Sexo y dolor: la satisfacción sexual y la función sexual en una muestra de pacientes con dolor crónico benigno no pélvico / Sex and pain: sexual satisfaction and sexual function in a sample of patients with non-pelvic benign chronic pain

Introducción: La mayoría de los estudios son concluyentes al trazar la relación entre dolor crónico y disminución significativa de la calidad de vida. No obstante, no suele analizarse el factor sexual de una forma específica. Material y método: El objetivo de este estudio consiste en realizar una revisión bibliográfica pormenorizada por grupos analgésicos para determinar de modo concreto la influencia del fármaco sobre la respuesta sexual y, en segundo lugar, describir la asociación entre dolor y respuesta sexual en pacientes con dolor crónico no oncológico. Resultados: Los resultados reflejan que hay una alta prevalencia de dificultades sexuales en pacientes de las Unidades de Dolor. Estas dificultades están relacionadas con alteraciones psicológicas, con la tipología del dolor, con la edad y con el sexo de los pacientes. Conclusiones: Estos resultados sugieren que desde las Unidades de Dolor se podría realizar una intervención multidisciplinar centrada en la valoración exhaustiva de esta problemática, educación sanitaria y asesoramiento en materia sexual, que contribuyese a la mejora de la calidad de vida de nuestros pacientes

Introduction: Most of research are conclusive when stating chronic pain and decreased life's quality relationship. However, sexual factor is not usually analysed in a specific path. Desing and methods: The aim of this study is to undertake a bibliographic review divided by analgesic groups in order to determine in a certain way the painkiller influence over the sexual response, and in a second place, to describe the connection between pain and sexual response in not-oncological chronic pain patients. Results: Results show that there is a high prevalence of sexual difficulties in patients of the Pain Units. These difficulties are related to psychological alterations, patients' type of pain and age. Conclusions: These results suggest that a multidisciplinary intervention, centred on the exhaustive evaluation of this problem, health education and sexual counselling, could contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of our patients

Allele and haplotype diversity of 12 X-STRs in Sardinia.

The analysis of clusters of tightly linked X-chromosome short tandem repeat (STR) markers can assist the interpretation of complex kinship cases. However, when linkage disequilibrium (LD) is present in the population of origin of tested individuals, haplotype rather than allele frequencies should be used in likelihood calculations. The diversity of twelve X-STRs arranged in four linkage groups (I: DXS10148-DXS10135-DXS8378; II: DXS7132-DXS10079-DXS10074; III: DXS10103-HPRTB-DXS10101; IV: DXS10146-DXS10134-DXS7423) was tested in a Sardinian population sample (n=516) including three open populations from the Northern, Central and Southern part of the island, and three isolates (Benetutti, Desulo, Carloforte). Evidence of LD was detected in Sardinia within each linkage group. Significant differences in haplotype and allele frequency distribution of X-STR markers was seen between isolates and open populations, which on the contrary appeared highly homogeneous. The percentage of Sardinian haplotypes previously unobserved in a similar dataset compiled for the Italian population was: 76.3% (linkage group I), 61.3% (linkage group II), 54.1% (linkage group III), 58.9% (linkage group IV). Significant pairwise genetic differences were seen between mainland Italy, the three Sardinian isolates, and the open population of Southern Sardinia. The study confirms the presence of high levels and complex patterns of LD along the X chromosome in Sardinia, and provides population-specific haplotype data for biostatistical evaluation in kinship testing.

Investigation of extended Y chromosome STR haplotypes in Sardinia.

