The charming physician (El médico encantador): neurological conditions in a short story by Silvina Ocampo

ABSTRACT The Argentinian author Silvina Ocampo (1903-1993) left us a vast body of works which are considered outstanding in many ways. In 1960, she published a short story, entitled “El médico encantador” (The Charming Physician), in the renowned literary magazine Sur. The central character of this piece is a family doctor named Albino Morgan, who had a secret truth: in any house he visited, all variety of disease also entered. He brought with him the viruses he disseminated. The narrator of this short story—one of his patients—describes four of Morgan’s diseases. These imaginary neurological conditions allowed Ocampo to explore improbable situations in everyday life. Keywords: neurology; medicine in literature; medicine in art; agnosia; sleep initiation and maintenance disorders RESUMO A autora argentina Silvina Ocampo (1903-1993) deixou-nos uma vasta obra que é considerada excelente de várias maneiras. Em 1960, publicou um conto, intitulado “El médico encantador” (O médico encantador), na famosa revista literária Sur. O personagem principal desta obra é um médico de família chamado Albino Morgan que possuía uma verdade secreta: em qualquer casa que ele visitava, também entrava toda a diversidade de doenças. O narrador deste conto -um dos seus pacientes- descreve quatro das doenças de Morgan. Estas condições neurológicas imaginárias permitiu a Ocampo explorar as situações improváveis da vida quotidiana. Palabras-Clave: neurologia; medicina na literatura; medicina na arte; agnosia; distúrbios do início e da manutenção do sono

UNA INTRODUCCIÓN CONCEPTUAL AL BPM Y BI A CONCEPTUAL INTRODUCTION TO BPM AND BI

Este artículo está enfocado en la conceptualización de BPM como una tecnología dirigida al mejoramiento organizacional, en algunos de los conceptos más importantes como son la notación utilizada y los flujos de trabajo, que poseen un vínculo concreto con procesos de negocio. Se conceptualiza la inteligencia de negocios (BI) que también se presenta como un recurso de soporte en la toma de decisiones empresariales. Tanto BPM como BI son estrategias que apoyan la consecución de objetivos empresariales como por ejemplo mantener buenos niveles de competitividad

Evaluation of the radioactive impact of the phosphogypsum wastes used as amendment in agriculture soils

Some 3x109 kg of phosphogypsum (PG) wastes are annually generated by two fertiliser-production factories in Huelva (south-western Spain). PG has relatively high concentrations of 226Ra and other radionuclides, with an special concern due to the 222Rn emissions. These wastes could be used to improve the fertility of agriculture soils in a large former marsh area of the Guadalquivir river. Thus, it is interesting to study the levels and behaviour of natural radionuclides within this system to evaluate the radioactive impact of this amendment. An agronomical test is being conducted by one of the authors in an experimental farm in Lebrija (Seville). The soils are treated with 13 and 26 t ha-1 of PG, 30 t ha-1 of manure. Each treatment was repeated twice and continued for two years with beetroot and cotton plant production. We are measuring 226Ra (by alpha counting and gamma spectrometry) and U isotopes (by alpha spectrometry and ICP-MS analysis) in drainage waters, soils and vegetal-tissues samples. The PG used in the treatment has 620 ± 70 Bq kg-1 of 226Ra. The drainage waters have 226Ra contents similar to those from non-contaminated natural waters, but the uranium concentrations are one order of magnitude higher. Our results are suggesting that the major uranium input comes from the application of phosphatefertiliser. No significant levels of radionuclides were found in the vegetal tissues.ENRES

Salivary β2-microglobulin positively correlates with ESSPRI in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome

Primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) is a systemic autoimmune disorder largely distinguished by lymphocytic exocrinopathy.1 Salivary and lachrymal glands are mainly impaired in pSS. Saliva is therefore considered an optimal biological fluid that closely reflects the underlying autoimmune exocrinopathy.1,2 For instance, in those wit

Industrialización de Leguminosas, Lenteja (lens culinaris) y Garbanzo (cicer arietinum), Venoga

