Expresión de ARNm de hTERT en orina como herramienta diagnóstica útil en cáncer de vejiga. Comparación con citología y NMP22 BladderCheck Test(R) / hTERT mRNA expression in urine as a useful diagnostic tool in bladder cancer. Comparison with cytology and NMP22 BladderCheck Test(R)

Introducción: El objetivo fue estudiar la relación entre la determinación cuantitativa de ARNm (hTERT) en pacientes con tumor vesical, antecedentes de tumor vesical y en sujetos sin antecedentes de esta neoplasia. Material y métodos: Se trata de un estudio prospectivo, aleatorizado y controlado con 91 sujetos incluidos. El valor de ARNm-hTERTN se determinó en 63 pacientes con antecedentes o sospecha de tumor vesical y en 28 controles. Se enviaron muestras de orina para evaluar el nivel de ARNm (hTERT), el estudio citológico y el resultado de NMP22. Resultados: Se observaron diferencias en los niveles medios de hTERTN en cada uno de los grupos: presencia de tumor 21,33 + /- 40,66, antecedente del tumor 2,16 +/ - 2,67, controles 0,9+/- 1, 75 (p < 0,001). En pacientes con tumor, no hubo diferencias en los niveles medios de hTERTN entre los diferentes grados y estadios, aunque hubo una tendencia: tumor de bajo grado 9,04 +/- 16,95, grado alto 28,95+/- 48,36 (p = 0,069), estadio Ta 10,33 +/- 19,39, T1 17,88 +/- 27,14, T2 54,8 +/- 74,05 (p = 0,056). Además, la sensibilidad de hTERTN fue superior a la de otras pruebas (76%), aunque la especificidad y los valores predictivos positivos y negativos fueron mejores para la citología (94%, 88,4% y 72,3% respectivamente) y NMP22 (88%, 80,6% y 73,3% respectivamente). Conclusiones: Los niveles de mRNA de hTERTN en la orina fueron más altos en pacientes con tumores vesicales en comparación con pacientes con antecedentes de tumor de vejiga y con cistoscopia negativa, así como en el grupo de control. Esta determinación mostró un mayor rendimiento diagnóstico en comparación con la detección de NMP22 y citología urinaria

Introduction: To study the relationship between quantitative mRNA determination (hTERT) in patients with bladder tumor, history of bladder tumor, and in subjects without a history of this neoplasia. Material and methods: A prospective randomized controlled study with 91 subjects included. The value of mRNA-hTERTN was determined in 63 patients with a history or suspicion of bladder tumor and in 28 controls. Urine samples were sent for evaluation of the mRNA level (hTERT), the cytological study and the NMP22 result. Results: Differences were observed in mean hTERTN levels in each of the groups: tumor presence 21.33+/- 40.66, tumor history 2.16 +/- 2.67, controls 0.9 +/- 1, 75 (p < 0.001). In patients with tumor, there was no difference in mean hTERTN levels between the different grades and stages, although there was a tendency: low grade tumor 9.04 +/- 16.95, high grade 28.95 +/- 48.36 (p = .069), stage Ta 10.33+/- 19.39, T1 17.88 +/- 27.14, T2 54.8 +/- 74.05 (p = .056). In addition, the sensitivity of hTERTN was superior to that of other test (76%), although specificity and positive and negative predictive values were better for cytology (94%, 88.4% and 72.3% respectively) and NMP22 (88%, 80.6% and 73.3% respectively). Conclusions: hTERTN mRNA levels in urine were higher in patients with bladder tumors compared to patients with a history of bladder tumor and with negative cystoscopy, as well as in the control group. This determination showed a higher diagnostic yield compared with the detection of NMP22 and urinary cytology

hTERT mRNA expression in urine as a useful diagnostic tool in bladder cancer. Comparison with cytology and NMP22 BladderCheck Test®. / Expresión de ARNm de hTERT en orina como herramienta diagnóstica útil en cáncer de vejiga. Comparación con citología y NMP22 BladderCheck Test®.

