Manejo quirúrgico de la poliposis nasosinusal

Indexación: ScieloIntroducción: La poliposis nasosinusal es un proceso inflamatorio crónico de la mucosa rinosinusal, de etiología desconocida, y que requiere de tratamiento quirúrgico en más de 50% de los pacientes. Objetivo: Evaluar los resultados de la cirugía endoscópica en pacientes con poliposis nasosinusal en el Hospital Barros Luco-Trudeau. Material y método: Estudio retrospectivo de 180 fichas clínicas de pacientes operados en este hospital en el período 1999-2008. Resultados: La distribución según sexo fue de 63% varones y 37% mujeres (p <0,001) y el promedio etario, de 44,9 años. El motivo principal de consulta fue la obstrucción nasal. Un tercio de los pacientes tenía poliposis masiva. El 17% se asoció con asma. Más del 50% de los pacientes usó corticoides inhalados en el preoperatorio. En el 58% se realizó cirugía endoscópica hasta etmoides anterior. No hubo complicaciones mayores en esta serle estudiada. La recidiva global fue de 24%. El promedio de meses libres de recidiva fue 46,7 meses (IC 95%: 37,5-55,5), con una recidiva de 25% al año de seguimiento. No se encontró asociación entre recidiva y los factores de riesgo estudiados. Discusión: En comparación con la literatura, se observa similares características demográficas. Sin embargo, los factores de riesgo de recidiva no fueron significativos, aparentemente debido a una baja prevalenciay a pérdida del seguimiento. La tasa de recidiva aumenta con el tiempo, motivo por el cual se requiere un seguimiento a largo plazo. Conclusiones: No se detectó asociación entre recidiva y los factores de riesgo clásicamente descritos en la literatura. Las recidivas fueron tardías y se obtuvieron tasas de recidiva similares a lo publicado en la literatura.Introduction: Sinonasal polyposis is a chronic inflammatory process rhinosinusal mucosa of unknown etiology which in over 50% of patients requires surgical treatment. Aim: To evaluate the results of endoscopic surgery in patients with sinonasal polyposis in the Barros Luco-Trudeau Hospital. Material and method: Retrospective study of 180 medical records of patients operated at this hospital from 1999 to 2008. Results: The sexual distribution was 63% male and 37% women (p <0.001). The average age was 44.9years. The chief complaint was nasal obstruction. A third of the patients had massive polyposis. The 17% was associated with asthma. Over 50% of patients used inhaled corticosteroids preoperatively in 58% performed endoscopic surgery to anterior ethmoid. There were no major complications in these series studied. The overall recurrence was 24%. The average number of months free of recurrence was 46.7 months (95% Cl 37.5 to 55.5) with a recurrence of 25% per year of follow up. We found no association between recurrence and the risk factors studied. Discussion: Comparing with the lierature, we see the same demographic characteristics but risk factors for recurrence are not significant, apparently due to the low prevalence and loss of follow-up. The recurrence rate is increased over time and therefore requires a long-term monitoring. Conclusions: We found no association between recurrence and the risk factors classically described in literature. Recurrences were late and we had similar recurrence rates to publish in the lierature.http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0718-48162010000100002&nrm=is

Filamentous fungi isolated and identified from Antarctic soil (Fildes Bay, Antarctica)

