Derivative chromosome 7 in a newborn with hypotelorism, cleft palate, agenesis of corpus callosum and semilobar holoprosencephaly

Cytogenetically visible unbalanced chromosome rearrangements involving the euchromatic regions most often result in severe phenotypic features. Often, it is not possible at microscopic level to distinguish if a chromosomal anomaly involves one or more than one chromosome. In these cases, the parents study is fundamental and is usually the first line of study. We report a female newborn with multiple anomalies. Ultrasonography at 32+6 weeks of gestation revealed moderate ventricular dilatation, microcephaly and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Delivery was at 35 weeks and microcephaly, hypotelorism, complete medium cleft palate with nasal depression, agenesis of the corpus callosum, thalamic fusion and fusion of the lateral ventricles in the frontal region suggestive of semilobar holoprosencephaly (HPE) was observed. Seizures and nistagmus were described since the eighth day. Hypotonia was present. In addition, diabetes insipidus was diagnosed. Sepsis was developed at day 14 followed by death at day 18 in consequence of seizures and respiratory insuficiency. Cytogenetic analysis revealed an abnormal chromosome 7qter as a result of an unbalanced segregation of a maternal reciprocal translocation t(7;19), with breakpoints at 7q36.1 and 19q13.42. The newborn karyotype is 46,XX,der(7)t(7;19)(q36.1;q13.42)mat. The patient presented a partial trisomy of the region 19q13.42→qter and a partial monosomy of the region 7q36.1→7qter. Partial monosomy of chromosome 7qter has been characterized by a wide phenotypic manifestations, but HPE, microcephaly, midface hypoplasia, maxillary anomalies and sacral agenesis are frequently described. However, is not often reported in newborns. Partial trisomy 19q is a rare and severe condition, and has been described associated with low birth weight, growth retardation, microcephaly, seizures, dysmorphic facial features, short neck, clynodactyly, heart malformations, anomalies of the genitor-urinary and gastrointestinal tract. To our knowledge, there is only one previous case of der(7)t(7q;19q)(q36.1;q13.43) described, in a fetus who presented severe sacral agenesis and IUGR. The case herein reported presents some of the most common features of 7q36 partial monosomy and 19q terminal trisomy, although some of them are present in both conditions. The presence of those two imbalances may complicate the final phenotype but the important matter will be the counseling of the couple and to prevent future imbalances in their offspring.N/

Grande Queimado numa Unidade de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos – Experiência de 20 Anos

Introdução: A abordagem inicial do grande queimado até à sua estabilização hemodinâmica e hidroeletrolítica é fundamental para diminuir a morbimortalidade. Material e Métodos: Estudo retrospectivo, descritivo e analítico, de todos os internamentos por queimadura numa Unidade de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos durante o período de 20 anos (Abril/1991 a Dezembro/2010). Avaliaram -se parâmetros nosodemográficos, agente causal, gravidade e extensão da queimadura, procedimentos, terapêutica, complicações e resultados. Resultados: Ocorreram 137 internamentos por queimadura correspondentes a 123 doentes e a 1,8% do total de internamentos na UCIP. A mediana de idade foi 3,6 anos e 62,4% era do sexo masculino. Verificou -se maior incidência em Agosto (13,0%). Foram agentes da queimadura: líquido fervente (38,1%), fogo (38,1%) e eletricidade (23,9%). A mediana da superfície corporal queimada foi de 30% (0,5 -92,0%), com queimaduras do terceiro grau em 59,0% dos doentes. Necessitaram de ventilação mecânica 45,5% e de cateter venoso central 64,2% dos doentes. As complicações incluíram: sépsis (29,2%), falência respiratória (21,1%), falência cardiovascular (16,5%) e falência multiorgânica (18,8%). Verificou -se melhoria em 88,6% dos casos e ocorreram 10 óbitos (8,1%), nove dos quais nos primeiros 10 anos do estudo e nove devido a causa infeciosa. No entanto, o score avaliador do risco de mortalidade (PRISM), índice de intervenção terapêutica (TISS) e o risco de probabilidade de morte (RPM) foram mais elevados no segundo decénio. Conclusões: Nos últimos anos do estudo, apesar do maior número de admissões e da sua maior gravidade, verificou -se uma diminuição do número de mortes, o que poderá dever-se à melhoria dos cuidados prestados

