Mesoclitic Romance futures and conditionals vs participle preposing

(INFINITIVE + CLITIC + AUX) is an evidential configuration in Old Spanish and Old Catalan, whereas (PARTICIPLE + CLITIC + AUX) is an instance of weak or unmarked focus fronting. The evidentiality of mesoclitic structures can be put forward on the bases of three main arguments: a) mesoclisis is not compulsory (i.e., whenever you have a clitic, you can either have mesoclisis or proclisis/enclisis); b) mesoclitic futures and conditionals areattested in interrogative sentences (with wh- elements); and c) they are not found in derived adverbial clauses (which is what you expect if they have an evidential value, since they bring about intervention effects corresponding to the derivational account of conditional and temporal sentences, for example - see Haegeman 2007 and ff.), and are related to high modal expressions (thus interfering with MoodPIrrealis)

Validity and reliability of the Spanish version of the DN4 (Douleur Neuropathique 4 questions) questionnaire for differential diagnosis of pain syndromes associated to a neuropathic or somatic component

BACKGROUND This study assesses the validity and reliability of the Spanish version of DN4 questionnaire as a tool for differential diagnosis of pain syndromes associated to a neuropathic (NP) or somatic component (non-neuropathic pain, NNP). METHODS A study was conducted consisting of two phases: cultural adaptation into the Spanish language by means of conceptual equivalence, including forward and backward translations in duplicate and cognitive debriefing, and testing of psychometric properties in patients with NP (peripheral, central and mixed) and NNP. The analysis of psychometric properties included reliability (internal consistency, inter-rater agreement and test-retest reliability) and validity (ROC curve analysis, agreement with the reference diagnosis and determination of sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values in different subsamples according to type of NP). RESULTS A sample of 164 subjects (99 women, 60.4%; age: 60.4 +/- 16.0 years), 94 (57.3%) with NP (36 with peripheral, 32 with central, and 26 with mixed pain) and 70 with NNP was enrolled. The questionnaire was reliable [Cronbach's alpha coefficient: 0.71, inter-rater agreement coefficient: 0.80 (0.71-0.89), and test-retest intra-class correlation coefficient: 0.95 (0.92-0.97)] and valid for a cut-off value > or = 4 points, which was the best value to discriminate between NP and NNP subjects. DISCUSSION This study, representing the first validation of the DN4 questionnaire into another language different than the original, not only supported its high discriminatory value for identification of neuropathic pain, but also provided supplemental psychometric validation (i.e. test-retest reliability, influence of educational level and pain intensity) and showed its validity in mixed pain syndromes.

Molecular dissection of Arabidopsis thaliana endodermis development, structure and function