Purpose: Antarctica is a unique place with extreme environmental conditions, including low temperature, high solar radiation, low nutrient availability and strong winds. This different environment represents a gateway to studies on the taxonomy, ecology, and biotechnology of organisms under extreme conditions. Fungi are ubiquitous and diverse organisms in Antarctica and have been described as growing in different substrates such as plants, soil, rocks, ice, snow, and animals. To survive in such extreme conditions fungi might display unusual biochemical pathways able to generate specific or novel compounds with biotechnological relevance. Before accessing the fungal biotechnological potential, knowing the fungal species is mandatory. The main aim of this study was to isolate and identify fungal strains from Antarctic soil (Fildes Bay, Antarctica). Material and methods: Soil samples were collected using a 4x25 m transect at a depth of 0- 20 cm in different geographic areas of Fildes Bay (Antarctica). A total of 13 composed soil samples were collected. Composed soil aqueous suspensions were incubated on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA), Dichloran Glycerol Agar 18% (DG18) and Dichloran Rose Bengal Chloramphenicol Agar (DRBC) media at 10 ºC for 21 days in the dark. Subsequently, filamentous fungi were isolated and cultured on PDA. The morphological identification of the isolated strains was carried out according to the classic macro- and micromorphological taxonomy. Results: A set of c.a. 1600 fungal strains belonging to the genera Acremonium, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Mortierella, Mucor, Penicillium, Psudogymnoascus and other four nonidentified fungal genera were isolated. In addition, a relationship between the geographical area of the soil sample and the fungal genera was observed. Conclusions: Despite both the adverse environmental conditions and Antarctic soils that are not completely devoid of life, it was possible to observe a great diversity of filamentous fungi in some assessed soil samples. This indicates the ability of filamentous fungi in adapting to and survive in extreme conditions such as some of those found in Antarctica. This work represents the first report of large-scale fungal isolation in Fildes Bay, Antarctica. Molecular biology identification is being developed for isolated fungal strains.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evaluation of lipid extraction methods from Antarctic filamentous fungi

Purpose: The benefits of natural compounds have been studied for decades for the development of new technologies to answer the global change challenges. In order to develop these new technologies, lipids represent a great class of bioactive molecules. However, the research on lipids and their applications still present gaps about new sources as well as on the extraction methods. Filamentous fungi found in Antarctic territory could represent a new source of novel bioactive lipids. Currently Folch, Bligh & Dyer and Lewis methods are the most widely employed for extraction of lipid from different sample types. Nonetheless, choosing a single extraction method as the gold standard could represent a limitation, especially when the microorganism has not been studied yet. Taking the above into consideration, the main objective of the present study was to evaluate the best extraction method to obtain lipids from different Antarctic filamentous fungal genera. Material and methods: Three isolates of Antarctic fungi belonging to each genus: Mucor, Mortierella, Cladosporium, Penicillium and Pseudogymnoascus isolates from Fildes Bay, Antarctica, were evaluated. A total of 15 isolates were assessed. Folch, Bligh & Dyer and Lewis extraction method were performed. Extraction was monitored by recording spectra of FT-IR spectroscopy of the biomass before and after lipid extraction. Results: Folch was the best method to obtain lipids from filamentous Antarctic fungi, followed by Lewis extraction. Among the three extraction methods evaluated, Bligh & Dyer was the method that presented the lowest yield, compared to Folch and Lewis for each genus and strain. Strains of the genera Mortierella and Mucor were the ones that showed the best performance for the Folch and Lewis methods. The three Penicillium isolates were the third group with the best lipids yield for the Folch method. The strains of genera Cladosporium and Pseudogymnoascus showed better yields for the Lewis method. Conclusions: In this study it was observed that the lipids yield varies according to the extraction methods, as well as both the fungal isolate and fungal genus. Depending on the purpose and fungi taxa, to obtain lipids from Antarctic fungi Folch or Lewis extraction methods are recommended.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Characterisation of different Chilean Capsicum spp. varieties and the antifungal activity of their aqueous extracts

