L'institut de Ciències fotòniques (ICFO): la passió per la llum

Esta nota es una presentación del Institut de Ciencias Fononiques (Instituto de Ciencias Fotónicas - ICPO), una institución de investigación creada en 2002 gracias al impulso del Departament d'Universitat, Receros í Socíetat dala Informació (DURSI) de la Generalítat de Catalunya y la Uníversitat Politécnica de Catalunya (UPC) y dedicada a la investigación y la formación de doctores y tecnólogos anal campo de fotónica, una ciencia que muchas agencias internacionales coinciden en identificar como una de las tecnologías esenciales del siglo XXI y también como una da las piezas clave para producir avances científicos y tecnológicos en áreas muy variadas

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Bacterial Meningoencephalitis in a Foal

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in equidae suffering meningoencephalitis (ME) has not been described. The objective of this paper is to describe brain MRI findings in a foal with bacterial ME. A five-month-old, 200 kg bwt Arabian filly was referred with a history of abnormal mental status and locomotion. The filly was recumbent and obtunded, and pupillary light reflexes were sluggish, and oculocephalic movements were normally present. Ophthalmic examination revealed bilateral optic neuritis. Hematology revealed leukocytosis and neutrophilia. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed neutrophilic pleocytosis with intracellular bacteria. On brain MRI, there were multifocal cortical areas of mild hyperintensity on T2-weighted images (T2WI) affecting both hemispheres. The lesions had ill-delineated margins, and there was loss of differentiation between gray and white matter. Diffuse hyperintensity was also identified in the left cerebellar cortex on T2WI. Neither mass effect nor cerebral midline shift were identified. On FLAIR images, the lesions were also hyperintense and, in some areas, they seemed to coalescence to form diffuse cortical areas of hyperintensity. The MRI findings described were similar to the MRI features described in cases of humans and small animals with ME. Brain MRI can be a useful diagnostic tool in foals and small-sized equidae with intracranial disease

Identidad y excedente ideológico en el Quijote de Cervantes

Reasons for performing the study: Bacterial meningoencephalitis is a severe complication in septic foals and there is scarce and often unclear information in the equine literature. Objectives: To report the most frequent clinical signs, clinicopathological findings, causative agents, treatments given and outcome of a group of foals with confirmed bacterial meningoencephalitis. Methods: Foals aged < 6 months of age admitted to the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (2004-2009) with confirmed bacterial meningoencephalitis were retrospectively included in the study Diagnosis of bacterial meningoencephalitis was made by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture, CSF analysis consistent with bacterial infection, observation of bacteria in CSF cytology or postmortem confirmation. Results: Nine neonates and one 5-month-old foal were included. The most frequently observed clinical signs were alterations in mental status (10/10), recumbency (8/10), weakness (8/10), abnormal pupillary light reflexes (6/10), decreased suckling-reflex (6/9), seizures and/or nystagmus (4/10). Common clinicopathological alterations included yperfibrinogenaemia (8/9), hyperlactataemia (7/7), and neutropenia (5/10) or neutrophilia (5/10). Most neonates (8/9) developed bacterial meningoencephalitis despite having a sepsis score near the cut-off value (median = 12). On CSF analysis, pleocytosis (9/9), increased total protein concentration (5/6) and intracellular bacteria (6/9) were detected. The most frequently isolated bacterium was Escherichia coil. Once bacterial meningoencephalitis was diagnosed, antimicrobial therapy was switched to third and fourth generation cephalosporins. Conclusions: The diagnosis of bacterial meningoencephalitis is established based on CSF analysis and culture. Clinical recognition of bacterial meningoencephalitis is difficult and can be easily overlooked. Moreover, severe sepsis is not necessary to develop bacterial meningoencephalitis

Clinical findings in 10 foals with bacterial meningoencephalitis

Reasons for performing the study: Bacterial meningoencephalitis is a severe complication in septic foals and there is scarce and often unclear information in the equine literature. Objectives: To report the most frequent clinical signs, clinicopathological findings, causative agents, treatments given and outcome of a group of foals with confirmed bacterial meningoencephalitis. Methods: Foals aged < 6 months of age admitted to the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (2004-2009) with confirmed bacterial meningoencephalitis were retrospectively included in the study Diagnosis of bacterial meningoencephalitis was made by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture, CSF analysis consistent with bacterial infection, observation of bacteria in CSF cytology or postmortem confirmation. Results: Nine neonates and one 5-month-old foal were included. The most frequently observed clinical signs were alterations in mental status (10/10), recumbency (8/10), weakness (8/10), abnormal pupillary light reflexes (6/10), decreased suckling-reflex (6/9), seizures and/or nystagmus (4/10). Common clinicopathological alterations included yperfibrinogenaemia (8/9), hyperlactataemia (7/7), and neutropenia (5/10) or neutrophilia (5/10). Most neonates (8/9) developed bacterial meningoencephalitis despite having a sepsis score near the cut-off value (median = 12). On CSF analysis, pleocytosis (9/9), increased total protein concentration (5/6) and intracellular bacteria (6/9) were detected. The most frequently isolated bacterium was Escherichia coil. Once bacterial meningoencephalitis was diagnosed, antimicrobial therapy was switched to third and fourth generation cephalosporins. Conclusions: The diagnosis of bacterial meningoencephalitis is established based on CSF analysis and culture. Clinical recognition of bacterial meningoencephalitis is difficult and can be easily overlooked. Moreover, severe sepsis is not necessary to develop bacterial meningoencephalitis