Intentional Occlusion of the Left Subclavian Artery during Endovascular Repair of Descending Thoracic Aorta

The safety and efficacy of endovascular repair of descending thoracic aorta depends on certain anatomical conditions, in particular the presence of a healthy segment of the aorta (proximal neck). In a significant proportion of patients, the proximal neck is inadequate or non-existent. A bypass or transposition of the left subclavian artery would maintain an adequate perfusion of the left arm after stent-graft implantation. However, this surgical approach is not always feasible in unstable patients who are treated urgently or that have multiple comorbidities.ObjectiveEvaluate the clinical and neurological consequences of intentional occlusion of the left subclavian artery during endovascular repair of descending thoracic aorta.Material and MethodsBetween August 1999 and February 2010, 136 patients were consecutively treated with implantation of self-expandable stent-grafts. In 29 patients (21%) with absence of an adequate proximal neck (healthy aorta sector ≥ 15mm in length), it had to be intentionally covered the origin of the left subclavian artery. In all cases, before procedure it was carried out a selective angiography of the right vertebral artery in order to confirm the permeability of this and the conformation of the vertebrobasilar circulation.   IntroducciónLa seguridad y la eficacia del tratamiento endovascular de la aorta torácica descendente dependen de ciertas condiciones anatómicas y en particular de la presencia de un segmento sano de aorta (cuello proximal). En una proporción importante de pacientes, este cuello proximal es insuficiente o inexistente. Un ObjetivoEvaluar las consecuencias clínicas y neurológicas de la oclusión intencional de la arteria subclavia izquierda durante el tratamiento endovascular de la aorta torácica descendente.Material y métodosEntre agosto de 1999 y febrero de 2010, 136 pacientes fueron tratados consecutivamente con implante de endoprótesis autoexpandibles. En 29 pacientes (21%) con ausencia de un cuello proximal adecuado (sector sano de aorta ≥ 15 mm de longitud) se debió cubrir intencionalmente el origen de la arteria subclavia izquierda. (resumen completo en pdf)

<i>Burkholderia puraquae</i> sp. nov., a novel species of the <i>Burkholderia cepacia</i> complex isolated from hospital settings and agricultural soils

Bacteria from the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) are capable of causing severe infections in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). These opportunistic pathogens are also widely distributed in natural and man-made environments. After a 12-year epidemiological surveillance involving Bcc bacteria from respiratory secretions of Argentinean patients with CF and from hospital settings, we found six isolates of the Bcc with a concatenated species-specific allele sequence that differed by more than 3% from those of the Bcc with validly published names. According to the multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA), these isolates clustered with the agricultural soil strain, Burkholderia sp. PBP 78, which was already deposited in the PubMLST database. The isolates were examined using a polyphasic approach, which included 16S rRNA, recA, Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), DNA base composition, average nucleotide identities (ANIs), fatty acid profiles, and biochemical characterizations. The results of the present study demonstrate that the seven isolates represent a single novel species within the Bcc, for which the name Burkholderia puraquae sp. nov. is proposed. Burkholderia puraquae sp. nov. CAMPA 1040T (=LMG 29660T=DSM 103137T) was designated the type strain of the novel species, which can be differentiated from other species of the Bcc mainly from recA gene sequence analysis, MLSA, ANIb, MALDI-TOF MS analysis, and some biochemical tests, including the ability to grow at 42 ºC, aesculin hydrolysis, and lysine decarboxylase and β-galactosidase activities.Facultad de Ciencias ExactasCentro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones IndustrialesInstituto de Biotecnologia y Biologia Molecula

<i>Burkholderia puraquae</i> sp. nov., a novel species of the <i>Burkholderia cepacia</i> complex isolated from hospital settings and agricultural soils

Bacteria from the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) are capable of causing severe infections in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). These opportunistic pathogens are also widely distributed in natural and man-made environments. After a 12-year epidemiological surveillance involving Bcc bacteria from respiratory secretions of Argentinean patients with CF and from hospital settings, we found six isolates of the Bcc with a concatenated species-specific allele sequence that differed by more than 3% from those of the Bcc with validly published names. According to the multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA), these isolates clustered with the agricultural soil strain, Burkholderia sp. PBP 78, which was already deposited in the PubMLST database. The isolates were examined using a polyphasic approach, which included 16S rRNA, recA, Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), DNA base composition, average nucleotide identities (ANIs), fatty acid profiles, and biochemical characterizations. The results of the present study demonstrate that the seven isolates represent a single novel species within the Bcc, for which the name Burkholderia puraquae sp. nov. is proposed. Burkholderia puraquae sp. nov. CAMPA 1040T (=LMG 29660T=DSM 103137T) was designated the type strain of the novel species, which can be differentiated from other species of the Bcc mainly from recA gene sequence analysis, MLSA, ANIb, MALDI-TOF MS analysis, and some biochemical tests, including the ability to grow at 42 ºC, aesculin hydrolysis, and lysine decarboxylase and β-galactosidase activities.Facultad de Ciencias ExactasCentro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones IndustrialesInstituto de Biotecnologia y Biologia Molecula

Biología de los anfibios y reptiles en el bosque seco tropical del norte de Colombia.

Los anfibios y reptiles son animales asombrosos y su biología es mucho más Fascinante y variada de lo que originalmente se consideraba. Esta afirmación se soporta fácilmente en múltiples aspectos, entre los cuales sobresale, su reproducción (Duellman &amp; Trueb 1994; Wells 2007; Balshine 2012; Gómez-Mestre et al. 2012; Vitt &amp; Caldwell 2014; Pough et al. 2016). En los anfibios, por ejemplo, muchas especies no dejan sus huevos en charcas y lagunas, como tradicionalmente ha creído el común de las personas, sino que las hembras los depositan en ambientes terrestres, tales como la superficie de hojas o en ambientes húmedos que se dan a nivel del suelo entre hojarasca y bajo troncos caídos, piedras o raíces de árboles (Duellman &amp; Trueb 1994; Crump 2015). Más aún, hay especies cuya reproducción es tan especializada que los padres o madres transportan a los renacuajos en diferentes partes de su cuerpo , ya sea, por pocas horas o días, mientras los depositan en ambientes específicos, o hasta que las crías terminan su ciclo de metamorfosis y se desarrollen como un adulto, pero en miniatura  (Noble 1927; Mendelson et al. 2000; Castroviejo-Fisher et al. 2015). Con respecto a los reptiles, hay ejemplos de especies, donde, - las hembras no requieren que un gameto masculino fertilice sus óvulos para producir crías, o especies, donde el sexo de la progenie no está determinado genéticamente, sino por la temperatura ambiental, lo cual, permiten la incubación de huevos (Tinkle &amp; Gibbons 1977; Shine 1995; Vitt &amp; Caldwell 2014). Los factores o procesos asociados a la evolución de este último aspecto en la reproducción de reptiles, es todo un enigma para los científicos (BlacNburn 2006; Shine 2015). Estos y muchos más ejemplos, que se encuentran a lo largo de este libro, contradicen la imagen que durante décadas se tuvo de los anfibios y reptiles, incluso, por científicos y naturalistas tan prestigiosos como, Carlos Linneo, quien afirmó que estos vertebrados eran animales repulsivos, en los cuales el creador no había ejercido toda su sabiduría y poder (Halliday &amp; Adler 1986)