Y-chromosomal variation of selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 32 short tandem repeat (STR) loci was evaluated in Sardinia in three open population groups (Northern Sardinia, n=40; Central Sardinia, n=56; Southern Sardinia, n=91) and three isolates (Desulo, n=34; Benetutti, n=45, Carloforte, n=42). The tested Y-STRs consisted of Yfiler® Plus markers and the seven rapidly mutating (RM) loci not included in the YFiler® Plus kit (DYF399S1, DYF403S1ab, DYF404S1, DYS526ab, DYS547, DYS612, and DYS626). As expected, inclusion of additional Y-STR loci increased haplotype diversity (h), though complete differentiation of male lineages was impossible even by means of RM Y-STRs (h=0.99997). Analysis of molecular variance indicated that the three open populations were fairly homogeneous, whereas signs of genetic heterogeneity could be detected when the three isolates were also included in the analysis. Multidimensional scaling analysis showed that, even for extended haplotypes including RM Y-STR markers, Sardinians were clearly differentiated from populations of the Italian peninsula and Sicily. The only exception was represented by the Carloforte sample that, in accordance with its peculiar population history, clustered with Northern/Central Italian populations. The introduction of extended forensic Y-STR panels, including highly variable RM Y-STR markers, is expected to reduce the impact of population structure on haplotype frequency estimations. However, our results show that the availability of geographically detailed reference databases is still important for the assessment of the evidential value of a Y-haplotype match.

Non-random distribution of 17 Y-chromosome STR loci in different areas of Sardinia.

Allele frequencies of 17 Y-chromosome short tandem repeat (STR) loci, included in the AmpFlSTR® Y-FilerTM amplification kit, were analyzed for the first time in different samplings (N=268) from Sardinia, Italy. Samples were collected from three isolated populations (N=139) and three open populations (N=129). A total of 230 unique haplotypes were detected; the observed haplotype diversity and discrimination capacity were 0.998 and 0.858, respectively. The data presented confirm that Sardinian population is well differentiated from other Italian and Mediterranean populations. Although regarded as a homogeneous population, substantial heterogeneity was detected when Sardinian isolated villages or microareas were analyzed. Our results highlights the importance of building a Sardinia-own database, organized by small areas, as a powerful tool for both forensic applications and population genetics studies.

High-precision genetic mapping of behavioral traits in the diversity outbred mouse population.

Historically our ability to identify genetic variants underlying complex behavioral traits in mice has been limited by low mapping resolution of conventional mouse crosses. The newly developed Diversity Outbred (DO) population promises to deliver improved resolution that will circumvent costly fine-mapping studies. The DO is derived from the same founder strains as the Collaborative Cross (CC), including three wild-derived strains. Thus the DO provides more allelic diversity and greater potential for discovery compared to crosses involving standard mouse strains. We have characterized 283 male and female DO mice using open-field, light-dark box, tail-suspension and visual-cliff avoidance tests to generate 38 behavioral measures. We identified several quantitative trait loci (QTL) for these traits with support intervals ranging from 1 to 3 Mb in size. These intervals contain relatively few genes (ranging from 5 to 96). For a majority of QTL, using the founder allelic effects together with whole genome sequence data, we could further narrow the positional candidates. Several QTL replicate previously published loci. Novel loci were also identified for anxiety- and activity-related traits. Half of the QTLs are associated with wild-derived alleles, confirming the value to behavioral genetics of added genetic diversity in the DO. In the presence of wild-alleles we sometimes observe behaviors that are qualitatively different from the expected response. Our results demonstrate that high-precision mapping of behavioral traits can be achieved with moderate numbers of DO animals, representing a significant advance in our ability to leverage the mouse as a tool for behavioral genetics.

Analysis of a genetic isolate: the case of Carloforte (Italy).

We reviewed data collected during several studies concerning the genetic isolate of Carloforte (Sardinia, Italy) and analyzed new data on Y-chromosome markers. Carloforte is also a language island, where people still speak Tabarchino, an archaic form of Ligurian dialect. Demographic data indicate that, in the early years of its history, the Carloforte population was characterized by a high degree of endogamy and consanguinity rates that started to decrease around 1850, when marriages with Sardinian people began to occur more frequently. Cultural factors, mainly language, account for the high endogamy. Genetic data from classical markers, mtDNA, and Y-chromosome markers confirmed the strong isolation of the Carloforte population, which appears significantly different from the neighboring population of Sardinia. Analysis of mtDNA emphasizes the crucial aspect of sampling strategy-two different samplings of the same population (one based on founder surnames; the other based on grandparents' criterion) gave different results. Founder surnames sampling is not affected by recent events, and therefore it better describes the ancestral population, whereas, grandparents' criterion sampling gives a picture of the present population, shaped by more recent events, such as migration and gene flow. This review further supports the notion that a comprehensive approach, including a detailed knowledge of the history of the population and the collection of different samplings, is essential in anthropology for reconstructing past and recent events that contributed to establishing the present genetic structure of the population. Likewise, it is essential in medical genetics to identify genes involved in complex diseases. An ideal scenario is offered by a genetic isolate with a recent, and well-documented, history, such as Carloforte, that can ba a paradigm for this type of investigation.

