Ampliación de la distribución geográfica de cacomixtle tropical, bassariscus sumichrasti (carnivora: procyonidae) en méxico

El cacaomixtle tropical (Bassariscus sumichrasti: Saussure, 1860: Carnivora: Procyonidae) se distribuye desde el sureste de México hasta Panamá (COATESESTRADA y ESTRADA, 1986; EMMONS, 1999). Su hábitat son las selvas altas y medianas perennifolias, el bosque mesófilo de montaña y las áreas húmedas y densas de bosques de encino-pino, desde el nivel del mar hasta los 2.900 m. de altitud. La especie es simpátrica con el cacomixtle común (Bassariscus astutus: Lichtenstein, 1830) en algunas zonas de los estados de Guerrero, Veracruz y Oaxaca; se ha registrado en el sureste de México y en la Península de Yucatán (NAVA, 2005). La especie está incluida en el Apéndice III de CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), en México está considerada como sujeta a protección especial por el Instituto Nacional de Ecología, en la norma oficial mexicana NOM-059-ECOL (DIARIO OFICIAL DE LA FEDERACIÓN, 2001

Adalimumab in Patients with Active Noninfectious Uveitis

BACKGROUND: Patients with noninfectious uveitis are at risk for long-term complications of uncontrolled inflammation, as well as for the adverse effects of long-term glucocorticoid therapy. We conducted a trial to assess the efficacy and safety of adalimumab as a glucocorticoid-sparing agent for the treatment of noninfectious uveitis. METHODS: This multinational phase 3 trial involved adults who had active noninfectious intermediate uveitis, posterior uveitis, or panuveitis despite having received prednisone treatment for 2 or more weeks. Investigators and patients were unaware of the study-group assignments. Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive adalimumab (a loading dose of 80 mg followed by a dose of 40 mg every 2 weeks) or matched placebo. All patients received a mandatory prednisone burst followed by tapering of prednisone over the course of 15 weeks. The primary efficacy end point was the time to treatment failure occurring at or after week 6. Treatment failure was a multicomponent outcome that was based on assessment of new inflammatory lesions, best corrected visual acuity, anterior chamber cell grade, and vitreous haze grade. Nine ranked secondary efficacy end points were assessed, and adverse events were reported. RESULTS: The median time to treatment failure was 24 weeks in the adalimumab group and 13 weeks in the placebo group. Among the 217 patients in the intention-to-treat population, those receiving adalimumab were less likely than those in the placebo group to have treatment failure (hazard ratio, 0.50; 95% confidence interval, 0.36 to 0.70; P<0.001). Outcomes with regard to three secondary end points (change in anterior chamber cell grade, change in vitreous haze grade, and change in best corrected visual acuity) were significantly better in the adalimumab group than in the placebo group. Adverse events and serious adverse events were reported more frequently among patients who received adalimumab (1052.4 vs. 971.7 adverse events and 28.8 vs. 13.6 serious adverse events per 100 person-years). CONCLUSIONS: In our trial, adalimumab was found to be associated with a lower risk of uveitic flare or visual impairment and with more adverse events and serious adverse events than was placebo

Registro de águila solitaria (Harpyhaliaetus solitarius, TSCHUDI 1844) en la región Mixteca Poblana, México

En México, HOWELL y WEBB (1995) y la CONANP (2000) señalan que la distribución geográfica del águila solitaria (Harpyhaliaetus solitarius, TSCHUDI 1844), abarca la Sierra Madre Occidental, el occidente del eje Neovolcánico Transversal y las montañas de Chiapas. Por su parte, MORALES y URBINA (1996) marcan su distribución a lo largo de las sierras madre Oriental, Occidental y del Sur, hacia el Istmo de Tehuantepec y las sierras de Chiapas. Esta ave rapaz durante el vuelo, se distingue de otras especies similares, por sus alas muy anchas y su cola corta con una franja blanca, ancha y transversal, el resto del plumaje es negro obscuro (PETERSON y CHALIF, 1989; HOWELL y WEBB, 1995; FERGUSON-LEES y CHRISTIE, 2001). Cuando el ave está posada se aprecia su gran tamaño y robustez, entre 63 y 79 cm. de longitud, con peso aproximado de 3 kg, en ocasiones se percibe una pequeña cresta en la nuca (PETERSON y CHALIF, 1989; MORALES y URBINA, 1996; CAMACHO y MENA, 2001; FERGUSON-LEES y CHRISTIE, 2001).En México, HOWELL y WEBB (1995) y la CONANP (2000) señalan que la distribución geográfica del águila solitaria (Harpyhaliaetus solitarius, TSCHUDI 1844), abarca la Sierra Madre Occidental, el occidente del eje Neovolcánico Transversal y las montañas de Chiapas. Por su parte, MORALES y URBINA (1996) marcan su distribución a lo largo de las sierras madre Oriental, Occidental y del Sur, hacia el Istmo de Tehuantepec y las sierras de Chiapas. Esta ave rapaz durante el vuelo, se distingue de otras especies similares, por sus alas muy anchas y su cola corta con una franja blanca, ancha y transversal, el resto del plumaje es negro obscuro (PETERSON y CHALIF, 1989; HOWELL y WEBB, 1995; FERGUSON-LEES y CHRISTIE, 2001). Cuando el ave está posada se aprecia su gran tamaño y robustez, entre 63 y 79 cm. de longitud, con peso aproximado de 3 kg, en ocasiones se percibe una pequeña cresta en la nuca (PETERSON y CHALIF, 1989; MORALES y URBINA, 1996; CAMACHO y MENA, 2001; FERGUSON-LEES y CHRISTIE, 2001)

