Analysis of the Morphology, Rheology, and Clinical Applicability of a Hybrid Injectable with Hyaluronic Acid and Hydroxyapatite.

BACKGROUND: Treating signs of aging requires skeletal restructuring, facial contour redefinition, and sagging skin treatment. Hence, HarmonyCa® was recently introduced in the market, combining hyaluronic acid and hydroxyapatite. However, there are no studies evaluating the physicochemical properties of this material. PURPOSE: To analyze the morphology, rheology, and clinical applicability of HarmonyCa® over a 180-day follow-up. METHODS: A morphological analysis with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and rheology measurement with a rheometer. The clinical applicability analysis included a tissue ptosis patient who received the product and was reassessed 30 and 180 days after applying HarmonyCa®. RESULTS: SEM and EDS analyses showed two distinct morphologies related to hydroxyapatite and hyaluronic acid. The rheological measurements of HarmonyCa® showed G' and G″ of 51.56 and 44.01 Pa, respectively. The tan δ value was 0.8503, and G* was 108.1 Pa. The clinical outcomes were satisfactory. CONCLUSION: HarmonyCa® presents a good synergy between hyaluronic acid and hydroxyapatite. Also, the rheological analysis showed moderate viscosity for the product, with a clinical indication for subcutaneous application. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Emerging pollutants in textile wastewater: an ecotoxicological assessment focusing on surfactants.

Water and several chemicals, including dyestuffs, surfactants, acids, and salts, are required during textile dyeing processes. Surfactants are harmful to the aquatic environment and induce several negative biological effects in exposed biota. In this context, the present study aimed to assess acute effects of five surfactants, comprising anionic and nonionic classes, and other auxiliary products used in fiber dyeing processes to aquatic organisms Vibrio fischeri (bacteria) and Daphnia similis (cladocerans). The toxicities of binary surfactant mixtures containing the anionic surfactant dodecylbenzene sulfonate + nonionic fatty alcohol ethoxylate and dodecylbenzene sulfonate + nonionic alkylene oxide were also evaluated. Nonionic surfactants were more toxic than anionic compounds for both organisms. Acute nonionic toxicity ranged from 1.3 mg/L (fatty alcohol ethoxylate surfactant) to 2.6 mg/L (ethoxylate surfactant) for V. fischeri and from 1.9 mg/L (alkylene oxide surfactant) to 12.5 mg/L (alkyl aryl ethoxylated and aromatic sulfonate surfactant) for D. similis, while the anionic dodecylbenzene sulfonate EC50s were determined as 66.2 mg/L and 19.7 mg/L, respectively. Both mixtures were very toxic for the exposed organisms: the EC50 average in the anionic + fatty alcohol ethoxylate mixture was of 1.0 mg/L ± 0.11 for V. fischeri and 4.09 mg/L ± 0.69 for D. similis. While the anionic + alkylene oxide mixture, EC50 of 3.34 mg/L for D. similis and 3.60 mg/L for V. fischeri. These toxicity data suggested that the concentration addition was the best model to explain the action that is more likely to occur for mixture for the dodecylbenzene sulfonate and alkylene oxide mixtures in both organisms. Our findings also suggest that textile wastewater surfactants may interact and produce different responses in aquatic organisms, such as synergism and antagonism. Ecotoxicological assays provide relevant information concerning hazardous pollutants, which may then be adequately treated and suitably managed to reduce toxic loads, associated to suitable management plans.

Application of neural network to simulate the behavior of hospitalizations and their costs under the effects of various polluting gases in the city of São Paulo.

This work aims to obtain an artificial neural network to simulate hospitalizations for respiratory diseases influenced by pollutant gaseous such as CO, PM10, PM2.5, NO2, O3, and SO2 emitted from 2011 to 2017, in the city of São Paulo. The hospitalization costs were also be calculated. MLP and RBF neural networks have been tested by varying the number of neurons in the hidden layer and the type of equation of the output function. The following pollutants and its concentration range were collected considering the supervision of Alto Tiete station set, in several neighborhoods in the city of São Paulo, from in the period 2011 to 2017: 28-63 µg/m3 of PM2.5, 52-110 µg/m3 of PM10, 49-135 µg/m3 of O3, 0.8-2.6 ppm CO, 41-98 µg/m3 of NO2, and 3-16 µg/m3 of SO2. Results showed that a RBF neural network with 6 input neurons, 13 hidden layer neurons, and 1 output neuron, using BFGS algorithm and a Gaussian function to neuronal activation, was the best fitted to the experimental datasets. So, knowing the monthly concentration of gaseous pollutions was possible to predict the hospitalization of 1464 to 3483 ± 510 patients, with costs between 570,447 and 1,357,151 ± 198,171 USD per month. This way, it is possible to use this neural network to predict the costs of hospitalizing patients for respiratory diseases and to contribute to the decision-making of how much the government should spend on health care.

