Artroplastia total de cadera primaria en pacientes con secuelas de poliomielitis / Primary total hip arthroplasty in patients with sequelae of poliomyelitis

Introducción: La prótesis total de cadera (PTC) en pacientes con secuelas de poliomielitis (SP) supone un reto quirúrgico. La morfología displásica, la osteoporosis y la debilidad glútea dificultan la orientación, incrementan el riesgo de fractura y reducen la estabilidad del implante. El objetivo de este estudio es describir una serie de pacientes con SP tratados mediante PTC. Material y métodos: Estudio descriptivo retrospectivo de pacientes con SP intervenidos mediante PTC entre 1999 y 2021 en un hospital de tercer nivel, con seguimiento clínico y radiológico y evaluación funcional y de las complicaciones hasta el presente o hasta el fallecimiento, con un mínimo de 12meses. Resultados: Se intervinieron 16 pacientes, implantándose 13PTC en el miembro parético, 6 por fractura y 7 por coxartrosis, mientras que las otras 3PTC se implantaron en el miembro contralateral. Se implantaron 4 cotilos de doble movilidad como medida antiluxante. Al año postoperatorio, 11 presentaban un balance articular completo sin aumentar los casos de Trendelenburg. El Harris Hip Score (HHS) mejoró 32,1puntos, la escala visual analógica (EVA), 5,25puntos, y la escala de Merlé-d’Augbiné-Poste, 6puntos. La corrección de la discrepancia de longitud fue de 13,77mm. La mediana del seguimiento fue de 3,5años (1-24). Dos casos se revisaron por usura del polietileno y 2 por inestabilidad, sin registrarse infecciones, fracturas periprotésicas o aflojamiento del cotilo o vástago. Conclusiones: La PTC en pacientes con SP permite mejorar la situación clínico-funcional con una tasa de complicaciones aceptable. El riesgo de luxación podría minimizarse con cotilos de doble movilidad.(AU)

Introduction: Total hip arthroplasty (THA) in patients with residual poliomyelitis (RP) is a surgical challenge. Dysplastic morphology, osteoporosis and gluteal weakness hinder orientation, increase fracture risk and reduce implant stability. The aim of this study is to describe a series of patients with RP treated by THA. Material and methods: Retrospective descriptive study of patients with RP treated with THA between 1999 and 2021 in a tertiary hospital, with clinical and radiological follow-up and functional and complication evaluation until present or death, with a minimum of 12months. Results: Sixteen patients underwent surgery, with 13THA implanted in the paretic limb, 6 for fracture and 7 for osteoarthritis, while the remaining 3 were implanted in the contralateral limb. Four dual mobility cups were implanted as an antiluxation measure. At 1year postoperatively, 11 had complete range of motion with no increase in Trendelenburg cases. The Harris hip score (HHS) improved 32.1points, the visual analog scale (VAS) 5.25 points, and the Merlé-d’Augbiné-Poste scale 6 points. The length discrepancy correction was 13.77mm. Median follow-up was 3.5years (1-24). Two cases were revised for polyethylene wear and two for instability, with no infections, periprosthetic fractures, or cup or stem loosening. Conclusions: THA in patients with RP allows improvement of the clinico-functional situation with an acceptable complication rate. The risk of dislocation could be minimized with dual mobility cups.(AU)

[Translated article] Primary total hip arthroplasty in patients with sequelae of poliomyelitis / Artroplastia total de cadera primaria en pacientes con secuelas de poliomielitis

