Extracellular vesicles as potential tools for regenerative therapy.

Small extracellular vesicles released by fibroblasts from young human donors diminish lipid peroxidation in senescent cells and in different old mice organs due to their enrichment in Glutathione-S-transferase Mu lipid antioxidant activity.

Increasing the probability of selecting chromosomally normal embryos by time-lapse morphokinetics analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To study the differences in the cleavage time between chromosomally normal and abnormal embryos and to elaborate an algorithm to increase the probability of noninvasively selecting chromosomally normal embryos. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: University-affiliated infertility center. PATIENT(S): Preimplantation genetic screening patients (n = 125; n = 77 with ET), including cases of repeated implantation failure or recurrent miscarriage. A total of 504 embryos were analyzed. INTERVENTION(S): Embryo culture within a time-lapse system. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Kinetic variables included the time to 2 (t2), 3 (t3), 4 (t4), and 5 (t5) cells as well as the length of the second (cc2 = t3 - t2) and third (cc3 = t5 - t3) cell cycle, the synchrony in the division from 2 to 4 cells (s2 = t4 - t3), and the interval t5 - t2. Implantation and clinical pregnancy rates were also analyzed. RESULT(S): A logistic regression analysis identified t5 - t2 (odds ratio [OR] = 2.853; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.763-4.616), followed by cc3 (OR = 2.095; 95% CI, 1.356-3.238) as the most relevant variables related to normal chromosomal content. On the basis of these results, an algorithm for embryo selection is proposed to classify embryos from A to D. Each category exhibited significant differences in the percentage of normal embryos (A, 35.9%; B, 26.4%; C, 12.1%; D, 9.8%). CONCLUSION(S): Chromosomally normal and abnormal embryos have different kinetic behavior. On the basis of these differences, the proposed algorithm serves as a tool to classify embryos and to increase the probability of noninvasively selecting normal embryos.

Corynebacterium striatum: an emerging nosocomial drug-resistant endocardial pathogen.

Endocarditis due to Corynebacterium striatum has been rarely reported. A 78-year-old patient developed pacemaker endocarditis caused by multidrug-resistant C. striatum, complicated by vertebral osteomyelitis and epidural abscess. Daptomycin therapy successfully eradicated the bacteremia and metastatic infection. A review of the English literature on this emerging nosocomial, multidrug-resistant pathogen is included.

Diagnóstico de la infección por Chlamydia trachomatis en un centro de diagnóstico y prevención de infecciones de transmisión sexual: evaluación de los exudados cervicales, uretrales y rectales mediante técnica de PCR / Diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in a clinic for sexually transmitted disease: Evaluation of cervical, urethral and rectal swab samples by polymerase chain reaction

Introducción. Se analizaron las características clínicas y epidemiológicas de la infección por Chlamydia trachomatis en pacientes del Control de las Infecciones de Transmisión Sexual (CITS) de Sevilla y el diagnóstico microbiológico de la misma en distintos tipos de muestras. Material y métodos. Entre los años 2002-2004 estudiamos 3.854 pacientes el 50,8% fueron mujeres y el 49,2% hombres, con una edad media de 30,1 años. El 54,9% de los pacientes atendidos pertenecían a grupos con prácticas sexuales de riesgo: 47% mujeres que ejercen la prostitución, 45% hombres que tienen sexo con otros hombres (HSH), 4% usuarios de la prostitución, 4% heterosexuales promiscuos, 2,7% parejas en riesgo y 2,2% usuarios de drogas por vía parenteral (UDVP). Analizamos un total de 5.978 muestras de exudados: 2.384 cervicales, 2.645 uretrales y 949 rectales de pacientes HSH, por técnica de reacción en cadena de la polimerasa con el sistema COBAS Amplicor. Resultados. La prevalencia de la infección por C. trachomatis fue del 6% (4,3% en la mujer y 7,8% en el hombre). Detectamos C. trachomatis en el 51,2% de las mujeres y el 70,5% de los hombres con factores de prácticas sexuales de riesgo, el 73,8% de las mujeres y el 36,9% de los hombres fueron asintomáticas. Los exudados cervicales, uretrales y rectales fueron positivos en el 4, 4,9 y 4,3%, respectivamente. Conclusiones. Toma de muestras sistemática para la detección de C. trachomatis en pacientes sintomáticos o asintomáticos, con prácticas sexuales de riesgo así como la realización de controles periódicos y seguimiento de contactos, para detección precoz de infecciones de transmisión sexual. El estudio del exudado rectal es importante en pacientes HSH (AU)

Introduction. The aim of this study is to analyze the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in patients attended in a clinic for sexually transmitted disease in Seville (Spain). Microbiological diagnosis was performed in various types of samples. Material and methods. The study included 3854 patients (50.8% women and 49.2% men, mean age 30.1 years) seen from 2002 to 2004. Among the total, 50% belonged to groups engaging in high risk sexual practices: female commercial sex workers (CSWs) (47%), men who maintain sexual relationships with other men (MSM) (45%), users of prostitution (4%), promiscuous heterosexual men (4%), those with a risk partner (2.7%) and injection drug users (IDU) (2.2%). We analyzed a total of 5978 samples (2384 cervical exudates, 2645 urethral exudates and 949 rectal exudates), for the detection of C. trachomatis by PCR technique with the COBAS Amplicor CT System. Results. Prevalence of C. trachomatis infection was 6% (4.3% in women and 7.8% in men). Among the total in women, 51.2% of positive samples were from women with high-risk sex factors and 73.8% of the women were asymptomatic. In men, the proportions were 70.5% and 36.9%, respectively. Cervical, urethral and rectal exudates yielded positive results in 4%, 4.9% and 4.3%, respectively. Conclusions. Systematic sampling for C. trachomatis detection is necessary in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients practicing high-risk sex; periodic follow-up studies are also needed for early detection of sexually transmitted infection. Rectal sample collection is important for detecting this infection in MSM and in patients whose sexual habits make it advisable (AU)