T-cell lymphoma involving the rectum of a dog.

A mediastinal mass was diagnosed in a 7-year-4-month-old neutered female mixed breed dog following a 3-week history of lethargy, hyporexia and pyrexia. Bi-cavitary imaging, needle aspirate cytology and flow cytometry confirmed WHO clinical stage IVb, intermediate to large T-cell lymphoma involving the mediastinum, liver and spleen. The dog initially responded to a multidrug chemotherapy protocol but clinical deterioration occurred 3 months later. The dog presented with anorexia, vomiting and diarrhoea, associated with marked faecal tenesmus and haematochezia, initially believed by the primary care practitioner to be related to chemotherapy toxicity. However, rectal examination revealed multiple sessile and pedunculated masses. Further diagnostic imaging, cytology and flow cytometry confirmed progressive disease, including T-cell lymphoma of the rectum. Histology and immunohistochemistry confirmed an infiltrate of intermediate-sized CD3-positive neoplastic cells that expanded the rectal mucosa. Rectal lymphoma is uncommon in dogs and previous cases have been B cell in origin. In this report we describe the clinical presentation and macro- and microscopic findings of a case of canine T-cell lymphoma involving the rectum.

[Histomorphological changes in newborn rat lung induced by maternal sugar intake]. / Cambios histomorfológicos en pulmón de rata recién nacida inducidos por ingesta materna de azúcar.

INTRODUCTION: Respiratory conditions are the most common reason for admission to the neonatal unit for both term and premature newborns. It is known that nutritional imbalances during pregnancy affect the maturation and functional capacity of organs. OBJECTIVE: to describe the pulmonary histomorpholo- gy of newborn rats due to maternal sugar intake by light microscopy. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Twenty 4-week-old female Wistar rats divided into control and experimental groups with sucrose before and during pregnancy were used. At week 15, the females mated with males overnight. We recorded va lues from the body and lung weight of the newborns. The lungs were stained using Hematoxylin and Eosin, Masson's trichrome, Periodic acid-Schiff, and Verhoeff. RESULTS: Newborns from the experi mental group presented significantly lower body and lung weight (6.980 ± 0.493* g, 0.164 ± 0.022* g; *p < 0,05) compared with controls (7.854 ± 0.497 g, 0.189 ± 0.005 g). The lungs of the experimental group showed structural alterations in the lung parenchyma, as well as changes in glycogen deposits, collagen fibers, and elastin compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: Alterations in newborn lung growth and development are associated with maternal sucrose intake. It is important to re member that interventions on the maternal diet have beneficial effects for both the mother and the newborn.

Fishes of the Mitú Region: middle basin of the río Vaupés, Colombian Amazon / Peces de la región de Mitú: cuenca media del río Vaupés, Amazonia colombiana

Abstract: The Amazon River basin hosts the most diverse freshwater ichthyofauna in the world, and yet huge areas of the basin remain unexplored. This is the case for the upper tributaries of the rio Negro, especially those draining the Colombian territory. Here we present a list of 224 species derived from the examination of specimens collected in the Mitú region (Vaupés Department, Colombia), the middle basin of the río Vaupés. Of the species identified in our study, 10 species are recorded from Colombia for the first time, and 26 species are newly recorded from the Colombian Amazon. The number of species we present here comprise almost one-third of the known species diversity of the Colombian Amazon and nearly a tenth of the total number of those known across the entirety of the Amazon basin. The most diverse orders were Characiformes (120 species) and Siluriformes (65 species), and the remaining six orders comprised less than 20% of total species. The study area comprised blackwater systems, which are considered to be nutrient-poor environments. We discuss some ecological aspects that might explain how this highly diverse ichthyofauna originates and is maintain in less productive systems. The list presented here adds an important number of new records and complements the information derived from previous studies, carried out thus far with regards to the fish fauna of the Colombian Amazon.

