A Set of Multiresistant Isolates of Mycoplasma bovis Subtype ST-1 with a Variable Susceptibility to Quinolones Are Also Circulating in Spain.

Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) is one of the worldwide most important infectious agents involved in respiratory complex diseases (RCD). In Spain, the endemic presence of subtypes ST-2 and ST-3 with phenotypic differences linked to their susceptibility to fluoroquinolones opened the way to develop control strategies focused on previous diagnosis of the subtype and the use of directed therapies when M. bovis were involved in RCD. Surprisingly, microbiological studies conducted during 2023 evidenced for the first time the presence of Spanish isolates of a new polC-subtype, previously classified as ST-1, recovered from calves with respiratory symptoms and pneumonia in different areas of the country (n = 16). Curiously, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) to a panel of antimicrobials revealed phenotypic differences between these ST-1 isolates when using fluoroquinolones (FLQ). There is no geographical correlation between MIC profiles even for a set of 8 isolates recovered from different animals in the same flock. Sequencing of 4 genes (gyrA, gyrB, parC and parE) encoding quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDR) evidenced the presence of accumulate mutations in 2 ST-1 isolates with high FLQ MICs, but not in all them (n = 3), thus suggesting that, as previously recorded for ST-2 isolates, other mechanisms should be involved in the acquisition of resistence to these antimicrobials. Additionally, as previously detected in the Spanish ST-2 and ST-3, subtype ST-1 isolates are also resistant to macrolides or lincosamides.

Antibacterial potential of commercial and wild lactic acid bacteria strains isolated from ovine and caprine raw milk against Mycoplasma agalactiae.

Introduction: The complexity of fighting contagious agalactia (CA) has raised the necessity of alternative antimicrobial therapies, such as probiotics. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are present in the mammary gland of small ruminants and their antimicrobial effect have been previously described against species like Mycoplasma bovis but never against Mycoplasma agalactiae (Ma). This in vitro study aims to evaluate the antimicrobial activity against Ma of ovine and caprine LAB strains and a human commercial probiotic (L2) of Lactobacillus spp. Methods: A total of 63 possible LAB strains were isolated from nine ovine and caprine farms in Spain, three isolates (33B, 248D, and 120B) from the 63 strains were selected, based on their capacity to grow in a specific medium in vitro, for an in vitro experiment to assess their antimicrobial activity against Ma in Ultra High Temperature (UHT) processed goat milk (GM). A women commercial vaginal probiotic was also included in the study. The inoculum of L2 was prepared at a concentration of 3.24 × 108 CFU/mL and the average concentration of the inoculum of the wild LAB varied from 7.9 × 107 to 8.4 × 108 CFU/mL. Results: The commercial probiotic L2 significantly reduced the concentration of Ma to 0.000 log CFU/mL (p < 0.001), strain 33B reduced it from 7.185 to 1.279 log CFU/mL (p < 0.001), and 120B from 6.825 to 6.466 log CFU/mL (p < 0.05). Strain 248D presented a bacteriostatic effect in GM. Moreover, the three wild strains and the commercial probiotic produced a significative reduction of the pH (p < 0.001). Discussion: This is the first in vivo report of the antimicrobial potential of LAB strains against Ma and its interaction. Our results support possible future alternative strategies to antibiotic therapy, previously not contemplated, to fight CA in small ruminants. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the action mechanisms through which these LAB are able to inhibit Ma and to assess the safety of using these strains in possible in vivo studies.

RustOnt: An Ontology to Explain Weather Favorable Conditions of the Coffee Rust.

Crop disease management in smart agriculture involves applying and using new technologies to reduce the impact of diseases on the quality of products. Coffee rust is a disease that factors such as poor agronomic management activities and climate conditions may favor. Therefore, it is crucial to identify the relationships between these factors and this disease to learn how to face its consequences and build intelligent systems to provide appropriate management or help farmers and experts make decisions accordingly. Nevertheless, there are no studies in the literature that propose ontologies to model these factors and coffee rust. This paper presents a new ontology called RustOnt to help experts more accurately model data, expressions, and samples related to coffee rust and apply it whilst taking into account the geographical location where the ontology is adopted. Consequently, this ontology is crucial for coffee rust monitoring and management by means of smart agriculture systems. RustOnt was successfully evaluated considering quality criteria such as clarity, consistency, modularity, and competence against a set of initial requirements for which it was built.

