Phytoseiid mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae) from Chile, with descriptions of three new species and a redescription of Chileseius camposi.

A total of 40 phytoseiid species has been reported from Chile, including the two species (Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor) and Phytoseiulus persimilis (Athias-Henriot) most widely used worldwide for the biological control of the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Tetranychidae). In this paper we report nine other species found in new collecting conducted since 1989, including three new species: Amblyseius herbicolus (Chant), Amblyseius tamatavensis Blommers, Arrenoseius robertogonzalezi Trincado Martin n. sp., Neoseiulus anonymus (Chant Baker), Neoseiulus bicaudus (Wainstein), Neoseiulus viticolus Trincado Martin n. sp., Metaseiulus (Metaseiulus) camelliae (Chant Yoshida-Shaul), Metaseiulus (Metaseiulus) neoflumenis Moraes Kreiter and Metaseiulus (Metaseiulus) relictus Trincado Martin n. sp.. Chileseius camposi Gonzalez Schuster, 1962 is redescribed, and a list of all species presently known from Chile and a key to help in their separation are given. A new name, Proprioseiopsis kargi Trincado nom. nov., is a replacement name for Proprioseiopsis globosus Karg, 1976, a junior homonym of Proprioseiopsis globosus (Gonzalez Schuster, 1962).

Pathway level alterations rather than mutations in single genes predict response to HER2-targeted therapies in the neo-ALTTO trial.

Background: We performed whole-exome sequencing of pretreatment biopsies and examined whether genome-wide metrics of overall mutational load, clonal heterogeneity or alterations at variant, gene, and pathway levels are associated with treatment response and survival. Patients and Methods: Two hundred and three biopsies from the NeoALTTO trial were analyzed. Mutations were called with MuTect, and Strelka, using pooled normal DNA. Associations between DNA alterations and outcome were evaluated by logistic and Cox-proportional hazards regression. Results: There were no recurrent single gene mutations significantly associated with pathologic complete response (pCR), except PIK3CA [odds ratio (OR) = 0.42, P = 0.0185]. Mutations in 33 of 714 pathways were significantly associated with response, but different genes were affected in different individuals. PIK3CA was present in 23 of these pathways defining a 'trastuzumab resistance-network' of 459 genes. Cases with mutations in this network had low pCR rates to trastuzumab (2/50, 4%) compared with cases with no mutations (9/16, 56%), OR = 0.035; P < 0.001. Mutations in the 'Regulation of RhoA activity' pathway were associated with higher pCR rate to lapatinib (OR = 14.8, adjusted P = 0.001), lapatinib + trastuzumab (OR = 3.0, adjusted P = 0.09), and all arms combined (OR = 3.77, adjusted P = 0.02). Patients (n = 124) with mutations in the trastuzumab resistance network but intact RhoA pathway had 2% (1/41) pCR rate with trastuzumab alone (OR = 0.026, P = 0.001) but adding lapatinib increased pCR rate to 45% (17/38, OR = 1.68, P = 0.3). Patients (n = 46) who had no mutations in either gene set had 6% pCR rate (1/15) with lapatinib, but had the highest pCR rate, 52% (8/15) with trastuzumab alone. Conclusions: Mutations in the RhoA pathway are associated with pCR to lapatinib and mutations in a PIK3CA-related network are associated with resistance to trastuzumab. The combined mutation status of these two pathways could define patients with very low response rate to trastuzumab alone that can be augmented by adding lapatinib or substituting trastuzumab with lapatinib.

Mechanisms responsible for the hypocholesterolaemic effect of regular consumption of probiotics.