Introducción: La prótesis total de cadera (PTC) en pacientes con secuelas de poliomielitis (SP) supone un reto quirúrgico. La morfología displásica, la osteoporosis y la debilidad glútea dificultan la orientación, incrementan el riesgo de fractura y reducen la estabilidad del implante. El objetivo de este estudio es describir una serie de pacientes con SP tratados mediante PTC. Material y métodos: Estudio descriptivo retrospectivo de pacientes con SP intervenidos mediante PTC entre 1999 y 2021 en un hospital de tercer nivel, con seguimiento clínico y radiológico y evaluación funcional y de las complicaciones hasta el presente o hasta el fallecimiento, con un mínimo de 12meses. Resultados: Se intervinieron 16 pacientes, implantándose 13PTC en el miembro parético, 6 por fractura y 7 por coxartrosis, mientras que las otras 3PTC se implantaron en el miembro contralateral. Se implantaron 4 cotilos de doble movilidad como medida antiluxante. Al año postoperatorio, 11 presentaban un balance articular completo sin aumentar los casos de Trendelenburg. El Harris Hip Score (HHS) mejoró 32,1puntos, la escala visual analógica (EVA), 5,25puntos, y la escala de Merlé-d’Augbiné-Poste, 6puntos. La corrección de la discrepancia de longitud fue de 13,77mm. La mediana del seguimiento fue de 3,5años (1-24). Dos casos se revisaron por usura del polietileno y 2 por inestabilidad, sin registrarse infecciones, fracturas periprotésicas o aflojamiento del cotilo o vástago. Conclusiones: La PTC en pacientes con SP permite mejorar la situación clínico-funcional con una tasa de complicaciones aceptable. El riesgo de luxación podría minimizarse con cotilos de doble movilidad.(AU)

Introduction: Total hip arthroplasty (THA) in patients with residual poliomyelitis (RP) is a surgical challenge. Dysplastic morphology, osteoporosis and gluteal weakness hinder orientation, increase fracture risk and reduce implant stability. The aim of this study is to describe a series of patients with RP treated by THA. Material and methods: Retrospective descriptive study of patients with RP treated with THA between 1999 and 2021 in a tertiary hospital, with clinical and radiological follow-up and functional and complication evaluation until present or death, with a minimum of 12months. Results: Sixteen patients underwent surgery, with 13THA implanted in the paretic limb, 6 for fracture and 7 for osteoarthritis, while the remaining 3 were implanted in the contralateral limb. Four dual mobility cups were implanted as an antiluxation measure. At 1year postoperatively, 11 had complete range of motion with no increase in Trendelenburg cases. The Harris hip score (HHS) improved 32.1points, the visual analog scale (VAS) 5.25 points, and the Merlé-d’Augbiné-Poste scale 6 points. The length discrepancy correction was 13.77mm. Median follow-up was 3.5years (1-24). Two cases were revised for polyethylene wear and two for instability, with no infections, periprosthetic fractures, or cup or stem loosening. Conclusions: THA in patients with RP allows improvement of the clinico-functional situation with an acceptable complication rate. The risk of dislocation could be minimized with dual mobility cups.(AU)

[Translated article] Primary total hip arthroplasty in patients with sequelae of poliomyelitis.

INTRODUCTION: Total hip arthroplasty (THA) in patients with residual poliomyelitis (RP) is a surgical challenge. Dysplastic morphology, osteoporosis and gluteal weakness hinder orientation, increase fracture risk and reduce implant stability. The aim of this study is to describe a series of patients with RP treated by THA. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective descriptive study of patients with RP treated with THA between 1999 and 2021 in a tertiary hospital, with clinical and radiological follow-up and functional and complication evaluation until present or death, with a minimum of 12 months. RESULTS: Sixteen patients underwent surgery, with 13 THA implanted in the paretic limb, 6 for fracture and 7 for osteoarthritis, while the remaining 3 were implanted in the contralateral limb. Four dual mobility cups were implanted as an antiluxation measure. At 1 year postoperatively, 11 had complete range of motion with no increase in Trendelenburg cases. The Harris hip score (HHS) improved 32.1 points, the visual analogue scale (VAS) 5.25 points, and the Merlé-d'Augbiné-Poste scale 6 points. The length discrepancy correction was 13.77mm. Median follow-up was 3.5 years (1-24). Two cases were revised for polyethylene wear and two for instability, with no infections, periprosthetic fractures, or cup or stem loosening. CONCLUSIONS: THA in patients with RP allows improvement of the clinico-functional situation with an acceptable complication rate. The risk of dislocation could be minimised with dual mobility cups.