In vascular plants, the endodermis establishes a protective diffusion barrier surrounding the vasculature preventing the passive, uncontrolled entry of nutrients absorbed by the plant. It does so by means of a differentiation feature, the "Casparian Strip" (CS), a highly localized cell wall impregnation made of lignin, which seals the extracellular space. Although the existence of this differentiation feature has been intensively described, the mechanisms establishing this hallmark remain obscure. In this work I report, the developmental sequence of events that leads to a differentiated endodermis, in the plant model Arabidopsis thaliana. In addition, my descriptive approach gave important insights as to how these cells define membrane domains involved in the directional transport of nutrients. I also participated in characterizing a new transmembrane protein family, the CASPs, localized to the membrane domain underlying the CS, which we accordingly named the Casparian Strip membrane Domain (CSD). Our molecular analysis indicates that these proteins drive CS establishment. To identify more molecular factors of CS establishment, I performed a forward genetic screen. This screen led to the identification of 11 endodermis permissive mutants, which we named schengen (sgn) mutants. The causative mutations have been mapped to 5 independent loci: SGN1 to SGN5. SGN1 and SGN3 encode Receptor Like Kinases involved in the correct establishment of the CSD. A lack of those kinases leads to an incomplete CSD, which gives rise to interrupted CS barriers. Interestingly, SGN1 seems to also regulate CSD positioning to the middle of endodermal transversal walls. SGN4 encodes an NADPH oxidase involved in lignin polymerization essential for CS formation. The sgn5 mutant induces extra divisions of cortical cells strongly affecting the cell identity, but also leading to incorrect differentiation. A thorough characterization of the sgn2 mutant will follow elsewhere, yet preliminary results indicate that SGN2 encodes an Acyl-CoA N-acyltransferase. . In summary, with my work I have contributed a first set of molecular players of Casparian strip formation and initiated their characterization. Eventually, this might lead to an understanding of the molecular mechanisms of CS establishment in A.thaliana . This in turn will hopefully help to better understand nutrient uptake in higher plants and their response to environmental stresses. - Au sein des plantes vasculaires, l'endoderme représente un tissu protecteur mettant en place une barrière imperméable, empêchant n'importe quel élément de rejoindre les tissus conducteurs par simple diffusion. Cette barrière, appelée « Cadre de Caspary », correspond à une lignification de la paroi de l'endoderme et donne lieu à un cloisonnement de l'espace intercellulaire. Bien que cet élément de différenciation soit décrit en détail, sa mise en place reste incomprise. Cette étude indique la suite d'événements aboutissant à l'établissement du cadre de Caspary chez la plante modèle Arabidopsis thaliana. De plus, ce travail apporte de nouvelles connaissances expliquant comment ces cellules définissent des domaines membranaires importants pour le transport des nutriments. Nous décrivons une nouvelle famille de protéines membranaires, les CASPs (« CAparian Strip membrane domain Proteins »), localisées dans un domaine membranaire longeant le cadre de Caspary : le domaine de Caspary (CSD). L'analyse moléculaire des CASPs indique qu'elles dirigent la formation du cadre de Caspary. Par ailleurs, une approche génétique directe nous a permis d'identifier 11 mutants ayant un endoderme perméable. Nous avons nommé ces mutants Schengen, en référence à la zone de libre échange européenne. Les mutations impliquées dans ces mutants affectent 5 gènes désignés de SGN1 à SGN5. SGN1 et SGN3 produisent des protéines de type kinases (« Receptor-like Kinases », RLK) qui participent à la délimitation du CSD. L'absence de ces kinases aboutit à un domaine CSD incomplet, se traduisant par un cadre de Caspary discontinu. De plus, SGN1 semble réguler le positionnement du CSD au milieu de la paroi transversale de l'endoderme. SGN4 produit une enzyme de type NADPH oxydase impliquée dans la polymérisation du cadre de Caspary. Dans le mutant sgn5, on observe une division anormale des cellules du cortex créant ainsi une nouvelle couche cellulaire incapable d'achever sa différenciation en endoderme. Quant à la mutation sgn2, bien que nous pensons qu'elle affecte une Acyl-CoA N-acyltransferase, sa caractérisation ne sera réalisée que prochainement. Au final, ce travail procure de nouveaux éléments sur l'établissement du cadre de Caspary qui pourraient être importants afin de comprendre comment les plantes sélectionnent leurs nutriments et résistent à des conditions environnementales parfois hostiles. - De par leur immobilité, les plantes terrestres n'ont pas d'autre choix que de puiser leurs ressources dans leur environnement direct. La plante extrait du sol les nutriments qui lui sont nécessaires et les redistribue grâce à des tissus conducteurs. Afin de ne pas s'intoxiquer, il est donc essentiel de pouvoir sélectionner les éléments entrant dans la racine. Etonnement, ce n'est pas la surface des racines qui permet ce contrôle mais un tissu interne appelé endoderme. Ce dernier forme une barrière imperméable qui entoure chaque cellule et crée une jointure permettant de bloquer le passage des éléments entre les cellules. Cette structure, appelée « cadre de Caspary », oblige les éléments à entrer dans les cellules de l'endoderme et à être ainsi sélectionnés. Bien que cette structure soit décrite en détail, sa mise en place reste incomprise. Cette étude indique la suite d'événements qui aboutit à la formation du cadre de Caspary chez la plante modèle Arabidopsis thaliana. Ce travail apporte également de nouvelles connaissances expliquant comment ces cellules définissent, organisent et dirigent le transport des nutriments. Nous décrivons comment certains éléments de la cellule, les protéines CASPs (CAsparian Strip membrane domain Proteins), sont organisées un domaine particulier des membranes afin de créer une plateforme de construction longeant le cadre de Caspary : le domaine de Caspary (CSD). Afin de déterminer ce qu'il se passerait si une plante ne possédait pas de cadre de Caspary, nous avons réalisé une mutagénèse, ou approche génétique directe, et identifié 11 mutants (individu ayant un gène défectueux conduisant à la perte d'une fonction) ayant un endoderme perméable. Nous avons nommé ces mutants schengen, en référence à la zone de libre échange européenne. Les mutations impliquées dans ces mutants affectent 5 gènes désignés de SGN1 à SGN5. Les gènes SGN1 et SGN3 produisent des protéines de type kinases (« Receptor-like Kinases », RLK) servant à l'établissement de la plateforme de construction. L'absence de ces kinases aboutit à une base incomplète, se traduisant par un cadre de Caspary discontinu. Qui plus est, la kinase SGN1 semble réguler le positionnement de la plateforme au milieu de l'endoderme. Le gène SGN4 est par contre, impliqué dans la construction à proprement dite du cadre de Caspary. Dans le mutant sgn5, on observe une nouvelle couche de cellules ressemblant à de l'endoderme mais incapable de former correctement une barrière identique au cadre de Caspary. Quant au dernier mutant, sgn2, bien que cette étude fournisse des indices permettant de comprendre pourquoi le mutant sgn2 est défectueux, nous n'expliquerons ce cas que prochainement. En résumé, ce travail procure de nouvelles connaissances sur l'établissement du cadre de Caspary qui pourraient être importantes afin de comprendre comment les plantes sélectionnent leurs nutriments et résistent à des conditions environnementales parfois hostiles.

