Differential Tissue Accumulation of Copper, Iron, and Zinc in Bycatch Fish from the Mexican Pacific.

In order to ascertain if Cu, Fe, and Zn are differentially accumulated in fish tissues, metal concentrations were measured in the muscle and liver of bycatch fish from the states of Sinaloa (189 specimens, 7 species) and Guerrero (152 individuals, 8 species) in the Mexican Pacific Coast during March and November 2011. Additionally, metal levels were compared with the maximum allowable limits set by international legislation and contrasted with similar ichthyofauna from other regions. Liver had more elevated concentrations of Cu (Sinaloa 28.3, Guerrero 16.3 µg g-1), Fe (Sinaloa 1098, Guerrero 636 µg g-1), and Zn (Sinaloa 226, Guerrero 186 µg g-1) than the muscle in fish from both studied areas. The relative abundances of analyzed metals in both tissues was Fe > Zn > Cu. As far as limits set by international legislation (Australia, India, New Zealand, Zambia), measured concentrations of Cu in the edible portion of fish were not found to be above the set values. In the case of Zn, the maximum allowable limits set by international legislation were exceeded by the Peruvian mojarra Diapterus peruvianus from Guerrero state (Mexican Pacific). No limits exist for Fe in the edible portion of fishery products in the national and international legislations.

Prevalence and predictors of influenza and pneumococcal vaccine uptake in patients with diabetes.

The Irish Immunisation Guidelines recommend that people with diabetes mellitus receive the seasonal influenza and pneumococcal vaccines. We aimed to gather data on seasonal influenza vaccine uptake over the previous twelve months, to determine pneumococcal vaccine uptake over a lifetime, and to identify predictors that may influence likelihood of vaccine uptake. A combination of retrospective medical record review and patient questionnaire was undertaken over a three-month period in a diabetes outpatient clinic. Two hundred patients, 28.5% (n=57) with type 1 and 70.5% (n=141) with type 2 diabetes were questioned. Uptake of seasonal influenza vaccine in the previous year was 64.5%. Reported lifetime uptake rate of pneumococcal vaccine was 22%. Increasing age, increasing duration of diabetes and history of recent GP visits significantly increased frequency of influenza vaccination over a five-year period. Significant predictors of influenza vaccination over the previous 12 months included those receiving GP recommendation [OR 10.6 (95% CI 4.3-26.4)] and those aged over 65 [OR 2.8 (1.008-7.8)]. Significant predictors of pneumococcal vaccine uptake included GP recommendation [OR=63 (10-388)] and chronic kidney disease [OR=22 (1.5-312)]. Increased uptake of vaccines is desirable and may be improved by general practices targeting subsets of the population and annual auditing.

Acute physiologic effects of a stepwise recruitment maneuver in acute respiratory distress syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Stepwise recruitment maneuvers (RM) applied with high airway pressures may optimize lung recruitment, but this kind of intervention may lead to widely heterogeneous responses with possible side effects. To assess the clinical impact of these maneuvers, we performed a stepwise maximal-recruitment strategy superimposed on routine mechanical ventilation. METHODS: We studied 13 adults with early-phase acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS). We used pressure-control ventilation at an FiO(2) of 1. Starting from a Pplat/positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) of 40/25, we sequentially increased airway pressure in 5 cmH(2)O steps until a PaO(2)/FiO(2) of 350 mmHg or a Pplat/PEEP of 60/40 cmH(2)O was reached. The PEEP was then progressively reduced until the PaO(2) decreased by more than 10% of the maximum PaO(2); the PEEP was subsequently set to 2 cmH(2)O above this level. An intra-arterial catheter continuously displayed blood gas measures. The respiratory mechanics and hemodynamics were monitored at each phase and during the two-hour follow-up. RESULTS: Two hours after the RM, the PaO(2)/FiO(2) was higher than at baseline (187±102 versus 339±136 mmHg, P<0.001). In 8 patients, the PEEP increased from 12±3 cmH(2)O to 15±4 cmH(2)O after the RM (P<0.001). In the other five, it closely mirrored the basal PEEP. Seven patients did not reach the 350-mmHg PaO(2) target. The respiratory system compliance decreased in seven patients. The RM was discontinued due to severe complications in four patients. CONCLUSION: Although stepwise-RM improves oxygenation, it has a heterogeneous impact on respiratory mechanics and may cause adverse hemodynamic effects and transient hypoxemia. If the use of this kind of RM is considered, it should be adapted to individual patient needs, applied carefully and closely monitored.

Recruitment manoeuvres in acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome/acute lung injury is characterised by profound hypoxaemia due to a permeability pulmonary oedema. In this setting, recruitment manoeuvres (RMs) can be a useful tool as adjuncts to lung protective ventilatory strategies to prevent cyclic alveolar stress and avoid alveolar collapse. Many experimental and physiological studies have discussed the use of RMs but only a few heterogeneous clinical experiences have demonstrated the beneficial and deleterious effects that can occur using these manoeuvres. Besides, a lot of questions remain to be answered to find the best way to perform optimal RMs. Further experimental and clinical trials are needed to understand the potential beneficial effects of recruitment manoeuvres when using a protective mechanical ventilation strategy. This paper is a general review of experimental works that support application of recruitment manoeuvres emphasising the clinical studies that have been published to date in acute respiratory distress syndrome patients.

Screening of CFTR mutations in an isolated population: identification of carriers and patients.