Primary total hip arthroplasty in patients with sequelae of poliomyelitis. / Artroplastia total de cadera primaria en pacientes con secuelas de poliomielitis.

INTRODUCTION: Total hip arthroplasty (THA) in patients with residual poliomyelitis (RP) is a surgical challenge. Dysplastic morphology, osteoporosis and gluteal weakness hinder orientation, increase fracture risk and reduce implant stability. The aim of this study is to describe a series of patients with RP treated by THA. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective descriptive study of patients with RP treated with THA between 1999 and 2021 in a tertiary hospital, with clinical and radiological follow-up and functional and complication evaluation until present or death, with a minimum of 12months. RESULTS: Sixteen patients underwent surgery, with 13THA implanted in the paretic limb, 6 for fracture and 7 for osteoarthritis, while the remaining 3 were implanted in the contralateral limb. Four dual mobility cups were implanted as an antiluxation measure. At 1year postoperatively, 11 had complete range of motion with no increase in Trendelenburg cases. The Harris hip score (HHS) improved 32.1points, the visual analog scale (VAS) 5.25 points, and the Merlé-d'Augbiné-Poste scale 6 points. The length discrepancy correction was 13.77mm. Median follow-up was 3.5years (1-24). Two cases were revised for polyethylene wear and two for instability, with no infections, periprosthetic fractures, or cup or stem loosening. CONCLUSIONS: THA in patients with RP allows improvement of the clinico-functional situation with an acceptable complication rate. The risk of dislocation could be minimized with dual mobility cups.

Candidate Interneurons Mediating the Resetting of the Locomotor Rhythm by Extensor Group I Afferents in the Cat.

Sensory information arising from limb movements controls the spinal locomotor circuitry to adapt the motor pattern to demands of the environment. Stimulation of extensor group (gr) I afferents during fictive locomotion in decerebrate cats prolongs the ongoing extension, and terminates ongoing flexion with an initiation of the subsequent extension, i. e. "resetting to extension". Moreover, instead of the classical Ib non-reciprocal inhibition, stimulation of extensor gr I afferents produces a polysynaptic excitation in extensor motoneurons with latencies (∼3.5-4.0 ms) compatible with 3 interposed interneurons. We assume that some interneurons in this pathway actually belong to the rhythm-generating layer of the locomotor Central Pattern Generator (CPG), since their activity was correlated to a resetting of the rhythm. In the present work fictive locomotion was (mostly) induced by i.v. injection of nialamide followed by l-DOPA in paralyzed cats following decerebration and spinalization at C1 level. In some experiments, we extended previous observations during fictive locomotion on the emergence and locomotor state-dependence of polysynaptic excitatory postsynaptic potentials from extensor gr I afferents to ankle extensor motoneurons. However, the main focus was to record location and properties of interneurons (n = 62) that (i) were active during the extensor phase of fictive locomotion and (ii) received short-latency excitation (mono-, di- or polysynaptic) from extensor gr I afferents. We conclude that the interneurons recorded fulfill the characteristics to belong to the neuronal pathway activated by extensor gr I afferents during locomotion, and may contribute to the 'resetting to extension' as part of the locomotor CPG.

Backward Cherenkov radiation emitted by polariton solitons in a microcavity wire.

Exciton-polaritons in semiconductor microcavities form a highly nonlinear platform to study a variety of effects interfacing optical, condensed matter, quantum and statistical physics. We show that the complex polariton patterns generated by picosecond pulses in microcavity wire waveguides can be understood as the Cherenkov radiation emitted by bright polariton solitons, which is enabled by the unique microcavity polariton dispersion, which has momentum intervals with positive and negative group velocities. Unlike in optical fibres and semiconductor waveguides, we observe that the microcavity wire Cherenkov radiation is predominantly emitted with negative group velocity and therefore propagates backwards relative to the propagation direction of the emitting soliton. We have developed a theory of the microcavity wire polariton solitons and of their Cherenkov radiation and conducted a series of experiments, where we have measured polariton-soliton pulse compression, pulse breaking and emission of the backward Cherenkov radiation.

