Gallstone ileus an uncommon cause of bowel obstruction

Gallstone ileus is caused by the impaction of one or more gallstones within the gastrointestinal tract leading to mechanical obstruction. Thomas Bartholin described the first case in 1654 during an autopsy. This manuscript describes a case of gallstone ileus in a 39-year-old woman who presented data of intestinal occlusion and hemodynamic instability, being managed with intestinal resection for a 7 cm stone and entero-entero anastomosis, achieving an adequate post-surgical evolution. It is a rare complication of cholelithiasis and is found in 2 to 3% of all cases associated with recurrent episodes of cholecystitis, it occurs predominantly in women. In elderly patients (>65 years) it accounts for 25% of all cases of small bowel obstruction and carries a fivefold increased risk of morbidity (20 to 57%) compared to other causes of small bowel obstruction

Schuster Slope Landscape Management Plan Revisited : A re-design plan for a steep slope restoration project in the Pacific Northwest

Proper steep slopes management in urban settings are important to protect human life and property and only becoming more necessary as density of urban populations increases. A low-tech solution to manage slopes is bioengineering, which consists of using plant materials, rock, and soil in various configurations to stabilize slopes. This project evaluates the efficacy of on-going restoration work on the Schuster Slopes in Tacoma, Washington. Restoration work on these steep slopes has shown low plant establishment success and continued erosion despite high materials cost and several years of work. Alternative bioengineering methods to establish vegetation and stabilize slopes are proposed. Methods recommended include live cribwalls, modified brush layers, and live pole drains

Comparative pan-genome analysis of Piscirickettsia salmonis reveals genomic divergences within genogroups

Indexación: Scopus.Piscirickettsia salmonis is the etiological agent of salmonid rickettsial septicemia, a disease that seriously affects the salmonid industry. Despite efforts to genomically characterize P. salmonis, functional information on the life cycle, pathogenesis mechanisms, diagnosis, treatment, and control of this fish pathogen remain lacking. To address this knowledge gap, the present study conducted an in silico pan-genome analysis of 19 P. salmonis strains from distinct geographic locations and genogroups. Results revealed an expected open pan-genome of 3,463 genes and a core-genome of 1,732 genes. Two marked genogroups were identified, as confirmed by phylogenetic and phylogenomic relationships to the LF-89 and EM-90 reference strains, as well as by assessments of genomic structures. Different structural configurations were found for the six identified copies of the ribosomal operon in the P. salmonis genome, indicating translocation throughout the genetic material. Chromosomal divergences in genomic localization and quantity of genetic cassettes were also found for the Dot/Icm type IVB secretion system. To determine divergences between core-genomes, additional pan-genome descriptions were compiled for the so-termed LF and EM genogroups. Open pan-genomes composed of 2,924 and 2,778 genes and core-genomes composed of 2,170 and 2,228 genes were respectively found for the LF and EM genogroups. The core-genomes were functionally annotated using the Gene Ontology, KEGG, and Virulence Factor databases, revealing the presence of several shared groups of genes related to basic function of intracellular survival and bacterial pathogenesis. Additionally, the specific pan-genomes for the LF and EM genogroups were defined, resulting in the identification of 148 and 273 exclusive proteins, respectively. Notably, specific virulence factors linked to adherence, colonization, invasion factors, and endotoxins were established. The obtained data suggest that these genes could be directly associated with inter-genogroup differences in pathogenesis and host-pathogen interactions, information that could be useful in designing novel strategies for diagnosing and controlling P. salmonis infection. © 2017 Nourdin-Galindo, Sánchez, Molina, Espinoza-Rojas, Oliver, Ruiz, Vargas-Chacoff, Cárcamo, Figueroa, Mancilla, Maracaja-Coutinho and Yañez.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2017.00459/ful

El Estadístico y la Sociedad

  Se analiza las causas que consideramos fundamentales para entender los problemas de la Estadística y del Estadístico pro­fesional, y su relación con la sociedad y con la comunidad científica; se discute el concepto de subdesarrollo en Estadística; y se muestra como la Identidad del Estadístico profesional es diferente de la identidad de la Estadística como tal. Final­mente, se hacen recomendaciones tendientes a buscar la forma­ción de profesionales en esta área, acordes con la realidad del país

Salivary Parameters (Salivary Flow, pH and Buffering Capacity) in Stimulated Saliva of Mexican Elders 60 Years Old and Older

Objective: To compare a limited array of chewing-stimulated saliva features (salivary flow, pH and buffer capacity) in a sample of elderly Mexicans with clinical, sociodemographic and socio-economic variables. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 139 adults, 60 years old and older, from two retirement homes and a senior day care centre in the city of Pachuca, Mexico. Sociodemographic, socio-economic and behavioural variables were collected through a questionnaire. A trained and standardized examiner obtained the oral clinical variables. Chewing-stimulated saliva (paraffin method) was collected and the salivary flow rate, pH and buffer capacity were measured. The analysis was performed using non-parametric tests in Stata 9.0. Results: Mean age was 79.1 ± 9.8 years. Most of the subjects included were women (69.1%). Mean chewing-stimulated salivary flow was 0.75 ± 0.80 mL/minute, and the pH and buffer capacity were 7.88 ± 0.83 and 4.20 ± 1.24, respectively. Mean chewing-stimulated salivary flow varied (p < 0.05) across type of retirement home, tooth brushing frequency, number of missing teeth and use of dental prostheses. pH varied across the type of retirement home (p < 0.05) and marginally by age (p = 0.087); buffer capacity (p < 0.05) varied across type of retirement home, tobacco consumption and the number of missing teeth. Conclusions: These exploratory data add to the body of knowledge with regard to chewing-stimulated salivary features (salivary flow rate, pH and buffer capacity) and outline the variability of those features across selected sociodemographic, socio-economic and behavioural variables in a group of Mexican elders

Three strongly correlated charged bosons in a one-dimensional harmonic trap: natural orbital occupancies

We study a one-dimensional system composed of three charged bosons confined in an external harmonic potential. More precisely, we investigate the ground-state correlation properties of the system, paying particular attention to the strong-interaction limit. We explain for the first time the nature of the degeneracies appearing in this limit in the spectrum of the reduced density matrix. An explicit representation of the asymptotic natural orbitals and their occupancies is given in terms of some integral equations.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, To appear in European Physical Journal