Regulation of CO2 by the sea in areas around Latin America in a context of climate change.

Anthropogenic activities are increasing the atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2); around a third of the CO2 emitted by these activities has been taken up by the ocean. Nevertheless, this marine ecosystem service of regulation remains largely invisible to society, and not enough is known about regional differences and trends in sea-air CO2 fluxes (FCO2), especially in the Southern Hemisphere. The objectives of this work were as follows: first to put values of FCO2 integrated over the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of five Latin-American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela) into perspective regarding total country-level greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. Second, to assess the variability of two main biological factors affecting FCO2 at marine ecological time series (METS) in these areas. FCO2 over the EEZs were estimated using the NEMO model, and GHG emissions were taken from reports to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. For each METS, the variability in phytoplankton biomass (indexed by chlorophyll-a concentration, Chla) and abundance of different cell sizes (phy-size) were analyzed at two time periods (2000-2015 and 2007-2015). Estimates of FCO2 at the analyzed EEZs showed high variability among each other and non-negligible values in the context of greenhouse gas emissions. The trends observed at the METS indicated, in some cases, an increase in Chla (e.g., EPEA-Argentina) and a decrease in others (e.g., IMARPE-Peru). Evidence of increasing populations of small size-phytoplankton was observed (e.g., EPEA-Argentina, Ensenada-Mexico), which would affect the carbon export to the deep ocean. These results highlight the relevance of ocean health and its ecosystem service of regulation when discussing carbon net emissions and budgets.

[Swallowing apnea in adults]. / Apnéia de deglutição no homem adulto.

We have studied the swallowing apnea in 66 persons. Five were laryngectomized. We analysed 1916 breathing/swallowing correlation charts, 109 in laryngectomized and 1807 in not laryngectomized persons. The correlation charts were done using a piezoelectric and thermistor register coupled to a manometric system developed by Synetics Medical interfaced to a microcomputer running software Polygram upper 4.21. Our observation allows us to conclude that: 1. the swallowing apnea has not the same reflex path of the breathing interruption that occurs when a foreign body stimulates the laryngeal receptors; 2. the swallowing apnea installation is not dependent on the laryngeal structures; 3. the swallowing apnea and rima glottidis closure, that occur in the same moment, are correlated phenomena, but are a distinct part of the airway protective mechanisms; and 4. even though the swallowing apnea can occur in every moment of the breathing cycle, it occurs more frequently at the end of expiratory and beginning of the inspiratory phase of breathing cycle; it is usually continued by a complementary expiration. We believe that the less lung volume is the basic condition to the establishment of the more frequent kind of swallowing apnea reflex.

[Phadiatop: a new in vitro test for diagnosing respiratory allergy]. / Phadiatop: una nueva prueba in vitro para el diagnóstico de alergia respiratoria.

Respiratory diseases are very frequent in childhood, for the discrimination between atopic and non atopic causes. We therefore investigated a new in vitro test for specific IgE to inhalant allergens. Sera from 29 patients pediatrics with suspected allergic symptoms of the respiratory tract were analysed. Diagnosis was established by clinical history, PRIST, laboratory test, intradermal skin tests. The issue of our study show that Phadiatop can be effectively screened in the diagnosis of allergy in young children.

[Maternal perception of dehydration in children with diarrhea. A study on agreement with clinical diagnosis]. / Percepção materna da desidratação em crianças com diarréia. Estudo de concordância com diagnóstico médico.

The mother's perception of signs and symptoms of dehydration in children under three years of age was studied and compared with the medical classification. The study was carried out in a children's hospital in the city of Rio de Janeiro, among children hospitalized with diarrhoea between January, 1987 and February, 1988. The number of excretions and of vomitings, thirst and condition of eyes constituted the signs and symptoms most frequently reported by mothers. However, they had difficulty in judging the amount of urine, humidity of mouth and tongue and turgidity of the skin. These signs were almost always regarded as normal or, at most, as indicating only slight alteration. Those mothers who tended to underestimate the severity of the dehydration indicated by the physician were of a lower educational level and had more severely undernourished children and greater difficulty of access to the hospital. On the other hand, those who tended to overestimate it belonged to a higher educational level, had better-nourished children, greater ease of access to the hospital and were attended to by a smaller number of health care services before reaching the hospital surveyed. Those who agreed with the medical diagnosis were in an intermediate situation, although they tended to be closer to those who underestimated the gravity of the dehydration. Those mothers whose children had already gone through a dehydration episode did not present a more intense agreement with the physician's diagnosis, thus evidencing that the information afforded at the health care service was either non-existent or inadequate.

Hypertonic and hyperoncotic resuscitation from severe hemorrhagic shock in dogs: a comparative study.

Single bolus injections of hypertonic (7.5%) NaCl (H), hyperoncotic (6%) dextran-70 (D), or of their combination (HD) were given to severely bled (54.2 +/- 1.3 ml/kg) anesthetized dogs. Two shock procedures (30 or 60 min at 35 mm Hg) were tested. Survival was highest (11/12) after HD, lower (9/12) after H, and lowest (7/12) after D; it was higher (15/18 vs. 12/18) after the shorter vs. longer shock procedure. Cardiac index (CI) was restored to 83%-104% of prehemorrhage levels immediately after HD or H; 3 h later it was down to 67%-71% of control; after D, CI was stable at 41% to 50% of control; no differences in the relative performances of the agents tested in the 30 or 60-min shock durations. Arterial pressure recovered to near control levels in all groups; consequently, systemic vascular resistance was reduced after H and HD, but increased after D. Plasma volume recovered to 95% of control after H, 105% of control after HD, but only to 80% after D; however, the response to H was transient. Metabolic acidosis was partially reverted by all solutions. Plasma Na+ was transiently raised by H and HD. Overall differences detected between H vs. HD tend to favor HD as a resuscitative solution.

Hyperosmotic sodium salts reverse severe hemorrhagic shock: other solutes do not.

Severe hemorrhage in pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs (25 mg/kg) is reversed by intravenous NaCl (4 ml/kg, 2,400 mosmol/l, 98% long-term survival). This paper compares survival rates and hemodynamic and metabolic effects of hypertonic NaCl with sodium salts (acetate, bicarbonate, and nitrate), chlorides [lithium and tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris)], and nonelectrolytes (glucose, mannitol, and urea) after severe hemorrhage (44.5 +/- 2.3 ml/kg blood loss). Sodium salts had higher survival rates (chloride, 100%; acetate, 72%; bicarbonate, 61%; nitrate, 55%) with normal stable arterial pressure after chloride and nitrate; near normal cardiac output after sodium chloride; normal acid-base equilibrium after all sodium salts; and normal mean circulatory filling pressure after chloride, acetate, and bicarbonate. Chlorides and nonelectrolytes produced low survival rates (glucose and lithium, 5%; mannitol, 11%; Tris, 22%; urea, 33%) with low cardiac output, low mean circulatory filling pressure, and severe metabolic acidosis. Plasma sodium, plasma bicarbonate, mean circulatory filling pressure, cardiac output, and arterial pressure correlated significantly with survival; other parameters, including plasma volume expansion or plasma osmolarity, did not. It is proposed that high plasma sodium is essential for survival.