Multiple adverse effects of textile effluents and reactive Red 239 dye to aquatic organisms.

Textile dyeing consumes high volumes of water, generating proportional number of colored effluents which contain several hazardous chemical. These contaminants can implicate in significant changes in aquatic environmental, including several adverse effects to organisms in different trophic levels. The present study was developed to assess the ecotoxicological effects of textile effluent samples and reactive Red 239 dye (used in cotton dyeing) to aquatic organisms Vibrio fischeri bacteria, Daphnia similis crustacean, and Biomphalaria glabrata snail (adults and embryos). Chronic assays with lethal and sublethal effects for Daphnia similis were included and performed only for textile effluents samples. The mutagenicity was also evaluated with Salmonella/microsome assay (TA98, TA100, and YG1041 strains). V. fischeri bacteria was the most sensitive to reactive Red 239 dye (EC50 = 10.14 mg L-1) followed by mollusk embryos at all stages (EC50 = 116.41 to 124.14 mg L-1), D. similis (EC50= 389.42 mg L-1), and less sensitive to adult snails (LC50= 517.19 mg L-1). The textile effluent was toxic for all exposed organisms [E(L)C50 < 15%] and B. glabrata embryos showed different responses in the early stages of blastulae and gastrulae (EC50 = 7.60 and 7.08%) compared to advanced development stages trochophore and veliger (EC50 = 21.56 and 29.32%). Developmental and sublethal effects in B. glabrata embryos and D. similis were evidenced. In the chronic assay with effluent, the EC10/NOEC = 3% was obtained. Mutagenic effects were not detected for dye aqueous solutions neither for effluents samples. These data confirmed the importance of evaluating the effects in aquatic organisms from different trophic levels and reinforce the need for environmental aquatic protection.

Photocatalytic degradation of Reactive Blue 21 dye using ZnO nanoparticles: experiment, modelling, and sensitivity analysis.

This paper presents the photocatalysis, adsorption, and photolysis of C.I. Reactive Blue 21 dye using synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles. The density, mean particle diameter, surface area, and porosity of the catalyst were 5550 kg/m3, 1.19 × 10-7, 16,830 m2/kg, and 0.08, respectively. The impact of catalyst mass per volume of solution (0.2-1.0 kg/m3) was experimentally investigated in terms of the percentage of dye degradation. Due to the small catalyst porosity, adsorption contributed little to overall degradation. However, the photolysis of the dye was around 12.5%, which occurred predominantly between 0 and 5 min. In the second part of the present study, the photocatalytic degradation of C.I. Reactive Blue 21 was modelled mathematically based on the mass conservation law in the solution and catalyst. The model had two adjustable variables: the convection mass transfer coefficient and the photocatalytic reaction rate constant. The model was solved numerically using the finite difference method and was validated with the experimental data. The validated model was employed to examine the impact of catalyst size and initial pollutant concentration on the photocatalytic degradation.

Biosorption of Cr(VI) using coconut fibers from agro-industrial waste magnetized using magnetite nanoparticles.

Herein, the biosorption of Cr(VI) by magnetized coconut fibres obtained from agricultural waste has been described. Magnetization was achieved by incorporating magnetite nanoparticles into the fibres by a coprecipitation reaction in alkaline media. The biosorption capacity of the fibres was evaluated by two series of experiments. In the first series, 500 mg L-1 of the biosorbent was added to a 50 mg L-1 K2Cr2O7 solution at 28 °C and stirred at 200 rpm and the pH was varied from 1 to 13 to determine the optimum pH value. The second series of experiments evaluated the sorption capacity of the fibres at the optimum pH, under the same agitation speed and temperature but with an adsorbate concentration of 100 mg L-1. The biosorbents were characterized using Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, dispersive X-ray fluorescence, and X-ray powder diffraction. The biosorption experiments demonstrated that the magnetization process increased the biosorption capacity of the material. Optimum biosorption occurred at pH 2, and at optimal conditions, the best adsorptive efficiency exceeded 90%, reaching a biosorption capacity of 87.38 mg g-1 for the magnetized fibre and 23.87 mg g-1 for the natural fibre, with an equilibrium time of less than 20 min.

