Update in imaging tests used for the localization of parathyroid pathology.

Preoperative localization of parathyroid pathology, generally a parathyroid adenoma, can be difficult in some cases due to the anatomical variants that these glands present. The objective of this review is to analyse the different imaging techniques used for preoperative localization of parathyroid pathology (scintigraphy, ultrasound, CT, MRI and PET). There is great variability between the different tests for the preoperative localization of parathyroid pathology. The importance of knowing the different diagnostic options lies in the need to choose the most suitable test at each moment and for each patient for an adequate management of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP) with surgical criteria.

A minimally invasive procedure for blood extraction from Xenopus laevis allows follow up studies without euthanasia.

Blood extraction is extremely important for the development of scientific research; however, the existing methods for amphibian´s blood sampling are invasive, mainly leading to the euthanasia of the animal. Therefore, less intrusive methods that allow the obtention of multiple samples from the same individual, are needed as an alternative to the common methods available. Hence, the aim of this study was to propose a minimally invasive method for obtaining blood from the hind leg of Xenopus laevis, that allows continuous sampling without compromising the wellbeing of the organisms. With this method, it was possible to extract blood and plasma from adults and juveniles, and the amount of sample was enough to perform biochemical and molecular assays to assess the viability of the blood. The results also revealed that this method is a convenient alternative to obtain blood without affecting the welfare of the experimental organisms, avoiding the cull of the animals, and the samples are viable for their use in follow up studies.

A solar evaporator fabricated from corncob waste for the desalination of seawater and removal of oil/herbicides from contaminated water.

Corncob (CC) based solar evaporators were employed to desalinize seawater brought from the Vallarta coast in Mexico. The pure CC produced an evaporation-rate and evaporation-efficiency of 0.63 kg m-2 h-1 and 38.4%, respectively, under natural solar light. Later, the CC was coated with carbonized CC (CCCE evaporator) or was coated with graphene (CCGE evaporator). Those evaporators were used for the desalination of seawater and obtained higher evaporation rates of 1.59-1.67 kg m-2 h-1, and higher evaporation efficiencies of 92-94% (under natural solar light). The desalination experiments were repeated under artificial solar light and the evaporation-rates/evaporation-efficiencies slightly decreased to 1.43-1.52 kg m-2 h-1/88-92%. The surface analysis of the evaporators by FTIR, XPS and Raman revealed that the CCGE evaporator had on its surface a lower content of defects and a higher amount of OH groups than the CCCE evaporator. Therefore, the CCGE evaporator had higher evaporation-rates/evaporation-efficiencies in comparison with the CCCE evaporator. Furthermore, we purified water contaminated with three different herbicides (fomesafen, 2-6 dichlorobenzamide and 4-chlorophenol at 30 ppm) by evaporation and using natural solar light. Interestingly, the CCCE and CCGE evaporators also removed the herbicides by physical adsorption with efficiencies of 12-22.5%. Moreover, the CCGE evaporator removed vegetable oil from contaminated water by adsorption and its maximum adsorption capacity was 1.72 g/g. Overall, our results demonstrated that the corncob-based evaporators studied here are a low-cost alternative to obtain clean water under natural solar light and this one was more effective for the desalination of seawater than the artificial sunlight (Xe lamp).

Simultaneous nitrification/denitrification and desulfurization of wastewater polluted with ammonium, COD and sulfide: effectiveness of a new up-flow vertical hybrid reactor.

Industrial wastewater discharges pose an environmental risk. Here, the effectiveness of an up-flow vertical hybrid system, operating with synthetic and industrial wastewater was investigated, as a new approach to perform nitrification/denitrification and desulfurization within a single reactor. The hybrid reactor is divided in two reaction zones, the oxic and anoxic. The removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonium, and sulfide was investigated, highlighting changes in microbial diversity. The reactor was evaluated at hydraulic residence time (HRT) of 1.6 days, and its performance throughout 180 days is presented in four stages. In stages I-II, high COD and ammonium removal was obtained with synthetic wastewater. In stage-III, sulfide-rich synthetic wastewater did not alter the system, attaining COD, ammonium, and sulfide removal efficiencies of 81, 99.5, and 99.7%, respectively. In the last stage, a mixture of effluents was fed into the reactor at loading rates of 277 mg COD/L-d, 46.5 mg NH4 +-N /L-d, and 15 mg HS--S /L-d. Sulfide and ammonium removals were 100% and 99.9%, respectively. However, low COD removal was observed, being of 51%, and the system removed 97% in terms of BOD5. The structure and microbial diversity also changed. Sulfide feeding, induced the proliferation of sulfur oxidizers like Thiomiscropira and Thiobacillus. Industrial wastewater enhanced the abundance of Pseudomonas (15.53%) and favored the proliferation of new bacteria of the genus Truepera (2.98%) and Alicyclipilus (7.56%). This is the first study reporting simultaneous nitrification/denitrification and desulfurization to remove ammonium, COD and sulfide from complex industrial wastewater using an up-flow vertical hybrid reactor.

