Effect of Chronic Consumption of Sweeteners on Microbiota and Immunity in the Small Intestine of Young Mice.

The consumption of sweeteners has increased as a measure to reduce the consumption of calories and thus combat obesity and diabetes. Sweeteners are found in a large number of products, so chronic consumption has been little explored. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of chronic sweetener consumption on the microbiota and immunity of the small intestine in young mice. We used 72 CD1 mice of 21 days old, divided into 3 groups: (i) No treatment, (ii) Group A (6 weeks of treatment), and (iii) Group B (12 weeks of treatment). Groups A and B were divided into 4 subgroups: Control (CL), Sucrose (Suc), Splenda® (Spl), and Svetia® (Sv). The following were determined: anthropometric parameters, percentage of lymphocytes of Peyer's patches and lamina propria, IL-6, IL-17, leptin, resistin, C-peptide, and TNF-α. From feces, the microbiota of the small intestine was identified. The BMI was not modified; the mice preferred the consumption of Splenda® and Svetia®. The percentage of CD3+ lymphocytes in Peyer's patches was increased. In the lamina propria, Svetia® increased the percentage of CD3+ lymphocytes, but Splenda® decreases it. The Splenda® and Svetia® subgroups elevate leptin, C-peptide, IL-6, and IL-17, with reduction of resistin. The predominant genus in all groups was Bacillus. The chronic consumption of sweeteners increases the population of lymphocytes in the mucosa of the small intestine. Maybe, Bacillus have the ability to adapt to sweeteners regardless of the origin or nutritional contribution of the same.

Prevalencia y factores de riesgo para el consumo y dependencia de drogas en estudiantes de una universidad de Medellín, Colombia, 2009 / Prevalence and risk factors for drug use and dependence in university students from Medellín, Colombia, 2009

OBJETIVO: determinar la prevalencia y factores de riesgo para el consumo y dependencia a drogas en estudiantes de una universidad de la ciudad de Medellín. METODOLOGIA: estudio de corte analítico. Se encuestaron a 1264 estudiantes a través de un muestreo aleatorio estratificado por el número de estudiantes de cada unidad académica de una institución universitaria de la ciudad. Se indagó por variables sociodemográficas, académicas, de salud y de consumo; la dependencia se valoró a través del instrumento Drug Use Screening Inventory (Instrumento para la detección del uso de drogas) validado para Colombia. RESULTADOS: la edad promedio fue 20,8±2,7 años. La prevalencia de consumo en vida fue de 41,8%; el motivo principal fue satisfacer curiosidad (83,9%); la droga más consumida fue marihuana (36,3%). Como factores de riesgo se encontró el déficit de atención con hiperactividad, depresión, ansiedad e identificación con pares, docentes o familiares. DISCUSION: aunque el consumo de drogas al menos una vez en la vida es mayor que en otras universidades del área andina, la dependencia encontrada sólo fue del 2%. Tener un proyecto de vida definido a mediano plazo es un factor protector para el consumo y la dependencia de drogas.

OBJECTIVE: to determine the prevalence and risk factors for drug use and dependence among students at a university in Medellín, Colombia. METHODOLOGY: an analytical study in which 1264 students were surveyed using a random sampling, stratified by the number of students in each academic unit of a university located in Medellín. Information on sociodemographic, academic, health, and consumption variables was collected; drug dependence was assessed using the validated Colombian version of the Drug Use Screening Inventory. RESULTS: the mean age was 20.8±2.7 years; the lifetime prevalence of drug use amounted to 41.8%; the main motivation was satisfying curiosity (83.9%), and the most commonly used drug was marijuana (36.3%). The Risk factors found in this study were attention deficit, hyperactivity disorder, depression, anxiety, and identification with peers, teachers, or relatives. DISCUSSION: although the rate of drug use at least once in life is higher in this university when compared to other universities from the Colombian Andean region, the rate of dependence was found to be only 2%. Having a medium-term life project is a protective factor against drug use and dependence.

Disinfection of sludge with high pathogenic content using silver and other compounds.