Role of the 4-phosphopantetheinyl transferase of Trichoderma virens in secondary metabolism and induction of plant defense responses.

Trichoderma virens is a ubiquitous soil fungus successfully used in biological control due to its efficient colonization of plant roots. In fungi, 4-phosphopantetheinyl transferases (PPTases) activate enzymes involved in primary and secondary metabolism. Therefore, we cloned the PPTase gene ppt1 from T. virens and generated PPTase-deficient (?ppt1) and overexpressing strains to investigate the role of this enzyme in biocontrol and induction of plant defense responses. The ?ppt1 mutants were auxotrophic for lysine, produced nonpigmented conidia, and were unable to synthesize nonribosomal peptides. Although spore germination was severely compromised under both low and high iron availability, mycelial growth occurred faster than the wild type, and the mutants were able to efficiently colonize plant roots. The ?ppt1 mutants were unable of inhibiting growth of phytopathogenic fungi in vitro. Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings co-cultivated with wild-type T. virens showed increased expression of pPr1a:uidA and pLox2:uidA markers, which correlated with enhanced accumulation of salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid, camalexin, and resistance to Botrytis cinerea. Co-cultivation of A. thaliana seedlings with ?ppt1 mutants compromised the SA and camalexin responses, resulting in decreased protection against the pathogen. Our data reveal an important role of T. virens PPT1 in antibiosis and induction of SA and camalexin-dependent plant defense responses.

Chromosomal localisation and genetic variation of the SLC11A1 gene in goats (Capra hircus).

The solute carrier family 11 member A1 (SLC11A1) gene is associated with resistance to infectious diseases. Chromosomal localisation, genomic regions corresponding to functional domains and the genetic variability of microsatellites in the 3' untranslated region (3'-UTR) of this gene were investigated in 427 goats (Capra hircus) of six breeds. Using dual colour fluorescence in situ hybridisation, SLC11A1 was localised to goat chromosome 2. Single strand conformation polymorphism was used to screen for polymorphisms in SLC11A1 exons 2, 10 and 15. There was no variation among goat breeds in the sarcoma homology 3 (SH3) binding motif, the protein kinase C phosphorylation site or the two N-linked glycosylation sites. Exon 15 exhibited variability due to the presence of two polymorphic microsatellites. Genotyping of the upstream guanine-thymine repeat (GTn) at 3'-UTR revealed eight alleles (GT11, GT12, GT14-GT19) in goats, whereas GT13 (present in cattle) was absent. Most goats carried the GT16 allele and no allele was found to be exclusive to only one breed. The coefficient of genetic differentiation value (G(ST)) was 0.084. This microsatellite appears to be an informative DNA marker for genetic linkage analysis in goats.

ANHIDRASA CARBÓNICA DE Plasmodium falciparum: UN BLANCO ÚTIL PARA EL DISEÑO DE MEDICAMENTOS ANTIMALÁRICOS Y COMPUESTOS BLOQUEADORES DE LA TRANSMISIÓN DE MALARIA / CARBONIC ANHYDRASE IN Plasmodium falciparum: A USEFUL TARGET FOR ANTIMALARIAL DRUG DESIGNING AND MALARIA BLOCKING TRANSMISSION COMPOUNDS