Infecciones profundas por Gardnerella vaginalis en el varón. Revisión de la literatura y a propósito de un caso / Male deep infections by Gardnerella vaginalis. A literature review and a case report

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Renogram in kidney transplant. Utility of delayed images with SPECT/CT in the diagnosis of urinary leak. / Renograma en trasplante renal. Utilidad de imágenes tardías con SPECT/TC para el diagnóstico de fuga urinaria.

Urinary leakage in patients with kidney transplantation is a relatively common surgical complication that requires early diagnosis and intervention. The isotopic renogram is a non-invasive and effective method to evaluate the perfusion and function of kidney transplantation, and allows us to diagnose urological complications such as urinary leakage. In these cases, it is useful to complete the study with planar images and delayed SPECT/CT to specify the diagnosis and locate the leak. We expose two cases diagnosed with urinary leak after performing a renogram with early and delayed planar images and delayed SPECT/CT a week after transplantation. In both cases, a percutaneous nephrostomy catheter was placed, as well as a double J catheter, resolving the surgical complication.

Electroless controllable growth of ZnO films and their morphology-dependent antimicrobial properties.

An electroless deposition process was used to synthesize with a controlled morphology, polycrystalline ZnO on glass substrates as antimicrobial coatings. The influence of deposition temperature (Tdep) on the physicochemical and antimicrobial properties of the ZnO films was analyzed. The results indicated that a change in deposition temperature greatly affected the morphology and the degree of crystallinity of the films. Scanning electron microscope images show that the film surface is porous at a deposition temperature of 40 and 50 °C, whereas hexagonal-plate shaped morphology predominated at 60 °C and finally at 70 and 80 °C the films consisted of rod-like particles. The films showed good transparency in the visible region. All ZnO films presented notable antimicrobial activity against the gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli) and the gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). It was found that the antimicrobial efficiency is strongly dependent on morphology and structural properties. The best antimicrobial performance was recorded for the films consisting of rod-like morphology with a high degree of crystallinity. The procedure used in this investigation is strongly recommended for the development of functional surfaces.

How far is clinical assessment from the bullseye? Using MEmind to compare clinical assessment with self-assessment in patients with depression and anxiety diagnosis

Background and objectives: Technology based assessments are being used for screening and monitoring in a wide scope of medical specialties, including mental health field. Depression and anxiety are common disorders in which e-health tools can be useful. We aimed to compare clinician assessment of illness severity in patients with depression and anxiety diagnosis with computer-based self-assessment within 24h of clinician evaluation via MEmind (www.memind.net), a novel web-tool. Methods: From May 2014, adult patients attended in outpatient settings in Fundación Jiménez Diaz Psychiatry Department were registered in MEmind, a web tool designed for psychiatric assessment. During the recruitment, clinicians use CGI-S for patient assessment via MEmind and provide patients a code and password to use the web-tool. We selected those patients diagnosed with depression and/or anxiety who connected within 24h of the clinical visit and complete in the web page GHQ and WHO-5 scales. We calculated a bivariate correlation for CGI-S, WHO-5 and GHQ-12. Results: Of the 231 participants, 157 (68%) were diagnosed with anxiety disorders and 74 (32%) with depression. Using the Spearman Rho test for correlation, we found a low correlation between CGI-S and total WHO-5 (r=−0.192; p=0.006) and between CGI-S and total GHQ-12 (r=0.211; p=0.002) and a good correlation between total WHO-5 and total GQH-12 (r=−0.606; p=0.000). Conclusions: We found a low correlation between clinician assessment and patients’ self-reports within 24h of clinician evaluation. Factors that potentially influenced the degree of correlation related with patients, clinicians, measurements and technology are discussed

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Direct evidence of the photocatalytic generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in a Bi2W2O9 layered-structure.

