8 research outputs found
Detection of submicroscopic infection with Plasmodium spp., using classical and molecular techniques in pregnant patients from Córdoba, Colombia
ABSTRACT: Gestational malaria affects both the mother and the development of her embryo or fetus. Rapid diagnosis and timely and effective treatment are required to prevent complications and deaths. Objective: To compare thick blood smear with nested PCR and real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) for the diagnosis of submicroscopic infections with Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax. Methodology: 21 women with clinical manifestations of malaria, including both pregnant and non-pregnant, were studied in Puerto Libertador, Córdoba, Colombia. Peripheral blood specimens were obtained from all of them; umbilical cord and placenta blood specimens were taken in the pregnant ones. DNA was extracted and amplified for nested PCR or qRT-PCR. Statistical analysis was done using Graphpad PRISM and EPIDAT softwares. Results: The three techniques were satisfactory for the detection of Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax in peripheral blood and in the umbilical cord and placenta specimens. Molecular tests were 100% sensitive and specific. Two submicroscopic cases of P. falciparum infection were detected with the two PCR techniques. Conclusion: qRT-PCR is advantageous over nested PCR because its standardization is shorter, it requires lesser infrastructure and it allows the quantification of DNA.RESUMEN: La malaria gestacional afecta a las madres y al embrión o feto en desarrollo; requiere diagnóstico rápido y tratamiento oportuno y efectivo para evitar las complicaciones y muertes. Objetivo: comparar las técnicas de gota gruesa, PCR anidada y PCR en tiempo real (qRT-PCR), para diagnosticar infecciones submicroscópicas por Plasmodium falciparum y P. vivax. Metodología: se estudiaron 21 mujeres con manifestaciones clínicas de malaria, incluyendo gestantes y no gestantes, en Puerto Libertador, Córdoba, Colombia; de todas se obtuvieron muestras de sangre periférica y, en las gestantes, de placenta y cordón umbilical. Se extrajo el ADN y se lo amplificó por PCR anidada y cuantitativa (qRT-PCR). Para el análisis estadístico se usaron los programas Graphpad PRISM y EPIDAT. Resultados: las tres técnicas diagnosticaron satisfactoriamente la presencia de P. falciparum y P. vivax en sangre periférica, cordón y placenta. Las pruebas moleculares presentaron sensibilidad y especificidad del 100%; dos casos de infección por P. falciparum no identificados por gota gruesa (submicroscópicos) se diagnosticaron con las dos técnicas de PCR. Conclusión: la qRT-PCR es ventajosa en comparación con la PCR anidada porque su estandarización es más corta, requiere menos infraestructura y permite cuantificar el ADN
Pyogenic arthritis of native joints due to Bacteroides fragilis: Case report and review of the literature
Pyogenic arthritis of native joints due to Bacteroides fragilis seems to be an infrequent disease. We analyzed the cases diagnosed in a tertiary hospital during a 22-year period and reviewed the literature to summarize the experience with this infectious entity.In our institution, of 308 patients with pyogenic arthritis of native joints, B fragilis was the causative organism in 2 (0.6%) cases. A MEDLINE search (1981-2015) identified 19 additional cases.Of the 21 patients available for review (13 men and 8 women, with a mean age, of 54.417 years), 19 (90%) presented a systemic predisposing factor for infection; the most common associated illness was rheumatoid arthritis (8 patients). Bacteremia was documented in 65% (13/20) of cases. In 5 patients (24%), 1 or more concomitant infectious process was found. Metronidazole was the most frequently used antibiotic. Surgical drainage was performed in 11 cases (52%). The overall mortality rate was 5%.Pyogenic arthritis of native joints due to B fragilis is an infrequent disease that mainly affects elderly patients with underlying medical illnesses and in whom bacteremia and the presence of a concomitant infectious process are frequent conditions
Pyogenic arthritis of native joints due to Bacteroides fragilis: Case report and review of the literature