INTRODUCTION: To study the relationship between quantitative mRNA determination (hTERT) in patients with bladder tumor, history of bladder tumor, and in subjects without a history of this neoplasia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective randomized controlled study with 91 subjects included. The value of mRNA-hTERTN was determined in 63 patients with a history or suspicion of bladder tumor and in 28 controls. Urine samples were sent for evaluation of the mRNA level (hTERT), the cytological study and the NMP22 result. RESULTS: Differences were observed in mean hTERTN levels in each of the groups: tumor presence 21.33+/- 40.66, tumor history 2.16+/- 2.67, controls 0.9+/- 1, 75 (p<0.001). In patients with tumor, there was no difference in mean hTERTN levels between the different grades and stages, although there was a tendency: low grade tumor 9.04+/- 16.95, high grade 28.95+/- 48.36 (p=.069), stage Ta 10.33+/- 19.39, T1 17.88+/- 27.14, T2 54.8+/- 74.05 (p=.056). In addition, the sensitivity of hTERTN was superior to that of other test (76%), although specificity and positive and negative predictive values were better for cytology (94%, 88.4% and 72.3% respectively) and NMP22 (88%, 80.6% and 73.3% respectively). CONCLUSIONS: hTERTN mRNA levels in urine were higher in patients with bladder tumors compared to patients with a history of bladder tumor and with negative cystoscopy, as well as in the control group. This determination showed a higher diagnostic yield compared with the detection of NMP22 and urinary cytology.

Age and gender differences in Clostridium difficile-related hospitalization trends in Madrid (Spain) over a 12-year period.

This study aimed to analyze temporal trends by gender and age in Clostridium difficile infection (CDI)-related hospitalization rates in the Autonomous Community of Madrid (Spain) over a 12-year period. A population-based cross-sectional study of all hospital admissions with a CDI diagnosis from 2003 to 2014 was carried out. Annual age-specific hospitalization rates were calculated by gender. All the analyses were performed separately for total hospitalizations and hospitalizations with CDI as the primary diagnosis. Joinpoint regression models were used to analyze time trends. A total of 13,526 hospital discharges were identified (26.8 % with CDI as the primary diagnosis). In both sexes, a gradient in age-specific rates was observed, ranging in 2014 from 5.92 hospitalizations per 100,000 person-years in patients <15 years of age to 378.96 in patients ≥85 years of age. Since 2009, in the age group of 15-44 years, both men and women presented an increasing trend of around 18 %. A significantly increasing trend was detected in women of age 45-84 years, with an estimated annual percentage of change of 7.6 % in the age group of 45-64 years, and rounding with 4.5 % in the age group of 65-84 years. In men of age 45-64 years, the average annual percentage of increase was 4.7 %, and it was 21.1 % between 2010 and 2014 in the age group of 65-74 years. No trends were identified in the 85 years and over age group. Surveillance methods to assess trends by age group should be implemented. Preventive and therapeutic initiatives should remain a priority.

Pharmacogenetic study of ABCB1 and CYP3A5 genes during the first year following heart transplantation regarding tacrolimus or cyclosporine levels.

Pharmacogenetics explains part of the interindividual variability in drug responses. Many published works about the effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on immunosuppressive drug blood levels present contradictory results. We evaluated the SNPs in ABCB1 (glycoprotein P) and CYP3A5 (metabolic enzyme) genes, seeking correlate them with tacrolimus or cyclosporine levels during the first year after heart transplantation. One blood sample was obtained from each of 41 patients: 26 treated with cyclosporine and 15 with tacrolimus. We characterize the SNPs rs1045642, 1128503, 2032582, 2235013, 2235033, 2229109, 3213619, 9282564 in ABCB1 and rs10264272, 776746 in CYP3A5 genes using the Sequenom platform. The genotype was correlated with the trough drug blood levels corrected by dose and body weight (C(0)/(dose/weight)). The CYP3A5 SNPs showed the expected behavior, where patients carrying the low expression variants displayed higher drug blood levels of more than 100% of the normal expression variant level even at 1 year posttransplantation. To correlate ABCB1 SNPs, the variants described to cause higher blood levels in rs1045642, 1128503, 2032582 (in linkage disequilibrium) showed this effect only until 4 months posttransplantation among patients treated with cyclosporine (more than 100% higher than the other variant). After 1 year, concentrations reached a stable phase with normal levels. The observation was not so evident among those treated with tacrolimus. Remarkably, at this point, patients treated with cyclosporine, showed a significant (P < .01) difference between the two variants of rs9282564 and even if it was not significant there was also a tendency among the intronic rs2235013 and 2235033. The results indicated that SNPs in ABCB1 gene seem to not be relevant for long-term dose adjustment in patients, but to show an effect during the first 4 months.

Distributed sequence alignment applications for the public computing architecture.

