Application of the 2008 definitions for invasive fungal diseases to the trial comparing voriconazole versus amphotericin B for therapy of invasive aspergillosis: a collaborative study of the Mycoses Study Group (MSG 05) and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Infectious Diseases Group.

BACKGROUND: Strict definition of invasive aspergillosis (IA) cases is required to allow precise conclusions about the efficacy of antifungal therapy. The Global Comparative Aspergillus Study (GCAS) compared voriconazole to amphotericin B (AmB) deoxycholate for the primary therapy of IA. Because predefined definitions used for this trial were substantially different from the consensus definitions proposed by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer/Mycoses Study Group in 2008, we recategorized the 379 episodes of the GCAS according to the later definitions. METHODS: The objectives were to assess the impact of the current definitions on the classification of the episodes and to provide comparative efficacy for probable/proven and possible IA in patients treated with either voriconazole or AmB. In addition to original data, we integrated the results of baseline galactomannan serum levels obtained from 249 (65.7%) frozen samples. The original response assessment was accepted unchanged. RESULTS: Recategorization allowed 59 proven, 178 probable, and 106 possible IA cases to be identified. A higher favorable 12-week response rate was obtained with voriconazole (54.7%) than with AmB (29.9%) (P < .0001). Survival was higher for voriconazole for mycologically documented (probable/proven) IA (70.2%) than with AmB (54.9%) (P = .010). Higher response rates were obtained in possible IA treated with voriconazole vs AmB with the same magnitude of difference (26.2%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 7.2%-45.3%) as in mycologically documented episodes (24.3%; 95% CI, 11.9%-36.7%), suggesting that possible cases are true IA. CONCLUSIONS: Recategorization resulted in a better identification of the episodes and confirmed the higher efficacy of voriconazole over AmB deoxycholate in mycologically documented IA.

Estudio preliminar de las relaciones predador-presa en Heliaster helianthus (Asteroidea: Echinodermata)

En noviembre de 1986 se colectaron 249 ejemplares de Heliaster helianthus en la zona intermareal rocosa de la Bahía de Ancón, Perú. Para un total de 166 ejemplares de Heliaster helianthus se registraron 14 especies presa, de las cuales los bivalvos Semimytilus algosus alcanzó en 88.0% y Perumitylus purpuratus el 7.6 % en dominancia numérica. Ambas especies predominaban en el área del muestreo.

Heidelberg Retina Tomograph in Glaucoma Case-finding

Purpose: To compare the disease classification using optic nerve head imaging against clinical examination combined with perimetry in the case-finding environment.Methods: During a glaucoma screening event at the University Hospital in Lausanne 148 attendees opted to undergo an extended screening exam consisting of perimetry with Octopus (Haag-Streit, Koeniz, Switzerland), tonometry, gonioscopy, slit-lamp optic nerve head examination and Heidelberg Retinal Tomorgraph (HRT, Heidelberg engineering). Classification criteria of an abnormal clinical exam consisted of a cup to disc ratio > 0.6, other disc abnormality (e.g. notching), closed angles, Van Herrick < ¼ and intraocular pressure >21mmHg. In perimetry a square root loss variance (sLV) >3.0 dB was considered abnormal. Those cases with both an abnormal clinical exam and abnormal perimetric results were considered to be glaucoma suspects. An abnormal HRT exam was a global Moorfields Regression Analysis (MRA) result of "outside normal limits". The results from the worse eye for each instrument are reported.Results: The mean age of the patients was 59.9 years (SD ±14.8years). 46 subjects failed the clinical exam. 55 subjects had sLV>3.0dB. 86 subjects failed one or more of the testing components, 21 subjects failed both the clinical exam and perimetry. Two cases of advanced glaucoma were diagnosed on the day of the event. 20 subjects were referred due to other ocular pathology (10 cataract; 2 AMD; 8 other). 16 subjects were outside normal limits with the HRT, of which 11 failed the clinical exam, 9 failed the perimetric exam and 7 failed all three. HRT had a sensitivity of 33% CI [15%,57%] with a specificity of 93% CI [87%,97%].Conclusions: HRT shows good specificity, however the low sensitivity makes it of limited use in the proposed case finding scenario.

