Gene expression dynamics during temperature-dependent sex determination in a sea turtle.

Fifty years ago, researchers discovered a link between ambient temperature and the sex of turtle embryos. More recently, significant progress has been made in understanding the influence of temperature on freshwater turtles. However, our understanding of the key genetic factors in other turtle groups, such as sea turtles, remains limited. To address this gap, we conducted RNA-seq analyses on embryonic tissues from the sea olive ridley turtle during the thermosensitive period (stages 21-26) at temperatures known to produce males (26 °C) and females (33 °C). Our findings revealed that incubation temperatures primarily influence genes with broad expression across tissues due to differential cell division rates and later have an effect regulating gonad-specific transcripts. This effect is mostly related to gene activation rather than transcription repression. We performed transcriptome analyses following shifts in incubation temperatures of bi-potential gonads. This approach allowed us to identify genes that respond rapidly and may be closer to the beginning of the temperature-sensing pathway. Notably, we observed swift adaptations in the expression levels of chromatin modifiers JARID2 and KDM6B, as well as the splicing factor SRSF5, and transcription regulators THOC2, DDX3X and CBX3, but little impact in the overall gonad-specific pathways, indicating that temperature-sensing genes may change rapidly but the rewiring of the gonad's developmental fate is complex and resilient. AUTHOR SUMMARY: Sea turtles, one of the most iconic creatures of our oceans, confront a troubling reality of endangerment, a peril magnified by the looming specter of climate change. This climatic shift is gradually increasing the temperature of the nesting beaches thus causing dramatic male/female population biases. Conservation efforts will need genetic and molecular information to reverse the negative effects of climate change on the populations. In this study, we conducted the first transcriptomic analysis of embryonic tissues, including gonads, brain, liver, and mesonephros, in the olive ridley sea turtle during the critical thermosensitive period spanning stages 21-26. We examined both male-producing (26 °C) and female-producing (33 °C) temperatures and found that incubation temperatures influence temperature-sensitive genes that are either expressed globally or specifically associated with the gonads. These findings indicate that incubation temperatures predominantly sway genes with broad expression patterns due to differential cell division rates. This natural process was opted in the gonads to drive sex determination. We also identified genes that are rapidly capable of sensing temperature changes and that could play a role in the activation of the sex determination pathway. Overall, our study sheds light on the intricate interplay between temperature and gene expression during sea turtle development, revealing dynamic changes in the transcriptome and highlighting the involvement of key genetic players in sex determination.

Reduction of NrF2 as coadjuvant during the development of persistent periapical lesions

Background: Persistent periapical lesions (PPL) are the result of pulpar necrosis induced by bacterial infection resulting in bone degradation and culminating with the loss of dental piece. Pathological changes in the peripapice are associated with the presence of free radicals. The transcription factor Nrf2 is the main regulator of the endogenous antioxidant response against oxidative stress and has been implicated in the regulation of osteoclastogenesis.The aim is to determine the oxidative condition in samples from patients with Persistent Periapical Injuries as a detonating factor of tissue damage. Material and methods: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out in samples with PPL (cases) and samples by removal of third molars (controls) obtained in the clinic of the specialty in endodontics, University of Guadalajara. Samples were submitted to histological staining with Hematoxylin-Eosin, lipoperoxide analysis, Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Glutathione-Peroxidase (GPx) and Catalase (CAT) activities were determined by immunoenzymatic assays and NrF2 by Western Blot analysis. Results: Samples from PPL patients histologically showed an increased presence of lymphocytes, plasma cells, and eosinophils, as well as a decrease in extracellular matrix proteins and fibroblast cells. There was a rise in lipid peroxidation, GPx and SOD activities, but an important decline (36%) in Catalase activity was observed (p<0.005); finally, NrF2-protein was diminished at 10.41%. All comparisons were between cases vs controls. Conclusions: The alterations in antioxidants endogenous NrF2-controlled are related to osseous destruction in patients with PPL. (AU)

Airborne ultrasonic application on hot air-drying of pork liver. Intensification of moisture transport and impact on protein solubility.

