Sífilis secundaria en gestante con coinfección por VIH en norte de Santander, Colombia: reporte de caso

Objective: To report the case of a pregnant, Venezuelan migrant woman, diagnosed with secondary syphilis and HIV coinfection. Materials and Methods: A review of the related literature was carried out, identifying the importance of the case in the current migration situation. Case presentation: A 22-year-old woman with a pregnancy of 20.6 weeks, without prenatal check-ups, consulted due to the appearance of skin lesions of 3 months of evolution. Secondary syphilis was diagnosed, antibiotic treatment was started, and the patient was referred to the primary care service for the migrant population. Subsequently, HIV coinfection was diagnosed. The infectious disease service indicated antiretroviral therapy (ART). However, treatment was not started due to her illegal migrant status. After 3 months, the patient consulted for pelvic pain. It was decided to end the pregnancy via cesarean section and to perform tubal ligation. Preoperative prophylaxis was implemented. A female product was obtained in which congenital syphilis was ruled out and which was considered of low risk for HIV infection. Conclusion: The incidence of gestational syphilis in Venezuelan patients who have migrated to Colombia has increased markedly. Public health policies must be established to facilitate access to health services and STD prevention programs in this population.Objetivo: Reportar el caso de una gestante, migrante de nacionalidad venezolana, diagnosticada con sífilis secundaria y coinfección por VIH.Materiales y Métodos: Se realizó revisión de la literatura relacionada, identificando la importancia del caso en la situación de migración actual.Presentación del caso: Mujer de 22 años con embarazo de 20,6 semanas, sin controles prenatales, consulta por lesiones cutáneas de 3 meses de evolución. Se diagnostica sífilis secundaria, se inicia tratamiento, y se remite a la paciente al servicio de atención en población migrante. Posteriormente, se diagnostica coinfección por VIH. Infectología indica terapia antirretroviral (TAR). Sin embargo, el tratamiento no se inicia debido a su condición de migrante ilegal. Transcurridos 3 meses, la paciente consulta por dolor pélvico. Se decide finalizar embarazo vía cesárea y realizar ligadura tubárica. Se implementó profilaxis preoperatoria. Se obtuvo producto de sexo femenino en el que se descartó sífilis congénita y que se consideró de bajo riesgo para infección por VIH.Conclusión: La incidencia de sífilis gestacional en pacientes venezolanos que han migrado a Colombia se ha incrementado notablemente. Se deben instaurar políticas en salud pública que faciliten el acceso a los servicios de salud y a programas de prevención de ETS en esta población

PREPARATION OF SILVER AND GOLD NANOPARTICLES: A SIMPLE METHOD TO INTRODUCE NANOTECHNOLOGY INTO TEACHING LABORATORIES.

PREPARATION OF SILVER AND GOLD NANOPARTICLES: A SIMPLE METHOD TO INTRODUCE NANOTECHNOLOGY INTO TEACHING LABORATORIES. A new practical experiment involving silver and gold nanoparticle syntheses was introduced in an inorganic chemistry laboratory course for undergraduate students at the Institute of Chemistry, UNICAMP. The nanoparticles were synthesized by the reduction of silver nitrate and tetrachloroauric acid with sodium borohydride and sodium citrate in an aqueous medium. Stabilities of the suspensions were tested using several different reactants including sodium chloride, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol and cistamine. Changes in optical properties were observed by electronic spectra and also by transmission electronic microscopy, which also yielded data for estimating particle size.3591872U18