Resumo: La cuenca del río Amazonas alberga la ictiofauna dulceacuícola más diversa del mundo, sin embargo, grandes áreas de la cuenca permanecen inexploradas. Este es el caso de los afluentes de la parte alta del río Negro, especialmente los sistemas que drenan el territorio colombiano. A continuación, presentamos un listado de 224 especies derivadas del análisis de especímenes recolectados en la región de Mitú, cuenca media del río Vaupés (Departamento de Vaupés, Colombia). De las especies identificadas, 10 especies se registran en Colombia por primera vez y 26 especies para la Amazonía colombiana. El número de especies que presentamos aquí comprende casi un tercio de las especies conocidas para la Amazonía colombiana y casi una décima parte del total de las conocidas para la gran cuenca del Amazonas. Los órdenes más diversos fueron Characiformes (120 especies) y Siluriformes (65 especies), y los seis órdenes restantes comprendieron menos del 20% del total de especies. El área de estudio comprende sistemas de aguas negras que se consideran ambientes poco productivos por sus bajos contenidos de nutrientes. Discutimos aquí algunos aspectos ecológicos que podrían explicar cómo esta ictiofauna tan diversa tiene su origen y es mantenida en estos sistemas poco productivos. La información derivada del presente estudio adiciona nuevos registros de especies de peces para Colombia, y complementa la información derivada de los estudios realizados a la fecha en la Amazonía colombiana.

Characidium chancoense, a new species of South American darter from the Río Cauca drainage, Colombia (Characiformes: Crenuchidae).

Characidium chancoense new species, is described from the transandean upper Río Cauca drainage in Colombia. It can be distinguished from all congeners by its pigmentation pattern that consists of 7-12 vertical bars, most of which are cuneate-shaped with the vertex ending on or just below the lateral-line scale series, except for the last 1-4, which are dorsoventrally elongate rectangular bars that extend well below the lateral line. Characidium chancoense is sympatric with C. caucanum Eigenmann, C. phoxocephalum Eigenmann, C. cf. zebra Eigenmann and C. cf. boavistae Steindachner. Unlike C. caucanum and C. cf. boavistae, C. chancoense does not appear to be sexually dimorphic.

The unknown diversity of the genus Characidium (Characiformes: Crenuchidae) in the Chocó biogeographic region, Colombian Andes: Two new species supported by morphological and molecular data.

Two new species of Characidium, C. tatama and C. dule, are described from the biogeographic Chocó region in western Colombia. Both new species are supported by both morphological and molecular data. C. tatama from the San Juan River in the Pacific and C. dule from the Atrato River in the Caribbean portion of Colombia are both distributed in the upper and lower portions of these basins. An extensive comparison with other trans- and cis-Andean species of Characidium was made, in addition to species delimitation, using COI sequences by distinct methods (GMYC, ABGD, bPTP).

Two new species of Pseudopimelodus Bleeker, 1858 (Siluriformes: Pseudopimelodidae) from the Magdalena Basin, Colombia.

The family Pseudopimelodidae is widely distributed in South America and includes 51 described species organized in seven genera. Only two of four species of the genus Pseudopimelodus have been recorded for the trans-Andean basins of Colombia, Pseudopimelodus bufonius and P. schultzi, whose similarity in external morphology make their identification difficult. We performed a phylogenetic analysis using a fragment of the Cytochrome C Oxidase subunit 1 gene (COI), and analyzed osteological and traditional morphometric characters to study Pseudopimelodus from the Colombian trans-Andean region. Results provided strong support for two clades phylogenetically related to Pseudopimelodus, that showed clear-cut molecular, osteological, and morphometric differences from previously described bumblebee catfishes. Based on these results, we describe two Pseudopimelodus species from the Magdalena-Cauca River Basin: P. magnus sp. nov. with 43-44 vertebrae, dorsal-fin spine with serrations on its anterior margin; lateral margin of transverse process of the fourth vertebra of the Weberian complex forming an acute angle in ventral view and P. atricaudus sp. nov. with 39 vertebrae, dorsal-fin spine smooth on its anterior margin and a dark, vertical band covering 3/4 of the caudal fin with base of rays and tip of caudal-fin lobes hyaline.

Ancient genetic divergence in bumblebee catfish of the genus Pseudopimelodus (Pseudopimelodidae: Siluriformes) from northwestern South America.

