Aspects related to productivity for four generations of a Lutzomyia longipalpis laboratory colony

A closed colony of Lutzomyia longipalpis was established with specimens collected in the Raposa - Serra do Sol indian reservoir, one of the main foci of visceral leishmaniasis in the State of Roraima, Brazil. Biological observations were made on four generations of a L. longipalpis colony with emphasis on productivity. Aspects studied were the number of laid and retained eggs, and the number of adults (male and female) per generation. During the four generations the percentage of engorged females that laid eggs varied from 64.2% (third generation-F3) to 90.3% (second generation-F2). The mean number of eggs laid per female varied from 23.6 (F3) to 39.9 (first generation-F1). The maximum number of eggs laid per female varied from 84 (F3) to 124 (F1). The mean number of retained eggs per female was 12.7 (parental generation-P and F1) to 22.1 (F2). The number of females exceeded the number of males in all generations. However, significant difference for male/female ratio was found only for F3. Fecundity rates were between 42.1 (F3) and 58.3 (F2). From a total of 439 blood-fed females, 355 females laid 12,257 eggs that yield 5,354 adults (2,525 males and 2,829 females) in four generations. F2 presented maximum productivity and fecundity rates.

Species and serovars of the genus Listeria lsolated from different sources in Brazil from 1971 to 1997

Using phenotype techniques, characterization was made to species and serovar of 3,112 strains of Listeria, isolated from different sources of infection such as human (247-7.9%) and animals (239-7.6%), as well as from various routes of infection, including food (2,330-74.8%) and environmental constituents (296-9.5%), all coming from different regions of the country and collected during the period 1971-1997. The following species were recovered in the cultures analysed: L. monocytogenes (774-24.8%), L. innocua (2,269-72.9%), L. seeligeri (37-1.1%), L. welshimeri (22-0.7%), L. grayi (9-0.2%), and L. ivanovii (1-0.03%). L. monocytogenes was represented by ten serovars, the most prevalent being 4b (352-11.3%), 1/2a (162-5.2%), and 1/2b (148-4.7%). The predominant serovar in L. innocua was 6a (2,093-67.2%). Considerations about laboratory methods for diagnosis and epidemiological aspects are presented on the basis of the results obtained.

Asthme aigu sévère [Severe acute asthma]

Acute severe asthma is defined by the occurrence of an acute exacerbation resistant to the initial medical treatment, complicated by life-threatening respiratory distress due to severe lung hyperinflation. The conventional therapeutic approach is based on oxygen therapy and on the combined treatment of inhaled beta2-agonists at repeated doses and systemic corticosteroids. Inhaled or systemic magnesium sulfate is also recommended. The unresponsiveness to the initial bronchodilating therapy and the development of respiratory distress requiring intubation significantly increases mortality, due to the complications induced by mechanical ventilation. In these situations, a ventilatory strategy, including controlled hypoventilation with permissive hypercapnia, aiming at preventing lung hyperinflation, is indicated. Non-invasive ventilation may be successful in certain patients and represents an effective alternative to intubation. In ventilated patients, helium-oxygen mixtures can be considered as adjunctive therapies. After having reviewed the basic pathophysiological principles, this article will focus on the current medical treatment and of the modalities of mechanical ventilation in acute severe asthma.

Development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of IgM antibodies to Babesia bigemina in cattle

A crude antigenic preparation of Babesia bigemina was used to develop an ELISA for the detection of IgM antibodies. Optimal dilutions of the antigen, using positive and negative reference sera, were determined by checkerboard titrations. Negative sera from cattle imported from tick-free areas, serum samples collected from infected B. bigemina cattle were used to validate the test. The specificity was 94% and sensitivity of the Elisa 87.5%. Sera from 385 cattle deriving from areas free from tick-borne diseases, which were submitted to a preimmunization process, were screened by this technique. The Elisa detected seroconversion on the 14th day post-inoculation in animals either infested with Boophilus microplus ticks (infected with B. bigemina), or inoculated with B. bigemina infected blood. Antibody titers decreased after day 33; however, all animals remained positive until the end of the experiment (124 days). The ELISA described may prove to be an appropriate serological test for the detection of IgM antibodies against B. bigemina.