CANAL DISH (CD), THE NEW ANTIMICROBIAL TESTING APPARATUS

Objective: This writing aims to introduce new antimicrobial test apparatus called Canal Dish (CD), theoretically.Methods: We have designed two types of CD such as Circular CD (CCD) and Square CD (SCD). Internally, the CCD is a 80 mm diameter circular while the SCD is a 80×80 mm square CD plate. Both of them contain 2(40×2) mm parallel travelling canals from the each CD-centre having radius of 3 mm. Canals are 6 mm in depth.Results: The features of CCD and SCD indicate possible allowance of various size, low media consuming, the inclusion of multiple microorganisms and/or test samples/doses, ease of handling; therefore, understanding, rapidity, and economy.Conclusion: CD may replace currently used Petri dishes due to its cost-effectiveness, rapidity, ease of handling and a wider range of applicability.Keywords: Antimicrobial assay, Canal dish, Circular, Square, New apparatu

MACERATION-VORTEX-TECHNIQUE (MVT), A RAPID AND NEW EXTRACTION METHOD IN PHYTO-PHARMACOLOGICAL SCREENING

Extraction is a process of preparation of extracts from biological materials (plant/animal/microorganism) in the essence of drug discovery and development scienticism. This writing is aimed at proposing a new, rapid, economical and easy extraction method, Maceration-Vortex-Technique (MVT). For this 2-5 g of powdered materials is sucked into 5-10 ml of solvent recommended for extraction. A cleaned, small amber-colored glass bottle of 20-25 ml capacity is needed for this purpose. Powdered materials are mixed with the solvent, then followed by shaking vigorously; shaken for 1.5-2 h and vortexed for 5 min. The extract is collected by immediate filtration through filter paper (Whatmann no. 1) and allowed for concentration and/or solvent partitioning. The MVT allows a 3 h extraction of plant materials. A small amount of extraction material is needed along with a small quantity of solvent which is a marker for the economy of this extraction process. In conclusion, rapidity in the extraction process is the rapidity in the screening process of biological materials. The MVT may be one of the speediest and most economical extraction processes.Keywords: Extraction, Maceration-Vortex-Technique, New method, Phyto-pharmacological screenin

T-Cell Memory Responses Elicited by Yellow Fever Vaccine are Targeted to Overlapping Epitopes Containing Multiple HLA-I and -II Binding Motifs

The yellow fever vaccines (YF-17D-204 and 17DD) are considered to be among the safest vaccines and the presence of neutralizing antibodies is correlated with protection, although other immune effector mechanisms are known to be involved. T-cell responses are known to play an important role modulating antibody production and the killing of infected cells. However, little is known about the repertoire of T-cell responses elicited by the YF-17DD vaccine in humans. In this report, a library of 653 partially overlapping 15-mer peptides covering the envelope (Env) and nonstructural (NS) proteins 1 to 5 of the vaccine was utilized to perform a comprehensive analysis of the virus-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses. The T-cell responses were screened ex-vivo by IFN-γ ELISPOT assays using blood samples from 220 YF-17DD vaccinees collected two months to four years after immunization. Each peptide was tested in 75 to 208 separate individuals of the cohort. The screening identified sixteen immunodominant antigens that elicited activation of circulating memory T-cells in 10% to 33% of the individuals. Biochemical in-vitro binding assays and immunogenetic and immunogenicity studies indicated that each of the sixteen immunogenic 15-mer peptides contained two or more partially overlapping epitopes that could bind with high affinity to molecules of different HLAs. The prevalence of the immunogenicity of a peptide in the cohort was correlated with the diversity of HLA-II alleles that they could bind. These findings suggest that overlapping of HLA binding motifs within a peptide enhances its T-cell immunogenicity and the prevalence of the response in the population. In summary, the results suggests that in addition to factors of the innate immunity, "promiscuous" T-cell antigens might contribute to the high efficacy of the yellow fever vaccines. © 2013 de Melo et al