In the present work, the Bi2W2O9 photocatalyst has been prepared by an easy and prompt co-precipitation route. From the structural characterization, we have stated that the formation of the Bi2W2O9 is accompanied by a small amount of the Bi2WO6 oxide, which gradually decreases by increasing the calcination temperature. The conduction and valence band edges of the Bi2W2O9 semiconductor were experimentally estimated for the first time using the X-ray photoelectron (XPS) and diffuse reflectance (DRS) spectroscopies. The best photocatalytic performance was attained for the sample calcined at 700°C, which showed the highest production of hydroxyl radicals, superoxide ions as well as the highest photodegradation of the ciprofloxacin drug. In addition, by means of photoluminescence spectroscopy we propose that the effective separation of the photogenerated charge carriers in the sample calcined at 700°C produces a higher production of reactive oxygen species and thus a higher photoactivity under solar-like irradiation conditions.

Chronic stress of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss at high altitude: a field study.

The stress response of Oncorhynchus mykiss in high-altitude farms in central Mexico was investigated over two seasons: the cool (9·1-13·7° C) dry winter season, and the warmer (14·7-15·9° C), wetter summer season. Fish were subjected to an acute stress test followed by sampling of six physiological variables: blood cortisol, glucose, lactate, total antioxidant capacity, haemoglobin concentration and per cent packed cell volume (VPC %). Multivariate analyses revealed that lactate and total antioxidant capacity were significantly higher in the summer, when water temperatures were warmer and moderate hypoxia (4·9-5·3 mg l(-1) ) prevailed. In contrast, plasma cortisol was significantly higher in the winter (mean ± s.e.: 76·7 ± 4·0 ng ml(-1) ) when temperatures were cooler and dissolved oxygen levels higher (6·05-7·9 mg l(-1) ), than in the summer (22·7 ± 3·8 ng ml(-1) ). Haemoglobin concentrations (mg dl(-1) ) were not significantly different between seasons, but VPC % was significantly higher in the summer (50%) than in the winter (35%). These results suggest that in summer, effects of high altitude on farmed fish are exacerbated by stresses of high temperatures and hypoxia, resulting in higher blood lactate, increased total antioxidant capacity and elevated VPC % levels.

La Enfermería Geriátrica en el Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior / Geriatric nursing on European Space for Higher Education

Problema: ¿Cómo se están estructurando las asignaturas relacionadas con la especialidad de Enfermería Geriátrica en la formación de Grado de Enfermería? Material y método: guías docentes de las universidades, escuelas/facultades de Enfermería, pertenecientes a la Conferencia Nacional de Directores de Centros Universitarios de Enfermería (CNDCUE). Análisis descriptivo de la asignatura que abordan los cuidados de enfermería durante la etapa de la vejez. Conclusiones: existe divergencia en el planteamiento de las asignaturas en las guías analizadas. Se ha modificado la denominación previa y común a todos los centros: Enfermería Geriátrica. El número de competencias propuestas es elevado, lo que puede complicar la evaluación formativa (AU)

Issue: how are subjects related to Geriatric Nursing being organized on Nursing degree education? Material and method: guidebooks about Shools/Faculties of Nursing wich belong to National Conference of Directors of University Centres of Nursing. A subject on nursing care descriptive analysis during old age. Conclusions: There are differences between the approach of the subjects on the guides we ve analized. The previous and common to all centres designation has been modified: Geriatric Nursing. The number of suggested competences is high, so formative evaluation will get complicated (AU)

Boldness and aggressiveness in early and late hatched three-spined sticklebacks Gasterosteus aculeatus.

Levels of boldness and the degree of aggressiveness were compared in juvenile three-spined sticklebacks Gasterosteus aculeatus that had hatched early and late in the breeding season. The most striking result found in this study was that early hatched individuals were bolder when exploring a novel environment than were late-hatched individuals. No differences in levels of aggression between early and late hatchlings were found, but a relationship between boldness and aggressiveness was present regardless of hatching date. The implications of these findings are discussed in the light of research on individual variation in behaviour and the development of behavioural syndromes.

Consistent boldness behaviour in early emerging fry of domesticated Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar): Decoupling of behavioural and physiological traits of the proactive stress coping style.