La anhidrasa carbónica es una metaloenzima que cataliza la conversión reversible del CO2 a bicarbonato, un componente metabólico indispensable para la síntesis de pirimidinas de novo por Plasmodium spp y los procesos de exflagelación llevados a cabo por el parásito al interior del mosquito vector. La enzima participa además en el transporte del bicarbonato dentro y fuera de las células para evitar un desequilibrio en el sistema CO2/HCO3- y la alteración del pH al interior de las células y en el espacio intercelular. Por lo tanto, al inhibir la enzima, ya sea en el parásito o en el insecto vector, se podría conducir a una disminución de la replicación y al detrimento y/o muerte del parásito. De esta forma, los inhibidores de anhidrasa carbónica constituyen una alternativa, tanto terapéutica como de bloqueo de la transmisión, para el control de la malaria. La actividad anti-Plasmodium in vitro de algunos compuestos inhibidores de anhidrasa carbónica ya se ha determinado. Sin embargo, la eficacia in vivo y el mecanismo por el cual los inhibidores son capaces de afectar el desarrollo del parásito en los mosquitos vectores permanecen aún por evaluarse. En el marco del proyecto de investigación "Evaluación de inhibidores de anhidrasa carbónica como medidas terapéuticas y de bloqueo de la transmisión de malaria" este artículo presenta una revisión del estado del arte sobre el papel de la anhidrasa carbónica de Plasmodium spp y el uso de inhibidores específicos de esta enzima como una estrategia para el tratamiento de la malaria y el bloqueo de la transmisión de la enfermedad. Se incluyeron artículos publicados en los últimos 59 años, identificados a partir de la bases de datos bibliográficos PubMed y ScienceDirect, cruzando las palabras claves, al igual que artículos recopilados por los autores y se analizan e integran los resultados de investigaciones publicadas alrededor del tema.

Carbonic anhydrase is a metalloenzyme that catalyzes the reversible conversion of CO2 to bicarbonate, an essential metabolic component used by the malaria parasites for de novo synthesis of pyrimidines and the exflagelation of gametocytes inside the mosquito vector. Carbonic anhydrase is involved in the transport of bicarbonate. This enzyme participates in transport of bicarbonate inside and outside the cells to avoid an imbalance in the system CO2/HCO3- and alteration of pH in the interior of the cell as well as in the intercellular space. Therefore, inhibition of this enzyme either in the parasite or the insect vector, could lead to a decrease in replication and to the detriment and/or death of the parasite. Given the importance of carbonic anhydrase in the metabolism, development and survival of Plasmodium, it could be postulated that carbonic anhydrase inhibitors are both a therapeutic and a blocking transmission alternative. Previous studies have demonstrated the in vitro anti-Plasmodium activity of some inhibitors. However, it is necessary to determine their effectiveness to confirm its usefulness in the treatment or blocking malaria transmission and the mechanism by which these inhibitors are able to affect the development of the parasite in the mosquito vector. In this paper we present a review about the role of carbonic anhydrase in Plasmodium spp and using some specific inhibitors as a strategy for malaria treatment and transmission blocking strategy. Articles published in the past 59 years identified from bibliographic database (PubMed and ScienceDirect) and papers collected by the authors were included.

Actividad citotóxica y leishmanicida in vitro del aceite esencial de manzanilla (Matricaria chamomilla) / In vitro leishmanicidal and cytotoxic activities of Matricaria chamomilla essential oil

Este estudio describe la evaluación de las actividades citotóxica y leishmanicida del aceite esencial de Matricaria chamomilla, una planta conocida como “manzanilla” a la que se le atribuye una variedad de usos en la medicina tradicional. La actividad del aceite esencial se evaluó in vitro contra amastigotes axénicos de L. (V) braziliensis, a concentraciones menores o iguales que 250μg/ml, y amastigotes intracelulares de L. (V) braziliensis y L. (V) panamensis, a concentraciones menores o iguales que 30μg/ml. Por su parte, la actividad citotóxica se evaluó contra células mamíferas de la línea promonocítica humana U-937, a concentraciones por debajo de 1,0 mg/ml. El aceite esencial de manzanilla mostró ser activo contra amastigotes intracelulares de L. (V) panamensis y L. (V) braziliensis (CE50 de 2,87 y 10,30μg /ml, respectivamente). Aunque el aceite esencial de manzanilla también mostró ser potencialmente tóxico para las células mamíferas (CL50 de 30,21μg /ml), esta toxicidad fue similar a la mostrada por la Anfotericina B (CL50 de 31,39μg /ml). El aceite esencial de manzanilla no mostró actividad contra las formas axénicas de L. (V) braziliensis, demostrando la importancia del metabolismo del compuesto en el interior de la célula para que se produzca el metabolito activo contra el parásito. Estos resultados aportan bases para sugerir que el aceite esencial de manzanilla tiene potencial para el desarrollo de medicamentos contra Leishmania, el cual debe ser validado en estudios futuros in vivo en modelos animales.

