Variaciones de las células de cuadrícula y de posicionamiento de la corteza entorrinal y del giro dentado de 6 humanos de 56 a 87 años / Variations of the grid and place cells in the entorhinal cortex and dentate gyrus of 6 individuals aged 56 to 87 years

Introducción: La relación entre la corteza entorrinal y el hipocampo ha sido estudiada por diferentes autores, que han destacado la importancia de las células de cuadrícula, las células de posicionamiento y la conexión trisináptica en los procesos que regulan: la persistencia de la memoria espacial, explícita y reciente, y su posible afección con el envejecimiento. Objetivo: Observar si existen diferencias en el tamaño y número de células de cuadrícula contenidas en la lámina iii de la corteza entorrinal y en la capa granular del giro dentado del hipocampo de pacientes mayores. Métodos: Realizamos estudios posmortem del cerebro de 6 sujetos de edades comprendidas entre los 56 y 87 años. Los cortes de cerebros que contenían el giro dentado del hipocampo y la corteza entorrinal adyacente se tiñeron con el método de Klüver-Barrera, después se midió, mediante el programa Image J, el área neuronal individual, el área neuronal total, así como el número de neuronas, contenidas en cuadrículas rectangulares a nivel de la lámina iii de la corteza entorrinal y la lámina ii del giro dentado y se llevó a cabo un análisis estadístico. Resultados: Se ha observado una reducción de la población celular de la capa piramidal externa de la corteza entorrinal, así como de las neuronas de la capa granular del giro dentado relacionada con el envejecimiento. Conclusión: Nuestros resultados indican que el envejecimiento produce una disminución en el tamaño y la densidad neuronal en las células de cuadrícula de la corteza entorrinal y de posicionamiento del giro dentado.(AU)

Introduction: The relationship between the entorhinal cortex and the hippocampus has been studied by different authors, who have highlighted the importance of grid cells, place cells, and the trisynaptic circuit in the processes that they regulate: the persistence of spatial, explicit, and recent memory and their possible impairment with ageing. Objective: We aimed to determine whether older age causes changes in the size and number of grid cells contained in layer III of the entorhinal cortex and in the granular layer of the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. Methods: We conducted post-mortem studies of the brains of 6 individuals aged 56-87 years. The brain sections containing the dentate gyrus and the adjacent entorhinal cortex were stained according to the Klüver-Barrera method, then the Image J software was used to measure the individual neuronal area, the total neuronal area, and the number of neurons contained in rectangular areas in layer III of the entorhinal cortex and layer II of the dentate gyrus. Statistical analysis was subsequently performed. Results: We observed an age-related reduction in the cell population of the external pyramidal layer of the entorhinal cortex, and in the number of neurons in the granular layer of the dentate gyrus. Conclusion: Our results indicate that ageing causes a decrease in the size and density of grid cells of the entorhinal cortex and place cells of the dentate gyrus.(AU)

Variations of the grid and place cells in the entorhinal cortex and dentate gyrus of 6 individuals aged 56 to 87 years.

INTRODUCTION: The relationship between the entorhinal cortex (EC) and the hippocampus has been studied by different authors, who have highlighted the importance of grid cells, place cells, and the trisynaptic circuit in the processes that they regulate: the persistence of spatial, explicit, and recent memory and their possible impairment with ageing. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine whether older age causes changes in the size and number of grid cells contained in layer III of the EC and in the granular layer of the dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus. METHODS: We conducted post-mortem studies of the brains of 6 individuals aged 56-87 years. The brain sections containing the DG and the adjacent EC were stained according to the Klüver-Barrera method, then the ImageJ software was used to measure the individual neuronal area, the total neuronal area, and the number of neurons contained in rectangular areas in layer III of the EC and layer II of the DG. Statistical analysis was subsequently performed. RESULTS: We observed an age-related reduction in the cell population of the external pyramidal layer of the EC, and in the number of neurons in the granular layer of the DG. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that ageing causes a decrease in the size and density of grid cells of the EC and place cells of the DG.

Accessible interferometric autocorrelator for noise-like pulses based on a Fabry-Perot cavity.

