Flotillin-1 localization on sporozoites oF Eimeria tenella.

In an attempt to identify parasite surface components involved in the interaction with the host cell, the present research focuses on the rafts of Eimeria tenella that might be involved in the host cell invasion process. To that end, this study was undertaken to investigate the expression of flotillin-1, which is an important component and marker of lipid rafts at the plasma membrane of sporozoites of E. tenella. The expression of this plasma membrane protein was identified by an antibody that specifically reacts with flotillin- and was studied by electron microscopy. Flotillin-1 was found to occur in patches on the surface of E. tenella sporozoites. Immunoblot analysis of the total proteins of the sporozoites showed only 1 band of approximately 48 kDa. This indicates that the antibody exclusively recognized the molecules of flotillin-1 expressed on the surface of E. tenella sporozoites. The presence of flotillin-1 on the cellular membrane of sporozoites predominantly at the apical tip suggests that flotillin-1 belongs to the invasion machinery of E. tenella.

Mating system of the Amazonian cichlid angel fish, Pterophyllum scalare.

The species, Pterophyllum scalare distinguishes itself by its breeding behavior, involving competition for territory, sexual partners, courtship and parental care. The purpose of this study was to identify the mating system adopted by this species of fish. Twenty males and twenty females were observed under semi-natural and experimental conditions to test the hypothesis of serial monogamy. Under semi-natural conditions, after the third breeding cycle, the couples changed mates. Under experimental conditions, the couples changed partners after the first breeding cycle. Under experimental conditions, mate recognition was investigated through the preference of the females, indicated by the time they spent with the males. The females were available or not for courtship from new males, depending on their aggressiveness or submission. The larger and more aggressive males obtained new mating opportunities while the submissive males were rejected by the females. The mated fish were aggressive towards intruders in the presence of the mate, protecting their pair bond. In the interval between breeding cycles, the couples did not display aggression towards intruders, confirming the hypothesis of serial monogamy. Best mate selection by the females and the opportunity of new matings for both sexes influenced the reproductive success of this species.

[Lower glenohumeral recurrent luxation (luxatio erecta) arthroscopic treatment, literature review and case report]. / Luxación glenohumeral inferior recurrente (luxatio erecta) tratamiento artroscópico, revisión de la literatura y reporte de caso.

It is extremely important to take into account the complications of inferior gelnohumeral dislocation, which, although infrequent, may become incapacitating in the medium and long term, even in some cases reported, endangering the life of the same. Material and methods: We present the case of a young adult patient diagnosed with inferior rectal glenohumeral dislocation (luxatio erecta), with Bankart lesion and Hill Sachs lesion, treated by arthroscopy with repair of the Bankart lesion, plication of the lower capsular recess and remplissage. Results: We evaluated the functionality of the patient at 18 months with the UCLA scale, obtaining a final score of 30 points with good functional results.

Es de suma importancia tener en cuenta las complicaciones de la luxación glenohumeral inferior que, aunque poco frecuentes, pueden llegar a ser incapacitantes a mediano y largo plazo, incluso en algunos casos reportados ponen en riesgo la vida del paciente. Material y métodos: Se presenta el caso clínico de un joven paciente adulto con diagnóstico de luxación glenohumeral inferior (luxatio erecta) recurrente derecha, con lesión de Bankart y lesión de Hill Sachs, tratado mediante artroscopía con reparación de la lesión de Bankart, plicatura del receso capsular inferior y remplissage. Resultados: Evaluamos la funcionalidad del paciente al cabo de 18 meses con la escala de UCLA obteniendo una puntuación final de 30 puntos con buenos resultados funcionales.

Determination of phosphate concentration in glaucoma eye drops commercially available in Spain. / Determinación de la concentración de fosfatos en los colirios antiglaucomatosos comercializados en España.

