Screening the Pathogen Box for Identification of New Chemical Agents with Anti-Fasciola hepatica Activity

Fascioliasis is an infectious parasitic disease distributed globally and caused by the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica or F. gigantica. This neglected tropical disease affects both animals and humans, and it represents a latent public health problem due to the significant economic losses related to its effects on animal husbandry. For decades, triclabendazole has been the unique anti-Fasciola drug that can effectively treat this disease. However, triclabendazole resistance in fascioliasis has more recently been reported around the world, and thus, the discovery of novel drugs is an urgent need. The aim of this study was to investigate the fasciocidal properties of 400 compounds contained in the Pathogen Box. The first stage of the screening was carried out by measuring the fasciocidal activity on metacercariae at a concentration of 33 mu M each compound (the standard dose). Subsequently, the activities of the most active compounds (n = 33) at their 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) values against metacercariae were assayed, and the results showed that 13 compounds had IC(50)s of 50%. Four hit compounds were selected on the basis of their predicted nontoxic properties, and the IC50 values obtained for adult worms were <10 mu M; thus, these compounds represented the best fasciocidal compounds tested here. A cytotoxicity assay on four types of cell lines demonstrated that three compounds were nontoxic at their most active concentration. In conclusion, three hit compounds identified in this proof-of-concept study are potential candidates in the discovery of new fasciocidal drugs. Further studies are warranted

A new perspective on Copper Age technology, economy and settlement: grinding tools at the Valencina mega‑site

Activity patterns at large prehistoric sites are often difficult to interpret, as they frequently combine productive, domestic and funerary components. Valencina, the largest of the Copper Age mega-sites in Iberia, has proved particularly challenging in this regard. Macrolithic tool assemblages have been generally neglected in these debates but can provide specific insight into the nature and patterning of activities. In this study, 185 grinding tools from seven separate excavations across this 450 ha mega-site were subjected to multiple lines of analysis including quantification, morphology, raw material, use-wear and depositional context. A surprising feature of this assemblage is the high degree of fragmentation, with more than half of the items representing less than 25% of the original artefact and only a small minority of them (< 10%) complete. The absence of intact quernstones is particularly striking. The results indicate a ritualization of deposition at Valencina, and throw new light on the interpretation of this complex site. Furthermore, they emphasize the central role that grinding technology should play in future discussion of European prehistoric mega-sites

Long-term cardiac assessment in a sample of adolescent-onset anorexia nervosa

Background: High mortality rates have been reported in patients with anorexia nervosa, mainly due to cardiovascular alterations. The purpose of the present study was to assess cardiac structural and functional abnormalities some 20 years after initial treatment in a sample of adolescent-onset anorexia nervosa (A-AN) and to compare them with matched healthy controls (HC). Methods: A sample of 29 women diagnosed and treated for AN during adolescence (A-AN) were assessed more than 20 years later. A complete cardiac evaluation was carried out including an electrocardiogram (ECG) and a standard 2D echocardiography. Thirty matched HC were also assessed. Results: In the A-AN group, four subjects had a body mass index lower than 18.5 and met full DSM 5 criteria for AN at follow-up (Low-Weight group). They were compared with the rest of the sample (n = 25) who had normalized their weight (Normal-Weight group), though some still showed some eating disorder symptoms. Both groups were compared with the HC group. Subjects in the Low-Weight group presented statistically significant decreases in the left ventricular end-diastolic and left atrium dimensions and left ventricular mass in comparison with the Normal-Weight group and the HC. No other differences in cardiac parameters were found between groups. Conclusions: Echocardiographic and ECG parameters of adults who had presented A-AN twenty years earlier and currently maintained normal weight were similar to those of HC who had never been treated or diagnosed with AN. Adult subjects with A-AN who still had low weight in the long term present certain cardiac abnormalities similar to those seen in short-lasting disease. More studies are needed to confirm these results in a larger sample

(16) Psyche: A mesosiderite-like asteroid?

Asteroid (16) Psyche is the target of the NASA Psyche mission. It is considered one of the few main-belt bodies that could be an exposed proto-planetary metallic core and that would thus be related to iron meteorites. Such an association is however challenged by both its near- and mid-infrared spectral properties and the reported estimates of its density. Here, we aim to refine the density of (16) Psyche to set further constraints on its bulk composition and determine its potential meteoritic analog. We observed (16) Psyche with ESO VLT/SPHERE/ZIMPOL as part of our large program (ID 199.C-0074). We used the high angular resolution of these observations to refine Psyche's three-dimensional (3D) shape model and subsequently its density when combined with the most recent mass estimates. In addition, we searched for potential companions around the asteroid. We derived a bulk density of 3.99\,$\pm$\,0.26\,g$\cdot$cm$^{-3}$ for Psyche. While such density is incompatible at the 3-sigma level with any iron meteorites ($\sim$7.8\,g$\cdot$cm$^{-3}$), it appears fully consistent with that of stony-iron meteorites such as mesosiderites (density $\sim$4.25\,$\cdot$cm$^{-3}$). In addition, we found no satellite in our images and set an upper limit on the diameter of any non-detected satellite of 1460\,$\pm$\,200}\,m at 150\,km from Psyche (0.2\%\,$\times$\,R$_{Hill}$, the Hill radius) and 800\,$\pm$\,200\,m at 2,000\,km (3\%\,$\times$\,$R_{Hill}$). Considering that the visible and near-infrared spectral properties of mesosiderites are similar to those of Psyche, there is merit to a long-published initial hypothesis that Psyche could be a plausible candidate parent body for mesosiderites.Comment: 16 page