This study describes the evaluation of cytotoxic and leishmanicidal activities for Matricaria chamomilla essential oil. M. chamomilla is a plant commonly named “manzanilla” that has many uses in traditional medicine. The activity of essential oil was evaluated in vitro against axenic amastigotes of L. (V) braziliensis at concentrations lower than or equal to 250μg/ml and intracellular amastigotes of L. (V) braziliensis and L. (V) panamensis at concentrations lower than or equal to 30μg/ml. On other hand, the cytotoxic activity was assessed against mammalian cells of the promonocytic human cell line U937 at concentrations below 1.0mg/ml. The essential oil of M. chamomilla showed activity against intracellular amastigotes of L. (V) panamensis and L. (V) braziliensis (EC50 of 2.87 and 10.30μg/ml, respectively). Although the essential oil of M. chamomilla also shown to be potentially toxic to mammalian cells LC50 of 30.21μg ml) this toxicity was similar to that shown by Amphotericin B (LC50 of 31.39μg/ml). This essential oil showed no activity against axenic forms of L. (V) braziliensis suggesting the importance of the compound metabolism inside cells to produce the metabolite that would be active against parasites. These results suggest that the essential oil of M. chamomilla has potential for development of drugs anti- Leishmania that must be validated in future studies in vivo using animal models.

[Lung aspergillosis. Role of the corticoids as associated risk factor in the patient with chronic bronchitis]. / Aspergilosis pulmonar. Papel de los corticoides como factor de riesgo asociado en el bronquítico crónico.

BASIS: Description of a situation of incidence increase of bronchial secretions with positive cultures for Aspergillus fumigatus, and analysis of the related risk factors in the invasive aspergillosis. METHODS: Between January 1999 and February 2000, a prospective study of the patients was conducted with culture of bronchial secretions and with positive result for A. fumigatus. VARIABLES STUDIED: age, sex, primary diagnosis, type of cultivated sample, clinical interpretation (colonization/infection), probable source (community/nosocomial), situation of the patient after discharge, and risk factors for opportunistic infection. The results were compared among the colonized and infected patients. RESULTS: Fifty-two patients showed positive cultures of bronchial secretions to A. fumigatus, 43 (82.6%) colonized and 9 (17.3%) infected. Cultivated sputum sample on 30 occasions (57.6%) and bronchial aspiration in 22 (42.3%). Median age: 70 years (31-84). Sex: 40 men (76.9%). Probable source of infection/colonization: nosocomial in 18 cases (34.6%), community in 3 (5.7%) and unknown in 31 (59.6%). Mortality: 15 patient colonized (34.8%) and 8 infected (88.8%). Risk factors with statistical significance for invasive infection by A. fumigatus: diagnosis of chronic bronchopathy (COPD) (p=0.007) and treatment with prednisone in dose higher than 60 mg/day (p=0.0005). CONCLUSIONS: The patients with positive culture of bronchial secretions to A. fumigatus with COPD and treatment with prednisone in dose higher than 60 mg/day should be considered with a greater risk for infection by this pathogen. A more restricted use and adequate of the corticoids in these patients, and an early diagnosis and treatment in light of the suspicion of infection by A. fumigatus in patients with COPD, it could imply a reduction of morbidity and mortality.

Aspergilosis pulmonar. Papel de los corticoides como factor de riesgo asociado en el bronquítico crónico / Lung aspergillosis. Role of the corticoids as associated risk factor in the patient with chronic bronchitis