Nowadays, there is increasing interest in developing strategies for the efficient and sustainable use of animal by-products, such as pork liver. In order to stabilize the product, a prior dehydration stage may be required due to its high perishability. The water removal process of pork liver is energy costly and time consuming, which justifies its intensification using novel technologies. In this sense, the aim of this study was to assess the effect of the airborne application of power ultrasound on the hot air-drying of pork liver. For that purpose, drying experiments were carried out at 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 °C on pork liver cylinders at 2 m·s-1 with (US) and without ultrasonic application (AIR). The drying process was modeled from the diffusion theory and, in the dried pork liver, the protein solubility was analyzed in order to determine the effect of drying on the protein quality. The ultrasound application increased the drying rate, shortening the drying time by up to 40% at 30 °C. The effect of power ultrasound at high temperatures (60 and 70 °C) was of lesser magnitude. Drying at 70 °C involved a noticeable reduction in the protein solubility for dried liver, while the impact of ultrasound application on the solubility was not significant (p > 0.05).

Ultrasound intensification of Ferrochelatase extraction from pork liver as a strategy to improve ZINC-protoporphyrin formation.

The enzyme Ferrochelatase (FeCH), which is naturally present in pork liver, catalyses the formation of Zinc-protoporphyrin (ZnPP), a natural pigment responsible for the typical color of dry-cured Italian Parma ham. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using high power ultrasound in continuous and pulsed modes to intensify the extraction of the enzyme FeCH from pork liver. US application during FeCH extraction led to an improved enzymatic activity and further increase in the formation of ZnPP. The optimal condition tested was that of 1 min in continuous US application, in which time the enzymatic activity increased by 33.3 % compared to conventional extraction (30 min). Pulsed US application required 5 min treatments to observe a significant intensification effect. Therefore, ultrasound is a potentially feasible technique as it increases the catalytic activity of FeCH and saves time compared to the conventional extraction method.

Demographic and climatic factors associated with dengue prevalence in a hyperendemic zone in Mexico: an empirical approach.

BACKGROUND: Many models for predicting dengue epidemics use incidence and short-term changes in climate variables, however, studies in real-life scenarios for correlations of seroprevalence (SP) with long-term climate variables and with integration of socio-economic factors are scarce. Our objective was to analyse the combined correlation between socio-economic and climate variables with the SP of dengue in Mexico. METHODS: We performed a seroepidemiological ecological study on the Mexican Pacific coast. Dengue SP was estimated by the presence of immunoglobulin G antibodies in 1278 inhabitants. We implemented multiple correlations with socio-economic, climatic and topographic characteristics using logistic regression, generalized linear models and non-linear regressions. RESULTS: Dengue SP was 58%. The age-adjusted correlation was positive with the male sex, while a negative correlation was seen with socio-economic status (SES) and scholl level (SL). The annual temperature showed a positive correlation, while the altitude was negative. It should be noted that these correlations showed a marked 'S' shape in the non-linear model, suggesting three clearly defined scenarios for dengue risk. CONCLUSION: Low SES and SL showed an unexpected paradoxical protective effect. Altitude above sea level and annual temperature are the main determinants for dengue in the long term. The identification of three clearly delineated scenarios for transmission could improve the accuracy of predictive models.

Presence of Acute Chagas Disease Among Febrile Patients in the Western Coast of Mexico.