In this work, we develop experimentally a Fabry-Perot fiber optic interferometer applied to the measurement of autocorrelation of complex dynamic pulses generated by a figure-eight fiber laser. The principle is based in the superposition of multiple pulses, which requires two partially reflecting flat surfaces in parallel, resulting in a simple and compact autocorrelator design. The autocorrelation trace obtained exhibits a typical double-scaled structure for noise-like pulses (NLPs), with an ultrashort coherence spur on the order of 100 fs riding upon a broad pedestal of 120 ps. Finally, we show experimentally that the developed Fabry-Perot device is able to measure accurately the autocorrelation of NLPs, as confirmed by comparing the measurement with that of a conventional autocorrelator scheme based on a Michelson interferometer, with the additional advantages of a more compact setup and a much easier alignment procedure compared to the latter.

Variations of the grid and place cells in the entorhinal cortex and dentate gyrus of 6 individuals aged 56 to 87 years. / Variaciones de las células de cuadrícula y de posicionamiento de la corteza entorrinal y del giro dentado de 6 humanos de 56 a 87 años.

INTRODUCTION: The relationship between the entorhinal cortex and the hippocampus has been studied by different authors, who have highlighted the importance of grid cells, place cells, and the trisynaptic circuit in the processes that they regulate: the persistence of spatial, explicit, and recent memory and their possible impairment with ageing. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine whether older age causes changes in the size and number of grid cells contained in layer III of the entorhinal cortex and in the granular layer of the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. METHODS: We conducted post-mortem studies of the brains of 6 individuals aged 56-87 years. The brain sections containing the dentate gyrus and the adjacent entorhinal cortex were stained according to the Klüver-Barrera method, then the Image J software was used to measure the individual neuronal area, the total neuronal area, and the number of neurons contained in rectangular areas in layer III of the entorhinal cortex and layer II of the dentate gyrus. Statistical analysis was subsequently performed. RESULTS: We observed an age-related reduction in the cell population of the external pyramidal layer of the entorhinal cortex, and in the number of neurons in the granular layer of the dentate gyrus. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that ageing causes a decrease in the size and density of grid cells of the entorhinal cortex and place cells of the dentate gyrus.

Low-pressure and liquid level fiber-optic sensor based on polymeric Fabry-Perot cavity.

An experimental study of the interaction between a Mylar® polymer film and a multimode fiber-optic is presented for the simultaneous fiber-optic detection of low-pressure and liquid levels. The junction between the polymer and optical fiber produces an interference spectrum with maximal visibility and free spectral range around 9 dB and 31 nm, respectively. Water pressure, which is controlled by the liquid level, stresses the polymer. As a result, the spectrum wavelength shifts to the blue region, achieving high sensitivities around 2.49 nm/kPa and 24.5 nm/m. The polymeric membrane was analyzed using a finite element model; according to the results, the polymer shows linear stress response. Furthermore, the membrane material is operated below the yielding point. Moreover, the finite analysis provides information about the stress effect over the thickness and the birefringence changes. This sensor exhibits a quadratic polynomial fitting with an adjusted R-squared of 0.9539. The proposed sensing setup offers a cost-effective alternative for liquid level and low-pressure detection.

Dataset on water-glycerol flow in a horizontal pipeline with and without leaks.

The dataset presented in this article was collected in a laboratory flow circuit, which was designed to investigate high-viscosity flows. The data set is composed of 1200 s (equivalent to 12,000 samples) of mass flow and pressure measurements taken at five points along the pipeline. The first 300 s were recorded when the flow in the loop was composed only of glycerol. The remaining data were acquired when the flow was composed of a water-glycerol mixture. During the data acquisition, two extractions were produced. The research reported in [1] uses 160 s of the data provided here. This article explains in detail the experimental set-up and the principal instruments used for obtaining the dataset. The dataset is in the form of seven columns: Time, Mass Flow, Pressure 1, Pressure 2, Pressure 3, Pressure 4, Pressure 5, in supplementary Excel and Matlab files.

Numerical study of complex dynamics and extreme events within noise-like pulses from an erbium figure-eight laser.

