Association between exercise training in haemodialysis patients and burden of their family caregivers: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: Considering that exercise programmes are related with a range of benefits for end-stage renal disease patients, we evaluated the association between haemodialysis (HD) patients' involvement in intradialytic exercise training with the burden of their family caregivers. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 60 caregivers of HD patients were recruited, 30 of them who cared for patients that regularly participated in an exercise programme during dialysis sessions and 30 caregivers who looked after patients undergoing usual HD treatment without intradialytic exercise. The caregivers were submitted to the Caregiver Burden Scale (CBS) and their quality of life (short-form-36 (SF-36)), anxiety and depression levels were assessed. Data were expressed as mean ± SD or median (interquartile range). RESULTS: Multiple linear regression showed that the global CBS score was significantly associated with the exercise training after adjusting for age, educational level and anxiety level of caregivers, and dependency level of patients measured by the Lawton scale (coefficient of determination = 0.53; adjusted coefficient of determination = 0.48). Additionally, the caregivers of HD patients submitted to intradialytic exercise (42.0 ± 12.9 years, 33.3% male) compared to caregivers of patients undergoing usual treatment (50.7 ± 17.5 years, 26.7% male) exhibited less caregiver burden (global CBS score = 1.2 (0.2) vs 1.9 (0.7), P < 0.001), better quality of life (physical component score = 53.7 (9.6) vs 49.7 (16.2) and mental component score = 50.6 (17.5) vs 28.2 (32.5), P < 0.05) and lower anxiety (7.2 ± 4.2 vs 10.8 ± 4.1, P = 0.001) and depression levels (3.0 (3.3) vs 6.0 (5.3), P = 0.034), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Intradialytic exercise training in HD patients was associated with lower burden of their family caregivers.

In vitro culture and characterization of putative porcine embryonic germ cells derived from domestic breeds and Yucatan mini pig embryos at Days 20-24 of gestation.

Embryonic germ cells (EGC) are cultured pluripotent cells derived from primordial germ cells (PGC). This study explored the possibility of establishing porcine EGC from domestic breeds and Yucatan mini pigs using embryos at Days 17-24 of gestation. In vitro culture of PGC from both pooled and individual embryos resulted in the successful derivation of putative EGC lines from Days 20 to 24 with high efficiency. RT-PCR showed that gene expression among all 31 obtained cell lines was very similar, and only minor changes were detected during in vitro passaging of the cells. Genome-wide RNA-Seq expression profiling showed no expression of the core pluripotency markers OCT4, SOX2, and NANOG, although most other pluripotency genes were expressed at levels comparable to those of mouse embryonic stem cells (ESC). Moreover, germ-specific genes such as BLIMP1 retained their expression. Functional annotation clustering of the gene expression pattern of the putative EGC suggests partial differentiation toward endo/mesodermal lineages. The putative EGC were able to form embryoid bodies in suspension culture and to differentiate into epithelial-like, mesenchymal-like, and neuronal-like cells. However, their injection into immunodeficient mice did not result in teratoma formation. Our results suggest that the PGC-derived cells described in this study are EGC-like, but seem to be multipotent rather than pluripotent cells. Nevertheless, the thorough characterization of these cells in this study, and especially the identification of various genes and pathways involved in pluripotency by RNA-Seq, will serve as a rich resource for further derivation of porcine EGC.

[Ultrasonographic diagnosis of tumors of the gastrointestinal tract]. / Diagnóstico ultrasonográfico de las tumoraciones del tracto gastrointestinal.

The sonographic findings in 51 tumours of the gastro-intestinal tract are presented. In 30 instances, ultrasound was the first diagnostic technique employed and it suggested the final diagnosis which was confirmed by radiology and/or endoscopy including a definitive histological diagnosis.

[Conjoined twins. Report of two cases (author's transl)]. / Gemelos monocigóticos unidos. Aportación de dos nuevos casos.

This work is basically a clinical, radiological and anatomopathological study of two new cases of biaxial, thoracopagus, omphalopagus, conjoined monozygotic twins. Necropsy shows a single heart, diaphragm, liver and umbilical cord in both cases. Ethiopathogenical theories are analyzed, and a simplified classification is established according to the type of union and shared area.

[Congenital aplasia cutis (author's transl)]. / Aplasia congénita de cutis.

A newborn with aplasia cutis congenita is presented. The lesions involved the scalp and were symmetrical in trunk and lower extremities. Histologically there was a slightly epidermal flattening with disappearance of dermal papillae, and absence of elastic fibers and epidermal appendages. There was no evidence of either associated anomalies or familiar history of skin defects. The lesions, treated locally with antiseptics and antibiotics, healed with scarring in two-three months, and one year later were covered by a thin layer of skin devoid of hair in scalp.

[Congenital syphilis (author's transl)]. / Sífilis congénita. A propósito de 11 observaciones.

Authors present a study on eleven patients affected with congenital syphillis treated during the last six years. All of them presented bone lesions in one or more locations. Familiar antecedents, mechanism of infection, clinical symptoms and radiological findings are analized, emphasizing the importance of prophylaxis and early treatment with procaine penicillin in a dosage of 50,000 U./Kg. day for at least ten days.