Chagas Cardiomyopathy in the Context of the Chronic Disease Transition

Latin America is undergoing a transition from disease patterns characteristic of developing countries with high rates of infectious disease and premature deaths to a pattern more like industrialized countries, in which chronic conditions such as obesity, hypertension and diabetes are more common. Many rural residents with Chagas disease have now migrated to cities, taken on new habits and may suffer from both types of disease. We studied heart disease among 394 adults seen by cardiologists in a public hospital in the city of Santa Cruz, Bolivia; 64% were infected with T. cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas disease. Both T. cruzi infected and uninfected patients had a high rate of hypertension (64%) and overweight (67%), with no difference by infection status. Nearly 60% of symptomatic congestive heart failure was due to Chagas disease; mortality was also higher for infected than uninfected patients. Males and older patients had more severe Chagas heart disease. Chagas heart disease remains an important cause of congestive heart failure in this hospital population, but often occurs in patients who also have obesity, hypertension and/or other cardiac risk factors

Maximum in the Middle: Nonlinear Response of Microbial Plankton to Ultraviolet Radiation and Phosphorus

The responses of heterotrophic microbial food webs (HMFW) to the joint action of abiotic stressors related to global change have been studied in an oligotrophic high-mountain lake. A 2×5 factorial design field experiment performed with large mesocosms for >2 months was used to quantify the dynamics of the entire HMFW (bacteria, heterotrophic nanoflagellates, ciliates, and viruses) after an experimental P-enrichment gradient which approximated or surpassed current atmospheric P pulses in the presence vs. absence of ultraviolet radiation. HMFW underwent a mid-term (<20 days) acute development following a noticeable unimodal response to P enrichment, which peaked at intermediate P-enrichment levels and, unexpectedly, was more accentuated under ultraviolet radiation. However, after depletion of dissolved inorganic P, the HMFW collapsed and was outcompeted by a low-diversity autotrophic compartment, which constrained the development of HMFW and caused a significant loss of functional biodiversity. The dynamics and relationships among variables, and the response patterns found, suggest the importance of biotic interactions (predation/parasitism and competition) in restricting HMFW development, in contrast to the role of abiotic factors as main drivers of autotrophic compartment. The response of HMFW may contribute to ecosystem resilience by favoring the maintenance of the peculiar paths of energy and nutrient-mobilization in these pristine ecosystems, which are vulnerable to threats by the joint action of abiotic stressors related to global change.This research was supported by Junta de Andalucía (Excelencia P07-CVI-02598 to PC, and P09-RNM-5376 to JMMS), the Spanish Ministries of Medio Ambiente, Rural y Marino (PN2009/067 to PC) and Ciencia e Innovación (GLC2008-01127/BOS and CGL2011-23681 to PC), the ERC Advanced Grant project number 250254 “MINOS” (to GB), and two Spanish government grants (to JADM and FJB)

Cardiovascular imaging 2011 in the International Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging

Cardiovascular Aspects of Radiolog

Functional insights into the infective larval stage of Anisakis simplex s.s., Anisakis pegreffii and their hybrids based on gene expression patterns

List of species and specimen used in the phylogenetic tree of Additional file 1. Code of the voucher specimen and accession number for mitochondrial gene COII (*: sequences obtained from GenBank). Labeled are the specimens selected for RNA sequencing (first number, population; second number specimen). A. simplex s.s. – A. pegreffii refers to hybrids haplotype according Abollo et al. [23]. (DOCX 47 kb

An optimization of beta in the DIII-D tokamak

Accurate equilibrium reconstruction and detailed stability analysis of a strongly shaped, double-null, β =11% discharge shows that the plasma core is in the second stable regime to ideal ballooning modes. The equilibrium reconstruction using all the available data (coil currents, poloidal magnetic loops, motional Stark effect data, the kinetic pressure profile, the magnetic axis location, and the location of the two q=1 surfaces) shows a region of negative magnetic shear near the magnetic axis, an outer positive shear region, and a low shear region connecting the two. The inner negative shear region allows a large positive shear region near the boundary, even at low q (q =2.6), permitting a large outer region pressure gradient to be first regime stable. The inner region is in the second stable regime, consistent with the observed axial beta [β (0)=44%]. In the low shear region p′ vanishes, consistent with Mercier stability. This is one way to extend the ballooning limit in shaped plasmas while maintaining stability against external kinks. The n=1 analysis shows that the plasma is unstable to an ideal internal mode, consistent with the experimental observations of a saturated internal m/n=l/l mode. The core plasma pressure, not being limited by ballooning stability, appears to be reaching a local equilibrium limit at the magnetic axis. © 1992 American Institute of Physics. T 95