Psychometric instruments for the assessment of depressive symptoms in patients with delusional disorder: A systematic review.

Patients with delusional disorder (DD) are at an increased risk for the development of depressive symptoms. We aimed to examine the literature dealing with assessment tools to assess depressive symptoms in DD. A systematic review was performed by searching PubMed, Scopus and clinicaltrials.gov databases from inception until June 2021 (PRISMA guidelines). From 1863 initial retrieved records, 11 studies were included (N = 715 DD patients). Depressive comorbidity ranged from 20.9% to 53.5%. Seven studies used semistructured/structured interviews: OPCRIT 4.0 (n = 1), Manual for Assessment and Documentation of Psychopathology in Psychiatry (AMDP System) (n = 2), the MINI interview (n = 1), DSM-IV (n = 1), ICD-10 (n = 1); and the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS-R) (n = 1). Seven studies used at least one observer-rated scale: Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS)-depressive component (n = 2), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD, n = 3), Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS, n = 1), Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI, n = 1) and the Bipolar Affective Disorder Dimension Scale (BADDS, n = 1). Assessment scales administered in depressive disorders and schizophrenia are applied to DD. This is the first systematic review exploring the use of assessment tools for depressive symptoms in DD. The use of the MADRS to assess depressive symptoms can be recommended in combination with other clinical scales, for instance, the CGI.

Impact of ADHD symptoms on family functioning, family burden and parents’ quality of life in a hospital area in Spain

Background and objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether ADHD symptom severity and ADHD subtype are associated with family functioning, family burden and quality of life, in a sample of parents of children diagnosed with ADHD.MethodsSeventy-four parents of children diagnosed with ADHD were recruited at an Outpatient Child & Adolescent Mental Health Clinic in Madrid (Spain) and afterwards completed four electronical self-administered scales to determine their perceived family functioning, family burden and quality of life, as well as the severity and subtype of ADHD symptoms in their children.ResultsSeverity of children’s ADHD symptoms negatively affected parents’ quality of life, family functioning and family burden. Higher scores in inattention and combined subtypes were correlated with lower results in those domains. In adjusted correlations, the SWAN hyperactivity/impulsivity subscale significantly correlated with the four scales.ConclusionsThese results suggest that severity of the ADHD symptoms has a negative impact on parent’s quality of life and family functioning in inattention and combined subtypes. Family therapy and other interventions targeted towards improving family relationships and caregivers’ wellbeing should be considered when managing ADHD in the clinical practice. Electronic measurement tools are a promising method of evaluation in mental health research. (AU)

Theoretical models of suicidal behaviour: A systematic review and narrative synthesis

Background and objectives: Suicide mortality has not decreased in recent decades, partly due to the lack of valid predictors. A small number of systematic reviews have been published on the different integrated theoretical models of suicide, although no attempts have been made to bring together the different perspectives into a single integrated model.MethodsWe performed a systematic search of the PubMed and EMBASE databases up to January 2020 to identify studies on integrated theoretical models of suicidal behaviour.ResultsEleven articles met the selection criteria and were included in the review. Some of the key risk factors indicated by most of the models are traumatic events, childhood abuse, feelings of defeat and entrapment, emotional dysregulation, and social exclusion.ConclusionsSuicidal behaviour remains a complex phenomenon involving multiple factors. The synergistic effect between all the factors involved should be considered. (AU)

[Concerns about child´s surgery. Are there differences if you belong to health sector?] / La preocupación ante la cirugía de un hijo. ¿Hay diferencias si perteneces al sector sanitario?

INTRODUCTION: A surgical intervention is a stress situation for every human being. Parents of children who undergo scheduled surgeries have some degree of anxiety about them. OBJECTIVE: To identify the main paternal concerns regarding surgery. Assess the influence of working in health (nurses, auxiliary staff and doctors) to underestimate, magnify or mislead the real concerns. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted between two populations divided by their relationship with the hospital setting that completed a questionnaire with 35 items. 138 questionnaires were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Differences are observed regarding the perception we have, as hospital staff, of the levels, relationships and types of concerns that we believe parents present before their child's surgery regarding the true perceptions that these parents present. CONCLUSION: The present study shows that, although the hospital staff has experience in the management of pediatric patients and their family environment, the habituation to the hospital environment can generate small distortions in terms of the levels and groupings of the different concerns present before the hospital surgery of a child, having to take it into account to offer the best care work.

