Impact of head models in N170 component source imaging: results in control subjects and ADHD patients

The major goal of evoked related potential studies arise in source localization techniques to identify the loci of neural activity that give rise to a particular voltage distribution measured on the surface of the scalp. In this paper we evaluate the effect of the head model adopted in order to estimate the N170 component source in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) patients and control subjects, considering faces and words stimuli. The standardized low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography algorithm (sLORETA) is used to compare between the three shell spherical head model and a fully realistic model based on the ICBM-152 atlas. We compare their variance on source estimation and analyze the impact on the N170 source localization. Results show that the often used three shell spherical model may lead to erroneous solutions, specially on ADHD patients, so its use is not recommended. Our results also suggest that N170 sources are mainly located in the right occipital fusiform gyrus for faces stimuli and in the left occipital fusiform gyrus for words stimuli, for both control subjects and ADHD patients. We also found a notable decrease on the N170 estimated source amplitude on ADHD patients, resulting in a plausible marker of the disease.Laboratorio de Electrónica Industrial, Control e Instrumentació

Impact of head models in N170 component source imaging: results in control subjects and ADHD patients

The major goal of evoked related potential studies arise in source localization techniques to identify the loci of neural activity that give rise to a particular voltage distribution measured on the surface of the scalp. In this paper we evaluate the effect of the head model adopted in order to estimate the N170 component source in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) patients and control subjects, considering faces and words stimuli. The standardized low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography algorithm (sLORETA) is used to compare between the three shell spherical head model and a fully realistic model based on the ICBM-152 atlas. We compare their variance on source estimation and analyze the impact on the N170 source localization. Results show that the often used three shell spherical model may lead to erroneous solutions, specially on ADHD patients, so its use is not recommended. Our results also suggest that N170 sources are mainly located in the right occipital fusiform gyrus for faces stimuli and in the left occipital fusiform gyrus for words stimuli, for both control subjects and ADHD patients. We also found a notable decrease on the N170 estimated source amplitude on ADHD patients, resulting in a plausible marker of the disease.Laboratorio de Electrónica Industrial, Control e Instrumentació

Facial and semantic emotional interference: A pilot study on the behavioral and cortical responses to the dual valence association task

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Integration of compatible or incompatible emotional valence and semantic information is an essential aspect of complex social interactions. A modified version of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) called Dual Valence Association Task (DVAT) was designed in order to measure conflict resolution processing from compatibility/incompatibly of semantic and facial valence. The DVAT involves two emotional valence evaluative tasks which elicits two forms of emotional compatible/incompatible associations (facial and semantic).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Behavioural measures and Event Related Potentials were recorded while participants performed the DVAT.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Behavioural data showed a robust effect that distinguished compatible/incompatible tasks. The effects of valence and contextual association (between facial and semantic stimuli) showed early discrimination in N170 of faces. The LPP component was modulated by the compatibility of the DVAT.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Results suggest that DVAT is a robust paradigm for studying the emotional interference effect in the processing of simultaneous information from semantic and facial stimuli.</p

Differential distribution of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance genes in clinical enterobacteria with unusual phenotypes of quinolone susceptibility from Argentina

