correspondiente.

Objective: To determine if there is a variable on introital ultrasonography (IUS) that can be used to distinguish between women with stress urinary incontinence and continent women. Patients and methods: This single centre, prospective, diagnostic study, comprised 24 women continent and 43 incontinent who were all appropriately informed volunteers selected according to the inclusion criteria. IUS with a transvaginal probe was performed on all women; the measurement plane was standardized and coordinates were obtained at rest, on straining and Kegel. Several distances and angles were measured to determine if any provided an objective distinction between continent and incontinent women. Results: Among all the IUS variables assessed, the height H (the vertical distance from a horizontal line drawn at the lower border of the symphysis and the bladder neck) on straining (Valsalva) was the best for distinguishing continent and incontinent women. The receiver operating characteristic curves showed that with a threshold of 15,5 mm, the height H on straining had a sensitivity of 70.8 percent and a specificity of 82.9 percent for detecting Stress Urinary incontinence (SUI). The sliding (calculated as the difference between the height H at rest and under stress) and the height H at rest could also discriminate, but with lower significance. Conclusions: IUS is an important tool for diagnosing SUI; there are three independent variables, one dynamic (sliding) and two static (height H at rest and straining), that can be used to distinguish between continent women and those with SUI. The height H at Valsalva is the most reliable, as it has the highest sensitivity and specificity. We think that the simplicity, low financial cost and reliability of IUS could allow it to be a routine procedure for physicians working in incontinence units.

Oxidation of guanine in liver and lung DNA of prematurely aging OXYS rats.

Immunofluorescence assay was applied for determination of 8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) in DNA. The 8-oxoG content in liver and lung DNA of 2- and 18-month-old Wistar rats was compared with that of prematurely aging OXYS rats. It was shown that for rats of both strains, 8-oxoG content in lung DNA compared with liver DNA was 1.7-2.0-fold and 1.3-1.7-fold higher for 2- and 18-month-old rats, respectively. However, the degree of oxidative damage in liver DNA of OXYS rats was 2.4- (p < 0.01) and 1.5-fold (p < 0.05) higher for 2- and 18-month-old animals, respectively, than that in liver DNA of Wistar rats. Oxidation of guanine in lung DNA of OXYS rats was 2- (p < 0.01) and 1.7-fold (p < 0.05) higher for 2- and 18-month-old animals, respectively, than that in lung DNA of Wistar rats. The data indicate that elevated DNA oxidative damage in various organs of OXYS rats may be an important factor of accelerated aging and progression of age-related diseases--cataract, macular dystrophy, hypertension, osteoporosis, cognitive and behavioral dysfunctions, and also lung and liver pathologies.

Light-induced proteolysis of myosin heavy chain by Rose Bengal-conjugated antibody complexes.

The specific light-induced, non-enzymatic digestion of chicken skeletal muscle myosin heavy chain by xanthene dye-conjugated antibodies is reported. The xanthene dye Rose Bengal was conjugated to either a mouse monoclonal anti-myosin primary specific antibody or to goat anti-mouse IgG secondary antibodies. Under our experimental conditions, visible light induced the non-enzymatic breakdown of myosin heavy chains when chicken skeletal muscle myosin either directly formed a complex with Rose Bengal-conjugated anti-myosin antibodies or indirectly formed a complex with anti-myosin antibody-Rose Bengal-conjugated secondary antibodies. The rate of the photochemical reaction depended on irradiation time and temperature. Although SDS-PAGE and immunoblot analyses showed that fragments migrating below the myosin heavy chain polypeptide predominated, these analyses also showed higher molecular mass polypeptides were generated.

First Report of Psittacanthus angustifolius on Psidium guineense and Pinus tecunumanii in Honduras.