Multiple adverse effects of textile effluents and reactive Red 239 dye to aquatic organisms

Textile dyeing consumes high volumes of water, generating proportional number of colored effluents which contain several hazardous chemical. These contaminants can implicate in significant changes in aquatic environmental, including several adverse effects to organisms in different trophic levels. The present study was developed to assess the ecotoxicological effects of textile effluent samples and reactive Red 239 dye (used in cotton dyeing) to aquatic organisms Vibrio fischeri bacteria, Daphnia similis crustacean, and Biomphalaria glabrata snail (adults and embryos). Chronic assays with lethal and sublethal effects for Daphnia similis were included and performed only for textile effluents samples. The mutagenicity was also evaluated with Salmonella/microsome assay (TA98, TA100, and YG1041 strains). V. fischeri bacteria was the most sensitive to reactive Red 239 dye (EC50 = 10.14 mg L−1) followed by mollusk embryos at all stages (EC50 = 116.41 to 124.14 mg L−1), D. similis (EC50= 389.42 mg L−1), and less sensitive to adult snails (LC50= 517.19 mg L−1). The textile effluent was toxic for all exposed organisms [E(L)C50 < 15%] and B. glabrata embryos showed different responses in the early stages of blastulae and gastrulae (EC50 = 7.60 and 7.08%) compared to advanced development stages trochophore and veliger (EC50 = 21.56 and 29.32%). Developmental and sublethal effects in B. glabrata embryos and D. similis were evidenced. In the chronic assay with effluent, the EC10/NOEC = 3% was obtained. Mutagenic effects were not detected for dye aqueous solutions neither for effluents samples. These data confirmed the importance of evaluating the effects in aquatic organisms from different trophic levels and reinforce the need for environmental aquatic protection.

The role of TiO2 nanotube surface on osseointegration of titanium implants: Biomechanical and histological study in rats.

The nanoscale surface of titanium has been studied to improve the cellular recognition of the biological microenvironment and to increase bone-implant interaction. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of a titanium oxide (TiO2 ) nanotube surface with a machined surface on osseointegration tibia implants without primary stability. This study used an experimental design, divided into two groups (n = 16): commercially pure titanium machined implants (Cp-Ti Ma) and commercially pure titanium anodized implants (Cp-Ti An). Titanium nanotubes were produced by anodic oxidation, and the topography of surface was analyzed using field emission scanning microscope (FE-SEM). The implants (2.1 × 2.8 mm Ø) were surgically placed in the right tibia (defects with milling drill 2.5 × 3.2 mm Ø) of 32 Wistar male rats (250-300 g). The animals were euthanized at 7 weeks postoperatively. The maximum value of removal torque was measured (N/cm) in the right tibia half of each group (8 animals/8 tibiae); the other half of each group underwent a nondecalcified protocol, stained with Stevenel blue/Alizarin red, and the formation of bone tissue in close contact to the implant was measured. The obtained data were analyzed statistically (t test). Differences were considered statistically significant for α < 0.05. Cp-Ti An implants were significantly higher in removal torque and peri-implant bone healing compared with Cp-Ti Ma implants (p < .01). Within the limitations of this study, it was observed that the surface modification of titanium by anodization (TiO2 nanotubes) can improve osseointegration, and this may be very useful to reduce the time required for peri-implant bone formation.

Self-perceived malocclusion of non-orthodontic patients affects oral health-related quality of life?

