The effects of human drugs in Corbicula fluminea. Assessment of neurotoxicity, inflammation, gametogenic activity, and energy status.

The constant release of pharmaceuticals products to aquatic environment even at low concentrations (ng L-1 to µg L-1) could lead to unknown chronic effects to non-target organisms. The aim of this study was to evaluate neurotoxic responses, inflammation, gametogenic activity and energy status on the fresh water clam C. fluminea after exposure to different concentrations of caffeine (CAF), ibuprofen (IBU), carbamazepine (CBZ), novobiocin (NOV) and tamoxifen (TMX) for 21 days under laboratory conditions. During the assay, water was spiked every two days with CAF (0; 0.1; 5; 15; 50µgL-1), IBU (0; 0.1; 5; 10; 50µgL-1), CBZ, NOV, and TMX (0.1, 1, 10, 50µgL-1). After the exposure period, dopamine levels (DOP), monoamine oxidase activity (MAO), arachidonic acid cyclooxygenase activity (COX), vitellogenin-like proteins (VTG), mitochondrial electron transport (MET), total lipids (TLP), and energy expenditure (MET/TLP) were determined in gonad tissues, and acetyl cholinesterase activity (AChE) was determined in digestive gland tissues. Results showed a concentration-dependence response on biomarkers tested, except for MAO. Environmental concentrations of pharmaceuticals induced significant changes (p < 0.05) in the neurotoxic responses analyzed (CAF, CBZ and NOV increased DOP levels and CBZ inhibited AChE activity), inflammation (CAF induced COX), and energy status (MET and TLP increased after exposure to CBZ, NOV and TMX). Responses of clams were related to the mechanism of action (MoA) of pharmaceuticals. Biomarkers applied and the model organism C. fluminea constituted a suitable tool for environmental risk assessment of pharmaceutical in aquatic environment.

Are the TiO2 NPs a "Trojan horse" for personal care products (PCPs) in the clam Ruditapes philippinarum?

In recent years, increasing quantities of personal care products (PCPs) are being released into the environment. However, data about bioaccumulation and toxicity are scarce; and extraction and analytical approaches are not well developed. In this work, the marine clam Ruditapes philippinarum, selected as model organism, has been employed to investigate bioaccumulation, antioxidant enzyme activities and DNA damage due to exposure to TiO2 nanoparticles and bulk TiO2 (inorganic compounds that are frequent components of PCPs, plastics, paints and coatings, foods and disinfectant water treatments). We have also studied the joint effect of both forms of inorganic TiO2 combined with four organic compounds (mixture exposures) commonly used in PCPs: an antimicrobial (triclosan), a fragrance (OTNE) and two UV filters (benzophenone-3 and octocrylene). Bioaccumulation of the inorganic compound, TiO2, was almost immediate and constant over exposure time. With respect to the organic compounds in mixtures, they were mediated by TiO2 and bioaccumulation is driven by reduced size of the particles. In fact, nanoparticles can be considered as a vector to organic compounds, such as triclosan and benzophenone-3. After a week of depuration, TiO2 NPs and TiO2 bulk in clams showed similar levels of concentration. Some organic compounds with bioactivity (Log Kow >3), like OTNE, showed low depuration after one week. The joint action of the organic compound mixture and either of the two forms of TiO2 provoked changes in enzyme activity responses. However, for the mixtures, DNA damage was found only after the depuration period.

Patient satisfaction after the treatment of glabellar lines with Botulinum toxin type A (Speywood Unit): a multi-centre European observational study.

BACKGROUND: Whilst the efficacy and safety of glabella complex treatment with botulinum toxin type A (Speywood Unit) [BoNT-A (s.U)] has been comprehensively studied, there are very few trials on patient-reported outcomes and patient satisfaction associated with this treatment. OBJECTIVE: To assess the level of patient satisfaction 3 weeks and 4 months after the treatment of glabellar lines with BoNT-A (s.U). METHODS: This is a multi-centre, prospective, non-interventional observational study carried out in France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom. Subjects were eligible if the investigator had already decided to prescribe BoNT-A (s.U), according to the labelling. Subjects completed a questionnaire at both 3 weeks and 4 months after treatment. RESULTS: About 533 subjects completed at least one of the two questionnaires. About half of the subjects (47.9%) were naive to BoNT-A treatment of the glabella, while 50.6% had previously received another product. A high level of satisfaction was observed after the treatment, with 94.7% and 89.6% of subjects being satisfied or very satisfied with the aesthetic outcome at week 3 and month 4, respectively. Treatment was safe and well tolerated, as directly determined in the survey. Major reasons for satisfaction included the positive aesthetic outcome, a natural appearance, a rested look and comfort of injection. Most subjects felt the treatment brought them 'harmony', 'self-esteem/confidence' or 'youth'. Of the subjects who had previously been treated with another product, 51.2% considered the results obtained in the present study with BoNT-A (s.U) were better. CONCLUSION: Treatment of the glabellar lines with BoNT-A (s.U) led to a high level of patient satisfaction and a more positive self-perception up to 4 months after the treatment, regardless of whether the patients were naive or not to BoNT-A treatment.