The following investigation was aimed to elaborate a vegetal product (sausage) based on lentil (Lens culinaris) and chickpea (Cicer arietinum), focused on the industrialization of these legumes which are aimed at the population that has a vegetarian lifestyle or vegan, athletes or those who are headed for a healthy life. The research was carried out in the Laboratory of Investigation of the Meat Industry of Agroindustrial Engineering Career. The vegetable product was made from lentil and chickpea, which were used in greater proportion in the formulation in order to be the meat substitute; the combination of legumes and cereals provides the essential amino acids for proper nutrition so it was necessary to incorporate wheat flour and soy protein. On the other hand, in order to obtain a homogeneous paste, the use of cassava starch and carrageenan was chosen due to its binder function. For its flavoring, cumin, garlic, onion, salt and pepper powder were used, thus allowing the taste of the original product to be maintained. "VENOGA" was subjected to a sensorial analysis to obtain the best treatment by means of a completely randomized block design with factorial arrangement of (3x2), it was verified that the best treatment was t_3 with a concentration of 50% of lentil, 50% of chickpea and at a blanching temperature of 80 ° C x 15 min. These are the ideal variables to obtain a product with characteristics similar to a common sausage. According to the nutritional analysis performed in LABOLAB, the vegetable product of 500 g of sample tube the following percentages 64.02% of humidity, 11.84% of protein, 0.41% of fat, 3.01% of ash, 0 , 02% fiber, 0.00% sugar, 20.70% total carbohydrate, 188.72% sodium, 0.00% cholesterol and 0.48% sodium chloride. The microbiological analysis of the best treatment indicates that the plant product is within the limits established by the INEN 1338 standard being a suitable product for consumption. The yield of raw materials, inputs, condiments and additives was 149.34%, due to the gain of weight when incorporating water in the “cuteriado” process. Talking about the cost of the best treatment was worth $1.88 PVP in a presentation of 500 g that was obtained, reaching to the conclusion that the product in addition to being healthy is affordable with the pric, for people who are fed differently.El presente trabajo tuvo como objetivo elaborar un producto vegetal (embutido) a base de lenteja (Lens culinaris) y garbanzo (Cicer arietinum), se enfocó en la industrialización de dichas leguminosas las cuales están destinadas a la población que tiene un estilo de vida vegetariano o vegano, a deportistas o a quienes están encaminados a una vida saludable. La investigación se llevó acabo en el Laboratorio de Investigación de Industria Cárnica de la Carrera de Ingeniería Agroindustrial. El producto vegetal se elaboró a partir de lenteja y el garbanzo, las cuales se utilizaron en mayor proporción en la formulación a fin de ser el sustituto de la carne; la combinación de leguminosas y cereales proporciona los aminoácidos esenciales para una adecuada nutrición por lo que fue necesaria la incorporación de harina de trigo y proteína de soya. Por otro lado, a fin de conseguir una pasta homogénea se optó por el uso de almidón de yuca y carragenina debido a su función aglutinante. Para su condimentación se usó comino, ajo, cebolla, sal y pimienta en polvo permitiendo de esta manera mantener el sabor del producto original. “VENOGA” se sometió a un análisis sensorial para obtener el mejor tratamiento con el cual mediante un diseño de bloques completamente al azar con arreglo factorial de (3x2) se comprobó que el mejor tratamiento fue el t_3 con una concentración de 50$1,88 en una presentación de 500 gr, llegando a la conclusión que el producto además de ser saludable tiene un precio accesible para aquellas personas que se alimentan de forma diferente

Isolated HBsAg positivity in a Mexican patient with newly diagnosed lupus nephritis

