Pruebas diagnósticas in vivo en alergia inmediata a penicilina: estudio piloto

Antecedentes: La alergia a antibióticos notificada con más frecuencia es la penicilina. La falsa etiqueta de "alergia" a la penicilina afecta negativamente la calidad de vida del paciente y la atención médica. Objetivo:  Determinar la frecuencia de alergia a penicilina y amoxicilina mediante pruebas de exposición in vivo, en pacientes con antecedente de reacción inmediata a esta clase de medicamentos. Métodos.  Estudio observacional, transversal, descriptivo y prolectivo en pacientes entre 12 y 60 años con antecedente de reacción inmediata a penicilina y/o amoxicilina. Se realizaron pruebas cutáneas por prick e intradérmicas con bencilpeniciloil polilisina y penicilina G, y prueba de reto oral con amoxicilina.  La frecuencia de positividad y negatividad en estas pruebas fue calculado con un IC del 95%. Los resultados se analizaron en Epi info 7.2.5.0 Resultados.  Se incluyeron 13 pacientes (10 mujeres), con una media de edad  de 39 años (DE 12.14) y diagnóstico predominante de rinitis alérgica (61,5%). En 84,6% de casos la última reacción adversa a medicamentos ocurrió 10 años atrás y en todos se manifestó con urticaria. Sólo en cinco pacientes (38,4%) se corroboró alergia a penicilina y la reacción adversa más frecuente tras las pruebas in vivo fue prurito (23 %). Conclusiones. La historia clínica por sí sola no es suficiente, todos los pacientes con sospecha de alergia a penicilina deben ser evaluados mediante pruebas  de exposición in vivo con los determinantes mayores y menores para corroborar o descartar alergia a esta clase farmacológica

NeuroEPO influence on the fetal heart in a placental insufficiency model of rats

Foundation: placental insufficiency is the most common cause of intrauterine growth retardation, which can cause cardiovascular alterations. Recently, erythropoietin therapies have been developed that protect hypoxic cardiac tissues.Objective: To evaluate the influence of human recombinant erythropoietin with low sialic acid content (NeuroEPO) on the fetal heart in a rat model of placental insufficiency.Methods: 14 Wistar rats gestated with unilateral ligation of the right uterine artery on day 16 of gestation were used. That same day, seven rats were administered NeuroEPO (0.5 mg/kg/day subcutaneously for three days) and the rest received placebo. On day 20 of gestation, the fetuses were divided into four groups: a control group, a group with intrauterine growth retardation, a NeuroEPO control group, and a group with intrauterine growth retardation and NeuroEPO. In the fetuses, placental weight, fetal weight and placental efficiency were obtained. In the histological study, the number of cardiomyocytes, number of blood vessels and quantity of collagen fibers were quantified.Results: the group with intrauterine growth retardation presented a decrease in fetal weight, the number of cardiomyocytes, the number of blood vessels and an increase in the amount of collagen fibers (p<0.05). When fetuses with intrauterine growth retardation were treated with NeuroEPO, fetal weight increased, although the weight was not similar to the control. The rest of the variables behaved similar to the control.Conclusions: the administration of this molecule improved fetal weight and allowed an adequate balance in the development of the fetal heart, perhaps due to the cytoprotective effects of this molecule

Distinct Human Gut Microbial Taxonomic Signatures Uncovered With Different Sample Processing and Microbial Cell Disruption Methods for Metaproteomic Analysis