Multimodal analgesia and regional anaesthesia. / Analgesia multimodal y anestesia regional.

Multimodal analgesia provides quality analgesia, with fewer side effects due to the use of combined analgesics or analgesic techniques. Regional anaesthesia plays a fundamental role in achieving this goal. The different techniques of regional anaesthesia that include both peripheral and central blocks in either a single dose or in continuous infusion help to modulate the nociceptive stimuli that access the central level. The emergence of the ultrasound as an effective system to perform regional anaesthesia techniques has allowed the development of new regional anaesthesia techniques that formerly could not be carried out since only neurostimulation or skin references were used. It is essential to take into account that even with effective blocking it is advisable to associate other drugs by other routes, in this way we will be able to reduce the required doses individually and attempt to achieve a synergistic, not purely additive, effect.

Contribuciones de las Ciencias Electrónicas al Problema de las Caídas en Población Adulta Mayor / Contributions of electronic sciences to the problem of falls of old age population

Resumen En este escrito se presenta un estado del arte sobre las contribuciones de las ciencias de la electrónica al problema de las caídas en población adulta mayor. La bibliografía estudiada se clasificó con base en una taxonomía propuesta por los autores consistente de 8 ejes temáticos que son: etiología, epidemiología, predicción, consecuencias, prevención, medición, detección de caídas y detección de actividades diarias. De la revisión bibliográfica realizada se concluyó que las contribuciones más importantes de las ciencias de la electrónica surgen tanto del desarrollo de dispositivos de captura de movimiento como de los diferentes algoritmos propuestos para procesar la información proveniente de estos dispositivos. Gracias a la combinación de estos dos aspectos (dispositivos y algoritmos) se han podido medir de manera precisa variables como velocidad de marcha, longitud y duración del paso, posición del centro de gravedad y balanceo postural. La medición de estas variables, a su vez, ha introducido avances significativos en la forma en que se realiza la valoración del riesgo de caída. Pese a lo anterior, existen numerosos interrogantes que aun deben ser resueltos, uno de ellos es: ¿cómo convertir la información cuantitativa asociada a la medición de variables biomecánicas en valoraciones cualitativas?. De lo anterior se derivan interrogantes más puntuales como: ¿cuáles son los límites aceptables para la asimetría de marcha? ¿Cómo determinar si un nivel de balanceo postural puede considerarse inseguro?

Abstract This paper aims to present a state of the art concerning the contributions of electronic sciences to the problem of falls in elder population. The studied literature was classified based on a taxonomy proposed by the authors, consisting of 8 thematic areas which are: etiology, epidemiology, prediction, consequences, prevention, measurement, detection of falls and detection of daily activities. From the literature review it was concluded that the most important contributions of the electronic sciences emerge from the development of motion capture devices as well as from the different algorithms proposed to process the resulting information generated by these devices. Thanks to the combination of these two aspects (algorithms and devices) it was possible to measure accurately variables as walking speed, length and duration of the step, position of the center of gravity and postural balance. The measurement of these variables, in turn, has introduced significant advances in the form in which the risk of falling is assessed. Despite the above, there are many questions that must still be resolved, one of them is: How to convert the quantitative information associated with measurement of biomechanical variables in to qualitative valuations? From the above, more specific questions arise as: what are the acceptable limits for the asymmetry of the step? How to determine when a level of postural balance can be considered unsafe?

[Long-term clinical and radiological outcomes in a serie of 26 cases of symptomatic adult developmental dysplasia of the hip managed with bernese periacetabular osteotomy]. / Evolución clínico-radiológica a largo plazo en una serie de 26 pacientes con displasia de cadera del adulto sintomática tratados mediante osteotomía periacetabular bernesa.

