New observations from the intestinal fauna of Kerodon rupestris (Wied, 1820) (Rodentia, Cavidae), Brazil: a checklist spanning 30, 000 years of parasitism / Novas observações da fauna intestinal de Kerodon rupestris (Wied, 1820) (Rodentia, Cavidae), Brasil: uma lista de verificação que abrange 30. 000 anos de parasitismo

Abstract This checklist of parasites of Kerodon rupestris, an endemic rodent from the Brazilian semiarid region, revealed records of 25 enteroparasite taxa comprising Cestoda (Anoplocephalidae), Trematoda, Acanthocephala and Nematoda (Ancylostomidae, Ascarididae, Heterakidae, Oxyuridae, Pharyngodonidae, Trichuridae, Capillariidae, Trichostrongylidae, and Strongyloididae), and two taxa of coccidian. Paleoparasitological and parasitological studies published until 2019 were assessed in the present study and locality information, site of infection, sample dating, and host data were summarized from each reference. Analyses of recent feces and coprolites revealed the highest species richness in the Piauí State. The chronological data corroborated that Trichuris spp. and oxyurids are part of the parasitic fauna of K. rupestris. This represents the first checklist of intestinal parasites from K. rupestris.

Resumo Este levantamento de parasitos intestinais de Kerodon rupestris, um roedor endêmico da região semiárida brasileira, revelou registros de 25 táxons de enteroparasitos compreendendo Cestoda (Anoplocephalidae), Trematoda, Acanthocephala e Nematoda (Ancylostomidae, Ascarididae, Heterakidae, Oxyuridae, Pharyngodonidae, Trichuridae, Capillariidae, Trichostrongylidae, and Strongyloididae), e dois táxons de coccídios. Os estudos paleoparasitológicos e parasitológicos publicados até 2019 foram avaliados no presente trabalho e as informações de localização, local da infecção, datação da amostra e dados do hospedeiro, foram resumidas a partir de cada referência. Análises de fezes recentes e coprólitos revelaram a maior riqueza de espécies no estado do Piauí. Os dados cronológicos corroboram que Trichuris spp. e oxiurídeos fazem parte da fauna parasitária de K. rupestris. Essa é a primeira lista de verificação de parasitos intestinais de K. rupestris.

New observations from the intestinal fauna of Kerodon rupestris (Wied, 1820) (Rodentia, Cavidae), Brazil: a checklist spanning 30,000 years of parasitism

Abstract This checklist of parasites of Kerodon rupestris, an endemic rodent from the Brazilian semiarid region, revealed records of 25 enteroparasite taxa comprising Cestoda (Anoplocephalidae), Trematoda, Acanthocephala and Nematoda (Ancylostomidae, Ascarididae, Heterakidae, Oxyuridae, Pharyngodonidae, Trichuridae, Capillariidae, Trichostrongylidae, and Strongyloididae), and two taxa of coccidian. Paleoparasitological and parasitological studies published until 2019 were assessed in the present study and locality information, site of infection, sample dating, and host data were summarized from each reference. Analyses of recent feces and coprolites revealed the highest species richness in the Piauí State. The chronological data corroborated that Trichuris spp. and oxyurids are part of the parasitic fauna of K. rupestris. This represents the first checklist of intestinal parasites from K. rupestris.

Resumo Este levantamento de parasitos intestinais de Kerodon rupestris, um roedor endêmico da região semiárida brasileira, revelou registros de 25 táxons de enteroparasitos compreendendo Cestoda (Anoplocephalidae), Trematoda, Acanthocephala e Nematoda (Ancylostomidae, Ascarididae, Heterakidae, Oxyuridae, Pharyngodonidae, Trichuridae, Capillariidae, Trichostrongylidae, and Strongyloididae), e dois táxons de coccídios. Os estudos paleoparasitológicos e parasitológicos publicados até 2019 foram avaliados no presente trabalho e as informações de localização, local da infecção, datação da amostra e dados do hospedeiro, foram resumidas a partir de cada referência. Análises de fezes recentes e coprólitos revelaram a maior riqueza de espécies no estado do Piauí. Os dados cronológicos corroboram que Trichuris spp. e oxiurídeos fazem parte da fauna parasitária de K. rupestris. Essa é a primeira lista de verificação de parasitos intestinais de K. rupestris.