Chaotic dynamics of falling disks

The study of the motion of flat bodies falling in a viscous medium dates back at least to Newton(1) and Maxwell(2), and is relevant to problems in meteorology(3), sedimentology(4), aerospace engineering(1) and chemical engineering(5-8). More recent theoretical studies(9-12) have emphasized the role played by deterministic chaos, although many experimental studies(1,5-8,13,14) were performed before the development of such ideas. Here we report experimental observations of the dynamics of disks falling in water/glycerol mixtures. We find four distinct types of motion, which are mapped out in a 'phase diagram'. The apparently complex behaviour can be reduced to a series of one-dimensional maps, which display a discontinuity at the crossover from periodic to chaotic motion. This discontinuity leads to an unusual intermittency transition(15), not previously observed experimentally, between the two behaviours.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/62793/1/388252a0.pd

Concurrent cisplatin, continuous infusion fluorouracil and radiotherapy followed by tailored consolidation treatment in non metastatic anal squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND: To evaluate efficacy and feasibility of chemo-radiotherapy in patients with non-metastatic anal squamous-cell-cancer. METHODS: TNM staged anal squamous-cell cancer patients were treated with pelvic radiotherapy concomitant to continuous infusion fluorouracil plus cisplatin for at least 2 cycles. In T3-T4 or any T - N+ tumours or in "slow-responder" cases, 1-2 chemotherapy courses were subsequently administered. Tumour assessment was performed at baseline and 6-8 weeks after radiotherapy to evaluate response. RESULTS: 29 patients were enrolled: 4 males, 25 females; median age 57 years; baseline T1/T2/T3/T4 2/12/7/8; N involvement 17. Median dose pelvic radiotherapy was 59.4 Gy (range: 54-74). In 5 patients 2 chemotherapy courses, in 12 patients three and in 12 patients four courses were performed. At first evaluation, 27 CR (93.1%; 95% CI: 78% - 98%) and 2 SD were observed. Main grade (G) 3 toxic events were neutropenia (8%), diarrhoea (8%) and dermatitis (62%). Most frequent late events G3-G4 occurred in 14 patients: proctitis (5), dermatitis (4), bladder dysfunctions (2), sexual dysfunctions (9), lower extremity venous thromboses (2), dysuria (1), stenosis (1) and tenesmus (1). Five patients reported G1 leucopoenia. The rate of colostomy was 14%. After a median follow up of 42 months (range: 4-81), 20 patients are still alive without relapse and 3 died due to PD. The estimated 7-year DFS was 83.4% (C.I.: 68.3%-98.5%) and the estimated 7-year OS was 85.7% (C.I.: 70% - 100%). The 1-year and the estimated 7-year colostomy-free survivals were 85.9% (C.I.: 73.1% - 98.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Concurrent cisplatin plus fluorouracil and radiotherapy is associated with favourable local control rates and acute toxicity. Future investigations will be directed towards research into molecular biomarkers related to disease progression and resistance to chemo-radiotherapy and to the evaluation of new cytotoxic agents or targeted drugs, such as anti-epidermal growth factor receptor, concomitant to RT and to determining the role of intensity-modulated radiotherap

Physics of Neutron Star Crusts

The physics of neutron star crusts is vast, involving many different research fields, from nuclear and condensed matter physics to general relativity. This review summarizes the progress, which has been achieved over the last few years, in modeling neutron star crusts, both at the microscopic and macroscopic levels. The confrontation of these theoretical models with observations is also briefly discussed.Comment: 182 pages, published version available at <http://www.livingreviews.org/lrr-2008-10

Anti-Tuberculosis Therapy-Induced Hepatotoxicity among Ethiopian HIV-Positive and Negative Patients

Background: To assess and compare the prevalence, severity and prognosis of anti-TB drug induced hepatotoxicity (DIH) in HIV positive and HIV negative tuberculosis (TB) patients in Ethiopia. Methodology/Principal Findings: In this study, 103 HIV positive and 94 HIV negative TB patients were enrolled. All patients were evaluated for different risk factors and monitored biochemically and clinically for development of DIH. Sub-clinical hepatotoxicity was observed in 17.3 % of the patients and 8 out of the 197 (4.1%) developed clinical hepatotoxicity. Seven of the 8 were HIV positive and 2 were positive for HBsAg. Conclusions/Significance: Sub-clinical hepatotoxicity was significantly associated with HIV co-infection (p = 0.002), concomitant drug intake (p = 0.008), and decrease in CD4 count (p = 0.001). Stepwise restarting of anti TB treatment was also successful in almost all the patients who developed clinical DIH. We therefore conclude that anti-TB DIH is a major problem in HIV-associated TB with a decline in immune status and that there is a need for a regular biochemical and clinical follow up for those patients who are at risk

Animal welfare in studies on murine tuberculosis : assessing progress over a 12-year period and the need for further improvement

There is growing concern over the welfare of animals used in research, in particular when these animals develop pathology. The present study aims to identify the main sources of animal distress and to assess the possible implementation of refinement measures in experimental infection research, using mouse models of tuberculosis (TB) as a case study. This choice is based on the historical relevance of mouse studies in understanding the disease and the present and long-standing impact of TB on a global scale. Literature published between 1997 and 2009 was analysed, focusing on the welfare impact on the animals used and the implementation of refinement measures to reduce this impact. In this 12-year period, we observed a rise in reports of ethical approval of experiments. The proportion of studies classified into the most severe category did however not change significantly over the studied period. Information on important research parameters, such as method for euthanasia or sex of the animals, were absent in a substantial number of papers. Overall, this study shows that progress has been made in the application of humane endpoints in TB research, but that a considerable potential for improvement remains.Nuno H. Franco is funded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (SFRH/BD/38337/2007). This work is funded by FEDER funds through the Operational Competitiveness Programme - COMPETE and by national funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia under the project FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-022718 (PEst-C/SAU/LA0002/2011