Some complex dissipative dynamics associated with the noise-like pulse (NLP) regime of a passively mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser are studied numerically. By means of a convenient 3D mapping of the spatio-temporal pulse evolution, for properly chosen dispersion parameters, several puzzling dissipative dynamics of NLPs are identified, including the expelling of sub-packets that move away from the main bunch, the sudden extinction of isolated sub-pulses, the collision between different internal fragments travelling at different speeds, the rising of sub-pulses, the formation of complex trajectories by substructures that first move away and then return to the main bunch, and so on. In addition, the emergence of optical rogue waves (ORWs) within NLPs is also demonstrated numerically; to help understand these behaviors evidenced in the time domain, spectral analyzes were also performed that show, among other things, that the spectrum of a NLP is notoriously distorted when it hosts an ORW phenomenon. These numerical results are consistent with previously published experimental results.

Gain-driven spectral-temporal noise-like pulse dynamics in a passively mode-locked fiber laser.

We study numerically complex noise-like pulse dynamics in a passively mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser. Wavelength-dependent gain dynamics is modeled as a combination of a three-level and a four-level system, which approximate the gain behavior in the 1530-nm and 1560-nm regions, respectively. The typical deformation of the erbium gain spectrum as it saturates is properly reproduced by this approach. Several puzzling noise-like pulse dynamics that were recently observed experimentally are qualitatively reproduced numerically, in particular slow quasi-periodic energy variations and the emergence and walkoff of wavelength-shifted radiation components. These results clearly reveal that gain dynamics is deeply involved in the onset of such complex temporal and spectral instabilities in these sources.

Simultaneous temporal and spectral analysis of noise-like pulses in a mode-locked figure-eight fiber laser.

We present an experimental study of complex noise-like pulse dynamics in a passively mode-locked figure-eight fiber laser, by performing simultaneous temporal and spectral mapping of the waveform sequences. The simultaneous measurements allow us to relate temporal and spectral events. We found in particular that the evolution of energy and of temporal features such as the number and width of the wave packets is correlated to spectral variations, namely of the central wavelength and bandwidth of the instantaneous spectrum. The simultaneous temporal and spectral measurements also allowed a substantial improvement in the precision of the latter, which was performed using the dispersive Fourier transform method. In particular, this enhanced precision allowed measuring the subtle spectral differences between the two laser outputs and tracking their evolution over the cycles, providing crucial information that allowed to determine the physical phenomena involved in the observed dynamics.

Design shielding assessment for a nuclear medicine service / Evaluación del diseño de blindaje de un servicio de medicina nuclear

Abstract It is recognized worldwide that the security of radioactive substances is very important and that the design of facilities where these sources are used and stored must cater for the implementation of good security measures, including the shielding of some treatment and diagnostic rooms. The radiation protection assessment of a nuclear medicine facility consists of the evaluation of the annual effective dose both to workers occupationally exposed and to members of the public. This assessment take into account the radionuclides involved, the facility features, the working procedures, the expected number of patients per year, the administered activity, the distribution of rooms, the thickness and physical materials of walls, floors and ceilings and so on. The assessment results were compared to the design requirements established by the Cuban regulatory body in order to determine whether or not, the nuclear medicine facility complies with those requirements, both for workers and for members of the public. The work presented is useful for facility designer that uses unsealed radionuclides and for the regulatory body.

Resumen A nivel mundial se reconoce que la seguridad de las sustancias radiactivas es muy importante y que el diseño de las instalaciones, donde se utilizan y almacenan las mismas, tienen que implementar medidas de seguridad adecuadas, incluyendo el blindaje de algunos locales de tratamiento y diagnóstico. La evaluación de la protección radiológica de una instalación de medicina nuclear consiste en la determinación de la dosis efectiva anual, tanto para los trabajadores ocupacionalmente expuestos a las radiaciones como para los miembros del público. Esta evaluación tuvo en consideración los radionúclidos involucrados, las características de la instalación, los procedimientos de trabajo, la cantidad de pacientes que se espera tratar o diagnosticar por año, la actividad administrada, la distribución de los locales y el espesor de los materiales empleados en las paredes, pisos y techo, entre otros. Los resultados obtenidos de la evaluación fueron comparados con los requerimientos de diseño establecidos por el órgano regulador cubano para determinar si cumplen o no con tales requerimientos para los trabajadores expuestos y miembros del público. El trabajo presentado resulta útil para diseñadores de instalaciones que utilizan sustancias abiertas y para el órgano regulador.

