Expansión de vectores de Fasciola hepatica: Primer registro de Pseudosuccinea columella en la Provincia de Córdoba, Argentina

Pseudosuccinea columella, gasterópodo del género Lymnaea, no sólo ha sido confirmado en Argentina como vector natural de Fasciola hepatica, sino que se considera responsable de la endemia presente en Corrientes. Se trata de un vector originario de Norteamérica, con alto potencial invasivo. En Argentina estaba restringido a Misiones, Corrientes y jardines botánicos de La Plata y Capital Federal. En el marco de una búsqueda continua de lymnaeidos en todo el país, se relevó el río Suquía, en el área de La Calera, Córdoba. Se muestreó entre los meses de setiembre y octubre, durante 3 años consecutivos (2006 – 2008). Los individuos son determinados según Castellanos & Landoni (1981), con posteriores estudios morfométricos. El único lymnaeido detectado fue Pseudosuccinea columella, registrándose su presencia en los 3 años de muestreo

Fascioliasis en Bosque Andino Patagónico. Análisis climático digital de sitios con presencia confirmada de Lymnaeidos vectores

El tremátode Fasciola hepatica afecta principalmente a animales herbívoros, y representa una zoonosis de gran importancia. Se encuentra en emergencia y dispersión a nivel global, habiéndose registrado áreas de alta endemia en zonas andinas de Sudamérica. En Argentina, la región de bosque Andino – Patagónico es considerada endémica para la afección. Los vectores Lymnaea son cruciales en la epidemiología y patrones de transmisión, pudiendo ser determinada su presencia por factores climáticos, mayormente temperatura, precipitación y/o evapotranspiración. Se pretende caracterizar, mediante análisis digital de base de datos climáticos, los factores de mayor importancia en sitios con presencia de lymnaeidos en el norte de la región fitogeográfica de bosque andino patagónico

Fascioliasis in working mules in endemic andean areas of Mendoza Province, Argentina

Fascioliasis, the affection caused by Fasciola sp. is an important livestock disease and major threat to human health (in Latin America only F. hepatica is present). Although fascioliasis is widely studied in several domestic species, in Argentina, the affection in equines, and particularly mules, is not even considered, thus not studied. Argentina has a quite remarkable tradition regarding mules, since they took part in every major event along the country history: from an intense commerce during colonialism with several neighbouring countries, crossing the Andes with the Ejército Libertador to fight against realists and liberate southern America from the Spanish oppression, to every transcendental conflict in the political conformation of such a wide and diverse nation

Liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica) naturally infecting introduced European brown hare (Lepus europaeus) in northern Patagonia: phenotype, prevalence and potential risk

ARTÍCULO PUBLICADO EN REVISTA EXTERNA. Fascioliasis has recently been included in the WHO list of Neglected Zoonotic Diseases. Besides being a major veterinary health problem, fascioliasis has large underdeveloping effects on the human communities affected. Though scarcely considered in fascioliasis epidemiology, it is well recognized that both native and introduced wildlife species may play a significant role as reservoirs of the disease. The objectives are to study the morphological characteristics of Fasciola hepatica adults and eggs in a population of Lepus europaeus, to assess liver fluke prevalence, and to analyze the potential reservoir role of the European brown hare in northern Patagonia, Argentina, where fascioliasis is endemic. Measures of F. hepatica found in L. europaeus from northern Patagonia demonstrate that the liver fluke is able to fully develop in wild hares and to shed normal eggs through their faeces. Egg shedding to the environment is close to the lower limit obtained for pigs, a domestic animal whose epidemiological importance in endemic areas has already been highlighted. The former, combined with the high prevalence found (14.28%) suggest an even more important role in the transmission cycle than previously considered. The results obtained do not only remark the extraordinary plasticity and adaptability of this trematode species to different host species, but also highlight the role of the European brown hare, and other NIS, as reservoirs capable for parasite spillback to domestic and native cycle, representing a potentially important, but hitherto neglected, cause of disease emergence. Sitio de la revista: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26204194

The body of evidence of late-life depression: the complex relationship between depressive symptoms, movement, dyspnea and cognition

Background: Physical symptoms play an important role in late-life depression and may contribute to residual symptomatology after antidepressant treatment. In this exploratory study, we examined the role of specific bodily dimensions including movement, respiratory functions, fear of falling, cognition, and physical weakness in older people with depression.Methods: Clinically stable older patients with major depression within a Psychiatric Consultation-Liaison program for Primary Care underwent comprehensive assessment of depressive symptoms, instrumental movement analysis, dyspnea, weakness, activity limitations, cognitive function, and fear of falling. Network analysis was performed to explore the unique adjusted associations between clinical dimensions.Results: Sadness was associated with worse turning and walking ability and movement transitions from walking to sitting, as well as with worse general cognitive abilities. Sadness was also connected with dyspnea, while neurovegetative depressive burden was connected with activity limitations.Discussion: Limitations of motor and cognitive function, dyspnea, and weakness may contribute to the persistence of residual symptoms of late-life depression

Conversion to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis: patient awareness and needs. results from an online survey in Italy and Germany

