Ecografía cutánea en el sarcoma de Kaposi / Skin Ultrasound in Kaposi Sarcoma

Recientemente ha aumentado el uso de la ecografía cutánea en múltiples enfermedades dermatológicas. Se trata de una técnica no invasiva, que nos proporciona más detalles acerca de la estructura y vascularización de las lesiones cutáneas. El sarcoma de Kaposi es un tumor vascular, que se localiza principalmente en la piel y las mucosas, pudiendo afectar los ganglios linfáticos y los órganos internos. Presentamos 3 pacientes con diagnóstico de sarcoma de Kaposi, sospechado clínicamente, y confirmado histológicamente, a los cuales realizamos exploración ecográfica en modo B y modo Doppler color. Encontramos diferencias en el patrón ecográfico, tanto en modo B como en modo Doppler color, entre las lesiones que clínicamente correspondían a nódulos frente a las que eran placas. Consideramos que la ecografía cutánea podría ser útil como prueba complementaria, en el estudio de las lesiones cutáneas del sarcoma de Kaposi, proporcionándonos más información acerca de sus características estructurales y vasculares

The use of ultrasound imaging has recently been increasing in numerous dermatologic diseases. This noninvasive technique provides additional details on the structure and vascularization of skin lesions. Kaposi sarcoma is a vascular tumor that typically arises in the skin and mucosas. It can spread to lymph nodes and internal organs. We performed B-mode and color Doppler ultrasound studies in 3 patients with a clinical diagnosis of Kaposi sarcoma confirmed by histological examination. We found differences in the ultrasound pattern between nodular and plaque lesions, in both B-mode and color Doppler. We believe that skin ultrasound imaging could be a useful technique for studying cutaneous Kaposi sarcoma, providing additional information on the structural and vascular characteristics of the lesion

Age at adiposity rebound: determinants and association with nutritional status and the metabolic syndrome at adulthood.

OBJECTIVE: Early-life growth characteristics and in particular age at adiposity rebound (AR), have been shown to impact nutritional status later in life but studies investigating the association with long-term health remain scarce. Our aims were to identify determinants of age at AR and its relationship with nutritional status and cardiometabolic risk factors at adulthood. DESIGN: A total of 1465 subjects aged 20-60 years participated in this retrospective cohort study. Height, weight, waist circumference, blood glucose, lipids and blood pressure were measured at adulthood. Childhood weight, height, gestational age, birth weight and early nutrition were collected retrospectively from health booklets and age at AR was assessed. Participants self-reported parental silhouettes. Associations were assessed using multiple linear and logistic regression. RESULTS: An earlier AR was associated with higher body mass index and waist circumference at adulthood in both men and women (P<0.0001). In addition, women with an earlier occurrence of AR had higher triglyceride (P=0.001), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (P=0.001), systolic (P=0.02) and diastolic blood pressure (P=0.04) at adulthood. Both men (odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval (CI)): 0.82 (0.70-0.95)) and women (OR (95% CI): 0.84 (0.73-0.96) with an AR occurring earlier were more likely to develop a metabolic syndrome. Larger parental silhouette was associated with an earlier AR. CONCLUSIONS: This long-term study showed that age at AR was associated with nutritional status and metabolic syndrome at adulthood. These results highlight the importance of monitoring childhood growth so as to help identify children at risk of developing an adverse cardiometabolic profile in adulthood. AR determinants for use in overweight surveillance were identified.

Skin Ultrasound in Kaposi Sarcoma. / Ecografía cutánea en el sarcoma de Kaposi.

The use of ultrasound imaging has recently been increasing in numerous dermatologic diseases. This noninvasive technique provides additional details on the structure and vascularization of skin lesions. Kaposi sarcoma is a vascular tumor that typically arises in the skin and mucosas. It can spread to lymph nodes and internal organs. We performed B-mode and color Doppler ultrasound studies in 3 patients with a clinical diagnosis of Kaposi sarcoma confirmed by histological examination. We found differences in the ultrasound pattern between nodular and plaque lesions, in both B-mode and color Doppler. We believe that skin ultrasound imaging could be a useful technique for studying cutaneous Kaposi sarcoma, providing additional information on the structural and vascular characteristics of the lesion.