A physicochemical sludge with high microbial content (10(2)-10(4) FPU/g TS bacteriophages, 10(6)-10(7) MPN/g TS faecal coliforms, 10(4) MPN/g TS Salmonella spp., 10(4) MPN/g TS Shigella spp., 10(3) MPN/g TS Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 10(2) MPN/g TS Vibrio cholerae, 10(2)-10(3) cysts/g TS Giardia sp., 10(2)-10(4) oocyts/g TS Cryptosporidium sp., 168-215 viable helminth ova/g TS) was disinfected using silver, silver-copper, and silver-copper plus a synergistic agent (SA). Twenty milligrams Ag/g TS inactivated 4.8 log of faecal coliforms in 1 h; however, 40 mg Ag/g TS are needed to reduce helminth ova viability from 84 to 38.4% in the same period of time. Combinations of Ag-Cu (60:600 mg Ag-Cu/g TS) and Ag-SA (60:24 mg Ag-SA/g TS) inactivated 7.8 log of faecal coliforms and around 90% of helminth ova in 60 min. To produce USEPA class A biosolids, 10:100:8 and 5:50:13.3 mg Ag-Cu-SA/gTS are needed. Bacterial regrowth was not observed for all conditions producing <1000 MPN/gTS faecal coliforms, suggesting a residual disinfection effect. Recommended doses to produce class A biosolids inactivated 2-4 log of bacteriophages, 4 log of Salmonella spp., 4 log of Shigella spp., 3 log of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 2 log of Vibrio cholerae, 87-99.9% of Giardia sp., and 75-99.9% of Cryptosporidium sp.

Lbx1 is required for muscle precursor migration along a lateral pathway into the limb.

In mammalian embryos, myogenic precursor cells emigrate from the ventral lip of the dermomyotome and colonize the limbs, tongue and diaphragm where they differentiate and form skeletal muscle. Previous studies have shown that Pax3, together with the c-Met receptor tyrosine kinase and its ligand Scatter Factor (SF) are necessary for the migration of hypaxial muscle precursors in mice. Lbx1 and Pax3 are co-expressed in all migrating hypaxial muscle precursors, raising the possibility that Lbx1 regulates their migration. To examine the function of Lbx1 in muscle development, we inactivated the Lbx1 gene by homologous recombination. Mice lacking Lbx1 exhibit an extensive loss of limb muscles, although some forelimb and hindlimb muscles are still present. The pattern of muscle loss suggests that Lbx1 is not required for the specification of particular limb muscles, and the muscle defects that occur in Lbx1(-/-) mice can be solely attributed to changes in muscle precursor migration. c-Met is expressed in Lbx1 mutant mice and limb muscle precursors delaminate from the ventral dermomyotome but fail to migrate laterally into the limb. Muscle precursors still migrate ventrally and give rise to tongue, diaphragm and some limb muscles, demonstrating Lbx1 is necessary for the lateral, but not ventral, migration of hypaxial muscle precursors. These results suggest that Lbx1 regulates responsiveness to a lateral migration signal which emanates from the developing limb.

Comparative efficacy of pivmecillinam and cotrimoxazole in acute shigellosis in children.

In a prospective randomized double-blind trial, pivmecillinam was compared with cotrimoxazole (TMP-SMX), both given orally for a period of 5 days, for the treatment of 59 children with shigellosis. 29 patients were treated with pivmecillinam and 30 with cotrimoxazole. 14% of shigella organisms isolated were resistant to pivmecillinam and 21% to TMP-SMX. The diarrhea persisted for a mean (+/- SD) period of 74 +/- 24.8 h in the pivmecillinam-treated patients versus 73.8 +/- 34 h in the TMP-SMX-treated patients. Duration of fever, positive stool culture, visible blood, occult blood, and pus cells in the stools were similar for both treatment groups. Five patients (17%) in the pivmecillinam group and 4 patients (13%) in the cotrimoxazole group fulfilled the clinical criteria that defined treatment failure. One patient (3.4%) in the pivmecillinam group and 2 (6.6%) in the TMP-SMX group evidenced recurrence of the diarrheal symptoms at the follow-up visit. No major drug-related side effects were observed in either group. We concluded that pivmecillinam is equivalent to cotrimoxazole in the treatment of shigellosis in children.

