Comportamiento clínico-epidemiológico de la toxoplasmosis ocular / Clinical-epidemiological behavior of ocular toxoplasmosis

OBJETIVO: Determinar aspectos clínico-epidemiológicos en pacientes con diagnóstico de toxoplasmosis ocular, que asistieron a la consulta de oftalmología del Policlínico de Guanajay, durante el año 2008. MÉTODOS: Fue realizado un estudio observacional, descriptivo, longitudinal y prospectivo, donde se analizaron las variables edad, sexo, presencia de animales domésticos, hábitos alimentarios, signos y síntomas, número de lesiones, localización, actividad, ojo afectado y complicaciones. Fueron atendidos 11 pacientes en consulta con el diagnóstico de toxoplasmosis ocular. RESULTADOS: Predominaron las edades comprendidas entre 30 y 44 años, con 36,3 por ciento. Tenían animales domésticos el 72,2 por ciento de los pacientes y el 81,8 por ciento presentaban hábitos no adecuados de alimentación. Predominó la visión borrosa (72,7 por ciento). La retinocoroiditis se presentó en el 72,7 por ciento de los pacientes. De ellos, 54,5 por ciento tenían un daño severo. Predominaron las lesiones inactivas con 72,7 por ciento y las lesiones únicas (90,9 por ciento). El 45,4 por ciento tuvo una localización macular y el 36,3 por ciento perimacular. Las complicaciones que se presentaron fueron el déficit visual y la catarata. CONCLUSIÓN: La toxoplasmosis ocular predomina en el sexo masculino y es más frecuente en regiones de bajas condiciones de salud pública e inadecuados hábitos alimenticios. Dentro de los factores de riesgo se encuentra la presencia de animales domésticos, sobre todo los felinos. La visión borrosa y la retinocoroiditis son referidos por los pacientes. Generalmente cursa con algún grado de afectación visual, y es severa en el mayor número de los pacientes. Las lesiones inactivas, únicas y con localización macular, y el déficit visual y la catarata son complicaciones predominantes en estos casos

OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical-epidemiological features in patients diagnosed with ocular toxoplasmosis seen in the Ophthalmology consultation of the Guanajay municipality polyclinic during 2008. METHODS: A prospective, longitudinal, descriptive and observational study was conducted to analyze the following variables: age, sex, and presence of domestic animals, food habits, signs and symptoms, number of lesions, location, activity, involved eye and complications. In consultation 11 patients were seen diagnosed with ocular toxoplasmosis. RESULTS: There was predominance of ages between 30 and 44 years for a 36.3 percent. The 71.2 percent of patients had domestic animals and the 81.8 percent had no appropriate feeding habits. Also, there was predominance of blurred vision (72.7 percent). Retinochoroiditis was present in the 72.7 percent of patients. From them, the 54.5 percent had a severe damage. There were many inactive lesions with a 72.7 percent and unique lesions (90.9 percent) The 45.4 percent had a macular location and the 36.3 percent a perimacular one. Complications present were a visual deficit and cataract. CONCLUSION: Ocular toxoplasmosis is more predominant in male sex and is more frequent in regions with poor conditions of public health and inappropriate food habits. Included in factors is the presence of domestic animals, mainly the cats. The blurred vision and retinochoroiditis are referred by patients. In general, it has some degree of visual involvement and it is severe in most of patients. The unique inactive lesions and with macular location as well as the visual deficit and cataract are complications predominant in these cases

Biological Rhythm in Livestock

The animal time structure is a basic fact of life, no matter if one wants to study it or not. The time- dependent, mostly rhythmic, and thus to a certain degree predictable, variations of biochemical and physiological functions and of sensitivity and resistance to many environmental agents are often quite large and offer not only new insight into animal physiology and pathology but also diagnostic possibilities and therapeutic advantages. Chronobiology, chronophysiology and its subspecialities, like chronopharmacology and chronotherapy, will certainly play an important role in the clinical medicine of the future. Successful application of chronobiology to veterinary clinical medicine, however, depends critically on a thorough knowledge of its basic principles.

Comparative analysis of morphological and behavioral characters in the domestic dog and their importance in the reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships in canids

Relationships among 25 dog breeds, classified a priori by their respective ancestral trunks, were studied using data from 29 morphological and 13 behavioral characteristics. Although a certain correlation was found between both types of traits (r = 0.13; P < 0.05), this relationship was not manifested, regarding the level of racial classification, in the obtained dendrograms. The relationships between breeds obtained from morphological data were more congruent than those obtained from behavioral data when compared with phylogenies from other sources of information (mainly electrophoretic analysis). This indicates that the morphological characters could give more and better complementary information than the behavioral ones in the reconstruction of the phylogenetic relationships of canids. The mean character difference (MCD), used as a measure of taxonomic resemblance between breeds, had a value of 0.53 (+ or - 0.12 STD), and was of a magnitude very similar to that obtained in other domestic animal species (cattle, horse, sheep and goats), indicating that a similar degree of morphological differences between breeds of these species exists.