Susceptibility of caprine mastitis pathogens to tildipirosin, gamithromycin, oxytetracycline, and danofloxacin: effect of serum on the in vitro potency of current macrolides.

Mastitis is a significant disease in dairy ruminants, causing economic losses to the livestock industry and severe risks to public health. Antibiotic therapy is one of the most crucial practices to treat mastitis, although the susceptibility of caprine mastitis pathogens to current antibiotics has not been tested under standard or modified incubation conditions. This work evaluated the in vitro activity of tildipirosin, gamithromycin, oxytetracycline, and danofloxacin against caprine mastitis pathogens incubated following standard conditions of Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) and deviation method by 25% supplementation with goat serum. Mycoplasma agalactiae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus spp., and coagulase-negative Staphylococci (CNS) were isolated from dairy goats with mastitis in Spain. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined using the broth microdilution technique. The lowest MIC90 under standard conditions was obtained with danofloxacin for mastitis-causing pathogens. An exception was M. agalactiae, where danofloxacin and oxytetracycline obtained low values. However, after adding serum, gamithromycin showed the lowest MIC50 for S. aureus, Streptococcus spp., and CNS. The lowest MIC50 was obtained with all the antibiotics tested (< 0.125 µg/ml) against M. agalactiae. Supplementing with serum resulted in a significant variation in tildipirosin and gamithromycin MIC values for CNS, S. aureus, M. agalagtiae, and E. coli. In brief, the MIC for antibiotics used against mastitis should be determined under conditions closely resembling intramammary infections to obtain representative susceptibility patterns against mastitis pathogens. Caprine mastitis pathogens were broadly susceptible to danofloxacin under standard conditions. The potency of macrolides against caprine mastitis pathogens increases when serum is present in culture media.

[In the beginning it was zoonosis: One Health to combat this and future pandemics. SESPAS Report 2022]. / En el principio fue la zoonosis: One Health para combatir esta y futuras pandemias. Informe SESPAS 2022.

The new pandemic, COVID-19, highlighted the importance of the animal-human-environment interface in the emergence of zoonoses. The jump of the species barrier is considered a rare event although the number of emerging infectious diseases increased significantly in the second half of the 20th century. Most of them transmitted from wildlife to humans. Several elements can contribute to the emergence of zoonoses: human interaction on ecosystems, biodiversity loss, changes in land use, climate change, trade in or consumption of wildlife. There are different stages in the adaptation of an animal pathogen into a specialized human pathogen, varying from its presence in animals without human infection to a pathogen exclusive to humans. The history of zoonoses allows the identification of critical points for their control, as well as the identification of probable virus or bacteria involved in future pandemics. Concerning COVID-19, the knowledge of the possible reservoirs of SARS-CoV-2 contributed to decision-making during the pandemic. Therefore, and given the variety of scenarios that allow the jump of species barrier or the evolution of pathogens in a new host, One Health strategies for zoonosis emergence surveillance should be implemented.

Caffeine and Chlorogenic Acid Combination Attenuate Early-Stage Chemically Induced Colon Carcinogenesis in Mice: Involvement of oncomiR miR-21a-5p.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of most common cancers worldwide, with high rates of mortality. Epidemiological findings demonstrate that coffee consumption reduces the risk of developing CRC by ~13%. In general, in vivo and in vitro findings demonstrate the antiproliferative, antioxidant and proapoptotic effects of brewed coffee or major bioavailable coffee compounds. Thus, it was assessed whether caffeine (CAF) and/or chlorogenic acid (CGA) attenuates the early-stage of chemically induced mouse colon carcinogenesis. Male Swiss mice were submitted to a 1,2-dimethylhydrazine/deoxycholic acid (DMH/DCA)-induced colon carcinogenesis model. These animals received CAF (50 mg/kg), CGA (25 mg/kg) or CAF+CGA (50 + 25 mg/kg) intragastrically for five times/week for ten weeks. CAF+CGA had the most pronounced effects on decreasing epithelial cell proliferation (Ki-67) and increasing apoptosis (cleaved caspase-3) in colonic crypts. This treatment also decreased the levels of proinflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-17 and TNF-α, and downregulated the oncomiR miR-21a-5p in the colon. Accordingly, the analysis of miR-21a-5p targets demonstrated the genes involved in the negative regulation of proliferation and inflammation, and the positive regulation of apoptosis. Ultimately, CAF+CGA attenuated preneoplastic aberrant crypt foci (ACF) development. Our findings suggest that a combination of coffee compounds reduces early-stage colon carcinogenesis by the modulation of miR-21a-5p expression, highlighting the importance of coffee intake to prevent CRC.

