Green infant formula analysis: Optimizing headspace solid-phase microextraction of carbonyl compounds associated with lipid peroxidation using GC-MS and pentafluorophenylhydrazine derivatization.

The refinement and optimization of a method combining headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was successfully performed for the first time to determine seven carbonyl and dicarbonyl compounds, including glyoxal, methylglyoxal, dimethylglyoxal, and malondialdehyde in infant formulae, related to lipid peroxidation. HS-SPME was utilized for simultaneous extraction and derivatization with pentafluorophenylhydrazine (PFPH). Critical parameters such as temperature, pH, extractive phase, and salting-out were meticulously investigated and fine-tuned by an asymmetrical 2232//9 screening design to ensure the method's efficacy and reliability. Optimal conditions included a PFPH concentration of 5 g/L, pH 5.0, head-space extraction at 60 °C within 10 min, utilizing a DVB/CAR/PDMS coating, and a 20% w/w salting-out. The analytical validation of this method, compliant with FDA guidelines, demonstrated exceptional linearity, sensitivity, specificity, precision (RSD ≤13.8%), and accuracy (84.8% ≤ recovery ≤111.5%). The metric approach AGREEprep confirms its eco-friendliness, marking a significant step towards an environmentally conscious approach in infant formula analysis. An occurrence study conducted on 25 infant formula samples revealed widespread carbonyl and dicarbonyl compounds in both powdered and liquid variants. ANOVA results exhibited variations in compound concentrations among different sample groups. Clustering analyses delineated distinct groups based on carbonyl content, indicating the potential of these compounds as markers for lipid peroxidation and food quality assessment. This method serves as a valuable tool for evaluating infant formula quality, stability towards oxidation, and safety.

Simultaneous determination of carbonyl compounds related to thermal treatment and oxidative stability of infant formulas by gas-diffusion microextraction and high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection.

Infant formulae are the only possible alternative to breastfeeding during the first year of life, so it is crucial to assure their innocuousness. Infant formula undergoes heat treatments to ensure safety and shelf life. However, such processes impact health as they lead to the formation of malondialdehyde, acrolein, and α-dicarbonyl compounds, related to Maillard reaction. Thus, there is a need for improved analytical methods to ensure the safety, quality, and nutritional value of infant formulae, and also exploring the potential of specific compounds as indicators for quality control and monitoring purposes. We developed and validated a novel, efficient, and cost-effective method using gas-diffusion microextraction for the simultaneous quantification of carbonyl compounds in infant formula. Malondialdehyde, acrolein, glyoxal, methylglyoxal, and diacetyl were detected as o-phenylenediamine derivatives using HPLC with UV detection. Parameters influencing extraction efficiency were studied using an asymmetric screening design. The validated method has shown excellent linearity, sensitivity, accuracy, and precision. It was applied to analyze 26 infant formula samples, including starter, follow-up, and special formulated powdered infant formula. Methylglyoxal was found in all samples (0.201-3.153 µg mL-1), while malondialdehyde was present only in certain starter formulas (1.033-1.802 µg mL-1). Acrolein (0.510-3.246 µg mL-1), glyoxal (0.109-1.253 µg mL-1), and diacetyl (0.119-2.001 µg mL-1) were detected in various sample types. Principal components and hierarchical cluster analyses have showcased distinct sample clustering based on analyte contents. This study presents a novel methodology for the analysis of markers of thermal treatment and oxidative stability in infant formula. It contributes to the characterization of the products' composition and quality control of infant formulae, thereby enhancing their safety and nutritional adequacy. This study also presents the first reported quantification of acrolein in infant formula and introduces the application of the acrolein-o-phenylenediamine derivative for food analysis.

Effect of Lithium Salts on the Properties of Cassava Starch Solid Biopolymer Electrolytes.

