Efficacy of low-dose intravenous cyclophosphamide in systemic lupus erythematosus presenting with Guillain-Barre syndrome-like acute axonal neuropathies: report of two cases.

There are few cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), particularly of atypical variants, occurring in association with systemic lupus erythematous (SLE). Reports addressing a specific therapy thus remain almost anecdotal. It is therefore challenging to determine the treatment that is best suited for this subset of patients, especially if initial conventional therapy for GBS fails. We present two cases of GBS-like acute axonal neuropathies, one with acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN), and another with acute motor sensory axonal neuropathy (AMSAN), presenting early in the course of SLE. The first case failed to respond to therapy with intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) and plasmapheresis, but achieved a favorable outcome when high-dose glucocorticoids along with low-dose intravenous (IV) cyclophosphamide pulses were given. The second case responded favorably to high-dose glucocorticoids, IVIG, and low-dose IV cyclophosphamide pulses. Both patients have remained in clinical remission and without neurologic sequelae after 10 and three years of follow-up, respectively.

Enanismo tanatofórico: presentación de un caso / Thanatophoric dwarfism: a case report

El enanismo o displasia tanatofórica constituye una malformación rara del sistema esquelético que raras veces supera la etapa prenatal. Aunque se puede presentar clínicamente de dos formas diferentes, algunas alteraciones como las costillas cortas y horizontalizadas, las deformidades del tórax y los fémures cortos y encorvados son coincidentes. Se presenta un caso diagnosticado en el Centro Municipal de Genética de la Isla de la Juventud (Cuba) en el año 2010, durante la etapa prenatal y previo asesoramiento genético a los padres, se procedió a interrumpir el embarazo. Los patólogos confirmaron el diagnóstico (AU)

Thanatophoric dwarfism or dysplasia constitutes a rare malformation of the skeletal system that usually causes prenatal demise. Although there are two clinical forms, some alterations such as short and horizontal ribs, deformities of the thorax and short, curved femurs usually occur together. We describe a case of thanatophoric dwarfism prenatally diagnosed in the Municipal Center of Genetics of the Isle of Youth (Cuba). The parents were given genetic counselling and decided to interrupt the pregnancy. The diagnosis was confirmed by pathological analysis (AU)

Effect of two insecticides and two herbicides on the porcine sperm motility patterns using computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA) in vitro.

The recent decline in sperm concentration observed in men has developed over a short period of time, suggesting that it could be the result of environmental factors. The present study has evaluated the effects of insecticides Malathion and Diazinon, and herbicides Atrazine and Fenoxaprop-Ethyl on porcine sperm viability and motility patterns in vitro using the eosin-nigrosin staining and a computer-assisted semen analyzer (CASA), respectively. Malathion and Fenoxaprop-Ethyl exerted more deleterious effects than Diazinon and Atrazine. Progressive sperm motility was strongly affected whereas the effect on sperm viability was less pronounced. This suggests that a reduction of sperm motility is not necessarily the result of sperm death. Since sperm motility is dependent on energy metabolism the mechanism of action of these pesticides might be mediated at the level of the mitochondrion, producing a delay in motility and eventual cell death.

Maximal aerobic capacity across age in healthy Hispanic and Caucasian women.