An Adaptive Sampling Period Approach for Management of IoT Energy Consumption: Case Study Approach.

The Internet of Things (IoT) opens opportunities to monitor, optimize, and automate processes into the Agricultural Value Chains (AVC). However, challenges remain in terms of energy consumption. In this paper, we assessed the impact of environmental variables in AVC based on the most influential variables. We developed an adaptive sampling period method to save IoT device energy and to maintain the ideal sensing quality based on these variables, particularly for temperature and humidity monitoring. The evaluation on real scenarios (Coffee Crop) shows that the suggested adaptive algorithm can reduce the current consumption up to 11% compared with a traditional fixed-rate approach, while preserving the accuracy of the data.

Blockchain-IoT Sensor (BIoTS): A Solution to IoT-Ecosystems Security Issues.

Sensor devices that act in the IoT architecture perception layer are characterized by low data processing and storage capacity. These reduced capabilities make the system ubiquitous and lightweight, but considerably reduce its security. The IoT-based Food Traceability Systems (FTS), aimed at ensuring food safety and quality, serve as a motivating scenario for BIoTS development and deployment; therefore, security challenges and gaps related with data integrity are analyzed from this perspective. This paper proposes the BIoTS hardware design that contains some modules built-in VHDL (SHA-256, PoW, and SD-Memory) and other peripheral electronic devices to provide capabilities to the perception layer by implementing the blockchain architecture's security requirements in an IoT device. The proposed hardware is implemented on FPGA Altera DE0-Nano. BIoTS can participate as a miner in the blockchain network through Smart Contracts and solve security issues related to data integrity and data traceability in an Blockchain-IoT system. Blockchain algorithms implemented in IoT hardware opens a path to IoT devices' security and ensures participation in data validation inside a food certification process.

Antibody seropositivity for Neospora caninum in Blanco Orejinegro cattle in Colombia and factors associated with the infection.

Neosporosis is a parasitic disease that causes abortions and economic losses in bovine production systems, but no studies have been found concerning its effect on the Creole cattle breed, Blanco Orejinegro (BON). The aim of this research was to establish the serological status of Colombian BON cattle against Neospora caninum and to determine the factors associated with seropositivity. Blood samples were taken from 363 animals from 13 herds in six states of Colombia, and analyzed by indirect ELISA using a commercial test. Information on sex, herd, generation group, and state was recorded. A survey was carried out with 26 questions related to productive, reproductive, and health factors per herd. A logistic regression analysis was performed and the ORs for significantly associated variables were estimated using the R software. General seropositivity of 73.5% (95% CI 68.6-77.9%) was obtained, and sex, age group, and herd were the variables significantly associated with seropositivity (p < 0.05). For the sex variable, seroprevalence levels of 79.6% (95% CI 74.3-84.1%) were recorded for females and 54.5% (95% CI 43.6-65.1%) for males. Herd seroprevalence varied between 58.3 and 95.8%, and the last generation showed the lowest positivity (51.2%, 95% CI 42.1-60.2%). The inadequate disposal of fetuses was a risk factor, while carrying out serological tests to new animals that enter the herd, the use of new gloves and palpation utensils for each animal, supplementation, and stabling were stated as protective factors. No effect of positivity was found in the last calving interval. The implementation of bovine neosporosis control programs to support breeding and conservation programs of the BON breed in Colombia is recommended.

[Mechanical ventilator test protocol for care of patients with COVID-19 in porcine model]. / Protocolo de prueba de ventilador mecánico para atención de pacientes con COVID-19 en modelo porcino.

As a result of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, health systems globally have seen a dramatic increase in the occupancy of intensive care units, with mechanical ventilators being a resource in high demand in the care of these patients. This article proposes a protocol for testing low-cost mechanical ventilators in pig models, as part of the development of locally manufactured biomedical equipment that can support the health crisis caused by the pandemic. The protocol addresses aspects that include the pre-test phase, anesthetic and airway management, laboratory monitoring, recovery and monitoring of the animal. This document presents to the academic community a validation protocol of a mechanical ventilator prototype in a pig specimen that can be a reference for its application and revalidation by other groups interested in the development of local and low-cost technologies.

