Serum inhibin A and B concentrations during the menstrual cycle in mothers of spontaneous dizygotic twins

Dizygotic twinning in humans is influenced by genetic factors suggesting inherited variation affects follicle development and predisposes to double ovulations. In a previous study, we conducted a detailed examination of follicle development and variation in hormone concentrations during the menstrual cycle in mothers of DZ twins (MODZT) compared with an age-matched control group of mothers of singletons. We did not detect differences in FSH concentrations between mothers of twins and mothers of singletons. Serum inhibin concentrations were measured by a radioimmunoassay that did not distinguish between dimeric inhibin A and B forms and free inhibin alpha subunit. We therefore analyzed the samples from this study with specific assays to determine whether concentrations of inhibin A and B were different between MODZT and controls and therefore contribute to the twinning phenotype. There were no significant differences between MONT with single ovulations and control women in inhibin A and B concentrations during the cycle, including the critical period for the selection of the dominant follicle. These data suggest that the genetic cause of twinning is not associated with changes in FSH concentrations or recognised feedback mechanisms regulating FSH release.

Glucose-6-Phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in children from 0 to 14 years hospitalized at the Pediatric Hospital David Bernardino, Luanda, Angola

The Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is the most common enzymatic defect in the world. The most common clinical manifestations are acute hemolytic anemia associated with drugs, infections, neonatal jaundice and hemolytic non-spherocytic chronic anemia. The main aim of this study was to determine the frequency of major genetic variants of G6PD leading to enzyme deficiency in children from 0 to 14 years at a Pediatric Hospital in Luanda, Angola. A cross-sectional and descriptive analytical study covered a total of 194 children aged from 0 to 14 years, of both genders and hospitalized at the Pediatric Hospital David Bernardino, Luanda between November and December, 2011. The G202A, A376G and C563T mutations of the G6PD gene were determined by real-time PCR with Taqman probes. The disabled A-/A- genotype was detected in 10 girls (10.9%). Among the boys, 21 (20.6%) presented the genotype A-. Considering all the samples, the A- variant was observed in 22.4% of cases. The Mediterranean mutation was not detected in the Angolan sample. Furthermore, no association was found between genotype and anemia, nutritional state and mucosa color. A significant association, however, was observed with jaundice. Based on the results obtained, there is a clear need to identify those with the disabled genotype in the Angolan population in order to avoid cases of drug-induced anemia, particularly in the treatment of malaria, so prevalent in Angola.

Parasitological diagnosis of mucocutaneous leishmaniasis due to Leishmania b. braziliensis in Bolivia

Parasitological diagnosis, using staned smears, culture and pathological examination of biopsy, was studied in 146 patients infected with mucocutaneous leishmaniasis, in Bolivia and Peru. The most efficient parasite detecting technique appeared to be the smear examination in cutaneous lesions (33 % positive) and the pathology in case of mucous lesions (28 % positive). In both, cutaneous and mucous lesions, the parasites were found most frequently in old lesions.

Synopsis plantarum :seu, Enumeratio systematica plantarum plerumque adhuc cognitarum cum differentiis specificis et synonymis selectis ad modum Persoonii elaborata /auctore David Dietrich.

1839 v.1

Synopsis plantarum :seu, Enumeratio systematica plantarum plerumque adhuc cognitarum cum differentiis specificis et synonymis selectis ad modum Persoonii elaborata /auctore David Dietrich.

1840 v.2

Synopsis plantarum :seu, Enumeratio systematica plantarum plerumque adhuc cognitarum cum differentiis specificis et synonymis selectis ad modum Persoonii elaborata /auctore David Dietrich.

1843 v.3

Synopsis plantarum :seu, Enumeratio systematica plantarum plerumque adhuc cognitarum cum differentiis specificis et synonymis selectis ad modum Persoonii elaborata /auctore David Dietrich.

1847 v.4

Synopsis plantarum :seu, Enumeratio systematica plantarum plerumque adhuc cognitarum cum differentiis specificis et synonymis selectis ad modum Persoonii elaborata /auctore David Dietrich.

1852 v.5

B cell dependent T lymphocyte responses in leishmaniasis

The activation of B cell dependent T cells during Leishmania infection cannot be considered a trivial event, because their removal profoundly alters the course and outcome of infection within genetically susceptible and resistant mouse strains. The demonstration that idiotype recognizing T cells also appear within human populations sensitized to leishmanial antigens as a result of asymptomatic or subclinical infections supports a role for these cells in immunity. These cells are not demonstrable in patients with active visceral disease, so that their role in promoting specific unresponsiveness has not been extended to humans. Whether B cell dependent, idiotype specific T cells represent a functionally distinct T lymphocyte subset with unique regulatory activities remains to be determined.

A Change in the Epidemiology of Infections Due to Extended-Spectrum b-Lactamase–Producing Organisms

Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) form a heterogeneous group that share the property of hydrolytic activity against the oxyimino-β-lactams while remaining susceptible to inhibition by β-lactamase inhibitors, such as clavulanic acid. From a clinical point of view, they are important because they confer resistance to penicillins, aztreonam, and cephalosporins, and ESBL-producing organisms are typically also resistant to aminoglycosides, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and quinolones [1]. Until recently, the main problem posed by ESBLs was related to nosocomial outbreaks caused by ESBL-producing Klebsiella species. These outbreaks are usually clonal, the strains are mainly spread through cross-transmission, and the risk factors are similar to those found for other multidrug-resistant nosocomial pathogens [2]. In Europe and the United States, most ESBL-producing Klebsiella isolates harbored enzymes belonging to the TEM and SHV families [3]. Detection of colonized patients by performing surveillance cultures within affected units, isolation precautions for colonized patients, and restriction of oxyimino-β-lactam use are frequently useful for the control of these outbreaks [1]. There is no evidence that hospital-acquired ESBL-producing klebsiellae are decreasing in importance—in fact, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 20.6% of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from United States intensive care units in 2003 were probable producers of ESBL [4]. This represented a 47% increase, compared with the preceding 5 years. However, during the last few years, an impressive increase in the number of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli (and, less frequently, other Enterobacteriaceae) is being described in several parts of the world [5–8]. This emergent phenomenon shows some differences from the problem posed by Klebsiella species; many of these ESBL-producing E. coli are isolated …