Stability testing of iomeprol and iopamidol formulations subjected to X-ray radiation.

INTRODUCTION: Exposure of iodinated contrast media (ICM) to X-rays is not uncommon, as contrast media are often stored in close proximity to radiological equipment. However, the interaction between X-rays and ICM is not widely investigated in literature. The present study aims to investigate the chemical stability of iomeprol and iopamidol, two commercial iodinated ICM commonly used in diagnostic imaging, under X-rays exposure. METHODS: Different formulations of iopamidol and iomeprol (iodine concentration 9 to 400 mgI/mL, volume 50-500 mL) were exposed to three different conditions of X-ray irradiation: i) 1 month storage in CT room (≈5-15 mGy); (ii) low-dose protocol (≈10 mGy); (ii) stressed protocol (≈100 mGy). Unexposed and exposed solutions were characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography in terms of concentration of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), iodine species and by products. In addition, appearance and colour of the solutions were inspected and pH measured. RESULTS: API concentrations, appearance, colour and pH of the exposed formulations remained unaffected by X-rays. Measured concentrations of iodine species and by products were observed well within the acceptability criteria, i.e. values turned out to be lower than specifications limits established by the manufacturer, considering both release and shelf-life values. CONCLUSIONS: Up to 100 mGy X-ray exposure did not induce any alteration of iomeprol and iopamidol formulation, nor a detectable increase in the concentration of iodine species or by-products. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Our study strengthens the hypothesis that ICM are stable under X-rays exposure up to 100 mGy.

Samples From Cases of Delusional Parasitosis as Seen in the UK Parasitology Reference Laboratory (2014-2015).

Delusional parasitosis is a common syndrome seen in Infectious Diseases clinics. These patients characteristically provide samples as evidence of their infestation. We prospectively catalogued and characterized 138 samples from these patients, processed in the UK Clinical Parasitology reference laboratory from January 2014 to April 2015. No human parasites were identified.

Inusual complicación en la edad pediátrica: encefalopatía de Wernicke asociada a nutrición parenteral deficiente en tiamina / Unusual complication in a paediatric patient: Wernicke encephalopathy associated with thiamine-deficient parenteral nutrition

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Leiomiosarcoma de arteria pulmonar: una enfermedad infrecuente y de difícil diagnóstico / Pulmonary artery leiomyosarcoma: uncommon and difficult to diagnose

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Recurrent infective endocarditis due to Aggregatibacter aphrophilus and Staphylococcus lugdunensis.

Uncommon microorganisms are increasingly being recognized as causative agents of paediatric infectious endocarditis (IE). We report a 4-year old girl with congenital heart disease, who suffered from 2 IE episodes secondary to Aggregatibacter aphrophilus (formerly Haemophilus aphrophilus) and Staphylococcus lugdunensis, both rarely reported pathogens in this age group. The patient was initially successfully treated with prolonged intravenous antibiotic courses, however removal of the Contegra valved conduit during the second episode was required due to recurrence of fever and development of pulmonary embolism despite completion of antibiotic therapy. A. aphrohilus is a member of the fastidious gram negative microorganisms of the HACEK group (Haemophilus spp., Aggregatibacter spp, Cardiobaterium hominis, Eikenella corrodens and Kingella kingae), that colonize the oropharynx and are a recognised cause of IE. Prognosis of children with IE due to HACEK group members varies, half of them suffering from complications and mortality rates of 10-12.5%. Although S. lugdunensis belongs to coagulase negative staphylococci (CONS), it behaves more like S. aureus species rather than CONS. This microorganism is a well-described cause of endocarditis in adult patients, associated with high requirements of surgical procedures and mortality (42-78%). In conclusion, paediatric IE can be caused by uncommon microorganisms associated with severe complications and potential fatality. The isolation of S. lugdunensis or A. aphrophilus in febrile patients should be considered clinically relevant and cardiac involvement must be ruled out. Those patients with proved IE will require prolonged intravenous antibiotic courses and in complicated cases surgical intervention.

Sepsis vertical por Gemella morbillorum / Vertical sepsis due to Gemella morbillrum

Introducción. La sepsis vertical neonatal es un proceso grave, con alta morbi-mortalidad, siendo importante la identificación del germen par aun correcto tratamiento. Caso clínico. Neonato que ingresa por bajo peso para edad gestacional. En los antecedentes obstétricos destacan amniorrexis mayor de 18 horas, oligoamnios y parto mediante cesárea. Durante las primeras 24 horas presenta repetidas hipoglucemias mala perfusión periférica y febrícula junto con leucopenia y trombopenia. Se instaura tratamiento empírico con ampicilina y gentamicina. El cultivo y citoquímica de LCR resultaron negativos. Tras aislar en el hemocultivo Gemella morbillorum, se decide cambiar la pauta antibiótica a vancomicina, manteniéndose durante 14 días. A la semana de vida y como secuela postinfeciosa, la paciente manifiesta leve ictericia mucocutánea secundaria a colestasis, con alteración de las enzimas hepáticas. Al alta presenta valores en descenso de la bilirrubina directa y hemocultivo negativo. Conclusiones. 1) Es importante el diagnóstico etiológico en la sepsis vertical, considerando la aparición de gérmenes poco habituales. 2) Gemella morbillorum no ha sido descrita hasta el momento como causa de sepsis vertical. 3) Ante la sospecha de sepsis vertical, se debe inicial tratamiento precoz parenteral previa extracción dehemocultivo (AU)

