Vaccination against Taenia solium cysticercosis

Taenia solium is a parasite that causes human cysticercosis. Its life cycle includes the adult stage, the egg and the larval stage. Human cysticercosis is a disease related to underdevelopment, the main clinical manifestation is neurocysticercosis. Control measures include mass cestocidal treatment aimed to cure possible taeniosis cases. Although useful it has certain disadvantages, such as the generation of symptomatology in occult neurocysticercosis. Alternatively, health education has been shown to be highly effective since people become aware of the importance of human and porcine cysticercosis and the possibility of eliminating it. Nevertheless it has to be implemented by knowledgeable people. On the other hand, the life cycle can be controlled by avoiding swine cysticercosis. This review describes the studies performed to vaccinate pigs against T. solium and indicate that short time perspectives are very encouraging for the production of an optimal vaccine.

Resistance of the internal mammary artery to restenosis: a histomorphologic study of various porcine arteries.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Restenosis after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) of the internal mammary artery (IMA) grafts is much less pronounced than in other arteries and venous grafts. The aim of the study was to test whether various arteries respond differently to dilatation. METHODS: PTA of the IMA, carotid, renal and circumflex coronary (RCx) arteries was performed in 9 pigs (balloon to artery ratio of 1:1.5). After 8 weeks, angiography was repeated and vessels prepared for histological analysis. Immunohistochemical staining was done to examine proliferative activity (Ki67) and to identify the vasa vasorum of the adventitia (F VIII-RA). RESULTS: The intima-media ratio after PTA was lowest in the IMA (0.06), followed by the carotid (0.27) and renal arteries (0.49) and the RCx (0.69). Proliferation of the intima was seen at 287 degrees of the vessel circumference in the RCx, at 286 degrees in the renal and at 166 degrees in the carotid artery. No proliferative activity was seen in the IMA. The intima-adventitia ratio was lower in the IMA than in the RCx and renal arteries (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Intima proliferation after PTA varies between the different vessels, with best results seen in the IMA. There are differences in remodeling after PTA between muscular, muscular/elastic and elastic arteries.

Sky Net : sistema de sincronización y control de versiones de documentos on-line

La función de la aplicación Sky Net (un sistema de control de versiones y sincronización de documentos on-line) será la de ofrecer un conjunto de herramientas capaces de establecer una comunicación cliente-servidor de forma transparente utilizando carpetas del disco duro. De esta forma el usuario final podrá tener todos sus documentos guardados en un servidor, poderlos recuperar en el momento que se desee, y tener los mismos documentos en todas las estaciones de trabajo que estén conectadas a la aplicación. Además se le añade una función de control de versiones que permitirá guardar el contenido de una carpeta bajo un identificador (nombre o versión), y poderlo recuperar más adelante aunque ya hayamos hecho modificaciones en los documentos de dicha carpeta. El proyecto se compone de dos aplicaciones: Sky Catcher, la aplicación cliente, y Sky Node, la aplicación servidor.

Epidemilogia de la Influença porcina

La influenza es una enfermedad de gran importancia debido a su impacto sanitario y social. La especie porcina tiene importancia epidemiológica debido a su capacidad de actuar como eslabón adaptando los virus aviares a los mamíferos. Un mejor conocimiento de la enfermedad en la especie porcina permitirá definir mejor los métodos de lucha frente la enfermedad tanto en la especie humana como en la porcina. En el presente proyecto se pretende determinar los subtipos de virus influenza actualmente presentes en la cabaña porcina de España y estimar su seroprevalencia, así como estudiar los factores de riesgo que predisponen a la presencia de los virus influenza en las granjas de porcino. Para ello, se realizará una encuesta seroepidemiológica en la que se recogerán muestras de suero de animales de distintas edades (cerdas y cerdos de engorde) y se reunirán datos correspondientes a las características de las distintas explotaciones mediante una encuesta epidemiológica. Por otro lado, y con el fin de determinar la dinámica de infección de la enfermedad, se llevará a cabo un estudio longitudinal en dos explotaciones de ciclo cerrado seropositivas frente a Influenza porcina. En éstas explotaciones se recogerán muestras de suero y de hisopos nasales de un lote entero de producción, en intervalos que oscilarán de semanalmente a mensualmente. Los animales se muestrearan desde las tres semanas de vida hasta que sean enviados al matadero (aproximadamente a los 6 meses de vida). A partir de las muestras obtenidas se realizaran pruebas diagnósticas de carácter virológico y serológico. Este estudio aportará información acerca de la diseminación de los virus influenza en las explotaciones de cerdos, por lo que refiere a su comportamiento endémico/epidémico, clinico/subclínico, etc.

