Cell-mediated immune response to Leishmania chagasi experimental infection of BALB/c immunosuppressed mice

Leishmaniasis, a zoonosis of worldwide distribution, presents a significant impact on immunosupressed patients. This study aimed to evaluate Leishmania chagasi infection in BALB/c mice immunosuppressed with dexamethasone. Spleen cells stimulated or not with L. chagasi were cultured for cytokine quantification (IFN-gama, IL-2, IL-4 and IL-10) by sandwich ELISA. Parasite loads in the spleen and liver were determined by means of culture microtitration. Immunosuppressed groups showed statistically lower spleen weight and CD4-cell percentage in blood on the day of infection and produced Th1 and Th2 cytokines on other days of the study. The other infected groups, weather immunosupressed or not, also produced Th1 and Th2 cytokines. Parasite loads in the spleen and liver were not statistically different among the groups. It was concluded that L. chagasi infection was not affected by dexamethasone-induced immunosuppression, probably due the reversible effect of the treatment.

Seroprevalence of Burkholderia pseudomallei in East Timorese refugees: implications for healthcare in East Timor.

Melioidosis is a disease with protean clinical manifestations caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei. It is endemic in countries surrounding the newly independent East Timor, but has yet to be isolated or demonstrated serologically in that country. One illness that can be clinically indistinguishable from melioidosis is pulmonary tuberculosis, a condition with a very high prevalence in East Timor. We used an indirect hemagglutination test (IHA) to measure antibodies to B. pseudomallei in 407 East Timorese evacuated to Darwin, Australia, in September 1999. Assuming a positive IHA titer as > or = 1:40, the overall seroprevalence rate was 17.0%, in keeping with other seroprevalence studies from the region. The IHA titres ranged up to 1:320. After adjusting for age, females were 2.5 times more likely to be seropositive than males (p = 0.0001). There was an inverse relationship between seropositivity and age. This study shows that exposure to B. pseudomallei occurs in East Timor melioidosis is also likely to occur. Due to the lack of laboratory facilities at present, it may be some time before a laboratory-confirmed case proves that melioidosis occurs. In the meantime, clinicians in East Timor should include melioidosis in the differential diagnosis of the many conditions that it may mimic.

Radio-quimioterapia concomitante en cáncer escamocelular avanzado en cabeza y cuello / Concomitant radio-chemotherapy in advanced head and neck squamocellular cancer

La radioquimioterapia concomitante aparece en los últimos años como una alternativa en el manejo de los pacientes portadores de cáncer avanzados de cabeza y cuello. En el Servicio de Otorrinolaringología del Hospital Carlos Van Buren planificamos un protocolo de estudio en pacientes portadores de cáncer escamocelular avanzados de cabeza y cuello, consistente en radioquimioterapia concomitante, 2 Gy diarios por 5 días semanales, completando 6600 a 7000 rad. asociado a cisplatino en dosis de 100 mgr/m² cada 21 días por 3 veces (los días 1,22 y 43). 30 pacientes se incluyeron en el estudio. 28 fueron analizados: 25 hombres y 3 mujeres. La edad promedio fue de 64 años. 8 casos correspondían al estadio III y 20 a estadio IV. 12 casos de localización en hipofaringe, 8 en laringe, 4 en orofaringe, 3 en cavidad oral y 1 en pirámide nasal. Se observó respuesta completa en 18 pacientes (64 por cientos), respuesta parcial en 9 pacientes (32 por ciento) y no respuesta en 1 paciente (4 por ciento). La sobrevida general fue de un 64,3 por ciento. La toxicidad renal y hematológica fueron los efectos adversos más comunes

An outbreak of salmonellosis linked to a marine turtle.

In September 1998, an outbreak of gastroenteritis occurred in a coastal Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory over a seven day period. An investigation was conducted by the Center for Disease Control, Territory Health Services. Thirty-six cases were detected and 17% (n=6) were hospitalized. Salmonella chester was isolated from eight of nine stool specimens. Sixty-two percent of cases interviewed (n=28) reported consumption of a green turtle (Chelonia mydas) within a median of 24 hours prior to onset of illness. Of the remainder, all but two were contacts of other cases. Salmonella chester was isolated from a section of partially cooked turtle meat. There are no previous published reports of salmonellosis associated with consumption of sea turtles despite them being a popular food source in coastal communities in the Pacific.

Preparation effects on tortilla mineral content in Guatemala

We have previously reported that in Guatemala, the calcium, iron, and zinc contents of tortillas from rural areas are higher that that of tortillas from urban centers. This study examines variation in the calcium, iron, zinc and copper content of tortilla according to the implements used for making tortillas and inquires as to whether preparation effects mediate rural-urban variation in tortilla mineral content. Tortilla samples and information on how the tortillas were prepared were collected from the female heads of a total of 50 households from three rural, two semi-urban and one low income urban community. Samples of lime used for making tortillas were collected from 31 households. To grind masa, a hand mill was found to be used in some rural households whereas a motorized mill predominated in the semi-urban and urban areas. Most women used grinding stones called the mano y metate to further refine the texture of the masa. Tortillas prepared with the combined use of the hand mill and mano y metate had a significantly (p < 0.05) higher iron content. Use of the mano y metate was also associated with a significantly (p < 0.05) higher zinc content. These results suggest that the use of certain grinding implements may mediate rural-urban variation in tortilla iron and zinc content. The cooking surface, pot used for nixtamalization, source of water, and amount of lime used did not significantly account for variation in the content of these minerals