Chagas disease (ChD) is a parasitosis caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi (Tc). It is endemic to almost all Latin American countries, including the southern United States. The acute form of ChD and its actual incidence have rarely been described in Mexico, despite the extensive presence of favorable niches for its transmission. The objective of this study was to estimate the frequency of acute ChD in febrile patients at the central Pacific coast of Mexico. For this, we surveyed patients with persistent fever (5 to 10 days) in five hospitals at the Mexican states of Jalisco, Colima, and Nayarit in 2012. Samples were taken from a total of 485 patients to detect Tc in blood using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and direct microscopic examination. Of these subjects, 10 were positive for PCR and none for microscopic examination (2% in 12 months). We adjusted this rate by the total people at risk in the area and obtained an incidence of 7.4/100,000 habs./year. The positive cases showed no association with sex, rural settlement, or pet ownership, only with the contact with Triatominae insects (odds ratio = 9.22 and confidence interval: 1.93-44.06). The clinical picture of positive patients showed an association with the diagnosis of lower respiratory tract infections. Meanwhile, only one fatal case showed the typical picture of acute fatal cardiomyopathy. The pulmonary manifestations of our patients suggest possible lung pathogenicity of Tc, which merits further investigation. Our findings differ markedly from the official reports for ChD. This difference suggests an underestimation of the disease. These findings urge the Mexican health authorities to implement more vigorous actions aimed at improving medical skills in the timely diagnosis of ChD, as well as to apply efficient preventive programs.

Chiari malformation and sleep related breathing disorders.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the frequency, mechanisms and predictive factors of sleep apnoea syndrome (SAS) in a large group of children and adults with type I (CMI) and II (CMII) Chiari malformation (CM). BACKGROUND: The anatomical and functional integrity of both respiratory circuits and lower cranial nerves controlling the upper airway is necessary for breathing control during sleep. These latter structures may be altered in CM, and a few investigations have reported CM related sleep disordered breathing. METHODS: Forty-six consecutive unrelated patients with CM (40 CMI, six CMII), of which 20 were children (eight males) and 26 were adults (12 males), underwent physical, neurological and oto-rhino-laryngoscopic examination, MRI and polysomnography. RESULTS: SAS was present in 31 (67.4%) of the patients with CM (70% of CMI, 50% of CMII, including mainly children). Sixty per cent of children with CM exhibited SAS, including 35% with obstructive (OSAS) and 25% with central (CSAS) sleep apnoea syndrome. SAS was observed in 73% of CM adults (57.7% OSAS, 15.4% CSAS). Severe SAS was found in 23% of CM adults. Multiple regression analysis revealed that age, type II Chiari and vocal cord paralysis predicted the central apnoea index. CONCLUSION: SAS is highly prevalent in all age groups of patients suffering from CM. CSAS, a rare condition in the general population, was common among the patients with CM in our study. Sleep disordered breathing associated with CM may explain the high frequency of respiratory failures observed during curative surgery of CM. Our results suggest that SAS should be systematically screened for in patients with CM, especially before surgery.

El pediatra y la familia de un niño con TDAH / No disponible

El trastorno por déficit de atención con hiperactividad afecta a un gran número de niñosy jóvenes. Es un trastorno crónico que acarrea, en muchos casos, problemas en la edadadulta. Su rápida detección y tratamiento pueden mejorar en gran medida la sintomatologíay las consecuencias posteriores. El papel del pediatra de Atención Primara es fundamentalpara la identificación temprana del trastorno, para orientar y asesorar a los padres ypara coordinar a los diferentes profesionales que deben llevar a cabo el tratamiento másconveniente según la edad del niño y los problemas que presente, que en muchos casos hade ser un tratamiento multimodal, lo que ayudará a la prevención de trastornos comórbidos,de peor pronóstico

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder affects a great number of children and adolescents.It’s a chronic disorder that can entail problems when the child grows into adulthood.An early diagnosis and treatment could improve symptoms and consequences. The role of PrimaryCare paediatricians is basic in the early identification of the disorder, in guiding and advisingparents and in coordinating the different professionals that should take part in the treatmentmore convenient according to the child’s age and the problems associated. Very often,the most indicated is a multimodal treatment that will help to prevent comorbid disorders

[Who monitors patients treated with psychotropic drugs in primary care?]. / 'Quién controla a los enfermos tratados con fármacos psicotropos en atención primaria?

