Découverte de plaques osseuses d’Ankylosauridé (Dinosauria : Thyreophora) du Crétacé supérieur de la Formation Cerro del Pueblo à Coahuila, Mexique

Découverte de plaques osseuses d’Ankylosauridé (Dinosauria : Thyreophora) du Crétacé supérieur de la Formation Cerro del Pueblo à Coahuila, Mexique.- Des plaques osseuses d’un ankylosauridé ont été découvertes dans la localité El Palmar, commune de General Cepeda, SE de l’État de Coahuila. Ces fossiles proviennent de couches sédimentaires appartenant à la Formation Cerro del Pueblo (Crétacé supérieur : Campanien) du Groupe Difunta. Le matériel comprend des plaques osseuses identifiées comme appartenant à la famille Ankylosauridae et d’autres fragments associés qui n’ont pas été identifiés. Nous présentons ici la première description détaillée de matériel de ce type provenant de l’État de Coahuila.Ankylosaurian dinosaur osteoderms have been discovered in the southeastern part of the State of Coahuila, Mexico, in the township of General Cepeda, in the locality known as El Palmar. The osteoderms were collected from rocks that had been correlated to the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Late Cretaceous: Campanian) of the Difunta Group. The fossil material includes four dermal scutes and three associated fragments that at present cannot be identified. This is the first description of ostoederms and ankylosaurian material from Coahuila

Suplementación con Zinc en pacientes pediátricos críticamente enfermos: Estudiodoble ciego.

Key words: zinc; mortality; immunityDOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5377/rmpm.v13i3.634Revista de los Postgrados de Medicina UNAH Vol. 13 N° 3 Agosto-Octubre 2010 Palabras clave: zinc; mortilidad; inmunidadDOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5377/rmpm.v13i3.634Revista de los Postgrados de Medicina UNAH Vol. 13 N° 3 Agosto-Octubre 201

Del clóset a la pequeña pantalla, el rol homosexual en la época de la insensibilización de los medios reproductivos

El presente trabajo de investigación se centra en identificar las diferencias y características del tratamiento de personajes homosexuales y su rol en las ficciones televisivas durante el periodo 1980-1990 comparado con el periodo 2006-2016. Para ello, se seleccionaron personajes homosexuales de tres series de televisión nacional en señal abierta: “Al Fondo Hay Sitio”, “Graffiti” y “Valiente Amor”. Asimismo, se determinaron los principales estereotipos representados en la comunidad LGTBIQ+ y su impacto en la televisión; se analizó el tratamiento de la imagen homosexual durante la década de los 80 en el Perú, y luego se comparó con el tratamiento durante el periodo 2006-2016. La metodología empleada consistió en un análisis cualitativo de las ficciones y, después, una recolección de opiniones a través de cuatro grupos focales. Se encontró la particularidad de un estereotipo peruano que denominamos “burlesco”

Pulmonary embolism response teams: Changing the paradigm in the care for acute pulmonary embolism

Pulmonary embolism response teams (PERTs) have emerged as a multidisciplinary, multispecialty team of experts in the care of highly complex symptomatic acute pulmonary embolism (PE), with a centralized unique activation process, providing rapid multimodality assessment and risk stratification, formulating the best individualized diagnostic and therapeutic approach, streamlining the care in challenging clinical case scenarios (e.g., intermediate-high risk and high-risk PE), and facilitating the implementation of the recommended therapeutic strategies on time. PERTs are currently changing how complex acute PE cases are approached. The structure, organization, and function of a given PERT may vary from hospital to hospital, depending on local expertise, specific resources, and infrastructure for a given academic hospital center. Current emerging data demonstrate the value of PERTs in improving time to PE diagnosis; shorter time to initiation of anticoagulation reducing hospital length of stay; increasing use of advanced therapies without an increase in bleeding; and in some reports, decreasing mortality. Importantly, PERTs are positively impacting outcomes by changing the paradigm of care for acute PE through global adoption by the health-care community

