Effect of chronic unpredictable stress in female Wistar-Kyoto rats subjected to progesterone withdrawal: Relevance for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder neurobiology.

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is related to an abrupt drop in progesterone and impairments in the HPA axis that cause anxiety. Suffering persons report higher daily-life stress and anxiety proneness that may contribute to developing PMDD, considered a chronic stress-related disorder. Here, we explored the effect of chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) in rats subjected to progesterone withdrawal (PW) and evaluated gene expression of HPA axis activation in the stress-vulnerable Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rat strain that is prone to anxiety. Ovariectomized WKY rats were randomly assigned to CUS or Standard-housed conditions (SHC) for 30 days. To induce PW, animals received 2 mg/kg of progesterone on day 25th for 5 days; 24 h later, they were tested using the anxiety-like burying behavior test (BBT). After behavioral completion, rats were euthanized, and brains were extracted to measure Crh (PVN) and Nr3c1 (hippocampus) mRNA. Blood corticosterone and vasopressin levels were determined. Results showed that PW exacerbated anxiety-like behaviors through passive coping in CUS-WKY. PW decreased Crh-PVN mRNA and the Nr3c1-hippocampal mRNA expression in SHC. CUS decreased Crh-PVN mRNA compared to SHC, and no further changes were observed by PW or BBT exposure. CUS reduced Nr3c1-hippocampal gene expression compared to SHC animals, and lower Nr3c1 mRNA was detected due to BBT. The PW increased corticosterone in SHC and CUS rats; however, CUS blunted corticosterone when combined with PW+BBT and similarly occurred in vasopressin concentrations. Chronic stress blunts the response of components of the HPA axis regulation when PW and BBT (systemic and psychogenic stressors, respectively) are presented. This response may facilitate less adaptive behaviors through passive coping in stress-vulnerable subjects in a preclinical model of premenstrual anxiety.

Human intestinal protozoa in fresh asparagus from different types of markets in northwest Mexico.

Caborca is one of the most productive asparagus-growing regions in the state of Sonora in northwest Mexico, an area where some fresh fruits and vegetables are sold at unregulated open-air street markets. This is a cross-sectional study in which fifty bundles of asparagus for exportation, 50 bundles of sub-standard asparagus, and 50 bundles of asparagus from open-air markets were selected randomly and then subjected to Faust, Kinyoun and ELISA testing to detect intestinal parasites. Pearson's chi-square (χ2) and Student-NewmanKeuls tests were used to estimate differences among the sampling site groups (P < 0.05). The pathogens Cryptosporidium spp. (29%) G. intestinalis (5%) and Cyclospora spp. (3%) were found in the asparagus sold in the region. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. was higher in both the sub-standard asparagus and the product sampled from the open-air markets than in the samples for exportation (P < 0.05). This is the first study to demonstrate contamination by intestinal parasites in asparagus sold in different markets in northwest Mexico.

Segmentation of brain image volumes using the data list management library.

The segmentation of head images is useful to detect neuroanatomical structures and to follow and quantify the evolution of several brain lesions. 2D images correspond to brain slices. The more images are used the higher the resolution obtained is, but more processing power is required and parallelism becomes desirable. We present a new approach to segmentation of brain image volumes using DLML (Data List Management Library), a tool developed by our team. We organise the integer numbers identifying images into a list, and our DLML version process them both in parallel and with dynamic load balancing transparently to the programmer. We compare the performance of our DLML version to other typical parallel approaches developed with MPI (master-slave and static data distribution), using cluster configurations with 4-32 processors.

[Are we taking notice of the glycosilated haemoglobin result when treating our diabetic patients?]. / 'Hacemos caso del resultado de la hemoglobina glucosilada a la hora de tratar a nuestros pacientes diabéticos?

OBJECTIVE: To study the influence of glycosilated haemoglobin (HbA1c) on the therapies chosen by primary care doctors when treating type-2 diabetes (DM2) patients. DESIGN: Retrospective observational study.Setting. Urban health district. SUBJECTS: Randomised, representative sample of 152 DM2 patients, with a total of 265 documented clinical episodes which involved request and assessment of HbA1c result in 1999-2000. MEASUREMENTS AND INTERVENTIONS: For each clinical episode we assessed the HbA1c and basal glycaemia figures and the therapeutic repercussion of the result on patient treatment: no change (NC), strengthening of hygienic-dietary measures (HDM), increase of dose (ID) or change of therapy (CT). RESULTS: We found a mean overall figure of 0.87+/-0.03 requests for HbA1c per patient per year. Of the 265 HbA1c studied, 54.7+/-5.9% can be considered acceptable, 18.4+/-4.6% deficient, and 26.9+/-5.3% unacceptable. However, the overall result of HbA1c was NC in 40.3+/-5.8%, HDM in 18.7%, ID in 25.9+/-5.2%, and CT in 15.1+/-4.2% of cases. Therapy changes (CT or ID) occurred in 26.8% of cases when was acceptable, 60.4% of cases when the glycosilated HbA1c was deficient, and 60% when the glycosilated HbA1c was unacceptable (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: It should be emphasised that, even when the HbA1c was very deficient, the dose was only increased or the treatment changed in under two-thirds of the population. It is also paradoxical that, when HbA1c with acceptable results was found, therapy was changed in around 25% of patients.

