Remoción química como nueva alternativa a la remoción mecánica para el estudio del polen transportado en las escopas de abejas silvestres

255-262Taxonomic recognition and quantification of the different pollen types collected by bees offer the most direct method to study the diet. To determine the importance of each plant taxon, it is necessary to separate the pollen deposited only in the collecting structures in order to minimize contamination of grains collected passively in other parts of the body. The technique currently applied is based on the mechanical removal of the pollen loads with dissecting needles and repeated washings with ethanol. Metathoracic scopae that underwent this procedure showed traces of pollen in varying amounts when observed under the microscope. As an alternative to this technique chemical removal using HOK is proposed. The leg is removed and treated separatedly to avoid contamination. The deflocculant properties of HOK successfully allowed to separate the pollen adhered to the scopae, which can be then returned to the individual, unaffected by the procedure. Suspend the pollen in a know quantity of mounting fluid permit take the subsamples and determine the total number of pollen grains of each taxon. In this paper, the new technique is presented and its effectiveness is compared to the technique currenty used

Remoción química como nueva alternativa a la remoción mecánica para el estudio del polen transportado en las escopas de abejas silvestres

255-262Taxonomic recognition and quantification of the different pollen types collected by bees offer the most direct method to study the diet. To determine the importance of each plant taxon, it is necessary to separate the pollen deposited only in the collecting structures in order to minimize contamination of grains collected passively in other parts of the body. The technique currently applied is based on the mechanical removal of the pollen loads with dissecting needles and repeated washings with ethanol. Metathoracic scopae that underwent this procedure showed traces of pollen in varying amounts when observed under the microscope. As an alternative to this technique chemical removal using HOK is proposed. The leg is removed and treated separatedly to avoid contamination. The deflocculant properties of HOK successfully allowed to separate the pollen adhered to the scopae, which can be then returned to the individual, unaffected by the procedure. Suspend the pollen in a know quantity of mounting fluid permit take the subsamples and determine the total number of pollen grains of each taxon. In this paper, the new technique is presented and its effectiveness is compared to the technique currenty used

Anti-Eryptotic Activity of Food-Derived Phytochemicals and Natural Compounds

Human red blood cells (RBCs), senescent or damaged due to particular stress, can be removed by programmed suicidal death, a process called eryptosis. There are various molecular mechanisms underlying eryptosis. The most frequent is the increase in the cytoplasmic concentration of Ca2+ ions, later exposure of erythrocytes to oxidative stress, hyperosmotic shock, ceramide formation, stimulation of caspases, and energy depletion. Phosphatidylserine (PS) exposed by eryptotic RBCs due to interaction with endothelial CXC-Motiv-Chemokin-16/Scavenger-receptor, causes the RBCs to adhere to vascular wall with consequent damage to the microcirculation. Eryptosis can be triggered by various xenobiotics and endogenous molecules, such as high cholesterol levels. The possible diseases associated with eryptosis are various, including anemia, chronic kidney disease, liver failure, diabetes, hypertension, heart failure, thrombosis, obesity, metabolic syndrome, arthritis, and lupus. This review addresses and collates the existing ex vivo and animal studies on the inhibition of eryptosis by food-derived phytochemicals and natural compounds including phenolic compounds (PC), alkaloids, and other substances that could be a therapeutic and/or co-adjuvant option in eryptotic-driven disorders, especially if they are introduced through the diet

Human metapneumovirus as cause of severe community-acquired pneumonia in adults: insights from a ten-year molecular and epidemiological analysis

Human metapneumovirus; Severe community-acquired pneumonia; BiomarkersMetapneumovirus humano; Neumonía severa adquirida en la comunidad; BiomarcadoresMetapneumovirus humà; Pneumònia greu adquirida a la comunitat; BiomarcadorsBackground Information on the clinical, epidemiological and molecular characterization of human metapneumovirus in critically ill adult patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and the role of biomarkers identifying bacterial coinfection is scarce. Methods This is a retrospective epidemiological study of adult patients with hMPV severe CAP admitted to ICU during a ten-year period with admission PSI score ≥ 3. Results The 92.8% of the 28 patients with severe CAP due to human metapneumovirus were detected during the first half of the year. Median age was 62 years and 60.7% were male. The genotyping of isolated human metapneumovirus showed group B predominance (60.7%). All patients had acute respiratory failure. Median APACHE II and SOFA score were 13 and 6.55, respectively. The 25% were coinfected with Streptococcus pneumoniae. 60.7% of the patients had shock at admission and 50% underwent mechanical ventilation. Seven patients developed ARDS, three of them younger than 60 years and without comorbidities. Mortality in ICU was 14.3%. Among survivors, ICU and hospital stay were 6.5 and 14 days, respectively. Plasma levels of procalcitonin were higher in patients with bacterial coinfection (18.2 vs 0.54; p < 0.05). The levels of C-reactive protein, however, were similar. Conclusion Human metapneumovirus was associated with severe CAP requiring ICU admission among elderly patients or patients with comorbidities, but also in healthy young subjects. These patients often underwent mechanical ventilation with elevated health resource consumption. While one out of four patients showed pneumococcal coinfection, plasma procalcitonin helped to implement antimicrobial stewardship

Memantine in the Prevention of Radiation-Induced Brain Damage: A Narrative Review

Preserving cognitive functions is a priority for most patients with brain metastases. Knowing the mechanisms of hyperglutamatergic neurotoxicity and the role of some hippocampal areas in cognitive decline (CD) led to testing both the antiglutamatergic pharmacological prophylaxis and hippocampal-sparing whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) techniques. These studies showed a relative reduction in CD four to six months after WBRT. However, the failure to achieve statistical significance in one study that tested memantine alone (RTOG 0614) led to widespread skepticism about this drug in the WBRT setting. Moreover, interest grew in the reasons for the strong patient dropout rates in the first few months after WBRT and for early CD onset. In fact, the latter can only partially be explained by subclinical tumor progression. An emerging interpretation of the (not only) cognitive impairment during and immediately after WBRT is the dysfunction of the limbic and hypothalamic system with its immune and hormonal consequences. This new understanding of WBRT-induced toxicity may represent the basis for further innovative trials. These studies should aim to: (i) evaluate in greater detail the cognitive effects and, more generally, the quality of life impairment during and immediately after WBRT; (ii) study the mechanisms producing these early effects; (iii) test in clinical studies, the modern and advanced WBRT techniques based on both hippocampal-sparing and hypothalamic-pituitary-sparing, currently evaluated only in planning studies; (iv) test new timings of antiglutamatergic drugs administration aimed at preventing not only late toxicity but also acute effects

Human Bocavirus, a Respiratory and Enteric Virus

In Spain, human bocavirus (HBoV) was detected in 48 (9.1%) of 527 children with gastroenteritis at similar frequency as for children with respiratory illness (40/520, 7.7%). Fecal excretion adds new concern about the transmission of HBoV. To our knowledge, this report is the first to document HBoV in human feces

EP-1176: Three years of VMAT patient quality assurance with the PTW seven29 ionization chamber array and Octavius phantom

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