Recreational exposure during algal bloom in carrasco beach, uruguay: A liver failure case report

In January 2015, a 20-month-old child and her family took part in recreational activities at Carrasco and Malvín beaches (Montevideo, Uruguay). An intense harmful algae bloom (HAB) was developing along the coast at that time. A few hours after the last recreational exposure episode, the family suffered gastrointestinal symptoms which were self-limited except in the child’s case, who was admitted to hospital in Uruguay with diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue, and jaundice. The patient had increased serum levels of liver enzymes and bilirubin and five days later presented acute liver failure. She was referred to the Italian Hospital in Buenos Aires, being admitted with grade II-III encephalopathy and hepatomegaly and requiring mechanical respiratory assistance. Serology tests for hepatitis A, B, and C, Epstein-Barr virus, and cytomegalovirus were negative. Laboratory features showed anemia, coagulopathy, and increased serum levels of ammonium, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and bilirubin. Autoimmune Hepatitis Type-II (AH-II) was the initial diagnosis based on a liver kidney microsomal type 1 antibodies (LKM-1) positive result, and twenty days later a liver transplant was performed. The liver histopathology had indicated hemorrhagic necrosis in zone 3, and cholestasis and nodular regeneration, which were not characteristic of AH-II. LC/ESI-HRMS (liquid chromatography electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry) analysis of MCs in the explanted liver revealed the presence of Microsytin-LR (MC-LR) (2.4 ng·gr-1 tissue) and [D-Leu1]MC-LR (75.4 ng·gr-1 tissue), which constitute a toxicological nexus and indicate a preponderant role of microcystins in the development of fulminant hepatitis.Fil: Vidal, Flavia. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Sedan, Daniela Yazmine. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Departamento de Química. Centro de Investigaciones del Medio Ambiente; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: D'Agostino, Daniel. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Cavalieri, María Lorena. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Mullen, Eduardo. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Parot Varela, María Macarena. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Flores, Cintia. Instituto de Diagnóstico Ambiental y Estudios del Agua; EspañaFil: Caixach, Josep. Instituto de Diagnóstico Ambiental y Estudios del Agua; EspañaFil: Andrinolo, Dario. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Departamento de Química. Centro de Investigaciones del Medio Ambiente; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Diabetic Macular Edema Characterization and Visualization Using Optical Coherence Tomography Images

[Abstract] Diabetic Retinopathy and Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) represent one of the main causes of blindness in developed countries. They are characterized by fluid deposits in the retinal layers, causing a progressive vision loss over the time. The clinical literature defines three DME types according to the texture and disposition of the fluid accumulations: Cystoid Macular Edema (CME), Diffuse Retinal Thickening (DRT) and Serous Retinal Detachment (SRD). Detecting each one is essential as, depending on their presence, the expert will decide on the adequate treatment of the pathology. In this work, we propose a robust detection and visualization methodology based on the analysis of independent image regions. We study a complete and heterogeneous library of 375 texture and intensity features in a dataset of 356 labeled images from two of the most used capture devices in the clinical domain: a CIRRUSTM HD-OCT 500 Carl Zeiss Meditec and 179 OCT images from a modular HRA + OCT SPECTRALIS® from Heidelberg Engineering, Inc. We extracted 33,810 samples for each type of DME for the feature analysis and incremental training of four different classifier paradigms. This way, we achieved an 84.04% average accuracy for CME, 78.44% average accuracy for DRT and 95.40% average accuracy for SRD. These models are used to generate an intuitive visualization of the fluid regions. We use an image sampling and voting strategy, resulting in a system capable of detecting and characterizing the three types of DME presenting them in an intuitive and repeatable way.Xunta de Galicia; ED431G 2019/01This research was funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Government of Spain, DTS18/00136 research project; Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Government of Spain, RTI2018-095894-B-I00 research project, Ayudas para la formación de profesorado universitario (FPU), grant ref. FPU18/02271; CITIC, Centro de Investigación de Galicia ref. ED431G 2019/01, receives financial support from Consellería de Educación, Universidade e Formación Profesional, Xunta de Galicia, through the ERDF (80%) and Secretaría Xeral de Universidades (20%)

