'Summer of Sport': the development of a 6-week programme in increasing physical activity to improve public health outcomes.

OBJECTIVES: A population-based physical activity (PA) programme was implemented to increase PA levels and encourage individuals to join the local council leisure facility. STUDY DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional design. METHODS: The 6-week programme Summer of Sport (SOS) involved a total of 487 individuals registered for PA sessions. The sessions were held at three local council leisure facilities included badminton, swimming, table tennis, squash and group cycle. The programme was assessed using a survey based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Individuals were asked for their current fitness levels, whether the programme encouraged them to be more active and for their intentions to join the leisure centre after the programme. RESULTS: Of the 487 who originally registered for the programme, there were 161 users of SOS, with 112 not already members of the leisure facility. After the programme, 83% considered themselves already being active, with 78% stating that they partook in at least 30 min of exercise, 3 times per week. Although a large proportion of individuals were already physically active, 78% stated that taking part encouraged them to become more active. More than half suggested that they would not join the leisure facility, 30% said that they had joined after the programme and 17% stated their intention to join. Many individuals highlighted that the programme provided an opportunity to be active with their family. CONCLUSIONS: Public health teams should work with partner organisations to embed robust processes for measuring outcomes that impact on population health.

Hibiscus syriacus Extract from an Established Cell Culture Stimulates Skin Wound Healing.

Higher plants are the source of a wide array of bioactive compounds that support skin integrity and health. Hibiscus syriacus, family Malvaceae, is a plant of Chinese origin known for its antipyretic, anthelmintic, and antifungal properties. The aim of this study was to assess the healing and hydration properties of H. syriacus ethanolic extract (HSEE). We established a cell culture from Hibiscus syriacus leaves and obtained an ethanol soluble extract from cultured cells. The properties of the extract were tested by gene expression and functional analyses on human fibroblast, keratinocytes, and skin explants. HSEE treatment increased the healing potential of fibroblasts and keratinocytes. Specifically, HSEE significantly stimulated fibronectin and collagen synthesis by 16 and 60%, respectively, while fibroblasts contractility was enhanced by 30%. These results were confirmed on skin explants, where HSEE accelerated the wound healing activity in terms of epithelium formation and fibronectin production. Moreover, HSEE increased the expression of genes involved in skin hydration and homeostasis. Specifically, aquaporin 3 and filaggrin genes were enhanced by 20 and 58%, respectively. Our data show that HSEE contains compounds capable of stimulating expression of biomarkers relevant to skin regeneration and hydration thereby counteracting molecular pathways leading to skin damage and aging.

Regulation of Stearoyl Coenzyme A Desaturase 1 Gene Promoter in Bovine Mammary Cells.

Stearoyl-Coenzyme A desaturase 1 (SCD1) belongs to the fatty acid family of desaturases. In lactating ruminants, the SCD1 protein is highly expressed in the mammary gland and is relevant for the fatty acid composition of milk and dairy products. Bovine mammary epithelial cells (BME-UV1), cultured in vitro, have been proposed as a model to reproduce the biology of the mammary gland. The present study was designed to investigate the responsiveness of bovine SCD1 promoter to serum, insulin, oleic acid, and NFY transcription factor in BME-UV1 cells. A luciferase-based reporter assay was used to monitor the transcriptional activity of the SCD1 promoter region in BME-UV1 cells treated or not with insulin and/or oleic acid. The level of endogenous SCD1 mRNA was evaluated by Real time PCR. Insulin (20 ng/mL) induced a 2.0 to 2.5-fold increase of SCD1 promoter activity. Additionally, the effect of insulin was inhibited by oleic acid, serum components, and NFY enforced expression. Serum and NFY showed no synergistic or additive effect on SCD1 promoter activity suggesting that they repress SCD1 transcription through the same responsive element.

The effectiveness of national guidance in changing analgesic prescribing in primary care from 2002 to 2009: an observational database study.

BACKGROUND: Numerous national guidelines have been issued to assist general practitioners' safe analgesic prescribing. Their effectiveness is unclear. The objective of this study was to examine trends in general practitioners' prescribing behaviour in relation to national guidelines. METHODS: This was a retrospective observational database study of registered adult patients prescribed an analgesic (2002-2009) from the Consultations in Primary Care Archive--12 North Staffordshire general practices. Prescribing guidance from the UK Medicines Regulatory Health Authority (MHRA) regarding non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and co-proxamol, and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) osteoarthritis (OA) management guidelines were considered. Analgesic prescribing rates were examined, arranged according to a classification of six equipotent medication groups: (1) basic analgesics; (2)-(5) increasingly potent opioids and (6) NSAIDs. In each quarter from 2002 to 2009, the number of patients per 10,000 registered population receiving a prescription for the first time from each group was determined. Quarters associated with significant changes in the underlying prescribing trend were determined using joinpoint regression. RESULTS: A significant decrease in incident co-proxamol and Cox-2 prescribing occurred around the time of the first MHRA advice to stop using them and were rarely prescribed thereafter. The new prescribing of weak analgesics (e.g., co-codamol 8/500) increased at this same time. Initiating topical NSAIDs significantly increased around the time of the NICE OA guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: Significant prescribing changes occurred when national advice and guidelines were issued. The effectiveness of this advice may vary depending upon the content and method of dissemination. Further evaluation of the optimal methods for delivering prescribing guidance is required.

