Serological Relationships in the <i>Leptodactylus pachypus</i> Species Group (Amphibia, Salientia)

Precipitin tests indicate that Leptodactylus ocellatus and L. chaquensis are more closely related than either is to L. pentadactylus. However, the serological differences between L. ocellatus and L. chaquensis support a separate specific ranking for these forms. Populational variations of the specific antigens occur in all 3 species.Material digitalizado en SEDICI gracias a la colaboración del Dr. Jorge Williams (FCNM-UNLP).Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Serological Relationships in the <i>Leptodactylus pachypus</i> Species Group (Amphibia, Salientia)

Precipitin tests indicate that Leptodactylus ocellatus and L. chaquensis are more closely related than either is to L. pentadactylus. However, the serological differences between L. ocellatus and L. chaquensis support a separate specific ranking for these forms. Populational variations of the specific antigens occur in all 3 species.Material digitalizado en SEDICI gracias a la colaboración del Dr. Jorge Williams (FCNM-UNLP).Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

ABS-SmartComAgri: An Agent-Based Simulator of Smart Communication Protocols in Wireless Sensor Networks for Debugging in Precision Agriculture

[EN] Smart communication protocols are becoming a key mechanism for improving communication performance in networks such as wireless sensor networks. However, the literature lacks mechanisms for simulating smart communication protocols in precision agriculture for decreasing production costs. In this context, the current work presents an agent-based simulator of smart communication protocols for efficiently managing pesticides. The simulator considers the needs of electric power, crop health, percentage of alive bugs and pesticide consumption. The current approach is illustrated with three different communication protocols respectively called (a) broadcast, (b) neighbor and (c) low-cost neighbor. The low-cost neighbor protocol obtained a statistically-significant reduction in the need of electric power over the neighbor protocol, with a very large difference according to the common interpretations about the Cohen's d effect size. The presented simulator is called ABS-SmartComAgri and is freely distributed as open-source from a public research data repository. It ensures the reproducibility of experiments and allows other researchers to extend the current approach.This work acknowledges the research project "Construccion de un framework para agilizar el desarrollo de aplicaciones moviles en el ambito de la salud" funded by the University of Zaragoza and Foundation Ibercaja with Grant Reference JIUZ-2017-TEC-03. This work has been supported by the program "Estancias de movilidad en el extranjero Jose Castillejo para jovenes doctores" funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport with Reference CAS17/00005. We also acknowledge support from "Universidad de Zaragoza", "Fundacion Bancaria Ibercaja" and "Fundacion CAI" in the "Programa Ibercaja-CAI de Estancias de Investigacion" with References IT24/16 and IT1/18. We acknowledge the research project "Desarrollo Colaborativo de Soluciones AAL" with Reference TIN2014-57028-R funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. The work has also been supported by "Organismo Autonomo Programas Educativos Europeos" with Reference 2013-1-CZ1-GRU06-14277. We also acknowledge support from the project "Sensores vestibles y tecnologia movil como apoyo en la formacion y practica de mindfulness: prototipo previo aplicado a bienestar" funded by University of Zaragoza with Grant Number UZ2017-TEC-02.García-Magariño, I.; Lacuesta Gilabert, R.; Lloret, J. (2018). ABS-SmartComAgri: An Agent-Based Simulator of Smart Communication Protocols in Wireless Sensor Networks for Debugging in Precision Agriculture. Sensors. 18(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/s18040998S18

Analysis of human gliomas by swab touch spray-mass spectrometry: applications to intraoperative assessment of surgical margins and presence of oncometabolites

Touch spray mass spectrometry using medical swabs is an ambient ionization technique (ionization of unprocessed sample in the open air) that has potential intraoperative application in quickly identifying the disease state of tissue and in better characterizing the resection margin. To explore this potential, we studied 29 human brain tumor specimens and obtained evidence that this technique can provide diagnostic molecular information that is relevant to brain cancer. Touch spray using medical swabs involves the physical sampling of tissue using a medical swab on a spatial scale of a few mm2 with subsequent ionization occurring directly from the swab tip upon addition of solvent and application of a high voltage. Using a tertiary mixture of acetonitrile, N,N-dimethylformamide, and ethanol, membrane-derived phospholipids and oncometabolites are extracted from the tissue, incorporated into the sprayed microdroplets, vacuumed into the mass spectrometer, and characterized in the resulting mass spectra. The tumor cell load was assessed from the complex phospholipid pattern in the mass spectra and also separately by measurement of N-acetylaspartate. Mutation status of the isocitrate dehydrogenase gene was determined via detection of the oncometabolite 2-hydroxyglutarate. The lack of sample pretreatment makes touch spray mass spectrometry using medical swabs a feasible intraoperative strategy for rapid surgical assessment

