CHACO outreach project: the development of a primary health care-based medical genetic service in an Argentinean province.

Dissemination of knowledge in genetics to be applied in medicine has created a growing need for capacity building in health care workers. The CAPABILITY ARGENTINA outreach project protocol was designed as a model to introduce genetics in areas without genetic services. Our aim was for genetic health care to become part of primary care in an Argentine province lacking genetic services. The program was innovative as professionals from the referral center (Garrahan Hospital S.A.M.I.C.) traveled to remote areas to train professionals through problem-based education. A logical framework was designed for a local needs assessment. Teaching materials (Powerpoint presentations, printed syllabus, and CD) and a web page were developed. A demonstration project was carried out in the Province of Chaco, Argentina. A total of 485 health workers were trained. The number of consultations increased significantly in participating areas comparing before and after the training period. To support this increase, a complementary project was set up from a public hospital sponsored from within Argentina to build a cytogenetic laboratory in the capital of the Province of Chaco. The model was improved for reproduction in other areas in Argentina. CAPABILITY ARGENTINA is a capacity building model for training of primary care professionals in genetics that may be applied to other medical specialties. The outcomes of the programme have a direct impact on clinical practice.

Incidence and growth of Listeria monocytogenes in persimmon (Diospyros kaki) fruit.

The incidence of Listeria monocytogenes on persimmon (Diospyros kaki) surface of 'Fuyu' and 'Rama Forte' was evaluated during a 5-month-period (from March to July) of two seasons periods (years 2005 and 2006). The fruits were collected in wholesale and street markets and retail in Sao Paulo and Campinas City, Brazil. A total of 582 fruits were analyzed using the Bax System which is based on the Polymerase Chain Reaction. The ability of this pathogen to grow on the peel and pulp of the two persimmon varieties was also verified at different incubation periods at the temperatures of 10, 20 and 30 degrees C. The growth parameters were obtained by modeling the experimental data using the Gompertz function. The incidence survey showed the absence of L. monocytogenes. The growth curves showed that L. monocytogenes can grow on the peel as well as in the pulp of the two persimmon varieties studied incubated at 10, 20 and 30 degrees C and that low temperatures can reduce the generation rate but does not inhibit its growth.

Fumonisins in Brazilian corn-based foods for infant consumption.

A survey of 196 samples of corn-based infant foods from 13 cities of Sao Paulo State, Brazil, was carried out to investigate the fumonisin contamination in the products. Based on their ingredients, the products were divided into seven groups: infant cereal designated as types A-D, corn meal, corn starch and instant cereal baby food. Although certain infant food samples were free of fumonisin contamination (<20 microg kg(-1); corn starch and infant cereals of type A, B and D), contamination levels in the other products (corn meal, instant corn-based baby food and cereal type C) were of concern, particularly those in corn meal. All samples in these categories contained fumonisins. The mean level for total fumonisins (FB1 + FB2 + FB3) in corn meal was 2242 microg kg(-1) (maximum 8039 microg kg(-1)), in instant corn-based baby food was 437 (maximum 1096) microg kg(-1) and in infant cereal type C was 664 (maximum 1753) microg kg(-1).

[Surgery for Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome in the first year of life]. / Cirurgia para síndrome de Wolff-Parkinson-White no 1. ano de vida.

A case of surgical treatment for reentrant atrioventricular tachycardia in a 7 months old child is reported. Episodes of tachycardia were repetitive and long-lasting, often leading to signs of hemodynamic impairement, and were not controlled by antiarrhythmic drugs. The electrophysiologic study showed a circus-movement tachycardia utilizing a concealed accessory pathway located at the anterior septal aspect of tricuspid anulus. The child underwent successful surgical treatment by the endocardial technique. Few minutes after weaning from extracorporeal circulation, developed T wave inversion followed by acute right ventricular dysfunction and ventricular fibrillation. Others ischemic like episodes, maybe as a result of coronary artery spasm, occurring in the next 6 hours were successfully treated with isosorbide dinitrate. At 18 months follow-up, the child is free of tachycardia and has normal atrioventricular conduction.

Cardiovascular change in response to prolonged defense area stimulation in freely moving rats.

The mean blood pressure and heart rate of freely moving rats were directly recorded over a 1-min period of electrical stimulation of the periaqueductal gray with intensities that induced freezing behavior, intense flight or no behavioral changes. Blood pressure and heart rate increased only when flight was induced and only during the first 15 s of stimulation. These cardiovascular changes suggest that homeostatic mechanisms act during the defense reaction and are markedly inhibited only at the beginning of the stimuli that induce the flight response, this inhibition quickly undergoing attenuation. These data do not suggest that activation of defense area, per se, contributes to the development of primary hypertension.

ATP uptake by mouse lymphoma cells.

Mouse lymphoma cells were shown to be unresponsive to prostaglandin E1 in terms of cAMP production. The endogenous ATP concentration was shown to be low. Addition of ATP in the presence of IMBX into the incubation medium resulted in elevation of the intracellular pool of ATP and the cells responded to PGE1 by increasing cAMP production. The ATP effect is specific and cannot be substituted by GTP. ATP analogue (AMP-PCP) can, however, produce a similar effect to ATP. The intracellular ATP concentration can be lowered by incubation with iodoacetate and potassium cyanide. This caused a drastic decrease of the cAMP level. Ethionine on the other hand had no effect on the intracellular ATP level.