Antimicrobial Activity in the Pallial Cavity Fluids of the Oyster Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin) from a Highly Impacted Harbor in Western Long Island Sound

Fluid and its associatedmucus from the pallial (mantle) cavity of eastern oysters Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin) from Black RockHarbor, Bridgeport, Connecticut, inhibited growth of both Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Serratia marcescens, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus) bacteria in antimicrobial assays. In the presence of oyster fluid, E. coli resulted in significant reduction in growth after 26 h. Soluble lysozyme activity in pallial cavity fluid of oysters collected in the fall was 3 times greater than that measured in combined winter—spring—summer samples (P = 0.0008). During the course of the study, copper concentrations in pallial cavity fluid ranged from 0.60–2.49 ppm and zinc concentrations ranged from 9.7–61.0 ppm. Copper concentrations remained relatively constant throughout the study; the highest zinc concentrations were recorded in the fall. Fall antimicrobial assays showed heightened antimicrobial activity compared with the spring, which may be the result of increased lysozyme activity and higher zinc concentrations present in the pallial cavity fluid at that time of year. Results of this study suggest that pallial cavity fluid and its associated mucus likely serve an important role in defense-related functions as the first line of defense against infections from environmental pathogens in Crassostrea virginica

Ventricular repolarization dispersion during ischemia course measured by temporal and spatial electrocardiographic parameters

In this work we studied the evolution of increased ventricular repolarization dispersion (VRD) in the ECG during ischemia induced by Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA). T-wave duration is measured by an automatic delineator and proposed as a index to quantify increased VRD. Moreover, spatial complexity of repolarization is measured by Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) related indexes. Results showed a statistically significant widening of T-wave peak-to-end during PTCA procedure in RCA and LAD occluded patients. Besides, a statistically significant dynamic change of the dipolar components was observed during PTCA in RCA, LAD and LCx occluded patients. On the other hand, the relative energy of non-dipolar components did not change during the time course of increased VRD evolution.Fil: Arini, Pedro David. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Saavedra 15. Instituto Argentino de Matemática Alberto Calderón; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería; ArgentinaFil: Baglivo, F. H.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería; ArgentinaFil: Martinez, J. P.. Universidad de Zaragoza; EspañaFil: Laguna, P.. Universidad de Zaragoza; EspañaXXXV International Conference on Computers in CardiologyBolognaItaliaIEEE Computer Societ

Consciousness transitions during epilepsy seizures through the lens of integrated information theory

Abstract Consciousness is one of the most complex aspects of human experience. Studying the mechanisms involved in the transitions among different levels of consciousness remains as one of the greatest challenges in neuroscience. In this study we use a measure of integrated information (ΦAR) to evaluate dynamic changes during consciousness transitions. We applied the measure to intracranial electroencephalography (SEEG) recordings collected from 6 patients that suffer from refractory epilepsy, taking into account inter-ictal, pre-ictal and ictal periods. We analyzed the dynamical evolution of ΦAR in groups of electrode contacts outside the epileptogenic region and compared it with the Consciousness Seizure Scale (CCS). We show that changes on ΦAR are significantly correlated with changes in the reported states of consciousness

Thrombose des sinus veineux cerebraux dans la maladie de Behcet: description d'un cas et revue de la literature. [Cerebral sinus thrombosis in Behcet disease: case report and review of the literature]

BACKGROUND: Behcet's disease is a chronic inflammatory disorder, clinically characterised by multisystemic vasculitis. Primary neurologic involvement in childhood is quite exceptional. We report a case of a child with recurrent venous thrombosis of the dural sinus. Behcet's disease was diagnosed. HISTORY AND SIGNS: A 13-year-old boy from Eritrea was referred to our clinic with severe headaches and photophobia one month after onset. Ophthalmological examination disclosed a bilateral papilledema. Recurrent oral ulcers and pseudo-folliculitis were present. Pathergy test was positive. THERAPY AND OUTCOME: Complementary investigations disclosed an inflammatory syndrome. Computertomography was normal. Cranial magnetic resonance venography disclosed multiple cerebral sinus thrombosis (superior sagittal sinus, sigmoid sinus and lateral left sinus). There was no evidence of infectious, inflammatory or hypercoagulation disorder. A Behcet's disease was diagnosed based on the medical history and clinical examination. Whilst his general health deteriorated rapidly before treatment, he improved quickly after the onset of therapy with immunosuppression (Prednisone and Ciclosporine) in combination with anticoagulation (coumarin/Sintrom). CONCLUSION: Behcet's disease is uncommon and difficult to diagnose in children. Neurologic involvement as a first presentation is rarely described, but might be underestimated. We emphasise, therefore, the systematic application of magnetic resonance venography in children with unclear persistent headaches