Fundamentos. Descripción de una situación de aumento del número de cultivos de secreciones bronquiales positivos para Aspergillus fumigatus y análisis de los factores de riesgo asociados en la aspergilosis invasora. Métodos. Entre enero de 1999 y febrero de 2000 se efectuó un estudio prospectivo de los enfermos con cultivo de secreciones bronquiales positivo para A. fumigatus. Variables estudiadas: edad, sexo, diagnóstico principal, tipo de muestra cultivada, interpretación clínica (colonización/infección), probable adquisición (extrahospitalaria/ intrahospitalaria), situación al alta y factores de riesgo de infección oportunista. Se compararon los resultados entre los pacientes colonizados e infectados. Resultados. Se detectan 52 enfermos con cultivos de secreciones bronquiales positivos a A. fumigatus, 43 (82,6 por ciento) colonizados y 9 (17,3 por ciento) infectados. Muestras cultivadas de esputo en 30 ocasiones (57,6 por ciento) y broncoaspirado en 22 (42,3 por ciento). Edad media: 70 años (31-84). Sexo: 40 varones (76,9 por ciento). Probable adquisición: intrahospitalaria en 18 casos (34,6 por ciento), extrahospitalaria en tres (5,7 por ciento) y en 31 (59,6 por ciento) desconocida. Mortalidad: 15 pacientes colonizados (34,8 por ciento) y 8 infectados (88,8 por ciento). Factores de riesgo con significación estadística para presentar una infección por A. fumigatus: diagnóstico de broncopatía crónica (enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica [EPOC]) (p= 0,007) y el tratamiento con prednisona en dosis superiores a 60 mg/día (p= 0,0005).Conclusiones. Los enfermos con cultivo de secreciones bronquiales positivas a A. fumigatus con EPOC y tratamiento con prednisona en dosis superiores a 60 mg/día deben considerarse con un riesgo mayor de sufrir una infección por este patógeno. Un uso más restringido y adecuado de los corticoides en estos pacientes, y un diagnóstico y tratamiento precoces ante la sospecha de infección por A. fumigatus en pacientes con EPOC, podría suponer una disminución de la morbimortalidad (AU)

Efectividad in vitro de cefprozil contra aislamientos clinicos de Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes y Moraxella catarrhalis / Effectiveness of cefprozil in vitro against clinical isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes and Moraxella catarrhalis

Se estudio la actividad in vitro de cefprozil, nueva cefalosporina oral de segunda generacion, contra 76 cepas bacterinas aisladas de infercciones respiratorias en pacientes de medellin. Veinte eran S.pneumoniae, 24 H.influenzae, 10 S.aureus, 12 S pyogenes y 10 de moraxella catarrhalis...

Actualidad en el diagnóstico de tuberculosis por el laboratorio / Current events in the laboratory diagnosis of Tuberculosis

La tuberculosis ha sido declarada por la Organización Mundial de la salud como una emergencia mundial, el número de casos nuevos y de muertes atribuidas a esta infección viene aumentando considerablemente por año. El diagnóstico es una de las estrategias fundamentales para el control, y la rapidez en proporcionar resultados incide en el manejo inicial del paciente y en el control de la cadena de transmisión. Implementar, desarrollar o evaluar nuevas tecnologías es una actividad importante en un laboratorio de referencia de tuberculosis como medio para realizar diagnósticos rápidos y precisos. La actualidad del diagnóstico de tuberculosis por el laboratorio se presenta en forma de revisión de tema, haciendo énfasis en los métodos diagnósticos actualmente utilizados o en los cuales se ha tenido experiencia en el laboratorio de la Unidad de Bacteriología y Micobacterias en la Corporación para Investigaciones Biológicas. El reto en la situación actual consiste en que el laboratorio utilice los mejores métodos disponibles sin que los costos comprometan su viabilidad

A novel approach to search for identity by descent in small samples of patients and controls from the same mendelian breeding unit: a pilot study on myopia.

Autosomal dominant high myopia, a genetic disorder already mapped to region 18p11.31, is common in Carloforte (Sardinia, Italy), an isolated village of 8,000 inhabitants descending from a founder group of 300 in the early 1700s. Fifteen myopic propositi and 36 normal controls were selected for not having ancestors in common at least up to the grandparental generation, although still descendants of the original founders. All subjects were genotyped for 14 markers located on autosome 18 at a resolution of about 10 cM. Allelic distributions were found to be similar at all tested loci in propositi and controls, except for the candidate marker D18S63 known to segregate in close linkage association with high myopia. In particular, the frequency of allele 85 among the propositi was almost double that of the controls (Fisher's exact test, p = 0.037). The association is more striking when the frequency of the genotype 85/85 in the two groups is compared (Fisher's exact test, p = 0.005). This conclusion was further evaluated through a bootstrap analysis by computing the overall probability of the observed data under the null hypothesis (i.e. no difference between the two groups in frequency distributions for the chromosome 18 markers). Again, marker D18S63 was found to have a sample probability lower than 0.004, which is significant at the 0.05 level after correcting for simultaneous testing of multiple loci. The study demonstrates the efficiency of our novel strategy to detect identity by descent (IBD) in small numbers of patients and controls when they are both part of well-defined Mendelian breeding units (MBUs). The iterative application of our strategy in separate MBUs is expected to become the method of choice to evaluate the ever-growing number of reported associations between candidate genes and multifactorial traits and diseases.