We tested the hypothesis that the age-related decline in maximal aerobic capacity, as measured by maximal oxygen uptake (VO(2 max)), is greater in Hispanic than in Caucasian women. We studied 146 healthy sedentary women aged 20-75 yr: 53 Hispanic (primarily of Mexican descent) and 93 Caucasian (non-Hispanic white). The groups did not differ in mean age, body mass, percent body fat, estimated physical activity-related energy expenditure, or education-based socioeconomic status (SES). During maximal exercise, respiratory exchange ratio, rating of perceived exertion, and percent predicted maximal heart rate were similar across age and ethnicity, suggesting equivalent maximum voluntary efforts in all subjects. VO(2 max) (ml x kg(-1) x min(-1)) was inversely related to age (P < 0.01) in Caucasian (r =-0.68) and Hispanic (r = -0.61) women. The absolute rate of decline in VO(2 max) with age was the same in the two groups (-0.31 ml x kg(-1) x min(-1) x yr(-1)). The relative rate of decline (% from age 25 yr) also was similar in the Caucasian (-9.0%) and Hispanic (-9.2%) women. When subjects of all ages were pooled, mean levels of VO(2 max) were similar in the two groups (approximately 28 ml x kg(-1) x min(-1)). These results, the first to our knowledge in Hispanics, indicate that mean levels of VO(2 max), as well as the rate of decline in VO(2 max) with age, are similar in healthy sedentary Hispanic and Caucasian women of similar SES. Thus it does not appear that Hispanic ethnicity per se modulates maximal aerobic capacity in this population.

Total and regional body composition across age in healthy Hispanic and white women of similar socioeconomic status.

BACKGROUND: Indirect measures of body composition suggest that Hispanic women have an excess prevalence of overweight and obesity compared with white women. Socioeconomic status (SES) is a potentially confounding factor in such studies. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to determine whether Hispanic ethnicity is associated with higher total and regional adiposity and lower fat-free mass (FFM) in healthy women across the adult age range. DESIGN: We used a prospective cross-sectional design to examine total and regional body composition in 54 Hispanic women (primarily of Mexican descent) and 56 white women of similar SES. RESULTS: The groups were not significantly different in mean age, body mass, or SES, although the Hispanic women were shorter (P<0.05). Body mass index (in kg/m(2); 25.2+/-0.5 compared with 23.9+/-0.5; P<0.05), percentage body fat (38.4+/-0.8% compared with 34.9+/-1.3%; P<0.05), and total fat mass (25.0+/-1.0 compared with 23.0+/-1.2 kg; P = 0.10) were or tended to be higher in the Hispanic women. The greater total adiposity of the Hispanic women was primarily the result of higher percentage fat and fat mass in the trunk (P<0.05); within the trunk region, abdominal and subscapular skinfold thicknesses were 30-40% greater in the Hispanic women (P<0.01). Total FFM was slightly but significantly lower in the Hispanic women (38.9+/-0.6 compared with 40.9+/-0.6 kg; P = 0.01), primarily because of a smaller FFM in the trunk region (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Among healthy women, Hispanic (Mexican American) ethnicity may be associated with modestly higher levels of adiposity and slightly lower amounts of FFM overall and in the trunk region in particular.

Age-related declines in knee extensor strength and physical performance in healthy Hispanic and Caucasian women.

Hispanic women may undergo greater age-related reductions in physical functional capacity compared with Caucasian women. If so, a greater rate of decline in muscle strength with age could contribute. We tested this hypothesis in 82 healthy sedentary Caucasian (n = 37) and Hispanic (n = 45) adult women aged 21-78 years of similar socioeconomic status. Absolute one-repetition maximum (1-RM) strength of the knee extensors (KE) declined with advancing age in the Caucasian (r = -.55, p < .01) and Hispanic (r = -.45, p < .01) women; the rates of decline were similar in the two groups (-7% to 8% x decade(-1), p = .60). KE strength normalized for thigh fat-free mass (FFM) also declined with age in the Caucasian (r = .52, p < .01) and Hispanic (r = -.41, p < .01) women, the rates of decline being similar (-6% to 7% x decade(-1), p = .66). For all functional performance tasks (10-m walk, stair ascent, stair descent, and chair stand), performance time increased with advancing age (mean of four tasks vs age: Caucasian, r = .64, p < .01; Hispanic, r = .56, p < .01). Absolute and normalized KE 1-RM were inversely related to the mean time for the four performance tasks (r = -.34 to -.58, all p < .01). Normalized KE 1-RM was the best independent predictor of the age-related decline in task performance in both groups. These cross-sectional findings do not support the hypothesis that Hispanic ethnicity per se is associated with a greater decline in KE strength and performance tasks associated with KE strength in healthy women.