5 research outputs found
First record of an infection by tissue cyst-forming coccidia in wild vizcachas (Lagostomus maximus, Rodentia) of Argentina
Endoparasites of the Sarcocystidae family share the ability to form tissue cysts in their intermediate hosts, ultimately leading to pathogenesis in the definitive hosts that include various mammals, reptiles and birds. In our research on the endocrinology of the female vizcachas (Lagostomus maximus), we have found abnormal cystic structures in the ovaries of some individuals. So far, no cases of infection by tissue cyst-forming parasites have been reported in this species. To evaluate whether this autochthonous wild rodent is an intermediate host of an undescribed endoparasite, histological sections from various organs were examined. Pinhead-sized tissue cysts were found in the ovaries, mammary glands, uterus, pituitary, brain, adrenals and spleen, of both pregnant and non-pregnant females. The presence of cysts in the adult brain and embryonic tissue is indicative of the ability of the parasite to cross both the blood-brain and placental barriers. The infected brains exhibited a lower cyst density than that seen in other organs. Regardless of their location in superficial or deep tissue, the cysts were surrounded by a layer of connective tissue. Histologically, the cyst wall consisted of an outer layer of fibroblasts and collagen fibers, and an inner, granular-looking layer composed of host nucleated cells surrounding thousands of spindle-shaped bradyzoites. Outside the cysts, the host cellular structures showed normal appearance. The remarkable morphological similarities between the cysts studied here with those reported in naturally infected rabbits from an area neighboring the one inhabited by the vizcachas point to Besnoitia sp. as a plausible candidate. More studies will be necessary to confirm the identity of the parasite. Nevertheless, this is the first report of L. maximus as an intermediate host for a tissue cyst-forming coccidia.Fil: Cwirenbaum, Ruth Ana. Universidad Maimónides. Área de Investigaciones Biomédicas y Biotecnológicas. Centro de Estudios Biomédicos, Biotecnológicos, Ambientales y de Diagnóstico; ArgentinaFil: Schmidt, Alejandro Raúl. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Maimónides. Área de Investigaciones Biomédicas y Biotecnológicas. Centro de Estudios Biomédicos, Biotecnológicos, Ambientales y de Diagnóstico; ArgentinaFil: Cortasa, Santiago Andrés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Maimónides. Área de Investigaciones Biomédicas y Biotecnológicas. Centro de Estudios Biomédicos, Biotecnológicos, Ambientales y de Diagnóstico; ArgentinaFil: Corso, María Clara. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Maimónides. Área de Investigaciones Biomédicas y Biotecnológicas. Centro de Estudios Biomédicos, Biotecnológicos, Ambientales y de Diagnóstico; ArgentinaFil: Vitullo, Alfredo Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Maimónides. Área de Investigaciones Biomédicas y Biotecnológicas. Centro de Estudios Biomédicos, Biotecnológicos, Ambientales y de Diagnóstico; ArgentinaFil: Dorfman, Verónica Berta. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Maimónides. Área de Investigaciones Biomédicas y Biotecnológicas. Centro de Estudios Biomédicos, Biotecnológicos, Ambientales y de Diagnóstico; ArgentinaFil: Halperin, Julia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Maimónides. Área de Investigaciones Biomédicas y Biotecnológicas. Centro de Estudios Biomédicos, Biotecnológicos, Ambientales y de Diagnóstico; Argentin
Neutral Endopeptidase Up-Regulation in Isolated Human Umbilical Artery: Involvement in Desensitization of Bradykinin-Induced Vasoconstrictor Effects
Sex as a prognostic factor for mortality in critically ill adults with sepsis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Objective To assess the role of sex as an independent
prognostic factor for mortality in patients with sepsis
admitted to intensive care units (ICUs).
Design Systematic review and meta-analysis.
Data sources MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science,
ClinicalTrials. gov and the WHO Clinical Trials Registry from
inception to 17 July 2020.
Study selection Studies evaluating independent
associations between sex and mortality in critically ill
adults with sepsis controlling for at least one of five core
covariate domains prespecified following a literature
search and consensus among experts.
Data extraction and synthesis Two authors
independently extracted and assessed the risk of bias
using Quality In Prognosis Studies tool. Meta-analysis
was performed by pooling adjusted estimates. The Grades
of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and
Evaluation approach was used to rate the certainty of
evidence.
