Aparición tardía de síndrome de piernas inquietas como síntoma de abstinencia a la metadona en pacientes oncológicos: reporte de dos casos / Late onset of restless legs syndrome as a methadone withdrawal symptom in cancer patients: report of two cases

El síndrome de piernas inquietas es una alteración del sueño frecuente, el cual involucra usualmente un deseo urgente de mover las piernas, asociado con una sensación displacentera y movimientos periódicos de las mismas durante el sueño. La fisiopatología de este síndrome ha sido ampliamente estudiada y aun no es completamente clara, entendiéndose en la actualidad que en el mismo influyen factores de la personalidad, genéticos y ambientales. En el presente escrito describimos 2 casos en los cuales la suspensión del tratamiento con metadona se consideró fuertemente asociada a la presentación de síndrome de piernas inquietas en pacientes sin diagnóstico previo del mismo.(AU)

Restless legs syndrome is a frequent sleep disturbance, which usually involves an urgent desire to move the legs, associated with an unpleasant sensation and periodic movements of the legs during sleep. Its pathophysiology has been widely studied and is still not completely clear, and it is currently understood that it is influenced by personality, genetic and environmental factors. In this paper we describe 2 cases in which the suspension of methadone treatment was considered strongly associated with the presentation of restless legs syndrome in patients without previous diagnosis of this syndrome.(AU)

The fusogenic peptide HA2 impairs selectivity of CXCR4-targeted protein nanoparticles.

We demonstrate here that the genetic incorporation of the fusogenic peptide HA2 into a CXCR4-targeted protein nanoparticle dramatically reduces the specificity of the interaction between nanoparticles and cell receptors, a factor to be considered when designing tumor-homing drug vehicles displaying endosomal-escape agents. The loss of specificity is concomitant with enhanced cell penetrability.

New multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis tool for surveillance and local epidemiology of bacterial leaf blight and bacterial leaf streak of rice caused by Xanthomonas oryzae.

Multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA) is efficient for routine typing and for investigating the genetic structures of natural microbial populations. Two distinct pathovars of Xanthomonas oryzae can cause significant crop losses in tropical and temperate rice-growing countries. Bacterial leaf streak is caused by X. oryzae pv. oryzicola, and bacterial leaf blight is caused by X. oryzae pv. oryzae. For the latter, two genetic lineages have been described in the literature. We developed a universal MLVA typing tool both for the identification of the three X. oryzae genetic lineages and for epidemiological analyses. Sixteen candidate variable-number tandem-repeat (VNTR) loci were selected according to their presence and polymorphism in 10 draft or complete genome sequences of the three X. oryzae lineages and by VNTR sequencing of a subset of loci of interest in 20 strains per lineage. The MLVA-16 scheme was then applied to 338 strains of X. oryzae representing different pathovars and geographical locations. Linkage disequilibrium between MLVA loci was calculated by index association on different scales, and the 16 loci showed linear Mantel correlation with MLSA data on 56 X. oryzae strains, suggesting that they provide a good phylogenetic signal. Furthermore, analyses of sets of strains for different lineages indicated the possibility of using the scheme for deeper epidemiological investigation on small spatial scales.

Defectos del tubo neural y de labio y paladar hendido: un estudio morfológico / Neural tube defects, cleft lip and palate: a morphological study

El objetivo del trabajo fue realizar una evaluación morfológica externa de recién nacidos (RN) y lactantes con diagnóstico de defectos de tubo neural (DTN) y labio hendido c/s paladar hendido (LH c/s PH) para determinar el tipo de defecto, ubicación, extensión, clasificación y evaluar la proporción de RN con retardo del crecimiento intauterino (RCIU) y lactantes desnutridos. Estudio descriptivo. Se estudiaron 36 niños desde su nacimiento hasta los 12 meses de edad; 20 con DTN y 16 con LH c/s PH. El estudio se realizó en cinco hospitales de la ciudad de Chihuahua, México. Se hizo una evaluación morfológica externa y antropometría de los niños. Los DTN se clasificaron como lesiones abiertas y cerradas, como defectos altos o bajos, según el modelo de sitios múltiples y por la CIE-10. Los LH c/s PH se clasificaron como unilaterales o bilaterales, completos e incompletos y como aislados o múltiples. Se determinó RCIU en los RN y desnutrición en los lactantes. El análisis estadístico se realizó con el paquete STATA 8.0 para Windows. Se estudiaron 20 casos de DTN; 3 lactantes y 17 RN. De LH c/s PH fueron 8 lactantes y 8 RN. En cuanto a los DTN, 60 por ciento fueron mielomeningocele y correspondían a lesiones abiertas. El 85 por ciento se localizaron a nivel alto. En el modelo de cierres múltiples, el Z1 fue el 80 por ciento. Los LH c/s PH más frecuentes fueron aquellos con hendidura completa (50 por ciento). El 35 por ciento de los RN con DTN tuvieron RCIU y el 67 por ciento de los lactantes presentaron desnutrición. Es importante conocer los mecanismos del desarrollo de las anomalías congénitas ya que esto permite precisar el momento en que ocurrió la falla y permite estudiar los factores predisponentes, con lo cual se puede ofrecer asesoramiento genético para una posible prevención.