Background: Few studies have investigated the experiences of patients around the conversion to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). ManTra is a mixed-method, co-production research project conducted in Italy and Germany to develop an intervention for newly-diagnosed SPMS patients. In previous project actions, we identified the needs and experiences of patients converting to SPMS via literature review and qualitative research which involved key stakeholders.Aims: The online patient survey aimed to assess, on a larger and independent sample of recently-diagnosed SPMS patients: (a) the characteristics associated to patient awareness of SPMS conversion; (b) the experience of conversion; (c) importance and prioritization of the needs previously identified.Methods: Participants were consenting adults with SPMS since <= 5 years. The survey consisted of three sections: on general and clinical characteristics; on experience of SPMS diagnosis disclosure (aware participants only); and on importance and prioritization of 33 pre-specified needs.Results: Of 215 participants, those aware of their SPMS diagnosis were 57% in Italy vs. 77% in Germany (p = 0.004). In both countries, over 80% of aware participants received a SPMS diagnosis from the neurologist; satisfaction with SPMS disclosure was moderate to high. Nevertheless, 28-35% obtained second opinions, and 48-56% reported they did not receive any information on SPMS. Participants actively seeking further information were 63% in Germany vs. 31% in Italy (p < 0.001).Variables independently associated to patient awareness were geographic area (odds ratio, OR 0.32, 95% CI 0.13-0.78 for Central Italy; OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.08-0.58 for Southern Italy [vs. Germany]) and activity limitations (OR 7.80, 95% CI 1.47-41.37 for dependent vs. autonomous patients).All pre-specified needs were scored a lot or extremely important, and two prioritized needs were shared by Italian and German patients: "physiotherapy" and "active patient care involvement." The other two differed across countries: "an individualized health care plan" and "information on social rights and policies" in Italy, and "psychological support" and "cognitive rehabilitation" in Germany.Conclusions: Around 40% of SPMS patients were not aware of their disease form indicating a need to improve patient-physician communication. Physiotherapy and active patient care involvement were prioritized in both countries

Fascioliasis Humana en Cuyo: Revisión y análisis de casos publicados

A pesar de que en Argentina la fascioliasis es una importante parasitosis en rumiantes, en humanos no ha recibido la misma atención, siendo considerada una enfermedad esporádica y ocasional. En años recientes se han detectado en regiones andinas de países limítrofes altísimas prevalencias en humanos. Existiendo en Cuyo zonas de alta endemia animal, y no siendo la fascioliasis humana de denuncia obligatoria, nuestro objetivo fue realizar una revisión exhaustiva de la literatura para conocer la cantidad y características de los casos reportados. Se realizo una revisión electrónica y en hemerotecas de facultades de Medicina

Silver Doped Magnesium Ferrite Nanoparticles: Physico-Chemical Characterization and Antibacterial Activity

Spinel phases, with unique and outstanding physical properties, are attracting a great deal of interest in many fields. In particular, MgFe2O4, a partially inverted spinel phase, could find applications in medicine thanks to the remarkable antibacterial properties attributed to the generation of reactive oxygen species. In this paper, undoped and Ag-doped MgFe2-xAgxO4 (x = 0.1 and 0.3) nanoparticles were prepared using microwave-assisted combustion and sol–gel methods. X-ray powder diffraction, with Rietveld structural refinements combined with micro-Raman spectroscopy, allowed to determine sample purity and the inversion degree of the spinel, passing from about 0.4 to 0.7 when Ag was introduced as dopant. The results are discussed in view of the antibacterial activity towards Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, representative strains of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The sol–gel particles were more efficient towards the chosen bacteria, possibly thanks to the nanometric sizes of metallic silver, which were well distributed in the powders and in the spinel phase, with respect to microwave ones, that, however, acquired antibacterial activity after thermal treatment, probably due to the nucleation of hematite, itself displaying well-known antibacterial properties and which could synergistically act with silver and spinel

Estudio morfométrico de Lymnaea neotropica en el departamento de Perdriel, Provincia de Mendoza

Los moluscos lymnaeidos son los hospedadores intermediarios de Fasciola hepática, causantes de la Fasciolasis, enfermedad parasitaria que afecta a humanos y animales. Los estudios morfométricos de la conchilla son una herramienta complementaria para poder definir las especies de lymnaeas. La adaptación al ambiente, epidemiología y control varían según de la especie que se trate, por ello es necesaria dicha determinación. En el año 2008 se recolectaron 33 ejemplares de lymnaeidos de la localidad de Perdriel, departamento de Lujan de Cuyo, provincia de Mendoza, cuya altitud es de 902 msnm. Los caracoles lymnaeidos fueron recolectados en el mismo lugar donde se encontraban huéspedes definitivos infectados con Fasciola hepática, según coprológicos realizados previamente

Descripción fenotípica de Duela Hepática (Fasciola Hepatica) infectando liebre europea (Lepus Europaeus) de Mendoza, Argentina

La Fascioliasis, causada en América por Fasciola hepatica, representa una zoonosis emergente y reemergente a nivel global, con las mayores zonas de endemia humana en países andinos. Introducida en América del Sur, las poblaciones de Liebre Europea (Lepus europaeus) están expandiéndose en todo el sub-continente. Esta especie podría representar un reservorio de importancia, aunque usualmente no es considerada de relevancia en la transmisión local y dispersión de la enfermedad. Cada especie de tremátodo posee huevos con forma propia, mientras que los parámetros de largo y ancho se mantienen en rangos específicos. Aún más, la especie de hospedador definitivo influencia sobre el tamaño de los huevos de F. hepatic