CVD affect a large proportion of the world's population, with dyslipidaemia as the major risk factor. The regular consumption of both probiotic bacteria and yeast has been associated with improvement in the serum lipid profile. Thus, the present review aims to describe and discuss the potential mechanisms responsible for the hypocholesterolaemic effect of regular consumption of probiotic bacteria and yeast. Regarding the hypocholesterolaemic effect of probiotic bacteria, the potential mechanisms responsible include: deconjugation of bile salts; modulation of lipid metabolism; and decreased absorption of intestinal cholesterol through co-precipitation of intestinal cholesterol with the deconjugated bile salts, incorporation and assimilation of cholesterol in the cell membrane of the probiotics, intestinal conversion of cholesterol in coprostanol, and inhibition of the expression of the intestinal cholesterol transporter Niemann-Pick C1 like 1 (NPC1L1) in the enterocytes. The potential mechanisms responsible for the hypocholesterolaemic effect of probiotic yeasts include: deconjugation of bile salts; co-precipitation of intestinal cholesterol with the deconjugated bile salts; incorporation and assimilation of cholesterol in the cell membrane; and inhibition of hepatic cholesterol synthesis. The regular consumption of probiotic bacteria and yeast, as a non-pharmaceutical approach to help manage cardiovascular risk, holds promise, according to the beneficial hypocholesterolaemic effects described herein. However, the hypocholesterolaemic effects vary according to the strains used, the physiological state of the host, and the type of diet to which the probiotics are added. Further studies are necessary to fill the gaps with regard to the knowledge related to this topic.

First Record of Rhizoctonia solani AG 2-1 on Ctenanthe oppenheimiana in India.

Ctenanthe oppenheimiana (= Maranta oppenheimiana) is a common foliage plant also known as "never never" plant. Plants grow best in high-humidity conditions. Potted plants in Barapani, Meghalaya, India were found to be infected with a foliar disease. Initial symptoms were leaf margin necrosis that expanded to cover large areas of the leaf blade during March and April of 2007. Leaf portions from the margin of infected and healthy tissue were washed with sterile water and then surface sterilized with 4% sodium hypochlorite for 30 s. These bits were again washed twice with sterile water, blotted dry, plated on water agar, and maintained at 25°C. After 24 h, mycelial growth was transferred to potato dextrose agar. Fungal colonies were brown with fluffy, aerial mycelium Hypha was branched at 90° with lateral branches having constriction at the point of origin. Hyphal cells were determined to be multinucleate when stained with 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole. Sclerotia were 3 to 5.6 mm in diameter (average 4.1 mm) and were not differentiated into cortex and medulla. The above characteristics were consistent with a Rhizoctonia sp. (2). Anastomosis group (AG) was determined by pairing isolates with tester isolates of R. solani and its subgroups (AG 1-1A, AG 2-1, AG 2-2 IIIB, AG 3, AG 4HG-II, AG 5, AG 6, AG 7, AG 8, AG 9, AG 10, AG 11, AG 12, AG 13, and AG BI) and staining hyphae with Safranin-O 0.03% and KOH 3% solutions. Anastomosis was positive only between the Ctenanthe isolate and AG 2-1 tester strain. (1). The Ctenanthe isolate was grown on potato dextrose broth for 8 days. The broth culture was blended in a Waring blender for 2 min and 10 ml was mixed with 90 ml of sterile water. The mycelium suspension was sprayed on five healthy plants of C. oppenheimiana Noninoculated plants served as a control. Inoculated leaves developed initial symptoms of marginal leaf necrosis after 6 to 8 days and expanded leaf necrosis, similar to the original symptoms, after 12 to 15 days. No symptoms developed on noninoculated plants. R. solani was isolated from leaf lesions of the inoculated plants, confirming Koch's postulate To our knowledge, this is a new report from India. References: (1) G. C. MacNish et al. Phytopathology 83:922, 1993. (2) B. Sneh et al. Identification of Rhizoctonia species. The American Phytopathological Society, St Paul, MN, 1991.

HER-2 overexpression/amplification and its interaction with taxane-based therapy in breast cancer.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women and it is incurable when metastases are diagnosed. Taxanes, namely docetaxel and paclitaxel, are effective chemotherapeutic agents in the metastatic, neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings. HER-2 overexpression/amplification is detected in 25-30% of BCs and confers aggressive tumor behavior as well as resistance to some systemic treatments; nevertheless, its association with response to taxane-based chemotherapy is still unclear, with conflicting results in both in vitro and in vivo preclinical studies. This review will address the impact of HER-2 overexpression/amplification in BC patients treated with taxanes. Prospective, randomized trials incorporating important biological hypotheses are either ongoing or just closed, and their results will hopefully help to shed more light on this issue.