The increase in fungal resistance to synthetic antifungals used in agrifood production has brought the need to develop new technologies based on an eco-friendly approach. The main aim of this work was to evaluate the antifungal potential of Chilean Capsicum spp. extracts against plant pathogens and mycotoxigenic fungi found in agrifood production. Five different varieties of Chilean Capsicum spp. were obtained from both farmers and local markets in the city of Temuco, Chile. A specialist Botanist at the Universidad de La Frontera (Chile) confirmed the identification of pepper species and varieties. Fresh samples were grounded with a blender and freeze-dried for 7 days in the dark. After that, dry powder samples were stored at -20 °C in the dark until use. Pepper pod aqueous extracts were obtained by blending the freeze-dried puree from Capsicum spp. with 300 mL distilled water. Samples were incubated at 90°C for 20 minutes in a water bath with intermittent cycles of manual stirring every 2 minutes. The determination of capsaicinoid content was performed on an HPLC-FD system and the total polyphenols content was performed on an HPLC-DAD system. The antioxidant activity was carried out in a microplate reader using the DPPH and CUPRAC method. Reference strains of Alternaria, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Penicillium and Rhizopus were subjected to susceptibility tests (disc and culture media diffusion methods and MIC assay) against different concentrations of each pepper pod extract. Pure capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin, nordihydrocapsaicin and amphotericin B were used as standard in the susceptibility tests. Significant differences in the concentration of capsaicinoids were found among the different varieties of the same Capsicum species. The pepper pod extracts affected the macro- and micro-morphological features of the analysed filamentous fungal strains. Fungal strains belonging to the genera Alternaria, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Penicillium and Rhizopus produced mycelium with thinning, fragile and easily-break structure. In addition, their conidiophores became fragile presenting easily-break structures. Regarding other fungal genera (data not shown), the main alteration was the absence of conidiophore formation in some strains. The morphological changes observed in the filamentous fungi strains suggest the fungistatic potential of pepper pod extracts. Results suggest pepper pod extracts could not kill non/target fungal biodiversity but could control the growth and reproduction of some fungal plant pathogens. Inhibition of mycotoxin production is now under evaluation. Additional work is being developed in the field to validate the in vitro results.ANID (Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo, Chile) through the ANID/FONDECYT/1221024 project. This work was partially funded by the Universidad de La Frontera (Chile). Authors thank the InES19-FRO19001 project, funded by the Ministerio de Educación (Chile) and executed by the Universidad de La Frontera. The authors thank Professor Ruben Carrillo (UFRO) for his support in confirming the pepper species and varieties identification.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Stellar Astrophysics and Exoplanet Science with the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE)

The Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE) is a planned 11.25-m aperture facility with a 1.5 square degree field of view that will be fully dedicated to multi-object spectroscopy. A rebirth of the 3.6m Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope on Maunakea, MSE will use 4332 fibers operating at three different resolving powers (R ~ 2500, 6000, 40000) across a wavelength range of 0.36-1.8mum, with dynamical fiber positioning that allows fibers to match the exposure times of individual objects. MSE will enable spectroscopic surveys with unprecedented scale and sensitivity by collecting millions of spectra per year down to limiting magnitudes of g ~ 20-24 mag, with a nominal velocity precision of ~100 m/s in high-resolution mode. This white paper describes science cases for stellar astrophysics and exoplanet science using MSE, including the discovery and atmospheric characterization of exoplanets and substellar objects, stellar physics with star clusters, asteroseismology of solar-like oscillators and opacity-driven pulsators, studies of stellar rotation, activity, and multiplicity, as well as the chemical characterization of AGB and extremely metal-poor stars.Comment: 31 pages, 11 figures; To appear as a chapter for the Detailed Science Case of the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explore

Hypercholesterolemia Impaired Sperm Functionality in Rabbits

Hypercholesterolemia represents a high risk factor for frequent diseases and it has also been associated with poor semen quality that may lead to male infertility. The aim of this study was to analyze semen and sperm function in diet-induced hypercholesterolemic rabbits. Twelve adult White New Zealand male rabbits were fed ad libitum a control diet or a diet supplemented with 0.05% cholesterol. Rabbits under cholesterol-enriched diet significantly increased total cholesterol level in the serum. Semen examination revealed a significant reduction in semen volume and sperm motility in hypercholesterolemic rabbits (HCR). Sperm cell morphology was seriously affected, displaying primarily a “folded head”-head fold along the major axe-, and the presence of cytoplasmic droplet on sperm flagellum. Cholesterol was particularly increased in acrosomal region when detected by filipin probe. The rise in cholesterol concentration in sperm cells was determined quantitatively by Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analyses. We also found a reduction of protein tyrosine phosphorylation in sperm incubated under capacitating conditions from HCR. Interestingly, the addition of Protein Kinase A pathway activators -dibutyryl-cyclic AMP and iso-butylmethylxanthine- to the medium restored sperm capacitation. Finally, it was also reported a significant decrease in the percentage of reacted sperm in the presence of progesterone. In conclusion, our data showed that diet-induced hypercholesterolemia adversely affects semen quality and sperm motility, capacitation and acrosomal reaction in rabbits; probably due to an increase in cellular cholesterol content that alters membrane related events