Relaciones serológicas en Leptodactylus del grupo Pachypus

Se compararon especies argentinas del grupo pachypus: Leptodactylus ocellatus, Leptodactylus chaquensis, Leptodactylus pentadactylus, Leptodactylus laticeps. Las distancias serológicas reveladas por los tests photronreflectométricos de precipitinas, permiten establecer relaciones de parentesco relativamente antiguas entre laticeps y pentadactylus y ocellatus y chaquensis, respectivamente. En un sistema tridimensional éstas dos últimas especies crípticas, ya bien diferenciadas serológicamente, se ubicarían juntas, a igual distancia de las otras dos especies, si bien todas pertenecerían al mismo grupo, en comparación por ejemplo a formas de cavícola. Observaciones por electroforesis en gel, permiten subrayar la peculiaridad del patrón seroproteínico Leptodactylus laticeps, confirmando una diferenciación probablemente precoz e independiente de esta especie chaqueña.A comparison was made of the argentinian species of the pachypus group: Leptodactylus ocellatus, Leptodactylus chaquensis, Leptodactylus pentadactylus, Leptodactylus laticeps. The serological, distances were shown by photronreflectometric measurements of precipitation, revealing the relatively ancient relationships between laticeps and pentadactylus and between ocellatus and chaquensis respectively. In a three-dimensional system, these last two cryptic species show perfectly good differences serologically, and can be placed the same distance from the other two species, and they all belong to the same group, in comparisons, for example, to the forms of the cavicola group. Observations by acrylamide electrophoresis permit the emphasizing of the peculiarities of the serum-protein pattern of Leptodactylus laticeps, confirming a different and probably early development of this chacoan species.Material digitalizado en SEDICI gracias a la colaboración del Dr. Jorge Williams (FCNM-UNLP).Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Relaciones serológicas en Leptodactylus del grupo Pachypus

Se compararon especies argentinas del grupo pachypus: Leptodactylus ocellatus, Leptodactylus chaquensis, Leptodactylus pentadactylus, Leptodactylus laticeps. Las distancias serológicas reveladas por los tests photronreflectométricos de precipitinas, permiten establecer relaciones de parentesco relativamente antiguas entre laticeps y pentadactylus y ocellatus y chaquensis, respectivamente. En un sistema tridimensional éstas dos últimas especies crípticas, ya bien diferenciadas serológicamente, se ubicarían juntas, a igual distancia de las otras dos especies, si bien todas pertenecerían al mismo grupo, en comparación por ejemplo a formas de cavícola. Observaciones por electroforesis en gel, permiten subrayar la peculiaridad del patrón seroproteínico Leptodactylus laticeps, confirmando una diferenciación probablemente precoz e independiente de esta especie chaqueña.A comparison was made of the argentinian species of the pachypus group: Leptodactylus ocellatus, Leptodactylus chaquensis, Leptodactylus pentadactylus, Leptodactylus laticeps. The serological, distances were shown by photronreflectometric measurements of precipitation, revealing the relatively ancient relationships between laticeps and pentadactylus and between ocellatus and chaquensis respectively. In a three-dimensional system, these last two cryptic species show perfectly good differences serologically, and can be placed the same distance from the other two species, and they all belong to the same group, in comparisons, for example, to the forms of the cavicola group. Observations by acrylamide electrophoresis permit the emphasizing of the peculiarities of the serum-protein pattern of Leptodactylus laticeps, confirming a different and probably early development of this chacoan species.Material digitalizado en SEDICI gracias a la colaboración del Dr. Jorge Williams (FCNM-UNLP).Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Relaciones serológicas en Leptodactylus del grupo Pachypus