Accuracy of telomerase in cervical lesions: a systematic review.

The detection of telomerase activity in cervix may provide information on cervical carcinogenesis and may be a marker to monitor cervical intraepithelial neoplasia transition. A quantitative systematic review was performed to estimate the accuracy of telomerase assay in cervical lesions. Studies that evaluated the telomerase test (telomerase repeated amplification protocol) for the diagnosis of cervix lesions and compared it to paraffin-embedded sections as the diagnostic standard were included. Ten studies were analyzed, which included 1069 women. The diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) for a positive telomerase test for low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (Lo-SIL) vs normal or benign lesions was 3.2 (95% CI, 1.9-5.6). The DOR for a positive telomerase test for high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (Hi-SIL) vs Lo-SIL, normal or benign lesions was 5.8 (95% CI, 3.1-10). For cervix cancer vs Hi-SIL, the DOR for a positive telomerase test was 8.1 (95% CI, 3.2-20.3) and for cervix cancer vs Lo-SIL, normal or benign lesions, it was 40.9 (95% CI, 18.2-91). Our data support the current hypothesis that telomerase may activate an early event in cervical carcinogenesis that could be associated with the initiation and progression of cervical lesions.

Current management of ovarian carcinosarcoma.

Ovarian carcinosarcomas (OCS), also known as malignant mixed müllerian tumors, are uncommon malignancies that carry a poor prognosis. The presentation of OCS is usually indistinguishable from that of epithelial ovarian cancer. Due to its low frequency, prospective trials have been difficult to perform, but there is evidence that OCS are sensitive to platinum-based chemotherapy. Recent studies have shown encouraging results with platinum-ifosfamide and platinum-taxane schedules, which are usually considered the treatment of choice. However, poor performance status at presentation is also a common problem, so that many patients may be unsuitable for combination chemotherapy but may still benefit from single-agent platinum or ifosfamide or, occasionally, from nonplatinum schedules such as ifosfamide plus paclitaxel. Aggressive cytoreductive surgery appears to have a positive impact on outcome and should probably be offered to most patients. However, this procedure has been associated with higher rates of complication in OCS and should only be attempted by experienced (gynecological) surgeons in centers with expertise in the management of gynecological malignancies.

The neoadjuvant approach in the treatment of patients with advanced epithelial ovarian carcinoma.

AIMS: Ovarian cancer has a very poor prognosis, with 5-year survival rates of 5-20% for advanced-stage disease. This work was designed to verify whether the neoadjuvant approach had an effect on survival in patients with advanced-stage ovarian cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with stage III or IV disease who received neoadjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy (group 1) were compared with a group of conventionally treated patients (group 2). RESULTS: Most of the patients in group 1 (76%) had partial tumoral responses after chemotherapy. Patients from group 1 (n = 42) had a median survival that was not different from that in patients from group 2 (n = 348). Patients who received platinum-based chemotherapy with taxanes had the same survival of patients who received no taxanes. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed similar responses and survival rates for patients with stage III or IV ovarian cancer treated with neoadjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy, when compared with patients who underwent primary suboptimal cytoreductive surgery. Our data therefore support the ongoing trials to determine the optimum timing of surgery for ovarian cancer.

The interval from surgery to chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced epithelial ovarian carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: To study the effect of the interval between surgery and the start of chemotherapy in the treatment of patients with advanced ovarian cancer. METHODS: We stratified patients according to the start of platinum-based chemotherapy in group 1 (within 4 weeks from surgery), group 2 (between 4 and 8 weeks) and group 3 (between 8 and 12 weeks). RESULTS: Three hundred and ninty-four stage III ovarian cancer patients were analysed. In the multivariate analysis there were no differences in survival according to the interval between surgery and chemotherapy among the three groups. The independent prognostic variables were type of procedure (p = 0.014), performance status (p = 0.040) and post-chemotherapy CA-125 (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The interval between surgery and chemotherapy does not affect outcome.

Impact of laparotomy and liver resection on the peritoneal concentrations of fibroblast growth factor 2, vascular endothelial growth factor and hepatocyte growth factor.