This study evaluates the effect of lithium salts on the structural, electrochemical, and thermal properties of cassava starch solid biopolymer electrolytes (SBPEs). Films of SBPEs were synthesized using plasticizing agents and lithium salts (LiCl, Li2SO4, and CF3LiSO3) via thermochemical method. The SBPEs with lithium salts exhibited characteristic FTIR bands starch, with slight variations in the vibration oxygen-related functional groups compared to salt-free biopolymer spectra. The RCOH/COC index (short-range crystallinity) was higher in the films synthesized without lithium salt and the lowest value was established in the films synthesized with Li2SO4. Thermal degradation involved dehydration between 40 to 110 °C and molecular decomposition between 245 to 335 °C. Degradation temperatures were close when synthesized with salts but differed in films without lithium salt. DSC revealed two endothermic processes: one around 65 °C linked to crystalline structure changes and the second at approximately 271 °C associated with glucose ring decomposition. The electrochemical behavior of the SBPEs varied with the salts used, resulting in differences in the potential and current of peaks from the redox processes and its conductivity, presenting the lowest value (8.42 × 10-5 S cm-1) in the SBPE films without salt and highest value (9.54 × 10-3 S cm-1) in the films with Li2SO4. It was concluded that the type of lithium salt used in SBPEs synthesis affected their properties. SBPEs with lithium triflate showed higher molecular ordering, thermal stability, and lower redox potentials in electrochemical processes.

New strategies to analyze argentatins A and B in guayule (Parthenium argentatum, A. Gray).

There is considerable interest in the exploitation of compounds belonging to the triterpenoid family from guayule (Parthenium argentatum, A. Gray), as they offer several beneficial effects to human health. The most abundant triterpenoids in guayule resin are the argentatins, which are currently analyzed by labor-intensive and time-consuming techniques. The purpose of the present study was to estimate argentatins and isoargentatins A and B in guayule using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and flow injection analysis (FIA). Results revealed that the best partial least squares regression model exhibited excellent correlation with the values estimated by NIRS calibration (r2c = 0.99-1.00) and cross-validation (r2cv = 0.94-0.99), and the residual predictive deviation was >3 in all cases. After optimization of the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and FIA parameters, the FIA mode could reliably collect data for argentatin A and B after applying a calculated coverage factor. In sum, NIRS and FIA appear to be a robust option for the estimation and routine analysis of argentatins in guayule stems and resin, respectively.

Prosthetic rehabilitation after hemimaxillectomy: a case report.

Maxillofacial defects created by the surgical resection of a tumor negatively impact the mastication, phonation, swallowing, and psychological function of patients. A 68-year-old woman received a diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma involving the hard palate. The hemimaxillectomy procedure for tumor resection created a defect on the left side of the palate. This case report describes the patient's cancer treatment from presurgical planning to final rehabilitation with a conventional obturator and subsequent follow-up care for 1 year. The rehabilitation strategy was satisfactory for the patient, reestablishing lost function and esthetics.

Development of a QuEChERS method for simultaneous analysis of 3-Monochloropropane-1,2-diol monoesters and Glycidyl esters in edible oils and margarine by LC-APCI-MS/MS.

A simple, fast and effective direct method based on HPLC-APCI-QqQ-MS/MS has been developed to simultaneously determine four 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol monoesters (3-MCPDE) esterified with palmitic, linoleic, stearic, and oleic acid, and two glycidyl esters (GE) with palmitic and oleic acid in margarine and olive oil using a QuEChERS approach. Factors affecting the efficiency of the extraction process were assessed, including type and amount of salt, extraction solvent, test portion amount, and clean-up sorbent. The analytical method was validated according to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines using matrix-matched calibration with internal standards and showed good results in terms of linearity (r2 > 0.9992), accuracy (80

The biasing effects of selection and attrition on estimating the mean.

Organizational and validation researchers often work with data that has been subjected to selection on the predictor and attrition on the criterion. These researchers often use the data observed under these conditions to estimate either the predictor or criterion's restricted population means. We show that the restricted means due to direct or indirect selection are a function of the population means plus the selection ratios. Thus, any difference between selected mean groups reflects the population difference plus the selection ratio difference. When there is also attrition on the criterion, the estimation of group differences becomes even more complicated. The effect of selection and attrition induces measurement bias when estimating the restricted population mean of either the predictor or criterion. A sample mean observed under selection and attrition does not estimate either the population mean or the restricted population mean. We propose several procedures under normality that yield unbiased estimates of the mean. The procedures focus on correcting the effects of selection and attrition. Each procedure was evaluated with a Monte Carlo simulation to ascertain its strengths and weaknesses. Given appropriate sample size and conditions, we show that these procedures yield unbiased estimators of the restricted and unrestricted population means for both predictor and criterion. We also show how our findings have implications for replicating selected group differences.