Reproductive allocation strategies: a long-term study on proximate factors and temporal adjustments in a viviparous lizard.

Optimisation of reproductive investment is crucial for Darwinian fitness, and detailed long-term studies are especially suited to unravel reproductive allocation strategies. Allocation strategies depend on the timing of resource acquisition, the timing of resource allocation, and trade-offs between different life-history traits. A distinction can be made between capital breeders that fuel reproduction with stored resources and income breeders that use recently acquired resources. In capital breeders, but not in income breeders, energy allocation may be decoupled from energy acquisition. Here, we tested the influence of extrinsic (weather conditions) and intrinsic (female characteristics) factors during energy storage, vitellogenesis and early gestation on reproductive investment, including litter mass, litter size, offspring mass and the litter size and offspring mass trade-off. We used data from a long-term study of the viviparous lizard, Lacerta (Zootoca) vivipara. In terms of extrinsic factors, rainfall during vitellogenesis was positively correlated with litter size and mass, but temperature did not affect reproductive investment. With respect to intrinsic factors, litter size and mass were positively correlated with current body size and postpartum body condition of the previous year, but negatively with parturition date of the previous year. Offspring mass was negatively correlated with litter size, and the strength of this trade-off decreased with the degree of individual variation in resource acquisition, which confirms theoretical predictions. The combined effects of past intrinsic factors and current weather conditions suggest that common lizards combine both recently acquired and stored resources to fuel reproduction. The effect of past energy store points out a trade-off between current and future reproduction.

Prediction of postpartum depression using multilayer perceptrons and pruning.

OBJECTIVE. The main goal of this paper is to obtain a classification model based on feed-forward multilayer perceptrons in order to improve postpartum depression prediction during the 32 weeks after childbirth with a high sensitivity and specificity and to develop a tool to be integrated in a decision support system for clinicians. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Multilayer perceptrons were trained on data from 1397 women who had just given birth, from seven Spanish general hospitals, including clinical, environmental and genetic variables. A prospective cohort study was made just after delivery, at 8 weeks and at 32 weeks after delivery. The models were evaluated with the geometric mean of accuracies using a hold-out strategy. RESULTS. Multilayer perceptrons showed good performance (high sensitivity and specificity) as predictive models for postpartum depression. CONCLUSIONS. The use of these models in a decision support system can be clinically evaluated in future work. The analysis of the models by pruning leads to a qualitative interpretation of the influence of each variable in the interest of clinical protocols.

