Adenovirus type 7 associated with severe and fatal acute lower respiratory infections in Argentine children

BACKGROUND: Adenoviruses are the second most prevalent cause of acute lower respiratory infection of viral origin in children under four years of age in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The purpose of this study was to analyze the clinical features and outcome of acute lower respiratory infection associated with different adenovirus genotypes in children. METHODS: Twenty-four cases of acute lower respiratory infection and adenovirus diagnosis reported in a pediatric unit during a two-year period were retrospectively reviewed. Adenovirus was detected by antigen detection and isolation in HEp-2 cells. Adenovirus DNA from 17 isolates was studied by restriction enzyme analysis with Bam HI and Sma I. RESULTS: Subgenus b was found in 82.3% of the cases, and subgenus c in 17.7%. Within subgenus b, only genotype 7 was detected, with genomic variant 7h in 85.7% (12/14) and genomic variant 7i in 14.3% (2/14). Mean age was 8.8 ±; 6 months, and male to female ratio was 3.8: 1. At admission, pneumonia was observed in 71% of the cases and bronchiolitis in 29%. Malnutrition occurred in 37% of the cases; tachypnea in 79%; chest indrawing in 66%; wheezing in 58%; apneas in 16%; and conjunctivitis in 29%. Blood cultures for bacteria and antigen detection of other respiratory viruses were negative. During hospitalization, fatality rate was 16.7% (4 /24). Of the patients who died, three had Ad 7h and one Ad 7i. Thus, fatality rate for adenovirus type 7 reached 28.6% (4/14). CONCLUSIONS: These results show the predominance of adenovirus 7 and high lethality associated with the genomic variants 7h and 7i in children hospitalized with acute lower respiratory infection

Genomic and Phylogenetic Analysis of Hepatitis C Virus Isolates from Argentine Patients: a Six-Year Retrospective Study

Typing of hepatitis C virus (HCV) isolates from Argentine patients was performed by using different methodologies in a population of 243 patients. HCV subtype was assigned based upon restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). HCV RNA genomes obtained from serum samples were classified as belonging to clade 1 (53.5%), 2 (23.0%), or 3 (8.6%); 14.8% of samples showed HCV mixed infections, more frequently implying different subtypes within the same clade. In addition to RFLP typing, phylogenetic relatedness among sequences from both 5′ untranslated region (n = 50) and nonstructural 5B coding region (n = 15) was established

La presencia y representación de la mujer científica en la prensa española

Introducción: Este proyecto de investigación y desarrollo parte de la hipótesis de que las mujeres científicas son invisibles en los medios españoles. Objetivos y metodología: Para comprobar si esto es así en la prensa y cuál es la imagen de la mujer que se ofrece, analizamos la información científica difundida por los cinco principales diarios generalistas de pago durante seis meses no consecutivos. Conclusiones: Los resultados revelan que estos diarios dedican únicamente el 2,6% de sus páginas a información sobre ciencia y que, dentro de éstas, la mujer protagoniza el 14,3% de los artículos frente al 70,6%, que se centra en los hombres, y el 15%, que atiende a ambos. La representación que se hace de la mujer en estas informaciones relata sus investigaciones sin darle protagonismo y de forma aséptica, con ausencia de adjetivos valorativos. Encontramos así una importante desigualdad en el tratamiento informativo de los científicos y las científicas en España

Interregional coordination for a fast and deep uptake of personalised health (Regions4Permed) - multidisciplinary consortium under the H2020 project.

Personalised medicine (PM) represents a paradigm shift away from the ‘one size fits all’ approach to the treatment and care of patients with a particular condition, to one which uses emergent technologies such as diagnostic tests, functional genomic technologies, and molecular pathway profiling to better manage patients’ health and employ target therapies. The current challenge for national and regional authorities is to facilitate the shift from a reactive healthcare system based on episodic and acute care models to a personalized health (PH) system that uses preventive and predictive measures, where at-risk individuals are stratified to intervene before the onset of symptoms or risk is predicted using cutting-edge technologies before symptoms appear. While PH is paving the way toward better and more efficient patient care, it still lacks the cooperation and coordination needed to organise the fragmented field, which is a severe drawback to its development and to the placement of effective financial investments. For this reason, it is crucial to direct major efforts towards coordinating and aligning relevant stakeholders across Europe and beyond, creating a participatory approach, building trust, enabling a multi-stakeholder process, and channeling investments towards PH. Thus, Regions4PerMed aims to coordinate regional policies and innovation programmes in PM and PH to accelerate the deployment of PH for patients

O ciclo hidrológico como chave analítica interpretativa de um material didático em Geologia The water cycle as an interpretative analytical clue to analyse a didactic textbook of Geology

Desenvolveu-se modelo de análise da concepção geocientífica veiculada em livros didáticos de Ensino Superior, baseado no ciclo da água, sua dinâmica, fluxos e interações. O modelo forneceu bons resultados, ao ser aplicado ao livro "Challenge of the Natural Environment", de Knapp, Ross e McCrae, que descrevem diferentes categorias de riscos geológicos. No ensino de geociências é fundamental distinguir entre os objetos de investigação e de estudo. Os estudos geológicos buscam recompor o objeto de estudo da Geologia o processo histórico-geológico a partir das formas fixadas em rochas e materiais sólidos. O objeto de investigação é a parte acessível da Terra: a crosta, com sua ampla variedade de estruturas, composições, tramas e texturas de rochas. Ao se distinguir objeto de estudo e de investigação, avaliam-se objetivamente riscos ocasionados: (a) pelo desconhecimento dos fenômenos naturais ou (b) quando se desconsideram efeitos de atividades antrópicas sobre a natureza.<br>This article analyses the textbook published 1991 "Challenge of the Natural Environment", written by Brian Knapp, Simon Ross and Duncan McCrae, adopting the water cycle as a dynamic background for the flows and interactions between the Earth spheres. The water cycle helps students to understand the difference between the subject matter and the investigation of Geology, a distinction which is fundamental for the teaching of Earth Sciences. Such approach helps to understand the way Geology has evolved as a science. The object of investigation is the crust, where a great diversity of structures, rock compositions, fabrics and textures exist. The subject matter is the historical-geological process reconstructed from naturally "fixed" forms. The step-by-step approach goes from the simplest to the most comprehensive concepts; it highlights the risks caused by: (a) an incomplete knowledge of natural processes or (b) absence of concern for effects of human activities on nature