INTRODUCCION: Una intervención quirúrgica es una situación de estrés para todo ser humano. Los padres de niños que se someten a cirugías programadas presentan cierto grado de ansiedad con respecto a las mismas. OBJETIVO: El objetivo del presente estudio es identificar las principales preocupaciones paternas frente a la cirugía y valorar si la pertenencia laboral al mundo sanitario (enfermeros, personal auxiliar y médicos, principalmente) supone infravalorar, magnificar o equivocar dichas preocupaciones reales. MATERIAL Y METODOS: Se realizó un estudio transversal comparativo entre dos poblaciones divididas por su relación o no con el ámbito hospitalario que cumplimentaron un cuestionario con 37 ítems. Se recogieron y analizaron 138 cuestionarios. RESULTADOS: Se observan diferencias en cuanto a la percepción que tenemos, nosotros, como personal hospitalario, de los niveles, de las relaciones y los tipos de preocupaciones que creemos presentan los padres ante la cirugía de su hijo respecto a las verdaderas percepciones que presentan estos padres sin las vivencias diarias de una persona que trabaja en el mundo hospitalario. en dos ML al suspender el tratamiento. Tres pacientes presentaron hipertransaminasemia e hipercolesterolemia, sin precisar tratamiento médico. CONCLUSIONES: El presente estudio pone de manifiesto que, aunque el personal hospitalario tenga la experiencia sobre el manejo de pacientes pediátricos y su entorno familiar y, a pesar incluso, de poder tener hijos propios a su cargo, parece que la habituación a dicho ambiente hospitalario puede generar pequeñas distorsiones en cuanto a los niveles reales y a las agrupaciones de las distintas preocupaciones presentes ante la cirugía de un hijo. Esto debería tenerse en cuenta para ofrecer la mejor labor asistencial y mejorar el nivel de ansiedad que genera una intervención quirúrgica en el entorno familiar del paciente pediátrico.

La preocupación ante la cirugía de un hijo. ¿Hay diferencias si perteneces al sector sanitario? / Concerns about child's surgery. ¿Are there differences if you belong to health sector?

Introducción: Una intervención quirúrgica es una situación de estrés para todo ser humano. Los padres de niños que se someten a cirugías programadas presentan cierto grado de ansiedad con respecto a las mismas. Objetivo. El objetivo del presente estudio es identificar las principales preocupaciones paternas frente a la cirugía y valorar si la pertenencia laboral al mundo sanitario (enfermeros, personal auxiliar y médicos, principalmente) supone infravalorar, magnificar o equivocar dichas preocupaciones reales. Material y métodos: Se realizó un estudio transversal comparativo entre dos poblaciones divididas por su relación o no con el ámbito hospitalario que cumplimentaron un cuestionario con 37 ítems. Se recogieron y analizaron 138 cuestionarios. Resultados: Se observan diferencias en cuanto a la percepción que tenemos, nosotros, como personal hospitalario, de los niveles, de las relaciones y los tipos de preocupaciones que creemos presentan los padres ante la cirugía de su hijo respecto a las verdaderas percepciones que presentan estos padres sin las vivencias diarias de una persona que trabaja en el mundo hospitalario. Conclusiones: El presente estudio pone de manifiesto que, aunque el personal hospitalario tenga la experiencia sobre el manejo de pacientes pediátricos y su entorno familiar y, a pesar incluso, de poder tener hijos propios a su cargo, parece que la habituación a dicho ambiente hospitalario puede generar pequeñas distorsiones en cuanto a los niveles reales y a las agrupaciones de las distintas preocupaciones presentes ante la cirugía de un hijo. Esto debería tenerse en cuenta para ofrecer la mejor labor asistencial y mejorar el nivel de ansiedad que genera una intervención quirúrgica en el entorno familiar del paciente pediátrico

