Trichinella spiralis in a South American sea lion (Otaria flavescens) from Patagonia, Argentina.

Trichinella spp. from a sylvatic cycle has been found in several animal species such as pumas (Puma concolor), armadillos (Chaetophractus villosus), rats (Rattus norvegicus), and wild boars (Sus scrofa) in Argentina. Moreover, Trichinella infection has been detected in a wide range of marine mammals around the world, including polar bears (Ursus maritimus) and walruses (Odobenus rosmarus). Until the present time, Trichinella spp. infection has not been detected in marine mammals of South America. Samples from four South American sea lions (Otaria flavescens) found dead in Rio Negro, Argentina, were analyzed by artificial digestion, and in the case of one animal, Trichinella larvae were identified at the species level by nested multiplex PCR as Trichinella spiralis. This is the first report of a Trichinella species infecting marine mammals from South America.

Fenotipos en la EPOC / COPD phenotypes

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Broncoscopias urgentes / Urgent bronchoscopies

Las broncoscopias urgentes son exploraciones que condicionan una carga de trabajo adicional en los Servicios de Neumología. Este estudio presenta la experiencia de nuestro centro en este tipo de exploraciones. Durante el periodo estudiado, un año, hemos realizado 134 broncoscopias urgentes. Los servicios que más frecuentemente han demandado este tipo de pruebas han sido las Unidades de Críticos y las causas más frecuentes son la presencia de atelectasias y la obtención de muestras para estudios microbiológicos en pacientes con intubación orotraqueal y ventilación mecánica; la hemoptisis y la revisión de la vía aérea superior han sido otras causas habituales (AU)

Urgent bronchoscopies are examinations that condition an additional work load in the Pneumology Departments. This study presents the experience of our site in this type of examinations. During the period studied, that is one year, we conducted 134 urgent bronchoscopies. The most frequent departments demanding this type of tests were the Critical Units and the most frequent causes were presence of atelectasias and obtaining samples for microbiology studies in patients with orotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation, hemoptysis and examination of the upper airway being other common causes (AU)

“Masa pulmonar” con afectación costal / Diagnóstico de tromboembolismo pulmonar en una mujer con situs inversus

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Aspergilosis broncopulmonar alérgica / Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis

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Bronquio traqueal / Tracheal bronchus

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Traqueopatía osteocondroplásica / Osteochondroplastic tracheopathy

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Paciente con infiltrado parenquimatoso y cavidades pulmonares concomitantes / Patient with parenchymatous infiltrate and concomitant pulmonary cavities

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Características de los pacientes ingresados por exacerbación de enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica (EPOC): diferencias entre varones y mujeres / Characteristics of patients hospitalized due to worsening of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): differences between men and women

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What are the barriers to medical care for patients with newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus?

CONTEXT: Few data are available describing factors that prevent patients with newly diagnosed diabetes from seeking medical care. OBJECTIVE: To identify socioeconomic factors that act as barriers to healthcare among such patients. SETTING: A community-wide diabetes screening programme. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and eighteen patients with newly identified diabetes mellitus out of 1,824 total screenings. INTERVENTIONS: Each newly identified person with diabetes was instructed to contact a physician for follow-up care. DESIGN: A follow-up survey was obtained from 89 (75%) subjects 9 +/- 7 months after diagnosis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Whether or not subjects had obtained follow-up care for their diabetes. RESULTS: Of seven variables examined, only lack of health insurance correctly predicted those patients who failed to seek medical care for their diabetes by multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Lack of health insurance coverage is the primary reason that patients with newly diagnosed diabetes fail to seek medical care.

Diurnal rhythm of core body temperature is phase advanced in a rodent model of depression.

We examined the diurnal rhythm of core body temperature in a strain of rats with an upregulated central muscarinic receptor system. The Flinders-Sensitive Line (FSL) was derived by selectively breeding rats for sensitivity to cholinergic agonists. When compared to control rats, the FSL rats showed a remarkably strong phase advance of the acrophase in body temperature during a standard light-dark schedule. Some patients with some types of depression also show phase advances in a number of circadian rhythms, including temperature. Our finding of a phase advance in a rodent model with a known upregulated muscarinic receptor system is compatible with both the phase advance and the muscarinic overdrive theories of depression. These findings also further validate the usefulness of the FSL rats in the study of depression.