Extended Hildebrand solubility approach: sulfonamides in binary and ternary solvents.

The extended Hildebrand solubility approach is used to estimate the solubility of sulfonamides in binary and ternary solvent systems. The solubility of sulfisomidine in the binary solvent, dioxane-water, shows a bell-shaped profile with a solubility maximum well above the ideal solubility of the drug. This is attributed to solvation of the drug with the dioxane-water solvent, and indicates that the solute-solvent interaction energy (W) is larger than the geometric mean (delta 1 delta 2) of regular solution theory. The solubilities of sulfadiazine, sulfisomidine, sulfathiazole, and sulfamethoxazole were determined in mixtures of dimethylacetamide, glycerol, and water, and the solubility profiles were well reproduced by use of the extended Hildebrand solubility approach. Since the solubility parameter (delta 1 = 11) of the solvent (dimethylacetamide) was approximately equal to the solubility parameters of the sulfonamides, and because of the powerful solvating power of dimethylacetamide, the solubility profiles did not exhibit peaks as observed for sulfisomidine in dioxane-water. When sulfisomidine was dissolved in a ternary mixture, i.e., butyl acetate (delta 1 = 8.5), dimethylacetamide (delta 1 congruent to 11), and methanol (delta 1 = 14.5), a spike was produced in the solubility profile at the solubility parameter of dimethylacetamide. This sharply peaked profile suggests that the two branches be treated as separate solubility curves, which are then independently well reproduced by the extended Hildebrand solubility approach. None of the four sulfonamides yielded log-linear relationships in the ternary mixtures.

Regulation of breathing in newborns at high altitude.

Resting respiratory parameters and respiratory responses to acute changes in end-tidal O2 and CO2 pressure (PETO2 and PETCO2) were investigated in Peru in 23 newborn and 4 older infants at 3.850 m and in 13 newborns at 800 m. The study was done with the subjects asleep in a thermoneutral environment. The transient increase in ventilation in both high- and low-altitude newborns was followed by a decrease in response to acute hypoxia. During hyperoxia the two groups showed a slight but not clearly significant decrease in ventilation, whereas older high-altitude infants showed a sustained decrease. All subjects showed a prompt and clear response to CO2 inhalation during hyperoxia. We conclude that ventilatory peripheral chemoreflex is not fully developed in newborns regardless of altitude. The weak link in the reflex arc may reside in the afferent component because CO2 response was not impaired. Since hypoxic response became persistent in older infants its blunting in adult high-altitude natives is not a legacy of newborns.

Lung elasticity and airway dynamics in Peruvian natives to high altitude.

To evaluate the role of genetic and environmental factors in the genesis of large lungs in high-altitude natives, we measured forced vital capacity (FVC), static lung pressure-volume characteristics and maximum expiratory flow-volume loops in 17- to 20-yr-old Peruvian natives to 3,850 m (highlanders) and 800 m (lowlanders). Forced vital capacity was 5.11 +/- 0.64 liters in highlanders, 116 +/- 11% of predicted; and 3.73 +/- 0.32 liters in lowlanders, 84 +/- 7% of predicted. Lung elastic recoil at functional residual capacity and at total lung capacity, and size-corrected pressure volume curves were similar in the two groups. Despite the larger volumes in highlanders, density-corrected maximum flow rates were similar in highlanders and lowlanders, and flow expressed in FVC'S-S-1 was less in highlanders. Upstream conductance at 50% FVC expressed in fvc's-s-1-cmH2O was 0.094 +/- 0.023 in highlanders vs. 0.147 +/- 0.050 in lowlanders. Flow rates did not change in sojourners to altitude, suggesting that the lower values of highlanders were due to anatomic factors. These findings suggest that airways, which form in fetal life, do not participate in adaptation to altitude, and that the large lungs of highlanders result from postnatal environmental hypoxic stimulation of lung growth. Our results illustrate the importance of "dysynaptic" lung growth in determining patterns of adult lung function.