Prevalence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Potentially Pathogenic Bacteria and Fungi Isolated from Public Parks of Bogotá, Colombia

Regular interactions of humans with their environment, animals and different microorganisms as part of everyday routine can cause several infections or diseases that can become a public health problem if these are not properly controlled. It is necessary to identify potentially pathogenic bacteria (with its antimicrobial resistance) and fungi, and their prevalence in public parks in Bogotá city. Four parks were evaluated, where samples were taken from dog’s feces and hair, recreational items and environmental material, to perform the microorganism’s isolations. The higher prevalence percentages in each sort of sample were for Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Rahnella aquatilis, Penicillium spp, Cladosporium spp. and Mucor spp. and there were pathogenic species like Salmonella enteritidis and Klebsiella pneumoniae. We report a strain of S. aureus with intermediate resistance to vancomycin (VISA) found in recreational items. The higher rates of antibiotics resistance like ampicillin and trimethoprim were found in the isolations from dog’s feces. Some species or genera reported are considerated as opportunistic pathogens; however, these and the pathogenic species reported represent a threat to human health and this is why it is essential to have a personal hygiene plan after stay at a park.Regular interactions of humans with their environment, animals and different microorganisms as part of everyday routine can cause several infections or diseases that can become a public health problem if these are not properly controlled. It is necessary to identify potentially pathogenic bacteria (with its antimicrobial resistance) and fungi, and their prevalence in public parks in Bogotá city. Four parks were evaluated, where samples were taken from dog’s feces and hair, recreational items and environmental material, to perform the microorganism’s isolations. The higher prevalence percentages in each sort of sample were for Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Rahnella aquatilis, Penicillium spp, Cladosporium spp. and Mucor spp. and there were pathogenic species like Salmonella enteritidis and Klebsiella pneumoniae. We report a strain of S. aureus with intermediate resistance to vancomycin (VISA) found in recreational items. The higher rates of antibiotics resistance like ampicillin and trimethoprim were found in the isolations from dog’s feces. Some species or genera reported are considerated as opportunistic pathogens; however, these and the pathogenic species reported represent a threat to human health and this is why it is essential to have a personal hygiene plan after stay at a park

A ventromedial prefrontal dysrhythmia in obsessive-compulsive disorder is attenuated by nucleus accumbens deep brain stimulation

Background: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has consistently been linked to abnormal frontostriatal activity. The electrophysiological disruption in this circuit, however, remains to be characterized. Objective/hypothesis: The primary goal of this study was to investigate the neuronal synchronization in OCD patients. We predicted aberrant oscillatory activity in frontal regions compared to healthy control subjects, which would be alleviated by deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Methods: We compared scalp EEG recordings from nine patients with OCD treated with NAc-DBS with recordings from healthy controls, matched for age and gender. Within the patient group, EEG activity was compared with DBS turned off vs. stimulation at typical clinical settings (3.5 V, frequency of stimulation 130 Hz, pulse width 60 ms). In addition, intracranial EEG was recorded directly from depth macro electrodes in the NAc in four OCD patients. Results: Cross-frequency coupling between the phase of alpha/low beta oscillations and amplitude of high gamma was significantly increased over midline frontal and parietal electrodes in patients when stimulation was turned off, compared to controls. Critically, in patients, beta (16-25 Hz)-gamma (110-166 Hz) phase amplitude coupling source localized to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and was reduced when NAc-DBS was active. In contrast, intracranial EEG recordings showed no beta-gamma phase amplitude coupling. The contribution of non-sinusoidal beta waveforms to this coupling are reported. Conclusion: We reveal an increased beta-gamma phase amplitude coupling in fronto-central scalp sensors in patients suffering from OCD, compared to healthy controls, which may derive from ventromedial prefrontal regions implicated in OCD and is normalized by DBS of the nucleus accumbens. This aberrant cross-frequency coupling could represent a biomarker of OCD, as well as a target for novel therapeutic approaches. (C) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.This work was supported by Project grants SAF2015-65982-R from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness to BS and PSI2014-58654-JIN to JGR, an FPI Predoctoral Fellowship (BES-2016-079470) to ST, and BIAL Foundation Grant 119/12 to BS. This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (ERC-2018-COG 819814)

Antimicrobial activity of ceftolozane-tazobactam against Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa recovered during the Study for Monitoring Antimicrobial Resistance Trends (SMART) program in Spain (2016-2018)