Pseudopimelodus is a Neotropical genus of bumblebee catfish, composed of four valid species occurring in both trans- and cis-Andean rivers of South America. The orogeny of the Andes has led to diversification in the genus Pseudopimelodus in Colombia. This study analyzed partial sequences of mitochondrial cox1 and nuclear rag2 genes to test the hypothesis that the species, nominally recognized as P. schultzi and P. bufonius in Colombia, correspond to more than two different evolutionary lineages. Results indicate high levels of genetic divergence among individuals of nominal P. schultzi and P. bufonius, from trans- and cis-Andean basins in Colombia. In addition, five divergent lineages of Pseudopimelodus were confidently delimited by using a single-locus species-discovery approach and confirmed by species tree analyses. Additionally, molecular-clock dating showed that most diversification processes in Pseudopimelodus took place during the Miocene, when Andean tectonic evolution was occurring in northwestern South America. The present study provides, for the first time, phylogeographic insight into this Neotropical genus.

Panaque nigrolineatus laurafabianae, a new, commercially exploited subspecies of ornamental wood-eating pleco (Loricariidae: Hypostominae) from the Guaviare River basin in Colombia.

The suckermouth armored catfish genus Panaque contains seven valid species, including the Royal Pleco, Panaque nigrolineatus, which has long been popular as an ornamental aquarium fish and was originally described from the Apure River basin in Venezuela. We examine a phenotypically distinct population of P. nigrolineatus from the Guaviare River in southern Colombia at the southwesternmost corner of the Orinoco River basin. In contrast to typically boldly striped populations from closer to the type locality of P. nigrolineatus, the Guaviare River basin population is usually boldly spotted, earning them the common name Watermelon Pleco in the aquarium fish trade. Because of the commercial popularity of this distinctive color morph, it is heavily exploited for export to the global ornamental fish trade. We find that the Guaviare River P. nigrolineatus laurafabianae is not only distinct geographically and in color pattern, but is also morphometrically diagnosable from P. nigrolineatus individuals from outside the Guaviare River basin. However, relatively subtle phenotypic differences, invariance in nuclear DNA markers, < 0.5% divergence in mitochondrial DNA markers 16S, cytb, and ND2, and the non-monophyly of Guaviare River populations prevent us from robustly inferring species-level distinctiveness of the Watermelon Pleco. We therefore propose to recognize this population as a distinct subspecies.

Species delimitation reveals an underestimated diversity of Andean catfishes of the family Astroblepidae (Teleostei: Siluriformes)

Catfishes of the family Astroblepidae form a group composed by 82 valid species of the genus Astroblepus inhabiting high-gradient streams and rivers throughout tropical portions of the Andean Cordillera. Little has been advanced in the systematics and biodiversity of astroblepids other than an unpublished thesis, a single regional multilocus study and isolated species descriptions. Here, we examined 208 specimens of Astroblepus that apparently belong to 16 valid species from several piedmont rivers from northern Colombia to southern Peru. Using three single-locus approaches for species delimitation in combination with a species tree analysis estimated from three mitochondrial genes, we identified a total of 25 well-delimited lineages including eight valid and 17 potential undescribed species distributed in two monophyletic groups: the Central Andes Clade, which contains 14 lineages from piedmont rivers of the Peruvian Amazon, and the Northern Andes Clade with 11 lineages from trans- and cis-Andean rivers of Colombia and Ecuador, including the Orinoco, Amazon, and Magdalena-Cauca basins and Pacific coastal drainages. Results of species delimitation methods highlight several taxonomical incongruences in recently described species denoting potential synonymies.(AU)

Los bagres de la familia Astroblepidae son un grupo compuesto por 82 especies válidas del género Astroblepus que habitan quebradas y ríos de alto gradiente a través de la porcion tropical en la Cordillera de los Andes. Poco se ha avanzado en la sistemática y biodiversidad de los astroblepidos aparte de una tesis no publicada, un único estudio multilocus regional y descripciones aisladas de especies. Aquí, examinamos 208 especímenes de Astroblepus que aparentemente pertenecen a 16 especies válidas provenientes de ríos de pie de monte de la cordillera de los Andes, desde el norte de Colombia hasta el sur de Perú. Utilizando tres metodologías de delimitación de especies para un único locus en combinación con análisis de un árbol de especies a partir de tres genes mitocondriales, identificamos un total de 25 linajes bien definidos que incluyen ocho especies válidas y 17 potenciales especies no descritas distribuidas en dos grupos monofiléticos: un clado de los andes centrales, que contiene 14 especies de los ríos de pie de monte de la Amazonía peruana y un clado de los andes del norte con 11 especies de los ríos trans y cisandinos de Colombia y Ecuador, incluyendo las cuencas del Orinoco, Amazonas y Magdalena-Cauca así como drenajes costeros del Pacífico. Los resultados de los métodos de delimitación de especies destacan varias incongruencias taxonómicas en especies recientemente descritas que denotan posibles sinonimias.(AU)

