Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction in Stool Detects Transmission of Strongyloides stercoralis from an Infected Donor to Solid Organ Transplant Recipients.

Solid organ transplant recipients can acquire Strongyloides stercoralis from an infected donor. The diagnosis of S. stercoralis in immunocompromised individuals may be challenging due to a lower sensitivity of available parasitological and serological methods, compared with immunocompetent individuals. Recently, a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in stool has been developed for S. stercoralis diagnosis. We report two cases of S. stercoralis infection transmitted by a donor to two solid organ transplant recipients, who were diagnosed with RT-PCR in stool. This test could play an important role inS. stercoralis diagnosis in immunosuppressed patients, facilitating rapid treatment initiation and reducing the risk of severe strongyloidiasis. Adherence to current recommendations of screening among donors and recipients from endemic areas is also urgently needed.

Germination of Medicago sativa is inhibited by soluble compounds in cement dust.

Deposition of cement dust on soils and plant surfaces is known to affect plant growth and the species composition of plant communities, but little is known about its effects (and those of its pH and constituents) on germination. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the toxicity of an aqueous cement extract, constituents of the extract and pH on the germination of seeds of a selected species, Medicago sativa. First, the effects of the extract were tested in assays with concentrations and exposure durations ranging from 0 to 1.0 g/mL and 4 to 96 h, respectively. At 0.8 g/mL, the extract strongly inhibited germination; a 4-h exposure reduced the germination rate, from 77 ± 1.8 to 50 ± 2.6% (mean ± SE), while 8-h exposure completely inhibited it. Further, treatment at this concentration killed the non-germinating seeds, thus the inhibition was due to toxic effects. Neither the pH of the extract nor the concentration of its main soluble elements separately (K, Ca, S, Na, or Cr) caused the toxicity since germination rates were not significantly reduced when these variables were tested individually. However, a mixture of the elements in solution reduced germination rates, suggesting that they have adverse synergistic effects.

Presente y futuro de la donación y trasplante de órganos: ¿nos enfrentamos a la crisis del «Modelo Español»? / Present and future of organ donation and transplantation: are we confronting a crisis in the “Spanish Model”?

La donación y trasplante de órganos se enfrenta a nuevos escenarios que pueden inducir la crisis del llamado «Modelo Español». El descenso de los accidentes de tráfico; las campañas de prevención de los factores de riesgo cardiovascular; la mejoría en el tratamiento médico y quirúrgico del paciente neurocrítico; la aplicación de protocolos de «limitación del tratamiento de soporte vital» al final de la vida; el control del ingreso de pacientes sin pronóstico vital en Urgencias; la actuación precoz desde los Servicios de Emergencia extrahospitalarias en el manejo de los pacientes isquémicos con la implementación de protocolos desde la creación de los «códigos infarto agudo de miocardio» o las Unidades de Ictus; son factores que pueden causar descenso de la potencialidad de donación con la consiguiente pérdida del liderazgo mundial si no se produce un proceso de reinvención por parte de las instituciones y del personal involucrado a pesar de las circunstancias médicas y socioeconómicas actuales(AU)

New challenges confronting the process of organ donation and transplantation could lead to a crisis situation in the so called “Spanish Model”. The reduction in traffic accidents; better campaigns to prevent cardiovascular risk factors; improvement in the medical and surgical approach of neurocritical patients; application of protocols for withdrawal of therapeutic efforts together with a restricted hospitalization of patients without vital prognosis performed in Emergency Departments; better acute management of ischaemic patients in extra-hospital emergencies, together with the development of Acute Myocardial Infarction and Stroke Units, are all factors that could have a negative impact in potential organ donors and threaten Spain‘s leadership if the institutions and personnel involved do not work to reinvent the process by confronting the medical and socioeconomic circumstances(AU)