Performance of an affordable urine self-sampling method for human papillomavirus detection in Mexican women

Introduction: Urine self-sampling for human papillomavirus (HPV)-based cervical cancer screening is a non-invasive method that offers several logistical advantages and high acceptability, reducing barriers related to low screening coverage. This study developed and evaluated the performance of a low-cost urine self-sampling method for HPV-testing and explored the acceptability and feasibility of potential implementation of this alternative in routine screening. Methods: A series of sequential laboratory assays examined the impact of several pre-analytical conditions for obtaining DNA from urine and subsequent HPV detection. Initially, we assessed the effect of ethylaminediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) as a DNA preservative examining several variables including EDTA concentration, specimen storage temperature, time between urine collection and DNA extraction, and first-morning micturition versus convenience sample collection. We further evaluated the agreement of HPV-testing between urine and clinician-collected cervical samples among 95 women. Finally, we explored the costs of self-sampling supplies as well as the acceptability and feasibility of urine self-sampling among women and healthcare workers. Results: Our results revealed higher DNA concentrations were obtained when using a 40mM EDTA solution, storing specimens at 25°C and extracting DNA within 72 hrs. of urine collection, regardless of using first-morning micturition or a convenience sampling. We observed good agreement (Kappa = 0.72) between urine and clinician-collected cervical samples for HPV detection. Furthermore, urine self-sampling was an affordable method (USD 1.10), well accepted among cervical cancer screening users, healthcare workers, and decision-makers. Conclusion: These results suggest urine self-sampling is feasible and appropriate alternative for HPV-testing in HPV-based screening programs in lower-resource contexts

Bestatin is a non-competitive inhibitor of porcine M1 family glutamyl aminopeptidase: Insights for selective inhibitor design

173-180Glutamyl aminopeptidase (APA) is an M1 family membrane-bound ectoenzyme that is a target for the development of antihypertensive and anticancer agents. Bestatin is a natural product described as a classical inhibitor of metallo-aminopeptidases. Although the IC50 value of bestatin vs human APA has been reported, the mechanism of inhibition is unknown. In the present contribution, we demonstrated that bestatin is a non-competitive (α>1) inhibitor of porcine APA (pAPA), with a Ki value of 31.59 μM (α=3.7). A model of the bestatin-pAPA complex predicted that bestatin binds to pAPA similarly to porcine aminopeptidase N (pAPN). The interaction involved catalytic and chelating residues conserved in the M1 family. Additionally, a salt bridge with R877 and a hydrogen bond interaction with T346, both key residues for APA specificity for N-terminal acidic residues were identified. These residues and E213, which forms a hydrogen bond interaction with bestatin, are not conserved in human and porcine APN. The extension of the in silico analysis to amastatin and bestatin analogs probestin, and phebestin, which are APA inhibitors, indicated that they may interact with the same residues. The results indicate that bestatin analogues currently reported to inhibit APN are dual inhibitors of APA and APN and that some APA residues could be targeted to improve inhibitor selectivity

Bestatin is a non-competitive inhibitor of porcine M1 family glutamyl aminopeptidase: Insights for selective inhibitor design

Glutamyl aminopeptidase (APA) is an M1 family membrane-bound ectoenzyme that is a target for the development of antihypertensive and anticancer agents. Bestatin is a natural product described as a classical inhibitor of metallo-aminopeptidases. Although the IC50 value of bestatin vs human APA has been reported, the mechanism of inhibition is unknown. In the present contribution, we demonstrated that bestatin is a non-competitive (α>1) inhibitor of porcine APA (pAPA), with a Ki value of 31.59 µM (α=3.7). A model of the bestatin-pAPA complex predicted that bestatin binds to pAPA similarly to porcine aminopeptidase N (pAPN). The interaction involved catalytic and chelating residues conserved in the M1 family. Additionally, a salt bridge with R877 and a hydrogen bond interaction with T346, both key residues for APA specificity for N-terminal acidic residues were identified. These residues and E213, which forms a hydrogen bond interaction with bestatin, are not conserved in human and porcine APN. The extension of the in silico analysis to amastatin and bestatin analogs probestin, and phebestin, which are APA inhibitors, indicated that they may interact with the same residues. The results indicate that bestatin analogues currently reported to inhibit APN are dual inhibitors of APA and APN and that some APA residues could be targeted to improve inhibitor selectivity