Introduction: A surgical intervention is a stress situation for every human being. Parents of children who undergo scheduled surgeries have some degree of anxiety about them. Objective. To identify the main paternal concerns regarding surgery. Assess the influence of working in health (nurses, auxiliary staff and doctors) to underestimate, magnify or mislead the real concerns.. Material and method: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted between two populations divided by their relationship with the hospital setting that completed a questionnaire with 35 items. 138 questionnaires were collected and analyzed. Results: Differences are observed regarding the perception we have, as hospital staff, of the levels, relationships and types of concerns that we believe parents present before their child's surgery regarding the true perceptions that these parents present. Conclusion: The present study shows that, although the hospital staff has experience in the management of pediatric patients and their family environment, the habituation to the hospital environment can generate small distortions in terms of the levels and groupings of the different concerns present before the hospital surgery of a child, having to take it into account to offer the best care work

Plant attributes and their relationship to the germination response to different temperatures of 18 species from central Mexico.

Germination responses of non-dormant seeds to temperature and thermal requirements are affected by the geoclimatic origin of the species, along with specific attributes such as life form, life cycle or seed size. We evaluated the relationship of these attributes and temperature to germination in 18 species that inhabit a convergence area of two biogeographic realms. Seeds were sown at different constant temperatures. Base temperature (Tb ) and thermal time for 50% germination (θT(50) ) were determined. For Tb , θT(50) and seed size, we performed a cluster analysis and then applied a discriminant analysis (DA). DA was also performed using geoclimatic origin, life form and life cycle as grouping variables. Seed that did not germinate were transferred to the benefit temperature for germination. Finally, ethylene was applied to the remaining seeds that did not germinate. Temperature significantly affected final germination. Tb varied between 5 and 13 °C in 15 species and 19.0-21.5 °C in the remainder; θT(50) was 7-30 °Cd in eight species and 50-109 °Cd in the remainder. Cluster analysis showed three groups, and DA evidenced the relevance of Tb and θT(50) for this separation. Differences in life cycle were related to θT(50) . The geoclimatic origin was not significant. Thermoinhibition or thermodormancy were found in some species. Tb overlaps with environmental temperature of the growth season. Thermal traits for germination mainly reflect the species' life cycle, which is related to the main differences in reproductive performance among annuals and perennials. Local adaptation might mask the effect of geoclimatic origin of a species.

Ecological longevity of Polaskia chende (Cactaceae) seeds in the soil seed bank, seedling emergence and survival.

Soil seed banks are essential elements of plant population dynamics, enabling species to maintain genetic variability, withstand periods of adversity and persist over time, including for cactus species. However knowledge of the soil seed bank in cacti is scanty. In this study, over a 5-year period we studied the seed bank dynamics, seedling emergence and nurse plant facilitation of Polaskia chende, an endemic columnar cactus of central Mexico. P. chende seeds were collected for a wild population in Puebla, Mexico. Freshly collected seeds were sown at 25 °C and 12-h photoperiod under white light, far-red light and darkness. The collected seeds were divided in two lots, the first was stored in the laboratory and the second was use to bury seeds in open areas and beneath a shrub canopy. Seeds were exhumed periodically over 5 years. At the same time seeds were sown in open areas and beneath shrub canopies; seedling emergence and survival were recorded over different periods of time for 5 years. The species forms long-term persistent soil seed banks. The timing of seedling emergence via germination in the field was regulated by interaction between light, temperature and soil moisture. Seeds entered secondary dormancy at specific times according to the expression of environmental factors, demonstrating irregular dormancy cycling. Seedling survival of P. chende was improved under Acacia constricta nurse plants. Finally, plant facilitation affected the soil seed bank dynamics as it promoted the formation of a soil seed bank, but not its persistence.