Checklist of the freshwater fishes of Colombia: a Darwin Core alternative to the updating problem.

The present work is part of a process to create a Catalogue of the Freshwater Fishes of Colombia and consisted in the depuration and updating of the taxonomic and geographic components of the checklist of the freshwater fishes of Colombia. An exhaustive revision of the 1435 species recorded in 2008 was necessary to: 1. Add new species described since 2009 and species originally described from Colombia but inadvertently omitted in 2008; 2. Add new records of already described species; 3. Delete species whose presence in Colombia was not supported by voucher specimens in ichthyological collections; and 4. Revise the geographic distribution of the species listed in 2008. This process resulted in the following numbers: 1. Total number of freshwater fish species in Colombia: 1494; 2. Number of species recorded by hydrographic region - Amazon: 706, Orinoco: 663, Caribbean: 223, Magdalena-Cauca: 220, Pacific: 130; and 3. Number of endemic species: 374 (76% from the trans-Andean region). Updating the current checklist is a fundamental requirement to ensure its incorporation in the decision-making process with regard to the conservation of Colombian aquatic species and ecosystems, which are facing transformation processes as a result of activities such as mining, construction of hydroelectric plants, expansion of the agricultural frontier and subsequent deforestation, industrial and domestic pollution, development of waterways, introduction of exotic species, and climate change.

ResumenEl presente trabajo es parte de un proceso para crear un Catálogo de Peces de Agua Dulce de Colombia y consistió en la depuración y actualización de los componentes taxonómico y geográfico del listado de peces de agua dulce de Colombia. Una revisión exhaustiva de las 1435 especies registradas en 2008 fue necesaria para: 1. Adicionar las especies nuevas descritas desde 2009 y especies descritas originalmente para Colombia pero omitidas inadvertidamente en 2008; 2. Adicionar nuevos registros de especies ya descritas; 3. Eliminar especies cuya presencia en Colombia no estaba soportada por especímenes en colecciones ictiológicas; y 4. Revisar la distribución geográfica de las especies listadas en 2008. Este proceso resultó en las siguientes cifras: 1. Número total de especies de peces de agua dulce en Colombia: 1494; 2. Número de especies registradas por región hidrográfica - Amazonas: 706, Orinoco: 663, Caribe: 223, Magdalena-Cauca: 220, Pacífico: 130; y 3. Número de especies endémicas 374 (76% distribuidas en la región transandina). La actualización del presente listado es un requerimiento fundamental para asegurar su incorporación en el proceso de toma de decisiones en lo concerniente a la conservación de las especies y ecosistemas acuáticos colombianos, los cuales están enfrentando procesos de transformación, como resultado de actividades como la minería, construcción de plantas hidroeléctricas, expansión de la frontera agropecuaria y subsecuente desforestación, polución industrial y doméstica, desarrollo de hidrovías, introducción de especies exóticas y cambio climático.

Fatty alcohols production by oleaginous yeast.

We have engineered Rhodosporidium toruloides to produce fatty alcohols by expressing a fatty acyl-CoA reductase from Marinobacter aquaeolei VT8. Production of fatty alcohols in flasks was achieved in different fermentation media at titers ranging from 0.2 to 2 g/L. In many of the conditions tested, more than 80 % of fatty alcohols were secreted into the cultivation broth. Through fed-batch fermentation in 7 L bioreactors, over 8 g/L of C(16)-C(18) fatty alcohols were produced using sucrose as the substrate. This is the highest titer ever reported on microbial production of fatty alcohols to date.