Estudio exploratorio sobre el bullying en adolescentes del club de deportes Santiago Wanders de Valparaíso

Tesis (Psicopedagogo, Licenciado en Educación)El objetivo del presente estudio es identificar situaciones de bullying en jugadores adolescentes del Club de Deportes Santiago Wanderers, de Valparaíso. La muestra fue de 135 jugadores, los cuales tienen entre 11 y 16 años. Se les aplicó el Cuestionario de Bullying, el cual está adaptado del Cuestionario de Bienestar Escolar Único-CUBE (en español Cuestionario Único de Bienestar Escolar CUBE) del Ministerio de Educación del Perú, además se realizó un Focus group, dirigido a entrenadores y preparadores físicos. Para examinar los resultados se efectuó un análisis cualitativo y cuantitativo, cuyos resultados evidenciaron que si existen situaciones de bullying, sin embargo la percepción de los jugadores y entrenadores, difieren, ya que los adolescentes normalizan dichos acontecimientos. Por otro lado, se identificó que el tipo de bullying que se da con más recurrencia es el bullying verbal y que el espacio físico donde ocurrían estas situaciones es el bus, seguido por el camarín. Ambos espacios caracterizados por no tener supervisión de adultos. En cuanto a las emociones que experimentan, se menciona la ira como la más vivenciada por los jugadores.The aim of this study is to identify bullying situations in teenage players of the sporting school “Santiago Wanderers” from Valparaiso. The sample has 135 players, between the ages of 11 and 16 years old. A bullying questionnaire was given to them, which was adapted from the Unique School welfare questionnaire, (CUBE in Spanish) from the Ministry of education of Peru. In addition, we performed a focus group directed to coaches and physical trainers. To examine the results, a quantitative and qualitative analysis was carried out, whose results showed that there are situations of bullying. However, the perception of coaches and players differ, because adolescent normalize these situations. Therefore, it was identified that the type of bullying that occurs with greater regularity, is verbal bullying and the physical space where these situations occur in the first place are on the bus, in first place the bus and it is followed by the dressing rooms. Both places characterized by not having adult supervision. And about the emotions they experience, anger is mentioned as the most experienced emotion by players

Estado Nutricional, Hábitos alimentarios, Actividad física y Horas de Sueño en estudiantes de la Patagonia Chilena según las estaciones del año: Estudio Observacional