[Leucocyte esterase as a reliable diagnostic, cost-effective and fast in knee infections]. / Esterasa leucocitaria como prueba diagnóstica eficaz, económica y rápida ante un proceso infeccioso articular de rodilla.

BACKGROUND: The articular infection represents a challenge due to its complexity and its devastating effect when not treated promptly. We have various diagnostic studies: cultures, ESR, CRP, count of leukocytes, among others but none is specific, it takes more than 30 minutes to complete and require complex infrastructure. In this study we determine the sensitivity and specificity of the leukocyte esterase for detection of an infectious process joint in Mexican population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From November 2015 to April 2016 was obtained synovial fluid from patients with diagnosis of knee infection with or without implant and without infection with degenerative pathology of the knee. It assessed the sample through the COMBI-SCREEN 11SYS leukocyte esterase with reading colorimetric test at two minutes determining positive for infection: two crosses, the remainder of the sample was sent to culture. RESULTS: We perform the test in 64 samples of synovial fluid of knee joint 19 diagnosed with infection and 45 without infection. Was obtained a sensitivity 100%, specificity of 88.24%, PPV 68.42% and PNV 100%, kappa index 0.753 using the program IBM SPSS Statistics 22, Python ver. 2.7. CONCLUSIONS: Leukocyte esterase is a fast, economical and effective to detect an infectious process against one inflammatory with high probability of success. This study showed an index of concordance 0.753 Kappa, proving to be reproducible so recommend be implemented in the emergency department at the national level.

ANTECEDENTES: La infección articular es un reto ortopédico por la complejidad diagnóstica y sus efectos devastadores al no tratarse oportunamente. Se cuenta con diversos estudios de diagnóstico: cultivo, VSG, PCR, conteo de leucocitos, entre otros, pero ninguno es preciso, tardan más de 30 minutos en realizarse y requieren una infraestructura compleja. En este estudio se determina la sensibilidad y especificidad de la esterasa leucocitaria para la detección de un proceso infeccioso articular en población mexicana. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: de Noviembre de 2015 a Abril de 2016 se obtuvo líquido sinovial de pacientes con diagnóstico de infección articular con o sin implante y sin infección con patología degenerativa de rodilla. Se evaluó la muestra mediante el test de esterasa leucocitaria COMBI-SCREEN 11SYS con lectura colorimétrica a los dos minutos, determinando positivo para infección: dos cruces, el resto de la muestra fue enviado a cultivo. RESULTADOS: Se aplicó el test a 64 muestras de líquido sinovial de rodilla, 19 diagnosticadas con infección articular y 45 sin infección. Se obtuvo una sensibilidad 100%, especificidad 88.24% VPP 68.42% y VPN 100%, índice de concordancia kappa 0.753 mediante el programa IBM SPSS Statistics 22, Python versión 2.7. CONCLUSIONES: La esterasa leucocitaria es una prueba rápida, económica y eficaz para detectar un proceso infeccioso contra un proceso inflamatorio con alta probabilidad de acierto. Este estudio presentó un índice de concordancia kappa de 0.753, demostrando ser reproducible, por lo que se recomienda implementarse en los servicios de urgencias a nivel nacional.

Digestive proteases and in vitro protein digestibility of feed ingredients for the Central American river turtle, Dermatemys mawii.

Functional characteristics of digestive proteases and in vitro digestibility of several protein sources were studied in hatchlings of Central American river turtles, Dermatemys mawii. Acidic and alkaline proteases from the stomach and intestines were used, and optimums for acidic proteases were registered at 55°C and pH 2, while alkaline proteases were found at 55°C and pH 9. Ten protein ingredients, both vegetable and animal sources, were explored by the pH-STAT method, only for alkaline proteases. The degree of hydrolysis was at its highest for squid meal and lowest for blood meal, while the total free amino acids level was at its highest for squid meal, and lowest for wheat gluten meal. Our results indicate that D. mawii has a broad capacity to digest both animal and vegetable sources, and suggests some ingredients more suitable to design artificial diets for this species.

