Phenological variation in parasite load and inflammatory response in a lizard with an asynchronous reproductive cycle.

We present the first study that compares phenological variation in parasite load and inflammatory response in a lizard with asynchronous male and female gonadal cycles. Other studies have used many species with seasonal and synchronous reproductive cycles, in which it is difficult to decouple the effects of internal and external factors that can affect parasite abundance in each sex. Species with asynchronous reproductive cycles provide the opportunity to study the effects of seasonality and reproductive condition separately, but few studies have documented variation in parasite abundance in these species. We made an extensive comparison of parasite load and inflammatory response of the lizard Sceloporus torquatus, a species with asynchronous reproductive cycles, throughout its active period. We hypothesized that the parasite load would be higher in the period of maximum gonadal activity for each sex, negatively related to body condition and inflammatory response. Our results partially support the hypothesis; males had more parasites in summer than in spring and autumn, while females had more parasites in spring and summer than in autumn; however, we do not find a relationship between parasite load, body condition and inflammatory response. Our results indicated that host-parasite interactions are complex and depend upon both environmental and internal factors. Therefore, longer-term studies may provide a more comprehensive picture of host-parasite dynamics in populations of wild lizards.

Ocular trauma by kinetic impact projectiles during civil unrest in Chile.

BACKGROUND: The use of kinetic impact projectiles (KIPs) for crowd-control has increased worldwide. Despite having been created as non-lethal weapons, significant damage to several organs, including the eye, has been reported. In this study, we investigated cases of ocular trauma from KIPs during the civil unrest in Chile. To our knowledge, this is the largest case series recorded in international literature. METHODS: We included all patients who sought care or were referred to the Eye Trauma Unit, a national referral centre in Santiago, Chile, during the civil unrest from October 18 to November 30, 2019. We reviewed paper medical records and extracted data on suspected cause of trauma, type of trauma, visual acuity and sociodemographic data. RESULTS: We included 259 patients, out of which in 182 cases (70.5%) KIPs were the suspected cause. Cases by KIPs were predominantly male (86.6%), young (median age 26.3, interquartile range 22.0-31.4) and living in the Metropolitan Region. Eighty-nine patients (48.9%) had severe visual impairment or were blind at the first examination. The trauma was an open-globe injury in 20.3% of cases and 13 cases required evisceration of the ocular content. Compared to other causes of ocular trauma, KIPs were related to a more severe loss of visual acuity and a higher frequency of open-globe injuries. CONCLUSIONS: The use of KIPs during a period of civil unrest in Chile resulted in severe ocular trauma, visual impairment and permanent disability. KIPs should be avoided as a method of crowd-control.

Phylogenetic analyses reveal that Schellackia parasites (Apicomplexa) detected in American lizards are closely related to the genus Lankesterella: is the range of Schellackia restricted to the Old World?

BACKGROUND: Species of Schellackia Reichenow, 1919 have been described from the blood of reptiles distributed worldwide. Recently, Schellackia spp. detected in European and Asian lizards have been molecularly characterised. However, parasites detected in American lizard hosts remain uncharacterised. Thus, phylogenetic affinities between the Old and New World parasite species are unknown. METHODS: In the present study, we characterised morphologically and molecularly the hemococcidian parasites (sporozoites) that infect three lizard hosts from North America and two from South America. RESULTS: In total, we generated 12 new 18S rRNA gene sequences of hemococcidian parasites infecting New World lizard hosts. By the microscopic examination of the smears we identified Schellackia golvani Rogier & Landau, 1975 (ex Anolis carolinensis Voigt) and Schellackia occidentalis Bonorris & Ball, 1955 (ex Uta stansburiana Baird & Girard and Sceloporus occidentalis Baird & Girard) in some samples, but the phylogenetic analysis indicated that all 18S rDNA sequences are distant from Schellackia species found in Old World lizards. In fact, the hemococcidian parasites detected in the New World lizards (including S. occidentalis and S. golvani) were closely related to the genus Lankesterella Labbé, 1899. Consequently, we suggest these two species to be included within the genus Lankesterella. CONCLUSIONS: Life history traits of hemococcidian parasites such as the type of host blood cells infected, host species or number of refractile bodies are not valid diagnostic characteristics to differentiate the parasites between the genera Schellackia and Lankesterella. Indeed, lankesterellid parasites with a different number of refractile bodies had a close phylogenetic origin. Based on the phylogenetic results we provide a systematic revision of the North American hemococcidians. Our recommendation is to include the species formerly described in the genus Schellackia that infect American lizards into Lankesterella (Lankesterellidae) as Lankesterella golvani (Rogier & Landau, 1975) n. comb and L. occidentalis (Bonorris & Ball, 1955) n. comb.

Tracing dissolved organic matter (DOM) from land-based aquaculture systems in North Patagonian streams.