A raíz de la pandemia generada por el SARS-CoV-2, los sistemas de salud de los distintos países han experimentado un dramático aumento en la ocupación de las unidades de cuidado intensivo y, por ende, una alta demanda de ventiladores mecánicos. En este artículo se propone un protocolo de pruebas de ventiladores mecánicos de bajo costo en modelos porcinos, como parte del desarrollo de equipos biomédicos que pueden apoyar la crisis sanitaria suscitada por la pandemia. El protocolo aborda aspectos que incluyen la fase previa a la prueba, el manejo anestésico, de vía aérea, seguimiento de laboratorio, recuperación y seguimiento del animal. Como resultado, se presenta a la comunidad académica un protocolo de validación de prototipo de ventilador mecánico en espécimen porcino como un referente para su aplicación y revalidación por parte de grupos interesados en el desarrollo de tecnologías locales de bajo costo.

Cetoacidosis diabética: características epidemiológicas y letalidad en adultos atendidos en un hospital universitario en Colombia / Epidemiological characteristics and lethality of adults with diabetic ketoacidosis treated in a university hospital in Colombia

RESUMEN Introducción: la cetoacidosis diabética es una de las complicaciones agudas más graves de la diabetes. Pocos estudios en Latinoamérica describen el perfil clínico y los desenlaces de la población adulta con esta condición. El objetivo de este estudio es determinar las características demográficas y clínicas de los pacientes adultos con esta enfermedad. Para esto se hizo énfasis en los factores precipitantes y en la determinación del porcentaje de letalidad intrahospitalaria por cualquier causa. Métodos: estudio de cohorte retrospectivo de pacientes mayores de 18 años admitidos por cetoacidosis diabética en el Hospital Universitario San Vicente Fundación de Medellín-Colombia, entre enero de 2012 y diciembre de 2015. Resultados: se incluyeron 159 pacientes con diagnóstico de cetoacidosis diabética. La mediana de la edad fue de 46 años. 40 individuos (25,2 %) tenían diabetes tipo 1, 107 (67,3 %) diabetes tipo 2 y, 12 (7,6 %), otro tipo de diabetes. El factor precipitante de cetoacidosis diabética más común fue la suspensión del tratamiento hipoglucemiante (36 %), seguida de infección (32 %) y diabetes de novo (28 %). La mediana de la estancia hospitalaria fue de 8 días. 12 pacientes fallecieron. Conclusión: la evaluación de los casos de cetoacidosis diabética en este estudio demostró diferencias importantes en la presentación clínica de aquellos con diabetes tipo 1 y tipo 2. La suspensión del tratamiento fue el factor precipitante más frecuente, seguido por la infección. La letalidad en este estudio fue de 7,5 %, superior a la tasa de 1 % que tienen los países desarrollados, evidenciando la necesidad de mejorar la atención de estos pacientes.

SUMMARY Importance: Ketoacidosis is one of the most serious complications of diabetes. Few studies in Latin Ameri-ca describe the clinical profile and outcomes of adults with diabetic ketoacidosis. We proposed to determine demographic and clinical features, precipitating fac-tors and mortality in adults with diabetic ketoacidosis at a university hospital. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of patients older than 18 years of age admitted to the Hospital Universitario San Vicente Fundación (Medellín, Colombia) were reviewed from 2012 to 2015. Results: 159 adult patients with diabetic ketoacidosis were included. The median age was 46 years. Forty patients (25,2 %) had type 1 diabetes, 107 (67,3%) type 2 diabetes and 12 (7,6%) other types of diabetes. The most common diabetic ketoacidosis precipitating factor was suspension of medical treatment (36%), followed by infection (32%) and new diagnosis of diabetes (28%). The median hospital stay was 8 days. Twelve patients died. Conclusion: The evaluation of patients with diabetic ketoacidosis in this study showed important differences in the clinical presentation of those with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Suspension of treatment was the most frequent precipitating factor, followed by infection. Mortality in this cohort was 7,5% compared to 1% in developed countries, showing the need to urgently improve the care of these patients.