Evaluación de resultados tras la implantación de un protocolo de fibrinólisis extrahospitalaria en zonas rurales / Outcomes evaluation after the implementation of a pre-hospital thrombolysis protocol in rural areas

Introducción. El objetivo es evaluar los resultados del protocolo en 3 dispositivos móviles de cuidados críticos y urgencias rurales, así como los retrasos y estrategias de reperfusión empleadas en el síndrome coronario agudo con elevación del segmento ST. Material y métodos. Estudio de cohortes retrospectivo (n=52) con control histórico (n=20) de los síndromes coronarios agudos con elevación del segmento ST atendidos. Se revisaron los informes de los dispositivos móviles de cuidados críticos y urgencias y de alta hospitalaria, la historia informatizada y el registro ARIAM, recogiendo características epidemiológicas y clínicas, datos de la asistencia, reperfusión, intervalos temporales y mortalidad. Resultados. Las características de ambos grupos no difieren significativamente. Aumentó la concordancia diagnóstica de los dispositivos móviles de cuidados críticos y urgencias-hospital (85,3 versus 76,9%), sin significación estadística. Hubo un uso similar de nitroglicerina, mórficos y AAS; aumento significativo (p<0,0001) de clopidogrel/prasugrel (55 versus 90,4%) y enoxaparina/fondaparinux (35 versus 76,9%), así como de fibrinólisis prehospitalaria (5 versus 30,8%, p<0,03), que se aplica en<2h al 71,4%, con un tiempo puerta-aguja de 40min, mientras la fibrinólisis hospitalaria y la angioplastia primaria se realizan a partir de la tercera hora (p<0,01). Los retrasos se asocian a la demora del paciente (p<0,02). Aumenta más la estrategia farmacoinvasiva (62,5 versus 84,6%) que la angioplastia primaria (15 versus 17,3%), disminuyendo la fibrinólisis hospitalaria (35 versus 19,2%), todas ellas sin significación estadística. Las complicaciones son similares, disminuyendo la mortalidad al año (p<0,67). Conclusiones. El protocolo es efectivo, seguro, fiable, reduce las demoras y mejora la atención prehospitalaria. La estrategia farmacoinvasiva es una opción válida (AU)

Introduction. The aim is to evaluate the outcomes obtained from the implementation of a pre-hospital thrombolysis protocol in 3 rural emergency care teams, as well as delays and strategies of reperfusion applied in the treatment of the ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Material and methods. Retrospective cohort study (n=52) with historical control (n=20) of the patients assisted for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Medical emergency care teams, hospital, computerized medical history and ARIAM register reports were revised, obtaining epidemiological and clinical features, off-hospital management, reperfusion, time intervals and mortality. Results. The baseline features in both groups were not significantly different. There was a non-significant improvement of emergency care teams-hospital diagnostic concordance (85.3 versus 76.9%). We found a similar use of nitroglycerin, morphine and aspirin; significant increase (P<0.0001) of clopidogrel/prasugrel (55 versus 90.4%) and enoxaparin/fondaparinux (35 versus 76.9%), as well as pre-hospital thrombolysis (5 versus 30,8%, P<0.03), that was applied within the first 2h to 71.4%, with a median door-needle of 40min, whereas in-hospital thrombolysis and primary angioplasty were performed after 3h from the symptoms onset (P<0.01). Delays are associated with the patient's own lateness (P<0.02). Pharmaco-invasive strategy increases (62.5 versus 84.6%) more than primary angioplasty (15 versus 17.3%), reducing in-hospital thrombolysis (35 versus 19.2%), all of them non-significant. Complications are similar and one-year mortality is reduced (P<0.67). Conclusions. The protocol is effective, safe, and reliable. It reduces delays and improves pre-hospital attention. The pharmaco-invasive strategy is a valid option (AU)

Complex dynamics of a fiber laser in non-stationary pulsed operation.