OBJECTIVE: Developmental hip dysplasia is a frequent cause of coxofemoral pain in young adults. Bernese periacetabular osteotomy emerges as a possible option for the management of pain relief and functional limitation, in order to delay the need for arthroplasty in these patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A descriptive-retrospective study was conducted on 26 selected patients with symptomatic developmental hip dysplasia treated with bernese periacetabular osteotomy between 1996 and 2009 (94% women). Mean age at time of surgery was 39.8 y (15-49 y), with a mean follow-up of 10 years. Osteoarthritis (OA Tönnis scale), acetabular index and Wiberg angle were evaluated by radiology and functionality was valued by using the de Merle-D'Aubigné-Postel scale. RESULTS: The mean hospitalization time was 10 days. At 10 years, the mean radiography value of acetabular index was 9.03° and 38.3° for Wiberg angle (17° and 27° correction, respectively, above the mean pre-operative values). Joint lock was referred to by 43% of patients, and 53% to non-evidence based limb failure. Mean functional value was 14.30 (Good). At 5 years of follow-up, 20% advanced at least by one grade in OA Tönnis scale compared to their pre-operative status, increasing to 55% at 10 years. At 10 years after surgery, 83% patients did not need arthroplasty and 85% showed high satisfaction level. CONCLUSIONS: Bernese periacetabular osteotomy is a useful alternative in young adults with symptomatic developmental hip dysplasia that can improve pain relief, femoral head coverage, and slow down coxofemoral osteoarthrosis progression in order to delay arthroplasty.

Subdural hygroma accompanied by parenchymal and subarachnoid haemorrhage after epidural analgesia in an obstetric patient.

BACKGROUND: Anaesthetists need to know the different causes of persistent headache or a change in level of consciousness following epidural analgesia for labour. Failure to recognise these neurological complications can lead to delayed diagnoses, with subsequent serious implications. METHODS: We present a patient who was re-admitted for postural headache resulting from an unrecognised dural puncture during an epidural for pain relief while in labour. During the interview, the patient confirmed drug use (cocaine), so she was evaluated by a psychiatrist with possible post-partum psychosis or drug withdrawal syndrome. Afterwards, the patient deteriorated neurologically, showing impaired consciousness and seizures. RESULTS: The cranial computed tomography showed bilateral frontoparietal subdural collections with intraparenchymal and subarachnoid haemorrhaging. She improved by burr hole drainage of subdural hygroma and a blood patch. CONCLUSIONS: Neurological signs should alert the clinician to the possibility of subdural collection and other possible complications such as sinking of the brain in order not to delay the request for imaging tests for diagnoses and effective treatments.

Quantifying energy intake in Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) using the heat increment of feeding.

Using implanted archival tags, we examined the effects of meal caloric value, food type (sardine or squid) and ambient temperature on the magnitude and duration of the heat increment of feeding in three captive juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna. The objective of our study was to develop a model that can be used to estimate energy intake in wild fish of similar body mass. Both the magnitude and duration of the heat increment of feeding (measured by visceral warming) showed a strong positive correlation with the caloric value of the ingested meal. Controlling for meal caloric value, the extent of visceral warming was significantly greater at lower ambient temperature. The extent of visceral warming was also significantly higher for squid meals compared with sardine meals. By using a hierarchical Bayesian model to analyze our data and treating individuals as random effects, we demonstrate how increases in visceral temperature can be used to estimate the energy intake of wild Pacific bluefin tuna of similar body mass to the individuals used in our study.

Heart rate responses to temperature in free-swimming Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis).