OBJECTIVES: To identify and analyze the phosphate concentration in glaucoma eye drops available in Spain. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Glaucoma medications containing phosphates were identified according to the 2013 Vademecum and the website of the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices. Phosphate concentration was determined in these eye drops using ultraviolet molecular absorption spectrophotometry, and pH was determined using scan image analysis algorithms of pH strips. RESULTS: A total of 37 phosphate containing glaucoma eye drops were identified. The mean phosphate concentration was 97.72±75.52mM. The group with higher concentration of active substance was timolol (204.85±42.38mM) followed by brimonidine/timolol (200.9mM). No statistically significant difference was found between brand name (95.65±71.11mM) and generic eye drops (99.14±80mM, P=.892). Although no statistically significant difference was found between products containing preservatives (99.24±76.78mM) and those without preservatives (85.17±72.86mM) (P=.730), a lower phosphate concentration was observed in the preservative-free Timolol and Latanoprost. Single dose samples showed a lower phosphate concentration than multi-dose ones (102.04±75.39 vs. 22.24±2.98mM, P<.001). The mean pH was 7.13±0.63. No statistical correlation was found between phosphate concentration and pH (r: 0.07). CONCLUSION: The phosphate concentration in glaucoma eye drops exceeded the tear film physiological level (1.45mM). No difference was observed between brand names and generic eye drops. Lower phosphate concentration was observed in preservative-free single dose eye drops.

Determination of phosphate concentration and pH in artificial tear drops. / Determinación de la concentración de fosfatos y pH en los colirios de lágrima artificial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine phosphate concentration and pH in artificial tear eye drops commercially available in Spain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 71 examples of artificial tear preparations were identified in a search of Vademecum 2014 and the Spanish Medicines Agency website. In the 24 artificial tear products containing phosphates, quantification of these was performed by ultraviolet molecular absorption spectrophotometry, and the determination of pH was performed using scan image analysis algorithms of pH strips. RESULTS: Of the 71 artificial tears tested, 24 contained phosphate among their excipients in the data sheet, three of which had a concentration level below detection limit (<0.1mM). The mean phosphate concentration was 17.91±23.87mM. The artificial tear sample containing a higher concentration was Colircusi Humectante (87.1mM). Lubricants based on hypromellose showed the highest phosphate concentration (41.59±32.1mM), showing statistically significant differences compared to povidone (P=.0196) and hyaluronate (P=.0067). Statistically significant differences were found between products containing preservatives (32.39±20.91mM), and preservative free ones (8.49±11.98mM) (P=.0498). However, no difference was found between multidose (20.21±26.91mM) and unidose (9.31±14.39mM) samples, or between brand name (15.44±23.3mM) and generic eye drops (20.81mM). The mean pH was 6.93±0.26 (6.2-7.22). No statistical correlation was detected between phosphate concentration and pH (Spearman's Rho -0.1089 and P=.6125). CONCLUSION: A total of 24 (33.8%) of the 71 artificial tears contained phosphate. We believe identifying the phosphate concentration of artificial tears is useful information in order to avoid complications in high-risk patients.

Determination of the sensory attributes of a Spanish dry-cured sausage.

A lexicon for describing the sensory attributes of a Spanish dry-cured sausage (salchichón) was developed in order to characterise this product. A highly trained, descriptive sensory panel generated, defined, selected and referenced the main sensory characteristic of commercial salchichón elaborated from meat of white pig. This language was not only descriptive but also discriminative. Panellists initially produced a vocabulary of 108 terms that were later modified to 15 attributes: four for appearance (luminance, presence of crust, fat/lean connection and exudate); four for odour (black pepper, lactic acid, mould and other spices); two for texture (hardness and initial juiciness) and five for flavour (black pepper aroma, mould aroma, other spices aroma, acid taste and salty taste). The Kruskal-Wallis test showed that all attributes were significantly different between samples (p<0.001). Three different groups of Salchichones were separated by principal component analyses: group I was characterised by strong other spices smell and aroma and higher juiciness than the other groups. Salchichones from group II had a high mould smell and aroma, a notable fat/lean connection and exhibited a great amount of exudate. Salchichones from group III were characterised by an acid and salty taste.

Intercalators as anticancer drugs.

