Characterization of NaTaO3 synthesized by ultrasonic method.

NaTaO(3) perovskite-like materials were synthesized using sodium acetate and tantalum ethoxide as precursors in an ultrasonic bath at room temperature. The pristine sample was thermally treated at 600 °C and characterized using XRD, N(2) physisorption, DRS, SEM and TEM techniques. The structural characterization by X-ray powder diffraction revealed that the crystallization of the NaTaO(3) phase prepared at 600 °C showed agglomerates sizes in the micrometric scale, as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). On the other hand, well-defined NaTaO(3) particles in the nanometric scale were determined using TEM. It was found that, for the treated sample, the band gap and BET area was 3.8 eV and 9.5m(2) g(-1), respectively. The annealed perovskite, deposited onto ITO glass, presented an important variation in the open circuit potential transient during UV light irradiation in neutral solution, compared with its counterpart prepared by solid-state method. These intrinsic properties, given by the preparation route, might be appropriate for increase its photocatalytic activity.

Infarto renal como causa infradiagnosticada de dolor abdominal / Acute renal infarction: an underdiagnosed cause of abdominal pain

El infarto renal agudo es una causa poco frecuente de dolor abdominal, si bien es una patología que va en aumento (en concordancia con la patología arteriosclerótica) y no en pocas ocasiones está infradiagnosticada. Por ello es importante pensar en ella en todo paciente con dolor abdominal en flanco, aumento de la láctico deshidrogenada (LDH) y alteraciones en el sedimento; si las pruebas radiológicas y la ecografía abdominal son normales, sin imágenes que nos sugieran uropatía obstructiva, la realización de una tomografía computarizada (TC) con contrate (prueba no invasiva) estaría indicada para confirmar el diagnóstico, dado que la efectividad del tratamiento es tiempo dependiente. Presentamos el caso clínico de una paciente con dolor abdominal inespecífico con las alteraciones analíticas anteriormente mencionadas, en la que la TC abdominal fue diagnóstica. No había indicación de tratamiento fibrinolítico, por lo que se inició tratamiento anticoagulante con heparinas de bajo peso molecular (HBPM) a dosis terapéuticas. A pesar de ello la paciente evoluciona desfavorablemente falleciendo días después (AU)

Acute renal infarction as a cause of abdominal pain is rare, though its frequency is increasing along with atherosclerotic disease. Given that underdiagnosis is often a problem, it is important to bear this diagnosis in mind whenever a patient presents with abdominal and flank pain, an elevated lactate dehydrogenase level, and abnormal sediment in urine. When radiologic and ultrasound images of the abdomen are normal and no signs suggest urinary tract obstruction, contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) would be indicated to confirm the diagnosis; this noninvasive examination is useful because the effectiveness of treatment is time-dependent. We report the case of a woman with nonspecific abdominal pain and the aforementioned abnormal laboratory findings. CT images were diagnostic. Fibrinolytic therapy was not indicated and treatment with anticoagulants (low molecular weight heparin at therapeutic dosages) was started. The patient's condition worsened, however, and she died a few days later (AU)

Immunologic, microscopic, and molecular evidence of Encephalitozoon intestinalis (Septata intestinalis) infection in mammals other than humans.

Encephalitozoon intestinalis (Septata intestinalis) is the second most prevalent microsporidian species infecting humans, but it has not been described in other animal species. This investigation examined 10 domestic animal stool samples (8 mammalian, 2 avian) containing spores detected by anti-Encephalitozoon monoclonal antibody immunofluorescence (FA). The presence of E. intestinalis but not Encephalitozoon hellem or Encephalitozoon cuniculi was confirmed in 6 of 8 mammalian stool samples by species-specific FA and polymerase chain reaction. Clusters of spores inside epithelial cells were observed in feces of five mammals (donkey, dog, pig, cow, and goat) using "quick-hot" Gram-chromotrope stain. None of the 10 samples reacted with anti-E. hellem or anti-E. cuniculi sera, nor were they amplified with species-specific primers for E. hellem and E. cuniculi. To our knowledge, this is the first identification of E. intestinalis in animals other than humans. The data shown herein suggest the possibility that E. intestinalis infection may be zoonotic in origin.

Prevalence of intestinal encephalitozoonosis in Mexico.

Infections with Encephalitozoon (phylum Microspora) protozoa in immunodeficient patients have emerged worldwide. The prevalence of infections due to Encephalitozoon species in nonclinical populations remains unclear. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of two rural highland villages in Mexico by using monoclonal antibody 3B6 to Encephalitozoon in immunofluorescence to assess the prevalence of Encephalitozoon spores in human stools. We found that 20 (7.84%) of the 255 subjects were positive and that 15 (21.4%) of the 70 households had at least one member who was positive. These results suggest that Encephalitozoon species, most likely Encephalitozoon intestinalis, may be commonly present in community settings.

Cryptosporidium parvum in children with diarrhea in Mexico.

Using an anti-oocyst wall monoclonal antibody-based immunofluorescence assay, the presence of Cryptosporidium parvum was evaluated in children with diarrhea from rural areas (selected from a door-to-door community survey) and from urban areas (patients attending hospitals) in the State of Puebla, Mexico. Prevalences of 9.4% in a rural population (n = 85) and 29.6% in a hospital-based urban population (n = 81). There was no consistent correlation between water source and other environmental data and the presence of C. parvum in stools. It is concluded that C. parvum may be an important pathogen associated with diarrhea in this Mexican state.

[Massive use of coproparasitoscopy with a phenol-alcohol-formaldehyde fixing solution]. / Uso masivo de la coproparasitoscopía con FAF.

The use of a fixing solution (FAF) to preserve parasite specimens in routine coproparasitoscopy is considered in this paper as an essential tool in surveys and field work aimed at diagnosing intestinal parasitic disease. It increases the reliability of the analysis procedure when the samples have to be transported over long distances to a central laboratory.