Trombosis venosa ovárica posparto: una causa inusual de fiebre puerperal / Postpartum ovarian venous thrombosis: An unusual cause of puerperal fever

La trombosis de la vena ovárica posparto es una complicación rara e impredecible y que requiere un alto índice de sospecha clínica, cuyo diagnóstico y manejo precoces son esenciales, requiriendo un abordaje multidisciplinar, para evitar cirugías innecesarias y posibles complicaciones graves. Su presentación clínica habitual suele ser fiebre persistente y dolor abdominal, generalmente en la primera semana posparto. Revisamos 3 casos clínicos representativos, diagnosticados en nuestro centro entre 2014 y 2019, abordando los factores predisponentes, diagnóstico, manejo y evolución de estas pacientes.(AU)

Postpartum ovarian vein thrombosis is a rare and unpredictable complication that requires a high index of clinical suspicion. Its early diagnosis and management, with a multidisciplinary approach, are essential in order to avoid unnecessary surgeries and possible serious complications. Its usual clinical presentation is often persistent fever and abdominal pain, generally in the first week postpartum. A report is presented on three representative cases that were diagnosed in our centre between 2014 and 2019, presenting predisposing factors, diagnosis, management, and outcome of these patients.(AU)

Induction of Stat3, a signal transducer and transcription factor, in reactive microglia following transient focal cerebral ischaemia.

Stat3, a member of the family of cytoplasmic signal transducers and activators of transcription, was found in the rat brain in vivo under physiological conditions and was stimulated following transient focal cerebral ischaemia. A transient episode of middle cerebral artery occlusion induced a strong microglial response in the areas undergoing neural cell death from 4 days after middle cerebral artery occlusion. This was accompanied by increased expression of Stat3 in the ipsilateral cortex and striatum, as revealed by Western blotting of tissue extracts. Immunohistochemistry showed strong induction of Stat3 in reactive microglial cells 4, 7 and 15 days after cerebral ischaemia. Stat3 was seen in the microglia cytoplasm, but in many microglial cells immunoreactivity was also distributed within the nucleus. These results suggest that Stat3 mediates signal transduction and activates transcription in reactive microglia in vivo following brain ischaemia.

Transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) and epidermal growth factor-receptor (EGF-R) immunoreactivity in normal and pathologic brain.

Transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-alpha) and epidermal growth factor-receptor (EGF-R) immunoreactivity is observed in the majority of neurons, and in maturing astrocytes, in the developing and adult brain of humans and different species of animals. TGF-alpha and EGF-R co-localize in most neurons and maturing astrocytes, suggesting that most TGF-alpha-producing cells are EGF-R-expressing cells. TGF-alpha and EGF-R immunoreactivity decrease in damaged areas following different insults. However, EGF-R appears in reactive glia, mostly reactive astrocytes, within and surrounding the damaged areas. TGF-alpha and EGF-R immunoreactivity is found in neurons of patients affected by Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, and in neurons of patients suffering from epilepsy owing to different causes, thus pointing to the conclusion that TGF-alpha does not play a significant role in these pathologies. However, EGF-R immunoreactivity occurs in reactive astrocytes and microglia in subacute but not chronic lesions in human cases. Since TGF-alpha is a membrane-anchored growth factor, which may be cleaved leading to the formation of soluble forms, and both the membrane-anchored and soluble forms have the capacity to activate the EGF-R, it is feasible that TGF-alpha in the nervous system may act upon EGF-R-containing neurons through different mechanisms. In addition to distant effects resulting from the release of soluble TGF-alpha, local effects may be produced by establishing direct cell-to-cell contacts (juxtacrine stimulation), or in cells expressing both TGF-alpha and EGF-R (autocrine stimulation).

[Epidemic outbreak of parotiditis in a school population and efficacy of antiparotiditis vaccination]. / Epidemia de parotiditis en una población escolar y eficacia de la vacunación antiparotiditis.

We report an epidemic outbreak of parotiditis in Villafranca del Cid (Castellón) in 1987. The overall number of cases was 104, of which 96 were schoolchildren aged 9.4 +/- 8 years. The attack rates were 3.5% for the town population and 41.9% for schoolchildren at risk. Ninety-two patients had not received parotiditis vaccination. The effectiveness of parotiditis vaccine was 86.0% (95% confidence limits: 63.5%-94.6%) for schoolchildren. To erradicate parotiditis it is suggested that vaccination should be carried out in all children at risk, not previously vaccinated, at the beginning of the school term, and/or revaccination at ages 6-12 years with triple viral vaccine.