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the degree of monitoring by doctors, nurses, and other health professionals of patients taking psychotropic medication. DESIGN. Retrospective, observational study of patients of both sexes and over 15 years old, who took psychotropic medication and had attended a minimum of ten times the same doctor-nurse primary care unit (PCU). Their monitoring during 2 year-long periods was studied: a first period (the first year after diagnosis) and a second period from October 2001 to October 2002. SETTING: Primary care in the Raval Sud District, Barcelona, Spain. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 730 clinical histories were reviewed, of which 200 (27%) met inclusion criteria. RESULTS: The most common diagnosis was anxiety-depression disorder (58%), and 14.5% of patients had no recorded diagnosis. 35.5% were patients taking more than one medicine. The most common drug group was the benzodiazepines (60.4%). Significant differences in the number of controls were found between the 2 periods and between different PCUs. The mean difference between periods was -0.5, with 95% CI at -1.0: clearly the degree of monitoring drops over time. CONCLUSIONS: These patients' follow-up was not monitored well, which poses the need to create clear aims and protocols for the doctor-nurse team, to thus assist the treatment of patients with mental health problems.

¿Quién controla a los enfermos tratados con fármacos psicotropos en atención primaria? / Who monitors patients treated with psychotropic drugs in primary care?

Objetivo. Analizar el grado de seguimiento realizado por médicos, enfermeras y otros profesionales de la salud sobre los enfermos consumidores de fármacos psicotropos. Diseño. Estudio observacional retrospectivo en el que se seleccionó a pacientes de ambos sexos mayores de 15 años, con consumo de fármacos psicotropos y visitados un mínimo de 10 veces por la misma unidad básica de atención médico-enfermera (UBA). Se estudió su seguimiento durante 2 períodos de un año: el primer año después del diagnóstico y el período octubre de 2001-octubre de 2002. Emplazamiento. Atención primaria en el Área Básica de Salud (ABS) Raval Sud, Barcelona. Participantes. Se revisaron 730 historiales de pacientes, de los cuales 200 (27%) cumplieron criterios de inclusión. Resultados. El diagnóstico más frecuente fue el trastorno de ansiedad-depresión (58%), y destacaba que un 14,5% de los pacientes no tenían un diagnóstico registrado. El 35,5% correspondió a pacientes que recibieron más de un fármaco y el grupo farmacológico más frecuente fue el de las benzodiacepinas (60,4%). Se detectaron diferencias significativas en el número de controles entre los 2 períodos, y entre las diferentes UBA. La mediana de la diferencia de períodos fue ­0,5 y su intervalo de confianza del 95%, ­1,0; se evidencia que el grado de control disminuye con el tiempo. Conclusiones. En estos pacientes se observa poco control en su seguimiento, lo que indica la necesidad de crear unos objetivos y unos protocolos claros dirigidos al equipo médico-enfermera, para así facilitar el tratamiento del paciente con problemas de salud mental

Objective. To analyse the degree of monitoring by doctors, nurses, and other health professionals of patients taking psychotropic medication. Design. Retrospective, observational study of patients of both sexes and over 15 years old, who took psychotropic medication and had attended a minimum of ten times the same doctor-nurse primary care unit (PCU). Their monitoring during 2 year-long periods was studied: a first period (the first year after diagnosis) and a second period from October 2001 to October 2002. Setting. Primary care in the Raval Sud District, Barcelona, Spain. Participants. A total of 730 clinical histories were reviewed, of which 200 (27%) met inclusion criteria. Results. The most common diagnosis was anxiety-depression disorder (58%), and 14.5% of patients had no recorded diagnosis. 35.5% were patients taking more than one medicine. The most common drug group was the benzodiazepines (60.4%). Significant differences in the number of controls were found between the 2 periods and between different PCUs. The mean difference between periods was ­0.5, with 95% CI at ­1.0: clearly the degree of monitoring drops over time. Conclusions. These patients' follow-up was not monitored well, which poses the need to create clear aims and protocols for the doctor-nurse team, to thus assist the treatment of patients with mental health problems

Neuropatía multifocal motora y síndrome de Lewis-Sumner. A propósito de un caso / Multifocal motor neuropathy and the Lewis-Sumner syndrome. A case report

No disponible

No disponible

Coste del infarto cerebral en su fase aguda / The cost of cerebral infarct in the acute phase

No disponible

[Sleep in infantile autism]. / El sueño en el autismo infantil.