Chile is the second largest producer of salmonids worldwide. The first step in the production of salmonids takes place in land-based aquacultures. However, the effects of the discharge from these aquacultures on stream dissolved organic matter (DOM) content, molecular composition and degradability are unknown. The aim of this study was thus to investigate the inputs of anthropogenic DOM from land-based aquaculture to the predominantly pristine river systems of North Patagonia. We hypothesized, that i) DOM exported from land-based aquaculture mainly consists of protein-like fluorescence (tyrosine and tryptophan) released from fish feces and food remains, and that ii) this DOM is highly degradable and therefore rapidly turned-over within the receiving streams. In the North Patagonian region we conducted a screening of ten land-based aquacultures and an intensive sampling campaign for one aquaculture. This was combined with longitudinal transects and a degradation experiment in order to couple the composition of DOM exported from land-based aquacultures to its degradability in streams. We measured dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration by high-temperature catalytic oxidation and DOM composition by fluorescence spectroscopy and parallel factor analysis. In the effluent of the ten screened aquacultures and in the repeated sampling of one aquaculture, we consistently found an increase of DOC concentrations and a dominance of protein-like fluorescence. The protein-like fluorescence rapidly disappeared downstream of the aquacultures, and in the degradation experiment. 21% of the DOC export from the repeatedly sampled aquaculture resulted from food addition and 76% from fish production. We conclude that large amounts of degradable DOM are exported from land-based aquacultures. This probably has strong effects on the ecological structure and function of North Patagonian streams, and similarly affected streams worldwide.

Correlation between primary tumor pathologic features and presence of clinical metastasis at diagnosis of testicular seminoma.

OBJECTIVES: To compare several risk factors in the testicular biopsy of patients with pure seminoma with and without clinical metastasis at diagnosis. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of patients with pure seminoma. The retroperitoneum was staged with computed tomography and the thorax with simple radiography and/or computed tomography, taking into account the original reports and clinical stage. The previous reports and original pathology plates were reviewed by pathologists who were unaware of the clinical stage of the patients. Patients with beta-human chorionic gonadotropin greater than 800 mUI/mL were excluded. RESULTS: A total of 86 patients had sufficient data and comprised the study cohort. Of the 86 patients, 62 had clinical Stage I (72%), 20 had Stage II (23%), and 4 had Stage III (5%). On univariate analysis, tumor size greater than 4 cm (P = 0.0135), testicular vascular invasion (P = 0.0042), rete testis invasion (P = 0.0002), tunica albuginea penetration (P = 0.00001), base of the spermatic cord invasion (P = 0.0002), epididymis invasion (P = 0.001), and vascular invasion of the cord (P = 0.024) were predictive of metastasis. On multivariate analysis, tumor size greater than 6 cm (odds ratio 6.9, 95% confidence interval 1.3 to 35, P = 0.02) and rete testis invasion (odds ratio 6.1, confidence interval 1.2 to 30, P = 0.025) remained as important predictors of metastasis (tumor size less than 6 cm was not significant on multivariate analysis). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study have demonstrated that rete testis invasion and tumor size correlate independently with the presence of clinical metastasis at diagnosis of testicular seminoma.

[Changes in the prevalence of asthma in Chilean school age children between 1994 and 2002. International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC)--Chile phases I and III]. / Cambios en la prevalencia de asma en escolares chilenos entre 1994 y 2002.

BACKGROUND: In developed countries, the prevalence of asthma in children has significantly increased in the last decades. However, there is no information about the trends of asthma in Latin America. AIM: To determine changes in asthma prevalence between 1994 and 2002 in Chilean schoolchildren. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The prevalence of asthma symptoms in schoolchildren aged 7 (n =18.697) and 13 years (n =18.939), from South Santiago, Valdivia and Punta Arenas, obtained during phases I and III of the ISAAC, carried out in 1994 and 2002, was compared. RESULTS: From 1994 to 2002, the mean national prevalence of "wheezing in the last 12 months" in the group aged 6-7 years, changed from 18.2% to 17.9% (p =NS); "asthma ever" from 12.5% to 10.7% (p =NS), and "severe episode" from 3.2% to 2.8% (p =NS). There was a significant increase of the prevalence of "wheezing in the last 12 months", in children aged 13-14 years, from 9.8% to 15.5% (p =0.01); in "asthma ever" from 10.2% to 14.9% (p =0.01), and for "severe episode" from 2.8% to 3.8% (p =0.01). CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant increase in the prevalence of respiratory symptoms related to asthma in children aged 13-14 years that was consistent in all the 3 participating centres of the ISAAC. However, the prevalence of asthma symptoms in children aged 6-7 years remained without significant changes between 1994 and 2002.