Objective: To analyse the susceptibility to ceftolozane-tazobactam and comparators in Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates recovered from intraabdominal (IAI), urinary (UTI), respiratory (RTI) and bloodstream infection (BSI) in the SMART (Study for Monitoring Antimicrobial Resistance Trends) study. Methods: The susceptibility of 5,351 isolates collected in 11 Spanish hospitals (2016-2018) were analysed (EUCAST-2020 criteria) by broth microdilution and were phenotypically studied for the presence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL). Ceftolozane-tazobactam and/or carbapenem resistant isolates were genetically characterized for ESBL and carbapenemases. Results: Escherichia coli was the most frequent pathogen (49.3% IAI, 54.9% UTI, 16.7% RTI and 50% BSI), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (11.9%, 19.1%, 13.1% and 15.4%, respectively). P. aeruginosa was isolated in 9.3%, 5.6%, 32% and 9%, respectively. The frequency of isolates with ESBLs (2016-2017) was: 30.5% K. pneumoniae, 8.6% E. coli, 2.3% Klebsiella oxytoca and 0.7% Proteus mirabilis. Ceftolozane-tazobactam was very active against non-ESBL-(99.3% susceptible) and ESBL-(95.2%) producing E. coli being less active against K. pneumoniae (98% and 43.1%, respectively) isolates. CTX-M-15 was the most prevalent ESBL in E. coli (27.5%) and K. pneumoniae (51.9%) frequently associated with OXA-48-like carbapenemase. Overall, 93% of P. aeruginosa isolates were susceptible to ceftolozane-tazobactam, preserving this activity (>75%) in isolates resistant to other beta-lactams except in those resistant to meropenen or ceftazidime-avibactam. GES-5, PER-1, VIM-1/2 were the most prevalent enzymes in isolates resistant to ceftolozane-tazobactam. Conclusions: Ceftolozane-tazobactam showed high activity rates against isolates recovered in the SMART study although it was affected in K. pneumoniae and P. aeruginosa isolates with ESBL and/or carbapenemases

Good practice regarding smoking cessation management in Spain: Challenges and opportunities for primary care physicians and nurses

INTRODUCTION We analyze the activities carried out by primary care (PC) physicians and nurses with respect to smoking cessation and evaluate their self-reported training, knowledge, and behavior. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted including 1514 PC physicians and nurses from June 2016 to March 2017, in Spain. The main variable was Good Practice (GP) in attention to smokers. To identify associated factors, a multilevel logistic regression model was used adjusted for sex, age, type of center, contract, years of employment, tobacco consumption, and self-reported training/knowledge. RESULTS Of the 792 physicians and 722 nurses, 48.6% referred to GP in smoking cessation management. The finding related to: being a non-smoker (OR=1.8; 95% CI: 1.2-2.5) or ex-smoker (OR= 1.4; 95% CI: 1.02-2.1), having a good level of knowledge (OR=1.8; 95% CI: 1.3-2.4) and training (OR=2.4; 95% CI: 1.8-3.2), and, to a lesser extent, being female (OR=1.3; 95% CI: 1.03-1.7), and work experience >10 years (OR=1.4; 95% CI: 1.03-1.9). The main GP barriers were: lack of time (45.5%), organizational problems (48.4%), and 35.4% lack of training. CONCLUSIONS The GP of PC physicians and nurses regarding smoking cessation management is related to being non-smokers or ex-smokers, and having sufficient training and knowledge. Lack of time and organizational problems were considered to be the main barriers. The promotion of training activities in the Spanish National Health Service with the support of scientific societies is required

Contribution of cardio-vascular risk factors to depressive status in the PREDIMED-PLUS Trial. A cross-sectional and a 2-year longitudinal study