INTRODUCTION: Analysis of nocturnal sleep in infantile autism has been presented in various studies. However, there has been no systematization including the different structural and paroxystic alterations at the same time as permitting the development of a general theory of the effect of sleep on prognosis and treatment, particularly in a spectrum in which there is currently no definite solution. DEVELOPMENT: A systematic review was made of the literature obtained from publications included in MEDLINE and web pages of the last 25 years using the key words: autism, Asperger's disorder, sleep, childhood and Rett's syndrome. Altogether 21 papers fulfllled criteria for inclusion. Disorders of sleep in infantile autism were classified into three types: immaturity of sleep, showing a destructured polysomnographic recording and negative correlation with the level of development; functional alterations of sleep with early waking and difficulty in going to sleep being the disorders most frequently seen; and paroxystic alterations with epileptiform discharges being the commonest, without necessarily occurring together with seizures. The opinions stated on questionnaires and the data observed on the polysomnography were not in agreement. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of the literature has permitted us to make an initial classification of sleep disorders in autistic children, and has shown a marked presence of these disorders in the evolution of autistic children. It is necessary that further studies being done, polysomnographic rather than by means of questionnaires, for two reasons: clinical and in order to obtain more precise classification.

[The development of a test for evaluating the knowledge of and attitudes on human immunodeficiency virus infection in primary health care professionals]. / Elaboración de una prueba para evaluar conocimientos y actitudes sobre la infección por el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana en profesionales de atención primaria de salud.

OBJECTIVE: To compose both a multiple choice test (MCT) to evaluate primary care professionals' understanding of HIV infection and a scale to measure their attitudes towards it. DESIGN: Validation of questionnaires. SETTING: Ciutat Vella health district (City of Barcelona) and university teaching hospitals in Barcelona. PARTICIPANTS: 11 residents specialising in contagious disease, 12 residents from other specialties, 32 general practitioners and 34 nurses from primary care, and 64 sixth-year medical students. INTERVENTIONS: A self-filled, anonymous questionnaire, completed under supervision. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: All subjects answered a MCT with 21 questions of 4 reply options about their understanding of HIV infection, as well as a Likert-type 5-point attitudes scale containing 10 items. One question on the MCT was eliminated because of Lack of discrimination. The test of understanding gave the PC professionals sufficient guarantees of reliability and validity. CONCLUSIONS: A useful questionnaire for assessing PC professionals' understanding and attitudes towards HIV infection has been gained.

[The attitudes and behavior of the general primary-care physician towards the neurological patient]. / Actitudes y comportamiento del médico general de atención primaria ante el paciente neurológico.

OBJECTIVE: 1) To find the opinion of general practitioners working in primary care (GP in PC) regarding how they deal with neurological patients. 2) To find the effect on this question of intern training in family and community medicine (FCM). DESIGN AND SETTING: A survey filled out by a representative sample of GP in PC working at PC public clinics in 1991 in a health region in Catalonia. PARTICIPANTS: 56 GP in PC. INTERVENTIONS: A self-administered selection questionnaire (multiple choice and scale of 5 points). MEASUREMENTS, MAIN RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Less confidence handling neurological patients than patients with other common medical conditions. Greater need for recycling in neurology than in other basic areas of medicine. Positive impact of FCM intern training on doctors' approach to the examination of neurological patients and application of basic exploratory techniques (ophthalmoscope, reflex hammer, diapason and phonendoscope). The GP intern-trained in FCM lacks confidence in present out-patient specialised support (the area neuropsychiatrist).