Ultrasound-assisted enzymatic indirect determination of total 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol esters in canned fish oil fraction.

A novel, fast, and cost-effective indirect enzymatic method was successfully developed to assess the total 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) in canned food's oil fraction by the action of Burkholderia cepacia lipase. The total 3-MCPD were derivatized with n-Heptafluorobutyrylimidazole (HFBI) for GC-MS analysis during dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME). An asymmetrical 2213//8 screening design was used to study the influence of critical factors on the method's effectiveness. The analytical features of the proposed method were assessed following Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines using extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) as a blank sample. Outstanding results were achieved in terms of linearity (r2 = 0.9995), sensitivity, precision (2.1 % to 10.4 % RSD), and accuracy (98.7 % ≤ recovery ≤ 101.9 %). Method efficacy was tested by comparing the results of 10 edible oils for total 3-MCPD with those reported in previous works. A total of 41 samples were analyzed. The lowest 3-MCPD content was found in samples of albacore canned in EVOO oil, while the highest amounts were found in albacore, mackerel, and Atlantic saury samples, all preserved in refined sunflower oil.

Evaluación de la Técnica de Distracción por Sugestión Mágica (DSM) para la Orientación del Comportamiento de pacientes en Odontopediatría / Avaliação da Técnica de Distração por Sugestão Mágica (DSM) para Orientação Comportamental em Pacientes em Odontopediatria: Relato de caso / Evaluation of the Magical Suggestion Distraction Technique (MSD) for Behavioral Guidance in Pediatric Dentistry: Case Reports

La consulta Odontopediátrica constituye un escenario diverso, que demanda métodos creativos y novedosos para orientar el comportamiento del paciente y facilitar su tratamiento. Este artículo presenta el reporte de tres casos clínicos, en los que se utilizó la distracción por sugestión mágica (DSM) como estrategia de orientación del comportamiento. El objetivo fue evaluar el comportamiento del paciente al tratamiento odontológico utilizando la técnica DSM. Metodología: Se seleccionaron 3 pacientes entre los 3 y 6 años de la consulta privada de Odontopediatría en Cúcuta, Colombia, los cuales fueron atendidos por un especialista Odontopediatra. Se implementó la distracción-sugestiva, el juego de fantasía y la imaginación a través de la "Magia" como mecanismo de apertura, para aceptar y responder a nuevas ideas (DSM); usando la escala de Frank se evalúo el comportamiento durante la inducción [P1] y el tratamiento [P2], por el profesional y los autores; los procedimientos fueron filmados en presencia y con consentimiento de los padres. Resultados: Revelan un comportamiento positivo y definitivamente positivo en los 3 pacientes evaluados; dos pacientes se clasificaron en F4 y uno F3+ al finalizar el procedimiento. La aceptación al tratamiento fue progresiva en la inducción y tratamiento. Se observaron cambios positivos en la atención, cooperación y disminución de la ansiedad y miedo. Conclusión: Los hallazgos sugieren que la técnica de Distracción por Sugestión Mágica fue eficaz para lograr un comportamiento y experiencia positiva, creando una ilusión que los pacientes aceptaron con convicción