Identification of specific malformations of sea urchin larvae for toxicity assessment: application to marine pisciculture effluents.

Standard toxicity screening tests are useful tools in the management of impacted coastal ecosystems. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the sea urchin embryo development test has been used to evaluate the potential impact of effluents from land-based aquaculture farms in coastal areas. The toxicity of effluents from 8 land-based turbot farms was determined by calculating the percentage of abnormal larvae, according to two criteria: (a) standard, considering as normal pyramid-shaped larvae with differentiated components, and (b) skeletal, a new criterion that considers detailed skeletal characteristics. The skeletal criterion appeared to be more sensitive and enabled calculation of effective concentrations EC(5), EC(10), EC(20) and EC(50), unlike the classical criterion. Inclusion of the skeleton criterion in the sea urchin embryo development test may be useful for categorizing the relatively low toxicity of discharges from land-based marine fish farms. Further studies are encouraged to establish any causative relationships between pollutants and specific larval deformities.

Influence of salinity on fertilization and larval development toxicity tests with two species of sea urchin.

Sea urchin embryo-larval development (ELD) and fertilization tests have been widely used in ecotoxicity studies and are included in regulatory frameworks. Biological processes occur naturally within a range of salinity that depends on the species considered. In an attempt to determine the optimum range of salinity, ELD and fertilization bioassays were performed at different salinities (15-40.5‰) with two species of Atlantic sea urchin: Arbacia lixula and Paracentrotus lividus. In the ELD assay, the optimum range of salinity was wider for A. lixula (29-35.5‰) than for P. lividus (29-33‰). In the fertilization assay with P. lividus as a bioindicator species, the highest percentage of fertilization (90%) was obtained at salinities of between 29 and 33‰. More research on A. lixula is required, since the fertilization success was below 60%. The results of the present study demonstrate that salinity may be a confounding factor in interpreting ELD test results.

Insuficiencia respiratoria tardía por restricción tras herniorrafia inguinal / Late respiratory insufficiency by restriction after inguinal hernioplasty

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Tratamiento de la hernia de spiegel con mallas de polipropileno. Nuevo enfoque terapéutico / Treatment of Spigelian hernia using polypropylene mesh. A new therapeutic approach

La hernia de Spiegel es una hernia ventrolateral, rara y generalmente mal diagnosticada. Su incidencia de presentación complicada es alta y en nuestra serie ha sido del 55,5 por ciento. La exploración complementaria ideal por su accesibilidad y fiabilidad es la ecografía. Aunque la reparación anatómica se considera suficiente por su mínima incidencia de recidivas, creemos aconsejable la utilización de mallas de polipropileno. Presentamos una amplia serie de 9 casos tratados en nuestro hospital en 16 años (AU)

Leiomioblastoma primario de epiplón. Aportación de un caso y revisión bibliográfica / Primary leiomyoblastoma of the omentum. A case report and a review of the literature

Presentamos un caso de leiomioblastoma primario de epiplón intervernido en nuestro servicio. Estos tumores son neoplasias que derivan del músculo liso y afectan fundamentalmente al estómago. La aparición como tumores primarios de epiplón es extremadamente rara. En la bibliografía médica mundial solamente se han publicado 14 casos. Aportamos un nuevo caso y realizamos una revisión bibliográfica discutiendo su clínica, diagnóstico, criterios histológicos de malignidad y tratamiento (AU)

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[Rupture of the thoracic esophagus by compressed air]. / Estallido del esófago torácico por aire comprimido.

A case of rupture of the oesophagus due to the accidental passage of compressed air through the mouth is reported. Two longitudinal lacerations were present in the thoracic oesophagus; they were treated by radical oesophagectomy cervical oesophagostomy and gastrostomy for feeding. Reconstruction was made by retrosternal coloplasty. The course of the patient was uneventful.

[Rupture of an aneurysm of the hepatic artery proper and acute cholecystitis]. / Rotura de aneurisma de arteria hepática propia y colecistitis aguda.

The authors report the case of a hepatic artery aneurysm which ruptured into the peritoneal cavity in the course of acute, gangrenous cholecystitis, which was treated successfully. The clinical aspects of the case, its evolution and the histological study, which appeared to indicate that adjacent inflammation was the cause of the rupture, are discussed. Treatment of hepatic artery aneurysms is conditioned to a great degree by the gravity of the onset, and in most cases ligature is the only feasible procedure. Other forms of treatment may be possible when the aneurysm is intrahepatically located or it is diagnosed before rupture.