[Oropharyngeal dysphagia associated with Chiari I malformation and syringomyelia J]. / Disfagia orofaringea asociada a malformación de Chiari tipo I y siringomielia.

BACKGROUND: Dysphagia associated with neurological disease is an important clinical manifestation in the diagnosis of injury that justifies the compression of the brainstem and lower cranial nerves. OBJECTIVE: To emphasize the study of dysphagia in a patient with Chiari I malformation associated with syringomyelia in the absence of primary gastroenterological symptoms. CLINICAL CASE: We describe the case of a 62 year-old woman with oropharyngeal dysphagia of six years of evolution, cervicobrachialgia, ptosis and facial diplexia. CONCLUSIONS: Magnetic resonance imaging is an essential element for establishing the etiologic diagnosis of neurogenic dysphagia.

Antecedentes: la disfagia con afección neurológica constituye un dato clínico significativo en el diagnóstico de lesiones que justifiquen la compresión del tronco cerebral y los nervios craneales bajos. Objetivo: destacar la importancia del estudio de la disfagia en una paciente con malformación de Chiari tipo I y siringomielia, sin síntomas gastroenterológicos primarios. Caso clínico: se comunica el caso de una mujer de 62 años de edad con disfagia orofaríngea de seis años de evolución, cervicobraquialgia, ptosis palpebral y diplejía facial. Conclusiones: el estudio por resonancia magnética constituye un elemento fundamental para establecer el diagnóstico causal de la disfagia neurogénica.

Upregulation of transglutaminase and ε (γ-glutamyl)-lysine in the Fisher-Lewis rat model of chronic allograft nephropathy.

BACKGROUND: Tissue transglutaminase (TG2), a cross-linking enzyme, modulates deposition of extracellular matrix protein in renal fibrosis. This study aimed to examine TG2 and its cross-link product ε(γ-glutamyl)-lysine in the Fisher-Lewis rat renal transplantation (RTx) model of chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Left renal grafts from male Fisher and Lewis were transplanted into Lewis rats, generating allografts and isografts, respectively. Blood pressure, renal function, and proteinuria were monitored for up to 52 weeks. At termination, CAN was assessed in the renal tissue by light and electron microscopy, TG2 and ε(γ-glutamyl)-lysine by immunofluorescence, and the urinary ε(γ-glutamyl)-lysine by high performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS: Compared to the isograft, the allografts were hypertensive, proteinuric, and uraemic and developed CAN. Extracellular TG2 (glomerulus: 64.55 ± 17.61 versus 2.11 ± 0.17, P < 0.001; interstitium: 13.72 ± 1.62 versus 3.19 ± 0.44, P < 0.001), ε(γ-glutamyl)-lysine (glomerulus: 21.74 ± 2.71 versus 1.98 ± 0.37, P < 0.01; interstitium: 37.96 ± 17.06 versus 0.42 ± 0.11, P < 0.05), TG2 enzyme activity (1.09 ± 0.13 versus 0.41 ± 0.03 nmol/h/mg protein, P < 0.05), TG2 mRNA (20-fold rise), and urinary ε(γ-glutamyl)-lysine (534.2 ± 198.4 nmol/24 h versus 57.2 ± 4.1 nmol/24 h, P < 0.05) levels were significantly elevated in the allografts and showed a positive linear correlation with tubulointerstitial fibrosis. CONCLUSION: CAN was associated with upregulation of renal TG2 pathway, which has a potential for pharmacological intervention. The elevated urinary ε(γ-glutamyl)-lysine, measured for the first time in RTx, is a potential biomarker of CAN.

Comparison of the essential oils of leaves and stem bark from two different populations of Drimys winteri a Chilean herbal medicine.

The chemical composition of the essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation of stem bark and leaves of Drimys winteri J.R. et G. Foster var. chilensis /DC A. Gray (Winteraceae) from Chiloe Island (ID) and Continental Chile (Santiago) (CD) were studied by GC and GC/MS. Sesquiterpene hydrocarbons constituted the main chemical groups in the stem bark oils, with alpha-santalene, trans-beta-bergamotene and curcumenes as the major components. Monoterpenes constituted the main chemical groups in the leaves of Island plants with alpha-pinene (23.1%) beta-pinene (43.6%) and linalool (10.5%) as the main components whereas sesquiterpenes (germacrene D 17.6%) and phenylpropanoids (safrole 20.8%) are the most abundant in the leaves of Continental plants.