Individual variation in the way animals cope with stressors has been documented in a number of animal groups. In general, two distinct sets of behavioural and physiological responses to stress have been described: the proactive and the reactive coping styles. Some characteristics of stress coping style seem to be coupled to the time to emerge of fry from spawning redds in natural populations of salmonid fishes. In the present study, behavioural and physiological traits of stress coping styles were compared two and five months after emergence in farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), using individuals with an early or late time to emerge. Initially, compared to late emerging individuals, early emerging individuals showed a shorter time to resume feeding after transfer to rearing in isolation. Resumption of feeding after isolation was suggested to be related to boldness behaviour, rather than hunger, in the present study. This observation was repeated five months after emergence, demonstrating behavioural consistency over time in this trait. However, in other traits of proactive and reactive stress coping styles, such as social status, resting metabolism or post stress cortisol concentrations, early and late emerging individuals did not differ. Therefore, this study demonstrates that boldness in a novel environment is uncoupled from other traits of the proactive and reactive stress coping styles in farmed salmonids. It is possible that this decoupling is caused by the low competitive environment in which fish were reared. In natural populations of salmonids, however, the higher selection pressure at emergence could select for early emerging individuals with a proactive coping style.

No evidence of cellular alterations by MilliTesla-level static and 50 Hz magnetic fields on S. cerevisiae.

In an attempt to determine whether magnetic field (MF) exposures might induce cellular alterations, S. cerevisiae yeast cells were exposed to static or sinusoidal 50 Hz homogeneous MF (0.35 mT, 1.4 mT, and 2.45 mT) for 1 h and 72 h. Unsynchronized cells grown exponentially while exposed to MF, containing cells in all stages of the mitotic cell cycle. MF was generated by a pair of Helmholtz coils (40 cm in diameter, coaxial, separated by 20 cm). Survival, cell cycle distribution, colony forming ability, and mutation frequency were assayed. No differences in the above-mentioned parameters were observed in MF exposed samples in relation to unexposed controls, suggesting that homogeneous MF at these intensities do not produce appreciable cellular alterations in this organism under typical in vitro growth conditions.

Three-spined sticklebacks Gasterosteus aculeatus as a model for exploring behavioural biology.

Niko Tinbergen chose the three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus for his classic behavioural studies because they are small, robust, common and easy to house in the laboratory under reasonably natural conditions and also because their behaviour, while sufficiently simple to be tractable, is still sufficiently complex to be interesting. An analysis of citation records shows that this was an inspired choice. Research on these small fish has addressed all four of Tinbergen's famous questions (causation, development, functions and evolution) and has contributed to the understanding of many different behavioural systems. The G. aculeatus literature is used here to explore several themes in fundamental behavioural biology (diet choice, shoaling, behavioural syndromes and sexual signalling) and the extent to which research using G. aculeatus has informed both fundamental and applied behavioural biology, the latter in the context of aquaculture research.

No effect of 50 Hz 2.45 mT magnetic field on the potency of cisplatin, mitomycin C, and methotrexate in S. cerevisiae.

Drug resistance is an obstacle for chemotherapy success. Because of this, this work aims to improve the cell killing effect of antineoplastic drugs by magnetic field (MF) co-exposure. S. cerevisiae cells were exposed to 2.45 mT, sinusoidal 50 Hz MF, during 48 h, and the drugs cisplatin (cisPt), mitomycin C (MMC), or methotrexate (MTX); 100 and 1,000 microg/ml. Survival was assayed by the drop test. The results showed that MF exposures do not induce alterations in the potency of cisPt, MMC, and MTX on these cells in relation to untreated controls. In addition, a strong correlation between temperature and potency of cisPt was found, which contribute to the establishment of the importance of an exhaustive control of temperature in experiments carried out with temperature sensitive antineoplastic agents in co-exposure with MF; avoiding differences between MF-exposed samples and unexposed controls and contributing to the performance of experiments under well-defined and controlled conditions.

Iron(III) chloride hexahydrate does not enhance methotrexate cytotoxicity on Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Methotrexate is a potent inhibitor of dihydropholate reductase that has been used as effective antineoplastic treatment due to its capacity to inhibit cell growth. In a previous work published in Bioelectrochemistry 2003;60:81-86, we reported a statistically significant increment of 40.1 and 29.4% in methotrexate potency when MCF-7 breast cancer cells were exposed simultaneously to iron(III) chloride hexahydrate (FeCl(3).6H(2)O) and methotrexate. The aim of this study was to investigate whether iron(III) could produce, on a Saccharomyces cerevisiae wild-type strain, alterations on methotrexate potency by the drop test survival assay and proliferation studies measured after 24 and 96 h of exposure. The data presented in the current report indicate that FeCl(3).6H(2)O (1, 10, 100 and 500 microg/ml) does not induce modulation of the action of methotrexate (10, 100 and 500 microg/ml) in S. cerevisiae yeast cells when they are exposed simultaneously for 24 and 96 h.