Protocolo de prueba de ventilador mecánico para atención de pacientes con COVID-19 en modelo porcino / Mechanical ventilator test protocol for care of patients with COVID-19 in porcine model

RESUMEN A raíz de la pandemia generada por el SARS-CoV-2, los sistemas de salud de los distintos países han experimentado un dramático aumento en la ocupación de las unidades de cuidado intensivo y, por ende, una alta demanda de ventiladores mecánicos. En este artículo se propone un protocolo de pruebas de ventiladores mecánicos de bajo costo en modelos porcinos, como parte del desarrollo de equipos biomédicos que pueden apoyar la crisis sanitaria suscitada por la pandemia. El protocolo aborda aspectos que incluyen la fase previa a la prueba, el manejo anestésico, de vía aérea, seguimiento de laboratorio, recuperación y seguimiento del animal. Como resultado, se presenta a la comunidad académica un protocolo de validación de prototipo de ventilador mecánico en espécimen porcino como un referente para su aplicación y revalidación por parte de grupos interesados en el desarrollo de tecnologías locales de bajo costo.

ABSTRACT As a result of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, health systems globally have seen a dramatic increase in the occupancy of intensive care units, with mechanical ventilators being a resource in high demand in the care of these patients. This article proposes a protocol for testing low-cost mechanical ventilators in pig models, as part of the development of locally manufactured biomedical equipment that can support the health crisis caused by the pandemic. The protocol addresses aspects that include the pre-test phase, anesthetic and airway management, laboratory monitoring, recovery and monitoring of the animal. This document presents to the academic community a validation protocol of a mechanical ventilator prototype in a pig specimen that can be a reference for its application and revalidation by other groups interested in the development of local and low-cost technologies.

Protocolo de prueba de ventilador mecánico para atención de pacientes con COVID-19 en modelo porcino / Mechanical ventilator test protocol for care of patients with COVID-19 in porcine model

RESUMEN A raíz de la pandemia generada por el SARS-CoV-2, los sistemas de salud de los distintos países han experimentado un dramático aumento en la ocupación de las unidades de cuidado intensivo y, por ende, una alta demanda de ventiladores mecánicos. En este artículo se propone un protocolo de pruebas de ventiladores mecánicos de bajo costo en modelos porcinos, como parte del desarrollo de equipos biomédicos que pueden apoyar la crisis sanitaria suscitada por la pandemia. El protocolo aborda aspectos que incluyen la fase previa a la prueba, el manejo anestésico, de vía aérea, seguimiento de laboratorio, recuperación y seguimiento del animal. Como resultado, se presenta a la comunidad académica un protocolo de validación de prototipo de ventilador mecánico en espécimen porcino como un referente para su aplicación y revalidación por parte de grupos interesados en el desarrollo de tecnologías locales de bajo costo.

ABSTRACT As a result of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, health systems globally have seen a dramatic increase in the occupancy of intensive care units, with mechanical ventilators being a resource in high demand in the care of these patients. This article proposes a protocol for testing low-cost mechanical ventilators in pig models, as part of the development of locally manufactured biomedical equipment that can support the health crisis caused by the pandemic. The protocol addresses aspects that include the pre-test phase, anesthetic and airway management, laboratory monitoring, recovery and monitoring of the animal. This document presents to the academic community a validation protocol of a mechanical ventilator prototype in a pig specimen that can be a reference for its application and revalidation by other groups interested in the development of local and low-cost technologies.

Fundamentals of light-cell-polymer interactions in photo-cross-linking based bioprinting.

Biofabrication technologies that use light for polymerization of biomaterials have made significant progress in the quality, resolution, and generation of precise complex tissue structures. In recent years, the evolution of these technologies has been growing along with the development of new photocurable resins and photoinitiators that are biocompatible and biodegradable with bioactive properties. Such evolution has allowed the progress of a large number of tissue engineering applications. Flexibility in the design, scale, and resolution and wide applicability of technologies are strongly dependent on the understanding of the biophysics involved in the biofabrication process. In particular, understanding cell-light interactions is crucial when bioprinting using cell-laden biomaterials. Here, we summarize some theoretical mechanisms, which condition cell response during bioprinting using light based technologies. We take a brief look at the light-biomaterial interaction for a better understanding of how linear effects (refraction, reflection, absorption, emission, and scattering) and nonlinear effects (two-photon absorption) influence the biofabricated tissue structures and identify the different parameters essential for maintaining cell viability during and after bioprinting.