The use of metaproteomics for studying the human gut microbiota can shed light on the taxonomic profile and the functional role of the microbial community. Nevertheless, methods for extracting proteins from stool samples continue to evolve, in the pursuit of optimal protocols for moistening and dispersing the stool sample and for disrupting microbial cells, which are two critical steps for ensuring good protein recovery. Here, we evaluated different stool sample processing (SSP) and microbial cell disruption methods (CDMs). The combination of a longer disintegration period of the stool sample in a tube rotator with sonication increased the overall number of identified peptides and proteins. Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Planctomycetes, and Euryarchaeota identification was favored by mechanical cell disruption with glass beads. In contrast, the relative abundance of Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Fusobacteria was improved when sonication was performed before bead beating. Tenericutes and Apicomplexa identification was enhanced by moistening the stool samples during processing and by disrupting cells with medium-sized glass beads combined with or without sonication. Human protein identifications were affected by sonication. To test the reproducibility of these gut metaproteomic analyses, we examined samples from six healthy individuals using a protocol that had shown a good taxonomic diversity and identification of proteins from Proteobacteria and humans. We also detected proteins involved in microbial functions relevant to the host and related mostly to specific taxa, such as B12 biosynthesis and short chain fatty acid (SCFA) production carried out mainly by members in the Prevotella genus and the Firmicutes phylum, respectively. The taxonomic and functional profiles obtained with the different protocols described in this work provides the researcher with valuable information when choosing the most adequate protocol for the study of certain pathologies under suspicion of being related to a specific taxon from the gut microbiota

Gamificación en el aula con Kahoot! en la Facultad de Estudios Estadísticos

Memoria final del proyecto de innovación docente titulado: "Gamificación en el aula con Kahoot! en la Facultad de Estudios Estadísticos

Unearthing the roots of degradation of Quercus pyrenaica coppices: A root-to-shoot imbalance caused by historical management?

Slow growth, branch dieback and scarce acorn yield are visible symptoms of decay in abandoned Quercus pyrenaica coppices. A hypothetical root-to-shoot (R:S) imbalance provoked by historical coppicing is investigated as the underlying driver of stand degradation. After stem genotyping, 12 stems belonging to two clones covering 81 and 16 m2 were harvested and excavated to measure above- and below-ground biomass and nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) pools. To study root system functionality, root connections and root longevity were assessed by radiocarbon analysis. Seasonality of NSC was monitored on five additional clones. NSC pools, R:S biomass ratio and fine roots-to-foliage ratio were higher in the large clone, whose centennial root system, estimated to be 550 years old, maintained large amounts of sapwood (51.8%) for NSC storage. 248 root connections were observed within the large clone, whereas the small clone showed comparatively simpler root structure (26 connections). NSC concentrations were higher in spring (before bud burst) and autumn (before leaf fall), and lower in summer (after complete leaf expansion); they were always higher in roots than in stems or twigs. The persistence of massive and highly inter-connected root systems after coppicing may lead to increasing R:S biomass ratios and root NSC pools over time. We highlight the need of surveying belowground organs to understand aboveground dynamics of Q. pyrenaica, and suggest that enhanced belowground NSC storage and consumption reflect a trade-off between clonal vegetative resilience and aboveground performance

Childhood asthma outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from the PeARL multinational cohort

Background: The interplay between COVID-19 pandemic and asthma in children is still unclear. We evaluated the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on childhood asthma outcomes. Methods: The PeARL multinational cohort included 1,054 children with asthma and 505 non-asthmatic children aged between 4 and 18 years from 25 pediatric departments, from 15 countries globally. We compared the frequency of acute respiratory and febrile presentations during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic between groups and with data available from the previous year. In children with asthma, we also compared current and historical disease control. Results: During the pandemic, children with asthma experienced fewer upper respiratory tract infections, episodes of pyrexia, emergency visits, hospital admissions, asthma attacks, and hospitalizations due to asthma, in comparison with the preceding year. Sixty-six percent of asthmatic children had improved asthma control while in 33% the improvement exceeded the minimal clinically important difference. Pre-bronchodilatation FEV1 and peak expiratory flow rate were improved during the pandemic. When compared to non-asthmatic controls, children with asthma were not at increased risk of LRTIs, episodes of pyrexia, emergency visits, or hospitalizations during the pandemic. However, an increased risk of URTIs emerged. Conclusion: Childhood asthma outcomes, including control, were improved during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, probably because of reduced exposure to asthma triggers and increased treatment adherence. The decreased frequency of acute episodes does not support the notion that childhood asthma may be a risk factor for COVID-19. Furthermore, the potential for improving childhood asthma outcomes through environmental control becomes apparent.</p

Childhood asthma outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from the PeARL multi-national cohort

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