Flebectasia de la vena yugular interna / Phlebectasia of internal jugular vein

La flebectasia de la vena yugular es una dilatación fusiforme congénita de la vena yugular, blanda y compresible, que aparece durante el esfuerzo o con las maniobras de Valsalva. Presentamos el caso clínico de un paciente de seis años de edad que acude a Urgencias por una tumoración cervical que aumenta con las maniobras de Valsalva (AU)

Jugular vein phlebectasia is a congenital fusiform dilatation of the jugular vein that appears as a soft, compressible mass in the neck during straining or triggered by the Valsalva maneuver. We report the case of a patient of 6-years-old patient who came to the emergency room for a cervical tumor that increases in size with Valsalva maneuvers (AU)

Foliculitis por Pseudomonas / Pseudomonas folliculitis

Presentamos el caso clínico de dos hermanas que acuden a la consulta por lesiones cutáneas papulopustulosas, sin otra sintomatología, con antecedente de haber acudido días previos a balnearios y piscinas. La foliculitis por Pseudomonas es una infección cutánea de los folículos pilosos causada por P. aeruginosa, frecuente en personas que usan baños calientes, saunas, piscinas, juegos de agua y piscinas de fisioterapia. Es una infección autolimitada que se resuelve sin dejar lesiones residuales (AU)

We present the case of two sisters who came to the pediatric consultation for papulopustular skin lesions without other symptoms, but a history of being bathed in a public swimming pool and a spa the previous days. Pseudomonas folliculitis is a skin infection of the hair follicles caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa that is commonly suffered by people who baths in hot tubs, saunas, swimming pools, fountains and physiotherapeutic pools. It is a self-limited infection that resolves without any residual lesion (AU)

Glassy carbon electrodes sequentially modified by cysteamine-capped gold nanoparticles and poly(amidoamine) dendrimers generation 4.5 for detecting uric acid in human serum without ascorbic acid interference.

Glassy carbon electrodes (GCE) were sequentially modified by cysteamine-capped gold nanoparticles (AuNp@cysteamine) and PAMAM dendrimers generation 4.5 bearing 128-COOH peripheral groups (GCE/AuNp@cysteamine/PAMAM), in order to explore their capabilities as electrochemical detectors of uric acid (UA) in human serum samples at pH 2. The results showed that concentrations of UA detected by cyclic voltammetry with GCE/AuNp@cysteamine/PAMAM were comparable (deviation <±10%; limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were 1.7×10(-4) and 5.8×10(-4) mg dL(-1), respectively) to those concentrations obtained using the uricase-based enzymatic-colorimetric method. It was also observed that the presence of dendrimers in the GCE/AuNp@cysteamine/PAMAM system minimizes ascorbic acid (AA) interference during UA oxidation, thus improving the electrocatalytic activity of the gold nanoparticles.

Effects of seed burial on germination, protein mobilisation and seedling survival in Dodonaea viscosa.

Ecological restoration of disturbed areas requires substantial knowledge of the germination of native plants and the creation of novel methods to increase seedling establishment in the field. We studied the effects of soil matrix priming on the germination of Dodonaea viscosa seeds, which exhibit physical dormancy. To this end, we buried both pre-scarified (in H2SO4, 3 min) and non-pre-scarified seeds in the Parque Ecológico de la Ciudad de México. After seeds were unearthed, they were post-scarified for 0, 2, 6 and 10 min and their germination percentages compared to the germination of a control batch of laboratory-stored seeds. For both control and unearthed seeds, the protein pattern was determined in the enriched storage protein fraction in SDS-PAGE gels stained with Coomassie blue. Percentage germination increased as the scarification time increased. Pre-scarification significantly increased percentage germination of post-scarified seeds in relation to the control and non-pre-scarified seeds. In seeds unearthed from the forest site, the buried pre-scarified seeds had relatively high percentage germination, even in the absence of post-scarification treatment. A 48-kDa protein was not found in unearthed, pre-scarified seeds nor in the control germinated seeds, indicating that mobilisation of this protein occurred during soil priming. Burying seeds for a short period, including the beginning of the rainy season, promoted natural priming, which increased protein mobilisation. Functionally, priming effects were reflected in high percentage seedling survival in both the shade house and the field. Seed burial also reduced the requirement for acidic post-scarification.

