524 research outputs found
SEVERE ATTACK ON SUGARCANE AND GRASSES BY MOCIS LATIPES (GUENÉE), (LEPIDOPTERA: NOCTUIDAE) IN SOUTHWEST PUERTO RICO
SEVERE ATTACK ON SUGARCANE AND GRASSES BY MOCIS LATIPES (GUENÉE), (LEPIDOPTERA: NOCTUIDAE) IN SOUTHWEST PUERTO RIC
Objective Quantification of Posterior Capsule Opacification after Cataract Surgery, with Optical Coherence Tomography
PURPOSE: To evaluate posterior capsule opacification (PCO) in humans after
cataract surgery with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation, by using optical
coherence tomography (OCT-1). METHODS: Sixty-six eyes with PCO and 20 eyes with a
normal posterior capsule were analyzed. A 3-mm-long horizontal scan of the
posterior capsule was obtained. Measurements at three points and their average
were recorded. Intraoperator and interoperator reliabilities were assessed.
Investigated was peak intensity (PI) and posterior capsule thickening (PCT), with
PCT indicating the distance between two reflectivity spikes, with an approximate
axial resolution of 10 microm. Results were compared with visual acuity (VA) and
PCO type. RESULTS: Intraoperator reliability was 0.59 and 0.97 for average PI and
PCT, respectively. The interoperator concordance correlation coefficient was 0.70
and 0.82 for average PI and PCT, respectively. Median (interquartile range)
intensities of the reflectivity spike were 16.88 (dB) (range, 12.88-20.41) and
11.9 (8.58-14.28), respectively, in the PCO and control eyes (P = 0.001). PCT was
found in PCO eyes (median: 86.13 microm; range, 46.33-115.33), whereas no second
spike appeared in control eyes (P = 0.001). The area under the receiver operating
characteristic curve of the average PCT for differentiating pearl-type from
fibrosis-type PCO was 0.87 (P = 0.001). For a cutoff point of 55.3 microm, the
sensitivity was 97.5%, and the specificity was 69%. Worse VA correlated
significantly only with larger PCT (r(o) = 0.66; P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: OCT-1
appears useful to quantitate PCO. In addition, this system seems to discriminate
between different types of PCO. PCT may be a previously unrecognized factor in VA
degradation
Evaluation of α,β-unsaturated ketones as antileishmanial agents
In this study, we assessed the antileishmanial activity of 126 α,β-unsaturated ketones. The compounds NC901, NC884, and NC2459 showed high leishmanicidal activity for both the extracellular (50% effective concentration [EC(50)], 456 nM, 1,122 nM, and 20 nM, respectively) and intracellular (EC(50), 1,870 nM, 937 nM, and 625 nM, respectively) forms of Leishmania major propagated in macrophages, with little or no toxicity to mammalian cells. Bioluminescent imaging of parasite replication showed that all three compounds reduced the parasite burden in the murine model, with no apparent toxicity
Controls on Coral-Ground Development along the Northern Mesoamerican Reef Tract
Coral-grounds are reef communities that colonize rocky substratum but do not form framework or three-dimensional reef structures. To investigate why, we used video transects and underwater photography to determine the composition, structure and status of a coral-ground community located on the edge of a rocky terrace in front of a tourist park, Xcaret, in the northern Mesoamerican Reef tract, Mexico. The community has a relatively low coral, gorgonian and sponge cover (<10%) and high algal cover (>40%). We recorded 23 species of Scleractinia, 14 species of Gorgonacea and 30 species of Porifera. The coral community is diverse but lacks large coral colonies, being dominated instead by small, sediment-tolerant, and brooding species. In these small colonies, the abundance of potentially lethal interactions and partial mortality is high but decreases when colonies are larger than 40 cm. Such characteristics are consistent with an environment control whereby storm waves periodically remove larger colonies and elevate sediment flux. The community only survives these storm conditions due to its slope-break location, which ensures lack of burial and continued local recruitment. A comparison with similar coral-ground communities in adjacent areas suggests that the narrow width of the rock terrace hinders sediment stabilization, thereby ensuring that communities cannot escape bottom effects and develop into three-dimensional reef structures on geological time scales
Retinal thickness study with optical coherence tomography in patients with diabetes
To quantitatively assess retinal thickness by optical coherence
tomography (OCT) in normal subjects and patients with diabetes. This study was
intended to determine which retinal thickness value measured with OCT best
discriminates between diabetic eyes, with and without macular edema. METHODS: OCT
retinal thickness was measured by a manual technique in a total of 26 healthy
volunteers (44 control eyes) and 85 patients with diabetes (148 eyes) with the
clinical diagnosis of no diabetic retinopathy (45 eyes), nonproliferative
diabetic retinopathy without clinically significant macular edema (CSME; 54
eyes), proliferative diabetic retinopathy without CSME (21 eyes), and 28 eyes
with diabetic retinopathy with CSME. Independent predictors of the presence of
CSME were quantified by using univariate and multivariate logistic regression
analyses. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated to
evaluate and compare the predictor variables. The correlation of retinal
thickness measurements and visual acuity was calculated. RESULTS: There were
statistically significant differences in foveal thickness between control eyes
and all the other eye groups (P = 0.001). Diabetic eyes with CSME had a
statistically significant greater thickness in each of the areas compared with
