[Intradiscal temperature variation resulting from radiofrequency thermal therapy. Cadaver study]. / Variación de la temperatura intradiscal por efecto de la terapia térmica con radiofrecuencia. Estudio en cadavers.

INTRODUCTION: Disc disease is one of the most common causes of lumbar pain. The new era of treatments for degenerative disc disease involves the use of minimally-invasive thermal technologies allowing for collagen remodeling and destruction of nociceptors in the annulus. However, a better understanding of the treatment pathophysiology is needed. The purpose of this study was to measure intradiscal temperature variation after thermodiscoplasty. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A human cadaver spine specimen was obtained and divided into blocks, each composed of two intervertebral plates and an intact disc. Radio frequency was applied at five spots with three different time intervals. Temperature was measured in each of the combinations. Units were weighed before and after treatment. Finally, the disc was exposed and the tightening achieved with each radio frequency application was measured. Data were analyzed with the SPSS software. RESULTS: The mean weight reduction obtained was 1.4 g on average (SD 0.599), with values between 0.5 and 2.6 grams. Mean temperature in the posterior rim of the annulus was 37.6 degrees C and mean temperature variation was 3.0 degrees C (SD 6.407). Mean tightening achieved in all blocks overall was 1.4 mm. DISCUSSION: The results obtained show the effectiveness of radio frequency thermodiscoplasty when performed within the safety parameters. Temperature values with radio frequency were lower than those found in comparable studies. The weight and the tightening show the effect of disc shrinking and dehydration. This report is an effective tool to define time parameters for the application of this technology.

Different responses to doxorubicin-induced chromosome aberrations in Brazilian deer species.

The tendency toward chromosome fragility is one of the theories that may explain chromosome variation in brocket deer species (genus Mazama). We tested doxorubicin as an inducer of chromosome aberrations in lymphocytes of three brocket deer species, Mazama gouazoubira, M. americana and M. nana, compared to the marsh deer, Blastocerus dichotomus. Doxorubicin, at a concentration of 0.25 microg/mL, induced chromosome aberrations and fragile sites in all four species; the highest frequencies were seen in M. gouazoubira; they were lowest in B. dichotomus and intermediate in M. americana and M. nana. These results were expected based on previous karyotypic studies, but they failed to explain the higher sensitivity seen in M. gouazoubira. This may be because not all the aberrations and fragile sites are related to chromosome evolution in brocket deer; other factors, such as environmental influences, may be involved in chromosome fragility.

Genetic analysis of Streptococcus suis isolates recovered from diseased and healthy carrier pigs at different stages of production on a pig farm.

Streptococcus suis isolates from pigs at different stages of production on a farrow-to-finish farm were characterised by serotyping, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and production of muramidase-released protein, extracellular factor and suilysin. S. suis was isolated from the tonsils of 81/287 (28.2%) healthy pigs: 16/47 (34%) post-weaning, 18/47 (38.3%) transition, 18/47 (38.3%) fattening and 29/146 (19.9%) sows. A total of 127 S. suis isolates were analysed: 14 from diseased pigs at the post-weaning stage and 113 from the tonsils of healthy pigs. Serotypes 2, 4, 9, 14 and 1/14 were isolated from both diseased and healthy pigs. A total of 83 PFGE profiles were obtained; most isolates (95.2%) were grouped into three clusters (A-C). Animals at different production stages harboured isolates with similar phenotypic and genetic profiles, highlighting the importance of healthy animals in the maintenance of strains responsible for outbreaks of clinical disease.

Prueba logoaudiométrica IU-PLI / UI-PLI logo-audiometric test

El proposito de este estudio fue estimar la validez de contenido y la confiabilidad por mitades de la prueba de logoaudiometria adaptada al español colombiano para la poblacion infantil de Santafe de Bogota de 3.5 a 10 años basada en la prueba Northwestern University Children's Perception of Speech: NU-CHIPS (Elliot y Katz, 1980). Esta investigacion se inscribe en el area de la medicion audiologica y adopto un diseño de tipo descriptivo correlacional. Se tomo una muestra de 64 niños, 47 con audición normal y 17 con hipoacusia neurosensorial bilateral entre moderada y severa. La prueba fue aplicada a esta poblacion en un contexto cerrado de respuesta. Los resultados obtenidos sugirieron un alto grado de validez mediante el balance fonetico del instrumento a traves de expertos y de la aplicacion empirica de la prueba piloto y la confiabilidad por la correlacion existente entre las variables analizadas a traves de las pruebas estadisticas correlacionales Spearman Brown y Kuder Richardson 20, los cuales no arrojaron diferencias significativas en la ejecucion de la prueba por los sujetos con relacion a los datos normativos de la prueba originalel propósito

The roles of library liaisons in a problem-based learning (PBL) medical school curriculum: a case study from University of New Mexico.

The relationships between problem-based learning (PBL) curricula and libraries have generated a substantial number of journal articles, but few have addressed the importance of the interaction between health science libraries and PBL curricula. This article attempts to contribute to this dimension through a description of the roles of library liaisons. First we describe the evolution of the liaison roles beginning 2 years prior to the implementation of a PBL curriculum. We then describe the core responsibilities of liaisons at the University of New Mexico (UNM) with mention of other innovative roles developed by some liaisons.

Serological survey for avian paramyxoviruses from wildfowl in aquatic habitats in Andalusia.

A serological survey for a range of avian paramyxoviruses (PMV) was carried out among wildfowl from southern Spain, 1990 to 1992, using the hemagglutination inhibition technique. We collected 579 sera from 24 avian families (18 aquatic and six non-aquatic). Antibodies were detected to all paramyxoviruses in waterfowl, with a notable prevalence of antibodies to PMV-8 (43%) and to a lesser extent PMV-6 (21%). By contrast, in non-aquatic species high antibody prevalences were detected only to PMV-2 (60%), particularly in sparrows (68%), while antibody prevalences to other PMV's were moderate or low.

Isolation of Mycoplasma synoviae from the red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa).

Following an outbreak of respiratory disease in a group of red-legged partridges (Alectoris rufa) and chickens (Gallus domesticus) housed in the same unit, a mycoplasma was isolated. Its biochemical profile and the growth-inhibition test enabled it to be identified as Mycoplasma synoviae. Histopathological analysis revealed an intense inflammatory reaction in the respiratory tract, together with epithelial hyperplasia and lymphocyte infiltration. The rapid serum plate agglutination test, and the haemagglutination-inhibition test, revealed the presence of humoral antibodies to Mycoplasma synoviae in the partridges studied.