We studied a collection of 105 clinical enterobacteria with unusual phenotypes of quinolone susceptibility to analyze the occurrence of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) and oqx genes and their implications for quinolone susceptibility. The oqxA and oqxB genes were found in 31/34 (91%) Klebsiella pneumoniae and 1/3 Klebsiella oxytoca isolates. However, the oqxA- and oqxB-harboring isolates lacking other known quinolone resistance determinants showed wide ranges of susceptibility to nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin. Sixty of the 105 isolates (57%) harbored at least one PMQR gene [qnrB19, qnrB10, qnrB2, qnrB1, qnrS1, or aac(6′)-Ib-cr)], belong to 8 enterobacterial species, and were disseminated throughout the country, and most of them were categorized as susceptible by the current clinical quinolone susceptibility breakpoints. We developed a disk diffusion-based method to improve the phenotypic detection of aac(6′)-Ib-cr. The most common PMQR genes in our collection [qnrB19, qnrB10, and aac(6′)-Ib-cr] were differentially distributed among enterobacterial species, and two different epidemiological settings were evident. First, the species associated with community-acquired infections (Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli) mainly harbored qnrB19 (a unique PMQR gene) located in small ColE1-type plasmids that might constitute its natural reservoirs. qnrB19 was not associated with an extended-spectrum β-lactamase phenotype. Second, the species associated with hospital-acquired infections (Enterobacter spp., Klebsiella spp., and Serratia marcescens) mainly harbored qnrB10 in ISCR1-containing class 1 integrons that may also have aac(6′)-Ib-cr as a cassette within the variable region. These two PMQR genes were strongly associated with an extended-spectrum β-lactamase phenotype. Therefore, this differential distribution of PMQR genes is strongly influenced by their linkage or lack of linkage to integrons.Fil: Andrés, Patricia. Dirección Nacional de Institutos de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Area de Antimicrobianos; ArgentinaFil: Lucero, Celeste. Dirección Nacional de Institutos de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Area de Antimicrobianos; ArgentinaFil: Soler Bistue, Alfonso Jc. Fundación Instituto Leloir; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Guerriero, Leonor. Dirección Nacional de Institutos de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Area de Antimicrobianos; ArgentinaFil: Albornoz, Ezequiel Pablo. Dirección Nacional de Institutos de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Area de Antimicrobianos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Tran, Tung. California State University; Estados UnidosFil: Zorreguieta, Ángeles. Fundación Instituto Leloir; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: PMQR Group. Dirección Nacional de Institutos de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Area de Antimicrobianos; ArgentinaFil: Galas, Marcelo Fabián. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Adm.nacional de Laboratorio E Instituto de Salud "dr.c.g.malbran". Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Departamento de Bacteriologia; ArgentinaFil: Corso, Alejandra. Dirección Nacional de Institutos de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Area de Antimicrobianos; ArgentinaFil: Tolmasky, Marcelo. California State University; Estados UnidosFil: Petroni, Alejandro. Dirección Nacional de Institutos de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Area de Antimicrobianos; Argentin

Detection of HIV-1 dual infections in highly exposed treated patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Genetic characterization of HIV-1 in Argentina has shown that BF recombinants predominate among heterosexuals and injecting drug users, while in men who have sex with men the most prevalent form is subtype B.</p> <p>Objectives</p> <p>The aim of this work was to investigate the presence of HIV dual infections in HIV-infected individuals with high probability of reinfection</p> <p>Study design</p> <p>Blood samples were collected from 23 HIV positive patients with the risk of reinfection from Buenos Aires. A fragment of the HIV gene <it>pol </it>was amplified and phylogenetic analyses were performed. Antiretroviral drug resistance patterns of all the sequences were analyzed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Five dual infections were detected with four patients coinfected with subtype B and BF recombinants and one patient was coinfected with two BF recombinants presenting different recombination patterns. Prolonged infection with a stable clinical condition was observed in the five individuals. Resistance mutation patterns were different between the predominant and the minority strains.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results show that HIV dual infection can occur with closely related subtypes, and even with different variants of the same recombinant form in certain populations. Clinical observations showed neither aggressive disease progression nor impact on the resistance patterns in the dually-infected patients.</p

Impact of head models in N170 component source imaging: results in control subjects and ADHD patients

The major goal of evoked related potential studies arise in source localization techniques to identify the loci of neural activity that give rise to a particular voltage distribution measured on the surface of the scalp. In this paper we evaluate the effect of the head model adopted in order to estimate the N170 component source in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) patients and control subjects, considering faces and words stimuli. The standardized low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography algorithm (sLORETA) is used to compare between the three shell spherical head model and a fully realistic model based on the ICBM-152 atlas. We compare their variance on source estimation and analyze the impact on the N170 source localization. Results show that the often used three shell spherical model may lead to erroneous solutions, specially on ADHD patients, so its use is not recommended. Our results also suggest that N170 sources are mainly located in the right occipital fusiform gyrus for faces stimuli and in the left occipital fusiform gyrus for words stimuli, for both control subjects and ADHD patients. We also found a notable decrease on the N170 estimated source amplitude on ADHD patients, resulting in a plausible marker of the disease.Laboratorio de Electrónica Industrial, Control e Instrumentació

Opportunities and challenges in antimicrobial resistance policy including animal production systems and humans across stakeholders in Argentina: a context and qualitative analysis