PURPOSE: Some data have suggested that major surgery is associated with the post-operative growth of residual tumour masses but the mechanism of this is unknown. This study was designed to determine the relationship between intraperitoneal (IP) cytokine levels, and laparotomy in benign and malignant settings. METHODS: Intraperitoneal fluid specimens were obtained at the start and at the end of laparotomy in patients with benign conditions (n=10) and in others undergoing resection of hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer (n=10). Using ELISA the concentration of the angiogenic cytokines, HGF, VEGF-A, VEGF-C, VEGF-D and FGF-2 was determined. RESULTS: The data show that in 16 of 20 patients there was a significant increase (P=0.006) in the IP concentration of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) but not in the other growth factors by the end of the operation. The mean increase in HGF concentration was 821.5 pg/ml (95% CI: 11.0-6,426.0). Neither the groups (malignant and non-malignant) nor the length of operation correlated with greater or lesser increases in HGF. CONCLUSION: The observation that the increase in HGF occurred in both the cancer and non-cancer groups suggests that it is the surgery rather than the disease that is associated with the increased cytokine concentration. As HGF is a potent endothelial, epithelial and mesenchymal mitogen the data highlight HGF as a potential target for anti-cancer treatments in the peri-operative period. However, investigators should closely monitor wound healing as this may be compromised by this new class of drugs.

Accuracy of frozen-section analysis in the diagnosis of ovarian tumors: a systematic quantitative review.

A quantitative systematic review was performed to estimate the diagnostic accuracy of frozen sections in ovarian tumors. Studies that compared frozen sections and paraffin sections within subjects for diagnosis of ovarian tumors were included. Fourteen primary studies were analyzed, which included 3 659 women. For benign ovarian vs borderline/malignant tumor cases, the occurrence of a positive frozen-section result for benignity (pooled likelihood ratio [LR], 8.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 7.3-10.4) and posttest probability for benign diagnosis was 95% (95% CI, 94-96%). A positive frozen-section result for malignant vs benign diagnosis (pooled LR, 303; 95% CI, 101-605) increased the probability of ovarian cancer to 98% (95% CI, 97-99%). In borderline vs benign ovarian tumor cases, a positive frozen-section result (pooled LR, 69; 95% CI, 45-106) increased the probability of borderline tumors to 79% (95% CI, 71-85%). In borderline vs malignant ovarian tumor cases, a positive frozen-section result (pooled LR, 18; 95% CI, 13-26) increased the probability of borderline tumors to 51% (95% CI, 42-60%). We conclude that diagnostic accuracy rates for frozen-section analysis is high for malignant and benign ovarian tumors, but the accuracy rates in borderline tumors remain relatively low.

Blanca Rossi: la primera odontóloga que ejerció en Salta / Blanca Rossi: the first female dentist who worked in Salta

Publicamos este trabajo que nos dejara la recordada directora del Museo de la Farmacia, Dra. Rosa D. de Carnevale Bonino. En él describe la trayectoria profesional en la comunidad de la provincia donde ejerció su profesión

Blanca Rossi: la primera odontóloga que ejerció en Salta / Blanca Rossi: the first female dentist who worked in Salta

Publicamos este trabajo que nos dejara la recordada directora del Museo de la Farmacia, Dra. Rosa D. de Carnevale Bonino. En él describe la trayectoria profesional en la comunidad de la provincia donde ejerció su profesión (AU)

Blanca Rossi: la primera odontóloga que ejerció en Salta / Blanca Rossi: the first female dentist who worked in Salta

Publicamos este trabajo que nos dejara la recordada directora del Museo de la Farmacia, Dra. Rosa D. de Carnevale Bonino. En él describe la trayectoria profesional en la comunidad de la provincia donde ejerció su profesión (AU)

[Perception on and registration of alcohol abuse and alcohol-related diseases at a university general hospital]. / Percepção e registro de abuso de álcool e de doenças relacionadas num hospital geral universitário.

