Effect of sulfate and lactate loading rates on the respiration process and microbial population changes measured by ecological indices.

In a sulfate reducing process, increasing loading rates and sulfide accumulation may induce population changes resulting in decreasing effectiveness of the process. Thus, the relationship between microbial metabolism changes and population dynamics was studied. An upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor was operated at different sulfate loading rates (SLR), from 290 to 981 mg SO4-S/L d at a constant carbon/sulfur ratio of 0.75. When the SLR was increased, the total organic carbon and sulfate consumption efficiencies decreased to nearly 30% and 25%, respectively. The acetate and propionate yields increased with increasing SLR and 385±7 mg sulfide-S/L d was reached. The ecological indices, determined by random amplified polymorphic DNA and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis techniques, diversity and evenness were found to be constant, and similarity coefficient values remained higher than 76%. The results suggest that the microbial population changes were negligible compared with metabolic changes when SLR was increased. The sulfide accumulation did not modify the microbial diversity. The sequencing of 16S rRNA genes showed strains related to sulfate reducing, fermentation, and methanogenesis processes. The results indicated that the decreasing of effectiveness, under the experimental conditions tested, was dependent more on operational parameters than microbial changes.

Systemic sclerosis in Argentina: evaluation of a large cohort from a single centre and comparison with other international series.

OBJECTIVES: Prevalence of systemic sclerosis (SSc) and different clinical subsets varies across the world. Few data have been published on SSc patients in Latin America. Our objective was to describe a SSc cohort in Argentina and to compare clinical findings, disease subsets and antibodies with other international SSc populations. METHODS: Patients with SSc (n=234) seen at the Rheumatology section of the Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires between 2000-2011 were retrospectively analysed. Data on clinical manifestations, disease subsets and antibodies were obtained. Patients were classified into diffuse cutaneous (dc) and limited cutaneous (lc) subsets. Comparison with other cohorts (France, United States, Germany, Italy, Mexico, EUSTAR and Brazil) was made based on published information. RESULTS: A higher female:male ratio (12:1) and a higher limited subset prevalence (76.1%) was found in this Argentine cohort comparing with others. We also found a lower prevalence of diffuse disease, anti Scl-70 (antitopoisomerase) and nucleolar pattern antinuclear antibodies. Within each subset, clinical findings were similar with other SSc populations except for a very low prevalence in renal crisis (0.02% of dc SS). CONCLUSIONS: With slight variations perhaps due to genetic, environmental or referral factors, SSc in this cohort appears to be similar to that described in other parts of the world.

Prevalence of Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. in street-vended food of open markets (tianguis) and general hygienic and trading practices in Mexico City.

Street-vendors in Mexico City provide ready-to-eat food to a high proportion of the inhabitants. Nevertheless, their microbiological status, general hygienic and trading practices are not well known. During spring and summer 2000, five tianguis (open markets) were visited and 48 vendors in 48 stalls interviewed. A total of 103 taco dressings were sampled for E. coli and Salmonella spp.: 44 (43%) contained E. coli and 5 (5%) Salmonella (2 S. Enteritidis phage type 8, 1 S. Agona, 2 S. B group). Both E. coli and salmonellas were isolated from three samples. Of Salmonella-positive stalls 80% (4/5) had three or more food-vendors and 80% of vendors were males, compared with 37.3% (16/43) and 46.4% (20/43) in the Salmonella-negative stalls respectively. Food-vendors kept water in buckets (reusing it all day), lacked toilet facilities, and prepared taco dressings the day before which remained at the tianguis without protection for 7.8 h on average. Consumption of street-vended food by local and tourist populations poses a health risk.

Faecal contamination and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in street-vended chili sauces in Mexico and its public health relevance.

The street-vended food industry provides employment and cheap ready-to-eat meals to a large proportion of the population in developing countries like Mexico, yet little is known about its role in the transmission of food borne diseases (FBD). Because of its wide consumption, street-vended chili sauces in Mexico are potential vehicles of FBD. An observational study was performed in Mexico City collecting 43 street-vended chili sauces. These sauces were prepared under poor hygienic conditions of handling and selling. Consumers add 4-8 ml of chili sauce per taco, ingest 2-5 tacos per meal and on average, 50 consumers frequent a stall per day. Seventeen (40%) samples were faecally contaminated and 2(5%) sauces harboured sufficient enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli to cause disease. Weestimate that the consumption of only one of these chili sauces could result in ETEC disease inat least 21,000 consumers per year, making them important potential vehicles of FBD.