Purpose: This cross-sectional study evaluates the impact of self-perceived malocclusion on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and also whether aesthetic self-assessment is similar to professional evaluation. Methods : this cross- sectional study gathered 63 adults aged 18­36 years (28.68 ± 4.99), 42 women and 21 men, with no history of orthodontic treatment. OHRQoL was evaluated using the Brazilian short version of the Oral Health Impact Profile questionnaire (OHIP- 14). Perception of malocclusion was evaluated using the aesthetic component of the Index of Complexity, Outcome and Need (ICON), socioeconomic status and the Economic Classification Criteria of Brazil. Statistical analysis was conducted using the Mann­Whitney test, Spearman correlations and Wilcoxon test, with p < 0.05. Results : the overall average score and standard deviation for OHIP-14 was 5.17 (± 6.50). There was a weak correlation between the aesthetic component perceived by the participants and their evaluation of quality of life. Only the psychological domains (psychological discomfort and psychological disability) showed significant poor correlations. Gender and socioeconomic status did not affect aesthetic perception of malocclusion and OHRQoL. There was a significant difference between the professional assessments and those of participants. Conclusion : significant weak correlations between self- erceived malocclusion and OHRQoL were found in participants who were not seeking orthodontic treatment; the greatest impacts were seen in the domains of psychological discomfort and psychological disability, and aesthetic self-perceived malocclusion was significantly less relevant than the professional evaluation in this studied group.

Objetivo: Este estudo transversal teve como objetivo avaliar o impacto da má oclusão autopercebida na qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde bucal (OHRQoL) e também avaliar se a autoavaliação estética é semelhante à avaliação profissional. Métodos : Foram avaliados 63 adultos com idades entre 18 e 36 anos (28,68 ± 4,99), 42 mulheres e 21 homens, sem histórico de tratamento ortodôntico. A OHRQoL foi avaliada utilizando a versão brasileira do questionário Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14). A percepção da má oclusão foi avaliada utilizando-se o componente estético do Índice de Complexidade, Resultado e Necessidade (ICON) e o nível socioeconômico foi avaliado com os Critérios de Classificação Econômica do Brasil. A análise estatística foi realizada pelo teste de Mann-Whitney, correlações de Spearman e teste de Wilcoxon, com p<0,05. Resultados : A pontuação média geral e desvio padrão para o OHIP-14 foi de 5,17 (±6,50). Houve fraca correlação entre o componente estético percebido pelos participantes e a avaliação de sua OHRQoL. Apenas os domínios psicológicos (desconforto psicológico e incapacidade psicológica) apresentaram correlações significativas, porém pobres. O sexo e o nível socioeconômico não afetaram a percepção estética da má oclusão e a OHRQoL. Houve diferença significativa entre as avaliações profissionais e dos participantes. Conclusão : Correlações fracas e significativas entre a má-oclusão autopercebida e a OHRQoL foram encontradas em participantes que não procuravam tratamento ortodôntico, onde os maiores impactos foram observados nos domínios desconforto psicológico e incapacidade psicológica. A má-oclusão estética percebida pelos participantes foi significativamente menos relevante do que a avaliação profissional neste grupo estudado.

Multi-locus phylogenetics, lineage sorting, and reticulation in Pinus subsection Australes.

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Both incomplete lineage sorting and reticulation have been proposed as causes of phylogenetic incongruence. Disentangling these factors may be most difficult in long-lived, wind-pollinated plants with large population sizes and weak reproductive barriers. METHODS: We used solution hybridization for targeted enrichment and massive parallel sequencing to characterize low-copy-number nuclear genes and high-copy-number plastomes (Hyb-Seq) in 74 individuals of Pinus subsection Australes, a group of ~30 New World pine species of exceptional ecological and economic importance. We inferred relationships using methods that account for both incomplete lineage sorting and reticulation. KEY RESULTS: Concatenation- and coalescent-based trees inferred from nuclear genes mainly agreed with one another, but they contradicted the plastid DNA tree in recovering the Attenuatae (the California closed-cone pines) and Oocarpae (the egg-cone pines of Mexico and Central America) as monophyletic and the Australes sensu stricto (the southern yellow pines) as paraphyletic to the Oocarpae. The plastid tree featured some relationships that were discordant with morphological and geographic evidence and species limits. Incorporating gene flow into the coalescent analyses better fit the data, but evidence supporting the hypothesis that hybridization explains the non-monophyly of the Attenuatae in the plastid tree was equivocal. CONCLUSIONS: Our analyses document cytonuclear discordance in Pinus subsection Australes. We attribute this discordance to ancient and recent introgression and present a phylogenetic hypothesis in which mostly hierarchical relationships are overlain by gene flow.

Oropouche Virus: Clinical, Epidemiological, and Molecular Aspects of a Neglected Orthobunyavirus.