BACKGROUND: The high frequency of alcohol related problems highlights the importance of its approach. The association of both the alcohol-abuse and alcohol related diseases has been pointed in the literature and are often the main reason for hospitalization. Physicians use different tools to detect abusive drinkers, and one of them is the CAGE-test, validated by Mayfield et al. in 1974. OBJECTIVES: To study the association between the result of the CAGE-test and the perception and registration of alcohol abuse by the medical staff and the nurses in charge of inpatients of Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, southern Brazil. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The design involved three phases. First, the application of the CAGE-test to the 385 eligible patients. Second, review of all 51 CAGE-positive patients' records as well the controlled evaluation of 51 randomized CAGE-negative patients, to seek alcoholic habits and alcohol-related diseases. Third, interview with the medical staff to find out their perception about these subjects. RESULTS: We found 51 patients CAGE-positive (prevalence = 13%). When evaluated through the registration and through a standardized interview, medical staff and nurses were not aware of more than half of CAGE-positive patients. No significant differences were found between medical staff registration and perception; the prevalence of alcohol related diseases was the same for both: 26 and 27% (p = .861). The prevalence of alcohol related diseases was higher among CAGE-positive patients (p = .0003). CONCLUSIONS: In spite of the high prevalence among our patients, alcohol abuse is not pursued by our health teams as it should be. As for the future, there is reason to envision a continuing alcoholism rapprochement.

Percepçäo e registro de abuso de álcool e de doenças relacionadas num hospital geral universitário / Perception and registration of alcohol abuse and alcohol related diseases by nurses and medical staff of an university general hospital

Objetivo. Avaliar a associaçao entre o resultado do teste CAGE aplicado em pacientes internados num hospital geral universitário (Hospital de Clínicas de Porto ALegre - HCPA) e a percepçao e registro de abuso de álcool e de doenças relacionadas pelas equipes de saúde. Pacientes e Métodos. O delineamento envolveu três fases: a) aplicaçao do teste CAGE aos 385 pacientes adultos e adolescentes internados considerados elegíveis para o estudo; b) revisao dos prontuários dos pacientes CAGE-positivo e de um número igual de pacientes CAGE-negativo, estratificados por área de internaçao e sorteados, para identificar hábitos alcoólicos e a presença de doenças relacionadas ao uso de álcool; c) entevista com os membros das equipes médicas responsáveis para avaliar sua percepçao sobre o hábito alcoólico em seu paciente. As diferenças encontradas foram analisadas através do teste Qui-quadrado e do teste t de Student, com significância estatística em nível de 5 por cento bicaudal. Resultados. Foram encontrados 51 pacientes CAGE-positivo (13 por cento). A equipe médica registrou abuso de álcool no prontuário de 51 por cento dos pacientes CAGE-positivo e 10 por cento dos CAGE-negativo, e a equipe de enfermagem fez este registro no prontuário de 31 por cento dos pacientes CAGE-positivo e 8 por cento dos CAGE-negativo (p=.724). Nao houve diferença entre o registro e a percepçao da equipe médica (p=.184). A prevalência de doenças relacionadas ao abuso de álcool foi 27 por cento quando se examinou os prontuários médicos e 26 por cento quando se entrevistou a equipe médica (p=.861), sendo maior entre os pacientes CAGE-poistivo (43 por cento) do que entre os CAGE-negativo (10 por cento) (p=.0003). Conclusoes. O abuso de bebidas alcoólicas e a presença de doenças associadas ao mesmo sao condiçoes prevalentes nos pacientes admitidos ao HCPA. Entretanto, mais de metade dos casos nao foram detectados pela equipe de saúde, havendo correspondência entre os registros de prontuário e a entrevista.

[Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus sp. in blood cultures from infants less than 60 days old: infection versus contamination]. / Staphylococcus sp. coagulase-negativa em hemoculturas de pacientes com menos de sessenta dias de idade: infecção versus contaminação.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of infection versus the prevalence of contamination in infants less than 60 days old who had blood cultures positive for CoNS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between February and June - 1993, a number of 45 blood cultures positive for CoNS from 41 patients were studied. Patients were classified in three groups according to their clinical and laboratorial data: I- infected patients, II- non-infected patients and III- dubious. RESULTS: The results showed that 11 patients (26.8%) were included in group I, 25 (61%) in group II (contaminated blood cultures), and 5 (12.2%) in group III. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that more than one blood culture should be requested before treatment with antimicrobials, avoiding unnecessary administration of antibiotics.