Paquidermodactilia en un paciente con trastorno de ansiedad generalizada asociado a tics / Pachydermodactyly in a Patient With Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Tics

No disponible

Carcinoma espinocelular en un paciente inmunosuprimido en tratamiento con voriconazol / Squamous cell carcinoma in an immunosuppressed patient on voriconazole

No disponible

Paper and pencil vs online self-administered food frequency questionnaire(FFQ) applied to university population: a pilot study / Cuestionario de frecuencia de consumo de alimentos autoadministrado en formato papel vs online aplicado a la población universitaria: un estudio piloto

Objective: To test the reliability of dietary intake data measured with an online food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) applied to a university population by comparing the results with those from a paper and pencil version. Materials and methods: A total of 50 students were recruited from the second-year Food Technology course at the Universitat Politècnica de València (Comunidad Valenciana, Spain) in the academic year 2008-2009. The students were between the ages of 20-32. The participants completed both presentation modes of the FFQ (paper and pencil and online) in a cross-over study with a time interval of 3-week. To study the effect of ordering of the questionnaires, participants were randomly assigned to group A (paper and pencil FFQ first) and group B (online FFQ first). Both self-administered semi-quantitative presentations of the FFQ included 84 food items divided into six groups (dairy products; eggs, meat and fish; vegetables, legumes and fruits; bread, cereals and similar; oils, fats and sweets; beverages and pre-cooked). Participants were asked how frequently and how much each food item they had consumed in the previous year. Results: The response rate was 78% (39 students, 23% men and 77% women). For the total sample, the median dietary intakes were higher for the paper and pencil FFQ than the online version for energy (2,077 vs. 1,635 kcal/day), proteins (96 vs. 88 g/day), carbohydrates (272 vs. 211 g/day), and fat (70 vs. 58 g/day), respectively. These differences were statistically significant. However, there were not significant differences between the two presentations when the consumption by groups of food was calculated, except for ‘beverages and pre-cooked’ group. Conclusions: The pilot testing showed that this online FFQ is a useful tool for estimating the intake of food groups in this university population. On the other hand, the differences found in the results of the absolute quantities of energy and nutrients intakes were not clear. These differences could be due to the problems that the participants had for reporting portion size in the paper and pencil FFQ as photographs of portion sizes were not presented (AU)

Objetivo: Estudiar la fiabilidad de los datos de ingesta dietética medidos con un cuestionario de frecuencia de consumo de alimentos online aplicado a la población universitaria comparando los resultados con los obtenidos mediante el cuestionario en formato papel. Materiales y métodos: Un total de 50 estudiantes del segundo curso de Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos en la Universitat Politècnica de València (Comunidad Valenciana, España) en el año académico 2008-2009 participaron en el estudio. El rango de edad de los participantes oscilaba entre 20 y 32 años. En un estudio cruzado, los participantes completaron ambas presentaciones del cuestionario (formato papel y versión online) en un intervalo de 3 semanas. Para estudiar el efecto del orden de autoadministración de los cuestionarios, los participantes fueron asignados al azar en el grupo A (realizaron primero el cuestionario en formato papel) y en el grupo B (realizaron primero la versión online). Ambas presentaciones del cuestionario eran autoadministradas y semicuantitativas e incluían una lista de 84 alimentos divididos en seis grupos (productos lácteos; huevos, carne y pescado; vegetales, legumbres y frutas; pan, cereales y similares; aceites, grasas y dulces; bebidas y precocinados). Para cada alimento que los participantes habían consumido el año anterior debían indicar la frecuencia y la cantidad consumida. Resultados: La tasa de respuesta fue del 78% (39 estudiantes, 23% hombre y 77% mujeres). Para el total de la muestra, la mediana de la ingesta dietética fue mayor en el cuestionario en papel que en la versión online para la energía (2.077 vs 1.635 kcal/día), las proteínas (96 vs 88 g/día), los hidratos de carbono (272 vs 211 g/día) y las grasas (70 vs. 58 g/día), respectivamente. Estas diferencias fueron estadísticamente significativas. Sin embargo, no hubieron diferencias significativas entre ambas presentaciones cuando el consumo por grupos de alimentos fue calculado, excepto para el grupo de ‘bebidas y precocinados’. Conclusiones: El estudio piloto mostró que este cuestionario online es una herramienta útil para estimar la ingesta de los grupos de alimentos en esta población universitaria. En cambio, las diferencias encontradas en los resultados de energía y nutrientes no fueron concluyentes. Éstas pudieron deberse a los problemas que tuvieron los participantes para indicar el tamaño de porción ingerida en el cuestionario en papel porque las fotografías de los tamaños de ración no se mostraban (AU)