There is no difference in hepatic fibrosis rates of patients infected with hepatitis C virus and those co-infected with HIV

Some studies have suggested that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection modifies the natural history of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, accelerating the progression of fibrosis and the development of cirrhosis. Our objective was to evaluate the fibrosis progression rate (FPR) in HCV/HIV-co-infected patients, and to identify factors that may influence it. HCV-mono-infected and HCV/HIV-co-infected patients with a known date of HCV infection (transfusion or injection drug use) and a liver biopsy were included. The FPR was defined as the ratio between the fibrosis stage (Metavir score) and the estimated length of infection in years and the result was reported as fibrosis units per year. The factors studied were gender, age at infection, consumption of alcohol, aminotransferase levels, histological activity grade, HCV genotype and viral load, CD4 cell count, HIV viral load, and the use of antiretroviral therapy. Sixty-five HCV-infected (group 1) and 53 HCV/HIV-co-infected (group 2) patients were evaluated over a period of 19 months. The mean FPR of groups 1 and 2 was 0.086 ± 0.074 and 0.109 ± 0.098 fibrosis units per year, respectively (P = 0.276). There was a correlation between length of HCV infection and stage of fibrosis in both groups. The age at infection, the aspartate aminotransferase level (r = 0.36) and the inflammatory activity grade were correlated with the FPR (P < 0.001). No difference in FPR was found between HCV-mono-infected and HCV/HIV-co-infected patients.

Evaluación de la Utilización de Materiales Didácticos en los Hospitales del Area Sur del Departamento de Pediatría de la Facultad de Medicina de la UBA / Evaluation of the Use of Teaching Material in the Metropolitan Southern Area of the Department of Pediatrics of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Buenos Aires

Durante la cursada en la UBA, cada unidad entrega material didáctico: un CD con bibliografía y un DVD de semiología en las distintas edades pediátricas. El objetivo fue evaluar la accesibilidad y la utilización de distintos recursos pedagógicos. Se realizó una encuesta a 119 alumnos pertenecientes a los hospitales británico, Garrahan, Churruca, Fiorito, Elizalde, Meléndez de Adrogué y Ramos Mejía, la cual investigaba si el alumno recibía el material y si lo utilizaba. Los resultados se analizaron con técnicas de estadistica descriptiva. El 91 por ciento de los alumnos contestó la encuesta. el 82 por ciento afirmó haber recibido el CD de bibliografía y el 56 por ciento el DVD de semiología. El 83% afirma haber utiizado el material, el 71 por ciento contestó que es útil porque responde al programa y el 66 por ciento porque está actualizado. El 34 por ciento afirmó que los contenidos del CD no se encuentran en otra bibliografía accesible a los alumnos, el 48 por ciento consideró amena su lectura. El 83 por ciento respondio haber visto el DVD, aunque en distintas semanas de la cursada y no necesariamente en la primera como es indicación del Departamento de Pediatría. La gran mayoría de los alumnos utilizó el material y lo considera útil. Los alumnos que no utilizaron el material comentan que usan textos tradicionales, en otros pese a haberlo recibido al comienzo de la sursada no consideraron la consulta del mismo. Sorprende aun más, que en el caso de los DVD de semiología difieran la consulta del mismo al final de la cursada ante la inminencia del examen práctico. Aún queda abierto el debate si la entrega de bibliografía preseleccionada es útil y necesria o es preferible brindar oportunidades para el autoaprendizaje y el estudio independiente

La relación entre los juegos de videos violentos, la aculturación y la agresión entre adolescentes latinos / The relationship between violent video games, acculturation, and aggression among Latino adolescents