AbstractOropouche virus (OROV) is an important cause of arboviral illness in Latin American countries, more specifically in the Amazon region of Brazil, Venezuela and Peru, as well as in other countries such as Panama. In the past decades, the clinical, epidemiological, pathological, and molecular aspects of OROV have been published and provide the basis for a better understanding of this important human pathogen. Here, we describe the milestones in a comprehensive review of OROV epidemiology, pathogenesis, and molecular biology, including a description of the first isolation of the virus, the outbreaks during the past six decades, clinical aspects of OROV infection, diagnostic methods, genome and genetic traits, evolution, and viral dispersal.

Isolation of Madre de Dios Virus (Orthobunyavirus; Bunyaviridae), an Oropouche Virus Species Reassortant, from a Monkey in Venezuela.

Oropouche virus (OROV), genus Orthobunyavirus, family Bunyaviridae, is an important cause of human illness in tropical South America. Herein, we report the isolation, complete genome sequence, genetic characterization, and phylogenetic analysis of an OROV species reassortant, Madre de Dios virus (MDDV), obtained from a sick monkey (Cebus olivaceus Schomburgk) collected in a forest near Atapirire, a small rural village located in Anzoategui State, Venezuela. MDDV is one of a growing number of naturally occurring OROV species reassortants isolated in South America and was known previously only from southern Peru.

Histerectomía abdominal en un servicio de cirugía general / Abdominal hysterectomy in a general surgery service

Introducción: la histerectomía abdominal es un proceder quirúrgico de práctica frecuente cuya principal indicación es el fibroma uterino. Consiste en una operación potencialmente complicaciones, en especial las sépticas. Objetivo: describir los resultados obtenidos con la práctica de la histerectomía abdominal en el Servicio de Cirugía General del Hospital Universitario "Amalia Simoni" de Camagüey. Métodos: se realizó estudio descriptivo, longitudinal y retrospectivo de 98 pacientes expuestas a histerectomía abdominal en el mencionado centro hospitalario, desde enero de 2008 hasta diciembre de 2010, de las cuales se escogió una muestra de 91 que cumplían los criterios de inclusión y de exclusión establecidos. Las historias clínicas fueron la fuente de obtención de los datos primarios. Resultados: se obtuvo que el fibroma uterino resultó ser la causa más frecuente para realizar el proceder quirúrgico, no hubo complicaciones peroperatorias, reintervenciones ni mortalidad y la estadía posoperatoria promedio fue corta. Conclusiones: el método clínico resultó de gran valor para diagnosticar el fibroma uterino; asimismo, el hematoma de la herida quirúrgica fue la complicación posoperatoria más común y predominó el diagnóstico histopatológico de fibroleiomioma uterino en correspondencia con el diagnóstico preoperatorio.

Introduction: abdominal hysterectomy is a surgical procedure of frequent practice, which main indication is the uterine fibroma. It consists potentially in a polluted operation, where technical principles should be fulfilled to avoid complications, mainly septic ones. Objective: to describe the results obtained with the practice of the abdominal hysterectomy in the General Surgery Service of "Amalia Simoni" University Hospital in Camagüey. Methods: a descriptive, longitudinal and retrospective study was carried out in 91 female patients who had abdominal hysterectomy in the mentioned hospital, from January, 2008 to December, 2010, who fulfilled the established inclusion and exclusion criteria. The medical records were the source for the primary data. Results: it was obtained that the uterine fibroma turned out to be the most frequent cause to carry out the surgical procedure, there were neither peroperative complications, reinterventions nor mortality and the average posoperative stay was short. Conclusions: the clinical method was of great value to diagnose the uterine fibroma; likewise, the hematoma of the surgical wound was the most common postoperative complication and the histopathological diagnosis of uterine fibroleiomioma prevailed in correspondence to the preoperative diagnosis.

Phylogenetic relationships and species delimitation in pinus section trifoliae inferrred from plastid DNA.