Intercalators are the most important group of compounds that interact reversibly with the DNA double helix. Some of them are valuable drugs currently used for the treatment of ovarian and breast cancers and acute leukemias, while many others are in different phases of clinical trials. Intercalating agents share common structural features such as the presence of planar polyaromatic systems which bind by insertion between DNA base-pairs, with a marked preference for 5'-pyrimidine-purine-3' steps. The chromophores are linked to basic chains that might also play an important role in the affinity and selectivity shown by these compounds. Bisintercalators have two potential intercalating ring systems connected by linkers which can vary in length and rigidity. Nowadays it is well accepted that the antitumor activity of intercalators is closely related to the ability of these compounds to stabilize the DNA-intercalator-topoisomerase II ternary complex. In this work we have carried out a revision of small organic molecules that bind to the DNA molecule via intercalation, and exert their antitumor activity through a proven topoisomerase II inhibition. We have tried to give a general overview of the most recent results in this area, paying special attention to compounds that are currently under clinical trials. Among those are naphthalimides, a group of compounds that has been developed in our laboratory since the 70's.

Cytologic features of pulmonary hamartoma. Report of a case diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary hamartoma (PH) is the most common benign tumor of the lung. It is usually composed of cartilage, fat, smooth muscle and respiratory epithelium. Its diagnosis is based on imaging methods (radiography, computed tomography) and cytohistomorphologic study by means of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). CASE: A 59-year-old female had a productive cough and lung mass on chest radiography. Fine needle aspiration of the nodule showed a fusiform tumor cell, which was diagnosed as consistent with PH. The patient underwent surgery for the tumor. Histopathologic study confirmed the diagnosis of PH. CONCLUSION: The fluoroscopically guided FNAC specimen was adequate in achieving a diagnosis. Cytologic features consisted of a serosanguineous background in which scant cellular elements of spindle and stellate cells, as well as fibromyxoid material, enabled us to make a definitive diagnosis. Since this technique is relatively noninvasive, it is very useful in diagnosing PH before a preoperative biopsy.

[Treatment of renal anemia with darbepoetin alfa administered once every other week in predialysis patients with chronic kidney disease and previously treated with epoetin alfa]. / Tratamiento de la anemia renal con administración una vez cada dos semanas de darbepoetina alfa en pacientes con insuficiencia renal crónica prediálisis previamente tratados con epoetina alfa.

Darbepoetin alfa is an erythropoiesis-stimulating glycoprotein with up to 3 times longer half-life than recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) in humans. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of darbepoetin alfa given once every other week as treatment of anemia in predialysis patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) previously treated with once-weekly epoetin alfa. A total of 42 CRF patients were included, all of whom had previously been treated with epoetin alfa and showed stable hemoglobin (Hb) levels without dose changes during the last 8 weeks prior to enrolment in this study. All patients received s.c. darbepoetin alfa once every other week at doses calculated from the protein mass equivalence between rHuEPO and darbepoetin alfa. Follow-up lasted for 24 weeks. Dose adjustments were conducted to preserve target Hb levels between 11 and 13 g/dl. Thirty-nine patients completed the 24 weeks of study. Hb levels increased during follow-up [mean values of 0.39 (p < 0.002), 0.58) (p < 0.001), and 0.83 g/dl (p < 0.001) at 8, 16 and 24 weeks, respectively] despite reducing the darbepoetin alfa dose up to 15% at 24 weeks [from 0.192 microg/kg body weight to 0.185, 0.178 and 0.163 at 8, 16, and 24 weeks, respectively (p < 0.001)]. No adverse events related to darbepoetin alfa were reported. In conclusion, these results show s.c. administration of darbepoetin alfa once every other week was superior to weekly epoetin alfa as a maintenance treatment for anemia in predialysis CRF patients, since the former provided higher Hb levels. Moreover, darbepoetin alfa administration was safe in these patients.

[Serous otitis and ciliary dyskinesia syndrome]. / Otitis serosa y síndrome de disquinesia ciliar.