Conventional mode locking is characterized by the generation of a stable train of optical pulses. Even in the noise-like pulsing regime of fiber lasers, sometimes described as partial mode locking, a periodic train of waveforms is still generated. In this work we study the dynamics of a figure-eight fiber laser away from the stable noise-like pulsing regime. By analyzing sequences of time-domain measurements performed with ns resolution, we reveal a wide range of puzzling dynamics, in which sub-structures emerge and drift away from the main bunch, decay or grow in a step-like manner, before vanishing abruptly. In some cases, sub-packets also concentrate in the central part of the period, forming one or multiple wide clouds that merge or split over time scales of seconds or minutes. Spontaneous transitions between these multiple states occur in a non-periodic manner, so that no quasi-stationary behavior is found over long time scales. These results provide a dramatic illustration of the extremely rich dynamics taking place in fiber lasers at the frontier of mode locking.

High energy noise-like pulsing in a double-clad Er/Yb figure-of-eight fiber laser.

In this work, we study a 215-m-long figure-of-eight fiber laser including a double-clad erbium-ytterbium fiber and a nonlinear optical loop mirror based on nonlinear polarization evolution. For proper adjustments, self-starting passive mode-locking is obtained. Measurements show that the mode-locked pulses actually are noise-like pulses, by analyzing the autocorrelation, scope traces and the very broad and flat spectrum extending over a record bandwidth of more than 200 nm, beyond the 1750 nm upper wavelength limit of the optical spectrum analyzer. Noise-like pulsing was observed for moderate and high pump power preserving the same behavior, reaching pulse energies as high as 300 nJ, with pulse durations of a few tens of ns and a coherence length in the order of 1 ps. Stable fundamental mode locking as well as harmonic mode locking up to the 6th order were observed. The bandwidth was further extended to more than 450 nm when a 100-m piece of highly nonlinear fiber was inserted at the laser output. The enhanced performances obtained compared to other similar schemes could be related to the absence of a polarizer in the present setup, so that the state of polarization along the cavity is no longer restricted.

[Outcomes evaluation after the implementation of a pre-hospital thrombolysis protocol in rural areas]. / Evaluación de resultados tras la implantación de un protocolo de fibrinólisis extrahospitalaria en zonas rurales.

INTRODUCTION: The aim is to evaluate the outcomes obtained from the implementation of a pre-hospital thrombolysis protocol in 3 rural emergency care teams, as well as delays and strategies of reperfusion applied in the treatment of the ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective cohort study (n=52) with historical control (n=20) of the patients assisted for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Medical emergency care teams, hospital, computerized medical history and ARIAM register reports were revised, obtaining epidemiological and clinical features, off-hospital management, reperfusion, time intervals and mortality. RESULTS: The baseline features in both groups were not significantly different. There was a non-significant improvement of emergency care teams-hospital diagnostic concordance (85.3 versus 76.9%). We found a similar use of nitroglycerin, morphine and aspirin; significant increase (P<0.0001) of clopidogrel/prasugrel (55 versus 90.4%) and enoxaparin/fondaparinux (35 versus 76.9%), as well as pre-hospital thrombolysis (5 versus 30,8%, P<0.03), that was applied within the first 2h to 71.4%, with a median door-needle of 40min, whereas in-hospital thrombolysis and primary angioplasty were performed after 3h from the symptoms onset (P<0.01). Delays are associated with the patient's own lateness (P<0.02). Pharmaco-invasive strategy increases (62.5 versus 84.6%) more than primary angioplasty (15 versus 17.3%), reducing in-hospital thrombolysis (35 versus 19.2%), all of them non-significant. Complications are similar and one-year mortality is reduced (P<0.67). CONCLUSIONS: The protocol is effective, safe, and reliable. It reduces delays and improves pre-hospital attention. The pharmaco-invasive strategy is a valid option.

[Leukocyte esterase as a diagnostic tool for an infectious disease of the knee]. / Esterasa leucocitaria como prueba diagnóstica ante un proceso infeccioso articular de rodilla.