Verruga umbilical / Umbilical wart

Las verrugas vulgares son proliferaciones epiteliales benignas, causadas por la infección del virus papiloma humano. Suelen afectar a niños y adolescentes comprometiendo frecuentemente manos y rodillas. Existen múltiples tratamientos pero ninguno infalible, y si bien se preconiza la conducta expectante, existen casos en los que se debe realizar tratamiento. Presentamos el caso de un escolar de sexo masculino con verruga umbilical, una localización infrecuente, tratada exitosamente con electrocoagulación.

Common warts are benign epithelial growths caused by infection with human papillomavirus. They usually affect children and adolescents often compromising hands and knees. There are many treatments but none infallible, and while it is recommended an expectant behaviour, there are cases in which treatment should be performed. We report the case of a 12 year old white male with an umbilical wart, an unusual localization, treated successfully with electrocoagulation.

Aplasia cutis congénita tipo I: aporte de un caso / Aplasia cutis congenita: a case report

La Aplasia Cutis Congénita, es un grupo heterogéneo de alteraciones que consisten en la falta congénita localizada o extensa, de piel, que puede acompañarse de ausencia de estructuras subyacentes. Su apariencia clínica es variable y su origen es multifactorial. Presentamos el caso de un recién nacido con Aplasia Cutis Congénita, sin antecedentes familiares de esta enfermedad ni historia de uso materno de drogas, en quien no se constataron hallazgos extracutáneos.

Congenital aplasia cutis, is a heterogeneous group of disorders that involve the congenital absence, localized or extensive, of the skin, which may be accompanied by the absence of underlying structures. Its clinical appareance is variable with a multifactorial origin. We report the case of a newborn with Congenital Aplasia Cutis with no family history of the disease or history of maternal drug abuse, in whom extracutaneous findings were not found.

[Spotted fever group rickettsial disease in Argentinean travelers]. / Rickettsioses do grupo das febres maculosas em viajantes argentinos.

During 1996, four patients that returned from South Africa suffering from rickettsiosis were attended at the Traveler's Medicine practice of our hospital. All of them presented fever, headache and cutaneous scar. One of these presented maculopapular rash, while the rest developed a vesicular rash. The Weil-Felix reaction was negative and the immunofluorescence test for Rickettsia conorii was positive in all cases. None of the patients remembered having been bitten by any insects, however all of them had been staying in or going through a wild environment. All the patients were treated with doxycycline and presented a good outcome.

Pretreatment platelet 5-HT concentration predicts the short-term response to paroxetine in major depression. Grupo de Trastornos Afectivos.

BACKGROUND: A previous retrospective study revealed that a high pretreatment platelet serotonin (5-HT) concentration was associated with a low response to serotonergic antidepressants in drug-free major depressives. We have examined such a relationship in depressive patients treated with paroxetine. METHODS: Seventy-four drug-free major depressives (DSM-IV) were admitted to the study. Clinical ratings were performed and blood was drawn prior to the initiation of treatment and after 4 weeks of paroxetine (20 mg/day). The concentrations of 5-HT, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, and tryptophan were determined in plasma and blood. RESULTS: Paroxetine treatment reduced platelet 5-HT to 17% of baseline after 4 weeks of treatment. Responder patients had a pretreatment platelet 5-HT concentration 22% lower than nonresponders (p < .035). Admission HAMD scores, plasma paroxetine concentration, or platelet 5-HT concentration at endpoint did not differ between responders and nonresponders. Yet, the response rate was 11% in patients with high pretreatment platelet 5-HT (> 900 ng/10(9) platelets) and 50% in those below that value (p < .004). CONCLUSIONS: These findings support that depressed patients with a high pretreatment platelet 5-HT concentration have a poor therapeutic outcome after treatment with a standard paroxetine dose. These differences may be related to the existence of molecular differences in the 5-HT transporter.

[Congenital Chagas-Mazza disease in Salta, Argentina]. / Enfermedad de Chagas-Mazza congenita en Salta.

A study was carried out on T. cruzi infection in pregnant women in the Guemes area in Salta province; the rate of infection was 12.3%. Of newborn children studied by the microhematocrit technique, 8.8% were diagnosed with Chagas' disease. All of them were treated with benznidazol (5mg/kg/day) for one month; all of them presented anemia, which was interpreted to be an adverse drug reaction. The microhematocrit technique is believed to represent the best option for diagnosis of this disease in newborn children. A diagnostic methodology to follow the course of the infection is proposed.

