Successful treatment of a recurrent Aspergillus niger otomycosis with local application of voriconazole

Fungal otitis (otomycosis) is a common infection encountered by otolaryngologists. Nevertheless, its management can be challenging because of its high recurrence rate and of the limited therapeutic options. A 45-year-old woman suffered from recurrent otomycosis. The ineffectiveness of successive antibiotic cures and repeated topical treatments with nystatin and then with econazole cream led to perform microbiological analyses. Culture of ear swab grew Aspergillus niger. The use of a 1% voriconazole sterile solution previously validated for treatment of eye infections was considered after ensuring the absence of known ototoxic effects of the antifungal and of the excipients. The patient was advised to apply locally this voriconazole solution daily for 14 days (3 drops, 3-4 times a day). Full recovery was obtained at the end of the treatment, and no relevant side effects were noticed. More than one year after completion of therapy, there was no recurrence. Our observation shows that voriconazole 1% solution is an interesting option for treating otomycosis which failed to respond to usual therapeutic options. Further prospective studies are now warranted to confirm these findings

Functional Interaction between CFTR and the Sodium-Phosphate Co-Transport Type 2a in Xenopus laevis Oocytes

A growing number of proteins, including ion transporters, have been shown to interact with Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane conductance Regulator (CFTR). CFTR is an epithelial chloride channel that is involved in Cystic Fibrosis (CF) when mutated; thus a better knowledge of its functional interactome may help to understand the pathophysiology of this complex disease. In the present study, we investigated if CFTR and the sodium-phosphate co-transporter type 2a (NPT2a) functionally interact after heterologous expression of both proteins in Xenopus laevis oocytes.NPT2a was expressed alone or in combination with CFTR in X. laevis oocytes. Using the two-electrode voltage-clamp technique, the inorganic phosphate-induced current (IPi) was measured and taken as an index of NPT2a activity. The maximal IPi for NPT2a substrates was reduced when CFTR was co-expressed with NPT2a, suggesting a decrease in its expression at the oolemna. This was consistent with Western blot analysis showing reduced NPT2a plasma membrane expression in oocytes co-expressing both proteins, whereas NPT2a protein level in total cell lysate was the same in NPT2a- and NPT2a+CFTR-oocytes. In NPT2a+CFTR- but not in NPT2a-oocytes, IPi and NPT2a surface expression were increased upon PKA stimulation, whereas stimulation of Exchange Protein directly Activated by cAMP (EPAC) had no effect. When NPT2a-oocytes were injected with NEG2, a short amino-acid sequence from the CFTR regulatory domain that regulates PKA-dependent CFTR trafficking to the plasma membrane, IPi values and NPT2a membrane expression were diminished, and could be enhanced by PKA stimulation, thereby mimicking the effects of CFTR co-expression.We conclude that when both CFTR and NPT2a are expressed in X. laevis oocytes, CFTR confers to NPT2a a cAMPi-dependent trafficking to the membrane. This functional interaction raises the hypothesis that CFTR may play a role in phosphate homeostasis

Mise en place d'une expérience avec le grand public: entre recherche, vulgarisation et pédagogie

Methodological considerations on implementing a participative experimentWe present the implementation of an economic experiment conducted simultaneously in 11 French cities, with over 2700 participants, during four uninterrupted hours, during a popular-science event held in September 2015. Our goal is both to provide a roadmap for a possible replication and to discuss how the discipline can be used in new fields (science popularization, popular education, public communication)

Seeds availability and its relation with the abundance of granivorous birds and small mammals at different growing stages in monterey pine plantation at the BioBío Region

Memoria para optar al título profesional de: Ingeniera en Recursos Naturales RenovablesChile posee una amplia superficie de su territorio destinada a plantaciones de pino radiata, siendo la Región del Biobío la que posee la mayor superficie plantada. Los predios forestales están compuestos por un mosaico de parches de pinos de distintas edades de plantación (rodales), donde cada uno de estos rodales coetáneos presentan condiciones microambientales similares entre sí. Este ecosistema artificial ha sido utilizado como hábitat por diversas especies de fauna silvestre, albergando un número importante de ellas en las diferentes etapas de desarrollo de la plantación. En este estudio se hizo una estimación de la biomasa seca y abundancia de semillas que hay disponible en el suelo de rodales de distintas edades (2, 5, 10 y 20 años) en temporada de verano e invierno, y su relación con la abundancia de aves y pequeños mamíferos granívoros que habitan en estos rodales. Se tomaron muestras de hojarasca, las que se tamizaron para separar las semillas y obtener así la biomasa seca. Para evaluar la abundancia de aves, se hicieron conteos puntuales de radio fijo y se seleccionaron a aquellas especies que tuvieran una dieta granívora. Se incluyó a la vegetación como covariable, por lo que se hizo una evaluación del volumen de vegetación en cada rodal. Los resultados muestran que la oferta de semillas en el suelo cambia con el crecimiento y desarrollo de la plantación de pinos, así como cambia con la época del año, la cual es mayor en verano. En general, los rodales más jóvenes presentaron la mayor oferta de semillas, lo que puede asociar a la luminosidad que entra en el suelo del rodal: mientras más joven es la plantación más luz entra al suelo debido a que no poseen un dosel muy desarrollado, por lo que se pueden dar mejores condiciones ambientales para el desarrollo de ciertas especies que contribuyan con la oferta de semillas. En relación a la fauna granívora, hubo mayor abundancia tanto de aves como de pequeños mamíferos en los rodales jóvenes, por lo que se puede asociar a la oferta de semillas que tengan disponible como alimento.Chile has a large area of its territory cover with Monterey pine plantations, where the extensive stands are mainly located at the Biobio Region values. This artificial ecosystem has been used as habitat for various wildlife species, hosting a large number of them at different growing stages of plantation. In this study we estimated the seeds availability (summer and winter) in pine stands of different ages, and we analyzed their relationship with the abundance of granivorous vertebrates present there. The specific objectives were to estimate dry biomass and abundance of seeds in four different ages of pine plantation (2, 5, 10 and 20 years); determining and analyzing the relation between the availability of seeds and the abundance of different species of granivorous birds and small mammals throughout the development of the plantation. The results show a variation in the availability of seeds along the rotation of the plantation, where younger stands had the highest availability. Regarding the granivorous wildlife, there was a greater abundance of both, birds and small mammals in young stands, so it may be associated with the offer of seeds that are available as food

Attraction of the parasitic mite Varroa to the drone larvae of honey bees by simple aliphatic esters

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Substances chimiques impliquees dans les relations abeille-Varroa, resultats preliminaires

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Mediateurs chimiques impliques dans la relation Abeille-Varroa : kairomones et pheromones de couvain

chap. 6International audienc