Introduction:A comparison was made of the nutritional status, eating habits, physical activity and hours of sleep in students from 5th to 8th grade of primary education in a public school in the city of Punta Arenas, Chile, according to the winter and summer seasons, considering the variability weather and sunlight from extreme weather.Materials and methods:Analytical observational study with a quantitative, longitudinal cohort approach. 105 students of both sexes, whose average age was 11.5 years, were followed over a 7-month period. Two measurements of the four variables under study were made (nutritional status, eating habits, physical activity and hours of sleep). Weight and height measurements were made to obtain the Body Mass Index (BMI) to classify the nutritional status according to BMI / age with the growth patterns recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Eating and sleeping habits were evaluated with a self-administered questionnaire and sleeping hours were categorized for age according to the National Sleep Foundation. For the evaluation of physical activity in the students, the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children PAQ-C was used. Data analysis was performed with the SPSSⓇ Version 22 statistical software and the t-student statistical test for related samples.Results: There was no significant difference in the nutritional status by season (p.057). Healthy eating habits and physical activity diminished during summer (p> 0, 05).The hours of sleep did not have significant differences in both seasons with an average of 8.3 hours. Conclusions: Healthy dietary habits and physical activity are altered during the summer. This is possibly associated to school break and there’s no evidence of a direct effect of seasonal nature.Introducción: Se realizó una comparación del estado nutricional, hábitos alimentarios, actividad física y horas de sueño en estudiantes de 5° a 8° grado de educación primaria en una escuela pública de la ciudad Punta Arenas Chile, según las estaciones de invierno y verano considerando la variabilidad climática y de luz solar de un clima extremo.Material y métodos: Estudio observacional analítico de enfoque cuantitativo, longitudinal de cohorte. Se siguieron durante un período de 7 meses a 105 estudiantes de ambos sexos cuya edad promedio fue 11,5 años. Se realizaron dos mediciones de las cuatro variables en estudio (estado nutricional, hábitos alimentarios, actividad física y horas de sueño). Se efectuaron mediciones de peso y talla para la obtención del Índice de Masa Corporal (IMC) para clasificar el estado nutricional según IMC/edad con los patrones de crecimiento recomendados por la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS). Los hábitos alimentarios y sueño fueron evaluados con un cuestionario auto administrado y se categorizó las horas de sueño para la edad según National Sleep Foundation. Para la evaluación de la actividad física en los estudiantes se utilizó la Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children PAQ-C. El análisis de datos se realizó con el Software estadístico SPSSⓇ Versión 22 y la prueba estadística t-student para muestras relacionadas. Resultados: No se encontró diferencia significativa en el estado nutricional (p 0,57). Los hábitos alimentarios saludables y la actividad física disminuyen en la estación de verano (p> 0,05). Las horas de sueño no tuvieron diferencias significativas en ambas estaciones con un promedio de 8,3 horas. Conclusiones: Los hábitos alimentarios saludables y de actividad física disminuyen en la estación de verano posiblemente asociados al receso escolar, sin evidenciar un efecto directo de la estación de año sobre las variables estudiadas

Evaluation of mammographic density patterns: reproducibility and concordance among scales

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Increased mammographic breast density is a moderate risk factor for breast cancer. Different scales have been proposed for classifying mammographic density. This study sought to assess intra-rater agreement for the most widely used scales (Wolfe, Tabár, BI-RADS and Boyd) and compare them in terms of classifying mammograms as high- or low-density.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study covered 3572 mammograms drawn from women included in the DDM-Spain study, carried-out in seven Spanish Autonomous Regions. Each mammogram was read by an expert radiologist and classified using the Wolfe, Tabár, BI-RADS and Boyd scales. In addition, 375 mammograms randomly selected were read a second time to estimate intra-rater agreement for each scale using the kappa statistic. Owing to the ordinal nature of the scales, weighted kappa was computed. The entire set of mammograms (3572) was used to calculate agreement among the different scales in classifying high/low-density patterns, with the kappa statistic being computed on a pair-wise basis. High density was defined as follows: percentage of dense tissue greater than 50% for the Boyd, "heterogeneously dense and extremely dense" categories for the BI-RADS, categories P2 and DY for the Wolfe, and categories IV and V for the Tabár scales.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There was good agreement between the first and second reading, with weighted kappa values of 0.84 for Wolfe, 0.71 for Tabár, 0.90 for BI-RADS, and 0.92 for Boyd scale. Furthermore, there was substantial agreement among the different scales in classifying high- versus low-density patterns. Agreement was almost perfect between the quantitative scales, Boyd and BI-RADS, and good for those based on the observed pattern, i.e., Tabár and Wolfe (kappa 0.81). Agreement was lower when comparing a pattern-based (Wolfe or Tabár) versus a quantitative-based (BI-RADS or Boyd) scale. Moreover, the Wolfe and Tabár scales classified more mammograms in the high-risk group, 46.61 and 37.32% respectively, while this percentage was lower for the quantitative scales (21.89% for BI-RADS and 21.86% for Boyd).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Visual scales of mammographic density show a high reproducibility when appropriate training is provided. Their ability to distinguish between high and low risk render them useful for routine use by breast cancer screening programs. Quantitative-based scales are more specific than pattern-based scales in classifying populations in the high-risk group.</p