Bodyweight and migration-related differences in motor abilities in preschool children "Ballabeina"

Introduction: Motor abilities in schoolchildren have been decreasing in the last two decades (Bös, 2003, Tomkinson et al., 2003). This may be related to the dramatic increase in overweight and adiposity during the same time period. Children of migrant background are especially affected (Lasserre et al., 2007). But little is known about the relationship between BMI and migration background and motor abilities in preschool children. Methods/Design We carried out a cross-sectional analysis with 665 children (age 5.1 ± 0.6 years; 49.8 % female) of 40 randomly selected kindergarten classes from German and French speaking regions in Switzerland with a high migrant background. We investigated BMI, cardiorespiratory fitness (20 m shuttle run), static (displacement of center of pressure (COP)) and dynamic (balancing forward on a beam) postural control and overall fitness (obstacle course). Results: Of the children, 9.6 % were overweight, 10.5 % were obese (Swiss national percentiles) and 72.8 % were of migrant background (at least one parent born outside of Switzerland). Mean BMI from children of non-migrant background was 15.5 ± 1.1 kg/m2, while migrant children had a mean BMI of 15.8 ± 1.7 kg/m2 (p=0.08). Normal-weight children performed better in cardiorespiratory fitness (3.1 ± 1.4 vs. 2.6 ± 1.1 stages, p<0.001), overall fitness (18.9 ± 4.4 vs. 20.8 ± 4.6 sec, p<0.001) and in dynamic balance (4.9 ± 3.5 vs. 3.8 ± 2.5 steps, p<0.001) compared to overweight and obese children, while the latter had less postural sway (COP: 956 ± 302 vs. 1021 ± 212 mm, p=0.008). There was a clear inverse dose-response relationship between weight status and dynamic motor abilities. There were no significant differences in most tested motor abilities between non-migrant and migrant. The latter performed less well in only one motor test (overall fitness: 20.2 ± 5.2 vs. 18.3 ± 3.5 sec, p<0.001). These findings persisted after adjustment for BMI. Conclusion In preschool children, differences in motor abilities are already present between normal weight and overweight/obese children. However, migrant children demonstrate similar motor abilities compared to non-migrant children for almost all tests, despite their slightly higher BMI.

Analysis of GPCR properties of Frizzled receptors and establishment of the "in vitro" platform for screening of Frizzled agonists/antagonists as potential therapeutic agents

Morphogens of the Wnt protein family are the secreted lipoglycoprotein ligands which initiate several pathways heavily involved in the coordination of various developmental stages of organisms in the majority of animal species. Deregulation of these pathways in the adult leads to formation and sustaining of multiple types of cancer. The latter notion is reinforced by the fact that the very discovery of the first Wnt ligand was due to its role as the causative factor of carcinogenic transformation (Nusse and Varmus, 1982). Nowadays our knowledge on Wnt signaling has "moved with the times" and these pathways were identified to be often crucial for tumor formation, its interactions with the microenvironment, and promotion of the metastases (Huang and Du, 2008; Zerlin et al., 2008; Jessen, 2009). Thus the relevance of the pathway as the target for drug development has further increased in the light of modern paradigms of the complex cancer treatments which target also spreading and growth- promoting factors of tumors by specific and highly efficient substances (Pavet et al., 2010). Presently the field of the Wnt-targeting drug research is almost solely dominated by assays based on transcriptional activation induced by the signaling. This approach resulted in development of a number of promising substances (Lee et al., 2011). Despite its effectiveness, the method nevertheless suffers from several drawbacks. Among the major ones is the fact that this approach is prone to identify compounds targeting rather downstream effectors of the pathway, which are indiscriminately used by all the subtypes of the Wnt signaling. Additionally, proteins which are involved in several signaling cascades and not just the Wnt pathway turn out as targets of the new compounds. These issues increase risks of side effects due to off-target interactions and blockade of the pathway in healthy cells. In the present work we put forward a novel biochemical approach for drug development on the Wnt pathway. It targets Frizzleds (Fzs) - a family of 7-transmbembrane proteins which serve as receptors for Wnt ligands. They offer unique properties for the development of highly specific and effective drugs as they control all branches of the Wnt signaling. Recent advances in the understanding of the roles of heterotrimeric G proteins downstream from Fzs (Katanaev et al., 2005; Liu et al., 2005; Jernigan et al., 2010) suggest application of enzymatic properties of these effectors to monitor the receptor-mediated events. We have applied this knowledge in practice and established a specific and efficient method based on utilization of a novel high-throughput format of the GTP-binding assay to follow the activation of Fzs. This type of assay is a robust and well-established technology for the research and screenings on the GPCRs (Harrison and Traynor, 2003). The conventional method of detection involves the radioactively labeled non-hydrolysable GTP analog [35S]GTPyS. Its application in the large-scale screenings is however problematic which promoted development of the novel non-radioactive GTP analog GTP-Eu. The new molecule employs phenomenon of the time-resolved fluorescence to provide sensitivity comparable to the conventional radioactive substance. Initially GTP-Eu was tested only in one of many possible types of GTP-binding assays (Frang et al., 2003). In the present work we expand these limits by demonstrating the general comparability of the novel label with the radioactive method in various types of assays. We provide a biochemical characterization of GTP-Eu interactions with heterotrimeric and small GTPases and a comparative analysis of the behavior of the new label in the assays involving heterotrimeric G protein effectors. These developments in the GTP-binding assay were then applied to monitor G protein activation by the Fz receptors. The data obtained in mammalian cultured cell lines provides for the first time an unambiguous biochemical proof for direct coupling of Fzs with G proteins. The specificity of this interaction has been confirmed by the experiments with the antagonists of Fz and by the pertussis toxin-mediated deactivation. Additionally we have identified the specificity of Wnt3a towards several members of the Fz family and analyzed the properties of human Fz-1 which was found to be the receptor coupled to the Gi/o family of G proteins. Another process playing significant role in the functioning of every GPCR is endocytosis. This phenomenon can also be employed for drug screenings on GPCRs (Bickle, 2010). In the present work we have demonstrated that Drosophila Fz receptors are involved in an unusual for many GPCRs manifestation of the receptor-mediated internalization. Through combination of biochemical approaches and studies on Drosophila as the model organism we have shown that direct interactions of the Fzs and the α-subunit of the heterotrimeric G protein Go with the small GTPase Rab5 regulate internalization of the receptor in early endosomes. We provide data uncovering the decisive role of this self-promoted endocytosis in formation of a proper signaling output in the canonical as well as planar cell polarity (PCP) pathways regulated by Fz. The results of this work thus establish a platform for the high-throughput screening to identify substances active in the cancer-related Wnt pathways. This methodology has been adjusted and applied to provide the important insights in Fz functioning and will be instrumental for further investigations on the Wnt-mediated pathways.