Design of a self-administered online food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to assess dietary in take among university population / Diseño de un cuestionario de frecuencia de consumo de alimentos autoadministrado online para evaluar la ingesta dietetica de la población universitaria

Objective: To introduce and describe a new tool called UPV-FFQ to evaluate dietary intake of the university population. The new tool consists principally in a selfadministered online food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Materials and methods: The tool UPV-FFQ has been developed by means of web pages applying the technology ASP.NET 2.0 and using the database SQL Server 2005 as support. To develop the FFQ has been used as model the paper and pencil FFQ called "Dieta, salud y antropometría en la población universitaria". Results: The tool has three parts: (1) a homepage, (2) a general questionnaire and (3) a FFQ. The FFQ has a closed list of 84 food items commonly consumed in Valencia region. The respondents has to indicate the food items that they consume (2 possible options), the frequency of consumption (9 response options) and the quantity consumed (7 response options). The UPV-FFQ has approximately 250 color photographs that represents to three portion sizes. The photographs are useful to help the respondents to choose the portion sizes that more adjusts to their habitual portions. The new tool provides quantitative information of the habitual intake of 31 nutritional parameters and provides qualitative information of the general questionnaire. A pilot study was done for a total of 57 respondents. The media time spend to fill in was 15 minutes. Conclusions: The pilot study concluded that the questionnaire was ease-of-use, low cost and time-effectiveness questionnaire. The format and the sequence of the questions were easily understood (AU)

Objetivo: Introducir y describir una nueva herramienta llamada UPV-FFQ para evaluar la ingesta dietética de la población universitaria. Esta nueva herramienta consiste principalmente en un cuestionario de frecuencia de consumo de alimentos (CFCA) autoadministrado online. Materiales and métodos: La herramienta UPV-FFQ se ha desarrollado a través de páginas web aplicando la tecnología ASP.NET 2.0 y usando la base de datos SQL Server 2005 como soporte. Para desarrollar este FFQ se ha empleado como modelo el cuestionario en papel llamado ‘Dieta, salud y antropometría en la población universitaria’. Resultados: La herramienta consta de tres partes: 1) una página de introducción; 2) un cuestionario general y 3) un CFCA. El CFCA consta de una lista cerrada de 84 alimentos comúnmente consumidos en la región valenciana. Los encuestados deben indicar qué alimentos consumen (2 posibles opciones de respuesta), la frecuencia de ingesta (9 opciones de respuesta) y la cantidad ingerida (7 opciones de respuesta). El UPV-FFQ presenta aproximadamente 250 fotografías a color con tamaños de ración para cada alimento para ayudar a los encuestados a escoger el tamaño de ración que más se ajusta a su porción habitual. La herramienta proporciona información cuantitativa de la ingesta habitual de 31 parámetros nutricionales y también proporciona información cualitativa proveniente del cuestionario general. Se realizó un estudio piloto con un total de 57 participantes con características similares a la población de estudio. El tiempo medio que emplearon para rellenarlo fue de 15 minutos. Conclusiones: El estudio piloto concluyó que el UPVFFQ era fácil de manejar, de bajo coste y de gran eficacia. Además, entendieron fácilmente el formato y la secuencia de las preguntas (AU)

Coordination to metal centers: a tool to fix high energy conformations in organic molecules. Application to 2,4,4-trimethyl-1,5,9-triazacyclododec-1-ene and related macrocycles.