Desarrollo de bioherramientas para la remediación de agua y suelos contaminados con cobre

Motivación: La contaminación por cobre es uno de los principales problemas mediambientales en Andalucía. Diversos estudios señalan el estuario conjunto de los ríos Tinto y Odiel como uno de los ecosistemas más contaminados del mundo (Sáinz et al., 2004). El objetivo de este trabajo es diseñar bioherramientas útiles para la descontaminación de suelos y aguas residuales contaminadas con cobre. Métodos: Se ha caracterizado un operón copABCD de resistencia a cobre de la cepa Pseudomonas sp. Az13 , aislada de la rizosfera de leguminosas que crecían de forma espontánea en la zona de Aznalcóllar afectada por el vertido tóxico de 1998 (Dary et al., 2010). Diversos genes de dicho operón se han transferido a rizobios y a plantas, con el propósito de aumentar su resistencia y/o capacidad de acumulación de Cu. Resultados: Con el objetivo de mejorar la respuesta de la simbiosis Sinorhizobium medicae-Medicago truncatula en suelos contaminados con Cu (lo que permitiría su enriquecimiento en nitrógeno), se obtuvo una cepa de S. medicae modificada genéticamente que expresaba parte del operón resistencia a Cu (genes copAB). Las plantas inoculadas con esta bacteria tienen parámetros de crecimiento y nodulación similares en sustratos contaminados con 300 µM de Cu y sin contaminar. El microsimbionte obtenido por ingeniería genética parece dirigir la acumulación de Cu de forma preferente al nódulo. Por otro lado, el gen copC (cuyo producto es capaz de unir dos átomos de Cu) se introdujo en plantas de Arabidopsis thaliana y en raíces pilosas de tabaco. En plantas transgénicas que expresaban dicho gen se incrementó hasta 5 veces su capacidad de acumulación de Cu, si bien su tolerancia al metal disminuía (Rodríguez-Llorente et al., 2012). Por su parte, las raíces transgénicas que expresan el mismo gen se han mostrado como el sistema vivo capaz de acumular los niveles de Cu más altos descritos hasta la fecha, alcanzando valores de 30.000 ppm, sin mostrar síntomas aparentes de toxicidad. Conclusiones: La cepa de S. medicae que expresa los genes copAB tiene un gran potencial como herramienta para la fitoestabilización de Cu utilizando plantas del género Medicago. La expresión de copC tanto en plantas como en raíces permite aumentar su capacidad de acumulación de Cu, haciendo esta herramienta útil en biorremediación de suelos y aguas contaminadas por Cu

Evaluación de la calidad de registro de historias clínicas en consultorios externos del servicio de medicina interna de la Clínica Centenario Peruano Japonesa, 2010-2011