In vitro neuroendocrine effects of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) in the AhR-expressing hypothalamic rat GnV-3 cell line.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is involved in a wide variety of biological and toxicological responses, including neuroendocrine signaling. Due to the complexity of neuroendocrine pathways in e.g. the hypothalamus and pituitary, there are limited in vitro models available despite the strong demand for such systems to study and predict neuroendocrine effects of chemicals. In this study, the applicability of the AhR-expressing rat hypothalamic GnV-3 cell line was investigated as a novel model to screen for neuroendocrine effects of AhR ligands using 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) as reference compound. The qRT-PCR analyses demonstrated the presence of several sets of neurotransmitter receptors in the GnV-3 cells. TCDD (10nM) altered neurotransmitter signaling by up-regulation of glutamate (Grik2), gamma-amino butyric acid (Gabra2) and serotonin (Ht2C) receptor mRNA levels. However, no significant changes in basal and serotonin-evoked intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)]i) or serotonin release were observed. On the other hand, TCDD de-regulated period circadian protein homolog 1 (Per1) and gonadotropin releasing hormone (Gnrh) mRNA levels within a 24-h time period. Both Per1 and Gnrh genes displayed a similar mRNA expression pattern in GnV-3 cells. Moreover, the involvement of AhR in TCDD-induced alteration of Neuropeptide Y (Npy) gene expression was found and confirmed by using siRNA targeted against Ahr in GnV-3 cells. Overall, the combined results demonstrate that GnV-3 cells may be a suitable model to predict some mechanisms of action and effects of AhR ligands in the hypothalamus.

High occurrence of hepatitis E virus in samples from wastewater treatment plants in Switzerland and comparison with other enteric viruses.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is responsible for many enterically transmitted viral hepatitides around the world. It is currently one of the waterborne diseases of global concern. In industrialized countries, HEV appears to be more common than previously thought, even if it is rarely virulent. In Switzerland, seroprevalence studies revealed that HEV is endemic, but no information was available on its environmental spread. The aim of this study was to investigate -using qPCR- the occurrence and concentration of HEV and three other viruses (norovirus genogroup II, human adenovirus-40 and porcine adenovirus) in influents and effluents of 31 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Switzerland. Low concentrations of HEV were detected in 40 out of 124 WWTP influent samples, showing that HEV is commonly present in this region. The frequency of HEV occurrence was higher in summer than in winter. No HEV was detected in WWTP effluent samples, which indicates a low risk of environmental contamination. HEV occurrence and concentrations were lower than those of norovirus and adenovirus. The autochthonous HEV genotype 3 was found in all positive samples, but a strain of the non-endemic and highly pathogenic HEV genotype I was isolated in one sample, highlighting the possibility of environmental circulation of this genotype. A porcine fecal marker (porcine adenovirus) was not detected in HEV positive samples, indicating that swine are not the direct source of HEV present in wastewater. Further investigations will be necessary to determine the reservoirs and the routes of dissemination of HEV.

Ecomobilitat a Sitges: anàlisi de la situació actual i propostes de millora

La mobilitat urbana és una de les temàtiques més importants a les ciutats ja que convergeixen diversos aspectes a nivell social i ambiental. El present article es centra en el sistema de mobilitat de la ciutat de Sitges tot avaluant l’estat de la xarxa viària, el parc de vehicles, els sistemes de transport i els serveis bàsics actuals. En l’anàlisi socioambiental de les variables d’aquest àmbit, s’han detectat una sèrie de problemes com ara una distribució no equitativa dels serveis bàsics, desigualtat en la distribució de carrers vianalitzats i carrils bici i manca d’homogeneïtat en la distribució de pàrquings. Els resultats obtinguts permeten proposar una sèrie de millores en busca d’una mobilitat més sostenible. Millorar les parades de bus que no tenen sistema de marquesina per a protegir-les del fred i el sol, augmentar potencialment el carril bici desplegant-lo per carrers que no en tenen, desenvolupar campanyes per a fomentar l’ús de la bici i augmentar la presència de carrers d’exclusiu ús per a vianants.