¿Hacemos caso del resultado de la hemoglobina glucosilada a la hora de tratar a nuestros pacientes diabéticos? / Are we taking notice of the glycosilated haemoglobin result when treating our diabetic patients?

Objetivos. Estudiar la influencia de la hemoglobina glucosilada (HbA1c) sobre el comportamiento terapéutico de los médicos de atención primaria en el tratamiento del paciente con diabetes mellitus tipo 2 (DM2).Diseño. Estudio observacional retrospectivo. Ámbito. Área básica de salud urbana. Sujetos. Muestra aleatoria y representativa de 152 pacientes con DM2 entre los que se obtuvo un total de 265 episodios clínicos documentados con petición y valoración del resultado de HbA1c durante el período 1999-2000. Medidas e intervenciones. Para cada episodio clínico valoramos la cifra de HbA1c y de glucemia basal (GB), así como la repercusión terapéutica del resultado sobre el tratamiento del paciente: sin cambios (SC), refuerzo de medidas higienicodietéticas (RMHD), incremento de dosis (ID) o cambio terapéutico (CT). Resultados. Observamos una cifra media de 0,87 ñ 0,03 solicitudes de HbA1c por paciente/año globalmente. Del total de 265 HbA1c estudiadas, el 54,7 ñ 5,9 por ciento pueden ser consideradas aceptables; el 18,4 ñ 4,6 por ciento, deficientes, y el 26,9 ñ 5,3 por ciento, inaceptables. Sin embargo, globalmente observamos que el resultado de la HbA1c comportó SC en el 40,3 ñ 5,8 por ciento; supuso RMHD en el 18,7 ñ 4,7 por ciento; implicó ID en el 25,9 ñ 5,2 por ciento, y CT en el 15,1 ñ 4,2 por ciento de los casos. Se produjeron modificaciones terapéuticas (CT o ID) en el 26,8 por ciento de los casos cuando la HbA1c era aceptable; en el 60,4 por ciento de los casos cuando era deficiente, y en el 60 por ciento de los casos cuando era inaceptable (p < 0,001). Conclusiones. Cabe destacar que, aunque la HbA1c sea muy deficiente, solamente se realiza un incremento de dosis o cambio de tratamiento en menos de las dos terceras partes de la población. Asimismo, resulta paradójico que, a pesar de obtener HbA1c con resultados aceptables, se introduzcan modificaciones terapéuticas en casi el 25 por ciento de los pacientes (AU)

Late cases of toxic oil syndrome: evidence that the aetiological agent persisted in oil stored for up to one year.

The symptoms of toxic oil syndrome (TOS), an epidemic that occurred in central and north-western Spain, developed in the great majority of patients during May or June 1981. We now describe the clinical and epidemiological data of five patients with TOS whose onset of symptoms was considerably later than the great majority of cases. In June 1982, one person became symptomatic as a result of consuming a suspect oil two months earlier. Four members of a family that started consuming a suspect oil in November 1981 became ill in December 1981. These data indicate that the aetiological agent of TOS persisted in stored oil for periods as long as one year. The apparent stability of the TOS aetiological agent increases the likelihood of its continued presence in significant concentrations in oils that have been stored since 1981. Thus, the use of such oils in further in vivo and in vitro toxicological studies may yet lead to the isolation and identification of the causal agent of TOS.

The association of oil ingestion with toxic oil syndrome in two convents.

The authors studied the pattern of occurrence of toxic oil syndrome, a previously undescribed disease that occurred in Spain in epidemic form in 1981, in two convents in Madrid. In one convent, the disease affected 66% of 35 novices and nuns who ingested oil from a suspect source, but none of 56 laywomen who ate the same meals but used a different type of oil. In the second convent, in which nuns were also exposed but laywomen were not, 98% of 43 nuns developed toxic oil syndrome compared with none of 70 laywomen. These findings support the hypothesis that a food oil transmitted the etiologic agent of toxic oil syndrome.