BACKGROUND: Articular infection is an orthopedic challenge due to its difficult diagnosis and devastating results. Various diagnostic studies exist: culture, ESR, CRP, count of leukocytes, among others, but none is specific, they all take more than 30 minutes to complete, and require complex infrastructure. In this study, we determine the sensitivity and specificity of the leukocyte esterase for detection of an infectious process joint in Mexican population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: During November 2015 to April 2016, we obtained synovial fluid from two groups of patients: one with a diagnosis of synovial joint infection with or without implant, and the control group, without infection but with degenerative pathology of the knee. We evaluated the sample using the leukocyte esterase test COMBI-SCREEN 11SYS with colorimetric reading at two minutes; two crosses determined positive for infection; the remainder of the sample was sent for culture. RESULTS: We performed the test in 64 samples of synovial fluid, 19 diagnosed with articular infection and 45 without it. We obtained a sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 88.24%, PPV of 68.42%, and NPV of 100%; Kappa index of .753. CONCLUSIONS: Leukocyte esterase is an effective test to detect an infectious process against an inflammatory one with a high probability of success. This study presented an index of agreement Kappa of 0.753, proving to be reproducible.

ANTECEDENTES: La infección articular es un reto ortopédico por su complejidad diagnóstica y efectos devastadores al no tratarse oportunamente. Contamos con diversos estudios de diagnóstico: cultivo, VSG, PCR, conteo de leucocitos, entre otros, pero ninguno es preciso, tardan más de 30 minutos en realizarse y requieren de infraestructura compleja. En este estudio determinamos la sensibilidad y especificidad de la esterasa leucocitaria para la detección de un proceso infeccioso articular en población mexicana. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Durante Noviembre de 2015 a Abril de 2016, se obtuvo líquido sinovial de pacientes con diagnóstico de infección articular con o sin implante, y de otros sin infección, con patología degenerativa de rodilla. Se evaluó la muestra mediante el test de esterasa leucocitaria COMBI-SCREEN 11SYS con lectura colorimétrica a los dos minutos; se determinó positivo para infección con dos cruces; el resto de la muestra fue enviado a cultivo. RESULTADOS: Realizamos el test en 64 muestras de líquido sinovial de rodilla, 19 diagnosticadas con infección articular y 45 sin infección. Se obtuvo una sensibilidad de 100%, especificidad de 88.24%, VPP de 68.42% y VPN de 100%; índice de Kappa de .753. CONCLUSIONES: La esterasa leucocitaria es una prueba eficaz para detectar un proceso infeccioso contra uno inflamatorio con alta probabilidad de acierto. Este estudio presentó un índice de concordancia Kappa de 0.753, con lo que demostró ser reproducible, por lo que recomendamos implementarlo en los servicios de urgencias a nivel nacional.

Dynamics of noise-like pulsing at sub-ns scale in a passively mode-locked fiber laser.

We report an original noise-like pulse dynamics observed in a figure-eight fiber laser, in which fragments are continually released from a main waveform that circulates in the cavity. Particularly, we report two representative cases of the dynamics: in the first case the released fragments drift away from the main bunch and decay over a fraction of the round-trip time, and then vanish suddenly; in the second case, the sub-packets drift without decaying over the complete cavity round-trip time, until they eventually merge again with the main waveform. The most intriguing result is that these fragments, as well as the main waveform, are formed of units with sub-ns duration and roughly the same energy.

Effects of ambient temperature on energy and nitrogen utilization in lipopolysaccharide-challenged growing pigs.