Exposure to ambient particulate matter is associated with accelerated functional decline in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive disease with an unknown pathogenesis, may be due in part to an abnormal response to injurious stimuli by alveolar epithelial cells. Air pollution and particulate inhalation of matter evoke a wide variety of pulmonary and systemic inflammatory diseases. We therefore hypothesized that increased average ambient particulate matter (PM) concentrations would be associated with an accelerated rate of decline in FVC in IPF. METHODS: We identified a cohort of subjects seen at a single university referral center from 2007 to 2013. Average concentrations of particulate matter < 10 and < 2.5 μg/m3 (PM10 and PM2.5, respectively) were assigned to each patient based on geocoded residential addresses. A linear multivariable mixed-effects model determined the association between the rate of decline in FVC and average PM concentration, controlling for baseline FVC at first measurement and other covariates. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-five subjects were included in the final analysis after exclusion of subjects missing repeated spirometry measurements and those for whom exposure data were not available. There was a significant association between PM10 levels and the rate of decline in FVC during the study period, with each μg/m3 increase in PM10 corresponding with an additional 46 cc/y decline in FVC (P = .008). CONCLUSIONS: Ambient air pollution, as measured by average PM10 concentration, is associated with an increase in the rate of decline of FVC in IPF, suggesting a potential mechanistic role for air pollution in the progression of disease

Diagnosis, Treatment and Follow Up of Acute Pulmonary Embolism: Consensus Practice from the PERT Consortium

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a life-threatening condition and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. There have been many advances in the field of PE in the last few years, requiring a careful assessment of their impact on patient care. However, variations in recommendations by different clinical guidelines, as well as lack of robust clinical trials, make clinical decisions challenging. The Pulmonary Embolism Response Team Consortium is an international association created to advance the diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of patients with PE. In this consensus practice document, we provide a comprehensive review of the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of acute PE, including both clinical data and consensus opinion to provide guidance for clinicians caring for these patients

A new measure for multi-professional medical team communication: design and methodology for multilingual measurement development

BackgroundAs implementation science in global health continues to evolve, there is a need for valid and reliable measures that consider diverse linguistic and cultural contexts. A standardized, reproducible process for multilingual measure development may improve accessibility and validity by participants in global health settings. To address this need, we propose a rigorous methodology for multilingual measurement development. We use the example of a novel measure of multi-professional team communication quality, a determinant of implementation efforts.MethodsThe development and translation of this novel bilingual measure is comprised of seven steps. In this paper, we describe a measure developed in English and Spanish, however, this approach is not language specific. Participants are engaged throughout the process: first, an interprofessional panel of experts and second, through cognitive interviewing for measure refinement. The steps of measure development included: (1) literature review to identify previous measures of team communication; (2) development of an initial measure by the expert panel; (3) cognitive interviewing in a phased approach with the first language (English); (4): formal, forward-backward translation process with attention to colloquialisms and regional differences in languages; (5) cognitive interviewing repeated in the second language (Spanish); (6) language synthesis to refine both instruments and unify feedback; and (7) final review of the refined measure by the expert panel.ResultsA draft measure to assess quality of multi-professional team communication was developed in Spanish and English, consisting of 52 questions in 7 domains. This measure is now ready for psychometric testing.ConclusionsThis seven-step, rigorous process of multilingual measure development can be used in a variety of linguistic and resource settings. This method ensures development of valid and reliable tools to collect data from a wide range of participants, including those who have historically been excluded due to language barriers. Use of this method will increase both rigor and accessibility of measurement in implementation science and advance equity in research and practice