Manejo odontológico de paciente con déficit de factor XII: reporte de un caso

El Servicio de Medicina Transfusional del Centro Hospitalario Pereira Rossell es el centro de referencia nacional en el área materno infantil. En el marco del convenio MSP- Facultad de Odontología de la UDELAR, se atienden en este Servicio pacientes con diversas coagulopatías. El déficit de factor XII es una patología de baja prevalencia (1-1000000) y no existe evidenciacientífica que respalde protocolos clínicos de atención a nivel odontológico. Se presenta el caso clínico del paciente NT, portador de esta patología, de alto riesgo con alta actividad de caries, en dentición mixta, a quiense le realizó tratamiento odontológico integral con apoyo del equipo multidisciplinario que trabaja en el Servicio de Hemoterapia del CHPR. (AU) FON

Estrés laboral, autoconcepto y salud en una muestra de militares españoles / Occupational stress, self-concept and health in a sample of Spanish service members

Los objetivos de este trabajo son identificar las principales fuentes de estrés laboral de un grupo de soldados profesionales del Ejército español (N= 779) y analizar el papel de estas fuentes de estrés y del autoconcepto personal sobre la salud, la satisfacción y la permanencia temporal en la Institución. Para ello se ha partido del modelo de estrés laboral de Roberston, Cooper y Williams (1990) en el que la influencia del estrés sobre la salud física y la satisfacción laboral, está modulada por diferentes variables individuales. Los resultados confirman una relación negativa entre los estresores laborales el bienestar físico, la satisfacción laboral y la tendencia a permanecer en la organización. También, como se esperaba los sujetos con mayor autoconcepto informan de mayor bienestar físico. Pero, además de las relaciones directas se ha encontrado que el autoconcepto actúa como variable moduladora. Así, los sujetos con mejor autoconcepto, señalan un mayor bienestar físico y satisfacción, pero sobre todo, en situaciones de alto estrés laboral. Se ha confirmado también que todos los estresores considerados, el bienestar físico y la satisfacción, predicen la tendencia de los sujetos a permanecer en la Institución. Al final, se discuten las implicaciones prácticas de los resultados y se sugieren algunas propuestas de actuación (AU)

This study has been carried out with a wide sample of Spanish service members from different Army units all over the national territory. It has a double objective: on one hand to identify the main causes of occupational stress in this group and, on the other hand, to evaluate whether the personal self-concept can cushion the effects that these occupational stressors can exert on health, satisfaction and length of stay in the Armed Forces, as the direct action on the stressors in the military environment is sometimes difficult. We have utilized the occupational stress model by Robertson, Cooper and Williams (1990) in which the influence of the occupational stressors on health and job satisfaction is modulated by different individual variables. In general, the results confirm the influence of the occupational stressors on health, job satisfaction and tendency to stay in the service. Moreover it has been found out that the self-concept modulates some of these relationships. So, for instance, the subjects with a higher self-concept (especially in its social dimension) always enjoy a better physical wellbeing and satisfaction. It has also been confirmed that the stressors, the physical well-being and satisfaction predict the subjects’ tendency to stay in the service. Finally, and as far as possible gender differences are concerned, the results show that men and women are similar enough as there are hardly any differences between them. Lastly the practical implications of the results are discussed and some action proposals suggested (AU)

Seed anatomy and water uptake in relation to seed dormancy in Opuntia tomentosa (Cactaceae, Opuntioideae).