The bluefin tuna heart remains at ambient water temperature (Ta) but must supply blood to warm regions of the body served by countercurrent vascular heat exchangers. Despite this unusual physiology, inherent difficulties have precluded an understanding of the cardiovascular responses to Ta in free-swimming bluefin tunas. We measured the heart rate (f(H)) responses of two captive Pacific bluefin tunas (Thunnus orientalis; 9.7 and 13.3 kg) over a cumulative period of 40 days. Routine f(H) during fasting in the holding tank at a Ta of 20°C was 45.1±8.0 and 40.7±6.5 beats min(-1) for Tuna 1 and Tuna 2, respectively. f(H) decreased in each fish with a Q10 temperature coefficient of 2.6 (Tuna 1) and 3.1 (Tuna 2) as Ta in the tank was slowly decreased to 15°C (~0.4°C h(-1)), despite a gradual increase in swimming speed. The same thermal challenge during digestion revealed similar thermal dependence of f(H) and indicated that the rate of visceral cooling is not buffered by the heat increment of feeding. Acutely decreasing Ta from 20 to 10°C while Tuna 1 swam in a tunnel respirometer caused a progressive increase in tail-beat frequency and oxygen consumption rate (M(O2)). f(H) of this fish decreased with a Q10 of 2.7 as Ta decreased between 20 and 15°C, while further cooling to 10°C saw a general plateau in f(H) around 35 beats min(-1) with a Q10 of 1.3. A discussion of the relationships between f(H), and haemoglobin-oxygen binding sheds further light on how bluefin cardiorespiratory systems function in a changing thermal environment.

The TP53 16-bp duplication polymorphism is enriched in endometriosis patients.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The TP53 tumor suppressor gene encodes the nuclear phosphoprotein p53, which plays an important role in cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, DNA repair and angiogenesis. The TP53 gene contains common genetic polymorphisms that influence gene activity. Clinical implications of TP53 polymorphisms have been reported for several diseases, including a variety of solid tumors and endometriosis. We evaluated the association of a TP53 duplication polymorphism with endometriosis. METHODS: We evaluated the role of the TP53 16-bp duplication polymorphism by comparing the genotypes of 204 healthy women (controls with surgically excluded endometriosis) to the genotypes of 151 women with endometriosis in the Mexican population. RESULTS: The observed genotype frequencies for controls and endometriosis patients were 0.5 and 5% for 16 bp+/+, 11 and 21% for 16 bp+/-, and 88.5 and 77% for 16 bp-/-, respectively. The odds ratio (OR) was 9.8 (95% CI 1.2-446.8; p = 0.01). The association was more evident when we compared the distribution of genotype 16 bp+/+ to genotype 16 bp+/-. In patients with moderate/severe endometriosis, the OR was 4.0 (95% CI 1.6-9.8; p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that the 16-bp duplication polymorphism in TP53 contributes significantly to endometriosis susceptibility in the Mexican population.

Postprandial metabolism of Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis).

Specific dynamic action (SDA) is defined as the energy expended during ingestion, digestion, absorption and assimilation of a meal. This study presents the first data on the SDA response of individual tunas of any species. Juvenile Pacific bluefin tunas (Thunnus orientalis; body mass 9.7-11.0 kg; N=7) were individually fed known quantities of food consisting primarily of squid and sardine (meal energy range 1680-8749 kJ, approximately 4-13% of tuna body mass). Oxygen consumption rates (M(O2)) were measured in a swim tunnel respirometer during the postprandial period at a swimming speed of 1 body length (BL) s(-1) and a water temperature of 20 degrees C. was markedly elevated above routine levels in all fish following meal consumption [routine metabolic rate (RMR)=174+/-9 mg kg(-1) h(-1)]. The peak M(O2) during the SDA process ranged from 250 to 440 mg kg(-1) h(-1) (1.5-2.3 times RMR) and was linearly related to meal energy content. The duration of the postprandial increment in M(O2) ranged from 21 h to 33 h depending upon meal energy content. Consequently, the total energy used in SDA increased linearly with meal energy and ranged from 170 kJ to 688 kJ, such that the SDA process accounted for 9.2+/-0.7% of ingested energy across all experiments. These values suggest rapid and efficient food conversion in T. orientalis in comparison with most other fishes. Implanted archival temperature tags recorded the increment in visceral temperature (T(V)) in association with SDA. M(O2) returned to routine levels at the end of the digestive period 2-3 h earlier than T(V). The qualitative patterns in M(O2) and T(V) during digestion were similar, strengthening the possibility that archival measurements of T(V) can provide new insight into the energetics and habitat utilization of free-swimming bluefin in the natural environment. Despite efficient food conversion, SDA is likely to represent a significant component of the daily energy budget of wild bluefin tunas due to a regular and high ingestion of forage.