The solid state conformational preferences of ligand 2,4,4-trimethyl-1,5,9-triazacyclododec-1-ene (L1) and its 9-methyl derivative (L2) in transition metal complexes have been determined by a probabilistic method using data retrieved from the Cambridge Structural Database. These macrocyclic compounds, as ligands, tend to adopt a preferential conformation (85% of cases). The ring containing the C=N bond adopts a distorted half-chair conformation, the ring defined by both the N-sp(3) shows a distorted envelope conformation, and the remaining ring exhibits a chair conformation. This conformation corresponds to the enantiomer pair R(N5)S(N9)S(P)/S(N5)R(N9)R(P). Molecular mechanics calculations demonstrate that this is a high energy conformation for the organic molecule, far from the energy minimum. Two other enantiomer pairs are observed in experimental structures. The influence of the coordination on the conformation of the organic ligands has been studied by DFT calculations, and a clear correlation with the geometry of the coordination sphere has been found.

New technologies applied to food frequency questionnaires: a current perspective / Nuevas tecnologías aplicadas a los cuestionarios de frecuencia de consumo de alimentos: una perspectiva actual

The food frequency questionnaires are widely used in epidemiological researches like dietary assessment method. Traditionally, they have been self-administered in paper but the use of information and communication technologies has led to develop Internet and computerized food frequency questionnaires. It is the objective of this article to offer a global perspective of the new technologies applied to FFQ. It will be presented the purpose of the food frequency questionnaire, the number of strengths of the web-based surveys versus print-surveys and finally, a description of the manuscripts that have used web-based and computerized FFQ (AU)

Los cuestionarios de frecuencia de consumo de alimentos son muy utilizados en investigaciones epidemiológicas como método para evaluar la dieta. Tradicionalmente, han sido autoadministrados en papel, pero el uso de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación (TICs) ha permitido desarrollar cuestionarios de frecuencia de consumo de alimentos computerizados y a través de Internet. El objetivo de este artículo es ofrecer una perspectiva actual del uso de las nuevas tecnologías aplicadas al diseño e interpretación de los cuestionarios de frecuencia de consumo de alimentos. En el presente trabajo se resumen los objetivos de los cuestionarios de frecuencia de consumo de alimentos, las ventajas de los cuestionarios autoadministrados por Internet frente a los administrados en papel y finalmente, se describirán diferentes estudios que han usado cuestionarios de frecuencia de consumo de alimentos autoadministrados mediante el uso de ordenador o a través de Internet (AU)

New technologies applied to food frequency questionnaires: a current perspective.

The food frequency questionnaires are widely used in epidemiological researches like dietary assessment method. Traditionally, they have been self-administered in paper but the use of information and communication technologies has led to develop Internet and computerized food frequency questionnaires. It is the objective of this article to offer a global perspective of the new technologies applied to FFQ. It will be presented the purpose of the food frequency questionnaire, the number of strengths of the web-based surveys versus print-surveys and finally, a description of the manuscripts that have used web-based and computerized FFQ.