Aspects of the Maintenance of the Life Cycle of Fasciola hepatica in Lymnaea columella in Minas Gerais, Brazil

Fascioliasis is a parasitic disease of domestic ruminants that occurs worldwide. The lymnaeid intermediate hosts of Fasciola hepatica include Lymnaea columella, which is widely distributed in Brazil. A colony of L. columella from Belo Horizonte, MG, was reared in our laboratory to be used in studies of the F. hepatica life cycle, the intermediate host-parasite relationship and development of an anti-helminthic vaccine. In the first experiment 1,180 snails were exposed to miracidia of F. hepatica eggs removed from the biliary tracts of cattle from the State of Rio Grande do Sul. In the second and third experiments the snails were exposed to miracidia that had emerged from F. hepatica eggs from Uruguay, maintained in rabbits. The rates of infection in the first, second and third experiments were 0, 42.1 and 0% respectively. Over 15,806 metacercariae were obtained and stored at 4ºC. Four rabbits weighing 1.5 kg each were infected with 32-44 metacercariae and two with 200. Three rabbits begin to eliminate eggs of the parasite in the feces from 84 days after infection onwards. The biological cycle of F. hepatica in L. columella and the rabbit was completed within 124 days.

The patterns of tungiasis in Araruama township, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

This paper describes patterns of infestation with Tunga penetrans (L., 1758) within the poor community of Araruama municipality, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, assessed by the number of persons and domestic animals parasitized. The overall prevalence of infestation was 49.2% (211 parasitized hosts) of the 429 examined. Humans (p < 0.01) and dogs (p < 0.01) were the most important hosts with 62.6% and 35.6% respectively. Dogs were considered as the potential infestation source to humans. Considering sex and age groups, both measures showed a significant difference (p < 0.01): female (62.2% infested of 143 examined) and male (43.9% infested of 98 examined). All age classes were found infested with significant difference (G = 42.5; p < 0.01) and most of the infestation occurred in children in the 0-9-year old category (27.3%). In contrast and based on mean of chigoe burden per person, the parasitic intensity was significantly higher on male than on female in all age categories, except for the 50+ (H = 27.1; p < 0.01) and decreasing with the increase of age (chi2 = 69.7, A = -124.6, p < 0.01). Growing urbanization, improved housing and sewage systems, use of appropriate footwear, examination of the feet principally in young children, antitetanus prophylaxis and reduction of stray dogs population are the major prophylactic methods recommended.

Obesity markers and blood pressure in a sample of Portuguese children and adolescents.

Little information exists regarding the effect of several obesity markers on blood pressure (BP) levels in youth. Transverse study including 2494 boys and 2589 girls. Height, weight and waist were measured according to the international criteria and body fat (BF) by bioimpedance. BP was measured by an automated device. Hypertension was defined using sex-specific, age-specific and height-specific observation-points. Body mass index (BMI) and waist were positively related with systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate in both sexes, whereas the relationships with BF were less consistent. Stepwise linear regression analysis showed that BMI was positively related with SBP and DBP in both sexes, whereas BF was negatively related with SBP in both sexes and with heart rate in boys only; finally, waist was positively related with SBP in boys and heart rate in girls. Age and heart rate-adjusted values of SBP and DBP increased with BMI: for SBP, 117+/-1, 123+/-1 and 124+/-1 mmHg in normal, overweight and obese boys, respectively; corresponding values for girls were 111+/-1, 114+/-1 and 116+/-2 mmHg (mean+/-SE, P<0.001). Overweight and obese boys had an odds ratio for being hypertensive of 2.26 (95% confidence interval: 1.79-2.86) and 3.36 (2.32-4.87), respectively; corresponding values for girls were 1.58 (confidence interval 1.25-1.99) and 2.31 (1.53-3.50). BMI, not BF or waist, is consistently and independently related to BP levels in children; overweight and obesity considerably increase the risk of hypertension.