A prática da odontologia pediátrica é um cenário diversificado que exige métodos criativos e inovadores para orientar o comportamento do paciente e facilitar o tratamento. Este artigo apresenta o relatório de três casos clínicos em que a distração por sugestão mágica (DSM) foi utilizada como estratégia de orientação comportamental. O objetivo era avaliar o comportamento do paciente ao tratamento odontológico usando a técnica DSM. Metodologia: Três pacientes entre 3 e 6 anos de idade foram selecionados de uma clínica odontológica pediátrica particular em Cúcuta, Colômbia, que foram atendidos por um dentista especializado em pediatria. Distração-sugestão, jogo de fantasia e imaginação através da magia foram implementados como um mecanismo de abertura para aceitar e responder a novas idéias (DSM); usando a escala de Frank, o comportamento durante a indução [P1] e o tratamento [P2] foi avaliado usando a escala de Frank pelo médico e pelos autores; os procedimentos foram filmados na presença e com o consentimento dos pais. Resultados: Revelou comportamento positivo e definitivo positivo nos 3 pacientes avaliados; dois pacientes foram classificados como F4 e um F3+ no final do procedimento. A aceitação do tratamento foi progressiva na indução e no tratamento. Foram observadas mudanças positivas na atenção, cooperação e diminuição da ansiedade e do medo. Conclusão: Os resultados sugerem que a técnica de Distração da Sugestão Mágica foi eficaz para alcançar um comportamento e uma experiência positivos, criando uma ilusão que os pacientes aceitaram com convicção

The pediatric dentistry practice is a diverse setting that demands creative and novel methods to guide the patient's behavior and facilitate treatment. This article presents the report of three clinical cases in which distraction by magical suggestion (DSM) was used as a behavioral guidance strategy. The objective was to evaluate the patient's behavior to dental treatment using the DSM technique. Methodology: Three patients between 3 and 6 years of age were selected from a private pediatric dentistry practice in Cucuta, Colombia, who were seen beside a specialist in pediatric dentistry. Distraction-suggestive, fantasy play and imagination through magic were implemented as an opening mechanism to accept and respond to new ideas (DSM); using Frank's scale the behavior during induction [P1] and treatment [P2] was evaluated side by side with the professional and the authors; the procedures were filmed in the presence and with the consent of the parents. Results: Revealed positive and definitely positive behavior in the 3 patients evaluated; two patients were classified as F4 and one as F3+ at the end of the procedure. Acceptance to treatment was progressive at induction and treatment. Positive changes in attention, cooperation, and decreased anxiety and fear were observed. Conclusion: The findings suggest that the Magical Suggestion Distraction technique was effective in achieving a positive behavior and experience, creating an illusion that patients accepted with conviction.

Enhanced Robustness of the Mouse Retinal Circadian Clock Upon Inherited Retina Degeneration.

Daily biological rhythms are fundamental to retinal physiology and visual function. They are generated by a local circadian clock composed of a network of cell type/layer-specific, coupled oscillators. Animal models of retinal degeneration have been instrumental in characterizing the anatomical organization of the retinal clock. However, it is still unclear, among the multiple cell-types composing the retina, which ones are essential for proper circadian function. In this study, we used a previously well-characterized mouse model for autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa to examine the relationship between rod degeneration and the retinal circadian clock. This model carries the P23H mutation in rhodopsin, which induces mild rod degeneration in heterozygous and rapid loss of photoreceptors in homozygous genotypes. By measuring PER2::LUC bioluminescence rhythms, we show that the retinal clock in P23H/+ heterozygous mice displays circadian rhythms with significantly increased robustness and amplitude. By treating retinal explants with L-α aminoadipic acid, we further provide evidence that this enhanced rhythmicity might involve activation of Müller glial cells.

Fuerza muscular en pacientes adultos con insuficiencia renal crónica del Hospital Nacional y Hospital Militar en 2021

Introducción: la fuerza muscular puede disminuir en los pacientes con insuficiencia renal crónica por diversas causas. Objetivo: determinar las variables antropométricas, clínicas y la fuerza muscular en pacientes adultos con insuficiencia renal crónica. Metodología: se aplicó un diseño observacional, descriptivo, transversal. Se incluyeron varones y mujeres, mayores de 17 años, portadores de insuficiencia renal crónica que asistían al Hospital Nacional (Itauguá) y Hospital Militar (Asunción), Paraguay, entre abril y noviembre 2021. Se determinaron variables antropométricas, clínicas y laboratoriales. La fuerza muscular se midió con un dinamómetro de mano. Se utilizó un grupo de sujetos jóvenes sanos para la comparación de la fuerza muscular. Se aplicó estadística descriptiva con el programa estadístico Epi Info 7™. La investigación fue aprobada por el Comité de Ética de la Universidad Privada del Este, Paraguay. Resultados: ingresaron al estudio 119 sujetos, siendo 62 (52 %) del sexo masculino con edad media 56±15 años y 57 (48 %) del sexo femenino, con edad media 51±16 años. La media de la depuración de creatinina fue 16,4±17,9 mL/min. La etiología más común fue la asociación de hipertensión arterial y diabetes mellitus (45 %). El grupo se sujetos sanos se constituyó con 99 mujeres con edad media 25±5 años y 51 varones con edad media 26±5 años. Al comparar la fuerza entre los pacientes y los sujetos sanos se halló 66,4 % de fuerza muscular disminuida entre los portadores de insuficiencia renal crónica. Conclusión: la fuerza muscular se halla disminuida en 66,4 % de los pacientes insuficiencia renal crónica. Se recomienda la detección oportuna y el tratamiento precoz del déficit de la fuerza muscular en este grupo de pacientes.