Hemorragia adrenal bilateral sin insuficiencia adrenal asociada con enoxaparina. Reporte de caso / Bilateral adrenal hemorrhage without adrenal insufficiency associated with enoxaparin. usage: case report

RESUMEN La hemorragia adrenal bilateral es un fenómeno poco común que puede acarrear consecuencias catastróficas por una crisis adrenal. Se ha asociado con diversas entidades como la sepsis, anticoagulación, neoplasias, el trauma, síndrome antifosfolípido y estado postoperatorio, especialmente, de cirugías ortopédicas. Su diagnóstico se dificulta en la medida en que los pacientes presentan signos y síntomas inespecíficos, por lo cual, una alta sospecha clínica es el principal indicador para la realización de una imagen que confirme el dictamen. Se presenta el caso de una hemorragia adrenal bilateral sin insuficiencia adrenal en una mujer de 71 años que, durante el quinto día del posoperatorio, tras una osteosíntesis de rodilla y recibiendo profilaxis antitrombótica con enoxaparina, ingresa al servicio de urgencias por dolor abdominal tipo cólico con 12 horas de evolución, acompañado de náuseas y sin signos de inestabilidad hemodinámica.

SUMMARY Bilateral adrenal hemorrhage is an uncommon phenomenon with potential catastrophic con-sequences, such as an adrenal crisis. It has been associated with diverse entities such as sepsis, anticoagulation, malignancy, trauma, antiphospholipid syndrome and postoperative setting, among others. The diagnosis is difficult as patients present with non-specific signs and symptoms, so high suspicion should trigger imaginological test to confirm the diagnosis. We report the case of bilateral adrenal hemorrhage without adrenal insufficiency that occurred in a 71-year-old woman during her fifth postoperative day after knee osteosynthesis, who received treatment with enoxaparin as antithrombotic prophylaxis and who presented to the emergency room for 12 hours of colic-like abdominal pain accompanied by nausea without signs of hemodynamic instability.

Characteristics of hypoparathyroidism in Colombia: data from a single center in the city of Medellín.

OBJECTIVE: Hypoparathyroidism is a rare condition, whose most common etiology is complications of neck surgery. The aim of the study was to identify the clinical and biochemical profile of the patients with diagnosis of hypoparathyroidism, including the frequency of symptoms, clinical signs, long-term complications and disease control. Additionally, the study sought to know what the medication profile was, and the doses required by the patients. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: A retrospective cohort study was conducted wherein all patients with ICD-10 codes associated with hypoparathyroidism between 2011 and 2018 at the Hospital Universitario San Vicente Fundación were included. We investigated the etiology of the disease; biochemical profile including lowest serum calcium, highest serum phosphorus, 25OHD levels, calciuria and calcium/phosphorus product; medication doses, disease control, and presence of complications, especially renal and neurologic complications were also evaluated. RESULTS: The cohort included 108 patients (99 women/9 men) with a mean age of 51.6 ± 15.6 years. The main etiology was postoperative (93.5%), the dose of elemental calcium received was relatively low (mean 1,164 mg/day), and in only 9.2% of cases more than 2,500 mg/day of elemental calcium was necessary. We were able to evaluate the follow-up in 89 patients, and found that only 57.3% met the criteria for controlled disease. CONCLUSION: The clinical profile of patients with hypoparathyroidism in our cohort is similar to that described in other international studies, with predominantly postoperative etiology. With standard therapy, only adequate control is achieved in a little more than half of patients. Arch Endocrinol Metab. 2020;64(3):282-9.

Characteristics of hypoparathyroidism in Colombia: data from a single center in the city of Medellín

ABSTRACT Objective Hypoparathyroidism is a rare condition, whose most common etiology is complications of neck surgery. The aim of the study was to identify the clinical and biochemical profile of the patients with diagnosis of hypoparathyroidism, including the frequency of symptoms, clinical signs, long-term complications and disease control. Additionally, the study sought to know what the medication profile was, and the doses required by the patients. Subjects and method A retrospective cohort study was conducted wherein all patients with ICD-10 codes associated with hypoparathyroidism between 2011 and 2018 at the Hospital Universitario San Vicente Fundación were included. We investigated the etiology of the disease; biochemical profile including lowest serum calcium, highest serum phosphorus, 25OHD levels, calciuria and calcium/phosphorus product; medication doses, disease control, and presence of complications, especially renal and neurologic complications were also evaluated. Results The cohort included 108 patients (99 women/9 men) with a mean age of 51.6 ± 15.6 years. The main etiology was postoperative (93.5%), the dose of elemental calcium received was relatively low (mean 1,164 mg/day), and in only 9.2% of cases more than 2,500 mg/day of elemental calcium was necessary. We were able to evaluate the follow-up in 89 patients, and found that only 57.3% met the criteria for controlled disease. Conclusion The clinical profile of patients with hypoparathyroidism in our cohort is similar to that described in other international studies, with predominantly postoperative etiology. With standard therapy, only adequate control is achieved in a little more than half of patients. Arch Endocrinol Metab. 2020;64(3):282-9

[Occupational exposure to influenza virus of the wild birds]. / Exposición ocupacional a los virus influenza de las aves silvestres.