Teorema de Noether do Cálculo das Variações e Controlo Óptimo Estocásticos

Neste trabalho começamos por apresentar os problemas clássicos do cálculo das variações e controlo óptimo determinísticos, dando ênfase ás condições necessárias de optimalidade de Euler-Lagrange e Princípioípio do Máximo de Pontryagin (Capítulo 1). No Capítulo 2 demonstramos o Teorema de Noether do cálculo das variações e uma sua extensão ao controlo óptimo. Como exemplos de aplicação mencionamos as leis de conservação de momento e energia da mecânica, válidas ao longo das extremais de Euler-Lagrange ou das extremais de Pontryagin. Numa segunda parte do trabalho introduzimos o cálculo das variações estocástico (Capítulo 3) e demonstramos um teorema de Noether estocástico obtido recententemente por Jacky Cresson (Capítulo 4). O Capítulo 5 ´e dedicado á programação dinâmica: caso discreto e contínuo, caso determinístico e estocástico.

Variaciones en el espectro alimentario de los principales recursos pelágicos durante otoño 1998. Crucero BIC Humboldt 9803-05 de Tumbes a Tacna

Analizan 579 contenidos estomacales de anchoveta, 249 de sardina, 284 de caballa y 84 de jurel, colectados entre el 27 de marzo y 1° de mayo de 1998. La anchoveta y la sardina se alimentaron de diatomeas, dinoflagelados y copépodos, principalmente; la caballa y el jurel se alimentaron de peces, crustáceos y moluscos. Las raciones diarias de alimentación calculadas mediante el software MAXIMS son de 0,2657 y 0,3243 g/día para la anchoveta y la sardina, respectivamente. Las variaciones en el espectro alimentario reflejan la disponibilidad de las presas en el ambiente, el que estuvo alterado por la ocurrencia de El Niño 1997-98.

Comportamiento de las redes de arrastre pelágicas utilizadas en el crucero BIC Humboldt y BIC Jose Olaya Balandra 9808-09 de Paita a Tacna.

Resultados del comportamiento de las redes de arrastre pelágica modelo alemán Engel 988/400 utilizadas para la Evaluación de Recursos Pelágicos: Anchoveta (Engraulis ringens), Sardina (Sardinops sagax sagax), Jurel (Trachurus picturatus murphyi), Caballa (Scomber japonicus peruanus) y Samasa (Anchoa nasus) durante el crucero Hidroacústico 9808-09 a bordo de los BICs Humboldt y José Olaya Balandra entre Paita - Callao - Los Palos (Tacna). Se determinó la distancia entre puertas, el área de la boca de la red y el volumen de agua filtrada que tuvieron las redes en los arrastres efectivos de una milla náutica de distancia durante los 188 lances de comprobación, obteniéndose un rendimiento; se capturó un total de 18.357,87 kg; correspondiendo para la anchoveta 653,51 kg; sardina 108,05; jurel 24,84 kg; caballa 299,77 kg; samasa 228,95 kg y otros recursos hidrobiológicos 17.042,76 kg; con un índice de captura (CPUE) de 249,31 kg. Los valores de datos de comportamiento de la red como la abertura horizontal de la boca, abertura vertical, profundidad de la red y distancia entre la relinga inferior al fondo, etc., se obtuvo en forma directa por medio de una net sonda FS 900 SIMRAD, y SCANMAR RX 400, los arrastres tuvieron en promedio una duración de 21 minutos con una velocidad de 3,4 nudos.

Development and cross-amplification of thirty microsatellite loci in five diploid and polyploid Central Asian species of Palearctic green toads (Bufo viridis subgroup)

We report 30 polymorphic microsatellite markers for five species of Palearctic green toads (Bufo viridis subgroup): 23 in the diploid B. latastii, 19 in diploid B. turanensis, 20 in diploid B. shaartusiensis, 27 in tetraploid B. pewzowi, and 30 in triploid B. baturae. Genetic diversity at these loci, measured for 10-18 individuals per species, ranged from 2 to 19 alleles. These microsatellite loci will be useful for conservation plans (genetic diversity, population structure, evolutionary units), inheritance patterns, and evolution of green toads.

Finland på världskartan (Tal till studenterna : 17.5.1962 i Helsingfors)

Puhe

NOTCH1 can initiate NF-κB activation via cytosolic interactions with components of the T cell Signalosome.