Introduction: muscle strength may decrease in patients with chronic kidney failure due to various causes. Objective: to determine the anthropometric and clinical variables and muscle strength in adult patients with chronic kidney failure. Methodology: an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional design was applied. Men and women, older than 17 years, with chronic kidney failure who attended the National Hospital (Itauguá) and Military Hospital (Asunción), Paraguay, between April and November 2021 were included. Anthropometric, clinical and laboratory variables were determined. Muscle strength was measured with a hand dynamometer. A group of healthy young subjects was used for the comparison of muscle strength. Descriptive statistics were applied with the statistical program Epi Info 7 ™. The research was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Universidad Privada del Este, Paraguay. Results: 119 subjects entered the study, being 62 (52%) males with a mean age 56 ± 15 years and 57 (48%) females, with a mean age 51 ± 16 years. The mean creatinine clearance was 16.4 ± 17.9 mL / min. The most common etiology was the association of arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus (45%). The healthy group included 99 women with a mean age 25 ± 5 years and 51 men with a mean age 26 ± 5 years. When comparing strength between patients and healthy subjects, 66.4% decreased muscle strength was found among patients with chronic renal failure. Conclusion: muscle strength is decreased in 66.4% of chronic kidney failure patients. Early detection and early treatment of muscle strength deficit is recommended in this group of patients.

Diversity and host assemblage of avian haemosporidians in different terrestrial ecoregions of Peru.

Characterizing the diversity and structure of host-parasite communities is crucial to understanding their eco-evolutionary dynamics. Malaria and related haemosporidian parasites are responsible for fitness loss and mortality in bird species worldwide. However, despite exhibiting the greatest ornithological biodiversity, avian haemosporidians from Neotropical regions are quite unexplored. Here, we analyze the genetic diversity of bird haemosporidian parasites (Plasmodium and Haemoproteus) in 1,336 individuals belonging to 206 bird species to explore for differences in diversity of parasite lineages and bird species across 5 well-differentiated Peruvian ecoregions. We detected 70 different haemosporidian lineages infecting 74 bird species. We showed that 25 out of the 70 haplotypes had not been previously recorded. Moreover, we also identified 81 new host-parasite interactions representing new host records for these haemosporidian parasites. Our outcomes revealed that the effective diversity (as well as the richness, abundance, and Shannon-Weaver index) for both birds and parasite lineages was higher in Amazon basin ecoregions. Furthermore, we also showed that ecoregions with greater diversity of bird species also had high parasite richness, hence suggesting that host community is crucial in explaining parasite richness. Generalist parasites were found in ecoregions with lower bird diversity, implying that the abundance and richness of hosts may shape the exploitation strategy followed by haemosporidian parasites. These outcomes reveal that Neotropical region is a major reservoir of unidentified haemosporidian lineages. Further studies analyzing host distribution and specificity of these parasites in the tropics will provide important knowledge about phylogenetic relationships, phylogeography, and patterns of evolution and distribution of haemosporidian parasites.

Dynamic performance-Energy tradeoff consolidation with contention-aware resource provisioning in containerized clouds.

