Testing of an oral dosing technique for double-crested cormorants, Phalacocorax auritus, laughing gulls, Leucophaeus atricilla, homing pigeons, Columba livia, and western sandpipers, Calidris mauri, with artificially weather MC252 oil.

Scoping studies were designed to determine if double-crested cormorants (Phalacocorax auritus), laughing gulls (Leucophaues atricilla), homing pigeons (Columba livia) and western sandpipers (Calidris mauri) that were gavaged with a mixture of artificially weathered MC252 oil and food for either a single day or 4-5 consecutive days showed signs of oil toxicity. Where volume allowed, samples were collected for hematology, plasma protein electrophoresis, clinical chemistry and electrolytes, oxidative stress and organ weigh changes. Double-crested cormorants, laughing gulls and western sandpipers all excreted oil within 30min of dose, while pigeons regurgitated within less than one hour of dosing. There were species differences in the effectiveness of the dosing technique, with double-crested cormorants having the greatest number of responsive endpoints at the completion of the trial. Statistically significant changes in packed cell volume, white cell counts, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, creatine phosphokinase, gamma glutamyl transferase, uric acid, chloride, sodium, potassium, calcium, total glutathione, glutathione disulfide, reduced glutathione, spleen and liver weights were measured in double-crested cormorants. Homing pigeons had statistically significant changes in creatine phosphokinase, total glutathione, glutathione disulfide, reduced glutathione and Trolox equivalents. Laughing gulls exhibited statistically significant decreases in spleen and kidney weight, and no changes were observed in any measurement endpoints tested in western sandpipers.

Reprint of: Overview of avian toxicity studies for the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment.

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 establishes liability for injuries to natural resources because of the release or threat of release of oil. Assessment of injury to natural resources resulting from an oil spill and development and implementation of a plan for the restoration, rehabilitation, replacement or acquisition of natural resources to compensate for those injuries is accomplished through the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) process. The NRDA process began within a week of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which occurred on April 20, 2010. During the spill, more than 8500 dead and impaired birds representing at least 93 avian species were collected. In addition, there were more than 3500 birds observed to be visibly oiled. While information in the literature at the time helped to identify some of the effects of oil on birds, it was not sufficient to fully characterize the nature and extent of the injuries to the thousands of live oiled birds, or to quantify those injuries in terms of effects on bird viability. As a result, the US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed various assessment activities to inform NRDA injury determination and quantification analyses associated with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, including avian toxicity studies. The goal of these studies was to evaluate the effects of oral exposure to 1-20ml of artificially weathered Mississippi Canyon 252 oil kg bw-1 day-1 from one to 28 days or one to five applications of oil to 20% of the bird's surface area. It was thought that these exposure levels would not result in immediate or short-term mortality but might result in physiological effects that ultimately could affect avian survival, reproduction and health. These studies included oral dosing studies, an external dosing study, metabolic and flight performance studies and field-based flight studies. Results of these studies indicated changes in hematologic endpoints including formation of Heinz bodies and changes in cell counts. There were also effects on multiple organ systems, cardiac function and oxidative status. External oiling affected flight patterns and time spent during flight tasks indicating that migration may be affected by short-term repeated exposure to oil. Feather damage also resulted in increased heat loss and energetic demands. The papers in this special issue indicate that the combined effects of oil toxicity and feather effects in avian species, even in the case of relatively light oiling, can significantly affect the overall health of birds.

Overview of avian toxicity studies for the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment.

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 establishes liability for injuries to natural resources because of the release or threat of release of oil. Assessment of injury to natural resources resulting from an oil spill and development and implementation of a plan for the restoration, rehabilitation, replacement or acquisition of natural resources to compensate for those injuries is accomplished through the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) process. The NRDA process began within a week of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which occurred on April 20, 2010. During the spill, more than 8500 dead and impaired birds representing at least 93 avian species were collected. In addition, there were more than 3500 birds observed to be visibly oiled. While information in the literature at the time helped to identify some of the effects of oil on birds, it was not sufficient to fully characterize the nature and extent of the injuries to the thousands of live oiled birds, or to quantify those injuries in terms of effects on bird viability. As a result, the US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed various assessment activities to inform NRDA injury determination and quantification analyses associated with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, including avian toxicity studies. The goal of these studies was to evaluate the effects of oral exposure to 1-20ml of artificially weathered Mississippi Canyon 252 oil kg bw-1 day-1 from one to 28 days or one to five applications of oil to 20% of the bird's surface area. It was thought that these exposure levels would not result in immediate or short-term mortality but might result in physiological effects that ultimately could affect avian survival, reproduction and health. These studies included oral dosing studies, an external dosing study, metabolic and flight performance studies and field-based flight studies. Results of these studies indicated changes in hematologic endpoints including formation of Heinz bodies and changes in cell counts. There were also effects on multiple organ systems, cardiac function and oxidative status. External oiling affected flight patterns and time spent during flight tasks indicating that migration may be affected by short-term repeated exposure to oil. Feather damage also resulted in increased heat loss and energetic demands. The papers in this special issue indicate that the combined effects of oil toxicity and feather effects in avian species, even in the case of relatively light oiling, can significantly affect the overall health of birds.