Results From 14 304 records, 13 studies (80 520
participants) were included. Meta-analysis
did not find
sex-based
differences in all-cause
hospital mortality (OR
1.02, 95% CI 0.79 to 1.32; very low-certainty
evidence)
and all-cause
ICU mortality (OR 1.19, 95% CI 0.79 to 1.78;
very low-certainty
evidence). However, females presented
higher 28-day
all-cause
mortality (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.05
to 1.32; very low-certainty
evidence) and lower 1-year
all-cause
mortality (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.68 to 0.98; low-certainty
evidence). There was a moderate risk of bias in
the domain adjustment for other prognostic factors in six
studies, and the certainty of evidence was further affected
by inconsistency and imprecision.
Conclusion The prognostic independent effect of sex on
all-cause
hospital mortality, 28-day
all-cause
mortality
and all-cause
ICU mortality for critically ill adults with
sepsis was uncertain. Female sex may be associated with
decreased 1-year
all-cause
mortality.post-print1281 K
Strain-specific predation of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus on Pseudomonas aeruginosa with a higher range for cystic fibrosis than for bacteremia isolates
7 p.-1 fig.This work aimed to evaluate the predatory activity of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus 109J on clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa selected from well-characterized collections of cystic fibrosis (CF) lung colonization (n = 30) and bloodstream infections (BSI) (n = 48) including strains selected by genetic lineage (frequent and rare sequence types), antibiotic resistance phenotype (susceptible and multidrug-resistant isolates), and colony phenotype (mucoid and non-mucoid isolates). The intraspecies predation range (I-PR) was defined as the proportion of susceptible strains within the entire collection. In contrast, the predation efficiency (PE) is the ratio of viable prey cells remaining after predation compared to the initial inoculum. I-PR was significantly higher for CF (67%) than for BSI P. aeruginosa isolates (35%) probably related to an environmental origin of CF strains whereas invasive strains are more adapted to humans. I-PR correlation with bacterial features such as mucoid morphotype, genetic background, or antibiotic susceptibility profile was not detected. To test the possibility of increasing I-PR of BSI isolates, a polyhydroxyalkanoate depolymerase deficient B. bacteriovorus bd2637 mutant was used. Global median I-PR and PE values remained constant for both predators, but 31.2% of 109J-resistant isolates were susceptible to the mutant, and 22.9% of 109J-susceptible isolates showed resistance to predation by the mutant, pointing to a predator–prey specificity process. The potential use of predators in the clinical setting should be based on the determination of the I-PR for each species, and the PE of each particular target strain.CH is supported by Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid (PEJD-2018-POST/BMD-8016). CS is granted by “Fundación Mutua Madrileña” achieved in 2017 call by RDC (AP165902017). SSB is a recipient of a predoctoral FPU grant (FPU17/03978) from the Spanish Ministry of Universities. This work was supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, PI17/00115 and PI20/00164 to RdC, REIPI (RD16/0016/0011) actions, co-financed by the European Development Regional Fund “A way to achieve Europe” (ERDF), and Vertex Pharmaceuticals.Peer reviewe
Evaluation of the role of sex as a prognostic factor in critically ill adults with sepsis : systematic review protocol
Sepsis is a leading cause of mortality in critically ill patients. Recently, it has been recognised that sex may contribute to a differential risk for developing sepsis and it remains uncertain if the prognosis of sepsis varies between the sexes. The aim of this systematic review is to summarise the available evidence to assess the role of sex as a prognostic factor in patients with sepsis managed in the intensive care unit (ICU). This is a systematic review protocol of prognostic studies of sex in patients with sepsis managed in the ICU. The primary outcomes include all-cause hospital mortality and all-cause hospital mortality during the first 28 days. The secondary outcomes include all-cause hospital mortality during the first 7 days and all-cause mortality at 1 year. We will conduct a search strategy based on the population (sepsis), the prognostic factor (sex), the outcome of interest (mortality) and prognostic study methods. We will search in the following databases up to December 2019: MEDLINE Ovid (from 1976), Embase Elsevier (from 1974), Web of Science and two trial registries. We will impose no language restrictions. Two authors will independently screen titles, abstracts and full-text articles for eligibility of studies, and subsequently extract data. Two authors will independently assess the risk of bias of each study using the Quality in Prognostic Studies (QUIPS) tool. If possible, we will carry out a meta-analysis to provide a pooled prognostic effect estimate for each outcome. We will use the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system to assess the quality of evidence. Ethical approval will not be required. Findings from this review will be reported in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Additionally, the results will be disseminated at conferences and in the mass media. CRD42019145054