Pyogenic arthritis of native joints due to Bacteroides fragilis seems to be an infrequent disease. We analyzed the cases diagnosed in a tertiary hospital during a 22-year period and reviewed the literature to summarize the experience with this infectious entity.In our institution, of 308 patients with pyogenic arthritis of native joints, B fragilis was the causative organism in 2 (0.6%) cases. A MEDLINE search (1981-2015) identified 19 additional cases.Of the 21 patients available for review (13 men and 8 women, with a mean age, of 54.417 years), 19 (90%) presented a systemic predisposing factor for infection; the most common associated illness was rheumatoid arthritis (8 patients). Bacteremia was documented in 65% (13/20) of cases. In 5 patients (24%), 1 or more concomitant infectious process was found. Metronidazole was the most frequently used antibiotic. Surgical drainage was performed in 11 cases (52%). The overall mortality rate was 5%.Pyogenic arthritis of native joints due to B fragilis is an infrequent disease that mainly affects elderly patients with underlying medical illnesses and in whom bacteremia and the presence of a concomitant infectious process are frequent conditions
Pyogenic arthritis of native joints due to Bacteroides fragilis: Case report and review of the literature
Pyogenic arthritis of native joints due to Bacteroides fragilis seems to be an infrequent disease. We analyzed the cases diagnosed in a tertiary hospital during a 22-year period and reviewed the literature to summarize the experience with this infectious entity.In our institution, of 308 patients with pyogenic arthritis of native joints, B fragilis was the causative organism in 2 (0.6%) cases. A MEDLINE search (1981-2015) identified 19 additional cases.Of the 21 patients available for review (13 men and 8 women, with a mean age, of 54.417 years), 19 (90%) presented a systemic predisposing factor for infection; the most common associated illness was rheumatoid arthritis (8 patients). Bacteremia was documented in 65% (13/20) of cases. In 5 patients (24%), 1 or more concomitant infectious process was found. Metronidazole was the most frequently used antibiotic. Surgical drainage was performed in 11 cases (52%). The overall mortality rate was 5%.Pyogenic arthritis of native joints due to B fragilis is an infrequent disease that mainly affects elderly patients with underlying medical illnesses and in whom bacteremia and the presence of a concomitant infectious process are frequent conditions
A multi-taxa assessment of aquatic non-indigenous species introduced into Iberian freshwater and transitional waters
Aquatic ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to the introduction of non-indigenous species (NIS), leading to multi-faceted ecological, economic and health impacts worldwide. The Iberian Peninsula comprises an exceptionally biodiverse Mediterranean region with a high number of threatened and endemic aquatic species, most of them strongly impacted by biological invasions. Following a structured approach that combines a systematic review of available information and expert opinion, we provide a comprehensive and updated multi-taxa inventory of aquatic NIS (fungi, macroalgae, vascular plants, invertebrates and vertebrates) in Iberian inland waters. Moreover, we assess overall patterns in the establishment status, introduction pathways, native range and temporal introduction trends of listed NIS. In addition, we discuss the legal coverage provided by both national (Spanish and Portuguese) and European NIS regulations. We inventoried 326 aquatic NIS in Iberian inland waters, including 215 established, 96 with uncertain establishment status and 15 cryptogenic taxa. Invertebrates (54.6%) and vertebrates (24.5%) were the groups with the highest number of NIS, with Arthropoda, Mollusca, and Chordata being the most represented phyla. Recorded NIS originated from diverse geographic regions, with North and South America being the most frequent. Vertebrates and vascular plants were mostly introduced through intentional pathways (i.e. release and escape), whereas invertebrates and macroalgae arrived mostly through unintentional ways (i.e. contaminant or stowaway). Most of the recorded NIS were introduced in Iberian inland waters over the second half of the 20th century, with a high number of NIS introductions being reported in the 2000s. While only 8% of the recorded NIS appear in the European Union list of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern, around 25% are listed in the Spanish and Portuguese NIS regulations. This study provides the most updated checklist of Iberian aquatic NIS, meeting the requirements set by the EU regulation and providing a baseline for the evaluation of its application. We point out the need for coordinated transnational strategies to properly tackle aquatic invasions across borders of the EU members
Spatial variability of the relationships of runoff and sediment yield with weather types throughout the Mediterranean basin
Este artículo contiene 16 páginas, 6 figuras, 2 tablas.Soil degradation by water is a serious environmental problem worldwide, with specific climatic factors being the
major causes. We investigated the relationships between synoptic atmospheric patterns (i.e. weather types, WTs)