the other groups. In a multivariate logistic regression model, foveal thickness
was a strong and independent predictor of CSME (odds ratio [OR], 1.037; 95%
confidence interval [CI] 1.02-1.05). The area under the ROC curve of this
predictor variable was 0.94 (P = 0.001). For a cutoff point of 180 microm, the
sensitivity was 93%, and specificity was 75%. Foveal thickness correlated with
visual acuity in a log minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) scale (Spearman's rho
= 0.9, P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that foveal thickening over
180 microm measured by OCT may be useful for the early detection of macular
thickening and may be an indicator for a closer follow-up of the patient with
diabetes
Seroprevalencia de las infecciones por el virus Diarrea VĂrica Bovina en ganado bovino en AndalucĂa
Se ha realizado un estudio seroepidemiolĂłgico frente al virus de la Diarrea VĂrica Bovina (vDVB) en la cabaña bovina andaluza, utilizando para ello un ELISA indirecto para la detecciĂłn de anticuerpos frente a una proteĂna altamente conservada (p80). DespuĂ©s de eliminar los animales vacunados, la encuesta se realizĂł sobre 4.768 individuos pertenecientes a 227 colectivos no vacunados frente al vDVB, mediante muestreo estadĂstico para un nivel de confianza del 95 por ciento. La seropositividad obtenida ha sido del 42,3 por ciento de los individuos analizados, mientras que la prevalencia estimada de rebaños seropositivos alcanzĂł el 70,9 por ciento. La proporciĂłn de bovinos persistentemente infectados (IP) encontrada en la muestra (0,063 % de los individuos y 1,32 de los colectivos), ha sido más baja de la esperada en funciĂłn de la alta seroprevalencia detectada, hecho que demuestra que la supervivencia de estos animales lĂłgicamente está condicionada
Salmon Aquaculture and Antimicrobial Resistance in the Marine Environment
Antimicrobials used in salmon aquaculture pass into the marine environment. This could have negative impacts on marine environmental biodiversity, and on terrestrial animal and human health as a result of selection for bacteria containing antimicrobial resistance genes. We therefore measured the numbers of culturable bacteria and antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in marine sediments in the Calbuco Archipelago, Chile, over 12-month period at a salmon aquaculture site approximately 20 m from a salmon farm and at a control site 8 km distant without observable aquaculture activities. Three antimicrobials extensively used in Chilean salmon aquaculture (oxytetracycline, oxolinic acid, and florfenicol) were studied. Although none of these antimicrobials was detected in sediments from either site, traces of flumequine, a fluoroquinolone antimicrobial also widely used in Chile, were present in sediments from both sites during this period. There were significant increases in bacterial numbers and antimicrobial-resistant fractions to oxytetracycline, oxolinic acid, and florfenicol in sediments from the aquaculture site compared to those from the control site. Interestingly, there were similar numbers of presumably plasmid-mediated resistance genes for oxytetracycline, oxolinic acid and florfenicol in unselected marine bacteria isolated from both aquaculture and control sites. These preliminary findings in one location may suggest that the current use of large amounts of antimicrobials in Chilean aquaculture has the potential to select for antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in marine sediments
Evaluation of the safety, tolerance and efficacy of 1-year consumption of infant formula supplemented with Lactobacillus fermentum CECT5716 Lc40 or Bifidobacterium breve CECT7263: a randomized controlled trial
Background: The microorganism present in breast milk, added to other factors, determine the colonization of
infants. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the safety, tolerance and effects of the consumption of a
milk formula during the first year of life that is supplemented with L. fermentum CECT5716 or Bifidobacterium breve
CECT7263, two strains originally isolated from breast milk. Results: One hundred and eighty-nine infants completed the eleven months of intervention (61 in control group,
65 in Lf group and 63 in Bb group). The growth of infants in the three groups was consistent with standards. No
significant differences were observed in the main outcome, weight-gain (Control group: 5.77 Kg ± 0.95, Lf group:
5.77 Kg ± 1.31, Bb group: 5.58 Kg ± 1.10; p = 0.527). The three milk formulae were well tolerated, and no adverse
effects were related to the consumption of any of the formula. Infants receiving B. breve CECT7263 had a 1.7 times
lower risk of crying than the control group (OR = 0.569, CI 95% 0.568–0.571; p = 0.001). On the other hand, the
incidence of diarrhoea in infants receiving the formula supplemented with L. fermentum CECT5716 was a 44%
lower than in infants receiving the control formula (p = 0.014). The consumption of this Lactobacillus strain also
reduced the duration of diarrhoea by 2.5 days versus control group (p = 0.044).
Conclusions: The addition of L. fermentum CECT5716 Lc40 or B. breve CECT7263, two probiotic strains naturally
found in breast milk, to infant formulae is safe and induces beneficial effects on the health of infants.This work was funded by Biosearch Life supported by a grant from the
Agency of Innovation and Development of Andalusia (IDEA-Spain), Cofinanced
by European Regional Development Fund (EC). Project Tittle: “New
applications of probiotic strains and derived compounds with biological activity
(POSTBIO)” and partially funded by Lactalis-Puleva (Granada, Spain)
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