Effects of sleep deprivation on sleepiness and increased REM sleep in rats selectively bred for cholinergic hyperactivity.

In this study we employed a modification of the multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) to determine whether rats of a strain with increased cholinergic activity were sleepier compared to randomly bred control rats. Seven rats each from the Flinders sensitive line (FSL, hypercholinergic) and Flinders resistant line (FRL, age-matched controls) were kept awake for 20 min and then allowed to sleep ad libitum for 20 min. The regimen of 20 min of wakefulness followed by 20 min of sleep was repeated 12 times during the day. There were no differences in latency to sleep or to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep or in percent total sleep time, drowsy, or slow-wave sleep between FSL rats and FRL rats. However, FSL rats showed a significant increase in REM sleep compared to FRL rats. This selective increase in REM sleep may be coupled to an increase in brain muscarinic receptors in the FSL rats.

Ovine estrus synchronization and superovulation using norgestomet B and follicle stimulating hormone-pituitary.

Finewooled Rambouillet range ewes were used in a study to determine the feasibility of using a progesterone ear implant to synchronize estrus. In addition, some of the ewes were further treated with injections of follicle stimulating hormone-pituitary (FSH-P) to induce superovulation. Five days following estrus detection and breeding, FSH-P-treated ewes were laparotomized and surgically flushed to recover embryos. The number of corpora lutea (CL), the total number of embryos and the number of transferable embryos recovered were recorded along with the number and size of follicles present on both ovaries. Ewes synchronized as recipients were laparotomized for surgical transfer of embryos 5 d following estrus. The number of CL and follicles were recorded. Response to superovulation by FSH-P did not differ (P>0.05) between age groups of ewes when the number of CL present was counted. However, the total number of embryos flushed and good embryos was lower (P<0.05) among the oldest (7 yr) ewes. The number of follicles present showed little variation between age groups. Recipient ewes (No FSH-P) were similar in the number of CL with 6-yr-old ewes, having fewer (P>0.05) CL, than 3-, 4- or 7-yr-old ewes. Only slight variation was boserved in the number of follicles in recipient ewes. Among donor ewes receiving FSH-P in addition to Synchro-Mate B, 71% were detected in estrus within 48 h of implant removal vs 55% of the recipients.

Ureteric obstruction secondary to endometriosis. Report of three cases with a review of the literature.

Three cases of endometriosis are presented. In one patient bilateral obstruction was noted; in a second patient bilaterally enlarged kidneys with unilateral obstruction were found and in the third patient only unilateral obstruction was defined. Intrinsic ureteric obstruction and bilateral obstruction, both rare findings, are described in this report. The diagnosis, evaluation and management of these patients are discussed.

An operation to create a continent catheterizable urinary sphincter from a short intestinal segment: experimental observations.

We describe a new operation to create a continent, catheterizable urinary sphincter from a short segment of ileum. The sphincter has provided continence over a wide range of bladder pressures in dogs and it may be adapted to a variety of clinical continence requirements.

Teaching clinical skills to pre-clinical medical students: integration with basic science learning.

Clinical skills are usually learned by pre-clinical students in a manner divorced from their basic science foundations. The value of previously learned basic sciences thus fails to be re-enforced. A clinical skills course was developed for an experimental curriculum of medical students in their first year. It was organized and taught by a team of basic and clinical scientists and emphasized the basic pathophysiological principles underlying clinical skills. Sessions were supported by related basic science audiovisual resources and a series of clinical problems with questions obliging the student to reason through basic-science mechanisms. Over the span of the course, students' interest shifted dramatically from a focus on proficiency in motor skills to an understanding of basic pathophysiological mechanisms underlying observed phenomena. Compared to conventional curriculum students, those in the experimental curriculum failed to show a diminution in perceived value of basic sciences in their future career and, on cumulative, cognitive examinations, scored equally in basic science, but significantly higher in clinical science subjects. A clinical skills course integrating both teachers and concepts from basic, as well as clinical sciences can improve student attitudes toward basic sciences.