Acidogenic Fermentation Towards Valorisation of Organic Waste Streams into Volatile Fatty Acids

Anaerobic acidification of eight organic streams (cheese whey, sugarcane molasses, organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (OFMSW), glycerol, soapy slurry, winery wastewater, olive mill effluent, and landfill leachate) was evaluated in batch experiments to determine their acidogenic potential and examine the composition of the produced volatile fatty acids (VFA). Cheese whey, molasses and OFMSW presented the highest acidogenic potentials (0.3 to 0.4 gVFA per g of chemical oxygen demand fed, CODfed) with the predominance of acetic, n-butyric and propionic acids. A further experimental set was applied to cheese whey, by varying food-to-microorganism ratio (F/M) and initial alkalinity. Maximisation of VFA production (up to 0.63 gVFA g–1CODfed) was obtained for an initial alkalinity of 5 – 7 g L–1 as CaCO3 and F/M ratios of 2 – 4 gCOD g–1VSS. Moreover, it was demonstrated that low F/M ratios combined with high alkalinity supply can shift the VFA profile by increasing the production of propionic and n-valeric acids. The results are useful towards optimal designs for acidogenic processes based on the composition of the VFA produced, since the control of the acidification products is crucial for valorisation in some applications

Chromosomal disorders and male infertility

Male factor infertility is considered a complex disorder with a largely unknown etiology that affects about 7% of men. In general, genetic abnormalities account for 15%-30% of condition and Y chromosome microdeletions are also frequent. The study, based on our casuistic, aimed at contributing to a better understanding of the genetic causes of infertility. A group of 410 idiopathic infertile men with non-obstructive azoospermia, oligozoospermia, or unknown semen quality (based on clinical evaluation and/or sperm counts) was retrospectively selected. Conventional karyotype was performed in all samples; Y microdeletion screen was performed in 247 samples. Forty two abnormal karyotypes (10.2%) were found, indicating an elevated frequency of chromosome abnormalities among the selected infertile men, as compared to that of newborn populations (≈0.4%). This frequency is higher than that reported in most similar studies that pointed to frequencies ranging from 2.2%-14.3%. Klinefelter´s syndrome was the most common chromosome disorder (4.9%). There were 18 cases with 47,XXY karyotype and 2 cases of mosaicism involving lines 47,XXY and 46,XY. Reciprocal translocations were identified in 10 cases (2.4%), particularly in men with unknown semen quality. Overall, reciprocal translocations have been found in approximately 1% of the infertile men and more commonly in azoospermics than in oligozoospermics. However, this type of association was not found in the present study. On the other hand, Y microdeletions were identified in 16/247 cases (6.5%), more frequently in azoospermics (13.3%, corresponding to 8/60 azoospermics). Among these 8 cases, 7 presented deletions at the AZFc region. The marked presence of chromosomal abnormalities and Y microdeletions enphasizes the relevance of studying both factors in infertile men to improve genetic counseling, to allow the development of appropriate therapies, and to expand the knowledge about the ethiology of male infertility

Determination of uranium and zirconium by flow injection analysis

As an integral part of chemical quality control of nuclear materials a method for determination of uranium and zirconium, in a mixture is presented. A simple, cheap, selective and quantitative Flow Injection Analysis (FIA) system was developed. Zirconium and uranium were determinate in presence of each other and no prior separation was needed. Arsenazo III was used as a colorimetric reagent and parameters such as acidity and reagents concentration were studied and optimized. An analytical throughput of 30 sample determination per hour was obtained