High-resolution late Holocene sedimentary cores record the long history of the city of Cádiz (south-western Spain)

Today, coastal cities worldwide are facing major changes resulting from climate change and anthropogenic forcing, which requires adaptation and mitigation strategies to be established. In this context, sedimentological archives in many Mediterranean cities record a multi-millennial history of environmental dynamics and human adaptation, revealing a long-lasting resilience. Founded by the Phoenicians around 3000 years ago, Cadiz (south-western Spain) is a key example of a coastal resilient city. This urban centre is considered to be one of the first cities of western Europe and has experienced major natural hazards during its long history, such as coastal erosion, storms, and also tsunamis (like the one in 1755 CE following the destructive Lisbon earthquake). In the framework of an international, joint archaeological and geoarchaeological project, three cores have been drilled in a marine palaeochannel that ran through the ancient city of Cadiz. These cores reveal a >= 50m thick Holocene sedimentary sequence. Importantly, most of the deposits date from the 1st millennium BCE to the 1st millennium CE. This exceptional sedimentary archive will allow our scientific team to achieve its research goals, which are (1) to reconstruct the palaeogeographical evolution of this specific coastal area; (2) to trace the intensity of activities of the city of Cadiz based on archaeological data, as well as geochemical and palaeoecological indicators; and (3) to identify and date high-energy event deposits such as storms and tsunami

Cianobacterias y cianotoxinas en ecosistemas límnicos de Uruguay = Cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in freshwaters of Uruguay

Las floraciones de cianobacterias en cuerpos de agua dulce constituyen un problema mundial, asociado a la eutrofización (enriquecimiento de nutrientes) y cambios hidrológicos de los ecosistemas. En este estudio se generó una base de datos históricos (n= 3061 para 64 ecosistemas, de 1980 a 2014), elaborada por un grupo de trabajo interinstitucional (OSE, DINAMA, IM, Universidad de la República e IIBCE), y se analizó la distribución de cianobacterias planctónicas y de cianotoxinas (microcistina, saxitoxina y cilindrospermopsina) en Uruguay. Los valores de clorofila ay nutrientes totales indicaron procesos de eutrofización en diversos ecosistemas. En dos mapas georreferenciados se visualiza la distribución de cianobacterias en el país, según indicadores cuantitativos globales, y de la microcistina (cianotoxina más frecuente). En dichos mapas se destacan los embalses (Río Uruguay y Río Negro) y las playas del Río de la Plata como las zonas de mayor riesgo de exposición a cianobacterias según las categorías de la Organización Mundial de la Salud para aguas recreacionales. Además, se analizaron muestras de floraciones (espuma) y se cuantificó 20 mg L-1de microcistinas totales y la presencia de genes que sugieren diferentes variedades de microcistinas. Se generó información básica que podrá ser útil para programas de monitoreo nacionales e investigación

Myoglobinopathy is an adult-onset autosomal dominant myopathy with characteristic sarcoplasmic inclusions

Myoglobin, encoded by MB, is a small cytoplasmic globular hemoprotein highly expressed in cardiac myocytes and oxidative skeletal myofibers. Myoglobin binds O-2, facilitates its intracellular transport and serves as a controller of nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species. Here, we identify a recurrent c.292C>T ( p.His98Tyr) substitution in MB in fourteen members of six European families suffering from an autosomal dominant progressive myopathy with highly characteristic sarcoplasmic inclusions in skeletal and cardiac muscle. Myoglobinopathy manifests in adulthood with proximal and axial weakness that progresses to involve distal muscles and causes respiratory and cardiac failure. Biochemical characterization reveals that the mutant myoglobin has altered O-2 binding, exhibits a faster heme dissociation rate and has a lower reduction potential compared to wild-type myoglobin. Preliminary studies show that mutant myoglobin may result in elevated superoxide levels at the cellular level. These data define a recognizable muscle disease associated with MB mutation.Peer reviewe