Background Cardio-vascular disease and depression are thought to be closely related, due to shared risk factors. The aim of the study was to determine the association between cardio-vascular risk (CVR) factors and depressive status in a population (55-75 years) with metabolic syndrome (MetS) from the PREDIMED-Plus trial. Methods and findings Participants were classified into three groups of CVR according to the Framingham-based REGICOR function: (1) low (LR), (2) medium (MR) or (3) high/very high (HR). The Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) was used to assess depressive symptoms at baseline and after 2 years. The association between CVR and depressive status at baseline (n = 6545), and their changes after 2 years (n = 4566) were evaluated through multivariable regression models (logistic and linear models). HR women showed higher odds of depressive status than LR [OR (95% CI) = 1.78 (1.26, 2.50)]. MR and HR participants with total cholesterol <160 mg/mL showed higher odds of depression than LR [OR (95% CI) = 1.77 (1.13, 2.77) and 2.83 (1.25, 6.42) respectively)] but those with total cholesterol ¿280 mg/mL showed lower odds of depression than LR [OR (95% CI) = 0.26 (0.07, 0.98) and 0.23 (0.05, 0.95), respectively]. All participants decreased their BDI-II score after 2 years, being the decrease smaller in MR and HR diabetic compared to LR [adjusted mean±SE = -0.52±0.20, -0.41 ±0.27 and -1.25±0.31 respectively). MR and HR participants with total cholesterol between 240-279 mg/mL showed greater decreases in the BDI-II score compared to LR (adjusted mean±SE = -0.83±0.37, -0.77±0.64 and 0.97±0.52 respectively). Conclusions Improving cardiovascular health could prevent the onset of depression in the elderly. Diabetes and total cholesterol in individuals at high CVR, may play a specific role in the precise response.The PREDIMED-Plus trial was supported by the European Research Council through a grant to MAM (Advanced Research Grant 2013-2018; 340918). The project was also supported by the official funding agency for biomedical research of the Spanish Government (ISCIII) through the Fondo de Investigación para la Salud (FIS), which is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (four coordinated FIS projects), who awarded grants to JS and JV (PI13/00673, PI13/00492, PI13/00272, PI13/01123, PI13/00462, PI13/00233, PI13/02184, PI13/00728, PI13/01090, PI13/01056, PI14/01722, PI14/00636, PI14/00618, PI14/00696, PI14/01206, PI14/01919, PI14/00853, PI14/01374, PI16/00473, PI16/00662, PI16/01873, PI16/01094, PI16/00501, PI16/00533, PI16/00381, PI16/00366, PI16/01522, PI16/01120, PI17/00764, PI17/01183, PI17/00855, PI17/01347, PI17/00525, PI17/01827, PI17/00532, PI17/00215, PI17/01441, PI17/00508, PI17/01732 and PI17/00926). The International Nut&Dried Fruit Council-FESNAD also provided funding through a grant to MAM (201302), and Recercaixa also awarded a grant to JS (2013ACUP00194). The Department of Health, Generalitat de Cataluña by the calls 'Acció instrumental de programes de recerca orientats en lámbit de la recercaila innovació en salut' and 'Pla estrategic de recerca i innovació en salut (PERIS),' also awarded a grant to FF (SLT006/17/00246). This research was also partially funded by: Consejería de Salud de la Junta de Andalucía (PI0458/2013, PS0358/2016, PI0137/2018); Generalitat Valenciana (PROMETEO/2017/017); SEMERGEN, CIBEROBN, FEDER and ISCIII (CB06/03); EU-H2020 Grants (Eat2beNICE/h2020-sfs-2016-2, ref.728018; PRIME/h2020-SC1-BHC-2018-2020, ref: 847879)

La ciudad como experiencia de conocimiento: nuevas metodologías de aprendizaje, iniciación a la investigación y extensión universitaria a partir de la historia urbana

Memoria que recoge las actividades desarolladas en el proyecto de Innovación docente 327 de 2020 con título La ciudad como experiencia de conocimiento: nuevas metodologías de aprendizaje, iniciación a la investigación y extensión universitaria a partir de la historia urbana y dirigido por Rubén Pallol Trigueros

Repositioning of the global epicentre of non-optimal cholesterol

High blood cholesterol is typically considered a feature of wealthy western countries(1,2). However, dietary and behavioural determinants of blood cholesterol are changing rapidly throughout the world(3) and countries are using lipid-lowering medications at varying rates. These changes can have distinct effects on the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol, which have different effects on human health(4,5). However, the trends of HDL and non-HDL cholesterol levels over time have not been previously reported in a global analysis. Here we pooled 1,127 population-based studies that measured blood lipids in 102.6 million individuals aged 18 years and older to estimate trends from 1980 to 2018 in mean total, non-HDL and HDL cholesterol levels for 200 countries. Globally, there was little change in total or non-HDL cholesterol from 1980 to 2018. This was a net effect of increases in low- and middle-income countries, especially in east and southeast Asia, and decreases in high-income western countries, especially those in northwestern Europe, and in central and eastern Europe. As a result, countries with the highest level of non-HDL cholesterol-which is a marker of cardiovascular riskchanged from those in western Europe such as Belgium, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Malta in 1980 to those in Asia and the Pacific, such as Tokelau, Malaysia, The Philippines and Thailand. In 2017, high non-HDL cholesterol was responsible for an estimated 3.9 million (95% credible interval 3.7 million-4.2 million) worldwide deaths, half of which occurred in east, southeast and south Asia. The global repositioning of lipid-related risk, with non-optimal cholesterol shifting from a distinct feature of high-income countries in northwestern Europe, north America and Australasia to one that affects countries in east and southeast Asia and Oceania should motivate the use of population-based policies and personal interventions to improve nutrition and enhance access to treatment throughout the world.Peer reviewe