and runoff, erosion and sediment yield throughout the Mediterranean basin by analyzing a large database of
natural rainfall events at 68 research sites in 9 countries. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to
identify spatial relationships of the different WTs including three hydro-sedimentary variables: rainfall, runoff,
and sediment yield (SY, used to refer to both soil erosion measured at plot scale and sediment yield registered at
catchment scale). The results indicated 4 spatial classes of rainfall and runoff: (a) northern sites dependent on
North (N) and North West (NW) flows; (b) eastern sites dependent on E and NE flows; (c) southern sites dependent
on S and SE flows; and, finally, (d) western sites dependent on W and SW flows. Conversely, three
spatial classes are identified for SY characterized by: (a) N and NE flows in northern sites (b) E flows in eastern
sites, and (c) Wand SW flows in western sites. Most of the rainfall, runoff and SY occurred during a small number
of daily events, and just a few WTs accounted for large percentages of the total. Our results confirm that
characterization by WT improves understanding of the general conditions under which runoff and SY occur, and
provides useful information for understanding the spatial variability of runoff, and SY throughout the
Mediterranean basin. The approach used here could be useful to aid of the design of regional water management
and soil conservation measures.This research was supported by projects funded by the MINECOFEDER:
CGL2014-52135-C3-3-R, CGL2014-59946-R, CGL2015-65569-
R, CGL2015-64284-C2-2-R, and PCIN-2017-061/AEI. When this
manuscript was first submitted Estela Nadal-Romero and Damià Vericat
received a “Ramón y Cajal” postdoctoral contract (RYC-2013-14371
and RYC‐2010‐06264, Spanish Ministry of Economy and
Competitiveness, MEC). Damià Vericat is now a Serra Húnter Fellow at
the University of Lleida. María Fernández-Raga received a “José
Castillejo” postdoctoral grant (Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture
and Sports). Carla Ferreira was supported by a post-doctoral research
grant from the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (SFRH/
BPD/120093/2016). Mariano Moreno-de las Heras received a Juan de
la Cierva postdoctoral contract (IJCI-2015-26463) from the MEC. José
Andrés López-Tarazón received a Vicenç Mut postdoctoral fellowship
from the Autonomous Balearic Government (CAIB PD/038/2016). José
Andrés López-Tarazón and Ramon Batalla also acknowledge the
Secretariat for Universities and Research of the Department of the
Economy and Knowledge of the Autonomous Government of Catalonia
for supporting the Consolidated Research Group 2014 SGR 645 (RIUSFluvial
Dynamics Research Group), and the CERCA Programme. This
paper has benefited from the Lab and Field Data Pool created within the
framework of the COST action CONNECTEUR (ES1306).Peer reviewe
Analysis of the spatial variability of the relationships between rainfall, runoff, erosion and sediment yield and synoptic atmospheric patterns around the Mediterranean basin
Trabajo presentado en TERRAenVISION Environmental Issues Today: Scientific Solutions for Societal Issues, celebrado en Barcelona (España) del 27 de enero al 2 de febrero de 2018This contribution results from international collaborative efforts of different research groups
around the Mediterranean basin focusing on soil conservation and water management. We will
present the most complete database of runoff and soil erosion information and analyze the
records from 68 locations, including more than 22458 detail events between 1985-2015. Soil
conservation and water planning are two of the most challenging problems around the
Mediterranean basin due to climate conditions and human activity. We believe that future
advances on understanding soil degradation by water should be developed under global
approaches. In this contribution, we will present an analysis of atmospheric conditions, expressed
by weather types and the resulted rainfall, runoff, and erosion and sediment yield around the
Mediterranean basin. The weather types compile daily information about the different air masses
responsible for rainfall, runoff and eventually erosion and sediment yield, and their analyses let us
know the synchrony of the response at different sites around the Mediterranean basin. The
analyses of the global dataset display different spatial patterns for rainfall, runoff, and sediment
yield, related to different atmospheric patterns. This research will be a valuable tool for
understanding the evolution of these environmental variables, and therefore it will allow future
planning to design regional water management and soil conservation measuresPeer reviewe
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