The mistletoe Psittacanthus angustifolius Kuijt (Loranthaceae) is a common parasite of pines in Central America and southern Mexico (1,2). In August 2000, we observed this mistletoe parasitizing a wild guava tree, Psidium guineense Sw., ≈5 km north of Yamaranguila, Department Intibuca, Honduras, at an elevation of 1,800 m. Only one plant was found on a single tree, and wild guava is apparently a rare host for this mistletoe because we have not observed this host-parasite combination in other areas where Psidium guineense occurs. This is the first report of P. angustifolius on a plant other than Pinus spp. In November 2000, we observed this mistletoe parasitizing Pinus tecunumanii (Schw.) Eguiluz et Perry ≈4 km north of Opatoro, Department La Paz, Honduras, at an elevation of 1,700 m. Several pines were infected, but no trees had more than five mistletoe infections. To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. angustifolius on P. tecunumanii in Honduras, although it is known to occur on this host in Chiapas, Mexico. Specimens of P. angustifolius from these hosts have been deposited at the Herbario, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Forestales, Siguatepeque, Honduras. References: (1) R. Mathiasen et al. Plant Dis. 84:203, 2000. (2) R. Mathiasen et al. Plant Dis. 84:808, 2000.

A method for direct cross-linking of DNA bases containing aromatic amino groups to proteins.

A one step method to cross-link DNA bases containing aromatic amino groups directly to proteins was developed. No chemical modification of the base is required prior to conjugation, which is performed at neutral pH. Work focused on 8-oxoguanine and the carrier protein, bovine serum albumin. Conjugates were stable after sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-induced protein denaturation and were characterized by UV spectroscopy, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and immunoblot analyses. This method is a viable alternative to existing procedures for generating DNA base-protein conjugates for antibody characterization and affinity purification.

Toxicity of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate in developing normoxic rats.

Giving 500 mg/kg of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate intraperitoneally decreases hypoxic/ischaemic CNS injury of neonatal rats. Before administering fructose-1,6-bisphosphate to human neonates, its toxicity must be determined in neonatal animals. Thus, saline or 4,000, 6,000, or 8,000 mg/kg of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate was given intraperitoneally to normoxic 7 days old rats. One, 2, and 24 hr and 7 days later, blood Ca2+, PO(4)3-, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine concentrations, and aspartate aminotransferase activity were measured. Organ pathology was determined at necropsy. Pups receiving 4,000 mg/kg of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate survived without evidence of injury or toxicity. All animals receiving 8,000 mg/kg and 27 percent of those receiving 6,000 mg/kg of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate died. Surviving fructose-1,6-bisphosphate-treated animals grew at the same rates and had similar weights as saline-treated animals. Nineteen percent of pups given 6,000 or 8,000 mg/kg of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate had mild perivascular fluid cuffing and/or microscopic pulmonary haemorrhage, but none of the animals given 4,000 mg/kg of the compound had evidence of injury. No other organ pathology was found in any of the animals. Renal and hepatic function were normal in all animals. Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate administration was associated with a significant increase in the fructose-1,6-bisphosphate concentration of blood. Administering 4,000 to 8,000 mg/kg of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate significantly decreased Ca2+ concentrations and increased PO(4)3- concentrations 1 and 2 hrs after fructose-1,6-bisphosphate administration. Similar changes in Ca2+ and PO(4)3- concentrations occurred after the administration of 10 mmol/kg of sodium phosphate. The wide margin of safety for fructose-1,6-bisphosphate (8 times the dose needed to prevent or reduce CNS injury) may render fructose-1,6-bisphosphate safe for use in neonates.

Molecular and cellular characterization of CRP1, a Drosophila chromatin decondensation protein.

CRP1, a Drosophila nuclear protein that can catalyze decondensation of demembranated Xenopus sperm chromatin was cloned and its primary structure was deduced from cDNA sequence. Alignment of deduced amino acid sequence with published sequences of other proteins revealed strong homologies to Xenopus nucleoplasmin and NO38. CRP1 is encoded by one or several closely related genes found at a single locus, position 99A on the right arm of chromosome 3. CRP1 mRNA is expressed throughout Drosophila development; it is highest during oogenesis and early embryogenesis. mRNA levels correlate closely with levels of protein expression measured previously. Results of chemical crosslinking indicate that CRP1 is either tetrameric or pentameric; similar ambiguity was revealed by direct visualization using scanning transmission electron microscopy. Consistent with previously published results, parallel crosslinking studies of Xenopus nucleoplasmin suggested a pentameric structure. Scanning transmission electron microscopic examination after negative staining revealed that CRP1 and Xenopus nucleoplasmin are morphologically similar. CRP1 is able to substitute for nucleoplasmin in Xenopus egg extract-mediated sperm chromatin decondensation. In vitro, CRP1-induced decondensation is accompanied by direct binding of CRP1 to chromatin.