Recent diversification followed by secondary contact and hybridization may explain complex patterns of intra- and interspecific morphological and genetic variation in the North American hard pines (Pinus section Trifoliae), a group of approximately 49 tree species distributed in North and Central America and the Caribbean islands. We concatenated five plastid DNA markers for an average of 3.9 individuals per putative species and assessed the suitability of the five regions as DNA bar codes for species identification, species delimitation, and phylogenetic reconstruction. The ycf1 gene accounted for the greatest proportion of the alignment (46.9%), the greatest proportion of variable sites (74.9%), and the most unique sequences (75 haplotypes). Phylogenetic analysis recovered clades corresponding to subsections Australes, Contortae, and Ponderosae. Sequences for 23 of the 49 species were monophyletic and sequences for another 9 species were paraphyletic. Morphologically similar species within subsections usually grouped together, but there were exceptions consistent with incomplete lineage sorting or introgression. Bayesian relaxed molecular clock analyses indicated that all three subsections diversified relatively recently during the Miocene. The general mixed Yule-coalescent method gave a mixed model estimate of only 22 or 23 evolutionary entities for the plastid sequences, which corresponds to less than half the 49 species recognized based on morphological species assignments. Including more unique haplotypes per species may result in higher estimates, but low mutation rates, recent diversification, and large effective population sizes may limit the effectiveness of this method to detect evolutionary entities.

Diagnóstico rápido de infección por VIH en pacientes con reciente diagnóstico de tuberculosis en el Hospital Arzobispo Loayza / Rapid diagnosis of HIV infection in patients with a recent diagnosis of tuberculosis in the Hospital Arzobispo Loayza

Introducción: El tamizaje VIH en nuestro país se considera en poblaciones con riesgo de infección por VIH e incluye a pacientes con Tuberculosis; este es solicitado por personal de la ESN de Tuberculosis de los Hospitales. Sin embargo, existen diversos factores que dificultan la realización del tamizaje VIH al 100 por ciento cuando se realiza a través de la prueba ELISA-convencional; que abarcan desde la decisión de aceptación/predisposición a la toma de muestra hasta factores psicológicos, sociales y económicos, e incluso miedo a recojo de resultados. Objetivos: Conocer si la prueba rápida VIH en Centros de detección de TBC de nuestro Hospital tiene mayor efectividad y factibilidad de realización en comparación a las pruebas de ELISA VIH convencional. Diseño: Se ha diseñado un estudio retrospectivo observacional. Metodología: Se utilizó pruebas rápidas VIH durante 2 meses en aquellos con diagnóstico reciente de Tuberculosis activa. Se compararon los datos obtenidos con los 2 meses anteriores y posteriores a la utilización de dicha prueba. Resultados: Se incluyó 124 pacientes con reciente diagnóstico de Tuberculosis en los 2 meses de la intervención. 76 pacientes fueron varones. 72 (58.1 por ciento) pacientes tuvieron presentación pulmonar. El inicio con frotis positivo fue 62 por ciento y 38 por ciento iniciaron con BK negativo. El número de pruebas rápidas reactivas para VIH fue 20/124 pacientes. El número de pacientes con diagnóstico de VIH en los dos meses previos fue 23/200 (11.5 por ciento) pacientes y en los dos meses posteriores 21/135 pacientes (15.5 por ciento). La media de tiempo entre el diagnóstico de TBC y la prueba de VIH en los 2 meses previos fue 12.6 días y en los 2 meses posteriores fue 19.6 días. El desconocimiento del estado serológico del paciente con TBC sucedió en 3 pacientes en los dos meses anteriores y en 1 paciente en los dos meses posteriores...

Introduction: The screening HIV in our country is considered in popupations at the risk of infection by HIV and includes patients with Tuberculosis; nevertheless, it is realized in several steps and with a test HIV ELISA 4ta generation. We observed that it exists many factors that impede the accomplishment of the screening HIV to 100 per cent when it is realized across the test ELISA-4ta generation; that they include from the decision of acceptance/predisposition to the test be realized, psychological (False perception of not HIV risk), social and economic factors, the second sample for confirmation, and fear of coming to gather results. Objectives: To know if the rapid test HIV in Centers of TBC's detection of our Hospital has major efficiency and feasibility of accomplishment in comparison to ELISA's tests conventional HIV. Design: there has been designed a retrospective observational analytical study. Methods: I use rapid tests HIV for 2 months in those with recent diagnosis of active Tuberculosis. They were compared in times (days) and in number of patients diagnosed of HIV to the information obtained of Records of the Program HIV and TBC of 2 months prevíous and later to the implementation of the above mentioned test. Results: I included 124 patients with recent diagnosis of Tuberculosis in 2 months of the intervention, 76 patients were males. 72 (58.1 per cent) patients had pulmonary presentation. The beginning with positive smear was 62 per cent and 38 per cent they initiated with negative BK. The number of rapid tests you reactivate for HIV it was a 20/124 patients. The number of patients with diagnosis of HIV in two previous months was a 23/200 patients and in two later months 17/175 patients. The average of time between TBC's diagnosis and the test of HIV in 2 prevíous months was 12.6 days and in 2 later months it was 19.6 days. The time of the rapid test HIV delayed 10 to 15 minutes. The acceptance of the rapid test was 100 per cent in the...