Core of medical audit is a properly tailored medical history. The medical record includes all medical examinations, studies conducted and treatments applied during the course of the disease. Objectives: To assess medical records registration quality of Internal Medicine doctor’s offices at Clinica Centenario Peruano Japonesa. Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Location: Internal Medicine outpatient offices at Clinica Centenario Peruano Japonesa. Material: Clinical records of patients attended in Internal Medicine doctor’s offices. Methods: Three hundred and twenty-three medical records were collected by random sampling and subjected to a 10-items record audit, each rated at 10 points, for a total of 100 points. Items included date and time of care, neatness and legibility suitable record, vital signs, physical examination, diagnosis, plan of work, laboratory findings, complete treatment, and signature and stamp of the physician. Records with total score more than or equal to 80 were rated as ‘acceptable’, and all others as ‘need to improve’. Main outcome measures: ‘Acceptable’ or ‘need to improve’ medical records. Results: Two hundred and six (63.8%) clinical records were rated as ‘acceptable’ and 117 (36.2%) as ‘need to improve’. Items diagnosis and complete treatment presented poor registry more frequently, both in records with acceptable registry (filled in completely in 64.6% and 62.6% respectively) and those with need to improve registry (20.5% and 23.1% respectively). Signature and seal of the attending physician were the best items in both categories (99.5% and 93.2% respectively). Conclusions: More than half of the medical records had an acceptable quality at the Clinica Centenario Peruano Japonesa.El eje de la auditoria médica es una historia clínica adecuadamente confeccionada. La historia clínica es la constancia escrita de todos los exámenes médicos, estudios realizados y tratamientos aplicados durante el transcurso de la enfermedad. Objetivo: Evaluar la calidad de registro de las historias clínicas de Consultorios Externos del Servicio de Medicina Interna en la Clínica Centenario Peruano Japonesa. Diseño: Descriptivo de corte transversal. Lugar: Consultorios externos del Servicio de Medicina Interna de la Clínica Centenario Peruano Japonesa. Material: Historias clínicas de pacientes atendidos en la consulta externa del Servicio de Medicina Interna. Métodos: Se evaluó 323 historias clínicas mediante un muestreo aleatorio simple, las cuales fueron sometidas a una ficha de auditoría que comprendía 10 ítems, cada uno calificado con 10 puntos, para un total de 100 puntos: fecha y hora de atención, pulcritud y legibilidad, anamnesis adecuada, signos vitales, examen físico, diagnóstico, plan de trabajo, exámenes auxiliares, tratamiento completo y firma y sello del médico. Las historias que obtenían un puntaje total mayor o igual de 80 fueron calificadas como ‘aceptables’; las restantes como ‘falta mejorar’. Principales medidas de resultados: Historias auditadas aceptables o falta mejorar. Resultados: El 63,8% (206) de las historias tenía una calidad de registro ‘aceptable’, mientras que en 36,2% (117) de historias, la calidad de registro ‘falta mejorar’. Los ítems diagnóstico y tratamiento completo fueron los que presentaron un registro deficiente con mayor frecuencia, tanto en aquellas historias que cumplían un registro aceptable (64,6% y 62,6% llenadas de modo completo, respectivamente) como en aquellas con registro falta mejorar (20,5% y 23,1%, respectivamente). La firma y sello del médico tratante fue el ítem que en ambas categorías era el mejor registrado (99,5% y 93,2%, respectivamente). Conclusiones: Más de la mitad de las historias clínicas estudiadas cumplieron con una calidad de registro aceptable para los estándares en la Clínica Centenario Peruano Japonesa

MORFOLOGÍA POLÍNICA DE CINCO ESPECIES DE LA SUBFAMILIA CACTOIDEAE (FAM: CACTACEAE), DEL DEPARTAMENTO DE LIMA (PERÚ)

Se describieron las características morfológicas de los granos de polen de cinco especies pertenecientes a la familia Cactaceae, subfamilia Cactoideae: Tres especies, Echinopsis chalaensis (Rauh & Backeb.) Friedrich & G.D. Rowley, Haageocereus decumbens (Vaupel) Backeb. y Pygmaeocereus sp. Johnson & Backeb., (tribu Trichocereeae); Corryocactus brevistylus (K. Schum. ex Vaupel) Britton & Rose (tribu Pachycereeae) y Neoraimondia arequipensis (Meyen) Backeb. (tribu Browningieae). Todos los granos de polen fueron observados con microscopio óptico (MO), estos se presentaron en mónadas, la forma varió de esferoidal a oblato esferoidal, siendo todos colpados, excepto C. brevistylus, con espínulas que van desde menos de 1 µm hasta los 2 µm, el grosor de la exina varía entre 2 y 3 µm, no se aprecian mucha diferencia del tectum, el cual siempre es perforado. Se presenta una clave para diferenciar las especies estudiadas

On the Use of Unmanned Aerial Systems for Environmental Monitoring

Environmental monitoring plays a central role in diagnosing climate and management impacts on natural and agricultural systems; enhancing the understanding of hydrological processes; optimizing the allocation and distribution of water resources; and assessing, forecasting, and even preventing natural disasters. Nowadays, most monitoring and data collection systems are based upon a combination of ground-based measurements, manned airborne sensors, and satellite observations. These data are utilized in describing both small- and large-scale processes, but have spatiotemporal constraints inherent to each respective collection system. Bridging the unique spatial and temporal divides that limit current monitoring platforms is key to improving our understanding of environmental systems. In this context, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) have considerable potential to radically improve environmental monitoring. UAS-mounted sensors offer an extraordinary opportunity to bridge the existing gap between field observations and traditional air- and space-borne remote sensing, by providing high spatial detail over relatively large areas in a cost-effective way and an entirely new capacity for enhanced temporal retrieval. As well as showcasing recent advances in the field, there is also a need to identify and understand the potential limitations of UAS technology. For these platforms to reach their monitoring potential, a wide spectrum of unresolved issues and application-specific challenges require focused community attention. Indeed, to leverage the full potential of UAS-based approaches, sensing technologies, measurement protocols, postprocessing techniques, retrieval algorithms, and evaluation techniques need to be harmonized. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the existing research and applications of UAS in natural and agricultural ecosystem monitoring in order to identify future directions, applications, developments, and challengespublishersversionPeer reviewe