Ciliary dyskinesia syndrome or immotile cilia syndrome, is a congenital defect in the ultrastructure of cilia, which result in a clinical expression diverse: recurrent respiratory infections, recurrent otitis media, infertility in the adult male, and half of those situs inversus. A case of ciliary dyskinesia syndrome is presented, who suffered of recurrent pneumonia and relapsing secretory otitis media.

[Heat stroke related to the use of topiramate. The importance of prevention]. / Golpe de calor relacionado con el uso de topiramato. La importancia de la prevención.

Heat stroke is the most severe pathology related to heat. It is defined as an increase in core body temperature accompanied by signs of neurological dysfunction. In the absence of an early treatment, it has a very high mortality rate. Topiramate is a well known drug widely used in epilepsy treatment and migraine prevention. Oligohydrosis has been described amongst topiramate side effects, favouring the risk of hyperthermia and heatstroke. We present the case of a patient who developed heat stroke due to physical exercise while under topiramate treatment.

Resilience of Mediterranean shrubland to a severe drought episode: the role of seed bank and seedling emergence.

Extreme climate events, such as severe drought episodes, may induce changes in vegetation if they induce species-specific adult mortality and changes in the seedling recruitment pattern. In 2005 a severe drought occurred in Doñana National Park (south Spain) causing extensive shrubland mortality. Over the following years we monitored the soil seed bank and seedling emergence via a gradient of canopy dieback induced by the drought episode. The canopy dieback corresponded to an increase in emergence of seedlings of woody species in 2007, probably because of the reduced competition induced by canopy loss. The soil seed bank of woody species sampled in 2008 was less abundant on plots with a higher proportion of dead vegetation, probably because of depletion of the seed bank as a result of the increased germination in the previous year and also as a result of a reduction in seed supply in these sites. Accordingly, in 2009 we detected reduced emergence of woody species on plots that had suffered the greatest shrub mortality. We failed to find any significant changes in patterns of the soil seed bank and seedling emergence of short-lived herbaceous species, indicating greater resilience in these types of species. This study highlights the resilience of Mediterranean shrublands to climate fluctuations at one extreme of the variability characteristic of these ecosystems. An increase in the frequency of severe drought episodes - increasingly probable under the new climate conditions - does have the potential, however, to induce changes in vegetation, especially in woody communities that need more time to replenish their seed banks.

Golpe de calor relacionado con el uso de topiramato. La importancia de la prevención / Heat stroke related to the use of topiramate. The importance of prevention

Entre las entidades patológicas relacionadas con el calor, el golpe de calor es el más grave. Se define como una elevación de la temperatura corporal central acompañada de signos de disfunción neurológica, presentando una elevada tasa de mortalidad si no se establece un tratamiento precoz. El topiramato es uno de los fármacos más utilizados en el tratamiento de la epilepsia y en la prevención de las migrañas. Entre sus efectos secundarios, se ha descrito la hipohidrosis, produciendo riesgo de hipertermia y favoreciendo la aparición del golpe de calor. Presentamos el caso de una paciente que presentó un golpe de calor por ejercicio potenciado por el uso de topiramato

Heat stroke is the most severe pathology related to heat. It is defined as an increase in core body temperature accompanied by signs of neurological dysfunction. In the absence of an early treatment, it has a very high mortality rate. Topiramate is a well known drug widely used in epilepsy treatment and migraine prevention. Oligohydrosis has been described amongst topiramate side effects, favouring the risk of hyperthermia and heatstroke. We present the case of a patient who developed heat stroke due to physical exercise while under topiramate treatment

Calcium restriction induces cardenolide accumulation in cell suspension cultures of Digitalis thapsi L.

The removal of calcium ions from Murashige and Skoog culture medium induced a marked increase in the accumulation of cardenolides in cell suspension cultures of Digitalis thapsi. Cell viability was not affected although growth was slightly reduced. Strontium ions could substitute for calcium in inhibiting cardenolide production, this effect of calcium being reversed by the addition of LaCl3 or ethyleneglycol-bis-(ß-aminoethyl ether)-N,N'-tetraacetic acid. The results suggest that calcium, apart from its general effects on growth, may play a role in the regulation of cardenolide metabolism in a concentration dependent manner.