Sistema de Adquisición de Señales SEMG para la Detección de Fatiga Muscular / SEMG Signal Acquisition System for Muscle Fatigue Detection

Resumen Este trabajo presenta el desarrollo de un sistema de adquisición y procesamiento de señales mioeléctricas superficiales o SEMG. El sistema propuesto adquiere las señales SEMG de la superficie de la piel utilizando electrodos superficiales de AgCl. El sistema tiene una etapa de amplificación y de filtrado por hardware para eficientar el tiempo de proceso. Se desarrolló un software para procesar por transformada de Fourier la señal SEMG amplificada y filtrada. A diferencia de otros sistemas de adquisición de señales biológicas que son desarrollados para terapia o rehabilitación, este sistema está pensado para ser usado para el control de brazos robóticos, por ello el software desarrollado mide la fatiga utilizando parámetros como el corrimiento de la frecuencia media instantánea y la densidad espectral de potencia de la señal SEMG.

Abstract This paper presents the development of a system for acquiring and processing of surface myoelectric signals or SEMG. The proposed system acquires signals SEMG skin surface using AgCl surface electrodes. The system has an amplification step and hardware filtering to streamline the processing time. Developed software for processing the Fourier transform SEMG amplified and filtered signal. Unlike other systems for acquisition of biological signals, which are developed for therapy or rehabilitation, this system is intended to be used for the control of robotic arms, so the software performs the measurement of fatigue using parameters like bleed average frequency and instantaneous power spectral density of the signal SEMG.

Influence of irradiance and exposure time on the degree of conversion and mechanical properties of a conventional and silorane composite.

AIM: The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of different combinations of irradiance and exposure time for a given radiant exposure on the degree of conversion (DC) and on the mechanical properties of two resin composites: Filtek Z250 and Filtek P90 LS (3M ESPE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The following curing protocols were used: Standard irradiance: 400 mW/cm2 for 60 s; Medium irradiance: 700 mW/cm2 for 34 s and High irradiance: 950 mW/cm2 for 26 s. The DC was measured using Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy. Each specimen was submitted to five indentations to evaluate the Knoop microhardness (KHN). The flexural strength (FS) was obtained from the three-point bending test. Cylindrical specimens were prepared for the Diametral tensile strength (DTS) test. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Data were evaluated using two-way ANOVA and Tukey's test (α = 0.05). RESULTS: DC and DTS were not influenced by the different curing protocols. For P90, the medium irradiance showed higher values of KHN than the standard irradiance. For Z250, the high irradiance showed higher values of FS than the standard irradiance. CONCLUSION: The influence of the different combinations of irradiance and exposure time depends on the resin composite as well as the specifically evaluated mechanical property.

Tolerability to new COX-2 inhibitors in NSAID-sensitive patients with cutaneous reactions.

BACKGROUND: The safety of new anti-inflammatory drugs in patients intolerant to classic cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors with urticaria and angioedema has not been determined. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical tolerance to COX-2 inhibitors in patients with cutaneous symptoms attributable to classic nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). METHODS: Patients with urticaria or angioedema triggered by NSAIDs were challenged with COX-2 inhibitors by the single-blinded, placebo-controlled oral method. RESULTS: One hundred ten NSAID-sensitive patients were submitted to 184 oral challenges with COX-2 inhibitors. Eighty-two patients (74.5%) were cross-reactors and 28 patients (25.4%) were single reactors. Reaction rates for COX-2 inhibitors were 21.3% for nimesulide, 17.3% for meloxicam, 33.3% for celecoxib, and 3.0% for rofecoxib. CONCLUSIONS: Some COX-2 inhibitors, such as rofecoxib, are relatively safe in NSAID-sensitive patients with urticaria or angioedema. However, the tolerance profile varies with the drug, which might be related to a differential selectivity of the drug for COX-1 and COX-2. COX-1 inhibition would represent a major mechanism for cutaneous adverse reactions to NSAIDs. Controlled oral provocation with new NSAIDs is useful for the proper management of patients sensitive to classic NSAIDs requiring analgesic and anti-inflammatory treatment.