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: There is considerable confusion in the literature concerning impermeability of seeds with 'hard' seed coats, because the ability to take up (imbibe) water has not been tested in most of them. Seeds of Opuntia tomentosa were reported recently to have a water-impermeable seed coat sensu lato (i.e. physical dormancy), in combination with physiological dormancy. However, physical dormancy is not known to occur in Cactaceae. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine if seeds of O. tomentosa are water-permeable or water-impermeable, i.e. if they have physical dormancy. METHODS: The micromorphology of the seed coat and associated structures were characterized by SEM and light microscopy. Permeability of the seed-covering layers was assessed by an increase in mass of seeds on a wet substrate and by dye-tracking and uptake of tritiated water by intact versus scarified seeds. KEY RESULTS: A germination valve and a water channel are formed in the hilum-micropyle region during dehydration and ageing in seeds of O. tomentosa. The funicular envelope undoubtedly plays a role in germination of Opuntia seeds via restriction of water uptake and mechanical resistance to expansion of the embryo. However, seeds do not exhibit any of three features characteristic of those with physical dormancy. Thus, they do not have a water-impermeable layer(s) of palisade cells (macrosclereids) or a water gap sensu stricto and they imbibe water without the seed coat being disrupted. CONCLUSIONS: Although dormancy in seeds of this species can be broken by scarification, they have physiological dormancy only. Further, based on information in the literature, it is concluded that it is unlikely that any species of Opuntia has physical dormancy. This is the first integrative study of the anatomy, dynamics of water uptake and dormancy in seeds of Cactaceae subfamily Opuntioideae.

How healthy are clones and their progeny: 5 years of field experience.

There is considerable concern regarding the health of cloned cattle and their safety as a source of food. The objective was to summarize 5 years of commercial experience with cloning in three countries (United States, Argentina and Brazil). Overall, only 9% of transferred embryos resulted in calves; efficiency ranged from 0 to 45% (most were from 1 to 10%, but 24% of cell lines never produced live calves). There was no significant difference in pregnancy rate following transfer of one versus two embryos. Before 90 days of gestation, two ultrasound markers for embryo death were found, either crown rump length (CRL) or heart beat less than 7.5mm and 150bpm, respectively, were observed alone or together in 27% of clones that died. In addition, after 100 days of pregnancy, placental edema, hydrops fetalis and increased abdominal circumference size were used as ultrasound findings of a fetus at risk of loss. At 114 days of gestation, abdominal circumference in clones that died was statistically larger than in clones that survived alive to term and from MOET- and IVF-derived pregnancies (P<0.05). Since elective cesarean section (C-section) was partially replaced by natural or assisted parturition, C-section rates decreased from 100% in 2000 to 54% in 2005. On average, 42% of cloned calves died between delivery and 150 days of life; the most common abnormalities were: enlarged umbilical cord (37%), respiratory problems (19%), calves depressed/prolonged recumbency (20%) and contracted flexor tendons (21%). From 11 blood parameters evaluated during the first week of life, lactate decreased twice and glucose doubled its original value from 24h to 7 days. Adult cloned females had normal breeding and calving rates and cloned bulls produced good quality semen and had normal fertility when used for AI or natural mating. In conclusion, cloning had no risks qualitatively different from those encountered in animals involved in modern agricultural practices, although the frequency of the risks appeared to be increased in cattle during the early portions of the life cycle of cattle clones.

Safety conditions for irradiation, transporting, and melting of sintered TeO2 during the industrial production of 131I.

The development of a program to produce 131I by neutron activation of previously sintered TeO2, was started at the Nuclear Center of Mexico 3 y ago. Since then, the problems related to producing high purity, sintered TeO2 for neutron activation, transport of the activated samples and melting of the samples to retrieve the 131I have been satisfactorily solved. The main problems, related to health physics, arise when the process is conducted on a daily basis. Described are the irradiation conditions for sintered TeO2, retrieval of the sample from the pool, and the transport of the radioactive source after a 4-d cooling time. The radiation dose in the room where the hot cell is located increases from 2 microSv h(-1) (0.2 mrem h(-1)) to 4 microSv h(-1) (0.4 mrem h(-1)) during the melting of the radioactive (131+131m)TeO2, and the pumping out and dissolution of gaseous 131I. These measurements are below the maximum permissible levels and the ALARA concept has been assured through each step of the process and no leaks have been found in the system.