Metastasectomía pulmonar: experiencia de once años / Lung metastasectomy: experience of eleven years

INTRODUCCIÓN. Las metástasis pulmonares son frecuentes tanto en tumores primarios epiteliales como en los mesenquimatosos, y se explican por el hecho de que todo el gasto cardíaco transita por la circulación menor. La indicación quirúrgica es un problema de relación costo-beneficio y está condicionada entre otros aspectos por el intervalo libre de enfermedad, el estado general del paciente, el número de metástasis y el tipo de resección. El objetivo del presente estudio fue presentar nuestra experiencia y resultados con dicho tratamiento. MÉTODOS. Se realizó un estudio descriptivo transversal retrospectivo con 6 pacientes con metástasis en pulmón, tratados en el Hospital Amalia Simoni, de Camagüey, entre 1997 y 2007. Las variables analizadas fueron sexo, edad, histopatología y localización del tumor primario, operación inicial, tiempo transcurrido entre la operación inicial y la metastasectomía, número de metástasis pre y transoperatorias, vía de abordaje, localización de los nódulos, tipo de resección quirúrgica y supervivencia. RESULTADOS. La media de edad fue de 56 años y no hubo diferencias en cuanto al sexo. En tres pacientes las tumoraciones primarias dependían del sistema digestivo, la mayoría fueron nódulos únicos y la lobectomía pulmonar fue el procedimiento más utilizado. La supervivencia promedio fue de 13 meses. No hubo morbilidad importante, ni fallecidos en la serie(AU)

INTRODUCTION. Lung metastases are frequent both in primary epithelial tumors and mesenchymatous tumors due to the fact that the whole cardiac output passes through the minor circulation. The surgical indication is a problem of cost-benefit relationship, and it is conditioned among other aspects by the disease free interval, the general state of the patient, the number of metastases and the type of resection. The objective of this study was to present our experience and results with this treatment. METHODS. A descriptive cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted in 6 patients with lung metastasis treated at Amalia Simoni Hospital in Camaguey between 1997 and 2007. The variables analyzed were sex, age, histopathology and localization of the primary tumor, initial operation, time elapsed between the initial operation and metastasectomy, number of pre- and transoperative metastases, approach route, localization of the nodules, type of surgical resection and survival. RESULTS. Average age was 56 years old and there was no difference as regards sex. The primary tumors depended on the digestive system in 3 patients. Most of them were unique nodules and pulmonary lobectomy was the most used procedure. Average survival was 13 months. No important morbidity was reported and there were no deaths in the series(AU)

Schwannoma benigno de mediastino: a propósito de un caso / Mediastinal bening schwannoma: a propos of a case

Se presenta un caso interesante de una tumoración de mediastino posterior, localizada hacia el hemitórax izquierdo, en una mujer de 50 años de edad que solo refería disnea en los grandes esfuerzos y, con el tiempo, en los medianos. Resultó ser un schwannoma benigno voluminoso, de 15 cm, encapsulado, con áreas quísticas y hemorragia interior, y zonas de tejido blando, de color blanquecino amarillento, con colapso del pulmón. Esta tumoración se asoció a una bulla subpleural del lóbulo inferior del pulmón izquierdo, de 8 cm. El tumor y la bulla fueron estudiados, tratados quirúrgicamente y resecados, a través de una toracotomía vertical axilar izquierda. En la actualidad la paciente se encuentra asintomática.

An interesting case of posterior mediastinal tumor toward the left hemithorax in a 50-year-old female that only referred dyspnea at big efforts and, with the time, at moderate efforts, was presented. It proved to be a voluminous benign encapsulated schwannoma of 15 cm with cystic areas and internal hemorrhage, and zones of whitish yellow soft tissue with lung collapse. This tumor was associated with a subpleural bulla of 8 cm of the lower lobule of the left lung. The tumor and the bulla were studied, surgically treated and resected by left axillary vertical thoracotomy. The patient is asymptomatic at present.