Multiple factors are involved in the occurrence of aggressive behavior. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the hypotheses that Latino middle school children exposed to higher levels of video game playing will exhibit a higher level of aggression and fighting compared to children exposed to lower levels and that the more acculturated middle school Latino children will play more video games and will prefer more violent video games compared to less acculturated middle school Latino children. This study involved 5,831 students attending eight public schools in Texas. A linear relationship was observed between the time spent playing video games and aggression scores. Higher aggression scores were significantly associated with heavier video playing for boys and girls (p0.0001). The more students played video games, the more they fought at school (p0.0001). As Latino middle school students were more acculturated, their preference for violent video game playing increased, as well as the amount of time they played video games. Students who reported speaking more Spanish at home and with their friends were less likely to spend large amounts of time playing video games and less likely to prefer violent video games (p0.05).

Regulation of antioxidant enzyme activities in male and female rat macrophages by sex steroids

Human and animal immune functions present sex dimorphism that seems to be mainly regulated by sex hormones. In the present study, the activities of the antioxidant enzymes total superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were measured in intraperitoneal resident macrophages from adult male and female rats. In addition to comparing males and females, we also examined the regulation of these enzyme activities in macrophages by sex steroids. GSH-Px activity did not differ between male and female macrophages. However, both total SOD and CAT activities were markedly higher in females than in males (83 and 180 percent). Removal of the gonads in both males and females (comparison between castrated groups) increased the difference in SOD activity from 83 to 138 percent and reduced the difference in CAT activity from 180 to 86 percent. Castration and testosterone administration did not significantly modify the activities of the antioxidant enzymes in male macrophages. Ovariectomy did not affect SOD or GSH-Px activity but markedly reduced (48 percent) CAT activity. This latter change was fully reversed by estrogen administration, whereas progesterone had a smaller effect. These results led us to conclude that differences in the SOD and CAT activities may partially explain some of the differences in immune function reported for males and females. Also, estrogen is a potent regulator of CAT in macrophages and therefore this enzyme activity in macrophages may vary considerably during the menstrual cycle

Lupus eritomatoso sistémico: análisis de las manifestaciones clínicas al diagnóstico de sesenta casos pediátricos / Eritomatoso systemic lupus: analysis of clinical manifestations in the diagnosis of sixty pediatric cases

El lupus eritematoso sistémico (LES) es una enfermedad por autinmunidad que representa un desafio para el pediatra debido a la variedad de sus formas de presentación. Se revisaron 60 historias clínicas de pacientes con LES atendidos en el hospital de pediaría Juan P. Garrahan en el lapso entre agosto de 1987 y agosto de 1993, con el objetivo de analizar las manifestaciones clínicas en el momento del diagnóstico basándonos en los criterios de clasificación del Colegio Americano de Reumatología (A.C.R.). Los datos que se evaluaron fueron: diagnósticos previos relacionados, la enfermedad, tiempo transcurridos hasta el diagnóstico, sexo, edad al diagnóstico, manifestaciones clínicas al diagnóstico, serología y laboratorio general. La edad media de presentación fue de 12 años, con predominio del sexo femenino. Los diagnósticos previos más frecuentes fueron artritis reumatoidea juvenil (ARJ), fiebre reumática (FR) y purpura trombocitopénica autoinmune (PTA). La mayor parte de los pacientes tuvieron diagnóstico confirmado entre los 3 y 12 meses de aparición de los sintomas. La evolución más rápida se asoció a formas más graves. Se encontró menor afectación dermatológica que la referida por el A. C. R. ( 1982). El 43 por ciento de los pacientes mostraron compromiso renal, y el mismo porcenaje tuvo afectación articular. El 16 por ciento de la población mostró patología pulmonar y el 25 por ciento trastornos cardíacos, sobre todo pricarditis. Se concluye que por la heterogeneidad de formas clínicas de presentación y el compromiso de múltiples sistemas de la economia, se impone la atencion multidisciplinaria de estos niños, manteniendo un alto grado de sospecha clínica y reiterando periódicamene el laboratorio inmunológico.