Timing of video-assisted thoracoscopic debridement for pediatric empyema.

BACKGROUND: Video-assisted thoracoscopic debridement (VATD) is a new method of managing pediatric empyema. The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine the relation between the timing of VATD and its success in avoiding the need for open decortication. STUDY DESIGN: Twenty-one children aged 3 to 16 years (mean, 8 years) with symptomatic, loculated, parapneumonic empyema were treated with VATD at two tertiary pediatric centers between 1994 and 1997. The preoperative duration of symptoms, hospitalization, and previous need for thoracostomy drainage were compared between patients having VATD only and those who subsequently required a thoracotomy and decortication. Statistical analysis used the Wald chi-square test or Fisher's exact test with p < 0.05 considered significant. RESULTS: Video-assisted thoracoscopic debridement was successful in 15 patients (group 1) and unsuccessful in six patients (group 2), who required a thoracotomy and decortication. Group 1 had a shorter mean duration of preoperative symptoms (13 versus 27 days; p=0.03), a shorter median duration of preoperative hospitalization (6 versus 18 days; p=0.04), and a lower incidence of previous thoracostomy drainage (4/15 versus 5/6; p=0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The technique of VATD is most likely to be successful when used within one week of diagnosis of a loculated parapneumonic empyema. A prospective trial comparing VATD with intrapleural fibrinolytic agents for the initial treatment of pediatric empyema is needed.

Ambulatory monitoring devices and the forensic autopsy.

Ambulatory monitoring devices (AMDs) such as Holter (ECG) and apnea (respiratory) monitors with built-in date- and time-correlated memories are occasionally encountered in the forensic autopsy. Diagnostic data are usually readily obtained by returning the device to the hospital department or rental company. This data can be easily correlated with autopsy findings to arrive at surprisingly precise conclusions in some cases. We present two illustrative cases: an elderly man wearing a Holter monitor who shot himself in the mouth with a shotgun, and a 15-month-old oxygen-dependent prematurely born boy with bronchopulmonary dysplasia whose apnea monitor had been turned off 5 days before he died of bronchopneumonia. We discuss other kinds of AMDs that may be encountered in the forensic autopsy and suggest that information from these monitors perhaps should become part of the forensic autopsy report.

Safety of adenovirus-mediated transfer of the human cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator cDNA to the lungs of nonhuman primates.

To define the toxicity of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene (CFTR) gene therapy with a replication-deficient recombinant adenovirus (Av1Cf2) in a nonhuman primate model, 10(10) plaque forming units (pfu) were instilled directly through a bronchoscope into the right lung of 5 macaques, and a lower dose of 4 x 10(6) pfu was administered to the right lung of 1 macaque. One sham-treated control received phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). The macaques were evaluated sequentially by clinical examination, vital signs, weight, hematology, blood chemistry, chest radiography, pulse oximetry, and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) at baseline and 3-28 days post-treatment. After the period of observation, macaques were sacrificed for autopsy and histological examination. The macaques tolerated the experimental therapy clinically with no changes in body temperature, oxygen saturation, heart rate, body weight, or blood pressure. However, 1 macaque with visible evidence of aspiration at the time of initial bronchoscopy developed tachypnea with right lower lobe (RLL) pneumonia on chest radiograph and by histology. There were no changes in Hgb, Wbc, BUN, plasma electrolytes, bilirubin, or hepatic transaminases. In the macaques that received 10(10) pfu, there was a progressive increase in the number of CD8+ lymphocytes in BAL that was maximal at 28 days. Histological examination of the treated lungs of the high-dose macaques at 3 days showed marked peribronchial and perivascular cuffing by inflammatory cells and alveolar accumulation of neutrophils and macrophages. The alveolitis appeared to be resolving at 28 days, although the perivascular and peribronchial aggregates of mononuclear cells were still present. In the high-dose macaques, BAL interleukin-8 (IL-8) was increased at all time points (256-388 pg/ml versus 1-84 pg/ml at baseline and in control), whereas IL-1 beta was increased only at days 21 and 28 (341-852 pg/ml versus 30-92 pg/ml at baseline and in control). There were no increases in BAL cell counts, IL-1 beta or IL-8, and histological changes were mild in the macaque that received 4 x 10(6) pfu. Evaluation for Av1Cf2-derived human CFTR expression using RS-PCR demonstrated expression at 3, 10, and 21, but not 28 days in macaques treated with 10(10) pfu of Av1Cf2. In situ hybridization analysis demonstrated human CFTR mRNA in the alveolar regions of the lobes that received the vector at 10 and 21 days. There was no evidence of expression after treatment with 4 x 10(6) pfu. This study showed that high-dose adenoviral vector administration to the lung achieved CFTR gene transfer and expression but was associated with increased concentrations of cytokines in BAL and alveolar inflammation. A low dose, equivalent to the maximum clinical dose currently proposed for phase I trials in human subjects, was not associated with cellular or cytokine evidence of inflammation, and histological abnormalities were mild.