Salmonella in pork on the island of Ireland

A study was carried out on the occurrence of Salmonella on pork on the island of Ireland and an assessment of the risk factors contributing to its transmission. It included microbiological studies to track the Salmonella status of individual pigs through the pork chain from farm to primal cuts. Studies on the Salmonella status of pork cuts in boning hall, and on raw pork cuts at retail were also undertaken. A quantitative microbial risk assessment model was developed for Salmonella on pork cuts covering the chain from slaughter to boned-out cuts.

Gestor de persistència genèric

En aquest TFC es proposa utilitzar una única classe Gestor de Disc parametritzable per un fitxer, concretament un fitxer XML, que reculli les dades necessàries extretes d'una base de dades. Es marca com objectiu que el fitxer XML sigui igual per a qualsevol SGBD amb el que aconseguirem independència de la plataforma.

Creació d'un CD-Live LINUX UOC

Aquesta memòria recull les tasques realitzades per tal d'obtenir un CD que contingui una versió de LINUX personalitzada, amb la utilitat de poder ser utilitzada com a eina bàsica pels alumnes al llarg dels estudis cursats a la UOC. Es tracta d'un CD autoarrencable, cosa que vol dir que es pot executar directament des de qualsevol lector de CD, sense haver-se d'instal·lar permanentment en el disc dur dels PC.

Serological evidence of hepatitis E virus infection in different animal species from the Southeast of Brazil

Serological evidence of hepatitis E virus infection (HEV) has been observed in both humans and different animal species living in non-endemic areas, suggesting that animals could be important reservoir for virus transmission to man. Antibodies to HEV have been detected in some Brazilian population groups. Nevertheless, sporadic cases of acute HEV infection have never been reported. We collected 271 serum samples from several domestic animals and also from pig handlers from Southeast of Brazil in order to investigate the seroprevalence of HEV infection. Anti-HEV IgG was detected in cows (1.42%), dogs (6.97%), chickens (20%), swines (24.3%), and rodents (50%), as well as in pig handlers (6.3%). The recognition of swine HEV infections in pigs in many countries of the world led us to investigate a larger sample of pigs (n = 357) from the same Brazilian region with ages ranging from 1 to > 25 weeks. IgG anti-HEV was detected in 100% of 7-day old pigs. Following a gradual decline between weeks 2 and 8 (probably due to loss of maternal IgG), the prevalence then steady increased until it reached 97.3% of animals older than 25 weeks. Besides the detection of anti-HEV antibodies in different animal species, the results showed that swine HEV infection seems to be almost universal within this Brazilian pig population. This is the first report that shows evidences of HEV circulation in Brazilian animal species and pig handlers.

Diagnosis of Brazilian vesiculoviruses by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction

We describe a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and a nested-PCR for diagnosis of Piry, Carajás, Cocal, and Alagoas vesiculoviruses from Brazil. The RNA extracts of viral and clinical samples were submitted to a RT-PCR using Vesiculovirus G primers that amplify part of the glycoprotein gene. The RT-PCR produced amplicons of expected size, 290 base pair, for the four studied viruses. The RT-PCR showed a high sensitivity being 151.3 times (2.18 log) more sensitive for the detection of Piry virus than the classical procedure for virus detection in tissue culture based on the viral cytophatic effect. Amplicons had nucleotides sequenced and were aligned in order to select internal primers for a nested-PCR to confirm the origin of Piry, Carajás, Cocal, and Alagoas Vesiculovirus. Ten blood and tarsal pad epithelial samples of infected Guinea-pigs had Vesiculovirus genome amplified by RT-nested-PCR.

Plataforma GNU/Linux : Servidor de Base de Dades

L'objectiu d'aquest projecte és aconseguir una distribució basada en el projecte Metadistros capaç d'arrencar des del CD. L'avantatge d'aquest tipus de distribucions és disposar de tot un sistema operatiu juntament amb tot un lot d'aplicacions sense necessitat d'instal·lar res al disc dur.

Cytostatic lung perfusion results in heterogeneous spatial regional blood flow and drug distribution: evaluation of different cytostatic lung perfusion techniques in a porcine model.