Amino acids from ultraviolet irradiation of interstellar ice analogues.

Amino acids are the essential molecular components of living organisms on Earth, but the proposed mechanisms for their spontaneous generation have been unable to account for their presence in Earth's early history. The delivery of extraterrestrial organic compounds has been proposed as an alternative to generation on Earth, and some amino acids have been found in several meteorites. Here we report the detection of amino acids in the room-temperature residue of an interstellar ice analogue that was ultraviolet-irradiated in a high vacuum at 12 K. We identified 16 amino acids; the chiral ones showed enantiomeric separation. Some of the identified amino acids are also found in meteorites. Our results demonstrate that the spontaneous generation of amino acids in the interstellar medium is possible, supporting the suggestion that prebiotic molecules could have been delivered to the early Earth by cometary dust, meteorites or interplanetary dust particles.

Endemic Trypanosoma cruzi infection in Indian populations of the Gran Chaco territory of South America: performance of diagnostic assays and epidemiological features.

The relative specificities and sensitivities of several serological assays for the diagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi infection were estimated in Indian populations of Argentina and Paraguay. The results obtained with the assays, which proved to be most reliable, were used to study the distribution of the parasite in these populations. Serological evidence of T. cruzi infection was demonstrated in 256 (37.7%) of 679 Indians living in relatively small and isolated communities in the Salta province of northern Argentina and in western Paraguay, regions that are part of the tropical territory called Gran Chaco. In contrast, none of the 94 Indians examined in south-western Argentina was positive. Infection in the Gran Chaco Indians increased with age and clustered in families. Marked differences in seroprevalence were observed between the 16 Indian communities examined in Gran Chaco. These differences seem to be associated both with the risk of transmission from the sylvatic reservoirs of the parasite and with the frequency with which vector-spraying campaigns have been implemented.

Estudio comparativo de la eficacia de la bencidamina, mentol y salicilato de metilo vs el clorhidrato de bencidamina para el tratamiento de los traumatismos del sistema musculoesquelético / Benzydamine hidrochloride vs. methyl-salicylate in external trauma

En este trabajo se presentan los resultados de un estudio clínico fase III, prospectivo, longitudinal y experimental. Se comparó la eficacia y seguridad de dos medicamentos para el tratamiento de los síntomas y signos posteriores al traumatismo musculoesquelético. Dicho estudio se realizó en dos grupos paralelos de 25 deportistas escogidos al azar. Los resultados muestran que el medicamento combinado de bencidamina más mentol y salicilato de metilo, disminuyó significativamente la presencia e intensidad del dolor, calor, rubor y edema en el sitio del traumatismo y recuperación más rápida de la capacidad funcional en la región afectada por el traumatismo. Se observaron también menos efectos adversos con el uso del medicamento combinado en comparación con el medicamento constituido por bencidamina sola. De esta manera se puede concluir que la inclusión de mentol y salicilato de metilo en la crema para el tratamiento tópico de los traumatismos ofrece un tratamiento más eficiente y seguro que la bencidamina sola

High prevalence of hantavirus infection in Indian communities of the Paraguayan and Argentinean Gran Chaco.

Serologic evidence of past infection with a Sin Nombre-like hantavirus(es) was demonstrated in 78 (40.4%) of 193 Indians living in western Paraguay and in 38 (17.1%) of 222 Indians inhabiting the Salta province of northern Argentina. In both populations seroprevalence increased with age, with the most striking increase occurring at 18 years of age in the Paraguayan population and at 35 years of age in the Salta population. The peak prevalences in both populations (66.6% and 44.0%, respectively) were seen in Indians > 53 years old. Although no sex difference was observed in the Paraguayan Indians, in the Salta population seroprevalence was greater in males than in females. Familiar clustering of the infection was observed. The data indicate that the Indian populations of the Gran Chaco are frequently exposed to and survive infection with a Sin Nombre-like virus(es). Possible explanations of this novel epidemiology are discussed.