Liposarcoma gigante de mediastino / Giant mediastinal liposarcoma

El liposarcoma es, entre los sarcomas, el tumor maligno de los tejidos blandos más frecuente en el adulto. Se presenta un caso de liposarcoma situado en el mediastino, localización infrecuente, y que resultó ser un liposarcoma bien diferenciado. El paciente fue un hombre de 48 años de edad que ingresa en la Sala de Neumotisiología con disnea y una masa mediastínica situada hacia el hemitórax izquierdo. Se estudió con radiografía de tórax anteroposterior y lateral y, además, con tomografía axial computadorizada. Fue necesaria una toracotomía con urgencia relativa por la agudización del cuadro clínico mediastínico compresivo. La evolución fue buena durante la intervención quirúrgica y después de ella y actualmente ha concluido su tratamiento adyuvante (radioterapia y quimioterapia) y se siente bien(AU)

Liposarcoma is the most frequent malignant soft tissue tumor. This article presented a case of well-differentiated liposarcoma located in the mediastinum, which is a rare location. The patient was a 48 years-old man that was admitted to the pneumothysiology service because he was short of breath and had a mediastinal mass located near left hemithorax. He was studied using anteroposterior and lateral thoracic radiography in addition to computerized tomography. It was necessary to urgently perform thorachotomy due to his acute clinical picture with mediastinal compression. The patient evolved positively during surgery and afterwards; at present, he has finished his adjuvant treatment based on radiotherapy and chemotherapy and he feels good(AU)

Application of Giemsa stain for easy detection of Trichinella spiralis muscle larvae.

The application of Giemsa technique to stain compressed diaphragm samples obtained from rodents experimentally infected with Trichinella spiralis is described. Diaphragm samples from rats heavily infected with 20 muscle larvae per gram of body weight (20 ML/gbw) were cut into several pieces and stained with Giemsa; on the other hand, whole diaphragms from slightly infected mice (1 ML/gbw) were also stained with Giemsa. Besides, muscle samples were also stained with Giemsa. Observation at 10 x magnification revealed that both ML and nurse cells (NC) look as bluish structures clearly contrasting with the pinkish color of the non-infected muscle fibers. NC in the diaphragms of mice could be easily observed at naked eye as blue points contrasting with the pink surrounding areas formed by the non-infected muscle fibers. Among NC observed in the diaphragms of rats infected with 20 ML/gbw, 4.4% was multiple infection. These findings were confirmed in sectioned and hematoxylin-eosin stained specimens. This data could be usefulness for a rapid diagnosis of trichinellosis in post-mortem mammals without magnification procedures.

Newly recognized hantaviruses associated with hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in northern Brazil: partial genetic characterization of viruses and serologic implication of likely reservoirs.

Following the occurrence of the first laboratory-confirmed cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in Maranhao State, Brazil, rodents were trapped and rodent materials screened by ELISA for antibodies to Sin Nombre and Andes hantaviruses. Antibody-positive samples were tested by RT-PCR, amplified products were sequenced, and phylogenetic trees were constructed for comparison with known hantaviruses. From 104 rodent blood samples collected (40 Bolomys lasiurus, 52 Holochilus sciureus, 12 Oligoryzomys fornesi, and one Proechimys guyannensis), 21 (20.2%) were antibody-positive (one B. lasiurus, five O. fornesi, and 15 H. sciureus). Hantavirus RNA was amplified by PCR from two O. fornesi and four H. sciureus. Viral sequencing identified two hantavirus genotypes. The genotype recovered from O. fornesi, is designated herein as Anajatuba (ANAJ) and the genotype recovered from H. sciureus is designated Rio Mearim (RIME). Phylogenetic analysis of a 643-nucleotide region of the N segment showed both viruses to be most closely related (94-96% nucleotide homology) to Río Mamoré virus, a virus associated with Oligoryzomys microtis in Bolivia and Peru, but not found in northern Brazil. O. fornesi was frequently captured in and around human dwellings. H. sciureus, is a semi-aquatic rodent captured only in remote areas rarely frequented by humans.