Two new trans-Andean species of Imparfinis Eigenmann & Norris, 1900 (Siluriformes: Heptapteridae) from Colombia

Two new species of Imparfinis are described from the trans-Andean region of Colombia. Imparfinis timana is diagnosed by having longer anal fin base (12.4-15.5 percent in SL), in combination with long adipose fin (24.6-31.3 percent in SL), 5-6 gill rakers on the first ceratobranchial, 42-43 vertebrae and additional measurements. Imparfinis usmai is distinguished by the combination of first ray of dorsal fin longest, but not projected as a long filament, long adipose fin (21.1-27.0 percent in SL), maxillary barbel exceeding pelvic-fin base, 39-40 vertebrae, upper caudal-fin lobe pointed and longer than lower lobe, lower lobe rounded, 7-8 gill rakers on the first ceratobranchial, as well as additional measurements. Imparfinis timana is only known from río Guarapas, a small tributary of the upper course of the río Magdalena. Imparfinis usmai is broadly distributed in the upper basin of ríos Cauca and Magdalena, and in the lower Patía river basin. The restricted distribution of I. nemacheir to trans-Andean drainages (Atrato, Magdalena, and Lago de Maracaibo) is also discussed.

Duas novas espécies do gênero Imparfinis são descritas da região transandina da Colômbia. Imparfinis timana é diagnosticada por possuir as nadadeiras adiposa e anal compridas (24,6-31,3 por cento e 12,4-15,5 por cento no CP, respectivamente), 5-6 rastros branquiais no primeiro ceratobranquial, 42-43 vértebras, além de outros caracteres de morfometria. Imparfinis usmai é diferenciada pela combinação do primeiro raio da nadadeira dorsal longo, mas não projetado como um filamento comprido, nadadeira adiposa longa (21,1-27,0 por cento na CP), barbilhões maxilares ultrapassando a base da nadadeira ventral, 39-40 vértebras, lóbulo superior da nadadeira caudal pontiagudo e mais longo que o lóbulo inferior, lóbulo inferior arredondado, 7-8 rastros branquiais no primeiro ceratobranquial e outros caracteres de morfometria. Imparfinis timana é conhecida somente para o rio Guarapas, pequeno tributário da bacia do alto rio Magdalena. Imparfinis usmai é amplamente distribuída nas bacias dos rios Cauca, Magdalena e Patía. A distribuição restrita de I. nemacheir nas bacias da região transandina (Atrato, Magdalena e Lago de Maracaibo) é discutida.

Antimicrobial activity of sesquiterpenes from the essential oil of Juniperus thurifera.

Chemical analysis of the essential oil of Juniperus thurifera wood led to the identification of fifty-eight sesquiterpene compounds, of which twenty-eight have been isolated, two of them being new natural cedrane derivatives (1 and 2). Their structures were established on the basis of 1D NMR and 2D NMR spectra. The antimicrobial activities of different pure compounds of this oil were tested against nine microorganisms (Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and yeasts). Seven of the tested compounds exhibited a relevant activity, with the known alpha- and beta-cedrenes and sesquithuriferol showing minimum inhibitory concentrations of 3.06 microg/mL against Bacillus subtilis and Proteus sp.

Four-year prospective study of military trainees returned to duty following a mental health evaluation.

The purpose of the study was to determine the long-term outcome for military trainees referred for a mental health evaluation during basic training. Participants were 261 Air Force basic trainees seen for a mental health evaluation during January through October 1997 and returned to duty. Frequency and type of discharge from the military were documented for participants during a 4-year follow-up period. The results showed that two-thirds of the study sample failed to complete their obligated tour of duty. Most discharges occurred within a 100-day period from the time of the evaluation. Common discharge types were physical condition interfering with performance of duty, entry-level performance and conduct, fraudulent entry, and character or behavior disorder. Implications of the findings for mental health providers working in a military training environment are discussed.