Ruling out coronary heart disease in primary care patients with chest pain : a clinical prediction score

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Chest pain raises concern for the possibility of coronary heart disease. Scoring methods have been developed to identify coronary heart disease in emergency settings, but not in primary care. METHODS: Data were collected from a multicenter Swiss clinical cohort study including 672 consecutive patients with chest pain, who had visited one of 59 family practitioners' offices. Using delayed diagnosis we derived a prediction rule to rule out coronary heart disease by means of a logistic regression model. Known cardiovascular risk factors, pain characteristics, and physical signs associated with coronary heart disease were explored to develop a clinical score. Patients diagnosed with angina or acute myocardial infarction within the year following their initial visit comprised the coronary heart disease group. RESULTS: The coronary heart disease score was derived from eight variables: age, gender, duration of chest pain from 1 to 60 minutes, substernal chest pain location, pain increases with exertion, absence of tenderness point at palpation, cardiovascular risks factors, and personal history of cardiovascular disease. Area under the receiver operating characteristics curve was of 0.95 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.92; 0.97. From this score, 413 patients were considered as low risk for values of percentile 5 of the coronary heart disease patients. Internal validity was confirmed by bootstrapping. External validation using data from a German cohort (Marburg, n = 774) revealed a receiver operating characteristics curve of 0.75 (95% confidence interval, 0.72; 0.81) with a sensitivity of 85.6% and a specificity of 47.2%. CONCLUSIONS: This score, based only on history and physical examination, is a complementary tool for ruling out coronary heart disease in primary care patients complaining of chest pain.

La réhabilitation psychosociale a l'aube du XXIème siècle: II: Modalités thérapeutiques ou réhabilitatives et dispositif institutionnel

The main goal of psychosocial rehabilitation is to compensate the vulnerability underlying psychiatric disorders through intermediate institutions when the persistence and recurrence of these disorders have led to social and professional exclusion. Intermediate institutions refer to services which allow transition between the state of dependence on the hospital to the state of relative autonomy in social community. Psychosocial rehabilitation is a comprehensive approach which link the type of interventions: treatment, rehabilitation and support integrated in multimodal and individualized programs. A study of the out-patients followed by the rehabilitation unit of the psychiatric department in Lausanne has shown that provision of services is divided into 60% for rehabilitation, 20% for treatment and 20% for support independently of the psychiatric disorders. The implementation of these programs necessitates institutional support from psychiatric hospital to outpatient clinics through different types of facilities in order to offer a medical and psychosocial device of rehabilitation into the community

Tacrolimus and cyclosporine have differential effects on the risk of development of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome: results of a prospective, randomized international trial in lung transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Chronic lung allograft dysfunction, which manifests as bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS), is recognized as the primary cause of morbidity and mortality after lung transplantation. In this study we assessed the efficacy and safety of two de novo immunosuppression protocols to prevent BOS. METHODS: Our study approach was a multicenter, prospective, randomized (1:1) open-label superiority investigation of de novo tacrolimus vs cyclosporine, with both study arms given mycophenolate mofetil and prednisolone after lung transplantation. Cytolytic induction therapy was not employed. Patients were stratified at entry for cystic fibrosis. Primary outcome was incidence of BOS 3 years after transplant (intention-to-treat analysis). Secondary outcomes were survival and incidence of acute rejection, infection and other adverse events. RESULTS: Group demographic data were well matched: 110 of 124 tacrolimus vs 74 of 125 cyclosporine patients were treated per protocol (p < 0.01 by chi-square test). Cumulative incidence of BOS Grade ≥1 at 3 years was 11.6% (tacrolimus) vs 21.3% (cyclosporine) (cumulative incidence curves, p = 0.037 by Gray's test, pooled over strata). Univariate proportional sub-distribution hazards regression confirmed cyclosporine as a risk for BOS (HR 1.97, 95% CI 1.04 to 3.77, p = 0.039). Three-year cumulative incidence of acute rejection was 67.4% (tacrolimus) vs 74.9% (cyclosporine) (p = 0.118 by Gray's test). One- and 3-year survival rates were 84.6% and 78.7% (tacrolimus) vs 88.6% and 82.8% (cyclosporine) (p = 0.382 by log-rank test). Cumulative infection rates were similar (p = 0.91), but there was a trend toward new-onset renal failure with tacrolimus (p = 0.09). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with cyclosporine, de novo tacrolimus use was found to be associated with a significantly reduced risk for BOS Grade ≥1 at 3 years despite a similar rate of acute rejection. However, no survival advantage was detected.