High ambient temperature impacts feed intake, growth, and nutrient utilization in pigs. However, little is known on its effects on immune function and, therefore, on how or if it could modulate the utilization of nutrients in pigs exposed to an inflammatory challenge. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of high ambient temperature on energy and nitrogen utilization in pigs submitted to repeated injections of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Twenty-eight catheterized and pair-housed female pigs (55 kg BW) were assigned to 1 of the 2 thermal conditions: thermoneutrality (TN, 24°C) or high ambient temperature (HT, 30°C). Within each condition, pigs had a 2-wk adaptation period in climatic-controlled rooms and then were transferred to open-circuit respiration chambers. Pigs remained in respiration chambers for a period of 18 d, which was divided into a 7-d period without LPS (baseline) and a subsequent 11-d period with LPS administration (LPSperiod). The interaction between ambient temperature and period was not significant for most of the traits studied. At baseline, pigs kept at HT had lower ADFI (1,500 vs. 2,003 g/d; P < 0.01) and ADG (449 vs. 684 g/d; P = 0.01) and similar nutrient digestibility compared with those kept at TN. Pigs kept at HT also consumed less ME (1,651 vs. 2,170 kJ · kg BW(-0.60) · d(-1); P = 0.01) and produced less heat (1,146 vs. 1,365 kJ · kg BW(-0.60) · d(-1); P < 0.01) than those kept at TN. Furthermore, HT pigs retained less protein and fat than TN pigs (-61 and -57 g/d, respectively; P < 0.01 and P = 0.01). The LPS challenge reduced (P < 0.01) nitrogen (-13.7 and -7.4 g/d) and ME intake (-594 and -335 kJ · kg BW(-0.60) · d(-1)) in TN and HT conditions, respectively; fecal digestibility of nutrients was not affected by LPS. During the LPSperiod, total heat production (HP) was decreased (P < 0.01) in both TN and HT groups (-190 and -104 kJ · kg BW(-0.60) · d(-1), respectively), in connection with the lower short-term thermic effect of feeding (P = 0.01) and resting HP (P < 0.01). In addition, the LPS induced a reduction in protein (P < 0.01) and fat deposition (P = 0.01) in pigs kept at TN (-79 and -73 g/d, respectively) and at HT (-41 and -44 g/d, respectively). In conclusion, our study confirms that high temperature reduces feed intake, growth performance, and HP. Moreover, our results evidence that irrespective of thermal condition, an inflammatory LPS challenge affects energy utilization through changes in ME intake and maintenance requirements.

Manejo extrahospitalario de los pacientes atendidos por dolor torácico en tres dispositivos móviles de cuidados críticos y urgencias / Prehospital management of patients with chest pain by 3 mobile intensive care units

Objetivos: Existen escasos estudios sobre el manejo del dolor torácico (DT) por los equipos móviles (EM) de emergencias en zonas rurales. Se investiga el perfil de los pacientes atendidos, la capacidad resolutiva de los dispositivos de cuidados críticos y urgencias (DCCU), la aplicación de las medidas recomendadas, la pertinencia de las derivaciones y la concordancia diagnóstica con el servicio de urgencias del hospital (SUH).Método: Estudio observacional retrospectivo de las asistencias por DT por los DCCU del Distrito Sanitario Guadalquivir (Córdoba), desde junio 2009 hasta junio 2010. Se revisó los informes de asistencia de los EM junto con la historia clínica informatizada de cada paciente, y se recogieron datos demográficos y factores de riesgo cardiovascular(FRCV); variables de la actuación del DCCU (tiempo de asistencia y llegada al SUH, probabilidad de cardiopatía isquémica –CI–, diagnóstico, tratamientos administrados, lugar de derivación, medio de traslado) y datos sobre la resolución del caso (destinotras valoración en el SUH, concordancia diagnóstica, realización de fibrinolisis y eventos posteriores en los pacientes no derivados).Resultados: De los 278 casos (media 72 años) un 55% eran hombres. Las mujeres eran mayores, con más hipertensión arterial y menos tabaquismo. El tiempo de asistencia fue 9,7 minutos y el de llegada al SUH fue de 93,1. El 59,7% presentó baja probabilidad de CI, y el 83,2% se (..) (UA)

Objectives: Few studies have examined management by of patients with chest pain mobile intensive care units in rural areas. We sought to establish the characteristics of patients attended; analyze the ability of mobile intensive care units to resolve the emergency; and assess the application of recommendations, appropriateness of transfer destinations, and agreement with diagnoses made in the hospital emergency department. Methods: Retrospective observational study of chest pain emergencies attended by the mobile intensive care units of the Guadalquivir health care district in Cordoba, Spain, between June 2009 and June 2010. We reviewed emergency care reports from the mobile units and the computerized medical history for each patient, collecting general patient data and cardiovascular risk factors. The following emergency care variables were collected: time until arrival on the scene of the emergency and time from the emergency scene until arrival at the hospital, probability of ischemic heart disease, diagnosis, treatments, referrals and transfer decisions, and unit providing transport. The following information regarding resolution of the emergency was also recorded: destination after evaluation in the hospital emergency department, diagnostic agreement, application of fibrinolysis, and subsequent events in patients not referred for further care. Results: A total of 278 cases were attended; the mean age was 72.12 years, and 55% were men. Women were older, the prevalence of arterial hypertension was higher in women, and fewer were smokers. Time until provision of emergency care (..) (AU)