Cambios en la prevalencia de asma en escolares chilenos entre 1994 y 2002: International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) - Chile phases I and III / Changes in the prevalence of asthma in Chilean school age children between 1994 and 2002

Background: In developed countries, the prevalence of asthma in children has significantly increased in the last decades. However, there is no information about the trends of asthma in Latin America. Aim: To determine changes in asthma prevalence between 1994 and 2002 in Chilean schoolchildren. Material and methods: The prevalence of asthma symptoms in schoolchildren aged 7 (n =18.697) and 13 years (n =18.939), from South Santiago, Valdivia and Punta Arenas, obtained during phases I and III of the ISAAC, carried out in 1994 and 2002, was compared. Results: From 1994 to 2002, the mean national prevalence of "wheezing in the last 12 months" in the group aged 6-7years, changed from 18.2 percent to 17.9 percent (p =NS); "asthma ever" from 12.5 percent to 10.7 percent (p =NS), and "severe episode" from 3.2 percent to 2.8 percent (p =NS). There was a significant increase of the prevalence of "wheezing in the last 12 months", in children aged 13-14years, from 9.8 percent to 15.5 percent (p =0.01); in "asthma ever" from 10.2 percent to 14.9 percent (p =0.01), and for "severe episode" from 2.8 percent to 3.8 percent (p =0.01). Conclusions: There was a significant increase in the prevalence of respiratory symptoms related to asthma in children aged 13-14 years that was consistent in all the 3 participating centres of the ISAAC. However, the prevalence of asthma symptoms in children aged 6-7 years remained without significant changes between 1994 and 2002.

Effect of photon flux density and temperature on the production of halogenated monoterpenes by Plocamium cartilagineum (Plocamiaceae, Rhodophyta).

The effect of different photon flux densities (PFD) and temperatures on the relative growth rate (RGR) and the concentration of three halogenated monoterpenes in samples of Plocamium cartilagineum L.( Dixon), a marine alga (Rhodophyceae), were studied. The highest RGR (22.8 +/- 0.04 d(-1)) was obtained at 15 degreebC and 41 ,mol m(-2) s)(-1) of PFD and the lowest (18.0 +/- 0.12 d(-1)) was obtained at 18 degrees C and 120 micromol m(-2) s(-1). The different temperatures and light used in assays did not affect significantly the production of organic compounds. The production of mertensene and violacene was not affected significantly. However, compound 1 reached the highest concentration at 15 degrees C and 65 micromol m(-2) s(-1)). The relationship between growth and production of monoterpenes of P. cartilagineum and the effect of temperature and the PFD were analyzed.

Pesticide levels in surface waters in an agricultural-forestry basin in Southern Chile.

Residues of five pesticides in surface water were surveyed during 2001 and 2003 in the Traiguen river basin in Southern Chile. Simazine, hexazinone, 2,4-D, picloram herbicides and carbendazim fungicide were selected through a pesticide risk classification index. Six sampling stations along the river were set up based on agricultural and forestry land use. The water sampling was carried out before and after the pesticide application periods and in correspondence to some rain events. Pesticides were analyzed by HPLC with DAD detection in a multiresidue analysis. During 2001, in the first sampling campaign (March), the highest concentrations of pesticides were 3.0 microg l(-1) for simazine and hexazinone and 1.8 microg l(-1) for carbendazim. In the second sampling (September), the highest concentration were 9.7 microg l(-1) for 2,4-D, 0.3 microg l(-1) for picloram and 0.4 microg l(-1) for carbendazim. In the last sampling period (December), samples indicated contamination with carbendazim fungicide at levels of up to 1.2 microg l(-1). In sampling carried out on May 2003, no pesticides were detected. In October 2003, the highest concentrations of pesticides were 4.5 microg l(-1) for carbendazim and 2.9 microg l(-1) for 2,4-D. Data are discussed in function of land use and application periods of the products, showing a clear seasonal pattern pollution in the Traiguen river. Risk assessment for these pesticides was calculated by using a risk quotient (RQ = PNEC/PEC). For picloram the calculated RQ < was 0, which indicates that no adverse effects may occur due to the exposure to this herbicide in the Traiguen river basin. For 2,4-D, simazine, hexazinone, carbendazim RQ > 1, meaning that adverse effects could occur and it is necessary to reduce pesticide exposure in surface waters. It is recommended to continue with a pesticide monitoring program and the implementation of ecotoxicological testing with local and standardized species in order to consider the probability of effects occurrence, with less uncertainty. Thus, it will be more feasible to make some recommendations to regulatory agencies regarding the pesticide use.

Calcio en orina de primera micción como predictor de preeclampsia

Deseamos obtener una prueba de diagnóstico predictivo temprano para preeclampsia, mediante la detección de los niveles urinarios de calcio en muestras simples, ya que en varios estudios se ha visto que en pacientes con preeclampsia la excresión urinaria de calcio se encuentra disminuido. Se seleccionaron 70 pacientes de la consulta de control prenatal luego de la semana 14 de gestación en el Hospital Militar Central. El 31.4 por ciento de las pacientes estudiadas presentó preeclampsia, el promedio de calcio urinario en las pacientes que presentaron preeclampsia fue de 34.6 mg/l; el promedio en las que no presentaron preeclampsia fue de 35.8 mg/l(p 0.081), al correlacionar los resultados entre las primigestantes y multigestantes, se encontró diferencia estadísticamente significativa entre los niveles de excreción de calcio urinario de ambos grupos