Abstract Introduction: Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is usually regarded as a marker of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The concurrence of lupus nephritis (LN) and HBsAg-positivity is a challenge for the clinician, since immunosuppressant use may be associated with an increase in viral replication and an exacerbation of liver disease. Case presentation: Here, we describe the case of a 30-year-old Mexican woman with newly diagnosed focal proliferative LN who also tested repeatedly positive for HBsAg by chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA). She had no clinical features of hepatitis and her liver function tests were within normal limits. Her abdominal ultrasound was also normal. While waiting for further results, she was started on lamivudine (100 mg daily). However, total HBV core antibody test was negative. Owing to the infrequency of this serological pattern, an in vitro polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was performed and HBV was not detected. Overall, we interpreted these results as a false-positive screening. Methylprednisolone pulse therapy was subsequently given (1 g daily for three doses) without hepatic repercussion, neither clinically nor biochemically. Conclusions: Isolated HBsAg positivity may result from multiple causes, one of which is crossreactivity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a false-positive reading using CMIA technique in an active lupus patient. It is reasonable to stress that lupus patients with a positive screening for HBV should undergo a confirmatory assay (such as genomic detection), since this diagnosis may have important therapeutic implications. � 2016 Egyptian Society of Rheumatic Diseases. Publishing services provided by Elsevier. B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Circulating Undercarboxylated Osteocalcin as Estimator of Cardiovascular and Type 2 Diabetes Risk in Metabolic Syndrome Patients

Undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC) could be a biomarker of glucose disturbances and cardiovascular risk. Our study aimed to determine the association between serum levels of ucOC and cardiovascular risk in metabolic syndrome (MetS) patients and to analyse its potential role as estimator of type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk in this population. This cross-sectional study included 235 patients with MetS, 53.2% women, aged 55–75 years. Circulating ucOC levels were measured by ELISA. Cardiovascular risk was determined as Z-score of the diagnostic criteria for MetS (CV-ZS). Linear regression model was performed to analyse the association between circulating ucOC and CV-ZS. A receiver operating curve (ROC) was performed to analyse the usefulness of ucOC as T2D risk estimator. Patients above the CV-ZS median showed signifcant lower ucOC levels. We found an inverse association between ucOC levels and CV-ZS in MetS patients without T2D. Patients with ucOC levels below the 25th percentile showed worse cardiometabolic profle and higher cardiovascular and T2D risk. The area under the curve performed better when ucOC levels were included along with the classic T2D risk factors. The measurement of circulating ucOC could be a useful tool to identify increased cardiovascular and T2D risk in MetS patients without T2D.Junta de Andalucia PI-0207-2016European Union (EU) PI18-00803 PI18-0123

Phosphogypsum Amendment Effect on Radionuclide Content in Drainage Water and Marsh Soils from Southwestern Spain

Phosphogypsum (PG) is a residue of the phosphate fertilizer industry that has relatively high concentrations of 226Ra and other radionuclides. Thus, it is interesting to study the effect of PG applied as a Ca amendment on the levels and behavior of radionuclides in agricultural soils. A study involving treatments with 13 and 26 Mg ha−1 of PG and 30 Mg ha−1 of manure was performed, measuring 226Ra and U isotopes in drainage water, soil, and plant samples. The PG used in the treatment had 510 ± 40 Bq kg−1 of 226Ra. The 226Ra concentrations in drainage waters from PG-amended plots were similar (between 2.6 and 7.2 mBq L−1) to that reported for noncontaminated waters. Although no significant effect due to PG was observed, the U concentrations in drainage waters (200 mBq L−1 for 238U) were one order of magnitude higher than those described in noncontaminated waters. This high content in U can be ascribed to desorption processes mainly related to the natural adsorbed pool in soil (25 Bq kg−1 of 238U). This is supported by the 234U to 238U isotopic ratio of 1.16 in drainage waters versus secular equilibrium in PG and P fertilizers. The progressive enrichment in 226Ra concentration in soils due to PG treatment cannot be concluded from our present data. This PG treatment does not determine any significant difference in 226Ra concentration in drainage waters or in plant material [cotton (Gossipium hirsutum L.) leaves]. No significant levels of radionuclides except 40K were found in the vegetal tissues.ENRESA AGF97-1102-CO2-01Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología (CICYT) AMB97-1720-C