Profile of circulating levels of IL-1Ra, CXCL10/IP-10, CCL4/MIP-1β and CCL2/MCP-1 in dengue fever and parvovirosis

Dengue virus (DENV) and parvovirus B19 (B19V) infections are acute exanthematic febrile illnesses that are not easily differentiated on clinical grounds and affect the paediatric population. Patients with these acute exanthematic diseases were studied. Fever was more frequent in DENV than in B19V-infected patients. Arthritis/arthralgias with DENV infection were shown to be significantly more frequent in adults than in children. The circulating levels of interleukin (IL)-1 receptor antagonist (Ra), CXCL10/inducible protein-10 (IP-10), CCL4/macrophage inflammatory protein-1 beta and CCL2/monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) were determined by multiplex immunoassay in serum samples obtained from B19V (37) and DENV-infected (36) patients and from healthy individuals (7). Forward stepwise logistic regression analysis revealed that circulating CXCL10/IP-10 tends to be associated with DENV infection and that IL-1Ra was significantly associated with DENV infection. Similar analysis showed that circulating CCL2/MCP-1 tends to be associated with B19V infection. In dengue fever, increased circulating IL-1Ra may exert antipyretic actions in an effort to counteract the already increased concentrations of IL-1β, while CXCL10/IP-10 was confirmed as a strong pro-inflammatory marker. Recruitment of monocytes/macrophages and upregulation of the humoral immune response by CCL2/MCP-1 by B19V may be involved in the persistence of the infection. Children with B19V or DENV infections had levels of these cytokines similar to those of adult patients.

Bottled natural mineral water in catalonia: origin and geographical evolution of its consumption and production

During the second half of the nineteenth century a major mineral water bottling industry appeared in Catalonia which vigorously lasted until the first third of the 20th century. The fact that the industry appeared in Catalonia and in other parts of Europe and the United States almost at the same time and had not existed before can be explained by a series of factors which coincided in time. This situation encouraged producers to pack, transport and sell bottled water from their respective sources. Among these factors there is the rise of hygienism, very influential in Catalonia, the declining water quality due to industrialization, the increase in population density, the improvement in transport, the emergence of thermal tourism or the invention of better containers used to store water. This project aims to explain thoroughly all the mentioned factors, and to give some light to why, when and how the Catalan bottled water industry appeared.