Identification of genes that confer tumor cell resistance to the aurora B kinase inhibitor, AZD1152.

AZD1152 is a highly selective Aurora B kinase inhibitor currently undergoing Phase I and II clinical evaluation in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia and advanced solid malignancies. We have established two AZD1152-resistant cell lines from SW620 colon and MiaPaCa pancreatic carcinoma lines, which are >100-fold resistant to the active metabolite of AZD1152, AZD1152 HQPA and interestingly, cross-resistant to the pan-Aurora kinase inhibitor, VX-680/MK0457. Using whole-genome microarray analysis and comparative genomic hybridization, we were able to identify MDR1 and BCRP as the causative genes that underlie AZD1152 HQPA-resistance in these models. Furthermore, the upregulation of either of these genes is sufficient to render in vivo tumor growth insensitive to AZD1152. Finally, the upregulation of MDR1 or BCRP is predictive of tumor cell sensitivity to this agent, both in vitro and in vivo. The data provide a genetic basis for resistance to Aurora kinase inhibitors, which could be utilized to predict clinical response to therapy.

Prevalence of infection with high-risk human papillomavirus in women in Colombia.

The prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections in 2109 females inhabiting five cities of Colombia was determined. Of the 49.2% with an HPV infection, 59.8% were infected with more than one viral type. Species 7 (of the the genus Alphapapillomavirus) was associated with multiple infections. Analysis of the socio-demographic data revealed a statistically significant protective effect associated with the status of civil union (civil recognition of cohabitation without marriage), and indigenous ethnicity proved to be a risk factor for HPV infection. This is the first study comparing HPV infection among women from geographical regions of Colombia with different socio-cultural structures.

In situ detection and distribution of inflammatory cytokines during the course of infection with Nocardia brasiliensis.

Actinomycetoma, caused by the intracellular bacterium Nocardia brasiliensis, is characterized by an infiltration of several inflammatory cell populations. To explore aspects of the immune response in the pathogenesis of these bacteria we injected 10(6) CFU in footpads of BALB/c mice. After 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 30 and 90 days immunohistochemistry was performed to compare presence and distribution of the inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-6, IFN-gamma, IL-4, IL-10, and TGF-beta. Analysis of serial paraffin tissue sections showed strong participation and differences in distribution of cytokine-producing cells during the course of infection. Several TNF-alpha immunoreactive lymphocytes of the dermis were present during the course of the infection, but absent in the site of inflammation. During the first 4 days, IL-1 beta immunoreactivity was observed in dendritic epidermal cells and in cells surrounding the neutrophils around the grain. In later stages of infection, immunoreactive cells to this cytokine were mainly in the periphery of the microabscesses. Strong immunoreactivity was observed with IL-6 during the course of infection. Some cells in the epidermis and dermis, as well as muscle cells and several cells at the periphery of the microabscesses, showed strong IL-6 immunoreactivity. Cells immunoreactive to IL-4, IL-10, IFN-gamma and TGF-beta were present at the site of infection and, in later stages, in cells at the periphery of the microabscesses. In conclusion a mix of proinflammatory and antiinflammatory cytokines are produced at the same time by host cells. According to their distribution, inflammatory cytokines seems to have different functions during the course of infection with the intracellular bacterium N. brasiliensis.