Ulcera cutánea provocada por hongos del género Fusarium / A cutaneous ulcer induced by fungi of the genus Fusarium

Se presenta el caso de un paciente oriundo y procedente del Paraguay, de 40 años de edad, portador de una ulceración crónica en cara externa del pie izquierdo, de 2 meses de evolución, debida a una hialohifomicosis por Fusarium oxysporum. Se destacan las características clínicas, métodos de diagnóstico y terapeútica de esta micosis, además de las diferentes etiologías a considerar en el diagnóstico diferencial de una úlcera en personas procedentes del área tropical o subtropical.

A case of cutaneous hyalohyphomycosis, due to Fusarium oxysporum, in a 40 years old man is presented. The patient came from Paraguay where he worked in a tropical rural area. His disease had begun 2 months before his admission as a skin ulcer located in the left leg. Clinical characteristics, diagnosis methods, differential diagnosis with other ulcers of the legs in tropical areas as well as therapeutic measures are discussed in this presentation.

[A cutaneous ulcer induced by fungi of the genus Fusarium]. / Ulcera cutánea provocada por hongos del género Fusarium.

A case of cutaneous hyalohyphomycosis, due to Fusarium oxysporum, in a 40 years old man is presented. The patient came from Paraguay where he worked in a tropical rural area. His disease had begun 2 months before his admission as a skin ulcer located in the left leg. Clinical characteristics, diagnosis methods, differential diagnosis with other ulcers of the legs in tropical areas as well as therapeutic measures are discussed in this presentation.

Norfloxacin monodose use in patients with cholera in Salta Argentina.

The use of monodose (800 mg) per os of Norfloxacin was evaluated in 32 patients with cholera at Salvador Mazza's Hospital, Salta, Argentina. It was considered the celerity in negativization of stool culture (100% of cases: 12 hours post administration), it efficiency along time (24/24 controlled patients were negative at 10th day) and MIC of isolated strains (100% of strains were sensitive: range 0.008 to 0.016 micrograms/ml). It was included oral administration of sorbitol 70% in peanut oil in order to study patients at 10th day's control. This method could be an alternative one in the study of asymptomatic carrier. Norfloxacin monodose shows good performance in early negativization of stool culture and it was also effective along the whole observation period, suggesting it could prevent carriage.

Histoplasmosis diseminada subaguda asociada a linfopenia idiopática / Subacute disseminated histoplasmosis associate to idiopathyc lymphopenia

Se presenta el caso de una mujer de 20 años de raza blanca, procedente de San Francisco (Provincia de Córdoba) que fue internada por padecer una histoplasmosis diseminada subaguda que presentó algunas características habitualmente observadas en el SIDA. Los estudios realizados permitieron excluir a la infección por HIV como responsable de la disminución continua y progresiva de linfocitos CD4+. La enferma fue tratada con itraconazol con buena respuesta clínica, pero presentó una recidiva 3 meses después de haber interrumpido la primera serie de tratamiento. Consideramos que este caso puede ser ubicado dentro del síndrome de inmunodeficiencia adquirido no causado por el HIV

Histoplasmosis diseminada subaguda asociada a linfopenia idiopática / Subacute disseminated histoplasmosis associate to idiopathyc lymphopenia

Se presenta el caso de una mujer de 20 años de raza blanca, procedente de San Francisco (Provincia de Córdoba) que fue internada por padecer una histoplasmosis diseminada subaguda que presentó algunas características habitualmente observadas en el SIDA. Los estudios realizados permitieron excluir a la infección por HIV como responsable de la disminución continua y progresiva de linfocitos CD4+. La enferma fue tratada con itraconazol con buena respuesta clínica, pero presentó una recidiva 3 meses después de haber interrumpido la primera serie de tratamiento. Consideramos que este caso puede ser ubicado dentro del síndrome de inmunodeficiencia adquirido no causado por el HIV (AU)

Esporotricosis humana producida por la mordedura de iguana: a propósito de un caso / Human sporothrichosis by an iguana bite: apropos of a case

Los autores presentan un caso de esporotricosis (S. schenckii) humana adquirida por mordedura de iguana, saurio perteneciente a la Clase Reptilia. Esta zoopatía de origen micotico representa una sapro-zoonosis, pues el reservorio natural del hongo es el suelo y tanto el animal como el hombre representan huéspedes ocasionales. No se han documentado observaciones similares en la bibliografía consultada (AU)

Esporotricosis humana producida por la mordedura de iguana: a propósito de un caso / Human sporothrichosis by an iguana bite: apropos of a case

Los autores presentan un caso de esporotricosis (S. schenckii) humana adquirida por mordedura de iguana, saurio perteneciente a la Clase Reptilia. Esta zoopatía de origen micotico representa una sapro-zoonosis, pues el reservorio natural del hongo es el suelo y tanto el animal como el hombre representan huéspedes ocasionales. No se han documentado observaciones similares en la bibliografía consultada