Bladder cancer index: cross-cultural adaptation into Spanish and psychometric evaluation.

BACKGROUND The Bladder Cancer Index (BCI) is so far the only instrument applicable across all bladder cancer patients, independent of tumor infiltration or treatment applied. We developed a Spanish version of the BCI, and assessed its acceptability and metric properties. METHODS For the adaptation into Spanish we used the forward and back-translation method, expert panels, and cognitive debriefing patient interviews. For the assessment of metric properties we used data from 197 bladder cancer patients from a multi-center prospective study. The Spanish BCI and the SF-36 Health Survey were self-administered before and 12 months after treatment. Reliability was estimated by Cronbach's alpha. Construct validity was assessed through the multi-trait multi-method matrix. The magnitude of change was quantified by effect sizes to assess responsiveness. RESULTS Reliability coefficients ranged 0.75-0.97. The validity analysis confirmed moderate associations between the BCI function and bother subscales for urinary (r = 0.61) and bowel (r = 0.53) domains; conceptual independence among all BCI domains (r ≤ 0.3); and low correlation coefficients with the SF-36 scores, ranging 0.14-0.48. Among patients reporting global improvement at follow-up, pre-post treatment changes were statistically significant for the urinary domain and urinary bother subscale, with effect sizes of 0.38 and 0.53. CONCLUSIONS The Spanish BCI is well accepted, reliable, valid, responsive, and similar in performance compared to the original instrument. These findings support its use, both in Spanish and international studies, as a valuable and comprehensive tool for assessing quality of life across a wide range of bladder cancer patients.

Neuronal and nonneuronal quantitative BACE immunocytochemical expression in the entorhinohippocampal and frontal regions in Alzheimer's disease.

In this study, we quantitatively investigated the expression of beta-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme (BACE) in the entorhinohippocampal and frontal cortex of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and old control subjects. The semiquantitative estimation indicated that the intensity of BACE overall immunoreactivity did not differ significantly between AD and controls, but that a significantly stronger staining was observed in the hippocampal regions CA3-4 compared to other regions in both AD patients and controls. The quantitative estimation confirmed that the number of BACE-positive neuronal profiles was not significantly decreased in AD. However, some degeneration of BACE-positive profiles was attested by the colocalization of neurons expressing BACE and exhibiting neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), as well as by a decrease in the surface area of BACE-positive profiles. In addition, BACE immunocytochemical expression was observed in and around senile plaques (SP), as well as in reactive astrocytes. BACE-immunoreactive astrocytes were localized in the vicinity or close to the plaques and their number was significantly increased in AD entorhinal cortex. The higher amount of beta-amyloid SP and NFT in AD was not correlated with an increase in BACE immunoreactivity. Taken together, these data accent that AD progression does not require an increased neuronal BACE protein level, but suggest an active role of BACE in immunoreactive astrocytes. Moreover, the strong expression in controls and regions less vulnerable to AD puts forward the probable existence of alternate BACE functions.

Initial complications and factors related to prehospital mortality in acute myocardial infarction with ST segment elevation.

OBJECTIVE Hospital mortality in myocardial infarction ST-elevation myocardial infarction has decreased in recent years, in contrast to prehospital mortality. Our objective was to determine initial complications and factors related to prehospital mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction with ST segment elevation (STEMI). METHODS Observational study based on a prospective continuous register of patients of any age attended by out-of-hospital emergency teams in Andalusia between January 2006 and June 2009. This includes patients with acute coronary syndrome-like symptoms whose initial ECG showed ST elevation or presumably new left bundle branch block (LBBB). Epidemiological, prehospital data and final diagnostic were recorded. The study included all patients with STEMI on the register, without age restrictions. Forward stepwise logistic regression analysis was performed to control for confounders. RESULTS A total of 2528 patients were included, 24% were women. Mean age 63.4±13.4 years; 16.7% presented atypical clinical symptoms. Initial complications: ventricular fibrillation (VF) 8.4%, severe bradycardia 5.8%, third-degree atrial-ventricular (AV) block 2.4% and hypotension 13.5%. Fifty-two (2.1%) patients died before reaching hospital. Factors associated with prehospital mortality were female sex (OR 2.36, CI 1.28 to 4.33), atypical clinical picture (OR 2.31, CI 1.21 to 4.41), hypotension (OR 4.95, CI 2.60 to 9.20), LBBB (OR 4.29, CI 1.71 to 10.74), extensive infarction (ST elevation in ≥5 leads) (OR 2.53, CI 1.28 to 5.01) and VF (OR 2.82, CI 1.38 to 5.78). CONCLUSIONS A significant proportion of patients with STEMI present early complications in the prehospital setting, and some die before reaching hospital. Prehospital mortality was associated with female sex and atypical presentation, as pre-existing conditions, and hypotension, extensive infarction, LBBB and VF on emergency team attendance.

