Evaluation of the bioaccessible gastric and intestinal fractions of heavy metals in contaminated soils by means of a simple bioaccessibility extraction test.

A study is made to evaluate the bioaccessibility of heavy metals in contaminated soils through a simple bioaccessibility extraction test (SBET), applied to the analysis of both the gastric and intestinal phases. Soils with high metal content of the Mapocho, Cachapoal, and Rancagua series were studied; they are located in suburban areas of large cities in the central valley of Chile. The bioaccessible concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn were related to the main physicochemical characteristics of the soils and to the chemical forms obtained by sequential extraction. The elements Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn are distributed in the soils between the exchangeable fractions, bound to oxides, to organic matter, and in the residual fraction. On the other hand, Cr and Pb are found mainly in the fractions bound to organic matter and in the residual fraction. The three soils have a high Cu content, (640-2060 mg/kg), in the order Cachapoal > Rancagua > Mapocho. The SBET test allowed establishing a different bioaccessibility for the elements in the soil. Cu was notoriously bioaccessible in both the gastric and intestinal phases in the three soils, reaching more than 50% in the Cachapoal and Rancagua soils. The other elements, regardless of the soil, were bioaccessible only in one of the phases, more frequently in the gastric phase. The multiple correlation study indicates that the metal forms have a higher incidence than the soil's physicochemical factors on the extractability to evaluate the human oral bioaccessibility of the metals.

A weighted and directed interareal connectivity matrix for macaque cerebral cortex.

Retrograde tracer injections in 29 of the 91 areas of the macaque cerebral cortex revealed 1,615 interareal pathways, a third of which have not previously been reported. A weight index (extrinsic fraction of labeled neurons [FLNe]) was determined for each area-to-area pathway. Newly found projections were weaker on average compared with the known projections; nevertheless, the 2 sets of pathways had extensively overlapping weight distributions. Repeat injections across individuals revealed modest FLNe variability given the range of FLNe values (standard deviation <1 log unit, range 5 log units). The connectivity profile for each area conformed to a lognormal distribution, where a majority of projections are moderate or weak in strength. In the G29 × 29 interareal subgraph, two-thirds of the connections that can exist do exist. Analysis of the smallest set of areas that collects links from all 91 nodes of the G29 × 91 subgraph (dominating set analysis) confirms the dense (66%) structure of the cortical matrix. The G29 × 29 subgraph suggests an unexpectedly high incidence of unidirectional links. The directed and weighted G29 × 91 connectivity matrix for the macaque will be valuable for comparison with connectivity analyses in other species, including humans. It will also inform future modeling studies that explore the regularities of cortical networks.

Ultrasonido transvaginal para la detección preoperatoria de endometriosis profunda en pacientes con dolor pélvico crónico / Transvaginal ultrasonography for preoperative diagnosis of deep endometriosis in patients with chronic pelvic pain

Antecedentes: la endometriosis profunda (EP) es una enfermedad caracterizada por lesiones que penetran > 5 mm la superficie del peritoneo pélvico. Representa la forma más sintomática de la enfermedad y un importante desafío quirúrgico. La resonancia magnética, la ultrasonografía transrectal y la ultrasonografía transvaginal (USTV), se consideran métodos de diagnóstico adecuados, no obstante, este último ofrece ventajas de accesibilidad, costo-efectividad y tolerancia. Objetivo: implementar y determinar la capacidad de la USTV para detectar EP comparando los hallazgos con la laparoscopía. Métodos: estudio transversal de prueba diagnóstica que incluye 57 pacientes con sospecha de endometriosis e indicación quirúrgica. Se realizó la USTV, evaluando la presencia, localización, tamaño y grado de infiltración de la EP. Los resultados ecográficos se compararon con los hallazgos quirúrgicos e histológicos. Resultados: la EP se confirmó quirúrgica e histológicamente en 35/57 pacientes. Se identificó endometriosis ovárica (EO) y EP en la laparoscopía en 35 y 31 de las mujeres, respectivamente. Para el diagnóstico de la EP, la USTV tuvo una sensibilidad (S) de 94,3 por ciento, especificidad (E) 100 por ciento, valor predictivo positivo (VPP) de 100 por ciento, valor predictivo negativo (VPN) del 91,7 por ciento y un exactitud (Ex) de 96,5 por ciento. Para el diagnóstico EP sobre los ligamentos uterosacros, la S, E, VPP y VPN fue: 85,7 por ciento, 100 por ciento, 100 por ciento y 98 por ciento respectivamente. Para el diagnóstico de EP con compromiso intestinal, la S, E, VPP y VPN fue 100 por ciento. Conclusión: estos hallazgos muestran que USTV es un examen adecuado para la evaluación de la EP y confirma su importancia para definir una estrategia quirúrgica y consejería preoperatoria.

Background: deep endometriosis (DE) is defined arbitrarily as endometriosis infiltrating the peritoneum by >5 mm. Represents the most symptomatic disease and a major surgical challenge. Currently, MRI, transrectal ultrasonography and transvaginal ultrasonography (USTV), are considered appropriate diagnostic methods, however, the latter offers advantages in terms of accessibility, cost-effectiveness and tolerance. Objective: to implement and assess the ability of the USTV for detect DE having laparoscopy as the gold standard. Methods: cross-sectional diagnostic test study that included 57 patients with suspected endometriosis and surgical indication. USTV was performed by a single operator assessing the presence, location, size and degree of infiltration of the DE. The sonographic findings were compared with surgical and histological findings. Results: the DE was confirmed surgically and histologically in 35/57 patients. Ovarian endometriosis (OE) and DE were identified and at laparoscopy in 35 and 31 women, respectively. For the diagnosis of DE, the USTV had a sensitivity (S) of 94.3 percent, specificity (E) 100 percent, positive predictive value (PPV) of 100 percent, negative predictive value (NPV) of 91.7 percent and accuracy (A) of 96.5 percent. For diagnostic DE of the uterosacral ligaments, S, E, PPV and NPV were: 85.7 percent, 100 percent, 100 percent and 98 percent, respectively. For the diagnosis of DE with intestinal involvement, S, E, PPV and NPV was 100 percent. Conclusion: these findings show that USTV is adequate technique for the evaluation of the EP and confirms the importance to define a surgical strategy and preoperative counseling.

Weight consistency specifies regularities of macaque cortical networks.

To what extent cortical pathways show significant weight differences and whether these differences are consistent across animals (thereby comprising robust connectivity profiles) is an important and unresolved neuroanatomical issue. Here we report a quantitative retrograde tracer analysis in the cynomolgus macaque monkey of the weight consistency of the afferents of cortical areas across brains via calculation of a weight index (fraction of labeled neurons, FLN). Injection in 8 cortical areas (3 occipital plus 5 in the other lobes) revealed a consistent pattern: small subcortical input (1.3% cumulative FLN), high local intrinsic connectivity (80% FLN), high-input form neighboring areas (15% cumulative FLN), and weak long-range corticocortical connectivity (3% cumulative FLN). Corticocortical FLN values of projections to areas V1, V2, and V4 showed heavy-tailed, lognormal distributions spanning 5 orders of magnitude that were consistent, demonstrating significant connectivity profiles. These results indicate that 1) connection weight heterogeneity plays an important role in determining cortical network specificity, 2) high investment in local projections highlights the importance of local processing, and 3) transmission of information across multiple hierarchy levels mainly involves pathways having low FLN values.