Paper and pencil vs online self-administered food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) applied to university population: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: To test the reliability of dietary intake data measured with an online food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) applied to a university population by comparing the results with those from a paper and pencil version. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 50 students were recruited from the second-year Food Technology course at the Universitat Politècnica de València (Comunidad Valenciana, Spain) in the academic year 2008-2009. The students were between the ages of 20-32. The participants completed both presentation modes of the FFQ (paper and pencil and online) in a cross-over study with a time interval of 3-week. To study the effect of ordering of the questionnaires, participants were randomly assigned to group A (paper and pencil FFQ first) and group B (online FFQ first). Both self-administered semi-quantitative presentations of the FFQ included 84 food items divided into six groups (dairy products; eggs, meat and fish; vegetables, legumes and fruits; bread, cereals and similar; oils, fats and sweets; beverages and pre-cooked). Participants were asked how frequently and how much each food item they had consumed in the previous year. RESULTS: The response rate was 78% (39 students, 23% men and 77% women). For the total sample, the median dietary intakes were higher for the paper and pencil FFQ than the online version for energy (2,077 vs. 1,635 kcal/day), proteins (96 vs. 88 g/day), carbohydrates (272 vs. 211 g/day), and fat (70 vs. 58 g/day), respectively. These differences were statistically significant. However, there were not significant differences between the two presentations when the consumption by groups of food was calculated, except for "beverages and pre-cooked" group. CONCLUSIONS: The pilot testing showed that this online FFQ is a useful tool for estimating the intake of food groups in this university population. On the other hand, the differences found in the results of the absolute quantities of energy and nutrients intakes were not clear. These differences could be due to the problems that the participants had for reporting portion size in the paper and pencil FFQ as photographs of portion sizes were not presented.

Design of a self-administered online food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to assess dietary intake among university population.

OBJECTIVE: To introduce and describe a new tool called UPV-FFQ to evaluate dietary intake of the university population. The new tool consists principally in a self-administered online food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The tool UPV-FFQ has been developed by means of web pages applying the technology ASP.NET 2.0 and using the database SQL Server 2005 as support. To develop the FFQ has been used as model the paper and pencil FFQ called "Dieta, salud y antropometría en la población universitaria". RESULTS: The tool has three parts: (1) a homepage, (2) a general questionnaire and (3) a FFQ. The FFQ has a closed list of 84 food items commonly consumed in Valencia region. The respondents has to indicate the food items that they consume (2 possible options), the frequency of consumption (9 response options) and the quantity consumed (7 response options). The UPV-FFQ has approximately 250 color photographs that represents to three portion sizes. The photographs are useful to help the respondents to choose the portion sizes that more adjusts to their habitual portions. The new tool provides quantitative information of the habitual intake of 31 nutritional parameters and provides qualitative information of the general questionnaire. A pilot study was done for a total of 57 respondents. The media time spend to fill in was 15 minutes. CONCLUSIONS: The pilot study concluded that the questionnaire was ease-of-use, low cost and time-effectiveness questionnaire. The format and the sequence of the questions were easily understood.

Probabilistic model-based methodology for the conformational study of cyclic systems: application to copper complexes double-bridged by phosphate and related ligands.

A methodology for the conformational study of cyclic systems through the statistical analysis of torsion angles is presented. It relies on a combination of different methods based on a probabilistic model which takes into account the topological symmetry of the structures. This methodology is applied to copper complexes double-bridged by phosphate and related ligands. Structures from the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) are analyzed and the chair, boat-chair and boat conformations are identified as the most frequent conformations. The output of the methodology also provides information about distortions from the ideal conformations, the most frequent being: chair <--> twist-chair, chair <--> twist-boat-chair and boat <--> twist-boat. Molecular mechanics calculations identify these distortions as energetically accessible pathways.

Storage of Chinchilla lanigera semen at 4 degrees C for 24 or 72 h with two different cryoprotectants.