The identification and differentiation of the Candida parapsilosis complex species by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism of the internal transcribed spacer region of the rDNA

Currently, it is accepted that there are three species that were formerly grouped under Candida parapsilosis: C. para- psilosis sensu stricto, Candida orthopsilosis, andCandida metapsilosis. In fact, the antifungal susceptibility profiles and distinct virulence attributes demonstrate the differences in these nosocomial pathogens. An accurate, fast, and economical identification of fungal species has been the main goal in mycology. In the present study, we searched sequences that were available in the GenBank database in order to identify the complete sequence for the internal transcribed spacer (ITS)1-5.8S-ITS2 region, which is comprised of the forward and reverse primers ITS1 and ITS4. Subsequently, an in silico polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was performed to differentiate the C. parapsilosis complex species. Ninety-eight clinical isolates from patients with fungaemia were submitted for analysis, where 59 isolates were identified as C. parapsilosis sensu stricto, 37 were identified as C. orthopsilosis, and two were identified as C. metapsilosis. PCR-RFLP quickly and accurately identified C. parapsilosis complex species, making this method an alternative and routine identification system for use in clinical mycology laboratories.

Intraovarian sperm storage in Helicolenus dactylopterus dactylopterus fertilitzation, crypt formation and maintenance of stored sperm

The females of the bluemouth rockfish, Helicolenus dactylopterus dactylopterus (DelaRoche, 1809), store sperm within their ovaries for periods of up to 10 months. Twenty six females with standard lengths between 152 and 257 mm and six males with standard lengths between 253 and 209 mm were caught storage crypts with stored spermatozoa and to describe their evolution over the year. After internal fertilization and once sperm reaches the ovary, a crypt forms probably by an epithelial inclusion at the base of the lamellae of one or several spermatozoa groups that are floating freely in the interlamellar space of the ovarian lumen. Stored spermatozoa have a large cytoplasm bag surrounding their heads. This bag could serve as a nutritive reservoir during the long storage period. Many desmosonal and tight junctions between the crypt cells ensure tha male sex cells are protected against the female immune system

Protocol for the modeling the epidemiologic transition study: a longitudinal observational study of energy balance and change in body weight, diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The prevalence of obesity has increased in societies of all socio-cultural backgrounds. To date, guidelines set forward to prevent obesity have universally emphasized optimal levels of physical activity. However there are few empirical data to support the assertion that low levels of energy expenditure in activity is a causal factor in the current obesity epidemic are very limited. METHODS: The Modeling the Epidemiologic Transition Study (METS) is a cohort study designed to assess the association between physical activity levels and relative weight, weight gain and diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk in five population-based samples at different stages of economic development. Twenty-five hundred young adults, ages 25-45, were enrolled in the study; 500 from sites in Ghana, South Africa, Seychelles, Jamaica and the United States. At baseline, physical activity levels were assessed using accelerometry and a questionnaire in all participants and by doubly labeled water in a subsample of 75 per site. We assessed dietary intake using two separate 24-h recalls, body composition using bioelectrical impedance analysis, and health history, social and economic indicators by questionnaire. Blood pressure was measured and blood samples collected for measurement of lipids, glucose, insulin and adipokines. Full examination including physical activity using accelerometry, anthropometric data and fasting glucose will take place at 12 and 24 months. The distribution of the main variables and the associations between physical activity, independent of energy intake, glucose metabolism and anthropometric measures will be assessed using cross-section and longitudinal analysis within and between sites. DISCUSSION: METS will provide insight on the relative contribution of physical activity and diet to excess weight, age-related weight gain and incident glucose impairment in five populations' samples of young adults at different stages of economic development. These data should be useful for the development of empirically-based public health policy aimed at the prevention of obesity and associated chronic diseases.