The objective of this study was to perform an external morphological evaluation of newborn (NB) and lactating children (LC) with diagnosis of neural tube defects (NTD) and cleft lip c/s palate (CL/s PH) to determine the type of defect, location, extent, classification and assess the proportion of infants with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and malnourished infants. A descriptive study in 36 children from birth to 12 months of age , 20 with NTD and 16 with LH c / s PH was carried out. The study was conducted in five hospitals in the city of Chihuahua, Mexico. An external morphological assessment and anthropometry of children were performed. The DTN lesions were classified as open and closed, as defects high or low, depending on the model of multiple sites and ICD-10. The LH c / s PH were classified as unilateral or bilateral, complete or incomplete, and as isolated or multiple. IUGR was determined in the RN and malnutrition in infants. A statistic analysis was made with STATA 8.0 for Windows. We studied 20 cases of NTDs, 3 LCs and 17 RN. LH c/s PH were 8 LC and 8 RN. The DTN, 60 percent were myelomeningocele and corresponded to open lesions. Eighty five percent were located at high level. In the model of multiple closures, the Z1 was 80 percent. The LH c/s PH were more frequent with complete cleft (50 percent). The 35 percent of newborns with NTD had IUGR and 67 percent of LC had malnutrition. It is important to understand the mechanisms of development of congenital anomalies as this allows to specify the time the fault occurred and to study the underlying diseases to offer genetic counseling for possible prevention.

Morphogenesis of the lateral nasal wall from 6 to 36 weeks.

This research describes the development of the lateral nasal wall, the description of which will allow a better comprehension of its anatomic complexity. One hundred embryos and fetuses from the sixth to thirty-sixth weeks of morphologic age were studied. The seventh week shows the first buds of the three turbinates. At the ninth week the precartilaginous nucleus of the inferior turbinate is observed. Likewise, at the tenth week the uncinate process appears, and the invagination of the epithelium begins the formation of the infundibulum and the maxillar sinus. At the fourteenth week the cartilaginous nasal capsule is present. The epithelium is invaginated, starting the formation of the ethmoid cells. During the seventeenth week of development the invagination of the mucus has invaded the maxillar bone, which constitutes the maxillar sinus. At the thirty-sixth week the lateral nasal wall is well developed. In 23 fetuses the supreme turbinate (fourth) was found. Although the length of the lower three turbinates increased progressively and proportionally in intrauterine life without differences between the sexes, the fourth remains invariably at an average length of 5 mm from the fourteenth to the thirty-sixth and was present in 65% of male fetuses.

Value and limitations of cytologic criteria for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma by fine needle aspiration biopsy.

In order to further evaluate the utility of fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) cytology for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we analyzed 39 cytologic features in a series of 102 FNABs from HCC and compared them with 28 FNABs from nonneoplastic conditions. Thirteen features were significantly associated with HCC; from them a stepwise logistic regression analysis selected the three most predictive: irregular arrangement, irregular chromatin pattern and uniformly smaller cytoplasm, the last two found only in HCC. Using different specific combinations of significant cytologic features, the highest sensitivity obtained was 84.3%, with 100% specificity. Sixteen HCC cases could not be diagnosed specifically using the criteria defined in this study, probably due to their well-differentiated nature or to sampling error. Although the use of additional techniques, such as cell block preparations, would improve the results in well-differentiated tumors, we recommend basing the early diagnosis of small HCC on a multidisciplinary approach.

[Frequency of external congenital abnormalities in abortions]. / Frecuencia de malformaciones congénitas externas en abortos.

The purpose of this study was to calculate the incidence of external birth defects found in 1,650 aborted fetuses studied from September 1978 to February 1983 at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics of the University Hospital "Dr. José Eleuterio González" of the U.A.N.L. Medical School. Ninety five of fetuses had external birth defects and 85 had abnormalities in annexes. The Fisher exact test was applied to find the relationship between these abnormalities; no relationship was found. 67.4% had only one birth defect; 32.1% showed several defects. Those defects which were lethal constituted 67%, the majority being of the central nervous system. Defects found in the abdominal wall took second place in frequency followed by abnormalities in either extremity and ear defects. The birth defects seen in early gestational ages differ from those seen in live newborn babies. It is important to carry out morphological and teratological studies, not only in newborns but also during the embrion and fetal periods.