Variation of growth performance of the striped venus clam Chamelea gallina (Mollusca: Bivalvia) (Linnaeus, 1758) in relation to environmental variables along the southern part of its geographic range

This study reports relative growth, shell length-age keys and growth performance indices (overall growth performance (OGP) and phi prime) for the striped venus Chamelea gallina from the Huelva coast in southwest (SW) Spain. The morphometric relationship shell height (SH)/shell length (SL) presented isometric growth whereas SL/shell width (SW) and SL/weight (W) displayed negative allometric growth. Shell length at age was estimated through length-frequency distribution (LF) and internal shell growth bands by acetate peel method (AP). C. gallina population consists mainly of three age classes with shell lengths around 13-15 mm for the first year, 25 mm for the second year and 30 mm for the third year. The OGP and phi prime values obtained in the present study are within the range of values for other C. gallina populations from the Gulf of Cádiz. Nevertheless, marked differences in growth performance were observed between populations from the Black Sea (lower growth performance) and from other locations along the southern distribution area of this species, which may be related to the low levels of temperature (SST), salinity (SSS) and chlorophyll-a (chl-a) concentration that exhibit large intra-annual fluctuations.En prensa0,371

Physico-chemical spectroscopic mapping of the planetary nebula NGC 40 and the 2D_NEB, a new 2D algorithm to study ionised nebulae

In this paper we present an analysis of the physical and chemical conditions of the planetary nebula NGC 40 through spatially-resolved spectroscopic maps. We also introduce a new algorithm --2D_NEB-- based on the well-established IRAF nebular package, which was developed to enable the use of the spectroscopic maps to easily estimate the astrophysical quantities of ionised nebulae. The 2D_NEB was benchmarked, and we clearly show that it works properly, since it compares nicely with the IRAF nebular software. Using this software, we derive the maps of several physical parameters of NGC 40. From these maps, we conclude that Te[NII] shows only a slight temperature variation from region to region, with its values constrained between ~8,000 K and ~9,500 K. Electron densities, on the other hand, have a much more prominent spatial variation, as Ne[SII] values vary from ~1,000 cm^(-3) to ~3,000 cm^(-3). Maps of the chemical abundances also show significant variations. From the big picture of our work, we strongly suggest that analysis with spatial resolution be mandatory for more complete study of the physical and chemical properties of planetary nebulae.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures, 8 tables; Accepted for publication in MNRA

Manejo quirúrgico de lesión quística.

La lesión periapical indica la propagación bacteriana en el sistema de conductos y la posible presencia de biofilm extraradicular

Data sources for drug utilization research in Latin American countries—A cross-national study: DASDUR-LATAM study

Purpose: Drug utilization research (DUR) contributes to inform policymaking and to strengthen health systems. The availability of data sources is the first step for conducting DUR. However, documents that systematize these data sources in Latin American (LatAm) countries are not known. We compiled the potential data sources for DUR in the LatAm region. Methods: A network of DUR experts from nine LatAm countries was assembled and experts conducted: (i) a website search of the government, academic, and private health institutions; (ii) screening of eligible data sources, and (iii) liaising with national experts in pharmacoepidemiology (via an online survey). The data sources were characterized by accessibility, geographic granularity, setting, sector of the data, sources and type of the data. Descriptive analyses were performed. Results: We identified 125 data sources for DUR in nine LatAm countries. Thirty-eight (30%) of them were publicly and conveniently available; 89 (71%) were accessible with limitations, and 18 (14%) were not accessible or lacked clear rules for data access. From the 125 data sources, 76 (61%) were from the public sector only; 46 (37%) were from pharmacy records; 43 (34%) came from ambulatory settings and; 85 (68%) gave access to individual patient-level data. Conclusions: Although multiple sources for DUR are available in LatAm countries, the accessibility is a major challenge. The procedures for accessing DUR data should be transparent, feasible, affordable, and protocol-driven. This inventory could permit a comparison of drug utilization between countries identifying potential medication-related problems that need further exploration.Fil: Lopes, Luciane C.. University Of Sorocaba; BrasilFil: Salas, Daiana Maribel. University of Pennsylvania; Estados UnidosFil: Osorio de Castro, Claudia Garcia Serpa. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; BrasilFil: Freitas Leal, Lisiane. McGill University; CanadáFil: Doubova, Svetlana V.. Mexican Institute of Social Security; MéxicoFil: Cañás, Martín. Universidad Nacional Arturo Jauretche; Argentina. Federación Médica de la Provincia de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Dreser, Anahi. Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública; MéxicoFil: Acosta, Angela. Universidad ICESI; ColombiaFil: Oliveira Baldoni, Andre. Federal University of São João Del-Rei; BrasilFil: de Cássia Bergamaschi, Cristiane. University of Sorocaba; BrasilFil: Marques Mota, Daniel. Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency; BrasilFil: Gómez Galicia, Diana L.. Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos; MéxicoFil: Sepúlveda Viveros, Dino. Universidad de Chile; ChileFil: Narvaez Delgado, Edgard. No especifíca;Fil: da Costa Lima, Elisangela. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Chandia, Felipe Vera. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; ChileFil: Ferre, Felipe. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Marin, Gustavo Horacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Olmos, Ismael. State Health Services Administration; UruguayFil: Zimmermann, Ivan R.. Universidade do Brasília; BrasilFil: Fulone, Izabela. University of Sorocaba; BrasilFil: Roldán Saelzer, Juan. Instituto de Salud Pública; ChileFil: Sánchez Salgado, Juan Carlos. No especifíca;Fil: Castro Pastrana, Lucila I.. Universidad de Las Américas de Puebla; MéxicoFil: de Souza, Luiz Jupiter Carneiro. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; BrasilFil: Machado Beltrán, Manuel. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; ColombiaFil: Tolentino Silva, Marcus. University of Sorocaba; BrasilFil: Mena, María Belén. Universidad Central del Ecuador; EcuadorFil: de França Fonteles, Marta Maria. Universidade Federal do Ceara; BrasilFil: Urtasun, Martín Alejandro. Universidad Nacional Arturo Jauretche; Argentina. Federación Médica de la Provincia de Buenos Aires; Argentin

