Evaluation of the susceptibility of Tritrichomonas foetus to extracts of Lantana camara (Verbenaceae) by flow cytometry.

Bovine Trichomonosis (BT), a sexually transmitted disease endemic in countries with extensive cattle farming and natural service, is one of the most common causes of reproductive failure. 5-nitroimidazoles and their derivatives are used for its treatment, mainly metronidazole. The emergence of drug resistance mechanisms and treatment failures raise the need to investigate the effectiveness of new active compounds that contribute to parasite control. In this regard, extracts of Lantana camara (Verbenacea) have shown high biocidal potential against isolates of Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania braziliensis in vitro assays, although their effect on Tritrichomonas foetus has not been demonstrated yet. The available information on in vitro susceptibility of trichomonicidal drugs comes from the use of a diversity of methodologies and criteria, especially the observation of parasite motility under the optical microscope to assess their viability. Recently, in our laboratory, the use of flow cytometry has been described for the first time as a rapid and efficient method to evaluate the viability of T. foetus against metronidazole. The present study aimed to evaluate the cytostatic effect of L. camara extracts against T. foetus isolates by flow cytometry. Under aerobic conditions, IC50 values of 22.60 µg/mL were obtained on average. Under anaerobic conditions, the IC50 oscilated around 29.04 µg/mL. The results obtained allowed describing the susceptibility exhibited by these protozoa, being a valuable information for the development of potential BT treatments.

Kissing stent management of stenosis of two branches of left renal artery bifurcation: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Secondary hypertension accounts for 5% of all cases of hypertension. Renal artery stenosis is one of the common causes of secondary hypertension. Atherosclerosis and fibromuscular dysplasia are the commonest types of stenosis associated with renal vascular hypertension, with the former accounting for 70-80% of all cases and the latter accounting for 10% of the incidence. The greatest incidence atherosclerosis is in men over the age of 40 years, mostly affecting the proximal part of the renal arteries, whereas fibromuscular dysplasia affects women ranging in age from 30 to 50 years. Currently, possible treatments are medical treatment using blood pressure-lowering drugs, balloon angioplasty with or without stent insertion, and surgery to reconstruct the artery. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of a 46-year-old Asian woman with stenosis of two branches of renal artery bifurcation treated by percutaneous balloon dilatation and stenting of both branches after referral to our department for a renal angiogram following 8 months of uncontrolled hypertension despite receiving medications. Initially, the patient presented with severe headache and fatigue. She was a known nonsmoker, was not diabetic, and had no history of diabetes in her family. She had no history of atherosclerosis. Apart from high blood pressure, the result of her physical examination was unremarkable. Laboratory investigations revealed normal serum cholesterol, lipid profile, and serum creatinine. She had been attending a hypertension clinic and receiving antihypertensive drugs for the past 8 months on a regular basis under close observation. Despite this treatment and care, her blood pressure remained high at 175/110 mmHg, which the attending doctor concluded to be uncontrolled blood pressure. Initial imaging indicated left renal artery stenosis, and the patient was referred to our department. CONCLUSIONS: For patients with uncontrolled hypertension despite receiving medications, renal Doppler ultrasound should be included in the diagnostic workup for secondary hypertension. Once renal artery stenosis is suspected, renal angiography is highly recommended because the technique is able to accurately diagnose stenosis in the branch arteries, unlike computed tomographic angiography and magnetic resonance angiography. Percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty is the treatment of choice for renal artery stenosis in patients with renovascular hypertension or renal dysfunction.

Some aspects of the synchronization in coupled maps.

We numerically study the synchronization behavior of a coupled map lattice consisting of a chain of chaotic logistic maps exhibiting power law interactions. We report two main results. First, we find a practical lower bound in the lattice size in order that this system could be considered in the thermodynamic limit in numerical simulations. Second, we observe the existence of a strong correlation between the Lyapunov dimension and the averaged synchronization time.

Lupus eritematoso sistemico asociado a mucinosis papulonodular / Lupus erythematosus systemic associated with a papulonodular mucinosis

Presentamos el caso de una paciente de raza negra, sexo femenino, oriunda de Brasil, de 43 años con Lupus Eritematoso Discoide localizado en cuero cabelludo, pabellón auricular y en paladar. En el curso de esta enfermedad agrega una mucinosis papuloonodular en tronco. Histológicamente las lesiones se caracterizan por depósito difuso de mucina en la dermis, con infiltrado inflamatorio característico de Lupus Eritematoso y sin cambios típicos en la epidermis. A los dos años, presentó cambios clínico-patológicos y de laboratorio con los cuales se diagnosticó un LES, acompañado de Mucinosis Papulonodular en tronco y miembros inferiores(AU)

Lupus eritematoso sistemico asociado a mucinosis papulonodular / Lupus erythematosus systemic associated with a papulonodular mucinosis

Presentamos el caso de una paciente de raza negra, sexo femenino, oriunda de Brasil, de 43 años con Lupus Eritematoso Discoide localizado en cuero cabelludo, pabellón auricular y en paladar. En el curso de esta enfermedad agrega una mucinosis papuloonodular en tronco. Histológicamente las lesiones se caracterizan por depósito difuso de mucina en la dermis, con infiltrado inflamatorio característico de Lupus Eritematoso y sin cambios típicos en la epidermis. A los dos años, presentó cambios clínico-patológicos y de laboratorio con los cuales se diagnosticó un LES, acompañado de Mucinosis Papulonodular en tronco y miembros inferiores

Clinical, cytogenetic, and molecular testing of Argentine patients with retinoblastoma.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to determine the clinical, chromosomal, and molecular characteristics of Argentine patients with unilateral and bilateral retinoblastoma. STUDY DESIGN: Eighty-six patients belonging to 82 families were studied; 59% of them were examined during the first year of life. Leukocoria was the most common reason for consultation. Other presenting signs were strabismus and glaucoma. Enucleation of the affected eye was performed in 85% of the cases and the complication rate was 13%. RESULTS: An appropriate therapy allowed the survival of 84 of the 86 patients. Two children with malformations and growth retardation had an abnormal karyotype with a deletion in 13q14. Segregation analysis of polymorphic sites within the retinoblastoma gene and the parental origin of the allele lost in the tumor were analyzed in 30 of the 82 families. Five mutant alleles transmitted through the germline and six de novo germline mutant alleles were identified in 12 patients with hereditary retinoblastoma. Most de novo germline mutant alleles were paternally derived. Molecular analysis of nonhereditary retinoblastoma showed loss of heterozygosity in three of eight cases. From these, two maternal alleles and one paternal allele were lost, thus not indicating a significant difference in the parental origin for the lost allele. CONCLUSIONS: These data are useful for deoxyribonucleic acid diagnosis of susceptibility to retinoblastoma in relatives of hereditary patients, even if mutations have not been identified.