Wild waterfowl are considered the main natural reservoir of influenza viruses and they have contributed to the reassortment of both pandemic viruses and viruses responsible for outbreaks of avian influenza in wild and domestic species. In order to determinate the factors involved, we reviewed the human cases of avian influenza related to the management of wild birds, the use of personal protective equipment, as well as the basis of surveillance programs of highly pathogenic avian influenza in wild birds in Spain. The direct transmission of influenza virus from wild birds to humans is a rare event. However, our epidemiological context is influenced by climate change and marked by the presence of migratory routes from territories where infection may be present. Thus and due to the clinical, economical and public health implications that such infections may have, the different groups exposed to wild birds (veterinarians, biologists, ornithologists, conservationists, field technicians, environmental officers, falconers, hunters, etc.) should know which are the possible sources of infection and how to handle the personal protective equipment. Besides, it is important that those groups know the current sanitary situation regarding avian influenza so they can consequently adapt their activities and employ proper protective measures, in addition to providing valuable information for surveillance programs.

Las aves acuáticas silvestres representan el principal reservorio natural de los virus influenza y han participado en el reordenamiento tanto de virus pandémicos como de los virus responsables de los brotes de gripe aviar en las especies domésticas y silvestres. Con el objetivo de conocer los determinantes implicados, en el presente trabajo se revisaron los casos humanos de influenza aviar asociados al manejo de avessilvestres y la utilización de los equipos de protección personal, así como las bases de la vigilancia de la influencia aviar altamente patógena en aves silvestres en España. Las evidencias existentes permiten concluir que la transmisión directa de virus influenza desde las aves silvestres al ser humano es un evento raro. No obstante, nuestro contexto epidemiológico se encuentra influido por el cambio climático y queda marcado por la presencia de rutas migratorias desde territorios donde la infección puede estar presente. Por ello, y ante las implicaciones clínicas, económicas y para la salud pública que dichas infecciones pueden tener, los diferentes colectivos expuestos a las aves silvestres (veterinarios, biólogos, ornitólogos, conservacionistas, técnicos de campo, agentes medioambientales, cetreros, cazadores, etc.) deberían conocer las posibles fuentes de contagio y manejar correctamente los equipos de protección personal. Al mismo tiempo, es importante que dichos grupos conozcan la situación sanitaria actualizada respecto a la influenza aviar, para adaptar sus actividades en consecuencia y poder aplicar las medidas de protección de forma proporcionada a la misma, amén de aportar una valiosa información para los programas de vigilancia.

Blind Manipulation of Deformable Objects Based on Force Sensing and Finite Element Modeling.

In this paper, we present a novel pipeline to simultaneously estimate and manipulate the deformation of an object using only force sensing and an FEM model. The pipeline is composed of a sensor model, a deformation model and a pose controller. The sensor model computes the contact forces that are used as input to the deformation model which updates the volumetric mesh of a manipulated object. The controller then deforms the object such that a given pose on the mesh reaches a desired pose. The proposed approach is thoroughly evaluated in real experiments using a robot manipulator and a force-torque sensor to show its accuracy in estimating and manipulating deformations without the use of vision sensors.

Hierarchical, Dense and Dynamic 3D Reconstruction Based on VDB Data Structure for Robotic Manipulation Tasks.

This paper presents a novel approach to implement hierarchical, dense and dynamic reconstruction of 3D objects based on the VDB (Variational Dynamic B + Trees) data structure for robotic applications. The scene reconstruction is done by the integration of depth-images using the Truncated Signed Distance Field (TSDF). The proposed reconstruction method is based on dynamic trees in order to provide similar reconstruction results to the current state-of-the-art methods (i.e., complete volumes, hashing voxels and hierarchical volumes) in terms of execution time but with a direct multi-level representation that remains real-time. This representation provides two major advantages: it is a hierarchical and unbounded space representation. The proposed method is optimally implemented to be used on a GPU architecture, exploiting the parallelism skills of this hardware. A series of experiments will be presented to prove the performance of this approach in a robot arm platform.