The public computer architecture shows promise as a platform for solving fundamental problems in bioinformatics such as global gene sequence alignment and data mining with tools such as the basic local alignment search tool (BLAST). Our implementation of these two problems on the Berkeley open infrastructure for network computing (BOINC) platform demonstrates a runtime reduction factor of 1.15 for sequence alignment and 16.76 for BLAST. While the runtime reduction factor of the global gene sequence alignment application is modest, this value is based on a theoretical sequential runtime extrapolated from the calculation of a smaller problem. Because this runtime is extrapolated from running the calculation in memory, the theoretical sequential runtime would require 37.3 GB of memory on a single system. With this in mind, the BOINC implementation not only offers the reduced runtime, but also the aggregation of the available memory of all participant nodes. If an actual sequential run of the problem were compared, a more drastic reduction in the runtime would be seen due to an additional secondary storage I/O overhead for a practical system. Despite the limitations of the public computer architecture, most notably in communication overhead, it represents a practical platform for grid- and cluster-scale bioinformatics computations today and shows great potential for future implementations.

[Multiple evanescent white-dot syndrome: bilateralization four years later]. / Síndrome múltiples puntos blancos evanescentes: bilateralización cuatro años después.

PURPOSE/METHOD: To report a clinical case of a 26-year old woman with Multiple Evanescent White-dot Syndrome (MEWDS) in left eye with recurrence in the fellow eye four year later, therefore bilateral and asynchronous. We review the clinical findings and the results of ancillary diagnostic techniques in both eyes. CLINICAL CASE/CONCLUSIONS: MEWDS is an uncommon inflammatory disorder with a benign course. The recurrences and the bilaterality are not usual. The affectation pattern in the fellow eye is similar to initial lesions seen four years earlier.

Síndrome múltiples puntos blancos evanescentes: bilateralización cuatro años después / Multiple evanescent white-dot syndrome: bilateralization four years later

Objetivo/Métodos: Presentar un caso clínico de una paciente mujer de 26 años con síndrome de múltiples puntos blancos evanescentes (SMPBE) en el ojo izquierdo que recurrió en el ojo adelfo a los cuatro años, por tanto bilateral y asincrónico. Hacemos una revisión de los hallazgos clínicos y de los resultados de las exploraciones diagnósticas complementarias en ambos ojos. Resultados/Conclusiones: El SMPBE es una patología inflamatoria infrecuente de curso benigno. Las recurrencias y la bilateralidad no son frecuentes. El patrón de afectación en el ojo congénere es similar a las lesiones iniciales constatadas en el primer ojo hace cuatro años (AU)

Two cases of feline visceral and cutaneous leishmaniosis in Spain.

This paper describes clinical signs and lesions in two cases of leishmaniosis--one visceral and one cutaneous in the cat (Felis catus domesticus). The diagnosis was achieved by a combination of serology, light and electron microscopic studies. The vague nature of the clinical signs observed in both cases was particularly striking, and clinical features were similar to many other diseases commonly found in cats. Therefore, the use of various investigations to detect leishmaniosis (serum chemistry, serology and histopathology) is highly recommended in cases where clinical signs do not respond to conventional treatment.

Effects of different subchronic treatments with lindane on some brush border enzymes in rat jejunum.

Subchronic lindane (gamma-HCH) intoxication by oral or s.c. injection over 7 and 15 days, induced a significant inhibition in rat jejunum maltase activity when the pesticide was administered at doses of 20 mg/kg b. wt. However, maltase levels remained unaffected in those animals injected with 10 mg/kg of lindane. A longer period of s.c. lindane exposure (30 days) at doses of 10 mg/kg induced a significant decrease in maltase activity, although the injection of 20 mg/kg over the same period did not alter this enzyme activity. When this lindane dose was s.c. injected over 20 days a significant inhibition of maltase activity was observed. However no changes in this enzyme were found in rats injected over 25 days. This fact seems to suggest that between 20-25 days of pesticide exposure the organism develops possible regulatory mechanisms to counteract the alterations induced by this dose of lindane on maltase activity. Lactase and alkaline phosphatase activities were not altered by lindane action in different treatments performed. Sucrase activity was only altered in oral injected rats at doses of 20 mg/kg over 15 days. In conclusion, maltase activity seems to be more sensitive to lindane action than other brush border enzymatic proteins; lindane effects on this enzyme depend on the injected dose and the pesticide administration period duration.