Se compararon especies argentinas del grupo pachypus: Leptodactylus ocellatus, Leptodactylus chaquensis, Leptodactylus pentadactylus, Leptodactylus laticeps. Las distancias serológicas reveladas por los tests photronreflectométricos de precipitinas, permiten establecer relaciones de parentesco relativamente antiguas entre laticeps y pentadactylus y ocellatus y chaquensis, respectivamente. En un sistema tridimensional éstas dos últimas especies crípticas, ya bien diferenciadas serológicamente, se ubicarían juntas, a igual distancia de las otras dos especies, si bien todas pertenecerían al mismo grupo, en comparación por ejemplo a formas de cavícola. Observaciones por electroforesis en gel, permiten subrayar la peculiaridad del patrón seroproteínico Leptodactylus laticeps, confirmando una diferenciación probablemente precoz e independiente de esta especie chaqueña.A comparison was made of the argentinian species of the pachypus group: Leptodactylus ocellatus, Leptodactylus chaquensis, Leptodactylus pentadactylus, Leptodactylus laticeps. The serological, distances were shown by photronreflectometric measurements of precipitation, revealing the relatively ancient relationships between laticeps and pentadactylus and between ocellatus and chaquensis respectively. In a three-dimensional system, these last two cryptic species show perfectly good differences serologically, and can be placed the same distance from the other two species, and they all belong to the same group, in comparisons, for example, to the forms of the cavicola group. Observations by acrylamide electrophoresis permit the emphasizing of the peculiarities of the serum-protein pattern of Leptodactylus laticeps, confirming a different and probably early development of this chacoan species.Material digitalizado en SEDICI gracias a la colaboración del Dr. Jorge Williams (FCNM-UNLP).Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Clinical Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Closure of Periprosthetic Paravalvular Leaks

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of the percutaneous device closure of a consecutive series of patients with periprosthetic paravalvular leaks referred to our structural heart disease center with congestive heart failure and hemolytic anemia.BackgroundClinically significant periprosthetic paravalvular leak is an uncommon but serious complication after surgical valve replacement. Percutaneous closure has been utilized as an alternative to surgical repair of this defect in high-risk surgical patients.MethodsThis is a retrospective review of 57 percutaneous paravalvular leak closures that were performed in 43 patients (67% male, mean age 69.4 ± 11.7 years) between April 2006 and September 2010. Integrated imaging modalities were used for the evaluation, planning, and guidance of the interventions.ResultsClosure was successful in 86% of leaks and in 86% of patients. Twenty-eight of 35 patients improved by at least 1 New York Heart Association functional class. The percentage of patients requiring blood transfusions and/or erythropoietin injections post-procedure decreased from 56% to 5%. Clinical success was achieved in 89% of the patients in whom procedure was successful. The survival rates for patients at 6, 12, and 18 months after paravalvular leak closures were 91.9%, 89.2%, and 86.5%, respectively. Freedom from cardiac-related death at 42 months post-procedure was 91.9%.ConclusionsPercutaneous closure of symptomatic paravalvular leaks, facilitated by integrated imaging modalities has a high rate of acute and long-term success and appears to be effective in managing symptoms of heart failure and hemolytic anemia

CONDUÇÃO E DOENÇA DE ALZHEIMER: UMA BATERIA DE TRIAGEM NEUROPSICOLÓGICA PARA IDOSOS

As life expectancy increases, there is a marked increase in the elderly population eager to continue driving. A large proportion of these elderly drive safely, however, patients with mild dementia are high-risk drivers. Objective: to identify the cognitive tests that best predict driving ability in subjects with mild dementia. Methods: 28 drivers with mild dementia and 28 healthy elderly subjects underwent an extensive cognitive assessment (NACC Uniform Data Set Neuropsychological Battery), completed an adapted On Road Driving Test (ORDT) and a Driving Simulator assessment. Results: drivers with mild dementia made more mistakes on the ORDT and had slower responses in the simulator tasks. Cognitive tests correlated strongly with on road and simulator driving performance. Age, the Digit Symbol Modalities Test and Boston Naming Test scores were the variables that best predicted performance on the ORDT and were included in a logistic regression model. Conclusion: the strong correlation between driving performance and performance on specific cognitive tests supports the importance of cognitive assessment as a useful tool for deciding whether patients with mild dementia can drive safely. The algorithm including these three variables could be used as a screening tool for the detection of unsafe driving in elderly subjects with cognitive decline