Methylmalonic acidemia, cobalamin C type, presenting with cutaneous manifestations.

BACKGROUND: Erosive dermatitis resembling the skin lesions of acrodermatitis enteropathica has been described in a number of aminoacidopathies and organic acidemias. In some, the dermatitis is a manifestation of untreated disease, while in others, including methylmalonic acidemia, skin lesions have been ascribed to nutritional deficiency due to therapeutic amino acid restrictions. OBSERVATIONS: We report 2 cases of methylmalonic acidemia presenting with cutaneous manifestations in the perinatal period before restrictive nutritional interventions. The cutaneous involvement consisted of cheilitis and diffuse erythema with erosions and desquamation. Methylmalonic acidemia, cobalamin C type, was subsequently diagnosed in both cases. CONCLUSIONS: An erosive, desquamating dermatitis with histopathologic characteristics resembling acrodermatitis enteropathica may be a presenting sign in cobalamin C methylmalonic acidemia, even in the absence of long-standing nutritional restrictions or deficiency.

Paro cardiorespiratorio (PCR): evaluación preliminar de un protocolo de atención / Cardiorespiratory failure: preliminary evaluation of a care protocol

Se presenta un protocolo, creado como respuesta a la necesidad de contar con un método de registro clínico que permita la evaluación y el análisis de resultados de la atención del parocardiorespiratorio. Su aplicación en 14 casos permitió observar sus limitaciones y ventajas, incorporándolo con algumas modificaciones al método de enfermería de la Unidad de Emergencia de Adultos en una casuística mayor que motivará una comunicación futura

Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate after hypoxic ischemic injury is protective to the neonatal rat brain.

Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate (FBP) has been shown to attenuate central nervous system injury in adult animals. We evaluated whether FBP given after an ischemic-hypoxic insult is protective to the developing brain in a neonatal rat model of hypoxia-ischemia. Postnatal day 7 rat pups were subjected to focal ischemia followed by global hypoxia and then administered either FBP or saline intraperitoneally. A dose of 500 mg/kg or greater of FBP significantly reduced the amount of injury such that 55% of FBP- vs. 17% of saline-treated rats had no injury; 6% of FBP- and 47% of saline-treated rats had severe damage (P = 0.004). There was less infarcted brain in FBP-treated rats (12 +/- 11% vs. 37 +/- 32%; P = 0.005); and fewer FBP-treated rats had > 30% ipsilateral cortical injury (12% of FBP- vs. 50% of saline-treated rats; P = 0.002). FBP lowered serum calcium levels during the first 24 h after the insult without significant changes in ionized calcium or osmolarity. These results indicate that FBP treatment administered systemically after hypoxia-ischemia reduces CNS injury in neonatal rats.

DNA from Drosophila melanogaster beta-heterochromatin binds specifically to nuclear lamins in vitro and the nuclear envelope in situ.

A DNA fragment designated lambda 20p1.4 binds in vitro to polymerized Drosophila melanogaster lamin. In situ hybridization of lambda 20p1.4 to isolated polytene chromosomes revealed localization at the chromocenter and to the 49 CD region on the right arm of chromosome 2. About 120 copies of sequences homologous to lambda 20p1.4 were detected per haploid genome. Nucleotide (nt) sequence analysis demonstrates that lambda 20p1.4 is an A + T-rich, 1327-bp fragment containing four repeated units between nt 595 and 919. Results suggest that lamin interacts with a region of lambda 20p1.4 between nt 300 and 1000. Confocal immunofluorescence co-localization demonstrates that in situ, the major locus of lambda 20p1.4 hybridization, the chromocenter, is found juxtaposed to the nuclear envelope (lamina). This is the first demonstration that a DNA sequence that binds specifically to nuclear lamins in vitro, is located at or near the nuclear envelope in situ and, presumably, in vivo.

A Bacillus subtilis malate dehydrogenase gene.

A Bacillus subtilis gene for malate dehydrogenase (citH) was found downstream of genes for citrate synthase and isocitrate dehydrogenase. Disruption of citH caused partial auxotrophy for aspartate and a requirement for aspartate during sporulation. In the absence of aspartate, citH mutant cells were blocked at a late stage of spore formation.