Introduction. The neonatal sepsis of vertical transmission is a serious process, with high morbi-mortality, being important the identification of the germ for a correct treatment. Clinical case. Newborn that enters for low weight for gestation age. In the obstetric precedents, stand out amniorhexis major of 18 hours, oligoamnios and childbirth by caesarean. During the first 24 hours she present repeated hypoglcemias, bad peripheral perfusion and febricula together with leucopoenia and thrombopenia. Empirical treatment is established with ampicillin and gentamicin. The culture and cytochemistry of cepahloraquideum liquid turned out to be negative. After isolating in the hemocultive Gemella morbillorum it is decided to change the antibiotic guideline to vancomycin being kept fo 14 days. To the week of life and as postinfectious sequel, the patient manifest slight mucocutaneus jaundice secondary to cholestasis, with alternation of the hepatic enzymes. To the discharge she presents values in decrease of the direct bilirubim and negative hemocultive. Conclusions. 1) It is important the etiologic diagnosis in the vertical sepsis, considering the appearance of slightly habitual germens. 2) Gemella morbillorum has not been described up to the moment as reason of vertical sepsis. 3)In view of the suspicion of vertical sepsis must begin early parenteral treatment after extraction of hemocultive (AU)

Trombosis neonatal de senos venosos cerebrales / Neonatal thrombosis of the cerebral venous sinuses

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Un modelo de grupos psicoeducativos para la prevención de las recaídas en esquizofrenia / A Psychoeducational group model for the prevention of relapse in schizophrenia

La alta prevalencia de la esquizofrenia a lo largo de todo el mundo provoca grandes gastos en los servicios de salud que soportan los costes derivados de esta enfermedad. Varios estudios avalan la hipótesis de que el cumplimiento de la medicación y la aplicación de programas preventivos que favorezcan el uso correcto de estos fármacos reducen el número de recaídas y en consecuencia su elevado gasto. En este artículo exponemos las líneas básicas de los grupos psicoeducativos para pacientes esquizofrénicos, que desde hace años venimos aplicando. No sólo se incide en el manejo correcto de la medicación, también se ayuda al paciente a afrontar sus síntomas, se discuten conductas y conflictos y se favorecen las interacciones sociofamiliares fuera y dentro del grupo. Todo ello repercute en la mejora del pronóstico de su enfermedad (AU)

p38 MAPK and NF-kappa B collaborate to induce interleukin-6 gene expression and release. Evidence for a cytoprotective autocrine signaling pathway in a cardiac myocyte model system.

In cardiac myocytes, the stimulation of p38 MAPK by the MAPKK, MKK6, activates the transcription factor, NF-kappaB, and protects cells from apoptosis. In the present study in primary neonatal rat cardiac myocytes, constitutively active MKK6, MKK6(Glu), bound to IkappaB kinase (IKK)-beta and stimulated its abilities to phosphorylate IkappaB and to activate NF-kappaB. MKK6(Glu) induced NF-kappaB-dependent interleukin (IL)-6 transcription and IL-6 release in a p38-dependent manner. IL-6 protected myocardial cells against apoptosis. Like IL-6, TNF-alpha, which activates both NF-kappaB and p38, also induced p38-dependent IL-6 expression and release and protected myocytes from apoptotis. While TNF-alpha was relatively ineffective, IL-6 activated myocardial cell STAT3 by about 8-fold, indicating a probable role for this transcription factor in IL-6-mediated protection from apoptosis. TNF-alpha-mediated IL-6 induction was inhibited by a kinase-inactive form of the MAPKKK, TGF-beta activated protein kinase (Tak1), which is known to activate p38 and NF-kappaB in other cell types. Thus, by stimulating both p38 and NF-kappaB, Tak1-activating cytokines, like TNF-alpha, can induce IL-6 expression and release. Moreover, the myocyte-derived IL-6 may then function in an autocrine and/or paracrine fashion to augment myocardial cell survival during stresses that activate p38.

Vasotocin maintains multiple call types in the gray treefrog, Hyla versicolor.

The neuropeptide arginine vasotocin (AVT) influences vocalizations in some anuran amphibians but it is unknown whether AVT alters all vocal behaviors of a species similarly. We first characterized the vocal repertoire of male gray treefrogs (Hyla versicolor). Three different call types were distinguished by unique sets of temporal and spectral features. Second, we examined the effects of AVT on each call type by injecting frogs with either AVT (100 microg; intraperitoneal) or saline and recording subsequent behavior. In the field, AVT maintained advertisement calling, whereas calling ceased in saline-injected animals. Advertisement call rate in AVT-injected males fell significantly and dominant frequency of the call was significantly higher. In the laboratory, AVT induced advertisement calling in males that were not initially vocalizing and dominant frequency was also significantly higher in these males. AVT maintained aggressive calling similarly but the characteristics of aggressive calls were not altered by AVT. There were no significant differences in release call behavior between AVT- and saline-injected groups; however, release call duration decreased significantly in AVT-injected animals, compared with preinjection values for the same animals. The effects of AVT on vocal behavior in this species are therefore not the same for each call type. AVT may act at more general motivational levels in the central nervous system and other neural or endocrine factors may control choice of call type and direct motor output.

Improved thin-layer chromatographic determination of phospholipids in gastric aspirate from newborns, for assessment of lung maturity.

This one-dimensional thin-layer chromatographic method is used for assay of phospholipids in the gastric aspirate of newborns. The solvent mixture (chloroform/hexane/methanol/glacial acetic acid/water, 12/7/4/3/0.3 by vol) completely resolves lecithin, sphingomyelin, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylglycerol. The method is simple, precise, inexpensive, and rapid (chromatographic development takes less than 25 min) and gives high chromatographic resolution. We used this method to determine the lecithin/sphingomyelin densitometric ratio (L/S ratio) and the phosphatidylglycerol percentage in 200 samples of gastric aspirate and found an L/S ratio of 2.5 to be a satisfactory cutoff value for distinguishing fetal lung maturity and immaturity. We confirmed that the presence of phosphatidylglycerol excluded the possibility of respiratory distress.