Containers have emerged as a more portable and efficient solution than virtual machines for cloud infrastructure providing both a flexible way to build and deploy applications. The quality of service, security, performance, energy consumption, among others, are essential aspects of their deployment, management, and orchestration. Inappropriate resource allocation can lead to resource contention, entailing reduced performance, poor energy efficiency, and other potentially damaging effects. In this paper, we present a set of online job allocation strategies to optimize quality of service, energy savings, and completion time, considering contention for shared on-chip resources. We consider the job allocation as the multilevel dynamic bin-packing problem that provides a lightweight runtime solution that minimizes contention and energy consumption while maximizing utilization. The proposed strategies are based on two and three levels of scheduling policies with container selection, capacity distribution, and contention-aware allocation. The energy model considers joint execution of applications of different types on shared resources generalized by the job concentration paradigm. We provide an experimental analysis of eighty-six scheduling heuristics with scientific workloads of memory and CPU-intensive jobs. The proposed techniques outperform classical solutions in terms of quality of service, energy savings, and completion time by 21.73-43.44%, 44.06-92.11%, and 16.38-24.17%, respectively, leading to a cost-efficient resource allocation for cloud infrastructures.

The circadian clock in the mouse habenula is set by catecholamines.

Circadian rhythms are those variations in behavioral and molecular processes of organisms that follow roughly 24 h cycles in the absence of any external cue. The hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) harbors the principal brain pacemaker driving circadian rhythms. The epithalamic habenula (Hb) contains a self-sustained circadian clock functionally coupled to the SCN. Anatomically, the Hb projects to the midbrain dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) systems, and it receives inputs from the forebrain, midbrain, and brainstem. The SCN is set by internal signals such as 5-HT or melatonin from the raphe nuclei and pineal gland, respectively. However, how the Hb clock is set by internal cues is not well characterized. Hence, in the present study, we determined whether DA, noradrenaline (NA), 5-HT, and the neuropeptides orexin (ORX) and vasopressin influence the Hb circadian clock. Using PER2::Luciferase transgenic mice, we found that the amplitude of the PER2 protein circadian oscillations from Hb explants was strongly affected by DA and NA. Importantly, these effects were dose-and region (rostral vs. caudal) dependent for NA, with a main effect in the caudal part of the Hb. Furthermore, ORX also induced a significant change in the amplitude of PER2 protein oscillations in the caudal Hb. In conclusion, catecholaminergic (DA, NA) and ORXergic transmission impacts the clock properties of the Hb clock likely contributing to the circadian regulation of motivated behaviors. Accordingly, pathological conditions that lead in alterations of catecholamine or ORX activity (drug intake, compulsive feeding) might affect the Hb clock and conduct to circadian disturbances.

Colecistitis aguda durante el segundo trimestre del embarazo: reporte de un caso / Acute cholecystitis during the second trimester of pregnancy: A case report

Resumen ANTECEDENTES: La colecistitis aguda es la segunda causa más frecuente de urgencia quirúrgica no obstétrica, con una incidencia de 1 caso por cada 1600 a 10,000 embarazos. OBJETIVO: Reportar el caso de una paciente con colecistitis aguda durante el segundo trimestre del embarazo tratada mediante cirugía laparoscópica. CASO CLÍNICO: Paciente de 34 años, con 16.5 semanas de embarazo. Acudió a consulta debido a un dolor abdominal de tipo cólico en el hipocondrio derecho. A la exploración física se encontraron: abdomen blando, depresible, dolor a la palpación en el flanco e hipocondrio derechos, signo de Murphy negativo, sin datos de irritación peritoneal; no se palparon plastrones; el útero se encontraba arriba de la sínfisis del pubis. El ultrasonido abdominal mostró la vesícula debidamente delimitada, con bordes regulares y definidos, con pared delgada y múltiples cálculos en su interior. No se evidenció leucocitosis. Los reportes de la laparoscopia fueron: vesícula con paredes a tensión, el conducto cístico corto, dilatado, con un cálculo retenido. No se informaron complicaciones. La paciente fue dada de alta a las 48 horas del posoperatorio. Continuó en control prenatal y finalizó el embarazo por cesárea. El desenlace neonatal fue satisfactorio. CONCLUSIONES: La colecistitis es una de las principales alteraciones durante el embarazo. Postergar la cirugía supone consecuencias para la madre y el feto, por lo que debe establecerse el diagnóstico y tratamiento oportunos.