Neumococo resistente, exite, pero... ¿estamos preparados para detectarlo? / Editorial: resistent pneumococcus, it exist´s, but.. are we prepared for detect it?

Resumen: La importancia de Streptococcus pneumoniae comopatógeno se ha visto incrementada por la resistenciaobservada a la penicilina y a otros antibióticos,fenómeno en aumento no solo a nivel local sinomundial (1,2) En el presente número Ovalle y colegas del grupode Microbiología del Instituto Nacional de Salud,presentan una experiencia relacionada con el usodel disco de oxacilina de 1 µg como prueba detamizaje para predecir la resistencia a penicilina yceftriaxona

Antiparaistic activity of methanol extracts and isolated fractions from caribbean sponges

Se evaluaron contra varios parásitos seleccionados, los extractos metanólicos de ocho esponjas Caribeñas (Clase Demospongia, Filo Porifera). Las esponjas estudiadas fueron Ircinia strobilina, Ircinia felix, Ircinia campana, Xestospongia proxima, Xestospongia muta, Agelas conifera, Agelas clathrodes y Niphates erecta. Los parásitos utilizados como bioindicadores fueron Trypanosoma brucei,Trypanosoma cruzi, Leishmania infantum, Leishmania panamensis, Plasmodium falciparum Itg2 y Plasmodium falciparum Ghana. Los extractos más activos fueron los obtenidos de las esponjas Ircinia felix, Ircinia campana y Xestospongia proxima. Los fraccionamientos cromatográficos de los extractos metanÛlicos de las esponjas Ircinia felix e Ircinia campana, permitieron aislar varias fracciones, de las cuales las que mostraron mayor actividad contra amastigotes de Leishmania panamensis, contienen mezclas complejas de 5 alfa, 8 alfa-epidioxiesteroles, de acuerdo con los análisis por RMN - H Y HPLC. Por otro lado, la fracción más activa contra el Plasmodium falciporum Itg2 feu una fracción obtenida del extracto de I. felix, la cual no mosttró evidencia de la presencia de 5 alfa, 8 alfa-epidioxiesteroles ni de ácidos tetrónicos sesterpénicos

Short-term pulmonary response to inhaled JP-8 jet fuel aerosol in mice.

B6.A.D. (Ahr(d)/Nat(s)) mice were utilized to investigate the short-term pulmonary response to JP-8 jet fuel (JP-8) aerosol inhalation. Mice were nose-only exposed to atmospheres of 0 to 118 mg/m3 for 1 h/d over a period of 7 days to further test the hypothesis that JP-8 concentrations below the permissible exposure level (PEL) of 350 mg/m3 will induce lung injury. At 24 to 30 hours after the final exposure, pulmonary function and respiratory permeability were measured on anesthetized mice and then randomly assigned for bronchoalveolar lavage or histopathology. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was analyzed for total protein, lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), and cytology. Respiratory permeability increases were observed following doses of 48 and 118 mg/m3 and were supported by concomitant BALF increases in total protein and LDH. Conversely, NAG and alveolar macrophage levels decreased following the same exposure concentrations. Morphological lung injury was characterized by the targeting of bronchiolar epithelium and consisted of perivascular edema, Clara cell vacuolization, and necrosis. Alveolar injury included sporadic pulmonary edema, intra-alveolar hemorrhage, and alterations in type II epithelial cells. These results indicate that repeated inhalation of aerosolized JP-8 induces physiological, biochemical, cellular, and morphological lung injury. This study also provides evidence for the reevaluation of the 350 mg/m3 PEL for more volatile petroleum distillates with regard to respirable aerosols.