Effects of in situ and systemic lindane treatment on in vivo absorption of galactose and leucine in rat jejunum.

In vivo intestinal absorption of L-leucine is significantly decreased by the presence of lindane (0.3, 0.2 and 0.1 mM) in perfusion solution (in situ lindane treatment) for 5 min. The inhibitory effect is earlier when lindane concentration is higher, and it is irreversible. There are no changes in D-galactose absorption when lindane (0.3 and 0.2 mM) is perfused for 5 min, but a significant decrease in observed if pesticide is perfused for 10 min at 0.3 mM concentration. Subcutaneous lindane treatment at a dose of 68.76 mumol/kg over 7 days does not alter D-galactose and L-leucine absorption. In situ lindane treatment (0.3, 0.2 and 0.1 mM) induces a significant decrease in basolateral (Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity. In contrast, systemic lindane treatment (s.c. injection) at doses of 34.38 and 68.76 mumol/kg over 7 days does not alter this enzyme activity, although a significant decrease is observed in rats injected s.c. with 68.76 mumol/kg lindane over 15 days.

Subtyping of Legionella pneumophila isolates by arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction.

Arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (AP-PCR) was used to differentiate strains of Legionella pneumophila isolated from different water sources in a resort hotel in Benidorm, Alicante, Spain, where an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease occurred among a group of tourists between 65 and 80 years of age. All isolates were L. pneumophila serogroup 1, subtype Pontiac (Knoxville 1). Five different patterns (P1 to P5) were obtained by AP-PCR. The number of bands per pattern varied between 4 and 11. Patterns P1 and P2 represented 60 and 20% of L. pneumophila isolates, respectively. Since different subpopulations of L. pneumophila coexisted (up to three different AP-PCR patterns were identified in a single room), it was not possible to link an individual L. pneumophila strain to the occurrence of this outbreak.

Effect of lindane on galactose and leucine transport in chicken enterocytes.

Lindane (gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane) influence on the in vitro intestinal transport of D-galactose and L-leucine has been studied in isolated chicken enterocytes. Animals were injected i.p. with 30 mg/kg b.w. of the pesticide over 7 days. Total uptake of D-galactose and L-leucine was significantly decreased by lindane action. There was no alteration in the non-mediated component, but the mediated transport was markedly inhibited in both cases. Furthermore, the exit of D-galactose across the basolateral membrane, as well as (Na(+)-K+)-ATPase activity, was significantly decreased in pesticide-treated chickens.

[Epidemiological study of primary brain tumors in the Autonomous Community of Aragon]. / Estudio epidemiológico de los tumores primarios cerebrales en la Comunidad Autónoma de Aragón.

OBJECTIVES: a) To analyse diverse clinical features related to the symptomatology, location and anatomopathological diagnosis of primary tumours of the C.N.S. and b) to improve knowledge of the frequency of cerebral tumours in our field of study. DESIGN: A protocolized and retrospective study of those patients diagnosed as having a primary cerebral Neoplasia. SETTING: The Autonomous Community of Aragon during the decade from 1980 to 1990. PATIENTS AND OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Our total sample consisted of 759 tumours, 412 (54.28%) in men and 347 (45.72%) in women. Our criterion for inclusion was a diagnosis of primary cerebral Neoplasia, excluding Metastasis and vascular tumours. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The majority of the cerebral tumours were located in the cerebral hemispheres (56%): migraine was the most common symptom. We confirmed that the occurrence of cerebral tumours was higher in urban than in rural zones. However the age at which these neoplastic intracranial processes present is greater in rural zones. For 67% of patients 4.5 months had to pass before it was possible to establish the diagnosis of expansive intracranial process. CONCLUSIONS: a) Migraine is the most common clinical manifestation (20%), followed by a disturbance of the higher functions (15%). b) There is considerable delay in the time needed to establish the diagnosis of expansive intracranial process, due to the present health-care framework. c) The occurrence of cerebral tumours is higher in urban than in rural zones.

[Treatment of one case of severe laryngeal papillomatosis (author's transl)]. / Sobre un caso de papilomatósis laríngea. Su tratamiento

One observation of severe laryngeal papillomatosis is reported. After diagnosis by biopsy and tracheostomy the patient was treated with bleomycin and thio-tepa associated with punch extirpation of residual papillomata following Kleinsasser. Results at two and half years were excellent.