The objectives of this study were to: (a) test the functional activity of Chinchilla lanigera spermatozoa suspended in either glycerol or ethylene glycol, cooled to 4 degrees C, and stored for 24 or 72 h and (b) investigate, after these cooling periods, the effects of incubating sperm at 37 degrees C (for 4 h) upon sperm functional activity. The ejaculate was mixed with the cryoprotectant medium (at 1 M final concentration) and cooled to 4 degrees C. After warming, sperm motility, sperm viability, hypoosmotic swelling test results, and acrosomal integrity were significantly higher for samples containing ethylene glycol than for those in glycerol, stored for 24 or 72 h, and then assayed after 0 or 4 h incubation at 37 degrees C. A significant reduction of sperm motility and viability was detected only when the glycerol cryoprotectant agent was employed, compared to the fresh samples. These results clearly indicate that under our experimental conditions, ethylene glycol is a better protectant for sperm storage than glycerol.

Functional activity of epididymal Chinchilla laniger spermatozoa cryopreserved in different extenders.

Chinchilla laniger is an endangered species and improved cryopreservation of spermatozoa would constitute a significant advance in the development of assisted reproductive techniques in this species. The functional activity of epididymal spermatozoa from adult males was studied immediately after extrusion and after 24 hours incubation, and the ability of five extenders to protect these gametes during cryopreservation was determined. A decrease in sperm motility, viability, acrosome intact cells and response to hypo-osmotic swelling test was detected 24 hours later. The extenders here assayed showed well-defined differences in their cryoprotective ability; however such differences could not be attributed to any one of their individual components. The presence of TES plus Tris, the proportion of the individual constituents and/or the differences in metabolic substrate content could explain the above-mentioned finding. The results indicate that cryo-buffer II (TES-Tris-egg yolk-fructose-glycerol) is the most powerful protector of sperm functional activity in this species.

Activity of Chinchilla laniger spermatozoa collected by electroejaculation and cryopreserved.

Because reproductive studies and the application of assisted reproductive techniques are relevant issues for an endangered species such as Chinchila laniger, the availability of a source of viable spermatozoa becomes of utmost importance. In this paper, we evaluate several functional parameters (motility, viability, response to hypoosmotic swelling test and acrosomal integrity) of fresh or frozen-thawed spermatozoa. Electro-ejaculation trials (50-cyc/sec sinusoidal wave was applied for 5 of every 10 sec) were successful in all unanesthetized animals. After volume (108.3 +/- 12.0 microL, n = 15) and concentration (421.8 +/- 34.4 x 10(6) cells/mL, n = 15) measurements, the above mentioned parameters were determined. In frozen-thawed semen samples sperm motility, viability, hypoosmotic swelling test and acrosomal integrity were significantly lower than in fresh semen samples. The results clearly indicated that electro-ejaculation is a useful method for evaluating spermatozoa for genetic analysis or for used in Al in this species. In addition, the cryopreservation procedure in this study preserved adequate levels of functional sperm activity.

[Multicenter evaluation of a diabetes program in primary care in Tarragona]. / Evaluación multicéntrica de un programa de diabetes en la atención primaria de Tarragona.

To evaluate a provincial diabetes program for primary care in Tarragona 14 months after its implementation, the data provided by all centers were evaluated. The participants were 8 CAPS and the professionals of a rural area, with a reference population of 170,159. A total of 1,766 diabetic patients were sensed. 131 were type I (7.4%) and 1,635 type II (90.6%). The health care variables of 1,197 patients (67.7%) and the rate of complications of 654 (54.6%) were assessed. A high prevalence of hypertension (50.0%) and dyslipemia (40.5%) were found associated with diabetes. Overall 868 individuals (72.5%) received individualized education in the clinic; 112 of these (12.9%) were included in collective education programs for groups. At the time of this evaluation, the proportion of patients treated with insulin (174/545) was significantly higher than that found before the program (79/402, p less than 0.0001). The practice of glycemic self assessment at home was also significantly increased (82/691 versus 440/1, 124; p less than 0.0001). The initial impact on the professional and diabetic patients of our area has been remarkable. Although the planning of multicentric evaluation systems in complex, it is possible to implement it if the data and recording system are coordinated.