Possible oxidative effects of isotretinoin and modulatory effects of vitamins A and C in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Isotretinoin (ITN), chemically known as 13-cis-retinoic acid, is a part of the broad group of compounds related to vitamin A. It is particularly employed in the treatment of nodular cystic acne and as an inhibitor of proliferation of neoplastic cells, by exerting a regulatory effect on the cell differentiation. This study aimed at investigating the possible oxidative effects of ITN and modulatory effects of vitamins A and C in mutant and non-mutant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. In addition, to reconfirm the oxidative effects, five in vitro antioxidant assays were also prepared taking the alpha-tocopherol analogue, trolox as a standard. In vivo study conducted on S. cerevisiae cells was carried out with ITN 20 μg/ml taking hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as stressor (STR), whereas ITN 5 to 50 μg/ml was considered for in vitro assays taking similar dose of trolox (TRO). Results show ITN to have oxidative effect in both in vitro and in vivo tests. In conclusion, ITN produced oxidative effects and there may be an hypervitaminosis effect with vitamins A and C, thus insinuation to genetic material.Key words: Assay, isotretinoin, vitamin A, vitamin C, oxidative stress

A Pilot Study Investigating the Utilization of Crest Pads for Treatment of Toe Callus and Ulceration (Presentation)

Patients with lesser-toe deformities are at increased risk of developing calluses and ulcers on the distal ends of the affected digits because of the increased pressures applied to these areas. The number of diabetic patients in the United States continues to increase, along with associated comorbidities such as peripheral vascular disease and peripheral neuropathy. These conditions predispose patients to developing foot ulcerations, especially if foot deformities are present. Crest pads are a simple-to-make, inexpensive option to treat calluses and ulcerations on the distal ends of digits; however, there is no research available that support their use. Crest pads consist of rolled gauze covered in moleskin, with a large opening that fits over several toes and lies on the dorsal aspect of the foot, with the padded portion resting under the toes. Over several days of use, the pad molds to the plantar aspect of the toes, offloading pressure from the distal end of the affected digit(s). The sample was obtained through a retrospective chart review of patients identified as having had at least one nail care visit and at least one follow-up visit at a vascular surgery practice between August 2011 and December 2014. Potential subjects with toe deformities who presented with callus or ulcer on the distal end of a digit were considered for inclusion, if they received a crest pad as part of their treatment plan. The scholarly project was a preintervention or postintervention design with subjects acting as their own controls. McNemar\u27s test was used to analyze the results which were statistically significant (P \u3c .0001 at first callus follow-up and P = .0002 at second callus follow-up) for callus, hemorrhagic callus, and/or ulcer improvement following the crest pad intervention. The results of this scholarly project support the use of crest pads in patients with lesser-toe deformities to treat distal toe calluses and/or ulcerations

Manual blood exchange transfusion does not significantly contribute to parasite clearance in artesunate-treated individuals with imported severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria

Background: Exchange transfusion (ET) has remained a controversial adjunct therapy for the treatment of severe malaria. In order to assess the relative contribution of ET to parasite clearance in severe malaria, all patients receiving ET as an adjunct treatment to parenteral quinine or to artesunate were compared with patients treated with parenteral treatment with quinine or artesunate but who did not receive ET. ET was executed using a standardized manual isovolumetric exchange protocol. Methods: All patients in the Rotterdam Malaria Cohort treated for severe P. falciparum malaria at the Institute for Tropical Diseases of the Harbour Hospital between 1999 and 2011 were included in this retrospective follow-up study. Both a two-stage approach and a log-linear mixed model approach were used to estimate parasite clearance times (PCTs) in patients with imported malaria. Severe malaria was defined according to WHO criteria. Results: A total of 87 patients with severe malaria was included; 61 received intravenous quinine, whereas 26 patients received intravenous artesunate. Thirty-nine patients received ET as an adjunct treatment to either quinine (n = 23) or artesunate (n = 16). Data from 84 of 87 patients were suitable for estimation of parasite clearance rates. PCTs were significantly shorter after administration of artesunate as compared with quinine. In both models, ET did not contribute significantly to overal Conclusion: Manual exchange transfusion does not significantly contribute to parasite clearance in artesunate-treated individuals. There may be a small effect of ET on parasite clearance under quinine treatment. Institution of ET to promote parasite clearance in settings where artesunate is available is not recommended, at least not with manually executed exchange procedures