One important application of the identification of disease-causing mutations is carrier screening in the general population. Such a project requires a simple accurate test by which a large proportion of the mutations can be identified. This study describes screening for CFTR mutations in an isolated Israeli Arab village. Two mutations, G85E and delta F508, accounted for all the CF alleles of these patients. The screening program tested for these two mutations, as well as the 5T allele, which has recently been shown to down-regulate the CFTR expression and cause variable phenotype. The screened population comprised 497 students from one school, which all the children of the village attend. The results revealed high carrier frequency, 8.5%, for the two CFTR mutations, G85E and delta F508, and a carrier frequency of 12% for the 5T allele. Two compound heterozygotes for the CFTR mutations, delta F508/G85E and G85E/5T, were identified. Both of these students had not been diagnosed previously as having CF since their disease presentation was not typical of CF. The CF incidence in this village was found to be extremely high, 1:72 life births. The screening results were reported to the physicians of the village to be used, upon request, for genetic counselling. This study emphasizes the importance of such programs for the identification of non-classical patients and for carrier detection.

Effects of insulin and insulin-like growth factors I and II on the growth of equine fetal and neonatal chondrocytes.

The effects of insulin and insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) I and II on fetal and foal chondrocytes were investigated in vitro. Chondrocytes from the lateral trochlear ridge of the distal femur were obtained from 2 fetuses (280 and 320 days gestation) and one 4-day-old foal and cultured. Membrane proteins consistent with type 1 and type 2 IGF receptors were demonstrated by radioligand cross linking and equilibrium binding analysis. It was demonstrated that both IGF-I and IGF-II acted as mitogens for isolated equine chondrocytes when present as the sole mitogenic factor in monolayer culture. It was further shown that whereas insulin was able to promote the survival and expansion of cell populations of chondrocytes in culture there was significantly reduced mitogenic stimulation compared to the IGFs. These results suggest that the role of insulin in growth cartilage may be to promote chondrocyte survival, or to suppress differentiation/apoptosis. This supports the hypothesis that relative hyperinsulinaemia may be a contributory factor to equine dyschondroplasia (osteochondrosis). Understanding of contributory, and possibly triggering factors such as this may allow the development of modified methods of husbandry which minimise the risk of disease in populations with a known predisposition.

[Circadian rhythms of cortisol and insulin in nutritional obesity in children]. / Estudio de ritmos circadianos de cortisol e insulina en la obesidad nutricional infantil.

It have been studied 90 children (obese 73, non obese or control 17), trying to analyze the following parameters: mean and standard deviation values, its circadian rhythms and relation between cortisol and insulin, correlation between both hormones and anthropometric parameters of obesity and sexual influence with all the studied parameters. The plasmatic cortisol values were higher in male, obese (180.4 +/- 11.2 ng/ml) and control (377.5 +/- 49.2 ng/ml) children. The plasmatic insulin values higher in obese children (55.3 +/- 9.5 microU/ml) verifying the hyperinsulinemia observed in obesity. There was not correlation between cortisol and insulin values with body fat. All the children showed cortisol and insulin circadian rythm. In the groups of obese children the cortisol circadian rythm was similar to the control one. However, the insulin circadian rythm was disturb. So, the acrophase was delayed two hours when male and female were analyzed all together and only one hour in the obese female group. The acrophase of cortisol and insulin rhythms in obese group is delayed in relation with the degree of obesity. The circadian rhythms of cortisol and insulin, in both obese and control groups, are not dependent. The duration of obesity do not have any relation with the mentioned alterations.

Postoperative control for the persistence of positivity in three immunological tests used in the diagnosis of hydatidosis in children (E.L.I.S.A.-specific IgE, indirect hemagglutination and E.L.I.S.A.-total IgE).

The persistence of serological positivity was studied in 21 children with surgically proven hydatidosis. The children had been previously operated on between 10 months and 7 4/12 years before serum samples were extracted. Forty-eight people (19 adult and 39 children) were included as a control group. E.L.I.S.A. specific IgE and indirect hemagglutination techniques were used for the diagnosis of hydatid disease. Studies of the immunoglobulins and complement components IgG, IgA, IgM, IgE, C3, C4, C5 and factor B were done on the sera from the 21 children with histories of equinococciasis. The results are expressed according to the location and physical condition of the cyst, the time passed after surgery, the number of cysts and the number of surgical operations. We found persistence of positivity of up to 5 4/12 years for indirect hemagglutination and up to 6 7/12 years for specific IgE, in cases without evidence of clinical parasitation so we think that the postoperative control must be based on several serological determinations. The concordance between the two specific serological tests (specific IgE and indirect hemagglutination) was 80.95%; specific IgE having appeared more sensitive especially in cases of hepatic location. The results concerning the total IgE determination were highlighted in the immunoglobulin studies. We consider total IgE as being only orientative, because of the frequency with which it is found elevated in childhood diseases.

[Nutritional optimization of thermal processing of canned food]. / Optimización nutricional del procesamiento térmico de alimentos enlatados.

The model developed by Barreiro, Salas and Herrera (7) for the prediction of nutrient losses during the thermal processing of conduction heated foods was used in this work to optimize the thermal processing, maximizing nutrient retention in processes with equivalent sterilization values. The processes were stimulated in a digital computer (taking pea purée canned in cans 307 x 409 as the product analyzed). Aall of the processes had equivalent sterilization values with respect to Clostridium botulinum. The thiamine retention associated with each process was calculated by the model of Barreiro, Salas and Herrera (7). The maximum fraction of thiamine retained was of 0.688 for a process at 114.2 degrees C (237.5 degrees F) for 95 minutes. Also, the possibility of the existence of a can with optimum dimensions for maximum thiamine retention, with the same sterilization values, was studied. It was found that this optimum, with the same does not exist; on the contrary, the retention was at a minimum when the diameter approaches infinite and the height zero, and viceversa. For this reason, from the nutrient retention point of view, it is better to process the product in flat or slender cans for a given sterilization value.