Scorpionism in Central America, with special reference to the case of Panama

Scorpionism in the Americas occurs mainly in Mexico, northern South America and southeast Brazil. This article reviews the local scorpion fauna, available health statistics, and the literature to assess scorpionism in Central America. Notwithstanding its high toxicity in Mexico, most scorpion sting cases in Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica are produced by species in the genus Centruroides that are only mildly toxic to humans despite the existence of ion channel-active toxins in their venoms. Regional morbidity is low with the exception of Panama, where an incidence of 52 cases per 100,000 inhabitants was recorded for 2007, with 28 deaths from 1998 to 2006. Taxa belonging to the genus Tityus (also present in the Atlantic coast of Costa Rica) are responsible for fatalities in Panama, with Tityus pachyurus being the most important species medically. Most Tityus species inhabiting Panama are also found in northern South America from which they probably migrated upon closure of the Panamanian isthmus in the Miocene era. Incorporation of Panama as part of the northern South American endemic area of scorpionism is thereby suggested based on the incidence of these accidents and the geographical distribution of Panamanian Tityus species.(AU)

Efectos de la malnutricion proteico-calorica materna sobre la concentracion del ARN mensajero de la proteina A del surfactante en pulmones de ratas fetales / Effects of maternal protein-calorie malnutrition on the concentration of protein A messenger RNA in surfactant of fetal rat lungs

The pulmonary surfactant is a lipoproteic complex that serves to lower surface tension at the air-liquid interface in the pulmonary alveoli. Approximately 2 to 4% of the pulmonary surfactant is constituted by the protein A (SP-A). The objective of the study was to determine the effects that maternal protein calorie malnutrition has on the fetal pulmonary growth and the production of SP-A messenger RNA in fetal rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pregnant Sprague Dawley rats were divided into two groups, which received a diet with either 8% or 21% of proteins from gestational day 1 until the day 20. In this last day 11 fetuses were extracted by caesarean section and their lungs were removed to quantify the mRNA of the SP-A. First the mRNA was boosted using the technique of reverse transcriptase and polimerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and then its concentration was determined by means of fluorodensitometry. RESULTS: There was a reduction in body weight and in wet lung weights of malnourished fetuses in comparison with the normal fetuses (5.03 +/- 0.20 g vs. 4.32 +/- 0.32 g, p < 0.05 and 79.0 +/- 3.8 mg vs. 146.0 +/- 3.4 mg, p < 0.05, respectively). The densitometric analysis of the SP-A mRNA concentration demonstrated a reduction of 32% in the malnourished fetuses (0.52 +/- 0.11 vs. 0.77 +/- 0.07, p < 0.05) compared with the normal fetuses. CONCLUSIONS: The maternal protein calorie malnutrition affected the pulmonary development and the synthesis of the SP-A mRNA. These data suggest that a defect occurrs at pre-transcriptional level that results in a diminution of the concentration of mRNA of SP-A in the neumocytes type II

Optimización de la técnica de inmunoelectrotransferencia (western blot) para la confirmación de la infección por el virus de immunodeficiencia humana (VIH) en Panamá / Optimization of the immunoelectrophoresis technic (western blot) for the confirmation of human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV) in Panama

The purpose of this study is to report the results of the authors' investigation to apply the western blot technique (WB UP-LCS) in the diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. To do this, the authors separated the proteins of the HIV-1 virus by electrophoresis, based on their molecular weight, in poliacilamide gel with SDS (SDS-PAGE) during 3 hours at 200 volts. Then they electrotransferred these proteins to nitrocellulose paper during four hours at 200 milliamperes, with the aid of external cooling. The nitrocellulose strips were evaluated considering the incubation time (1 and 16 hours), two conjugates (human anti IgG with Peroxidase and human anti IgG Biotin plus Streptatividine with Peroxidase) and two dilutions of the patients' sera (1/50 and 1/100). Based on their results the Authors conclude that, in the first place, the optimal conditions for the test include a dilution of 1/100 of the patients serum, incubation of the serum for 16 hours and the use of the conjugate of anti human IgG with Biotin and Streptavidine with Peroxidase; secondary, that the immunologic reactivity against proteins p24 and gp 160/120 is the most important diagnostic criterion for the confirmation of infection with HIV-1 and that they obtained a diagnostic correlation of 100% at a cost which was 5 to 7 times less than that of the commercial system

Evaluación del receptor soluble de interleucina-2 en pacientes con tripanosomiasis Americana en Panamá / Evaluation of soluble receptor of inter leukin-2 in patients with Trypanosomiasis americana in Panamá

Se evalúan los niveles del receptor soluble de interleucina-2 (sIL-2R) en sueros de pacientes que presentaban la forma clínica aguda o crónica de la Enfermedad de Chagas. El valor promedio de sIL-2R observado en pacientes en fase aguda fue de 3282+-1715 u/ml., en pacientes en fase crónica fué de 511+-207 U/ml. y en sujetos controles fué de 366+-108 U/ml.. Al correlacionar los datos obtenidos con los niveles de anti-cuerpos específicos en estos pacientes observamos que títulos altos de sIL-2R (1000 U/ml. Se asociaron a la presencia de anticuerpos anti T. cruzi en infecciones recientes ó agudas. Esta correlación no fué estrictamente cuantitativa ó directamente proporcional. En pacientes crónicos con niveles elevados de anticuerpos específicos anti T. cruzi no mostraron correlación con la presencia de niveles séricos de sIL-2R, los cuales pueden ser bajos en casos crónicos de largo seguimiento. Consideramos que la presencia de niveles altos de receptor soluble de interleucina-2 se relaciona con la actividad del parásito y su interacción con el huésped. Finalmente, se discute la posibilidad del uso del sIL-2R como marcador de fase aguda y su importancia como indicador de riesgo de enfermedad

Evaluación del receptor soluble de interleucina-2 en pacientes con Tripanosomiasis americana en Panamá / Evaluation of soluble receptor of inter leukin-2 in patients with Tripanosomiasis americana in Panamá

Se evalúan los niveles del Receptor soluble de interleucina-2 (sIL-2R) en sueros de pacientes que presentaban la forma clínica aguda o crónica de la Enfermedad de Chagas. El valor promedio de sIL-2R observado en pacientes en fase aguda fue de 511+-207 U/ml. y en sujetos controles fue de 366+-108 U/ml. Al correlacionar los datos obtenidos con los niveles de anticuerpos específicos en estos pacientes observamos que títulos altos de sIL-2R (1000 U/ml) se asociaron a la presencia de anticuerpos específicos anti-T. cruzi en infecciones recientes ó agudas. Esta correlación no fué estrictamente cuantitativa o directamente proporcional. En pacientes crónicos con niveles elevados de anticuerpos específicos anti-T. cruzi no mostraron correlación con la presencia de niveles séricos de sIL-2R, los cuales pueden ser bajos en casos crónicos de largo seguimiento. Consideramos que la presencia de niveles altos del receptor soluble de interleucina-2 se relaciona con la actividad del parásito y su interacción con el huésped. Finalmente, se discute la posibIlidad del uso del sIL-2R como marcador de fase aguda y su importancia como indicador de riesgo de enfermedad