Vaginal melanoma. Report of two cases and review of the literature.

Two cases of primary vaginal melanoma were treated between 1984 and 1986 at the Asturias Central Hospital, University Centre. Radical surgery was carried out in the first case--the patient surviving six months--and irradiation in the second case--living for only four months. Genital melanoma is a rare tumor--accounting for 3 per cent of female melanomas--with only 125 patients having been reported in the literature concerning vaginal melanoma. There is great disagreement as to the optimal treatment although radical surgery is the most frequently used. Primary vaginal melanoma is a lesion of poor prognosis, even more serious than cutaneous localizations, such as vulvar melanoma.

Update on pediatric flexible bronchoscopy.

Technological advances in flexible bronchoscopy have expanded the clinician's ability to diagnose and treat pulmonary disease in children. During the neonatal period, flexible bronchoscopy has contributed to the understanding of the incidence and factors responsible for acquired airway lesions. The ability to selectively collect lower airway secretions has contributed to the care of immunocompromised patients with new pulmonary infiltrates. New therapies may use the flexible bronchoscope to specifically target lower airway tissues of interest. Because of the breadth of both current and future applications, most pediatricians will require a working familiarity with the benefits of flexible bronchoscopy in their patients.

Structural and electrophysiological analysis of annexin V mutants. Mutagenesis of human annexin V, an in vitro voltage-gated calcium channel, provides information about the structural features of the ion pathway, the voltage sensor and the ion selectivity filter.

Annexin V binds to phospholipids in a calcium-dependent manner and exhibits calcium channel activity in vitro. We prepared a variety of mutants yielding information about the structure-function relationship of the ion channel activity. All mutants were characterized by X-ray crystallography, electron microscopy and electrophysiological measurements. Their structures are insignificantly changed whereas their electrophysiological properties are drastically different. Glu95, located in the central hydrophilic pore of the molecule, is crucial for the ion selectivity filter as its exchange leads to reduced calcium and increased sodium conductance. The removal of Glu17, located on the protein surface and far from the ion conduction pathway, leads to the appearance of a second conductance level of 9 pS in addition to the conductance level of about 30 pS in the wild-type molecule. This was also the case for Glu78, which is part of a weak calcium binding site. The exchange of Glu17 and Glu78 produced a mutant retaining only the smaller conductance level. We conclude that these two residues influence the angle between the two halves of the molecule, which determines the diameter of the ion conduction pathway, thereby leading to the occurrence of a second conductance level.

[Prognosis of perinatal asphyxia in full-term neonates]. / Pronóstico de la asfixia perinatal en el recién nacido a término.

We have performed a prospective study in 65 asphyxiated term newborns to evaluate the prognostic value of three different methods: 1) Neurological examination, 2) Electroencephalographic tracings (EEGs) and 3) Transfontanellar sonography, carried out periodically from birth until discharged from the neonatal unit. The neurological status of surviving infants was assessed at one year of age. We found a statistically significant (p < 0.0001) association between the neurological examination, electroencephalographic tracings and transfontanellar sonography during the neonatal period and the neurological development. The prognostic value, as a function of sensibility, specificity and predictive value of the three methods was very high. No differences were found among them, although the EEGs and neurological examinations showed the highest predictive values.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae as the causative agent for pneumonia in the immunocompromised host.

A young man undergoing chemotherapy for Ewing's sarcoma presented with fever, neutropenia, anemia, thrombocytopenia, and a new infiltrate on the chest roentgenogram. Routine cultures and cytopathologic examination of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid provided no evidence for an etiology; however, special cultures of the BAL fluid demonstrated heavy growth of Mycoplasma pneumoniae. We recommend that evaluation of pneumonia in the immuno-compromised host include appropriate cultures of BAL fluid for M pneumoniae, particularly when the patient is 5 to 25 years old, the age of high incidence of mycoplasmal pneumonia.