Role of 4-1BB Receptor in the Control Played by CD8+ T Cells on IFN-γ Production by Mycobacterium tuberculosis Antigen-Specific CD4+ T Cells

BACKGROUND: Antigen-specific IFN-gamma producing CD4(+) T cells are the main mediators of protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection both under natural conditions and following vaccination. However these cells are responsible for lung damage and poor vaccine efficacy when not tightly controlled. Discovering new tools to control nonprotective antigen-specific IFN-gamma production without affecting protective IFN-gamma is a challenge in tuberculosis research. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Immunization with DNA encoding Ag85B, a candidate vaccine antigen of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, elicited in mice a low but protective CD4(+) T cell-mediated IFN-gamma response, while in mice primed with DNA and boosted with Ag85B protein a massive increase in IFN-gamma response was associated with loss of protection. Both protective and non-protective Ag85B-immunization generated antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells which suppressed IFN-gamma-secreting CD4(+) T cells. However, ex vivo ligation of 4-1BB, a member of TNF-receptor super-family, reduced the massive, non-protective IFN-gamma responses by CD4(+) T cells in protein-boosted mice without affecting the low protective IFN-gamma-secretion in mice immunized with DNA. This selective inhibition was due to the induction of 4-1BB exclusively on CD8(+) T cells of DNA-primed and protein-boosted mice following Ag85B protein stimulation. The 4-1BB-mediated IFN-gamma inhibition did not require soluble IL-10, TGF-beta, XCL-1 and MIP-1beta. In vivo Ag85B stimulation induced 4-1BB expression on CD8(+) T cells and in vivo 4-1BB ligation reduced the activation, IFN-gamma production and expansion of Ag85B-specific CD4(+) T cells of DNA-primed and protein-boosted mice. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Antigen-specific suppressor CD8(+) T cells are elicited through immunization with the mycobacterial antigen Ag85B. Ligation of 4-1BB receptor further enhanced their suppressive activity on IFN-gamma-secreting CD4(+) T cells. The selective expression of 4-1BB only on CD8(+) T cells in mice developing a massive, non-protective IFN-gamma response opens novel strategies for intervention in tuberculosis pathology and vaccination through T-cell co-stimulatory-based molecular targeting

Role of Reuniens Nucleus Projections to the Medial Prefrontal Cortex and to the Hippocampal Pyramidal CA1 Area in Associative Learning

We studied the interactions between short- and long-term plastic changes taking place during the acquisition of a classical eyeblink conditioning and following high-frequency stimulation (HFS) of the reuniens nucleus in behaving mice. Synaptic changes in strength were studied at the reuniens-medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the reuniens-CA1 synapses. Input/output curves and a paired-pulse study enabled determining the functional capabilities of the two synapses and the optimal intensities to be applied at the reuniens nucleus during classical eyeblink conditioning and for HFS applied to the reuniens nucleus. Animals were conditioned using a trace paradigm, with a tone as conditioned stimulus (CS) and an electric shock to the trigeminal nerve as unconditioned stimulus (US). A single pulse was presented to the reuniens nucleus to evoke field EPSPs (fEPSPs) in mPFC and CA1 areas during the CS-US interval. No significant changes in synaptic strength were observed at the reuniens-mPFC and reuniens-CA1 synapses during the acquisition of eyelid conditioned responses (CRs). Two successive HFS sessions carried out during the first two conditioning days decreased the percentage of CRs, without evoking any long-term potentiation (LTP) at the recording sites. HFS of the reuniens nucleus also prevented the proper acquisition of an object discrimination task. A subsequent study revealed that HFS of the reuniens nucleus evoked a significant decrease of paired-pulse facilitation. In conclusion, reuniens nucleus projections to prefrontal and hippocampal circuits seem to participate in the acquisition of associative learning through a mechanism that does not required the development of LTP