T cell stimulation requires the input and integration of external signals. Signaling through the T cell receptor (TCR) is known to induce formation of the membrane-tethered CBM complex, comprising CARMA1, BCL10, and MALT1, which is required for TCR-mediated NF-κB activation. TCR signaling has been shown to activate NOTCH proteins, transmembrane receptors also implicated in NF-κB activation. However, the link between TCR-mediated NOTCH signaling and early events leading to induction of NF-κB activity remains unclear. In this report, we demonstrate a novel cytosolic function for NOTCH1 and show that it is essential to CBM complex formation. Using a model of skin allograft rejection, we show in vivo that NOTCH1 acts in the same functional pathway as PKCθ, a T cell-specific kinase important for CBM assembly and classical NF-κB activation. We further demonstrate in vitro NOTCH1 associates physically with PKCθ and CARMA1 in the cytosol. Unexpectedly, when NOTCH1 expression was abrogated using RNAi approaches, interactions between CARMA1, BCL10, and MALT1 were lost. This failure in CBM assembly reduced inhibitor of kappa B alpha phosphorylation and diminished NF-κB-DNA binding. Finally, using a luciferase gene reporter assay, we show the intracellular domain of NOTCH1 can initiate robust NF-κB activity in stimulated T cells, even when NOTCH1 is excluded from the nucleus through modifications that restrict it to the cytoplasm or hold it tethered to the membrane. Collectively, these observations provide evidence that NOTCH1 may facilitate early events during T cell activation by nucleating the CBM complex and initiating NF-κB signaling.

Ictioplancton y volúmenes de zooplancton entre Paita y Cerro Azul durante la primavera del 2005

Durante la primavera 2005, con la red Hensen (330 μm) se colectaron 104 muestras de zooplancton entre Paita y Cerro Azul hasta 50 m de profundidad. Se determinaron huevos y larvas pertenecientes a 20 familias, 22 géneros y 31 especies. Engraulis ringens fue más frecuente y abundante; se registraron huevos (64,1%) y larvas (70,9%), con abundancias que fluctuaron entre 3 y 23.184 huevos/m2 y entre 3 y 5.340 larvas/m2. La longitud total (LT) de las larvas fluctuó entre 2 y 20 mm, las más abundantes (91,6%) fueron larvas entre 2 y 4 mm LT. De Vinciguerria lucetia se registró huevos (35,6%) y larvas (28,8%) y de Diogenichthys laternatus larvas con 32,7%. El índice de diversidad (H), registró valores entre 0,001 y 1,54 bits/Ind., la equidad (J) varió entre 0,002 y 0,985 y la riqueza de especies (d) entre 0,099 y 1,430. Los volúmenes de zooplancton estuvieron comprendidos entre 0,4 y 55 mL/muestra, con un promedio +desviación estándar de 7,30 +8,10 mL/muestra.

Long-term data from the swiss pulmonary hypertension registry.

BACKGROUND: Registries are important for real-life epidemiology on different pulmonary hypertension (PH) groups. OBJECTIVE: To provide long-term data of the Swiss PH registry of 1998-2012. METHODS: PH patients have been classified into 5 groups and registered upon written informed consent at 5 university and 8 associated hospitals since 1998. New York Heart Association (NYHA) class, 6-min walk distance, hemodynamics and therapy were registered at baseline. Patients were regularly followed, and therapy and events (death, transplantation, endarterectomy or loss to follow-up) registered. The data were stratified according to the time of diagnosis into prevalent before 2000 and incident during 2000-2004, 2005-2008 and 2009-2012. RESULTS: From 996 (53% female) PH patients, 549 had pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), 36 PH due to left heart disease, 127 due to lung disease, 249 to chronic thromboembolic PH (CTEPH) and 35 to miscellaneous PH. Age and BMI significantly increased over time, whereas hemodynamic severity decreased. Overall, event-free survival was 84, 72, 64 and 58% for the years 1-4 and similar for time periods since 2000, but better during the more recent periods for PAH and CTEPH. Of all PAH cases, 89% had target medical therapy and 43% combination therapy. Of CTEPH patients, 14 and 2% underwent pulmonary endarterectomy or transplantation, respectively; 87% were treated with PAH target therapy. CONCLUSION: Since 2000, the incident Swiss PH patients registered were older, hemodynamically better and mostly treated with PAH target therapies. Survival has been better for PAH and CTEPH diagnosed since 2008 compared with earlier diagnosis or other classifications.