Abstract BACKGROUND: Bile duct pathologies, specifically acute cholecystitis, is the second most common cause of non-obstetric surgical emergency, with an incidence of 1 in 1,600 to 10,000 pregnancies. OBJECTIVE: Report of a case of a patient with acute cholecystitis during the second trimester of pregnancy treated by laparoscopic surgery. CLINICAL CASE: 34-year-old female, pregnancy 3, childbirth 2; with pregnancy of 16.5 weeks. She presented colicky abdominal pain located in the right upper quadrant. Physical examination revealed abdomen with normoaudible peristalsis, soft, depressible, pain on medium and deep palpation in the right hypochondrium, murphy sign (-), no evidence of peritoneal irritation, no plastrons palpated, uterus above symphysis of the pubis. Abdominal ultrasound reports a well-defined vesicle with regular and well-defined borders, with a thin wall, with the presence of multiple stones in its interior. There was no presence of leukocytosis. Laparoscopic surgical management was decided, during which a gallbladder with tension walls, a short, dilated cystic duct, with an impacted stone was found. No complications were reported. She continued her prenatal care in our hospital unit and the pregnancy was resolved by cesarean section. Neonatal outcomes were optimal. CONCLUSIONS: Cholecystitis is one of the main non-obstetric surgical pathologies that occur in pregnancy, it is important to consider that the fact of postponing surgery could have consequences for both the mother and the fetus, so the timely diagnosis and management of this type of pathology must be carried out.

Dark-adapted light response in mice is regulated by a circadian clock located in rod photoreceptors.

The retinal circadian system consists of a network of clocks located virtually in every retinal cell-type. Although it is established that the circadian clock regulates many rhythmic processes in the retina, the links between retinal cell-specific clocks and visual function remain to be elucidated. Bmal1 is a principal, non-redundant component of the circadian clock in mammals and is required to keep 24 h rhythms in the retinal transcriptome and in visual processing under photopic light condition. In the current study, we investigated the retinal function in mice with a rod-specific knockout of Bmal1. For this purpose, we measured whole retina PER2::Luciferase bioluminescence and the dark-adapted electroretinogram (ERG). We observed circadian day-night differences in ERG a- and b-waves in control mice carrying one allele of Bmal1 in rods, with higher amplitudes during the subjective night. These differences were abolished in rod-specific Bmal1 knockout mice, whose ERG light-responses remained constitutively low (day-like). Overall, PER2::Luciferase rhythmicity in whole retinas was not defective in these mice but was characterized by longer period and higher rhythmic power compared to retinas with wild type Bmal1 gene. Taken together, these data suggest that a circadian clock located in rods regulates visual processing in a cell autonomous manner.

Effects of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-activating alkaloids on anxiety-like behavior in zebrafish.

Alkaloids are a structurally complex group of natural products that have a diverse range of biological activities and significant therapeutic applications. In this study, we examined the acute, anxiolytic-like effects of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR)-activating alkaloids with reported neuropharmacological effects but whose effects on anxiety are less well understood. Because α4ß2 nAChRs can regulate anxiety, we first demonstrated the functional activities of alkaloids on these receptors in vitro. Their effects on anxiety-like behavior in zebrafish were then examined using the zebrafish novel tank test (NTT). The NTT is a relatively high-throughput behavioral paradigm that takes advantage of the natural tendency of fish to dive down when stressed or anxious. We report for the first time that cotinine, anatabine, and methylanatabine may suppress this anxiety-driven zebrafish behavior after a single 20-min treatment. Effective concentrations of these alkaloids were well above the concentrations naturally found in plants and the concentrations needed to induce anxiolytic-like effect by nicotine. These alkaloids showed good receptor interactions at the α4ß2 nAChR agonist site as demonstrated by in vitro binding and in silico docking model, although somewhat weaker than that for nicotine. Minimal or no significant effect of other compounds may have been due to low bioavailability of these compounds in the brain, which is supported by the in silico prediction of blood-brain barrier permeability. Taken together, our findings indicate that nicotine, although not risk-free, is the most potent anxiolytic-like alkaloid tested in this study, and other natural alkaloids may regulate anxiety as well.