Assessing the impact of COVID-19 on liver cancer management (CERO-19)

Background & Aims: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges to healthcare systems and it may have heavily impacted patients with liver cancer (LC). Herein, we evaluated whether the schedule of LC screening or procedures has been interrupted or delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An international survey evaluated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinical practice and clinical trials from March 2020 to June 2020, as the first phase of a multicentre, international, and observational project. The focus was on patients with hepatocellular carcinoma or intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, cared for around the world during the first COVID-19 pandemic wave. Results: Ninety-one centres expressed interest to participate and 76 were included in the analysis, from Europe, South America, North America, Asia, and Africa (73.7%,17.1%, 5.3%, 2.6%, and 1.3% per continent, respectively). Eighty-seven percent of the centres modified their clinical practice: 40.8% the diagnostic procedures, 80.9% the screening programme, 50% cancelled curative and/or palliative treatments for LC, and 41.7% modified the liver transplantation programme. Forty-five out of 69 (65.2%) centres in which clinical trials were running modified their treatments in that setting, but 58.1% were able to recruit new patients. The phone call service was modified in 51.4% of centres which had this service before the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 19/37). Conclusions: The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic had a tremendous impact on the routine care of patients with liver cancer. Modifications in screening, diagnostic, and treatment algorithms may have significantly impaired the outcome of patients. Ongoing data collection and future analyses will report the benefits and disadvantages of the strategies implemented, aiding future decision-making. Lay summary: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges to healthcare systems globally. Herein, we assessed the impact of the first wave pandemic on patients with liver cancer and found that routine care for these patients has been majorly disrupted, which could have a significant impact on outcomes. (C) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL)

Impact of the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the outcome of neurosurgical patients: A nationwide study in Spain

Objective To assess the effect of the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the outcome of neurosurgical patients in Spain. Settings The initial flood of COVID-19 patients overwhelmed an unprepared healthcare system. Different measures were taken to deal with this overburden. The effect of these measures on neurosurgical patients, as well as the effect of COVID-19 itself, has not been thoroughly studied. Participants This was a multicentre, nationwide, observational retrospective study of patients who underwent any neurosurgical operation from March to July 2020. Interventions An exploratory factorial analysis was performed to select the most relevant variables of the sample. Primary and secondary outcome measures Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify independent predictors of mortality and postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results Sixteen hospitals registered 1677 operated patients. The overall mortality was 6.4%, and 2.9% (44 patients) suffered a perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Of those infections, 24 were diagnosed postoperatively. Age (OR 1.05), perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR 4.7), community COVID-19 incidence (cases/10 5 people/week) (OR 1.006), postoperative neurological worsening (OR 5.9), postoperative need for airway support (OR 5.38), ASA grade =3 (OR 2.5) and preoperative GCS 3-8 (OR 2.82) were independently associated with mortality. For SARS-CoV-2 postoperative infection, screening swab test <72 hours preoperatively (OR 0.76), community COVID-19 incidence (cases/10 5 people/week) (OR 1.011), preoperative cognitive impairment (OR 2.784), postoperative sepsis (OR 3.807) and an absence of postoperative complications (OR 0.188) were independently associated. Conclusions Perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection in neurosurgical patients was associated with an increase in mortality by almost fivefold. Community COVID-19 incidence (cases/10 5 people/week) was a statistically independent predictor of mortality. Trial registration number CEIM 20/217

Analysis of eight genes modulating interferon gamma and human genetic susceptibility to tuberculosis: a case-control association study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Interferon gamma is a major macrophage-activating cytokine during infection with <it>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</it>, the causative pathogen of tuberculosis, and its role has been well established in animal models and in humans. This cytokine is produced by activated T helper 1 cells, which can best deal with intracellular pathogens such as <it>M. tuberculosis</it>. Based on the hypothesis that genes which regulate interferon gamma may influence tuberculosis susceptibility, we investigated polymorphisms in eight candidate genes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Fifty-four polymorphisms in eight candidate genes were genotyped in over 800 tuberculosis cases and healthy controls in a population-based case-control association study in a South African population. Genotyping methods used included the SNPlex Genotyping System™, capillary electrophoresis of fluorescently labelled PCR products, TaqMan^®SNP genotyping assays or the amplification mutation refraction system. Single polymorphisms as well as haplotypes of the variants were tested for association with TB using statistical analyses.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A haplotype in interleukin 12B was nominally associated with tuberculosis (p = 0.02), but after permutation testing, done to assess the significance for the entire analysis, this was not globally significant. In addition a novel allele was found for the interleukin 12B D5S2941 microsatellite.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study highlights the importance of using larger sample sizes when attempting validation of previously reported genetic associations. Initial studies may be false positives or may propose a stronger genetic effect than subsequently found to be the case.</p