Introduction: Gaps in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance and control, including implementation of national action plans (NAPs), are evident internationally. Countries’ capacity to translate political commitment into action is crucial to cope with AMR at the human–animal–environment interface. Methods: We employed a two-stage process to understand opportunities and challenges related to AMR surveillance and control at the human–animal interface in Argentina. First, we compiled the central AMR policies locally and mapped vital stakeholders around the NAP and the national commission against bacterial resistance. Second, we conducted qualitative interviews using a semistructured questionnaire covering stakeholders’ understanding and progress towards AMR and NAP. We employed a mixed deductive–inductive approach and used the constant comparative analysis method. We created categories and themes to cluster subthemes and determined crucial relationships among thematic groups. Results: Crucial AMR policy developments have been made since 1969, including gradually banning colistin in food-producing animals. In 2023, a new government decree prioritised AMR following the 2015 NAP launch. Our qualitative analyses identified seven major themes for tackling AMR: (I) Cultural factors and sociopolitical country context hampering AMR progress, (II) Fragmented governance, (III) Antibiotic access and use, (IV) AMR knowledge and awareness throughout stakeholders, (V) AMR surveillance, (VI) NAP efforts and (VII) External drivers. We identified a fragmented structure of the food production chain, poor cross-coordination between stakeholders, limited surveillance and regulation among food-producing animals and geographical disparities over access, diagnosis and treatment. The country is moving to integrate animal and food production into its surveillance system, with most hospitals experienced in monitoring AMR through antimicrobial stewardship programmes. Conclusion: AMR accountability should involve underpinning collaboration at different NAP implementation levels and providing adequate resources to safeguard long-term sustainability. Incorporating a multisectoral context-specific approach relying on different One Health domains is crucial to strengthening local AMR surveillance

Genomics of high molecular weight plasmids isolated from an on-farm biopurification system

The use of biopurification systems (BPS) constitutes an efficient strategy to eliminate pesticides from polluted wastewaters from farm activities. BPS environments contain a high microbial density and diversity facilitating the exchange of information among bacteria, mediated by mobile genetic elements (MGEs), which play a key role in bacterial adaptation and evolution in such environments. Here we sequenced and characterized high-molecular-weight plasmids from a bacterial collection of an on-farm BPS. The high-throughput-sequencing of the plasmid pool yielded a total of several Mb sequence information. Assembly of the sequence data resulted in six complete replicons. Using in silico analyses we identified plasmid replication genes whose encoding proteins represent 13 different Pfam families, as well as proteins involved in plasmid conjugation, indicating a large diversity of plasmid replicons and suggesting the occurrence of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) events within the habitat analyzed. In addition, genes conferring resistance to 10 classes of antimicrobial compounds and those encoding enzymes potentially involved in pesticide and aromatic hydrocarbon degradation were found. Global analysis of the plasmid pool suggest that the analyzed BPS represents a key environment for further studies addressing the dissemination of MGEs carrying catabolic genes and pathway assembly regarding degradation capabilities.Instituto de Biotecnologia y Biologia Molecula

Genomics of high molecular weight plasmids isolated from an on-farm biopurification system

The use of biopurification systems (BPS) constitutes an efficient strategy to eliminate pesticides from polluted wastewaters from farm activities. BPS environments contain a high microbial density and diversity facilitating the exchange of information among bacteria, mediated by mobile genetic elements (MGEs), which play a key role in bacterial adaptation and evolution in such environments. Here we sequenced and characterized high-molecular-weight plasmids from a bacterial collection of an on-farm BPS. The high-throughput-sequencing of the plasmid pool yielded a total of several Mb sequence information. Assembly of the sequence data resulted in six complete replicons. Using in silico analyses we identified plasmid replication genes whose encoding proteins represent 13 different Pfam families, as well as proteins involved in plasmid conjugation, indicating a large diversity of plasmid replicons and suggesting the occurrence of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) events within the habitat analyzed. In addition, genes conferring resistance to 10 classes of antimicrobial compounds and those encoding enzymes potentially involved in pesticide and aromatic hydrocarbon degradation were found. Global analysis of the plasmid pool suggest that the analyzed BPS represents a key environment for further studies addressing the dissemination of MGEs carrying catabolic genes and pathway assembly regarding degradation capabilities.Instituto de Biotecnologia y Biologia Molecula