OBJECTIVES: Comparison of doxorubicin uptake, leakage and spatial regional blood flow, and drug distribution was made for antegrade, retrograde, combined antegrade and retrograde isolated lung perfusion, and pulmonary artery infusion by endovascular inflow occlusion (blood flow occlusion), as opposed to intravenous administration in a porcine model. METHODS: White pigs underwent single-pass lung perfusion with doxorubicin (320 mug/mL), labeled 99mTc-microspheres, and Indian ink. Visual assessment of the ink distribution and perfusion scintigraphy of the perfused lung was performed. 99mTc activity and doxorubicin levels were measured by gamma counting and high-performance liquid chromatography on 15 tissue samples from each perfused lung at predetermined localizations. RESULTS: Overall doxorubicin uptake in the perfused lung was significantly higher (P = .001) and the plasma concentration was significantly lower (P < .0001) after all isolated lung perfusion techniques, compared with intravenous administration, without differences between them. Pulmonary artery infusion (blood flow occlusion) showed an equally high doxorubicin uptake in the perfused lung but a higher systemic leakage than surgical isolated lung perfusion (P < .0001). The geometric coefficients of variation of the doxorubicin lung tissue levels were 175%, 279%, 226%, and 151% for antegrade, retrograde, combined antegrade and retrograde isolated lung perfusion, and pulmonary artery infusion by endovascular inflow occlusion (blood flow occlusion), respectively, compared with 51% for intravenous administration (P = .09). 99mTc activity measurements of the samples paralleled the doxorubicin level measurements, indicating a trend to a more heterogeneous spatial regional blood flow and drug distribution after isolated lung perfusion and blood flow occlusion compared with intravenous administration. CONCLUSIONS: Cytostatic lung perfusion results in a high overall doxorubicin uptake, which is, however, heterogeneously distributed within the perfused lung.

Taeniasis-cysticercosis in Southern Ecuador: assessment of infection status using multiple laboratory diagnostic tools

Taenia solium-taeniasis and cysticercosis were studied in the human and porcine populations of a rural community in the Southern Ecuadorian Andes. From the 1059 inhabitants, 800 serum samples and 958 stool samples could be collected. In addition, 646 from the estimated 1148 pigs were tongue inspected. Circulating antigen was detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (Ag-ELISA) in 2.25% of the human population, whereas intestinal taeniasis was detected in 1.46% by the formalin-ether technique. Following treatment and recovery of tapeworm fragments these were all identified as T. solium. Porcine cysticercosis was diagnosed in 3.56% of the pigs by tongue inspection. In addition, enzyme linked immunoelectrotransfer blot (EITB) was performed on a subset group of 100 humans to confirm the results of the Ag-ELISA. One hundred serum samples from pigs were also analysed by EITB. It appeared that 43 and 74% of humans and pigs had antibodies against T. solium cysticerci, respectively. It is concluded that contrary to the high exposure of the human population to T. solium that is suggested by EITB, the number of active cysticercosis cases, diagnosed by Ag-ELISA, was low, which may indicate endemic stability. The further use of complementary diagnostic methods for a better understanding of the epidemiology of T. solium is suggested.

myvideos : creació de repositoris de videos (Moodle)

Amb l'objectiu de fomentar l'ús de recursos audiovisuals, s'ha desenvolupat un bloc de Moodle que permet afegir vídeos codificant-los automàticament al format Flash Video, reduint així l'espai de disc i l'ample de banda necessaris per fer-ne ús. Cada usuari té el seu propi repositori i tots els vídeos afegits com a públics passen a formar part d'un repositori d'accés públic. La darrera versió del programari és disponible a: http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?d=13&rid=3977

Incidence of myiasis in Panama during the eradication of Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel 1858, Diptera: Calliphoridae) (2002-2005)

We present the results of a study on myiasis in Panama during the first years of a Cochliomyia hominivorax eradication program (1998-2005), with the aim of investigating the behavior of the flies that produce myiasis in animals and human beings. The hosts that registered positive for myiasis were cattle (46.4%), dogs (15.3%), humans (14.7%), birds (12%), pigs (6%), horses (4%), and sheep (1%). Six fly species caused myiasis: Dermatobia hominis (58%), Phaenicia spp. (20%), Cochliomyia macellaria (19%), Chrysomya rufifacies (0.4%), and maggots of unidentified species belonging to the Sarcophagidae (3%) and Muscidae (0.3%). With the Dubois index, was no evidence that the absence of C. hominivorax allowed an increase in the cases of facultative myiasis.

Gestió dels arxius duplicats distribuïts

El treball diari en diferents entorns, tant pel que fa a sistemes operatius, com maquinariscom llocs físics diferents fa que la informació hagi d'estar a tot arreu. Aquesta informacióha d'estar actualitzada. A més a més, hi ha la possibilitat de l'ús de les diferentspossibilitats d'emmagatzematge (local, disc extern, núvol...).Tot i que les eines de treball al núvol (per exemple, Google Docs, EyeOS...) són moltcompletes, el fet d'utilitzar els programaris instal·lats als ordinadors encara segueix sentnecessari, per les seves capacitats i rapidesa. Més quan, estem treballant amb gransvolums d'informació (com grans documents, imatges, audio...).