Health status of free-living pigeons in the city of Santiago.

A total of 100 free-living urban pigeons (Columba livia) were captured in the city of Santiago, Chile, in order to evaluate, for the first time, their health status. Negligible antibody titres (1 to 3 log2) were detected in 22% of the birds against a strain of the paramyxovirus (PMV) serotype 1. No pigeons had antibodies against PMV serotype 7 and avian influenza. Salmonella sp. belonging to serogroups B and D were isolated from the intestinal tract of three pigeons (3%). The protozoa Haemoproteus columbae, Plasmodium sp., and Leucocytozoon sp. were not detected in any pigeons. Trichomonas gallinae was detected in 11%, without observation of either clinical signs or gross pathological changes at necropsy. Sixty-seven percent of the birds showed the presence of the chewing lice Columbicola columbae and Campanulotes bidentatus compar, and 1% harboured the mite Laminosioptes cysticola. Seven species of nematodes were identified. The frequency at which each species was detected was; Tetrameres sp. (14%), Capillaria annulata (1%), Capillaria columbae (11%), Capillaria obsignata (1%), Ascaridia columbae (5%), Dispharynx spiralis (2%), and Gongylonema ingluvicola (2%). The class Cestoda, found in one pigeon, was represented by the species Aporina delafondi. No trematodes were detected in the sampled birds.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for intractable depression following epilepsy neurosurgery.

Psychopathology following epilepsy neurosurgery is a significant risk. Treatment modalities have not been addressed in the literature. As disproportionately elevated suicide rates have been reported, it is critical to treat aggressively any psychiatric illness wherein suicidal ideation is a key component. This case reports the safe utilization of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for intractable depression following epilepsy neurosurgery (24 references).

Cancer de pene experiencia cooperativa en Santa Cruz / Cancer of penis cooperative experience in Santa Cruz

Se presenta la experiencia personal de los autores, que trabajan en tres centros hospitalario grandes de nuestra ciudad (Hosp. Oncologico y C.N.S., hOSP. Japones) en un numero de 85 casos de Cancer de Pene. Realizandose un analisis de presentacion de acuerdo a la edad, tiempo transcurrido desde la aparicion del tumor hasta la primera consulta, sus diferentes localizaciones, el astadiamento y el tipo histologico de los tumores. Finalmente se realiza un analisis de los resultados de acuerdo a los distintos tratamiento afectuados. Se hacen las consideraciones epidemiologicas para neustro medio y se trata de esbozar un protocolo de tratamiento, para aplicar en lo sucesivo.

Design of the oxygen and substrate pathways. IV. Partitioning energy provision from fatty acids.

This paper quantifies the fluxes of fatty acids through the pathways supplying muscle mitochondria with oxidative fuel in exercising dogs and goats. We used continuous infusions of 1-[14C]palmitate and indirect calorimetry to measure fatty acid supply from two sources: the circulation and the triglyceride stores within the muscle cells. Our goal was to determine maximal flux through these two branches of the lipid pathway as key functional parameters for testing the principle of symmorphosis, i.e. that structural capacity is quantitatively matched to functional demand in the oxidative substrate pathways. It is under these rate-limiting conditions that we predict that all of the structural capacity will be used. Maximal rates of fatty acid oxidation were reached at low exercise intensities of 40% Mo2max. Fatty acids from the circulation supplied only a small fraction (15-25%) of the total fat oxidized under these conditions. Although dogs were able to oxidize circulatory fatty acids faster than goats, maximal rates were not in proportion to the 2.2-fold difference in aerobic capacity between the two species. Dogs compensated for their relatively lower use of circulatory fatty acids by oxidizing more triglycerides from lipid droplets in their muscle cells. We conclude that fatty acids from intramuscular triglyceride stores are a major source of fuel during maximal rates of lipid oxidation. Furthermore, it is this branch of the fatty acid pathway that is adapted to the large difference in aerobic capacity between dogs and goats.